No Added Flour, Eggs, or Sugar!

Banana, Pecan, Raisin Cookies

Eating healthy can be hard. Not only are there soooo many yummy unhealthy foods available, but I also don't want to sacrifice the taste. I am always looking for healthy treats to make for Chris and I. When I saw this recipe, I knew I had to try it. These cookes were absolutely declicious as well as quick and simple. The recipe I basically followed was from Watch What I Eat, with a few modifications.

The ingredients included:

• Bananas
• Uncooked, Old Fashioned Oatmeal
• Unsweetened applesauce
• Golden raisins
• Pecans
• Cinnamon

First thing first, I started with toasting the pecan halves:

I toasted the pecans at 350 degrees for about 8 minutes

2 very ripe bananas

Mash the bananas with a fork till creamy

All ingredients mixed in a large bowl

 Dollop of the mix on a cookie sheet lined
with parchment paper

The result after 30 minutes in the oven set at 350 degrees

 Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of pecan halves, toasted
• 2 very ripe bananas, mashed with a fork till creamy
• 2 cups of uncooked old fashioned oatmeal
• 1 cup of unsweetened applesauce
• 1/3 cup of golden raisins
• 2 tsp of cinnamon

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Lay the pecan halves on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and toast in the oven for about 8 minutes. Once toasted, lightly crush with a mallet
• Using a fork, mash the ripe bananas till nice and creamy
• In a medium bowl, mix all ingredients well and set aside for 15 minutes
• Spoon the mixture a spoonful at a time on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Gently flatten the cookies.
• Bake at 350 degrees for about 30-35 minutes or till golden brown

Hope you guys will give this recipe a try! Let me know how they turn out!

~Hong

Lacy Crochet Baby Blanket

One of my favorite hobby is to crochet. My sister taught me to crochet when I was in college and I have been whipping out blankets ever since. After making a few large afghans for our bedroom as well as for several family members, I started crocheting baby blankets. The fun thing about baby blankets is it's a quick project with a gorgeous ending. Plus, there is always someone having a baby whether it be a family member, friend, or a co-worker and a crochet blanket makes for a great gift. I found this pattern on the website, Lacy Crochet, and it is extremely easy to follow. Definitely good for any beginner!

The materials I used included:

• Lion Brand Baby Soft Yarn in Cream (the amount of yarn is dependent on the size you decide to create)
• Susan Bates' I9/5.50MM crochet hook
• Boye's 00/3.50MM crochet hook-to weave in the ends of the yarn
• Scissors

Although it is simple, it is also very elegant and would be a perfect gift for a little boy or a girl. Here is the pattern up close:

More pictures of the blanket:

For the edging, I kept it simple:

• Row 1: ch 3, counts as first dc. Turn. *Dc across, ch 2. Repeat from * around. Then sl st to join. 
• Row 2: ch 3, counts as first dc. Turn. *Dc across, ch 2. Repeat from * around. Then sl st to join. 
• Ch 1, reverse single crochet around, sl st to join.
• Finish off and weave in ends

It was even approved by our little Ava:

If you have any questions, leave me a comment and I will try my best to answer it. Hope you give this pattern a try!

~Hong

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope your Christmas is filled with love, joy, and peace and the New Year brings you all you could hope for and so much more! We will be spending the holidays with my side of the family this year. We are not too keen on traveling during the holidays. It seems the joy of the holidays gets stolen with the hustle and bustle of constantly being on the go and on a time constraint. So our Christmas' are very relaxed with just my immediate family. We'll eat tons of yummy food, talk, bond, and open presents! What are you up to this Christmas?

Our Christmas tree with a
gold and red theme

She sure does love chilling in the tree and she has no fear,
she will climb straight up to the top!

Have a wonderful holiday!

~Hong

Holiday Nails

Sephora by OPI's The Golden Age
&
Butter London's British Racing Green

When I think of the holidays, I think of Christmas trees, sparkling lights, delicious foods, and pretty nails. This holiday season has been particularly busy for us, not only at work but also at home. Still, I wanted to do a simple, but festive nail to wear for all the Christmas parties coming up in the next few days. As usual, my go to base coat is by Rimmel and my top coat is by Seche Vite.

After a layer of base coat, I reached for Butter London's British Racing Green which is a gorgeous deep green with a slight sparkle to it. Butter London is one of my favorite nail polish as I have mentioned before. The brush is small and easy to manipulate and only one to two coats provides beautiful coverage. To add a little kick to my nails, I used Sephora by OPI's The Golden Age. One quick and thin swipe deposited quite a bit of glitter. The Golden Age is a clear base with chunky/fine gold and silver glitter that can be used over literally ANY color. Particularly since I got it on sale at Sephora for only $5.00, it is definitely an awesome buy for an awesome go to glitter!

Sorry for the horrendous cuticles. Like I mentioned before, it's been busy and I didn't get a chance to take pictures right after I painted them so this is after a few days of wear and tear. I really do love this Christmas combination that is both pretty and simple. Till next time, I hope you enjoyed!

~Hong

Christmas Present!

Yes, I know. It is not actually Christmas yet. This year Chris and I decided to have an early gift exchange so that I could learn and have this gorgeous Pentax camera to take pictures with on Christmas day. 

During my high school days, I loved photography. I could even develop and mount my own pictures. My wonderful husband wanted to get me an awesome camera so I could relive those days and as he said, photography is one hobby I truly love. And he is right. I always have a camera in my hand, everywhere I go!

I am by no means a photography guru, but for those who are and would like a few basic details on this camera:

• Pentax K-5 II DSLR
• 16.3 Mega pixel
• 80-51200 ISO with wonderful noise performance
• 3-Inch LCD with 921,000 dots of resolution and a viewfinder
• Shake reduction stabilization system
• Dust resistant, weather sealed, and cold-proof 
• Built-in flash
• Continuous, interval or multi-exposure shooting
• Timer
• Shooting with a remote control
• Full HD, 1080 movie recording
• Lens: Pentax 21977 DA 18-135mm; f/3.5-5.6 ED AL (IF) DC WR

I could go on and on about the multitude of functions available on this camera, but really it is extremely easy to use with just the basic knowledge of photography. However, if you take the time to read the manual, you can create gorgeous pictures. My two favorite features are it's ability to take superior photographs in low light and the option to select between eleven different points of focus when in autofocus. When push comes to shove though, you can simply use the automatic mode to use it as a point and shoot camera. For an in-depth review of this camera, head on over to the photographyblog. 

I did decide to get a filter lens to block UV light and prevent a blue cast from natural light without altering the subject's true color. Also, it helps to protect the actual lens from scratches and dust. Needless to say, I LOVE this camera. Expect some gorgeous pictures to come!

~Hong

Sweet and Savory Sweet Potato Latkes

During one of my office potlucks, a co-worker brought in some homemade latkes. It was the first time I had latkes and I was hooked! She had made the classic latkes, but mentioned that you could literally add anything you want to the latkes depending on your taste. Since we are a big fan of sweet potato, spices, and herbs, Chris and I threw together some sweet and savory sweet potato latkes.

Caramelized the chopped onion on medium-low
 heat for about 20 minutes

3 large grated sweet potatoes

6 eggs

Lightly beaten

Gently fold together all ingredients except the sour cream

Cook 1/ cup of mix over medium heat, in 1/4 inch of oil.
Cook about 2 minutes on each side or till golden

Bake at 350 degrees in the oven for
about 15 minutes or till nice and crispy

Ingredients:

• 2 medium sweet onions
• canola oil
• 3 large sweet potatoes, grated and excess water squeezed out using a towel
• 6 eggs, lightly beaten
• 4 garlic bulbs, minced
• 1 cup flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp salt
• 2 tbsp ground cumin
• 2 tbsp cinnamon
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 large bunch cilantro, chopped
• sour cream or applesauce to top the latkes

Directions:

Over medium-low heat, saute the chopped onions with a little bit of oil. Cook for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently until the onions have caramelized.

In a large bowl, gently fold all ingredients except the sour cream. Then heat 1/4 inch of oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Spoon about 1/4 cup of the latke mixture into the skillet and lightly flatten with a spatula. Cook the latke for about 2 minutes on each side or until golden. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake the cooked latkes for an additional 15 minutes or till nice and crispy. Enjoy the latkes with a dollop of sour cream or applesauce!

~Hong

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My New Favorite Wedges

I must admit, I am not one to endure pain for fashion. I simply like to be comfortable. However, I don't believe you have to give up fashion in order to be comfortable and these TOMS wedges prove just that.

I bought mine from Nordstroms, which has free shipping and returns. Link here: http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/toms-desert-bootie-women/3293448?origin=keywordsearch&contextualcategoryid=0&fashionColor=Black+Suede&resultback=0.

They are made with a suede outside, fabric lining, 2 1/2 inch heel and a rubber sole. For me, they were true to size and can be worn with a thin pair of socks or without. Online, they were described these as a taupe, but it's more a simple light grey which I love! They are extremely versatile and can easily be dressed up or down with jeans, leggings, skirts or shorts. What impressed me most about these shoes, is I can be on my feet for a good 8 hours and still be comfortable! Chris did spray my wedges down with two coats of suede protector in hopes of keeping them safe from the rain and make them easier to clean.

I love these wedges so much that I also got a pair in chestnut:

These are just as adorable and comfortable as the taupe!

~Hong

Corn Salad

The holidays are coming and there will be plenty of food to eat! For Thanksgiving, all of my siblings bring a dish or two to my parents for dinner. That way, one person isn't left with cooking all day long. Chris and I are usually in charged of the ham, but this time, I also wanted to make a simple and healthy side dish. My family loves vegetables so I literally decided to empty my cupboards and refrigerator to make a salad.

Ingredients:

• 2 cans (15 oz each) sweet corn
• 1 can (15 oz) black beans
• 1 can (8 oz) crushed pineapple
• 1 large red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 large green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 large orange bell pepper, chopped
• 1 small red onion, chopped
• 1 bunch of cilantro, chopped
• 1 bunch of green onion, chopped
• 25 mini tomatoes, cut in half
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 lemon, extract the juice
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Place all ingredients into a large bowl and gently fold together. 

Cover and refrigerate over night. 

Drain excess fluid before serving.

Makes about 10 cups.

Enjoy!

~Hong