Summer Blessings

I swear I’ve eaten my weight in strawberries over the past month – huge, juicy berries thrown into smoothies, macaroons, cheezecake, and on their own by the bowl! My dad has an amazing vegetable patch and every single plant is cherished and lovingly tended. He brings me a box or two of his produce each week and I just had to photograph this one as it’s a work of art in itself!




I love this time of year, wandering around barefoot and soaking up the sun as much as one can during a Northern Ireland summer! These gorgeous fluffy clouds, captured a couple of weekends ago while out walking, reminded me of my favourite summer-themed quotes:

“I walk without flinching through the burning cathedral of the summer. My bank of wild grass is majestic and full of music. It is a fire that solitude presses against my lips.”
~ Violette Leduc, Mad in Pursuit

“Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability.”
~ Sam Keen

“Summer is the time when one sheds one's tensions with one's clothes, and the right kind of day is jeweled balm for the battered spirit. A few of those days and you can become drunk with the belief that all's right with the world.”
~ Ada Louise Huxtable

and the perfect way to while away a summer afternoon…

“Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass on a summer day listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is hardly a waste of time.”
~ John Lubbock

Simple Pleasures

Time for a few more raw dessert pics! Both of these sweet treats are from Ani Phyo’s fantastic book: ‘Ani’s Raw Food Desserts’. I know I recommend it a lot, but I’ve yet to discover a duff recipe and unlike some of the raw food books in my collection, pretty much all the ingredients are easily obtainable.

If you like the flavour of carob then you’ll love these easy to make Carob Walnut Cookies (click here for the recipe). They’re delicious with a little dollop of walnut butter on top.



And these little beauties (Sesame Snap Cookies) are my new favourites! Funnily enough, I’ve never been a huge fan of dried apricots on their own, but add pistachios and sesame seeds to the mix and I’m seeing them in a rather different light...



Dive in!



Most of the moulds I use when making raw desserts and chocolates are from a great selection at SiliconeMoulds.com. I’ve been really impressed with all their moulds I’ve tried so far - they’re excellent quality and release very easily. Take a look at Sarah-Jane’s foodie blog as well, for some gorgeous culinary eye candy and recipes.

We’re All Mad Here!

~ Welcome to our Mad Tea Party! ~

Follow the winding path through the mystical woods…



to an enchanted garden where a magical tea party awaits.



Pull up a chair amidst the majestic foxgloves and rambling roses.







Join us for tea and a huge slice of the Queen of Hearts’ Strawberry Tart…



and if you’re still feeling peckish there are plenty more goodies!



Nutty Date Cookies



Chocolate Halva



and Pecan Pie Cookies.



Thanks for stopping by our Mad Tea Party 2010! I doubt we’ll need to eat again for the rest of the weekend after all the delectable raw desserts we’ve gorged on this afternoon lol! Please leave a comment so I can visit your blog too.



Finally, a huge thank you to the wonderful Vanessa at A Fanciful Twist for organising today’s event – the entire list of mad-partyers is available there.

Take Me Away

I rarely listen to music while creating jewellery as I love just chillin’ to the sound of the wind in the trees and the birdsong! On those all too rare occasions when I dig out my paint brushes it’s a different story, as the right blend of music has the power to transport far away to a magical realm…

International Fairy Day (June 24th)

This Thursday is International Fairy Day – an annual celebration for everyone who believes in the magic of fairytales and lovers of all things fae! The Fairy Day website has some lovely ideas for bringing a little faerie enchantment into your life including a great article exploring fairy fashions, tips on fairy-style décor, and using found objects to create an altar to honour the fae.

Fairy power is said to be at its height during the Summer Solstice (June 21st) and I couldn’t resist posting this wonderful video of ‘The Fairy’s Song’ by Maite Itoiz and John Kelly. According to John, the fairy’s solstice song is a magical spell that awakens the ancient forests. The ethereal location for the video is Zugarramurdi forest in Navarra (Northern Spain), once a meeting place for sorceresses during the Middle Ages.




Join in the fairy magic on June 24th!

Chocolate Almond Fudge Cupcakes

The Chocolate Almond Fudge Cupcakes below are based on another wonderful recipe from ‘Ani’s Raw Food Desserts’ (Almond-Goji Cacao Chip Cookies p117). These cookies are delicious just as they are, but I couldn't resist converting them to a cupcake with a chocolate frosting and a sprinkling of raw cacao nibs on top for a little extra crunch.

I tweaked the proportions of Ani’s original recipe to give it a softer, fudge-like consistency and only made enough for 2 cupcakes, which I totally regretted later on as they tasted amazing!




Cupcake mix:
3 heaped dessertspoons almond butter
2-3 dessertspoons raw agave nectar
1-2 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch sea salt
½ cup almond meal
Handful of goji berries
1 dessertspoon raw cacao nibs
(Stir together in a mixing bowl).

Chocolate frosting (enough for 2 cupcakes):
¼ cup almond meal
1 tsp raw cacao powder
1 dessertspoon raw agave nectar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp water
(Stir together in a mixing bowl).

The Dark Hedges

This spectacular avenue of majestic beech trees near the village of Armoy, County Antrim is one of my favourite stretches of country road in Northern Ireland. Known locally as ‘The Dark Hedges’, the beeches (planted in 1750) form a natural archway above the road with their intertwining branches.




It’s an enchanting place to linger, watching the ever-changing light.

(Photos: Pam)

"Trees are sanctuaries. Whoever knows how to speak to them, whoever knows how to listen to them, can learn the truth. They do not preach learning and precepts, they preach undeterred by particulars, the ancient law of life."
~ Hermann Hesse, Wandering

Carrot Cake Cupcakes

I recently bought some silicone moulds on ebay and have been itching to try out the raw cupcake recipes in Ani Phyo’s beautiful book, ‘Ani’s Raw Food Desserts’. I can never refuse a slice of carrot cake (well, cake in general), so I was intrigued by the prospect of how raw carrot cake would compare with the trusty cooked version. Even though I’ve been having fun making raw desserts for a couple of years now, there are still a few cooked recipes I hold sacred lol!




The cupcake base is a mixture of grated carrot (with some of the juice squeezed out), almond meal, ground cinnamon, Medjool dates and shredded coconut… and it really does taste every bit as good as the baked version!

Ani’s dairy-free ‘Kream Cheeze Frosting’ is made with ground cashews, lemon juice, raw agave nectar and a little water. I’ve used this delicious cream cheese alternative before in raw desserts and it’s perfect for topping any carrot cake, raw or not.

(Photos: Pam)

New Jewels!

I added a whole bunch of lovely new necklaces and a bracelet to the Midnight Raven Artisan Jewellery website yesterday. You can probably tell that I have a thing for chunky beads and pendants at the moment! The faceted citrine nuggets below are gorgeous in person, as is the handcut bornite (aka peacock ore) and pyrite pendant.

Honeysuckle necklace (Enchanted Garden collection)

Out of the Blue necklace (Balsam for the Soul collection)
(SOLD)

Did Someone Mention a Tea Party?

One of my favourite blogs, A Fanciful Twist, has just set the date for this year's Mad Tea Party. Everyone is welcome to join in the fun and general madness - click here to find out more and sign up!