I find myself clenching my jaw lately. No doubt it’s because I’ve been paying more attention to what’s happening in the world as is reported to me, and digesting the hard truths like the fact that ignorance and white supremacist attitudes run so very deep. I can’t imagine what it’s like trying to live your life in a status quo where you are devalued and feel under threat. I’m very lucky all I feel is a sore jaw.

I find distraction and escape curled up on the couch next to Simon watching a good tv series.

I recently (reluctantly) approved Simon’s choice - a Netflix’s South Korean zombie series called Kingdom. It spans several genres: fantasy, horror, thriller, historical and political drama.

If you can’t imagine watching horror then consider Kingdom as a period piece. It’s set in the 16th century Korea, the sets and costumes are sumptuous, the story is engrossing and the cinematography is incredibly artful. 

But the gore is over the top!

I needed to hide my face in my hands at least twice an episode. But I grew so enthralled with the series I eagerly agreed to watch the second season, which was also excellent.

At first it seemed Kingdom was escapist fantasy but not far into the series it became uncannily relevant to current events.

The show’s main plot is about a mysterious disease spreading rapidly through an unsuspecting populace as government officials hide the terrible truth. And the main characters are constantly running towards hope. See what I mean?  

Rather than the plague itself, the show is about the different characters and how they respond. One of the show’s creators said the question he held in his mind while writing the tv series was: Who is an upright leader that truly thinks of the people in the midst of a crisis brought on by an unknown disease?

And to think the pandemic wasn’t even on the horizon at the time of filming. How serendipitous!

Now for the muffin recipe, which involves adding an entire seedless and unpeeled orange to this recipe.

Orange, olive oil and almond flour play beautifully together and the result is an aromatic, delicious, light, moist muffin dappled with tiny dots of orange. The orange flavour is predominant yet also mellow.

I haven’t experimented but I imagine you could use any type of orange, as long as you remove any seeds. You could also bake this in a loaf pan and adjust the baking time to about 10 minutes longer. To serve as dessert, decorate with icing and flower petals, which I just might try.

Gluten Free Orange Olive Oil Muffins (makes approx 8 large muffins)

One seedless orange, whole and unpeeled

3 eggs

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/3 cup olive oil

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 cup coconut flour

1 1/2 cups almond flour

1 tsp baking soda

Place orange in pot of water and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat, cover and allow to simmer for 1 hour.

Drain water and allow orange to cool.

Preheat the oven to 350 F' and grease a muffin tin or use liners.

Slice orange into sections and remove any seeds. Add to food processor along with eggs, oil and maple syrup. Blend well.

In a separate bowl add the coconut flour, almond flour, baking soda and salt. Whisk well.

Add wet mixture to dry mixture and combine well.

Distribute the batter between cups. Bake on the middle rack for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. 

Let cool before removing from tin.