“There are times when we stop, we sit still. We listen and breezes from a whole other world begin to whisper.” -James Carroll
There is an abundance of peace in Caroll's words, and many more words and thoughts just like it are needed now, possibly more than ever before.
It feels, to me, that though our world appears more at peace than a century, two, or more ago, that there is an underlying vibration of growing stress and anxiety, and it continues to escalate.
We seek comfort in a variety of ways and places, such as home, family, hobbies, the outdoors, or whatever brings each of us a sense of calm.
“Within you, there is a stillness and a sanctuary to which you can retreat at any time and be yourself.” -Hermann Hesse
For me, nature is the greatest stress reliever, and as you notice from my blog, spending time in the kitchen is also a relaxing pastime. However, coming in neck and neck is getting lost in a fictional world. Add in tea, which even the act of preparing is known to help reduce stress, and you have the recipe for instant anxiety relief.
What about writing you might ask? Writing is immensely enjoyable, and I relish every second I spend with my characters, but it is also a tremendous amount of work, and we writers need time away from our own fictional words to recharge. But that is okay because visiting the worlds other authors have created allows us to still spend time in our imaginations.
"Reading has been shown to put our brains into a pleasurable trance-like state, similar to meditation, and it brings the same health benefits of deep relaxation and inner calm. Regular readers sleep better, have lower stress, high self esteem, and lower rates of depression than non-readers." —The New Yorker
Of course, we readers already know the vast benefits of reading fiction. Sip a cup of tea, enjoy a tasty treat, and feel your body and mind disconnect from your troubles while you escape into a terrific tale.
When I'm feeling especially at odds with the world, I retreat into familiar stories. I may know everything that is going to happen, yet there is comfort in revisiting old friends and traveling to well-loved places in times past or present.
Other times, a new book and a new adventure are exactly what is needed. On a break earlier today, I started The Postmistress by Allison Stuart, set in 1871 Australia. I was quickly drawn into the story and can't wait to return.
The past few months have been spent heavily on research, which I tend to enjoy, but there have also been great changes with more to come, and while change is good, I do not always embrace it with grace and excitement.
And so, into the kitchen I will go. Perhaps kneading bread dough is what I need most in that moment, or whipping up a bit of chocolate or fresh berry sweet until I start to unwind. Then it is time to select a delicious herbal tea and sit down to read. This ritual has been enjoyed more in my mind rather in practice, but I hope it becomes a daily habit.
What relaxes you? Books? Cooking? A long walk in nature? I am in a more tranquil state of mind just from writing this post. It seems the mere thought of reading and sipping tea offers a bit of serenity.
Reading awaits me later, but for now it is time to take my recharged mine and return to writing. Before I go, let's talk coffee cake . . .
Since nothing was changed from the listed ingredients (just in the process), I'm not posting it here, but follow the link below and you can easily print it off. This was the first time making it, and the only thing I would have changed is to broil it for 3-5 minutes at the end for a crisper finish on the topping.
Get the Recipe >> Fresh Strawberry Coffee Cake
This coffee cake isn't too sweet, and like most desserts, a small serving is quite satisfying. The tea served with the cake is Cup of Calm from Traditional Medicinals. In fact, I'm enjoying a cup of the lavender and mint tea as I write this post.
“Set peace of mind as your highest goal, and organize your life around it.” —Brian Tracy
Updated: Mar 12
There are so many recipes for Irish Apple Cake, and the majority of them look delicious, which means I will be trying more of them in future. With March upon us and St. Patrick's Day coming soon, I'm honoring the Irish folk in my books, and for this post it's Finnegan Brody from The Healer of Briarwood.
I have a wee bit of Irish in me, but not enough to claim the beautiful island as an ancestral home. I'm more closely aligned with Scotland and England, but every now and again I have a hankering to explore the isle of magic and myth, green hills, and tasty butter (seriously, best butter ever).
While browsing through the variety of apple cake recipes, I got to thinking what is it about these apple cakes that make them Irish? Is it really an Ireland tradition? Do they just like apples and make a lot of cake? I did a bit of digging and did not find all that much except that apples in Ireland seemed to at one time be closely aligned with Halloween.
Then there is the apple tree in Celtic mythology, and the story of Connla of the fiery hair, or the Arthurian legend, Avallon, and even Merlin who "is said to have worked in an apple grove." (read more here)
"Apples have been grown in Ireland for at least 3000 years. Indeed, St. Patrick is said to have planted a number of apple trees in Ireland, including one at Ceangoba, a settlement close to where Armagh is now situated." (source here)
Since I'm not actually writing a book about the history of apples in Ireland, my research ended there.
Although millions of pounds and euros worth of apples are imported every year, they have a few varieties grown there today that look delicious, and no doubt this recipe would have been much better using one of their varieties.
What does all this delightful apple history have to do with Brody and apple cake? Suffice to say, learning something new is always interesting, and it's likely that Brody enjoyed many an apple cake before he left Ireland for the rugged mountains of Montana.
An Excerpt from The Healer of Briarwood
Katharine breathed in the unfamiliar scents emanating from the quaint, one-street town of Briarwood. The usual bouquet of livestock fragrances permeated the air, and yet somehow the aroma of grass, pine, and delicious baking overpowered the hay, horses, and privies.
“Bessie, I believe we need a visit to whatever eating establishment is responsible for that wonderful smell. We can settle . . .” Katharine looked around the town with equal measures of amusement and concern. “Do you see the hotel?”
“Perhaps it is around the corner.”
“Perhaps.” She doubted it, though. She had hoped for a hot bath and a comfortable bed rather than more nights in the tent. The men set up a luxurious camp, but Katharine longed for a private bath in which to relax and wash away the dust from the past two days. What should have been a day’s travel had become two. She considered it a necessary sacrifice to obtain the information she needed on the survey.
A boarding house at the end of the road in front of them displayed a vacancy sign. Katharine decided she would prefer the tent rather than stay in a place near the saloon. Another cursory study of the buildings presented one large enough to possibly have accommodations, though she could see no sign from her vantage point.
“Let us look into this building here.” She pointed to the large wood structure on the corner.
“If they do not have rooms, Miss Katharine?”
“Then it will be the tent for us.” Katharine nodded to the boarding house. “Unless you prefer to sleep there.”
Bessie shook her head and remained quiet.
“Goodness, Bessie, this is an adventure.” Katharine opened the door and accepted Stewart’s assistance out of the coach. She smoothed the front of her dress and stopped when she realized they’d drawn the attention of passersby. “Stewart, please assist Bessie. I will see about accommodations.”
“Miss, you need not do that. I will—”
“I know, Stewart, and I thank you, but this is one thing my father never allowed me to do when traveling with him. He is not here, and so I wish to explore the town, or what there is of it.” Katharine raised a delicate brown brow when she next said, “And we will not be reporting everything to Mr. Kiely, will we?”
Stewart answered with a grin. “No, Miss, I don’t suppose there’d be much to tell, anyway.”
Excerpt © MK McClintock
Little did Katharine know, there would be a lot to tell . . .
I hope you make time every now and then to escape into a good book and relax. We are too often pressured to keep up grueling work paces, either from necessity or expectation, and forget that the quiet moments of peace are often even more important.
The Book: The Healer of Briarwood, book seven in the Montana Gallagher series.
The Beverage: Blossoms of Health tea from Mountain Rose Herbs
From the Kitchen: Scroll down for the recipe and links to more recipe options.
These Irish Apple Cake recipes all look worth trying. I plan on it! How about you? There were a lot of recipes with sauces, which I get since the cake is dense, almost bread-like. The apple cake is wonderful with breakfast, or as shown here, with a soothing cup of tea.
Cast-Iron Irish Apple Cake (This is the one I tried for this post, with a few modifications as seen below.)
Thank you for visiting!
Be well, be kind, and stay safe!
—MK
About Writer in the Kitchen: I love to be in the kitchen. Once upon a time I was going to be a pastry chef, and though my life took a different path (glad it did), my love for baking and cooking has never gone away. I share original and test-kitchen recipes, (often with book breaks) and you can always find recipe links and posts organized on my recipes page.
Updated: Mar 12
Apples are delicious. They are yummy with peanut butter, baked into tasty desserts, or all by their lonesome. This wonderful fruit has been around since the beginning of time, but apparently only in North America since the seventeenth century when they were introduced by colonists. The first apple orchard was reportedly planted in Boston by a reverend in 1625. Another report has them cultivated in Jamestown as early as 1607.
The only apples native to North America are crab apples. I did not know this, did you? Multiple sources report this, including smart university people, so it's probably accurate.
Did You Know? Thomas Jefferson is the "accidental" founder of the Fuji apple? It says so right here.
I've provided a delicious apple pie recipe link near the end of this post. I like the filling from the Natasha's Kitchen recipe, and the crust is a basic recipe I've been using for decades, also at the end of the post.
Montana's first known apple orchard was planted in the 1840s in the Bitterroot Valley, then commercial growing began in the 1860s. By the 1880s, apples were being shipped in train cars (Montana.edu), which means the Gallagher family would have been able to buy apples, known people who grew them, or had a few tree themselves. Oddly enough this post has made me realize that I don't specifically mention apple orchards in the Gallagher books, at least I haven't yet.
However, I do mention pie on a number of occasions. Elizabeth and Amanda bake them at the ranch and Tilly serves them at her café. A lot of folks in Briarwood would have enjoyed a variety of apple dishes, and they might have used a little molasses in their apple pies.
An Excerpt from Gallagher's Hope
(This excerpt is a short section not too long after Isabelle and Andrew arrived in Briarwood.)
“I like it, Ibby. I like all of the big fields, and there are lots of places to play outside instead of the small park where we used to live.”
Where we used to live. Isabelle squeezed his small hand. “I like it too, Andrew, I like it too.” With a soft sigh and a smile, she walked with her brother outside the schoolhouse and gazed at her surroundings. A person could certainly make a new beginning for themselves in a peaceful place like Briarwood. Isabelle wondered if she would get used to the quiet, though the night before had been one of the best night’s sleep in recent memory.
“What do you say we go on over to the general store, and perhaps we can get some pie over at the café?”
With eager enthusiasm, Andrew nodded his head, and they made their way across the meadow to the main street of the small town.
The dirt road beneath Isabelle’s feet was a new experience. She’d been to the countryside before, but within towns where she’d lived, the roads were paved. The sound of her city boots meeting the wooden planks as she ascended the steps of the general store brought a smile to her face. A world so different from everything familiar she’d ever known, and yet those differences gave her hope.
Excerpt © MK McClintock
I hope you make time every now and then to escape into a good book and relax. We are too often pressured to keep up grueling work paces, either from necessity or expectation, and forget that the quiet moments of peace are often even more important.
The Book: Gallagher's Hope, book two in the Montana Gallagher series.
The Beverage: Cold glass of milk
From the Kitchen: Homemade Apple Pie (pie filling at Natasha's Kitchen).
Thank you for visiting!
Be well, be kind, and stay safe!
—MK
About Writer in the Kitchen: I love to be in the kitchen. Once upon a time I was going to be a pastry chef, and though my life took a different path (glad it did), my love for baking and cooking has never gone away. I share original and test-kitchen recipes, (often with book breaks) and you can always find recipe links and posts organized on my recipes page.
