
Although Beyond Happiness doesn’t discuss food per se, while writing the book, I thought a lot about the people who had influenced the way I think about life. Their wisdom helped me hone in on some of the techniques that today make up SLS.
One of those people was my grandmother. I reference her in the chapter called “Closing.” Omi, as I called her, was an amazing cook. When I think about comfort food, I think about many of the foods she made for me as a child, which represent quintessential satisfaction for me.
Remarkably, what I now realize is that she was preparing three-course meals out of a kitchen with basically no counter space. Her kitchen was so small, she had to use the sink as an extra drying rack for glasses; when she finished baking, she would take the item to a bedroom to “rest” before serving. I would eagerly search each bedroom, hunting down my favorite treat, orange pound cake. The cake had a slightly browned top and insides that were the perfect texture—never dry, and infused with just the right amount of orange to sweeten it without making it too sugary.
Omi held the recipe only in her memory over the years, from her childhood in Germany to her life in the United States. She wrote it down only when, as an adult, I asked her to. Even then, the measurements were approximated. Omi’s special orange pound cake can serve as a perfect breakfast food, snack, or dessert. Although I’ve made it many times, I can’t say I’ve ever mastered it as she did. Maybe the dose of love she added from her German childhood is different from the dose of love I add today. But if you try this recipe, adding your own dose of love will make a difference every time. I hope you enjoy it as much as she did, and as much as I still do!
-Dr. Jennifer Guttman
Book Club Menu, Note. and Giveaway