TWD: Tarte Fine

When I was planning for our dinner party, I couldn't be more delighted to learn what Leslie of Lethally Delicious had picked for this week's TWD bake. Instead of our usual backyard-BBQ party, I wanted to >/span>

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Reflecting on pastry school and a splendid summer in Paris

Post-publish Updates

It’s been three weeks since I returned from Paris. Almost two whole weeks of jet lag, of sleepless nights and finding myself doing laundry, vacuuming or tackling cleaning chores  at odd hours in the middle of the night, then wearing myself out by baking during the day - I’m almost done test-baking the recipes from school - resuming my workout regimen, catching up on my favorite TV programs that hubby had threatened to delete while I was in Paris since they were hogging precious TIVO disk space, and simply cramming as many activities as I could into each day. It was as though I was trying to make up for the 3 months away from home by stretching my time awake as much as I could. It does feel great to be back in the comforts of your own home again. I’ve intentionally immersed myself into my pre-Paris routines, keeping the internet and other distractions at bay,  simply relishing the moments of being with D at home again. This short period of quiet time away from blogging has also given me the chance to gather my thoughts on my experiences at pastry school in Paris. 
The most important thing I’ve learnt after 3 months attending

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Back on TWD with Coffee Break Muffins

After three long months of hiatus from TWD, I'm glad to be back and baking along with this great group again. Still on a "temporary blogging break" to allow me some time to get readjusted to things back home, I'm keeping this post really short. Besides, you don't really need a lot of convincing  on this week's pick by Rhiani of Chocoholic Anonymous : coffee-break muffins.

Deprived of the regular two to three times a day café breaks since my return from Paris, these muffins served as my perfect mid-day and afternoon pick-me-up today. Instead of the cup of coffee that Dorie prescribed in her recipe, I opted to use home-made trablit (liquid coffee extract) that was leftover from last week's test-bake.

Since the trablit already had caramelized sugar and I didn't like my muffins to be overly sweet, I omitted the brown sugar and also added some milk - I didn't quite measure precisely - but just enough to get to the proper muffin consistency. More on trablit the next time; be sure to head over to TWD to see what other members have to say about this week's bake.

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Sugar Fix

Barely 48 hours since arriving home from Paris and I was starting to have withdrawal symptoms. No, no, no - I'm not talking about missing Paris, well not yet. I've had a fantastic summer there, for sure, but towards the end of my stay there, I was miserably homesick and being home now makes me realize even more the wonderful priviledges we have in America, especially the great life we live in California. Having the experience of living in three different continents now, there's really no better place than this land of great opportunities where vast open spaces, convenience and consumerism, friendly customer service and ever-ready warm smiles avail in abundance. The only downside that I see now is a serious lack of these where I live:

I was already craving for a sugary treat, my daily routine this past summer in Paris but the closest French pastry shop - a decent one - is at least 50 miles away! How does one cure the ill?
But that's exactly one of the reasons why I went to pastry school, isn't it?

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C'est tout

My last night in Paris. I can't believe that I've actually spent 3 months here and that my stay in this fascinating city has come to an end.......no, wait a minute. Who am I kidding? That was the line I had envisioned writing for my final post from Paris but in reality, I am more than ready to head home. When even the majestic Eiffel Tower, with its blinking lights and fabulous light shows seem a tad boring and fail to liven up the evening, you know it's time for home sweet home.

So, without much sentimentalism or melancholy, albeit uncharacteristic of me, I thought that my final post from  la ville lumiére should be about my favorite places to take a nap rest in this beautiful city. Don't ask me why; there's no rhyme or reason to this. Here goes:

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