I have to start this post with by saying that I do not really abide by astrological things – as in, I do not know what a lot of the phrases mean (i.e. “moon rising”, etc.) and I don’t stay incredibly up-to-date. I do know that I am a Scorpio, hubby is a Scorpio and basically, we definitely fit the rules of your typical Scorpio. I also know that weird shit happens a lot, and that full moons bring weird shit, too. I will also say that I’ve read up on Mercury retrograde when it’s come around the last few times and… it has totally resonated with me.
Here’s a short ‘n’ sweet explanation on what we’re dealing with:
“Mercury rules communication, clear thinking, truth and travel, so when the planet goes retrograde — which means that it looks like it’s going backwards in the sky — all those things go backwards. They start to get ugly and tangled up. Mercury isn’t really going backwards, it’s just hanging out by the sun, but from Earth, that makes it look like it’s in reverse. It typically runs for a couple of weeks, a few times a year.
”
This essentially means that your life is going to be flipped on its head. People are going to be acting super crazy, you’re going to get in crazy fights, your travel plans will likely be ruined, and you shouldn’t be trusted with any big decisions. Sounds fun, right? So in a time like this (October 4-25, 2014), you gotta find some constants. You need comfort and you need it now. Trying wild new things could be great, but after all the wild stuff that is probably going to happen to you, I’m guessing a big slice of chocolate cake will sound better than a walnut tart with persimmon custard and saffron-walnut crumble (BUT WOW THAT ACTUALLY SOUNDS REALLY AMAZING I HAVE TO MAKE IT).
Here’s a quick list of sweets you should consider making and eating. They are simple, with few ingredients and techniques required. No matter how weird your day is, I can almost guarantee these will work out for you.
- Banana Almond Chocolate Cake – Deep, dark, and chocolatey – but isn’t going to weigh you down. You need to be able to think on your feet! Double the recipe if it’s been an especially rough day.
- Vegan Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookies – Straight up deliciousness that should be eaten piping hot, from the oven – with a big mug of hot chai with coconut milk. In my opinion.
- Marzipan Challah – Make this on a Saturday afternoon after a week when everything has gone wrong. When the world is upside-down and you just need something to do with your hands. Make this because I want you to tell me how amazing it is.
- Vegan Pumpkin Cake With Walnuts – It’s fall. This is all you want.
- Vegan Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Cookies – When you are running low on ingredients for non-vegan cookies (i.e. butter, eggs) and need to get serious. Make these cookies.
- Almost-Raw, Vegan Chocolate Tart – You don’t bake it and it’s basically healthy. This will satisfy your deepest chocolate cravings. The ones I know you have and I know you want to satisfy.
- Vegan, Gluten-Free Toffee Cinnamon Cookie Bars – I want to eat these hot out of the oven, mostly just eating the crunchy edges so much that my husband gets really irritated because I’m “not the only one who likes the crunchy parts!!”.
- Vegan Oatmeal Raisin Cookie – Replace the raisins with apricots, add walnuts, some more cinnamon… do whatever you want. This recipe wil NOT fail you.
- German Sunken Apple Honey Cake – Use a vegan butter replacer and this could be dairy-free, but it is not vegan. Looks amazing and will have you standing back, looking at your masterpiece, in awe. This is a thing to accomplish today.
- The Raw Brownie – Vegan, gluten-free, amazing. I was texting all my friends the fist time I made and tried these. “You won’t believe it! They’re even better than regular brownies! No, seriously!” You do need a food processor for this recipe, but it is easy as pie from there.