CRANBERRY + WHITE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

you can never go wrong with a freshly baked batch of cookies.

however instead of making a regular 

batch of chocolate chip cookies, 

i decided to add a little spin to the recipe.

CRANBERRY + WHITE CHOCOLATE COOKIES

(makes around 2 dozen cookies)

you will need:

-1/2 cup unsalted margarine or butter

-1/4 cup white sugar

-1/2 cup brown sugar

-1/2 tsp of salt

-1 tsp vanilla extract

-1 egg

-1 cup of all-purpose flour

-1/4 tsp of baking soda

- 1/3 cup walnuts

-1/3 cup dried cranberries

-1/3 cup white chocolate pieces

how to make:

1. pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

2. in a bowl, cream together the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar.

3. add salt, vanilla, and egg to the mixture. 

4. in a separate bowl mix the flour and baking soda together.

5. mix the flour mixture into the creamed mixture.

6. add in the walnuts, dried cranberries, and white chocolate.

7. mix all together!

8. sheet parchment paper onto a cookie sheet

9. place tbs sized balls of dough onto the cookie sheet

(make sure the balls of dough are 

approximately 5 cm apart from each other).

10. bake cookies for 8-10 minutes, or until they are golden brown on the outside (bake cookies on middle rack).

11. once cookies are done let them cool for a bit, 

then plate, and enjoy!

:)

JAPAN PART 11 - NIPPON BONBON

these candies bring back memories of the times i spent in japan as a youngin.

my cousins and i would spend our precious chum change on these goodies and fill ourselves with sugar until our little bodies could not handle anymore.

tasting the sweet goodness of these savoury treats in present times makes me realize how fast our lives unfold.

it feels just like yesterday i was swinging on my grandparents swing-set with my cousins, giggling away without a care in the world.

i learned that it doesn't take much to bring back 

sweet childhood memories and a waft of nostalgia.

:)

p.s. japanese candies are definitely a must try

JAPAN PART 10 - SAVOUR THE MOMENT

as you can see by looking at these pictures,

ice cream was one of the main highlights of the trip.

from a variety of soft ice creams and parfaits, to baskin robbins and dip n' dots; each calorie was savoured to the very last bite.

enjoying conversations over a sweet and chilled treat

can make any day delightful.

however, the beach-bod may suffer.

now that i'm back in vancouver, reality has kicked in and it's time to enjoy savoury treats in moderation.

my friend and i have decided not to eat any ice cream until the first of july. this may not seem that long, but for us it is a great challenge. going cold turkey off pinkberry for even a week is a dreadful task for us ice cream lovers.

i'm on a search to finding magical recipes for delicious yet 

beach-bod-acceptable ice cream for this zesty summer season!

-to enjoying treats in moderation!

:)

JAPAN PART 7 - SWEET BREAD

one thing i absolutely love about japan 

is the smell of their bakeries.

the heavenly scent of butter and sweetness can waft throughout an entire department store and captivate one's senses. 

the bread in japan is quite different from western style bread;

it's sweeter and more delicious?

i'm positive that their bread contains mountains of calories,

but the softness and yumminess of the bread makes it totally worth it.  

who wouldn't want to get cute bread that looks like turtles and pandas?

more to come...

:)

JAPAN PART 2 - SWEET COURTESY

it is a japanese tradition to bring gifts to the house you are visiting.

therefore, since my mum and i were visiting my grandparents house we decided to pick up a few gifts!

the white box was senbei for my grandpa. senbei is the japanese name for rice cracker! japan has some of the best senbei, so if you're into rice crackers, go all out in japan!

 the tokyo banana is a soft cake filled with a banana custard. people all over go crazy for this treat! this treat was flying off the shelves at narita airport. 

be sure to get you hand on these bad boyz when you be hittin up tokyo.

my fav treat however, was the strawberry cake from ginza.

this cake is filled with custard and strawberry cream. the cake is very fluffy and it works perfectly with the custard+creme (melts in yo mouth). it has an itsybitsy strawberry imprinted onto the cake like seen in the fifth picture above!

give these treats a try, they were delicious!

-happy gift giving

:)

XOXO

happy valentine's day!

<3

:)

BANANA PANCAKES

this is another dish that my dad cooked up:

banana pancakes!

it.tasted.so.good.

i barely ever get the chance to eat pancakes so i was super stoked when i found out my dad was making this.

it turns out to be super easy to make:

well first you gotta cook up some pancakes

click here for a good ol' pancake recipe

as for the banana's:

this will serve 2-3 people

(depends how much banana you like)

ingredients

2 bananas

1 tbs of butter

1 tbs of brown sugar

1 tbs maple syrup

1 tsp of cinnamon

1. slice 2 banana's the way you desire.

2. put the butter in a pan.

3. heat the butter until it has melted nicely and is slightly brown.

make sure it's really hot!

4. add the bananas.

5. add in the the sugar, cinnamon, and maple syrup.

6. cook for a minute until the banana is cooked and covered in the sauce.

7. serve the sizzling hot bananas on top of your pancake(s).

and there you have it!

a delicious banana pancake

:)

CHRISTMAS STOLLEN - PART 2

 :)

POPCORN TWIST

ever heard of popcorn creme brulee?

quite the twist added to the original.

yet this treat happened to be uniquely delicious.

if you ever happen to come across something like this, i would recommend you to give it a try.

your taste buds will thank you.

:)