exciting future ahead [recipe: butterscotch chips blondies]

Is it just me, or did the month of September just zoom by way too fast? And while we’re at it, I highly suspect August was its sneaky precursor of an impetus. With almost every weekend of September spent catching up with, and in my case, getting acquainted with new relatives (via extension of my first Eid as a missus), it is no surprise that the weeks had gone by in a blink. Not that I’m complaining, though. The past month(s) saw some significant changes in my life, where I have found myself looking at each day with great faith and renewed priorities, and just between you and me, I must admit that even the adverse-to-changes yours truly is feeling nothing short of sheer excitement in anticipation of things to come.

And speaking of the future, these blondies, or more specifically, these butterscotch chips blondies, my dear beloved friends, now these are the ones which will definitely keep popping up in the future. They are, to quote an over-used sentiment in reality shows, “the one to beat!”.

ramadhan baking: biskut marmar carries

Do you remember the times when you were much younger, and visiting relatives’ houses during the festive season meant so much more through the eyes of a child? Much more than rekindling familial ties and finding yourself in the midst of ‘Dah besar eh dia!’ (‘She’s so big already!) comments from grannies who barely remember your name. Much more than finding yourself standing awkwardly behind older relatives hugging and crying, exchanging forgiveness over any harsh words and mistakes, wishing you weren’t next, knowing your encounter wouldn’t be half as emotionally dramatic.

Rather, visiting relatives as a child hinges on the infamous simplistic deduction of association. Associating specific persons and homes with treats, much like that second grand-uncle’s house with the generous amount of duit Raya (monetary gifts to visiting children) given, or that third cousin’s house with the large television set for playing video games; or even associating them with eye-catching details, such as the grandma who lives alone with her seemingly 99 cats, or the auntie whose house looks and sounds like a clock shop with the different cuckoo clocks and grandfather clocks going off at the same time.

a quick fix for a long wait [recipe: chocolate madeleines]

‘Do you really have to turn everything into chocolate?’;– well, as a matter of fact, I don’t, but for all intents and purposes, I absolutely find it much too difficult to resist not to. Not that I had ever tried hard enough, I must accede. And having had worked on quite a bit of brownie orders over the past week (and not having any leftovers) certainly didn’t help with the chocolate craving, though it probably explains my bake-anything-chocolate-but-brownies specification. I wanted something with a deep chocolate flavour, yet light, and not overwhelmed by copious amount of chocolate filling or frosting. Most importantly, I wanted it fast.

And thus, my nifty and tiny 2-dollar madeleine pans (which I had purchased long ago, and completely forgotten about) came to the rescue that afternoon. Along with a recipe I had bookmarked even way before the madeleine pans came into the picture. Enthusiastic, yes?