Bacon Chive Cheese Balls

This is another version of the Brazilian cheese balls or “pão de queijo”, and of course has an Asian twist since glutinous is added to the tapioca flour in order to give a softer and slightly chewy texture.

Since the combination of green onion or chives and bacon is so good in biscuits, I thought why not adding these into the original cheese balls…so this new version of pão de queijo was born.

These little treats are great because they can be made in advance and kept frozen until you are ready to serve. Just pop these at a preheated oven and they are ready in no time.

I have these (all kind of versions) in my freezer year around and some of our friends always request when they come to see us…and sometimes I have the feeling that they are visiting us so they can have some of these cheese balls.

I made 3 kinds, plain, bacon and chive with bacon…so it is up to you…but I must admit that after tasting the chives with bacon, the plain ones tasted pretty plain.

Ingredients:

4 cups tapioca flour 1 cup glutinous flour 6 eggs 2/3 cup vegetable oil (sunflower, canola or corn) 1 ½ cups water 1 ½ teaspoons salt 1 cup parmesan cheese 12 oz munster cheese (can be substituted by parmesan cheese)

1 small bunch chive chopped finely and sauté in ½ tablespoon oil until golden and fragrant. I used the ones that I have grown in pots, you can do that too, please check Growing Green Onions. 1/3 cup of bacon, finely chopped and fried until crispy. Drain the fat and patch the bacon bits in paper towel to remove the excess of fat. I used the homemadeBacon Bits.

Method:

In a small pan add water, oil and salt, bring to boil. In the mixer bowl add all the and carefully add boiling water to the mixture. Mix gently until most of the liquid is absorbed by the flour mix.

Add one egg and some of the cheese, mix until the egg is incorporated to the , add another egg and more cheese. Repeat until all the egg and cheese are added to the dough.

At this point you can make the plain cheese balls by using two spoons, dip the spoons in the water before scooping the dough. Use one spoon to scoop and the other one to push the dough on cookie sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper. To the 2/3 remaining dough add the bacon, mix well and scoop making into small balls. To the half remaining dough add the chives, mix and add scoop into small balls. Leave 1 ½ inch of space between the balls. When scooping the dough there is no need to make them a perfect, once in the oven the little balls will puff up and trust me they all will be rounded.

Bake the cheese balls in a preheated oven at 350F for 20 to 25 minutes.

To freeze the cheese balls…

Place the cheese balls in the freezer and let them freeze for approximately 3 hours or until totally frozen. Remove from the cookie sheet and store in an airtight container or freezer plastic bags.

When ready to bake, pop these cheese balls in a 350F preheated oven for approximately 30 to 35 minutes. For a crispy cheese balls, just increase the temperature to 400F for 5 more minutes. Serve hot or warm. If you enjoy this recipe you might want to try the Brazilian version or the simple Asian version.

Did you know that pão de queijo in Brazil is a very popular for breakfast or as snack? As a matter of fact there is a very popular store called “Casa de Pão de Queijo” which translates into House of Cheese , specializing with this cheese bread.

Thanks for visiting Color Your Recipes…have a colorful day! Chicken, Corn and Soup

This is an Asian inspired chicken soup with corn and small chunks of tofu. The soup is hearty and sooth you during cold days. It sure makes a great meal.

I have been battling a very bad flu/cold for almost two weeks…after lots of soup and tea, I feel much better although still not totally recovered. So this week I am sharing a soup recipe.

This is a very simple and easy recipe…and it is great at anytime of the year, especially now that is cold, not that it is so cold here in California as compared to some places in US…

This soup is a meal by itself…each and every spoonful of this soup you will taste the soft tofu, tender chicken with the crunchy corn, all together in a flavorful chicken broth and a touch of the sesame oil…yum!

You can call this corn chowder with an Asian touch…

By the way, for all my friends out there celebrating the passage of the lunar year…HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!

Ingredients:

1 chicken bread cut into small cubes ½ tablespoon olive oil 1 ½ tablespoon corn starch 1 can of corn 2 cans chicken broth of your choice 1 small block of tofu, cut into small cubes 1 carrot cut into small cubes Salt and white pepper to taste 1 egg slightly beaten 1 tablespoon sesame oil Cilantro to garnish

Method:

Is a small bowl, place the chicken in cube, salt, pepper, olive oil and half of the corn starch. Mix until all the chicken is coated with the corn starch. Set aside.

In a pan place the chicken broth and let it boil. Add the carrots, then the chicken. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, add the corn (drained) and the tofu. Let it boil. In the meantime dissolve the remaining cornstarch in ¼ cup water.

Once the soup starts to boil, gently and with constant stirring add the cornstarch diluted in water. This with slightly thicken the soup. Let it boil.

Add the beaten egg and mix gently after 30 seconds.

Drizzle sesame oil, remove from the heat.

Garnish with fresh cilantro and white pepper.

Serve hot.

I hope you enjoy this simple recipe…in case you want a more hearty soup you might want to check on Black Eyed Pea Soup recipe.

Did you know that tofu was originated in China? Tofu has high content of protein and low calorie and fat, therefore considered as healthy food.

Have a wonderful week and thank you for visiting Color Your Recipes!

Pumpkin Sandwich Bread

This is an Asian inspired recipe for sandwich bread using pumpkin puree. The bread is soft, pillowy and stays moist for many days because of the tangzhong method. Thank you all for the nice words of support on my first post as “Color Your Recipes”, you all have been very kind and encouraging…thank you!

Before I share this post, as you might know Philippines was hit by a big typhoon Haiyan, and Tina fromPinay Cooking Corner is having a online bake sale to support the victims, please hop to her site for the details.

Now to the post…I could not let this month flyaway without posting something with pumpkin…so here I am…

This sandwich bread is so soft and cottony…delicious for any kind of sandwich, and because I did not add any spices the pumpkin puree just gives color to the bread which believe me it is very attractive…I don’t know if it is proper English to call a bread “attractive”… it is so good that I already baked 4 loaves of this bread.

I use the water roux method to accomplish the Asian bread texture, because the pumpkin puree contains water I just added less water to the dough. You want the dough to be slightly sticky, so the “cottony” texture can be achieved. When baking sandwich bread, In this recipe I used my 1 lb Zojirushi bread machine and Pullman loaf pan.

Before I go on with the recipe, the new issue toDesserts Magazine is out…and again it is free for a while…so if you are interested, check on the link, you might find something for your sweet tooth before membership is required in order to browse the magazine.

Ingredients:

Water Roux or Tangzhong

15 g bread flour 75 g water

Main dough

150 g pumpkin puree 2½ cup bread flour 1 tablespoon sugar 2 tablespoon dry milk ½ teaspoon sea salt 1 teaspoon dry yeast ¼ cup water 1½ tablespoon butter

Method:

Water roux

In a small pan, mix all the ingredients of water roux, place in a low heat and stir constantly until the temperature reach 65C (150F), or if you do not have a thermometer, cook until ripples form. Set aside to cool by covering with a plastic film.

Dough

In the bread machine bucket, add the water roux, and all the other ingredients, except for the butter.

Turn the machine to knead mode until it forms soft dough, slightly sticky. Add more water of flour as needed since the content of water will vary between different pumpkin puree. Add the butter and let it knead until the butter incorporates to the dough.

Remove the dough and place in a bowl by covering with a plastic film.

Let both dough proof until the dough double to its original size.

Knock back the dough and split into 4 balls and let it rest for 5 minutes on the counter.

Flatten the ball and shape like a Swiss roll, flat again and roll it again like a Swiss roll.

Place the Swiss rolls into the Pullman pan and let it rise until almost 90% to reach the rim of the pan.

Cover the pan and bake in a preheated oven of 350F for approximately 25 minutes.

Remove from the oven and flip the bread into a wire rack to cool.

Store the bread in an airtight container.

I hope you enjoy this pumpkin sandwich bread. For more Asian inspired bread recipes like this check on Chia Milk Sandwich Bread or Swirl Sandwich Bread.

Did you know that pumpkin is recommended by dieticians for patients in need to control cholesterol? Pumpkin contains high levels of dietary fiber, anti-oxidants, minerals and vitamins. Moreover, pumpkin contains high levels of vitamin A, a very powerful anti-oxidant.

Have a great week and thank you for visiting Color Your Recipes! Scallion and Ginger Sauce

This is a very simple recipe for an Asian inspired condiment. Only two ingredients…green onion or scallion and ginger…great on almost everything.

I am so excited to start this new blog…the transition to have all the posts from Simple Recipes [dot] Me transferred to Color Your Recipes was smoother than I thought, thanks to the people behind me.

Thank you all for the comforting and encouraging words, they sure mean a lot to me. Although I cannot see you I hear you and carry your words in my heart…I never thought I would feel so close to all my virtual friends.

To celebrate the new start, I have for you a very simple and tasty condiment that I use quite often and always glad to have it handy.

Green onion (or scallion) and ginger is a very popular combination for many Asian dishes. This sauce is used over steamed chicken or fish…most of the time the finely shredded green onion and ginger are place of top of the already steamed chicken or fish and you get the sizzling after pouring hot oil on it. More ingredients can be added, like , cooking wine or chili.

On the other hand, many Chinese restaurants serve steamed or boiled organic chicken with this sauce on the side, and I must tell…this sauce is so good that I see everyone topping the chicken with this simple sauce, almost forgetting that the main component of the dish is the chicken…my son, adds this sauce to everything…even on the battered fried fish sticks…

As I mention above, I love to have this sauce in the fridge and I top on steamed fish, vegetables, omelet…practically everywhere that needs a kick in flavor.

Okay, after a big introduction to this simple recipe for green onion and ginger sauce here is the recipe. Please keep in mind that you can add more or less of each ingredients according to your palate…I invite you to Color Your Recipe!

Oh! One more thing, I grow my own green onion, so if you care for growing your own, you can find some tips at Simple Ideas, Growing Green Onion and even in water.

Finally to the recipe…

Ingredients:

1 bunch green onion, washed and dried Approximately 1 ½ oz ginger peeled ½ cup canola oil or any tasteless vegetable oil 1 tablespoon salt Method:

Cut the green onion into approximately 1 inch and place in the food processor (I used the small one) and pulse until finely chopped. Set aside in a heat proof bowl.

Cut the ginger into small chunks and chop on the food processor until finely chopped, place to the same bowl as the chopped green onion. Add the salt and mix.

In a small pan heat the canola oil until almost smoking.

Place the bowl with the mix of green onion and ginger on a heat safe place and carefully pour the almost smoking oil onto it. BE CAREFUL* since it will be a lot of splash and sizzling. Once the sizzling “calms” down, mix gently and let it cool. (*) I usually place the bowl in the kitchen sink before adding the hot oil so the mess is contained and easily cleaned.

Pour into an airtight container and store in the fridge. Use as you like.

I hope you give this Asian inspired simple recipe a try.

Did you know that ginger is widely used to treat nausea and vomiting? Moreover, ginger not only is used as food and drink flavoring, as well as ingredients in antacid, laxative and anti-gas medication.

Have a great week and thank you for visiting Color Your Recipes! Tofu Stick in Soy Sauce

I hope you all in the US are having a great and safe Labor Day weekend…

Yes, this is something that you might have never seen…and I must admit that it does not look that pretty. As a matter of fact, when my husband saw these sticks for the first time he was like “what the heck are these?”

These sticks are made by drying tofu skin. Yes, what I mean by tofu skin is by boiling soy milk, a film forms (like in milk) and these films are collected and dried under various shapes (sheets or sticks). Since it is in its dried form, it can be stored longer, much longer than the fresh ones available in the refrigerator section of most Asian grocery stores.

Okay, you are right, the name “tofu skin” does not give justice to this product because tofu should be like cheese, coagulated from soy milk, and tofu skin is made with only soy milk without any coagulant…anyway, it is not up to me to challenge its name.

The tofu skin is very popular in Asian dishes especially for vegetarians as they can mimic any kind of meat (chicken or fish) although I always question, why do vegetarians want to mimic chicken or fish? Moreover, these tofu skin absorb all kinds of flavor, therefore they can be very tasty and the texture after cooking is kind of chewy and at the same time tender…it is hard to explain, so if you have a chance try it!

Ingredients:

I package of dry tofu stick

2 tablespoons canola oil or light olive oil 1 cup water 2 tablespoons soy sauce 1½ tablespoons sugar 2 tablespoons finely chopped ginger 1 pinch ground all spice Chili oil to taste Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Soak the tofu stick in lots of water for 8 hours or overnight to rehydrate the sticks. Change the water a couple of times.

Drain the tofu sticks and cut into 1 ½ inch length and dry using paper towel.

Heat the oil on a frying pan and brown both sides of the tofu sticks (which are not sticks anymore). Set aside.

In a medium pot, place the water, soy sauce, sugar, ginger and all spice and boil. Add the browned tofu stick. Add salt and pepper and chili oil to your taste. Let it boil and lower the temperature to simmer for approximately 10 minute.

Remove from the heat. Serve warm or cold. I hope you enjoy this simple Asian inspired recipe…check on Pork and Dry Tofu and Pan Fried Tofu recipes.

Did you know that tofu skin has high content of fiber and is cholesterol free? Because it is a product of soybean, tofu skin is high in protein and can be a substitute for gluten fee pasta.

Thank you for stopping by Color Your Recipes…have a colorful week ! Bok Choy with Mushrooms

Have you noticed the change in my blog’s header? I have wanted to update the header for a while but did not have the time nor the inspiration to do it until recently, when a friend asked for my blog address. I said in a very comfortable manner “simplerecipes[dot]me”. She then asked me right away “what? simplerecipes[dot]me[dot]com?”. I then had to explain that instead of [dot]com it is [dot]me . She was very confused…she is not the first person and will not be the last person that will give me a puzzled or suspicious look after I say [dot]me. So here I am, with a new header look…I hope I did not confuse you…even more…actually nothing has changed, my domain name is still the same but just now it is stated in the header. By the way, last week I had the chance to change the Simple Recipes Facebook cover as well.

Okay, enough of blog’s header explanation…today I am sharing with you a dish that I often make. It is a very simple recipe to enhance any green vegetable. In this one I use bok choy…it is great as a side dish and pairs very well with fish or chicken. It is so simple and yet very tasty. The addition of shiitake mushrooms gives the bok choy a real novel taste.

Ingredients:

1 bunch of bok chop cut into approximately 1½ in 3 garlic cloves chopped 5 to 6 dry shiitake mushroom 1 tablespoon olive oil Salt and pepper to taste

Method: Soak the shiitake mushrooms in one cup of warm water until soft. Squeeze the water out of the mushrooms and slice them. Reserve the water.

In a wok or fry pan heat the olive oil and add the garlic stir and add the mushrooms. Sauté until the mushroom are slightly golden. Add the bok choy and stir fry until the leaves are tilted. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Remove from the heat and serve hot or warm.

I hope you enjoy this simple recipe of Bok Choy with Shiitake Mushroom.

Did you know that shiitake mushrooms are native to East Asia? Moreover, these mushrooms have been used medicinally by the Chinese and it can be found nowdays throughout the supermarkets across the World. Shiitake mushrooms are a very good source of vitamins B2, B5 and B6 and they are low in calories.

Thank you for stopping by Simple Recipes [Dot] Me and have a great week!

Babka with Nutella, Asian Style…

This is one of the recipe that as soon as I saw on the Wall Street Journal on a lazy Saturday morning I said “I am making this!”. This recipe got stuck on my mind and I would not rest until I tried it…and of course I had to do it my way…it was not hard since I had all the ingredients handy. I used an Asian version for the dough, and somehow followed the instructions for the filling. I omitted the sugar syrup because I thought it would be too sweet with the Nutella and chocolate chips in the filling, which by the way, I added a very generous amount, but hey, feel free to add the sugar syrup if you enjoy a sweeter version of this treat. If you want the original recipe look it here.

Overall the recipe is pretty simple and easy if you are familiar with bread baking…and yes, the result is delicious, the combination of Nutella and chocolate chips is just a dream…gooey, moist…as noted in the article, you will have Nutella in each and every bite of this bread. Therefore when eating this bread, you will find your fingers coated with Nutella/chocolate…yum!

One more thing…I only used half of the dough for the babka, the remaining half I made it into rolls.

Ingredients:

Bread dough with Water Roux or Tangzhong

Water Roux 15 g bread flour 75 g water

Dough 1 egg plus 1 egg yolk, complete with water to make a final 2/3 cup 2 ½ cups bread flour 1 ½ tablespoons sugar 2 tablespoons dry milk ½ teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon dry yeast 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 3 tablespoons butter

Filling Nutella ¼ cup chocolate chips

Method:

Water roux

In a small pan, mix all the ingredients of water roux, place in a low heat and stir constantly until the temperature reach 65C (150F), or if you do not have a thermometer, cook until ripples form.

Set aside to cool by covering with a plastic film.

Dough

In the bread machine bucket, add the water roux, and all the other ingredients, except for the butter.

Turn the machine to knead mode until it forms soft dough. If the dough is too wet or too dry, add more flour or water accordingly. The dough should be soft and almost sticky.

Add the butter and let it knead until the butter incorporates to the dough. At this stage, the dough will be very sticky, do not add more flour as the butter will incorporate totally in the dough.

Remove the dough and place in a bowl by covering with a plastic film.

Let the dough proof until double of its original size.

Knock back the dough and split into 2 balls and let it rest for 5 minutes on the counter.

Using a rolling pin flatten one of the ball and roll into a rectangular (sort of) shape of approximately 13 x 9 inches. Spread Nutella (generously) and sprinkle with chocolate chips. Roll the dough tightly like a Swiss roll and lay the seam side down. Cut into half and again each half to a half. With the second ball I just made rolls…

Lay two segments and for an “X”, and twist each end once. Repeat with the remaining two segments. Transfer them to a mini loaf pan, tucking the end underneath.

Cover the pans with plastic wrap until loaves double in volume. Bake in a pre-heated oven to 350F for 20 minutes.

Remove and let it cool on a wire rack.

If you enjoy this Asian inspired recipe for babka, you might want to check on this other Asian inspired bread such as Chocolate Marble Bread or Cinnamon Rolls in a Cup.

Did you know that babka is rumored to have its origins in Poland? And it was a cake? Many other versions of babka have emerged from cake to yeasted bread.

Thank you for stopping by Simple Recipes [dot] Me and have a great week!

Tangerine Chiffon Cake

After purchasing many of the tangerines, known as cutie I found myself with too many tangerines in the fridge. So I decided to make a cake using the fresh squeezed juice from the tangerines. You can substitute with orange juice or even lemon juice.

In order to keep the cake light, I used sour cream frosting and garnished with honey caviar. The cake turned out awesome, the slightly citrus flavor of the tangerine, the tartness of the sour cream and the sweetness of the honey caviar were just a perfect and delicate balance in my palate. Oh! Be aware that this recipe is for a small cake, 6 inches cake size…

Ingredients:

Chiffon Cake

2 eggs, separated 51 g cake flour 5 tablespoons sugar ¼ teaspoon salt ¾ teaspoon baking powder ¼ cup freshly squeezed tangerine juice 1 tablespoon Grand Marnier ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar 2 tablespoon canola oil ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Sour Cream Frosting

1 cup sour cream 3 to 4 tablespoons sugar ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 325F.

Cover a 6 inch round pan with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, sift flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, salt, baking powder together, whisk to make sure all the ingredients are combined thoroughly.

In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl using a hand mixer, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy. With the mixer running, slowly rain in the remaining 2 tablespoon sugar. Continue to beat the whites until stiff peaks form when the beater is lifted. Set aside.

In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks until pale yellow add the vegetable oil slowly and then the vanilla extract. Continue beating until the mixture turns slightly thick. Pour the egg yolks into the dry ingredients, mix gently and add the tangerine juice and Grand Marnier. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry until completely smooth.

Fold the beaten whites into the rest of the batter by gently spooning one-third at the time. Fold in the white slowly and carefully using a spatula. Be very gentle as you fold in the whites so you not deflate them. Gently fold in the remaining third of the whites. Spoon or gently pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Place the pan in the middle of the oven and bake for 30 minutes at 325F and then 3 minutes at 300F, and a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.

Remove from heat and invert the pan over an inverted cup. Set the pan aside in a quiet place until cooled completely, approximately 1 hour. Sour Cream Frosting

In a medium bowl, mix all the ingredients.

Assembly:

Cover the cake with the sour cream frosting. Refrigerate for approximately 2 hours.

Garnish with honey caviar.

Serve cold

If you enjoy this simple recipe for tangerine chiffon cake you might want to check on Chiffon Cake with Lemon Curd or Chocolate Chiffon Mini Cupcake.

Thank you for stopping by Simple Recipes [dot] Me and have a great week!

Oven Fried Panko Chicken First of all…Happy Memorial Day!

I love the simplicity of this chicken…while the chicken is baking you can prepare the salad to go with it… You can dip the pieces of chicken in any sauce if you desire, but I can assure you, very little is needed since the pieces of chicken are packed with flavor…

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts thinly sliced 3 cloves garlic finely chopped ¼ cup cilantro finely chopped (or parsley) Salt and pepper to taste 3 tablespoons flour or cornstarch

Approximately 2 cups of panko 1 egg plus 2 tablespoon of water

Method:

Preheat oven to 400F.

In a bowl place the chicken, garlic, cilantro (or parsley), salt and pepper. Mix well and add flour. Mix gently until all the pieces of chicken are evenly coated with flour.

Place the egg and water in a deep plate, beat with a fork as you a making an omelet. On the second deep plate add the panko.

Dip the pieces of chicken, one by one into the egg and then on the panko. Set all the pieces aside until they are all coated with panko.

Spray a baking sheet (or silicone mate) with olive oil and gently place the chicken on the sheet. Lightly spray the pieces of chicken. Bake the chicken in a preheated oven for 25 minute at 400F.

Serve hot.

If you enjoy this recipe you might want to check on Simple Panko Crusted Chicken Cutlets which the chicken cutlets are pan fried.

Did you know that “panko” is a Japanese term for “bread crumbs”? Panko is the Japanese version of bread crumbs and they are lighter, crispier and crunchier then the conventional bread crumbs. Panko are more like flakes then crumbs.

Thank you for stopping by Simple Recipes [dot] Me and have a great week! Green Beans with Balls

This is very typical Asian sweet, it can be served as dessert or as snack. It is soupy and contain mainly green beans, barley and little balls of glutinous flour know as mochi.

This is one of the food that I love and amazes me that my husband enjoys it… very much…I say that because this is so “Asian”…even many Asian people do not care for it, let alone people that was never exposed to it…

I must admit that the concept of sweet bean soup with mochi. Mochi? Yes, this gooey sticky little balls floating in a not so appealing murky, brownish, greenish color soup…and served iced, cold or warm? Yes, it might be troublesome for some people to accept hehehe! That is why I was so surprised that my husband embraced this dessert/snack so fast and often asks me to make it.

I have been cooking this for a while and it is perfect at any season of the year…I serve it cold/iced during summer and warm during winter. I often have the little mochi balls in the freezer…so when need I boiled them for a few minutes and it is ready to go.

In this particular recipe I added barley and use coconut sugar to sweeten the green bean soup, but you are free to use whatever kind of grains and sugar.

Ingredients:

1 ½ cup dry green beans (mung beans) 1/3 cup barley Coconut sugar to taste

Fresh made or frozen mochi balls.

Method:

Wash the green beans and soak in water overnight. Do the same with the barley.

Place the bean and the barley in a thermo cooker and follow the instruction, making sure that the beans are fully cooked and soft. In case you do not have a thermo cooker please do the following:

In a big pot add the green bean and barley with water, about 1 ½ in above the bean. Cook until the beans have soften.

Add more water and coconut sugar to your taste. You can adjust the thickness of the soup according to your taste.

Cook the mochi balls accordingly, drain and put in the bean soup, or if you want to serve them cold, rinse the mocha balls with cold water and then add to the bean soup.

I hope you are dare enough to try this simple recipe for Green Bean Soup with Mochi…and hey, you might find out that you like this. If you enjoy this recipe using glutinous flour you might want to try this Asian inspired Brazilian snack,Mochi Cheese Balls.

Did you know that the bean sprouts that you often see in Asian groceries are germinated from mung beans? Moreover, the starch extracted from these beans is used to make the bean thread or glass noodles, which are popular in Asian cuisine

Thank you for stopping by Color Your Recipes…have a colorful day!