Shangri-La Staycation

Mini and Maggie were spoiled with a five-star staycation at the Shangri-La. While I was at the hotel's health club, they had a fun time hanging out in the room.

They climbed the fluffy pillows on the ginormous bed...

 ...made tea to go with their Milk Bar cookie for a snack...

...read Lost Horizon by James Hilton (the book that inspired the hotel chain)...

...watched TV (sometimes in the bathroom)...

...and took a nap!

Those Bluffs!

Buddy wanted to explore a new place in Toronto so we decided to go to the Scarborough Bluffs. He loved the views!

Down on the peninsula, Buddy found a cool fossil.

He also found a nice spot in the shade to relax. What an enjoyable afternoon!

Happy Victoria's Day, fellow Canucks!

Bake Sale Treats

Spencer and I whipped up some treats for a charity bake sale at my office. They were insanely easy and a hit among my co-workers. Check out the great recipes below!

Green Tea Chocolate

http://www.justonecookbook.com/green-tea-chocolate

Nutella Truffles

http://eugeniekitchen.com/nutella-chocolate-truffle

Mother's Day Cake

Sending lots of love to all the mothers around the world!

The Quatchis slice cake in your honour!

Nutella Oatmeal Cookies

I bought a large jar of Nutella last week. I haven't had it in years so I thought I could incorporate it into some new baking experiments. The Mins found the jackpot of Nutella recipes at Kirbie's Cravings. It was hard to choose a recipe to start off with but since we had lots of oatmeal on hand, this one seemed like a logical choice. And the result was delish!

Nutella Oatmeal Cookies

1/2 cup Nutella

1 extra large egg

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup quick oats

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or silpat mat. Add all ingredients into a large bowl and stir with a wooden spoon until everything is thoroughly mixed. Make small round balls, about 1 1/2 inch in diameter. You should have enough to form 10 cookies.

Place dough balls on baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10 minutes. Let cookies cool on the baking sheet until they are set and firm.

Source: Kirbie's Cravings

New PJs

The Quatchis just returned from an extended visit at my parents' place. They had a good time reading with my mum and watching TV with my dad. My mum sent them home with matching pajama pants. Aren't they the best? She sewed them herself!

The Quatchis love their new PJs so much that they spent the whole weekend in them. Here's a snapshot from this afternoon - Q and the Mins reading old cartoons and snacking on M&Ms!

The Monster Factory

Maggie, Colin, and Spencer come from the good people of Monster Factory. They have been top notch additions to our band of friends. We love them very much!

Maggie and Colin were asked by my cousin in Hong Kong to find her Buddy. So they joined me on Saturday when the company was hosting a retirement party for some of their monsters. Maggie and Colin were not made on-site so they've never been to the studio before. It was my first time too!

Here's Maggie and Colin with some of the big guys.

Oh, there's Buddy! Let's bring him home.

Farewell fellow monsters! These guys are some of the classics and are no longer in production. Lots of them were scooped up to go to good homes.

Buddy wanted to say goodbye to the guys hanging out in the back. Maggie and Colin were happy to meet some of the Mythicals, the same line of monsters that Spencer is from.

I'm sure we'll be coming back to the Monster Factory in the future. Like they said...you can never have too many friends!

Red Pockets

多謝 Ma for the lai see!

We're one week into the Year of the Sheep and so far, so good!

Hot Chocolate Mug Cake

I hope everyone is keeping warm this Family Day weekend! It's been extremely cold but it looks like the worse is over. Last night, it was 40 below zero with the wind chill. Tomorrow, it looks like it'll be back to normal temperatures for this time of year.

Snowman is a big fan of the winter (naturally). I asked for his help in making a winter appropriate mug cake. We opted for a hot chocolate one since we had mini marshmallows around. Make sure to use two regular sized mugs or one large latte mug for this recipe! Snowman is holding a 20 oz Corningware mug.

Hot Chocolate Mug Cake

4 tablespoons all purpose flour

4 tablespoons white granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 egg

2 1/2 tablespoons hot cocoa mix

3 1/2 tablespoons milk

Splash of vanilla extract

3 1/2 tablespoons oil
Mini marshmallows (optional)

Combine all ingredients except mini marshmallows in an oversized coffee mug. Whisk well with a fork until smooth. Microwave on high for 1 minute 30 seconds. Check to see if done by inserting knife and seeing if middle of cake is done. Even when fully cooked, the outside of the cake will look wet and slightly gooey. If it needs longer, cook for an additional 30 seconds. Add mini marshmallows on top and let cake cool slightly before eating.

Source: Kirbie's Cravings

On Board!

One last post about our vacay!

The Quatchis knew how to enjoy themselves aboard the ship.

They relaxed in the cabin.

They helped my dad sort through his photos.

They took naps when the water was rough.

They walked around the deck for exercise.

They enjoyed their own mini pool.

They caught some rays. Don't worry, they worn sunscreen!

They had afternoon tea (and milk and cookies, and ice cream, and pizza...and just about everything available on the ship).

And they watched movies under the stars!