slowliving
Someone says we should learn to eat slowly to taste the sweet of rice, learn to
walk slowly to see trees on the roadside change their fall color and learn to live
more slowly to feel loves by my side..."
Why don't you slow down your life to feel more and to love more? From the
December issue, Travellive would like to introduce "Slow living formula" for you to
find tranquility in this bustling world,
[SLOW LIVING] + FORMULA I DECEMBER
"WARM CAKES"
and "AROMATIC WINE"
GINGER BISCUITS
Ingredients:
- 3 tablespoons golden sugar
- 6 tablespoons white sugar
- 200g unsalted butter
- 2 teaspoon cinnamon powder
- 2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 100ml milk
- 200g wheat flour
Mix brown sugar, butter, white sugar,
cinnamon po wder, and ground ginger and
wheat flour in a large bowl to make a dough.
Roll the dough on a flat surface to about
5mm thick. Shape the resulting dough into
your favorite shapes. Preheat the oven to
350F. Spread stencil on a baking tray, put
shaped cakes on the stray. Put the baking
tray into the oven for about 15 minutes. You
can eat cakes right after they are baked or
decorate them with fresh cream.
MULLED WINE
Ingredients:
- 2 oranges
- 1 lemon
- 50ml syrup
- 5 clove buds
- 5 branches of star anise
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 800ml red wine, 200ml white wine
- 50ml water
Slice lemon and orange into thin pieces, bring
to boil with 50ml water, clove bubs, star anise
and 2 cinnamon sticks. When the mixture
boils, add red wine, white wine, syrup and
mix well. Increase heat and cook for 5-8
minutes. Pour wine in a glass bottle and enjoy
with ginger biscuits and other cakes.
7pm on Friday, after three weeks full of business trips and deadlines for the
publication for festive season, I decide to back home when most tasks are
completed. The only thing I want this time is throwing myself on bed, hoping a
good sleep can help me soothe all tufts of nerves which has been working at full
capacity during the last few weeks.
"You look so tired as if you haven't eat anything for a long time". It's is the first
sentence Z. talk to me after kissing on my forehead. I walk into our apartment and
immediately realize the aroma of cheese, the mentholated scent of wine and the
fragrant of oranges, lemons and herbs.
"What are you doing at home now? This pine tree and Christmas balls, where
did you get them?"
"This noon, I came to the bakery on ground floor. You know what, they are
playing Merry Go Around and White Christmas and selling various Christmas
cakes. Just so aromatic! Then when I left my office, I decided to buy all these
things. You remember our first Christmas, don't you?"
Ginger biscuits and mulled wine! That was the first time we cooked together. That
Christmas Night, we climbed up to the roof, crooned White Christmas, ate cakes
and drank wine before sleeping on the roof until feeling cold because cold dew
absorbed through our thin blanket. Up to now, having visiting many countries and
tasting thousands of wine, for me, the wine cooked by him that Christmas Night
has always been the most wonderful drink. We have been married for years. On
special occasions, we usually give each other interesting presents, some of which
from our business trips. However, the hustle and bustle life makes me forget that
"warm cakes" and "aromatic wine" are the best things he looks forwards to.
Smooth wheat flour, sweet sugar, greasy yellow cheese, fragrant cinnamon, spicy
ginger... Cakes in the shape of small pine trees and tiny bells are getting bigger
over their brown crust in the oven. In the glass bottle set on the dining table,
hot wine is steaming with smoke. The red color of wine highlights the beauty of
yellow slices of lemon and orange.
Our room is full of the sweet flavor of cakes and the scents of cinnamon,
cardamom and clove bud from the wine. Z. has helped me slow down my busy
life. I will cancel all my appointments. Tomorrow, I will work at home with our
own oasis of slow living, watch Christmas balls sway on the Christmas tree near
the door and celebrate early Christmas with my clumsy chef, who are managing
with lovely cakes.
Photos are taken at Cake Kitchen & Wine Bar of Sheraton Hanoi Hotel - Le Giang (Pixel Photography) - JJ - JJ & AA
TRAVELLIVE
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