I know, I know, I haven't posted in ages. Who would've known that planning a wedding would take so much of my time. For me, life has been pretty busy lately and it's bound to get worse. However, I have some personal news and things to share, so stay with me and read on.

The humble sandwich, so full of promise and often rejected as simple, is one of my favorite dishes. All it takes is a little effort and imagination to produce a wonderful meal, which works perfectly at any time of the day. Moving past the usual ham and cheese sandwich, there are thousands of combinations ready for you at your fingertips. Considering how easy making a sandwich usually is, there's no better dish in terms of variety and convenience.

Chocolate runs through my veins. I'm speaking figuratively, of course, but I have a personal connection with the food of the gods. As many of you know, chocolate is made from the seeds of the cacao tree. Even though chocolate is eaten all around the world, the cacao tree doesn't grow everywhere. Africa produces the majority of cacao beans, followed by Asia and the Americas. However, the cacao tree is native to the American continent, possibly originating in Venezuela (according to Wikipedia). That's right, I live in the country where cacao may have been born.

 Two weeks ago, my fiancé and I went to our wedding cake tasting, accompanied by my mother. Our cake is being made by Mayra Pérez, a friend of my sister and an excellent baker. I don't have her bio, but I know that her story is quite interesting. For her, baking began as a hobby and she trained to be a professional baker on her spare time. It's only recently that baking became her full-time job and I predict a long journey of success for her. She has already won prizes in cake decoration and appeared in local TV. It's great to be friends with such a talented person.

 

A month ago I wrote about my mother's avocado tree. I said that last year was a big harvest and that this year we wouldn't be so lucky, remember? It turns out I was utterly and completely wrong. The neighbour who always helps us came over to harvest them. He climbed up the tree and discovered that most of the avocadoes were way above the roof. The tree was full of fruit, but we couldn't see them.

I can't believe I began this blog one year ago today, not knowing exactly what I was doing or if I would succeed. One year later, I'm happy to say that the journey has been amazing and I'd do it all over again. At first, I thought I'd bake a cake or something to celebrate this blog's birthday, but I remembered I'm a terrible baker and didn't feel like experimenting. Instead of a cake, this post will feature an account of what has happened during this year.

Timing couldn't be worse when my lower back decided it was sick and tired of my bad posture. For the past week and a half I've suffered a severe case of low back pain, which wouldn't allow me to sit for more than 15 minutes. After an unhealthy dose of pain killers and some physical therapy, I'm now able to sit for at least 30 minutes at a time.

Hello friends,

As you probably know, writing is one of the most important things in my life. This summer, I'll dedicate six weeks to writing by joining a write-a-thon, hosted by the Clarion Foundation. This Foundation is a wonderful organization that provides funding for the highly respected Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy Writer's Workshop at UCSD, which I hope to attend next year.

One of the great things about living in Venezuela is the fact that you get fresh fruit and vegetables all year round. This is especially true when your mom has a big garden and a passion for farming. Among the many fruit and vegetable plants in her garden, the biggest one is her avocado tree. The season is beginning and we're already eating avocadoes every day. Soon it'll be an avocado overdose.

A long long time ago, I don't remember when exactly, I was asked which one was healthier: cookies or ice cream. Me, being a faithful ice cream lover, immediately said ice cream, of course. It has some dairy in it so it must be healthier, right?

 

I must admit that I've been away too long, again. There are reasons, of course, but explaining myself would seem like making up excuses. Anyway, today I want to share with you some news and some pictures of cakes. 

As some of you remember, I promised I would start answering your questions here in my blog, and I'm going to begin with this one:

"I've seen quite a few changes on how to control weight and it's starting to get confusing to me. First it was calories intake, then it was carbs, and now I keep hearing about acidic food and balancing the PH. What is all that?" 

Arepas are a corn dish made in Venezuela, Colombia and a few other Caribbean countries. In Venezuela, arepas are eaten for breakfast or dinner, served with a wide array of fillings. Arepas are soft, salty and eaten while they're hot (cold arepas taste terribly). They are very filling, with relative low calories, low glycemic index and no gluten. Venezuelans eat arepas almost everyday (me included) and they're deeply ingrained in our culture.

Well, this break took a bit longer than I expected, but I was really trying to figure out what to do with this blog. I've been researching about what makes a blog successful and there's a consensus: the website must provide UNIQUE and VALUABLE content for the readers. Piece of cake, right? Not for me.

I'm sorry I've been MIA again, but I'm in the middle of a mental vacation. You see, it wasn't planned, but life has kept me busy and I just needed some time to put my act together. I'll explain a bit.

For my sister-in-law's birthday, my mom and I wanted to make her a different dinner. I had shown her some recipes for Chinese Marbled Tea Eggs, which got my attention and hers as well. So, I decided to make them for her birthday dinner, with Chinese fried rice. 

Trying to figure out an appropriate diet snack, I came out with a great solution: oatmeal cookies. Full of fiber, they sounded like a satisfying option to curb my sugar cravings. Considering this, I logged on to Foodbuzz and scanned several recipes until I found something I liked. And the winners are: apple oatmeal and peanut butter-chocolate oatmeal.

Everyone who has tried to prepare homemade whipped cream has faced the same problem: the cream won't peak. Sometimes, we tend to keep whipping in a desperate attempt to get some peaks and we end up with butter. “What's wrong with this stupid cream?” we yell in frustration. If you've been in this situation, you also know the simple solution: chill the bowl and beaters before you begin and use cold cream. But, do you know why this works?

As some of you know, I'm not an U.S. Citizen. Therefore, I can't actually protest these new laws against "piracy". Why would I protest? Well, for starters, it's censorship and I'm against censorship of any kind.

Is losing weight among your New Year Resolutions? If so, you're not alone. Many of us like to begin the year with goals regarding our health and looks. In addition, many of us ate more than usual during the Holidays, which translates into extra weight in January. Is this also your case?