This piece is for the Bean Contest! I wanted to illustrate a Vietnamese bean dessert I used to love as a child called Che Ba Mau which translates to Three Color Dessert. It consists of sweetened red beans, mashed mung beans, pandan jelly, and a sweet coconut sauce on top! Yum! The dish is typically served over crushed ice and was a favorite of mine during hot summers.

I thought it would be a good way to celebrate the 'full of protein' bean. Adzuki and Lima beans are an unexpected main ingredient of Namagashi (生菓子), which literally translates to "raw sweets". I taught English as a foreign language in Tokyo for a while and really enjoyed these beautiful sweets. These are traditional Japanese sweets that are made of rice flour and sweet bean paste filling, namagashi is delicately shaped by hand to reflect the season and is usually served at tea ceremonies.

Brenebon soup (red kidney bean soup) is a Manado (North Sulawesi of Indonesia) recipe adopted from the Dutch from their colonialism period. It has become the family recipes from generations, even now it is considered one of the best grandma's soup, that flavor of cloves will get anyone down with a fever feel better! The surprise is not only brenebon can be enjoyed as soup for rainy days, it can be enjoyed as shave ice for hot and sunny days. The texture of kidney beans goes so well with the smoothness of avocado and the sweetness from pandan-scent-brown sugar, and the mountain of crystal shaved ice ? It's like having magical snow and the ethnicity of tropical land into your mouth.

Celebrations in the Philippines are never complete without the Leche Flan. Even just the thought of the Leche Flan gives a warmth feeling and brings back lots of fond memories growing up in the Philippines.

This is a fancy-looking but very simple dessert I often bring to parties and potlucks when a dessert is requested. At this point I’ve come to be known for this trifle, even though I’ve mixed up my offerings and often bring non-trifle goodies. It’s easy to put together~ even easier with ready-made pudding, whipped cream, and frozen cream puffs.

This illustrated recipe is a Christmas version of the Croquembouche, an impressive pyramidal confection popular in France for weddings and important celebrations. Comprised of cream puffs dipped in warm caramel and stacked to form a tree/pyramid, it is often finished off with a web of spun caramel or powdered sugar.

I first saw one of these beautiful structures in Provence back in 2015, when I came upon a
celebration for French firefighters in the town square. I've been wanting to make one ever since!

One winter, I was able to escape to the Southern Hemisphere to visit a friend in Chile. After a tiresome plane ride, my friend picked me up and we hit the streets of Santiago. The sun was hot and the jet lag was setting in, so we stopped for one of Chile’s favorite treats: mote con huesillos. After we ordered, two cups were filled with cooked wheat berries, dried peaches and finally an icy sweet liquid steeped in peaches, sugar, cinnamon and orange. Standing there, under the hot afternoon sun and drenched in sweat from a day of exploring, it was a most welcome treat that reminded me of one of the reasons I love traveling.

I spent part of my childhood living in Anchorage, so I have an appreciation for all things Alaskan! (For the Global Cuisine Challenge)

A sweet dream in pink, red and white and very simple to make – it just hast to be spring when the strawberries are full of flavour. Legend has it that this desert was invented in Eton where a small shop offered it to the students from 1930 onwards. I like that it doesn’t require any skills, just make a nice mess and indulge!

This is a classic Pennsylvania Dutch recipe - it might sound a little off-putting, but be sure to give it a try!

Christmas pudding is a type of pudding traditionally served as part of the Christmas dinner.

For the Global cuisine challenge.

Blueberry Crisp is a family recipe that my mother always cooked for my siblings and I. She used my granddaddy's home grown blueberries as the base for this recipe.
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Fave Memory. Snow Ice Cream! My granny lived with us when I was growing up in Ohio and we would have snow days, she'd say go get me some snow and I'll make ice cream. So I'd fill up a big bowl and she'd whip it up. I'm not exactly sure what was in it- maybe vanilla, milk, perhaps an egg, chocolate sauce on top. It was cheap and good and I remember if fondly. Hoping for a snowy winter here in Portland this year!

FAVE MEMORY: For as long as i can remember my mom has made this absolute classic for every family celebration we have - it would not be a party if there wasn't a pavlova!! She has offered to make other things - she makes a mean trifle and is an excellent baker - but my sister and I insist on the pavlova, and our kids love it too now. It's completely delicious, surprisingly simple to make and looks really impressive on the table. Crisp meringue, with a gooey centre, lashings of cream and a mountain of fresh fruit - it's an absolute stunner. It has to be the Delia Smith recipe as mom swears by it and even the book itself holds so many memories for me.

Fond memories of Jellied Pineapple Rings, they were a treat my mother made when I was a kid. For the Handpicked Design Challenge.