Dear Readers, Just a short post to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a healthy and Happy New Year. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank each and everyone of you for the support on my blog. Continue reading Merry Christmas and a bright and peaceful New Year 2019
There are umpteen celebrations that are observed here in the USA. Coming of age elsewhere, we had not celebrated Thanksgiving so I wanted to write a bit about how I adopted this holiday. For those who are reading this blog … Continue reading An Apple upside-down cake and my adopted Thanksgiving holiday
Since Diwali is just around the corner, I thought of sharing these delectable cookies. Diwali is a Hindu festival of lights. It is India’s biggest and most important festival of the year. The festival gets its name from the row … Continue reading Eggless Badam Pista cookies
OK why was my blog space on the back burner for a while? Why did my readers not receive any new posts for so long? Who has been so busy these past few months that the blog took a backseat? Sheepishly I raise my hand “moi”. I apologize readers, it’s been a crazy past few months, from a winter getaway to Jamaica in February (well, I did write up a couple of posts on that trip). Also visitors from abroad. Then came our trip to New Orleans with a group of friends for JazzFest. Wow what a trip that was, Rod Stewart and Sting – need I say more? I’ve got a post coming up on the beautiful Garden District in New Orleans, so be sure to tune in. Then came the arduous task of getting the garden up and ready from its slumber, needless to say that has kept me occupied for the past 3-4 weeks. But now I’m back. I have been posting on social media though, so I guess all’s not lost. The lazy, hazy days of summer have started, and that’s the time I usually hibernate, although I must say, it’s been lovely working outside as the humidity has not yet hit the area. So here I am with a beautiful treat in store for everyone.
Continue reading “Cherry and Pistachio tart and a pastry lesson”
These no-bake decadent desserts are definitely the way to go. I recall making a couple in the summer time when I didn’t have to turn the oven on at all, and what a treat they were. Now ’tis the season, and everywhere you look, flashes of red and green adorn the landscape – from christmas trees with red and green baubles to tables, from christmas sweaters to baked goods. Today, I’m presenting a no-bake fudge tart with stunning red arils from the pomegranate. These ruby red fruit that appear around Thanksgiving/Christmas time pack a mighty punch and have anti-oxidant properties and are a good source of vitamin A, C and E. You can even eat the seeds, they burst in your mouth!
It’s been a while since I’ve posted any dessert recipes, so I wanted to end the summer with a mango pudding. It’s still warm where we are, and this cool, refreshing dessert went down a treat. It is such a simple, yet amazing recipe – you can multi-task whilst making this luscious, creamy, tropical pudding as there’s basically just 4 main ingredients. I took some short cuts too, so this whole recipe came together in no time. You can also use half the ingredients and make just four instead of eight.
Continue reading “The last of the summer desserts – Mango pudding”
I’m obsessed with these no bake frozen desserts lately, are you? There’s no heating up the stove or the oven, this luscious dessert stands alone in it’s beauty, versatility and taste. I’ve seen a bunch of these come up on my social media sites and each one just seems better than the other. I also like the fact that the ingredients are healthy and nutritious. Top and dress it up with berries, kiwi or whatever fruit you have on hand. What more can one ask for in a dessert?
Whenever you see a dessert featured on my blog, you’ll know that we’ve had company. You see my husband, Bert is not into desserts as much as I am, so even if I were to try something new, I’d guarantee I’d have to eat it all on my own. We entertain fairly frequently, so here’s my chance to try something new each time. Here’s a dessert I’ve been wanting to try for a while. There’s many variations to a “raw” cheesecake, one that you do not bake. With the warmer weather here, who would want to turn on the oven anyway? So, I was inspired when I saw Indu’s cheesecake recipe and went about trying it. I have made truffles and other light treats before, incorporating dried fruit and nuts to get that sweet tooth fix if you know what I mean 🙂
Remember my last post when I made those yummy chocolate mousse cups with the liquid from a can of chickpeas? Well, I saved the chickpeas and made these vegan, gluten-free and healthy chickpea blondies. You might think I’m switching to a vegan or gluten-free diet? No I’m not, I’m just trying to make some healthy desserts to satisfy my sweet tooth without the loaded calories. I think I can safely say, I succeeded. They are fudgy, chocolatey and oh so moist.
Continue reading “Flourless Chocolate Chip Chickpea Blondies with Sea Salt”
Yeah, three cheers for me!! I was just notified that Safari of the Mind turned 3 a couple weeks ago. Wow, how did that happen so quickly? I’m pretty chuffed with myself as I did not think it would last this long. I can still remember the very first post on the site. We had just returned from a 3 week trip to Brazil, I had taken a ton of pictures like every tourist does, together with some notes on the various places visited. So the light bulb went on, maybe I could start a blog? I wanted one of the categories on the blog to feature travel, the other gardening, and probably the most popular one today is, cooking! So how did it all come about? Why a blog? Why those 3 different categories?
Continue reading “Three years and counting – Happy Blogiversary to me!”
These squares can be quite addictive, consider that a warning 🙂 I recently thought to bring this with me to a pot-luck luncheon a week ago. I’ll have to say that everyone loved them, the coconut definitely stood out. Give it a try, I’m sure your palate will thank you 🙂
Did anyone watch the Oscars last night? I must admit, I don’t really watch shows with commercial breaks, so I just watched bits and bobs of the Red Carpet, where my daughter and I were exchanging texts about everything, good, bad and ugly. 🙂 I’m sure glad I watched the beginning though. What about Justin Timberlake’s opening and his grand entrance? Gee, that guy can strut his stuff can’t he? An amazing dancer and singer, he had everyone in the aisle shaking, slinking and clapping to the music. Such a stunning performance! What a gaffe later on though, with the Best Picture Award? I mean seriously how could a mistake like that occur? But we aren’t going to dwell on that, but onto other events like baking this wonderful Chocolate Loaf Cake.
Safari of the Mind 