Sunday, April 29, 2007

Mango Smoothie for a Spring Day



After a few weeks of chilly weather, it's back to sunshine and warm days. We had a great weekend playing outdoors and enjoying the spring blooms and newborns at the zoo with the kids. Since I had some frozen mango in the freezer, I decided to make a smoothie for the kids. Saw a recipe in the May issue of Bon Appetit, and made a yummy mango smoothie with a nice unusual twist for the kids. The original recipe did not call for mango, but I added it in for extra flavor. The added dates sweetened and thickened the smoothie very well. It gave me the energy for the day! Here's the recipe adapted from Bon Appetit.

1 cup diced, frozen mango
1/2 cup nonfat yogurt
1/2 cup nonfat milk
1/2 cup pitted large Medjool dates
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a blender, puree yogurt, milk, dates, and vanilla til smooth. Add ice cubes; puree until mixture is thick and smooth. Divide between 2 glasses and serve.

Here's a picture of the cute little goslings hanging out with their mom and dad...

Saturday, April 28, 2007

Buns Buns Buns




Had a hankering for filled buns lately. In asia, one can easily find these little buns filled with all sorts of fillings for an easy snack. It's easy 'finger food' for the kids, and I made some with candied coconut, Nutella, and a ham with cheese. Also made some with sweet white bread, and used the red bean filling. Tried a variety of recipes from making dough in the breadmaker to buying frozen bread dough from the supermarket, thawing and filling it with ingredients. The best results were the dough knead and prove in the breadmaker. I think it's because the recipe asked for more sugar, and the buns came out sweeter. Also used some ovalette that a blogging friend had graciously given me some time ago. It does help keep the bread soft for a longer period of time. Thanks L and C for your inspiration!

Friday, April 27, 2007

Back to blogging



Didn't have time to upload pics since Easter, and finally had a chance to dive into my blog again after been down for a couple of weeks.
After baking and fussing with the Easter menu, we decided to abandon the chores and drive an hour in the slushy, cold weather to a party in our old neighborhood. It is not often that we attend get-togethers with kids running around and expressing their energies, but we did manage to make it out to a couple of parties lately. With spring here, and summer approaching, I'm sure that we will be venturing out a lot more now.
Was invited to a dear friend's house for Mexican food cooked by her friend Max, and everything was delicious. The table were filled with homemade refried beans, beef fajitas, Spanish rice, shrimp, and more. There were a lot of new faces at the party, and I had the opportunity to meet a really nice mom and her family. Was chatting so much with her and her aunt that I forgot about dessert until after they left (which is totally not typical of me!) I brought a rich, moist date cake, a decadent, nutted brownie and vanila bean ice cream to the party, and left the latter two for the lovely hostess.
On Easter we had our usual Easter brunch, and a honey mustard glazed ham for supper. A typical meal accompanied by a loaf of soda bread and cupcakes for dessert.

Wednesday, April 04, 2007

Light Cooking before Easter

Been under the weather lately, and the kids had been keeping me busy and away from blogging. Made several dishes this week, and am just posting pictures this time. Will be busy with Easter preparations tomorrow...