Before I begin to heap praise upon praise for this recipe, I just have one quick question: Do you like Chai? At the beginning I didn’t like Chai. At all. It reminded me of this particular childhood stomachache medicine that my grandmother used to force into me whenever my tummy went bad. I asked her why it smelled odd and she told me it was a concoction of crushed Chinese herbs that will cure me instantly. I admit begrudgingly that my stomachaches do go away pretty quickly after having this medicine, but it certainly always left a bad taste in my mouth. It used to be that the moment I…
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Thinking of blogging’s role in my life over Cornmeal & Olive Oil Biscotti
How has everyone been? Me, I’ve been tired. It’s the kind of tiredness that seems to flow from the soul outward to the eyes. My eyes sear in the way that a person who hasn’t slept for a week would experience. I would like nothing more than to close my eyes for a good 24 hours. Unfortunately, I have responsibilities to attend to. The good news is, things have been getting better for me. I’ve begun to learn how to look at the difficult things I have been encountering lately through different perspectives. The bad news is, I’ve been thinking an awful lot; and all the thinking has been giving…
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Whoopie pies remind me of my “identity issue”
It’s stupid really. It’s not even that much of a deal to be called a crisis, but what do I call it? Identity problem? Identity predicament? So here’s the thing: I live in a country that is predominantly influenced by the United States, from the way we dress, to the way we speak, to how much the fastfood industry thrives over here, down to the books and the English we study. American English. And yet, and I don’t know if you’ve noticed this, I cannot stop myself from spelling in British English. That’s it actually. Kind of petty isn’t it?
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Autumn Sunshine Pumpkin Bread
I cannot remember the last time I had Pumpkin Bread. Or to be honest, if I’ve ever had any at all. I know, I know, I’ve been missing out haven’t I? Actually, pureed pumpkin isn’t quite popular locally, and neither are pumpkin pastries. The people here are big on sweet potatoes and bananas in their pastries, mostly. Pumpkin is used only for cooking dishes, most of which involve a little bit of coconut milk. Yum! But when you have thoughts of autumn and Thanksgiving in your mind, happening upon a couple of cans of pumpkin purees reads like a sign. Make pumpkin bread, it said. So I went ahead and made…
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Orange as autumn Sweet Potato Bars
While the rest of the food blogging world is talking about autumn, I can only talk about my tropical country’s lack of it. And believe me when I say I know what I’m missing, because I’ve spent autumns abroad, and it’s always been perfect: the weather, the way the wind blows, the orange colouring everywhere you turn, the sound of the leaves crunching below your feet, getting to wear scarves… Autumn is my absolute favourite season of them all. Though I find that I run right back home come wintertime, because I don’t like the cold much. Hmm. I guess you can say that’s one of the perks of living…
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There’s more than one way to enjoy Apple Pie
Cupcakes are just about one of the most beloved things on earth because of their cuteness. Set in their colourful paper liners and topped off with all different swirls and shades of frosting, people cannot help but be smitten by them. I enjoy making and decorating cupcakes very much, but if you ask me if I ever really make them a normal rotation of my diet, I don’t, not really. As with all the sweets I make, I eat only to taste for “right-ness” because I don’t really like eating sweets all that much. I am a strange baker that way. Though if you ever asked me to make cupcakes…
