Christmas morning is one of my favourite times of the year. It’s always spent in our house in the mountains, just the four of us, opening presents, while consuming copious amounts of coffee and dragging the monstrous breakfast we have prepared to almost lunch time. [READ MORE]
As of late, my favourite mid-day snack is a red, juicy apple, cut in thick wedges, with some tahini drizzled on top, finished off with some sea salt flakes. I always love combining sweet and salty flavours and this one is just perfect for a quick bite: the fruit, along with the nutty sesame paste and just a touch of salt is not only fulfilling, but also just right to keep me full for a few hours and stop me from attacking dinner like a mad person.
Banana bread was one of the first successful desserts I ever made. I started off with some almost-black, sad looking bananas, some sugar, butter and flour. It was a no-brainer, really. I chopped up whatever was left from a dark chocolate bar (chocolate bars can always be found in my kitchen- black chocolate, so it’s all good, right?) and, in a moment of culinary inspiration, I decided to also include some crushed cardamom in the mix. I felt proud and grown up. [READ MORE]
I love chocolate and peanut butter separately, but there was a time I used to think that the combination of the two was a bit too much- for me at least. Boy, was I about to change my mind. [READ MORE]
Tomorrow is Bonfire Night; I find the story behind this anniversary fascinating and I can think of few things as exciting and pretty as a mid-week firework-filled night. This year, the mild weather makes me anticipate the 5th of November even more: it means that I can watch the fireworks dressed nicely and looking cool and collected- as opposed to previous years, where I looked like a shivering, grumpy overstuffed sausage. [READ MORE]
A big part of why I love Halloween so much has to do with the whole extravagance of it: the spooky decoration, the decadent food, the dressing up- I love all of it, even though it is highly commercialised. Another, equally significant reason, is the initial idea behind it: celebrating and honouring the dead. [READ MORE]
I’ve been called many things over the years, but the two that keep regularly coming up are ‘princess’ and ‘pain in the ass’. I would love to elaborate and/or explain, but, really, I think I should better keep quiet. I can be both of these things, but, thankfully, I ‘m also often very easy to please. On that note, chocolate chip cookies are just the thing for me: there’s nothing exotic there, but good-quality ingredients, barely handled, briefly cooked, resulting in perfect cookies. [READ MORE]
With September well underway, I’m slowly coming to terms with the fact that summer is gone. It took me a while. Just two weeks ago, I was still in flip flops and light summers dresses, sunglasses almost permanently on, no watch, just suncream. It feels like I’ve blinked and found myself wearing layers again and trying assume a happy back-to-school attitude. [READ MORE]
I made my very first batch of brownies back in high school, when my attempts in baking where few and far between, in the spur of the moment, amidst teenage chaos and drama, lack of organising or appreciation of ingredients. [READ MORE]
I am completely unable to resist any dessert that has lots of butter and nuts, resting on some sort of pastry. My sister’s previous job was very conveniently (for me) situated almost next door to a pastry shop that specialised in such desserts, and as soon as I took a whiff of it (literally), my visits to her office became very frequent and most enthusiastic. [READ MORE]