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These blogs are a way to share my thoughts and insights with you. Feel free to comment and share.

A slice of life

2/1/2016

6 Comments

 
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While I am a good short order cook and can make a healthy and tasty meal without a recipe, I don’t bake much. If and when I bake, I use a recipe – to a point.  There are those who suspect the reason why my baking isn’t famously delicious is this bias for recipe tampering. It generally amounts to reducing the sugar or oil – putting healthfulness ahead of flavor – or making impromptu substitutions.
 
Over the holidays, with still a few dozen-honey crisp apples left over from the four bushels I bought this fall, I decided baking an apple cake would be a good idea.  I would make a large one, keep most of it for the family and give away a portion.
 
I followed the recipe perfectly. No reductions or substitutions. Full portions of sugar and spice and oil.
 
I peeled 15 large apples, then turned to my trusty hand held slicer for the slicing. The slicer is extremely quick – appealing to my short order mentality – and sharp. So I have one rule – always use the hand protector over whatever I’m slicing. 
 
Only this time I did not use the hand protector, reasoning that the apple core would provide protection as long as I rotated each apple carefully.
 
This went well for 14 apples then, while slicing the last one, I yelped. I must admit that I had simultaneously tried to speed up the slicing while my mind drifted off to another subject.
 
Two fingertips were bleeding. Throbbing, too. I grabbed the cleanest dishcloth and wrapped my fingers tightly to stem the blood flow.  I washed and disinfected my fingertips but found the sting was worse than the throb. I made a bandage. As blood soaked through the cloth, then through the gauze and tape, I managed to layer the first pan with the batter, added the apples, and then another layer of batter. Just like the recipe said.
 
I put it in the oven, at the prescribed temperature, then had some time to find a solution to stop the bleeding. I wrapped my fingers again with fresh gauze, held them in the air and applied pressure. I also set a timer for 15 minutes. When the buzzer went off, the bleeding had mostly stopped.
 
As I re-bandaged, I noticed that a slice of skin was missing from the side of one fingertip – about the size of a match head. Also missing was a similarly sized piece of fingernail.
 
I couldn’t quite risk giving an apple cake gift with finger bits as added ingredients so I set out to make fresh cake.
 
This time, I didn’t break my cardinal rule of always, without fail, using the hand protector when slicing.
 
I am proud to say, both cakes turned out exceptionally well.
 
And, ten days later, my fingers are healing perfectly.
 
Apple cake lessons that can apply to other slices of one’s life.
  • Don’t break rules that have served you well, especially ‘no exception’ rules.
  • Remember why you developed your trusty habits in the first place.
  • Even when doing mindless tasks – especially with tools of the sharp or powered variety – stay focused and in the present.
  • Following recipes and rules does serve a purpose. Sometimes.
 
Mindfully yours,
Coach Minda,


6 Comments
Patrice
4/1/2016 05:59:05 pm

Cute story Minda. Thank you. I find the extrapolation to other areas of life particularly fun.

Did you ever find the missing body parts?

Happy NY

Patrice

Reply
Minda Miloff
4/1/2016 09:26:18 pm

The bits are missing in action. Thanks Patrice!

Reply
Charles Levin
4/1/2016 07:38:25 pm

Oh, those legendary honey crisps! Thank you Minda. But we all want to know, who ate the first cake? Was it family home for the holidays? Then your children could truly say that they ate their mom.

Reply
Minda Miloff
4/1/2016 09:29:50 pm

My family enjoyed the first cake Charles! So did I.

Reply
Richard Childs
4/1/2016 11:29:47 pm

Is there is something about the qualities of the essence of life and engaging one's heart in the process? The result looks like gold.

Reply
Minda Miloff link
5/1/2016 10:44:54 am

I was very engaged with following the instructions! And, then in the time it takes to peel one apple......thanks Richard

Reply



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