This past week, Juliette and I traveled down to California for a Leadership Retreat with the essential oil company I’ve had the pleasure of being a part of for the past three years. It’s always bitter to leave… to the point that I desperately begin to come up with excuses in my head on why I can’t travel… 

“…errrr…. my lame duck needs me to stay home and change her bedding.”

“….uhhhh…. I think it might rain and just in case, I should be here to make sure the roof doesn’t leak.” 

Stuart had to give me a stiff “talking to” as I was weeping on the way to the airport. Thing is, once I’m gone I’m usually fine. It’s just the getting gone that is really, really, realllly hard on me. 

I’m a full time Mama, full time wife, and full time farmer. Take those three things away and I’m a fish without water. But magically, I found myself sandwiched between two men on the plane, one of whom (so lovingly) I saw text: “Kill me now. I’m next to a $&!*#* Mom and Baby.”

Yes, he actually wrote that. When I saw it, I welled up with tears in offense. And then I had dreams of karate chopping him in the throat for the entire flight (which, by the way, Juliette slept through). I bite my tongue, prayed for him, and went about my journey, making sure to thank the other kind man next to me who was helpful enough to help me lift my bag down from the overhead compartment and talk to Juliette. 

So here I was, in California, and the first thing I wanted to do was eat. Naturally. But the thing about these sorts of retreats is that they’re not really designed for foodies – unless of course it’s a foodie retreat, in which case, I want to be invited to that one. Only a few meals in and I was already hurting. By day two, I had some sort of “msg poisoning” which apparently (the nurses assured me) is a thing. My heart was racing and I couldn’t get it to calm down. It didn’t take long for my body to get everything that was in it, out of it. You can image how much fun that was away from home. 

Funny thing is, I had many conversations with my dear friend about food before I’d ever left for California. I hate eating away from home, unless it’s at my favorite local bistro. I don’t mean that in a food snobbie sort of way, I just mean it in a reality sort of way. My bacon is from my pigs and salt cured. My eggs are gathered twice a day from my free ranging hens. My meat is born, grown, and harvested a hundred yards from my kitchen. My gut is fed with full-fat yogurt, homemade sauerkraut and kimchi, and kombucha. Breads are sourdough and fermented, made with freshly ground einkorn berries. Vegetables and fruits are organic, local, and primarily in season. Fats are organic, grass-fed butter, olive oil, coconut oil, lard, and tallow. Sweets are made with organic rapadura, our own raw honey, or maple syrup. Flavoring comes from fresh and dried organic herbs, lemon juice, cultured vinegars, and sea salt. 

That’s, quite simply, as good as it gets. 

Over time, our bodies acclimate to these amazing super foods and actually begin to feel amazing. They also, apparently, become more sensitive to invaders they don’t like – such as chemical preservatives and artificial flavorings. 

Thank you, body, for revolting against the travel food (and me, slightly, but I’ll forgive you for that) and recognizing that what we feed our bellies matters greatly to our health. 

Stuart met me at the airport with some soft boiled eggs with butter and sea salt, along with some yogurt with raspberries and chia seeds. Oh the man knows the way to my heart! 

Since arriving back home, I’ve taking it upon myself to cook up a cornucopia of delicious foods to feed my body. Breakfast broth, lamb gyros, lentil soup, rabbit and dumplings, and….. this incredible einkorn butter cake. There’s a delicious French word for it that I say when I’m trying to be fancy, but at the end of the day, it’s einkorn buttercake. As in “16 tablespoons of butter” buttercake. Yes, that’s a lot of butter. But it’s REAL. And even with our family of six, it took us three full days to eat this entire cake, which magically gets better with time. 

It’s worth making with einkorn flour which is naturally flavorful, buttery, and flaky. Aww, ya.

Einkorn Buttercake

You will need:

3 cups all-purpose einkorn flour (or sprouted einkorn flour) – I order mine HERE

1 cup sucanant (dehydrated whole cane sugar)

16 tablespoons salted butter at room temperature, organic and pastured is best

6 egg yolks

2 tablespoons rum, optional

The seeds from 1 vanilla bean or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the finish:

1 additional egg yolk

1 teaspoon cream

 1. Butter and/or parchment an 8 inch cake pan and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

 2. In a bowl, combine the flour and sucanant. Whisk to combine. 

 3. Add in the butter, egg yolks, rum, and vanilla seeds. Use your hands to gently combine the mixture. Don’t knead the dough, but rather, lovingly and gently work your fingers through the ingredients until it’s all incorporated together. 

4. Transfer the dough to the cake pan and use your fingers to gently press the dough evenly into the pan, reaching all the sides of the pan evenly. 

5. Lastly, combine the additional egg yolk and cream together in a small bowl before brushing it over the top of the cake. Score the top with a fork, if desired (because that’s what they do in Brittany and it’s pretty!). 

6. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until deeply golden. Let it rest for a few minutes before removing it to a wire rack to cool. 

This einkorn buttercake is absolutely divine as-is, but should you desire, I imagine it would also taste fabulous with a poached pear or a small handful of spring berries on top. 

Also, just so we’re clear, this einkorn buttercake should also be served with an extra hot espresso. Because that’s how homey rolls. 

Also, just so we’re clear about this as well, I’m never leaving home again.

And Amen. 

Essential Fall Recipes Ebook

I’ve put together a fresh printable of a few of my favorite new fall recipes for you to enjoy in your own kitchen. They’re easily adaptable based on your family’s needs and your garden’s offerings.

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