India.

… alone and I’m terrified. After a brief stopover in KL, where I will be franticly trying to find some monsoon appropriate footwear that fits, I’ll arrive in Kolkata. I’ll be away for a few months, computer-less and free. I have prepared some posts to be magically published in my absence, but don’t expect any fancy comment answering or nothin’.

I’ll be telling some travel tales over here, and on facebook. Have a great June and July, I’ll be back for real in August.

Any tips for northern India and what to eat are much appreciated!

Excuse me please, things have been a little bit crazy over here. Trying out loads of new food has been taking up some time (from ‘Vietnamese’ BBQ to frozen margaritas), there has been the farewelling of friends (you wouldn’t believe how difficult it is to send a dog to America from Hanoi), and now I’ve got a job. Employed, again after so many months of freedom and I think my new job title should be ‘Child Wrangler’. So please forgive me for allowing the occasion of my 200th post slip by unnoticed. It is not terribly unexpected though if you recall my 100th post. In some kind of strangely frightening symmetry my 101st post which celebrated just missing my century was published on April 7th, 2009, one year ago today, exactly. Spooky.

I’m not going to lie and tell you that these were celebratory brownies baked with this particular milestone in mind. Nuh uh. I made them really to see what all the fuss was about, I made them because good quality cocoa is relatively cheap here and I had a hankering for something chocolatey, chewy, sweet. There are plenty of Vietnamese desserts, Kem Xoi (pictured below) is sticky rice, ice cream and crunchy nutty toppings, a favourite, but sometimes chocolate is a necessity. So I baked Alice Medrich’s Cocoa Brownies and they did not disappoint.

Kem Xoi, Sticky rice with ice cream.

These sweet treats are easy, budget friendly, quick to make and surprisingly decadent. I had intended to refrain from blogging about them given the current cocoa brownie saturation (is there anyone who hasn’t heard about these?), but there is a reason as to why there are brownie crumbs on bloggers lips worldwide. Just make them.

PMum came home while they were still cooling on the bench. She stopped, turned, averting her eyes. Glaring at me she pointed behind her and through gritted teeth asked”What. is. that?”. She needn’t have worried, this batch did not last long enough for her to give in and sample a square. Now I just wish I had some more with which to celebrate my 201st post.

Recipe is available from  The Wednesday Chef or Smitten Kitchen or Lemonpi

Hello! Just to keep you all updated on my jet-setting ways (hah, as if), I am leaving Hanoi today for a well earned rest (lets just forget that I haven’t worked since October) in warmer climes. I’m off for a few computer-less weeks in lovely Laos, via Bangkok if the political situation doesn’t escalate. I hope it remains safe and calm because I need to buy some cake tins to bring back to this great land of aluminium cookware.

Images from previous Laos holidays.

I’m looking forward to sticky rice with ridiculously spicy laap, beerlao and whatever interesting food I can find. Do you have any recommendations?

Plus relaxation, sunshine and books, oh yes. I will still be updating this space while I’m away (hopefully swinging in a hammock somewhere with a chirping birds and a mango smoothie in hand), including some great posts about my favourite Vietnamese foods. Business as usual.

Images from previous Laos holidays.

I’ve been busy this last week. Hanoi shut down for Tet holidays and I took the time to make a some new pages. Check out the navigation at the top for my new recipe list and review list pages. Oh, and I am this weeks SBS Featured Foodie. How exciting!

Guess I should think about packing!

Laos photos
Random Bangkok food photos

Click image to read full article

Media mentions and press are great for bloggers, especially food bloggers. We get a little limelight, increased traffic and hopefully appear less strange when we take photos in restaurants. We get a whole different audience for a second, and hopefully we can keep them interested, keep them returning week after week. But sometimes it backfires.

When I filled in the survey to be part of this article (that’s right, no fancy interviews here) I was excited to see my words and picture in a glossy magazine, who wouldn’t be? I had been featured on blogs before, but nothing physical with high production value and written and fact checked by a staff of experienced journalists. I gladly answered the seven questions in detail, supplied photos and clarifications and giddily awaited publication date… to be somewhat less than pleasantly surprised.

Now Cleo, I have some questions for you:

• Do you really think that Julia Child is French?
• Was it your intention to tell the world that there is something mentally wrong with Food Bloggers’? (such as, we are obsessed and addicted and need some strategies to help us deal with our issues?)
• Were you trying to make a comment about Food Blogging by implying that we represent another issue on the continuum of eating disorders?
• This article implies that deriving pleasure from food is wrong and unhealthy. Is this really the message you want to send to the young women who read Cleo?

Food for thought, indeed.

Most popular posts of 2009, clockwise from top left: Qoms persian love cake, homemade toasted muesli, Chocolate orange cake with orange blossom cream, Beetroot leaves.

• This year I had a love affair with stone fruit with recipes for summer, early autumn or anytime.
• I finally realised what Homer Simpson always knew - pork chops are amazing and got over my childhood dislike for Brussels Sprouts.
• The Daring Kitchen featured heavily this year and my favourite Bakers challenge was also my first challenge cheesecake
• Pikelet & Pie has stuck to the formula of mostly recipes with the occasional review, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t eat out. My best meals of 2009 were at Chat Thai, Mamak and Snakebean and I was blown away by deliciousness at Est and Quay.
• My favourite bakery cafe was definitely Black Star Pastry in Newtown. This was also my most popular review, and I would love one of their pies right now. I don’t need to say anything more about this place, just go.
• I don’t buy many cookbooks but my two favourite purchases of 2009 were, David Thompson’s Thai Food (Chicken Larp) and Neil Perry’s Balance and Harmony (Braised Brisket).

Despite the 112 posts of 2009 there are still many blog-worthy items that I have failed to tell you about. So here is a rundown of never before seen deliciousness.

01: 2009 started in Hanoi, I was blonde, there was brains and markets and peanut-free delicacies.

02: Missing my holiday, disliking my job saw February become Asian Restaurant month.Yum cha at Palace Chinese Restaurant provided unusual dumplings and great conversation. A feast at Mamak ended with cendol, and I found the best salt and pepper squid in Marrickville.

03: March was cooking at home, choko pickles, caramelised eschallots, the last of the tomatoes and a divine fresh fig and yogurt semifreddo which I could not find the words to describe.

04: April was dinner parties, pesach and chestnuts peeled and never eaten.

In May and June I went back to basics with simplicity and produce from Eveleigh markets, a wonderful undercover farmers market in my Sydney neighbourhood. Favourites were kale, rhubarb upside down cake and an obesity of haloumi. It was warming braises, dumplings, Bob Dylan’s meatballs (which you still may hear about) and teapot cocktails with lovely ladies at the loft in July. The ever-lovely Jen took me to Ayam Goreng 99 in August and we feasted on sate with mocha avocado shakes. Then I went to her house and was fed divine black sticky rice and durian ice cream – now there is a reason to stay in Sydney.

Carob cake, strawberries, opening week dinner at the Winery with the cutest waitress ever. Dinner at the Pastizzi cafe in Newtown with friends, now missed dearly. Mooncake from AB, kimchi at Simon’s wonderful Korean BBQ, and some smoked fish that I’ll tell you more about in a bit. In November I left Australia and went on a solo eating tour of Malaysia, chicken congee, roast chicken wings, char kway teoh and kuih kak all in Penang. December is Hanoi, more on that soon too.

My year has been bookended by Asian adventures, with Sydney in between. Who knows where 2010 will take me, hopefully continuing to eat, think, cook and live food. Thank you all for your support in 2009, and Happy New Year.