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Almost virgin dairy free Piña colada bread

I can’t believe it’s April 2021, and Easter holiday yet we’re still dealing with the pandemic. It all just feels like a bad dream sometimes. Luckily where I live has been one of the safest countries from the virus in the world, but we’re also one of the countries that had to be in high alert the longest (probably one of the reasons we have been quite safe). I remember talking to my mother in law about the new pneumonia we heard about on the way to the San Diego airport for a flight back to Hong Kong. That was January 2020 and also the last time I traveled. I’m dying to go on any type of holiday (aren’t we all?), but sunny tropical beach destination is where I have been missing the most lately. Continue reading Almost virgin dairy free Piña colada bread

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My very first Christmas ginger cookies

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. My husband and I would normally be in California with his family for Christmas, but like most people around the world we had to stay home and quietly celebrate this year. But still, we were grateful for the fact that our loved ones are safe and sound. We switched our usual roll for this Christmas; he made savory main course and I made dessert. For the first time, I decorated my baked goods with a piping/pastry bag. I was so clueless that I didn’t even know how to fix the tip and coupler into a bag (I don’t know where I got the idea of doing Christmas cookies in the first place). But all and all they came out alright. And most importantly, I had so much fun doing it 🙂 Continue reading My very first Christmas ginger cookies

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Dairy free, gluten free dark chocolate almond marshmallow cookies

Life never goes as planned. A phrase that I always loved and believed. And this year so far has once again proved what I believe…well, not in a good way. My husband had a big birthday at the end of April (not saying any number here, but it was one of those big ones ;-)). So from early this year I started planning/plotting a surprise party and a trip. His family in the US was supposed to fly to Hong Kong and show up at his birthday party unannounced. And we would all take a trip to Bali together a couple days later. Obviously something like that is not going to happen for a while. And since we had a ban on gathering of more than 4 people (now it’s changed to 8), I couldn’t even organize a party with friends that we normally have every year.

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Yogurt Orange Cake

Without a doubt, one thing that I learned to love more than anything during this social distancing period is baking. As you can probably tell I am not much of a baker (I only posted one recipe of baked good on this blog so far). I guess I could use my husband as an excuse for that. He is the second best home baker I know (the first has to be his mom), and has been spoiling me with delicious sweet treats over a decade. But since I am staying and eating at home so much more than I used to I decided to give baking a try, and so far, everything I baked was a success :-). And the fact that we already have almost all the essential stuff I need for baking at home (thanks to hubby) definitely makes everything easier. Continue reading Yogurt Orange Cake

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Gluten-free, dairy-free banana pancake and raspberry banana sorbet

gluten free banana pancake

Pancake is my husband’s favorite food of all time. And he is a traditionalist when it comes to it, meaning he’s not into any of fancy new versions (such as souffle pancake, which I personally love). To him, pancake is one of those perfect comfort foods that no one needs to mess with. So I get quite nervous about doing something different or experimenting with pancake recipes. One of the successful ones from the past is my “vegan coconut and cinnamon pancake” . Although he couldn’t help adding a little butter on top of the pancake, he liked the flavor. Continue reading Gluten-free, dairy-free banana pancake and raspberry banana sorbet

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Sweet nutty fruity banana, date and fig loaf

I have never been a huge bread person. Probably because I grew up eating rice, and we had no oven (Koreans didn’t use to bake much). Also my grandma always told me that bread is hard to digest and I would have tummy ache if I ate too much of it. (She loves the baked goods now though, especially sweet fluffy cakes :-)). So naturally I am not much of a baker, especially the sweet kind. I made a chicken pie and a flat bread long time ago, but I didn’t enjoy the process enough to go back to baking for some reason. My husband on the other hand, grew up eating tones of amazing cakes, pies and cookies made by his mom. He is also an excellent baker himself and has been taking care of the dessert department for all our dinners and parties for years. Only recently I started to bake sweet things, just out of curiosity and of course, ‘The Great British Bake Off’. (If there is anyone out there who hasn’t watched the show yet, start right now!) My first attempt was a disaster at best, I really didn’t know what I was doing or baking. Continue reading Sweet nutty fruity banana, date and fig loaf

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Vegan coconut and cinnamon pancakes with ‘aquafaba’

The night before my husband’s birthday, he asked me if I could make him pancake breakfast the next day. Pancakes are his all-time favorite food, but I had never made sweet breakfast kind before, (because he’s quite specific about how pancakes should be and always makes them the way he wants) so I panicked. If it was any other day I could probably be more relaxed about it, but it was for my husband’s birthday. The possibility that I might mess up his favorite comfort food on his birthday was terrifying. But somehow I managed to pull off simple yet very yummy pancakes without any dramas the next morning. And ever since that day I couldn’t stop thinking about different things I can do for pancakes and started experimenting. A recipe I’m sharing today is the most successful one so far. Continue reading Vegan coconut and cinnamon pancakes with ‘aquafaba’

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Ricotta and nutmeg purple sweet potato mash on toast

Inspirations for a dish you make can come from anywhere. I often think about what I am going to cook next when I am eating (obviously..;-)), watching cooking shows and reading cookbooks or magazines. But I think the most genuine way to get inspirations is from beautiful ingredients you have in hand. I am so green with envy when I see other food bloggers who live in gorgeous countryside growing their own ingredients for their recipes. So when I got these stunning purple sweet potatoes from a friend, my mind immediately went on thinking what I could do with them. Continue reading Ricotta and nutmeg purple sweet potato mash on toast

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Dairy-free coconut black rice pudding with almonds and raspberries

My inspiration for this recipe is an Indonesian black rice pudding, which was specially requested by a friend a few weeks ago. She’s always had a sweet tooth, so it was not a surprise that she fell madly in love with the rich sweet rice pudding while her recent stay in Bali. Since I am also a fan of the dish myself I decided to give it a go, but with a little bit of twist. Continue reading Dairy-free coconut black rice pudding with almonds and raspberries