MAKING EACH DAY COUNT
***
Last week was an emotionally tough one for me.
After what started out as a normal, calm week, I went to work as usual last Thursday morning, said hello to the doorman who guarded the building, and then headed to my office, only to receive news half an hour later that the poor doorman had passed away from a heart attack on the job.
It was shockingly hard news to take.
Even though the only relationship I had with the doorman, Marcos, was a hi-and-bye one, Iād seen him at the building every day, and the reality of the situation hit me particularly hard because Iād never experienced something so tough so close.
The hardest thing for me was seeing the pain so sharply reflected in the faces of Marcosā family, and watching them collapse in tears and heartache, after realizing that the horrible news was real and irreversible.
I remember hugging Marcoās wife, as her large body trembled with sorrow and disbelief, and her, clutching tightly onto me, afraid to let go once more. I witnessed the tear-streaked face of Marcosā daughter, as she sat surrounded by her friends, shaking at the harshness of the situation. I saw the weariness on Marcosā sonās face, like a light had been abruptly switched off inside his soul.
Marcosā sudden departure, as with all departures in life, made me wonder.
Because life is short, and no one knows how long any of us has ā I wonder, what difference do I make in this world?
Speaking to Juan about my thoughts and feelings about Marcoās passing, I challenged both of us to make full use of every day of our lives.
I thought that I should challenge all of us as well ā Make each day count.
Does every day of your life count? Do you do something for others that makes a difference in their lives? Did you sit and listen to the woman whose heart has been broken after her husband left, just because she needs a listening ear? Did you offer a smile to the homeless woman on the street, because there was nothing else you could offer? Did you tell the people you love that you love them?
Lifeās unexpected news and events are like that; and we have to learn to rejoice in the beauty of life, to grieve together when a loved one is gone, and to find comfort in the smallest, loveliest things that weāre blessed to have.
***
JACKIE’S HONEY OAT BREAD
***
In a week of tough news and difficulty understanding why certain things happen to good people, I found comfort in Jackieās honey oat bread.
Jackie blogs over at La Casa de Sweets, a food blog that is as beautiful as it is practical. While exploring her amazingly pretty site dedicated to sweet foods and desserts, I stumbled across her original honey oat bread recipe.
Remember the honey oat walnut muffins that I made a while back? They were filled with the tastes of nature ā sweet wild honey, textured oats and crunchy walnuts ā all in a bite-sized muffin. I’d enjoyed them so much and wanted to make something similar again.
Now Jackieās recipe for honey oat bread calls for similar ingredients to those used in my muffins, but she used brown sugar instead, and because I liked the idea of a loaf of honey oat bread so much, I just had to try making hers. I made a couple of tweaks to the recipe, but its essentially still the same as Jackie’s with just minor modifications.
In her recipe, Jackie calls for yoghurt, and specifically Greek yoghurt, but because I didnāt have any, I used whipping cream ā the closest substitute I could get in my kitchen at the moment. I also used slightly less brown sugar than indicated and topped it up with a bit more of honey, so that the taste of honey would really come through when you bite into the honey oat bread.
Once both dry and wet ingredients have been well incorporated to form the batter, carefully pour the batter into a well-greased loaf pan, after which you generously sprinkle more oats to cover the entire batter surface, which makes the loaf look immensely pretty once itās baked.
Moist with a sturdy crumb, the brown sugar used makes this loaf look more like bread made of chocolate as opposed to honey and oats, but I loved the contrast between the dark brown of the bread with the beige oats on the top. The increased amount of honey also worked its magic ā every bite was filled with the taste and smell of honey, so naturally rich and sweet that it really wasnāt necessary to eat the bread with anything except on its own.
Itās the kind of food you can really call ācomfort foodā, the sort that leaves your stomach filled and your heart brimming with warmth.
And in the tough past one week, this was my comfort food.
JACKIE’S HONEY OAT BREAD (Makes 1 loaf)
Adapted from: La Casa de Sweets Honey Oat Bread recipe
Ingredients:
1) 1 – 1 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour
2) 1 teaspoon of baking soda (or baking powder)
3) A pinch of salt
4) 1 egg
5) 3/4 cup of dark brown sugar
6) 100g of melted butter
7) 3/4 brown honey
8) 1/4 cup of whipping cream (the original recipe called for yoghurt (preferably greek), but I didn’t have it)
9) 1/2 cup of quick-cooking oats + 1/4 cup of quick-cooking oats, divided
Steps:
1) Pre-heat your oven till 190 deg cel (or 375 deg farenheit)
2) Mix egg and brown sugar until sugar is dissolved
3) Add in melted butter to the sugar mixture and mix till combined
4) Pour in honey and whipping cream (or yoghurt) and then mix till well incorporated
5) In another bowl, sift flour and baking soda (or baking powder) and mix well
6) Slowly pour in flour mixture to wet ingredients, stirring well until you get a homogeneous mixture
7) Add 1/2 cup of quick-cooking oats and stir well so oats are spread out evenly in batter
8) Grease a loaf pan, and pour batter into the pan
9) Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of oats over the batter (0r slightly more), in order to cover the entire surface of the batter (for a prettier effect)
10) Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the loaf comes out clean
11) Serve cooled with a drizzle of honey (or alone)
Mix egg and brown sugar until sugar is dissolved:
Add in melted butter to the sugar mixture and mix till combined:
Pour in honey and whipping cream (or yoghurt) and then mix till well incorporated:
In another bowl, sift flour and baking soda (or baking powder) and mix well:
Slowly pour in flour mixture to wet ingredients:
Stir well until you get a homogeneous mixture:
Add 1/2 cup of quick-cooking oats and stir well so oats are spread out evenly in batter:
Grease a loaf pan, while your batter is ready:
Pour batter into the pan:
Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of oats over the batter (0r slightly more), in order to cover the entire surface of the batter (for a prettier effect):
Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the loaf comes out clean:
Ā
Paula @ Vintage Kitchen Notes says
In the middle of the sad news, itĀ“s good to know you could comfort others.
This bread is pure comfort too. Oats and honey, quite wonderful!
rosewithoutthorns says
Hola Paula!
thanks for taking the time to drop by my blog! yes, it was sad news last week, but I’m glad for the chance to be able to be there for Marcos’ family when they were most in need of a kind word and a warm hug.
plus, having this honey oat bread really helped as well š
Buena semana!
un beso!
Min (@mjandhungryman) says
I’m so sorry for your loss…You are right..there’s really no guarantee for tomorrow and yet I find myself living for the future rather than embracing the present. Your story made me think of people around me who are more like acquaintances..I see them everyday but I’ve never engaged in any meaningful conversations. I would like to sit down and get to know some of them….
I hope you have a blessed weekend, my dearest friend! Thinking of you…
rosewithoutthorns says
Min š Yea, nowadays I try to speak a little bit more with acquaintances (especially if I see them every day), and try to speak a kind word or two in their lives. We never know what life brings about and I’d want to know that the last word I spoke to them made them smile.
Enjoy your weekend dear, and say hi to Tim as well!
big hug!
Jess @ On Sugar Mountain says
I am so sorry to hear you had such a tough week Felicia – it is tough to handle death in any aspect of our lives, especially if it’s a face we are used to seeing each day, even if for a moment. However, I do think it’s a tiny blessing in disguise in that it reminds us to live our days to the fullest, just like you said. Live with no regrets <3
I bet you didn't regret making this wonderful bread either. So hearty and I am sure comforting.
Hope you feel better Felicia; big hug from the States <3
rosewithoutthorns says
thanks for your hug and support! I can feel it all the way here in Argentina! š BIG HUG back to you!
tinywhitecottage says
Felicia. Your story saddens me.. You must of been completely floored when you heard that news after greeting him moments before. Even though you didn’t really know him well it is very shocking to see how life just vanishes so quickly. You asked some very profound questions in your post. Hope you are well.
rosewithoutthorns says
Hi dear… you can imagine that I was pretty sad the whole of last week, and often wonder why I didn’t talk to him a bit more when he was still alive. But life’s like that, we go on about our day-to-day stuff without really wondering about the lives of others, and then when they are no longer there, itĀ“s too late.
Thanks for your concern, I’m fine now. Just much more sure we have to live each day to the fullest!
Early Bird Adventures says
Oh, what a sad story, Felicia! You’re right though, it is important to make every single day count. Otherwise we grow old without being able to look back proudly.
rosewithoutthorns says
Hey Wiw! that’s why you and Michal are doing exactly what everyone should! Living your lives the way you want to, and not how you are expected to! š Let’s meet up soon! When is Michal going to the states?
Early Bird Adventures says
Yeah, I know, we’re trying to. Although it’s not easy š We don’t know yet when he’s going yet. We should do something fun again, for sure!