Year: 2013

no ordinary recipe: orange fennel cake

I probably make a pit stop at Starbucks at least once a week, to treat myself to a shot of no frills espresso and a low-fat lemon mini loaf. The combination is amazing. Zesty lemon, not too much sugar, paired with coffee all black. So, you can imagine how excited I was to discover this amazing recipe – using mostly orange zest to create a similar cake I just cannot resist. Toasted Fennel & Orange Morning Cakes (makes 6 mini bundt cakes) 3 cups finely ground almond flour, packed ( I used Honeyville) 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp baking soda 1 1/2 TBS fennel seeds 3 eggs 1/4 cup whole milk yogurt 1/4 cup honey 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 1/3 cup fresh orange juice zest from one orange Preheat oven to 350F and grease your mini bundt pan. *You may use a muffin pan but note that the baking time may vary. Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Toast the fennel seeds until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Crush or chop fine and set aside. Combine the almond flour, salt, …

boutique hotel pick – raphael roma – italy

There is always something to be said about a beautifully luxurious hotel and I can’t think of a better one to mention, on the eve of my holiday travel abroad than Hotel Raphael in Rome. My inspiration, my fantasy, my utmost admiration and appreciation for a gem of a hotel. This will make sense shortly to all my loyal blog followers. In the meantime I will let their website inspire and entice you, while I give you a glimpse of their amazing property with photographs I borrowed from their site.

fashion: going out in style

Yes folks it’s that time of the year (season) where I am looking at jackets, coats, sweaters and all things to keep me warm during the winter months. Although winters in San Francisco are not as harsh as anywhere else, we do enjoy an extra layer for looks and on occasion for warmth. (Although some may consider it the other way around) Here are some of my favorite going out jackets

e-book or paperback – question of the day

While I fine tune my first novel, which I assumed would be ready to launch, weeks ago, I have tossed around the idea of which way to go first. In terms of publishing the book as an  E-book or paperback. I am aware that the ratio is about 50/50 now, as far as how people read books, but while I commute to work on a daily basis, I am shocked to discover on some days, everyone on the train reading an actual book and other days, everyone is e-booking. And this is in a city like San Francisco, where we are green on everything we do. So, how do I decide which button to click to submit the style I want my book to be public?  Any thoughts?