This was the perfect birthday theme for a boy who LOVES Legos and has a super-positive outlook on life. Every day of his seven years has been a joy, as he wakes up with an “everything is awesome” attitude. I…
chocolate pops, with love
We wanted to take our sweet time while making Valentine’s Day treats this year. We decided to make these adorable heart-shaped pops in both dark and white chocolate. Here’s a peek at the easy-breezy way to make them. My daughter…
fire truck 5
This was the 5th birthday party that we threw for our son at our home, with only a handful of children. It was such a sweet memory – back when our boy still had longish hair and was my trusty…
pink for a princess
It’s so fun to treat a little girl to the simple things she loves on her birthday. One of my dearest and oldest friends celebrated her baby girl’s 3rd birthday with a pink-princess theme. My gift was catering and styling…
Nonna’s bacon focaccia
Bacon Focaccia is traditionally made during the Christmas holiday season, but bacon-lovers can enjoy this flakey, absolutely delicious recipe, any time. To have this to share with you, is very precious to me. If you love bacon, and you love…
Mili’s pumpkin spice churros recipe
These pumpkin spice churros are absolutely delicious, and a wonderful way to use extra pumpkin puree from Thanksgiving. Here’s my recipe and how-to. My sweetheart was in the kitchen with me to make these happen. These pumpkin spice churros are…
edible centerpieces
Our tables are all set for our Thanksgiving feast. We came up with beautiful fall hues of fresh fruits and small flowers as centerpieces. Here’s a little how-to for your own edible centerpieces. We went to our local market and…
backyard lavender
My little girl had a sweet little idea. When she told me she wanted to make flower arrangements with lavender from our backyard, I told her to go for it. She took out a few little vases, used my twine…
beautiful butter
I took butter to another level for this post, with recipes of flavors and techniques that I’m sharing here in recipe format – complete with options to make vegan butter, beautiful too!
yellow & sunshine
The grounds of the Rancho Guajome Adobe in Vista, California, are lovely in late-April. The garden area was bursting with sunshine and blooming plants – making for the perfect back-drop for a special dessert table, along with a delightfully yellow…
ninety five years young
(Original post is from November 2013.) My children’s great-grandmother celebrated her 95th birthday this past week. We enjoyed a visit with lunch and I’m sharing her sweetness, along with the Green Tea birthday cake I made especially for her. I updated these notes and added photos in April 2021, as a tribute to Grandma Takashima.
“free” granola bars recipe
These bake free, nut-free, gluten free and refined-sugar-free bars are still a favorite at my home after all these years!
Every now and then, I have an extra-motivated feeling to get myself and the family fueled with good snacks that are ready to enjoy anytime. These are a great way to make that happen.