fabulously decorated cupcakes- for less!

As a single parent, my days are very very hectic. Drive here to there, do this and that, take care of this and that, and so on.. but because I am such a DIY creature, I decided to take time off in the morning to decorate my daughter's cupcakes for her classmates on her birthday!

I am glad that parents are able to bring in something for the class on birthdays. As a precautionary measure at our elementary school, parents can only bring store brought food. I really like this rule, because when I was an owner of a childcare facility, I was paranoid of children getting sick from food. 

So I went to the nearby grocery store to pick up these cupcakes. This pack of 12 is great, it is colorful and ready made except, it is very ordinary to me. LOL.

So after I bought the cupcakes, I hurriedly went to a craft store to get some cute cupcake decorations.

 The wrapping of the cupcake did consume a lot of my time, because I had to carefully insert the cupcakes into each wrap, so hard with all the frosting on top! 

 I am very happy with the results! (^~^)

Princess, pink, high heels, pink castle for the girls

Giraffes for the boys 

This, is the special one for the birthday princess.

As soon as I walked in, the girls and boys were all like:

"Wow, so awesome!";

 "Hi, Venice's mom!!!";

"Hello, Venice's mum, can I have one for my little brother?" (In English Accent);

 "Did you put glitter on the cupcakes?..umm, was I suppose to eat it? cause I already swallowed it."

I was surprised to discover all the edible paper and glitters too! :)

It did not hurt my pocket, but it definitely filled my heart with joy.

And hers too.

The two of us  hurriedly left the school  carrying the cupcake containers on a 

very warm November day..

Then she suddenly stopped in the middle of a brisk walk and said, "Momma... "

--I hoped she did not forget anything in her classroom because I parked too far away;

her light brown eyes sparkled like smoky quartz in the sun as she smiled and said:

"Thank you, this is my best birthday ever."

Cost: under $20 dollars

Say Keen-wah, the mother grain

All these years, I  ate rice every single day. For breakfast, lunch and dinner lol. But I really needed to watch what I eat, modify my diet so that I will feel healthier. Rice is just too good to give up but too bad for the waistline!
Glad that I found Quinoa pronounced keen-wah, an ancient grain that was a staple of the ancient Incas. It is high in protein, supplies all nine essential amino acids, and for a hard core rice eater all my life, it tastes  good, a great alternative to rice, with a nutty flavor that I love! Also rich in fiber, magnesium, manganese, iron , copper and phosphorus. I switched from rice (not permanently!) to this golden grain because I notice that I do not get hungry as much. A 16- oz. bag lasts me a good 10 days. Cost: $3.99.

How I prepare it:

I ALWAYS RINSE AND DRAIN THOROUGHLY IN COLD WATER

Stove top:

Place 1 cup quinoa and 2 cups water in pan, bring to boil.

Reduce to simmer, cover and cook until all water is absorbed (10-15 mins.)

When done, the grain appears soft and translucent.

Notice the germ ring along the outside of the grain? I love it!

Then I stir fry chicken breast in olive oil

Add onions, garlic, bell pepper,  chicken broth

Then when chicken is done...

I add fresh basil leaves

                                           

Salt and pepper to taste :)

      

Super easy. Super healthy. Super inexpensive.

Enjoy!

'

Freezing fruits

I am not a fruit person, but having children requires buying fruits all the time. When the fruits are not all eaten in one week, I stick it in the freezer to preserve than letting it rot to waste. I slice the strawberries and peel the bananas before I put it in freezer bags - I buy ziplocs from the dollar store, they work perfectly fine too, 16 pieces of gallon size bags for a dollar only! Grocery stores are selling frozen fruits. I never buy it. I freeze my own fruits! From grapes, to bananas, to berries. Then, we just take it out to make smoothies!

What do you do with these carrots?

You buy a big bag of carrots because they are cheaper, one month later, it is still in the fridge, you don't want to bake a carrot cake because you don't want the extra pounds...you're too tired to make stew, aside from juicing it or tossing it in the freezer, or do nothing and forget then let it rot... you just want an easy way to enjoy this carotene rich nutritional hero.

Here's what you do:

Peel the carrots, cut , then toss in the food processor

Here is the desired result

Grab: 

A handful of raisins (or as many as you want)

1 or 2 Lemons (as desired)

1 Navel Orange

In a bowl, mix the processed carrots and raisins

Squeeze the juices from the lemon/s and orange, add to the salad (use a sieve so you don't include the seeds)

Grate some lemon zest and orange to taste (optional)

Mix well.

Here is your quick salad :)

Let the salad stand, the raisins will soak in the juices, and it will reconstitute

It tastes sweet and it's packed with essential nutrients

A great tasting, guilt- free food..yum! 

$15 for 3 bags of fruits and vegetables

Farmer's market, I love you. Not only do I get the freshest produce from you, you give a lot in return for my $15!
I went to the Saratoga Farmer's Market on Saturday, located at the West Valley College parking lot, I almost missed it. There is also one, 2 minutes from my place, but I was in Saratoga so I decided to check it out. I actually liked being there 10 minutes before closing time. The vendors gave me deals, a bag of freebies and there is less crowd, as the vendors started packing. I love the $1 per pound for all tomatoes and fruits, to name a few: plums, nectarines, different varieties of tomatoes, grapes.. and I also bought organic herbs, peppers, and other veggies. It was fun!

Lady strolling, enjoying all the deals for fresh produce

Very nice and helpful vendor

Cucumbers and tomatoes

Fruits

For $15.00

And some are free :)

A great snack for $3.50 worth of ingredients

"Oh, do you have crackers?"

"Oh yeah, wait, I have a log brie cheese too"

"Hmm,  let me grab 1 tomato"

"Oh, and mushrooms, I have to eat them before they go bad"

"Wait, do you have Basil?..perfect...can you slice and sauté 3 mushrooms  please?"

"Huh? For?"

"Just do it "(LOL)

It's always good to step away from your kitchen and let a master take over

The results? A snack that tasted so fresh and delicious I did not add any sauce or seasoning!

Ingredients:

Sliced Mushrooms

Very thinly sliced Log Brie Cheese (1/2 log)

Kellogg's Special K crackers -Savory Herb flavor

Fresh Basil leaves

Sliced Tomato

2 Large Live Dungeness Crabs for $17.27 - How I cooked and enjoyed it

There are many ways to cook a crab. I usually do it by boiling (cause it's fast and easy), and then season with salt and pepper. But as much as I like being in the kitchen, I like to make quick meals for lunch and dinner. Because I'm always hungry while cooking!
But this time I decided to munch on chips while thinking about what else to make, amazing how 5 pieces of tortilla chips gave me one hour of patience while experimenting with the crabs! LOL
Some barbecue crabs, some I heard bake them? I don't know about that haha, I wonder what the kitchen will smell like after.

I always start cooking crabs by adding some crushed garlic  to the water  and then let it boil.

 I love anything with mild  tart or sour flavor, esp with seafood...

so I added a tamarind soup mix to cook the crabs

Crabs done, now what ? :)

Time to break the shell and take the delicious  meat out

I wanted something spicy, bursting with exotic flavors to go with a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc..

In a pan, I sautéed garlic in olive oil, big slices of onions, then let it cook

 And then I added the crab meat. 

 I poured 1 cup of the water that I cooked the crabs in, then let boil

I lowered the heat and then added a $2.49 Red Thai Curry Sauce - 1/2 of the 11 oz. bottle 

 Added Okra - I love Okra! I simmered it for 10 minutes.

I used frozen because I had no fresh ones available, it turned out great.

I think Green Beans or Squash and some bell peppers will also be good addition to the dish

Or replacement to the Okra. 

Sprinkled dill, and dried basil leaves

Added salt and pepper to taste.

I enjoyed it with Basmati Rice.  (' ',)

Cooking is self- expression, definitely should not be viewed as a task.

If I mess up with my cooking, seafood or not, I don't stress out! 

That's where the fun is, messing it up and learning from experience

If the dish is impossible to save, grab a bowl of cereal and then call it a night

I've had those days... Luckily now my dishes turns out yummy :)

Share your delicious crab dish!

One simple act of kindness= the third reward

Over 8 pounds of strawberry for $5

I took it off a tired woman's hands,

and for that I got pleasure in many ways in exchange :)

The third reward:

I wanted to make something really sweet that I can enjoy creating and eating with my loved ones

Something with heavenly deliciousness and close to my heart..CHOCOLATES!

Thanks again to Trader Joe's, I did not have to spend a lot on a pound of

 my favorite dark ones and some white ones too...

This is so fun to make

My assistant :) dipped some in white chocolate, and drizzled some on top of the brown ones :)

what a fun project from start to finish

I colored the sugar red and coated some of them

Here are the ones we enjoyed with champagne :)

They were heavenly..

So they sell it for $7 a piece at the Godiva store in Valley Fair? That's expensive

I spent less than $6 for all the chocolates (dark and white)

Everybody had fun :)

The second sweet reward

From this,

to a pot...

What is it?

Delicious Strawberry Jam!

No need to pick up a jar from the grocery store :)

Here is a quick recipe from allrecipes.com :

Ingredients

2 pounds fresh strawberries, hulled

4 cups white sugar

1/4 cup lemon juice

Directions:

In a heavy bottomed saucepan, mix together the strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice. Stir over low heat until the sugar is dissolved. Increase heat to high, and bring the mixture to a full rolling boil. Boil, stirring often, until the mixture reaches 220 degrees F (105 degrees C). Using a potato masher, crush the strawberries. Careful with the mixture, it is hot. Transfer to hot sterile jars, leaving 1/4 to 1/2 inch headspace, and seal. Process in a water bath. If the jam is going to be eaten right away, don't bother with processing, and just refrigerate.

One simple act of kindness = 3 sweet rewards

I never buy strawberries from street vendors, but one evening, a lady with a box full of plump strawberries approached me outside of Walmart and asked me to take the last box for $5. She wanted to go home to her children after a long day's work. I took it and talked to her a little bit about her day and where she puts her strawberry stand, etc. I felt happy to take the box off her hands. But lol, too many strawberries for a non-fruit loving household!

I already gave away half of the box...yes, that many! A really good deal!

And this box gave me three sweet rewards <3

The sweet reward number one:

Home made strawberry yogurt

Chopped the strawberries,

then grabbed a light sour cream

Not too bad :)

Ahh I love the colors!

Now a pink yogurt :)

Add with some sugar for that extra sweetness

Yummy strawberry yogurt

Two more sweet rewards coming soon!