With a few extra commitments on the go life's become outstandingly formulaic of late, fluttering between the predictable and absurdly habitual. That sense of feeling so overwhelmingly busy that you've no time to think, while at the same time finding you've nothing to report when asked what it is you've been up to...
It's not that I haven't been baking, au contraire, there have been new things and small things abounds. But with a focus on quantity over adventure I haven't quite felt the enthusiasm typical of TPB (Oh, and my apologies for the rather lacklustre images that follow but, you know, night baking... )
Short and Sweet has maintained its lead in the category of ultimate baking go-to with these rich and caramely banana blondies and super-sweet blueberry almond bars.
There's been an autumnal influence with these quince ricotta crumble cakes and brown butter apple carrot muffins.
Cupcakes have featured strongly in the form of dark chocolate pistachio and pear, lemon meringue (markedly improved by a simple homemade citrus curd), gingerbread with salted caramel buttercream (possibly the greatest cupcake combination of all time), and a rather decadent chocolate orange fudge variety.
The experimentation with gluten-free has continued producing some rather delightful banana and coconut cakes, and the seemingly bottomless supply of poached quinces was again called on for these baby spice and quince butter cakes.
And just in case you weren't already sick to death of cupcake kitsch then you could do worse than enjoy a quiet Friday night in with some *insert special occasion schmultz* or chocolate orange cupcakes... or quince and cinnamon... apple, carrot and pecan... lemon poppy seed...
Oh, and have I ever told you about these little tarts?...
So yes, it's been baking a-go-go, but between batches work's been busy too, and so being short on time and overshadowed by a sense of demand, I haven't really had a chance to play, to plan new beginnings,or experiment with themes, ingredients and directions. And on that rare occasion when time has been found I've been inclined to shelve the camera and allow myself to enjoy the comforts of a few hearty, cold weather meals.
So it's time to take a break, take stock and refresh. It will be but a short interlude necessitated by work conference commitments, but I intend to make use of some enforced kitchen absence and take the opportunity to eat, let others do the cooking for a change, and take some time exploring and enjoying some different foodie cultures. Let's see what the world has to offer...
Taking a tea break...