The universe works in mysterious ways. I believe the universe connects us with the people we are destined to meet. You’ve probably heard the saying, “we don’t meet people by accident. They are meant to cross our path for a reason”. Sometimes they are there for a brief moment and other times for a lifetime.
People come into our life in many different ways, at a party, meeting or a random event; strangers sitting next to you on a bus or flight, and perhaps these days, on the internet. But somehow when you meet them you feel such strong bond and connection you don’t quite understand.
I met my best friend on the island, Lilla, at a Chinese restaurant over two years ago. We sat across from each other. I was with a group of friends and she was by herself. We made eye contact and I asked her, “Hi, where are you from?” She said, “Indonesia”. “Me too”, I said. Then we invited her to our table and that was our first encounter and the first of our many dinners together.
A couple of weeks later, on my birthday, I discovered that Lilla and I share the exact same birthday. How bizarre! As we get to know each other more, and upon each other’s observation, we found out we share so many similar qualities and we often joke that we are long lost twin sibling; separated at birth and we each had a half of a medallion.
Lilla is the kind of friend you can truly rely on. Spending time with Lilla feels like I have known her forever and we always have fun catching up at the end of a long week with a cocktail or three.
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| Myself, Lilla and Espresso Martini |
Not long ago, Lilla was doing a garage sale and she wanted something sweet to present at the sale. Of course I was happy to help and I baked her a tray of Sebastian’s Remarkably Wonderful Brownies from Dorie’s Cookies.
I love cookbook that has a story to tell and Dorie’s Cookies is one of them. Dorie and Sebastian started as pen pals in the early days of food forums on the internet until they finally met in Paris. I’m glad they became friends and that Sebastian shared his brownie recipe to Dorie.
"They’re unusual in the way they’re made and extraordinary in how they taste. The texture is neither cakey nor fudgy, but creamy, slightly chewy at the center and slightly crunchy at the edges."
I have made these brownies twice now and this recipe is definitely one to keep in your repertoire. There’s a lot of sugar in this brownie, but somehow they’re not sickly sweet and it is very chocolatey. Dorie mentions that the secret is cocoa powder, which gives the brownies their deep colour and flavour. There’s quite a lot of cocoa powder here, so I would definitely invest in really good quality ones.
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| Sebastian's Remarkably Wonderful Brownies |
Wrapped well, the brownies will keep at room temperature for about three days, but I doubt it’ll last that long. Trust me.
So, have you met someone who share the same birthday as you? Do you find similar traits or qualities?
Michael
