Red Velvet, Black Tie

The earliest memory I have of my father is that of his lullabies which consisted of the same two songs every night, one of which was his national anthem!  The next memory as I grew a little older is that of standing by the window sill waiting for him to come home from work and hand me his leftover roasted peanuts in a paper cup (which he would typically buy from the roadside vendor on his walk back from the bus stop).  From that to the day when he visited me during my graduate school days and cooked me a meal with his own hands...the memories have multiplied and changed to varying degrees over the years but there is one aspect that has not altered one bit: my love for him.

There is a special bond that daughters share with their fathers.  It's a relationship that is both the envy and pride of mothers. As little girls we look up to our father as our hero, our very own 'tall, dark and handsome' warrior.  As we grow a bit older  our vision changes and we see our fathers with admiration, love and respect.  He becomes a source of motivation and inspiration.  And finally as we step into the role of parenthood, it becomes increasingly clear how important that shoulder to sit on and the back to hang from is.  Any man can be a father but it takes a certain special touch to be a 'dad'.  Here's laying out the red carpet and a special black tie for the very best: the dads of this world.  And a special thank you and I love you to mine...


Red velvet cupcakes were dressed in dark Ghirardelli cappuccino chocolate ganache frosting with white fondant specs to celebrate this special event.  Happy Dad's Day!

The Present

I once came across a quote that read "The clock is running. Make the most of today. Time waits for no one. Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That's why it is called the present."  

The words made perfect sense...and yet here I am who worries everyday about what the future will hold.  Will I be able to control it or carve it to my needs and desires?  Will I like what it has in store for me? How will I react to the misfortunes that come my way? The questions seem endless...and in pursuit of the answers I rarely enjoy the passing moment, the present.  Perhaps it is for this reason that we carry gifts or 'presents' for people on their birthdays.  It's a symbolic notion to show them that more often than not what's inside the box (our future life), yet to be unveiled, is a beautiful surprise.  The excitement with which we open our presents should reflect the anticipation and excitement in our lives to greet the future.  At times the 'box' holds things that we either do not like or did not want but eventually we get around to using the items somewhere, somehow...we should learn to do the same in life.  When we come across the not-so-desirable events in life we need to make the best out of it.  We need to find a purposeful use for it and then move on.  


I salute the people who always have a smile on their faces and a song in their hearts and know how to live in the present moment...for there is no comparison to enjoying a gift that is in hand versus one that we may never get to open and look inside.  


Saying cheers to a birthday with an edible 'present' was a mellow lemon cake with lemon custard, strawberries and  butter-cream frosting.

Birthday in the Park

 

A request for a special 'Minnie mouse and her friends' first year birthday cake for a little girl turned into some thoughtful insights on my part.  I will write about the cake in a moment, but before I do I would like to ask you to define the word "happiness".  The theme park where Minnie and her friends reside is termed as the 'happiest place on earth' or so says the marketing. 

What is 'happiness'?  The dictionary defines it as a state of well being and contentment.  'Contentment' is the key word here.  When we are content we are at peace with ourselves and find very little reason for unrest or anxiety.  However, human nature is very strange and this feeling of contentment rarely lasts a long time for most ordinary mortals.  We are always looking for 'more' in everything and this in turn makes our state of happiness a moving target.  The feeling vaporizes within a short few moments of its birth and we struggle to find it all over again.  The constant pursuit of this feeling of satisfaction thus becomes a convoluted and turbulent facet of our lives and ends up robbing us of achieving a lasting happiness.  Sometimes, we don't even know what would make us happy!


Is the degree of happiness measurable in money? I honestly don't know. Money can surely buy the kind of misery we seem to enjoy and provide us with security in life,  but it cannot predict the future or ensure that things will certainly go the way I plan it to be.  So then, how do we make happiness an inherent part of our lives?  If you've ever visited the commercial 'happy place' which started this topic you will recall that there is indeed something magical about that land that makes a heart smile and dance.  It's the feeling of love, warmth, good cheer and wellness being wished all around.  The laughter of our children and the hugs all around  leave us very content and satisfied.  And it is this feeling of satisfaction that we must learn to nurture in our everyday way of life if we are to stay happy most of the time.


The cake in question was my first half sheet cake in a plain vanilla flavor.  Filled with banana and vanilla pudding it was topped with butter-cream frosting and hand-molded sugar paste Disney characters.  Here's wishing the smiling lil' Minnie (Siyona) a very happy one-derful birthday.

Minnie Ears

Sugar cookies with sugar pearls for a very sweet girl's first birthday treat.

First Communion

I have to tread with caution on my thoughts on this blog since no one topic is more controversial than religion.  In many ways, I feel religion is as ambiguous as politics. Yet most of us are deeply rooted in one.   A First Communion is a Catholic Church ceremony that "confirms" a child to the religion so that he/she can learn the culture and its values. There are different forms of the same process amongst Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism,  Islam and the various other religions of the world.  

Religion can be viewed as a way of life, a call of faith or a medium to enforce to us that there is a Supreme Being who controls the universe.  To do good unto others, to lead a pious life and to have compassion for those less fortunate seem to be the basic teachings of all religions.  It also teaches us that victory of good over evil often comes after much pain and suffering.  Religions believe in the concept of peace and harmony for all living beings.   Yet it is this very facet of life that can draw people into war and make us act in the most heinous fashion; all in the hope of achieving 'nirvana' or freedom for our soul.  We not only practice religion in everything we do but also try to preserve it through generations.   We may preach tolerance and secularism but in our hearts we find comfort in the 'way of life' that our mothers and grandmothers have taught us.  We may go to religious  schools for education but the influence of religion in our home far surpasses those of the outside world.  And when this passion for religion takes an ugly path, it becomes what is called fanaticism. 

I now know that it is important for my children to know the religious beliefs I hold, solely not because I want them to follow the same path but more so to ensure that I stay within my comfort zone of life.  For there is no other more difficult aspect of life than embracing a religious belief that is different from the one you were engrained with.

A simple white vanilla cake with cream cheese frosting topped with a sugarpaste replica of the young boy offering his prayers symbolic of the 'last supper' rites was created to wish the family a blessed event.

Busy Bees & Happy Hearts

 Many many years ago I was taught that teachers are to be respected, revered, thanked and occasionally given a place higher than the Almighty.  The last bit confused me slightly.  How could someone hold more importance than God?  What the quotation meant was that for the fortunate few of us who get an education, teachers play a very important role in shaping our destinies.  The value of any type of education is worth its weight in gold.  But the value of an education that teaches us to balance the brain with the feelings in our hearts is priceless.  Let me elaborate what I mean here.  

Contrary to the belief, it is actually not so hard to learn the mathematics, the sciences, the arts, the social sciences, literature and other topics from books, electronic media and through practice.  What is difficult are their applications in real life towards doing our best in our professions.  What is even more difficult is being smart about how we apply it all to the work we do...and perhaps what is the most difficult task is to decide whether we act with our mind or heart when doing the work we do.  I guess that is what makes the school my daughter goes to more special to me than others.  The principal and teachers of the school actually have a way of encouraging hard work and comradery amongst students starting from a very young age.  They are awarded with what's called a Busy Bee or a Happy Heart certificate.  Busy Bee amplifies hard work and sincerity in making academic progress while a Happy Heart symbolizes acts of kindness, compassion and a cheerful demeanor.  What a concept!  To teach kids to learn the value of sometimes playing fair and at other times being a tough competitor.  I believe it takes a great combination of these two attributes for succeeding in the real world.  Even amongst the best and most witty politicians and professionals, the ones with charm and charitable intentions are celebrated long after they depart the earth, making this life-lesson a worthwhile one for each one of us to adopt.

I raise my cup-cakes to salute the teachers of yesterday, today and tomorrow with a special thanks to those who will be a significant part of our life through our children's education.  These were chocolate cupcakes filled with a dollop of chocolate ganache on the inside and covered with all fondant decorations in keeping with the theme of the Teacher's Appreciation Day this year.  For only a busy bee with wings of heart can take flight and enjoy the honey of life.  Each cupcake was individualized with the initial of the last name of each teacher to make them feel extra special.

Bubbly Baby Duck

Egg-less white cake with chocolate mousse filling and butter cream frosting.  Bubbles were made of white chocolate.

Summer Berries

Summer is close by and we are now starting to see a glimpse of sunshine every now and then in Portland.  A handful of sweet and tart fondant berries atop a butter-cream vanilla cake with banana/custard filling hold the promise of a berry happy birthday.

Mother's Day

 It took me by surprise when I first heard of Mother's Day.  One has to put a date to celebrate the most important person in everyone's life? Really?  Isn't every day a Mother's Day?  Can you think of a day in your life when you haven't wailed her name, thought of her and missed her?  The first time I learnt of this celebration was when I was over 20 years old.  That in itself told me how utterly ungrateful and unthoughtful I might have been towards the least respected, least paid job in the world. So it's no small surprise that we really need to mark one date (at the very least) on our calendars to make sure we thank and appreciate mothers for just simply: everything.  

It was almost a decade later when I realized the true significance of the position and job title. What warms my heart is that we are doing something to spread the awareness amongst our children of how precious moms are.  Then there is something to be said about the moms of this century...Despite the diversity all around the world, mothers everywhere have managed to evolve over time to doing more and more. I find it extremely humbling when my mother or mother-in-law still finds the time and patience to learn something new, do something different...

From taking a serious interest in the professional world to enhancing their participation in politics, sports, world economy and even martial arts, the moms of this era have not let motherhood stop them at all!   Today's mothers are a chef, housemaid, friend, teacher, counselor and banker all rolled in one.  They say it takes a village to raise a child...I pretty much see the whole village in the moms of today.  Despite their new and enhanced roles it's quite a blessing indeed that most of them still love to indulge in their passions for fashion, entertainment and family fun.  They are what I call true divas!

So let's raise a toast for all the moms of the world with this year's design of lemon flavored cupcakes topped with a few fashion accessories in fondant.

Grapes on (W)ines

Every year when it's time to celebrate my significant other's birthday, I hear mumblings about age and the depression that comes with aging.  So I chose grapes on vines design for his birthday cake to remind him that there are many things in life that grow dearer and more precious with age. 

Grapes are allowed to mature on their vines before they are used to make delectable wines.  The more aged a wine is, the greater is its value.  Same goes for many whole grains.  The maturity of the grains determine their value as a seed.  Maybe nature is trying to tell us something here...Look not at age as years gone by but look at it as maturity gained.  A gain that allows us to let go of the vanities of childhood or youth and embrace life more with more calm and confidence.  It helps us distinguish between the big and small things in life that really matter in the end.  Age also instills a sense of humility in us and makes us appreciate those older than us.  It teaches us to judge less, respect more and be kind to all around.  I see all these and many more great changes as the years go by and so I can't complain about my loved one growing older.  If you ask me, as the years go by I find him more attractive and more intoxicating than a glass of red wine: good for the heart and soul!

A banana/pineapple cake with butter cream frosting was the calling for this special day.

Blue Euphoria

Salutations and hearty congratulations to the men in blue.  You have proven to the world that when the going gets tough, the tough get going.  Cherish the feeling of walking on cloud blue.

Lillies for Mom

Of all the relationships that exist, the only one that is full of unconditional and uncompromising love is that of a mother.  Period.  No questions asked.  There is no one on this planet who can take her place.  Regardless of what we call her and how we call for her, it is the best balm that brings relief to all our problems.  We are symbolically attached to her at birth and although the cord is cut right after, the bond is eternal.  Our entire physical, mental, spiritual and social well being circles around her existence from birth till death. 

The thought of her soft kisses, loving hugs, caring concern, melodious songs and the aroma of her cooking can send most of us to a happy place anytime.  It is funny how the noise of her bangles from a distance that was once a sign of warning for my sister and me to scoot out of the kitchen before we got caught, has now transformed into the most comforting notion when she is around.  Despite the gripes we hold or the constant generation gap we try to bridge, the safest and best place on earth is none other than a mother's abode.  

Mothers are simply incredible.  They guide us, bless us and forgive us over and over again even as we get it all wrong.  They are selfless in their acts and have a heart larger than the universe.  They would stop at nothing to protect us and keep us from harm.  Being a mother now, I realize the significance of the sacrifices she has made for me, the importance of carrying smiles even when times are tough and the unbelievable strength that must be shown to succeed in this job.  The best way to honor a mother's debt is to carry it forward and strive to be a mom to our children and occasionally to even those who don't have one. 

Here's to mothers everywhere and wishing the two moms in my life a very happy birthday this year.  May I continue to learn from you and be worthy of the most important designation of my life.  Sugar paste lillies with granulated-sugar pollen adorn the dark chocolate brownie cake.

Papaya

The title here suggests a very wholesome fruit. Soft/sweet when ripe and crisp/tart when raw.  Full of healthy nutrients this fruit is popular in the tropics and carries a lot of medicinal properties.  This is also what a precious two year old lovingly calls her Papa.  "Papaya"!  It's a pretty common practice that we sometimes refer to our children as fruits we love...and why not.  Our children are sweet and soft.  Their laughter is the best cure for all our sorrows and they are indeed the 'apple of our eye'.  Therefore it is perhaps not surprising that children call us back in the same terms.  Every time I refered to my daughter as a pumpkin, she would grin and give me a hug with 'Momma pun-kin'!  Between my daughter and son I have in the past been a strawberry, a blueberry, a tomato and ofcourse a pun-kin.  And we can't complain much about such nomenclature when we find that an innovater like Steve Jobs named his 'baby' after his favorite fruit too!

A simple vanilla cake layered with cream cheese/butter cream frosting was the choice for this birthday cake from a daughter to her father.  A set of tennis lessons as a birthday gift from Mommy completed the cake theme.

Saffron and Gold

It has been a primitive practice to associate colors  with a significant emotion or trait. 

Red is the color of fire and blood, so it is associated with energy, war, danger, strength, power, determination as well as passion, desire, and love. 

Brown suggests stability (earth).

Yellow is the color of sunshine. It's associated with joy, happiness, intellect, and energy.

Orange or dark saffron combines the energy of red and the happiness of yellow. It represents enthusiasm, fascination, happiness, creativity, determination, attraction, success, encouragement, and stimulation.  In the Hinduism culture it symbolizes auspiciousness.

Green is the color of nature. It symbolizes growth, harmony, freshness, and fertility.

My favorite color, blue is pretty versatile: It is often associated with depth and stability. It symbolizes trust, loyalty, wisdom, confidence and intelligence. Blue is considered beneficial to the mind and body. It slows human metabolism and produces a calming effect (hence the medical suits in a hospital operating room). Dark blue is associated with depth of knowledge, expertise, power, integrity and stability; it is a preferred color for many advanced nations in the world today.  However one must avoid using blue when promoting food, because blue suppresses appetite! Light blue is associated with health, healing, tranquility, understanding and softness.

White stands for peace, purity and cleanliness. 

Black is associated with power, elegance, formality, death, evil, and mystery. In heraldry, black is the symbol of grief. 

And the list continues... Just remember that life is full of colors and the picture each one of us paints depends on the hues and colors we choose to use.

Coming back to this brownie creation, I chose a symbol of Lord Ganesha (the God of all encompassing virtues in Hinduism) in dark saffron and gold atop a medallion coin made of white chocolate.  Gold evokes the feeling of pride and prestige. It means illumination, wisdom, and wealth and often symbolizes quality par excellence.   Our heartfelt colorful good wishes go to a wonderful couple with a new home. 

Play Ball

There are times of deep thoughts and inspirational moments and then there are times when you just have to take flight in free spirit and play ball!  This is one of those moments...Enjoy the games!

Lemon flavored cupcakes with edible balls atop butter-cream/cream cheese frosting.

Spring Sunshine

"You are my sunshine, one of my sunshines,
You make me happy when skies are gray.
I never tell you how much I love you,
Please don't take my sunshine away."

This was my twisted version of the sunshine song.  I sang it to my daughter every single night from the day I learnt she was on the way to when she was about three years old.  The lullabies changed over the years but not the hugs and smiles and the warmth in my heart.   A little too soon, the years crept up on me and today we celebrated her sixth birthday (albeit a few days late for convenience).  Half a dozen years later my munchkin is quite a lady now.  I see her shunning princess toys and taking to the jumprope and scooter more.  I see her preference for a swimming pool vs. the bathtub filled with water.  I also see her cry softly with her hands on her face and I know why they call these 'growing pains'.  So much change in so little time...And she is already asking about her first driving lesson!  While there is pride and joy in my heart there is a touch of sadness: if only I could have held her in my arms longer, hugged her more often and worried a little less in the years gone by.  To all my friends with young children:  don't let the small hassles get you down; enjoy the child before they fly their nest.  To my friends with not-so-little kids:  don't fret, they will always be your baby and you did raise them well. 

Live in the moment and dwell not on the past,
Look to the future but obsess not you must...
For que sera sera, whatever will be will be...
Enjoy the moments now for fleetingly gone they will be.

A few weeks before her birthday she came to me with a painting she had made.  It had a blue sky, yellow sun, few clouds, butterflies and a meadow with flowers below and asked if I could bake her a cake that captured her wish for a sunny day in spring.  I have tried in my humble capacity to mimic her bright imagination and capture the colors of joy that she brings to our hearts.  May she thrive and prosper and light up the whole galaxy in the years to come.

The Candy Express

There's definitely something to be said about the word 'candy'.  It comes in many forms and the basic notion is that it's a sweet treat.  It's both the solution and the root cause for much of our troubles in life.  We take solace in some form of candy when the day is going bad.  We celebrate with it for our life events and even offer it to the Gods as a bribe.  Then we pay the dentist, the doctor and the gym a visit to undo the damage brought on by excess amounts of it.  We admonish our children from eating it while secretly popping a few from our hidden stack.  We have festivals that are centered around candy (Valentines Day, Halloween, Diwali, etc).  We have stories that stem from houses made of candy (Hansel and Gretel) all the way to the novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory!  The versatility of candy is endless.  And, if you didn't know that it could also be an abstract adjective used to describe attractiveness, then look up the term 'eye-candy'.  Cheers to all of you for spreading a little sweetness around...

The request for the birthday party was a train cake.  Judging by the expression I had seen on my daughter's face the first time she learnt about Trick or Treat, I assumed that it would be hard to go wrong with candy where children are concerned.  So the request was met with the candy express above.  A mellow lemon cake frosted with soft whipped butter/cream cheese combination was the theme for little Advait's second birthday.  I hope Advait has a "terribly sweet TWOoth"!

Squiggles

I have to say that I was not looking forward to this cake initially.  I was asked to create a chocolate cake layered with chocolate ganache and covered in soft whipped cream for an engineer.  I was also notified that Jasha is a gentleman and would definitely not care much about one of my pink roses on his cake!  For those of you who are familiar with soft whipped cream will know how challenging this seemingly simple request was.  I had not one but two problems: first, decorating with soft whipped cream and second, no pink roses...or any flowers for that matter.  So I focused on the only aspect left in this 'equation': engineer.  The one thing I know from my days in engineering school is that we love squiggles, the greek alphabets and anything with lines and curves.

Thus was born my version of a geeky but manly (enough) cake which should not be judged by its soft cover. I know that a combination of gooey chocolate with airy-soft creamy cloud can put someone in a 'top of the world' mood and I hope that that's how Jasha felt.

A Pot of Spring

Unbelievably, March is here again! That means we prepare to celebrate the onset of spring. It’s a time for new leaves to sprout back on those bare trees and a burst of color to fill our yards. To me spring symbolizes more than flowers and leaves. It reminds me that the time of hibernation is over. The cold winter months are soon going to come to an end and all of us need to get a jump start on the rest of the year ahead. New ideas, new projects and new explorations await us.  Celebrations with green beer and sun bathing on warm beaches are all part of March.  But before you pick up the mug or take off to warmer weather during spring break, make a promise to yourself this year: to spring forward, do your best and complain less. You cannot predict the outcome of the task at hand but you can control the process and technique required to do it. So focus on that for a change...Take up a new hobby, a new pleasure and indulge in it.  Whatever you do, do it from your heart and you will see the rainbow with a pot of gold at the end.

And talking of spring's bounty, it's also a time to look forward to warm weather.  There is one other thing that brings us warmth besides the summer sun: a good friend.  There is a certain sense of comfort that is forthcoming with them and just like spring they make us look forward to their company.   Here's wishing one such friend (who has a heart larger than life) a very happy birthday.  I wish her next year blossoms like the fresh new leaves and flowers in this pot of spring foliage (chocolate cake with shades of purple royal icing flowers).

Chic and Sweet

The math behind statistics calculates the probability of two people having the same birthday in a group of only 23 at greater than 50%.  It's been several years since I actually did probability calculations in my statistics class, but I would think it safe to assume that the probability in this case would be lower when the group is smaller.  Reality doesn't mimic possibilities for sure based on my experience recently.   A dinner party with a group of only 12 guests turned out to be a double celebration.  A few days before the evening of the party I learnt that two of the guests had the same birthday!  I am not a person who believes in coincidences but this one took me by surprise.   This is the second time in my life where I have seen same birthdays in small groups of people I know.  (Needless to say it helps a great deal to remember them for sure). 

This also tells me that we have a good chance at beating the odds  even when the numbers indicate otherwise.  This is very reassuring to know especially if hope is all we have left.  So we must continue to think positively despite the lower chances of world peace, battling illnesses and  surviving the impossible.  The power of positive thinking can at times surpass all mathematical predictions unless you are trying to pass your school grades without studying...that would be termed a miracle.

I baked each of them a personal sized chocolate cake with layers of dark chocolate ganache with the hope of making them feel extra special.

Spiderman

The very first thing I wanted to do when I was approached with a request to make 30 cookies was hum the tune: "Spiderman, Spiderman... Does whatever a spider can... Spins a web any size... Catches thieves just like flies... Watch out, here comes the Spiderman!"

There is something catchy about the tune and of all the Marvel comic superheroes Spiderman is by far the most popular. And why not? Wouldn't you like to leap and swing at will from tall structures hanging by a thread and catch the bad guys? Wouldn't you like to spin a web on top of really tall buildings and use it like a hammock? I would! The cartoon series of the 60's is still creating magic on silver screens and televisions. You've got to ponder why...Is it because every one of us wants to be a superhero of some sort? To fight evil and be invincible?  When I looked deeper into the characters I realized that there was a lot to learn beyond the swinging, leaping and cool tunes.  I learnt that (i) all the alter egos of these superheroes were ordinary people struggling with various facets of everyday life (ii) when the going got tough, each of them rose to the challenge and got going (iii) it's okay to fail at times but not okay to give up (iv) doing the right thing does matter in the end and finally the most valuable lesson learnt (v) spandex rocks!  There are two questions left in my mind: 1) do our taxes cover the municipal charges for cleaning up all those spider webs this guy leaves behind?  And 2) why can't someone tell Superman that the 'under'wear is called just that for a reason and should not be worn on top of his suit...

Here's wishing the super boy a very happy birthday and hope he has a swinging party.

Smash Cake

When I announced an invitation to a baby's first birthday party, my daughter looked truly perplexed.  "How old was the baby last year if this is his first birthday?", she asked.  "Was he a Zero?" The simple question made me ponder on why the first birthday is a big deal. No one celebrates a zero ... sounds like nothing has been achieved (we know that's NOT true).  The number one is a whole different story. It holds tremendous value.  A 'first' of everything is really special.  First inventor, first place in a competition, first baby, first tooth, first steps.... and of course a first birthday. A first birthday marks a special beginning that holds the hope and wishes of many more to come.  Besides, no one wants to celebrate a zero, unless several of them come after a numero uno dressed in the color green.

Many parents are hesitant in 'wasting' a whole cake on the birthday child to play with.  Hence the discovery of the "smash cake": a small cake that the child can have and (s)mash around (gleefully).  Here's wishing one-derful Aashneel many happy returns on his special day.  May his cheeky grin continue to warm our hearts in the years to come.

Igloo

It is quite fascinating to see what captures a child's fancy.  Sometimes it is the most obvious thing and then there are those wild weird objects.  I am told that I had a fascination with red buttons when I was a kid.  Duh?  I do realize how strange this sounds but I am sure back then, I had a perfectly logical reason for hanging onto one all day and all night long.  My father used to buy them in a dozen so that when the inevitable happened it could be replaced without me ever knowing the loss.  I am glad that he humored me in what appeared to be a trivial thing.  Today when my children have imaginary friends or obsesses over something mundane, I know in my heart that it's just a phase.  So, when your child holds on to a weird object like his or her life depended on it, instead of trying to fight the battle just go with the flow.  Unbeknownst to you, you will have won the war and formed a loving bond.

Just recently I came upon a similar request.  I was asked to make an igloo cake.  That's right, an igloo.  The easy part?  It's all white, so I didn't have to task my gray cells on color combination.  The hard part?  Trying to figure out how to make an all white (non-wedding) cake look attractive and cute for a 5 year old boy.  I made a lemon cake, layered it with banana pudding inside, covered it with white butter cream fondant and then proceeded to add the following features: some royal icing snow flakes and a baby seal perched on top.  Judging by the look on the child's face, I think it was a pretty 'cool' idea after all.

Sweet Hearts

There is a notion that some things get better with age.  The top items on my list are wine, wisdom and friendship. Having grown up in different parts of the world, I have had the chance to make many friends. Some by choice and others by destiny.  In this arena I have learnt that those with whom you can just be yourself with little or no pretense are the friends that matter in the end.  Thanks to the invention of the online social networks, I recently had the opportunity to connect with and meet one such friend almost two decades later. There wasn't enough time to travel the gap of all those years in a few hours but the hugs were warm and the smiles genuine. What warmed my heart even more was meeting her little sweethearts (children) and watching them play with mine.

Cheers to the next generation kids. I hope that despite the busy lifestyles they will have they have the opportunity to make some great friends along the way. Just like aged wine, there is something intoxicating about having some 'good old friends'. With Valentine's day just around the corner I chose to celebrate our friendship with this year's treat of dark chocolate brownie hearts glazed with pink chocolate ganache.

Love

I am not talking about the commercial aspect comprising of red hearts, pink balloons and chocolate truffles.  Those are great too if you happen to come by them occasionally in life but what I am writing about here goes deeper than that.  Deep enough that it touched my soul.  I am referring to the short story by the French writer Guy de Maupassant entitled, 'Love'. If you have never read this story then I implore you to do so, just once.  I read the story during my school days as part of my English class.  What I took away from the story in its last few paragraphs has left a lasting impression on my heart.  The author describes love through the story of two game birds in a manner that can only be described as sheer genius.  Unfortunately, I do not possess the writing skills that could do justice in elaborating this emotion any further.

What I could do was the next best thing: incorporate a couple of modern day symbols of love into one brownie treat to celebrate our tenth wedding anniversary.   Swans are soul mates for life, a dark chocolate bed of ganache and brownie are your ultimate guilty pleasures and the few crystals of snow/ice completed the happy heart in me.  I think it was the big slice, spoon, bowl and dollop of ice cream on top that did it for my significant other!

Good Luck!

I thought long and hard on what to put on a baby shower cake I was about to make.  All the usual designs that came to mind at first were cliches at best.  Cute babies, teddy bears, ducks, animals, 'hearty congratulations', 'best wishes'...the list was endless.  While all of them were appealing they just didn't jive with me.  So, I decided to be bold and true and not keep the expectant couple in any kind of false hope or pretense any more.  I think 'good luck' is actually more apt for first time parents (who rarely have a clue what they are in for) than any other greeting.  For it is 'luck' alone that could possibly ensure an easy delivery, a baby who sleeps through the night, has predictable feed times, doesn't need a zillion diapers a day and never, ever barfs on your best clothes.  None of the other inscriptions would come even close to making these possible. 

I have also realized the true significance of a baby shower besides helping the new parents with commercial items of use.  It is to impart to them a false sense of joy and hope that their lives will be filled with fun and happiness over the next couple of years.  The reality is perhaps all too well known for established moms and dads.  Never before in your life would you have imagined that the word 'poop' could have such a high significance in your discussions at home, work, doctor's office and in day to day socializing.  How in the world can something so adorably cute and cuddly ever produce something that could best be described as a weapon of chemical warfare..I say forget the gases Soldiers, just throw poop diapers at your enemies to suffocate them.  Cheaper and just as effective...even biodegradable!  What's even more surprising and offers solace is the fact that you soon get to a state where you are comfortable leaving the dinner table, changing one and coming right back to your meal without so much as blinking an eye.  Once you have reached that stage, you need not fear anything else in the world ever again.  And if this alone was not enough there is nothing in this world that will test the strength of your marriage than a seemingly adorable  8lb bundle of joy.  If you survive the first year together, rest assured that you can survive a nuclear holocaust.

All said and done, we eventually recover after a few years and sometimes go through the same experience a second time or more...(I can see why Martians think us to be super idiots).  So there must be some magic beyond the sleepless nights, the smelly clothes and endless domestic fights.  It's the magic in those innocent eyes, the love in their hugs, the silly giggles and the fact that babies don't discriminate.  They have no pre-conceived notions about the world and they don't care if you are rich or poor, fat or thin, dark or fair...All they care about is love and hugs and if you ask me, that's a lesson we need to learn from them.

Birthday

Dang! Another year has gone by and I am another year older.  I am not sure whether to rejoice in the fact that I am 'wiser' or keep a somber mood because I am older.  I truly doubt if I am any more wiser...  We may have mapped the human genome, explored the surface of Mars and developed crops that produce their own pesticides, but we know so little about our own brains.   Not a single scientist can yet explain the complexity of our cognitive skills with respect to age.  So what's with the phrase: older and wiser.  I think it's just a ploy to lure people to be happy on each birthday because happiness can work miracles on preserving life and youth.  So, perhaps it is not a bad ploy after all.  I felt on top of the world with greetings and warm wishes from family,friends and a delightful 'four fairies' Hallmark card from my mother.  I no longer care about the wiser or older, just happy to be alive and joyful.  I don't see wrinkles on faces anymore, I see them as 'life experiences', something you cannot beg, borrow or buy.  And I firmly believe that laughter is the best medicine for holding on to your youth.

I set out to make my own sweet little guilty delight out of a white cake with roses and strawberry whipped cream frosting.  I wanted to make as many rose buds as my new age!  Darn...you realize how silly a challenge like this is when you are no longer 10, 20 or 25.  Okay, at least have the courtesy of reading through this posting before you go back up to count them if you really want to  (and shame on you if you cheated)...My vanity still prevents me from writing the number down. 

And what ultimately made my day were long stemmed red roses, the box of chocolates (wrapped in pink also -freakishly scary) and the bottle of red wine that walked through the door in the evening on the arms of my three most favorite people in the world.

Let it Snow

"Oh the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful...And as long as you love me so, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow..." The amazing lyrics of the popular winter song by Sammy Cahn is one of my favorites.  It describes an incredibly romantic setting of sitting by the fireplace with the lights turned down low and eating popcorn with your loved one during a snow storm.  And talking of romance, what a great way to start a new year!  A cake for a wedding anniversary. It is incredibly romantic to hear of a couple celebrating their 39th wedding anniversary.  It gives me hope and tells me that love, patience, understanding and compromises along the journey lead to such magnificent moments of celebration...Here's wishing the magical couple many more decades of health, love and soul-satisfying happiness.

Wedding-white buttercream fondant was used to ice the cake.  Snowflakes were made of royal icing.  Sugar and peppermint pearls completed the decor.

Cheers!

Let's raise our cupcakes to toast yet another wonderful year.  Despite the ups and downs through the year, I call it wonderful because there are more things to be thankful for than before...It's almost a year  of blogging for me now and I want to thank my followers for supporting me on this sweet journey.  I look forward to the new year and hope that it brings success and joy in all our endeavors. 

Coming to the more important question now.  Do I make new year's resolutions?  Not any more.   I cannot seem to make logical resolutions even if my life depended on it and to hope that the illogical ones are kept intact would be a miracle at best.  So, I've changed my philosophy slightly..."be flexible" is my new aim...It will allow me to cater to each situation without breaking any resolution.  How's that for perfection?  Okay, so it's a little cheating, but it's smart cheating.  Cheers!

Mini Ornaments

Ornaments are not just meant to adorn a tree or the body. Sometimes they are meant to bring joy to the tongue and tummy. No, seriously I mean it. We eat with our eyes and nose first and so a treat has to entice our palate with looks and aroma. These tiny delights were designed with just this in mind: rich burgundy, sky blue and little flakes of snow. Here's wishing everyone a very happy holiday season ahead. Cheers!

Traditions

Of all the winter traditions that are around, my favorite one is making a snowman...it brings back memories from my childhood where a negative 36F did nothing to freeze my spirits (northern Canada).  From toboggan rides down steep hills to making 'angels' in the snow, my only worry in life was climbing back up the hill covered in 9 feet of ice and snow.  I consider myself very lucky to have enjoyed a healthy and happy childhood and this holiday season I wanted to do something for those who don't have either.  I didn't know how until my place of work hosted a holiday craft fair.  So I put on my baking gloves and created some red velvet winter delights.  And while spreading the word on La Tangerine Cakes and Treats, I ended up raising money for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital which strives to bring hope to the lives of many who cannot go out and make a snowman of their own...

Happiness

Who says you can't have a slice of tangerine cheesecake for breakfast because it is not healthy?  If you think about it, it has all the elements of a balanced breakfast: carbs, protein and fat (flour, sugar, fruit, eggs, dairy and butter). So why is it then, that inspite of the combination, it is not the healthiest item on your plate when you start the day? The answer lies in the word 'balance'.  While all the components are accounted for, the balance is just on the wrong scale.  Hence the overall end product earns its designation as dessert- something to be eaten cautiously unless you are Heidi Klum (I am convinced that this wouldn't affect her gorgeously stunning profile either). 

Extrapolating this process to my life has made me realize that while I may have all the components present to make me happy (family, occupation, hobby and faith) unless I strive the right balance amongst them, I cannot win.  We hear about people who excel in their chosen path and we try to copy their success.  While chasing the super-success stories of people around us we must realize that one can truly excel in only one aspect of life and everything in between is all about BALANCE.  So pick up a spoon, dig into your favorite treat, sit back and think of  what would make you most happy and then choose wisely to bring in that happiness...

Cuddles and Smiles

I met a wonderful lady recently and she told me that sometimes she needs no special reason to celebrate with her family, especially her children.  What a wonderful thought!  She wanted a cake that had elements of a cuddly teddy bear, flowers and funny faces...Tough challenge indeed to put these three in a cohesive theme - on a cake.  My representation of the request is displayed above and you can tell me what you think.  The backdrop of blue butter cream/whipped cream frosting with specs of cream cheese resembled the first snowfall for the season.   The flakes coaslesced into bigger snowflakes at the bottom before melting away on the street (chocolate strings).  The funny faces were captured on color-dyed chocolate buttons all around to spread laughter and cheer.

The cake was a wedding white flavor one with two layers of banana and whipped cream filling.

Streamers and Confetti...

...in dark and white chocolate calls for a celebration; no less. Add a strawberry (made of fondant) dressed in a tuxedo and you have the recipe to celebrate your man on his special day.  While the white chocolate was pure "chocolate", the confetti chocolate curls were made from dark chocolate infused with espresso.  Hiding under the chocolate coat was a red velvet cake layered with cream cheese frosting.  Cheers to a birthday which falls during the party season of the year!

A Puppy Adventure

Why do we have some pre-defined notions in this world? Blue is for boys, pink is for girls; trucks are for boys and dolls are for girls...If you let children choose out of free will, you'd be surprised at how many little boys like pink and Dora and how many little girls will run after a train or a truck.  I do not know what that means about their development, but I see no scientific reason to revolt against the odds.  Our minds have been carved by our parents and the environment around us and so today if we see a woman Nascar driver we say wow and if a man dares to wear a pink shirt, we would rather call it the color 'salmon'.  Funny are the ways of the human world... So what do you bake for a little boy who loves Clifford and Dora characters at the same time?

You set them up on a journey to a puppy adventure.   Dora and Boots meet Clifford the big red puppy in this short feature of vanilla cake with pudding filling and all edible toppers.