Talida Bakes

I often wonder how my blogger friends do it. Juggle all the responsibilities they have in life with managing a successful blog posting beautiful and creative material frequently as well as keep up socially with friends/culture/news. And working out? Sigh. I’ve tried to do it all, but I know I can’t. Not without giving up sleep, that is, and I don’t give up my sleep.

So what have I been up to lately? Well, I’m going through a transition period at work due to an exciting acquisition, I’ve been cooking and baking using old recipes, and I finally finished roughly 10 months of deaconate training. Yes, this Sunday I will be installed as a member of my church’s Deaconate Team. It’s crazy because I initially didn’t want to accept the nomination. I didn’t want the title because I enjoyed serving as I had already been doing. But I was challenged by the elders and deacons to consider the accountability and responsibility that comes with the title not as a burden but as a means to grow in my faith. Blimey. Couldn’t argue with that. So I said yes to the training, and now, 10 months later, I do feel God calling me to this position. I learned so much through the training process, and I’m sure I’ll learn even more by serving alongside a great group of people. I’m definitely looking forward to it.

This persimmon mochi fits in with the thought I started with. It never amazes me when bloggers consistently produce new baking or cooking material. When I post a variation on previous recipe, I feel so unoriginal. But in the end, it’s still part of journey of experimenting with recipes and applying tweaks here and there. I added in a cup of persimmon puree to my butter mochi recipe, and here’s what came out. I couldn’t make up my mind about adding in spices until after it was already in the oven, so I dusted the mochi with cinnamon and powdered sugar for added flavor. Fortunately, the mochi recipe turned out well, and I’m happy to share it with you now.

Persimmon Mochi
Ingredients:
1-1 lb.box Mochiko sweet rice flour
1 cup sugar
3 teaspoons baking soda
5 eggs
1-12 oz. can coconut milk
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup persimmon puree

1 Tablespoon cinnamon, mixed with
1/4 cup powdered sugar

Directions:
1. Grease a 9″ x 13″ pan and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine Mochiko flour, sugar and baking soda.
3. Add remaining ingredients and whisk/mix together until mixture is smooth.
4. Pour batter evenly into greased pan. Bake in preheated oven for about 1 hour, until top and sides are golden brown.
5. Let cool about an hour, then slice 2″ into squares.
6. In a sifter or large tea strainer, dust cut mochi with cinnamon and powdered sugar mixture, then serve.