Cookies, Please!

Sharing this again.  Because it’s Friday.  Because it’s one of my favorite cookie recipes.  Because I get to clear up my pantry ingredients before they expire.  Because I can pretty much add anything I want –after the base recipe:  rice cereals, chia seeds, cake sprinkles, mint chips, peanut butter chips, nuts, dried fruits…. whatever I want.

Josh and Zoe want me to call this recipe Josh and Zoë’s Delight. So here you go…

Ingredients:

2 sticks (1/2 Pound) Butter (salted), softened

½ cup white sugar

1-½ cup brown sugar, packed

2 whole large eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1-½ cup all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons salt

And then add these:

1-½ grams Oats

½ cup Almonds, Chopped

The following ingredients are optional:  Chia seeds, Breakfast cereals (corn flakes, rice krispies, Cheerios, etc.), Dried blueberries / raisins / cranberries, M&Ms, chocolate chips, peanut butter chips

1)  Preheat oven to 375^oF degrees.

2) Cream butter with sugars until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla and beat.

3) Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and kosher salt. Add to mixing bowl and mix till combined. After that, add in remaining ingredients in whatever quantity you prefer.

4) Use a cookie scoop to scoop balls of dough onto a cookie sheet. Bake until golden brown (about 12-13 minutes on my oven), then allow to cool on a rack.

Linking up with Little Things Thursdays, Photo Story Friday, 1440, Favorite Photo Friday, Friday Photo Journal, and Friday Finds

Stackable Pretties | Centime

I wear these every day now – together, one stacked on top of the other.  Josh and Zoë love it that I am wearing their names on my rings.  I guess it makes them feel special.  Zoë goes around telling her friends and my friends that I have a ring with her name on it.  Sweet.

These rings from Centime are sterling silver and look very delicate (but definitely sturdy enough for every day wear!).  I love that they are simple and can be worn with almost everything.  As I prefer platinum / white gold/ silver, these rings go very well with my other jewelry and accessories.  For those of you who prefer gold, Centime also offers an option with gold plating.

(Scroll on down to see how you can get 20% discount off your purchases at Centime.) 

Aside from having names featured on the rings, you can actually have a bunch of words (e.g. Live, Laugh, Love, Pure, Real, etc.) made and wear them according to your mood.  You can even have your own handwriting or your child’s handwriting made instead of choosing the standard font.  This would make a really adorable gift!   (By the way, the prices are inclusive of a complimentary gift box for each product.)

A couple of other items that I find quite interesting are their personalized signature necklaces and their cut-out two-name rings.  With the signature necklaces, you can have someone's signature or a short phrase in their own personal handwriting made into the pendant.  With the cut-out two-name rings, you can have your whole name or the combination of two names or a short phrase made into a ring. It can be a phrase like Que sera sera or Friends forever or a memorable date (your wedding date, etc.).

Centime has plenty more items that are sure to tickle your fancy.  I was going through the different items and kept thinking, “Oh, this is so lovely! or “Ooh, I love this!”.   Do visit the site and explore.  There are many lovely items that would make beautiful gifts for yourself, a BFF, your mom/grandma/daughter, and even for dads.

For a 20% discount on your purchases at Centime website (www.centimegift.com), use the code BUCKEROO.  Please note that each customer can only use the discount one time and it will apply to their entire cart.  Also, the purchase has to be completed before October 15, 2014.

(Disclosure:  I received the Josh and Zoë rings free from Centime in exchange for writing a review on the blog.  All opinions, however, are my own.)

Linking up with:  Wednesday Around the World, Good Random Fun, Texture Twist, Texture Tuesday, Sweet Shot Tuesday

 

Summer’s Over

Or, at least, summer as the kids know it.  Tomorrow, they go back to school.  We’ve had a wonderful, fun-filled summer.  We went camping, fishing, blueberry-picking, hiking, did some workshops, splashed around in rock pools and waterfalls, saw water buffalos, checked out a trampoline park, goofed around at the 3D Museum, had play dates with various friends… The kids also got to watch their first Bollywood film (3 Idiots) and loved it.

We spent today getting their stuff ready for school.  Josh got his hair cut.  We did some last-minute shopping for stationery.  Zoë busied herself with labeling all her stuff with her special Sofia I name stickers.  We packed and made sure that all the books borrowed from the school’s Learning Centre are accounted for.  The kids are ready!  As ready as any Year 5 and Year 3 kid can be.

   

Basil

I am a spice girl.  Not scary, a bit sporty, likes ginger.  (Okay, I’ll admit… that was a bit lame.)  Seriously, though, I love herbs and spices.  I use a lot of coriander and cumin when I cook and whenever I can get my hands on some, I love me some basil, too.  Just the thought of the Thai dish pad gao-prao muu (minced pork with basil and chili) makes my mouth water.

Whenever I find myself at the Flower Market, I always make sure that I get a pot or two of basil. This way, I can just snip away whenever I need some basil leaves.   Most often, though, I gather the leaves and make pesto and freeze them for later use.  I just love, love, love the smell of basil!

Do you have a favorite herb or spice?

   

The Creativity Project | Home {Hong Kong}

More than half of my life had been spent in a country not where I’m living right now.  My parents still live there.  Certain aspects of life there I’d still associate with home –the food, the music, the humor of its people.  For all intents and purposes, though, Hong Kong is home now. 

Hong Kong is where I’d started and built my career, where I met my husband, where we bought our first home, where we started a family.  This is where “coming home” is resoundingly meaningful each time our plane touches down when we’re coming back from somewhere else. 

This busy, bustling place is home.  For now.

Please visit so i blog and be wowed by the simple creativity and beauty in her images.  I am always in awe at the beauty and truth she is able to capture.  When you are done, follow on to the next person in our circle.  We’d love for you to share your photo stories, too; please share them with us over at our Facebook page!

Mini-Golf

To get the kids out of the house and away from tablets and electronic games, we took them to play a round of mini-golf.   Zoë was delighted to find that the clubs and the balls come in a variety of colors.  Of course, she chose a pink club and a pink ball.  Duh.