“Where were you?”

I’m suddenly shy. I don’t know what to say.

You have that look in your eyes. I have never been able to lie. You know what happened.

I was off exploring a passion, something so deeply fulfilling, I didn’t look back. I knew you were there. But my mind was elsewhere.

I have so much to say. The path that you took me on, it’s real. It started with you. It wasn’t a false start. The way just kept opening up.

I am still falling down the rabbit hole. The view is wondrous.

I have never been more challenged, more exhausted or more in love.  Which brings to mind a new favorite chocolate cake recipe.  It is dark, rich and dense, with a meringue-like crust and chewy interior.

One bite, and I am sealed forever.

Smitten Kitchen’s chocolate cake

Dry ingredients, whisked together

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup Dutch process unsweetened cocoa

3/4 tsp baking powder

Wet ingredients

9 ounces butter, melted on gentle heat and set aside to cool

7 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips, about a cup

4 eggs, yolks carefully separated to keep whites clean

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

3 tbsp water

1 cup sugar

pinch of salt

1.  Add chocolate chips to the melted butter with 2 tbsp water, and hand whisk until smooth.  Keep aside.

2. In a separate bowl, mix the sugar, egg yolks and 1 tbsp water.  Whisk together by hand for a minute until pale yellow and smooth. Add this mixture to the chocolate chip and melted butter mix.  Fold in the dry ingredients.

3.  Separately, using an electric beater, whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt until the egg whites stand in stiff peaks.

4.  Fold in the egg whites gently into the chocolate mix.  Pour into prepared metal baking pan that is lined with baking parchment paper.

5.  Bake at 350F for about a half hour to 45 minutes until tester inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.