This recipe post is related to my chocolate chip cookie post in that it uses the same Ghiradelli cookie dough recipe. I just substituted chocolate chips with dried cranberries and yogurt chips. Chocolate chips are occassionally processed on equipment which also processes peanuts or other tree nuts and I thought that using yogurt chips (which the label indicated were not processed on equipment associated with peanuts) would be a good alternative...

This year, Valentine’s Day was quite fun as Bebe E and I enjoyed a number of arts and crafts together. We decorated the house with little paper hearts. Then she made mommy a Valentine’s Day card. Yes, I helped by tying two pieces of red card stock together with ribbon, making little cut-outs and buying some supplies at Michael’s half-off (yay!). I also helped to stamp the balloon images so that the ink would show up, but the...

  Chinese New Year arrived quite early this year on Monday, January 23, 2012. I wasn’t prepared for it as I was still recovering from Oshogatsu (Japanese New Year’s) and dealing with life’s curve-balls. I debated whether I would cook this year or not; whether I would write a 2012 Chinese New Year’s post. Last year, I was highly motivated and made two dishes: Chinese – style egg rolls and Jai (or Buddha’s...

  明けましておめでとう！ Akemashite Omedetou! Translation: Happy New Year! A few years ago, I vowed to learn how to make osechi ryori, or traditional Japanese New Year’s food. For as long as I can remember, every year, my Mom would make several different types of osechi ryori for our family to eat on New Year’s Day. Today, this is still true, to a certain extent, but recently I’ve been trying to help her by making...

  Happy New Year! Thank you all for your friendship, love, kind words, encouragement, delicious food and good company! May you all enjoy a healthy, prosperous and happy 2012! * * * * * * * * Soooooo….. Despite my comments regarding beef in my last post for 2011, I ended up cooking a rather LARGE piece of red meat for my family’s Christmas lunch…. ….And then, Christmas came and went in a flash. The days that immediately...

The holiday season is in full swing! Earlier last week I was feeling a bit overwhelmed with all that I needed to do, yet all-in-all it’s been great. Most all of our Christmas shopping is now done, presents are wrapped and under our decorated tree. Christmas cards have been sent. Bebe E “wrote” her letter to Santa and even visited him and his elves (twice) at South Coast Plaza. She told Santa she wants a bicycle (a.k.a....

Until our visit to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, the farthest road trip we had ever taken with Bebe E was to San Diego for a visit to Sea World or the San Diego Zoo, which is a mere 1 1/2-hour drive. However, since our 17 hour flight to Beijing, we’ve gotten bold as parents. Just prior to the Thanksgiving Holiday, Bebe Dada invited us to accompany him on a business trip to Northern California. He suggested we take a road trip and that we...

The other day, Bebe E and I took a walk with a good friend of ours and the leaves on the maple trees were gorgeous shades of red, gold, orange and yellow. It was beautiful, and in my friend’s words, peaceful. Fall is one of my favorite times of the year. Bebe E and I have been picking leaves whenever we have the chance. I’ve found recently picked leaves in the house, on the floor of our car, and the other day I found a little...