“A Few of my Favorite Things”

At our house, Birthdays are filled to the brim with special treats, family time, and unique celebrations. It is a day to stop and  enjoy everything and everyone that you love.

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The theme that Rachel and Maddie chose for my birthday this year was ‘Favorite Things’ (originally from the song “These are a Few of my Favorite Things” in Sound of Music). They set up such an elegant and whimsical day for me, I was quite overwhelmed by it all.

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I enjoyed biscuits & eggs for my birthday breakfast (the perfect way to start any day). Then, while Rachel began baking cake, I hurried on to a soccer tournament, where I lost my voice cheering for my friends.

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On returning home, my sisters surprised me by sweeping me away to the Astor, one of Tianjin’s most historic hotels, for high tea. A whole picnic of delicious snacks had been prepared to accompany our tea: cookie pops, cream-cheese tortilla roll-ups, decadent chocolate and nut mixes, meringue cookies, and maple blondies. They knew that one of my favorite things is tea time (and the snacks that accompany it)- so they were sure to provide me with plenty throughout the day.

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cookiepops

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Rachel baked a chocolate layer cake filled with Biscoff buttercream for me 🙂

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Summer Food

Since coming to China, I’ve been eating like crazy.

Here are some foods you MUST try:

Korean:

Korean BBQ Pork.  Not quite barbecue at all, more like deep fried heaven. With a side of sweet and sour sause.

 

Kimchi. My favorite korean vegetable. The spicier, the better!

 

Korean appetizers. An assortment of all the best, and you don’t even have to pay for them, Korean service win.

Chinese:

Chinese “Zongzi”. Bamboo leaf rice dumpling. Filled with all kinds of surprises.

 

Soup Dumplings “Xiaolongbao”. Traditional dumpling with a twist. Caution: the soup you are about to drink is extremely hot!

Western.

Pastries. Who doesn’t love brownies, cheesecake and eclares.

 

Blended Coffee Drink at Coffee Factory. Best cold coffee drink I’ve tasted in a while. Maybe the best ever.

 

Cappuccino. Frothy goodness. Add a pack of sugar for the perfect balance of espresso and sweet.