mixed

As you know, I'm no slouch at telling those I love that, well, I love them.  However, Valentine's Day makes me itch.  I have never settled comfortably with it (even when I was a teenager and longed for The Boy of the moment to leave a little love note on my bicycle seat).  Things have not improved with time, particularly now that I am old, critical and live in North America where, it seems, never a significant day is left undecorated.  There are love hearts hanging in windows all over this fair town, I tell you.

The worst part about it is that a little bit of me gets sucked in.  Every time.  As I watched the streams of men leaving our local florist this afternoon, I couldn't help but wish a bunch of long lovelies were coming my way, too.  This is despite the ambivalence, and puzzlement, I share with my OTL about why we should be declaring our love, en masse, with everyone else, on the same day.

However, such is the pull of social/cultural/commercial phenomena like this that I find I can't waft freely above it as I would wish, smiling peacefully with an Inner Knowing that Love could never be summed up by the fleeting flash that is Valentine's Day.  Nope.  I stood there, instead, feeling a pang and wanting to be invited to the same party that everyone else was going to.  And then I felt silly that I would want this when I have so much more than this, every day.

To compensate for such an itchy, silly, uncomfortable moment, and in celebration of life, love, truth and beauty, despite The Day, I decided to make something sinful and chocolatey.  An entirely appropriate response, if I say so myself.

This flourless chocolate cake has four ingredients.

photo courtesy of taste.com.au

 What's not to love?