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Hello friends! I have two questions for you today:
I often struggle with what to write about our nomadic life because, well, it’s just life and I’m uncertain about what you might find interesting. It is not lost on me that in an age when most of us struggle with finding time for all the things we want and need to do that you are here. I endeavor to make it worthwhile. So, if you have a question about nomadic life, living in an RV, travel, etc., or just something you are curious about, please leave a comment below or hit reply on this email and let me know.
On the “it’s just life” theme, I heard a discussion on a podcast earlier this week about simple pleasures, meaning the kind of normal, everyday things that bring you some delight. It occurs to me that these are a kind of barometer on my current state of wellbeing or lack thereof. How many simple pleasures have I worked into my day and are they delivering the intended result? I have listed 10 of my simple pleasures below but I would very much like to hear about yours. Click the comment icon at the top or bottom of this email/ post and leave a comment with your simple pleasures.
10 Simple pleasures
Clean sheets
Cold, early mornings with several candles lit, a quilt on my lap, and hot coffee in my mug
Fresh flowers
The sound of water - a stream, river, lake, or ocean - when we are parked next to water, which we often are. Also, rain.
Sitting outside on our deck with the fire going
Getting into bed at night with a really good book
Unlimited water after a period of time when we’ve not been hooked up to city water. (*this one may need further explanation; see below)
The smell of soap and clean laundry… really any kind of cleaning product, even the bleachy stuff I use to clean the bathtub
A well stocked refrigerator, especially when it’s packed with lots of local fresh produce and cheese
Vanilla ice cream
*Our year is distributed between parking ourselves in places where we are hooked up to city water and places where no water hookup is available. When we are hooked up to city water, our running water situation is no different from any house or apartment. When parked somewhere without water hookups, we fill up our our 100 gallon fresh water tank and that is how we have running water.
Generally, when relying on our fresh water tank for water, we try to conserve. This does not bother me, and is kind of a fun game. We still do all the normal things - wash dishes, flush toilets, take showers, etc - but try to use as little water as possible to get the job done.
Whenever we’ve been relying on our fresh water tank for a while (and therefore hyper-vigilant about how much water we use) and then move to a campground with water hookups, all that water feels so luxurious. A constant supply of running water is something I took for granted my whole life and now, living the way we live, it sometimes feels like the height of luxury. 🙂
The week in photos
1, 2, & 3. We are in Bryson City, North Carolina just down the road one of the entrances to Smoky Mountain National Park and a gorgeous path that follows a stream and passes by several waterfalls. We’ve been walking it every morning and I think if we walked it every day for the rest of our lives it would never get old.
4.Last Saturday we visited Tallulah Falls in Georgia and wandered around Tallulah Gorge, “an ancient, awesome 1000 foot chasm carved over millions of years by the Tallulah River”. Tallulah Falls is actually a series of 6 waterfalls, but we only had time to visit one. Still, worth it.
5 & 6. Monday was our 30th wedding anniversary and we spent part of the day riding Tail of the Dragon, an 11 mile stretch of road with 318 curves that crosses from North Carolina into Tennessee. We were in this area two years ago and made the mistake of riding this road on a Saturday. It was way too busy, which made the experience more stressful than fun. This time, riding it on a Monday afternoon, it was a much more relaxing and enjoyable experience.
Quick links:
You can read this and every issue by going directly to rebeccablackwell.com
Scroll through the recipe index where every recipe published in Let’s Get Lost is listed
Check out my notes, where I share thoughts and ideas throughout the week including things from other people that I find interesting and think you might too
If you’re new here and you want to read more about me, check out the About page
Olive oil!
There is a little shop in Bryson City called The Artsy Olive that is stocked with a huge variety of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. It’s a delightful shop where they let you taste every single thing they have in stock, which you could not possibly do, but no one is stopping you if you want to try.
I purchased three different bottles earlier this week (which I think showed great restraint) and so all of the recipes in this week’s issue feature olive oil!
You’ll find a recipe for roasted carrot soup which starts with carrots roasted in olive oil and finishes with a bright burst of flavor from a drizzle of za’atar oil.
Discover how olive oil can give chocolate cake a rich chocolate flavor that is also light and a little bit fruity.
And make a gorgeous, flavorful herb oil in about 2 minutes then use it to add a pop of color and flavor to almost anything.
Also, check out:
This newly published recipe for creamy navy bean soup includes a drizzle of Italian parsley olive oil and it really is just so, so good.
If you haven’t tried olive oil scrambled eggs from Issue #14 yet, consider this your what-are-you-waiting-for invitation.
There are three olive oil cake recipes on my baking blog, Of Batter and Dough, that will sell you (if you’re not already sold) on using olive oil in cakes: Olive oil cake with lemon mascarpone cream, Orange olive oil cake, and Lemon olive oil loaf cake.
Olive oil gives these whole wheat carrot bran muffins with no added sugar from Issue #8 a boost of fruity flavor and keeps them moist and fresh tasting for days.
Roasted carrot soup
This soup is so stereotypically fall it’s almost satirical. Having said that, I don’t want you to think for one moment that it’s expected, and it’s certainly not boring.
Roasting intensifies the flavor of the carrots and adds some complexity that didn’t exist before the veggies went into the oven. I think of roasting as giving nature a hand. Like, ok, thank you mother nature for putting all that sweet, earthy flavor in these carrots, but I’ll take it from here.
Aside from roasting the carrots, the only other steps involved here are making a quick broth and then pureeing everything in a blender. Peeling the carrots is the most time consuming step.
The soup is rich and creamy without containing any actual cream. I have no problem eating it all on its own. But, the toppings really make it shine.
In these photos, I’ve added za’atar heated in olive oil, chopped red bell pepper, crispy fried potatoes, fresh parsley, and pumpkin seeds toasted in olive oil. But honestly, the sky’s the limit here. You’ll see these and other topping ideas listed below the recipe, but I’m certain you already have you own ideas about what might be good on there.
How to make the soup:
2 pounds of carrots
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
Salt and pepper
1 small yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
6 cups vegetable stock or Better Than Bouillon Vegetable Base mixed with water
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Lemon juice - 1 or 2 large lemons, to taste
Heat oven to 425 F (218 C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil or parchment paper.
Peel the carrots then cut each one in half crosswise. Cut the fat end of the carrots in half lengthwise so all the carrot pieces are roughly the same size.
Dump the carrots out onto the baking sheet and drizzle them with 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Toss them around in the oil to coat then spread them out on the baking sheet. Sprinkle the carrots with a generous amount of salt and pepper.
Cover the carrots with a piece of foil and put them in the oven to roast for 15 minutes. Remove the foil cover and continue to roast for an additional 30 - 35 minutes, until they are very tender.
While the carrots roast, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a large saucepan and add a peeled and chopped yellow onion and 3 cloves of garlic that you have also peeled and chopped. Set the pan over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes.
Add 2 teaspoons of ground cumin and cook, stirring, for 1 minute longer.
Add 6 cups of vegetable broth and 1/2 cup of chopped fresh cilantro to the saucepan. Turn up the heat and bring the broth to a boil then reduce the heat and let the broth simmer for 10 minutes. Taste and add salt if desired.
When the carrots are tender, add them to the broth and let them simmer in the liquid for 5 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat.
Ladle the soup into a blender and puree with 1/2 cup of yogurt. You will need to do this in batches; do not fill the blender more than halfway. Be VERY CAREFUL when blending hot liquid. I have a Vitamix blender which has a lid with steam vents. It’s very important to not let steam build up inside the blender. If the lid to your blender does not have steam vents, set it slightly askew and stop blending ever few seconds to allow the steam to escape.
Once all the soup has been pureed, return it to the saucepan. Stir in the juice from 1 lemon. Taste and add more lemon and/or more salt and pepper if you like.
Topping suggestions:
Diced veggies and herbs: I diced a red bell pepper and chopped up some fresh Italian (flat leaf) parsley. But, cherry tomatoes, diced raw carrots, shredded or pickled cabbage, diced cucumber, mint, basil, cilantro, and thyme are also great options.
These crispy fried potatoes are one of my favorite soup toppings, especially for creamy soups like this one. Make them right before serving- they are best freshly prepared. Also try them on split pea soup and vegan broccoli cheese soup and topped with mushroom ragù.
Pumpkin seeds toasted in olive oil: Add some raw pumpkin seeds to a skillet and toss with enough olive oil to generously coat them. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and set the skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until about half of the seeds are golden brown. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
Za’atar oil: Add about 1/4 of a cup of za’atar seasoning to a small, heat proof bowl and set aside. Add about 1/3 of a cup of extra virgin olive oil to a small skillet or saucepan. Set it over medium heat. When the oil is just beginning to simmer, remove it from the heat and pour it over the za’atar. Let rest for at least 5 minutes then drizzle over bowls of carrot soup. (You can prepare this up to a week in advance.)
To make a pretty pattern with the za’atar oil in the soup, dribble it in drops all over the surface of the soup. Then, take a butter knife and run the knife around the surface of the soup in large circles, dragging it through the za’atar oil to create lovely patterns.
Chocolate olive oil cake
If you’ve never had an olive oil cake you might thing that “olive oil” and “cake” don’t belong in the same sentence. But, let me tell you, olive oil in cake is magical.
Not only does it contribute gorgeous fruity flavor to cakes, olive oil creates cakes that are light, spongy, and stay moist and fresh tasting for days. For example, here’s a quote from someone who made this lemon olive oil loaf cake:
"Just made the famous Lemon Loaf Cake. Sooooo good. The cake has a lightness I didn’t expect.”
Ok, ok. The quote is from my mom. BUT, her comment about the cake’s light texture is something I hear often from people who bake an olive oil cake for the first time.
This olive oil cake with lemon mascarpone pastry cream is one of the most popular recipes I’ve ever published. It’s also one of the desserts I’ve made for people the most because it is ALWAYS a hit.
And this light, tender, impossibly moist orange olive oil cake has a gorgeous, subtle natural orange flavor thanks to orange-infused olive oil.
All that to say that olive oil is a magical ingredient in cakes and SO GOOD in this super easy chocolate loaf cake.
One quick note: the 1/2 cup of coffee in this recipe will not make your cake taste like coffee. It will be undetectable to anyone who doesn’t already know it’s in there. Coffee has a beautiful way of intensifying the flavor of chocolate while (oddly) rounding out the bitterness.
If you’re not a coffee drinker and don’t want to purchase a whole package just for this cake, look for instant espresso powder which you can mix with hot water for the same effect.
1/2 cup strong brewed coffee
1/2 cup (42 grams) cocoa powder (plus more for dusting the inside of the loaf pan)
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt (or 1/2 teaspoon table salt)
1 cup + 2 tablespoons (225 grams) granulated sugar
3/4 cup (150 grams) extra-virgin olive oil
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract or vanilla paste
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (135 grams) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
In a medium saucepan over high heat, bring 1/2 cup of brewed coffee to a simmer, then turn off the heat. Add 1/2 cup of cocoa, 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon, and 3/4 teaspoon of salt and stir with a wire whisk until the mixture is smooth. Scrape it into a bowl and set it aside to cool slightly.
Heat the oven to 325 degrees F (163 degrees C). Coat the inside of a loaf pan with vegetable shortening or butter. Sprinkle a tablespoon or two of cocoa powder inside the pan and shake it around until the inside is coated with cocoa. Shake out the excess.
Add 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, 3/4 cup olive oil, 3 large eggs, and 1 tablespoon of vanilla to a bowl and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for 3 minutes. Pour the cocoa mixture into the mixing bowl and beat for another minute.
Add the 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour and 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda to the batter and mix on low speed just until blended. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula and give the batter another stir just to ensure all the ingredients are blended. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
Bake the cake in the center of the oven until the sides are set but the cake still looks slightly damp in the center, 35 to 45 minutes. If you stick a toothpick into the center of the cake, it will have some sticky crumbs on it but should not have any evidence of raw batter.
Allow the cake to cool inside the loaf pan for 5 minutes then carefully turn it out onto a wire baking rack. Allow to cool completely before slicing.
Serve the cake plain or with a dusting of powdered sugar. Or, here are two other suggestions:
Olive Oil Icing
Stir 1/4 to 1/2 of a cup of extra virgin olive oil into about 1 cup of powdered sugar (confectioners sugar). How much olive oil you add is dependent on how thin you want the icing to be - add more olive oil for a thin, pourable glaze and add less if you want it to be thicker and sweeter and more spreadable. I also like to add a generous pinch of salt and a teaspoon of vanilla, but both of those ingredients are optional.
In the photo below, I covered the cake in olive oil glaze and then sprinkled some chopped pistachios and mini chocolate chips on top for some extra flavor and crunch.
Cake and ice cream
I LOVE ice cream with any kind of cake, but there’s something about the soft spongy texture of this cake that makes the combo especially delicious. I went very basic here and added a scoop of plain vanilla, but any kind of ice cream you like would be delicious on there.
Also, I didn’t have any when I took these photos, but I highly recommend a drizzle of hot fudge.
Herb oil
Herb oil is one of those incredibly simple ways to add instant flavor to almost anything. Fat is a carrier of flavor, so adding herbs to oil means you can more easily distribute their flavor throughout a dish.
And making herb oil couldn’t be easier. Simply add a generous handful of fresh herbs (any kind or combination) to a blender and pour in some olive oil. Blend, adding more oil as needed, until the herbs are finely chopped and the oil is the consistency you want it to be.
In the photo above, I blended Italian parsley with olive oil and then drizzled it over bowls of creamy navy bean soup. The bright, fresh flavor of the parsley oil cuts through the creamy richness of the soup and really kicks it up a notch.
A few more ideas for how to use herb oil:
Use it as a dip or spread for bread
Add it to a cheese board or drizzle it over this hummus platter
Drizzle it over any kind of grilled, roasted, fried, or baked meat or chicken
Drizzle it over any kind of roasted or sautéed vegetable (try it over roasted celery root)
Spoon it over any kind of eggs - poached, hard boiled, soft boiled, scrambled, or fried. Or, in a classic French omelette!
I think you’d be hard pressed to find a soup that wouldn’t be made even better with some herb oil, but here are a few favorites:
Creamy chicken noodle (a mix of thyme and parsley)
Spanish potato soup (cilantro)
Black bean soup (cilantro)
Chilled gazpacho (dill or basil)
Chickpea and harissa soup (parsley and cilantro)
Recommendations
Friends, I would like to introduce you to of Sunny Side Breakfast and Desserts.
It has been an absolute delight to get to know Christina over the past few months so I asked her if she would be willing to sit down with me for a short Q&A so I could introduce her to you.
Christina is a a recipe developer, home cook, and death doula who writes about the deeper connections between food, ourselves, and the many other people in our world. She also creates mouthwatering recipes, like this Pumpkin Crunch Cake which you should add to your fall baking agenda immediately.
Q: About a decade before they died, my Grandparents gifted all of their kids and grandkids with a cookbook of all my Grandma’s favorite recipes. It’s one of my most treasured possessions. So when I read this on your about page, I instantly thought of that cookbook: “You might be surprised to learn that many people, as they near the end of their lives, feel a deep desire to compile their recipes into a cookbook. It’s a way to ensure that their loved ones can continue to experience their love through the food they shared long after they’re gone. This concept struck a chord with me, and I’ve been working on my own legacy cookbook ever since, even though I hope I have many years left.” I wonder if you have any advice or encouragement for anyone else who is drawn to the idea of creating a legacy cookbook?
It's funny you should ask about this because I’ve recently begun writing a monthly series exploring how to create a legacy cookbook. I understand this topic can be challenging for some. Our society is often uncomfortable discussing death, even though it's something we will all experience. However, I don’t see an awareness of death as morbid or sad—rather, I find it empowering.
If you’re the kind of person who expresses affection through cooking, then creating a legacy cookbook is a wonderful way to preserve a part of yourself for future generations. There’s no right or wrong way to approach it. If you’re unsure where to begin, I recommend starting with the recipes your loved ones request most often. You can also reflect on the dishes you make to comfort others—when someone is sick or feeling down, what do you make to show you care?
Compiling recipes for a legacy cookbook is about more than just the food. It’s about the relationships and stories that make those recipes meaningful. It’s incredible that your grandmother shared her recipes with your family—what a gift!
Q: You have published a lot of recipes since launching your newsletter earlier this year. What are some of your favorites?
I suppose I have shared quite a lot of recipes! I’m never quite sure how many I should publish each week—I could honestly share one every day, but I think that might be too much. So, I’ve settled on two recipes a week, with some essays and stories mixed in for good measure.
As for my favorites, I absolutely love my "Can't Make Up My Mind Cookies" recipe. Not only does it make some truly stellar cookies, but it also holds fond memories for me. I used to make these for my son when he was little. He’d come home from school and dive into a warm plate of these chewy morsels with a cold glass of milk. Now that he’s a teen, he likes to do things for himself, so I keep some of the cookie dough in the freezer. It makes me happy to see him eagerly grab some frozen dough, bake a few cookies, and enjoy them while doing his homework. I can tell that baking them is both an act of self-care and a way for him to enjoy something his mother made.
I also love my grandmother's huevos rancheros recipe. This dish dates back to 1930s Mexico and it is one of the things she taught my husband how to make before she passed. He makes it for me on my birthday and for Mother's Day every year. Digging into this dish takes me back to my childhood. All you need is some tortillas, refried beans, cheese and eggs. Then you can go to town with the toppings. I like to add generous amounts of pico de gallo salsa, diced avocado and sour cream.
Q: I know you’re a reader and even have a family book club! What’s the best book you’ve read so far this year?
That’s a tough question! I’m going to cheat a little and share two books. :)
The first is A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle. I read this book — as well as The Power of Now — every year. I’ve probably read each at least fifteen times. In A New Earth, Tolle explores our ego-based way of living and how letting go of attachments is the only path to deep personal happiness. As I grow older and experience more of life, my understanding of his message evolves. His philosophy serves as a guiding light for me, helping me interpret the world around me. So, in terms of the “best book this year,” I’d definitely choose A New Earth. However, I suspect you meant the best new book I’ve read this year.
That would be Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging by Sebastian Junger. I recently finished this book, and it stirred up so many feelings — longing for a sense of belonging that can be hard to find these days, nostalgia for a larger tribe I’ve never had, and hope in our intrinsic human capacity to help each other. Junger is a gifted writer who weaves together stories both large and small to make his point: our modern society is broken, and we are the problem. Given how divisive the world feels at the moment, this book is absolutely worth reading and reflecting upon.
Q: When you were a child, what was your favorite thing to eat?
When it came to savory dishes, my favorite was what we called a "mix-up bowl." We didn’t have much when I was growing up, so my mother saved every scrap of leftovers. Whenever we were hungry, we could make ourselves a bowl using a little bit of this and a little bit of that. When I met my husband, he thought it was so odd how I’d create these crazy bowls filled with all kinds of leftover food, but I loved the layers of flavor and texture.
For something sweet, I’ve always had a soft spot for my grandmother's mantecadas. These are golden, fluffy Mexican muffins. She also made puerquitos, which are pig shaped cookies that taste sort of like gingerbread. I plan to share that recipe at some point!
Q: If you were limited to one breakfast for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Probably my yogurt parfait bowls — I already eat them nearly every day. They offer a healthy balance of nutrients, and the toppings can easily be customized based on what’s in season.
Now, if you’re asking what I’d want to eat every day for the rest of my life without consequences, that would be my blueberry bread pudding. Made with brioche and fresh blueberries, it’s decadent, perfectly sweet, and firm enough to slice cleanly. I love eating it with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream—it’s sheer heaven. But since it’s such a treat, I only make it occasionally... hence the reference to consequences! 😂
Read more about Christina here —> About Christina and Sunny Side Breakfast and Desserts
If you make something from this issue, have any questions or anything you’d like to share, add a comment below. I ❤️ to hear from you.
My husband and I shared our top 10 simple daily pleasures with each other as we ran errands. Mine are:
1. Waking up next to Dan, wherever we are.
2. Lying in the dark, before anyone stirs, in quiet reflection.
3. Drinking an entire stainless-steel French press pot of steeped jasmine green tea pearls with my Japanese ceramic teacup.
4. Watching Spike, our 15 year old rescue, sniff around the park at sunrise.
5. Hooking my arm through Dan’s as we walk Spike and chat, or not.
6. Kini (sounds like zucchini) cat’s smile and loving but stinging ankle bites.
7. Ferguson’s big eyes as he looks at me and purrs.
8. Cooking breakfast, lunch, and dinner together and enjoying our meals with each other.
9. Working from home in my colorful and peaceful space, writing my novel, reported essays, recipes, or interviews.
10. Moving my body in yin yoga, on the treadmill, or by lifting weights.
Thank you for posting this prompt. It gave us both moments of focused appreciation for what we love about our lives. If there was a #11, I’d pick seeing your posts.
I’m always delighted by one of your new posts.💕