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THE BUZZ ABOUT NATURE…of butterflies & bees!!
“There is a way that nature speaks, that land speaks. Most of the time we are simply not patient enough, quiet enough, to pay attention to the story.” Linda Hogan CHRYSANTHEMUMS… Nature continues to amaze…In the first week of December ’07, I posted a picture essay about ‘Chrysanthemums’…from bud to flower. I tracked another set of plants over the next few days, the ones pictured above. Most of the chrysanthemums are sadly on their last few days now, having given us endless pleasure day after day. With just a few flowers remaining, they continue to provide a platform for butterflies & bees to land on…& proudly showcase the colours of…
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CHOCOLATE TARTLETS…Mini pastry shells filled with chocolate ganache.
“If you get melted chocolate all over your hands, you’re eating it too slowly.” Author Unknown CHOCOLATE TARTLETS… …Mini pastry tarts filled with a ganache, topped with marzipan. Ever since I’ve seen these mini bites, I’ve been fascinated by the little things & was looking for an opportunity to make them. There’s something very attractive about single sweet morsels because each piece has a ‘complete‘ look . Eventually made them for the daughter’s birthday, & coordinated them to match the colours & look of her ‘YIN YANG Chocolate Cake‘, pictured below. The recipe for the pastry cases / pie shells is from a quaint little book of contemporary recipes called…
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THINK SPICE…GARLIC ; My favourite flavour..with brocolli this time!
“Garlic is a habit and a passion.” Kim Upton, Chicago Sun-Times This time the THINK SPICE spice is GARLIC! One of my absolute favourites in savoury flavours. A friend once gave me a Thai basil chicken recipe & said put as much garlic as you think is enough…& then just double the amount! How right that was…in the end, the garlic was perfect & the flavours out of this world. That’s the power of garlic! Steamed Brocolli tossed in a zesty garlic dressing… For Sunita’s World’s monthly spice event, I’ve decided to post another great easy recipe that works well as a cold salad or side dish, & can be…
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COOKIE TIME – ‘FOUR IN ONE’ COOKIE DOUGH…the versatile sugar cookie!
“A balanced diet is a cookie in each hand.” Author Unknown COOKIE TIME… I felt a bit like Martha Stewart…though I didn’t get time enough to make 7 cookies out of the same dough! Anyway, barely had time to make 1 portion of sugar cookie dough, my adapted recipe that I trust blindly! This time I made 4 different sorts outta the one dough…hence, decided to call ’em ‘FOUR-IN-ONE COOKIES’… Its great fun making these, & this is the first time I’ve made a variety out of the same dough. I made between 2-3 dozen of each type, & the son has literally begged me for ‘any broken or burnt…
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MENU FOR OUR MAD TEA PARTY…
“Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we’re here we should dance.”Unknown So here’s what found its way on the menu for the daughter’s birthday. Some I have posted before & the rest I shall put into words by & by. I made the stuff over a period of 3-4 days. The fact that its winter here & freezing cold helped ‘coz its so much easier make stuff in advance. There were Sugar cookies made in four different avatars out of the same dough; Mini Vanilla Cupcakes topped with a buttercream icing & chocolate embellishments; Tartlets with either chocolate ganache & marzipan decorations, or buttercream &…
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YIN YANG CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH MARZIPAN…My daughter’s birthday cake!
“And Above All…Think Chocolate!” Betty Crocker My daughter’s 12th Birthday Cake..’YIN YANG CHOCOLATE CAKE’ ” The time has come”, the walrus said, “to talk of other things”. These words from ‘Alice in Wonderland’ have been playing in my mind all morning! Hmmmmmm… Time to post my daughter’s 12th birthday cake. Chocolate cake it had to be because of its universal appeal; in addition, the daughter wanted a ‘yin-yang’ on top. DH suggested marzipan. That too was readily agreed upon. Having got direction of some sort from all quarters (the son’s direction was just ‘cake mama’), I painted a picture in my mind. The tough part was to transfer it from…
