Allergy-Friendly Fruit and Seed Chocolate Bark

Time and time again, it happens.   I'll have my schedule planned out for all the goodies I want to bake for my friends and family.  I'll have my kitchen set up like an assembly line, with cookie sheets taking up every counter space available.  Gift boxes, treat bags, tissue paper and ribbon are scattered haphazardly all over the kitchen table.  If I'm ahead of the game, I'll have an early start in the morning and be finished by dinner.  But most of the time, I'm baking late into the night.  And then it happens.  Something always happens.  I run out of an ingredient and it's too late to go run to the store.  I burn a batch of cookies (or two) because I had my headphones on with my music too loud, and I didn't hear the oven timer (yes, I realize now I should be using my phone timer instead).  As a result, I don't have enough cookies to fill all the boxes.  And the biggest thing that happens...I run out of time.

But don't worry, I've got a backup plan...

Allergy-Friendly Popcorn Balls

Halloween would not be complete without this quintessential holiday treat.  These caramel-coated popcorn balls are just the right combination of sweet, salty and crunchy. Not only are they perfect for your little ghouls and goblins to enjoy, they're also so quick and easy to make.

Carrot Cake Cookies (Allergy-Friendly and Vegan)

Sooo what do you do when you realize you bought waaaaay too many carrots?  This was my silly little dilemma last week.  I know, I know.  I should've known better.  Who in their right mind buys TEN POUNDS OF CARROTS?

Lemon Blueberry Drop Scones (Vegan)

Whenever I make scones for my friends and family, I always get this reaction:"Oooh scones! Soooo FANCY! So Brrri'ish!!!"  It's pretty hilarious how this is immediately followed by everyone trying to carry a conversation in their best (or worst) British accent.  I don't know what it is about scones that make them act like that.  I'm just happy they get so excited when I make them.  

Egg-free and Dairy-free Corn Muffins

My sister and her 2-year-old daughter came to San Diego for a short visit last week.  My family and I were so super excited!  It's been a year since we last saw them and a lot has changed.  My sweet little niece is not a baby anymore (insert sad face).  She's now a bouncy, energetic toddler who talks in full sentences!  Awwwww...and she has the most adorably cute voice - she kinda sounds like Boo from Monsters, Inc.  Oh I can't stand it!  Too much cuteness!

White Chocolate and Cranberry Shortbread Cookies

Christmas is just a few days away and I've been busily putting together boxes of goodies to give to friends and family.  But I thought I'd take a moment to share this quick recipe.  They're my shortbread cookies drizzled with melted white chocolate and topped with dried cranberries.  It's my simple yet festive way to dress up these classic cookies for the holidays :-)

Allergy-Friendly French Toast

Mmmmmmmm...French toast!  Slices of golden-brown deliciousness drizzled in glistening maple syrup.  Are you drooling yet?  THIS is what you should be making for breakfast this weekend.  These bad boys are light and crispy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside.  Serve them with a side of fresh fruit and a cup of coffee and you've got yourself the perfect treat to enjoy on a lazy Sunday morning.

Allergy-Friendly Chocolate-Covered Coconut Patties

This was supposed to be my ticket out of "Worst Wife Ever" jail.  I really thought I was gonna score major points when I made these.  I was soooo sure it would work!   Well, it did...ummm...sort of.

Allergy-friendly Vegan Blueberry Muffins

The kids are on summer break right now, which means our mornings are a lot less hectic than usual.  No more dragging them out of bed to get ready, then rushing to finish breakfast so they can make it to school on time. You feel like waking up after 8 o'clock?  No problem!  You can even stay in your pajamas till noon because Mommy will still be in her pajamas too!  Hey, we're on vacation time :-) 

Allergy-Friendly Jam Thumbprint Cookies (Vegan)

Can I just take a deep breath and...whoooooooooo!  It's finally done.  We just finished renovating and it feels w-o-n-d-e-r-f-u-l.

Late last year, Hubby and I decided that we were ready to update our kitchen.  It was something I always wished for since we moved into our house, but we had to put it off until we had the money and the time to do it.  So after spending lots of time researching for materials and figuring out the cost and timeline, we decided to go for it.

Oatmeal Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookies (Vegan)

"If at first you don't succeed, try, try again."

As much as I love being creative in the kitchen, sometimes trying to figure out how to make a recipe allergy-friendly can drive me downright crazy.  I try my best to make desserts taste just like the "normal" ones, but when a test recipe doesn't quite meet my expectations, I become almost obsessed with getting it right.  It practically consumes me.  Sometimes it even keeps me up at night.  I sit in bed thinking of what I could've done differently or what other ingredients I could've used.  It's kinda annoying really.  

Pandesal (Filipino Bread Rolls)

Growing up in the Philippines, I would always wake up to a familiar sound outside my window.  It would start out as a faint echo from a distance and as it came closer, it would become this big, bellowing voice that called out,"Teeee....naaaaaaaaaah....paaaaay!" It was Mang Tinapay! That was what we called the man who sold fresh bread rolls every morning.  Before the crack of dawn, he would fill the back of his bicycle with a basket full of tinapay.  Then he'd head out to our neighborhood, just when everyone was waking up.  Sometimes I'd wait outside with my Lola, clutching my money in my hand, ready to buy a bag from him.  When he'd reach the front of our house, he'd stop his bike and I'd politely ask him,"Isang supot po." He'd open the lid, pluck each tinapay out of his basket and drop them in a bag.  He had this cool way of closing the bag: he'd take each end and spin it around a couple times. That was always fun to watch. 

Vegan Banana Muffins

Can someone please explain to me how from Monday to Friday, I have to literally drag my kids out of bed to get ready for school BUT come Saturday morning, they're up at the crack of dawn?  I can hear them down the hall, dumping their Legos on the floor.  Oh what a lovely sound that is at six o'clock in the morning!  Maybe I can get them to take up a quieter activity...like sleeping-in.

Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

I can't believe I'm saying this...but I think I'm starting to warm up to pumpkin.  Well, just a little.  I'm still steering clear of pumpkin pie.  I've tried it a few times over the years and even with a mountain of whipped cream, I just don't enjoy it.  I'm sorry.  I just can't.  It's not you, it's me.  Something about it's texture and taste just doesn't make me happy.  BUT I'm not dismissing pumpkin entirely.  I did try to make pumpkin spice cupcakes before and they were deeeeelicious!  So I'm gonna give pumpkin another try.  This time, I made cookies!

Simple Strawberry Tart

I celebrated my birthday this week and instead of the typical cake, I chose to make something a little different.  And surprisingly, it doesn't involve any chocolate.  This year, I decided to make myself a simple strawberry tart.

Lychee Fritters

Every now and then, I'll try a dessert and think, "Mmmmm that was really good!" and then forget about it and move on.  But sometimes, I'll try something and I'll cherish it as one of my fondest food memories ever.  Even years later, I can still remember how much I loved this delightful little dessert I ate in Paris.

Banana Molasses Muffins (Vegan)

I've been trying my best to eat healthy lately ("trying" is the operative word).  It's sooo hard when I have such a terrible sweet tooth.  I mean, I try to follow what Hubby does and eat more fresh fruit and less chocolate.  We even have a bowl of clementines and bananas sitting on the kitchen counter so that whenever I have a craving for something sweet, I snack on some fruit instead.  It hasn't been easy BUT I'm making small changes here and there.  I still want chocolate but I've cut down my daily consumption just a teeny tiny bit.  Hey, some progress is better than no progress, right?  

Crazy Delicious Rice Krispie Treats

My boys are home sick this week.  Poor babies.  They've been curled up in the couch with fevers and all they want to eat is Jell-O.  I feel so bad when they're not they're happy little selves.  And what's more, they're gonna miss out on all the fun activities at school tomorrow.  My little one even made cards for all his buddies.  Sad to say, but they won't be receiving them :-(

Allergy-friendly Fruit and Seed Chewy Granola Bars

Last month, I was planning to make fruitcake cookies but changed my mind and made shortbread cookies instead.  So now I have a bunch of dried fruit and seeds sitting in my cupboard.  I wasn't really sure what to do with them.  I thought, "Well I guess I can just toss them together and make trail mix."  But then I remembered the trail mix chewy granola bars I used to love.  They were made with nuts, which my 7 year old is severely allergic to.  So this week, I decided to make an allergy-friendly version of my favorite granola bars.  Not only are they nut-free, they're also dairy-free, wheat-free, soy-free and vegan :-) 

Best Vegan Waffles Ever

It's New Year's Eve today and as I look back at 2012, I can't help but feel incredibly grateful for all the wonderful moments that happened this year.  Hubby and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary. We had our first family vacation at Disneyland.  We bought our home.  And my blog reached over one million visits.  It's been such an amazing year and now I'm looking forward to what 2013 has in store.