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Summer Fruits Tea Cake (and 10 Books to Go With It)

July 8, 2015 By Karen

This lightly sweetened Summer Fruits Tea Cake is easy to prepare, tender, and conveniently works with any fruit you have at home, either fresh or frozen. It stays moist for several days, but also freezes well. It's perfect for company, or just to snack on while enjoying a good book.| www.tastyoasis.netI love the feeling of falling into somebody else’s world, temporarily leaving my own reality to find a place in another. In some ways, I experience that in my work. It’s my privilege as an interpreter that I’m allowed into the most private moments of other people’s lives, or simply that I have the opportunity to walk into situations that I would never otherwise have access to. Although that’s not at the foundation of why I became a sign language interpreter, and certainly not a main reason why I continue to be one, it is a part of what keeps me balanced.

Being in the hospital room as a child is born, in the court room when a divorce is granted, on the course as someone learns to ride a motorcycle, in the classroom where they study to be a priest, a rabbi, a teacher, a lawyer, an historian or an artist, in the office when someone is fired, on the phone for a fight between a mother and her son, or on a stage in front of tens of thousands of people, it’s my honor to gain perspective from other people’s lives.

While my professional access to these experiences might be unique, I know I’m not alone in the desire to immerse myself in other’s stories. And for as long as I can remember, I’ve done that with books. I was the little girl hiding with the flashlight under the covers, escaping into The Secret Garden. I was the teenager devouring trashy novels and Wuthering Heights with equal abandon (which I guess might have been trashy in its day.)  In my twenties I called the New York Public Library my second home, and missed my subway stop time and again as Barbara Kingsolver, Isabelle Allende, J. K. Rowling and David Sedaris wove their tales around me. And in my thirties I fell in love with audio books and cookbooks, returned to children’s literature, and began a habit of reading electronically.

This lightly sweetened Summer Fruits Tea Cake is easy to prepare, tender, and conveniently works with any fruit you have at home, either fresh or frozen. It stays moist for several days, but also freezes well. It's perfect for company, or just to snack on while enjoying a good book.| www.tastyoasis.netI read so much that I can’t keep track of it all without maintaining a list, and so for years… 

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Filed Under: Books, Cakes, Fast and Easy, Freezer-Friendly, Sweets Tagged With: Cake, Fruit

Snickerdoodle Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Cinnamon Frosting

February 17, 2015 By Karen

These Snickerdoodle Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Cinnamon Frosting are light and tender with a hint of warmth. This cooked icing is barely sweetened, meaning these are perfect for a birthday party or just with a cup of afternoon tea.| www.tastyoasis.netBecoming a parent is one of the biggest leaps of faith out there, and Friday marked four years since I crossed that threshold for the second time. When you make that decision, you’re filled with dreams. Dreams of who your child will be, and what your family will look like. It doesn’t matter if you become a parent by birth, by adoption, or by marriage, because all the hopes are the same. You want your kid to be healthy. First and foremost, that’s what everyone says.

So what happens when things don’t go according to plan? My little guy was a preemie, and I’ll never forget the panic I felt when I knew he was coming six weeks early. The heartbreak I had when the nurses in the NICU told me I couldn’t hold him yet, because for him the stimulation of touch was too much. Seeing him hooked up to wires, and confined in a little tiny box, wearing an eye mask to protect him from the harsh lights. But I was so lucky, because that fear was short-lived. After ten days, we took our guy home, a whopping 4½ pounds.

That first year and a half wasn’t easy. Our guy had missed out on key development in the womb, leaving him one grumpy baby. He had no internal way to sooth himself, and so he never slept longer than 45-90 minutes at a stretch. The kid had issues; a smile or a laugh was rare, and that’s exhausting and heartbreaking for a parent. Besides healthy, we all just want our kids to be happy…. 

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Filed Under: Cakes, Sweets Tagged With: Cake, Frosting

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Welcome To Tasty Oasis

Hi, I’m Karen Rose Jacob: a wife, mom, sign language interpreter, and home cook. While trying to juggle a full time work schedule with raising two little boys, I often escape to the kitchen to find peace in a crazy day.  I believe making good food doesn’t have to be complicated, and by learning a few reliable recipes anyone can gain confidence in the kitchen. It’s my oasis, and I look forward to sharing that comfort with you.

Featured Posts

Chewy Sesame Granola Bars with Tahini and Dark Chocolate Chunks are easy to make and are perfect for breakfast or an afternoon snack| www.tastyoasis.net

Chewy Sesame Granola Bars with Dark Chocolate Chunks

Roasted Green Beans

Quick Tip: Roasting Green Beans

These Cardamom Snickerdoodles are chewy cookies with crispy edges, spiced with smokey cardamom and a hint of cinnamon. They're not too sweet, and are perfect with a cup of chai in the afternoon, or to serve for company at a party.  | www.tastyoasis.net

Cardamom Snickerdoodles

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