SECOND SATURDAY
Today is my second Saturday here in Ireland. The day started out not too different from yesterday. After saying our goodbyes for the day, we parted ways - he to work, me to the coffeehouse. Conner finally remembered my name correctly. Not that I minded 'Katarina', as he called me several times before. It is a beautiful name of Greek origin and means 'pure'. It would be a nice name for a baby girl and one I would use if the opportunity presented itself, albeit at my age the chances are pretty low if not impossible.
The grocery store was my next stop to buy a few items for baking. I intended to spend some of the day in the kitchen. Upon my return home, I read for about 15 minutes until my eyes started to feel heavy. I stretched out on the couch and slept for two hours. The sun was making its way lower in the sky and I debated about going out once more. I decided against it and stayed indoors instead wondering what to bake.
Lentil soup was first to be made. I chopped the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic. I measured the lentils - 150 grams - and selected three nice sprigs of fresh thyme. Seasonings were sea salt, black pepper, and two bay leaves. After sautéing the vegetables, I added the seasonings and a liter and a half of water. The soup cooked for close to two hours and I baked a cake in the meantime.
Lemon poppy seed cake was the one I chose to make for us. It is a recipe of mine I wrote for a 5-inch cake pan. The recipe has many revisions and today was yet another. Having left my measuring spoons back home, unless they are hiding somewhere in my luggage, I had to guess the half teaspoon amount for the baking powder and the quarter teaspoon amount for the baking soda. This time I used buttermilk instead of sour cream and heavy cream. I also increased the amount of eggs, but I guessed on the poppy seeds. Later we will taste it and see how it turned out.
For now, I await my boyfriend's arrival. He is still at work but should be home soon. Both of us will be glad to spend the next two days together.
