Learning from the best Archives

Because this is how we roll

By Christina Lee| February 18th, 2021|Creative Inspiration, Humbling Hobbies and Habits, In the Kitchen, Learning from the best, Oh My Crafts!|

It’s been nearly a year since we’ve been working remotely and zoom fatigue is at an all-time high as we continue to buckle down on work and hang tight hoping the tides will change this year. Increased levels of productivity and stress call for a much needed time out and a chance to come together as a team to reset.

Our manager suggested a virtual team building activity — one where we can sculpt and make something out of clay or one where we can fill our bellies with chocolate goodness — and the scale tipped at chocolate making (which was almost a no brainer!).

We each got a kit from Tiny B Chocolate where we got to learn Brigadeiro Basics, Brazil’s most loved dessert and cousin of the chocolate truffle. The kit came with three jars of brigadeiro, eight toppings and a jar of spread along with plates, spoons and everything you need to get started on becoming a chocolatier.

Making these brigadeiro chocolates couldn’t be any easier than 1-2-3. You scoop out the chocolate and roll it into a ball, dunk it in your favorite topping, and set it aside or put it into your mouth. There is no need for baking. What’s great about this virtual team building activity is you get to make gourmet Brazilian chocolates and bond with your team without any “whoopsies”. And best of all, you create photo-worthy creations that are yet to impress your friends and family. What a fun way to break away from the office.

Do What You Love and Love What You Do

By Christina Lee| July 10th, 2019|Creative Inspiration, Learning from the best, Oh My Crafts!|

Nothing is more intriguing than seeing someone do what they love and love what they do. I was lucky to spend a few days on the cobblestone streets of Mostar. Visiting Bosnia and Herzegovina ended up being a detour from my Rick Steves’ trip where vacation is all day fun and drinks. This is probably a spot that I wouldn’t have braved going on my own. Many of the buildings and broken down streets still suffer the tragedy of the 1990’s. Bullet holes, old warehouses and abandoned buildings still serve as a reminder of heartbreak, destruction and loss during the Bosnian genocide.

One of the most memorable moments was hearing firsthand how the war affected survivors today. Oftentimes, you hear stories of Red Cross saving lives and sending parachutes of food down to people from some of the poorest countries, yet rarely do you hear from those on the receiving end of those parachutes. Well today I got to meet someone on the receiving end and learn about war, destruction and near-death experiences from a lady who survived the 1990s in Bosnia Herzegovina. It was an eye-opening experience and a much-needed detour from the ‘good life’ to help me understand history, reconciliation of cultural identities and modern day Muslims.

Even with the pain and hardship, people are able to find peace in doing what they love.

A Christmas Cookie Classic

By Christina Lee| December 23rd, 2018|Holiday Fun, In the Kitchen, Learning from the best|

One of the many Christmas traditions I look forward to is making these jam thumbprint cookies. Inspired by Barefoot Contessa, these rich, buttery cookies have become a Christmas cookie classic in the Lee household and it’s almost expected that I make batches of these cookies for close friends and family. The toasted coconut, the sweet smell of jam and the buttery goodness fill the entire kitchen and it almost feels as if you’ve inhaled 3000 calories when you haven’t even taken a bite or licked the spoon. But who’s counting calories? Seriously. It’s the holidays and you’ve earned every bite to the very last crumb.

This year, I seem to have lost count on how many batches of cookies I made. When I’m in the kitchen, it’s serious business. I’ve got the assembly down to a T: there’s the mixing of the dry and wet ingredients, the resting window, the balling of the dough, the dipping of the dough into the egg wash, the slathering of the coconut, the insertion of the thumb and the best part, the spooning of the flavored jams. It’s at least a four to six hour kitchen marathon and I don’t actually stop until I’ve filled the cookie boxes or tins. If you look at the size of the boxes, you can tell I went large, so I must have made at least a gazillion cookies. But in the end, it’s worth it because these jam thumbprints are in high demand.

Well, I’m ready to pack these up while I munch on the “broken” cookies. Merry Christmas!!

Celebrating 20 Years: I Conquered Scrapbook Expo

By Christina Lee| July 29th, 2017|Craft Day, Learning from the best, Oh My Crafts!, Painting|

I didn’t strike the gong this time around, but I should have because I conquered Scrapbook Expo 2017! I’ve been going with Susanna to Scrapbook Expo for years, more years than I can even count. It must be somewhere in the high single digits if not early double digits. This time around, Susanna and I are celebrating the 20th Anniversary with Keely and her ten year old daughters, so we reserved a table of five. Now it’s time to get our free scrapbook packets and our totes, and off to the expo we go. I guarantee that none of us will come back empty-handed.

While everyone is in a scrapbook frenzy and off to the expo for some shopping, I am holding down the fort. And since I had just gotten back from my trip to Belgium and Holland, I couldn’t help but find a way to relive those iconic scenes from The Netherlands. Cruising up and down the beautifully laced canals, enjoying Dutch cheese, meeting my business partner and admiring the architecture was mesmerizing. As I flip through the photos and memories, I am inspired more than ever to pick up my paint brush, dust off the palette and paint this picturesque view.

So it seems like the gang is not yet ready to begin scrapbooking, so I’ll need to go out for some extra reinforcement. Ample text and photo messages suggest I should go directly to the back of the expo to the Kreative Kreations booth where I can join the others in picking up a new hobby and pouring endless hours into adhering a gazillion diamond dots onto a sticky canvas. Well, Kreative Kreations, I’m sold and can’t wait to begin working on Van Gogh’s “Cafe at Night. “

Only the Finest Belgium Chocolates

By Christina Lee| July 1st, 2017|In the Kitchen, Learning from the best|

In the bustling city center of Bruges where every other store is of chocolate, tapestry or beer, it’s only fitting that Rick Steve’s Heart of Belgium Tour includes a chocolate demonstration on the agenda. We ended visiting the kitchen of Chef Kevin at L’Atelier Du Chocolat, a family-owned business operating for over three generations. Both Chef Kevin and his brother fully staff, operate and run this artisan chocolatier. They’re constantly on their toes: manning the kitchen, creating new truffle recipes, developing an online presence, and perfecting the taste and texture — all while keep up with an ear full of orders and replenishing the shelves.

The root of developing fine Belgium chocolate comes from the quality of the cocoa bean. Chef Kevin buys them from Vietnam and Guatemala, and will oftentimes make the trip to these countries to ensure the quality of the raw beans. Harvesting the cocoa pods are a very lengthy and labor-intensive process, and usually gathered every few weeks during peak harvest season. Processing the cocoa beans involves six main steps: fermentation, drying and bagging, winnowing, roasting, grinding and processing before you can set your taste buds on the rich buttery flavor.

The chocolate itself is packaged into ten pound blocks and stored in the kitchen until the chocolatier determines its fate. In the above, Chef Kevin melted the block of chocolate and poured it into his truffle mold. After removing the excess chocolate, he sets it aside until it hardens and then is able to fill it with a creamy granache or fruity centre. Topping it off with another layer of chocolate coats the dessert centre before it is ready for packaging.

Because truffles have a very short shelf life, they must be consumed within a few days of making, which is no problem for a group such as ours. In no time, Chef Kevin provided us a tray full of an assortment of beautifully crafted, authentic Belgium truffles. The decision was tough. Each bite-sized, petit truffle was handcrafted with careful attention to detail and unlike any of the truffles I’ve seen in the states. I ended up selecting one that resembled an emerald gem and to my surprise, the creamy, luxurious center that melted in my mouth was smooth blend of match green tea perfection. I don’t think taste buds will ever forget that rich, decadent flavor.

No Shortage of Drama at Scrapbook Expo

By Christina Lee| March 4th, 2017|Learning from the best, Scrapbooking|

Susanna and I are live from Scrapbook Expo in Pleasanton. What appears to be your average Saturday afternoon ‘Crop’ is anything but average. Hard at work on designing layouts for our albums, picking out the right paper stock and obsessing over which tool to use, it’s easy to zero in on our projects and remain heads down at our table. However, being the avid scrapbookers that we are, we were already conditioned to keep our eyes and ears open for raffles and door prizes. Other than that, it’s rare you’ll find us turning our heads, except to take a peak at the projects our neighbor’s are working on.

Then all of a sudden, there were a few security guards (aka ‘rent-a-cops’) shuffling around and speaking into their walky talkies. The only reason they caught my attention was because there typically is no male presence in the room except for our emcee, Dave — and now there are three to five rent-a-cops glancing furtively at the table behind us, scoping out the old lady with the straw hat. Apparently she stole a few items from the Expo. What could it have been? Scissors, paper, stickers, who knows? Well, before we knew it, she was being escorted out of the Expo by ‘Security.’ This is a first. Well, never a dull moment. I guess we can just chalk this up to another ‘scrapbookable’ moment.

Classic Hungarian Cooking in Budapest

By Christina Lee| July 1st, 2016|In the Kitchen, Learning from the best|

As I say goodbye to Prague, I am more than ready to say hello to Budapest, pronounced ‘boo-da-pesht’ as my tour guide, Peter would say, “We are not pests.”

With an eight hour bus ride under our belt, we are ready to stretch our legs and take a tour around Peter’s hometown. The castle, Hero’s square, the thermal baths, the opera house and an evening cruise around the Danube are just some of the fun activities we got to venture out to see and do. Budapest is a bit more spread out than Prague, so I was glad to have on my walking shoes especially as we made our way up the hills and to the top of the breathtaking views of the castle. Along the way we saw several statues, perhaps one on every block. I even got to take a photo with Ronald Reagan as we made our way through the park. According to Peter, the government makes an effort to fill this historic town with statues, erecting new and old ones as they see fit, so the tourists and locals always have something to eye.

With all that walking, we definitely worked up an appetite. But Peter wasn’t going to let us satiate our appetites that easily by simply going to a restaurant. Instead, we got to partake in an authentic Hungarian Cooking Class led by Chef Parade.

For many, this cooking class was one of the highlights of the trip. In fact, one of the best ways to explore a new city is through the stomach.

On the menu was a three-course Hungarian menu:

Soup: Sour cherry soup
Appetizer: Summer beets and dumplings with a cottage cheese, hummus dip
Main: Chicken paprikash and Mushroom paprikash with ‘nokedli’
Dessert: Sweet cottage cheese dumplings

We broke into groups and each of us, in our group of three or four, manned our stations. I took part on creating the mushroom parprikash sauce. Slicing and dicing tomatoes, mushrooms, onions and peppers was right up my alley. But once we combined all the ingredients into the big melting pot, I had to hand over the big wooden spoons to the gentlemen. Simmering the vegetables took quite a bit of time and stirring together the wet and dry ingredients took muscle power. The main ingredient in all Hungarian dishes was sweet and savory paprika. I can’t say that I enjoyed a bite of Hungarian food without the paprika. Hungarians love their paprika and now I can see why!

Following our cooking workshop, we finally got to sit down, raise our glass and enjoy a paprika-infused feast together.

Wow, just wow (!)

Mosaic Cross

By Christina Lee| December 22nd, 2015|DIY Home, Handmade, Humbling Hobbies and Habits, Learning from the best, Mosaic Art, Oh My Crafts!|

Earlier this month, I took two classes at the Artistic Home Studio and it made quite an impression that I came back for more. I must admit it was a little daunting to be working so up close and personal with glass, since I was always told to stay away from sharp edges. Since I learned how to use glass-cutting tools, mix and match colored glass, and adhere them to a surface – all having done so unscathed (!), I became inspired and am looking forward to discovering more about this new found hobby.

I am enthralled by the fusion of glass, mirror and marble, and the bold, statement pieces you can make for the home. After making the mosaic turtle and rock, this time around, I’ve decided to make the mosaic cross, since this would be a perfect Christmas gift for a special someone on my Dad’s side of the family. The toughest decision this time around was choosing from the plethora of colored glass. Warm palette or cool palette? One marble or ten marbles? Decisions, decisions.

As fun as it was to make this gem, I can’t wait to see the look on my cousin’s face when she opens it, since it was made with extra TLC this holiday season.

1 2 Next

Follow Me

Categories

Recent Posts