😋 🍓An Interesting Dessert - The Slow Life Stories - Bedtime Stories for Adults - Calming Stories for Grownups and All Ages

Welcome to The Slow Life - A village filled with cozy stories for everyone. This story is called An Interesting Dessert, and it’s about a picnic lunch, sleeping on a cloud, and accomplishing something together.

🇨🇦 These stories are written, edited and narrated by Jennifer Zwicker.

~~~~

Benefits of listening to cozy stories or adult bedtime stories with The Slow Life:

1. Relaxation and Stress Relief

• You want to unwind after a stressful day.

• The gentle pacing, soothing tone, and comforting narratives help calm your mind and body.

2. Help Falling Asleep

• Many people use bedtime stories as a sleep aid. We’ve been told ours help.

• A calming story distracts from anxious or racing thoughts, making it easier to drift off. Especially with a second reading as we have, because you already know what happens.

3. Comfort and Nostalgia

• You’re looking for the emotional safety and warmth that often comes with familiar or gently imaginative stories.

• Cozy stories can evoke fond childhood memories or a sense of being cared for.

4. Escape and Imagination

• A peaceful story can provide a gentle escape from reality without overstimulation.

• Listeners enjoy being transported to a calm village, a peaceful garden, or a quaint and cozy inn.

5. Mindfulness and Presence

• The slow, descriptive nature of cozy storytelling encourages a mindful focus on the present.

• It can be a form of meditative listening, grounding you, the listener, in sensory details and slow pacing.

6. Companionship and Connection

• Perhaps, for people who live alone or feel lonely, a narrator’s voice can feel like friendly company.

• It’s a quiet, non-demanding form of social presence.

🧡 Bedtime stories for grown ups

🧡 Bedtime stories for kids

🧡 Meditation story

An Interesting Dessert is a story about making something special with someone special for a picnic in the park with friends. There is beauty, there is comfort. It may help put you to sleep. Calming stories to help you sleep. Relieve anxiety.

⚠️ Take care listening while driving or doing any activity that requires your full attention.

• All stories - Copyright Jennifer Zwicker 2024, 2025

Episode Transcript

(00:02):
Welcome to The Slow Life, a village filled with cozy stories
for everyone. I'll read this story 2 times to
help you zone out or even fall asleep during the second
reading. This story is called An

(00:22):
Interesting Dessert, and it's about a picnic lunch, sleeping
on a cloud and accomplishing something together.
Plans with friends had been madeweeks ago for us to meet in the
park for a picnic. We'll each contribute some food

(00:46):
and drink and I promised to provide an interesting dessert,
not knowing at that point what Iwould make or buy to take along.
I'd mentioned this to my niece. Without hesitation, she
suggested that I make Pavlova. I slowly nodded, knowing that

(01:11):
I'd heard of this dessert but had no idea what it actually
was. When I asked my niece, she
admitted that she also had neverhad it, had never seen it that
she knew of, nor did she know what Pavlova was.
Hmm. Well, I'd promise to show up

(01:34):
with something interesting and out of the ordinary, so Pavlova
it is. She offered to pitch in, and we
agreed that we would make enoughof whatever it was for her to
have some for herself. As we prepared to research what
we were in for, one of us commented that it sounded like a

(01:58):
form of dance. This amused us even more when we
found out that this particular treat was in fact named after a
ballerina. We weren't so far off in our
thinking, nor were we disappointed when we saw the

(02:19):
first images of it online. Pavlova.
It looked fluffy, although it said crispy on the outside,
which also sounded wonderful. It looked sweet, just the
flavour we wanted. It looked completely out of the
ordinary, more like a decorationthan a food.

(02:43):
And it looked completely lovely,exactly the masterpiece.
I want to present tomorrow on the day of our picnic, not
wanting to leave it until the morning of.
My niece and I will make the meringue part of the Pavlova to
day. The recipes said this would also

(03:06):
help it to become a bit more crisp, which is part of its
charm. Tomorrow we'll add the cream
filling and the fruit topping. To finish it off.
We've made two of the meringue bases that look like clouds.
The second one will be our tester, which neither of us will

(03:29):
mind doing for the cause. If it's a flop, I will still
have time before the picnic to visit the bakery for one of
their treats instead, but so far, so good.
The meringues surfaced as a subtle mat Sheen of ivory or

(03:50):
eggshell white. The odor shell has fine cracks,
which is just like the photo we have and is a sign of its
crispness that is ideal contrasting with the soft and
chewy centre. Once they cool off in the oven,
we use our Test 1 to poke out a bit and the centre has also

(04:16):
turned out just as we'd hoped, soft like marshmallows.
We agree that she'll come back over in the morning to help with
the cream and putting them all together.
Not surprisingly, I dream of floating on clouds and wake up

(04:36):
with a soft smile, giving my pillow a squeeze and a sniff
just to check. My niece arrives after breakfast
and after a tea and a chat we take the meringue bases out of
the well sealed containers. They've stayed crisp and are

(04:57):
shaped like a nest that will cradle the cream filling.
And then we'll host the vibrant fruit that will sit on top of
the fluffy cloud. She takes a turn whipping the
fresh cream until its pillowy and light.
Together we fill the nests of meringue, spreading it like

(05:20):
icing back and forth and in figure skates, taking much
longer than we need to as we enjoy the motion of the task.
Without saying a word, the generous amount of cream settles
in beautifully just shy of the edges.

(05:42):
Then comes the decoration, A colourful medley of fresh fruit.
We've chosen a classic combination of Ruby red
strawberries, vibrant green Kiwislices and the deepest coloured
blueberries. The fruit glistens juicy and

(06:03):
bright as we spoon it on top of each dessert, adding bursts of
colour and freshness that will balance the sweetness of the
meringue. Finishing up, we stand shoulder
to shoulder like 2 proud parentswatching their baby sleep

(06:24):
soundly. We've done it altogether.
A Pavlova looks like a celebration in dessert form.
Elegant and festive, delicate and airy.
We've placed them each Shanna Cakes stand as something this
visually stunning deserves to beon a pedestal.

(06:48):
I'm going to wait until the picnic to try it.
But she selflessly offers to make sure it tastes as it
should. Slicing into it reveals the
layers. Crisp, soft, creamy.
A beautiful creation that we're pleased has turned out so well.

(07:11):
I've given her a fancy dessert bowl and a dainty spoon to
honour the time we put in to making it and the beauty that it
turned out to be. Just as patience was needed to
create what she's about to taste, she also takes her time
with this step. I can hear the bit of crunch

(07:34):
that is the spoon breaking in tothe outer shell.
It goes quiet as it reaches the marshmallow like centre and the
colourful juice from the fruit seeps a little into the cream
for the perfect mix of flavours.As she takes the first bite, I

(07:56):
gather from her closed eyes and the smile that begins to form
that we've accomplished something wonderful together.
She opens her eyes and nods, subtly raising her index finger
to signal me to give her a few more seconds to let it sink in,

(08:19):
or maybe to recover from the place she just went.
I don't need to ask her if it turned out well enough to serve
to my friends at the picnic. Her reaction gave me the answer.
I pull out a stool for her to sit and finish her piece of
Pavlova at the kitchen island while I pack the rest of my

(08:44):
things for the park. I invite her to come along, but
she already has plans for lunch.Laughing that she started
backwards with dessert, she lifts the cover off the cake
stand of the one we've already cut into.
With eyebrows raised, she looks at me and tilts her head.

(09:09):
OK, just one taste. An interesting dessert Plans
with friends had been made weeksago for us to meet in the park
for a picnic. Will each contribute some food

(09:32):
and drink and I promised to provide an interesting dessert,
not knowing at that point what Iwould make or buy to take along.
I'd mentioned this to my niece. Without hesitation, she
suggested that I make Pavlova. I slowly nodded, knowing that

(09:56):
I'd heard of this dessert but had no idea what it actually
was. When I asked my niece, she
admitted that she also had neverhad it, had never seen it that
she knew of, nor did she know what Pavlova was.
Hmm. Well, I'd promise to show up

(10:19):
with something interesting and out of the ordinary, so Pavlova
it is. She offered to pitch in, and we
agreed that we would make enoughof whatever it was for her to
have some for herself. As we prepared to research what
we were in for, one of us commented that it sounded like a

(10:43):
form of dance. This amused us even more when we
found out that this particular treat was in fact named after a
ballerina. We weren't so far off in our
thinking, nor were we disappointed when we saw the

(11:04):
first images of it online. Pavlova.
It looked fluffy, although it said crispy on the outside,
which also sounded wonderful. It looked sweet, just the flavor
we wanted. It looked completely out of the
ordinary, more like a decorationthan a food.

(11:28):
And it looked completely lovely,exactly the masterpiece.
I want to present tomorrow on the day of our picnic, not
wanting to leave it until the morning of.
My niece and I will make the meringue part of the Pavlova
today. The recipes said this would also

(11:51):
help it to become a bit more crisp, which is part of its
charm. Tomorrow we'll add the cream
filling and the fruit topping. To finish it off.
We've made two of the meringue bases that look like clouds.
The second one will be our tester, which neither of us will

(12:14):
mind doing for the cause. If it's a flop, I will still
have time before the picnic to visit the bakery for one of
their treats instead, but so far, so good.
The meringues surfaced as a subtle mat Sheen of ivory or

(12:35):
eggshell white. The odor shell has fine cracks,
which is just like the photo we have and is a sign of its
crispness that is ideal contrasting with the soft and
chewy centre. Once they cool off in the oven,
we use our Test 1 to poke out a bit and the centre has also

(13:01):
turned out just as we'd hoped, soft like marshmallows.
We agree that she'll come back over in the morning to help with
the cream and putting them all together.
Not surprisingly, I dream of floating on clouds and wake up

(13:21):
with a soft smile, giving my pillow a squeeze and a sniff
just to check. My niece arrives after breakfast
and after a tea and a chat we take the meringue bases out of
the well sealed containers. They've stayed crisp and are

(13:42):
shaped like a nest that will cradle the cream filling.
And then we'll host the vibrant fruit that will sit on top of
the fluffy cloud. She takes a turn whipping the
fresh cream until its pillowy and light.
Together we fill the nests of meringue, spreading it like

(14:06):
icing back and forth and in figure skates, taking much
longer than we need to as we enjoy the motion of the task.
Without saying a word, the generous amount of cream settles
in beautifully just shy of the edges.

(14:27):
Then comes the decoration, A colourful medley of fresh fruit.
We've chosen a classic combination of Ruby red
strawberries, vibrant green Kiwislices and the deepest coloured
blueberries. The fruit glistens juicy and

(14:49):
bright as we spoon it on top of each dessert, adding bursts of
colour and freshness that will balance the sweetness of the
meringue. Finishing up, we stand shoulder
to shoulder like 2 proud parentswatching their baby sleep

(15:09):
soundly. We've done it altogether.
A Pavlova looks like a celebration in dessert form.
Elegant and festive, delicate and airy.
We've placed them each Shanna Cakes stand as something this
visually stunning deserves to beon a pedestal.

(15:33):
I'm going to wait until the picnic to try it.
But she selflessly offers to make sure it tastes as it
should. Slicing into it reveals the
layers. Crisp, soft, creamy.
A beautiful creation that we're pleased has turned out so well.

(15:56):
I've given her a fancy dessert bowl and a dainty spoon to
honour the time we put in to making it and the beauty that it
turned out to be. Just as patience was needed to
create what she's about to taste, she also takes her time
with this step. I can hear the bit of crunch

(16:20):
that is the spoon breaking in tothe outer shell.
It goes quiet as it reaches the marshmallow like centre and the
colourful juice from the fruit seeps a little into the cream
for the perfect mix of flavours.As she takes the first bite, I

(16:42):
gather from her closed eyes and the smile that begins to form
that we've accomplished something wonderful together.
She opens her eyes and nods, subtly raising her index finger
to signal me to give her a few more seconds to let it sink in,

(17:04):
or maybe to recover from the place she just went.
I don't need to ask her if it turned out well enough to serve
to my friends at the picnic. Her reaction gave me the answer.
I pull out a stool for her to sit and finish her piece of
Pavlova at the kitchen island while I pack the rest of my

(17:29):
things for the park. I invite her to come along, but
she already has plans for lunch.Laughing that she started
backwards with dessert, she lifts the cover off the cake
stand of the one we've already cut into.
With eyebrows raised, she looks at me and tilts her head.

(17:54):
OK, just one taste. I wish you sweet dreams.