Something New…

I am feeling contented with my life now.

Life is simple and rewarding, with the little one surprising us with new things learnt everyday.

I am happy. Maybe even a little complacent.

I was, however, thrown off my feet a little by a talk with my manager. She is someone whom I trust a lot at work. We are friends, not just colleagues.

She gave me a proposition to consider. A new role, sort of, at a subsidiary. More responsibilities. More accountability. More challenges.

It’s like a little jolt, waking me up from my contented being. Not in a bad way… it certainly got me thinking.

What next? What if I do accept the challenge? What if I do not?

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I am not one who loves new things.

How shall I put this accurately?

I mean, I love new shoes, clothes, jewellery (darling, are you there? Are you listening? 😉 )… new things. But when I find something that works, I stick to it forever!

Like my favourite carrot cake recipe. I have been using one by Martha Stewart for ages! It’s a winner and everyone loves it.

It took me quite a while to try another carrot cake recipe. This one is by Pierre Herme, the demi-god of pastry, no less. Boy, am I glad to venture out to new territory!

This one has no leavening agents, with its structure supported by beaten egg whites. Ground hazelnut and almond add an irresistable nutty edge to the natural sweetness of carrots. The best part about it? It is most delicately sweeten, beautifully moist and ethereally light, like a genoise without the dryness.

A real winner! Sorry Martha, you have been edged out by Pierre!  😉

 

This is the carrot cake, lovely on its own, but I served it with some leftover vanilla bean dotted buttercream and orange-favoured cream cheese frosting for CH, who is anatomically-designed and metabolically-gifted to take all that extra calories.

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Maybe it is not so bad to try new things afterall…