Right at Home

I knew it was just a matter of time before I fell into my old habits in my new surroundings, and fall I did. Last weekend, early Sunday morning, I tagged along as a new, like-minded friend ventured into the countryside to go raspberry picking. She introduced me to her favorite orchard and we wasted no time getting to work. After a light rain, everywhere was glistening. The raspberry fields seemed to stretch on for miles.

The aisles between bushes were wide, the berries were plentiful, and the conversation was good.

I felt right at home.

When I got home, I couldn't wait to put the fruits of my labor to work. After scouring through my cookbooks, I decided on a simple cake. No fuss, no muss. Just a beautiful way to showcase the best of the orchard. It was simply delicious.

Raspberry Buttermilk Cake

Gourmet, June 2009

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened

2/3 cup plus 1 1/2 Tbsp sugar, divided

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 large egg

1/2 cup well-shaken buttermilk

1 cup fresh raspberries

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F with rack in middle. Butter and flour a 9-inch round cake pan.

2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

3. Beat butter and 2/3 cup sugar with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes, then beat in vanilla. Add egg and beat well.

4. At low speed, mix in flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour, and mixing until just combined.

5. Spoon batter into cake pan, smoothing top. Scatter raspberries evenly over top and sprinkle with remaining 1 1/2 Tbsp sugar.

6. Bake until cake is golden and a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack and cool to warm, 10 to 15 minutes more. Invert onto a plate.

Catch Up

As I'm sure you can surmise, I've been busy lately with moving, starting a new job and settling into a new city. And then of course, my Internet installation was delayed. I have so much to catch you up on! First, I'd like you to meet my new nest.

It comes with quite a history, as well as new appliances, new windows, a new kitchen and a new bathroom. All done beautifully, I feel extremely lucky to have happened upon this place. It is tucked away in a friendly, historic community with walkable streets and a yard for Frances. We're enjoying getting to know our new neighborhood, and meeting a whole new variety of dogs. There are tons!

Aside from settling into my new home, I've tried to settle into my new hometown. I've done some exploring and have found a new ice cream shop to fall in love with, (who knew salt caramel custard could be so delicious?) a new bistro in which to dine alfresco, and a quick getaway to some fantastic scenery, (can you believe I forgot to bring my camera?). There is so much to do right in my immediate vicinity, and then of course there's all of Washington, DC. My head is spinning with all the possibilities and activities that I'm going to discover.

Oh, and I've found the grocery store and have tried to break in my new kitchen. Some stand out meals include this and this, (sorry, no photos again!).

I think I've caught you up on mostly everything. I promise to begin blogging regularly again, and remembering to take pictures. I have a feeling that there's going to be a whole lot of good stuff to share with you soon!

Priority Mail

Hello, friends! Just checking in to let you know I've arrived safe and sound in Virginia. The weather is fine and the sights are beautiful. I would have written sooner if I'd had an internet connection established prior to today. I hope you understand. I can't wait to fill you in on details of my new hometown and all the fun I've been having!

Moving Day

184 items, 4,000 pounds, and three hours later...

... my sweet nest is an empty nest! See you in Virginia!

A Break

Seeking a breather from hard work around the house -- sorting, packing, holding a garage sale, donating -- I headed out to the country for an afternoon of fresh air, sunshine and raspberries.

It was a glorious day! Nothing but blue skies as far as my eye could see.

I was intent on picking raspberries, but first went to get a closer look at the fields of zinnias. I was sure someone planted them for a reason, otherwise I would have picked myself a bouquet. They were beautiful!

Turning my attention to the raspberries, I was pleased to find bushes teeming with berries. The sweet berries more than made up for my stained fingers.

So pretty! I'm hoping to bake my berries into something delicious, but it's going to require disposable bakeware and a hot oven. With tomorrow's temperature predicted at 90 degrees, I might forget the baking and just continue snacking.