Catch Up Time

Wow, it's been a long time since I've blogged a new recipe, mostly because my baking lately has been recipes I've posted before. That, and a busy work schedule and a few trips out of town kept me from baking as much as I used to. But that's no excuse not to share delicious food and get back on schedule with seasonal recipes! As my latest banana bread is baking in the oven, I'm going to take a moment to catch up on the various recipes I've made throughout the winter season, concluding with Spring Banana Bread on my next post! So stay tuned....

Catch Up:

October
After making Pumpkin Spice Lattes multiple times this fall, I proceeded to decorate my house for Halloween, enjoy a boisterous football season, attend the local Aki Matsuri festival (autumn Japanese festival), and make Halloween treats for my friends in a gathering much smaller than the famous party of 2012, but just as fun! I also carved a pumpkin and made toasted pumpkin seeds on Halloween Day.

November
The month of November brought about a wonderful vacation to visit my grandfather, his new wife, and my aunt and uncles in south Texas. While there was obviously no time for baking away from home, I enjoyed authentic Mexican food close to the border, as well a BBQ, burgers, and free hotel breakfasts. Later that month I went on a second trip, this time with my boyfriend's family to whale watch at Newport Beach. Though it was just a weekend trip, I was able to enjoy a couple of nice meals and see live dolphins to boot! Oh, and what about Thanksgiving? I made my traditional pies (pecan, pumpkin, and sweet potato!), as always, and spent Thanksgiving evening with my boyfriend's family--a second feast of authentic Filipino cuisine!

December
I can't have Christmas without baking. This month I made savory scones and artichoke dip for my holiday party at work, then Christmas cookies (from store-bought dough), pies, and other snacks for another gathering with friends, celebrated the 90th birthday of my boyfriend's grandmother with lots of food and fun, made Mickey waffles for breakfast, had one final Christmas gift exchange party, and baked my traditional cinnamon rolls for breakfast on Christmas morning. I also tried a scorpion chili pepper for the first time--spicy but not unbearable!

January
New Year's parties brought more food, while the month of January was also my older brother's birthday, and a sushi outing! I tried a new breakfast diner in town, ramen, buffets, and made both pizza and French Toast without a recipe. You probably think all I do is eat out and...eat.

February
In the beginning of February I enjoyed the Super Bowl by eating a Super Bowl of ice cream and cookies. Then there was an early Valentine's Day lobster dinner with frozen yogurt. Next, my mom's birthday, followed by my boyfriend's birthday. February is also the month of my friend's birthday and my late grandmother's birthday, so we had celebrations for each. On Valentine's morning I made heart-shaped pancakes with a chocolate chip border using my traditional pancake recipe.

March
March brought about going away parties for my friend, my first 5K, and a St. Patrick's Day where I wore green but sadly didn't bake anything green! I did, however, make bibingka and halo-halo for the going away party. I spent the rest of the month celebrating Pi Day (3/14/15) with my mom's coconut banana cream pie, and Macaron Day with macarons. I also baked chocolate chip cookies for two different occasions using my favorite Pillsbury dough from Sam's Club. Yes, despite the delays in posts, I have actually done some baking! Oh, and there were some ice cream adventures in between (like dark chocolate ghost pepper gelato shown in the last picture--eaten just last night!).

So you're finally all caught up with my food adventures (if you were wondering where I've been all this time). And now, back to my not-so-regularly-scheduled blog programming. Thanks for staying with it!