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. I don’t think man or woman was created to do it all, but that doesn’t stop us from trying.

So what have I been up to lately? I’m going through a transition 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. I post a variation on another recipe, and I feel so unoriginal. But in the end, it’s still part of my journey in 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.

[continue for Persimmon Mochi recipe]

If you’ve never had strawberries and goat cheese together, you are missing out on something magical. Now, if you happen to be allergic to strawberries (sorry sis!) or don’t have an affinity to goat cheese, then you may want to skip out on this post. I discovered this flavor combination back in 2008 at the Top Berry Luncheon where I first met food bloggers like Yvo. I loved the strawberry goat cheese tart served there, and I’ve been wanting to make these ever since.

Happy Friday, y’all! I’ve gotten feedback that my recipes here are way too elaborate and involved for the average baker. Considering my posts have been mostly Daring Bakers’ posts as of late (this post is for you Audrey!), I completely agree with that statement. I chronicle challenging recipes so that one day when I’m a grandmother of old age, Lord willing, I’ll have proof of what my hands were capable of. That’ll show the grandkids that crazy grandma isn’t just making up stories again. About food, at least.

Summer has come and gone, and it sure went by fast. My summer lacked the usual baking, due to the very little desire I had to actually turn on the oven. So what did I do? I grilled and I cooked. And grilled. Nothing encapsulates summer better than grilling, right? I’d go into the stories and recipes behind my summer food if this blog were called Talida Grills, but since this is Talida Bakes, I’ll stick with the baked goods.

At the baby shower I catered, I provided two options for dessert and the popular option was the fruit tartelette. It being almost summer, and summertime bringing fresh berries probably contributed to the majority’s choice.