Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie

Hello you people. How are you people doing today? As you know, today is Father's Day. Happy Father's Day!
Anyway, the past week has been quite boring without school, but hey. That's the life during the summer. You stay home and do nothing.
Anyway, the past weekend was my friend's college graduation. Congratulations Amanda. Good luck in pharmacy school. :)  Congratulations to Kim too.
Today was their graduation party. It was pretty fun. Kim made this amazing potato salad, which I have yet to get the recipe. We also played video games, including a dancing one, which I forgot the name of.
Me and Amanda also made this vegan chocolate chip cookie pie, from the blog Chocolate Covered Katie. It was delicious! It tastes like cookie dough. I was scared that people wouldn't like it but people surprisingly liked it. Here's the reason why: It's made with garbanzo beans. Yes. Garbanzo beans. There's no flour. We also used apple sauce. Can't you believe it? Me and Amanda were so worried about how it would turn out but it turned out great! The only problem is that it was a bit too soft. Other than that, it was delicious.
When we made the cookie pie, the food processor was too small so we had to process the ingredients in batches. It took a little longer and a bit more work, but it was rewarding at the end. Here's the recipe for the chocolate chip cookie pie.

Ingredients: 

• 2 cans of garbanzo beans
• 1 cup quick cooking oats
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
• 3 tablespoon oil
• 1 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup chocolate chips

Directions: 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. 
2. Mix all the ingredients into the food processor except for the chocolate chips. 
3. Process it in the food processor until smooth. 
4. Mix in the chocolate chips. 
5. Grease a 10 in pie pan and pour the batter in. 
6. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. 
7. Take it out and let it cool for at least 10 minutes. The inside will be a bit mushy but the outside crunchy. 
8. Enjoy it alone or with a scoop of some sort of ice cream. 

 So, do you guys like cookie pies?
What foods do you guys like to eat that's made with hummus?
Are you scared to try this since it's made with beans?

My Birthday/Graduation Party (Parties)

Hey everyone! I can't believe how amazing my weekend was. Since my graduation is close to my birthday, I decided to have a birthday/graduation party. That was on Saturday and it was fun! My whole family came and a few friends.
For the party, I made sushi. I doubled the recipe since there would be so many people. It was a big hit! Everyone loved it and kept eating it.
Anyway, back to the party. My friends came over and we ate pizza and watched a tv show. Of course, I got cheese pizza. Everyone else got the smokehouse barbecue, Hawaiian or regular pepperoni. The pizza was delicious. We were full after, since we also ate sushi and had soda with it. I know, a dietitian's nightmare. Anyway, after resting and watching more shows, we decided to walk to the nearby park.
We brought a soccer ball, a football and a volleyball. However, we ended up not playing because we decided to play on the playground. We climbed, went on the swings and all the little fun kid stuff. We also found a stray dog. My friend Jo loves dogs and she played with the dog. We named him Fang. According to Jo, it looked like Fang was recently abandoned. So sad. She decided to take her to the animal shelter, which she did after we walked back to my house. Hopefully, Fang finds his old owners. If not, then a new home. Here's a picture of my friend Jo holding Fang.
My family came after a while. We always have a huge family dinner when it's someone's birthday or some sort of occasion. Almost everyone came this time. I baked some vegetable egg rolls and there were so many other Chinese food. It was delicious (well, the vegetarian ones). My mom even made my favorite red bean soup. It was delicious.

When my family came, we ate, talked and hung out. I even played some games with my cousin's daughters ( I call them my nieces, but I don't know the actual name of what to call them. 2nd cousin?). They're so cute.


After, we realized that the cake might not be enough for the whole family and friends, so my dad went to Winco and bought a Cookies N Cream Ice Cream Cake.

I ate slice of both cakes! I know. I'm a fatty, but hey, it's my birthday/graduation party so, it's okay for me to indulge once in a while. ;) I liked the ice cream cake better though.

Anyway, I also went to San Francisco to visit my other cousins during the weekend. They surprised me and bought me a Strawberry Cake. It was the best cake I've ever eaten! Don't you see how delicious the cake looks?

me cutting the cake

Thanks again for the delicious cake! It was the best cake ever (even though it's not chocolate!). I have to go to that bakery some time and try some of their other baked goods. I should also learn how to make it too.

Graduation

My fellow readers. Friday night, the 8th, was the night that I will ever forget. That night, was my graduation. I have started my next step of my journey to life. 

Sounds pretty cheesy, right? Well, I guess it does, but it's true. After high school, you are basically on a new journey. There are no more bells from high school to tell you the get to your next class, no more tripping up the stairs, you get the picture? However, here are two words that sum up life after high school. That words are: independence, responsibility.

You are now legal in the eyes of the government (and their laws). That's what it basically means.

me and Julianna, the author of Weekly Short N Sweet Stories

Now, let me tell you about that night. My parents, siblings and grandparents came. My cousin is also the same class as me, so my aunt, uncle and mis primos came as well. It was a windy night. The wind was really strong and it was hard to keep my cap on my head, keeping it from flying off. While waiting outside with my class to walk in with my walking buddy, my cap nearly flew off million times. It was sad because when I was taking pictures earlier that day before we had to line up, my hat flew off while trying to take a picture. 

My parents bought me a balloon and flowers. The flowers we so pretty.

Anyway, it took forever waiting outside until we were finally allowed to walk in with our walking buddy. We passed by our teachers, who congratulated us. They smiled, we waved and then, we walked into the auditorium. There were so many people, smiling, waving and taking pictures. I heard many people call my name, but I wasn't able to see who called my name (mainly because I wasn't wearing my glasses). It was amazing. The orchestra and band played music too.

Then, there were the speeches and my principal, who always has "the quote of the day", actually said a few quotes. Of course he would. He also always says "It's a great day to be a lion." He said it again at the ceremony. The lion is our school mascot.

me and my friend Jo

R.K. made his valedictorian speech, which included talk about bacon (eww. bacon). But, his speech was really well written and well delivered. There were also many other speeches and a 2 talent acts.What was funny was that our principal mispronounced one of the performer's names. His name is Evan, but he pronounced it Ivan.  He's going to Yale though! Such a smart guy, and a very talented guitarist and singer.

Finally, it was time to call out the senior's names. Row by row, we were called up to go to the side of the stage, give the name callers our name card and then our name would be called. We walked across the stage, shake a million important people's hands, go off stage and take a picture. It was pretty scary. One of my classmates purposely tripped. Someone did a backflip. It was epic, since that person almost fell.

My heart was racing when my row was called up. I was afraid I would trip and fall in my high heels. Then, Me and my walking  buddy were going crazy, saying "omg. omg."  We finally made it. When it was finally my turn, I gave the Wongs (the name callers) my card. I walked out and smiled, shook hands with the principal and then Mr. Griffin, Mr. Henson (both the class sponsors) and other important people. They all smiled and said congratulations. That feeling is just unexplainable. It was amazing, like I accomplished something big.

After, we went back to our seats, the principal said his final remarks, and then we all cheered. Then, one of the graduates actually brought a beach ball and threw it. It was funny and it made graduation even more fun. It was such an amazing night. Then, we went to get our real diplomas.

me and VP Guevara

After, I talked to a few teachers, hugged some of them, took more pictures with family and friends. It was a great feeling.

By then, it was late at night and then me and my family went to a Chinese restaurant to celebrate. Of course, we had to wait a bit because others were celebrating graduation too. The food was good and it was an amazing night.

So, for those younger readers, are you guys excited about graduation?
For the older ones, do you guys remember your graduation? Were there any memorable moments?

My weekend and delicious Veggie Dogs

Hello you guys! I can't believe it. I'm going to be graduating! I'm so pumped for graduation. My grandparents are visiting to come watch. I'm so happy they took the trip to watch my graduation ceremony.
The past couple of days were quite fun.  I made 蒸鸡蛋糕 for my grandparents to eat. They loved it. :) I also love hearing their words of wisdom.
Well, yesterday, even though I have no more school, all the seniors had to go back to school just to pick up the cap and gown for graduation. I don't know how long the gown is suppose to be, but, it goes a little bit past my knees. I wonder if it's suppose to be longer or not. Anyway, someone gave me this delicious chocolate bar as an early birthday present.

Lindt's Dark Roasted Almond chocolate bar. This person knows me so well. :) I mean..almonds and dark chocolate? Most people would like regular milk chocolate or peanuts or carmel. This chocolate is also more on the expensive side, but they bought it anyway. Thank you so much. You're the best. The chocolate is delicious. :)

Anyway, after picking up my graduation stuff, me, my cousin and her guy friend went to a nearby Chinese restaurant. They ordered the salted fish and chicken fried rice. But, since I already made my own lunch (my hummus rotini), I ordered a red bean ice dessert. It was delicious.

The red bean is on the bottom of the cup. They even drizzled some caramel on top too. It seriously was one of the best red bean frozen desserts I've eaten. I also love red bean ice cream, red bean popsicle, all that stuff, but seriously. It was amazing.

Anyway, let's talk about today. There was no school, for one thing. I also bought some Veggie Dogs. 

 

I ate them with whole wheat bread. The veggie dogs are only 50 calories each and each slice of bread is 75 calories. For one hotdog, I ate it with hummus. It was delicious. On the other one, I ate it with ketchup, mustard and relish. Also yummy too. :)

For snacks, I had this: 

My dark chocolate and dried blueberries. I'm addicted to dried blueberries. They are my favorite. I also had some apples and chocolate covered pretzels too.

I'm pretty happy that I've stayed a vegetarian for a couple weeks now. My friends doubted I could do it, but I can. It's easy, actually.

Anyway, what's your guy's favorite food?
Do you like chocolate, red bean or both? (I know I LOVE chocolate AND red bean)

What I did Today and Vegetarian Burrito and Horchata (Rice Milk)

Hello everyone. I can't believe. I'm finally done with high school. Today was the seniors last day. I'm going to miss all my classmates, teachers and friends. We've been through so much together the past 4 years.
I remember my first day as a freshman. I didn't know anyone since most of my middle school classmates decided to go to another high school. Some of us have gotten pretty close though.
I'd just like to mention a few teachers that I find memorable during my high school years:
Mr. and Mrs. Wong, Mr. Starace, Mr. Guevara, Mr. Douglas, Mr. Griffin,  Mr. Perry, Mr. Warren, Ms. Lora, Mr. Villarreal, Mr. Vang, Ms. Badoza, and Mr. Aguilar. These teachers are amazing and teach very well. They are very passionate about it. They make the class fun. And, some of these teachers have helped me through many things. I thank you guys for making my high school experience great. I know, I said I'd only mention a few teachers, but I couldn't just name a few. I had to name all of them.
As for the people I've met in high school, there are a few that I have to mention, but just by first name. For my first 2 years of high school, I really have to thank Jo, Julianna, Eunice, Lorna, Sarah, Taili, Gabi and Gavin. That's for the people I met in high school. The last 2 years, I really have to thank Jo, Gabi, Heather, Vlad, and Julianna. Thank you guys so much for making my high school experience a great one. You guys are great friends. :) There are many other people I have to thank, but I just listed the ones I actually met in high school. I'll update a new list later on in which has every person that I want to remember from high school and that are my friends. Every single person is important.
Now, let me briefly describe my last day of high school. In my AP Spanish class, we went on a "field trip" to a Mexican food place across the street. This was first period. I ordered a Vegetarian burrito, which had lettuce, guacamole, rice, beans and sour cream. However, I asked for no sour cream.

 The burrito is actually bigger than that. I had already eaten 1/3 of the burrito when I took the picture. I also bought the horchata, which is rice milk. I've never tried it before until now and it's amazing. Really sweet though. It's made with rice, milk, cinnamon and sugar. If you ever tried the rice pudding, it tastes like that but in liquid form. It's so rich but delicious. It took me 4 periods to finish drinking it since I had to drink it bits at a time. I seriously have to find a good recipe for this. I'll post it once I try making it. 

Now, for 2nd period, we watched a video about endocrinology and took notes. We then turned it in. Yes. We worked until the last day of school. I had a world map test in 3rd period. Then, in 4th period, me and my group had to present our AP Literature Final about cross character analysis. I tried spending the last 2 nights working on it. I stayed up really late, but I also ended up falling asleep while trying to work on it. 6 hours of sleep together, the past 2 nights. That's not enough. The good thing is that my group ended up receiving a good grade on our presentation. :) and, that's about it. We didn't do anything in 5th period as well as 0 period, and I don't have a 6th or 7th period.
That was my last day of high school. There was International Day during 6th period , where all the clubs sell food and where people perform. It was really hot today, so, I really wanted to buy something cold like ice cream, but there were long lines so I didn't even bother. There weren't many cold options this year for food.

Anyway, how was your day today?
What do you guys like to do on a hot day?

Chinese Sponge Cake 蒸鸡蛋糕 and my spanish project

Hello everyone! I'm so happy right now because I got my school year book today. I'm so excited to look at it.
Anyway, as you know, I made Chinese sponge cake yesterday. I'm so happy because it actually turned out this time. It took 5 tries until it turned out right. I'm so happy.
On top of that, the cake is delicious. My family already devoured it. It's only been a day since I made it too. It tastes a lot better than the bakery cakes and it is healthier. It uses canola oil instead of butter. That, I am happy about. No saturated fat.
Anyway, it can take a while to master making a sponge cake. Don't worry if it doesn't turn out the first time. I'm so happy because now, I can make those Chinese fruit sponge cakes that they make for birthdays. All I have to do is add frosting, cream, and fruit.
Anyway, here's the recipe.
Ingredients: 

A:

• 1 cup cake flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil (any type is fine)
• 1/2 cup water
• 8 egg yolks
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

B:

• 8 egg whites
• 1 tsp cream of tartar

Directions:

1. Mix batter A  with a hand mixer until just mixed. 
2. In another bowl, using an electric mixer, whisk  the egg whites and cream of tartar (B) for 5 minutes until soft peaks form.
3. Then, mix batter A with an electric mixer for about 4 to 5 mintues.
4. Pour batter B into A. Then, mix them together, stirring in only one direction using a rubber spatula. 
5. Pour into the rice cooker and set it to the cake setting. It should take about 45 minutes. 
6. Once it's done cooking, open up the rice cooker and take the cake out. 
7. You can decorate the cake with frosting, fruit and with whatever you want. You can even cut the cake in the middle to add pastry cream.
8. Enjoy. :)

I hope you guys enjoy the cake. :)

Anyway, now, back to the Spanish movie project.  My group filmed Jaque mate en dos jugadas. I had so much fun filming the movie, even though it took 4 hours to film a 5 to 6 minute movie. Then again, my friend got distracted by Avatar the last airbender and we also ate pizza too.

We also messed up so many times, laughing. It was hard to keep things serious. There was a light saber fight and it took so much effort to not laugh. There was also a scene where I was suppose to drive to this one place. Well, I had to use my friends car, first of all. He said he unlocked the car and all I had to do was pretend to unlock in and then get in. He gave me the keys, and then we filmed and I walked up to the car. But, when I opened the car door, the alarm rang. My friend got really mad at me while the rest of us were laughing our heads off. It was so funny. I said sorry and he said that I shouldn't have pushed any buttons and that I should stay off the roads. It's not my fault. He still blames me.

Here's the video. Comments and suggestions would be nice.

The link is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLlMGk7VF30
I hope you guys enjoy watching it. Some parts are really hilarious. Tell me what you think, especially about my Spanish speaking and my acting.

Anyway, do you guys like acting?
What's your favorite type of cake?

My weekend and a cake

Hello everyone! How are you guys today? It's Memorial Day. Appreciate the bravery and strength veterans had to protect and fight for our country.
Now, how was your guy's weekend? I know that since it's Memorial Day,  people probably had  BBQs, with burgers (ahem. veggie burgers), salad, pies and all that good stuff. Lol. Macaroni salad, potato salad, all that stuff. Well, instead, I'm making this chinese sponge cake. It's cooking right now as I type this. I'll post the recipe later, when I know if the cake turns out or not.
 Anyway, my weekend was really fun. I went to San Fran, and of course since I went to San Fran, I went to Chinatown. There were a lot more tourists from when the last time I went. Maybe it's because school is letting out. Anyway, there was this one street where a huge group of tourists wanted to take a picture of. They were all standing on the street and this one lady fell off the sidewalk while trying to take the picture.
There were so many people taking pictures of Chinatown. However, some people were impolite. There was a lady that took a picture of old Chinese women buying some dried fish from one of the stores. As you know, Asians have a way of checking if the food is good or not.  I'm assuming they thought it would be something good to take a picture of. Strange.  Anyway, after my mom bought some stuff she wanted, we went to a chinese bakery, one of my favorite ones.

There pineapple buns (bolo bao) are amazing. They have no filling though. Their red bean buns are delicious as well. I like them better than the bolo bao. But, if they were to to put red bean paste in their bolo, that would be the best bread ever.
I'm sad though, since the last time I went, they had these hello kitty cookies:

But, they didn't have them this time I went. I was hoping to buy some, but oh well. It was too late. The day I went to San Fran, GEM Tang was suppose to be performing, but I didn't know until I saw posters in Chinatown. I was sad since I didn't get any tickets.

Anyway, I also filmed my Spanish movie with my group. We had so much fun filming it. However, it took 4 hours to film like a 3 to 5 minute movie. Hopefully, we end up getting a good grade, or at least a decent one. Hey. At least I'm graduating soon. I only have 4 more days of high school left and then I'm free. I'm so happy and excited. The senior's last day of school is June 1st while the rest gets out on June 13th.
Anyway, back to the Spanish project. I talked the most, because of the character I was. So, you guys can judge my Spanish. I will post the video when it's done editing. I'll also talk about it more in another post because the filming process was so hilarious and funny. Let's just say a car alarm went off during filming.
Anyway, that's the end of my post. The next ones will be about my Chinese sponge cake and my Spanish movie.

So, how was your guy's weekend?
Did you do anything fun?