Recently, I had the pleasure to review the Super Cute Origami Kit By Yuki Martin and Illustrations by Emily Watanabe. It contains a Full-Color Instruction Book, 48 Folding Sheets, stickers, sequins, rhinestones, pearls, and a lace washi tape. Pretty much everything you needed to create some super adorable origami, and then some.
My daughter was super excited when we received the set. We opened the package together and she started to read the instruction booklet on her own. She told me that besides the instructions on creating the origami, the booklet also includes some fun facts. I love it when a play set is also educational.
My daughter started with a couple easy ones, and she was able to complete them all on her own. She loves the fact that they were rated in different difficulty levels so that she could practice on easy ones first.
Did you know what the Russian Nesting Dolls are called Matryoshka? I certainly didn’t. It was one of the fun fact from the set! I love learning new things every day! This Super Cute Origami Set is amazing. Beside entertaining, it also help the kids follow instructions, and also inspire them to be creative. My daughter designed and drew the patterns for the dolls’ little dresses (see picture below). I think they are super adorable!
The Maneki Neko, the infamous Japanese Lucky Cat, was one of the origami with the highest difficulty. At first, my Daughter wasn’t sure if she can handle it all by herself. But after completing the cupcake and Russian Nesting Dolls Set, she built up her confident and gave it a try. She was so proud of herself when she did it!
My daughter had so much fun playing with this Super Cute Origami Kit. She brought it to a play date to share with her friend (a couple years older than my Daughter) and they had fun making Masquerade Party Masks together! If you’re looking for fun and educational activities for your kiddos on Spring Breaks, weekends, rainy days, or the up coming Summer Breaks, I highly recommend this Super Cute Origami Kit. Simply click here for more information. Thank you again for Tuttle Publishing for sending the kit for review.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of “Super Cute Origami Kit” for the purpose of this review and I was not compensated in any way to write this post. All comments and opinions are 100% my own.
Are you ready for the holiday baking season? Traditionally, I have always been busy baking goodies for friends and family during the holidays! What are your favorite things to share around the holidays? This year, I have created these whimsical 3D Winter Wonderland Sugar Cookies. Be sure to check out the tutorial above on how I make them.
These 3D cookies are made out of Classic Sugar Cookies and decorated with Royal Icing. Not only these cookies are crispy (with a hint of butter and vanilla), they are also more sturdy and can hold up to the decorations better than other kind of cookies. According to my Little Girl, these cookies are perfect for dunking in a cup of hot cocoa! Does she talk like a foodie or what?! In addition to these Classic Sugar Cookies, I also made a variation of a chocolate flavored ones.
In this 3D Winter Wonderland, you will find Christmas Tree, Snowman, Reindeer and Santa’s Sleigh that are all made of cookies. As shown in the video above, they are cut from from a 3D cookie cutter set that I bought online from awhile ago.
In addition to Snowman and Christmas Trees, I also created a few gift box/present cookies to place in front of the Christmas Tree! We’ve got to have some presents for the holidays, right? The great news is that you don’t need a cookie cutter to make these gift boxes. Check out my video tutorial and I’ll show you step by step on how to make them. They are easier to make than they look, and they are super delicious with a layer of chocolate sugar cookie stacked in the middle!
So, which one is your favorite? I personally love the present/gift box and the Santa’s Sleigh cookies the best. Best of all, just a few simple sprinkles and icing can transform these ordinary sugar cookies into something so amazing! I hope you’ll give this recipe a try and make them for your family and loved ones. My kids and I had so much fun decorating these cookies together. They could be a fun holiday activities with your kiddos as well. Stay tuned for more fun and festive holiday recipes!
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Will you be hosting a Halloween party this year? If you do, you’ve got to check out this Creepy Eyeballs Halloween Brew Recipe 鬼異眼球萬聖節特飲! When I tested out this recipe with my kids, they were so excited and had so much fun with it! Yes, this is a kids friendly recipe. But if you want to turn it into a cocktail for the grown ups, you can add 1/2 a cup of liqueur of your choice, such as vodka, tequila, or gin. Or, simply substitute the club soda with some sparkling wine. It’ll be just as delicious!
This recipe is so easy to prepare! If you haven’t watch the tutorial yet, you’ve got to check it out now. Not only you’ll see how simple this recipe is, but you'll also get to check out the special guest who demonstrated the tutorial for us. Since I made this recipe just for my family, I kept it to a rather small portion. If you are serving this at a party, you might want to multiply the recipe to accommodate the number of guests that you have.
In today’s recipe, I added some dry ice for the smoky and spooky effect. It’s so much fun to use and it’s simply amazing. It totally transformed the drink and took it to a whole new level. The dry ice is actually easier to obtain and more affordable than I thought. I was wondering and googling where to buy the dry ice. Turned out, it was available in several local supermarkets near me. If you plan on using dry ice in your drinks, I suggest that you call your local markets to make sure they have it in stock before driving there.
I kept the dry ice in an insulated ice chest as suggested by the packaging (do not keep in the freezer or a closed environment as the dry ice will release carbon dioxide when it “melts”.) I highly recommend that you get it right before or a couple of hours before the party if you plan to use it. And make sure you follow the safety instructions on the package.
Ever wonder what dry ice is made out of? Dry ice is the solid form of carbon dioxide. It sublimates at –109.3F. With its extremely cold temperature, we need to handle it with cautions and never touch the dry ice with your bare hands as you might get frostbite! I was wearing gloves and using tongs when I had to add the dry ice to my drinks. Don’t worry, the dry ice is totally safe! Because of its heavier weight, the dry ice immediately dropped to the bottom of the glass/punch bowl. Just make sure to sip your drink slowly so the dry ice is all melted by the time you finish your drink. And it mostly will. And please refrain yourself from getting the dry ice inside your mouth because it can burn your skin/mouth!
Moving on to anther ingredient of this drink, the creepy eyeballs! They are made out of canned lychees filled with fresh blueberries. Lychee is one of my favorite tropical fruit to enjoy (check out this lychee martini recipe that I shared in the past and see how they look when they're fresh). With a little bit of grenadine syrup added to the lychees, they sure looked like bloody eyeballs! I’ll list the ingredients used at the end of the post for your convenience.
I hope you enjoyed today’s fun and easy recipe! Leave me a comment if you have questions or if you’ve tried the recipe. I would love to hear from you. Remember, Eat, Drink, and Be Happy! Stay tuned for more fun recipe next week! Wish you all a happy and safe Halloween!
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One of my favorite activities of the day is packing cute bento lunch boxes for my Kiddos. As soon as October started, I’ve been making the lunch boxes with Halloween theme. These lunch boxes are fun and festive. It’s a way for me to send some love for the kiddos while they are at school. The picture above is a spaghetti lunch box with Hello Kitty wearing a witch’s hat. Kitty is made out of a slice of Muenster cheese. The decorations are seaweed and soy wrappers. The little pumpkin is a slice of carrot decorated with cut out seaweed.
I love the Frankenstein bento as well. It’s made out of a slice of Muenster cheese topped with a piece of green soy wrapper. Click here to check out the package of soy wrapper that I used. (I’ll list the tools and other ingredients at the end of this post for your reference as well.) I absolutely love the soy wrappers as they are so colorful and easy to use. Best of all, they are made with natural ingredients such as spinach, turmeric, and paprika to obtain those gorgeous bright colors.
The picture above is a bowl of Miso Noodle Soup that I made for my Hubby. I’m sure we can all use some sunshine. I feel happy just by looking at the cute face on the egg.
My kids’ all time favorite got to be these piggy ham and cheese sandwiches along with Minions (see picture below)! These lunch boxes are inspired by The Despicable Me 3 movie that we watched over the summer. The Minions are hard boiled eggs soaked in water and turmeric for the yellow color. The decorations are cut out seaweeds. I hope you enjoy today’s bento compilations and lunch box ideas! If you have any questions, suggestions, or recipe requests, feel free to leave me a comment below.
My whole family love bath bombs! They are a wonderful way to relax in the tub after a long day of work, school, cooking, or running around the house (that’s more of my activity, not my kids…in case you wonder!) If you haven’t tried them yet, I highly recommend that you give them a try. The first time we tried them was during our family vacation. We simply purchased a bag from the drug store while we were supposed to pick up a few bottled water for our hotel stay. Boy oh boy, we were addicted to them right the way! It’s smells wonderful, fun to use with the fizzing and make bath time so much more relaxing and enjoyable! The only down side of the store bought bath bombs? They could be quite expensive! That’s one of the main reason why I’m making my own now! Besides saving money, I can also tailor these bath bombs to my own preferences of scents and ingredients! There are a few must-have ingredients and I’ll explained to you why. First item on the list is baking soda. Baking Soda: In addition to complementing the citrus acid, baking soda is also the key to create the fizzing reaction. Kids went crazy (crazily happy and excited, I should add) when the fizzing started! Which introduced to the second ingredient, citric acid. (Get yours here: https://goo.gl/U4cAyF) Citrus Acid: Another requirement to generate the fizzing reaction is the citrus acid. I usually get it online and I’ll list the link below for your convenience. It’s so much fun to watch and feel the fizz in the tub! I feel like I’m bathing in a tub of champagne! The Citrus Acid also acts as a natural preservative. (Get yours here: https://goo.gl/8wbV1a)
Another ingredient for the recipe is corn starch. Corn Starch: It yields a silky and smooth texture that you don’t get from other ingredients. It also helps absorb the extra liquid in the bath bombs. You can substitute with arrow root powder as well. I usually have both in the kitchen as thicken agents in my cooking. (Get your Corn Starch here: https://goo.gl/oXvfCo) (Get your Arrow Root Starch here: https://goo.gl/V7U379) Epsom salt: You can also use sea salt, or a mix of both as well. It provides the minerals for your skin and help you relax and de-stressed! (Get your Epsom Salt here: https://goo.gl/b3XhjQ) (Get your Sea Salt here: https://goo.gl/9cdcXX) Essential Oil and Coconut Oil: Essential oil and coconut oil are also needed in this bath bomb recipe. They help hydrate your skin and keep your skin feeling silky smooth and soft! You can also use avocado oil or almond oil if you like them better. (Get your Lavender Essential Oil here: https://goo.gl/viW48P) (Get your Rose Essential Oil here: https://goo.gl/TvcbYJ)
Witch Hazel Toner: Last but not least, the witch hazel toner (you can use other alcohol-free toner as well). If you don’t have it, water work just fine. You do need the moisture in the mixture so that the bath bomb can come together for shaping. The toner is also good for your skin and since I already have it available, it is what I used. (Get yours here: https://goo.gl/L3iV2b) Dried Lavender and Dried Rose Petals: Besides looking gorgeous and adding a bit of natural colors to the bath bombs, they also add wonderful natural floral aromas into the bath bombs. (Get your dried lavender here: https://goo.gl/nF3Koc)(Get your dried Rose tea buds here: https://goo.gl/qMpZrf) Soap Coloring: The soap coloring is pretty much optional. I think they make the bath bomb look more fancy and perfect if you’re giving them as homemade gifts. But please only use soap coloring and not food coloring. You don’t want the bath bombs to stain your skin nor the bath tubs!
(Get yours here: https://goo.gl/uCL6Vo)
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Are you ready for another magical and whimsical recipe? A recipe that involves a mysterious, fascinating, and imaginary create! Yes, I'm talking about the Unicorn! After all, everything associated with the Unicorn has been so gorgeous and adorable, even with its byproduct such as... its poop!?
Sorry, I just couldn’t help it! I had so much fun making these Sour Lemon Meringue Cookies with my Little Girl. We were laughing, joking, and goofing around in the kitchen as we bake and enjoy each other's company…and these cookies, of course!
If you haven’t watched my video tutorial yet, you’ve got to check it out. I guaranteed that you won’t be disappointed! I’ll show you step by step procedures on how to create the perfect rainbow swirls that shaped these cookies. They are actually easier than you think. Plus, you’ll get my tips and secret on how to make the perfect meringue cookies!
These rainbow colored Sour Lemon Meringue Cookies are made from all natural food coloring deprived from fruit and vegetables (I’ll link my food coloring tutorials below this post). If you don’t have the time to make your own coloring, I’ve found out that my local health-food store/supermarket do carry some all natural coloring options. I’ll list the product links below this post so that you can check them out as well.
If you’ve baked meringue cookies before, you know that they don’t like moisture! So, we bake them at low temperature for a long time. Plus, we need to be careful on the flavoring option as well. Since I made these in lemon flavor, I use lemon zest to give these cookies the refreshing lemony aroma. But for the tartness, I used citrus acid (which is really sour and in powder form) instead of fresh lemon juice. That way, I won’t be adding too much moisture into the batter.
These cookies are so light, crispy, and packed with lemony aroma. The sweetness and tartness is perfectly balanced! Give them a try and you’ll fall in love with them.
I hope you enjoyed today’s post and recipe! Remember, Eat, Drink, and Be Happy! Stay tuned for more fun recipe next week!
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Are you ready for summer vacation? My family has been dreaming of our summer holiday since the beginning of the year! We’re into the homestretch month now! Although we’re still as busy as ever with school work and other activities, we’re getting very excited! I guess seeing the light at the end of the tunnel really helps! What are your plans for this summer? Any good suggestion for activities? Feel free to share with me in the comment below. It’s much appreciated! Besides the usual summer outdoor activities, I know I’ll be cooking, baking, and creating treats with my kids often! It’s definitely something that we enjoy a lot and always look forward to do together. In fact, we have already picked out some recipes that we're going to prepare together. If you have any recipe request, please don’t hesitate to let me know. I’ll try my best to make it share with you! Today, I have this easy, fun, and super delicious recipe to share with you: Brazilian Cheese Bread (Pão de Queijo) 一口芝士包! These cheesy little golden nuggets are naturally gluten-free. It’s made with tapioca flour, and….lots of cheese! It’s one of the cheesiest little 1-bite popper you’ll ever encounter! They are crispy on the outside, slightly chewy on the inside, and super cheesy with the nutty parmesan and gruyere cheeses! As you might already knew, the real Parmigiano Reggiano is on the pricy side. Watch the video tutorial above and I’ll show you how to distinguish if you’re using the real ones! These cheesy popper are so addictive and you’ll agree that they’re worth the extra bucks!
My recipe call for 2 types of cheeses, but you can use parmesan cheese alone, or use any strong, hard to semi-hard cheese (to substitute gruyere) if you like. I usually prepare the full recipe, bake off of the amount that I needed, and keep the rest of the dough in the fridge for later. That way, you can enjoy these warm and freshly baked cheesy bread whenever you crave for some. It’s a very forgiving recipe, as there is no need to knead or raise the dough, and your bread always comes out nice and delicious! I hope you enjoy today’s post and recipe. Stay tuned for more fun and delicious recipe next week! Tools and Ingredients Used: Tapioca Flour (Click here for more information) Mini Muffin
Pan (24) (Click here for more information) Mini Muffin Pan (12) (Click here for more information) Cooling
Racks (Click here for more information) Kerrygold
Butter (Click here for more information) Stand
Mixer (Click here for more information) Cheese Grater (Click here for more information)
