1/ I learnt to cook in New York and Orange County. My first attempts were recombining contents of cans and heating them on a stove.

Till one day I used sweetened yogurt in a gravy dish built on a tuna can.

If you haven't tried it, please don't.

2/ When time came to make breakfast for kids, I became a milkshake specialist. From bananas to 4 milkshakes glasses in 5 minutes flat.

Also coffee for my better, smarter, lovely wife. That is how I got hooked to coffee. Tasting it to see if the mix of cream of sugar was right.

3/ Breakfast took a step up as kids started training for athletics and their nutrition requirements changed.

We started experimenting with commonly available exotics that would bump up their carb and protein intakes so that they could recover well and train the next day.

4/ This year I started teaching my daughter how to make coffee, my way.

The secret ingredient, I told her, was love.

Without love, you might as well not bother and make it at all.

Whether it is breakfast or coffee, when made with love, it's a different flavor.

5/ Love, not just for the person you are making it for but also for the art you are practicing.

Love is allergic to microwaves so you can't short circuit the process.

You start with heating the milk on the stove, the good old fashioned way. You can't rush love.

6/ Half way through, add honey and stir it in. Then two tea spoons (dry) Cadbury cocao or drinking chocolate and repeat till you see the milk getting creamier.

Finally add coffee as needed when the mix is starting to froth. Stir it in, turn the stove off and let it settle.

7/ Then pour like a barista in a nice ceramic cup. Not glass, metal or plastic with a chocolate centered biscuit on the side.

You will put on 6 kilos in a month, but you will never miss love again.

I like it with milk and honey. You can have it black. But serve it with love.

8/ Brought to you by the fine folks who wrote Reboot, Models at Work, Portfolio Optimization Models, Options Greeks Primer and Founder Puzzles.