Nothing announces the arrival of summer like the beautiful, luscious berries screaming "Pick me, pick me" from the market stalls. And so I ended up with a packet each of huge blueberries and strawberries.

The blueberries, I made them into muffins with cinnamon streusel topping. The gooey mess of the berries combined with a subtle hint of cinnamon is a delight.

Then I made a batch of vanilla cupcake with strawberry buttercream frosting using an ingredient I have never used before - vanilla pod. Vanilla is the only edible fruit of the orchid family and it's something that is hard to get in Malaysia and finally, I've managed to lay my hand on one - it's like discovering the G-spot in baking. The smell is just heavenly!