This year so far has been one of reflections and revisiting some of the things I do on a day to day basis. Apart from the usual and cliched things like eating healthy, moving more, and enjoying everything Sydney and Australia have to offer, I have also been thinking a lot about this blog right here.
Here's something I probably haven't mentioned before. I love cooking but I don't always love it. I cook for this blog only on weekends and that too, not all weekends. So all other meals we eat are normal, everyday things that are mostly South Indian, vegetarian, and not fancy in any way. I do, however, spend an inordinate amount of time on the Internet. This is largely due to the nature of my job but I am also guilty of being that person on the bus or train who has her nose buried in her phone when she could be enjoying the beautiful golden sunset outside.
So all this time spent on the Internet has me curating things like crazy. Apart from Pinterest (follow me here), which has become more mainstream of late, I have always had various bookmark folders, note taking apps, post-it notes, and even old diaries where I note things down constantly. Long story short, I am going to attempt to share a part of that here on a monthly basis.
Obviously this is not my idea. A lot of bloggers share lists of their favourite things but I didn't realise until recently how much I actually enjoy reading them and discovering new things through them, especially when all involved parties are like-minded. So, here's my attempt at sharing some stuff that I enjoy as I go through my days, both online and offline.
Breakfast at Google
Food in Google offices across the world is terrific. My most favourite in Sydney is this breakfast menu - beautiful brioche french toast with poached pear, maple syrup, and whipped fresh ricotta cheese. With a glass of cloudy apple juice, this breakfast can keep me happy through the day.
The Tastemade Channel
If you love food and cooking, or even if you don't, you are seriously missing out if you haven't checked out the Tastemade channel on YouTube. They have a great line up of cooks and my absolute favourite series is Thirsty For... that focuses on drinks from around the world. Their videos are just my style and my personal favourites are - Aloe Vera Juice and the Masala Chai video below. Actually, they are all good. Happy binge-watching!
Here's something I probably haven't mentioned before. I love cooking but I don't always love it. I cook for this blog only on weekends and that too, not all weekends. So all other meals we eat are normal, everyday things that are mostly South Indian, vegetarian, and not fancy in any way. I do, however, spend an inordinate amount of time on the Internet. This is largely due to the nature of my job but I am also guilty of being that person on the bus or train who has her nose buried in her phone when she could be enjoying the beautiful golden sunset outside.
So all this time spent on the Internet has me curating things like crazy. Apart from Pinterest (follow me here), which has become more mainstream of late, I have always had various bookmark folders, note taking apps, post-it notes, and even old diaries where I note things down constantly. Long story short, I am going to attempt to share a part of that here on a monthly basis.
Obviously this is not my idea. A lot of bloggers share lists of their favourite things but I didn't realise until recently how much I actually enjoy reading them and discovering new things through them, especially when all involved parties are like-minded. So, here's my attempt at sharing some stuff that I enjoy as I go through my days, both online and offline.
Aussie Food Blogs
When I moved here, I didn't personally know a single food blogger but one lunch meeting later, I now have my small group of buddies. I must call out Amanda for her gorgeous pictures, Deepa for her lovely nostalgic posts, and Sarah for her great restaurant reviews. We even went apple picking around Sydney together. Go check them out!
Cookbook of the Month
As with many people I know, I collect cookbooks and don't use them as much as I should. I know this but I still can't resist the glossy pages and the stunning photography that's become a norm in pretty much all cookbooks now. I research extensively and check a ton of reviews before I make a purchase though, and I often try at least one recipe from it before it enters the dark recesses of my bookshelf. My latest favourite has been Mastering the Art of Baking my Anneka Manning. It offers steps of baking as well as lovely pictures of the final dish. I made my sweetheart sugar cookies from this book and I am totally loving it!
Silicone Spatulas
If you haven't jumped on the silicone spatula bandwagon yet, I suggest you take the leap as soon as possible. I don't remember life before them, that's how much I love them. I started off with the Le Creuset silicone spatula spoon but soon realised there are cheaper and possibly better options out there. I bought the Nordicware 3-piece set next and shared it with the mom and sis. It works really well and my only gripe is that it's a bit heavy and the handle is thicker than it needs to be, which the price sort of makes up for. However, last month I found the prefect in-between choice and bought this set from Tovolo - great quality and great price, highly recommended. [Update: I ran the spoonula, on the extreme right in the pic below, in the dishwasher and the silicon head split by an inch :( So, I guess you have to wash these by hand, which is a bit of a deal breaker for me. Thought you should know]
Breakfast at Google
Food in Google offices across the world is terrific. My most favourite in Sydney is this breakfast menu - beautiful brioche french toast with poached pear, maple syrup, and whipped fresh ricotta cheese. With a glass of cloudy apple juice, this breakfast can keep me happy through the day.
Flavoured Yogurt
Jalna sent me two tubs of flaoured yogurt to check out - their new sweet and creamy Greek yogurt and a lemony flavour they call Citrus Splice. Flavoured yogurt makes a great snack and I am loving exploring different ways to make them interesting. So far, berries and yogurt are my favourite combination. I have also been loving the Mango and Blood Orange flavoured yogurt from Gippsland.
Matcha Green Tea Powder
In all honesty, I find green tea bitter and not very tasty. I know it's good for health and all the rest of it, but I was not a fan of the taste or aftertaste. So when I was offered a sample of Kenko tea matcha powder, I was more intending to use it for baking and such. However, I was pleasantly surprised at how mild the tea tasted and how vibrant the colour was. This is some seriously high quality green tea powder we are talking about, folks! The right quality can make a real difference and I am drinking it almost every day. Picture below shows the tea before using the bamboo whisk to aerate it a bit. Gorgeous!
If you love food and cooking, or even if you don't, you are seriously missing out if you haven't checked out the Tastemade channel on YouTube. They have a great line up of cooks and my absolute favourite series is Thirsty For... that focuses on drinks from around the world. Their videos are just my style and my personal favourites are - Aloe Vera Juice and the Masala Chai video below. Actually, they are all good. Happy binge-watching!
That's all for this month. I hope you found something new and interesting in this list. Let me know if you have any thoughts on what sort of stuff you'd like to see included in the list. Now let me go discover new things that hopefully becomes favourites in March!
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