Cinnamon Raisin Bread

I am starting to like my bread machine. This time I made Cinnamon Raisin Bread and it turned out really yummie. It smelled so good and was enjoyed by everyone. The next time I make it I will put more raisins and maybe try cranberries instead.

Fresh Bread

I have had a bread machine for years and probably only used it a few times. Since we find ourselves buying bread all the time, it's time to make some home made bread. I've made the whole wheat bread before and it was not too tasty...I guess it's definitely not like soft white bread. But we've been eating whole wheat bread for many years, so we're used to it. I decided to start fresh and bought all the flours, yeast, powdered milk new. Well, here is the result...it turned out pretty good, definitely a dense bread and we'll see how well it holds. Supposedly, it is only good for 3 days before getting hard. By then, we could make some croutons, or they could be gone! I will try the cheese and onion bread next time.

Lotus on Fire?

We decided to try a new place for our Valentine's dinner. We picked Kabuki at Tempe Marketplace. It was a happening place with lots of sushi and rolls. In addition to sushi, we picked 2 specialty rolls from the menu and thought that they were pretty good - Lotus on Fire Roll (spicy tuna, lotus root and jalapeno on top of California roll) and Geisha Roll (salmon, tuna, Japanese mint (shiso) leaf, cucumber wrapped in soy paper). We also had the Clam Cha Soba Pasta which is green tea soba noodles with sauteed clams and garlic. It was yummy, but the noodles were a little overcooked. We ended the meal with Freddo which is green tea ice cream on shaved ice with fresh fruits and sweetened milk. Now, the question is, would we go back? Maybe...for the price, it's probably not worth it.

Gong Xi Fa Chai - Year of the Rabbit!

Wishing everyone a Prosperous Rabbit Year!

O Broccoli....

We have been trying to get Ethan to eat his vegetables for the longest time and finally it is starting to work and we hope that it will continue....we had to trick him into eating his greens by saying that his hair will fall out if he doesn't eat his veggies. I know, not the best way, but it is working wonders right now, so we're sticking to it. Here is Ethan eating lots of broccoli. He even asked for more!

A New Year and a New Hairdo

Happy New Year to you all! Hayley's bangs are getting a little too shaggy and long, so I decided to tie it up. I think she looks so cute if only she would let it stay on....Wishing you all a great 2011!

December 2010 Road Trip

We rented a minivan and took the whole family including our parents to California right after Christmas. Our first stop was San Diego and the kids did great. We got to a very cold California night and was welcomed by our long time friends, Su, David, Colin and Su's mom. Su's mom prepared several Malaysian dishes and we were so grateful for some warm home cooked meal after a long road trip.

We visited La Jolla, Sea World and Balboa Park before heading to LA. We were only rained on one day which was nice considering it had been really wet in Southern California. In LA we visited the Travel Town Museum, Natural History Museum and the Griffith Observatory. We also enjoyed a lot of yummie Chinese food. Here are some highlights from the trip:

Seals chilling at La Jolla

Sea World

Balboa Park

Travel Town Museum

Natural History Museum in LA

Griffith Observatory