The Postre Lady

I'm not quite sure when this started. I'm not quite sure when it developed.

But somehow, here in Trujillo, a love for cooking, desserts and baking of all sorts has blossomed within me...and I think I'm starting to get the reputation of being the girl who makes all the desserts.

I'm pretty sure that the love has always been there thanks to the many great ladies in my family. My Grandma, My Mom, My Aunts. They're all great cooks and bakers. So much so, that I remember a certain joke about my mom and my Aunt Connie being WWI and WWII...(World's Wonder I and World's Wonder II)...I believe Aunt Stephanie at the time was a WW-IT (World's Wonder in Training).

If one day, I can cook/bake half as well as the women in my family...well then I am halfway to being an awesome kitchen connoisseur.

I love cooking. I love to create things in the kitchen, and I believe that cooking reflects the personality of the cooker. The manner in which a person (or in this case, me) pulls things together in the kitchen, shows something about how said person (once again, me) carries on in life. For me, I am a fairly reckless cook/baker. I always am looking for fun new things to try, throwing in crazy ingredients, and I rarely every follow the recipe exactly. I don't stop until things taste good to me, even if it means alot of trial and error, and ending up with something I didn't plan on doing in the first place. I cook based on what I have, how I feel, and everything depends on the moment.

Even more than I love cooking, I love sharing whatever it is I've cooked with friends and family...or heck, even with complete strangers. For me, food is a unifier. Everybody eats, so why not use that as common ground? What's better than sharing a good meal with someone you love...or like...or might like in the future if you just get to know them a little?

So...just in case you might like a recipe to share with your friends, or families, or somebody who might be your friend in the future if you just get to know them a little, here is my latest recipe creation.


Cheesecake Swirl Mocha Brownies

Brownie base:
2/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate coarsely chopped
1/2 cup butter
1 cup + 2 tablespoons white sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup hot water
2 Tablespoons instant coffee granules
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking powder

Cheesecake swirl:
8 oz cream cheese
1 egg
1/2 tep vanilla
1/4 cup flour
5 Tablespoons sugar

For the Mocha Brownie Base:
In a saucepan over low heat, melt the 2/3 cup chocolate, 1/2 cup butter and pour into bowl. Beat and add 1 cup + 2 TBSP white sugar, and add 2 eggs one at a time. Beat well after each egg is added. Combine hot water and instant coffee in a cup or bowl--stir until dissolved and add to chocolate mixture. Add cocoa, baking powder, vanilla and flour and beat well.

Pour batter into a greased 9 x 13 x 2 baking pan.

For the Cheesecake Swirl:
In a small bowl, beat cream cheese, vanilla, remaining 1 egg, sugar, and flour until well-combined. Drop by tablespoons evenly on top of mocha brownie layer. Use a butter knife to swirl the cheesecake mix into the brownie layer.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes (ok...maybe more if you live in Peru and you bake with gas, and then the gas runs out halfway through and you have to then call to order more gas) or until toothpick inserted on side comes out clean. For the love of all baked goods, do not overbake, lest you want to break your tooth on a chocolate rock. Remove from oven and let cool completely....if you can wait that long.

Don't forget to share!

Happy Baking!

A foreigner's guide to Peruvian Transportation

I thought I would take this time to share with you how to get around town without looking like a foreigner...you know, just in case you ever decide to come to Peru, and don't want to look like a foreigner. We have four main forms of public transportation here. All will get you where you want to go, some will get you there with a little extra motion. Forms 2-4 always have a driver and a porter, who will take your money, and make sure that you can get off at the right stop (read: the right any corner of any street along the route you need to stop at).

1) The Taxi-
Advantage: Taxis in Peru are your best bet if you need to get somewhere fast and specific.
Cost: Taxis generally start at 3 soles (= 1 US dollar) minimum to go wherever, though if your destination is close and you are a persistent haggler, you can get 2.50 once in awhile.
Foreigner's Safety Rule of Thumb: Do not get into a taxi unless it has the logo of a known taxi company, a license plate and identifying numbers painted on the side, and a non-creepy looking driver. That last one perhaps is a little subjective...go with your gut instinct.
Do not be afraid to: Bargain. If you don't like the price. Don't get in the taxi.
Be careful of: unmarked taxis, and taxi drivers who don't go the normal route.

2) The Colectivo-
Advantage: This shared taxi follows a constant route. You get in where you want and get out where you want. Because you can only have 6-7 people in the colectivo, they're a little bit safer
Cost: 1 sol to 1 sol twenty. The cost went up when the gas prices did, but when gas prices fell again, some drivers continued to charge 1.20 while others went back to the price of the good old days.
Foreigner's Safety Rule of Thumb: Make sure you know where you're going and that the colectivo passes by where you need to get off, otherwise, settle in for an hour and a half tour of the route
Do not be afraid to: break all your former personal space boundaries. 7 people in a Buick. you do the math of how much room you'll have.
Be Careful of: Filling up the Colectivo in the correct order. Start in the back, scoot all the way over. Don't mess with the system

3) The Combi-
Advantage: a van that in the states would carry about 9-12 people, combis can and often do take 18-25 people where they need to go along a specified route. Cheap and Reliable. That's the combi way.
Cost: 1 sol for however much of the route you need to take.
Foreigner's Safety Rule of Thumb: Just like the colectivo, make sure you know where to go.
Do not be afraid to: Squish in tighter than you ever thought you could, and speak up about exactly where you need to "BAJA" (get out of the combi).
Be Careful of: not holding up the bus when you get off...even if you feel like your hurling yourself out of the van when it's still moving.

4) The Micro-
Advantage: the largest of all the public transportation vehicles, the micros will get you where you need to go and give you a little extra leg room. A nice feature for those of us who are 5'9" and don't fit well into combis.
Cost: 1 sol for however much of the route you need to go, though a few are only 80 cents, and the ones to get you alllll the way out to the beach are 1.50
Foreigner's Safety Rule of Thumb: Be careful about the micros, because there are more people that can ride on the micro, there is more of a chance of your cell phone getting robbed.
Do not be afraid to: tell the door guy exactly which street you're about to get off at.
Be Careful of: sudden stops. If you are not sitting down in a seat, Hold on tight. Seriously.


Happy Peruvian Traveling!
Your Guide to All Things Peruvian

Oh Oscar....you always know what I'm thinking.

"Any place you love is the world to you"

The Catherine Wheel from The Remarkable Rocket by Oscar Wilde

So one thing that every immigrant or expatriate must get used to, and which sometimes proves to be difficult, is not being able to find his or her preferred products from his or her specific corner of the world.

For me, living in Peru, I actually haven't had too many products that I was attached to so much that I actually lamented not having them. Actually, come to think of it, living in Trujillo, I have access to so many things, and as globalization continues to strengthen its influence, I find myself not missing much. From Starbucks, to US brands of snacks, drinks, and even toiletries, to dunkin donuts, a cinnamon roll place and what I'm almost convinced is going to be a Bubble Tea store once it opens in the mall, I sometimes forget that I am living in what is officially considered a developing country.

I've had a fair share of luck too with the products that I have actually missed from the states being food items that I end up finding recipes for on the internet. Bagels...check. Tortillas...check. Pumpkin Pies...check. Well, you get the idea.

The point is, I haven't really really missed anything terribly. However, I will tell you one product from the states that I currently am in possession of, but will soon run out of, and thus will soon be mourning the loss of this product.

My friends....I am almost out of....

Toothpaste.

More precisely, Tom's of Maine Natural Toothpaste.


I love this toothpaste so much, and actually, was well stocked, thanks to an amazing care package my parents sent back in March...yeah they did send me a lot of toothpaste. The reason I like this toothpaste so much is because it has no artificial sweeteners, so when I brush my teeth, I'm not actually putting more sugar into my mouth than I did when I ate that piece of carrot cake I just made.

If you've never used this natural toothpaste, you need to go buy two tubes right now and compare how much sweeter your colgate/crest/whatever popular brand is than Tom's. And then, you should send me the other tube in the mail....please?

The life of an immigrant is difficult sometimes. Sigh.

I told the witch doctor I was in love with you...

So one thing you should know is that when you live 15 minutes from an ocean...the climate tends to be humid. Always.

One humid climate, plus one girl who grew up in a semi-arid climate, equals said girl to be frequently having sinus problems. I find that about once a year, I tend to get some sort of sinus infection/sinusitis type thing which knocks me out for awhile. Even though they are so very readily available here in Peru (you don't need a prescription to buy them from the pharmacy, I try not to take antibiotics, because if Scruff McGruff ever taught my anything, it was that users are losers and that I need to say ugh to drugs.

I suppose that yes, he was talking more about narcotics, but I figure his message can extend into the antibiotical realm too, and no, I'm not sure that antibiotical is a real word.

Anyway, the point is, because I knew I didn't want to resort to antibiotics this year, I began my search for an herbalist who could help me with my problems, though I've been joking around all week about how I need a witch doctor. After Jamesson and I visited a couple of markets with no luck, Jamesson remembered that somewhere over by the cemetery lived a "curandero" who might be able to help me.

And thus, my fun adventure for the week happened.

We knocked on the door, which was opened by a man who was immediately telling us to "Come in! Come In!" It was a yellow living room, but without furniture, only a few benches where some people were waiting. On the back wall, there were two doors, and two little windows. Without us saying one word, and without him giving us a chance to say one word, he ushered us in and pointed us to the closed door on the far right and told us to knock. It was almost like he was expecting us. Weeeeeird.

So we knocked on the door, and a kind faced old Peruvian man, dressed like any typical grandpa came to the door, invited us into his office, which contained precisely one desk and two chairs. The man asked me to sit down, and said "Let me see your hand please" I gave him my hand, he touched my wrist and said to me "You're here for the herbal remedy" And began to reach into his desk drawer. At this point, Jamesson said "Well..she's had sinusitis..." and the man looked at him before he could continue and said "yes" with a facial expression and a tone that very clearly stated that he already knew that.

He pulled out an antique glass device which looked like an old perfume sprayer or a glass air brush. He told me "Tilt your head back" and then he sprayed once in each nostril. My sinuses began to burn, but not a painful burn, just a...Hey this is really working kind of burn, and then about .7 seconds later, everything that appeared to be clogging up my sinuses was quickly making it's exit from my nose and my tear ducts. He then sprayed a little bit on my forehead. Handed me a tissue and said "There...you feel better." It wasn't so much a question, but I enthusiastically said "YES!" Because for the first time in a week and half, I could actually breathe with my mouth closed. He gave me a bottle of his magic remedy to take for the next few days until I feel better, charged me 3 soles (about 1 dollar) and I was on my way.

It was insane. The whole process from us stepping foot inside the door to us leaving with my recently cleared sinuses took no more than 4 minutes, and I'll be darned if know what in the world he actually sprayed up my nose (as far as I can tell, it's some sort of mixture of ginger, pepper, herbs, and what seems to be peruvian moonshine), but whatever he did...it worked and I can breathe and just like always, natural medicine once more has won me over.

When it's time to change, you got to rearrange...

Sha na na na na na na na na....Sha na na na na! (Think Peter Brady from the Brady Bunch)

It was time for a change. The background, by the way, is a closeup of a Peruvian bill that is worth 10 soles...or about 3 dollars and some change.

I can't believe that October is over. I mean, honestly. What the heck? Where did it even go? I spent the majority of my October teaching english classes, working with compArte, and quite possibly my favorite part of the whole month was dedicating a lot of time to carrying out Pumpkin Fest 2009.

What is Pumpkin Fest 2009 you ask? Oh my. It's amazing, that's what it is.

I'll explain. Pumpkin Fest is at least a month long festival that involves making a lot of delicious things with alot of delicious fresh pureed pumpkin. You see, in the Baikie family, we alllllllways boiled down our own pumpkins in order to make pumpkin pies (my mom makes the world's best...don't try to argue with me, you'll lose as soon as you taste hers), pumpkin bread, and other assorted pumpkin things. we neeeeever use canned pumpkin, and if you think that those fake orange pumpkin pies that canned pumpkin makes are good, well...you just sadly don't even know what you're missing.

Anyway, so with me living in Peru, I do not partake of the same fall festivities of the United States so much anymore. However, thanks to globalization, Peru has recently began to pick up on Halloween, and thus, once a year for a few weeks in October, the globalized grocery stores sell pumpkins, which I quickly buy in order to quickly boil down and quickly puree, in order to quickly begin pumpkin fest, which basically just includes making a lot of pumpkin based things. 31 recipes technically. So far, Pumpkin Fest 2009 has included the inaugural pumpkin pie, pumpkin chocolate bars, pumpkin swirl brownies, pumpkin brownies, roasted pumpkin seeds, pumpkin bagels, pumpkin cinnamon rolls, a chocolate pumpkin layer cake, pumpkin pie fudge spice cookies, aaaand....there's some more coming.

So basically, I've been baking.

Alot.

And yes. It's all been good. Come visit me in Peru, and I'll make you something pumpkiny.