Your Perfect Pairing
Thank You Notes #56
“You can be miserable before you have a cookie and you can be miserable after you eat a cookie but you can’t be miserable while you are eating a cookie.” ― Ina Garten
Weekends are a time when I experiment with food. My husband calls the kitchen my lab, where I feel pure joy.
I often wonder about pairing foods and drinks together. A subtle balance of flavors is achieved when you strike the right notes. It is like a romance between two people, enjoyed at every moment.
Life causes us to desire certain combinations in life. We often pair reading a book with a cup of tea or a rainy day with a cozy blanket.
The best part is everyone enjoys something different, and the possibilities are infinite. It is what I love about cooking and baking- there is no limit to your creativity.
The universe often pairs us with unlikely scenarios, causing us to think creatively to discover our true calling. In pondering my next step in creating a tea shop, I stumbled upon an idea.
In pairing my lovely garden with a curated guest experience, coffee, tea, and baked goods can combine with my love of people. I am currently investigating ways to do this.
If you pair old ideas with new ones, magic will appear.
It is how I came up with a recipe this weekend. I decided to play around with different ingredients and paired them with each other to create a delicious nut bar. It tastes divine with the more bitter notes of coffee.
Enjoy this recipe for a breakfast treat or enjoy it in the afternoon as a snack.
Almond Coconut Triangles:
6 ounces coconut oil
6 ounces coconut sugar
3 tablespoons maple syrup
6 ounces slivered almonds
2 ounces unsweetened large coconut flakes
1 teaspoon coconut extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- Lightly grease a 9-inch pie pan with coconut oil and heat the oven to 400F.
- Melt the coconut oil, coconut sugar, and maple syrup in a saucepan over medium heat.
- Mix the slivered almonds, coconut flakes, coconut extract, and kosher salt in a medium bowl.
- Pour the melted ingredients over the dry ones and stir them together. Turn the mixture into the prepared pie pan and bake for 15–20 minutes in the oven.
- Let stand in the pan until it reaches room temperature. Refrigerate until solid. Cut into triangles and enjoy!
This week’s theme is:
Your Perfect Pairing
What do you enjoy most together? Do you love to cozy up with a book with a hot beverage or listen to your favorite podcast while doing chores? What is your perfect pairing, and what do you appreciate about it?
Thank you to my fellow editors Lorena of Sharing Randomly, and Ellie Jacobson. Your work here at Thank You Notes is fantastic!
A Loving Note From Trista Signe Ainsworth
Dear Lovely Readers and Writers,
It is with great joy I write to you today. It is Mother’s Day and I want to wish all mothers, sisters, aunts, grandmothers, and maternal figures a beautiful day.
No matter what your relationship is like with your mother in life, we can also be a mother to ourselves in a loving way, and we can care for mother Earth, who gives her gifts freely and without condition.
This week in the garden, I saw a miracle happen. Around two months ago, I planted some flower bulbs. I waited for them to appear and thought they were not coming up. Low and behold, I saw beautiful purple stalks coming up from the ground yesterday. What joy!
Nature teaches us to be patient. Everything will unfold in due time.
So it is with our dreams. As my afternoon tea dreams bloom one petal at a time, I feel elated. I am investigating creating an Airbnb experience for a few summer afternoon teas in the garden.
Thank you all for your beautiful support every step of the way. I love my community here on Medium.
Wishing you love,
Trista
Thank you to our lovely writers for their stories this week:
Amanda Laughtland Thank you, Amanda, for sharing these beautiful poems about experiences on the coast. They touched my heart and made me feel as if I were there enjoying time by the ocean!
Sade Tolani Thank you, Sade, for your lovely wisdom in each one of your three-line letters. They always seem to coincide with something I need to hear that day.
Gauri Sirur Thank you, Gauri, for this lovely story about sharing what we have with our local wildlife. It brought tears of joy to my eyes thinking of the beauty of this practice!
Juana Flor Thank you, Juana, for this amazing piece on counting our blessings every morning and how this practice can help in our lives. Beautiful!
Vidya Sury, Collecting Smiles Thank you, Vidya, for this loving offering, sharing a glimpse of the immense light that was your mother. She shines on in you and all of those who know you! Thank you!
Annelise Lords Thank you, Annelise, for reminding us of the gift that mothers give to us- life! It is grand and immense, something not to be taken lightly. I love your stories!
Neera Handa Dr. Thank you, Neera, for reflecting on the beauty of fall in your part of the world. Your poetry always takes me to new dimensions in my heart!
A Rustic Mind (Manali Desai) Thank you, Manali, for sharing the beautiful lessons your mother taught you about life. They made me smile!
Thank you to all of our beautiful writers here at Thank You Notes!
Jeanine Tew, A. N. Tipton, Mohini Vats, Victoria Gregg, Ipshita Guha, Helen Miao Yu, Ketki Palande,Joanne Olivieri, Agnes Eveline Anton, Barb Dalton, Josh Balerite Acol, Kim Zuch, Sandra, L.L. Kirchner,Melissa Gouty, Robin Oakman, Noorain Ali, Melissa Herb, Lady Dr. Gabriella Korosi, Brittany Renee, KM Fullerton Bridie D, Alison Levine, Drashti Shroff, Uwem Daniels, Jesse Wilson, Maia Thom, Emily Forman, Gaurav Jain, Rodney Brazier, Carrie Kolar, Tamil, Bingz Huang, Danielle Hestand, Liberty Forrest, Author, Maria H. Khan, Umme Salma, Rachel Idi, Sheryll James, Robert “Robbie” Walker, Kelly Aluna Martone, Sade Tolani, Adrienne Parkhurst, Fit$, Sally Prag, Elin Melaas, Monoreena Acharjee Majumdar, Pam Lilak, Sorina Raluca Băbău, Tonya S. Ware, Aemen Farooq, Brown Boi, Carrie, Lucia Landini, Karen Schwartz, Karen Madej, Winston, Dazzling Shene, Norlisa Alias, Donnette Anglin, Penelope Mayfield, Pierce McIntyre, Amanda Laughtland, Neha Sandhir S, Shivi Puri, Adelia Ritchie, Amy Marley, Anthony O’Dugan, A Rustic Mind (Manali Desai), Ashley Nicole, Aurora Eliam, CMP, Kris Bedenian, Bob Jasper, Bhavna Narula, B.R. Shenoy, Brajendra Kumar, Carolyn Hastings, Destiny S. Harris, Gurpreet Dhariwal, Scot Butwell, VIRGO, Donna Brown, Desiree Driesenaar, Elle How, Ellie Jacobson ✍🏻, Fiza Ameen, Gauri Sirur, Ija Mei, Indubala Kachhawa, Jenine Bsharah Baines, JoAnn Ryan, John C. Davis, Juana Flor, Pene Hodge, Katie Michaelson, Kyomi O’Connor, Lanu Pitan, Lucia Sugafield, Maryam B. Mirza, Mark Hackett, Mulan, Natalie B. Kemp, Niru, palvi sharma, Penofgold, Dr. Preeti Singh, Sanjit Sengupta, Sara Ali, Susan Poole, Shirley Jones Luke, Sahil Patel, Annelise Lords, Tree Langdon, Vidya Sury, Collecting Smiles, Yana Bostongirl, Dee S White, Deborah Barchi, Sharing Randomly, Nancy Blackman, Haley Whitehall, Arbab Z.
%22%3E){kind=link}