Matcha (Green Tea) Soufflé

It is this dish that made me realize the importance of a good matcha powder.

Before this recipe, I've made my matcha-infused baked goods with random brands I found on internet - not authentic for sure, but I bought it because it was cheap. 

As obvious as it sounds , but please don't be cheap when it comes to stuff like this! 

The powder I've used for this one is a $5.99 (50g) pack I bought from a Japanese supermarket in San Francisco during Christmas. The powder is from a family tea garden in the Kagoshima area, and the flavour can be tasted with just a little bit in amounts. (Back when I used the cheap matcha powders I use to think that lots of powder is needed for flavouring!)

Now enough blabbing....

DIY Mother's Day High Tea

The full high tea with mom's newly found Victorian dish set

Loving the royal tea pot!

 Mother's Day these days is becoming more and more like a competition to see who can spoil his/her mothers the best...(at least in my area that is). 

Even prior to the day, my social network has been filled with Mother's Day news feeds:flowers, cakes, more flowers and cakes.........

Come on. One has ought to have more creative ideas than flowers and cakes.

Since this is the last year I'll be spending Mother's Day with my mom before heading to college (hello internet shopping gifts...), I thought - why not make this time the best one yet.

My mom has been really into tea sets lately. This Victorian style tea set pictured in this post (only some parts, the whole set has about 73 pieces) was found on Craiglist (really mom) for $1000. I first had doubts on this idea of buying vintage dishes on the internet but when she brought the whole set home I was amazed by the intricate details on these dishes - they were lovely indeed! These dishes were pass-downs from the seller's great grandmother and since most dishes those days are either sold in pieces or missing, the whole set was hard to find.

Now, let's take a closer look at the menu....

Sakura (Cherry Blossom) Jelly

The combination of freshness and beauty signifies the arrival of spring.

Who knew wine glasses can be used this way?

 It's cherry blossom season here at the Northwest - though Vancouver is quite far from Japan in distance but the similar latitudes have provided a nice environment for these beautiful flowers to blossom.

Teahouse at Stanley Park

Inside View on a Sunny Sunday.

Outside view- gorgeous!

Before coming here I've been told that the two restaurants located inside Stanley Park- Fish House and Tea House - are known for their beautiful sceneries. "Fine Eating by the Atmosphere", as some would call it.

The scenery from Third Beach is beautiful! With views looking from the garden to the outward sea on a sunny Sunday- who wouldn't resist in even taking a look?

We made reservations for this brunch- and I highly recommend doing so especially for days with fine weather like this one.

[Drooling Pictures INSIDE]

The Best Homemade Granola (so far)

Jars and jars...

No added sugar or additives, that's why.

I have been making this granola since last year. It goes so well with many things - yogurt, sprinkle on salad, or just eat as a snack mix.

This is definitely #promdiet worthy as it has no added sugar and relies on the flavour of natural ingredients.
"Eat your fibres, children!"

Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies

 Starting this month I will be posting some simple, delicious recipes for the #promdiet series!

It's prom season. Though my school is probably one of the last schools in North America (maybe the whole Northern Hemisphere) in the date of our prom (in Canada it's called Grad Dinner and Dance...), this does leave me some more time to shape up for summer/able to squeeze in my dress haha.

Of course, dieting does not mean stop eating or losing weight specifically, nor going vegan (hello sheep) or eating fruits everyday. Remember that strong is better than skinny and fit is better than bony!

This is a lifestyle that takes time and perseverance to see the results. Since our bodies' are built differently, it also takes different amount of time to see the results. So don't freak out if your friend got skinnier than you while you guys eat the same things for the past two weeks...it's mother nature. 

Now this series contains recipes full of the "good" nutrients for your body while keeps your body happy. Hope your mind can be happy too!

Now, for this PB cookie...