Long time no talk. It’s been a long while since I last posted. We’ve had a mixed bag of things that happened: some are new and really exciting, and other ones are old and stagnant. I’m still dealing with my health demons, struggling to make any progress, and enduring the side effects of medications has often been worse than the disease itself. It just doesn’t seem like you can win in any case. I’m still trying though, still hoping for some symptoms stabilization. Dealing with an autoimmune disease is a battle with a beast. So, that’s the old and stagnant thing.

I take comfort in my work with my patients. Knowing that I’ve helped hundreds of people throughout the years helps me to sustain my own hope. One of my specialty is perinatal psychology (pre- , during, and post-pregnancy or infertility mental health). It’s utterly rewarding to hear that yet another patient had a successful pregnancy and a healthy baby, especially if it’s a “rainbow” baby (the one that was born after a pregnancy or infant loss). Those are the good moments that feed my heart and soul.

And, the most exciting thing that happened over the past few months was that my son moved to South Carolina, just outside of Columbia. He’s been settling in a new community and loving it so far. It’s a different life, away from the crazy NYC hustle and closer to nature that he loves. He’s thoroughly enjoying riding his bike on picturesque country roads. As a mom, I’m very happy he’s found a more peaceful life for himself, but, of course, I miss him a lot! He comes to visit though, and those are blissful moments to be with him again. He turned 27 in May, and we celebrated his last birthday as a resident New Yorker. Here’s his “27th Ride” birthday cake that I made for him: vanilla-rum cake with chocolate buttercream, sugar lace sheets, and a bike decor of course.

 

Today’s post will be about a different birthday, my mom’s, that we recently celebrated. She’s 79 and going strong! Gus couldn’t come to celebrate his grandma, but he sent beautiful flowers. And look at this gorgeous tablecloth! It’s literally like 70-80 years old and comes from my Sicilian mother-in-law’s mom. Both are gone now, but I’ve saved some things that will hopefully go to Gus’s family one day.

So, here are our latest news. Miss Afina wishes you a wonderful Fall season! 

What’s Cooking This Week 

We have a cute cake recipe today. It uses spinach to naturally color the cake instead of chemical food coloring. And, no, you will not taste spinach at all. I decided to cut out little heart-shaped cakes, but you can definitely make it as a regular 9 inch cake instead. Simple vanilla buttercream, strawberry jam and berries round up this tasty recipe.

 

Gluten Free Spinach Mini-Cakes with Vanilla Buttercream and Strawberries 

You’ll need fresh or frozen (and drained) spinach to be blended thoroughly to make a smooth mass.

Beat together eggs with sugar, then add oil, lemon juice and vanilla and beat again.

Mix flour with baking powder and lemon zest and combine with wet ingredients.

Pour batter into two 9 inch cake pans.

Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes.

Cool cake layers while you make buttercream.

You can assemble the cake as is or cut each layer into mini-cakes.

Spread the bottom layer with strawberry jam, cover with the top layer, spread buttercream, and top with strawberries.

Serve with coffee or tea and share with family and friends.