No more sweets

I changed my mind. My initial plan was to bake something new every week. I never believed that I would say that but I think that I have an overdose of desserts! For the past 3 weeks I made: Chai Latte cupcakes, Rosewater & pistachio cupcakes and Green tea cupcakes. They all tasted wonderful and they were very easy to make. Each week, out of 12 cupcakes, I always give 2 to a friend that lives next door. That means that my husband and I have been eating cupcakes 15 days out of 21! Next week, I will make a fruits salad! And by the way, almond paste flowers are very difficult to make!!!

A Chai Latte…to eat!

I will bake something new each week in 2008. It is not a New Year resolution. It is simply an attempt at making delicious desserts for my husband and I. Believe me, you can have an overdose of store-bought oatmeal cookies! Some people take part of the A month of softies and other enrol in the 365 Days Challenge. That is very impressive and I would love, one day, to sign in. In the mean time, I will keep it simple: eat something sweet, homemade and different every week...with a cup of tea!

I'm pleased to say that my quest started very well! Yesterday, I made amazing Chai Latte cupcakes from the book Vegan cupcakes take over the world by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Romero. The word vegan might be scary but it is not that bad. The book use very basic ingredients that you can find at any grocery store. However, nothing stops you from using cow milk instead of soy milk. You are Queen in your kitchen! It won’t be dramatic unless you are vegan or lactose intollerent! The book is full of fabulous pictures and mouth-watering recipes that are extremely easy to follow. If I can do it…everybody can! Next week, Green Tea or Pistachio Rosewater cupcakes? Zen or girly?

Let them eat cake

We all love a good meal. However not everybody have shivers of complete joy when looking at a piece of ginger, an eggplant or a papaya! I realized lately that cooking show hosts are getting way more emotional about making recipes than they used to! I’m sorry but a steak is a steak…no matter how blissful you are while cooking it! Ok, I could slightly be jealous of their ability to be happy about cooking! For me, it is more a necessity than a hobby. However, the only thing that I really enjoy doing in the kitchen is baking: cakes, brownies, muffins…you name it!

To my great relief, I have been designated the person in charge of the dessert at our Christmas pot-luck lunch party next week. I decided to go for a really simple, yet festive, upside-down cranberry cake from the Martha Stewart book, Everyday food: Great food fast. I tested it last night and we gave it a 9/10. It is fast, not too sweet and really pretty on a Christmas table! I did not cry of happiness when I made it but I can’t wait to show it off to my coworkers on Monday!!!