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Sugarcraft for Beginners - 2 Day Workshop Lillies in a Basket ( Practical Learning) Orchid Flower and bud Often I wonder how a person with mediocre skill becomes an expert or achieves a commendable change. When a person transforms, we often look at then with disbelief and often we discredit the success as a chance or fluke. Well, that's human nature! The reality is that, we don't see hard work behind the change - daily hours of practice, or the time taken to polish a skill, etc. Problem with the majority of folks (like me) is this - we give-up half-way or when we hit the first dip. So, how much time should we spend to develop a skill. Well, according to Malcolm Gladwell, author of the book Outliners, an average person require 10,000 hours of dedicated practice to become an expert. Well, 10,000 looks like a mammoth size number for a person like me who can't stay still for 1 hr at a stretch. So, what's the next option. Here's a blog post I read recently on how to lear

My own Danish Cookies ( Not perfect, but very happy) Freshly baked Danish cookies Memory of Danish Cookies I just can’t believe that I could make something which is so close to my heart. Danish butter cookies , which takes me back to my childhood. I stayed in the boarding during my school days and always look forward to see my parents during vacation. And when my dad comes from Dubai, I had a big list of things which he promptly brings. My list starts off with Danish butter cookies, Quality Street Chocolates…… Danish Cookies - Gift & Giving Continues After many years, when my brother first came down from Dubai he asked me want I want and again my list started off with Danish butter cookies and now every time when he comes down I will always get a box of same cookies without fail. Today when I tried out baking Danish Butter Cookies myself for the first time, the smell, the taste which took me off to so many sweet moments in life. I could say that my first attempt was very much close

Participants at 2015 10K Run in Bangalore  Pose with Black Forest Cake - B'lore  Chicken Liver on Toast - One of my av at Koshy's Traffic cops overseeing the main city centre Cop near Koshy's - Guardians of the city Granite walls of HRC Bangalore Hard Rock Cafe - Anil Kumble Circle That's how I take a call in a noisy place Poster on the wall - Theater scene  Prayer time at St Antony's Shrine St Patrick Church - Outside View Inside St Patrick's Chruch Coffee time at Koshy's Koshy's Bangalore - Old world charm and more!  One more black log post is now live. These are the pics taken during the 2015 10K run in Bangalore. Well, it's better late than never.  I have tons of such memories and moments tucked in the picture folder, and most of the scenes haven't see the light of day. I mean, not posted on my blog or social media sites. So, what's the use of not posting these pictures to the world. Probably, it will help me remember that time or moment

Crepe ( Caramel Delight) Crepe for breakfast After a long dry and hot summer spell, the rain drenched Bangalore made use forget the sleepless summer night. So, for a change, I made crepe for breakfast. This time, I tried one stuffing - banana and caramel sauce. How do you make crepe at home? Like every other household I used a non-stick pan to make crepe at home. But now, I use the crepe maker. Thanks to my brother for gifting crepe maker for my b'day. When I started with the crepe maker, the wooden ladle was a bit of a problem. My hand wouldn't move the way I want. Sometimes, it would get struck and my batter would be uneven. Well, practice solved these little problems. So, what about crepe recipe . Earlier, my mom used to make crepe but it was called churul appam. It's crepe filled with coconut and sugar mix. Well, in our family, it was common to make this Indianised crepe for breakfast. 

The Baker's Walk ( Baking Store in Nanthencode) It's more good news for home based bakers and baking professionals. We have another fabulous and customer friendly store in Trivandrum. For a long time, I wished there was a store which is easily accessible to people living in and around the city centre. And that wish has come true with this baking store at Nanthencode junction. The people who run this store is very friendly and they can patiently answer your calls regarding the availability of any item or ingredient. This store has become my rescue for all my last minute purchases. Sometimes, I have called them around evening 8ish in the evening and rushed to pick few baking items for the next day's class. Baking Ingredients, Tools Available at Bakers's Walk 1) Baking powder 2) Icing sugar 3) Fondant cutters and modelling tool kit 4) Baking trays and molds 5) Dry fruits 6) Cooking butter 7) Ready-to-use fondant 8) Packing box 9) Cochineal colour and other essence 10) Cupc

Sardine Fry, Mezhukkupuratt and Moru Curry for Lunch Fish Stall in Domlur  ( NLP Fish Stall) From sea to fish stall and then to mud pot  Fish Curry -  ( Sardine Curry) Red Fish Curry - Kerala Style Fish soaked in water ( Before de-scaling work) Sardine Curry, Kerala Style Are you like me - a devoted sardine fish fan? Well, I was not a born fish lover, but I acquired the taste recently, especially after my marriage with this fishy person. At first, I could hardly stand the smell of fish, and sardine been the worst in the list. But, with time, my taste buds are attuned to fish rather than all kinds of meat. As we buy sardine on a regular basis, it's also a challenge to make different types of curry or fry - from fiery red fish curry to meen peera ( Fish cooked with coconut). Here are few tips on sardine cleaning and preparation: Soak the fish in water. This helps in easy descaling Use rock salt to remove the fish slime. Some people use lime or vinegar. Use kitchen scissors to slice

I keep getting these questions from students and home bakers: I just started baking...where can I buy ingredients required for baking? Which is the closest baking store? I'm put up at White Field... I'm planning to buy an oven - Which brand do you suggest? Where can I buy corn syrup, margarine, almond meal, etc? These are just few questions I get from home bakers and from first-time bakers who are hunting for baking items. One thing on the mind of most buyers is this, which shop is closer to my home. Well, we know the Bangalore traffic, so it makes sense to hunt for a nearby shop. So, based on my knowledge and some online research, here are the list of shops selling baking accessories and ingredients Institute of Baking and Cake Art ( IBCA) This place is located at Mission road in Bangalore. IBCA takes baking class, and it has a store selling a wide range of baking accessories to baking ingredients. Ingredients available at IBCA: Ready to use fondant, icing sugar, yeast, bread

Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it. It's being now 6 years since I am into baking, icing and cooking classes and in Trivandrum it's being 4 years now.  So I decided to have a get together with my students and organised a potluck at my home in Trivandrum on 12th April 2016. Bakers at the Potluck Event - Trivandrum We gathered together and shared our doubts, innovations, creations about cakes, icing and cooking. It was also a ground to meet each other who shared the same interest. Those who were into selling cakes shared their experience which was helpful for the newbies. Let's hear her story, her Journey - Small Intro from everyone! I was surprised to see 25 people who turned up in spite being a working day and we got to taste 25 dishes which was out of the world, everything was so perfectly made. The foods ranges from Pullisery to Chicken Pasta and the sweet dishes from cakes to kesari and everything was made

Thank you all for the birthday wishes. A special thanks to all the students at  Cake Baking Class Trivandrum  who gave me a surprise birthday cake and a handmade Apron Card A special thanks to  Biju Charles  who baked a Chiffon Lemon cake for me, it was his first attempt. Thank you all B'day Breakfast - English Breakfast at my house We had guests! B'day Cake Cutting B'day Cake Surprise - Thank you all, and the creator, Beena B'day cake Given by my students in Trivandrum Cake with simple Icing At the dinner table in B'lore - Wine and Nasi Goreng &

Sugar Craft Lessons  Sugar Craft Flowers on Wedding Cakes If you've always wondered how to make realistic flowers which you see on elegant looking wedding cakes, then a two-day workshop will covers all the basics to the skills required to make these dreamy flowers.  In the sugar craft workshop, you'll learn to make life-like flowers using gum paste. These classes will cover other techniques and tips required to make sugar flowers for wedding flowers and how to attach the flowers using wires.  If you're not able to attend a session, you can also learn these flowers through online class. These flowers ( Rose, Ranunculus,.Peoney, Stargazer Lillies, Orchids, etc) can be learned in 2 hr sessions. In short, you can learn the flowers at your own pace from the comfort of your home. Isn't that wonderful! To know more about the online sugar craft class , pls mail to mennasdelight@gmail.com Sugar Craft Class With Rebecca  Had an amazing session teaching Rebecca who had come down f