Solace....

I have a gift. Not talent, gift.

I can create magic in the kitchen. No, there is no need for modesty. It isn't about me. It is OF me. It is about the generations of spectacular home cooks I inherit from. I take pride and am thankful for that gift.

Because without it, I would sink into the depths of unspeakable abyss...



When my life insists on turning tables on me, I know I can still trust my hands. They are small, yet, they are strong.

I take solace in them. In knowing that I can walk into my kitchen, take out the flour, butter, sugar, eggs, turn my oven on, and they won't fail me... even when all else does...



So I bake. I knead. I whisk. I cook. I live in the moment. I forget. I come alive.

This weekend... I smiled...

Croissants, meringues, steamed buns, pickled pork belly, semifreddo, custard, baked pears, savory pull apart bread... yes...all in one weekend.



And, so I will... until I no longer can... Because I owe it to my gift.

Silent Saturday - This is New York!

In love with iPhonography!


Central Park on a recent sunny, Winter day


Many NYers read on their commute... I should..but don't :)


Bleecker Street station - approaching train


Take a break.. Have Coffee!

For more of my iPhone photo feed, follow me on instagram - @ashafsk

Warmth ...

What does Winter mean to you? Is it about the biting cold, the freezing wind, the squishy snow, the treacherous black ice...? Or is it about roaring fires, steaming hot chocolate, cozy friendships (discovering who you really like in your circle enough to spend hours closeted together..!)? Or is it adventure sports, frolicking in white powder, standing with your mouth open to catch the light snow flakes and their incredible feeling of freshness?

When I first moved to this part of the world from the Tropics that I had known all my life before, I was a bit befuddled in my emotions to this particular season. I am not a lover of heat, and not much of sun either actually. But the East Coast cold isn't exactly an inviting one!





Much like everything else in the New York life, it is unyielding, brutal, in-your-face and completely nonchalant of your perspective. It is what it is, love it or hate it!

And, while it is rather very easy to hate it, really HATE it, if you let it be, it will too.. and will actually grow on you! No, I don't mean, you will yearn for the season (you may but you don't have to!). But, you will come to cherish it for what it is and the gifts it affords..



Gifts of house parties, of cozy getaways in the woods, of serene landscapes, of laughter and chatter, of quiet introspection unadulterated by Summer's flirtations...

Of knowing your friends and who they are... Of love and who deserve yours... Of giving and sharing and how happy it makes... :)

Enjoy Winter! We are having a very pleasant one, this year, indeed! :)

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Silent Saturday - Profile of Woodstock, NY

Cooper Lake, Woodstock - Dusk


Prayer flags at the Tibetan Monastery


Farm fresh fruits - Sunfrost farms


Cooper Lake, Woodstock - Glorious Sunset

Snow.... and Cookies

Chocolate Peanut Butter Crinkles... I think they encapsulate life. Light, dark and the cracks that both join and divide! Quakes in life cause fissures, which, test you for sure, but can also make you stronger. Where you come out is, perhaps, dependent on your outlook and your perceptions but the choice exists?

Btw, it snowed. This Saturday. It was beautiful. I watched the light, mesmerizing snow flakes dancing their way down to slowly, ever so slowly, building their white castles and carpeting everything they touched in a shroud of virginity.

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