P.S. I Love You

fork spoon knife

turned five. In blog years, that is like 25!!! Coming of age! In many ways...

Five Springs past

the ground beneath me caved. Metaphorically. No, literally. It was physical. Ok, pyschosomatic. It felt real. I was cut loose, left adrift with only an yawning abyss for company.

2008. Lehman. RIP.

For little else, other than preserve my sanity,

I started this blog

soon after. I had very little expectation from it but it gave. A lot! I am still seeking the Peace but along the way, came others. Surprises.

Adventures.

Discoveries.

Passions.

Friends. Family.

Joy.

Laughter. Pain. Change. Learning.

Dreams.

Alternate Destinies.

Choices.

I had a tumultuous relationship with this child of mine - at once rejoicing in its blossoming yet not willingly embracing it. I had long yearned for it yet declined to make it legitimate. But, there never was retaliation. No offense taken. Only the comfort of welcome, understanding, patience, kindness and openness. Always.

You see, shooting out on my own is not something that I had planned for or wanted. The reality was I was uncomfortable with the 'unknown' and 'uncertain'. I had lived in a world of models (linear at that), optimized solutions, programmed approaches. A life of order and defined parameters. Input-Output equations. It was easy. I fit in. There was structure. I craved that.

But then, that stubborn bit in me kept rambling on about adventure,

less-trodden paths

, passions, crazy flights of fancy .. all those

fatally desirous things

. The adult rational, logical, me just plain rebelled. Like a child. Irony.

Then, I kind of tripped and

fell into this rabbit hole

. I kept trying to clamber out but that

child in me

, was resolute, persevering, resourceful and very, very convincing. Worse, that child

had allies

.. in the real world.

Real People who really cared

. In short, everything the adult, me, wanted. Irony, again.

Eventually, I opened my eyes and decided to submit... with pleasure! :) I stopped rebelling. I didn't need to. I didn't want to. I liked this new ride. It was fun. Happy. Full of smiles. It was enjoyable.

I discovered ME. I am that I was before but I am also this I am now. They co-exist and can do so, peacefully. They are both important and integral. I am binary yet a continuum. Often times, I can be sinusoidal but then I have come to believe in the pleasure of waves!

So, here I am, today, five years hence, thanking this child, this blog, for making me realise that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts {Yeah, that geek bit is never going to go ;-)}, that

life is best lived searching for the highs

and flat is rarely fun.

Well.. your obvious question is where is that all going? So, here we go -

1. To those who, over the years, have supported, laughed at my lapses of confidence and encouraged me through words, actions and tough-love-talks:

Thank You so very much for always believing! :)

2. To my family, who, inadvertently or not, contributed to everything I am:

I am going to live my dreams!

3. To that child inside me:

I am listening!

4. To my

lovely friends in Europe

, whom I was fortunate to meet through this beautiful world of food:

You guys are an inspiration!

5. To my

dear readers

, without whom, much of this revelation would not have happened:

You guys rock!

Your feedback, comments and loyalty are priceless. To mark this memorable occasion and milestone, and

show my gratitude I will be doing a series of giveaways

, over the course of the next month for all you guys around the world! So, stay tuned!

I also have a draft of plans to do some interesting stuff in launching this space and my ideas farther and higher. I will share them with you over the next few weeks! I am excited!!!

Finally,

To my faithful blog: I love you! There is none more beautiful than you and I will always cherish you.

Also, I made you cake to celebrate your Birthday! :) I hope you like it.

Happy Birthday fsk!!! :

)

Banana Almond Cake with Cloud Frosting

This is a lovely moist cake with a rich banana flavor.

The recipe I share below is with butter but you can make it entirely vegan by substituting with a light olive oil. Banana and olive oil make a fantastic combination.

You can also use oat flour or spelt flour instead of whole wheat in the same proportions.

For the cake:

2 overripe banana, pureed

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1/2 cup almond flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup raw sugar

6 T butter, room temperature or equivalent in olive oil for a vegan version

2 eggs, seperated

1/3 cup almond milk or other nut milk

For the Meringue Frosting:

4 egg whites, room temperature

1 tsp vanilla paste

1/4 cup sugar

chopped almonds for garnish

Bake the Cake:

Preheat oven to 350F.

Sift the dry ingredients together. In another bowl, whip the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add one yolk at a time and whisk to incorporate. Then add the banana and nut milk and make a smooth puree. To this add the dry ingredients in three parts and fold until just incorporated.

Whip the egg whites until stiff. Fold in a third of the whites into the batter to loosen the mixture. Gently fold in the remaining whites using a spatula and clean, brisk strokes to make sure you don't lose the airiness.

Pour batter into a greased six inch cake pan. Bake for 30-40 minutes until the tops are golden and toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Rest cake for a few minutes between removing from pan. Cool completely on counter.

Make the Frosting:

While you are waiting make the frosting. The frosting spreads better if you refrigerate it for atleast 30 minutes but not more than 2 hours.

Combine the whites and sugar in a heatproof bowl. Place the bowl over gently simmering pan of water, making sure that the water does not touch a bowl. Heat the mixture while whisking continuously until all the sugar dissolves. Alternately, you can wait till you get a 160F temperature reading.

Remove bowl from heat and continue whisking until glossy, stiff peaks form. This can take a while and it may look like it isn't going to hold. But, keep going. You'll get a gorgeous fluffy mixture. Fold in the vanilla paste.

Refrigerate until cake is completely cooled and ready for frosting.

Assembly:

Once the cake is completely cool, slice it horizontally into two halves using a serrated knife or as I find it easier, waxed floss. This cake does not rise much, so you don't really have to smooth the top but if you see the need to, go for it.

Place the bottom half of the cake on a prepared pedestal and spread a generous amount of the frosting on it. Gently place the top layer on it. Using swift strokes spread the frosting on the top and sides of the cake.

Sprinkle chopped almonds for garnish.

Store the cake in a fridge for not more than 24 hours.