Writing Process Blog Tour

This is the first time I’m not sharing a recipe in Sweet Cannela. I was nominated by my friend Manali from Cook with Manali, to participate in the Writing Process Blog Tour. The idea is to share more about me and my blog, like a behind the scenes post. I was supposed to write this post before my wedding, but I couldn’t find time. 

I don’t share a lot of information about my life in this blog, so this is a very different situation to what I’m used to. So I want to thanks Manali, because now I have the opportunity to get out of my comfort zone and try a completely different thing. I met Manali because I decided to try one of her delicious recipes, the avocado paratha. I instantly thought about a flour tortilla, and gave it a Mexican twist. Through some of her recipes I have met some incredible Indian dishes and come to realize that we have pretty similar cuisines.

 So I will start with a little bio of myself. I was borned, raised and I currently live in Mexico City. If you have met me 5 years ago, I was the worst cook, well actually I wasn’t even able to prepare a simple dish. I studied Biomedical Engineering and worked for 4 years in big pharma. Here in Mexico there is no much research jobs, so all the job opportunities I was offered were related with medical sales, and to be honest, I didn’t feel comfortable, there were a lot of ethical questions in my mind. I started to feel frustrated, so I decided to learn something new; it was time for me to learn to cook and bake. At the same time my brother and dad started a new project, a craft brewery. So for now, I helped them in the brewery and when I have time, I spend it cooking and sharing my results with you. And, in 5 days I’m getting married to a wonderful guy!!!

 What am I working on right now?

I have been really busy with wedding stuff, that I hadn’t have time for cooking. I had some great Día de los Muertos recipes but I couldn’t prepare them. After the wedding I wasn’t sure if we were going to live, in Mexico City or in Guadalajara, plans keep changing… so I don’t have a clue if I will have access to a descent kitchen. I don’t want to leave Sweet Cannela behind, so I’m thinking about simple and easy recipes. We are in December, so of course I have some Christmas ideas on my mind.

 How does my work differ from others in my genre?

Living in a high altitude city, sometimes it’s difficult to make perfect cakes or cookies, like in a sea level place. So I try to experiment with sea level recipes and convert them to high altitude requirements. Sometimes the result doesn’t turn out well, so I have to keep making changes until I nailed it.

I also try to make healthy recipes. I have a sweet tooth, but I know I have to keep an eye on all the sugar, butter and white flour involved in this type of food. So when making a recipe, I like to change a not so healthy ingredient and see what happens, I have discover some amazing desserts. I have been experimenting with nut flours and they are great.

 I share some traditional Mexican recipes, but I also want people to know that Mexican cuisine is not all about tacos, guacamole, quesadillas and chile. I think we have a lot of interesting dishes and some of them are really similar to what you can find in the States or Europe.

 Why do I write what I do?

Before learning to cook, I was a heavy girl. But the moment I started cooking, I started losing weight immediately, sounds awkward right? I think I learned the true ingredients hidden in commercial food and saw the importance of homemade food. I always thought that a fruit tart was healthier than a chocolate cake, now I know it’s not always true.

Cooking helps me distressed, and I think it’s a great therapy, because I’m always searching and learning new things. Every time I read blogs from all over the world, I have the opportunity to learn more about different cuisines and traditions.  It’s like traveling to a culinary world without living my house, and if I found something I want to try, I just go to my kitchen and try to prepare it myself.

 How does my writing process work?

I write all the recipes I want to try in a notebook, and I keep making changes. When I think I got it right, it’s time to cook or bake. While I’m in the kitchen I keep the notebook by my side and write down changes in the procedure or in the ingredients. Because I don’t have a lot of time, most of the time I prepared the recipes in the evening. That’s why I don’t take a lot of pictures from the procedure, I still don’t know how to use artificial light for food photos.

When the dish is ready, I place it in a small wooden table and try experimenting with different backgrounds and props. While I’m taking pictures, I have to focus on the scene but also I have to keep an eye on my basset hound. She knows that at that moment, food is available and at her reach. She is always near the table, and in a lot of pictures she makes a stellar appearance. Then I make some basic editing (because I’m still learning), and when the photos are ready, I start to write about the recipe.

Nominations

As a part of this Writing Process Blog tour, I have to nominate 3 more blogger, so here they are:

The first one is my coworker at Directo al Paladar México, Mary Soco author of the blog Cocina muy fácil. She shares delicious and simple Mexican recipes. I think we have a lot in common on the type of dishes we like. Besides we are both Engineers who love cooking! If you want to discover Mexican recipes you have to stop at her blog. She also has an amazing site where she shares interesting facts about Mexican culture, Mexico in Depth. 

Another blogger would be Liliana, from Albahaca y Canela. She doesn’t know it, but she was one of the bloggers that inspired me to start my own blog. She loves to cook with aromatic spices, and she has amazing Swiss recipes like Zimtsterne or Lebkuchen, perfect for Christmas cooking. Before starting with Sweet Cannela, I tried some of her breads and they were delicious!

And my last nominee is Coco from Coco in the Kitchen. She has great recipes, Maple-Glazed Vegan Coconut Bacon anyone? But also a great sense of humor. She is Armenian but lives in the States. She cooks international recipes focusing on the healthy side.