Abeille Cuisine: Roasted Garlic

Don't make the same mistake that I made. Costco is a wonderful establishment... bargains galore, but who really needs a 3-pound bag of garlic?

I Love Cheerios

We've all seen the adorable Cheerios commercial where the little girl pours a box of the cereal on her dad's chest, right? Well, the commercial received heaps of negative comments on YouTube, which stunned me. 

Click here to see how even though there are cruel people (read, adults) in the world, the new generation is  chock full of love. Kids are so pure of heart... We should strive to be more like them.

Abeille Desserts: Coconut Chocolate Mousse

I have a sweet tooth, and can easily overdo it if there aren't others around to share the treats with me. Recently, I got a craving for chocolate mousse (thanks, Pinterest!) and decided to try it with coconut cream instead of the traditional dairy cream. The end result was a thick, creamy, cool, light, and sweetly refreshing dessert.

First, place a 14-ounce can of coconut cream (any brand you like) in the refrigerator to set up overnight. When it's ready, turn the can upside down so that it's easy to drain the excess liquid. Whip up the cream with a mixer (it helps to put the bowl in the freezer for 5 minutes) on medium high, adding in powdered sugar to your taste, and about 1/4 Tsp. of vanilla. I used 3 Tbsp. of sugar, and soft peaks formed within 7 minutes. Just keep an eye on it, to make sure that you get the desired consistency. 

I scooped out a small amount to use as topping, and then mixed in 3 Tbsp. plus 1 Tsp. of unsweetened cocoa powder, until it was thoroughly incorporated. Place the mixture into four ramekins. You could easily eat this dessert right away, but resist the urge, and put the ramekins back into the fridge for a few hours (or overnight) for best results.

You might expect a strong coconut flavor here, but it's really quite mild. The chocolate comes through really well, and and the creamy texture is divine. I crumbled a vegan chocolate bar (going all the way with the non-dairy theme) on top, and loved every single bite.

Oh, and even though Hubby and I were "sharing" the desserts, I ate 2.5 of the 4 ramekins... I couldn't help myself.

Enjoy!

I've Been Scandalized

So, I just watched the first two seasons of Scandal in about 5 days... Now, I have to wait until October to get my fix again. Episodic tv in real time?  Oh man!

Are there any TV shows that you binge watch? Thank heavens for Hulu+ and Netflix! What should I watch next?

Little Pleasures: Lazy Weekend

Although summer has just kicked into full gear (hello heatwave), what I'm longing for these days is a weekend where I can just stay home, veg-out, and do absolutely nothing... 

I've been daydreaming about these comfy pajamas that I scored from the Beachmint sample sale. You can find similar ones here. Although these are of the long-sleeved / pants variety (not so great for summer), it's easy enough to split the ensemble into just the top. Or, I can just blast the air conditioning  and pretend that I'm Claudette Colbert in It Happened One Night. Speaking of which, I should watch that movie again... it would be perfect for a lazy weekend! Netflix, here I come! Where's my bowl of popcorn?

Trees and Flowers

When I was young, my family would often take walks around our neighborhood... usually after breakfast on the weekend. In my adolescent years, I always thought it was strange that my parents were so intrigued by the ways that people chose to landscape their front yards. Let me tell you, they can wax poetic about some trees.

As you might have guessed, I am now fascinated by all of the trees and flowers that I see when I take Baby Bee out for walks. "Wowa!" (read, flower) she exclaims, just as soon as I push the stroller past the Egyptian lilies outside our building. Something tells me that she will grow to love trees and flowers as much as I do.

Here are some shots of my favorites around our neighborhood:

They Don't Make 'Em Like That Anymore

We've been spending a lot of time in the San Gabriel Valley lately, and while we were on our way to dinner a couple of weeks ago, I spotted this gas station that looked as if it were straight out of a Norman Rockwell painting. 

I asked Hubby to pull over so that I could take pictures of it. Upon closer inspection, I saw a small sticker in the office window which identified the site as part of the historic Route 66. 

Later on, we saw a charming true-to-period (40s/50s?), still operating coffee shop in San Marino. Our society rarely preserves structures from the past (however recent). It was such a nice surprise to find these gems among today's modern buildings.