I am Asha. A blogger, a foodie, a photographer, a writer.. oh so many things... But really, I am a girl who wants life, love and happiness... Nothing more, nothing less...
I rarely speak about myself in public, here or elsewhere. People think I am a closed person. I think you don't know. I think I don't know.. But I want to...
Growing up in India is simple, yet very complex. In a land that excels in "behind closed doors" and "within four walls" a lot happens, a lot felt, yet little seen or shown.
A land of billions is a land of many hopes, more expectations and perhaps, a lot of failures. Those are the lucky ones. There are some who don't fail, are not allowed to fail, cannot feel failure..
A collage of achievements is how I described myself. A poster child for my family.. Good grades, best schools, top universities, nothing shy of reaching for the stars.. and I did... As did a lot of kids along with me.. We were pushed, prodded and encouraged in one direction and one alone.. academic superlative-ness guaranteeing a good life
Uni-dimensional, repressed, silent for fear of offending... Afraid of failure...
Yet, how can you live if you don't fail. If you never tripped and fell, you never know how to pick yourself up, take another step and reach higher... A lesson preferably learned sooner than later. But not all of us are that lucky. But, learn we do because life is not singular in any respect...
And, that's what makes it worth living!! Finding oneself and finding happiness when the mask slips... So, I am try! :))
The only link to these rambles to today's recipe is my experimenting with spelt flour and attempts to make croissants with them. It failed horribly but I am ok. Because really the croissants became like cookies, crumbly and nutty in flavor (spelt is a nuttier grain). Then the Anzac ones happened and later, I found an even better use for the "croissant" dough and learned something that will make spelt flakier without adding gluten.
Fennel and Spelt Anzac Cookies
(adapted from here)
3/4 cup spelt flour
1/2 cup oat flour (ground oats)
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
2 T fennel seeds
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut
3 T unsalted butter, melted and hot
1/2 tsp baking soda
6 T boiling water
Preheat oven to 350°F. Sift together the flours, sugar and salt. Mix in the coconut, fennel seeds and oats. Place the butter and the golden syrup (I used corn syrup) in a medium saucepan over medium heat and stir until melted. In a small bowl, add the baking soda to the boiling water. Stir the baking soda mixture into the melted butter mixture and stir to combine.
Mix the wet with the dry ingredients until it forms a sticky dough. Using a scoop, roll out balls of the dough and place on a baking sheet, 2.5 inches apart. Flatten each ball with your palm. until most of the dry mix is incorporated and moist.
Bake the cookies for 15 minutes or until they turn golden brown. Cool on rack and serve warm with tea!
I rarely speak about myself in public, here or elsewhere. People think I am a closed person. I think you don't know. I think I don't know.. But I want to...
Growing up in India is simple, yet very complex. In a land that excels in "behind closed doors" and "within four walls" a lot happens, a lot felt, yet little seen or shown.
A land of billions is a land of many hopes, more expectations and perhaps, a lot of failures. Those are the lucky ones. There are some who don't fail, are not allowed to fail, cannot feel failure..
A collage of achievements is how I described myself. A poster child for my family.. Good grades, best schools, top universities, nothing shy of reaching for the stars.. and I did... As did a lot of kids along with me.. We were pushed, prodded and encouraged in one direction and one alone.. academic superlative-ness guaranteeing a good life
Uni-dimensional, repressed, silent for fear of offending... Afraid of failure...
Yet, how can you live if you don't fail. If you never tripped and fell, you never know how to pick yourself up, take another step and reach higher... A lesson preferably learned sooner than later. But not all of us are that lucky. But, learn we do because life is not singular in any respect...
And, that's what makes it worth living!! Finding oneself and finding happiness when the mask slips... So, I am try! :))
The only link to these rambles to today's recipe is my experimenting with spelt flour and attempts to make croissants with them. It failed horribly but I am ok. Because really the croissants became like cookies, crumbly and nutty in flavor (spelt is a nuttier grain). Then the Anzac ones happened and later, I found an even better use for the "croissant" dough and learned something that will make spelt flakier without adding gluten.
Fennel and Spelt Anzac Cookies
(adapted from here)
3/4 cup spelt flour
1/2 cup oat flour (ground oats)
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
2 T fennel seeds
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut
3 T unsalted butter, melted and hot
1/2 tsp baking soda
6 T boiling water
Preheat oven to 350°F. Sift together the flours, sugar and salt. Mix in the coconut, fennel seeds and oats. Place the butter and the golden syrup (I used corn syrup) in a medium saucepan over medium heat and stir until melted. In a small bowl, add the baking soda to the boiling water. Stir the baking soda mixture into the melted butter mixture and stir to combine.
Mix the wet with the dry ingredients until it forms a sticky dough. Using a scoop, roll out balls of the dough and place on a baking sheet, 2.5 inches apart. Flatten each ball with your palm. until most of the dry mix is incorporated and moist.
Bake the cookies for 15 minutes or until they turn golden brown. Cool on rack and serve warm with tea!