Chocolate chip cookies

Chocolate delight, is what I would like to call it. Chocolate which is the most important ingredient in this, does something wonderful to our sense of taste.Thanks to John Cadbury for his invention of the modern day hard chocolate and the industrial revolution for bringing this desert/ingredient to life! It's the very first day of the new year and I feel no guilt in enjoying this with a cold cup of milk :-). Best way to start of my new year, with a smile.

Bread + pudding= comfort

Bread pudding, for many is a comfort food.  As I was about to try my hand at this delightful desert I thought to my self;’ where did it originate’? How often do we eat things without a thought about the origin of it? There is such a simple pleasure in knowing and to better appreciate things. Puddings have a long and interesting history. I will try to keep it short.Many early puddings were meats, not sweets. Bread pudding was born in the 13th century. Known as "poor man's pudding”, it was created as a means of salvaging stale bread. The bread was soaked in milk or water, then sugar, butter, fruit, and/or spices were added, and then it was baked. Sometimes the mixture was housed in a "sop," a hollowed out loaf of bread. Modern bread pudding is made by pouring custard and other flavorings over cubed bread and then baking it. Variations of this recipe are as limitless as the imagination. Our idea about bread pudding will also be determined by whatever part of the world we are from. Now that we know a bit about this awesome dessert/breakfast we can at least think about how far we came as a human race and how much more we can look forward to better recipes in the years/centuries ahead… Never stop thinking about the simple things people…I am sharing with you a picture of my bread pudding topped with a maple-butterscotch sauce. What more can the taste buds ask for?! 

    

Bread quest

It is so easy to quit when things don’t go right or when we try and fail; don’t you think? Well I’ve been faced with making such a decision more times than I would like to admit. I think of it as only being a human reaction or am I telling myself that so I don’t have to feel bad about the thought of quitting? I’ll say the latter. Well guess what? I have analyzed every inch of the thought and it all lies in us.

We have the power in our own self. Who thought I would get all of this from making something called,” bread”? Well let me tell you; it is no simple job! I wanted to have that nice homey taste of bread whenever I liked instead of waiting on the holidays when I get to eat my mother-in-law’s deliciously soft dinner rolls. My quest started soon after thanks giving. My first try was a pure mess of dough and this continued on until I figured I’m killing the yeast instead of feeding it. Trust me, I did numerous researches and watched some videos but this bread skill comes with practice. The research and videos do help though. I guess everyone learns in different ways. Nevertheless I am proud to say;” I did it!” The key to my success was trying, try and try again. Believe it or not I got it on the tenth try… Thanks for reading and don’t give up on anything especially food!

New beginnings

Happy, productive and healthy new year to all! It’s a new year and for many it symbolizes new beginnings. We make promises to our self with good intentions but somewhere at the back of our head we are afraid we might not keep them. Why is this so? What happens when the year reaches its fifth or sixth month? Lucky you if you got that far before! I didn’t even keep my resolution for 2 hours. Don’t worry, I have no addiction whatsoever. I promised to be more understanding of the human race but I failed terribly. I have heard from someone who knows what he is talking about, most of to time; to be successful in life you should understand people. I honestly agree with that statement! Where to begin though? The human animal is the most complicated of all. Think about it! Even our meals get more complicated as evolution takes place. I am not complaining or anything, I am only admiring. A year from today I could hardly cook for myself and my significant other and today because I was willing to learn I can cook and entertain my family and friends and know they are enjoying what they are being served. I still have a long way to go, but I am getting there. Today's dish is a spicy beans&rice and a coconut garlic shrimp on the side. I hope you are liking the pictures of my meals and feel free to ask for recipes. Good night folks!

Merry holidays

What is it about the holidays? It smells different, there is magic in the air, we are at our best. Is it the scent of the candles, food, pine trees or presents? Are we really celebrating the birth of Jesus? For everyone there will be a different answer I bet. For me it’s all about the joy that the holiday brings, the snow flakes on the trees, the xmas carols and the food that comes along with it and recently a new realization,” the happiness of my family”. I have also come to realize that no matter how bad of a day we have, there is always a sense of peace and emotional nourishment at the end of it when we have a warm cup of tea accompanied by a delicious meal. Food is certainly food to the soul. On xmas eve I had my in-laws over for dinner since it was our son’s first xmas. I made roasted duck, pot stickers and Caribbean style noodles and cupcakes for desert. Can you imagine an environment with some good food, family, healthy conversation? I couldn’t ask for any other way to spend a holiday evening. Happy holidays to everyone out there. Thanks for reading!

Busy day

Phew! Finally I am sitting down. Did I even stop to give gratitude to all the blessings around me? No. I was too busy with myself and what wasn’t going right rather than what was. Well, now that I’m relaxed and another day creeping in slowly I can reflect on all my blessings. Besides having a hectic day I came home and made dinner for two. It’s not the best dinner I’ve made but it worked for us. Tomorrow will be a better day. No shopping! Good night people.

A risky dinner

Food like life is filled with amazing surprises. Don’t you agree? The finished product is not always what we had in mind in the first place but nevertheless it’s our accomplishment and that makes it unique. The taste on the other hand is determined on our preferences. Today has been a day where I had to use my Imagination to make a dinner which I wasn’t entirely prepared for but I must say the outcome has been fantastic. My plating consisted of rice noodle with sautéed mushrooms; oyster glazed chicken thighs and spicy fish sauce. The rice noodle was a substitute for white rice so that was a risk ingredient I would say. Lets see what my critique says when he gets home. Thanks for reading!