Off we go! (Into the wild blue yonder)

This is the Cohens signing out for the next week or so. We leave for Maui at the bright and cheery hour of 6 a.m. tomorrow. Not that that dampens our spirits one bit, we can't wait to soak in the Hawaiian sun and snorkel with the (hopefully friendly and non-hostile) sea creatures. And we promise to post many lovely pictures when we get back, but not so many that you all are annoyed with us. Let's keep our fingers crossed that there are no repeats of the sunburned-body post, eh?

Cheerio.

A Cake to Die For

Well, not really, although Joel may disagree. I baked it a few weeks ago, and Joel has repeatedly mentioned it since then. He asked me if I could make it every Saturday. In all seriousness it's an amazing dessert and very easy to make.

So here's the recipe (courtesy of Williams Sonoma "Food Made Fast: Baking" a book I highly recommend)
Dark Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

3/4 cup unsalted butter
8 oz. Bittersweet or semisweet (plain) chocolate, chopped. (I used semisweet)
1 oz. Unsweetened chocolate, chopped.
6 eggs
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar (firmly packed)
2 Tbsps. Cognac, rum, or brewed double-strength coffee (I used Captain Morgan spiced rum)
6 Tpsbs Flour, sifted (or not sifted if you're lazy like I was)
2 Tbsp Powdered sugar

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 F. Line the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper.

In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the butter and the two chocolates, stirring to blend. Remove from the heat. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on high speed, beat the eggs with the salt until thick and pale in color. Gradually beat in the granulated sugar and brown sugar until the mixture is light and doubled in volume, about 5 minutes. Beat in the cognac (or rum). Using a rubber spatula, stir in the melted chocolate mixture and then the flour. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake until the top is set and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 30-35 minutes. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 10 minutes. Remove the pan sides and let the cake cool to room temperature. Dust the top with powdered sugar shaken through a sieve, cut into wedges, serve with a raspberry sauce.

For the raspberry sauce I pureed about 12 oz. of raspberries (I bought them frozen and thawed them), added some water so they were a little more liquidy and strained them through a mesh sieve to get a good deal of the seeds out. I also added a touch of fresh lemon juice, although I don't think you could tell the difference, a dash of vanilla extract, and sugar to taste.

A Sunday Summer Picnic

at the lovely Wawawai County Park with our fellow saints. In the second picture Joel is flipping a log over while a screaming child tries to stay on top. :) I think they both had a good time.

After a long, rough winter Christine and I were pale--that may be a shock to many of you. However, Moscow went from practically snowing to 90 degrees in the course of a couple of days. Wanting to seize the opportunity to lay a foundation tan for Maui, I proceeded to engage in outdoor sports shirtless for a few hours on Saturday. Because I'm Hebrew and my people are people of the sun, I figured I would brown right up. My figuring had some flaws. Mom, I know you're rolling your eyes.

She's so dramatic when she sleeps

Right after I made the bed yesterday morning I turned to leave the room when I heard a quiet shuffling noise. I turned around and noticed a lump under my previously smooth covers. Thus the first picture. The other ones are Whiskey on Joel's chair. One of her favorite places to sleep.

Pictures from Graduation (Since we're just so proud of them)

Last Thursday was the NSA Commencement ceremony in which our highly intelligent brother-in-law received his diploma with honors and all. He was also chosen to give the student commencement address, and he did a great job. It was strange to think that next year I will be up on that stage reciting the Latin motto, shaking hands, and signing the colossal school book (which you can see in the right hand corner of the one of the pictures).
In other news we have begun our two week countdown until we leave for Maui!! I am beginning my list of things to buy (Sunscreen SPF 5000 for Joel and I) and also starting to decide on which books to bring. I have found that even when I have the best intentions I simply cannot read deep books on a tropical vacation. I fall asleep in the sunbathing chair and wake up hours later with a terrible sunburn. When my body goes on vacation my brain willingly packs up and leaves as well, and so I am not even going to pretend to be productive this time. All that to say, I am looking for some good novels to bring along and would love any suggestions.
And to be fair I am also going to give a book plug. Both Joel and I read Peace Like a River (by Leif Enger) on vacation last summer and absolutely loved it. The characters are unforgettable, it is impossible not to get caught up in the storyline and the ending is little short of incredible. In school we learned (once, long ago) that the opening of a book is one of its most important elements; it is the deciding point for the reader as to whether he will continue the book or not. So here's the opening to Peace Like a River:

"From my first breath in this world, all I wanted was a good set of lungs and the air to fill them with--given circumstances, you might presume, for an American baby of the twentieth century. Think about your own first gasp: a shocking wind roweling so easily down your throat, and you still slipping around in the doctor's hands. How you yowled! Not a thing on your mind but breakfast, and that was on the way.
When I was born to Helen and Jeremiah Land, in 1951, my lungs refused to kick in."


(Personally, I think it's the word 'rowling' that makes that first paragraph.)

Status Report

Well, I (Christine) am officially done with Junior year. I may even go so far as to call myself a Senior now. I had my last final today (aesthetic gastronomy) in which I had to make some food (anything I wanted) and bring it for him to eat while I talked about why I chose to make it. I baked my teacher up some scrumptious Spicy Thai Chicken Pizza, a fabulous recipe my mother gave me, which I am very pleased to say he loved. After my final I did a little dance of joy. Actually it was a rather large dance of joy, right in the middle of the common room, although no one seemed to mind. We all get a little loopy during finals week. And besides I couldn't help myself. Last summer I was somewhat skeptical of how this year would go, trying to juggle married life and student life. Now, having just finished this year, I am happy to report that it was much easier than I had anticipated. God is always good, and everything always got done when it needed to. I was taught many important lessons, the most important one being that it is better to have a messy house and a peaceful mind than a neat and clean house and a very grumpy attitude. I also learned how to make successful 30 minute meals.
Joel is at work right now (tutoring in the accounting lab) and has one final left and a project due (both on Friday). Both of us can hardly wait for him to be finished; we will relish the interim between spring semester and summer classes (for Joel, not for Christine), and hopefully celebrate by taking a get-away trip to Spokane for a weekend. Not to mention our upcoming trip to Maui, the thought of which makes us bounce with excitement. (I literally, Joel metaphorically)

So that is our status report. Whiskey is also doing well, and would like to point out that she has neither finals nor housework to do. She is also trying to overcome her fear of birds.

Glorious Architecture

It's 10:40 right now on Sunday night. Joel has a 7:30 final tomorrow morning, and I have an 8:30 final. Our brains are very fried from studying, and so I am taking a break to write a post. By the end of this week (Wednesday for me) we will officially be done with the school year! This happy thought is keeping us going as we cram our heads with auditing (Joel) and philosophy (Christine). Joel says he would prefer to be cramming his head with sleep. Soon....

Since all I can think about right now is my Traditio final tomorrow morning, I am going to post about architecture. We have been examining how Gothic architecture was influenced by the philosophy of the time, and I think (I hope) I've come up with some brilliant insights to share with my teacher in my final tomorrow. So here they are.

Although it's hard to pinpoint a time, Gothic architecture seems to have begun in the mid-12th century. This coincides nicely with the rise of Scholasticism in Europe. Before scholasticism the primary style of architecture for cathedrals was Romanesque. These buildings conveyed a simple elegance, sitting solidly on the earth with no presumptions of climbing heavenward. Their square structures and dark interiors conveyed the idea that these cathedrals were great castles. They mirrored the Christian thinking of the time, which fervently guarded against outside ideas penetrating and corrupting the faith.

But with the rise of Scholasticism the cathedral's shape began to look very different. The ancient Greek texts of Plato and Aristotle were finally translated into Latin, and their method of looking at the world was examined by Christians and often times incorporated into their own theology. The Scholastics were known for their openness to philosophy, their love of reason, and their attention to detail when examining the Christian faith.
These Gothic cathedrals contained extremely beautiful and complicated detailing, similar to the intricate writings of the Christian thinkers. Like Aquinas’ questiones, the cathedrals’ ornamentation was divided and subdivided numerous times, creating a picture of calculated preciseness and attention to the inherent connection of life. Instead of appearing as fortresses guarding against outside ideas, Gothic cathedrals were open and inviting. With the addition of stain-glass windows the interior of the churches became lighter, and the countless spires and turrets pointed man upward, inviting him to soar with his ideas to the presence of God. Whereas with Romanesque architecture philosophy and reason were not welcome and cathedrals defended the supremacy of the faith, Gothic architecture invited philosophy to walk her illuminated hallways and admire the rational intricacies of her decoration.
Here are a few cathedrals whose Gothic architecture I think summarizes these points nicely. These pictures are from Salisbury, Reims, and Laon Cathedral.