american · baking powder · berry · blueberry · butter · caster sugar · Dessert · egg · medium · milk · ovo vegetarian · plain flour · sugar · sweetener · Uncategorized · vanilla essence

Blueberry Cupcake

For someone who has no access to blueberries, I have bookmarked a lot of recipes that feature them as the star ingredient. What I love about these berries is the violent violet colour they give to desserts. Imagine a buttery blueberry muffin that has swirls of beautiful violet. Or an icecream that threatens to color your lips as you taste its intense and creamy flavour. A cool and mellow blueberry lassi that you can share with your girlfriends. Definitely lovely. And a quick search tells me that it is not just a pretty fruit but also has a whole lot of health benefits! They are packed with anti oxidants, fight heart diseases, improve memory and may help fight cancer.
I am not the only one with a blueberry fascination. I have friends who have on several occasions expressed their desire to get hold of some berries so they could try out one recipe or the other. In fact, one of them says she shed tears of joys when she saw fresh blueberries for the first time ever in Lulu Mall, Cochin. An

american · berry · caster sugar · citrus · cornflour · cream · Dessert · egg · egg white · lemon · medium · meringue · strawberry · sugar · sweetener · Uncategorized · vanilla essence · vinegar

Pavlova with Strawberry Cream

If love had to be represented by a fruit, I think strawberries would do the job really well. For one, they are rarely available. Next, most of the ones you do find are bruised and may even have one or more happy worms within, not something to be happy about unless you are a worm yourself. You hear everyone raving about them, the juiciness, the sweetness, the looks, but when you bite into one, you realize they are just blah. Highly over rated. And lastly, they turn out to be more expensive that lots of other simpler fruits. (I am of course talking about the strawberries available here in Bangalore, perhaps they are much better elsewhere? Or is that what everyone thinks?)
Anyway, I am not a fan of the fruit, but qya loves them. (Young and carefree, what does he know?) When he spotted strawberries on our last shopping trip, he squealed happily and batted his eyelashes at me just the right number of times, convincing me to give the fruit one more chance. We turned over a couple of boxes

almond · american · berry · butter · chocolate · dark chocolate · Dessert · egg · lemon rind · medium · milk · nut · ovo vegetarian · plain flour · strawberry · sugar · sweetener · Uncategorized · vanilla essence

Ugly Double Chocolate Strawberry Delight

“There is in every true woman’s heart, a spark of heavenly fire, which lies dormant in the broad daylight of prosperity, but which kindles up and beams and blazes in the dark hour of adversity.”
I believe that a woman, a regular middle class woman, shoulders a lot more responsibility than her male counterpart. And she shoulders it really well, in a way that no man is capable of. I believe that behind the success of every person, there is a woman, who gave selflessly and without limits and that it is important to show these women your appreciation once in a while. Though women have proved themselves over and over again, so many people in our country think that they are not entitled to the same rights and freedom as men. Unfortunate !
I am glad that god chose me to be a woman, and fortunately, I was given equal opportunities as my brother. (Though I may not have utilized these opportunities as well as he did). Anyhow, I think the occasion calls for a celebration, and what better way to c