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Return of the Dragon(fruit) and Treasured Times

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It’s been a very busy season of going back to school and adjusting to this new normal. The kids have been going to school in person 1-2 days a week, and the rest of the days are at home online learning. I’ve been like a teacher’s assistant guiding the lessons, an IT help desk navigating Tech issues, and a secretary keeping track of a schedule of zoom/google classroom meetings, in addition to all the other things Mommy’s do at home. Despite the craziness, I’m thankful to be able to be home with the kids in this season of life. I am thankful that I can be the one to help them and care for them through these inconsistent times and constant changes. I love hearing the little moments of laughter from them, and seeing the cute things they invent, and feeling their snuggly arms around me. These are treasured times! The mornings are hectic, but there are afternoons of slowness where we all settle down. Usually during their snack time, I let the kids watch some tv. I get some mommy time where I...
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Pesto Penne with Roasted Salmon, Tomatoes, and Eggplant

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I love that summertime brings the arrival of fresh garden goodies! I've always admired people who can take care of a garden as I can see it takes a lot of work. My sister-in-law and mother-in-law spend hours in the backyard tending to their flowers and fruits and vegetables. They've weeded the garden and picked off bugs that were munching on the leaves of their veggies. It is a labor of love for them and I'm so thankful that they share what they produce with us. They gave us some sweet cherry tomatoes, lovely plum tomatoes, Italian basil, and vibrant purple Japanese eggplant. Here's the recipe I came up with combining those delicious ingredients. Ingredients 16 oz Penne Pasta 2 or 3 Japanese eggplant (peel alternating stripes lengthwise, then cut in 1/2" coins) 2 cups halved cherry tomatoes or sliced plum tomatoes 1/4 cup olive oil salt and pepper to taste 4 or 5 pieces of Salmon (cut to serving size)  2 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons lemon juice salt and pepper ...
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Cherry Tomato Basil Tarts

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This weekend, we went to Pennsylvania to visit my husband's family. My mother-in-law has a wonderful garden with lots of veggies and tomatoes! It's lovely to see my son spending time with his grandma and bonding by picking tomatoes from the garden. He was very proud when he showed me the bundle of cherry tomatoes that he picked. Such beautiful reds and even some green and yellow! My mother-in-law gave me some fragrant Italian basil as well. I was excited to return home and create something new with these ingredients. Years ago, I made a tomato herb tart for friends, but I had forgotten to write down exactly how I made it. The memory of the fresh garden-picked tomatoes roasted in the oven atop some creamy cheese and herbs on a crusty buttery tart was still etched in my mind. I've recreated the recipe, but this time added bacon! The salty, yummy crispy bacon would go well with the sweet tomatoes. These tarts are so awesomely delicious! Hope you will try to make them at home t...
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Happy Chocolate Chip Pretzel Toffee Cookies

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My kids seem to always leave a few mini pretzels in their bowls or in their bags after snack time. What do I do with all those leftovers? Save them! I’ve combined chocolatey goodness with salty pretzels with scrumptious toffee and present to you some truly indulgent cookies. These cookies are yummy and a perfect mix of sweet and salty straight out of the oven. The little happy goofy faces on these cookies make me smile. Perfect for dessert or snack or really anytime. 😉 Makes about 20 cookies Ingredients 1/2 cup softened butter 1/4 cup white granulated sugar 1/2 cup dark brown sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 large egg 1 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon or 1/2 teaspoon sea salt if you like more salt 1/2 cup chocolate chips (Save a few for eye decoration) 1/2 cup heath toffee 1 cup mini pretzels (Save a few pieces for smile decoration) Directions Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Place parchment paper on 2 cookie sheets and ...
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New Baking Challenge: Macarons!

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I am a big fan of the Great British Baking Show on Netflix. I’ve always had dreams to try to bake what they feature during their different week challenges. I’ve long admired macarons and how they can come with so many colors and designs and fillings! But I have been intimidated to try to bake them. I’ve seen baking fails on the show and on Facebook baking groups, of how the macaron shells were flat or didn’t have feet or were hollow. I know that I wouldn’t learn anything if I didn’t at least try! This would be my first time making macarons. I’ve learned the most from facing a fear rather than running away from it. One of my happiest and most rewarding moments was learning to swim as an adult after being afraid for so long and after many, many beginner classes.  I’ve learned so much about cooking and baking through trial and error and practice during this quarantine time. It’s made staying inside more fun to look for new recipes and challenge myself to make them. I’ve had fails, lik...
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Ube Coconut Pancakes

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Who doesn’t like purple pancakes with purple sauce? It’s the magical looking stuff that makes kids want to try something new. My daughter loves purple and I convinced her to try ube coconut pancakes because they are purple! She hesitantly took a bite. She said they were good. She proceeded to finish the whole pancake! I think this is the first time ever that she finished the whole thing! Victory!!! Ube Coconut Pancakes   Ingredients   For 8-9 pancakes: 1/2 cup coconut milk 1/4 cup Greek yogurt 1 tbs sugar (optional, if you like it less sweet, you can omit) 1 large egg 1/2 cup ube coconut jam (Ube-Macapuno) 3/4 cup flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon Approximately 2 tablespoons canola or neutral oil for pan For Ube Coconut Sauce: (optional, if you like it less sweet, omit) 1/4 cup coconut milk 2 tablespoons confectioners sugar 2 teaspoons ube coconut jam Directions for pancakes: In a big bowl, put the coconut milk, Greek yogurt, sugar, egg, an...
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Tropical Coconut Milk “Ice Cream”

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I love ice cream, especially in the summer. Specific food always brings back memories of certain trips and vacations. When I went to Hawaii, we were surrounded by flavors of pineapple and coconut. When I went to Cambodia, we had many, many mangoes. I love that I can eat this tropical coconut milk “ice cream” and taste some of those flavors and that it can be dairy free and also kind of healthy. It’s so easy to make and you don’t even need an ice cream maker! It gives me some happiness to be reminded of those times and pretend I’m relaxing in some tropical place on vacation while eating this treat. Tropical Coconut Milk “Ice Cream” (Adapted from www.superhealthykids.com) Ingredients 1 cup frozen pineapple chunks 1 cup frozen mango chunks 1 frozen medium banana, cut in thirds 3/4 cup coconut milk with the top cream layer from can 1/3 cup honey Optional add-ons: Red dragonfruit slices Coconut cookies (I like CookieThins Thinsters Toasted Coconut) Diced Mango Chocolate Pocky Directions: Pu...
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Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice? Yes, please!

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Do you ever forget about what’s in the bottom of your refrigerator? Apparently, there were eight oranges hiding underneath the other fruit in the bottom drawer! I wondered what to do with this abundance, and my husband suggested to make orange juice. I thought that would be a fun activity that the kids would like, plus hopefully they’ll drink the freshly squeezed orange juice too. The kids waited in anticipation as I washed and cut all the oranges in half. I tried to remove the seeds and then they were fighting for turns of who was going to squeeze the orange next. We strained the orange pulp and were left with fresh, delicious, naturally sweet orange juice. The sticky juice was on their little chubby hands, and dripping off their chins. There were trails of juice and pulp on the dining table. But they each drank 3 cups each, and definitely had their daily share of Vitamin C. A mess for Mommy but the kids were giddily happy and asked for more. Yes, please!
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