Teachers need to feel the love sometimes too

A new year of school begins this week, but in BC, Canada, 

teachers are starting the new year by going on strike.

To be honest, I have no children, so I haven't really paid much attention to what all the hoopla's about.

But!

I believe teachers are beacons to children's future and they hold the key to tomorrow's state of humanity.  I hold teachers in the highest regard and feel that their contribution to our children and society is of the utmost importance.

Deep.....

LOL!

But! Seriously.

Teachers need to be more appreciated. 

An appreciated teacher is a happy teacher. 

A happy teacher will genuinely love their job, and if they love their job, they will give their very best at all times to every single child.

A teacher gives knowledge, shares their experiences, guides and disciplines.

A good teacher inspires, encourages, and will have a profound effect on a child's life forever.

I'd also like to thank my high school teachers from Mowbray College, Australia; 

who inspired me, guided me and positively influenced me.

Mr. O'Shea for being my rock when I began a new life in Australia as a scared little girl.

Mr. Winder who taught me individuality and that it was ok to simply be me.

And most importantly, Mr. Graham Vohmann, if by change you ever read this, I never had the chance to tell you this personally, but you were my father figure, whom I will respect and remember with fond and grateful memories, forever.

Thank you all.

Give your teachers the recognition, honor and respect they deserve.

Give your teachers the recognition, honor and respect they deserve.

"Back to School" cookie special

Order at info@cookievonster.com

Mini 3D cookies

I was baking some custom cookies one day and had a small piece of left over shortbread cookie dough. I would have automatically thrown it into the bin but I could hear my angry grandmother's spirit yelling at me for wasting even the most microscopic amount of food.

I could also hear my dad's voice in my head repeating over and over again about sending me to Ethiopia when I was a child if I didn't finish off the last grain of rice on my plate.

So, without any thought, I just rolled it up into a ball and stuck it into the oven with the rest of the cookies that I was baking and I'd eat it. There!

Grandma would be proud!

When the cookies were done, I pulled out the tray and lo and behold!

The ball of dough... stayed in the shape of a ball!

WOAAAAA..... I had a cookie epiphany!

It was a sunny day in September, ( I don't really remember what kind of a day it was, but being that happy with my new discovering, might as well be a sunny day eh in my story telling), I thought to myself, "What can I make? What can I make????"

Thanksgiving was near so... why not mini Pumpkins????

Why not!

So I did... and I posted them on Facebook and I ended up making over 1000 mini shortbread pumpkins that October for Thanksgiving and Halloween.

I love'd them! So cute! I boxed them with some home made shredded soy wax paper and it looked like pumpkins on a field of straw :O)

Mini 3D Shortbread Pumpkins (Thanksgiving / Halloween/ Fall)

Then came the holiday season, and I thought... if I can make them into a ball.... wonder if I can make them into a box!

A box was much harder to make and trickier to mould in order to hold its shape, but it worked and I was happier than a pig in poop, because they were even CUTER than the pumpkins!

Mini 3D Shortbread Gift Boxes

My excitement led me to think.... if a shortbread dough can be made into a 3D cookie.... wonder if my Gingerbread dough would do the same too.

And... it did!

WOAAAAAA.........

Happiness!!!!!

So I made some gingerbread Christmas Puddings to go with the shortbread Gift Boxes.

Soooooo CUTE!

Mini 3D Gingerbread Christmas Puddings

By now I am addicted to coming up with ideas for mini 3D cookies.

Easter rolls up and while I was doing some research, I came across this picture of a bunny and bam!

A BUNNY, for Easter. Why not.

I tested a sample of the bunny and it looked really cute, but it also looked lonely :O(

So I decided to make him a friend.

A chicken, a cock to be exact, I tried to make a plain chic, but it looked, well, plain and simple, and I cannot do plain and simple.

I also made a bed of chocolate noodles for it to sit on so it didn't look so lost.

Mini 3D Shortbread Easter Buddies "Sam & Esther"

(Esther the bunny because its Easter; I know, it should be a cuter name but, hang on, my niece Esther, she's super cute, so Esther's a cute name; and Sam the chicken, because, it just looks like a Sam to me)

Does anyone have more ideas of mini 3D cookies for me to try out???

Drop me a note :O)

Cheers!

Hey there....

I'm back!

:O)

Well, I haven't really gone anywhere... oh! hang on, I lie. I went home to Australia and Malaysia for a few weeks earlier this year to visit some family. Make that lots of family!!!

My baby cousin got married *tear* and it was a beautiful beautiful gorgeous wedding.

Congrats cuzzies! *love*

Cookievonster updates... hmmmm.

Where to start.

Let me see.

Lets start with the newest addition to the family - Churchill.

In the peak of my crazy holiday baking, my Cuisinart mixer croaked on me, and it was only a year old! I had worked the poor baby to death! People, take note. Cuisinart mixer, pretty awesome. Has a fabulous big 7 quart bowl, functional shape and size. Whips and mixes better than any Kitchenaid mixer. I know this because when the Cuisinart broke down, I had to use 2 Kitchenaid mixers to do what the one Cuisinart did.

Problem with Cuisinart, it runs on an electronic circut board, its digital, and that's where it loses out to Kitchenaid. Since all functions on a Kitchenaid are manual, its straight forward, strong and durable. Anyway... the circut board on my mixer blew and I was without a mixer at the worst time possible. I had to order parts to fix it, bla bla bla, it was going to take 2 months, bla bla bla...

OMG! ARGHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! was all I could think of while I freaked out.

Working with 2 little mixers was a huge juggle and by the end of the 2nd day without my Cuisinart, I was ready to explode, condemn the world, bite anybody's head off, kick in doors and walls, scream till my lungs collapsed,

i.e. be as dramatic as I could be :OP

Then... Christmas came early.

While I was battling with the 2 mixers, stressing out and making doughs in tiny batches, D came home and yelled, "make space on your counter for me now, now!" and runs back out.

I thought to myself... Oh no he didn't!!!!!

Was he absolutely insane, and I must say, brave, to dare ask me to clear my table while I was in the mist of baking.

The next thing I saw were these 3 guys struggling like mad and lugging in this monster of a machine.

Its....its....

BEAUTIFUL!

It is huge, but silent. Strong yet agile and graceful. Its simply impressive and for any home baker,

its plain Awesomeness.

It has such character I had to name it.

So everybody, meet the giant of home mixers who has taken up a quarter of my island.

This - is - Churchill.

D and the whole family, mainly Dad *big hugs*,

had chipped in to get me Churchill for Christmas to save my 'behind'!

BEST

CHRISTMAS

PRESENT

EVER!!!!!

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU

oxoxoxooxoxoxoxooxoxoxoxoxoxooxox

As for the Cuisinart. I got it fixed, works perfectly now, better than new too. And its sitting nicely in storage. I kinda feel bad for it, but oh well... I can't move Churchill out of the way even if I wanted to anyway :OP

Sorry Cuisinart, Churchill's here to stay.

Give the Free gift of a Smile & Hug this holiday season... and some Cookievonster Cookies!

What is the most contagious thing in the world?

An ugly ugly Frown.

And there is no pretty kind too.

Yeap, sad to say... human beings are unconsciously 'conditioned' to seek out and react with negative energy.

Start your day stressed, worried, angry, whether it be caused by yourself, a situation or someone else... you are guaranteed to bump into negative situations and people all day long.

That's the simple law of attraction.

What is the most powerful thing in the world?

A Smile.

What is the most powerful contagious thing?

(if we let ourselves be aware of it..)

Still ...a Smile

:O)

Scientifically, there has been many debates about how many actual muscles it takes to frown and how many it takes to smile. This however has been proven, a frown is followed by stress, anger, and all the negative energy you can muster.
What a waste of energy.

A Smile.... it lifts your soul, sets you free and some say, and I believe... is healing.

And... its FREE!

In the world we live in today, we need to spread a little more positive energy.

This holiday season give the positive energy of love.
Love has many different levels.

You can love your partner, your kids, and your parents.

You can also love a total stranger.

Its just an energy that you chose to project.

A Smile is Free, and given genuinely, it spreads like wild fire.

A joyous Smile plus a Hug.....

Volcanic eruption of joy and happiness!

:OP

I love hugging people!

Come visit me at one of my Holiday Markets this season.

Guaranteed a Free Smile from me, and if you like...

Definitely a Free Hug too!

Oh btw...if you smile at someone who frowns, even if they don't share and return the same energy,

it sure will drive them crazy,

which usually sets me off into a hissy fit of uncontrollable laughter!

Dates and details of my up and coming Holiday markets will be posted up soon.

Pls chk bk soon.

SMILE!!!!!

:O)

For your Christmas Cookie orders, please email me at

info@cookievonster.com

Halloween is scarily cute

I have a Halloween experience at least once a week at home.... "I see dead people"... NAH! Only kidding :OP

But if I did, I'd ask them for some winning lottery numbers, like the dutiful daughter I am as my Chinese mother would expect nothing less from me in a situation like that.

Once a week (maybe twice, I know... I know.... I have issues) I'd do a total scrub down of my bathroom. Well, what would you expect, I'm already in the shower, so I might as well clean it while I'm in there right?

Get ready for my weekly freaky experience as I know... some of you can relate to this :O)

Ever reached into the shower drainage hole and .... pull out...

HAIR?!!!!!

And I have long long long dark hair. I'd reach in and yank out this lump of hair that is long , slimy, yucky and gross that goes on and on.... and worse... it looks like I am pulling out a severed head ! Every time I half expect a real head attached to that lump of hair, turn around and gorily evilly smile at me, dripping with blood and slime, GROSS RIGHT???!!!

Did I succeed in making you gag? Squeal? ... a little maybe? ehheheheh... Well....

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!

xoxoxo

Thankful for great family, friends & mini shortbread pumpkins

Its Thanksgiving in Canada, and for me this is only my 4th Thanksgiving here.

What is Thanksgiving all about anyway? My first year, it was all and nothing but the turkey!

Yeap! I admit I have my ignorant times. I'm not shy about it. Mind you, I think letting go of a whoopie is hilarious too at certain occasions, and I'm not shy about that either :OP

This year however, I celebrated Thanksgiving for the right reason, for family. A certain event that took place the past few months has taught me a lot about family, living life consciously, simply, and gratefully. I am thankful for everything I have, and also for everything I do not have, as it makes me stronger and more aware of the things that are truly important. I am more forgiving as I become more thankful, and most importantly, I have learnt to forgive myself for the past and live in the present.

I am thankful for the friends who have embraced me openly when I first moved to Vancouver, and for D's family who has made me one of their own. I am thankful for my family at home as we grow closer each day even though we have never ever been so far apart, (but thank god for web cams). I am also grateful for everyone whom I have met along the way in the journey with Cookievonster.

This Thanksgiving, we had our turkey, and it was the BEST turkey ever! A gift from a true friend, whom I am thankful for for having in my life, PLUS the turkey. I had been raving about this turkey for over a year now since I had it at her place, and now my family knows why I kept going on and on like a mad obsessed turkey crazed lady for months. Turkey crazy-lady I am not, but greedy I definitely am :O)

At this moment I must remember to be thankful for my blessed metabolism, which allows me to eat like there is no tomorrow, and not have to be rolled around like a pumpkin. This I am sure will not last forever so I better eat more in the next few years before my metabolism calls it quits.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone, and may your lives be filled with love and gratefulness, and may you be thankful for every present moment that you are blessed with now.

oxo

Happy Canada Day everyone :O)

Afternoon Tea at Van Dusen Gardens

61st Annual Rose Show and Craft Sale

at the gorgeous Van Dusen Botanical Gardens, BC

Sunday 20th June, Father's Day, 12:30pm-4:30pm

Father's Day cookie Set

Flower Cookie Pop - 3 cookies

Waffle Ice creams to welcome summer

I'd like to invite you along with the rest of your family to the

Vancouver Rose Society 61st Annual Rose Show and Craft Sale this Sunday,

at the beautiful Van Dusen Botanical Gardens.

Come celebrate Father's Day at Van Dusen Gardens, especially if your dad is an avid gardener, come for a stroll and have afternoon tea or coffee in the perfect setting for a special day.


This year they have taken a “sweet” turn and welcomed some Bakery Market vendors,

and Cookievonster, that'll be ME incase you're wondering who :OP

will be serving up some yummilicious baked goodies for the day,

such as mini donut-muffins, mini cakes and an assortment of fantabulous cookies,

including some Father's Day, Canada Day and Garden themed decorated shortbread cookies.
There will be tables to sit and enjoy a tea party with yummy treats, and still take some home.

We are also looking forward to seeing an array of tables with Garden related products.

The Rose show will also feature a judged Rose show in over 150 classes, 25 awards, expert demonstrations, throughout the show by leading rose experts and judged photography exhibit,
Of course, there will be Roses of every possible kind and size,
Hand tied bouquets and blooms at the end of the show for sale

as well as other perennial plant material.

Vancouver Rose Society Annual Rose Show, in Floral Hall, Cedar Room & Covered Walkway.
12:30 - 4:30 p.m.
Hope to see you this Sunday :O)

Cookievonster's new 'LOADED' cookie

Green Tea Shortbread cookie

I am... first and foremost, an Artist

My biggest love <3

Has any of you ever sat down and thought to yourself, "Am I a right brain person, or am I a left brain person?"

Here's a little test for you to try and see if you are a Righty or a Lefty

http://www.wherecreativitygoestoschool.com/vancouver/left_right/rb_test.htm

I'm a Righty

And am kinda proud of it! Kinda because sometimes I wish I wasn't so absentminded and a little less loonie! But, I like being who I am, I'm also a Libran, which adds to my Looniness

*wink*

To write this blog, I did some reading on what the characteristics of a Righty are, and I giggled all the way through it. It was spot on!

Basically...

Righties are creative, absentminded, philosophical Dreamers!

I am also sure I have a slight case of ADD and OCD. When I was working on projects like clubs and bars and restaurants, we were always nominated to have the cleanest washrooms, so imagine my house. I spend 80% of my life cleaning, and 20% stressing that its not clean enough. Things are never perfect enough for me, I can always do better. And I always wonder off topic, because everything interests me and I bore easily. And I'm starting to wonder what the point of this specific blog was about. HAH! That might be the Libran in me however. Oh, and its also because I am a dreamer and absentminded, and loving it!

Anyway, why this brain topic? I've had a week to sit back and not do any markets or baking or stressing about where Cookievonster was going. To reflect back on what my aim was, and trust me, this is hard for a righty, we don't plan; actually we do, but we most probably might not follow it, and we don't wrote things down, and even if we do... we'd probably make a few more list because we just find it more fun than actually following the list. Righties just do it, like the NIKE ad - DO IT! Set the target and DO IT! DOOOOOOO IT! I love saying that, DOOOOOO IT! heheheheheh

(Oh, any future possible investors/ partners in my business, have no fear... Cookievonster is here, heh heh. I might be absentminded, but I am extremely good at what I do, and everything else I take on. I literally just don't know any other way of doing things. Whatever I do, I only know how to do it at my very best, and I wasn't called the "bulldozer" in one of my past companies for no reason :OP )

oh dear, off track again.... My aim... and for those of you who have read my very first blog entry, my aim is to open up my own cafe in the near future.

Cookievonster just happen to be a stepping stone towards that aim. I have been working hard, putting my very best on all my baking and preparation for Cookievonster that I haven't had time to step back and analyze my journey. Its always best to remember who you are before you continue on your journey in life, because if you forget who you are, you will follow the wrong path and end up at the wrong destination. But if you ideally know who you are, all paths in life, good or bad, will lead you to the right destination. Well, that's what I like to believe anyway. So I try once a while to remember who I am.

Who am I?

I am a Righty!

And I am an Artist.

I was redesigning my website and was thinking how my custom decorated cookies were different from the rest. How? I am first and foremost an Artist. That is how I am different. To me everything I do is Art. From designing my house, to my furniture, to painting a mural on my wall, my cooking, my baking, my garden, my previous jobs, I see everything as Art. I see life itself as Art. I see beauty in everything.

My conclusion, I do not just make decorated cookies, I make edible Art. I take cookie orders that excites me, and from people who understands and appreciates it as Art. I make decorated cookies for the love of it, its not a job, its my passion to have a chance to get inspired and create Art for people who understands this. I give my best because I love it and hope others will too :O)

Bacon heaven, in a cookie...

Who loves Bacon? Hands up!

ME! ME! ME!

I LOVE BACON!

Last Christmas a friend gave me a bar of chocolate. Not just any chocolate bar. It was a fancy gourmet BACON chocolate bar. A Vosges Mo's Chocolate Bacon Bar to be exact. I had seen a bunch of desserts made with bacon on TV lately. Its the "IN" thing, that and Matcha. Green tea is vastly promoted as a healthy ingredient, a healthy habit, and Bacon... well, I'd promote it simply as AWESOME! Bacon makes me happy. I have bacon and eggs as often as I can, on Mondays, Tuesdays, Saturdays, Thursdays, Wednesdays, Sundays and Fridays.

After I had a piece of the bacon chocolate, I definitely had to make something chocolate and bacon. How can I not? Two of my absolute favourite foods in the whole world!

I did my research as usual, and went and tested all sorts of bacon from the deli. Picked up some sausages and cold cuts at the same time too, just to keep the bacon company :OP

In the end, I settled on the aromatic Applewood Bacon.

I started making various versions of bacon brownies, because I loved the chocolate bar so much. MMmmmmmmm... they were GOOD.... and rich.... and very very good. I topped my brownies with some home made smoked coffee infused sea salt to intensify the flavours of the bacon and chocolate. Everyone raved about how wickedly good they were. Addictive, sinful and fantabulous! I was very happy with them, bacon makes me happy, bacon and chocolate makes me even happier.

I had planned to add the Bacon brownie to my list of goodies for sale at the market, but I am Cookievonster after all, and at the Baker's Market, I am situated next to Lily (Yaletown Brownies) who specialized in some pretty decadent brownies.

So I decided to switch and make some bacon cookies. It was an easy task, all I really did was mix the applewood bacon into my Chunky Chewy Brown butter Chocolate Chip cookie and sprinkled it with some coffee sea salt.

Why change a good thing? I still loved my chocolate chip cookie, and it made perfect sense to combine the two. Heavenly. So happy!

Well, now my Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookie has taken over the sales of the Chocolate Chip cookie, so I only make the Bacon one these days for the markets.

So calling all bacon lovers out there, drop by the BLIM Market this Sunday 23 May, 2010 @ the Heritage Hall (Main & 15th) and pick up some delicious mouth watering Bacon Chocolate Chip cookies.