Happy (belated) birthday to me!

(and Neil, too!)

Eve just sent me this picture from my birthday that I love, love, love. Neil got a wonderful chocolate cake from Ellie Bakery, and I almost couldn't bear to cut it's sleek chocolatey squareness.



And then, a couple of weeks later, under the guise of going to the gym, I instead went and baked puffs and made chocolate sauce for profiteroles, my birthday surprise for Neil. Mike generously lent me his kitchen; the poor guy—I was up past two in the morning making puffs.



Look! We have a bun in the oven! (just kidding)



Making chocolate sauce. Chocolate sauce recipe from David Lebovitz—mine came out a little watery.



Profiterole glamour shot.

Gourmet, organic American baby food

There's an article in today's New York Times about gourmet baby food that is often organic and features unusual flavor combinations. Says the Times, "The new baby foods appeal to parents from countries where the division between adult and baby food is not as distinct as it is in the United States."

Reading food articles and catering menus, lately I've been more aware of constant mentions of "kid-friendly" meals. The general assumption in the U.S. is that kids just like to eat chicken fingers, macaroni and cheese, and jello. Here in Taiwan, I realize kids just eat whatever their parents eat: all manner of seafood, litchi, chicken feet, everything. Obviously some things I've never developed a taste for, but when I have kids, I definitely want them to be accustomed to flavors from around the world.

So my parents were right after all...