• Autumn baking,  Baking Recipes,  Cupcakes & Muffins,  My favourite things,  Reinventions of classics,  The Breakfast Bin

    In the absence of actual apple pie– Apple Pie Muffins

    You ever have days when you get a hankering for apple pie but you’re too lazy to go through the motions of making the dough, chopping up the apples, and all that? I do. A lot of times actually. So then you might ask, ‘Why don’t you just run down to the store and buy one?’ To be honest, I haven’t found a store-bought apple pie in my neck of the woods that tastes half as good as a homemade one. So what’s a girl to do in such a situation? Well this is the part where I tell you about how this muffin would be a nice substitute for…

  • Autumn baking,  Baking Recipes,  Quickbreads & Loaves,  Reinventions of classics,  Simple cakes

    San Francisco and Apple Crumble Loaf Cakes

    The other day I was checking my Instagram feed and I saw a friend of mine post a lovely autumn picture of orange trees lining a long road somewhere in New York. I immediately felt a bit sad, maybe just a tad jealous, mostly because I feel like I’m stuck here and she’s enjoying herself ever so much over there, living her dreams in New York’s fashion world and what-not. Well the weather here has been sweltering and summer-like, the rays of the sun blanketing everything with a yellow reminiscent of a morning in the desert. It’s literally impossible to walk outside without squinting against the harsh sunlight and feeling…

  • Autumn baking,  Baking Recipes,  Must-Makes from Martha,  Pies & Tarts,  Timeless Treats

    A slice of apple pie a day keeps insanity away

    Things have been crazy around here. The effects of the flood have not, to put it mildly, been pretty. In fact, looking at the aftermath of it is depressing. We’ve packed a lot of old clothes and shoes for the relief drive, but on a personal level, the damage and loss we have sustained in our own family company is also brutal. Let’s just say we’ve been cleaning for three days non-stop and haven’t even made it to a quarter of the stocks and other things that need to be rescued. The paperwork on my desk is slowly piling up, neglected in favour of other more dire priorities. I reckon…

  • Experiments & experiences,  Recipe Round-Up

    {Kitchen Diaries} Fruity Comfort Food

    What’s your favourite kind of comfort food? For a lot of people that is probably a tough question. I know I’ve got quite a few at the top of my mind, but one of them happens to be Apple Crisps or Apple Crumble. I just love the cinnamony scent and taste of the tender apples contrasting with the deliberate grittiness of the topping. I love how its simplicity, and the fact that it can be so easily and quickly thrown together, essentially epitomizes a lazy day at home in your pyjamas; hair unkempt, kicking back with a nice warm mug of coffee– no pretentions, no embellishments. Nothing else except plainly…

  • Baking Recipes,  Dearly Dreaming Dorie,  From the books,  Pies & Tarts

    {Dearly Dreaming Dorie} Flakiness is occasionally a good thing

    And by that, I most definitely am not referring to people. Flaky people are one of the worst, and I don’t even want to go into detail because that would have to be a whole blog post on its own (I’ve got a lot of experience from my university days, believe me). But flaky pastries? Now that is the only good kind of flaky in my book. Wouldn’t you agree? It’s funny how carefully I am going through Dorie Greenspan’s cookbook. I believe the correct term for what I am doing is savouring her book. Baking the recipes one by one is perhaps a testament to my love, positive review,…

  • Baking Recipes,  Dearly Dreaming Dorie,  From the books,  Pies & Tarts

    If you have an apple and I have an apple, how ’bout some pies?

    I have very mixed feelings when it comes to apples. I really don’t like to eat them (well, not unless there’s a bit of peanut butter smudged over them). But apple juice is one of my favourite juices, and apple-flavoured candies and drinks, even candied apples, are always welcome to me. I also happen to love all sorts of pies and tarts with apples in them. There’s just something about the soft tanginess of apples baked with the fragrant sweetness of cinnamon that is so heavenly… So am I or am I not a fan of apples? I feel slightly confused. That said, I find a great deal of peace…