TAHINOMELO WITH MAHLAB - TAHINOMELO AU MAHLEB

Lately, while looking out of the window, the following lyrics, sung in 1982 by the mighty Glenn Danzig, leader of my favorite punk formation (The Misfits – Danzig Era only, 1977-1983) constantly popped up in my mind:

Brains for dinner
Brains for lunch
Brains for breakfast
Brains for brunch
Brains at every single meal,
Why can't we have some guts?

OI! OI! OI!

Brains are all we ever get at this rotten fucking place,
brains are all we ever get, why can't we have a change of pace! ]…[

Don’t get me wrong, no brains were involved. As a matter of fact, I was thinking about the rain that had not stopped bugging us on a daily basis since about a month.  After such an extensive period of precipitations, it started to get so boring and frustrating that, very much like the vocalist of that mythic band, I quotidianly prayed for "a change of pace”. Unfortunately, cursing the dark clouds, invoking our brightest star and hoping that it will finally hug us with its warm arms proved unsuccessful until today. I really thought that I'd lose my marbles if the meteorological calamities continued to strike us and the status quo was maintained for another 24 hours!

 Although nature desperately necessitated intense watering considering that the Siberian winter we experienced at the beginning of the year (January and February) left the grounds dry and the vegetation severely dehydrated, the sad, monotonus and dreary weather began to negatively affect my mood.

You see, it can get extremely tedious to wake up every morning to grey blankness. I dearly missed the pure and blinding April light, the birds' ear-tearing cacophony of joy as well as contemplating the rays of the sun play with the lush green leaves on the trees. In lieu of that, all I could observe was an aqua deluge and apart from the sound of thousand of drops hitting hard the concrete and the howls of the semi-cyclonic gusts of winds that shook the whole building, nothing else was to be heard.

When you’ve been looking forward to spring and instead, winter comes back with full force and slaps you in the face with a mighty roar, thus shattering your optimism and scattering it all over the floor like the countless petal confettis that cascaded down from the trees and were dispersed all over the muddy ground, there is absolutely no way this can make you feel enthusiastic. All the contrary.

Much to my dispair, the violent Bise and strong downpours have washed away the marvelous fruit tree blossoms and prevented us from enjoying those iconic flowers as much as we wanted. With such stormy and miserable conditions I’ve had problems gathering enough motivation to go out for walks and brave the deluvial precipitations, crazy gales as well as fresh temperatures. Cocooning was definitively a more adequate option... 

You cannot control what happens to you, but you can control your attitude toward what happens to you, and in that, you will be mastering change rather than allowing it to master you.  
- Brian Tracy

That reminds me of an important lesson of acceptance and resignation each one of us should learn as it would spare us a lot of trouble, unhappiness and senseless stress if we understood that we cannot have an authoritative influence over everything.

Nowadays, society is obsessed with controlling and conquering the world and what surrounds it. People hate powerlessness as it makes them incredibly anxious and uncomfortable. They are terrorized by the idea that some elements in our existence are out of our hands and totally depend on fate. 

We all can choose the path we take, our conduct, the attitude we have towards things and the individuals we want to be acquainted with, yet we cannot decide which events or circumstances we’ll come across on our journey as a manifested individual. There is no denying that a supreme principle exists behind them and that our luck as well as misfortune are not always easily explainable.

Chaos was the law of nature; Order was the dream of man.
- Henry B. Adams

The more chaos there is, the more science holds on to abstract systems of control, and the more chaos is engendered.
- William Irwin Thompson

None of us is entirely the master of our destiny. We contribute to it, but only to a certain degree. This fundamental force in the universe has always been there and will remain until the end of time. Even modern science recognizes it. Forever, humans have had to deal with chaos and unpredictability. Hence, resisting those incertainties is senseless. One should rather embrace them, make the most of them and recognize the possibilities they offer. Anarchy rules the cosmos. It has a purpose that evades us and the portion of unknown which is thrown into the equation is what makes our life even the more exciting.

Chaos in the world brings uneasiness, but it also allows the opportunity for creativity and growth.
- Tom Barrett

I have great belief in the fact that whenever there is chaos, it creates wonderful thinking. I consider chaos a gift.
- Septima Clark

Creativity in its most meaningful sense renders order out of chaos. True creativity engenders new coherent form from existing patterns or ideas. The creative mind is not subdued by the apparent anarchy of random chaos.

- J.L. Read

In order to be creative, artists need to be organized as well as hectic. No art is born without a little discipline and a good dose of unbounded wackiness. Those components are complementary and if you seek to generate craft exclusively with either one of them, then you’ll get nowhere. In the kitchen, the same theory can be applied. No chef can cook like a beserker unless he/she incorporates a certain amount of method to his/her deliriousness. 

It is beautiful to see that there is a hidden plan behind everything and that even the most crazy phenomenon has a reason of being and a deeper meaning behind its apparent randomeness. This is why I believe that door’s will open for you when the stars are aligned and the right moment has arrived.

So, when life hands you lemons, don't dispair and "say oh yeah I love lemons, what else you got?" (quote by Henry Rollins). Remember that this is the result of your actions combined to a higher pattern (equation composed of controllable & uncontrollable factors: actions + attitude+ place + time + character + unpredictability = fate). You are not getting what you want because you have engaged yourself in the wrong direction and you are lost (not morally speaking). Thus, if you want to influence your kismet in a more positive manner, then it is essential to rethink your doings and turn bad situations to your advantage by adjusting your karma (every action or manifestation marks a rupture of equilibrium, so to counterbalance that, a corresponding reaction is demanded - concordant actions and reactions). In one word, never give up as you have some cards in hands and can still alter the course of your route... 

Since my photography "studio" is situated on my balcony, the unfriendly climate and lack of light of the last four weeks have greatly compromised my photoshoot projects. Seing my projects fizzle out has upset me immensely, yet I refused to let that discourage me and annihilate my cheerfulness or sap my energy, hence I decided that it was indeed a good excuse to relax a bit.

An auspicious contretemps and message from the sky which I greeted with open arms as I'm suffering from a photographer's and writer's block at the moment. I have the impression of turning in circles and inspiration just fails me. Anyway, I'm am pretty sure my readers don't mind if I occasionnaly publish a "simple" recipe and slightly slow up my posting rythm in order to regain my strength and not develop a bad case of blogging burnout (we wouldn't want that to occur, would we?).

Hence, the speciality I am presenting today is uncomplicated. Nonetheless, it is far from being uninteresting or ordinary. "Tahinomelo" (ταχινόμελο, pronounced tah-hee-NO-meh-loh) is a luscious Greek sweet sesame spread made with tahini and honey which is without a doubt foreign to the majority of my non Hellenic or Middle Eastern readers.

Not only is it easy to make as it requires only three ingredients, but it is also delicious, refined, very healthy, nourishing and is a great alternative to other industrial pastes that are far more calorific and less wholesome in comparison with that 100% natural treat. A perfect breakfast, brunch or snack indulgence!

Tahinomelo With Mahlab
Recipe by Rosa Mayland, April 2012.

Makes about a cup of tahinomelo.

Ingredients:
1/2 Cup Tahini

3/8 Cup (1/4 + 1/8 Cups) Runny honey
1/8 Cup Water
1/2 Tsp Mahlab (optional)

Method:

1. In a medium bowl, add the tahini and whisk together mith the water until you get a solid mass.

2. Incorporate the honey and and mahlab. Whisk hard until you get a smooth and pale spread that has the consistency of Nutella.

3. Serve.

Remarks:

If the paste is too thick or not sweet enough for your taste, then add a little more honey.
Tahinomelo can be stored unrefrigerated for several days, well covered.
Before every use, stir it well.

Serving suggestions:

Spread on bread (whole grain preferably), toast or crackers.
It is also perfect for making banana sandwiches.

Tahinomelo Au Mahleb

Recette par Rosa Mayland, Avril 2012.

Pour environ 1 tasse de tahinomelo.

Ingrédients:

1/2 Tasse de Tahini

3/8 de Tasse (1/4 + 1/8 de tasse) de Miel liquide

1/8 de Tasse d'Eau
1/2 de CC de Mahlep (optionel)

Méthode:
1. Dans un bol moyen, foutter ensemble le tahini et l'eau afin d'obtenir une masse solide.
2. Incorporer le miel et le mahleb tout en fouettant énergiquement jusquà obtention d'une pâte étalable et ayant la consistance du Nutella.
3. Servir.

Remarques:

Si la pâte est trop épaisse et pas assez sucrée à votre goût, alors vous pouvez ajouter un peu plus de miel.
Le tahinomelo peut être conservé à température ambiante pendant plusieurs jours.
Bien mélanger avant chaque utilisation.

Idées de présentations:

Tartiner sur du pain (pain complet aux graines de préférence), des toasts ou des crackers.
Cette pâte à tartiner est parfaite pour faire des sandwich à la banane.