Sweet & Spicy Potatoes: first they're sweet; then they're spicy

If you love Lay's BBQ potato chips, but you can certainly benefit from eating healthier, consider this sweet and spicy alternative:

Sweet and Spicy Sweet Potatoes, from Allrecipes.com 

My husband and mother prefer less sugar though, so since the sweet potatoes are naturally packed with sweetness (go figure, right?), we neglected it in our preparations for this dish. The recipe is totally modifiable though, as many recipes are, so prepare it to your liking.

You can also roast some kale in a pan, sprinkle in some salt and pepper, and add it to the sweet and spicy sweet potato dish for some added decor and nutrients. 

Want more protein? Pan-fry a salmon filet, adding some salt and pepper to taste as well.

Put them all together, and you've got yourself something tasty AND way more beneficial for your body than those Lay's potato chips. 

On another note, I must apologize for the quality of the photos. Everyone seems to be moving towards a bigger and better phone like the Apple iPhone 6 (if this is being read years later, then most likely the iPhone 6 is no longer the big-next-thing in smartphones, but you get the idea, hopefully). I have not yet made this investment, so please bear with the iPhone 5C's photo quality at the moment.

Hope you'll enjoy this dish as much as my family and I have. And always remember to chew your food and live your life to the fullest.

Happy "Patty-Cake" Day

Love celebrating St. Patrick's Day? Before tipping up your cups, or even during this celebratory act, have a "Patty-Cake". Need a recipe for some great Patty-Cakes? If you like your cupcakes fluffy and flavorful (and you love chocolate), try this recipe - I guarantee it'll be a hit: Love From The Oven - St. Patty's Day Baking

I used this recipe without the green dye, and instead of the cream cheese frosting, this vanilla frosting recipe was a nice alternative:

Taste of Home - Vanilla Frosting

Here's the result:

The batter after mixing the wet with the dry ingredients

The Patty-Cakes after baking in the oven

The finishing touch

Using some orange and green sprinkles can give the frosting a bit of color while making a nice Irish-flag feel to the Patty-Cakes. Next time, I plan to use more of the white-colored frosting to get a truer Irish-flag feel. Though they look more like little strawberry shortcakes, nonetheless, all the non-lactose intolerant, dairy-loving cupcake lovers at Bayer CropScience appreciated this treat while toasting to St. Patrick's Day. So much that it won the Bayer CropScience St. Patrick's Day cupcake competition!

Bayer CropScience St. Patrick's Day Cupcake Competition Prize

Some beautifully decorated Patty-Cakes, great for trying to emulate in years to come, can be seen at: Family Holiday - St. Patrick's Day Treats: Decorating Ideas

With my cup of Guinness tipped up, Happy Patty-Cake Day to you all!

It Smells Like Holiday Spirit

It's that time of the year again when the holiday spirit is among us. I admit it's been hard to get into since my brother revealed to me during the age of 7 that Santa Claus is just one of our family members dressed all old, jolly, and plump. But since then, I've definitely learned that the holiday spirit isn't just about the idea of Santa Claus spreading the holiday cheer. It's just whether or not you have the desire and motivation to maintain this energy and keep the holiday spirit about you. 

Also, we often reflect about occurrences that impacted us during the past year around this time, and by New Year's, most people try making resolutions for improvement. Aside from thinking of things you want to change though, I hope you all have at least one thing you can reflect upon when you look back on the past year where you can say to yourself, "Hey, that was pretty awesome." And by doing that, you may just be taking a microstep towards having a bit of holiday spirit in you. 

The Ginger Bread House

Ever baked and built a ginger bread house? I never had, but the holiday spirit around me brought one my way, and hey, that's pretty awesome.

New house and new perspectives, but still all in all maintaining a true sense of the self... The Ginger Bread House tastes as sweet as ever. Though I know it won't last forever, like most if not all things, at least it can be embraced now, in this moment, and that must count for something.

The Holiday Tree

Among the new perspectives I've gained over the past year is the idea of having a Holiday Tree. 

I grew up in a family and household that only invested in a fake holiday tree. Over time, I became the only family member with enough holiday spirit to place effort and time into setting up and decorating the tree. After this and the fact that my brother revealed the truth of Santa Claus to me, I thought, "Okay then, why bother?" #scrooge

It's been many years since then, each holiday season lacking a physical holiday spirit, but I've since then focused on the psychosocial aspect of the holiday spirit, stemming from enjoying good food and company of friends and family. Not a bad thing, in my opinion. But then a fresh (not fake) Douglas Fir tree appeared in my house, and all of a sudden, it smells like holiday spirit.

I found myself enjoying the effort of decorating the tree once more. I certainly wouldn't have felt this from doing it alone, though I'm quite happy being lazy with regards to this recreational effort, but it was a nice refreshing feeling. And hey, that's pretty awesome.

Happy holidays to you all, and may you find at least one thing in the past year that you thought was pretty awesome.

A Taste of Romanesco Broccoli

If you were to look at Romanesco broccoli, what thoughts come to mind?

This exquisite vegetable provides a slightly sweeter palate versus the common broccoli and by far is much tastier than the common cauliflower.

As an example healthy recipe, you can cut it into smaller pieces and stir-fry it in olive oil, add some sweet carrots and fresh cranberries (though I advise adding a bit if sugar; I used one pack of Sweet & Low for a sugar substitute to reduce the bitterness of the cranberries), and see if you like it with your turkey leftovers from Thanksgiving.

Available at a local Northern California (United States) Farmer's Market (advertised recently for $2/lb). 

Give it a try and enjoy the taste of the Romanesco - è deliziosa!

The whole wheat avocado "McMuffin"

How many healthy variations of a "McMuffin" have you tried?

This morning, I was surprised with a whole wheat avocado "McMuffin" - if you like avocados and aren't allergic or disgusted with whole wheat, I suggest trying this recipe:

- take a whole wheat English muffin, 

- toast it, and 

- stuff it with sliced avocado with some salt and pepper added for extra flavor.

Have it with your favorite latte or tea, and I guarantee your morning hunger will be satisfied without the greasy and unhealthy feeling of a MacDonald's Egg McMuffin.

Happy healthy eating!

Omelet Art - a cheerful breakfast experience

If you like omelets, art, and positivity, check out how my personal omelet-chef collaborates them all into one excellently cheerful breakfast session!

Creative vitamins and minerals now live inside my belly, and the positivity is systemic. 

How would you make your omelet?

The Easter bunny surprise

I'm not religious, but I grew up learning about Catholicism and Christianity in private schools I attended during my youth. The idea of the Easter bunny during Spring used to be fun, just as the thought of Santa Claus during Christmas, as my friends and I would be taken on Easter egg hunts and decorate eggs. My cousins and I would make Easter egg hunt games all year long (unintentionally, but hey, it's important to enjoy your youth!)

On Easter Sunday this year, my family and I honored a Chinese tradition of visiting the cemetery, where we paid our respects to our deceased family members. One of them was my recently late grandfather from my father's side of the family who passed away last year in August 2012. Though the Easter bunny was far from my thoughts on Easter Sunday, he suddenly arrived to greet me with cheer. I couldn't be more surprised and thankful for all that my life has to offer and has offered to get me to this point. I only hope you all can feel the same. If not now, keep looking up as there will be at least one moment when you can smile about something.

Happy Easter everyone!

The soy cheesecake experience

Upon returning from a week-long business trip, I was pleasantly surprised with a dairy-free cheesecake, homemade specially for me. Using tofu/soy, lemon, and dairy-free dough, with a thin later of 100% cacao / dark chocolate between the crust and the filling, I couldn't ask for a more problem-free cheesecake to satisfy my craving for sweets without activating my lactose-intolerance and without feeling too guilty with regards to eating cake. When served cold, the filling has a nice and lightly whipped texture. The crust and dark chocolate layer along with a hint of lemon in the filling make a delectable taste. It doesn't taste like the cheesecakes from the Cheesecake Factory, but it sure is a tasty cheesecake alternative for the lactose-intolerant population.

I couldn't feel happier to be home.

A touch of green thumb

I have never been able to keep plants and flowers alive for very long. But for the first time ever, I can finally say I have kept a plant and its flowers alive for longer than a few weeks!

As a wonderful gift among many surprises I've received recently, I'm determined to keep this indoor Parade miniature rose bush alive for as long as possible. If you have one of these or plan to take care of one, be warned that it requires a lot of indoor light and constant watering and pruning. Do these three important things though and you'll find your indoor Parade miniature rose bush will thrive quite nicely.

As for mine, it had two beautiful bloomed roses when it first appeared in my life. When they began to wither, I worried I had given it my touch of plant death. But surprisingly, using the idea of the three most important things I believe have kept it alive thus far, a new bud is forming quite nicely and will soon bloom,... Or so I hope.

Here's to you, real life! Thank you for finally giving me a green thumb.

Winter Wonder-Vegas, Baby!

I've never experienced a Vegas (Las Vegas, Nevada) vacation in the winter season until now. A summary of the weather: Beautiful sunlit days without the overheating temperatures that make you feel you're in a sauna, followed by dry San Francisco, California briskness without the fog. And the view during the holidays can be quite festive.

If you're super hungry, hit up a buffet and eat to your heart's content (or attack, ...but hopefully the former occurs before the latter). Though Caesar's Palace holds the #1 rated buffet currently (Bacchanal Buffet), the price doubles during the holiday season. If you're budgeting your dollar bills and are okay with only decent food that you can tolerate for hours to get the most for your buck, then I recommend the Flavors Buffet at Harrah's on the Strip. Breakfast is about $18.99-19.99/person, lunch is about $19.99-22/person, dinner is about $23-25/person, and they don't change their prices during the holidays! Even better if you love desserts because this buffet certainly has a nice variety of fresh and tasty desserts ranging from fruit tarts to warm and toasty pies to homemade gelato and sorbet, just to give you a "flavor." You are also welcome to use the restroom and come back to continue eating. My company and I certainly ate for nearly 5 hours (and no heart attacks, only our hearts' content)!

All in all, the Winter Wonder-Vegas experience is still memorable, especially when you spend it with people who help make these moments in life count.

Viva Las Vegas, and Happy Holidays to all!!

When Santa shows up...

My brother told me when I was about 7 or 8 years old that Santa Claus doesn't exist, but this year, I'm beginning to wonder how true that really is. I'm speaking metaphorically of course. If there are people in your life that bring you happiness, and let's say they surprise you with goodness and cheer during the holiday season, then perhaps there is a "metaphorical" Santa Claus in your life after all!

As for me, I am welcoming and appreciating the presence of my "Santa Claus" as he greeted me this very morning by surprise.

Happy Holidays to all!

Monster-ella Cheese, please?!?

If I could still eat cheese, I'd certainly want to try monster-ella given Halloween 2012 is just around the corner.

Although I'm lactose-intolerant now, it doesn't mean I didn't enjoy cheese and dairy during my childhood. I often enjoyed eating Kraft swiss cheeses in my sandwiches, burgers, on top of my vegetables,... You name it! Mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses, aside from Swiss cheese, were among my favorite cheeses as I often loved eating pizza and spaghetti pasta growing up. Mozzarella sticks also were the best snacks I ever had growing up as not only are they super tasty, but they're interactive as you can peel as you eat, which makes for a great youthful activity that encourages you to fill up on calcium :)

Cheese, I will never forget you!

Happy Halloween to all.

Bottoms up!

I went to the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival in San Francisco this past weekend, and one of my closest friends surprised me with one of the BEST wines I could ever experience drinking. We were celebrating her and her husband's first marriage anniversary, but she's such a great friend that she bought me this awesome-tasting bottle of wine:

Boone's Farm - Strawberry Hill Wine

And of course, in their honor, I finished the entire bottle within a span of 40 minutes, while she drank a whole bottle of Sangria, also by Boone's Farm.

A major toast to an awesome couple who have such an admirable and balanced relationship of 7+ years, where they continue to go on strong. They compliment each others' strengths and weaknesses, respect each others' individualism, work out the kinks when they pop up, and remember to keep the love alive with romantic time spent together. To this, that which I find truly inspirational as not many relationships can keep this sort of balance as they do,... I say, "Bottoms up!"

Rolling the Dice and Breaking Sandals

I like to believe that everyone has a point in their lives where they consider if they've chosen the "right" path to live their lives as happily as they possibly can. "Right" and "wrong" may be relative in this regard as how would you know what's the right way to live? And what would be the wrong way? Everyone has their own interpretation of this. It pains me when people push their interpretive view of this on others as everyone struggles at least at one point in their lives to figure out what is the right and wrong way to live for themselves. Having others tell you what the right and wrong way to live your own life just doesn't seem fair.

At my current crossroad, I have decided to learn more about web programming, which is a completely separate career field from my current career of occupational safety. But where to start as a programming newbie / noob / nub ...? Oh, what a debate this is. All my friends who are in the Information Technology or Computer Science field have the common feedback that if I learn one programming language (such as Perl or Python), it will be simple to learn all the others and/or hit the ground running in the field. But on the other hand, I still feel the need to learn more in depth about HyperText Markup Language (HTML) and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) so that I can do what sparked my interest in this field in the first place - re-crafting web sites. How did this come about? Well, as a safety professional, advertising and marketing safety to help build a healthy safety culture within an organization is important. With the need for technology these days, especially the world wide web (www), it is imperative to have our safety materials readily available online. But like Pringles, once I popped,... I just couldn't stop.

And so I'm rolling the dice. I'm determined to learn HTML, CSS, and Perl at least by the end of 2012. If you're trying to start a career or learn skills in computer programming too, what have you decided to start off learning with?

As I roll the dice on my career, I feel I am breaking the sandals around my feet... literally.

While it is great to break sandals in your life and let your feet freely roam every now and again metaphorically, I must warn you that if you forget to bring your own sturdy sandals when getting a pedicure and you get the flimsy free sandals from the nail salon (though it is nice they are provided for free)... I advise you to remember to pick up your feet when walking ;) (This may be applied metaphorically as well, but I do mean this literally from personal experience.)

As for rolling the dice, sometimes chances need to be taken to learn what is "right" or "wrong" for you. Think it thoroughly through as best you can before releasing the dice from your hands. And if you can, keep them with you for a while until you're ready.

Got Peanuts?

Tonight, I decided to revisit my piano and challenge myself in maintaining what instrument-playing skill I have left. (To be quite honest, it has been months since I've last played my piano.) I went through my piano books - after playing some relaxing video game music (Chronocross - "Reminiscence" and Kingdom Hearts II - "Lazy Afternoons"), I stumbled upon one of my classic favorites from childhood... "The Peanuts Song"!! (By the way, the correct song title is "Linus and Lucy" from an animated cartoon based on a woe-is-me character named Charlie Brown, which originated from the comic strip called Peanuts. But it just sounds so much more fun to call it "The Peanuts Song".) Now if only I could play these songs as fluidly as these YouTube examples provided here... I admit I purposefully did not provide videos of me playing these songs as you would cringe and say as Charlie Brown would: "Good grief!"

If you have never read the comic strip or watched this animated cartoon (or if you just love it as much as I do), please enjoy these clips for a good laugh:

Good Grief, Charlie Brown

Lucy Analyzes Charlie Brown

Speaking of peanuts, they make a great snack or garnish over food. Not everyone likes or can eat peanuts, but count me in as a peanut-liker and eater! I personally prefer the peanuts that are offered outside of their shell already as those shells are ridiculous! How so? If you crack them with your hands, they can cut your fingers or otherwise create an inflamed rash from rubbing against the hard outer shell as you try to open it,... in addition to leaving a white dusty mess whether or not you use your hands or a tool to open the shell! It is just frustrating if you ask me. But when you're hungry and all you have are peanuts in their shells, if you're not allergic, you might as well give it a go.

There are many types of peanuts available: salted, lightly salted, unsalted, dry-roasted, oil-roasted, caramelized or candied, etc. One type of peanut I recently enjoyed when vacationing in Manhattan, New York earlier this year is the honey-roasted peanut from the Nuts 4 Nuts carts I observed throughout most if not all of Manhattan.

Yet, the honey-roasted almonds from these Nuts 4 Nuts carts trump the honey-roasted peanuts,... but almonds are a completely different story in my opinion. Whatever the case, if you like nuts and happen to be in Manhattan, New York, hit up a Nuts 4 Nuts cart and grab a deal (they'll most likely offer one bag of honey-roasted almonds and two bags of honey-roasted peanuts for $3-5, depending on how well you can bargain; keep in mind that the regular price per bag of nuts is supposed to be $2.50-3.50). It is definitely worth the experience for the typical nut-lover. Enjoy it if you get the chance!

Bad Dream? Take me to Yogurtland...

With the American economy being down in the dumps these days and seeing coworkers losing their jobs, I had a horrible dream last night. I was at my parents' house rather than my current home, and Steve Jobs was there... pointing at me angrily and telling me that I'm fired, in my own parents' home?!? He then proceeded to tell me harshly that I need to pack my things up quickly and get out. In a frenzy and out of panic, I start packing items in all my old backpacks still residing at my parents' house in my old room. But each time I packed a backpack, it would disappear. Eventually, I was at my last backpack. I remember the backpack in reality (Hawaiian-designed white flowers on black with an adjustable drawstring, where a flap opening at the top locked for safe closure by a knob in the front, and a small zipper pouch in the bottom-front), but there were items in the backpack I never owned or recognized having at any time during my life; it contained a blue plastic lunchbox and a Tuxedo Sam doll. Still in a rush and confused about where my other packed-up backpacks went, I stuffed the remaining backpack with essential items from drawers and was finally ready to leave. While standing by the front door to my parents' house, still within the house, some random voice tells me that all the items I packed up are being kept safe. At this point, I wake up... and off to live reality I go.

Ever had an odd dream like this? Well there is an ailment! Many Californian frozen yogurt lovers who prefer fresher frozen yogurt may trek to Blush, Pinkberry, or organic frozen yogurt shops like Fraiche. Though I agree these other shops have fresher-tasting frozen yogurt and are enjoyably delectable, I would still prefer to trek to Yogurtland. You can have as many free samples as you please with the choice of several flavors varying from creamy to sugary to tart, as well as "no-sugar added" flavors, before you decide to fill up a cup. Yogurtland also offers a wide variety of toppings ranging from different types of fruit to candies, nuts, and syrups. You can get all this for ~$0.37/ounce, which is reasonable for California at least (it used to be cheaper than this but again... the economy's been rough so the deal is still pretty good if you think of it holistically from my point of view.)

During this season (Fall 2012) for as long as it's available, I highly recommend trying the "no-sugar added" Yo-Frappe flavor. This is a caramel-chocolate mixture. It wasn't creamy or too sweet but rather reminded me of a chocolate-flavored Popsicle with a hint of caramel. Another new flavor available this season is Milk Chocolate Hazelnut. This was creamier and sweeter than the Yo-Frappe flavor, but quite worth the try (if you like milk chocolate and hazelnut). Both of these new flavors are advertised as non-fat, gluten-free, and contain some essential vitamins. (If you're lactose-intolerant like me, it is still certainly worth popping a couple of Lactaid pills and treating yourself!)

After such a nightmare, carrying on with one's regular daily routine can still fare well. Thanks to a very awesome friend who reminded me how Yogurtland is a happy place that allows one to forget the woes in life, I was able to discover the Yo-Frappe and Milk Chocolate Hazelnut flavors and enjoyed a great innocent girls' fun night out; all of which helped me forget about the scary nature of my awful dream.

In memory of a former chef dear to my heart,...

On August 6, 2012, I lost one of my grandfathers. He was a former chef at Las Vegas, Nevada's Stardust Hotel & Casino, many many years ago, specializing in quality Chinese food. Before that, he was a chef at many Chinese restaurants in San Francisco, California.

He wasn't able to cook for the past 20 years because he has since then been handicapped. When I was too young to remember, he attempted saving a woman's purse from being stolen by a robber. The robber fought my grandfather, which led to my grandfather experiencing a stroke. He rehabilitated well enough to be able to walk again with the assistance of a walker, but with a paralyzed left hand and a need for walking support, he had to give up his days as a chef.

Finding high quality Chinese food is a must in my family. Though it seems to be rare to find, even in China. When I traveled with my family to China once a few years ago, we visited Beijing, Xian, and then traveled to Hong Kong (which now I can say is a part of China and where most of my family originated from). Should you travel to these parts, if you're looking for quality (tasty) Chinese food when in China, beware of tourist food. On the downside, if you don't stick to tourist food, you could run a greater risk of food-borne illnesses.

At any rate, farewell to my grandfather - I wish I could have been able to taste the food he made, but since I can't remember his food, I'll always remember the smiles and the love... which always leaves a great taste in my mouth.

The Vegan Donut

Have you ever tried a vegan donut? If so, how did you like it? Do you think Homer Simpson would enjoy vegan donuts?

At the Whole Foods Markets nearby where I live, I noticed a variety of vegan donuts being sold for delectable purchase. Funny observation though was that they only sold vegan donuts... there were no donuts on the display that were considered non-vegan. For someone like me who is lactose-intolerant and would like to find more baked goods that are healthier (if you can consider them healthier when they're made without dairy products like butter and whole milk), I say "THANK YOU WHOLE FOODS MARKET!"

Assorted vegan donuts at Whole Foods Market in Walnut Creek, California

Now that the vegan baked goods have been identified, my adventure begins. I tried all six vegan donut variety flavors offered at one of my local neighborhood Whole Foods Market. The available vegan donut flavors were:
- Chocolate Vegan Donut
- Maple Vegan Donut
- Vegan Apple Cinnamon Donut
- Blueberry Vegan Donut
- Cherry Vegan Donut
- Vegan Crumb Donut

And yes, folks,... I ate all six flavors in one sitting. Here's my verdict:
- All Whole Foods Market vegan donuts are of the cake donut texture.
- All are tasty and moist. Being that these donuts are vegan, they are not dry at all and taste very similar to a non-vegan donut. The difference is actually not detectable. Well done.
- The best flavors out of all of these, in my opinion, were the Cherry, Maple, and Chocolate Vegan Donuts. These donuts tasted like the flavor description given to them.

Chocolate Vegan Donut

Cherry Vegan Donut

Maple Vegan Donut

- The worst flavors out of all of these were the Blueberry and Apple Cinnamon Vegan Donuts. These donuts tasted like sweet sugar. Though the sweet sugar taste was flavorful, and given that the texture was moist and good, they get minus points for not tasting like the flavor description given to them.

  Blueberry Vegan Donut        Vegan Apple Cinnamon Donut

- The Vegan Crumb Donut was just okay in terms of flavor. Tasty and enjoyable, taste and texture matched its flavor description, but not significantly impacting for me to comment much about.

Vegan Crumb Donut

So now that I've completed my pig-out adventure session, the question remains - would eating these vegan donuts really be healthier? I turn to my search engine (Google of course) to find nutrition facts pertaining to these vegan donuts from Whole Foods Market. I can't find nutrition facts for more than just the Chocolate Vegan Donut from Whole Foods Market, but I'm thinking perhaps I shouldn't have eaten all six in one sitting.... Or I should have baked my own at home. Comparing the nutrition facts of the Chocolate Vegan Donut from Whole Foods to the nutrition facts of Krispy Kreme cake donuts, the total fat is slightly lower, but the saturated fat content (in grams) is pretty similar. Yet the vegan donut trumps the non-vegan donut health-wise still with 0mg of cholesterol and significantly less sugar (in grams). So all in all, I am not unhappy with my pig-out adventure session.

Homer Simpson is a cartoon character that loves donuts. I believe he would not discriminate between the non-vegan and vegan donuts, especially if he were to eat Whole Foods Market vegan donuts. If you haven't tried these vegan donuts yet, I encourage you to put it on your to-do list. You won't be sorry (or feel too guilty!)

Bananas for Nostalgia

I'm going bananas today.

When growing up, I often spent time with my mother's parents. They grew a beautiful garden in their backyard, and my grandmother would always bring into the house a small flower bud that smelled like ripe bananas. This banana-like aroma was so pleasant to my nose, I will never forget it. But what was this flower's name?

Whenever asked "what's your favorite flower?", my response tends to be "I don't know" until I start guessing flowers I usually find significantly pretty such as lilies, irises, and sunflowers. Despite my attempts to answer, this question always leads me back to my childhood memory of a banana-smelling flower. I eventually mention this as part of my answer, but no one seems to know what I'm talking about.

After years of responding "I don't know" or with possible guesses, I finally found the time to find out about this flower. I can now confidently say that my favorite flower is the Michelia figo (Banana Shrub).

I do not find myself having a green thumb, but being that I am "bananas for nostalgia" today, perhaps I will find myself cultivating this plant some time in the future.

Speaking of bananas, some friends of mine either really love or really dislike bananas.

I find that I personally LOVE eating bananas (I am referring to Cavendish bananas mostly as I have rarely eaten other kinds of bananas, if at all, from what I can remember). I can eat bananas whole on their own, cut into my bowl(s) of cereal, oatmeal, and/or yogurt/frozen yogurt, in baked goods (for example, banana bread and muffins), ... I am pretty sure my list can go on. To my friends that dislike bananas, I am so sorry that you cannot find yourselves able to enjoy this available luxury.

I mean... even Whole Foods Market is "going bananas"!

Not only are bananas a nutritious part of a balanced diet providing healthy benefits such as essential vitamins for nourishing the body, but bananas are so versatile, they can even help save our environment:

On an interesting food-for-thought note, the aroma of whole fruit bananas themselves is just mediocre to me. There is something sweeter in the aroma of the Banana Shrub that I feel is just beyond comparison. Perhaps my body's senses just simply feel that bananas are for eating and that the Banana Shrub is for luxurious aromatic enjoyment. But I cannot and will not complain :)

So... what's feeding your nostalgia today?

Creative Fruit Carvings

I remember seeing fruit platters designed with the use of inedible materials to make a creative fruit dish, but it amazes me when whole fruit is used on its own to create art.

Check out the photo of my friend's lemon peel bear to give you an example.

Simple but cute and creative, no? It's not easy though to handle a sharp chef's knife and carve fruit into art without cutting oneself or messing up the form of the creation somehow. I am truly impressed.

So what's the most creative fruit carving you've ever seen?