Holiday Centerpiece

Ring in the holidays with this fantastic centerpiece your party guest will not forget.
Mix fruits and flowers to set the mood with a little seasonal splendor. Add easy embellishments, such as evergreen and sheet moss. Insert sprigs of bright red berries to fill in, and add a cheery color.

Place the arrangement into a crystal pedestal to add height. The best thing about this centerpiece? It will last long, up to two weeks. If the flowers fade, replace them with fresh cut of blooms or with pots of small evergreens, such as cedar and cypress. This will make your holiday dinner elegant and memorable!
Happy Holidays!

Orange Cream Cheese Bread

It has been cold and rainy so far. Winter is definitely arriving soon. Since there’s nothing much to do outside, I’ve decided to turn to my other passion, cooking. For this hobby, I specifically like to bake. When I am baking bread, I just love to smell the aroma of cinnamon and chocolate filling the house. 

The best reward for cooking is your family enjoying what you’ve made. Because of that, you become more inspired to experiment with more recipes. Also, it makes your family have a closer bond.

My daughters and I really loved the moist, creaminess of this bread. If you love nuts as much as I do, feel free to add them on! It’s really good, especially for the holidays.

Ingredients:
1-8 oz  package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup  shortening
1 2/3 cup  granulated sugar
2  eggs
2 1/4 cup  all-purpose flour
1 tsp  salt
1 Tbsp  baking powder
1 cup  milk
1/2 cup  chopped walnuts
2 Tbsp  grated orange peel
1/4 cup  orange juice

Directions:
1.) Combine cream cheese and shortening, creaming well.
2.) Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy.
3.) Add eggs, beating well after each addition.
4.) Combine flour, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Mix well after each addition.
5.) Stir in walnuts and orange peel.
6.) Pour batter into 2 greased and floured 8-1/2 x 4-1/2 x 3 inch loaf pans.
7.) Bake at 375 degrees F for 55 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
8.) Let cool in pan for 10 mintues. Then sprinkle orange juice over loaves. Remove to wire rack to finish cooling

Trick or Treat

Orange is the main color of the fall season. Pumpkins are everywhere, and many leaves are falling from trees, eventually changing into shades of orange, red, and yellow. Since it's starting to get chilly and cold out, winter is slowly arriving, and Halloween is coming up shortly. Whenever this holiday comes, it makes me feel excited because of the ability to transform into a character and the choices are endless. When I was growing up, we didn't have this tradition back at home.

This year, I couldn't decide what my costume would be, but I did do some Halloween decorations.

September Look

My youngest daughter and I share the same interest in fashion. So, we went shopping to purchase pre-fall pieces. She is my personal stylist and photographer.

What to wear:

Foldover Snakeskin Clutch

Wide Leather Belt

Colorful Shawl

Beige Blazer and Boots

Animal Print Cardigan



Wide Leg Trousers



Pearl necklace and Bracelet

Beige cropped Blazer

Black Blazer

Skinny Jeans

Food: Hummus w/Parmesan Pita Chips and Banana Bread

With the growing problem of obesity in our country, as a mother, it's my responsibility to educate my daughters on how to  provide our body with foods that are natural and healthy. Whenever possible, I try to avoid processed and calorie-laden foods. Instead I used honey, maple syrup, applesauce, as a sugar substitute. I also included flaxseed oils in my cooking.
I prepared these snacks in a recent outing.

Hummus with Parmesan Pita Chips
Makes: 1 1/4 cups               Prep: 10 minutes
Bake at 350 degrees for 9 minutes

Ingredients:
5  4-1/2 whole wheat pitas, split open and each side cut into fourths
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 can (15.5 ounces) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons tahini
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup baby spinach, finely chopped

Directions:
1.) Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place pita pieces on rimmed baking sheet and coat with nonstick cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes or until crisp. Remove from oven and divide Parmesan cheese ove pitas; return to oven for 1 minute or until cheese melts.
2.) Meanwhile, combine chickpeas, lemon juice, tahini, olive oil, cumin, and salt in a food processor bowl. Process until a smooth paste forms. Spread chickpea mixture into a serving bowl; stir in spinach. Serve with warm pita chips

Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tbsp ground flaxseed
Pinch of seasalt
3 ripe bananas, mashed with a fork
2 egg whites
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup raw honey
1/4 cup flaxseed oil
1/3 cup chopped dark chocolate

Directions:
1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, flaxseed and salt.
2.) In a large bowl, with a hand mixer, beat bananas until smooth. Add egg whites and beat until combined. Gradually mix in applesauce, honey and flaxseed oil.
3.) Mix dry ingredients into banana mixture; stir in chocolate
4.) Mist a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Pour batter into pan and bake for 25 minutes or until browned on top

Adieu Summer!

The weather is unpredictable here in the Pacific Northwest, and it's only during the month of August where warmer temperatures arrived. This summer seemed so short, so whenever it's sunny, we took advantage of it, and my girls got excited for a trip.

This weekend we visited the Swan Island Dahlia Festival in Canby, Oregon. The dahlias, which were the flowers blooming in the place we visited, grew over 350 varieties in 40 acres. The Swan Island Dahlia is open to the public during blooming season. It is also a beautiful sight to witness.

In the end, we had fun, and it was a perfect way to end the summer. It was also a chance to relax after a busy week, and to bond as a family.

Fashion: Rompers

Aside from the Maxi dresses, another must-have for summer is the romper or jumper. The material is lightweight and cool, so it's perfect to wear when the temperature is rising, especially if you want a casual look. We had a picnic again and I wore this floral jumper, and paired it with a wide brimmed hat. I've even included a straw bag and slippers.

Decorating: Flower Arrangement

It's summertime, and my hydrangea plant is in full bloom in our garden. I didn't want it to go to waste, so I decided to create a flower arrangement for our living room. When I planted the flowers a couple of years ago, they were all the same pink color. But now the ones in our backyard is purple, while the front yard has pink flowers. It has something to do with the soil, I guess.



Food: Granola Yogurt & Berry Parfaits

Makes: 7 servings            Prep: 10 minutes 
Bake: at 300 degrees for 35 minutes

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/3 cup dried cherries
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3 1/2 cups mixed frozen berries, thawed
2 1/2 cps 1% vanilla Greek yogurt (such as Chobani)

Directions:

1.) Heat oven to 300 degrees. Coat a large rimmed baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.

2.) In a medium-size bowl, combine the oats, almonds, cherries, maple syrup, salt and cinnamon. Stir until well combined, then spread onto prepared baking sheet. Bake at 300 degrees for about 35 minutes, stirring halfway through, or until golden brown. Remove to a wire rack and let cool completely.

3.) Place 1/4 cup granola in the bottom of serving glass, then top with 1/4 cup berries and a scant 3 tablespoons yogurt. Repeat layering once more. Repeat with remaining glasses.

Snack: Peanut Butter Dip

We're aiming for a healthier lifestyle, so instead of eating junky food, we chose this healthy snack. It is very easy to make, and it's tasty! Even kids will enjoy it, since this snack would great for eating after school.  Enjoy!

Makes: 1 1/3 cups                    Prep: 10 minutes

3/4 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup reduced-fat peanut butter
1/3 cup raisins
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 apples, cored and cut into 1/2 inch slices
3 ribs celery, trimmed and cut into 4-inch sticks
2 cups small pretzels

Directions:
In a small serving bowl, stir together yogurt, peanut butter, raisins and cinnamon. Serve with apples, celery and pretzels.

Dessert: Banana Parfait

After our picnic, we went home and treated ourselves to a wonderful dessert. It was a cold treat, perfect for summertime, and tasted delightful. I loved the combination of the pudding with all the different toppings, which created a dessert my daughters loved.

Makes: 4
Prep: 12 min           Total: 1 hr and 15 min

Ingredients:
2 cups low fat milk
1 pkg (3 oz) cook & serve vanilla pudding
1/2 tsp vanilla or banana extract
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 medium ripe bananas
8 vanilla wafer cookies
1/2 cup heavy cream, whipped
1/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut, toasted

Directions:

1.) Mix milk and pudding mix in a 2-qt saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a full rolling boil.

2.) Remove from heat; stir in extract and nutmeg. Scrape into a medium bowl; cover surface directly with plastic wrap and refrigerate about 1 hour or until cold.

3.) Evenly divide pudding into four 8-oz stemmed glasses. Peel and slice bananas. Divide banana slices over puddings (save a few for garnish if desired). Crush 1 vanilla wafer cookie over each parfait.

4.) Place a dollop of whipped cream on top of each. Garnish with remaining wafer cookies, the coconut and reserved banana slices.