dinner

at this time of year
the late afternoon light
creates dramatic shadows.
dinner had an unintentional
green theme, green flowers
on the table,
generous
amounts of parsley
in the white bean dip,
and a spinachy risotto
for the main course
accompanied by a
green salad.
no one commented.
the drunken sunken chocolate cake
was not green obviously.
i have never baked anything
like it. despite its richness
seconds were consumed.
i found the recipe here,
it originated from here.
if it appeals do
give it a try.

spring

wishing everyone

a very happy

spring.

also it is

macaron day

in the city.

these beauties

came home 

with me.

lemons

i was given
five beautiful
very yellow lemons,
meyer lemons
to be exact.
it is difficult
to decide
what to
make?

vegetarian cafe

steamy windows

cosy decor

this 

vegetarian

cafe 

adopted the 

name of a

previous business

long gone,

when was the

last time

anything cost

5 cents?

i chose the 

organic spelt

belgian waffles,

my companion

had a generous

huevos yelapa.

both very good.

a great little place

to enjoy veggie

food 

and escape the 

cold.

in the kitchen

i have been busy in the kitchen,

the other day i finished making

the christmas pudding

(later than planned again)

and baked for the first time

a dundee cake.

they can be left for up to 3

months for the flavour

to improve, i am not that

patient to wait that

long, new year's day

maybe?

lunch break

i always enjoy

a cafe

cleverly done in

that decrepit

vintage playroom

style,

even more so

when the

food is

good.

my brie with pear chutney

and walnut sandwich

was most satisfying

and my

companion's

ban bagnat

was very good.

saturday at the market

a brilliant sunny saturday

afternoon at the

market,

the stalls were

overflowing

with colourful

local produce.

so many fruits

and vegetables

to chose from.

as always we

came home with

too much.

now the feast.

pizza

an evening excursion

to the suburbs.

we enjoyed

artisanal pizzas,

at a very good

restaurant.

not much of

a view though.

alfajores

alfajores,

two layers of biscuit

sandwiching a dulce de leche

filling,

i discovered these

delightful cookies at a

local latin american cafe,

and i was smitten.

they have two types

one more of a shortbread

the other pictured above

a softer cake like

biscuit.

to continue my search

i brought home

milhojas de dulce de leche

(more like a napoleon)

from a nearby chilean bakery,

nice if you like puff pastry.

i had to try baking

them at home, i found a

recipe for alfajores de maizena

from here that was

adapted from here.

(i used a store bought

dulce de leche imported

from argentina).

martha stewart featured a

version without cornstarch

here.

the search for the perfect

alfajores continues.

thankfully this city

has many latin american

cafes and bakeries.

easter lunch

some snaps from

easter lunch

at my mother's.

it would not be easter

for me without her

potato salad, devilled

eggs and cucumber salad.

the rest I could do without,

except for the bunny cookies...

do you have any favourite

holiday dishes?

baked doughnuts

having fun in the kitchen

is a good way to remedy

the february blahs,

the guest cook

made these cute

little baked doughnuts.

they are easy to make and

disappear rather quickly.

the recipe can be found here.

the variations are endless,

i am off to bake another

batch now,

then a walk...