By New Year's. Mama always says, "Eat black-eyed peas for luck and greens for money." I made Hoppin' John and a pot of greens. The kids stayed up till midnight banging pots on the porch. The neighbors banged back. The block does not sleep at midnight on New Year's.
Pop's in the recliner. Tigers on. Sugar in range this week. Sunday at Mama's. She made greens with hambone the way she has since 1985.
Meatloaf Tuesday. Half beef half pork. Glazed with ketchup and brown sugar. Mashed potatoes underneath. Old school.
Aiden's 10. The youth basketball league. I'm coaching. He's the best player on the team and he knows it. Zaria's 8. Helps me cook on a step stool. Has opinions about the seasoning.
I sat on the back porch with a beer and looked at the smoker and thought about nothing for an hour.
The grass came in fast this week. Cut it Saturday morning before the heat. The mower had been sitting all winter. Took three pulls to start. Once it ran, it ran. Some things just need patience.
A reader wrote in about the smothered pork chops. Said her late husband loved them. I wrote back. I told her about Pop. We exchanged three emails. She's in Saginaw. She's coming to the city in the spring.
Watched the Tigers Sunday afternoon. Lost in extras. Detroit reflex. I yelled at the TV the way Pop used to yell at the TV. The TV did not respond. The bullpen will probably not respond either.
I made grocery lists on the back of envelopes the way Mama did. The list this week was short — onions, garlic, half-and-half, cornmeal, a pound of bacon. The list is the recipe of the week before it happens.
Aiden had practice Tuesday and Thursday. I drove. He shot threes for an hour after.
I read for an hour Sunday night. A book about the auto industry. Half memoir, half history. Made me think about Pop and the line and the fragile contract that built the middle of this country. I underlined the parts that hit.
A neighbor down the street gave me a tomato plant Saturday. He grows them on his porch. Said he had extra. I put it next to the back step where it gets the afternoon sun. Detroit gardens are improvised victories.
I cleaned the smoker Sunday morning. Brushed the grates. Emptied the ash. Wiped down the body. The smoker repays attention. So does most everything that matters.
The Lions on TV Sunday. Lost on a missed field goal. Detroit. The neighborhood collectively groaned at the same moment. You could hear it through the windows.
A song came on the radio Tuesday — old Stevie Wonder — and I had to sit in the truck for the rest of it before I went into the store. Some songs do that. Detroit is a city of songs that do that.
The block had a small drama Tuesday. Somebody parked in front of Ms. Diane's driveway. Ms. Diane addressed it directly. The car moved within the hour. The neighborhood polices itself on small things.
Filled the propane tank Wednesday. The smoker is the only appliance I baby. Wiped it down. Checked the gaskets. Checked the temperature gauge. The smoker is mine the way Pop's torque wrench was his.
Pop sat in the recliner Sunday. He fell asleep before the third quarter. We covered him with a blanket.
The kids next door knocked over my trash cans Tuesday night. Their dad made them help me clean up Wednesday morning. Good man. The kids apologized. I gave them each a Capri Sun. Cycle complete.
Pop’s sugar was in range this week — that alone felt like reason enough to celebrate. And when Zaria climbed up on her step stool and said she wanted to bake something, I wasn’t going to argue with that. This grain-free chocolate cake is the one I reach for when I want something that feels like an occasion without being one — rich, honest, nothing extra. Aiden had two slices. Zaria approved of the cocoa ratio. That’s the only review that matters in this house.
Amazing Grain Free Chocolate Cake
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 35 min | Total Time: 50 min | Servings: 10
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups almond flour, packed
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup or honey
- 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted and cooled
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup dairy-free or regular chocolate chips, divided
Instructions
- Preheat and prep. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch round cake pan with coconut oil and line the bottom with parchment paper.
- Mix the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt until fully combined and no lumps remain.
- Whisk the wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, maple syrup, melted coconut oil, and vanilla extract until smooth and uniform.
- Combine. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until a thick, even batter forms. Fold in half of the chocolate chips, reserving the rest for the top.
- Bake. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and spread it evenly. Scatter the remaining chocolate chips over the top. Bake for 32—37 minutes, until the center is set and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
- Cool and serve. Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing. Dust with cocoa powder or serve as-is.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 318 | Protein: 9g | Fat: 24g | Carbs: 22g | Fiber: 4g | Sodium: 174mg