Happy mother's day!

At my birthday brunch, I made quite a variety of things, a nice rich omelette filled with veggies and cheese, cottage cheese pancakes with a side of pure maple syrup, a light and fluffy fruit cake, pita and hummus, chocolate cupcakes with buttercream icing, homemade lemonade (which I didn't even get a glass of! I'll just get my bhabhi to make some more next time). But the best items my parents missed out on at that brunch, were cream biscuits and chocolate dipped strawberries.

 My parents had to attend a wedding that same morning, but not before my mother caught a glimpse of me dipping huge, juicy and oh so sweet red strawberries in melted milk and white chocolate fondue. She saw me hold each strawberry from its little leafy head and dip it slowly, twirling it around the chocolate to ensure an even coating on all sides. As I slowly placed each strawberry on a parchment lined tray, I noticed my mother's mouth water. There was a pause, and within that short moment, I knew the dilemma that was going in my mother's head : Shaadi peh jaoun yan ghar mein strawberries khaoun?

Cupcakes galore

I had this intense craving last year at my birthday for a carrot cake with endless amounts of cream cheese frosting decorated with chopped nuts and a bright orange carrot piped on top. But a few of my friends and my mother wanted the "wow factor". So after much consideration, I decided to make carrot cupcakes, which were offered to all under the pretense of a cupcake decorating competition. But throughout the competition, their eyes were feasting on this cuillère à sucre.

My mother, who was assigned judge by default, ended up declaring my friend Alby the winner as he'd been the most original cupcake decorator of us all. He had nibbled his way through his cupcake until it was shapped like a star! As for my chef d'oeuvre, it's the beach cupcake with the cute pink colored umbrella!

Now we all enjoyed these cupcakes so much that I had to find other occasions to make them again... and soon! So ofcourse, my sister who was all too intrigued after hearing their success story (she was too busy soaking in some sun in India) thought they would make perfect little bonbonnières for her best friend's baby shower!  

We had quite a production line going, with over 150 of them to make, my sister and I had our share of fun, not to mention our share of icing tasting, hihihi.

The cake of 2009

While I desperately await for summer to arrive at my birthday every spring, I decided to bring summer to me when I turned yet another year older in 2009.

 

My mother and I had been left alone while the rest of the familia were gone away on business and leisure traveling trips around much warmer parts of the globe. I'd wanted to do something special for the occasion, so I got my closest friends together, got my mother to provide us with her home made fantastically delicious Indian food, and I baked us a cake which promised us all a bright and warm summer!