Drinking iced coffee at 9 pm was a bad idea. Broken sleep is not very restful. Thank goodness I have the day off tomorrow. And hubs and I are going to the spa. Yeah! 

I never used to get all jittery drinking caffeine. The stuff must be more potent these days. 

There are going to be a lot of changes coming soon. Exciting and saddening at the same time.

Currently, I am working on my new website.  It's tough stuff. I am thinking about the layout and content, but primarily just working on the layout right now.  So I am turning to the web for some inspiration.  Time to do some browsing.

Wow, time sure does fly!  It's already September.  I am enjoying this Holiday weekend.  Yesterday, we really didn't do much.  We basically just ended up sitting around the house.   Today, however, we did some work at Mariano's and then enjoyed some jazz music at the 37th Chicago Jazz Festival.  We waited until the sun was starting to set to head out there that way we don't get overheated for it was in the 90s today.  That's hot humid stuff.

I love warm summer nights, they are the best!  That is my favorite thing about summer, to be able to wear shorts, T-shirt and flip flops.  Also admission was free, what an added perk!  Next week, we have a festival going on in our neighbor.  It's small and pretty low key; the best part is heading down the street to listen to live music.  Can't wait.

We are also thinking about taking a quick little trip to Montreal, so hopefully prices aren't too bad. I've always wanted to visit, so this might be a good opportunity, eh?

It has been ages since I lasted updated.  I guess I got caught up in a bunch of things.  Life, I suppose. I was actually thinking about starting a new blog.  But would I really update it that much?  Ideally, I have all these new recipes/creations that I want to share but am just not finding the time to post them. Why is that?  That's a rhetorical question, of course.  Perhaps, I should schedule it into my calendar to block out a space specifically to blog/update my blog.  I am also behind on my yelps reviews.  I been dining at all these place and want to share the experience with the public.  It must be summer, we are always out and about.  Oh the dreaded winter is a coming, maybe then I'll be productive because it will be too cold to be galloping about.

Prague

I've always wanted to visit Prague and I got the chance to explore this beautiful city last fall.  It is a very beautiful city with a lot of beautiful scenery, buildings, and bridges.  My mom probably just arrived there, she left for Europe today.

Here are some highlights of my trip in Prague.

Old Town Square

Prague Astronomical Clock

Frank's favorite place in Prague.  

A view of Prague Castle

Prague Castle

Prague Castle

The view from Petrin Lookout Tower

Shops around Stare Mesto

Medival Tavern

St. Vitus Cathedral

Fall foliage

Enjoying the view from Bellavista

Streets of Prague

Around Lesser Town Bridge Tower

Berries

Are these Swans?

Views of Prague

Thank you Mister for taking this picture of us! 

Charles Bridge

My favorite sighting in Prague

How many bridges can you count?

I'm back!

I've been absent ever since I have returned from California.  I have been working more these days and planning trips for my next escape.  Next week I am going to Seattle to visit my cousin and her family. Then next month I'll be making a trip out to Asia (Korea and Taiwan).

Today, I made some bread since we ran out.  I made Honey Oat because that is Frank's fav.  I made dinner rolls as well since I wanted some.  I have been adding chia seeds to my breads lately because it is one of those superfoods.  I like the texture it adds to the bread.

Now, a while ago, I said I would do a series about my vacation last year in Europe.  So here are some highlights from Berlin, Germany.

Berlin Cathedral and the TV Tower in the background

Berlin Cathedral

Wondering around the Tiergarten

Museum Island

A typical breakfast for us 

At the Reichstag 

Ninjas at the Tiergarten

Beer time at Hops & Barley

Delayed

My flight back to Chicago is delayed.  I been out here in SoCal for a week or so, but it definitely feels like a lot longer.  I really didn't do much but see family.  I am not sure when my next trip out here will be, so only time will tell.

Right about now, I am sitting here in the airport blogging.  I should post some pictures from my trip, which is something I said I would do, but I guess you can say I have been slightly preoccupied.  It's snowing back in Chicago and I am not really looking forward to this February snow.  Perhaps Spring will be making an appearance really soon.

I want to make it out to DC for the cherry blossom festival in April so I should start looking for deals and see if I can make it happen.  Perhaps that should be a task for tomorrow.  Upon arrival today, I was going to head out to this party, but since I am delayed 2 hours I might have to pass on it.  It's a late event so perhaps it is for the better.

Still to come are some pictures from my trip last year in Europe.  I really want to do a blogging series on it, but I have been lallygagging around.  Perhaps I should make that my goal for March?

Sculpture from Museum Island in Berlin.  Excellent depiction of what happens when flights get delayed.  

White Chocolate Oatmeal Craisins Cookies

A few weeks back I made these cookies. They are the heathy alternative because they don't have any unnatural sugars. The trick is to use ripe bananas and it will bring out the natural sweetness in the cookie.

You can opt not to use any chocolate chips and even exclude the applesauce. To make the oat flour I just blended down the rolled oats. I feel like it holds the cookie better and dries it a bit since this cookie will be quite moist.

White Chocolate Oatmeal Craisin Cookies

Ingredients: 

2 bananas

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup oat flour

1 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup Craisins

1/2 cup white chocolate chips (optional)

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, mash up 2 ripe bananas.

2. Add applesauce and vanilla extract and mix to combine.

3. Add oat flour and rolled oats until moistened. 

4. Mix in craisins and white chocolate chips.

5. Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes so everything gets incorporated. 

6. Preheat oven to 375F.

7. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a baking mat. 

8. Scoop out a tablespoon of the batter and flatten. (Like this)

9. Bake for 17-20 mins and enjoy!

Thoughts, thoughts, thoughts... running through my head!

January is about to end. Boy this month is really just flying by!  I had a good amount of time off in the beginning of the month. But of late, I have been working more.  This week isn't too bad, though. I just came back from a much needed massage.  It was a good deep tissue massage.  I need to continue to hydrate so I don't get a headache.  On my way back, I explored this path on Lincoln and checked out a number of places.

The first was a Filipino Bakery, Rowie's.  I tried a tasty Ube Macaron.  It was a buck twenty-three, what a steal! On Tuesdays and Wednesdays, they have a special on cupcakes for a buck fifty. Usually, they go for $2.25.  I haven't tried them yet because I am waiting for Frank to come home so we can share them (I got the mango and mocha cupcake).

Next stop, another bakery, this time a Columbian bakery called Mekato's.  I had a cafe latte and tried the arespas.  It was a good snack and a nice place to sit down for a bit.  They have a lot of breads that made from cheese.  I pass by this place on my way to and from work, so I really wanted to check it out.  The pastries are limited; they have tamales and empanadas.

I also love checking out what they have at Dollar Tree.  They had a lot of interesting items here and was well stocked.  I picked up some hair clips because I needed the spring to put in my other hairclips that broke.

Lastly, I did some grocery shopping at Tony's Finer Foods.  I'll have to come back again when I have the car because the canned tomatoes are on sale.

Also, look forward to a series about my trip from Europe.  I am finally getting a chance to sort through my pictures.  Here's a teaser!

Wandering around the Tiergarten in Berlin, loving the fall foliage.

An extended vacation

I typically work tuesdays and some saturdays.  But this week, I got pretty lucky and get an extended break.  So happy about this because it is like 10 degrees out and feels like -6 degrees.  Tomorrow it is in the single digit and really in the negatives.  It is suppose to be cold like this until friday, then next week it'll be in the 20s.  We've gone into the deep of winter.  Wuah!  So I am glad to be able to hibernate at home and watch the coldness from inside.

Today is a day of chores.  Not too excited about this, but I figure I should get it all done today. Bathrooms, kitchen, baseboard, dust, and etc.  Tomorrow, I'll do the laundry and iron.  Probably bake and cook up something here and there.  This is what I do when I am not working.

I get to chill a bit more here on my couch where the sun is nice and bright during a day like today.  I am digesting my breakfast then I shall work out and begin my chores.  But for now, it's time to bask in this sunshine.

Hello 2015!

It's the first day of the year and we got a late start. A rather lazy beginning!

I made crepes for brunch. Three different kinds: sugar, Nutella and banana, and blackberry cream. 

Crepes are really simple to make. You just need a good recipe and the right pan. With the leftover crepes, I made a Mille Crepe Cake. 

This was our brunch; eggs and bacon on the sides. 

I can't wait to dig into this tomorrow. It's going to be my sweet treat!

I also made an apple pie because I promised Frank that I would make him one for New Year's. He wanted a pie for his birthday, but I thought a cake was better suited for that occasion. So we got to indulge with some apple pie, YUM!

I really like the lattice top. It just makes it look so pretty. I make this about 2-3 times a year and we are so sad when the apple pie season ends.

For dinner, we made Paella. 

This is one of my favorite things to eat. I bought a special pan just so we can make this dish. It's great to make for a group of people. We'll probably make this for friends and family in the future.

2014 gave me a lot of time to reflect, learn new things, and meet new people. I am really grateful for those opportunities and for what lies ahead in 2015.

Cheers to 2014 and Hello 2015!