It took me a while to learn to appreciate chili, as I had never eaten anything like it when I was growing up. I remember making chili for the very first time a few years back and I had to ask my husband to taste it for seasonings because I had no idea then what […]
Author: Chris
Chewy Oatmeal Decorating Cookies
I was searching for a simple cutout cookie recipe, something other than the classic sugar cookies. Of course, I turned to my old faithful whole grain baking book for this task. As I was flipping through the pages, this recipe’s introductory paragraph caught my attention. I quote, “Who says cutout cookies for decorating need to […]
Plum Sour Cream Muffins
I love muffins. They are quick and easy to whip up and make a great on-the-go breakfast or snack. This recipe comes from an all-time favorite book of mine – King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking. I have made a lot of baked goods from this book and they have consistently turned out moist, tender, […]
More Baking…
This time, we made Plum Sour Cream Muffins and Chewy Oatmeal Decorating Cookies. As usual, he loved his baking sessions from the start till the end – all the measuring, mixing, and seeing the result of his (fun) labor. This was the first time Alex tried his hands on cutout cookies and he enjoyed every […]
Fun with the Circuit Board
Alex got this super fun and educational toy – Snap Circuits SC-300 from Santa this past Christmas, and absolutely loves it. Although the manufacturer recommends this set for ages 8 and above, Alex is able to put together a lot of the basic projects by himself and the more complicated ones with help from us. […]
Watercolor Resist Snowflakes
Seeing how we almost broke the snowfall record in January, I guess this project was definitely theme-appropriate. Instead of drawing with a white crayon, Alex used a white oil pastel. I had to help him draw half the dots (as everything was white and it was difficult to see where to draw) and all the […]
Italian Plum Torte
This plum cake recipe comes from one of my favorite magazines – Chocolatier (which seems to be published under a new name now – Dessert Professional since its merge with Pastry Art Design and Frozen Desserts magazines). The two main reasons why I was first drawn to this recipe were how elegant the cake looks and […]
Honeybell Tangelos
We have been feasting on these wonderful Honeybell Tangelos over the past week, a gift from close friends of ours – Gregg and Bonnie. The tangelos are unbelievably sweet and juicy, without a doubt the best citrus we have eaten over the past years. They came from a seller in Florida – Countryside Citrus. […]
Gong Xi Fa Cai
To all our Families and Friends, May this New Year bring you Happiness and Good Fortune. Gong Xi Fa Cai! Love, Chris, Keith, Alex and Doggies (Max, Darwin, and Cyber)
Alex and his Lego Vehicles
Below are pictures of Alex putting together a Lego mini truck. After having done it a few times before with Keith’s help, he can do it by himself now by looking at the step-by-step picture instructions. We love this toy!