Archives for October 2011

Montreal Birthday Weekend

Honestly, I understand the sentiment, but what was the hotel thinking when they put a 20cm sparkler on my birthday cake? At midnight on Friday, my husband almost set the bed on fire, and no, I am not talking dirty on my blog. I mean literally, as in potential flames with smoke. Just back in our hotel room after a lovely bistro dinner, he lit the sparkler and it started spitting out sparks (erm, that’s what it is supposed to do, we realise that). Thankfully, Z quickly moved it to the table, averting a fire. Since we were too busy laughing our arses off, I forgot to make a wish, but the important bit is that we both ate a large chunk of that sludgy, dark chocolate cake with sweet, tart raspberry compote on the side. And that’s how our less-than-48hour-weekend began.Read More

Mast-o-Khiar- Cucumber & Walnut Dip in the Persian Manner and My Birthday

Mast-o-Khiar Cucumber Dip

That coral pink sludge we used to buy from the Sainsbury’s closest to our dorm was usually scooped up with salt and vinegar crisps. Taramosalata it was called. My Greek friend MM had introduced me to it, but I am sure it was quite different than the real stuff she was eating back home in Athens. We all loved it, we thought we were the ultimate gourmandes, eating in the common room together, bitching about that Italian Econometrics professor who didn’t really know what that damn Monte Carlo algorithm test was- and neither did we.Read More

Double-Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

Double-Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

I can’t understand why I never tried a Reese’s Pieces when I was a child, maybe because the epic joy of having a jolly rancher with its neon watermelon and green apple flavours seemed more interesting than a boring, drab and round chocolate cup. On Halloween there were Nerds to be had, those tiny, hot pink sweet and sour candies you poured into your hand out of a pocket-size box and ate till your tongue turned a scary purple and pink. Then there were American Smarties– small pastel coloured discs which made your mouth pucker up from their tartness. I never touched any of the chocolate in my Halloween basket, maybe because I was also a snob, used to eating chocolate my Baba brought back for us from the UK and France.Read More