Simple Strawberry Tart

I celebrated my birthday this week and instead of the typical cake, I chose to make something a little different.  And surprisingly, it doesn't involve any chocolate.  This year, I decided to make myself a simple strawberry tart.

Lychee Fritters

Every now and then, I'll try a dessert and think, "Mmmmm that was really good!" and then forget about it and move on.  But sometimes, I'll try something and I'll cherish it as one of my fondest food memories ever.  Even years later, I can still remember how much I loved this delightful little dessert I ate in Paris.

Banana Molasses Muffins (Vegan)

I've been trying my best to eat healthy lately ("trying" is the operative word).  It's sooo hard when I have such a terrible sweet tooth.  I mean, I try to follow what Hubby does and eat more fresh fruit and less chocolate.  We even have a bowl of clementines and bananas sitting on the kitchen counter so that whenever I have a craving for something sweet, I snack on some fruit instead.  It hasn't been easy BUT I'm making small changes here and there.  I still want chocolate but I've cut down my daily consumption just a teeny tiny bit.  Hey, some progress is better than no progress, right?  

Crazy Delicious Rice Krispie Treats

My boys are home sick this week.  Poor babies.  They've been curled up in the couch with fevers and all they want to eat is Jell-O.  I feel so bad when they're not they're happy little selves.  And what's more, they're gonna miss out on all the fun activities at school tomorrow.  My little one even made cards for all his buddies.  Sad to say, but they won't be receiving them :-(

Dunkin' Donuts Coffee Cup Cake

Dunkin' Donuts recently announced that they'll be expanding to California in the next few years and there's one person I know who'll be waiting in line the first day they open in San Diego: my brother Ryan.  He's loves Dunkin' Donuts.  I remember growing up my dad used to buy a boxful of Munchkins and we'd always fight over who gets the chocolate glazed and jelly filled ones.  Ahhhhh childhood memories...a mix of warm and fuzzy nostalgia and pushing and shoving matches with your siblings. And speaking of Dunkin' Donuts, I thought I'd rummage through my old cake photos again and share this DD coffee cup cake.  I made it for Ryan's birthday a few years ago and it was one of the first 3-D cakes I ever tried to make.

Allergy-friendly Fruit and Seed Chewy Granola Bars

Last month, I was planning to make fruitcake cookies but changed my mind and made shortbread cookies instead.  So now I have a bunch of dried fruit and seeds sitting in my cupboard.  I wasn't really sure what to do with them.  I thought, "Well I guess I can just toss them together and make trail mix."  But then I remembered the trail mix chewy granola bars I used to love.  They were made with nuts, which my 7 year old is severely allergic to.  So this week, I decided to make an allergy-friendly version of my favorite granola bars.  Not only are they nut-free, they're also dairy-free, wheat-free, soy-free and vegan :-) 

Ruth's Bridal Shower

Here's another treasure from the past that I didn't get a chance to post.  As you might have read from a previous post, my sister Ruth got married last year and as the matron-of-honor, I did host a bridal shower for her.  It was a Parisian-themed party, with lots of pink and black decorations, cafe music playing in the background and all the Frenchy food you could think of, including dessert of course.  And before you start thinking that this sounds a lot like the movie, "Bridesmaids," no I didn't give away any free puppies.  My cousin Kristen was not too happy about that.  Oh well.  C'est la vie, I guess...

Best Vegan Waffles Ever

It's New Year's Eve today and as I look back at 2012, I can't help but feel incredibly grateful for all the wonderful moments that happened this year.  Hubby and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary. We had our first family vacation at Disneyland.  We bought our home.  And my blog reached over one million visits.  It's been such an amazing year and now I'm looking forward to what 2013 has in store.