The Christmas Tree is Finally Up!

Yeah, it finally feels more like Christmas when the tree is up.  I know, I can’t believe Christmas is only around 10 days from today.  I’m so glad we have the tree up over the weekend. 

It’s Baby Girl’s first time decorating/hanging ornaments on the tree.   Daddy was showing her how it’s done. 



Then, she did some on her own…with her favorite Hello Kitty ornaments that she got from Target.  ^^



Then, Little Gentleman’s turn.



Here are some close up's of the ornaments.



Hello Kitty…



More Hello Kitty…



Hello Kitty again?  Oh well, but this one is pretty adorable.



Up next, Little Gentleman’s favorite, Mickey Mouse.



Another Baby Girl’s favorite, Minnie Mouse.



Mickey’s presents.



More Mickey Mouse…



Up next are the elegant collection with crystals.  I love these bells.



The presents are cute too.



Oh no, the reindeer is eating my tree!  Who forgot to feed him? 



I love this church as well.



Last but not least, a shot with all the lights out except for the tree’s own light.  It’s peaceful and beautiful.  I really love this shot.  Is the tree set up in your house yet?  If not, what are you waiting for?  It’s better that you get it done sooner so you can enjoy it longer.  You’ll have to put it away again before you know it!    

Building a Gingerbread House—A Fun Activity with the Kids for the Holiday Season

I don’t recall ever building a Gingerbread House myself when I was a kid, period.  If my memory serves me right, seeing one exhibited in a restaurant or hotel during the holiday season was the closest encounter I had with a Gingerbread House.  That is, until last weekend.  Yeah, I built a Gingerbread House with my kids, with the help of this kit below.  No, this is NOT a sponsored post.  But I had so much fun building the Gingerbread House with my kids that the entire process made me want to share this wonderful product and experience with you.  I got this kit from Bed Bath and Beyond for $9.99.  What a wonderful deal to build memories together with the kids, right?
 

This kit included everything you see from the picture below.   The Gingerbread cookies, the candies, the icing (as decoration and “glue”) and the plastic tray that you build the house on.  Those who know me well probably know I’m not a crafty person.  But with the help of this kit, it’s almost foolproof.  The only thing I didn’t like was the icing/icing bag.  After I cut 1/4-inch of the corning of the bag (suggested by the instruction on the box) to glue the edges of the house, the cut was way too big for a neat/clean decoration.  Other than that, this was a wonderful kit to have fun with the kiddos.  It kept us busy for the whole morning.



The picture below shows you the back of the box.  It tells you what are included in the kit, simple step by step instructions on how to build the structure, and decorating ideas.



Pay attention to the picture below, as I was laying out my ingredients on a sheet tray as suggested by the instruction, my kids were “fighting” for the box at the background!  LOL…They both wanted to read the instructions for their Mama as they know she doesn’t read instructions that well. 



Once all the sides of the wall were on, up next was the roof.



When all the structural pieces were glued on, we needed to wait 15 minutes for the icing/glue to dry before we can start decorating.  While we were waiting, my big boy and baby girl got too bored…they said the house smells really delicious and wanted to give it a taste test, literally!    Good I didn’t let that happen.  But it was close!  hahaha...what can I say, like Mother like Son/Daughter, they sure are little foodies and want to taste test everything.



Finally, the wait was over and let’s get the fun begin, shall we?!  My baby girl always say “lady first, lady first…” (referring to herself) whenever she wanted to cut in line, in front of her brother.  Luckily, my big boy is such a gentleman and almost always let his sister go first. 



Now, it’s the gentleman’s turn. 



Okay, it’s more fun to do it together.  So, they both started going at it.



I think we did a pretty good job as first timers, right?  What do you think?





By the way, the kit came with a gingerbread tree, gingerbread man and a gingerbread snowman.  But they were quite big, in ratio, when compared to the house; the slots to place them in were too closed to the house and would block the decorations.  So I used some candy penguins I had (originally purchased for another holiday project I had in mind).  They fitted right in (see the picture below).   




So, this Gingerbread house will be "on display" until Christmas.  I might take pictures during the demolition process, if I remember (and not too busy eating candies and cookies).   I had so much fun with the kids building this adorable Gingerbread House together. 

Thank you so much for reading and I hope you all are having fun with your kids (or Grandkids) doing craft projects or preparing favorite recipes together.





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Almond Cookie Crisps

If you’ve been to a Chinese bakery, you would have probably seen these Almond Cookie Crisps.  They are usually packaged in small plastic treat bags going for $4 to $5 for just 10 or 12 cookies.  Yeah, kind of pricy but they are ridiculously good.  I obviously don’t want to pay $5 anymore for just 10 little cookies (although I had in the past, many many times when I lived closer to a Chinese bakery).  Now, I can make my own at home.  Besides saving a whole lots of money, I can enjoy these anytime I want.  *I’m doing a happy dance here when these little cookies are out of the oven!* 

The ingredients in these cookies are simple.  There are egg white, sugar, flour, salt, almond, a little butter and vanilla extract, that’s all. Yes, very simple ingredients, but that can turn into something truly amazing. Here’s a warning, these cookies care ADDITIVE! Super ADDITIVE!  Okay, you’re officially warned.



These Almond Cookie Crisps are crispy, crunchy, nutty and with a hint of vanilla.  I love to hear that crunch when you bite into one.  They’re even semi-see-through too.  They are perfect for Christmas gift-giving as well.  Hm…with a glass of milk, I can easily finish the whole batch on my own... truly some very dangerous stuff!



Not only there are just a few ingredients involved in these cookie recipe, they are super easy to make, too.  All you need is a small mixing bowl, measuring spoons, measuring cups, and a whisk.  Yes, you don’t even need to take out the hand held mixer.  The key to making these cookies super thin and crispy is to spread a small amount of the batter out.  Then, make sure the almond flakes are in a single layer, which do need a little time and patience to get the whole batch done, and so it is worth it.  Or, simply ask your kids to help out spreading them out.  It would be a fun baking project together. 



Today marks the very first day of a school year for my little boy, who started pre-school in less than a year ago.  It is also my first "back to school" experience as a Mom.  These cookies are perfect as after school snacks.  I'm sure he'll love these cookies, as much as his Mommy does.  I'm so proud of my little boy!






I'm submitting this recipe to Holiday Recipe Swap.  Come join the fun at the My Baking Addiction and GoodLife Eats Holiday Recipe Swap sponsored by OXO.



Almond Cookie Crisp: (Adopted from Agnes Chang’s Baking Made Easy)
Print This Recipe
Makes 42 to 45 cookies (depending on the size)

2 large egg whites, room temperature
a pinch of kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons castor sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 cup almond slices
2 1/2 tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat oven 325F. Line baking sheet with silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk egg white, salt, vanilla extract and sugar until foamy.  Whisk until sugar is completely dissolved.  Whisk in flour until no lumps.  Then, gently fold in almond slices and butter.

Spoon 1 to teaspoon of batter onto prepared baking sheet and spread batter into a 2 to 3-inch circle.  Make sure the almonds flakes are not overlapping each other.  Spoon the rest of the batter on baking sheet with each cookie at least 1-inch apart. Might need to bake cookies in batches.

Bake 9 to 12 minutes depending on their size, rotate baking sheet once during baking.  Bake until slightly golden brown.  Remove from baking sheet and cool completely on wire rack.  Cookies will crisp up once completely cool.

*Do not over bake them because they tend to turn a little more golden brown after they're out of the oven.

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I'm Lovin' It
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Sweets For Saturday
Family Fresh Cooking
Savory Sunday
Mingle Monday
Making You Crave Monday
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This Week's Craving
On the Menu Monday
Everyday Sister Sharing Sunday
Tuesday Talent Show

Happy Chinese New Year—恭喜發財 (Gong Hay Fat Choi)

Today is the first day of the Chinese New Year or the Lunar New Year, and 2011 is the Year of the Rabbit.  Chinese New Year is the longest and most important festivity in the Chinese Lunar Calendar.  It is the tradition that on the Eve of Chinese New Year, supper is a feast with families.  Early the next morning, children will greet their parents by wishing them a healthy and happy new year(Gong Hay Fat Choi), and receive money in red paper envelopes like those from the picture below (yeah, I know, these are not red.  They are more modernized designs and the Chinese believe that gold is another lucky color besides red). 



Another tradition on the first day of Chinese New Year is that the families visit the oldest and most senior members of their extended family, usually their parents, grandparents or great-grandparents and so forth (pretty much like Thanksgiving in the U.S.)  Along with our visits, we always bring some delicious treats.  And butter cookie has been a popular item that people would bring as a treat.  However, I think the popularity of the butter cookie treat is totally influenced by the British culture.  This is because Hong Kong was a British Colony from 1841 until 1997, when China regained sovereignty.  Nevertheless, these butter cookies are delicious treats, addictively delicious treats!  They are buttery and got the melt-in-your mouth texture.  I made a batch 2 days ago and they were all gone in a few hours.  So, I made 2 more batches yesterday just to make sure I have enough to share with my parents and brothers.  (I better wrap them up before they all migrate to my stomach before the new year!)




Since butter is the star ingredient in this recipe, I used the best I could find, Pure Irish Butter!  The cookies came out richer and creamier than those with just regular butter. Since one of the Chinese New Year tradition is to go all out to celebrate, it is time to bring out the good stuffs!  :)   And, how can I resist from adding a chocolate chip on top of each cookie!?  I used bitter-sweet chocolate chips, a nice match with these butter cookies since they are not overly sweet.  Oh my, I can’t find words to describe their deliciousness any more, they are out of this world yummmmy! 




Although I may not be able to visit all of you to deliver a Gong Hay Fat Choi and a basket of butter cookies in person, I want to share this recipe with you and hope you’ll make some at home to enjoy with your family.  恭喜發財(literally means wish you good wealth), also, wish you good health, happiness, longevity and prosperity in the Year of Rabbit!





I'm sharing this post with Holiday Recipe Swap.  Come join the fun at the My Baking Addiction and GoodLife Eats Holiday Recipe Swap sponsored by Kerrygold.





Butter Cookies:  Printable Recipe

2 1/4 cups cake flour
10 tablespoons butter, room temperature (I used Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter)
3 tablespoons caster sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar
3 egg yolks 
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 375F.  Place rack on the upper 3rd of the oven.

Cream butter with an electric mixer with paddle attachment over medium speed until light.  Add caster sugar and powdered sugar, continue to beat until fluffy.

Add egg yolks into the butter mixture, one at a time.  Continue to beat until well combined.  Then, beat in vanilla extract.

Sift flour and salt into the butter mixture. Use a spatula to combine all ingredients.  Transfer the batter into a pastry bag with a large star tip.

Pipe the batter on a lined baking sheet in 1 1/2-inch rounds and 1 1/2-inch apart. Bake for 12 to 13 minutes, or until edges are golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.



This recipe is linked to:

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Sunday at One Food Club
Mouth Watering Monday
Let’s Do Brunch
Midnight Maniac Meatless Mondays
It’s a Blog Party
Tuesday Night Supper Club
Slightly Indulgent Tuesday
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