I’m sometimes a little… eh… distraught. I put something down and then I can’t find it for all the gold in Ali Baba’s treasure. When cooking this is sometimes a bit bothersome. I put down, say, a knife and suddenly: Presto! It’s gone!

Yup, I’m a regular Houdini that way.

That is one of the reasons why I love the timer clock my sister gave me last Christmas. It’s stuck to the wall so I can’t lose it (which I’ve been known to do with ordinary timers). And I like that I can keep an eye on the clock as well so I don’t get lost and keep baking until 3 am (not that there’s anything wrong with it; at least not if you don’t have to go up at 6 am).

Also, I love my clock because it’s pretty in a vintage sort of way and matches all my cookie jars, not to mention that it looks good against my light blue wall.

May it never break down!

There are some things I just cannot do without. As far as ingredients go, one of them is Greek or Turkish yogurt.

When I grew up, yogurt was thin and runny and mostly fruit-flavored, but as time went on and our area got more ethnically diversified, I discovered that yogurt wasn’t just for breakfast and dessert, but for cooking as well. Back in those days, you couldn’t buy the proper kind of yogurt, so I would buy ordinary, plain, one and strain it for a few hours until it was thick and creamy. These days, however, I can not only choose between a variety of brands, but also between Greek or Turkish yogurt. My local store even has the sheep milk option available. And they say that progress is an illusion…

Anyway, the important thing is the level of fat. 8 % is OK, but 10 % is ideal. When that fat, it handles heating pretty well, and it has the creamy texture and rich flavor you need to make a nice tsatsiki or my favourite Indian spinach dish or a gazillion other things that I eat on a regular basis. Or, try it with a little vanilla to accompany your apple pie or simply with some, golden sticky honey and maybe some walnuts. The world’s easiest and possibly tastiest dessert!