tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20196064049278689592024-03-05T00:06:29.822-08:00Swoon For FoodSusanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13951100256433425136noreply@blogger.comBlogger181125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2019606404927868959.post-40993071374061384082021-08-24T10:44:00.000-07:002021-08-24T10:44:09.409-07:00Vegan Omelettes at Camp<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqLqQUgw5-MwThRIaBmjhFmUi-3fK2r19WQ3u3kOoH3Icef-73QZ_TKNUhssvISNMP-crG10S1T1aw25Kev3182IfD85bO1OSw6RaC5g6JRAPqBA8CDxj8fpOG1rQ9179pVxlLjRgOp_E/s4032/2021-08-09_08-32-05_112.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqLqQUgw5-MwThRIaBmjhFmUi-3fK2r19WQ3u3kOoH3Icef-73QZ_TKNUhssvISNMP-crG10S1T1aw25Kev3182IfD85bO1OSw6RaC5g6JRAPqBA8CDxj8fpOG1rQ9179pVxlLjRgOp_E/w640-h480/2021-08-09_08-32-05_112.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>I know I have been missing in action for a long, long time. So much has happened and I have been focusing my time on other projects. Last year's virtual and hybrid learning for school gave me so much anxiety and I just didn't have it in me to blog about it. Things are definitely better in so many ways, especially now that we have the COVID-19 vaccine and school is expected to resume full time this year.</p><p>My last post was a Christmas post about our <a href="http://www.swoonforfood.com/2020/12/camp-gingerbread-our-first-gingerbread.html">gingerbread camp</a> so I thought it would be fitting to have this post be about camp too. This month we took my 5yo to her first camping trip in Mt. Rainier National Park. This was her third time to the park but her first experience camping in a tent. We got to hike a lot and it was as beautiful there as we remembered. It really is one of my favorite places on Earth. I thought camping would be rough on my old body but it wasn't so bad so I think we could try to make this an annual trip. I know the kids really loved it. We hiked 10-13km every day and it was kind of rough for my 5yo but as she gets older, this will become much easier for all of us.</p><p>Since it was chilly in the mornings, I wanted us to have warm breakfasts. I made us vegan omelettes, similar to the ones I made when we went to <a href="http://www.swoonforfood.com/2013/08/what-foodie-eats-while-camping.html">Porpoise Bay</a>. The advantage is that we didn't have to bring eggs and the dry ingredients didn't need to be in the cooler. You really need to use a non-stick pan or else it's a disaster.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8S_g8C8_vvnPzst3p7zyRWxHdI8t1x8x21SM4PZk78tVzSonrz1br571lgSpAfmP77iBdDcSIlEfN6ZraftZS3TYvUm79ZvPCWgGFwhKz8mUE7PnU2A0_DEaY2qVKQ7l4wpGHNWqwMX0/s2048/2021-08-09_08-20-51_739.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8S_g8C8_vvnPzst3p7zyRWxHdI8t1x8x21SM4PZk78tVzSonrz1br571lgSpAfmP77iBdDcSIlEfN6ZraftZS3TYvUm79ZvPCWgGFwhKz8mUE7PnU2A0_DEaY2qVKQ7l4wpGHNWqwMX0/w480-h640/2021-08-09_08-20-51_739.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz1WKpuL3Bznc0Lk0xNXJImRgdiyqTwFbAL-sEDJyXE3oNV9CcbllR4TeV6aEputvWoVS0hsOFtzK8fCZBUetWOkdysf9Ev9h8G7JlEMxUPYWNEU92HXC4qY0hjx4eCu9HAGs1o0qfWhE/s4032/2021-08-09_08-57-20_843.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz1WKpuL3Bznc0Lk0xNXJImRgdiyqTwFbAL-sEDJyXE3oNV9CcbllR4TeV6aEputvWoVS0hsOFtzK8fCZBUetWOkdysf9Ev9h8G7JlEMxUPYWNEU92HXC4qY0hjx4eCu9HAGs1o0qfWhE/w300-h400/2021-08-09_08-57-20_843.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><p><b>Vegan Chickpea Omelettes</b><br />Serves 4-5<br />(Adapted from <a href="https://www.theconsciousplantkitchen.com/chickpea-omelette/" target="_blank">The Conscious Plant Kitchen</a>)<br /><br /></p><div style="text-align: left;">1 1/2 cup chickpea flour<br />1 1/2 tsp turmeric<br />6 tbsp nutritional yeast<br />1 1/2 tsp baking powder<br />1 1/2 tsp salt</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 tsp garlic powder</div><div style="text-align: left;">2 cup unsweetened soy milk</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Fillings:</div><div style="text-align: left;">shredded vegan cheese</div><div style="text-align: left;">sliced mushrooms</div><div style="text-align: left;">chopped kale</div><div style="text-align: left;">snap peas</div><div style="text-align: left;">chopped zucchini</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Combine all the dry ingredients and mix well. If you are camping, pack this in a gallon ziplock bag. When you are ready to make it, add the soy milk directly into the ziplock bag and mix well. In a frying pan, heat some oil and fry the vegetable fillings. Set aside. Heat more oil and pour a 1/4 of the batter into the frying pan. Fry for a couple of minutes and then add some cheese on top, followed by 1/4 of the cooked veggies. Carefully fold the omelet in half. Once heated through, remove and serve. Repeat until done.</div>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13951100256433425136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2019606404927868959.post-11113252693700417302020-12-28T19:30:00.000-08:002020-12-28T19:30:16.740-08:00Camp Gingerbread: Our First Gingerbread Cookie House<p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRFdwMb5PulMbbjWTzkkIT8EPLMoxJxBV8RrU1M8bqf0vkYps-SAVPnQxb3GCj_5BTsvHSZyu5cytZboKccq3qr170zmhBPQTNzHEXllLRclNLJGNUUSYphDpQeVkcUYqwByi3A-JdsEE/s4032/IMG_7515.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRFdwMb5PulMbbjWTzkkIT8EPLMoxJxBV8RrU1M8bqf0vkYps-SAVPnQxb3GCj_5BTsvHSZyu5cytZboKccq3qr170zmhBPQTNzHEXllLRclNLJGNUUSYphDpQeVkcUYqwByi3A-JdsEE/w480-h640/IMG_7515.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Front View - Gingerbread Cabin</td></tr></tbody></table></p><br /><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgclhNN_trQh_nS678HbMuM_icBJtvyfLbuf42Mf2JQMaLqPLGvj-9myB0hBR18hsNiSU1iEw_7C3kqt_OHBK3BWggGFIvRlLmY99yV87FeRt3jHoh-Alra6vhgjleba4qmGOvbitcZKng/s4032/IMG_7516.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgclhNN_trQh_nS678HbMuM_icBJtvyfLbuf42Mf2JQMaLqPLGvj-9myB0hBR18hsNiSU1iEw_7C3kqt_OHBK3BWggGFIvRlLmY99yV87FeRt3jHoh-Alra6vhgjleba4qmGOvbitcZKng/w480-h640/IMG_7516.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back View: Gingerbread Cabin</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div>The fun Christmas craft I planned for the kids and myself this year was to make gingerbread houses. Believe it or not, we have never made them before. I never liked the idea of eating <i>that</i> much gingerbread and candy. In fact, we have never even made gingerbread cookies before. It's not a flavour I totally love. We had spiced cookies before but gingerbread uses molasses and it's sort of different all together.<p></p><p>I found a <a href="https://sugargeekshow.com/recipe/gingerbread-house-recipe/">recipe that was recommended for a super strong gingerbread house</a> and it even came with a template - yay! It was perfect because there was no way I was going to make extra pieces of everything in case something broke. In order to make two small houses and one big house, I multiplied the recipe by one and a half. It was more than enough dough so we made trees and gingerbread men for the scene as well. Then the unexpected happened and we burned like four sides of the house. My 12yo rolled the dough too thin and it burned. I could have saved them if I took those pieces out earlier but I was still rolling dough and lost track of time. In fact, the roof burned a bit too but I figured it was still usable. The plan was to throw the roof away when it came time to eating. So we almost ran out of dough in the end!</p><p></p>I wanted to add more pieces to our village so we also baked lemon sugar cookies. In my mind the gingerbread wasn't going to taste very good so I wanted something that was going to be delicious. Lol. I decided to make more trees, snowmen and a sign. We would of had more pieces but so many cookies did not turn out. Building 3D trees and snowmen were harder than I thought! And the gingerbread homes were tricky too. Although I'm proud of what we ended up creating, I don't think I would want to make this again. At least not homes, maybe something else smaller in gingerbread form.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2X_qI5ZRCc6sUdoDL_5Ah6sjWUaNIYlw2pBAAe0s06HKxoADYzHYCWXBFLNWPANURwywrEtPj2mfwi1lTpjZalT9hl0YyfVjOU0JX3wwQARWBpucSACXR0n8I4xtfCOmZgG0_w8UvsZc/s4032/IMG_7305.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2X_qI5ZRCc6sUdoDL_5Ah6sjWUaNIYlw2pBAAe0s06HKxoADYzHYCWXBFLNWPANURwywrEtPj2mfwi1lTpjZalT9hl0YyfVjOU0JX3wwQARWBpucSACXR0n8I4xtfCOmZgG0_w8UvsZc/w300-h400/IMG_7305.HEIC" width="300" /></a></div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyPuS52EjtSWvn9JwWZ9Nh0kc_Fxj3SEikTqN8Ns1HgA2Bn70XETQXoz4_vTbcsex_r-20343uuFMpORozFX7IDrrlBIskAE6U8vfTsrNIfK6WhAsxbGi-daz39mnt5T44svoWASyC-oQ/s2925/6A9DAC43-1779-4997-9EC3-1B93D5EF15EE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2925" data-original-width="2925" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyPuS52EjtSWvn9JwWZ9Nh0kc_Fxj3SEikTqN8Ns1HgA2Bn70XETQXoz4_vTbcsex_r-20343uuFMpORozFX7IDrrlBIskAE6U8vfTsrNIfK6WhAsxbGi-daz39mnt5T44svoWASyC-oQ/s320/6A9DAC43-1779-4997-9EC3-1B93D5EF15EE.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe8Gp0pxRI9U094ZQOowGGe7M87Ka7ktbuPQIiT51zL5XbHiqDoC17BLWfF7eAqzpk3c96CYwfxb2idqEaJdW0d6zRPBcLBHipXLloCKp01kJg0RZZEd1TBQ4tCjQTpQlwRTJ4SQuMjQo/s4032/IMG_7328.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe8Gp0pxRI9U094ZQOowGGe7M87Ka7ktbuPQIiT51zL5XbHiqDoC17BLWfF7eAqzpk3c96CYwfxb2idqEaJdW0d6zRPBcLBHipXLloCKp01kJg0RZZEd1TBQ4tCjQTpQlwRTJ4SQuMjQo/w300-h400/IMG_7328.HEIC" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlCyAKCjvulqFEto9tBqNEBMkzagqatCTzTSsT72AqUveGspKe7R8b2g81Pyq_edPxa_UK-DGt8DUcoKuUEBAGjMmms0gpApfk8y857YzQHq9fMd6IKVfUZIXTGNmJdCH3reC5QfqlnWY/s4032/IMG_7339.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlCyAKCjvulqFEto9tBqNEBMkzagqatCTzTSsT72AqUveGspKe7R8b2g81Pyq_edPxa_UK-DGt8DUcoKuUEBAGjMmms0gpApfk8y857YzQHq9fMd6IKVfUZIXTGNmJdCH3reC5QfqlnWY/w300-h400/IMG_7339.HEIC" width="300" /></a></div><p></p><p>The kids had a small house each to do and decorate. I had to help them a lot though because it was tricky and they were impatient. Once the house was assembled and solid, they easily took over the decorating part. I designed and built my own home, an A-frame cabin. It's similar to the one we stayed in when we went hiking in the mountains with my parents. We used crushed sugar free jolly rancher candies for the coloured windows. They worked so well that I ended up using them for some of my ornament sugar cookies.</p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB6NEl6HRyt7PaKN2Pkm49snblC-nqWpfGMiPfQYjYuP-14XJuw7R5vg2TOAOX40NVfV6xk4fbc8WrNMm8JZrLtuaR8HuH0gX80V_A1bgyK6FjbDVsDqZWO4h6RAHLhtowW2NQTmBNcHA/s4032/IMG_7543.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB6NEl6HRyt7PaKN2Pkm49snblC-nqWpfGMiPfQYjYuP-14XJuw7R5vg2TOAOX40NVfV6xk4fbc8WrNMm8JZrLtuaR8HuH0gX80V_A1bgyK6FjbDVsDqZWO4h6RAHLhtowW2NQTmBNcHA/w400-h300/IMG_7543.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christmas Ornament: Lemon Sugar Cookies</td></tr></tbody></table></p><p>The gingerbread village we created took two days, maybe three days if you count the lemon sugar cookies we added as well. We worked on and off for three days and I was exhausted. I probably could have done it in half the time or quicker if it was just me. The kids made such a mess! Ugh. I think the clean up might have taken more time than the actual building. But I hope the kids had fun so that it would be worth all my effort. The feedback I got was that they just like the decorating and eating part. Ha! It was so much work that the bulk of our Christmas photos this year were of the gingerbread homes. Lol. Normally, I would have wanted to make a cake or special dessert for Christmas too but I was so tired. Seriously.</p><p>I may not like to eat gingerbread but the dark coloured gingerbread homes looked beautiful when they were assembled and decorated. It definitely wouldn't look the same with ordinary sugar cookies. We made different impressions on the rooftops before dusting them with icing sugar and I absolutely loved the look of them! Our family and friends loved it. It was so much fun to craft this project:)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi3RnXdrzL4K4q3GLqdr3tjoxNuwbLeaCPbIaFoj3qoaf27NOLtlDhPbr5AF0fPz8niWpSrL8eW_-E2CszFZUeokSZZaY5DZMJmZ_EqXTmpQDID7sMHyJBLNM2nbnF5xzgB-TfOMHHG4I/s4032/IMG_7522.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi3RnXdrzL4K4q3GLqdr3tjoxNuwbLeaCPbIaFoj3qoaf27NOLtlDhPbr5AF0fPz8niWpSrL8eW_-E2CszFZUeokSZZaY5DZMJmZ_EqXTmpQDID7sMHyJBLNM2nbnF5xzgB-TfOMHHG4I/w480-h640/IMG_7522.JPG" width="480" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOdEgYrXwF3iIkxswujARkTAowhUVZBmTDgQV7gXSaIWgsKKJJZN5xznmfn2NDOh2sdZmxDBWKgkdWSVba6bJ5BZor7aSxaMDS9jwctsiprHaSfzTpU4uyoWLNg1hpRcCaxa1wDlukiwQ/s4032/IMG_7583.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOdEgYrXwF3iIkxswujARkTAowhUVZBmTDgQV7gXSaIWgsKKJJZN5xznmfn2NDOh2sdZmxDBWKgkdWSVba6bJ5BZor7aSxaMDS9jwctsiprHaSfzTpU4uyoWLNg1hpRcCaxa1wDlukiwQ/w400-h300/IMG_7583.HEIC" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEietEq2WdeqIK-E559rUEPaLKipvLtPac_ES3Zs2l4vniqLYMCtzJLsAd0aDCRcj6hFCDxgd1nPhcVrkxrgoG6lQ7Z9dmiT8SRmtn43fktDfNXhStdf0T2GrdG0ntW-tzoH5pUkn4_5buc/s4032/IMG_7518.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEietEq2WdeqIK-E559rUEPaLKipvLtPac_ES3Zs2l4vniqLYMCtzJLsAd0aDCRcj6hFCDxgd1nPhcVrkxrgoG6lQ7Z9dmiT8SRmtn43fktDfNXhStdf0T2GrdG0ntW-tzoH5pUkn4_5buc/w400-h300/IMG_7518.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYNj2h9_NNiXZC5YUgjS19bI1A6Q96M3gdSjdttyim3eVdjPqV1y3-m9gTeekPGkcLuEdkm87eWPDjkuGx1MC55yusUHMI8NmGVw6Ap-_U1fhDBVeZ8wptPBCe9M-adTViIRwY7a2S5v8/s4032/IMG_7521.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYNj2h9_NNiXZC5YUgjS19bI1A6Q96M3gdSjdttyim3eVdjPqV1y3-m9gTeekPGkcLuEdkm87eWPDjkuGx1MC55yusUHMI8NmGVw6Ap-_U1fhDBVeZ8wptPBCe9M-adTViIRwY7a2S5v8/w300-h400/IMG_7521.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13951100256433425136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2019606404927868959.post-29504620225164584242020-12-12T14:01:00.005-08:002020-12-12T14:18:01.000-08:00Eating Only Homemade Food for 10 Months and Counting...<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimDNKMH8z7QpbtokucY9ZMXAD5gssd0kB5egGbOLx-9byFS_rFEBBjpwwasVkYRSe6I1ePGxlmIqkUFGzB-Ye81G7KvmFIK9RVXGO5HwcvTruBFrdMauxrY9u-qqXS1QeUXBdKR5h33ps/s4032/IMG_6936.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimDNKMH8z7QpbtokucY9ZMXAD5gssd0kB5egGbOLx-9byFS_rFEBBjpwwasVkYRSe6I1ePGxlmIqkUFGzB-Ye81G7KvmFIK9RVXGO5HwcvTruBFrdMauxrY9u-qqXS1QeUXBdKR5h33ps/w640-h480/IMG_6936.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Homemade Croissants</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br />Our last trip to a restaurant was back in February. That was also the last time I ordered a coffee from a cafe like Starbucks. Since then, we have not ordered any takeout from a restaurant, not even pizza. I almost ordered pizza one time for Halloween when I had a 40% online coupon but decided it was still much cheaper to cook a homemade meal. It's been one of those sacrifices we've had to make during the pandemic. For health safety reasons as well as for budgeting. We are still in conservation and rationing mode right now.</p><p>I'm used to living frugally since I was brought up that way. When times get hard and we need to cut back, I just do it. We don't feel deprived because I can cook and bake us special things. If you follow my blog, I have been making a lot of macarons during the pandemic. Lately, I have been making croissants. These are the sort of pastries and desserts we used to treat ourselves to at our fancy neighborhood bakeries. One of our favorite bubble tea places closed down but I can make us bubble tea from home. I do proper meals too, not just desserts. Lol. It's more work for me but we can still enjoy most of what we used to eat. The only thing I miss is maybe fish. It's something we had to cut down on because it's so expensive.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfQlXkTkdmrveE6qdFFBXJ77OOqOmcH6ZvQwHilBbSoS4gyp4svM6wAvzoxlngSWkUFN7U1ezzrxQUXB3V7T3S_dSUwhSdHEoQ6yzNGQ7vqmglsze-UuOfVVm1MUEiunzIDM9JTQ08D7k/s4032/IMG_6984.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfQlXkTkdmrveE6qdFFBXJ77OOqOmcH6ZvQwHilBbSoS4gyp4svM6wAvzoxlngSWkUFN7U1ezzrxQUXB3V7T3S_dSUwhSdHEoQ6yzNGQ7vqmglsze-UuOfVVm1MUEiunzIDM9JTQ08D7k/w400-h300/IMG_6984.HEIC" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9eamMBhHb2yNqVzUrWZacKFEsNCfctOcTeZ6691EvJhNl2ZzWz-A1Kw1ceDYm763x3YCrlolhyphenhyphen26E1sp3E27kGwhCdI-zwmSugtkyp5Wl9M7oJKh3B2wipbcF_Mha4ip-yr6OQiSLryQ/s4032/IMG_6951.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9eamMBhHb2yNqVzUrWZacKFEsNCfctOcTeZ6691EvJhNl2ZzWz-A1Kw1ceDYm763x3YCrlolhyphenhyphen26E1sp3E27kGwhCdI-zwmSugtkyp5Wl9M7oJKh3B2wipbcF_Mha4ip-yr6OQiSLryQ/w400-h300/IMG_6951.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidCUto5ysU9hKTAuGvSXtI9G9db8hJkNJa4sDWbTTkAEOgMoDLEryZfoxNPupc0h4RTj87GKhUIS3aJnXAE0eoD3oIaK3i0YDvUCMVEKV5Z_06Dc2aAOOj7QshH-edMXs16xv6MU7_is8/s4032/IMG_7233.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidCUto5ysU9hKTAuGvSXtI9G9db8hJkNJa4sDWbTTkAEOgMoDLEryZfoxNPupc0h4RTj87GKhUIS3aJnXAE0eoD3oIaK3i0YDvUCMVEKV5Z_06Dc2aAOOj7QshH-edMXs16xv6MU7_is8/w300-h400/IMG_7233.HEIC" width="300" /></a></div><p>We do have kids and so variation in meals is definitely important. When I know that a meal will last longer than three days, I freeze part of it. That frozen bit becomes the kid's lunch a few weeks later. We don't eat leftovers for more than three days. Often the food only lasts us two days. Sometimes, I make new food out of old food so the kids are more interested. Our kids were raised to eat everything or at least try everything so that definitely makes my life easier. My husband is flexi-vegan and my daughter does not eat mammals so I do have to work around their dietary needs. But that also forces us to eat more vegetables, which is good for all of us and the planet. The kids are growing fast and eating more and more. It's amazing how much more I have to cook these days. I generally love cooking but during the pandemic I even found myself sick of having to come up with meals every single day. On top of attending Kindergarten and other stuff I have to do every day.</p><p>Here are some of the items we buy in bulk (mainly from Costco) to save on food costs:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Rice</li><li>Quinoa</li><li>Pasta (only if it's on sale)</li><li>"00" flour (to make my own fresh pasta)</li><li>Potatoes</li><li>Dried chickpeas</li><li>Dried kidney beans</li><li>Can corn</li><li>Can black beans</li><li>Can diced tomato, can tomato paste</li><li>Flour, sugar, nuts</li><li>Carrots</li><li>Onions</li></ul><div>Since we have to stay home a lot, I try to make more things from scratch. I have already been doing a lot of this before but I'm doing even more now. I make my own kimchee, sauerkraut, pasta, sauces, and meatless meat etc. But when things we like to eat go on special, I stock up. I base my meal planning around what is on sale that week at the grocery stores and I love using cut out and digital coupons. I admit it's a lot to keep track of but I do this all the time. It's second nature for me. I have a working memory of what we have at home in our pantry and fridge. I know most of my recipes by heart so meal planning and cooking is fast. I also rotate our inventory and check periodically to make sure we are using or eating everything before it is wasted. My goal is not to waste any food. In reality, I probably waste 2-5% of our food. Being a stay at home mom has its advantages and if I worked more, I would probably let a few things slide and we wouldn't be able to save as much on food. Which would be fine since we would be making more money as a family.</div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhczBDP6JOK85lInMmaLQnFMLeaCHvZGo7e7Sn_1dLD4jIGGHyhd3xGoleD3xwzYEObOH_s0ZzQaK-4ycc6l3VOyLvFp3Rz40goTmIIGk7f2sosCKwRyVxVNHlUk_ZDBvhhVPT4vL5H0Sc/s4032/IMG_6862.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhczBDP6JOK85lInMmaLQnFMLeaCHvZGo7e7Sn_1dLD4jIGGHyhd3xGoleD3xwzYEObOH_s0ZzQaK-4ycc6l3VOyLvFp3Rz40goTmIIGk7f2sosCKwRyVxVNHlUk_ZDBvhhVPT4vL5H0Sc/w300-h400/IMG_6862.HEIC" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Homemade Siu Mai</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><div>To be fair, we have purchased a few items of processed foods from the grocery store like frozen pasta meals, frozen meatballs and dry instant noodles. Our meals are probably 90% homemade and most of the time from scratch. Are you curious how much we spend on food every month? It varies but we average around $600 every month. We're a family of four and our kids are 12 and 5. We mainly shop from Costco, Trader Joe's, QFC and sometimes the Asian Food store, since it's further away. Back when we lived in Canada and it was just the three of us, we used to spend around $250 every month on food. We were able to take advantage of more Asian stores and Superstore and that saved us a lot of money. That was also 7 1/2 years ago. For the type of things we eat, food just costs more in the USA.</div><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13951100256433425136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2019606404927868959.post-81846960400292846562020-11-29T13:06:00.003-08:002020-12-12T13:59:28.259-08:00Tarte au Citron and Roll Cake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYVIsX3Zft5iWypSy4spvXJUw6OXy3sxA7r8Lmc2FNiM4jrtd1euCF-FKOzh0u0uunHHH7aYx0AhUv0eT6Y9E1gMv9QZAliW5CERWzsbdjSnpWltZXi7DEK9W-pvQYqmYKco6EHZhRzOI/s4032/IMG_7065.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYVIsX3Zft5iWypSy4spvXJUw6OXy3sxA7r8Lmc2FNiM4jrtd1euCF-FKOzh0u0uunHHH7aYx0AhUv0eT6Y9E1gMv9QZAliW5CERWzsbdjSnpWltZXi7DEK9W-pvQYqmYKco6EHZhRzOI/w640-h480/IMG_7065.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKrWtlY3B_v09qqMf2VpEzSQxaxaJx2aiioMDb_SJHL8o7i8xg3JUHPesZ-yuHgP8iP4DmS_gvlW66lFVb8n8RtTE8dzu1ybeH010-DsojZxHiplC37ijg57-KVkAlddynt5tihqy7DFs/s4032/IMG_7062.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKrWtlY3B_v09qqMf2VpEzSQxaxaJx2aiioMDb_SJHL8o7i8xg3JUHPesZ-yuHgP8iP4DmS_gvlW66lFVb8n8RtTE8dzu1ybeH010-DsojZxHiplC37ijg57-KVkAlddynt5tihqy7DFs/w300-h400/IMG_7062.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><p>Normally, November is a busy month for me. We would have a birthday party or host a get together for my son's birthday and then there's Thanksgiving right after that. Then Black Friday shopping right after that, which is something I wait all year for. But with the pandemic, it wasn't as big a deal. We didn't even put up birthday decorations. We still had our Halloween decorations up. Lol. In the end, it was still a lot of work for me.</p><p>Just like <a href="http://www.swoonforfood.com/2020/09/white-vanilla-ice-cream-cupcakes.html">my daughter's 5th birthday</a>, I wanted it to be a week long celebration for my son's birthday by cooking all his favorite foods and meals. He's 12 now and more sophisticated so instead of cake, he requested for tarte au citron (or lemon tart), just like in the patisseries in France. Instead of one large tart, he wanted smaller individual ones and the meringues on top needed to be torched. In other words, this dessert had to be exactly how he pictured it from France or the big boy would be disappointed. No pressure.</p><p>I've never made tarte au citron like that before but I wasn't worried. I knew the tarte au citron wasn't going to take as much time as a cake so I decided to make him a roll cake as well. It's something I have always wanted to try and I wanted us to have a variety of desserts. It was a birthday after all and we cannot have just one dessert. Can we?? That's never happened before.</p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixvhPuQh61-x8Qi_LBBTlyVKJiZnnkXy9hyaV9D1jS1qTvWyodNQwOkwzMwvPX5-0kAKyP5Y_Wy4qwqiwPR2FMIC8EHuN-yuNxaiVUQ002dTrrFW-amkioyF8LvXar8eW1bGnIH93gawU/s4032/IMG_7012.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixvhPuQh61-x8Qi_LBBTlyVKJiZnnkXy9hyaV9D1jS1qTvWyodNQwOkwzMwvPX5-0kAKyP5Y_Wy4qwqiwPR2FMIC8EHuN-yuNxaiVUQ002dTrrFW-amkioyF8LvXar8eW1bGnIH93gawU/w640-h480/IMG_7012.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>My son loves lemon. For the roll cake, I decided to keep things lemony as well. I made the cake using a lemon chiffon cake and lemon cream cheese buttercream frosting. I tinted a little bit of the cake batter and piped designs resembling cakes onto the cake pan. I baked this for 15 seconds to set it a bit before pouring the rest of the cake batter over top. It baked perfectly and when rolled, you could see the designs on the outside. Once everything was done, I food painted a few number 12s in between the cake designs on the outside of the roll. It looked pretty cool! It did crack a bit so next time I will use a bigger sheet pan and the cake might roll better if it wasn't so thick. And my frosting can be spread out more and look thinner when it's rolled up. It definitely had potential. Overall, I was happy with my first attempt at a roll cake. Even though its appearance was flawed, it tasted great. Chiffon cakes are so light and airy and not so sweet so I love them.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfh1CbOZbyLbHZwVkx0N2jzq-1VQxafjVpfQ-R0__-7yh-jO1pQsVjs4k7owifzIer_TuQtnKnNf_aXp-FxEBxgqGQ0St5LZ71AgvIxgDBDafc1CHyZ6IoNEUnHD0yP8fDEOD3yF7mt2s/s4032/IMG_7064.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfh1CbOZbyLbHZwVkx0N2jzq-1VQxafjVpfQ-R0__-7yh-jO1pQsVjs4k7owifzIer_TuQtnKnNf_aXp-FxEBxgqGQ0St5LZ71AgvIxgDBDafc1CHyZ6IoNEUnHD0yP8fDEOD3yF7mt2s/w300-h400/IMG_7064.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><p></p><p>I have a 12 year old now and next year I will have a teenager. That's totally nuts. His taste buds are getting more sophisticated but he's still very much a kid. He still like mac and cheese, grilled cheese sandwiches, and ham and cheese sliders. Plus, he has a long way to go before he is independent. His room is a mess, he skips showers, he's lazy when it comes to chores and he just wants to play online games all the time. Sadly, he is less and less interested in playing legos and is bored of playing with his 5 year old sister. He is responsible when it comes to school though so I can't ask for too much.</p>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13951100256433425136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2019606404927868959.post-67552194558205364212020-11-14T10:25:00.002-08:002020-11-14T10:59:09.402-08:00Coping with Virtual Learning During the COVID-19 Pandemic<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcwcrMDlYtvXKxJWLytMOKuBryDOWk4Yds6Syh3QIsZtcQ4NnnY2gqtJ7UzO1uas5YMDhdYl6R2dm2kqi-Gypyv4DNHH7_8EmaORnajYfgsBqJmexOhdOIKXinzW4jbozHnOrmwVFbdBk/s4032/IMG_6381.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcwcrMDlYtvXKxJWLytMOKuBryDOWk4Yds6Syh3QIsZtcQ4NnnY2gqtJ7UzO1uas5YMDhdYl6R2dm2kqi-Gypyv4DNHH7_8EmaORnajYfgsBqJmexOhdOIKXinzW4jbozHnOrmwVFbdBk/w300-h400/IMG_6381.HEIC" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kindergarten live instruction 2020<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>During school one day, my daughter raised her hand to share the story she wrote during her last big group virtual meeting. Other people went first while she waited for her turn. I was out of the room for a minute to pack the running stroller in the car. I came back into the room to a visibly scared and shy girl refusing to do anything. She didn't turn her video or audio on and slouched down on her seat. Her teacher kept asking her to unmute and had no idea what was going on because the camera was off too. Her teacher then asked her to speak and let her know what was going on and if she didn't want to read anything, she had to tell her. I was there so I turned the camera on for her and unmuted. Her teacher could see that she was trying to leave and I quietly told my daughter to just tell her teacher that she didn't want to read her story. After some nudging, she did just that and then I showed her teacher the accompanying drawing to her story. Then, it was another kid's turn. Ugh. Virtual learning stresses me right out.</p><p>We're living in a time like no other. In person schools have been closed since March of last school year here. The new school year started on time on September 1st but everything remained virtual. My son started a new school this year as a 6th Grader in middle school. My daughter started a new school this year as a Kindergartener in elementary school. What was supposed to be one of their most exciting grade school transitions turned out to be dull, uninspiring and a bit frustrating. It's been nearly two months of virtual learning and as coronavirus cases continue to increase in our area, there is simply no end in sight.</p><p>When the district decided in July to bring school back virtually for September, I didn't think it was possible for a Kindergartener to attend school virtually. Then the school had a drive through to pick up supplies and we received a laptop in our bag and things suddenly got real. My 5 year old went from playing with her vtech toy musical phone to using her very own <i>real</i> laptop overnight.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0HKVJbDZc0ma5jS-n31nTUuYN4PqIY5sTCcsRqZ-YQjO5BgX6rzozHwNq1SJzW8w9QifJMnAUH5HA9mOFh-FcqmdIE_pleh3iUdjb3e0TeYivM2P0ezKYGWMaHO2KOv84oDQObmlrxtY/s2016/IMG_6571.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0HKVJbDZc0ma5jS-n31nTUuYN4PqIY5sTCcsRqZ-YQjO5BgX6rzozHwNq1SJzW8w9QifJMnAUH5HA9mOFh-FcqmdIE_pleh3iUdjb3e0TeYivM2P0ezKYGWMaHO2KOv84oDQObmlrxtY/s320/IMG_6571.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Office supply bin for Kindergarten</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Small kids learn well through play and social interactions and they need to be around other kids to do that. They can't sit still and pay attention to a screen for very long so how on earth is virtual learning going to work?? Plus, a full time adult supervisor would need to be around. Fast forward almost two months and that's where we are still at. My 5 year old daughter is learning from the screen and I'm her full time education facilitator at home. When the pandemic is over, that's definitely going on my resume! Interestingly, virtual learning is working. It's still not desirable but thanks to her willingness to work hard and my ability to be on top of things and get things done well, she is constantly busy and learning a ton. Another key to our success is that we stay on routine with school hours, bed times, and meal times. Academically, she is striving but socially and emotionally, she is not. I wish she could be around the other kids and make new friends. They see each other during live instruction but the rules are strict and kids cannot speak to other kids. They even get in trouble for turning on their video camera when not asked to. Each session is only 15-20 minutes long and it's hard enough for the teacher to just get through a lesson.</p><p>With all things considered, my kids are actually doing extremely well in virtual learning. This is what allows me to sleep at night. My 6th Grader is on top of things and I hardly have to intervene or ask him about anything. I haven't really been keeping track of the things he is doing at school but I do know that he has never been late to his live instructions and everything has been handed in on time. I get weekly assignment reports every week for each of my kids so I know if an assignment is handed in late or not. Plus, his grades are good so far. I'm so thankful because I really need to devote my time to helping my daughter with remote Kindergarten.</p><div>I consider myself extremely fortunate in that I am well suited for this role in virtual learning. I am tech savvy, was already a full time mom at home and was already supplementing my kids education with extra academic and fun activities before the pandemic started. Supervising Kindergarten is consuming a lot of my time because my 5 year old is not very independent and even if I try to do something else next to her on my computer, I am constantly interrupted every 5 minutes with questions or comments. The activities assigned to her pretty much take me and her all day to complete. Sometimes it feels like a lot but I make sure she completes everything that is assigned because I want her to succeed.</div><p>The most stressful part about virtual learning is just keeping my 5 year old in a good mood and on task. She has gotten better now but in the beginning, she would leave the screen so many times or not sit correctly in her chair and would make inappropriate faces. It stressed me right out. Especially during assessment time. She had to sit through four separate assessments with her teachers and my heart raced each time. Caregivers are told not to interfere and help during assessments and I would just sit a few feet away and watch and listen in horror. She even fell off her chair at one point from moving so much. She kept clicking on the mouse and I noticed the teacher was asking her a question on her shared screen while my daughter was in a different window looking at the browser. Oh my gosh. I had to take her mouse away so she would stop clicking.</p><p>It's still hard now and not knowing what to expect from her mood swings every day puts me on constant edge. I have to admit, sometimes I am a little <i>afraid</i> of her. Lol. Not as afraid as my husband! But I understand how he feels because he has less control of her compared to me. The other day she was called upon during live instruction and she didn't want to turn her camera on and said she didn't want to. But I told her she has to since everyone has to. So again, I had to turn her camera on. I hate having to make her do stuff against her will. Then during some offline activity when she had to practice writing some of her letters, she didn't feel like it so she deliberately scribbled and did a bad job. This was work I had to photograph and submit to her teacher. And I'm not about to submit this work because that would just trigger an email or comment from her teacher to ask "how come?" So I got her to do it again and again until it was properly done. This is me playing tiger mom. I know this may give the misconception that she is an <i>outstanding</i> student all the time but I honestly don't think she would misbehave if she was at school. From what I hear at teacher conferences, my kids behave like little angels at school.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiNcO1MR3aRGQt37pw2t9-hIJus2p71kKqfu4kHsHhsaqq2iifggV_N7_ygqEp0gHJTmUz0RIiUtOlEKaVdqkW0v_zUfp7zY3HUIrGxoeobQ_oZsWFyEkGjsIMAt3avuHKPpP07kFBwT8/s640/IMG_6842.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiNcO1MR3aRGQt37pw2t9-hIJus2p71kKqfu4kHsHhsaqq2iifggV_N7_ygqEp0gHJTmUz0RIiUtOlEKaVdqkW0v_zUfp7zY3HUIrGxoeobQ_oZsWFyEkGjsIMAt3avuHKPpP07kFBwT8/w300-h400/IMG_6842.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Do not disturb school hour - by 5yo<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>This is my new life. Our school schedule is from 9:20-3:50pm every week day, except Wednesday. During school, we have five 15-20 minute live sessions with the teacher. There is no live instruction on Wednesday but there are a lot of required activities for the kids to work on. On top of this, I also get my daughter out of the house to either walk with me in the neighborhood for 45 minutes or run with me on the trail. If it rains a lot, we just do one of the PE activities the school assigns inside the house. If we have extra time during the day, I get her to do activity books. We have plenty of them. I try my best to give her stuff to do offline because she has been getting a lot of screen time since school started. It's definitely a concern for me. We are pretty strict when it comes to screen time for our kids and now that it's mandatory for school, we feel like it's out of our control.</p><p>There has been some challenges for us but I know it is <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/13/health/child-care-covid-women-workforce-wellness/index.html">much worst for so many others</a>. Yes, there are people who have lost their jobs and now have to help their kids with virtual learning and can no longer look for work. They cannot pay their bills or to make things worst their family have fallen victim to COVID-19. My family and I are fortunate in so many ways but we still have our own personal struggles. Struggles others do not know about. I have my personal struggles. Everything is relative and I have always felt a need to excel at everything I do. I don't feel good when things don't go right. It may not be a big deal to miss a live session at school but when it happens to me, it actually matters a lot. It would ruin my day if we could not join an active meeting. For the same reason it was devastating for me to get just a "B" in school. So for me, this pandemic and virtual school has brought upon a lot of anxiety. I'm not happy just being on survival mode. I need my kids to be excellent in school, well fed at home and for all of us to be active and healthy.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAzuCGpFxGW3uwhHM8itf6Rkidh8Yotgfaclkd0MnJG-G7bKmfglvLcCPOYMngGdoFfHgnpG0yROEaW02BtSQyNhsp8_iBjeDZWMj1gNJI9PcNbG4HY3oOUW1R3A7lHKpgzeA8CsslnrM/s640/IMG_20201017_105755415_Original.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAzuCGpFxGW3uwhHM8itf6Rkidh8Yotgfaclkd0MnJG-G7bKmfglvLcCPOYMngGdoFfHgnpG0yROEaW02BtSQyNhsp8_iBjeDZWMj1gNJI9PcNbG4HY3oOUW1R3A7lHKpgzeA8CsslnrM/s320/IMG_20201017_105755415_Original.jpg" /></a></div><p>I'm dealing with my anxiety in the worst possible way through stress eating. I have sweets like ice cream, cake, cookies or chocolate every single day. All the holidays around this time of year, like <a href="http://www.swoonforfood.com/2020/11/a-pandemic-halloween-2020.html">Halloween</a>, doesn't help either. I have also been snacking on a lot of potato chips and Cheetos. I do force myself to run 2-3 times a week out of guilt. And I try to get my kids out too since when I eat badly, they seem to as well. But I do still cook and bake a lot and we do eat a lot of healthy foods on top of the junk. So that's something, I guess. I'm allowing myself to eat this way because everyone else is too and this is only pandemic weight gain. The problem is the pandemic started 8 months ago and there is no end in sight. So there's no end to my bad diet. Some people resort to alcohol and drugs or even shopping therapy. For me, it's food. I know, I suck.</p>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13951100256433425136noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2019606404927868959.post-61828203313528152722020-11-05T17:13:00.004-08:002020-11-05T20:33:26.418-08:00A Pandemic Halloween 2020<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRvCbzzFriV3Q41lZ3qdYP4KczdyRX-lpEpNpuGJFpu6at2mlq4Fb86XGoSRbPJI4FToRpDHABnxUO3lkDC45j628F62LZKEBM-4qvY7iPjA6PXiz9jsdjtC1POKx52p-idwHaGHLieEQ/s2424/32DA00C9-9878-4B5A-B3A3-A2CB97E5033D.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2424" data-original-width="2424" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRvCbzzFriV3Q41lZ3qdYP4KczdyRX-lpEpNpuGJFpu6at2mlq4Fb86XGoSRbPJI4FToRpDHABnxUO3lkDC45j628F62LZKEBM-4qvY7iPjA6PXiz9jsdjtC1POKx52p-idwHaGHLieEQ/w400-h400/32DA00C9-9878-4B5A-B3A3-A2CB97E5033D.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>We celebrated Halloween this year the best way we knew how. We put up our decorations and I baked sugar cookies, cupcakes, and made a giant hearty vegetarian lasagna and heated spiced apple cider. My 11 year old made vegan rice krispie treats too and we bought bags and bags of our favorite Halloween candy. We kind of went all out with the sugar treats.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkvCDEZBQJO6n6b3M5Mi-9ZTJ6EsvBn2bm4_J4eXzbyyxWlF4bw9DoPD-IJ4BcYkaCYK688ow4zbUA95aWWGwWdUKW5wAT1EslFg3-QcJMnGqAQbHTgp7I6f2E-83Q4qu5w6-bhldskz4/s4032/IMG_6791.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkvCDEZBQJO6n6b3M5Mi-9ZTJ6EsvBn2bm4_J4eXzbyyxWlF4bw9DoPD-IJ4BcYkaCYK688ow4zbUA95aWWGwWdUKW5wAT1EslFg3-QcJMnGqAQbHTgp7I6f2E-83Q4qu5w6-bhldskz4/w400-h300/IMG_6791.HEIC" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt31CdaVyc80DFaKpN3D0jIDrdD-unfao7qSwPR0DJAs0qakeKQERvq18oWWLGuehIFawMl3tVsDvTCUlxqcdG8d0MMwVR0d6Wvhr56rmYg7fDyj8uO3_Wrbha-YRfp6vYJnAjY8LNYjc/s4032/IMG_6736.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt31CdaVyc80DFaKpN3D0jIDrdD-unfao7qSwPR0DJAs0qakeKQERvq18oWWLGuehIFawMl3tVsDvTCUlxqcdG8d0MMwVR0d6Wvhr56rmYg7fDyj8uO3_Wrbha-YRfp6vYJnAjY8LNYjc/w400-h300/IMG_6736.HEIC" width="400" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn5sqfqj_sZ9YEO1nOc7PKpekgxCoq7MlftwZNidhyCnS6T9k6GHNl2V3BQ7mxacqK33gKjCDfS7J1Tt1NL5I0sERaGwoS18m9HG-MinwR6YMEBEfamgC9t-L8tI91pXrwaIv345AL0hc/s4032/IMG_6788.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn5sqfqj_sZ9YEO1nOc7PKpekgxCoq7MlftwZNidhyCnS6T9k6GHNl2V3BQ7mxacqK33gKjCDfS7J1Tt1NL5I0sERaGwoS18m9HG-MinwR6YMEBEfamgC9t-L8tI91pXrwaIv345AL0hc/s320/IMG_6788.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baked small apples with carved faces<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoskhz9pW8iaosQ_t_uGlSn90pGZo7H8DXufe6phOrsB1ZTl635EVNqFcA7gTcYBO5QHl9K3_GCtrUGXkleLSMXZ28tzSDuQCVSttSiiAEOGwEf1IgNDZXFuuA1A73KNoM3EMWIapquTE/s2048/IMG_6819.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoskhz9pW8iaosQ_t_uGlSn90pGZo7H8DXufe6phOrsB1ZTl635EVNqFcA7gTcYBO5QHl9K3_GCtrUGXkleLSMXZ28tzSDuQCVSttSiiAEOGwEf1IgNDZXFuuA1A73KNoM3EMWIapquTE/w300-h400/IMG_6819.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spiced apple cider with lemon juice & water</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheunku5C_YExl7gYKg_jOlB3kN6bcEr8LIkDRwociiTKr9uxJO5v1RNB7-DMoJ0oR6lbGB04wnnV4lOwPyQvGyMWsRoxKXQ4Li3x25WX5pRDT2Hy0EpO4L28ZvPUEVFIA5pz5JMuMKLAo/s4032/IMG_6815.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheunku5C_YExl7gYKg_jOlB3kN6bcEr8LIkDRwociiTKr9uxJO5v1RNB7-DMoJ0oR6lbGB04wnnV4lOwPyQvGyMWsRoxKXQ4Li3x25WX5pRDT2Hy0EpO4L28ZvPUEVFIA5pz5JMuMKLAo/w300-h400/IMG_6815.HEIC" width="300" /></a></div><p></p><p>There is still no in person school and with that no school party. We weren't even sure if we could go trick or treating or if anyone would give out candy. For my 5 year old's sake, we had her dressed up a few times leading up to Halloween and then we went for a <i>Halloween walk</i>. I had planned for us to stay home, have a nice dinner and party and may be watch a Halloween movie together. We decided to go out at the last minute when it turned out that the weather would be spectacular and that there was going to be a blue moon out. Plus, it was a Saturday night and all the stars just seemed to be aligned for us to go out for Halloween. I told the kids we would only go out for 30-45 minutes and we would not be knocking on any doors because of coronavirus and if there were people around, we would wait until they cleared out before we approached houses. Now if during our Halloween walk, we saw candy placed out, the plan was to have my 11 year old take some candy for both of them using a food safe glove.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6QVSNp_fJNt0M5cZ8_2cjwC3dQyg1TawtMjZAEAV_UI-DBF0lIkTyaii7Z0p1g1NEBl-Zb81Cr59GT6zKNPO5QnMibQ2Ng_owA1WumXkRDZgqtNo5l__RuWOseCyyeYbiAVimo8_MKJw/s2048/IMG_20201031_184234569.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6QVSNp_fJNt0M5cZ8_2cjwC3dQyg1TawtMjZAEAV_UI-DBF0lIkTyaii7Z0p1g1NEBl-Zb81Cr59GT6zKNPO5QnMibQ2Ng_owA1WumXkRDZgqtNo5l__RuWOseCyyeYbiAVimo8_MKJw/w300-h400/IMG_20201031_184234569.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikcaqgHbIKu91QRpsDLDrRE6mJ2Me3WBpPLd1MQEdNNiMGegGAoM98YlxZPh7Jpn4GinLSOx8aK7fpAlk4QEyR8mNIUBrlPrZg8IzH7QeoN9nKH0mtxz6fPajZ1WVWrPvMvMqAZ5RyF74/s2048/IMG_6777.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikcaqgHbIKu91QRpsDLDrRE6mJ2Me3WBpPLd1MQEdNNiMGegGAoM98YlxZPh7Jpn4GinLSOx8aK7fpAlk4QEyR8mNIUBrlPrZg8IzH7QeoN9nKH0mtxz6fPajZ1WVWrPvMvMqAZ5RyF74/s320/IMG_6777.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXnKVOpsL2g2uNK0f86EypxkeXmTqVChXiljzfQFGNzlzG8yoxezD6IHipaqp8VDuHDFckxSSK1YAONNShkOUmj1d7fSb5tkP03-jb0SwpetNq4zdIqywALhZGTFQukQKwtTeJSXq_IPY/s2048/IMG_20201031_190249286.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXnKVOpsL2g2uNK0f86EypxkeXmTqVChXiljzfQFGNzlzG8yoxezD6IHipaqp8VDuHDFckxSSK1YAONNShkOUmj1d7fSb5tkP03-jb0SwpetNq4zdIqywALhZGTFQukQKwtTeJSXq_IPY/w400-h300/IMG_20201031_190249286.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvEBicfJHpfaPo_eVLkaNVB3HPzgX_odoFaVIoM9ES9NZUMWR8Vbnsg8nM1BeB2hqLIQvEVmitkZ7YcNC1VcqKURBe8z5M9W4oAI0JL62h4xIa3ptvNhnC0NGCd1Gy0pa1bgvgaGrsIiY/s2048/IMG_20201031_184645162.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvEBicfJHpfaPo_eVLkaNVB3HPzgX_odoFaVIoM9ES9NZUMWR8Vbnsg8nM1BeB2hqLIQvEVmitkZ7YcNC1VcqKURBe8z5M9W4oAI0JL62h4xIa3ptvNhnC0NGCd1Gy0pa1bgvgaGrsIiY/s320/IMG_20201031_184645162.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigPvAzKgkvSkWrSuihtr71J7W3tDc4U484ZMAIu_FAwU2DBPFz6nsgmliGsG56fh7VTAZHTnrXQbdrXY_xHaH3-aJapyb5Xih9bgaSYbE4A0j0IjqbaemFicdX3fi4mxfp6dwOLDlqLAA/s2048/IMG_6837.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigPvAzKgkvSkWrSuihtr71J7W3tDc4U484ZMAIu_FAwU2DBPFz6nsgmliGsG56fh7VTAZHTnrXQbdrXY_xHaH3-aJapyb5Xih9bgaSYbE4A0j0IjqbaemFicdX3fi4mxfp6dwOLDlqLAA/w300-h400/IMG_6837.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><p>I am so glad we got to go out for a bit! There definitely weren't many homes celebrating Halloween but when they did give out candy, many were individually bagged and contained several pieces of candy. There might have been candy placed outside a home for every 4-5 homes. Not many but we still managed to collect quite a few in a short time. My 5 year old was so excited for Halloween! My almost 12 year was not and went out in regular clothes. My 5 year old was the only one in costume and the rest of us wore face masks. We saw maybe 3 kids out. It was so quiet in our neighborhood. It has been just a bummer for the kids since March with school closed and virtual learning taking over our lives so I'm so happy we were able to do this for them. Once we started collecting more candy, my 11 year old actually got excited and started running from house to house. He said how awesome it was because you don't even have to knock on doors, wait, and talk to anyone. Getting candy was so much faster this way! In fact, he hopes that next Halloween would be another pandemic Halloween. Geez. When we got home, all the candy went into quarantine for three days. No big deal since we had all of our homemade treats.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjui87xg56sIPej-8WoN2zfiW_MBxetYwaVOdqdfpqFVnet_HpQwomch2Xgy5WbjMjGCOcC7OwcQsmdYTuTKoy8hyphenhyphenBawPLr0S9W459_1BUvOOP0SBwvp4WLfhALxQspYfLHZ2B8cM95MJQ/s2048/IMG_6707.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjui87xg56sIPej-8WoN2zfiW_MBxetYwaVOdqdfpqFVnet_HpQwomch2Xgy5WbjMjGCOcC7OwcQsmdYTuTKoy8hyphenhyphenBawPLr0S9W459_1BUvOOP0SBwvp4WLfhALxQspYfLHZ2B8cM95MJQ/s320/IMG_6707.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisdpwrNUNXlRlQv0rH5omtMIhD3Hrs7yvaEmabV7QKE8vOOaLJi5XH92D2ccSNrFaTJGkY9qSRwAf_7V9DfF9CgG0_m4es_-_tHWrr3N4bwYAKesSfjJGdJO1DxiP1mV9re72UW1kI1uc/s4032/IMG_6714.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisdpwrNUNXlRlQv0rH5omtMIhD3Hrs7yvaEmabV7QKE8vOOaLJi5XH92D2ccSNrFaTJGkY9qSRwAf_7V9DfF9CgG0_m4es_-_tHWrr3N4bwYAKesSfjJGdJO1DxiP1mV9re72UW1kI1uc/w400-h300/IMG_6714.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0lIxFPjSiLBIYQUVirI1o0W_i4CaIx7QjEXKB72uXseWtd7QDfioBmw8CS-kxLgXMejU6E_u-s_3ReC1giLRLhBySPPOQKFSgZgk8TICTU3zyqrBBQoVQxEwE7yg7hCZiVQHJKDwy0Ok/s4032/IMG_6721.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0lIxFPjSiLBIYQUVirI1o0W_i4CaIx7QjEXKB72uXseWtd7QDfioBmw8CS-kxLgXMejU6E_u-s_3ReC1giLRLhBySPPOQKFSgZgk8TICTU3zyqrBBQoVQxEwE7yg7hCZiVQHJKDwy0Ok/w300-h400/IMG_6721.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5UNr-Xrj4bv8ixVdqhW3a9zwahcYIGVSUiWV4PQJzcwe-lGoYQMUenMB6qV3zcuKAyrI8x6i-QL4TubtmD2O3Q-ltZo7QJLZLLu24B1aMyJQNeFWEDR-ru_GINyFme5eS2pM66PaZz70/s4032/IMG_6727.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5UNr-Xrj4bv8ixVdqhW3a9zwahcYIGVSUiWV4PQJzcwe-lGoYQMUenMB6qV3zcuKAyrI8x6i-QL4TubtmD2O3Q-ltZo7QJLZLLu24B1aMyJQNeFWEDR-ru_GINyFme5eS2pM66PaZz70/w400-h300/IMG_6727.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>My 5 year old helped with decorating the cookies and cupcakes. It was a craft I wanted to do with her to celebrate Halloween week. My 11 year old was not really interested. I'm glad I was able to do that with her. She definitely has my love for crafts and art. My son is more like his dad I guess. He did carve a pumpkin but I feel like we had to pressure him to do it. I carved a pumpkin too with a design for my daughter. She is really into Avatar: The Last Airbender so I carved Avatar Aang in the Avatar state. When I told her I would carve Aang, she described what she wanted and it ended up being the exact image I had printed out days ago. It's a little creepy how much we think alike! Lol.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjllKwDnRaoPiV2aMYt5tyg6BKOJN4XtOCruW8AXyg29sCFIyblAGZa3BFHr9ToPS5EGCkt4SvfkNxmbScc2tZHlA4OiMfsrsxUz2xWtbdwxlMzHT6i0JqzaAdjqNFLlVs_EL45MG8GetY/s4032/IMG_6758.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjllKwDnRaoPiV2aMYt5tyg6BKOJN4XtOCruW8AXyg29sCFIyblAGZa3BFHr9ToPS5EGCkt4SvfkNxmbScc2tZHlA4OiMfsrsxUz2xWtbdwxlMzHT6i0JqzaAdjqNFLlVs_EL45MG8GetY/s320/IMG_6758.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvWDX0TaeaUMFjuUXl6cU0RMIAM007B8lKluRenHCP0AbGQKFtoY0qJm6dSOPtMOaL8dc9prZZanyYrn08bd5nLhY6Rfrrbs55DYPUS6OIvBmj5BhOSUw5s5yLXrfy_pI_SW94R6k4aBc/s2048/IMG_6759.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvWDX0TaeaUMFjuUXl6cU0RMIAM007B8lKluRenHCP0AbGQKFtoY0qJm6dSOPtMOaL8dc9prZZanyYrn08bd5nLhY6Rfrrbs55DYPUS6OIvBmj5BhOSUw5s5yLXrfy_pI_SW94R6k4aBc/s320/IMG_6759.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP4KYCuc0XqJ_OMaXPPkYxhPdNjChCx8aerwJmF3Oyxk7fo0hIxiceo8_dDR9cK4R0eErBNFimmDobMAsdbTcvj3IqqsvgD46iKcV4Kp_Rz1mGZMrPy_4_v_b2wiH5SjtxL6xYig3CZvE/s2048/IMG_6765.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP4KYCuc0XqJ_OMaXPPkYxhPdNjChCx8aerwJmF3Oyxk7fo0hIxiceo8_dDR9cK4R0eErBNFimmDobMAsdbTcvj3IqqsvgD46iKcV4Kp_Rz1mGZMrPy_4_v_b2wiH5SjtxL6xYig3CZvE/w300-h400/IMG_6765.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqwtmbSeAsz65tNFFoWW9e9tb4gxTEg6_Z1bLf3KbQX4KfFN4uu9cyxWJv0ytD5L5ifrvzV_Irw50fYjX-24tdk6PBOmybTOL33XkmisXoUQgewVzpt-es9U7lZMX65YTTETUIvBkng3Y/s2048/IMG_6770.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqwtmbSeAsz65tNFFoWW9e9tb4gxTEg6_Z1bLf3KbQX4KfFN4uu9cyxWJv0ytD5L5ifrvzV_Irw50fYjX-24tdk6PBOmybTOL33XkmisXoUQgewVzpt-es9U7lZMX65YTTETUIvBkng3Y/w300-h400/IMG_6770.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSZvtEteIQU9ozkp4GI6MqIkfUsfN2wZaEDvjqK6A_pP5486DOG6Uah7IO5AaDw4JA8s2AgpoGLUYDHZyCTPz_KhBiiut6Abmua7AA3R6_Pcbch_D3ghqxWJJyAL0kb1Dd63R37ePuMD8/s2048/IMG_6838.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSZvtEteIQU9ozkp4GI6MqIkfUsfN2wZaEDvjqK6A_pP5486DOG6Uah7IO5AaDw4JA8s2AgpoGLUYDHZyCTPz_KhBiiut6Abmua7AA3R6_Pcbch_D3ghqxWJJyAL0kb1Dd63R37ePuMD8/s320/IMG_6838.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Candy out of quarantine</td></tr></tbody></table><p>We had a great pandemic Halloween, just the four of us. I honestly don't know what I would do without my little family over here. I would feel super isolated and lonely.</p>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13951100256433425136noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2019606404927868959.post-19713483584805965222020-09-14T15:56:00.002-07:002020-09-14T15:56:33.811-07:00White Vanilla Ice Cream Cupcakes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCHHlzyui-O37jghcoFWoF7_FTgnnF0NVTAMfhZkN3XNqyN0RhKDfnSGZBuVu6H4oAzQSwj4W7DKmUbjgcTHrqHGc7nJY9ZCTOOEBXyKVbalKvjdMyRNb7sMSjZJeq0SLOF0pe7XmuvzI/s2048/IMG_6191.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1871" data-original-width="2048" height="365" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCHHlzyui-O37jghcoFWoF7_FTgnnF0NVTAMfhZkN3XNqyN0RhKDfnSGZBuVu6H4oAzQSwj4W7DKmUbjgcTHrqHGc7nJY9ZCTOOEBXyKVbalKvjdMyRNb7sMSjZJeq0SLOF0pe7XmuvzI/w400-h365/IMG_6191.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis7tCUIUtPbjxKKAc4-6rRQtHosmsKHFjw7ZF96_lSRjzgIXBUtR6DIBSgwDEo1HPnMyz9RidDTv2WAgYWR4v7FVvum651B0p5sZ2E0_lNAfzHKE121dfq-GoH2OjIWxcyNbGvogGPsHg/s579/Screen+Shot+2020-09-14+at+3.15.03+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="579" data-original-width="506" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis7tCUIUtPbjxKKAc4-6rRQtHosmsKHFjw7ZF96_lSRjzgIXBUtR6DIBSgwDEo1HPnMyz9RidDTv2WAgYWR4v7FVvum651B0p5sZ2E0_lNAfzHKE121dfq-GoH2OjIWxcyNbGvogGPsHg/w350-h400/Screen+Shot+2020-09-14+at+3.15.03+PM.png" width="350" /></a></div><p>What's better than a fluffy white vanilla bean cupcake? One you can serve with vanilla ice cream and one you can keep for a very long time! A vanilla ice cream cupcake, of course!</p><p>If you follow me at all, you know that I <i>love</i> ice cream cakes. Having ice cream with cake, reduces the overall sweetness of the cake and when I make it, it's really multiple desserts in one. It's also the best dessert to celebrate with on a hot summer day.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGbNDGfVFRWa2efnjYwpULGIW3ZmRjQLg-KQWK5g1bIPnl9PJYJuvTonKSaoBc4TR7Ycm4otaVdyQz2DdxTTpca6SIFE0yGaVPau2as1SJ0hJpt3rpxXHALMxxQwfh7zq5i-zM7Ubr5ac/s673/Screen+Shot+2020-09-14+at+3.17.00+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="670" data-original-width="673" height="399" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGbNDGfVFRWa2efnjYwpULGIW3ZmRjQLg-KQWK5g1bIPnl9PJYJuvTonKSaoBc4TR7Ycm4otaVdyQz2DdxTTpca6SIFE0yGaVPau2as1SJ0hJpt3rpxXHALMxxQwfh7zq5i-zM7Ubr5ac/w400-h399/Screen+Shot+2020-09-14+at+3.17.00+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div><p>My daughter recently turned 5 and we had a week long birthday celebration at home. I prepared many of her favorite meals, including desserts all through the week. One of the desserts I made were vanilla ice cream cupcakes. The vanilla cupcakes I made were super white due to the use of only egg whites so I decided to do an all white ice cream cupcake version. Normally, I would have a cookie layer in between the cake for an added crunch but I had no time to make cookies. I did have rice krispie treats because I made them for part of my daughter's birthday cake. It was perfect!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhysqxG73grYhLd8-zWIGwJiJn_BExvjTqB6CCFGZoFdEzhyphenhyphenxQ1pfb7OVU0kDNozzYDh_wBwG0_TW1R8W4OUa8PPdzIYYijwIWxyr-hBbwdTbTCN9xKivvWSu2sN0heWeIzKSB2lRaEnnk/s2048/IMG_6170.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1412" data-original-width="2048" height="442" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhysqxG73grYhLd8-zWIGwJiJn_BExvjTqB6CCFGZoFdEzhyphenhyphenxQ1pfb7OVU0kDNozzYDh_wBwG0_TW1R8W4OUa8PPdzIYYijwIWxyr-hBbwdTbTCN9xKivvWSu2sN0heWeIzKSB2lRaEnnk/w640-h442/IMG_6170.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG-Nx1s06dpDsK8tFT17mnfkoGjydR58FWlAX4lMiPfeLc_5bN-e8xK9JPsWn9jiGmFdAvzIck7LUB4nGDD-ZtzAz2bn7RI8TEC8PerfRaIAAfDv_7JJ88YbTyH-oo4SkCHRml46K-ojE/s2048/IMG_6172.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG-Nx1s06dpDsK8tFT17mnfkoGjydR58FWlAX4lMiPfeLc_5bN-e8xK9JPsWn9jiGmFdAvzIck7LUB4nGDD-ZtzAz2bn7RI8TEC8PerfRaIAAfDv_7JJ88YbTyH-oo4SkCHRml46K-ojE/w640-h480/IMG_6172.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p><b>Vanilla Ice Cream Cupcakes</b><br />Makes 16 desserts<br /><br />1/2 <a href="https://preppykitchen.com/moist-vanilla-cupcake-recipe/" target="_blank">vanilla cupcake recipe</a><br />1/2 <a href="http://www.swoonforfood.com/2013/05/chewy-brown-rice-brown-butter-rice.html" target="_blank">rice krispie recipe</a> (use regular rice krispie cereal & extra 1/2 cups of marshmallows for extra chewiness)<br />1 tub of vanilla bean Tillamook ice cream</p><p>If you can, use paper cupcake liners since they are stiff and will make filling them a lot easier.</p><p>Fill the cupcake liners about a quarter full before baking them. Once they are done and cooled, freeze them. Make the rice krispie treats and cut them out into thin rounds that would fit into the cupcake liners. I added rainbow sprinkles to my rice krispie treats for a fun. The rice krispie layer was probably about 1/2 cm thick. Because they were already sticky, I just pressed them onto my frozen cupcakes. Next layer was the vanilla ice cream. I decided to use Tillamook vanilla bean ice cream, instead of making my own. There was an ice cream sale and frankly, the already made ice cream was cheaper than all the heavy whipping cream I would need to purchase to make fresh ice cream. Tillamook is pretty good ice cream too so it was an easy decision. I pretty much filled the rest of the cupcake liner with ice cream. Then store all the cupcakes in the freezer.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiNHMPxLCHoLusQ7TuOgJeaP3vgS7uUAF4GS5xCAoyvCkZHhg6cVpVKBRDJWyLT7NGs9w2Rd5f6_M_pKuc5yP1F5b6-G7wt1UA8ivrsP_mEytopV3WIclSMBfb8VHXeeqZnIUWhePIdb0/s4032/IMG_5951.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiNHMPxLCHoLusQ7TuOgJeaP3vgS7uUAF4GS5xCAoyvCkZHhg6cVpVKBRDJWyLT7NGs9w2Rd5f6_M_pKuc5yP1F5b6-G7wt1UA8ivrsP_mEytopV3WIclSMBfb8VHXeeqZnIUWhePIdb0/w300-h400/IMG_5951.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi_dtlz5V1F2DkyY5p5XArdVs2go8WoxE_FKmfE8voz1CeUcEcWaIxZ-fY9rxDlst4AwmAccUnVCSDNVb9OzLdsja03z0D7ol5onNpO5LeYcqXNL6MJEM_UfItukJ7CxrZ4m6ppGKBfNk/w300-h400/IMG_5955.jpg" style="text-align: left;" width="300" /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCEc4z17w-M3J3ExdLAaepNLc6hwiGi-v7Ld-65i0GoQ66q5zUora5irO37XptxDDbfpwjVXVdfg5EtBQvWNUXHixZBe_YUEcssdoCr2sBa84cxNKWsMdYnxNEKyr1JB60CCoZ2k3uAyE/s4032/IMG_5957.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCEc4z17w-M3J3ExdLAaepNLc6hwiGi-v7Ld-65i0GoQ66q5zUora5irO37XptxDDbfpwjVXVdfg5EtBQvWNUXHixZBe_YUEcssdoCr2sBa84cxNKWsMdYnxNEKyr1JB60CCoZ2k3uAyE/w480-h640/IMG_5957.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2GvidUD3x9waov5lDhgN6j9cZaGC2Fcvgc7aF-LLC0RtmtnyP4i76wY2IljCjyHPIwadZpnOAPf-paYWeRmn9ojB0h9ecOu8YlUl7qtz4ruYiAhJiWjXs9TYK_igNpb7GIjtx15Rt-Lc/s2048/IMG_6171.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1393" data-original-width="2048" height="436" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2GvidUD3x9waov5lDhgN6j9cZaGC2Fcvgc7aF-LLC0RtmtnyP4i76wY2IljCjyHPIwadZpnOAPf-paYWeRmn9ojB0h9ecOu8YlUl7qtz4ruYiAhJiWjXs9TYK_igNpb7GIjtx15Rt-Lc/w640-h436/IMG_6171.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>For decoration, I made strawberry flavored fondant butterflies. I painted them with a red ombre effect and placed them in the fridge to harden up. When it was time to serve the ice cream cupcakes, I added some whipped cream to the top and then placed on a butterfly. I didn't have to do much more since the cupcake liners I used were floral and were already cute with the butterfly on top. The cake, rice krispie treat, and ice cream were all in the right proportions for this dessert. It was truly a vanilla dream dessert!</p>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13951100256433425136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2019606404927868959.post-21372352704212610652020-08-22T13:45:00.000-07:002020-08-22T13:45:12.472-07:00Celebrating 19 Years of Marriage<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBMqECdbNve8gqmYNiL1RPVPuB5Q8vF8IgUFOiR3t1kHMufuPiJ4F8CK8YvW227Ymr9qlnYTlNcZgIgOm15GGtcfwyk_sqfZFlvNYiG3wzl4ro1To03T-C8tUWK6OkgRCswdKeHyt6TRg/s4032/IMG_5670.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBMqECdbNve8gqmYNiL1RPVPuB5Q8vF8IgUFOiR3t1kHMufuPiJ4F8CK8YvW227Ymr9qlnYTlNcZgIgOm15GGtcfwyk_sqfZFlvNYiG3wzl4ro1To03T-C8tUWK6OkgRCswdKeHyt6TRg/w600-h800/IMG_5670.jpg" width="600" /></a></div><p>Lately, my husband and I celebrated our 19th wedding anniversary. If you are doing the math and think we're old, you are correct. Lol.</p><p>We typically dine out at a nice restaurant for our anniversary with our kids but we're in a pandemic right now so we decided to just chill out at home. We had a BBQ dinner and I made us a cake. I thought I would have fun with the cake and use some of the macarons I made. Since I made cute <a href="http://www.swoonforfood.com/2020/08/turtle-shaped-pistachio-cardamon.html">turtle macarons</a>, I decided to reuse some of my underwater molds from my <a href="http://www.swoonforfood.com/2018/09/underwater-birthday-party-at-lake.html">daughter's 3rd birthday</a> and do an underwater theme using blue and green color variations. Underwater themes never get old.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXtgB4OAEWpiqUYaFr5ieR7gQySMEFM-UJ2bE2k53zR81Kq2xT9tBFH3gtIn0vSQ5GyjcJhjnGJmLNZ2OCVu9AWPGNa38QxjHJfKBbqDAcQj15TGG3LILTXiciLAT_Ixsw3lBPu16rxvE/s4032/IMG_5647+%25281%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXtgB4OAEWpiqUYaFr5ieR7gQySMEFM-UJ2bE2k53zR81Kq2xT9tBFH3gtIn0vSQ5GyjcJhjnGJmLNZ2OCVu9AWPGNa38QxjHJfKBbqDAcQj15TGG3LILTXiciLAT_Ixsw3lBPu16rxvE/s640/IMG_5647+%25281%2529.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cold green tea noodle salad served with bbq chicken & steak.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>I made a chocolate cake with lime Swiss meringue buttercream and tinted some of the frosting green, light blue, and blue. I gave the cake a ombre effect and then made a white chocolate ganache, tinted in blue, for a drip cake effect on top. Then I piped all sorts of swirls on top and topped it with my fondant shells, candy melt mermaid tails and my homemade macarons. It looked a bit too blue and green to me at one point so I introduced some purple in there and that turned out perfect. My heart label was made out of molding chocolate and fondant and I placed it on top of the turtle macarons instead of directly in the cake so it wouldn't get moisture and deform. Everything on the cake was homemade and I'm so grateful that I have all the skills needed to do this cake on my own now. This would be an expensive cake if I had to buy it!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCXJiUFvpCpHRBjf2eoErOPz7GaaxmfOWAzT92nG4XlgZ9xXEy7I5fTAy6pFnmIiLs4SKnvbhrA0W7ed1Wc3quyXS5hK_vorgdhu95RAmi3RvRfWIJhPYpxJgBMHX49_-VbqLYCJ1Frn8/s4032/IMG_5652.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCXJiUFvpCpHRBjf2eoErOPz7GaaxmfOWAzT92nG4XlgZ9xXEy7I5fTAy6pFnmIiLs4SKnvbhrA0W7ed1Wc3quyXS5hK_vorgdhu95RAmi3RvRfWIJhPYpxJgBMHX49_-VbqLYCJ1Frn8/w600-h800/IMG_5652.jpg" width="600" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy 19th Anniversary to us!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>I had so many decorations, I almost ruined my cake. At one point, I thought it was hideous because I overloaded it with decorations. When it comes to art, you need to know when to stop and put all your tools down. I wanted to use all my decorative pieces and didn't realize what I was doing until I went a little too far. I had to rotate my cake for a cleaner canvas and do less decoration there. In the end, I was still quite proud of it. My husband thought it was worthy of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar_Rush_(2018_TV_series)">Sugar Rush</a> so that was a nice compliment. He also thought I used <i>real</i> seashells! Nope, everything was edible on this cake. As it should be.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDZGI4_JJFC1y7QO4-hrcDVPPn_74526rg7LJYoYLP3mLxEpOmedi9n-FfimvvoqtKLmFJJDRiKMm7bGBk7TEePkTkxswziC1JbnDkTIgY4vABKz-OMwSgQNuGdUc2D1ahwUo3hyNAqWA/s2048/IMG_5673.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDZGI4_JJFC1y7QO4-hrcDVPPn_74526rg7LJYoYLP3mLxEpOmedi9n-FfimvvoqtKLmFJJDRiKMm7bGBk7TEePkTkxswziC1JbnDkTIgY4vABKz-OMwSgQNuGdUc2D1ahwUo3hyNAqWA/w512-h384/IMG_5673.jpg" width="512" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Loved how my fondant shells turned out.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibV8TDc9KHM17aS0K0DjxyWIz3TICkakaL4eCNJZYUpvHm3BRohe5caoy1o-0v5R1Xs9tcU28PQvIQFWd5Sayc7RuFb3D-zBW547wT1OJlCTJczekK_5-pxNPbDkBLs8mUOzZR95gKTVE/s2048/IMG_5674.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibV8TDc9KHM17aS0K0DjxyWIz3TICkakaL4eCNJZYUpvHm3BRohe5caoy1o-0v5R1Xs9tcU28PQvIQFWd5Sayc7RuFb3D-zBW547wT1OJlCTJczekK_5-pxNPbDkBLs8mUOzZR95gKTVE/w512-h384/IMG_5674.jpg" width="512" /></a></div><p>I love how light colored frosting contrasts with a dark chocolate cake when it's sliced. My cake layers were even and when served with a macaron, we also got a different texture and crunch. Yes, we've all been watching too many cooking shows lately!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVER8L7Q2qEfWTViABZjO-kHR_syq_ifej-hESX-hyM-9qFsZh9YqeJN-Ek6Kz00bfaXX883jEhnmyF3esrNn60PAAv6qMbdyRNy0HPtPlMnRoPnUZAtrAL4SV8snXVMA10OBUIL6OuuA/s4032/IMG_5662.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVER8L7Q2qEfWTViABZjO-kHR_syq_ifej-hESX-hyM-9qFsZh9YqeJN-Ek6Kz00bfaXX883jEhnmyF3esrNn60PAAv6qMbdyRNy0HPtPlMnRoPnUZAtrAL4SV8snXVMA10OBUIL6OuuA/s640/IMG_5662.jpg" /></a></div>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13951100256433425136noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2019606404927868959.post-45196240878747647802020-08-13T16:51:00.004-07:002020-08-13T16:51:59.170-07:00Turtle-Shaped Pistachio Cardamon Macarons<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGghoDQwX4Xy2NVrgHI6S14l3XZqf19hPD9LnbusMeYwr0RHtmvpLs-VSUE8V5GvB3WVzPyN8ooRd6Ue4vJ0R9ttfEZOzyEX6zfj3Ny6naLptu7XWJPz7jPKBcPo4zfQFZajhmnXmIH74/s2048/IMG_5559.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1811" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGghoDQwX4Xy2NVrgHI6S14l3XZqf19hPD9LnbusMeYwr0RHtmvpLs-VSUE8V5GvB3WVzPyN8ooRd6Ue4vJ0R9ttfEZOzyEX6zfj3Ny6naLptu7XWJPz7jPKBcPo4zfQFZajhmnXmIH74/w566-h640/IMG_5559.jpg" width="566" /></a></div><p>If you follow me on Instagram, you would already know that I've been obsessed with making macarons. For the past few months, that has been my favorite thing to bake. I taught myself how to make macarons over this COVID-19 pandemic so I can thank the pandemic for that. It has been so much fun playing with different flavors and everything has turned out great so far. My all time favorite flavor is still pistachio or any combination with pistachio in it.</p><p>Today, is another cool summer day and I was in the mood to bake. I so happen to have baked macarons yesterday too but oh well. Lol. It was a different flavor! I'm feeling more and more confident and I wanted to try some macaron designs. There are so many cute designs online that I swoon over but I needed something fairly simple so that I don't totally fail on the first try. Ha! Since I love pistachios so much, I decided to do something green and a sea turtle seemed easy enough.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoNoPCA84ZhcEzfW0V8lzrvnXl18f8CooYUeY3e0UHBU6upK4saI_k8-jW8wUojCGOFsb6fhvrJRqy7zv6Q1-RP48_WbxXJXPRahhyaw2j46jEPlooU48kJmB9KrYWlykhbRvdrWjH9Uw/s2048/IMG_5540.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1962" data-original-width="2048" height="392" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoNoPCA84ZhcEzfW0V8lzrvnXl18f8CooYUeY3e0UHBU6upK4saI_k8-jW8wUojCGOFsb6fhvrJRqy7zv6Q1-RP48_WbxXJXPRahhyaw2j46jEPlooU48kJmB9KrYWlykhbRvdrWjH9Uw/w410-h392/IMG_5540.jpg" width="410" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicUzwnbUfZV-dJUOBbP2YViT4QW-FCFnBgUEu3dIXGA8EsEa6O7XjxSiovgr1UqwjuZFfVQoaJ4ttki61ND1fCHg4cJYJgB1j-Q83V7BIaEcv6131bhnYnW-0tYK7kZVpPmFO6tUndRhw/s2048/IMG_5543.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1849" data-original-width="2048" height="370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicUzwnbUfZV-dJUOBbP2YViT4QW-FCFnBgUEu3dIXGA8EsEa6O7XjxSiovgr1UqwjuZFfVQoaJ4ttki61ND1fCHg4cJYJgB1j-Q83V7BIaEcv6131bhnYnW-0tYK7kZVpPmFO6tUndRhw/w410-h370/IMG_5543.jpg" width="410" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLisUOrVj82kG11CopjxD9T47yacjUTKUPFqsycThRxsqhdGOxPl11YIBAZCtMKUwK0DQQIINLY5oIRYL4-s-NQgLkSr3YKaf57qGIw0Lw3vpnuV48EU1R2R6NYpQt_y8IsN5UR1oeINw/s4032/IMG_5544.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLisUOrVj82kG11CopjxD9T47yacjUTKUPFqsycThRxsqhdGOxPl11YIBAZCtMKUwK0DQQIINLY5oIRYL4-s-NQgLkSr3YKaf57qGIw0Lw3vpnuV48EU1R2R6NYpQt_y8IsN5UR1oeINw/w384-h512/IMG_5544.jpg" width="384" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before Baking</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPes2v-mLtu25mX4jJeuryxUSeHRbej8sHxEdn8GGjAlvdt6AiMvBHR0KjJ5qQgRH9ixcMSgp2v7DBCwCTu6KYQvutyge2tYHBOc7O9I9bzqGp5_Z20YU0civydsAkzyhgKCPtVXRYjsw/s2048/IMG_5545.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1665" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPes2v-mLtu25mX4jJeuryxUSeHRbej8sHxEdn8GGjAlvdt6AiMvBHR0KjJ5qQgRH9ixcMSgp2v7DBCwCTu6KYQvutyge2tYHBOc7O9I9bzqGp5_Z20YU0civydsAkzyhgKCPtVXRYjsw/w416-h512/IMG_5545.jpg" width="416" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After Baking<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8QpznY6KGquzsbDIaONOInmMg1axNH9xyG3wCnJDOIYzFrBiF4aEABa4EmcGBzvzsV6hx0hmL-3nxfuBN_VGq7Ai88EqyHyoau9cgRNTXESbrJcId1AW_5GR6Rb6oRVF9D2Czt2fKXoA/s4032/IMG_5551.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8QpznY6KGquzsbDIaONOInmMg1axNH9xyG3wCnJDOIYzFrBiF4aEABa4EmcGBzvzsV6hx0hmL-3nxfuBN_VGq7Ai88EqyHyoau9cgRNTXESbrJcId1AW_5GR6Rb6oRVF9D2Czt2fKXoA/s640/IMG_5551.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After adding paint. How adorable are these?</td></tr></tbody></table><p>I love my little turtle macarons! They cracked a bit at the top because I didn't let them fully dry but I actually think the cracks made them more turtle-like. It gave them character so yay! Today, I'm actually feeling a bit like <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim-Joy">Kim-Joy</a> from the The Great British Bake Off. She creates the most adorable looking desserts. I'm not nearly as good so I like to copy the best. Kim-Joy rules!</p><p>I tinted my whipped meringues with green and a bit of yellow. I added about 1 tsp of cardamon to the dry ingredients and 1/2 tsp of cardamon to the filling as well. I started piping the turtle bit by bit so that it had time to spread and dry before I added more. I think that is the most important part because you don't want to end up with a big undistinguishable blob. To simplify things, I think next time I would just pipe rounds for the bottoms of the turtles. That would facilitate matching them up and then they would lie flat as well. So using half the batter, I would pipe out turtles and with the other half of the batter, pipe rounds roughly the same size as the turtle's shell. If you are looking for a recipe, you can try my <a href="http://www.swoonforfood.com/2020/06/adventures-in-macaron-making.html">pistachio matcha macaron</a> recipe and just omit the matcha part.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5l2c6tqbAWmfdKlmnBeciLZGfDht92s7c_9gbKfiZaMiLR8ZIouA_zcGCrX849Fufm4qkadg49s2bi3UjbAcIKZP78jw6BcrPqxgSJ6Hq1NhrsaNb-_bbT7xuouV8eyi90xBpMmwFEo4/s4032/IMG_5566.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5l2c6tqbAWmfdKlmnBeciLZGfDht92s7c_9gbKfiZaMiLR8ZIouA_zcGCrX849Fufm4qkadg49s2bi3UjbAcIKZP78jw6BcrPqxgSJ6Hq1NhrsaNb-_bbT7xuouV8eyi90xBpMmwFEo4/s640/IMG_5566.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sea turtle macarons sunbathing.</td></tr></tbody></table>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13951100256433425136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2019606404927868959.post-84528043165249261912020-07-06T17:25:00.002-07:002020-07-06T17:25:52.507-07:00Lavender Macarons<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbD3ClSWV4PIXlBJsldnzpm5VBqwqDo0iFqYMJKY-w4TwqU6hxnoK0WFL9hkFkw5Uvsi1cjF83O7etb6A1X6_VgXDbVjMbaRqo3C5jswh0prINlFTdst-M1ROCooChmyWpHfQfxDQNCSc/s1600/IMG_4884.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1277" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbD3ClSWV4PIXlBJsldnzpm5VBqwqDo0iFqYMJKY-w4TwqU6hxnoK0WFL9hkFkw5Uvsi1cjF83O7etb6A1X6_VgXDbVjMbaRqo3C5jswh0prINlFTdst-M1ROCooChmyWpHfQfxDQNCSc/s640/IMG_4884.jpg" width="510" /></a></div>
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Yes, I'm obsessed with macarons. So?<br />
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Now that I'm getting better at this, why stop right? Also, I had to experiment a bit more to see for myself if I can take a few shortcuts. And yes, I can! I'm playing with a bit of colour too because it helps reinforce the flavour I'm working with and it just makes everything so pretty. C'mon. If my beautiful lavender macarons don't win you over to use a bit of food colouring, check out these pretty in pink raspberries macarons I made a few weeks ago. I'm in love!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgztuZyKZKbBTp-Z6IQAtVaAjE1-6Q9FutXUS47LRGWpB8mLn6b_y3ew0zy7DWfHUZvmZDwiRfmtxtrFPGry316PCwVcaUZ8VHCqvGFpQ-4uCcryFo45tlT1C-c652xnhkKIokitJ6x_Wk/s1600/992C592E-CE57-45B5-9559-DAF072A3DF83.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1280" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgztuZyKZKbBTp-Z6IQAtVaAjE1-6Q9FutXUS47LRGWpB8mLn6b_y3ew0zy7DWfHUZvmZDwiRfmtxtrFPGry316PCwVcaUZ8VHCqvGFpQ-4uCcryFo45tlT1C-c652xnhkKIokitJ6x_Wk/s320/992C592E-CE57-45B5-9559-DAF072A3DF83.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Lavenders are blooming in our neighbourhood right now. We can smell them as we walk by and my naughty 4 year likes to pick a few of them. Um. Some times she just doesn't take no for an answer. But all this is reminding me of a year ago when we visited Valensole in the South of France. Lavender fields extend all the way to the horizon there. It was postcard perfect.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIw5n5GNwU6As9c8RJvXRMfyrzz7UVZCvTR2W6_d3DhHsW9bv3gsAObts0VyYzysZ21Q1f_7KGHIVZE1rx9X842VAXRmxUXmxkY6Z857ZgDSwjjP_KD8KjQFKFRXe_6_zeQ6_i-E17HaI/s1600/5769A9E4-DD5F-4614-A2A5-9B20030B8CAB.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIw5n5GNwU6As9c8RJvXRMfyrzz7UVZCvTR2W6_d3DhHsW9bv3gsAObts0VyYzysZ21Q1f_7KGHIVZE1rx9X842VAXRmxUXmxkY6Z857ZgDSwjjP_KD8KjQFKFRXe_6_zeQ6_i-E17HaI/s400/5769A9E4-DD5F-4614-A2A5-9B20030B8CAB.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Valensole, France July 2019</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsNSTpxvWOxMWqcSDE3L3auHvPnpYW-3dYzsaZYb7Dcv6dB2frAggncQxXfDU1jL39Z9XK9STMkO8NIGNBclct1phrKbXT4QTh_J1LF5ejO1HGUjHNJU-CpOodepoe166nboOe7FltXrQ/s1600/IMG_4882.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1115" data-original-width="1600" height="443" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsNSTpxvWOxMWqcSDE3L3auHvPnpYW-3dYzsaZYb7Dcv6dB2frAggncQxXfDU1jL39Z9XK9STMkO8NIGNBclct1phrKbXT4QTh_J1LF5ejO1HGUjHNJU-CpOodepoe166nboOe7FltXrQ/s640/IMG_4882.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>Lavender Macarons</b><br />
Makes 24-30 cookies<br />
(Adapted from <a href="https://tasty.co/recipe/macarons">Tasty</a>)<br />
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1 1/2 cup powdered sugar<br />
1 cup almond flour<br />
1/2 tsp salt<br />
3 egg whites<br />
1/5 cup sugar (bit less than 1/4 cup should do it!)<br />
1 tbsp dry lavender<br />
tiny bit of purple food coloring (or use blue/red to make your purple)<br />
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Filling:<br />
<br />
170g cream cheese<br />
3/4 stick unsalted butter, at room temp<br />
1/4 cup powdered sugar<br />
2 tbsp almond flour<br />
1 tbsp dry lavender + 1 tbsp sugar, grinded to dust<br />
Purple food coloring<br />
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Sift the powdered sugar, almond flour and salt. Whatever is leftover and difficult to sift, add it to a Nutribullet or small blender and grind up, along with 1 tbsp lavender. Sift some more. Grind and sift one more time until most of it is sifted through. This is your dry ingredients. Leave the remaining bits in the grinder and add to this 1 tbsp of lavender and 1 tbsp of sugar and grind to a dust. Set this aside for the filling later.<br />
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Beat the egg whites until soft peaks, then gradually add the sugar while mixing. Mix until stiff peaks. Use a toothpick to tint your whipped egg whites. Add your dry ingredients in thirds and fold gently. Mix until the batter can form an "8" as it glides off your spatula. Stop and transfer the batter to a piping bag. Quickly pipe rounds onto a silicone mat. Yes, silicone mat! They fit perfectly on a cookie sheet and macarons dry fine, as long as you place it on the rack closer to the bottom. Not the very bottom, the third level from the bottom. Once piped, slam the trays on the counter to get rid of the air bubbles inside. Turn on your kitchen fan, open your windows and let the macarons dry. If you touch them, they will have formed a skin on top and be dry. It might take 30 mins. Preheat your oven to 300F. Bake for 22 minutes, one tray at a time.<br />
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For the filling, beat all the ingredients for 3-5 minutes or until well mixed and fluffy. Fill a piping bag fitted with a round tip, and pipe the filling onto half of the macaron shells. Top with the remaining shells. Refrigerate to firm up the filling inside. Enjoy! The macarons taste better the next day as well.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two colors here because I tried to rush the second batch by increasing the oven temp. Oops.</td></tr>
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Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13951100256433425136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2019606404927868959.post-54538549187967335282020-06-22T15:20:00.001-07:002021-03-02T11:53:06.553-08:00Tomato Red Pepper Marinara Sauce<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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When I was a teenager, I made a lot of pasta at home for my parents. They were great at cooking Chinese food but didn't have a clue about other kinds of foods. They got their <i>Canadian food</i> from me. But when I was 12 or so I bought jars of Ragu or Prego sauce and then added fresh vegetables like onions, mushrooms, green peppers and ground beef to it for a chunky pasta sauce. Everyone loved it! It was different and it always smelled so good in the house. It was also cheap to make and very filling. Cooking for a family of seven everyday usually involved a lot of food.<br />
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Then I grew up and started cooking everything from scratch. I've been making my own tomato pasta sauce for over 20 years. Wow, I'm old! Over the years it sort of evolved into this simple marinara sauce that just works with everything. I've made this sauce so many times, I can probably do it blindfolded. It's a great base for spaghetti and meatballs, a sauce for layering in lasagna, or add a few extra vegetables like mushrooms and asparagus for a simple vegan sauce for any kind of pasta. It's so versatile. You can even use it as dip for shrimp or anything that asks for a tomato based sauce.<br />
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It's so easy to remember since it uses a whole large onion, a whole garlic bulb, and a whole red pepper. It's tart from the tomatoes, sweet from the red pepper, salty from the veggie stock, and spicy from the red chile pepper. The blended red bell pepper helps thicken the sauce and gives it that gorgeous red orange tone. Plus, it's an extra vegetable and we all need more of that! When I make it, I like to freeze about a quarter of it for an emergency sauce for the kids. I pack them school lunches every day and this comes in very handy when we have no leftovers.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4MGioZ9oR2AYLI3UjSsgjpoaa_l1rTXbQrG7qS-ikdH__cRH9c-ogk31MX-2hA4q72jVmBxuZk4-VxrB7GH-16Rqy4LmhBAe9nQwAhYOMmXyk-bL-46Fv5xImP9aD0ancuI7-ofvqYHc/s1600/IMG_4590.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4MGioZ9oR2AYLI3UjSsgjpoaa_l1rTXbQrG7qS-ikdH__cRH9c-ogk31MX-2hA4q72jVmBxuZk4-VxrB7GH-16Rqy4LmhBAe9nQwAhYOMmXyk-bL-46Fv5xImP9aD0ancuI7-ofvqYHc/s400/IMG_4590.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fry onion and garlic.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fry, then puree the red bell pepper.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Use a handful of fresh basil.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMonsJD5ZpTMXOgNaypryJAWrkVbid18-7YOvnsSAu-tzkMlho822H4PNraOsT-sXKEaTbZUw696rI4kE6OpJYFo_TmOuQ9ctmuVHRBScpNsD4yxPcrWRkHPtSBIvKHYBzfVTAil_3SEI/s1600/IMG_4594.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMonsJD5ZpTMXOgNaypryJAWrkVbid18-7YOvnsSAu-tzkMlho822H4PNraOsT-sXKEaTbZUw696rI4kE6OpJYFo_TmOuQ9ctmuVHRBScpNsD4yxPcrWRkHPtSBIvKHYBzfVTAil_3SEI/s640/IMG_4594.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Simmer the marinara.</td></tr>
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The recipe below is vegan using a vegetable base seasoning and tastes great with vegan meatballs and topped with nutritional yeast. But if you don't care about that, you can use a chicken base seasoning, turkey or beef meatballs and top with parmesan cheese. It's all good!<br />
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<b>Tomato Red Pepper Marinara Sauce</b><br />
Makes 4-5 cups<br />
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1 red bell pepper, chopped<br />
1 large onion, chopped<br />
1 garlic bulb, minced<br />
1 tbsp olive oil<br />
1 1/2 oz. fresh basil (large handful, finely chopped)<br />
2 cans tomato (14.5 oz each)<br />
1 can tomato paste<br />
1 tsp sugar<br />
1 tbsp dry oregano<br />
1-2 tsp red chile pepper flakes<br />
1 tbsp vegetable base (better than bouillon)<br />
1/2+ tbsp balsamic vinegar (a few drizzles)<br />
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Fry red bell pepper in oil, remove and puree with a bit of cold water. Set aside. Fry the onion and garlic. Add everything else, except for the balsamic vinegar. Add red bell pepper puree. Simmer at low for 30 mins or so. I like to make my sauce a couple hours in advance so that the flavors have the chance to combine and intensify. When it's time to cook the pasta, reheat the pasta sauce. When it's simmering again, add the balsamic vinegar and stir. Now it's ready! If you want to add meatballs, you can add them directly to the sauce and continue simmering for 10 mins or until the meatballs are heated through. Pour sauce over cooked pasta and if you like, top with shredded cheese. Your comfort food is ready to be enjoyed!Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13951100256433425136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2019606404927868959.post-5940236779073547402020-06-18T14:19:00.000-07:002020-06-18T14:24:07.238-07:00Adventures in Macaron Making<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmfex93rto8d-uHeTbxIvAjsCMhVsmK4hDaKPjsiKwulDRtOui8bI9TRO75mSQSV8ib32ClcsAb9USPqjgOQRhFzEk3OefDZqDLYdn03KtMzJ6FcxSPywPTY2GuT2lsRXM98lqPEb5ypo/s1600/IMG_4634.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="799" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmfex93rto8d-uHeTbxIvAjsCMhVsmK4hDaKPjsiKwulDRtOui8bI9TRO75mSQSV8ib32ClcsAb9USPqjgOQRhFzEk3OefDZqDLYdn03KtMzJ6FcxSPywPTY2GuT2lsRXM98lqPEb5ypo/s1600/IMG_4634.jpg" /></a></div>
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Every food blogger will eventually have a post about making macarons. This is mine.<br />
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I have always wanted to make these but it just sounded too complicated so I didn't bother. Plus, Trader Joe's sells affordable frozen ones that taste great. When Costco started selling almond flour last year, I quickly grabbed a bag. It was my chance to skip a step or two in a complicated recipe. Then the bag of flour was forgotten. Lazy me!<br />
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A few weeks ago, when we had leftover egg whites, I decided to just open the bag of almond flour and go for it. If I don't learn to make macarons now during this COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, I know I will never make them. And the adventures began.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDZyd3x0_nIEYvULSrN3jbJD5eiHI659SJM8te6h8BJpVR9rC9-wNvTsZPDGgfQA1WUaqYxKN2uD2SeDCAlYQadvfpMFKFHjWu37ymGz6zfQfGwsxCLvge3WubTJHB8YUWSs5Iezixw2I/s1600/IMG_4365.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="656" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDZyd3x0_nIEYvULSrN3jbJD5eiHI659SJM8te6h8BJpVR9rC9-wNvTsZPDGgfQA1WUaqYxKN2uD2SeDCAlYQadvfpMFKFHjWu37ymGz6zfQfGwsxCLvge3WubTJHB8YUWSs5Iezixw2I/s400/IMG_4365.jpg" width="365" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I didn't wait for the "skin" to form on top. Fail.</td></tr>
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It took me three tries to get them to look right. Like most of my recipes, I hack my way through the first time just to see how hard or easy it can be. The first time, I didn't let the "skin" grow and most of them cracked. Plus, I piped giant macarons and they just weren't cute that way. I tried a jackfruit icing that I threw together quickly and it was disastrously sweet.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvW4O248d6LFq06x53qZPMALUlBhR-0f8obUCaqp1sz8Raih2aZSGme-gi7oM6-qEuSwnJfuZb8sIyRB4dRFurBKyaT2ai20oMh0S7xEx8hO8DmavtdSS2Kc1QG70IsY_3C3bSgkFsgmY/s1600/IMG_4561.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="565" data-original-width="600" height="376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvW4O248d6LFq06x53qZPMALUlBhR-0f8obUCaqp1sz8Raih2aZSGme-gi7oM6-qEuSwnJfuZb8sIyRB4dRFurBKyaT2ai20oMh0S7xEx8hO8DmavtdSS2Kc1QG70IsY_3C3bSgkFsgmY/s400/IMG_4561.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Turtle fail.</td></tr>
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The second time I made them, they tasted great! They were pistachio and I must have made like 50 cookies and they were gone in two days! They tasted perfect but they looked like sandwich cookies, not macarons. Each time I made the cookies, I tried a different recipe and paid more attention to the instructions. It's definitely a recipe you want to carefully follow and read all the notes to. I still don't follow the recipe to a T but I had to do it a few times to nail it. Obviously. Lol. At this point, I feel comfortable making them so I can move on to cute designs and flavours in the future. And arriving here is the exciting part!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't look right but tasted great!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Third time is the charm.</td></tr>
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<b>Pistachio Macarons</b><br />
Makes 24 cookies<br />
(Adapted from <a href="https://tasty.co/recipe/macarons">Tasty</a>)<br />
<br />
1 3/4 cup powdered sugar<br />
1/2 cup almond flour<br />
1/2 cup pistachio, blended to flour<br />
1 tsp salt<br />
1.5 grams matcha powder (1 pack)<br />
3 egg whites<br />
1/4 cup sugar<br />
1/4 tsp cream of tartar<br />
1/2 tsp vanilla<br />
<br />
Filling: (Adapted from <a href="https://www.piesandtacos.com/pistachio-macarons/#wprm-recipe-container-3390">Pies & Tacos</a>)<br />
<br />
115g cream cheese<br />
4 tbsp butter (1/2 stick), at room temp<br />
~1 cup powdered sugar<br />
1/4 cup pistachio, grinded (small chunks are okay)<br />
<br />
In a food processor, add the powder sugar, almond flour, pistachio nuts, salt and process to a fine powder. Sift this, along with the matcha powder into a large bowl and repeat this process with any large chunks that don't sift through until there is only about 1 tbsp of large pistachio chunks left. Save those for the filling or topping the macarons later. Set aside. Note, the matcha powder doesn't really come through but it helps add a bit of green to the batter and it sort of cuts into the sweetness a bit.<br />
<br />
Beat the egg whites until soft peaks are formed. Add the sugar bit by bit while mixing. Add the cream of tartar and beat until stiff peaks are formed. Add vanilla, beat. Now fold in the dry ingredients by thirds until it is mixed to the point where you can drizzle an "8" without breaking the batter as it glides off your spatula. Maybe up to 30 folds. Try not to over mix.<br />
<br />
Fill a piping bag with the batter and pipe your shapes onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Tap the cookie sheet hard against the counter to get rid of the air bubbles. Let this sit until a "skin" forms over the macarons. This might take around 30 mins. Preheat oven to 300F. If you touch the top of the piped macaron, your finger needs to be dry. This part is essential if you want the macarons to form "feet" under them. Since there is skin on the top, the steam escapes from underneath and forms the feet as it bakes. Cool, right? Bake at 300F for 20 minutes, lower third rack, one tray at a time. Do not open the oven until they are done. Cool the shells completely. Remove them from the parchment paper and match them up for sandwich cookies.<br />
<br />
Whip the cream cheese and soft butter together. Add the rest and beat until well mixed. Fill a pastry bag with the filling and pipe a generous amount onto the flat side of half the macaron shells. Top with the other half of the shells to form macaron cookies. Refrigerate.<br />
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Here are some of the things and tips I have learned along the way.<br />
<ul>
<li>Using 24+ hour aged egg whites in the fridge might help with your batter. I used fresh once and couldn't tell the difference that much. Doesn't hurt to try though.</li>
<li>Color doesn't really come through in the batter once it's baked. If you want color, you'll need to add a bit extra food gel.</li>
<li>Turn the range fan on while you wait for the skin to form on the macarons. This helps dry them out faster, especially if your place is humid. I open the windows sometimes too.</li>
<li>Use the food processor to grind everything. It works well. Because it's bigger than a Nutribullet, I find it keeps the nuts dry and doesn't really turn the nuts into a paste. If there are large chunks in the batter, the tops won't be smooth and there may be more air bubbles so definitely keep bits you cannot sift out of the batter.</li>
<li>Tap the trays hard a few times to get rid of air bubbles, then pop any extra bubbles with a toothpick.</li>
<li>If you cannot remove the macarons off the parchment because they are sticking, put it back in the oven at 300F for another 1 or 2 mins.</li>
<li>Use parchment paper instead of silicon mats. They dry out the macarons better when baking.</li>
<li>Cool completely before removing the macarons from the parchment paper.</li>
<li>Macarons taste better after 24 hours.</li>
</ul>
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No sweat. You got this! Now, go have some fun learning a new dessert!</div>
Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13951100256433425136noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2019606404927868959.post-32937572120261574582020-06-09T15:14:00.002-07:002021-07-17T12:00:01.450-07:00Angelina's Sponge Cake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Back in 2003 when I was living in Paris, France I encountered the best sponge cake I have ever eaten. It wasn't from a boulangerie or restaurant either. It was from a potluck in my French class. All the students were asked to bring in something to share in class and one of the girls brought in sponge cake. It had custard on top and sponge cake at the bottom. Everyone fell in love with the cake. It was all we talked about for days. It was creamy and silky like creme brulée and soft and pillowy with just the right amount of sweetness. My friend, Angelina was the master chef behind the cake.<br />
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Back then, I wasn't much of a baker. I knew just a handful of things to bake well, including cheesecake, brownies, and banana bread. I didn't know how to make sponge cake and honestly, Angelina's custard sponge cake trumped every dessert I knew how to make at the time. I was already confident in my cooking skills but I was definitely a novice when it came to baking. Of course, this was back when I barely ate sugar and was far from being pre-diabetic. Cooking meals was a necessity, baking desserts was not. Besides, I usually just grabbed something at the many bakeries down our street for dessert. Anything from the patisserie (or boulangerie) in France was fabulous. I focused on making good meals whenever we invited friends over but I always bought dessert.<br />
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If there was one dessert I could ever make to wow my dinner guests, this would be it. I knew I had to ask and Angelina was gracious enough to teach me and a few other girls from our French class. We shopped for the ingredients together and then we all went to my apartment and made the cake. And had lunch together, of course. And after that and many years of making the sponge cake, I was somewhat known as the sponge cake queen in my family. It's all thanks to my friend Angelina! I lost contact with her but if I could reach out to her now, I would love to dedicate this post to her.<br />
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A recipe in France does not easily translate into a recipe in North America. I had to tweak the original recipe to work in Canada. This recipe uses a lot of eggs and the eggs in France are superior to those you find here. For instance, there isn't as much egg white in an egg or the yolk is larger in France. Following the original recipe was a disaster! In fact, the flour is better, the butter and just about every ingredient for every kind of recipe is better than here. Lol.<br />
<br />
<b>Angelina's Sponge Cake</b><br />
Serves 8-10<br />
<br />
~75 g of sugar<br />
<br />
<u>Bowl 1: (in a stand mixer)</u><br />
8 egg whites<br />
50 g sugar<br />
<br />
<u>Bowl 2:</u><br />
8 yolks<br />
1 can sweetened condensed milk (397g)<br />
1/2 can milk<br />
<br />
<u>Bowl 3:</u><br />
2 yolks<br />
100 g flour<br />
2 tsp baking powder<br />
50 ml sunflower oil<br />
100 ml pineapple juice (concentrated or the liquid from canned pineapple)<br />
<br />
In a frying pan, dissolve and burn about 75g of granulated white sugar. Once it's a dark amber color, stop. Be careful not to burn the sugar black! Quickly pour that into a spring form pan. It will harden almost instantly.<br />
<br />
Split eggs into 3 bowls, as indicated above. With a stand mixer bowl, whip egg whites until frothy. Add sugar and whip until stiff. Mix all contents in bowl 3. Fold in bowl 3 contents to bowl 1 contents. This is the sponge batter.<br />
<br />
Mix bowl 2 contents. Pour bowl 2 contents into spring form pan, over top of the burnt sugar. Then pour in the sponge batter on top.<br />
<br />
Fill a deep large pan with about 2 inches of water. Pre-heat oven with water bath on the lowest rack. You may also want to wrap the bottom of the spring form pan with aluminum foil. Place the spring form pan inside the water bath. Place in oven to bake at 355F for 40-45 mins. Take out, let cool completely and invert pan over a serving dish. Enjoy! Store this in the fridge for up to a few days.Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13951100256433425136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2019606404927868959.post-16851663906183124762020-03-30T16:05:00.000-07:002020-03-30T16:05:04.699-07:00Breakfast Overnight Oats<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I've been making overnight oats for a very long time. It's so easy, so good and I don't know why I haven't blogged about it yet. It might have something to do with procrastination and the fact that I can get pretty darn lazy.<br />
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Find yourself out of bread, eggs, cereal or are you just sick of eating warm oatmeal for breakfast? Every week. Well, overnight oats is here to save the day! The kids love it and it's healthy too! Overnight oats are actually super popular. I even see them in single serving sizes in the fridge at Trader Joe's. The recipe is very flexible too. Use whatever milk and fruit you have on hand. It would be very easy and satisfying to make for camp too since there is no cooking involved. Prepare this before you head to sleep and when you wake up, breakfast will be ready!<br />
<br />
<b>Overnight Oats</b><br />
Serves 6<br />
<br />
2 cups dry rolled oats, plain<br />
1/4 to 1/2 cup chia seeds<br />
1 tbsp ground cinnamon<br />
pinch of salt<br />
2 cups assorted fruit (e.g. blueberries, raspberries, bananas)<br />
1 pack of açaà puree, frozen<br />
3 tbsp maple syrup<br />
1/2 cup plain yogurt<br />
3+ cups unsweetened soy milk<br />
Pistachios and extra yogurt for topping in each bowl<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiA1I-9yhKjipLfxlnfEZhtTrRuQ26yYynTzzUhz5AuhoSdcdDo99Q33OGpD2JQkV8s3-5y7yvq1aLV_BQtaK8Oem2KCWLiFD4adRsprWmwSA3sUMiv11vijbr_uFBUpuLkXmA9dB0QCc/s1600/IMG_3907.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiA1I-9yhKjipLfxlnfEZhtTrRuQ26yYynTzzUhz5AuhoSdcdDo99Q33OGpD2JQkV8s3-5y7yvq1aLV_BQtaK8Oem2KCWLiFD4adRsprWmwSA3sUMiv11vijbr_uFBUpuLkXmA9dB0QCc/s400/IMG_3907.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEvOypizHxx13-wBr1Unm9hb0hzqPrAKNiOcPheV7bGHtpzdVB-eHOGwT9hoPYZRR6cpbAcv66QjphKz9BTeF6iAyD8IL5guogXl-DuZtNZmxcFEbxjJTc4Rz0B-XV7Sz48jNJmeppa-0/s1600/IMG_3908.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEvOypizHxx13-wBr1Unm9hb0hzqPrAKNiOcPheV7bGHtpzdVB-eHOGwT9hoPYZRR6cpbAcv66QjphKz9BTeF6iAyD8IL5guogXl-DuZtNZmxcFEbxjJTc4Rz0B-XV7Sz48jNJmeppa-0/s400/IMG_3908.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Add chopped up fruit. You can use frozen or fresh. Frozen works great if you are trying to use up excess stock. I tend to freeze bananas when they get too ripe and they are perfect for overnight oats. If you add a lot of bananas, you could reduce the maple syrup above. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir to combine. The soy milk should completely cover all the ingredients. The liquid will be absorbed by the oats and chia seeds and become thick the next day. Cover the bowl and refrigerate overnight.<br />
<br />
In the morning, take out your overnight oats and check the consistency. If it's too thick, add more soy milk and mix. Serve in bowls with a spoon of plain yogurt on top and sprinkle on some pistachios. Enjoy!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFfv7mdx9valrSIL0rn2a5c0Eh7wYVJtHVppo_GlNxf1eI2OyniT-cwnfJCVasB80y7I2vuRQBX1jJB3Bn0XFwZx4pdq9mxgu8DLTIxqbu-cejYhhXat102bKTde_TTX3Esy-4Zy8ukZA/s1600/IMG_3913.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFfv7mdx9valrSIL0rn2a5c0Eh7wYVJtHVppo_GlNxf1eI2OyniT-cwnfJCVasB80y7I2vuRQBX1jJB3Bn0XFwZx4pdq9mxgu8DLTIxqbu-cejYhhXat102bKTde_TTX3Esy-4Zy8ukZA/s400/IMG_3913.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looks like a mess but is creamy and delicious!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13951100256433425136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2019606404927868959.post-2335082575418912192020-03-25T19:09:00.001-07:002020-03-26T07:45:29.910-07:00Panic Buying during a "Stay-at-home" Order<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNt51lHf4QA-v2Tdh-8EhZfw7ajZLgxu9gxh6P0FM4z5ZrNjwIl5MZFpTqxCNLVscYoBpVb9wPwdPOor-0rJTyqBMt_j_CWNGhZdZeDBSYBiNTMIR9lUC9g9vmdF9nhcnguPgc_ubgmiw/s1600/IMG_3843.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNt51lHf4QA-v2Tdh-8EhZfw7ajZLgxu9gxh6P0FM4z5ZrNjwIl5MZFpTqxCNLVscYoBpVb9wPwdPOor-0rJTyqBMt_j_CWNGhZdZeDBSYBiNTMIR9lUC9g9vmdF9nhcnguPgc_ubgmiw/s640/IMG_3843.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
The schools have been closed for two weeks now. But it will remain closed for another month. Or more. In fact, there's no guarantee the school will even reopen for the remaining part of the year. And that would be super, super sad.<br />
<br />
I have spent the past couple of months working on planning our school <a href="https://www.ptotoday.com/fun-run-guide">Fun Run</a> and now everything is on hold. Should I continue working on it and assume it will be postponed? With the coronavirus growing exponentially in the USA every day, it's feeling more and more like school and everything along with it will be canceled this year. It's my son's last year in elementary and he may not have a graduation. It's my last year chairing the Fun Run and I wanted it to be the best one yet. I've been super organized and now, it may not even matter. My Fun Run souvenirs were purchased awhile ago and have arrived and I don't even know what to do with them.<br />
<br />
Everyone in every part of the world has been negatively impacted by this COVID-19 pandemic. For us, it means no more swimming classes and no more preschool for my daughter, no Spring soccer for my son, canceled races, no more PTSA work for me until further notice, and no more visitors or play dates. My husband is now working from home and it's definitely more stressful for me to try and keep the kids away from the office. Because they think it's so much fun bugging him! It's an adjustment but we are lucky in so many ways. Pretty much everything is closed, except for grocery stores and essential businesses but thanks to me, we can all safely stay at home. I can help homeschool and care for my kids while my husband works hard at his job. Because we definitely need him to keep his job.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn9Lzhtse0BkZpca7VUHFCrVM2Q-K_TdPW_sdHJTzG6p6OENudOnnfabDN5HgMLyLYFdTToDngDcHJTgYJosBp-cK1Ht8yXeORFcFMR4XtgdN-XwGg5OlA1RFfjmIqrGFIqVR0H2THxwg/s1600/IMG_3890.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn9Lzhtse0BkZpca7VUHFCrVM2Q-K_TdPW_sdHJTzG6p6OENudOnnfabDN5HgMLyLYFdTToDngDcHJTgYJosBp-cK1Ht8yXeORFcFMR4XtgdN-XwGg5OlA1RFfjmIqrGFIqVR0H2THxwg/s320/IMG_3890.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ4_U3Yd3AotFIvLXSSOxYdv0j_Vehf1UQ1yc-rIL6NFeoudzEVftq6VJ3WRvReKK_8nnm1paV4x_T4menemAXLdLHyyFiE0d7DLtIqdqWkouB8Gf2_so46vHzYnv2WKqIp_mnQNy-qwc/s1600/IMG_3837.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ4_U3Yd3AotFIvLXSSOxYdv0j_Vehf1UQ1yc-rIL6NFeoudzEVftq6VJ3WRvReKK_8nnm1paV4x_T4menemAXLdLHyyFiE0d7DLtIqdqWkouB8Gf2_so46vHzYnv2WKqIp_mnQNy-qwc/s320/IMG_3837.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
The "stay-at-home" order is easier for us than other families because we tend to stay at home a lot anyway. We typically only eat out maybe once or twice a month so it wasn't a problem for us to adjust to eating at home every day. We still go out for walks in the neighborhood and we run on the trail as a family three times a week. We just make sure we're a safe <i>social distance</i> from other people. The kids are doing more homeschooling and whatever distance education is provided by their teachers. But we don't always stay on schedule. We definitely slack off a lot.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzuf7C_4hk9nq8wd_yKgwFAtB97iH-FuXPAL6j-DtGBj36eUKYU5WLMmtqmQbip7ro7N5HLPFSOkS2LRfYo6-3FFJ0aBZPXoPiibeqkR2PttzlKMpfx3Ji0RSGFii0z7nMpswdnat1ktI/s1600/IMG_3818.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzuf7C_4hk9nq8wd_yKgwFAtB97iH-FuXPAL6j-DtGBj36eUKYU5WLMmtqmQbip7ro7N5HLPFSOkS2LRfYo6-3FFJ0aBZPXoPiibeqkR2PttzlKMpfx3Ji0RSGFii0z7nMpswdnat1ktI/s400/IMG_3818.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shelves at Trader Joe's from panic buyers.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I regularly stock up on goods when they go on sale so I didn't start panic buying until a week ago. The things I was buying was more out of the concern there would be a supply chain disruption rather than essentials we needed right now. For instance, I bought extra bottles of my favorite shampoo/conditioner from Trader Joe's and stocked up on Nespresso capsules. A lot of our products are imported after all.<br />
<br />
We have at least a month supply of the following foods:<br />
<ul>
<li>Brown Rice</li>
<li>White Rice</li>
<li>Sugar</li>
<li>Flour</li>
<li>Canned corn</li>
<li>Canned chickpeas & dry chickpeas</li>
<li>Dry mushroom</li>
<li>Canned diced tomatos</li>
<li>Canned sardines</li>
<li>Can clams</li>
<li>Chicken, veggie & seafood bouillon</li>
<li>Soy sauce & oyster sauce</li>
<li>Salt/pepper</li>
<li>Dry herbs</li>
<li>Maple syrup, agave syrup, honey</li>
<li>Peanut butter</li>
<li>Cooking oil</li>
<li>Coconut oil & popcorn kernel</li>
<li>Butter</li>
<li>Soy milk</li>
<li>Peanuts & other assorted nuts</li>
<li>Assorted dry fruit</li>
<li>Savory snacks like seaweed crackers, chips</li>
<li>Wine</li>
</ul>
We have at least a two week supply of these:<br />
<ul>
<li>Dry pasta</li>
<li>Dry noodles</li>
<li>Can tomato paste</li>
<li>Instant noodles</li>
<li>Coffee</li>
<li>Chocolate (of course!)</li>
<li>Tofu</li>
<li>Kombucha</li>
<li>Frozen salmon & shrimp</li>
<li>Frozen fruit & vegetables</li>
</ul>
We also have maybe a month and a half supply of toilet paper. And two weeks supply of shampoo and conditioner. And a month supply of cleaning supplies, as well as baking soda/vinegar, which I also use for cleaning our sinks. The kids have a lot of activities and toys and none of us are in need of things like clothes and shoes since we already purchased a lot of this back in November and December. When they were on sale. Lol.<br />
<br />
I'm embarrass to admit that we're natural hoarders but because of this, we didn't have to panic buy as much. We're good for a month for most things and we could even stretch that to a couple of months if we needed to. In fact, if we run out of pasta or can't buy bread one day, I can make my own from scratch using my stock pile of flour. Lol. I am so fortunate to be able to take care of my family in this way.<br />
<br />
This is a stressful time for all of us and it helps to remind ourselves about all the things we are grateful for. None of us are sick right now. None of our family in Canada and France are sick with the coronavirus either. We have some financial security. We have Internet and multiple devices. We have Amazon Prime. We can easily go outside and exercise and enjoy the fresh air, unlike some other countries. I feel tremendous sadness for those who are sick in the world and the families of those who have died. I also feel bad for those who are healthy but will struggle to survive because of our troubled economy. Let us all do our part in social distancing and stay at home so this nightmare will end. Please don't be a "covidiot."Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13951100256433425136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2019606404927868959.post-71133714033875417312020-03-23T17:05:00.001-07:002020-03-23T17:09:27.561-07:00Grilled Cheese Sandwich<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAhHiboreKMxq6lH21gVBe6s0HIBBsnOXq-4TfZQjhX-4a7jfYlFywwMQs0yrqYKEfe2CbDA_oHqGdXDVNevRYnU2XFCeyDArWRiHTC8N363fpkVDzECBQvU4lYQWwdAETAF_tcZ4bF6o/s1600/IMG_3863.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAhHiboreKMxq6lH21gVBe6s0HIBBsnOXq-4TfZQjhX-4a7jfYlFywwMQs0yrqYKEfe2CbDA_oHqGdXDVNevRYnU2XFCeyDArWRiHTC8N363fpkVDzECBQvU4lYQWwdAETAF_tcZ4bF6o/s640/IMG_3863.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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You'll feel like a kid again once you try my grilled cheese sandwich. If you are anything like my kids, you will come back asking for more. I always thought cheese sandwiches were boring but I found a way to make them more sophisticated and ultra tasty. Think of it as a high-end grilled cheese sandwich. The right amount of salt, a little tang, crispy on the outside and gooey warm on the inside. Drooling yet? Yes, I would happily order this at a restaurant, alongside a green salad. In fact, I always serve this with a green salad for my kids.<br />
<br />
If you have a panini grill, great! If you don't, go buy one. We cannot live without ours. We use them for hot sandwiches, pizzas, pancakes, french toast and the list goes on. It's super easy to clean up too. So practical. Use it to reheat your pizza and save electricity from turning on your oven.<br />
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<br />
<b>Grilled Cheese Sandwich</b><br />
Serves 3<br />
<br />
6 slices of crushed wheat sourdough bread<br />
3 slices of medium cheddar<br />
Shredded Gruyère and Swiss cheese<br />
French dijon mustard<br />
Mayonnaise<br />
Unsalted Butter<br />
<br />
These instructions are for one grilled cheese sandwich. Repeat until all the sandwiches are done.<br />
<br />
Spread one side of bread with mustard and spread one side of another slice of bread with mayonnaise. These spreads are for the insides of the sandwich. Top one of the bread slices with one slice of cheddar and a handful of shredded cheese. See the photos above. Sandwich this with the other slice of bread. Spread the butter on top. I only spread butter on the one side since it's easier but you can do both top and bottom. Honestly, I don't think you will miss it or need it, if you are using a panini machine. Grill the sandwiches for 2-3 mins or until golden.<br />
<br />
Be careful not to over grill the sandwiches to the point where all the cheese seeps out. You want the cheese to just melt so that when you bite into it it's gooey and stringy.<br />
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Best served hot with a green salad like a spinach salad. After all, we can't just have carbs and fat for our meal, right? Go big on the salad people.Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13951100256433425136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2019606404927868959.post-43933272611538240332020-03-07T10:24:00.000-08:002020-03-25T10:27:01.495-07:00Vegan Butter Chicken<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I made vegan butter chicken-less chicken before but this time I made it using homemade mock chicken instead of green jackfruit. I discovered an easy and satisfying vegan chicken recipe and it worked great here! I especially love it because it uses jackfruit and tofu as well. My vegan chicken was very moist and resembled dark chicken meat, as oppose to chicken breast. That made it perfect for butter chicken! I made one recipe of the vegan chicken and used half of it in this recipe. The other half I turned into buffalo chicken-less chicken for appetizers. Both awesome and nothing was processed!<br />
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My flexi-vegan husband loved it and my kids couldn't tell the difference. I also loved it and if I could make this quickly all the time I would. But there is that extra step in making the mock chicken first. I'm busier these days and I just can't afford to spend hours in the kitchen cooking like I once did. I would definitely make this more though. I'm definitely on to something so I wanted to document it here.<br />
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Seriously, butter chicken is one of my favorite all time foods! Insanely tasty and comforting! Everyone that has eaten my butter chicken loves it and I think if I were to serve them this vegan version, they may be fooled!<br />
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<b>Vegan Butter Chicken</b><br />
Serves 4<br />
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14 oz of vegan chicken (half of the yield from the <a href="https://fullofplants.com/the-best-vegan-chickn/">mock chicken recipe</a>)<br />
1 large onion, chopped<br />
5 tbsp vegan butter<br />
1 pack of firm tofu, chopped into cubes<br />
1 1/2 tbsp seasoned veggie base + 1/4 cup water<br />
5-6 sprigs cilantro, chopped<br />
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<i>Marinade:</i><br />
1 inch piece of ginger, 4 garlic cloves, 1/2 cup almonds, all blended together into a paste<br />
3/4 cup coconut milk<br />
2 tsp garam masala<br />
1 tsp chili powder<br />
1/2 tsp cinnamon<br />
1/2 tsp ground cloves<br />
1 tsp ground cardamon<br />
4 cardamon pods<br />
2 tsp salt<br />
1 can diced tomatos<br />
1 can tomato puree<br />
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Chop the mock chicken into cubes and marinade overnight using the marinade ingredients above.<br />
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Fry the onions in the butter until translucent. Add the vegan chicken in the marinade and cooked onion to a large slow cooker. Add the rest of the ingredients, except the cilantro, and stir to mix. Set on slow cook for 4 hours or high cook for about 3 hours. Add more salt if desired. Garnish with chopped cilantro before serving with naan bread or rice. Enjoy!Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13951100256433425136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2019606404927868959.post-87718311855624285482020-02-21T16:32:00.000-08:002020-02-25T16:32:38.338-08:00Last Valentine's Classroom Party<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />My 11 year old son is in his final year of elementary school. That also means I have been a Room Parent for 6 years. I was already a party planner when he was in Kindergarten but now with all this experience under my belt I feel like a much <i>wiser</i> Room Parent. I know what most of the kids like or don't like and how much time craft takes in class. Although sometimes, it's just a hit or miss. I also know how to keep costs down when the party budget is tight. It's actually amazing how much you need to know and juggle as a Room Parent.<br />
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For my son's last class Valentine's party, we had a Valentine box decorating contest, Valentine-themed games and snacks. His teacher wanted a box decorating contest so I just had to send an email to all the families telling them about it and purchase prizes for 3 categories. I informed the kids about the categories so they could focus their creativity more and I think it helped because this year we had some amazing boxes show up in class. I actually loved this idea since it was a fun craft they had to do at home and it didn't take up any party time. When it came time to selecting prizes, I bought items that had the categories in mind. For instance, for the most humorous box, I got a prize pack consisting of a nose pencil sharpener, a poop emoji lit up pen and an electric eraser. Yes, an electric eraser! I thought that was hilarious because how lazy can you be, right?! Haha.<br />
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We had the kids pass out their Valentine cards and vote for their favorite boxes. Then, we played three games. The first game was a "word find" game. In groups of 5, the kids had to write as many words as they could in 5 minutes using only the letters in "valentines." It was a fun and good warmup game.<br />
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The second game was the "<a href="https://happyhomefairy.com/fun-games-to-play-for-valentines-day/">match maker</a>" game. I had a print out list of two things that matched like Romeo and Juliet or Salt and Pepper. You read the first thing and the kids would have to complete the match. It could be objects or it could be people. The kids loved this game.<br />
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The final game was a hilarious <a href="http://www.culdesaccool.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Valentine-Madlip1.pdf">Valentine "madlip."</a> The kids had to write down their words beforehand and then later insert them into the Madlip and read it out. This took much longer than I anticipated. But they had fun with it too.<br />
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We served snacks at the end because our party started right after the kids ate lunch. Here's what I made and served:<br />
<ul>
<li>Puff pastry heart tomato/zucchini<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>tarts</li>
<li>Chocolate cupcakes with fresh strawberry icing dipped in chocolate glaze and topped with a molding chocolate/fondant heart</li>
<li>Pocky stick fruit kebabs (strawberries, cantaloupe, green grapes)</li>
<li>Baby bananas with the written message "I'm bananas for you!"</li>
<li>Pink lemonade ice tea (from Trader Joe's) with heart-shaped ice cubes</li>
</ul>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXPMeAJTlQHUKnDykaM6opgVhbvcPgSqUBEt37WFaxBLv-6hf7RlohjoFPrC_4cjsaKoLrnZqONqafZS28s47I3_1OKcz2Ahte48c49kGE4JWE1gH1vA2Aw4-z4R2SUaEBx8B71O94rTk/s1600/IMG_3634.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXPMeAJTlQHUKnDykaM6opgVhbvcPgSqUBEt37WFaxBLv-6hf7RlohjoFPrC_4cjsaKoLrnZqONqafZS28s47I3_1OKcz2Ahte48c49kGE4JWE1gH1vA2Aw4-z4R2SUaEBx8B71O94rTk/s640/IMG_3634.heic" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baby bananas were the perfect size. Sometimes kids like bananas, sometimes they don't.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg13RAS5J4XX26V5bCDBIC2Sui9a41K5DWicSFHKzoZIUQCag0Ci0eB1VSAY80SeLQ5UQR0w8Vai-zp8Bg4Edrm3qbceEsOY7P2oir9g_kw7_sEXHVjwcsr_H5wGeA33OVsu6P4UYXi-A8/s1600/IMG_3649.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg13RAS5J4XX26V5bCDBIC2Sui9a41K5DWicSFHKzoZIUQCag0Ci0eB1VSAY80SeLQ5UQR0w8Vai-zp8Bg4Edrm3qbceEsOY7P2oir9g_kw7_sEXHVjwcsr_H5wGeA33OVsu6P4UYXi-A8/s640/IMG_3649.heic" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Three cheese tomato and zucchini tarts on a puff pastry.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf2Z4XaruXOhf6y9P1sGXCXUMo8nAfKlfk56K4q5eGe7j07iBb7A02hO0uQIt3PkOEEn1WCWpYrvpbxUFyQbNYmu2_HZDXoRGR1L2gMtumUzG-dMpJ3F8QGLmZDqQ3YCkfIEocjTXBdGE/s1600/IMG_3656.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf2Z4XaruXOhf6y9P1sGXCXUMo8nAfKlfk56K4q5eGe7j07iBb7A02hO0uQIt3PkOEEn1WCWpYrvpbxUFyQbNYmu2_HZDXoRGR1L2gMtumUzG-dMpJ3F8QGLmZDqQ3YCkfIEocjTXBdGE/s640/IMG_3656.heic" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I sprinkled edible rainbow glitter on my cupcakes too because why not?</td></tr>
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The kids pretty much took everything. The least popular item were the baby bananas. Just over half of them were taken.</div>
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There are only 20 kids in the class but planning this party and making all the food all by myself was exhausting. I had to ask my husband to help me carry and walk all the supplies to school. So needless to say at the end of the day, I was super relieved and happy it was over. Now, I have one less thing to juggle in my life. Each year, I find myself taking on more and more work and honestly, I'm starting to feel tired and old. Lol.</div>
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Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13951100256433425136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2019606404927868959.post-47971428311503300152020-01-04T20:47:00.000-08:002020-01-29T20:53:46.713-08:00French Opera Cake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOKaFm4FM3EN-BOaXLcczwkFjzScLOETlgzXLE4nzc7ilmJAx1LsonSG6cz9WGmar29f7aNq7t0lGbDwlc4jb2ufs4hRUDixexIrY4P40PpMOu8BMtN7mlST31Y0WjLxsx25OrBju22XY/s1600/IMG_3183.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOKaFm4FM3EN-BOaXLcczwkFjzScLOETlgzXLE4nzc7ilmJAx1LsonSG6cz9WGmar29f7aNq7t0lGbDwlc4jb2ufs4hRUDixexIrY4P40PpMOu8BMtN7mlST31Y0WjLxsx25OrBju22XY/s640/IMG_3183.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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For New Year's and my birthday, I decided to make a fancy cake. One with many layers and many different elements. If I can't go big here, when can I? So I found this <a href="https://www.homecookingadventure.com/recipes/opera-cake">opera cake recipe</a> online that looked beautiful and delicious. If you search for "opera cake," you'll find lots of recipes but I went with this one since it was the best looking one. What? Plus, it came with a great video tutorial with opera music playing in the background. Sold.<br />
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I followed the recipe carefully using my new digital kitchen scale. If you don't have a kitchen scale, you ought to get one. They are so easy, fast and fun to use! There were six elements to prepare before assembling this cake. Six! It took me all morning from start to end. Crazy.<br />
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In the end, it was exactly how I imagined it. The only thing I might change in the future is the buttercream layer with all the egg yolks. I would try to make that lighter because it felt sort of too rich when I ate it. Either that or just serve very small portions. My husband was grossed out because he's not a fan of opera cakes. I didn't know that. However, it did all taste better the next day.<br />
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My opera cake was just beautiful. Maybe too beautiful. When I posted the picture on instagram, I was actually concerned that people might have assumed that I bought the cake. It looked like something that came right out of a professional bakery. So I posted an unpolished image of it from my fridge before I sliced off all the sides. Just as proof I did in fact make this cake. Haha!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6jvwPw8baK_y4pS2SqnYFAtnbNPNA2J3cbsHqcxxQEDlNEplqJO5AtwSsFY1uOxjNZ3zc0f2Fc0AjsXyS9eWvkutRtg_nFG5eyD0hw3DEFQedByvVPUSpF3ZV87ywerq1rAA0KZh4xkw/s1600/A4BB7743-196C-45FE-B994-7FBA05913DF3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6jvwPw8baK_y4pS2SqnYFAtnbNPNA2J3cbsHqcxxQEDlNEplqJO5AtwSsFY1uOxjNZ3zc0f2Fc0AjsXyS9eWvkutRtg_nFG5eyD0hw3DEFQedByvVPUSpF3ZV87ywerq1rAA0KZh4xkw/s400/A4BB7743-196C-45FE-B994-7FBA05913DF3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Proof I made the cake myself.</td></tr>
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My friend gave me edible gold flakes awhile ago and I was excited to be able to finally use it on this cake. It was the perfect touch on top. I put it on the cake after it was refrigerated and set though so some of the flakes were floating around and even flying off when I tried to move the cake. Lol. This is why I'm not professional!<br />
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Overall, I'm happy with the results but I was shocked at how long the process was. But of course it was my first opera cake. The next one will be much faster! After making it, I'm already getting ideas of ways to make versions that could incorporate tropical flavors maybe with durian or taro. That would be a cake my parents would love! Us too!Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13951100256433425136noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2019606404927868959.post-38446856874115030942019-12-12T11:02:00.003-08:002019-12-12T11:04:01.775-08:00Staff Appreciation Cookie Exchange<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL5KXWdhjqArLryGfRQFXukFtpOrYHckUQ63dZ0MSAr24kFmG85HtP1Bp_uVvBFqi6Yrv3ch2mugBL3LxInWLbDIhwhHaFEyGqF0C5oXEbdJYRidKnsPm23mnbHp07__D1d0xjT8wWHkc/s1600/IMG_3019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL5KXWdhjqArLryGfRQFXukFtpOrYHckUQ63dZ0MSAr24kFmG85HtP1Bp_uVvBFqi6Yrv3ch2mugBL3LxInWLbDIhwhHaFEyGqF0C5oXEbdJYRidKnsPm23mnbHp07__D1d0xjT8wWHkc/s640/IMG_3019.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vegan "aquafaba" meringues</td></tr>
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A teacher and staff cookie exchange is something I would totally volunteer to help with. They had it last year too but we were away in Hawaii at the time. I was so bummed. I love baking, especially for others. I get in all sorts of trouble if I have to eat all of the sweets I make. No amount of running or exercise would undo that.<br />
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I don't know what the turnout was like last year for volunteers but this year's list looked rather bleak. 25 volunteer slots were open and only 15 signed up. I ended up signing up for three and another volunteer signed up for two. So only 12 people signed up. I would have preferred to sign up for one or two and concentrate on making those nicer but I felt like they needed more variety. We had to provide two dozen of each kind of cookie. Since I had to bake 72 treats, I had to split up my time over two days. Times like this, I wish I had two ovens.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTn3SLcoCUPi2aFjPgbWeJiDDeSNbgJHkQn6kyXIqsjU_A64N5G-nLjLsNFpU3LtzotaPwpbjHBukwtlHz8eC8_kL2WxUthOKkmWFfi1QFfK0KYyLAN29BqsZtiw4HdKPMt5JB6UNfdcY/s1600/IMG_3009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTn3SLcoCUPi2aFjPgbWeJiDDeSNbgJHkQn6kyXIqsjU_A64N5G-nLjLsNFpU3LtzotaPwpbjHBukwtlHz8eC8_kL2WxUthOKkmWFfi1QFfK0KYyLAN29BqsZtiw4HdKPMt5JB6UNfdcY/s640/IMG_3009.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rosemary lemon sugar cookies</td></tr>
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Here are the three treats that I made:<br />
<ol>
<li>Rosemary lemon sugar cookies</li>
<li>Lime meltaways</li>
<li>Vegan aquafaba meringues</li>
</ol>
I waited until most people signed up and then I chose cookies that weren't there. I wanted a decorative cookie but I made it a bit different with the addition of rosemary. Thanks Sugar Rush for the idea! Then it made all the sense in the world to cut out christmas trees as the shape for the cookies. Lime meltaways were thrown in there since no one was making anything similar and they were so easy to do. The vegan aquafaba meringues were something I have always wanted to make and this was my chance. Plus, I didn't think anyone would sign up for any of the vegan treats. I don't particularly like the taste of meringues so it was the perfect thing for me to play with and then give away.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I painted them and then used a toothpick to draw lines. Like?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJxuiwuj-BjIGzRpXRdbk6pxLM4-AaIRMTkfTySY5gN0h5cwUx1wrxz_e_PhDS8yCpBunc-LWqPKhT3y6Gmsx6ZEv-g1DEtEPja6xDf8vPy2qZneJCd38J8iaF2LHP2diduflC2prNZhE/s1600/IMG_3013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJxuiwuj-BjIGzRpXRdbk6pxLM4-AaIRMTkfTySY5gN0h5cwUx1wrxz_e_PhDS8yCpBunc-LWqPKhT3y6Gmsx6ZEv-g1DEtEPja6xDf8vPy2qZneJCd38J8iaF2LHP2diduflC2prNZhE/s640/IMG_3013.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lime meltaways</td></tr>
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After doing the vegan meringues, I sort of feel like I have mastered meringue making. It's really not that hard if you follow the instructions. Lol. And aquafaba meringues do not taste like chickpea at all! My family liked them. I had to test these out the first time and they turned out as well. However, I tried doing them with almond extract to make them more <i>Christmasy</i> but they just tasted weird. On my second attempt for school, I just went with vanilla extract with a squeeze of lemon. My family liked that more. I love the way they look in blue with the streaks and rainbow pixie dust on them. So whimsical and pretty. I would totally do them again just for decoration pieces. The liquid from one can of chickpeas will make around 30 medium size meringues.<br />
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Here are things I discovered when I made my vegan meringues:<br />
<ul>
<li>Cooking two cookie sheets of meringues (~24) in 250F for 50 mins and leaving them in the oven for 1+ hours after you turn off the oven works best. This also depends on the size of your meringues.</li>
<li>If meringues are sticky after they are cool, you didn't cook them long enough. You can stick them back in the oven at 200F for another 10-15 mins and then turn the oven off and leave them in there again to dry up.</li>
<li>Once they are cool, pack them away in an airtight container. They will be less sticky as a result. If you leave them out, they will be stickier since they will draw in moisture from the air.</li>
<li>Piping large meringues will most definitely lose some definition once they are baked. Smaller meringues retain more definition and they are so adorable!</li>
<li>Drain your can of chickpeas over your stand mixer in the fridge for an hour or so. I had no problem whipping this up when I did this.</li>
</ul>
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Meringues are so pretty. And so easy to make. Now I have a reason to save my canned chickpea liquid! It's science at work in the kitchen. Kind of mindblowing when you first make them. Whoever came up with this is a genius.<br />
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Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13951100256433425136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2019606404927868959.post-89043671130400447012019-11-26T14:42:00.001-08:002019-12-19T21:39:24.116-08:00Starbucks Drink Mini Cake<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtYmMUYuje5wowUhYraSfvVI6cCXBeDPwn6WSTDpRVEl6G9_4-z_ZiTxBopKpWyvGZUE4wJKa3CKUhMh52wHq7IeOAEe2nZGqOdLI7LX5Yj4Z8mix9f5phRuISROfXAP-CuG_xBfAs4YE/s1600/IMG_2928.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="571" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtYmMUYuje5wowUhYraSfvVI6cCXBeDPwn6WSTDpRVEl6G9_4-z_ZiTxBopKpWyvGZUE4wJKa3CKUhMh52wHq7IeOAEe2nZGqOdLI7LX5Yj4Z8mix9f5phRuISROfXAP-CuG_xBfAs4YE/s1600/IMG_2928.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Starbucks drink mini cake</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I finally created a mini dessert I have always wanted to do. When I first got into cake making 8 years ago, I was blown away and inspired by custom cakes that looked like cappuccino mugs or coffee cups. Back then every decorated fondant cake impressed me! I knew nothing. Lol. One of the first cakes I ever pinned on Pinterest was a mini cake in the shape of a coffee mug. I never noticed anything like it before. Before becoming a mom and joining social media, that is.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbFoEope-IYgQT4AHVBtMKcc2vvl_8eeXwlOmQyLEEr0zHuI3pllvPSNAPPn0GpVmsvTXPRVYxp2o7s2qFK-w9IwOadUVXkmwQS1m9N58f1njGFfv1cXoomtli0xO3FZuiZEa7mifepUc/s1600/08F103D7-64AA-4BA4-A86B-8FF478922698.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbFoEope-IYgQT4AHVBtMKcc2vvl_8eeXwlOmQyLEEr0zHuI3pllvPSNAPPn0GpVmsvTXPRVYxp2o7s2qFK-w9IwOadUVXkmwQS1m9N58f1njGFfv1cXoomtli0xO3FZuiZEa7mifepUc/s400/08F103D7-64AA-4BA4-A86B-8FF478922698.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hunter X Hunter chocolate cake</td></tr>
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Last week, my son turned 11 years old. Yes, I have been a mom that long! It was the most relaxed birthday week I have ever had. He didn't want a birthday party. 10 years of throwing him parties and now he just wasn't interested. I did make him a birthday cake and I cooked him his favorite meals all week. But that was nothing compared to planning and throwing a party. While I was assembling his multi-layer chocolate peanut butter ganache cake, I also put together 3 little mini cakes using the same fillings. Why the heck not? These were frozen for a later project I did near the end of the week.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">5 layers of chocolatey richness</td></tr>
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My 11yo's birthday cake was delicious but not blog worthy since it was decorated using a printed edible graphic. He's into Hunter X Hunter and that's just a hard cake to create around. Unless you go with a printed graphic. Plus, we weren't going to have a party so I went the easy route and did that. I did spend extra time on the fillings though. I used chocolate ganache with a generous peanut butter swirl, chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream, chocolate covered crushed crepe wafers to add a little crunch and vanilla Swiss meringue buttercream on the outside so that the graphic could stand out. These were the same fillings for the mini cakes I turned into Starbucks drinks!<br />
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Here's roughly what I used to put together for each of my Starbucks drink mini cakes:<br />
<ul>
<li>3 layers of chocolate cake (taken from 1 1/2 chocolate cupcakes)</li>
<li>1 tbsp of peanut butter chocolate ganache</li>
<li>1 tbsp of chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream</li>
<li>1/2 tbsp of chocolate covered crushed crepe wafers</li>
<li>1 tbsp of chocolate ganache</li>
<li>3/4 cup of covering made from 50% fondant and 50% molding white chocolate</li>
<li>1/4 cup of covering tinted with a bit of red to create a nice pinkish hue</li>
<li>Starbucks logo printed on an edible sheet</li>
<li>1 small (205ml) cup, cut in half so you can unfold it to use as a mold for tracing</li>
<li>1 coffee sleeve, cut horizontal in half to use as a mold for tracing and imprinting</li>
</ul>
I've seen a lot of coffee drink cakes or even coffee drink cookies created by manually drawing in the Starbucks logo and most of them are a mess. For a complicated logo like Starbucks, you really want to print it on edible paper and use that. It really adds to the professionalism of your creation. When I ordered the print for my son's birthday cake, I reserved the bottom of the sheet for a strip of Starbucks logos. I didn't need the whole sheet for his cake. In fact, the graphic I got for him was already way too tall. I had to go up 5 layers to fit it on the cake! It would have been simpler if I had just put it on a rectangular sheet cake but he insisted it be on the side of a round cake. I ordered the prints from a guy on Amazon. But of course! I ordered an edible sheet for my <a href="http://www.swoonforfood.com/2019/09/my-little-ponys-princess-celestia-cake.html">daughter's birthday</a> months ago and it worked out great so now he's my <a href="https://smile.amazon.com/Create-Your-Custom-Edible-Topper/dp/B00WNHDJK6/ref=sr_1_18?crid=1W810NZZI2BBB&keywords=edible+sheets+for+cakes&qid=1574725037&sprefix=edible+she%2Caps%2C208&sr=8-18">to-go guy for printed edible sheets</a>!<br />
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I make my fondant and molding chocolate from scratch and I just love the taste of the two together. Molding chocolate itself is hard to work with but if you add a bit of fondant to it, it really helps. I do this for decorated cookies too. For these mini cakes you need to cut out and attach four pieces of fondant:<br />
<ul>
<li>Outer cup covering</li>
<li>Round cutout for the bottom of the cake</li>
<li>Roll a noodle to go around the top of the outer cup covering</li>
<li>Sleeve covering</li>
</ul>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Store in the fridge or freezer, if you don't want to eat it that day.</td></tr>
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Attach the noodle around the top of the outer cup covering on the mat you are working on before putting it on the cake. Then wrap the partly frozen mini cakes with the covering. It's easier to do this while the cakes are still partly frozen since they aren't so fragile. The main trick to getting it to look like a Starbucks drink is to use an actual cup and actual sleeve to trace out the shape. The sleeve I used had corrugated ridges underneath which I then pressed into the fondant after cutting out the shape. It was perfect! The edible Starbucks logo was attached onto the sleeve using a bit of water. Easy peasy. After everything is done, put it back into the freezer or fridge. When you are ready to serve them, just take them out and let them return to room temperature before digging in. But don't forget to take pictures of your super adorable Starbucks drink mini cake before you eat it up! ;)</div>
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Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13951100256433425136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2019606404927868959.post-66033712824857859202019-11-05T12:04:00.002-08:002019-11-05T12:05:36.354-08:00Vampire Cupcakes with Edible Blood<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikgJWJVZJKPEgVCqPuyUT82KI_vBZkdYfEAUQumoPj-xq7mySEkzF8xVYqu90psfjVk8n6QdK3kx6Rj45BCEzwBtcChy1x_nT7LcxIZomEfUPc0qewVuxaJWJ6JxG3_uBJ-zZ2bRAxP0E/s1600/iqN0Hp4nuGPQAi.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikgJWJVZJKPEgVCqPuyUT82KI_vBZkdYfEAUQumoPj-xq7mySEkzF8xVYqu90psfjVk8n6QdK3kx6Rj45BCEzwBtcChy1x_nT7LcxIZomEfUPc0qewVuxaJWJ6JxG3_uBJ-zZ2bRAxP0E/s640/iqN0Hp4nuGPQAi.jpeg" width="425" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My vampire cupcakes, taken by our class party photographer.</td></tr>
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When we went over to Vancouver BC for my mom's birthday and Canadian Thanksgiving mid October, I found these vampire teeth gummies at Dollarama for just $3. I instantly pictured vampire cupcakes for Halloween. This would save me so much time too. I love Dollarama!<br />
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I made these red velvet cupcakes before using eye gummies and edible blood and they looked great but I never tried the teeth version before. Maybe because they were a bit creepier? In fact, I was a bit hesitant in making these for the party because I thought some of the kids might be freaked out. I also didn't want to receive hate mail from the parents. But I was wrong. The kids didn't mind at all and I think everyone took a cupcake.<br />
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I made my <a href="http://www.foodiemisadventures.com/2013/10/edible-fake-blood.html">edible blood</a> and then dipped the teeth into them before placing them on top of each cupcake. It looked so real! I felt like the Halloween Queen putting this together....hehehe:) I was actually really pressed for time since I had to prepare sushi and this cream cheese icing right before the party. I think I whipped up the frosting and decorated all the cupcakes in less than 10 minutes. Thanks to the purchased ready to use teeth gummies! Sometimes, we need shortcuts, am I right?<br />
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The <a href="https://everydayannie.com/2010/09/17/red-velvet-cupcakes/">red velvet cupcake recipe</a> is from Annie and the frosting is from <a href="https://www.livewellbakeoften.com/red-velvet-cupcakes/">Live Well Bake Often</a>. Because it pipes better with more butter in the frosting. Sorry Annie.<br />
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These cupcakes were only 1 of 4 things I created for our Grade 5 class party. I also prepared <a href="http://www.swoonforfood.com/2019/11/frankenstein-grape-cups-for-halloween.html">Frankenstein grapes</a>, <a href="http://www.swoonforfood.com/2019/11/ghost-sushi-rice-for-halloween.html">ghost sushi rice</a> and these bone puff pastries. The bones actually look better with simple dough but puff pastry tastes way better.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Party food display at the Halloween class party.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's what every kid got at the party.</td></tr>
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With all the work I had to do as room parent for my son's class, I still made time to carve a pumpkin for my 4 year old daughter. Anyone guess what this is? #kidprincesscelestia</div>
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Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13951100256433425136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2019606404927868959.post-35689959941443159802019-11-05T11:36:00.000-08:002019-11-05T11:36:11.121-08:00Ghost Sushi Rice for Halloween<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I absolutely love these ghost sushi rice I made for the 5th Grade Halloween party. Not only were they insanely cute but they were very popular snacks at the party. I even had a girl come up and ask for more. I was so happy the kids ate my sushi!<br />
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I pretty much copied the post I found of a <a href="https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/150096600070068565/">picture I saw on Pinterest</a>. I searched for Halloween sushi and found all sorts of awesome stuff. I picked this one since it looked doable and easy. Lol. I used to make a lot of sushi in the past but then I stopped. I go through a phase where I do lots of something and then I just stop and some times I stop for years. So this experience got me back into making sushi and has opened my eyes to the world of sushi art. I love sushi art!<br />
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For this treat, you need to shop for sushi rice, nori seaweed and pink sushi ginger from an Asian store and go to Daiso and grab punch tools for the nori. The snack I made had to be vegetarian so instead of using ham, as suggested in the post, I used pink sushi ginger. Makes sense, right? For the pink rice, I actually used rainbow carrots. I pureed purple and yellow cooked carrots and added that to some of the sushi rice. I was going for a purple-ish tone but this pinky tone works too. For the class party, I brought in 28 good pieces of sushi from 3 big full rolls of sushi. We kept and ate the end pieces since they were a bit messy. Hey, we needed to taste test too!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">3 rolls of sushi gave me around 30 pieces of sushi.</td></tr>
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Here's an estimate of what it took to make the three big rolls of uncut sushi:<br />
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4 cups of sushi rice, uncooked<br />
6 tbsp of sugar<br />
8 tbsp of rice vinegar<br />
pinch of salt<br />
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4 purple carrots<br />
2-3 yellow carrots<br />
pinch of salt<br />
6 sheets of nori<br />
1 sheet of nori (for the face punch outs)<br />
4-6 large pieces of pink sushi ginger<br />
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When I first practiced making these, I actually used orange and yellow carrots since they were Halloween colors. It kind of looked like candy corn too. But my son said it looked like a pumpkin so I changed it. Nope, can't have that confusion. Carrots worked out great though. I loved that I was able to sneak more vegetables into the food :) I think beets, peas or edamame would have worked well too.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyathbfWvmpfvQgDFyvMRxBUdVpkUkKYivYugnyG9XqizviZSlgVaIjAK944mjjJF07FGbh71Oa2sEr24QpDT5UX29ReTsQU4GzyNdnNS7O2A1jpnzA2C9J94Ktm0O8bzcT5hptvcete0/s1600/IMG_2637.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyathbfWvmpfvQgDFyvMRxBUdVpkUkKYivYugnyG9XqizviZSlgVaIjAK944mjjJF07FGbh71Oa2sEr24QpDT5UX29ReTsQU4GzyNdnNS7O2A1jpnzA2C9J94Ktm0O8bzcT5hptvcete0/s1600/IMG_2637.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I had food tweezers to help but I found that using finger tips worked better in transferring the nori face bits.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi523qgQJgN_UiEqWpKRuq3oWwVn2ag3-5DcKizG7dbacSZXlOF9RZ4s-RNuQFmTzE7AVKNWAoRbNLV4i7L1n1RzBJ8JWjO1UiN6WRPizpvpnzuUswL90h63Kk9PlOGf34EpS0I3wgVgJ8/s1600/IMG_2648.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi523qgQJgN_UiEqWpKRuq3oWwVn2ag3-5DcKizG7dbacSZXlOF9RZ4s-RNuQFmTzE7AVKNWAoRbNLV4i7L1n1RzBJ8JWjO1UiN6WRPizpvpnzuUswL90h63Kk9PlOGf34EpS0I3wgVgJ8/s640/IMG_2648.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These cute containers and grass pieces are also from Daiso.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR1xnecHNuUZO_hEtWfo__xj3tTgdFBzd3OeDpyY8UqUwUPZoM-FDLP2rlO-WtGNpKBDmfb_FQ57uIflVHva0dRWOGYdyi6cTNuOJNrj6EUZTWQNgUuuY921uoLFRinDHyuJnqGGuit3E/s1600/p1gaH2TeZcSZdu.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR1xnecHNuUZO_hEtWfo__xj3tTgdFBzd3OeDpyY8UqUwUPZoM-FDLP2rlO-WtGNpKBDmfb_FQ57uIflVHva0dRWOGYdyi6cTNuOJNrj6EUZTWQNgUuuY921uoLFRinDHyuJnqGGuit3E/s640/p1gaH2TeZcSZdu.jpeg" width="425" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This cool shot was taken at our class party by our party photographer.</td></tr>
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Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13951100256433425136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2019606404927868959.post-63462804753020165912019-11-05T10:46:00.002-08:002019-11-05T20:47:05.286-08:00Frankenstein Grape Cups for Halloween <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgby6Yti696_nQAjRwKGVoPFYz2-KrTMZuNZp7O9ek80pV_S6fT3Y2oWYOF3-u0ClXX-WIcsWTVXK-bg-jCVf85ySzjMIKZ2V4C2HpWvq4KPpKUIyfV77PcOjjdoXha4-6wpETkxJV5dGw/s1600/IMG_2691.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1483" data-original-width="1600" height="370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgby6Yti696_nQAjRwKGVoPFYz2-KrTMZuNZp7O9ek80pV_S6fT3Y2oWYOF3-u0ClXX-WIcsWTVXK-bg-jCVf85ySzjMIKZ2V4C2HpWvq4KPpKUIyfV77PcOjjdoXha4-6wpETkxJV5dGw/s400/IMG_2691.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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These Frankenstein grape cups were inspired by the <a href="https://www.passionforsavings.com/halloween-lunchbox-ideas/">Little Frankies</a> I saw on Pinterest. It's a cute and simple idea and I always wanted to try it. I had tons of leftover 9 oz clear cups from past sundae parties at school so it worked out great!<br />
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A simple and cute idea actually translated to about 1 hour of my time. Omg. And I only scribbled Frankenstein on 22 cups with a sharpie. Everything tends to take longer than expected, right? It was a messy job but I don't think anyone else would have noticed it much. In fact, one of the parents that I spoke to thought I bought the cups like that. Lol.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-b3V9s90y-euwNSn2Rgbd2PJShEhE-00NKeyRh3q8Ng2yY7irM4YFjxSM06zMQztHioJB3YeSK0op9p8wrqtGsr20Y6BSBqu-C9SiExgD-1b5aqATCmZBe3J7rdRQj1J3-1uYWF1bNtY/s1600/D277EA4A-42E9-47D3-8957-8FFE72AA76DA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="565" data-original-width="600" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-b3V9s90y-euwNSn2Rgbd2PJShEhE-00NKeyRh3q8Ng2yY7irM4YFjxSM06zMQztHioJB3YeSK0op9p8wrqtGsr20Y6BSBqu-C9SiExgD-1b5aqATCmZBe3J7rdRQj1J3-1uYWF1bNtY/s320/D277EA4A-42E9-47D3-8957-8FFE72AA76DA.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I picked a design that looked like Frankenstein and was easy to draw quickly and I knew I only had one black sharpie so I had to move the hair part way up on the cup. Lol. I didn't run out of ink when I was all done so yay! Afterwards though, even after leaving them out to air dry, they all smelled like sharpie. Like a lot of sharpie. I didn't want the smell to get on the food so I gave them all a soapy wash. I think this part really is necessary. Especially since I was stacking the cups to bring to the school party. I pre-measured the grapes and brought them separately in a gallon-size ziplock bag, then I just had to fill them at the party. This way I didn't risk cracking the cups. And this way is the easiest and best way for transporting this sort of snack.<br />
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I loved how the fruit snack turned out personally but I'm not sure a lot of people <i>got it</i>. I actually had a parent tell me afterwards it was only after they saw the pictures that they finally <i>got it</i>. Green grapes for Frankenstein makes sense! Now, if the parents didn't even get it, that really makes me wonder about the kids. They probably just chowed down the grapes and didn't even look at the drawing on their cup. But at least they ate the grapes! Honestly, it's hard to feed kids much fruit at parties but I find that grapes are always popular.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwNgjFMuYVNhHYYtyVtYeYFcXr_WJfiok4D3bpVZSBJTM6OPhX36z1zuT27MsTZ8hnW8iaE9oIsuP_6VcLD9O377yuj9f3xTJEFRNEprt9cfm1Zh0igEQxS_z4QNaMu69whAxYX3PC0mk/s1600/IMG_2690.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwNgjFMuYVNhHYYtyVtYeYFcXr_WJfiok4D3bpVZSBJTM6OPhX36z1zuT27MsTZ8hnW8iaE9oIsuP_6VcLD9O377yuj9f3xTJEFRNEprt9cfm1Zh0igEQxS_z4QNaMu69whAxYX3PC0mk/s640/IMG_2690.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Frankenstein grape army on the table display at the class party.</td></tr>
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Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13951100256433425136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2019606404927868959.post-9816623591815235892019-09-10T22:11:00.002-07:002019-09-10T22:11:37.699-07:00My Little Pony's Princess Celestia Cake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrybzgEunUoRm9I90ZWWm3ty6aCWSisy2mqpEgvC29Sw3DP-eF6TMBecMiuSVEJ5FVeL_2l54oA1wlBQIlmlyKAiuLJ3NjHlg-UOpx3Q3jSO9Oeu8bw8Uw6dTDJvqCO8YyHFMTq4WU1Io/s1600/IMG_1909.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrybzgEunUoRm9I90ZWWm3ty6aCWSisy2mqpEgvC29Sw3DP-eF6TMBecMiuSVEJ5FVeL_2l54oA1wlBQIlmlyKAiuLJ3NjHlg-UOpx3Q3jSO9Oeu8bw8Uw6dTDJvqCO8YyHFMTq4WU1Io/s1600/IMG_1909.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9BUcUDrQxeg1twVVkuN0e-qtjZVUm4KMPg5EuY_UtWZmUG1SezLZ_-qcWhnR1Dvv5WOFnXRyKdu61dkm4BsbJfXBitvFX7fm9FpUj3Q-_mKN014kdQ5ltd3lcOwUAEOhcca04vudonSE/s1600/3C9C95B0-AFE2-4482-91A7-0F6B046B79B4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9BUcUDrQxeg1twVVkuN0e-qtjZVUm4KMPg5EuY_UtWZmUG1SezLZ_-qcWhnR1Dvv5WOFnXRyKdu61dkm4BsbJfXBitvFX7fm9FpUj3Q-_mKN014kdQ5ltd3lcOwUAEOhcca04vudonSE/s1600/3C9C95B0-AFE2-4482-91A7-0F6B046B79B4.jpg" /></a></div>
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Unicorns exist in My Little Pony so I modeled my daughter's birthday cake after one of her favorite unicorns named Princess Celestia. For the record, my daughter's all time favorite character is and may always be Fluttershy. It's totally her! When she told me about Princess Celestia and I searched for her, I instantly fell in love. She is in all the colors that I love and is such a stunning unicorn. I can see why she is my daughter's favorite unicorn. I was super excited to do a Princess Celestia cake!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFnoKX_NVp0yNyd62aPZI7wVG71BLPZV4qk34y5DUQd8NLbGVaLIbkoVb9F2JYAuL3lrw0VbEl4-wJ8s_0kddGeKyI8nNlRa_yrYCr81kh12_pTTqH2ybIFVVJmPl4xixKmMpBvCLKtvU/s1600/Screen+Shot+2019-08-07+at+1.31.53+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="914" data-original-width="1011" height="361" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFnoKX_NVp0yNyd62aPZI7wVG71BLPZV4qk34y5DUQd8NLbGVaLIbkoVb9F2JYAuL3lrw0VbEl4-wJ8s_0kddGeKyI8nNlRa_yrYCr81kh12_pTTqH2ybIFVVJmPl4xixKmMpBvCLKtvU/s400/Screen+Shot+2019-08-07+at+1.31.53+PM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Princess Celestia.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyzwOqu0o51OXImjYGf4_fcw42LzCcZDStVWzJlN2UdWnb6CwcWfHh-hhEwZGK-vHVitR3tA9fFlJEvj0wENQ8900GL1BLnnvt1JgFi8ezC-83HPTUZKiTEUKRJ3BP6CTdzcHPJW6JZRM/s1600/IMG_1880.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyzwOqu0o51OXImjYGf4_fcw42LzCcZDStVWzJlN2UdWnb6CwcWfHh-hhEwZGK-vHVitR3tA9fFlJEvj0wENQ8900GL1BLnnvt1JgFi8ezC-83HPTUZKiTEUKRJ3BP6CTdzcHPJW6JZRM/s1600/IMG_1880.jpg" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmeMYFp9mS5daTNK8OX0dhmnj8MMnAqECEZXiHUU1XJoqvLQfvbrZMGdx3FDacBm99c5rZU_JXrM2cDKFqUOmUZj5hVP6bS97PtXIEjDKmtdTPBA-hI-hrFnzUvylJOr-a1gCfdCQ9s7k/s1600/IMG_1900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmeMYFp9mS5daTNK8OX0dhmnj8MMnAqECEZXiHUU1XJoqvLQfvbrZMGdx3FDacBm99c5rZU_JXrM2cDKFqUOmUZj5hVP6bS97PtXIEjDKmtdTPBA-hI-hrFnzUvylJOr-a1gCfdCQ9s7k/s1600/IMG_1900.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We made food for an army.</td></tr>
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I created decorations for the house in the colors from Princess Celestia and then made labels using all the main characters from My Little Pony, including one with Fluttershy in the middle as the star. We also displayed all the ponies around the table and in the house. It was enough and people got the picture. Lol.<br />
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Not only did I want to have fun decorating this cake but I also wanted it to be delicious. As a result, I was a bit ambitious and it took <i>a lot</i> longer than I had hoped. I made a two tier cake with 8 inch rounds for the chocolate layers on the bottom and 6 inch rounds for the vanilla layers on the top.<br />
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For the chocolate cake, I filled the layers in between with alternating chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream and chocolate ganache with a peanut butter swirl. Yes, this is more of a sophisticated cake for an adult or if you're a kid foodie :) For the outside, I used vanilla flavored pink, blue, and white Swiss meringue buttercream to cover the cake, blending the colors and giving it a watercolor swirly effect. I love the looks of these cakes using just buttercream. And using light colored frosting outside a dark chocolate cake adds a lovely contrast.<br />
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For the vanilla cake, I filled the layers in between with lemon flavored Swiss meringue buttercream tinted in the different colors that made up Princess Celestia. The original plan was actually to tint the different vanilla cake layers but I forgot so I went with this instead. Lol. The outside was just covered with white frosting. Princess Celestia is a white pony :) I made her eyes out of fondant and her ears out of molding white chocolate and fondant. I dried the ears out a bit by draping it over a wax paper tube and then I painted the fondant part of the ears a metallic silver. You can use a rolling pin or something similar to dry the ears. The molding chocolate helped it keep its shape and I was able to insert it directly into the cake without any toothpicks. The eyes took forever to do because I didn't prepare any stencils beforehand. Not smart at all. I just hand cut everything just by looking at a picture and the measurements had to be adjusted over and over. The eyes were put in place on the cake once they were done.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ9WMzyjJsMsPjP7DfIMMKS1xAsM-YsKUyEmcInOxQWCDWenHhE5Dw1uNhjcu_JtNVZsDiP5SgfxCdE8QYF-Vw5pocmNUgVDu9hoSNGZx_M42GpYVocwNUGXB9WwBrtFy4fXROdIYO95w/s1600/IMG_1889.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ9WMzyjJsMsPjP7DfIMMKS1xAsM-YsKUyEmcInOxQWCDWenHhE5Dw1uNhjcu_JtNVZsDiP5SgfxCdE8QYF-Vw5pocmNUgVDu9hoSNGZx_M42GpYVocwNUGXB9WwBrtFy4fXROdIYO95w/s640/IMG_1889.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Where I left off the night before the party.</td></tr>
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For Princess Celestia's mane, I used white, turquoise, and lavender tinted frosting and piped on different designs using different piping tips. I combined a couple of the colors to create two color designs in some areas too. I also made a few yellow and purple fondant flowers using molds that I had. To helped conceal some of the piping flaws and to secure some of the areas, I used sprinkles here and there too. I inserted the ears. I could have stopped there and it would have looked lovely. However, I bought this edible rainbow dust and I just had to try it out! I sprinkled some over the cake and it was like adding a little magic. The glitter brought the cake to life I swear. Whimsical and magical, just like unicorns!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfPfI0kW2X3Sdw8asekz1ht6-vK_28ntX4vxUPDQxkr3Ux83QOiGxPZEq1a0VYdw4vrnZ4dWqCDRxtvcBPiuAnQbOvDjfGTJSr3OqTtaQP-aSp0iHfKM3M2BWseUkfniVHnHdjZiKdMOI/s1600/IMG_1952.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfPfI0kW2X3Sdw8asekz1ht6-vK_28ntX4vxUPDQxkr3Ux83QOiGxPZEq1a0VYdw4vrnZ4dWqCDRxtvcBPiuAnQbOvDjfGTJSr3OqTtaQP-aSp0iHfKM3M2BWseUkfniVHnHdjZiKdMOI/s640/IMG_1952.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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This time I actually placed thick plastic straws inside the cake to stabilize it. This has to be one of my taller cakes so I didn't want to risk it tilting or falling over. I didn't even want to put the horn on the cake until the end because I didn't trust it. Lol. I really wanted to eat the unicorn horn too so I decided to just make it out of rice krispies, instead of just a lot of fondant. As a result, it was very large and thick and heavy. I tried inserting paper straw after paper straw through it so I could attach it to the cake but it was too flimsy. In the end I just used a chopstick. Lol.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOxIsSLPOtn-N40bTwCbV39o9rk0e2_c5aYRSY2h6rWdGZ420l1EQmm9yCPqWLv6-JINwp6tJAZG3gzbmUcMaQevECUwzXXqPUuob5v-KFpB7cFfrUNBWMDbYmvMpBvt9sdU-TbjAiu7o/s1600/IMG_1913.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOxIsSLPOtn-N40bTwCbV39o9rk0e2_c5aYRSY2h6rWdGZ420l1EQmm9yCPqWLv6-JINwp6tJAZG3gzbmUcMaQevECUwzXXqPUuob5v-KFpB7cFfrUNBWMDbYmvMpBvt9sdU-TbjAiu7o/s1600/IMG_1913.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finished. Labeled using molding chocolate.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuRvDhKD2yKZK_pJaWKI_DWIerGxCKoexDVzSiBY4wjn20FVHhrYCJ0PGa1EW9pIlFPYzCARdu-S0M1bJ5OBCBxBtjUH2N246wcivD49oR8VJBtcBVNK6unovW3az8Z9idPRfxUCvpaBc/s1600/IMG_1926.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuRvDhKD2yKZK_pJaWKI_DWIerGxCKoexDVzSiBY4wjn20FVHhrYCJ0PGa1EW9pIlFPYzCARdu-S0M1bJ5OBCBxBtjUH2N246wcivD49oR8VJBtcBVNK6unovW3az8Z9idPRfxUCvpaBc/s1600/IMG_1926.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My little Princess unicorn.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-i9EyGCoXvPfJXrCJ5qhXThg62SwK-JNOkfNz_c14h8DvAY5MlYjP5tCKj-sTK4CkoXMapp4btgDDBrlPSs1R4XPy3007loVXjOsaxS-_YF-0thLrHhkROGny1GMKlszlu3RMga1XdSI/s1600/IMG_1947.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-i9EyGCoXvPfJXrCJ5qhXThg62SwK-JNOkfNz_c14h8DvAY5MlYjP5tCKj-sTK4CkoXMapp4btgDDBrlPSs1R4XPy3007loVXjOsaxS-_YF-0thLrHhkROGny1GMKlszlu3RMga1XdSI/s640/IMG_1947.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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I have to say this cake was a lot more technical than I had originally thought. It took me a long time because I was doing different flavor cakes, different colors, and different shape piping and designs and I also made over 30 cupcakes in the process too! All with just one kitchenaid mixer so I had to constantly wash dishes before moving on to the next task. Luckily, I was able to use my past experience working with molding chocolate, fondant, and icing techniques to bail myself out of difficult situations.<br />
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I'm happy with how the cake turned out. It was delicious and it served as a great centrepiece and backdrop for all the photos we took of our 4 year old daughter! I love that it was mainly a buttercream cake with just a few pieces of fondant here and there. But as a result, it was so fragile and every time my kids got near it, I would freak out. So stressful. In fact, at the party one of the kids went up and touched it and it just smeared. Super fragile. That's okay, we already took plenty of pictures:)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHSyNfu6m_V36ObCrtBCGdkj5UmgVVBZPEXySra8JWkvkw7Yft7OBFBPnWbItuXF9hGH6rUuzXMNgBPUUEK3syh6vL3em0Ouxt5ZJ0IsiTKkTQoBwdbuWMPatojA0b0KBmKK-beL1D35Y/s1600/IMG_1896.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHSyNfu6m_V36ObCrtBCGdkj5UmgVVBZPEXySra8JWkvkw7Yft7OBFBPnWbItuXF9hGH6rUuzXMNgBPUUEK3syh6vL3em0Ouxt5ZJ0IsiTKkTQoBwdbuWMPatojA0b0KBmKK-beL1D35Y/s1600/IMG_1896.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I designed this edible topper and ordered it through Amazon, of all places.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglL1l6jDXYqIw9BR_ZjNw-SjjmXFlwCJCGLIEfI7UOQEdSfkEuXAQoqOH-RTJDG-hWZP_6vknsy8y05gFQCfdQfvU0v0Wh0KbWJjVcn-xNgfl2syPAfrDCgFn8urgcDchEAl0SprQDgds/s1600/IMG_1897.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglL1l6jDXYqIw9BR_ZjNw-SjjmXFlwCJCGLIEfI7UOQEdSfkEuXAQoqOH-RTJDG-hWZP_6vknsy8y05gFQCfdQfvU0v0Wh0KbWJjVcn-xNgfl2syPAfrDCgFn8urgcDchEAl0SprQDgds/s320/IMG_1897.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0IGIFqgU5bD_AhNtmsvsLk7zbLFnIZ6R_xeqXKdoa976888eSNyQ-Qo3wyyEpmEVcVfwt9PBNa72_zS8Jxz5nI3Edyw9JdDvLaWyxHVy5qLzbXVda-nLmhHRzMF6rs0r_YSjER71WJ2k/s1600/P1270353.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0IGIFqgU5bD_AhNtmsvsLk7zbLFnIZ6R_xeqXKdoa976888eSNyQ-Qo3wyyEpmEVcVfwt9PBNa72_zS8Jxz5nI3Edyw9JdDvLaWyxHVy5qLzbXVda-nLmhHRzMF6rs0r_YSjER71WJ2k/s320/P1270353.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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