Cupcake Bouquet, Two-ingredient Sauces, Thrillers

It is the last day of September - and what a busy month it has been. We brought home our new dog, V had a week of work travel, we got a bathroom remodeled, the hot water heater ruptured and needed replacing, and our fall girlie celebrated her birthday and obtained a driving learner's permit, God help us all. 

This time, her birthday was a small celebration at home with four close friends. We took them all to pick up burrito bowls after school, then to our home for dinner and cupcakes, then back to school for the high school football game. 

My daughter's favorite season is Fall and she loves everything about this season. Not surprisingly, her birthday cake request was pumpkin spice cupcakes. I served up the cupcakes as a cute bouquet of a dozen flowers. This is how it came together-

• A batch of 24 pumpkin spice cupcakes using this Preppy kitchen recipe (cupcakes only, not the frosting)- so easy and so good. As a bonus the recipe uses a full can of pumpkin. 
• A batch of ermine frosting with vanilla 
• Dyed the frosting with gel food colors in what I imagine are fall colors- an orange-brown, dusty rose, teal, some green for contrast. 
• Used 2D tips to make orange roses and pink hydrangeas, and a petal tip and a small round tip to make some teal flowers. 

DIY cupcake holder

Assembling cupcakes into a bouquet: I used an idea I've seen online (see a quick video here). I made the bouquet base ahead of time. The idea is to staple paper cups together into a base structure. I stuffed each cup with newspaper so that the cupcake would perch at the top of the cup instead of sliding all the way in. I glued the stapled cup thing onto an oval cardboard base (cut from a cereal box). Then wrapped the whole thing in some tissue paper and tied on a ribbon. 

I cut green tissue into small squares. Each cupcake was placed into a green tissue square and then plopped into a cup. With the colorful floral cupcakes, greenery around each cupcake, and tissue wrap, it makes for a beautiful bouquet. Serving the cupcakes is very easy because the green tissue helps to lift a cupcake out neatly. 

If I had more time, I would have liked to make 2-3 different flavors of cupcakes (apple or chocolate) and frosting (salted caramel) for a more fun assortment. But the pumpkin spice cupcakes and vanilla frosting was a classic and crowd-pleasing pairing.

My wrapping was pretty untidy, to be perfectly honest, but this concept is forgiving even when imperfectly executed. I'm glad to have learned this little cupcake decoration trick, because a cupcake bouquet would fit a number of occasions and looks impressive when it is actually very easy and doable. Here's another idea for a cupcake bouquet that also looks very cute. 

* * *

Meals this month have been basic, wholesome, and repetitive, think burritos and bowls, dal-chawal and so on. Sometimes a great sauce brings the meal together so perfectly. It happened twice and so I have two 2-ingredient sauce ideas to share. 

First, I impulse-purchased a new seasoning mix from TJ's- the Cuban Style Citrusy Garlic blend. When mixed in with sour cream or yogurt, this seasoning makes an awesome dipping sauce. This two ingredient sauce livened up our quesadillas and burritos several times this month. 

Second, I buy hummus every now and then for my daughter to snack on after school. This time I bought a lemon hummus, a flavor I haven't seen before. (Usually we get the roasted garlic or roasted red pepper or simply the original flavor.) Lemon hummus mixed with yogurt makes the most awesome sauce for a shawarma bowl. (I imagine the lemon hummus is nothing but hummus with extra lemon squeezed in.)

My hastily-put-together meal tasted like something from the local middle Eastern restaurant. It has the aforementioned lemon hummus yogurt sauce, lettuce, potatoes and eggplant roasted in the air fryer with shawarma spice, and a rice-soy curl pilaf made in the instant pot, again with the shawarma spice and some onion, tomatoes, peppers. 

Pumpkin spice may be the prevailing "flavor of fall" but here I put forth another contender- shawarma spice. I make it simply by mixing stuff from my existing spice jars and it feels like the epitome of fall- cozy and warm. 

* * *

BOOKS: I remember the whole Y2K thing and the turn of the millennium like it was yesterday, so it feels unbelievable that we are past the first quarter of the "new" (21st) century. 25 years is a very decent chunk of time to start summarizing and processing events and media. The NYTimes published a list of the 50 best thrillers of the 21st century. 

Lists of this sort are great fun to peruse and dissect, and when it comes to fiction, I love the mystery and thriller genres. How are the two different? There's not one accepted answer, but in general, it feels like mysteries focus on the puzzle-solving aspect and arrive at one solution by the end of the book, while thrillers are more action-oriented, fast-paced, and take the reader for a twisty ride; there may or may not be a good resolution at the end. 

The NYT article I've linked above lets you mark the list with books you've read and ones that you haven't but would like to. The list of 50 books surprised me a little. There was an abundance of Tana French books- I've read most of them. She's really over-represented in this list (I guess the expert votes landed this way.) Also, there are many novels here that I wouldn't have called thrillers at all- more like general fiction or literary fiction. It goes to show that it is hard to classify books. 

I've read 14 books from this list.

Good thrillers from the list that I recommend-

• In The Woods- Tana French. Read this if you want beautiful language and great atmosphere. Not a satisfying ending.
• Dark Matter by Blake Crouch. Read this if you want a truly thrilling and fast-paced sci-fi novel. Don't think too much about the science.
• Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz. Read this if you want something fun and delicious. Two mysteries in one.
• 11/22/63 by Stephen King. Read this if you like historical fiction. Parts of it are great but for me it fell apart at the end.

Books that I loved from the list but don't necessarily think of as thrillers-

• Room by Emma Donaghue. This is what I thought of this book 10 years ago- "I finished this book in a day- part of it is the story, where I just wanted to know what happens next, and part of it is the fact that the book is an easy read, narrated by a child." 
• The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. A coming of age story and a doorstop of a novel that I read only last year and loved. 
• Winter's Bone by Daniel Woodrell. Here's what I wrote when I read it 13 years ago- "This short and intense novel tells the story of a teenager who's having to grow up too fast and specifically, about an episode in this teenage girl's life where she has to find her father who has skipped bail (and risk losing her home if she doesn't find him). The author succeeded in transporting me to this bleak landscape for a few hours and to a life and culture completely foreign to me." This book is set in Missouri and I was living in MO when I read it. 

Books that I've read from the list that I did not like much- The Da Vinci Code (forgettable, I read it when it was all the rage), Gone Girl (so unpleasant), We Need to Talk About Kevin (disturbing, cautionary tale re parenthood). 

I marked 10 books as want-to-read. These include a couple that I had never heard of, and some that have been on my to-read list forever, such as The Perfect Nanny and No Country for Old Men, neither of which I thought of as thrillers.

In the weeks since I read this article, I've already read two books from the to-read side-

• My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite. This is a short book and a page-turner- darkly comic. It features an older responsible sister and younger carefree sister and a satirical exploration of family dynamics including enabling behavior, pretty privilege, etc.
• Case Histories by Kate Atkinson. This book has three mysteries in one and the book surprised me by how engrossing it was. 

I am currently reading a third book from the to-read list- The God of the Woods by Liz Moore, set in a summer camp. 

What are your favorite thrillers? I'll add them to my list!

* * *

Max-Maxxing continues unabated in the One Hot Stove household, and us four humans feel incredibly lucky to have found this dog. He is doing so well and has bonded with each of us. In my case, he is a velcro dog. I thought I was getting a pet, but it turns out Max was acquiring an emotional support animal- me!

There is one challenge we are working through. Max loves walks but isn't always a great walker. He can be reactive when he sees other dogs- lunging and barking- and being a big dog at 95 lbs, this is very hard to manage. I'm scrambling to find ways to fix this issue because we do want to enjoy our walks together. 

Meanwhile, his personality is blossoming as he settles in. Far from being passive, he has surprised us by turning out to be loyal and protective and a great watchdog. 

One of my favorite things about him is the circle wag. When he's overjoyed, Max wags his tail in a full circle like a helicopter propeller. It is the sweetest thing. 

Tell me your highlights from September!

Max is Home 🐶

The kids have been wishing and hoping and begging for a dog for a while now, and when the school year started and our travels were behind us, we started the search for a new dog to bring home. 

We started reading through the profiles of adoptable dogs on the websites of the county animal shelter and the humane society near us, and told our friends to keep an eye out for dogs on their social media and neighborhood email lists. Our two must-have were: (a) a gentle and friendly temperament and (b) one who would be content to nap while we were at work/school, knowing that there would be plenty of walks and playtime the rest of the time. 

Sadly, there is no shortage of dogs- there must be about 50 or more dogs waiting for a home within just a 10 mile radius of us. Young/old, big/small, active/lazy...there are dogs of every stripe waiting for families. 

Big smiles

One dog's profile caught my eye- Max. It said things like-

• 7 year old gentle giant in need of a home, stat!
• ...simple man with simple needs....chill, lazy guy
• ...friendly with kids of all ages
• ...loves pets and being told he's a good boy
• We want to keep Max out of the overcrowded shelter at all costs. Unfortunately, his fate is uncertain there, since there are plenty of days when there are more dogs than kennels. 

Max likes to shake paws

What I know of Max's story is this- 

• In mid-July, his previous owner surrendered him to the shelter for financial reasons.
• He struggled with life in the shelter and started deteriorating straight-away. His medical record tells the story of how he had to be heavily medicated (sedated) while in the shelter. It was obviously traumatic for him. He was neutered, vaccinated, and microchipped in there.
• Shelter staff recognized his struggle and found him a temporary foster home, where he did great BUT did not get along with the cat (or vice versa).
• They moved him to a different foster home; this one had two dogs. The foster parents adored him and wanted to keep him, but realized that Max preferred to be an only dog and also their two dogs didn't take to him. 
• At this point, we saw the website profile, thought it might be a good fit, and reached out to the shelter.
• We had a meet and greet with Max in the shelter parking lot. The foster parents were amazing and gave us lots of info. (We could also see them evaluating us critically as a potential family, which is a good thing as they wanted Max to go to a good home.)
• All four of us loved Max and we adopted him on Friday, Sept 4, signing the papers at the shelter. That evening, the foster mom brought him to our house, along with a bag of toys and treats and a beautiful harness and leash- how generous they are. I could see that it was breaking her heart to leave him, but we assured her that we would take care of Max. I've been texting them updates. She told us that if we ever found that it isn't a good fit, they would take Max back. They are very invested in not seeing him return to the shelter under any circumstances.

So, Max has been here for a week now, and we love him. He is a big boy at 95 lbs. According to the Photos app, he is a breed called a black-mouth cur, a Southern hunting dog. Looking at pictures of this breed, I can see it. He could be a mix of this breed and some other big breed. He has the black muzzle for sure, but it is turning grey as he is 7 years old. 

Our daughter wanted to change his name, saying Max is "too basic". It is definitely the most common name for boy dogs in the US! But nah, he's a pretty basic dog, and there's nothing wrong with being basic. I am basic and proud of it. So Max is it. Or Maxim (pronounced the French way- Maxime) or Maximus as the kids tend to call him. Maybe we can give Max a "younique" spelling like Maxx or Makks? Big Macs, perhaps? 

Expressive and soulful eyes

A parade of friends has already come by to meet him, and they all adore him. He sleeps soundly through the night. Loves long walks; does not yet understand the concept of wandering around our fenced backyard. Loves car rides, except he gets excited and bounces around, which is dangerous, and we need to find some way to restrain him safely in the car. He tries his best to be the goodest boi. 

Except he did find a big box of homemade cookies with the lid carelessly left open on the dining table today, and polished off all but two, leaving a big mess of crumbs behind! (Max is the messiest eater.) He is getting comfortable enough to be naughty. 

* * *

Labor day weekend was spent Max-maxxing, but I did get to try a new recipe- multigrain protein bread from King Arthur. In fact, I bought bread flour and pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds to make this recipe, and then left for months of travel. I had to use up those ingredients and quickly, since apparently I was serious about making it a while ago. 

Using the stand mixer, the bread dough came together very quickly, and being as warm as it is, it rose beautifully. The bread tasted wonderful! It was a bit crumbly, making me wonder if I did not knead it long enough. I will make this again.

* * *

My cousin Rani tai, an art therapist, was involved in making a wonderful documentary called Every Stitch Tells a Story. It is a short film, about 33 minutes long, and features stories about two types of embroidery found in Karnataka, Kasuti and Lambani.

I love the fiber arts and enjoyed this documentary for many reasons, but particularly because I got to see family members talk about their passion. Among the people interviewed is my aunt Geeta kaki. And my cousin Rani tai who talks about my grand-aunt (her grandmother) Anu aji who lived to be 99 and was a legend in her own right. Watch it here!

While I was in India, my mother in fact gifted me a Kasuti-embroidered fabric piece that she had bought in Karnataka, and I had it sewn into a kameez/ tunic that I enjoy wearing.

Yoke of my kasuti tunic,
featuring different styles of peacocks!

* * * 

Many thanks to Vishakha for recommending a "gateway" audiobook to me- The Correspondent by Virginia Evans. I finished listening to it this morning and I absolutely loved it! It is an epistolary novel, told entirely through letters. The main character, Sybil Van Antwerp, is a retired lawyer and the book covers her correspondence over 10 years while she is in her 70s. The audiobook has a great cast, and the voices of Sybil and her various people she writes letters to- everyone from a teenage boy to a customer service rep to her best friend to the authors of books she likes- brings her story to life. This book feels all the feels. It is a gem and I highly recommend it.

If, like me, you are a newcomer to audiobooks, let me tell you about the Libby app. I've had a US public library card for 25 years but only starting using this app a few months ago. It is so great. You just download the app and sign it using your regular library card credentials. There are thousands of audiobooks available and you can put a hold on them, just like for regular library books. Libby also has e-magazines- all the popular ones. (I am a big magazine junkie but rarely get my hands on them.)

I will have plenty of listening time while I walk Max. I've put Born a Crime by Trevor Noah on hold because I've read strong reviews for this audiobook. Happy to get other recommendations!

A Cookbook, A Memoir, A Novel

A COOKBOOK...

The best gifts

When I met up with my blog friend H in Chennai this summer, she brought me sweet gifts- a bar of trendy Dubai chocolate (it was delicious, the tiny piece that my kids let me eat) and a wonderful cookbook called Pangat, a Feast: Food and Lore from Marathi Kitchens by Saee Koranne-Khandekar, published in 2019. 

There is a paucity of Marathi cookbooks written in English and this book fills the niche beautifully. I don't know Saee personally but I think she was a food blogger before (or while?) she started writing cookbooks and launching a full-fledged culinary career. 

This is way more than a cookbook and I'm delighted to have it on my shelf. Along with dozens of recipes, Saee has written well-researched and informative sections on regions of Maharashtra and cuisines of different communities in this state. I haven't even read all of the book yet- I will savor it slowly- but I'll mention a couple of sections that caught my eye that explain aspects of food and culture in this part of India. One is called "Food for widows" with a touching story from the author's distant relative. The other is "Taste Crafts" which describes traditions around edible crafting- I have my own memories of these. Do seek out this book- it is a gem! 

I wanted to try out a recipe from Pangat and the kothimbir vadi (savory cilantro squares) caught my eye. I have a recipe for this but Saee's recipe calls for soaked and ground chana dal instead of using besan which I typically use for the batter.

You soak chana dal. Then grind it coarsely with cumin seeds and a bit of green chili. Add a little besan, rice flour, salt, a bit of baking soda, sugar and oil, and of course, minced cilantro. Steam until the batter is cooked through. Cool and cut squares and shallow-fry them.

My results were fair. I followed the recipe amounts exactly except for using far fewer green chilies. I should have used a food processor rather than the blender to make a coarse paste. It took me much longer than I expected to steam this in the instant pot. I thought the ratio of chana dal to cilantro was off- next time, I'll use half the dal specified because here I could barely taste the cilantro. I ended up air-frying the squares rather than pan-frying them. Even with these issues and adaptations, the vadis were tasty, with a nice texture, and we enjoyed them with some khichdi. 

* * *

A MEMOIR

The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible by A. J. Jacobs, published in 2007.

There was a time in the 2000s- 2010s when an experiential sort of memoir was trending, when people would spend some time doing some sort of life experiment and then write about it- books like The Happiness Project, No Impact Man, A Year in Provence, Julie & Julia. 

This author, AJ Jacobs, has made his career out of wacky life projects. I was at the library book sale on "bag day" (where you fill a big paper bag with gently used books for all of 10 bucks) and picked this book up because I recognized the title- it got a good bit of publicity back when it was released. The title and sub-title says it all- an agnostic decides to spend a whole year immersing himself in the teachings of a religious book. You just have to shake your head at the insanity of it all- a Manhattanite living out biblical rules, looking for adulterers to stone in Central Park while his wife goes through IVF treatment. I am laughing out loud just writing that sentence.

The book is hilarious in places, and definitely entertaining overall. It is also very informative to someone like me who is entirely not religious. The author wonders if his kid would be better behaved if he was subjected to a stricter religious upbringing (I have on occasion wondered about the very same thing.) He finds himself unable to take certain things seriously (creationism, for example) while finding beauty and peace in other traditions (the Sabbath, for example.) I will be looking for other books by this author when I need a dose of infotainment. 

* * *

A NOVEL...

A Guardian and a Thief by Megha Majumdar, published in 2025. This book was recommended by my running buddy K and I borrowed it from the library. It is a fairly short novel, about 200 pages long, set in near-future Kolkota in a climate dystopia scenario, the genre sometimes called climate fiction or cli-fi. Alternating floods and famine ravage the city and people are getting increasingly desperate. 

The story takes place over the course of a single week. Ma is packing up her house and moving at the end of the week to the US as a climate refugee, along with her toddler daughter and elderly father. And then- their precious passports holding the coveted climate visas are stolen. The story follows her desperate attempts to find the lost passports and her story intertwines with that of the young thief who is fighting his own battle to survive.

The story is unrelentingly bleak. And there are many plot holes that irked me. However, I do recommend it- it is engrossing and thought-provoking. This novel brings up questions of morality- in desperate situations, people look out for themselves and their loved ones at any cost, ignoring their usual values. There are issues of social inequality- while the middle-class Ma is grappling with the desperate situation, a laborer reminds her that in his low-income life, there have always been shortages, always been a series of crises. Now that it is affecting the upper class, it is suddenly considered an emergency. 

Just as I was finishing this book, I came across the crossword clue "breakdown of moral rules"- the answer is the word "anomie". Described as "normlessness", anomie is a social condition defined by the breakdown or absence of social norms, values, and moral guidance for individuals. When I think of everything going on these days, it feels like this isn't fiction so much as a warning of things to come. I think we've started to unravel and signs of anomie are appearing already. (Sorry if I sound ominous, y'all. Read the book and tell me your reaction.)

* * *

Since our return from the long India trip, we have been looking for a dog to welcome into our family. This weekend, we met a sweet 7 year old shelter dog who looks like he would be a good fit. He is currently safe and happy in a temporary foster home. We might be bringing a doggy home over Labor Day weekend- stay tuned!