Best and Worst of 2011

I love food. I love eating out. This year was an exciting year in terms of baking for me, managed to learn different techniques of using fondant, cake stacking and most of all, cake decorating. I had the opportunity to make some lovely pieces which I adore. You can find them in my past postings.

This year, Facebook has exposed me to many talented cake decorators in the country, Malaysia and Australia. People like Way Beyond Cakes by Mayen, she is a stay at home mom, avid baker with a generous nature, she believes to share her skills so people like me who learns from the web can benefit, she is very creative and helpful. God bless her heart!

I am still a sucker for desserts of all kinds. I fell in love with the Chantilly cake (spongy cake with light whipped heavenly cream sandwiched between seasonal fresh fruits)  from Whole Foods this year at my niece’s graduation party at Walnut Creek, I bought a chocolate version of it, it was good but heavy, the vanilla version tasted better.

Then there are cupcakes and cake pops, I still believe that Cupcakes Bakery – Herndon and Cedar location, Fresno, is the best! You can taste fresh ingredients used, I love their carrot cupcake! I have yet to try their pineapple upside down cupcake. I have quit Sugar Shack-Sommerville & Perrin, Fresno. One day, the artificial taste in the buttercream and the cake itself, hit me like a bus. I was floored. Maybe my taste buds had heightened after watching so much reality food shows, I learned how to eat with sight, smell and taste. Sugar Shack’s cupcakes stand out in terms of presentation and the heavenly looking swirl of buttercream on a huge cupcake in a brown liner. Attractive! Not for me, taste wise – I still shiver with the intense artificial sugary taste in the swirls and the cake itself, nothing I can sing about. Then there is the Frosted Cakery at Tower District, I went once, loved the salted caramel cupcake, but I could not bring myself to go back for more, because that gummy taste of a chocolate cupcake which I can’t seem to shake off.

My other sugar fix is Starbucks, cranberry bliss bar, it is a good thing they bring it around Christmas season only, I had so many – I am about to shiver. Too much of a sweet thing is never good.

I am also a huge fan of seafood, I pass by Ruth Chris every morning I go to work. Finally, I had my eleborate dinner there for Christmas, big disappointment, snooty waiter, my 3.5 male live Maine lobster was left cold when served and re-heated that it became tough. My whole entree was ruined. Will never dine at that place again, if you pay me too!

Then I went to buy some steamers clam from Save Mart for Christmas, $3.99 per pound. Lesson learned, never buy any seafood from Save Mart again, get them at Whole Foods and Costco! How can you sell smelly clams esp. when they smell so bad when you are shoving them in the bag for me! Crappy clams!

Cake pops! Everyone is making them, even Starbucks and every cupcake joint! Starbucks cake pops – not good! Some looked pretty, taste is not there.  Guess what I make good tasty cake pops, I learned from several sources and combined them, out comes the tasty cake pop!

2011 has been good, hoping for a safer, better and happier 2012 for everyone, I always believe, what comes around goes around, help a fellow neighbor or a passer-by, put a smile on someone’s face but never at another person’s expense. Pay if forward.

Happy New Year!

The above is my personal opinion from my personal experiences. Freedom to speak my mind because I paid for all my purchases.

Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse

Ruth’s Chris, I had dinner at this fine dining establishment for my spouse’s Christmas company party. We had so much food and drinks flowing from 8 pm till 11.30 am. The appetizers, especially the crab cakes rocked! Generous lumps of crabs with no overpowering seasonings. I ordered a virgin pina colada, boy, I was off to a bad start. There was a strange after taste in that pina colada. Different places have different concoctions. It had something to do with the coconut in there. I ordered my entree – live lobster with roe & cleaned, cracked and served. I was waiting in anticipation. Kenny, one of our darling server, politely apologized, for the lobster for being male, it cracked me up!

I took my first bite at the claw meat, it was a little dry and tough, went in for the juicier part of the lobster, nice! I noticed a drastic temperature difference. My lobster was almost at room temperature. I spoke with the other head server which I will not put his name here, for 2 reasons, 1. If someone is not worthy of mention, don’t do it! 2. I don’t waste my time on bad servers with attitude!

He suggested to put it under the broiler for a few moments. I asked him won’t my protein go tough on me. His typical answer is oh no! Guess what it came back tough and chewy.

I had to send it back. The hostess came to apologize and removed the dish from the bill. She offered other suggestions but I was so looking to eat my lobster but my appetite was gone.

We then proceeded to desserts, i got to taste cheesecake, creme brulee, chocolate lava explosion and coffee. Again what is the deal with lukewarm coffee here! My husband loved the lava dessert and the creme brulee was good. The cheesecake is average.

Verdict: This is fine dining, a certain standard is expected for service, food quality and taste, food presentation and finally overall environment.

My personal experience of the place is 7/10, nice ambience and exciting!

Food quality and taste: 6/10 – blame it on the lobster debacle and pina colada strange after taste and I paid for it in the bathroom later in the night, must be the coco lopes in the pina colada.

Food presentation: average cos it is a steak house

Service: personally I was disturbed with what they did to the lobster, I think it sat on the counter till the other entrees were ready before they brought it out. Big mistake! Then reheating it, second big mistake! Any food and beverage individual should know understand that if someone ordered a market price live 3.5 pound of heavenly protein aka in this case my boy lobster, he deserves special attention and reheating seafood is a big no! Just get me another one done right!

Will I go back to this place? No. Reason for poor execution in food and that snooty head server of ours from my 2 encounters with him-during trips to the powder room, he should at least fake a smile at me, not just at my hubby’s boss!

Delightful when it arrived, cold to my lips, why or why!

Salty lobster tail and sure look rustic to me in terms of presentation!

Almost a hit, but no repeats!
Ruth’s Chris Fresno

Scottish yorkie terrier dog cake

It took me 3 days to make this dog cake for my visiting niece from Malaysia, Amanda Tan, who turned 13 this year. When I first met her, she was warm and had a sparkle in her eyes. I spent 6 days with her, showing her how to assemble and decorate a ginger bread house and also  I made her my Baconator, where she is given kitchen duty to fry turkey bacon slices for breakfast. She is cool girl, with a kind heart and also, smart, solid in terms of manners and my hubby and I liked her alot. Thanks to Anne Heap from Pinkcakebox.com for her inspirations!

Amanda's Dog

Baby shower cake for Megan

I made the toy chest out of RKT and the whole cake milk chocolate cake filled with layers of whipped semi-sweet chocolate ganache and crumb coated with chocolate ganache, finally covered with soft pink fondant.

Happy Motherhood, Megan!

Dora the Explorer

I did a birthday cake for a little girl named Roslyn who turned two a few months ago, these are the pictures that Roslyn’s mommy, Tokunbo Yeager captured with her creative eye (http://www.photographybytokunbo.com/). I love them. I thought I shared with you.

I made about 60 cupcakes with Dora theme toppers and smash cake for Roslyn. I added a special effect where the smash cake rotates, thanks to Mayen, from https://www.facebook.com/#!/WayBeyondCakesByMayen.

The lovely cupcakes sat on a spiral metal tower display which was handmade by my friend, Derek.

Northwest Church celebrates 50!

2008 is the 50th Anniversary of Northwest Church in my neighborhood. I was approached by one of their board members to design some promotional materials for them to celebrate this milestone.
I traced the shape of the church building from a photo and this design was used as the main focus for most of the church promotional pieces.

Northwest Church 50th Anniversary

Actual picture of church building

I love Cakes!

My son 1st birthday cake

 

I am an avid fan of cakes, wedding cakes, birthday cakes to any form of cakes that captures the imagination. For my son’s birthday, we had three cakes, thanks to our dear friend, who is a fantastic baker, the flavors were out of this world and the design, yes! She outdid herself. The center piece was an octopus sailor in blue. The reason for the smudges on the side is because it was a hot summer afternoon in a restaurant with minimal air conditioning.

I found this sailor octopus cake design on www.pinkcakebox.com, Anne Heap is the owner, very talented indeed. Check out some of her designs.

The wedding dress cake

Anne created this The “Bloom of the Ball” which was a nature inspired party dress adorned with sugar roses, vines, and leaves hanging on a dress form. The cake was a sour cream orange zest cake filled with pistachio and white chocolate buttercream. It won a Show Stopper Award!

Happy Halloween!

 

For this Halloween, I created my own 4×6 photocard printed at Walgreens for 10 cents each.

 

American mooncake

American mooncakes

My version of the Chinese mooncakes, I call mine: the American mooncakes.  The filling is chocolate fudge walnut brownie with Choco Pan dark chocolate icing fondant and Satin Ice Vanilla fondant (the rainbow colored ones).  With the mold I bought from Singapore, mooncakes making is definitely easier and faster. Choco Pan dark chocolate icing fondant is more easy to knead and taste a whole lot better than Satin Ice Vanilla Fondant. I bought mine on www.globalsugarart.com after reading postings on www.wilton.com forums page. I was debating whether to make my own fondant or buy it. When I saw how tedious and messy it was to make my own on youtube, I quickly bought mine online and they arrived in plastic tubs intact.

Seremban Siu Pau

I found a very good & flaky dough recipe on Neckredrecipes.blogspot.com to make Seremban Siu Pau. I tried with curry ground chicken, green peas and potatoes but did not like the texture, preferred cube meat. The key is the oozing part of the filling when you bite into a flaky & moist pau. Yummy.

I managed to perfect the recipe at 3rd trial. There is word out there that I might have some church friends ordering for Thanksgiving dinner.

Molten Lava at One Utama – Malaysia

For those who live in Kuala Lumpur/Bangsar/PJ, go check out my aunt’s Michelle’s Molten Lava. Her new store opened on Nov 15. You must try the Mexican style churros, we dust it with cinnamon sugar traditionally here in the States. Michelle has concocted so many dipping lava (pandan, chocolate ganache….endless I say). I think she is the only one in Malaysia who has that “real heavy duty” churros machine. I managed to obtain some pics courtesy of Tan Mei Ann on Facebook.

Molten Lava at One Utama

Greg & Stephanie Schmidt

Aromatic cocoa used in the silky shiny ganache

 

Today we attended the wedding of the above couple at San Luis Obispo (SLO). There was alot of driving. First to the hotel, luckily Embassy Suites on Madonna Rd, SLO, was able to accommodate our request for an early check in. All the rooms are suites. That means it has a separate living room with sofa chair and love seat. A large desk with 3 comfy chairs, LG flat screen tv, spacious indeed. Then the bathroom is located in between the living room and the bedroom. We had a large King bedroom so that my boy is sandwiched between his parents as he tends to roll around alot. It has a tv inside and a nice vanity dresser. I will take some pics of the lobby tomorrow to let you see how gorgeous this place in the interior.

The story continues…
We rushed off to the St Joseph Church in Nipomo, farming community. Somehow,the ignorant me removed all route preferences from the navigation system in my minivan. It took us thru a longer route and windy, luckily my boy fell asleep. I was feeling woozy. Luckily, the mistake was discovered by my husband and as usual he took care of the problem. Wedding ceremony was very personable and the Catholic priest was very funny. We left for the hotel, rest alittle and off to the reception at an Airforce base, huge compound, the reason I said that is because when we left prematurely because of my boy threw up all over his dad’s clothes.  We were driving  via nav assistance and wondered around in pitch darkness for 20 minutes before we could find the exit. No signs or any form of visible assistance. Whew, it scared me and my boy! Anyway, congrats to bride and groom! Love Out Loud!

Sweet 16

Today we were invited to have Thanksgiving dinner at our cousin’s place, the weather was gloomy – very much like Christmas is approaching. In conjunction with this thankful day, we are celebrating our niece, Samer who turned 16 this month. She is a wholesome and bubbly person.

We gave our blessings to God and offered thanks for all the good things we received and pray for happiness, peace and prosperity for everyone all around the world. Cheesy but this is what everyone wishes for! Happy Turducken Day! It means Turkey, Duck and Chicken all stuffed in one!

Embassy Suites

I wanted to share the interior of Embassy Suites in San Luis Obispo with you. What I admired about this beautiful garden setting is that, all the greenery you see, is real! The hotel has a huge open sky light.  Very eco-friendly.

 

 

 

As many of you know, I am a foodie – something who enjoys food alot! The hotel serves complimentary full American breakfast which means no crappy coffee/tea and a muffin. This sit down breakfast comes an omelette station where you can enjoy your eggs whatever style you want. I ordered my usual 2 eggs medium well. You can help yourself, breakfast cereals, coffee/tea/hot chocolate/juices/milk bar…oh wait, bagels, muffins, danish pastries, apples & bananas…back to main entree, oatmeal with condiments, pancakes, sliced bread with a ready to go toaster (commercial type but miniaturized). I was impressed overall. The staff were cordial and spiffy at your requests. I am going to stay at Embassy Suites from now on!

Where is the meat (clams)?

On our way home from SLO, my husband wanted to show our son the beach. We drove to Pismo Beach which about 10-15 minutes drive. Upon arrival, our boy fell into deep slumber so we watched the waves roll in from our windows. I took a quick visit to Splash Cafe – which has been there for a very long time and known for good clam chowder. I ordered some steamers (clams in tomato sauce) and a bowl of chowder. The clams were not plump and juicy, but will suffice for the price. But OMG, the chowder were salty like eating salt straight from the dispenser. Did the cook had a really bad day? Or did he accidentally tipped over a can of salt. I kept chugging water as I kept fishing for my clams. My luck, I found many chunks of potatoes and 1 medium size clam. Poor clam, I chewed it so many times to get my monies’ worth. Now, did they forget the rest of the clams sitting by the stove. Mr. Krab might be pleased at the cash register. But I am not! Never again, at Splash Cafe!

Wilton Cake Decorating 1

Today was the first session for cake decorating – brief lecture on what to expect for the next 3 Sundays (1pm to 3pm). Cayley, my cousin was able to join me.

I got teary-eyed a little, when Lizeth (instructor) asked Cayley to read for her, she read clearly and precisely (words like meringue, anodized) – she made me proud! From a newborn which I helped to care for to a 10 year old (same height as I) – in the same class with me. I am making sure that I am enjoying every minute of this as it will soon be gone once she becomes a teen and has no time for me!

Next week – we have to make cakes and buttercream frosting to bring to class. Lizeth – our instructor was approachable and pleasant. Will show you the pictures of the decorated cakes next week. It will be a competition between me and Cayley.

Flowing chocolate

Heaven is made of chocolate

Delectable items for dipping

This year I attended 4 weddings. It started off with Brian and Dorothy who met and work together (but in different departments). Their wedding was nicely orchestrated and I simply love the chocolate fountain. The wonderful lushful red setup displayed all the goodies (marshmallows, rice krispies, plump strawberries, oreos, pretzel sticks…) for the guests to enjoy. This was the highlight of the wedding. I always rate weddings on the cake, the wedding gown, the food and most of all, the X factor! 2 thumbs up for the chocolate fountain.

My bling Santa Hat Cake Pop

A Hip Hop Santa Hat

 

Again, Bakerella came out with another design for the Christmas cake pop. It is the cute Santa Hat Cake Pop.  Her version is at http://bakerella.blogspot.com/2008/12/its-beginning-to-look-lot-like.html. Bakerella has inspired alot of people like me out there, who loves to bake. Her endless ideas keep the baking scene exciting! As you can see, my version is a blinged out Santa Hat. I made sure when I enrobed the HAT – I made sure it simulate the creases of the HAT fabric/chocolate.  Hope you like it.

Cupcake Bouquet for Christmas

Naked Cupcake Bouquet

Yummy Bouquet

I completed my 1st cupcake bouquet for Christmas Pot Luck at work. The night before I made the above goodies to share. I was happy to receive many compliments about how beautiful it looks. Now, I also made this: Christmas Tree Cake Pop (idea courtesy of bakerella.blogspot.com) – The cake pops contains triple choc fudge cake, sinful.

Christmas tree cake pops

Generosity from a fellow shopper

Today at lunch, I had to run to Gottschalks by Riverpark to buy a pair of work shoes, to replace my beaten pair of sandals (yes, sandals in winter time). It is an Easy Spirit ankle boot – light weight and in black. The cashier rung up $75.57 (I thought during such hard times, do I need to wear a $75.57 pair of shoes).  The cashier swooped in with an offer to get 15% off for applying their credit card, I resisted. I was surprised when a very nice lady (stranger & shopper) offered her 20% coupon from Sunday’s newspapers, first I hesitated, then she insisted. I was touched that a stranger was nice enough to share her good fortune. It felt nice. I thanked her profusely and left the store saving $15. I have learned that sometimes generosity and kindness at any time, be it opening a door or sharing a coupon with a fellow stranger…is commendable, the deed need not be big to garner attention. This special lady made my day, in turn, I will do something nice given the opportunity this weekend to “Pay it Forward.”

Final Project for Wilton Cake Decorating 1

I am very proud of my little cousin sister who just turned 11 for her efforts in making 7 Wilton roses from scratch. Below is her final cake project which she incorporated  the star, leaf and strand piping. She is a fast learner and she gave me the run for the money. She did not practiced her Wilton roses at home, this is her first formal trial where she was required to produce 7 roses to receive her Certificate of Merit.

Cayley 1st Cake 2008

The week before she piped her first clown. Big shoes! Pardon the funky borders in the background, we were in a hurry! We shared a cake – the clown in the background is mine!

Now, my cake is called Life on a bed of Roses. Starring a funny clown and I practiced my Wilton roses diligently.

I am very happy what I learned at Wilton Cake Decorating Course 1, Joann Fabrics location. The only thing I wish for is a kitchen sink in the room so I can wash off my sticky hands!

Doll Cake

I bought this Wilton Wonder Mold to make my doll cake. The doll pick was included in the set. Kinda retro looking, reminded me of Leave it to Beaver’s mom!

 

It was a scary challenge for me so I searched for help on Wilton Discussion Forum for tips which helped tremendously and Flickr.com for design ideas. I used the Pillsbury Premium Cake Mix with one cup of  pudding already included in the mix itself, I guess it made the cake moist and dense. I was impressed with the cake texture and tasty (I ate the crumbs when leveling the cakes). I baked at 8″ round cake with 2″ depth and the wonder mold. I used concord  grape preserve for filling in a devil’s food cake, yummy! Tonight, I have prepared my doll cake for frosting tomorrow! Here are the pics of the doll cake in its nakedness.

 

Wish me luck as I need it!

Success!

My 3rd try for the Doll Cake, I have redeemed myself.  My right hand sure hurts after so much piping motions.

Valentine Chocolate Box

Bakerella has outdone herself again, check out her site, bakerella.blogspot.com.  This Valentine Chocolate box made of cake. The only thing you cannot eat is the paper liners. I did not have the brown liners therefore, the effect is not quite there like Bakerella’s. The base of the box is made of cake baked in an 8″ heartshaped pan, wrapped in red fondant. I made the candies individually. I formed the shaped by hand then dipped them in melted chocolate.

Valentine Chocolate Box made of cake

Valentine truffles made of cake

I received 2 orders for the Valentine Day Chocolate Box, I just finished making the truffles. I used chocolate cake with Nutella spread, as you bite into it, the hazelnut mixed with chocolate…heavenly…not sweet at all. The sweetness from the outer coat of melted chocolate balance it out eventually – taste wise.  Here are some samples of the truffles. I wish they were prettier, got to learn how to dip them like Bakerella.

Choc cake with Nutella & chopped cherries

Choc cake with Nutella dipped in dark mint chocolate

Choc cake, Reeses PB chips, Nutella coated with milk choc

Choc cake, nutella & chopped cherries coated with milk chocolate

Tomorrow, I am starting on the cake box, one white cake with raspberry filling and the other chocolate with strawberry filling.

Amore!

I delivered my 2 Valentine’s Chocolate Box of Truffles (made of cake) to my colleagues at work. I received a bear hug from one of them, he was happy. Overall, making these 2 babies were time-consuming, especially rolling out the fondant into a long strip (1/2 inches higher than the cake). I wanted a whole strip but had to break into 2 parts. I borrowed a friend’s pasta maker machine, I turned the knob (thickness to 7), it was still to thin. Alas, I got the strips rolled out into proper thickness. I used Satin Ice pink fondant from GlobalSugarArt.com. Personally I think Wilton fondant’s texture was better and does not tear so easily, meant for wide coverage of cakes. Well, another baking idea tried and succeeded, thanks Bakerella for the IDEA! 

I cannot get enuf

 I whipped this up  in 2 days. Emergency order for a work colleague, pandan flavor cake with layers of raspberry and strawberry filling, frosted with Bunnywoman of Wilton forum buttercream.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was frustrated with the bouquet of flowers, had to scrape and re-pipe, it is the heat in the house. Got rave reviews for it. Next project = sushi cake pop…not on a stick!

Dino cake

I made this DINOSAUR cake chillin’ with his 2 buddies by the local watering hole for some rays and splashing. Cake is chocolate cake of 3 layers. Filling is dark chocolate fudge. Figurines are made of Wilton fondant. Dippy the Dino is made of Bakerella’s cupcake pops base (finely ground up cake with Nutella) and I shaped the body and covered with fondant of green and yellow. The rest are buttercream frosting. The rocks are the same as DINO. The mushroom is ready made. Bought from Costplus. It is the Candy maker from Japan – Meiji.

Fondant Figurine

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Meet Abby, the flower girl. She is made out of fondant. I had a hard time with sugar paste, it dries very fast.  And fondant is too soft. I finally chose fondant and pretty much had to use reinforcement here and there to make her sit up without toppling over. I have decided to use fondant and mixing it with some tylose powder. Tylose powder arrives next week. After that, my figurines will be proud and tall. A Debbie Brown inspired.

Happy 9th Birthday to Abby

I have planning this birthday cake for my work colleague’s daughter, Abby who turns 9. It took me back and forth…for the past 2 weeks. Finally, I settled with this one….thanks to the contributors of Flickr.com for their wonderful pics and especially Artisan Cakes by E.T.

I am happy.

 

My boy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We went to lunch at a local Indian restaurant, North India Bar and Grill. Very nice ambience and setting. My husband ordered the fish curry lunch plate. I had the chicken tikka (cubed breast meat marinated with Indian spices). I did not like my dish much, I guess I was used to the authentic taste, I guess they Americanized the flavor (this coming from a non Indian descent).  $8 per plate. Not bad.  As a fact….I know my dad and uncle love its lamb curry.  I will not write this place off. 

The above pic was taken as my son, was touching the glass waterfall from the other end. He loves water. Cannot wait to put him in the pool in the backyard.

Mangosteen @ Fresno

There is a brand new restaurant opening this coming Thursday (Apr 24)  in Fresno (at old Kim’s Vietnamese restaurant by Shaw and Fresno).  It boasts dishes from China, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam (a smorgasboard of Asian cuisine).

Here is a snippet/excerpt from an article by Joan Obra for Fresno Bee. Thanks Joan!
As for Mangosteen, it’s the brainchild of Douglas Huynh and Tami Lin, a brother-sister team with lots of restaurant experience. The two grew up in Fresno, where Huynh worked in restaurants while going to school.

Both landed in the Bay Area. Huynh worked in information technology and Lin is the executive chef of Le Méridien San Francisco hotel. With their mother getting older, Huynh decided to move back to Fresno. He’ll manage the restaurant; Lin will remain in San Francisco, but she’s helping train the staff.

The two collaborated on the menu, which aims to modernize traditional dishes from China, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam, Huynh says.

“We’re trying to get the best food from every region,” he says.

Inspiration comes from their family’s Vietnamese dishes, as well as Lin’s experience overseas. For example, she says she’s lived in Singapore and traveled extensively in Malaysia.

Expect to see lots of different spring rolls and noodle soups, braised baby-back ribs seasoned with toasted rice powder and an olive oil-and-lime juice vinaigrette, Malaysian fried chicken (one of Lin’s secrets), and mango shrimp, Huynh says.

The restaurant doesn’t have its beer and wine license yet, so it will open with drinks such as avocado and mango milkshakes, boba teas, iced tea spiked with lemongrass, and Vietnamese coffee with condensed milk.

Mangosteen also will have a dessert bar, serving ice creams in flavors such as lychee, durian (a Southeast Asian fruit), avocado and green tea, Huynh says.

At about $10 or less, the entrees are priced to draw a crowd. “We’re trying to keep the price very affordable,” Huynh says.

The restaurant isn’t quite finished; the tentative opening date is April 24. Hours will be 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sundays- Thursdays and 11 a.m.-2 a.m. Fridays-Saturdays.

The answering machine isn’t hooked up yet, but Huynh says he already has the restaurant’s number: (559) 229-8300.

You can read here full article at this link….http://www.fresnobee.com/columnists/joan-obra/story/1316490.html

I am hoping for authentic dishes like curry laksa, roti pratha/canai, Penang Prawn Mee to Chicken Satay. My family and I will try the restaurant this coming Saturday…and I will let you know! Update! I did not make it to Mangosteen due to scheduling conflict. I am really looking tasting their dishes. Oh please, Mangosteen or in Malay (we called it Maggis!) - please be the one, so I don’t have to drive up to SF or down to LA anymore!

My Curry Laksa

Curry Laksa is one of my well-liked dishes amongs my friends and family. I am tooting my own horn here, “It’s better than my mom’s version!” The secret is in the blend of spices and also, chicken broth! Hands down, my version beats the one served at Banana Leaf restaurant, Milpitas, CA. My aunt (food lover and critic) and uncle voted mine the best so far!

My curry laksa has a rich coconut cream infused with chicken broth, a fragrant blend of spices (ground tumeric, chili powder, curry powder, ground dried shrimp, garlic, shallots, lemongrass, lime leaves). Bring the broth to a boil…and serve on to a bowl of yellow mee (noodle), semi-cooked bean sprouts, large prawns, cilantro, sliced hard boiled egg,  tau foo pok (deep fried spongy tofu) and shredded chicken (best to use store bought rotisseire chicken as it is more flavorful). The toppings are interchangeable.  Some use fishballs, blood cockles…endless. The key here is making the best broth!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The above picture is courtesy of RasaMalaysia.com which promotes Malaysian cuisine and the site owner takes great pictures!
I will post my version soon….hopefully, with my new camera!

Chaffee Zoo

Today, the Zoo was calling. We were turned away last Sunday due to no parking spots available within the Zoo compound.  I was adamant to show my son (almost 2), the Chaffee Zoo! I packed egg salad sandwiches and Jalapeno chips and loaded the boy up in his stroller and met up with our friends, the Khans. It was 11 am and the day was simply cool and beautiful. 

 I wanted to see the front of the elephants this time. Just my luck (like 5 years ago) they still refused!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Silly me, is this a tortoise or turtle?  Amazing animal! Around 85 years old and boy, he still has all his teeth! No dentures needed here!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The staff at the Chaffee zoo was courteous and made my day! Check out their Snack Bar, we had ICEE, root beer float, popcorn and soft serve ice-cream! The gal at the Snack Bar told me that there will be no straw or lid available for the sodas to protect the animals.   I was glad to oblige.

To summarize, I had a wonderful time with my family and friends. I love my Chaffee Zoo! Hopefully, my son will bring his family to the Chaffee Zoo. P/S….I miss the hippos! I enjoyed the feeding time with the hippos. They both loved watermelons! Rest in peace.

Simplehuman automatic soap dispenser

I love this gadget that sits by my kitchen sink. Retail price $39.99 for a black one. I used my 20% coupon and paid $32 (without sales tax) at Bed bath and beyond. It is sensor based and it works very well for me, I simply hover my hand under the spout and out if flows. It has a dial where you can control the flow of the dishwashing liquid. It takes all types of dishwashing liquid. I tried the foam, and it works. I must confess. I am obsessed with keeping my kitchen clean. This gadget made my life easier. No more agitation over those traditional plastic dishwashing dispensers! Now I am thinking of getting one more for the guest bathroom.

2 Doll cakes in 3 days

I was on a baking/cake decorating marathon, bake, frost, stack, decorate and repeat. Not forgetting the fondant figurines. I made 2 pretty little girls happy I hope. Made special delivery to their homes on Sunday.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ashley cake

Roses

Hand made vs Mother Nature

I love roses, how the petals fall in place in full bloom. Kudos to Mother Nature for her creativity. Also to www.cakejournal.com for her artistic take on the perfect rose.

Sugar Factory Couture Pops

Kim Kardashian

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can find this at www.sugarfactory.com, I call them the Bling Pop. Gorgeous. They are lollipop but not on your traditional white cardboard stick, but blinged with Swarovski jewels. Good for clubbing and teens who have extra cash nowadays. Keep the stick – just screw on the pop. I ordered one of the non-celebrity endorsed pink for US$22 and a pack of 3 pops for $12.  Here I have to applaud good customer service even for a candy company, Patty who works there at Van Nuys location was nice enough to correct 2 boos boos of mine. I meant to send it to my someone in San Francisco and not to self, lastly to remove NORTH from the street address. Sometimes I think I have a DUMB moment going on. Their shipping is prompt. I will be placing another order all for me this time.

Riding or driving?

While driving this morning, right across is the Lone Ranger riding his horse, which is riding a beat-up car, which is being towed by a Ford SUV. Triple play here. I thought this was funny.

Creative Cakes & More, Fresno, CA

Finally, a cake decorating and baking store opened 3 months ago in Fresno. I went to check out the place last weekend. They have wide variety of baking and cake decorating supplies, from your royal icing piped figurines to your fresh icing. I met the owner, Nancy, she was very helpful, knowledgeable and most of all, approachable. I have always been buying my supplies from Joann Fabrics and Michaels Craft Store with their weekly 40-50% coupons for decorating icing, tips, piping bags and etc. Mainly Wilton brand. For other stuff they do not carry, I would check out Creative Cakes & more. I signed up for their 7 cakes decorating class for $45 at my own pace. Yeah finally, what a wonderful idea, for working mother like me who loves to learn to make and improve her cake decorating skills. My first cake is a butterfly cake scheduled for July 18 at 2pm (2 hours). I had to delay the start of the course because I have company visiting for a month. Will keep you posted on this new endeavor….

May 17, 2010 update: I did not make it to my cake decorating class last year because I was pregnant and have difficulties with my mobility and balance. Now that I am back on my feet and baking up a storm, I paid a visit to Nancy Babick at Creative Cakes and more. Her store carries alot of stuff that Joann Fabrics and Michaels Craft Store do not. She has a wide selection of fondant, gumpaste, ready made buttercream icing, cake boxes, candy molds, Americolor get paste coloring, and tons more. Nancy is very approachable and friendly.  She has a website up www.fresnocreativecakes.com Check it out.

November 4, 2011
I tried to avoid my baking supply shopping at this place, did not appreciate the poor customer service and will not comment further on this. I now shop at online stores, like http://www.petalcrafts.com/ or http://www.sweetwise.com/ or www.amazon.com and my other physical stores like michaels and joann fabrics.

Mums the word!

I managed to conquer the gum paste. Had a hard time working with it in the past months. So I followed Anita Jamal’s tutorial which she posted on the flickr page. This artisan is very talented! Check out her site…

Anita Jamal's mums

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Normally, one has to work really fast with gum paste as they dry really fast. So I keep my vegetable shortening within reach. The shortening acts like a revival for the gum paste, making it easier to work with and shiny.

I made 5 crysanthemums. These are going to go on cupcakes for 2 wonderful teachers of Copper Hills Elementary School for my 2 cousins. They wanted pandan coconut cupcakes with milk chocolate frosting….yummy. For now, check out my MUMS.

Doreen's mums

Cupcakes in a Box

I thought I share with you my cupcakes gone crazy baking spree. Whew, hopefully someone enjoys them!

Wilton Brownie Pop Silicone Mold vs Cake Pops

I just made a batch of brownie pops from Wilton Silicone Mold. The reason I was so keen on trying this new gadget is because I was exhausted everytime I finish making the cake pops (thanks, Bakerella) from scratch. The cute cake pops are time consuming and hard labor involved. With this new Wilton mold, I eliminated the process of blending the cake into tiny crumbs and mashing it with frosting, followed by chilling and shaping it. Whew…

All I have to do with this Wilton Brownie Silicone Mold is make a brownie batter, fill into the cavaties, 2/3 full. My brownies were cracking on top and buldging. 10 minutes before the brownies pops are done, I remove them from the HOT oven, and using a clean paper towel, I press in the BULDGING top…therefore forcing all the yummy cake down and compressed. Don’t forget to put the brownies pops in the oven to finish baking. I also noted that the fudgier the brownies – the harder it will take shape and to be removed from the mold. I wanted to make a cake brownie but ran out of butter, so I used the Betty Crocker Fudgy Brownie Mix, and made sure I use a brush to coat each cavaties with Wilton Bake Release. And these babies pop right out EASILY!!! I only have one mold so I did not wait till the current batch get cooled completely, but they held their shapes.

 

Dipping them into chocolate were easy, I did not have to worry that my brownie pop will slide into the warm melted chocolate. As with cake pops, due to its frosting blended in, the pops would need to be frozen to sustain lengthy time outside the freezer. Well, imagine making cake pops in summer time in the Valley.

My verdict:

Wilton Brownie Pop Silicone Mold saves time in shaping and making the pops. The batter for this mold needs to be cake like. I will update on the taste. I am using my work colleagues as my focus group…my guinea pigs.

 

 

 

 

 

 Personally, I love fudgier brownies, just how cake pops are. It would only change in terms of texture, but if it saves time and labor, and the taste  is comparable to a cake pop. Yeah for Wilton!

Sambal Anchovies & Prawns

Sambal ikan bilis and udang

I managed to whip this up while my son raided the pantry. This will be served at the Nasi Lemak party I am hosting tomorrow. 

Pandan Birthday Cake

This pandan sponge cake is layered with fresh whipped cream and chucks of strawberries, surrounded with chocolate chunks and topped with wonderful juicy fresh fruits. The cake was light and fluffy. Melts in my mouth. Yummy. Baked by a dear friend, Mimih for $30.

pandan cake

Doll cake – Express

I whipped this up from 9 pm yesterday (friday night-I got no life) and went to bed 3 am, from scratch for my niece, Nabeeha who is arriving Fresno as we speak from Chicago. I wanted to make a much nicer cake but  with the cleaning, laundry, ironing and taking care of my 2 boys (the big one, the small one). I have no time for fancy stuff.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Father’s Day…with burger and fries!

I made this for Father’s Day. Thanks Bakerella for sharing your idea! I used the foil cupcake liners instead of paper so to give the cupcake a more “baked bread look”. It was fun making them.  The cupcake is split in half  & sandwiched between a brownie, laced with mustard, ketchup and lettuce. The French Fries are strips of sugar cookies. Happy Father’s Day!

burger cupcake

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

yummy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sugar Cookies French Fries

It was a hit!

Yup, everyone loved the idea of a sweet burger, but I threw in some salt & vinegar french fries chips which I bought from Kmart next to the sugar cookies fries, savory and sweet – good combo.

Ouch my tooth hurts!

Check these out…fondant molar tooth made especially for a dentist. Brownie swirled with butter pandan cupcake topped with buttercream frosting and ouch my tooth hurts, just kidding!

Tooth cupcakes

Close up of tooth made from fondant

More teeth on cupcakes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A tooth never looked so SWEET n NOT GROSS! For someone who matches teeth with the right shade for crowns….this is a new change for my eyes!

Tandoori Chicken – baked in oven

Tandoori Chicken baked in oven

My sis-in-law, Aliya is visiting us with my 2 nephews and 1 niece. I had the pleasure eating real homecooked Pakistani food. This is Tandoori Chicken. I loved the tangy, spicy and the color of this dish. I taste the spices as I bite into it. I managed to make her cook this for my company’s potluck for Father’s Day. Only 1 piece of chicken left, and I ate it.

Upcoming Project – Cinderella Doll Cake

I am designing a doll cake for Mickayla who turns 4 and loves Cinderella…and I am making little fondant/gumpaste combo figurines for to accompany the doll cake. The mice, the sewing kit and some cheese for the mice before they turn into footsmen for the pumpkin carriage ride. I have made a pin cushion, a stack of cheese and a roll of yellow thread. Now the mice and pumpkin are in the works.

Delivery date July 17.

Roll of yellow thread

Cinderella Doll Cake – fondant figurines

Mice who becomes footsmen & the pumpkin

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The whole gang

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am taking the scene when the pumpkin and mice become the magnificent carriage ride for Cinderella’s ride to the ball, and also not forgetting the animal friends who tried making her dress. Some cheese for the mice. A roll of thread and a pin cushion…just in case. Now to make the friendly birds next and some loose buttons! Fondant figurines last till 6 months.

Cinderella for Mickayla

Meet Cinderella

The baking and decorating process has begun last night, I created a 6 colors palette of buttercream icing for my upcoming assembly of Cinderella. All the fondant figurines are ready. I have yet to bake her skirt portion, that will happen tomorrow night. Come back for updates.

Here comes Cinderella!

It took me two days to bake and assemble the doll cake. Last night, I made the cakes, stacked them, frosted them, completed half the piping and tonight, finally the doll is done! Happy Birthday, Mickayla!

Health reasons

I had to reject 3 baking projects…one 3D pooh bear cake for 1st birthday, one baby shower cake and dragon cake due to health reasons. So I ponder on my baking future, but I am sure I will be back….

Casa De Fruta/Gilroy

I frequently stopped at this huge fruit stand on our way to Gilroy/San Francisco via CA-152. They have the best preserved mangoes in multiple flavors and not forgetting the seasonal fruits. This time – we stopped and checked out what they have for children. They removed the mini zoo attraction which I was not too keen. I discovered they have the Casa de Choo Choo and Casa de Carousel. We bought our tickets at the Sweets Shoppe (Casa de Sweets…I think). The train ride was a mile long around the property…it was fun for adults and kids. We got to see a white deer, buffalo and a long horn. As for the carousel, it was brought over from Venice, Italy, it is a double decker and parents can sit on benches too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hallloween cake

I bought this cake shaped as Frankenstein’s head for Halloween from Eddie’s Bakery here in Fresno. The kids loved it because it is chocolate cake with oreo cookie buttercream frosting. The cake was moist and not too sweet. Overall 8/10.

Boo

Gorgeous gourds-out of the blue

I love when fall arrives. The weather begins to wind down, cool breeze and comes the freezing chill. Smell of pumpkin pies and caramel apples permeate the cool air. Many more months to come, first I have to get through spring and hot summer. I am so looking forward baking again!

Yummy Cake

I bought this gorgeous looking cake from Eddie’s Bakery, Fresno. It is a white cake with custard filling surrounded with ladyfingers and topped with delicious strawberries, blueberries, boysenberries, kiwi and mandarin oranges. The cake is moist and not overly sweet, very fluffy! The custard filling – simply delicious – not overpowering with vanilla essence in most of the French style cakes I have indulged in. The cake cost $27.95 and fed 8 people and I have leftover for me, for later.

I give it a 9/10. Very good for my tummy!

Portugese Egg Custard Mini Tarts

I made Portugese Egg Custard Mini Tarts based on a recipe I found, http://www.asiandumplingtips.com/2010/01/portuguese-egg-tart-recipe-poh-taht-pasteis-de-belem.html. These burnt egg tart is made to look like the top of a creme brulee dessert, the caramelization by using the broiler feature of a conventional oven. The filling is light, not greasy, not too sweet and most of all, it does not smell like egg yolk to me as I added a piece of cinnamon stick, 2 fresh lemon peel and also a hint of vanilla extract. This combination of aromatics made the tarts heavenly as you bite into it. It has a hint of tartness to it from the lemon peel, therefore, one would not feel overwhelmed after consuming many of them. I chose to use Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry (2 sheets) and managed to make 28 mini tarts. The recipe is easy to follow and the final outcome was simply delicious, not too sweet and most of all, it was a hit with my family. The only caution is when browning the top of the tarts under the broiler, I would watch them carefully because they burn really quick.

Flaky and light puff pastry

Empty tart shells

Cooked custard filling

Tart shells filled with custard

Baking in progress

Out of the oven!

Yummy tarts!

Our backdrop…blessed life

My husband just reminded me that how breathtaking our back/front yard view is. It rained and the sky looked so clear, the air is crisp and fresh. This is what we wake up to and our weekend routine is to drive to the nearby McDonald’s with our son. We passed by this magnificent every weekend. In our rushed lives, we tend to ignore the beautiful sights around our home,  all four seasons! When we exit our home, turn left and you will see the great heights of Yosemite. Turn right and off to our busy and work life.   We are blessed and truly appreciate both views everyday!

Backdrop of our home

Winter Olympics Short Track Speed Skate

The King of Speed Skate!

I was very impressed with this year’s Winter Olympics at Vancouver.  Apolo Anton Ohno, what can I say, he skates with speed and poise. Charles Hamelin from Canada, hopefully I did not mispelled his last name, he was impressive too. The South Koreans and Chinese also dominated most of the speed skate events. The form and agility the athletes demonstrated in that ring of ice, proves what the mind can dictate the body to do.

Pay it Forward

Last week, I went to get my neighborhood Starbucks drive thru fix for a cup of White Chocolate Mocha with 3 pumps of syrup. I had George Michael’s song, Everything She Wants, blasting and I was in my zone. As I await my turn, the car in front of me was taking some time to get moving. At that moment, I can either grunt and squirm about it or just chill and enjoy the time I have in my zone! The latter felt great as I was in no hurry to go anywhere but to look forward to sipping my freshly brewed concoction. Moments passed, I drove up, the barista as always cordial and apologized for the wait. I said no big deal. As I handed my cash over, she said that the lady in front of me, paid for my drink and wanted me to have a wonderful day today. My jaw dropped and in awe. Such kindness and generosity still  exists in this society. I wanted to thank her but she was gone. So I am going to do the same, the next time I am at Starbucks! Pay it forward…do a good deed for another fellow stranger. It made me feel special and nice the whole day that someone who I do not know wants me to have a wonderful day. I suggest you try it too and let me know what you did.

Chinese Delectables

I am on a cooking/baking marathon past 2 days. I am on maternity leave so I have been craving for steamed taro cake topped with crunchy fried shallots and dried shrimps (very aromatic & gives the taro cake - a big difference in texture and aroma). My mom and I whipped up the taro cake and also made the Baked BBQ Chicken Buns from scratch. To those who are very familiar with these traditional favorites, here are some tips my mom shared with me when making steamed taro cake.

1. Buy fresh taro, look out for dents and depressions
2. Cut the taro into cube form, in 2 sizes ie. one smaller than the other, reason being, the larger cubes sink onto bottom of pan and you know what happens to the smaller cubes, oh yes, they float! That gives you an even distribution of taro when you bite into it.
4. Stir fry the taro with oil and the necessary seasonings.
3. Make your batter – 2 parts of water, one part of rice flour. Cook over the hot stove while constantly stirring. As the water flour mixture warms up, add the cubed taro and stir till it comes to a slow boil. Pour into baking pan. This will ensure the taro cake – gets cooked evenly over a stove water bath ie. fill a wok with water and steam it.

Steamed Taro Cake

Topped with crunchy fried shallots and shrimps!

Drenched in sweet Hoisin & chili sauce, yummy!

Baked BBQ Chicken Buns

The buns exploded at the seams.

Normally, these buns come in pork, but my mother tweaked it and used chicken, to my surprise, the filling was moist  and well, tasted like chicken.  The buns were bursting out of the seams due to me overstuffing them with goodness!

Drop me a line if you want to try the recipe!

Apolo on SI

I have been watching Apolo since he began skating for the US team in all the past 3 Winter Olympics games.  He has been consistent throughout his Olympics career as a short track speed skater. I wonder if my little boy would be like him. It is a tall order in terms of physical and mental preparation!

For a 2 year old, he mastered the art of scrolling my phone and making sense of it. He already has the dextrity in his fingers. Now for the rest….

Not the curling!

But this one, short track speed skating!

I love Coach!

I love Coach handbags. I personally own the following:

Coach Ergo-black

Coach Bleeker-khaki with black trim

Coach Bleeker-khaki with plum trim: Gave to my mom to enjoy!

I used to fancy Dooney & Bourke, however, I switched to Coach because of their ever-changing designs to suit the consumers’ taste, be it a young teenager to a successful independent working woman/mother. Personally, I love totes especially X-Large ones since I am a mother of 2. I need a bag or tote large enough to haul necessities, snacks for the kids, my camera and whatever I can think of, it is in there. Sometimes, I wonder why do women travel with a bag in their hands, and not the men. Are they that smarter than us? Travel light? Well, I began to notice that, my husband will ask me for stuff from my tote most of the time. Like the camera, hand sanitizing wipes, OTC meds for headaches…our son’s snacks to his leftover MacDonald’s hashbrowns! The only thing he kept in his wallet that I have use for are his credit cards, cash, medical insurance proof and good golly, he has first aid bandages for me! How sweet! I tend to have blisters on my fingers from my reaction to the dishwashing liquid.

Back to my Coach story, I am obsessed with Coach but I don’t go crazy buying them. I buy out of practicality and also, on special occasions, like my birthday or Christmas. I normally buy out of season ones from the Coach outlet, the nearest one from my home is Gilroy, CA or sometimes, I buy online thru Ebay, good deals! I am hoping to get either one of these for my upcoming birthday!

Coach Tattersall Grafitti

Harajuku Girls and Gwen Stefani-head shots

I discovered this on my Facebook.  They are made by Buns in the Oven Cupcakery, Malaysia. These are the Harajuku Girls with Gwen Stefani, do you remember the song Hollaback Girls? Exquisite art, I mean edible art, fondant. Sweetness comes in small packages. Very delicious looking cupcakes.

Don’t have a cow!

I miss baking alot especially working with fondant to create items like below. I made the COW to adorn a barbie doll cake. Now that life consists of caring for 2 kids, my hubby, my work and the household. Where is my 24 hours a day? I have so many baking decoration projects I want to do. I even bought the tools to make them. My first one that I must strive to do is a teddy bear cake for my daughter’s first birthday or something. 

I bought the vintage Wilton bear pan last year on Ebay and it is sitting in my pantry collecting dust. Some people find shopping or going to the spa to relax themselves. For me, baking and cake decorating is my stress-reliver but not the cleaning up part. Any takers for the latter?

Wassabi off the hook-Fresno, CA

Lunch appointment yesterday at Wassabi-off the hook at Fig Garden Village Shopping area. It was formerly occupied by Pangea which folded soon after. The place is nicely decorated, with huge open patio and 2 separate dining areas, with a full liquor bar and sushi bar. My friends and I had the lunch special “bento box” for $10 per person.  You can have a choice of soda or draft beer. The bento lunch comes with soup, your choice of 2 entrees, I picked salmon teriyaki and chicken katsu (chicken coated with panko and deep fried and drizzled with teriyaki sauce), rice and side salad. You can choose from 8-10 types of entree, ranging from ahi tuna, sashimi, tempura, chicken or beef teriyaki, gyoza (japanese pan fried dumplings) and etc. The food was good and in good portion. There are big LCD screens at every corner of the restaurant, typical casual Japanese dining. I find it very distracting when your eyes tend to wander away while hanging out with friends or family.

I am always fascinated with Japanese culture and cuisine. I once tried natto in Singapore. It was preserved ground bean paste mixed with octopus marinade, therefore making it gooey and gummy looking. Or maybe my friend, Naoki, was just pulling my leg then when he described the dish to me! It is an acquired taste. I took a bite and never looked back. He inhaled the natto with hot steam rice. It did not disgust me, because I, myself is a sucker for durian, King of Fruits. For me, it is heavenly but for my other counterparts, they confess that it STINK! Some say, it smell like real bad cheese to soiled socks. If you ever travel to Malaysia or South East Asia, a must try, the DURIAN, how bad can it be…you can definitely spit it out if you find it offensive to your senses. At least you can brag that I tried the KING OF FRUITS!

The durians only drop to the ground when no humans are around.

Yummy rich flesh-packed with a punch

Bento lunch

A Coach Birthday

Yippee! A package arrived and this is what I got for my upcoming birthday…thanks to my hubby. This tote serves as a diaper bag or even carry a laptop – very spacious. Luxurious looking. I thought the white part of the bag would display dirt more visibly, however, it is stain-resistant and you can easily wipe of any smudges. Both sides of exterior has pockets to store more things. Got this on an auction at Ebay for a reasonable price. I can easily carry it on my shoulders as it has ample straps. I love Coach! and of course, my hubby for getting such a nice and sweet gift behind my back. I did hint to him.

Coach Tattersall Grafitti 13187

Yummy Instant Udon

I love instant noodles, but very cautious trying other than my familiar palate. I bought this huge tub of instant udon from my local Asian store. 2 for $3. The tub packaging is sturdy, able to handle high heat of the microwave. I was hesitant at first, but the beautiful yummy looking packaging was hard to pass up. I bought 2 of the same. Both are the “hot & spicy seafood” udon flavor. It is made in Korea. You can taste the spices, truly Korean flavor, yummy.

Before-notice the dry freeze packaging of the ingredients n the liquid spices

Rating: 9/10
It is a good product to have for quick lunches, filling. Just a little messy when eating noodles with chopsticks.

Strawberries in season

Grabbed half a box of fresh strawberries from a roadside stall, and started planning what to do with these juicy MODERATE size DELICIOUS aromatic berries. I got some leftover Sephra dark chocolate fondue chips, cream cheese and mascarpone cheese. So over the weekend, I whipped out these.

Dark Chocolate dipped strawberries, done the right way, the berries have no feet.

What I meant with feet – is that the strawberries were dipped and left on a hard surface to form, that is how you get feet.

Without feet, is when the strawberries sit on toothpicks after dipping chocolate all around, allowed to chill on a block of styrofoam. A perfect dipped strawberry.

Choose the best looking and biggest strawberries to dip if you are planning to serve them as is – on a nice platter. If you are planning to use them to decorate a cake, use small to medium ones, so that they won’t overpower the space and look of the cake. For the remaining of the strawberries, not so perfect ones, I sliced them and made a STRAWBERRY PIZZA PIE.

I used a butter cookie crust from this link: http://southernfood.about.com/od/piecrustrecipes/r/bl50812b.htm

A cookie pie crust, made with butter, egg yolk, flour, and sugar.

Cook Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 cup flour

Preparation:

Combine sugar with butter and egg yolk. Using a pastry blender, gradually mix in 1 cup flour until crumbs form. Press into bottom and up sides of a 9-inch pie plate. Bake at 400° for about 10 minutes, or until edge is browned. Cool and fill with a cooled cream cheese filling, thickened fruit filling and whipped topping, etc..

I double the recipe because I used a pizza pan. This cookie crust held its form very nicely. Make sure when you form it on the pizza pan, to use a rolling pin, to even out the thickness all around, to avoid any bumps or holes. I bought a regular size tub of strawberries glaze from the salad aisle and mixed it in with the chilled sliced strawberries, about 6 cups. If u like more, why not.

As for the cream cheese filling, use any of your favorite recipe that does not require raw eggs. Spread it on the cooled cookie crust and dollop on the strawberries with glaze. Then serve.

 

Note to self: Use regular cream cheese, not mascarpone cheese. Reason being that I love my pie filling thick and rich.

Panera Bread, Fresno

I visited Panera Bread this morning, grabbed myself a jalapeno cheddar bagel sandwich with vermont cheddar cheese, an egg and sliced of turkey meat, then grilled with a panini press. Normally, I am not a fan of bagel sandwiches, especially the ones that Uncle Harry’s Bagelry serve, too much moisture and cheesy. By the time, you bring it home or work, it is soggy because they warm it up via microwave oven. To my amazement, Panera Bread’s bagel sandwich of crunchy outside, and soft inside, gooey with cheese and savory with the turkey meat. So smooth as I bite into this piece of yummy concoction. It costs $4.24 with tax.

Panera Bread is located at  Riverpark shopping area (in the same lot as Borders and Starbucks), the place is clean, spacious, a lot indoor and outdoor seatings and their bagels are sliced with a nifty machine for you. 13 bagels with 2 tubs of spread for 12.99 (not inclusive of tax yet), this is a clean service where the bagels are sliced upon request so that one is not stuck with a whole bagel and struggles immensely trying to saw these babies apart with plastic knife at work.

I was also seduced by the Baked Egg Souffle (savory ingredients like spinach & artichoke baked in a sweet French pastry)  and the Cobblestone (dried fruits streusel pastry).

Food Rating: 9/10
Place Rating: 9/10
Price Rating: Price matches the location

www.panerabread.com

Best Buy customer in the making

A future Best Buy shopper in the making. My boy who is turning 3 in four months love to hang out at Best Buy. Best influenced by his dad and grandfather. He would look at the big screen tvs like a kid in a candy store. He loves the new addition, musical instruments section.  The only thing he hates is leaving the place.

 

Granville 2010 Family Reunion

Granville Homes is a local reputable home builder in Fresno County. They held their 2010 Family Reunion to bring together current homeowners by invitation only for a day of fun, food and to rebuild customer loyalty. This form of PR promotion has been a long standing tradition of theirs to bring awareness to local issues like conservation of water and electricity, to raising funds for one of their homeowner’s daughter, Bethanny who was involved in a motorbike accident (for her medical and dental expenses). Everyone was encouraged to donate $20 and Granville Homes will match whatever is collected 100%. At the end of the day, they collected over $1,000.00 from the attending homeowners. 

My aunt owns a Granville home. I vividly remember when we first moved in. We were the 2nd to move in for the block. As more neighbors moved in, we got to know them very well. Initially, we had fourth of July block parties, they were well-planned, the kids had fun, huge fireworks displayed, BBQ pits were brought out on the front porches, the kids decorated their bikes with patriotic stuff, plenty of food to go around and most of all, it felt like a HUGE family gathering. When one of our main contributor to organizing this annual fete, Lisa and Steven Armas, they moved away to a bigger home for their growing family, the fourth of July party went away too. All we have left now, is the garage sale for the block. Always well managed by Jane Quebe. Most participating homes, would display their wares early morning at 6am, some sell donuts and coffee, we baked fresh cupcakes and bottle water. It was a hit! 

As I moved to my own home, my neighborhood is nice, quiet and my neighbors kept to themselves mostly. We waved on passing and nothing more. Felt empty at times, maybe my street has too many houses compared to my aunt’s which is more manageable in that sense. I wish traditions like what Granville is doing, will be prolonged with for our kids’ sakes; somewhere they can find out, how their homes came about, and also to be aware of its community involvements. 

At the day of the reunion, Granville Homes spared no expense.  They had games set for kids and adults, volleyball, basketball, sumo wrestling (pretend), huge bounce houses and good music aloud. They served good BBQ, burgers (huge size), big hot dogs, condiments, chips (variety), lemonade, water bottles, cakes  by Caroline’s Creations and not your ready made cotton candy. They gave out t-shirts to commemorate the occasion. Might I say, they are good quality shirts made by Hanes, durable to wear while gardening in your front yard or simply wearing them to grocery shopping to display your great pride of  being a Granville homeowner which I have constantly observed. That is one smart branding technique. Keeping your customers happy! 

We truly had a good time! They even went off the electricity grid (conserve energy for the day)  in terms of shutting down usage of appliances for their model homes and the whole outdoor activities ran on GREEN generators and batteries.Thank you, Granville Homes, Mr. Darius Assemi. 

 

 

 

 

My boy learning to read or looking for directions to home.

http://www.gvhomes.com/Granville 

If you are looking for a new home, check them out. They are nice, great follow up, keeps in contact with you even after they moved on to new tracts of home. 

Rating: 9/10

Chocolate Overdose Weekend

This weekend, I decided to make a different kind of cake, not out of the box but from scratch. I planned in my mind on how to execute. With that, I have to care for my 2.5 year old son and my 2 months old baby girl. I was itching to bake. I squeezed the baking in between available time slots.

I made the Chocolate Overdose Cake – recipe from Beantown Baker.

The recipe called for Dutch processed cocoa powder – 2 tbsps. I hunted for it at the major grocery stores. Nothing. So I gave up. So I switched the top layer chocolate cake to Pioneer Woman’s best chocolate cake ever. It was moist and what I wanted it to be. Note of caution, not to pour all the batter for the top layer, use 3/4 of it, to fit 9″ round pan. Pioneer Woman’s recipe is meant for a sheet cake pan.

I made a chocolate mousse for the first time, with my trusty KitchenAid mixer. In the past, the heavy cream never peaked with my handheld beater (electric).

 

The bottom layer is a brownie base, topped with light chocolate mousse and finally a moist chocolate cake. The whole cake is covered  with Ganache and decorated with chocolate buttercream pipings for borders top and bottom. The cake is then topped with milk chocolate dipped strawberries. When I showed it to my spouse, he asked how many calories in there? I dunno but I hope whoever receives it – enjoys it.

I gave this sinful cake to my cousin’s teacher who was offered a Vice Principal position at another school. She was thrilled.

Then I have these extra HUGE berries, so I dipped them in Wilton purple candy melts. I hated the texture of the melted chocolate – it was too thick in texture. I prefer Sephra foundue chocolate chips. Light and it does not weigh the berries down. This yummy dessert went to Ms. Merlot, my other cousin’s teacher.

Baking Rating: alot of work, prep work, cleaning and at the end of the day, legs were sore.

Taste Rating: pretty darn good

Looks Rating: pretty darn good

Will I make this again? Maybe for someone who is a choco-holic!

Cupcake Bakery, Fresno, CA

 

This is my 2nd review of the above place. I managed to get a dozen of their variety of mini cupcakes. There are many online feedback about this place. Some people complained that their frostings are too sweet and the cupcake base is too dry. Others seem to love the place. I am torn for the following reasons:

This is the only bakery that sells cupcakes, nothing else. No funky flavors like pickle cupcakes. Standard flavors with standard buttercream frostings. The place seemed abandoned at times, as they open between 10am till 8pm daily. They bake a certain quantity, so one has to go early to get the best pick of flavors. The bakery does not sell coffee or even beverage to accompany their desserts. Just cupcakes. And I believe they achieved their goal. I go into the bakery, just to look at the cupcakes, not to be distracted by other goodies.

My thoughts on their cupcakes, beggars can’t be choosers, so till another cupcake store opens in Fresno, which perhaps can serve better cupcakes in terms of moist cupcakes with not so nail biting sweet to the bones frosting, this will be the joint I frequent.

Reverse chronological order posts~huh?

When I first started blogging in 2008 to try it out. I failed to read what wordpress can do and not. Overall, I love wordpress. However, nowadays, I am kinda agitated because I have searched high and low on forums to end my FRUSTRATION.

 I want my wordpress posts to be in reverse chronological sequence.  For eg. April 22 comes first, followed by the day before and so on. Not the oldest posting on top.

I did some long research, nothing worked so far. Is there some one out there who can help me? Right now, my first 5 latest posts is in the order I want, after that, it runs from the oldest to newest, like writing a book….as they say on most forums.

Cinnamon Rolls

Last night, I decided to make cinnamon rolls for my mom’s breakfast. I can either make the easy one ie. without yeast, but with buttermilk which I have some leftover.

Buttermilk Cinnamon Rolls – without yeast and waiting for the POOF: http://ovenhaven.wordpress.com/2010/01/05/cinnamon-perfection-in-under-an-hour/

Or the real Kahuna: http://ovenhaven.wordpress.com/2008/07/03/if-they-were-pillows-id-hug-them/

I chose the latter, since I am spending that precious time, I might as well go for it. The only thing was that I left the dough poof 5 hours instead of 1. Holy cow, what have I done? Let’s see….

I punch the dough down, roll it out, spread butter all over, followed by brown sugar with cinnamon powder and chopped walnuts. The only I had problem was rolling it tightly as the dough was very soft and sticky.

Into the oven 400 degrees F, for 10 minutes. I like mine brown on top.

Rating: 8.5/10

I had one roll and will probably have another soon.

Ultimate Combo Louie

Ultimate Combo Louie salad

I went to Pismos Grill for lunch with my 2 work colleagues and 4 bosses. I was debating whether to have the cold Cracked Crab marinated in a yummy tangy sauce or the Ultimate Combo Louie; jumbo prawns, shrimp and dungeness crab, hard boiled egg, gherkin garnish and Louie dressing on the side, sitting on a huge bed of chopped romaine lettuce $17.99.

I was awed when it arrived after waiting for half an hour on a Friday lunch time. It was huge and the seafood looked plump and juicy. I dug in and asked for extra dressing…still not enough. It is a huge seafood salad plate. The seafood is cooked by boiling them. I can taste the salty of the sea or should I say salt from the cooking pot. I was not impressed with this dish. Very bland unless I doused it with a whole of dressing called Louie, tasted more like Thousand Island to me. I could not finish my plate, boxed it to go.

Right across, my boss, Rob was truly enjoying his lunch….

Cold Cracked Crab - 10oz - $13.99

I should have listened to my palate. Nothing else.

Forgot that I had Lemon scone shortbread with marinated strawberries and a dollop of fresh cream. Did not make an impression on me. Just liked the scone shortbread.

Conclusion, made the wrong choice today!

Happy Birthday, George M.

I am baking a cake which has cream cheese, chocolate, strawberry in it. I started last night, I made the 2 layer cream cheese sponge cake. With cream cheese, one relates to it – dense, rich and filling. I concocted this combination, with the help of several components and built – hopefully a yummy cake for my family friend – George. Afer work, I will start stacking and layering, make my chocolate fudge frosting! Catch u later.

Update: Due to time constraints and juggling of 2 kids at home, even with help from my parents, I am proud of this cake, just learned to make do with what I had. I was short on 4 oz of unsweetened baking chocolate, decided to add cocoa powder into sifted confection/icing sugar. It worked. Instead of using vanilla essence, I replaced with peppermint in the chocolate fudge frosting. It was heavenly…mixing chocolate with peppermint. It is not a good looking cake as I was short on time.

Cream cheese sponge cake layered with chocolate mousse & mixed berries puree and covered with peppermint chocolate fudge buttercream frosting

Happy Mama’s Day

Love berries

I made these for some special ladies at work, who take care of me, just like my mom. Thanks Judy, Diana & Joann.

Wilton Chocolate Dessert Shell-candy mold

 

Chocolate dessert shells by Wilton

I bought this Wilton candy mold from Joann Fabrics for $2.99 to try making chocolate shells for dessert. It is simple to do once you read the instructions clearly. This candy mold comes in 2 parts. The base is where you pour melted chocolate in each cavity 1/3 full and tap it till all air pockets come up to surface. Then, you press on the top mold on to the base part, therefore, forcing the melted chocolate to rise up to take shape of the mold. Once the melted chocolate is filled to the rim of each mold and the 6 snap ons (on the candy molds – top and base) are in place. Flip the candy mold over so you can see the base of the shells. Quickly put it the freezer. Give it a good 15 mins at least, depends on the weather at that time too. Make sure you look for the frosted appearance on each shell, that means the chocolate shells have separated from the mold. Then it is safe to pop them out carefully, and if it breaks, re-do by melting the broken pieces again.

I managed to make 12 of these for my office’s pot luck party thrown by an appreciative male co-worker, Tom B., every year. This year, he is making us ladies, chicken fajitas. The rest of us will bring side dishes, desserts, appetizers and etc. I am planning to fill these babies with lemon mousse or chocolate mousse topped with fresh blackberries or raspberries and a piece of chocolate.

Assembly begins tomorrow night, you come back now.

Update on Mother’s Day stuff

I ventured out to make a special dessert for my female co-workers, came up with chocolate shell topped with a light fluffy lemon mousse with scattered peppermint candy crunch. Garnished with blackberries and a piece of chocolate piece. Got a lot of compliments on it.

Here is the recipe for the lemon mousse. I used store bought lemon curd from Trader Joe’s. Don’t waste your time making your own curd.

1 jar or 11 oz of store bought lemon curd
4 tablespoons of lemon juice
2 cups or 1 pint of heavy whipping cream
some sifted powder sugar

In your electric mixer, beat the lemon curd and lemon juice till fluffy.  Scrape the bottom of mixer bowl to ensure, nothing is left behind, unbeaten.  You can add powder sugar at this point, if you have tasted the mixture to be too tart for your taste. I emphasize on sifted powder sugar because to avoid lumps in the mousse. Leave the mixer on low setting,  gently pour in the heavy whipping cream. Turn up the setting to beat the mixture to its peak. Again, make sure you scrape the bottom of the mixer in between. Chill in the fridge for half hour.

I left the lemon mousse sitting on the kitchen counter while trying to set the shells up for the filling process. You don’t need any piping bags or ziplock bags. Just spoon it on to the shells.

The picture I took of the dessert was not impressive, but taste wise was GREAT, light, fluffy, sweet and tart, on a chocolate shell – what can u say?

chocolate shell filled with lemon mousse

Also, I delivered 10 orders of strawberries dipped with chocolate for Mother’s day. I failed to take some good pictures due to time constraints. Got 2 pics.

Metal container with view of contents from Michaels Store $3.99

 I tied this with a nice ribbon bow much later.

A quick snap of the office fridge.

Everyone who placed orders with me, thank you, it was nice making these for you, esp. for Mother’s Day. I hope you enjoy them.

Strawberry mousse cake

Strawberry mousse cake layered with the fluffiest sponge cake

  

 This recipe I stumbled upon while I was reading through blogs, a very interesting busy young lady who lives in Ottawa, Canada, named Zahra. She has nailed down the many steps (and listing her missteps) making this gorgeous luscious mousse cake. First, you make the airy sponge cake, make the mousse which also can be used as part of the top coat gele, and the assembly part.  

I made sure I watched the baking of the sponge cake part. I baked it at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and set for 30 minutes, and it was done in 22 minutes. You have to cautious in baking this cake. As long as the tooth pick comes out clean – it is done.This is Zahra’s explanation on baking experience with her wonderful cake:

Begin of quote:
Sponge Cake recipe
4 Eggs
⅔ cup Caster sugar
⅓ cup Cornstarch
⅓ cup Plain flour
⅓ cup Self-raising flour 

Steps:
Have eggs at room temperature. Beat whole eggs with electric mixer until thick and creamy (this is THE MOST important part….beat them like there is no tomorrow! This is when the love for Kitchen aid mixers comes in); beating time on a moderately high speed should be about 7 mins. 

Add sugar, about 1 tablespoon at a time, beating after each addition until sugar is dissolved. While eggs and sugar are beating, prepare pans by greasing evenly ; and sift dry ingredients together 3 times, to aerate and mix the flours. When sugar is dissolved, sift the flours over the egg mixture, use a spatula to lightly fold the flours through**; heavy handling at this stage will give a flat, tough sponge.  Spread mixture evenly into pan, and bake *** 

*** Make sure you mix well (but not over mix) what I found amusing about this recipe was that the egg mixture was SO light, that the flour fell right through to the bottom! I thought I had finished mixing it in…and ran one final spatula turn from underneath the batter and all the flour came back up! Beware!
*** The recipe didn’t state a bake temp or time, so I just did 350 for about 30 min… but don’t take my word for it….bake with caution  

Then, for the mousse!
Ingredients:
Strawberry Mousse:
300 g fresh strawberries
100 g water
160 g caster sugar
4 tsp powdered gelatin
400 g heavy whipping cream XOXO said: (I personally used heavy whipping cream, the mousse came out stable)Wash and hull the strawberries and place in a sauce pan. Add the water, caster sugar, and gelatin and simmer until all the gelatin dissolves. Cool the mixture and blend the mixture in a blender or food processor until the mixture is pureed.  XOXO said: You can set aside, probably 1/2 cup of this mixture to use as gele for the top layer of the cake. 

 Beat the cream in a separate bowl until just thickened, not soft or stiff peaks! Be careful not to overbeat the cream which will result in a stiff mousse. Fold in the strawberry puree mixture and mix until well blended. **don’t make the mistake I did….make SURE the puree is cold cold before adding to cream, else it will start melting! 

Assembly:
Take the same springform pan you used to bake the cake (all clean by now) and grease the sides VERY lightly with any vegetable oil…im not sure its necessary…but when your winging it….you want to make sure your hard work doesn’t get stuck to the pan! Then align your freshly cut strawberries around the side like so:  

Then place one layer of cake, and cover it with a bit of mousse, making sure to fill it up tightly to the sides. Apply the second layer of sponge cake, and apply the rest of the mousse. Refrigerate and/or freeze until the mousse IS FIRM. RESIST the temptation…don’t be horrible like me and try to unwrap your baby before she’s ready   

You can also dip some strawberries in chocolate for an added flair…
End of Quote 

At this time, I like to thank Zahra of  Edible-Moments.blogspot.com/2009/04/strawberry-mousse-cake.html 

A slice of strawberry mousse cake

Red Velvet Hi Hats cupcakes

I baked 24 cupcakes from a Duncan Hines Red Velvet cake mix as I was in a hurry last night. I must say I can fall back on Duncan Hines for its yummy Red Velvet. I made the frosting to go on top these cupcakes. Normally for Hi Hats, many use the buttercream meringue frosting. I did not go that route because of time contraint.

For cream cheese frosting
8oz cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
1 tsp peppermint extract
3 3/4 cups powdered sugar, sifted

For chocolate coating*
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (I used 1/2 milk chocolate and 1/2 semi-sweet chocolate)
3 tbsp canola or vegetable oil (I used vegetable oil)

or you can use Wilton milk chocolate fondue chips or Sephra dark chocolate fondue chips (my fave brand for chocolate dipping)

I made sure the frosting on the cupcakes were chilled enough before I attempt coating them. Had no problem at all.

Taste: 10/10
I will make this again. So easy peasy.

Butterfly cupcake adornment

 

Chocolate adornment for cupcakes

I read on one of my favorite blogs, http://annies-eats.com/2009/05/26/butterfly-cupcakes/, she gave a very detailed tutorial on how to make these flights of fancy.

Baking frenzy going on…

This weekend, I whipped up 1 strawberry mousse cake, 1 butterscotch mousse cake, 12 cupcakes of Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Cheese buttercream frosting and 24 Banana Butterscotch Cupcakes, these beauties are all boxed for tomorrow’s delivery.

Baking for me is like an addiction, bake till I drop, then told myself that I will not bake for awhile, then the urge comes haunting for another frenzy when I have my rest.

Presentation of cupcakes

Handcrafted with chocolate

Till next time, I need to put moisturizer on my blistered hands, with all the cleaning of kitchen and baking & decorating. What a satisfying feeling when compliments comes flowing.

Opulent Treasures chandelier cupcake stand

I really hit the mother load here, I saw this item at Home Goods last Saturday, walked away, discounted for $69.99 which retailed for $126.00, I thought it was steep. Then I looked at it again but in silver all decorated for a little girl’s birthday party at http://www.hostessblog.com/2010/05/real-parties-fairy-garden-birthday/

I was tempted. I showed my husband the next day, he flatly said no. I left with a heavy heart. Then came Monday evening, as we switched shift to care for our new baby girl, my heart skipped a beat when I saw this beauty sitting on my dining table, so sweet.

Photos courtesy of  http://tomkatstudio.blogspot.com

I looked all over the web, many brides are looking to buy them, used or new, QVC used to carry them last season, the leftover supply goes to places like Homegoods. Just like the cupcake courier, this is rated a GREAT FIND and BUY. Can you believe someone made chandelier stand not for candles but cupcake, GENIUS.

More Opulent Treasures

I went to check out Home Goods today, they brought in new stock, I found another 2 cupcake stands by Opulent Treasures, one which is a silver chandelier cupcake stand and the other is a vintage white 3 tier cupcake stand. So far, my collection is up to three cupcake stands. Should I continue on?

Strawberry Orange mousse cake

This was made for Diana B. who is my colleague at work, celebrating her birthday. For the first time, I used both heavy whipping cream to make the filling of the cake and Pastry Pride non dairy whipping cream for the borders and rosettes to hold the strawberries. To my surprise, I love the taste of Pastry Pride, there is no funky sugar after taste,  it was easy to whip and flavor, I added orange extract and pink color to it.

The cake with 2 layers of orange supreme flavor from Duncan Hines. Strawberry mousse made with the sweetest strawberries by Driscoll and heavy whipping cream as filling. Topped with strawberry gele. Decorated with white chocolate dipped strawberries.

Chocolate mousse cake on fire

I made this special cake for my relatives in Lafayette. They drove down to Fresno to spend Memorial Day weekend with us and we had a blast. We inflated the water slide and filled up many water balloons for the kids. I made a 9 inch red velvet cake, sliced them into 2 layers, filled in with smooth chocolate mousse and covered with ganache and then surrounded  them rolled chocolate wafers – topped with chocolate dipped strawberries and cherries. Smell good and sure looked delicious.

Chocolate mousse cake on fire

Pies, cupcakes and cookies

2 fresh Bing cherry pies

Last weekend, I pitted 3 pounds of black Bing cherries, at its sweetest, and made 2 cherry pies ala lattice style. I was always afraid of making pies, fearing the bottom crust won’t bake fully. To save time and energy, I bought 1 pie crust (came with 2 shells) from Marie Callendars and a Pilsbury pie crust (2 round roll-out pie crust).  Since the cherries were so sweet, I did not add sugar, just lemon juice and cornstarch (to bind the cherries and its juices). I filled the pie crusts to its rim with bountiful cherries, and made a lattice style top crust. A thicker strips and a thinner strip version.

Verdict: Taste 8/10   Presentation 8/10

Will I make this again for myself? I said no. Because I am not a fruit pie fan, which is wrong, as I will be missing out on alot of fresh fruits this summer. If someone in the family wants to eat fruit pies, then I will make them.

Then I made some pandan cupcakes with chocolate buttercream frosting, for a surprise birthday gift. On top of that, I made button mushroom shaped butter cookies. These beauties were fun to make and taste amazing with a cup of tea and coffee. Melts in your mouth, I suggest to take small bites to savor them.

Butterfly cupcakes-pandan with choc buttercream

Button mushroom shortbread cookie

Idea courtesy of Bakeitpretty.com

Last of the Sweet Strawberries

The past 2 weeks, as I made my rounds at the grocery stores, checking out the strawberries, purchased some, tasted them, they were at their best. It is sweet and puts a smile on my son’s face. Usually, his face frowns a little when biting into a tart berry, but he will still consume them as they are his favorite. This sexy looking red berry season, I think is coming to a close. The grocery stores will either stop carrying them or the inventory they carry is limited and the berries are not plump, huge or fresh looking anymore. Lucky for me, I got a hold of 4 pounds of these berries, this time a mix in sizes – from small to large….sad to say no X-Large (in this situation, I am frowning). but they still look attractive and delicious. They are Driscoll’s (the brand), which are always sweet. I fulfilled 3 orders for school teachers as summer holidays are starting in 2 days. 

The last of the sweet berries

More sweet berries

This past season, I actually mastered the art of dipping strawberries, blackberries and cherries. These gems are wonderful with silky chocolate. Whatever, the color, a bite into it, brings a smile to one’s face. It is a happy thing. 

 Tips for dipping the perfect berry: 

 1. Use chocolate meant for dipping, Sephra fondue chocolate or Wilton milk chocolate  

 2. Invest in the electric Wilton chocolate melting pot, it melts the chocolate pieces easily, with no mess and most of all, consistency in the chocolate is maintained as you dip. 

 3. Master the dipping technique, make the V-neck on the berry, it makes the berry looks oh so sensous to bite in. 

 4. Use small sandwich bag to make the fine strands of chocolate across the dipped berries. The finer the strand of melted colored chocolate, the more refined the berry looked. Give a tiny snip at the end of the sandwich bag. 

Now that I sold chocolate dipped strawberries for Mother’s day. What to do for father’s day? Any suggestions out there?

 

 XOXO

Fruit pastry cake

I whipped this up while dipping my strawberries. This is a sponge cake, with sour cream to maintain moistness. I topped it with canned peach, fresh strawberries and blackberries. I have done a taste test yet or even dusted it with powdered sugar for presentation, but here goes. It is an easy dessert to make.

The original source for this dessert: http://happyhomebaking.blogspot.com/2010/04/fruit-pastry-cake.html

Recommended by: http://edible-moments.blogspot.com/

Initially, I looked at the recipe from the source, held back, then got looped in by the gorgeous pics posted by http://edible-moments.blogspot.com/. So this is how mine looked like, sorry about the pics though, I am still learning how to take nice food pics.

Fruit Pastry Cake

 I will let you know once I have this in the morning. XOXO

Update: Taste 8/10 – it was moist and light, just a little too brown on the sides and bottom.
                  Presentation 9/10 pretty looking
 This recipe is a keeper.

Pretty Macaw

A colleague found this macaw in his father’s backyard. It is said to be a male due to its vibrant colors which is used to attract the females for mating. I guess it draws similarity in humans too. We, females doll-up to attract the opposite sex.

OMG overload

I baked this for a very special person, Isabel, who is an amazing and exceptional person, whose compassion in what she does, I cannot describe in words. I made this in 2 days. First day, I baked a 9 inch round red velvet cake from scratch. Divided the cake into 3 layers. Made the raspberry/strawberry mousse to layer, the fruit gelee to go on top. Then the ganache to enrobe the whole cake, followed by the dark chocolate wafer sticks. The next day, dipped the strawberries in chocolate to decorate. The reason it required 2 days, I wanted the cake to set in. Very delicious and sinful. I mix and match recipes to make this combo. Verdict: Heavenly good, sinful.

I conquered the Macarons!

I have been reading alot on these French delights. Fear is the word when making them, many failed but succeeded after many trials. To those who are brave enough to attempt and document on their blogs, I appreciate and bow to your honesty and courage. I did alot of reading from these experience bloggers who made the MACARONS. Don’t confuse them with coconut macaroons. These are much better and heavenly, egg white & sugar beaten to a peak, folded in with sifted powdered sugar & almond flour. Piped into rounds and let stand for 30 minutes, bake them between 20-25 minutes for mine. I don’t know why mine took longer, maybe my oven settings.

The Queen of Macarons is thru this link, http://www.mytartelette.com/2009/10/recipes-macarons-it-takes-all-sorts-of.html. Her name is Helen, she is known for making the best macarons. The perfect macarons must have feet and flat. The thing about macarons, you can make so many endless combination with the fillings. I made mine chocolate macarons, they are crunchy when you bite into them and chewy inside.

Chocolate macarons

2nd set of macarons

I actually did it again, whew! I thought the first time was just pure luck. My mom wants some for her flight home. This time I added peppermint to the chocolate macarons, we ate them plain, without filling. It was scrumptious!

Happy Birthday, Joann Y!

I made this for my work colleague’s birthday! 4 layers of red velvet, with strawberry mousse, top layer is strawberry gelee and topped with chocolate dipped strawberries and chocolate macarons.

Panettone Cupcakes-failure

My panettone cupcakes

I made these based on the recipe from this link, http://www.cupcakeproject.com/2009/12/panettone-cupcake-style.html. I was disappointed with the outcome, it has zero flavor, the smell of the yeast was very apparent, I added chocolate chips along with the required dried fruits, the texture of the panettone was tough (not fluffy at all) and bland bland bland. It was a wasted effort, it did not even come close to being the store bought ones. In to the trash it went!

The real panetonne

 

 

Cupcakes Bakery, Fresno Revisited

This is my actual 5th visit to the above establishment, I made it to the door at 10am. For the first time, these gems tasted fresh and good. Compared to the batch of minis, I bought in a month ago late aftternoon. I am thinking that the longer the cupcakes sits out, the texture becomes dry and tough. But yesterday, I enjoyed every bite of these gems.

 

I gobbled up the missing ones. Too late for the camera. Observation: Buy early, buy minis, buy variety and lastly enjoy! Friendly staff as always.

Standard $2.20 ea/$26.40 per dozen
Mini $0.95 ea/$11.40 per dozen

Cupcakes Bakery

7062 N Cedar Ave
Fresno, CA 93720
(559) 325-0935

 

 

Duff Goldman Buttercream Fondant

duff multiple color fondant

I read some feedback about Duff’s fondant, I bought the above to try and it smells really good, Buttercream! Yeah, I was excited! Since it is summertime, in the Central Valley, outside was hot, the temp at home was 78 degrees. I did not have to nuke it briefly in the microwave. I dug into it with my clean hands and it was easy to use. It was soft and I could not get my ribbon rose to hold up, it sank like the Titanic (figure of speech). My smile turned upside down, I wanted to like it so much. I added some chunks of Wilton gumpaste to it. It was not working as well as I wanted. The only thing I could use it for is cut-outs, even then it took time (long time) to harden – unlike the Wilton fondant (though it cannot compete in the taste and smell department like Duff’s buttercream fondant). I used only a quarterof the Duff’s fondant. I am thinking what should I do with it, maybe, convert it into poured fondant.

My ratings on Duff buttercream white fondant (which came out as Ivory in color):

Taste: 8/10
Smell: 10/10
Texture to use for figurines: 4/10
Other uses: unknown yet, perhaps cut-outs

Overall, I am disappointed. Next to try, Duff’s chocolate icing.

A good find

I found these lovely vintage looking plates with handles on them. Great for serving desserts to entertain. There were made in Czech Republic. 24 karat gold plated. I bought all four of them. I am planning to use it for my daughter’s 1st birthday – Alice in Wonderland theme at an Indian restaurant, what a combo!

Price is $4.99 excluding sales tax, per plate with handle
HomeGoods, Fresno, CA

Frosting sheets and potato based wafer papers

 

Close up on the edible wafer paper printout

  

Close up on the frosting sheet printout

Frosting sheets & wafer papers

 

I tried to improve on the look of the above cake, the carving of the intricate logos of Louis Vuitton takes time, efforts and a very stready hand. Then I read a post by http://www.flickr.com/photos/toni-italy/4389830012/, hers was a work of art, nice details. She used wafer paper.

I went straight to www.etsy.com and looked around, one seller had to cancel on my order due to her printer giving her problems. 

Fate brought me to Bill, nice and delivered as promised and more…he was friendly, informative and most of all, the products above speak for themselves. He had a listing on etsy too. I was very happy with the prints, closest it can get to a regular paper print job with my HP Laser Jet, I cannot wait to put them on my cakes. That will happen on 8.21.2010! 

If you need to print frosting sheets (7.5 inches by 10 inches) or on potato based wafer paper (which Bill used) as it is not likely to tear easily like rice paper.Good piece of info here. 

Bill sells his goods over the Internet thru this link, http://www.helpakidsmile.com, a portion of his sales go to a great cause, children with cleft lip or palate. 

Tips for frosting sheets and wafer paper 

1. Get the highest quality print on the images. I searched the web for LV wallpaper. Had great luck with some nice prints. 

2. Estimate your cake surface that you need to cover. You can economize on the frosting sheets and not waste them. 

3. Order them in advance. They keep well in cool and dark places, I put mine in the closet! 

4. I used to think frosting sheets are awful looking on cakes, I will try my best to beat my own perception of them. Wait and see for the results. 

P/S Check out Bill’s services, http://www.helpakidsmile.com. You won’t be disappointed. Prompt and fast shipper, I ordered mine 8/4 and received them on Sat 8/6. That is priority mail!

Louis Vuitton cake bag

I made this Louis Vuitton cake, I searched for ideas from the web, mostly flickr.com. Some are willing to post their achievements in photos with no instructions, some with held back certain information. So after 2 weeks of planning, a week to draft the parts to be cut out in gumpaste/fondant. I suggest to anyone who wants to make fondant pieces, to use Duff white buttercream fondant with Wilton gumpaste. Wonderful texture, does not dry out (make sure to store in air tight container when not using) and it smells like buttercream & taste like tootsie roll. I always measure when mixing fondant and gumpaste…50/50.

I followed Planet Cake chocolate mud cake and the white chocolate mud cake recipes. Easy to make, dense cake, not dry at all and aromatic from the coffee and chocolate chips used. I stacked the cake using plastic hollow dowels by Wilton, easy to cut in portions – no struggle compared to the wooden dowels.

I used frosting sheets for the bottom layer and the LV Ursula handbag – I used wafer paper. Initially, the frosting sheets were cumbersome, easily torn and difficult to remove from its backing. I had to stick in freezer for only 20 seconds. Then it became hard and easy to come off. With frosting sheets, you have to work fast, precise and carefully. The wafer paper were easier to manipulate. I love both medium, cannot wait to use it for my son’s birthday cake.

Spiderman 3D bust cake

I started planning in my mind how to achieve a 3d Spidey bust cake based on this picture I retrieved from Flickr.com by Crafty Confections, http://www.flickr.com/photos/craftyconfections/2242102218/

She chose use fondant for covering the cake. I used Krispie Rice Cereal bars, I squished and press them onto the cake to shape the muscles and giving the torso, some human definiton. I carved of the edges and shaped them to look  sleek for Spiderman. As for cake coverage,  I went with buttercream frosting and then airbrush it with my new airbrush kit I bought on Ebay for $68 – Master Airbrush G22-23, double action trigger. The down side about this airbrush kit is it does not come with MANUAL or even online. I called the vendor and he suggested I check out www.howtoairbrush.com and also on youtube, there is a dude that demonstrate how to assemble/dissemble and clean the airbrush itself. I spent about 2 hours completing the airbrushing portion of the cake. It was fun when the kit worked. Word of caution, wear gloves when airbrushing, my hands and feet looked like the red version of oompa loompaa.

The airbrush kit had 2 instructions, one gives the specs of the airbrush and its components, the other features on a brief “how to care for the compressor”.

When airbrushing, go outside or be prepared for food color splatter and staining on your hands and feet (like me). Overall, I conquered this kit by myself without my husband’s assistance.

Wait till tomorrow to see the final reveal!

Spidey – finally!

I was struggling with the last phase of the torso cake, piping vs fondant.

Fondant rope extruded from the Makins Clay extruder was tedious, labor intensive and blisters all over my fingers. In addition, I had difficulty sticking the web pieces because they refuses to adhere to the buttercream unless moisture was applied and on top of that, gravity pulls!

I whipped out my Wilton string tip, again had a smaller tip that I prefer. Wish it was bigger! With a screaming sick baby in the background, this was not my night, I wanted to demolish the cake. My husband reminded me that the final outcome was pretty good since this is my 1st attempt.

Things I love about this cake:

1. I carved the torso to my expectations.

2. Learned to airbrush

3. Learned to carve a cake in human shape

What sucks…airbrushed cakes…hard to hide imperfections! Will I use my Master Airbrush G22 ever again, yes but only for final coverage of cake! Nothing else!

Sugar Shack, Fresno

A new cupcake/yogurt joint opened on Perrin/Sommerville, Fresno. I went there on Labor Day itself, around 7.30 pm with my son. Clean, welcoming joint. Tried their sample yogurt shot of red velvet. I love the taste. I bought 12 minis cupcakesf for $11.99 (tax included).

These were the only flavors available that late evening. I tried the mint chocolate chip with creme dementhe candy topping, red velvet with cream cheese frosting sprinkled with sanding sugar. lemon and finally the chocolate with chocolate bubbles.

First Visit Verdict: Taste of cupcakes – nothing to shout about, the texture for all the ones I tried, DRY was one of my huge concerns.

Lemon – frosting too sweet

Red velvet-does not taste like red velvet as cream cheese frosting has no CHEESY kick to it!

Chocolate and Mint Chocolate-forgettable because I cannot recall both taste

So far, I won’t dismiss this place, I will try to go in the daytime! So far, I like Cupcake Bakery on Cedar and Herndon.

Disclaimer: The above comments are based on my own experience. Actual purchase was made from establishment.

Oh no..Eddie

I special ordered a blackforest 8 inch round cake for my aunt’s 50th birthday, yes, she is half a century old, which means I am catching up too. Now, back to the cake, I was very disappointed with the cake. Mediocre design, cheap looking HAPPY 50th Birthday scribbled on top. Yup, believe there were no whole cherries topping on each rosettes! And to add salt to the wound, the filling is just cherry flavored jelly! The chocolate cake taste like cardboard to me, no chocolate goodness and not sweet at all. The whipped frosting was bland! $26.95 I paid! Eddie’s Bakery, this ain’t no Blackforest Cake! Make sure you check the recipe again!

Disclaimer: The above comments are based on my own purchase from the establishment.

Fondx rolled fondant-virgin white review

I bought a 2 lbs tub from Creative Cakes, Fresno. Price $16.40

I have difficulties working with this product, taste good – like marshmallow. However, you need to mix it with alot of gumpaste which defeat the purpose. It is too soft, softer than Duff buttercream fondant. I would not buy it again.

I made this male figurine to be put in a swimming pool cake, the only problem I have is when the skin of fondant dries – it wrinkles. Well, this dude is celebrating his 70th, so I guess a few wrinkles on the legs would not harm!

People molds

I was shaping my gumpaste figurines by hand by ever since I started cake decorating. Tired of working over and over on figurines, I decided to go for the molds. I found this at Creative Cakes, Fresno. Boy, Nancy (store owner) has everything you can think of!

It is made by PME Sugarcraft, UK. Strong hard plastic. 3 dimension figurines. I will try them this weekend to replace this male figurine I made free-form.

Sugar Shack revisited

Today I revisited Sugar Shack by Sommerville and Perrin. It was 3.33pm on a Saturday, the flavors she had today were different from the ones I had my first time. I picked 3 new flavors in mini size.

Chocolate cupcake with Snickers frosting
I love the FROSTING, it is light and fluffy and not too sweet, but I am missing the moistness in the chocolate cupcake.

Chocolate cupcake with Reese Peanut Butter chunks frosting
I love the FROSTING – it is light and fluffy and not too sweet, this is the same chocolate cake base used as the Snickers ones, still missing moistness.

Carrot cupcake with cream cheese frosting with chopped walnuts
Now, this is to die for, carrot cupcake, moist, not overpowering in spices, not too sweet and I see shredded carrots! This is my favorite so far! Better than the ones at Cupcake Bakery and the Market (bakery) at Herndon and West. And the frosting is so fluffy and creamy – it melts in my mouth. Yummylicious!

My next visit is to try their gourmet cupcakes, the difference is, the filling inside – mousse!

I do like to say that the owner or lady behind the counter is very nice, and that she is not a tight-wad. I bought 3 mini cupcakes to try, she ran out of small boxes or even paper bags, normally, in the past – I have come across bakery owners not willing to part with their precious boxes, they would just hand me the goodies with loose wax papers (just like the ones used with donuts). I felt bad to waste her big nice box, but she reassured me “no problem”. Now this is what I call customer service and thinking out of THE BOX, get the joke?

Barbie doll cake

This is for my dearest friend’s daughter, Ani’s 9th birthday held at Cal Skate, Clovis. The kids loved it. I am happy.

Mike Tompkins-Internet sensation

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjCLQaTFXx0
This dude is talented musically and cute!

I almost gave up!

I have one of these moments, where I just sighed so much, yammering by myself trying to finish this swimming pool cake for a friend of mine, Ike, who turns 90, an avid swimmer. Many things were not going as planned. I meant to bake a half sheet cake (11×15), but pulled out a quarter sheet cake (9×12). Then it dawned on me, when I double checked on the cake, it looked too small to be half sheet, so I had to whip up more cake to stack, iced, re-carve the pool, re-tile the pool….what a nightmare! Now I know why skilled workers charged so much to re-tile kitchen, bathroom and laundry room. I made 3 attempts to make tiles for the pool. All failed, finally, I have to cut each tile! I did not like how the sides of the cake look, meant to do waves, in 2 different tones. Then, ran out of buttercream frosting, biting my tongue here. Whipped more up in wee hours of the morning, while holding my baby girl, who decided not to go back to sleep and want to grab everything in reach, frosting was too runny.

What else can go wrong! This broke me into half, I could go loco now, scream and yell or bite my tongue again, and chuck it as an awful experience that will never repeats itself. I went home to pick up the cake during lunch hour, the cake was sitting at a awkward position, tipped over and slide downward. My heart stopped. I examined the cake, am grateful that I had to just repair the flag banner with a nose plier and wire cutter.

Geisha 3D torso cake

Geisha torso cake for Mariah

Ohayo, I am making the above for a little girl whom I know since 2003. Mariah celebrate her 16th birthday this weekend. I made three 12 inch rounds of mud cake and one 10 inch for the shoulders. This is bigger than Spiderman bust cake which I did last month. I had to empty my fridge – leaving the bins behind. I made all the flowers (peonies, my version of lotus flower, rose, calla lillies) from fondant for her headpiece, strung non-edible beads with small fondant flowers and hand made a ancient replica of Japanese antique hairpiece from fondant by Wilton.

I covered her torso with red Duff fondant and made leaf shaped indents to give texture to the fabric fondant. Then I painted the indentations with gold glaze. I enjoyed making this cake. Expanded my creativity and I am always looking for ways to make it better.

Monkey shower cake

My friend, Mandy Hill, who is having her first child this December. She did not want to know the gender of the baby. So her mom, Diane, is throwing her shower with a monkey theme, I am making her the cake as my gift to her. It will be a square box cake with a big bow around it, with the head of this monkey popping out of the box, with his/her tail dangling in the back of the box. It will be a mud cake – of course, because it is too delicious to say no to!

Monkey see….monkey do.

Introducing the unconventional Cupcake Towers!

Holds 24 standard size cupcakes

This vintage spiral holds 48 cupcakes-great for parties

Holds 12 standard size cupcakes

These structures are hand made by my partner in crime, Derek, for me. It is for sale or rent by day. Leave me a message, if you are interested below in the comments section. Pardon the pictures, I was so excited when I saw them – ideas are running thru my mind on how to display them. We customized any design you have in mind. I am thinking of an octopus with its arms serving mini size cupcakes. Derek, he is the bomb!

A fishy cake-large mouth bass

I am donating a 3d cake to the local Chinese Association’s annual Thanksgiving gathering next weekend. I started sculpting the large mouth bass fish with Rice Krispies Treat (RKT-store bought). I want to share with you how easy it is to sculpt with RKT, with a warm pair of hands and spray some PAM on your hands and start sculpting away. Inspired by javaheaddesign at Flickr.com. Tonight, I will hand paint the bass to give finer details.

Also, just cannot resist this, I went to a local grocery store called Winco and I was surprised and thrilled to see fresh honey directly from the bees, no kidding…they kept bees in the wooden hutch and you can buy the honey directly from the bees.

Another cool tool was freshly made peanut butter with no preservatives or sugar, you buy however much you want, just pull the nozzle, and out comes the creamy goodness. I did not buy any but manage to swipe some from the nozzle from a prior customer who bought some. It was coarser in texture, just like how you like the crunchy JIF ones.

Who makes the best cupcakes?

I love cupcakes, I was jumping with joy when Cupcakes Bakery opened in my vicinity, Cedar N Herndon. I frequented this joint too often even for my babysitter’s sake, she had to surrender by admitting defeat….too much of a good thing, is really too much. Then comes, Sugar Shack – now this place is right next street to my home! Heaven X 2!

With glee, I visited both over and over again. Now I can do a taste comparison. Both places have no problems in consistency in taste and quality of products made.

Overall look of the cupcakes, in terms of cupcake liners used, appeal of the cupcake and the whole box presentation, hands down goes to Sugar Shack. The way the cupcake rises to a plump top is simply chic looking. The cupcake liners are good quality and “not cheap looking”-therefore this qualifies it as a gourmet looking cupcake, also the frosting is piped on professionally and has height to it. But mind you, gravity works against these high toppers, many a times, my beautiful frosting tops had kissed the ground. Overall presentation of cupcake: Sugar Shack

My favorite cupcake is the Carrot Cupcake at Sugar Shack.
I will still stand by my past review of this cupcake at Sugar Shack: Carrot cupcake with cream cheese frosting with chopped walnuts. Now, this is to die for, carrot cupcake, moist, not overpowering in spices, not too sweet and I see shredded carrots! This is my favorite so far! Better than the ones at Cupcake Bakery and the Market (bakery) at Herndon and West. And the frosting is so fluffy and creamy – it melts in my mouth. Yummylicious!

My favorite cupcake at Cupcakes Bakery is the German Chocolate, I love coconut, it has the combination of salty and sweet – one bite was never enough, the cake is moist and the topping is divine!

Cupcakes Bakery store front wise is not very appealing, Sugar Shack spent some dough making it wide open and inviting. Though the part of the yogurt stations did not cross my mind. Right now the race is neck to neck. I want both places to succeed because we need sweet places like such for Fresno.

 At least – I can bring my International and Bay area relatives there, to show off my Fresno! Crave something sweet? Eat A Cupcake!

P/S Sugar Shack cupcakes is so pretty and I had to put it on my cupcake metal frame holder.

Finally, presenting the wide mouth bass…

It is finally done. I enjoyed doing it esp. the airbrushing part. Let me know what you think.

This monkey is making a mess!

This is Mandy’s baby shower cake, she loves monkeys, she does not know the sex of baby and she is due Dec 20. This is my gift for her. I stacked 6 layers of chocolate mud cake with ganache frosting and covered with buttercream. Everything you see is edible except the head, it is a styrofoam ball covered with fondant. She calls her baby, BABY HILL.

I decided the theme that she will be receiving a gift box with a playful monkey peeking thru after making a mess of everything, packing materials ala mini marshmallows everywhere, the monkey had left bananas and peels all over! Thanks, CharmChang @ Flickr.com for the inspiration!

Baby shower display

I got some pictures taken at the baby shower, the  monkey cake and the 48 cupcakes were a hit!

Latest Creations Thanksgiving weekend

Chanel Bag

This was requested by my cousin’s daughter who graduates from University of SF, she loves Chanel bags. The cake is travelling back with her.

Alden’s 70th birthday cake

Al's cake

I made this cake for my friend’s brother, Alden, who hails from DC, retired from his career as VP for Home Builders Institute, he loves photography and also serves as a local judge for Miss America pageant. I incorporated all he has done in 70 years of his life in this cake, a cool celebration of 70 years!

I love Despicable Me

My 2 young children and I are addicted to this movie, starring the voice of Steve Carell & Miranda Cosgrove (whom I am familiar with). I decided to make my daughter’s 1st birthday cake a 3D minion. I don’t know how the big minion’s expression is yet. Here I made one miniature out of fondant.

Wish me luck!

Despicable Me Minion 3 D cake

I made the cakes, 5 days before the actual event, prepped them for stacking, filling, frosting and covered it with fondant. I have a Kitchen Aid pasta roller attachment – works well with sheets of 6 inches wide. I wished I had that fondant sheeter which costs an arm and leg. Beside that, I planned in my mind how to construct IT with pvc pipes and joiners. Well, in the end it did not happen that way, I nearly punched a hole in this MINION. My spouse held me back. I stayed away for 2 days. Last night, I finished it. Here is the MINION by itself.

Originally, it was meant to give the illusion that it is standing on its tippy toes for Swan Lake scene and wearing a ruffle tutu. In addition, I even bought the fabric to simulate the lake. So now, it is just gonna sit ON THE WATER declaring its love for my daughter.

Note: the grainy picture was taken with iPhone 4G or was it my shaky tired hands.

Despicable Me Minion

We safely transported the Minion cake to the birthday site. My guests loved it. I did not enjoy making it because it was a lot hassle in terms of structure wise. I nearly gave up but stepped away for a day and resumed with a clear mind. I made chocolate dipped strawberries and red velvet heart shaped whoopie pies. Boy, am I exhausted.

Louis Vuitton Bag 2

This was a rush job for a surprise birthday party for my friend who turned 40 today. I was asked on Wednesday evening and started on Thursday night, baking, stacking and assembling. It is 12 inches wide, 10 inches high and 4 inches in depth. My precious assistant, CK helped last night – to a point when I was contemplating to lay it flat instead of vertical. Finally, both of us came out with the idea inserting cake board to even the distribution of weight, it was standing from 4 am till 9 am when I finished. LOL it survived the van ride too!

My only beef is I had to rush to source out a local edible paper printer for the LV bag print, because my regular online supplier could not get them to me in a day. I am grateful though to my local supplier, Nancy Babick of Creative Cakes and More for her help! I wanted to use potato paper because it is more studier than frosting sheets because of its vulnerability to tear and run on ink. Lesson learned here stock up on prints! I was not pleased with the frosting sheets, I hate them – I meant the material! I have cut and repaste over torn sections.

LV bag in classic print

Betty Boop tea set cake

Erich’s grandmother, Margret turned 90 and I made this for her.  Due to an serious infection, she passed away 3 weeks after she turned 90. Margret – we missed you and rest in peace!

All edible

Push UP cake

I came up with this name and suddenly I draw similarities to push-ups in exercise and then push up bras. Well, this item which I bought online, has the concept of push pops, but with this – the sky is the limit. You can fill it up with cake, frosting, mousse, panna cotta, jello and endless options. I call it the push UP cakes. It is not a cupcake! Clean – no mess and I simply love them!

Push UP Cake

Sugar beer bottle

I bought a ready made beer bottle silicone mold from Ebay.com. Last night, I used a pound of isomalt crystals to make this sugar beer bottle displayed below. I am experimenting before I venture ahead to make 8 of them for a beer cooler cake for my friend’s wife who is turning 30 in April.

The only thing I need to tweak is to rid of those bubbles in the bubbling hot isomalt liquid. Secondly, I am going to use ordinary granulated sugar for my 8 bottles because 1 pound of isomalt makes one bottle. That would cost me $48. Anyway, ordinary sugar would work to my advantage since it turns into amber color when in high temperature and therefore, I do not need to color the liquid like I did with clear isomalt. But I do need to make clear ice cube for the cooler. Wish me luck!

SF signature milk chocolate fondue chips

I was at Target and found the above on sale for $6.98 from it’s original price of $9.99. I learned being a smart consumer, one should not discriminate any products. I bought a bag to try, to my surprise, it is smooth flowing liquid chocolate, no clumps, easy melting in my Wilton electric chocolate fondue set. I was enjoying dipping my cake pops in it. I cannot tell you my feeling of pure “chocolate” joy in my discovery! I have tried the following brands:

Sephra – dark and white – expensive but I like it in terms of easy to melt and texture. Taste good too.

Wilton – from candy melts to milk chocolate fondue chips – a struggle with the candy melts but fondue chips – average in easy to melt and texture…very sweet to my taste. Price wise: catch the Michaels and Joann Fabric Store 40 pct / 50 pct discount

Nestle Tollhouse semi-sweet morsels – cheapest – most difficult to melt and clumpy texture. My last resort.

Now with my new discovery of SF Signature brand and my lucky Shamrock find…I bagged 10 of them at my local Target store for $2.68 per bag. It was 70% off. Yeah!!! And they do not expire till Dec 2012! Oh Yeah!

Humanity needs us

Japan, I grew up looking East where I was standing. I never stop looking at you. I am praying for you. I longed to see your beautiful country still. I admire everything you stand for. You taught me not to stand alone as one but as a group, a community, a nation, and now the world willl stand by you. I urge everyone out there, help Japan.

They were always there to help others, we should reciprocate! I love you – Japan – you will survive and regain your place as you always have.

Victoria Rose Cottage, Clovis

I visited this establishment about 9 years ago for my good friend’s baby shower. I then decided to revisit the Victoria Rose Cottage in Clovis with my good friend but now with her 9 year old daughter alongwith my two cousins aged 9 and 13. It is advisable to make reservations because they tend to have gatherings for birthday parties to visiting tourists in busloads. We met for brunch on a Saturday. The ambience is cosy with an old English charm. The girls were all excited and so were we.

We were offered lemonade or ice tea. The menu had a good selection of ala carte to a set menu from light to heavy.  I ordered the Afternoon Tea, my good friend, Nancy, had the chicken & mushroom crepe with a creamy sauce. As for the three young ladies, they each had the Young Royal Tea.  My Afternoon Tea came with my choice of any tea, which I picked the Chocolate Mint, at first sip, I did not taste the mint – just the bitterness of chocolate (without sugar or milk in my tea) but then the cool minty feel hit you at the back of your tongue, MARVELOUS! I loved their warm fresh baked scone, which came with Devonshire Cream, Lemon Curd & Raspberry Preserves. I sampled all three. They were very good accompaninent to the wonderful fluffy soft scone. Then came my petite salad. It was more like a medium salad with a good mix of European style salad drizzled my a tangy vinaigrette dressing. My finger sandwiches and hot savories arrived in two plates, each item was different in taste and I fell in love with the warm Danish Havarti cheese finger sandwich. The cheese was creamy and not  overpowering. My Afternoon Tea came with a lovely dessert to wrap up my wonderful experience at the Victoria Rose. Fruit compote at the bottom  & piled on top is the creamiest custard ever!

Ratings: Full Love and Kisses

http://www.victoriarosefinedining.com

Will & Kate 2011

Tomorrow morning at 3am (CA time), Will and Kate will marry.  I am happy, yet a little sad, as I do miss Will’s mom, Princess Diana. July 29, 1981 ~ I was 12. I stayed up to watch the wedding on a color television which I had to give thanks to my father for which he tried hard to provide us a life of comfort and adequacy. Diana was breathtaking on her wedding day, it was then a fairy tale wedding which ended in divorce. It was not a match made in heaven. When Princess Diana passed on, my heart stopped ~ what will we do now? There is no representation of the people, someone we the Commoners can relate to.

Then came Kate, I have not followed up on her, but she has maintained a very low profile of herself when Will and her were in courtship. I hope for them ~ peace, love and happiness! In the midst of all the tragedies that are happening in the world, Middle East unrest, Japan’s earthquake, our midwest tornado stricken states, and anywhere else where hunger, sadness and devastation exist, stand strong as life will prevail, I hope.

Will and Kate, you bring a glimmer of hope for us all as we watch you marry tomorrow. I miss your mum terribly.

Coors Light cooler

Cheers! All edible except the cake board.  The cooler is sitting on a wood like surface. ACDC is the birthday gal’s fave band and she loves her beer!

Inspired by Piece of Cake – Mark.

Hit the Jackpot, Danita!

Danita turned 50 and she loves the Munsters theme slot machine. All edible from top to bottom – except the board and the slot handle.

The gold chocolate coins add the dazzle to it.

I added a VEGAS like billboard to announce her birthday, airbrushed the slot machine in silver. Love my airbrush unit.

Busy making goodies

In this week, I made one graduation cake for my friend, a gumball dispenser cake and a big cupcake for my spouse’s birthday.

Edible Picture Cookie Frame

I made this 3D picture frame 13″ by 15″ fondant. The frame sits on a sugar cookie base, and propped up on a custom made wooden easel for display made by my friend – Derek Walker. The images are printed on edible frosting sheets, courtesy of http://www.etsy.com/shop/SweetnTreats?ref=ss_profile.

Samos Kitchen, Fresno

Spicy Seafood Tofu soup

Bibimbap

I revisited Samos Kitchen for the second time since 2006. As I recalled, it has never changed in terms of the ambience and the layout of the restaurant. The owner and staff are very friendly and approachable. After watching Andrew Zimmern – from Bizzare Foods and Alton Brown’s recommendation of the dish Bibimbap, I was enticed to revisit Korean cuisine again. My first experience was not memorable.

I went last Saturday at around 1 pm. It was quiet. Service was fast. We ordered spicy BBQ chicken, Seafood soup (menu indicates it comes with seafood, pork, beef and tofu), Bibimbap, fried chicken wings, the bill came to $60 (with 2 sodas, one extra radish soup on the side). There were 3 adults.

The food was not bad. The dishes are overpriced and I felt shortchanged. My BEEF was that the Seafood soup should be renamed Tofu soup…I did not see a shred of seafood…where are the shrimps, squid, perhaps fish, NADA, NONE, ZERO! All I fished out was a few strands of beef and tons of tofu. I did indicate to our server not to put pork in our soup. The soup looked bubbling hot and appetizing, but it tasted bland, a hint of heat and that is it!

Now, I know Bibimbap is not my thing. It was dry - it was suggested by the owner that I mix it well, and hated the sweet red sauce it came with. I missed the beef, it was good but barely there.
We barely touched the fried chicken wings. Our server was young, nice, but not so informed about Korean cuisine.

Bibimbap (Korean pronunciation: [pibimbap]^[1]) is a signature Korean dish. The word literally means “mixed meal.” Bibimbap is served as a bowl of warm white rice topped with namul (sautéed and seasoned vegetables) and gochujang (chili pepper paste). A raw or fried egg and sliced meat (usually beef) are common additions. The ingredients are stirred together thoroughly just before eating.^[2] It can be served either cold or hot. – according to wikipedia.

I still like to explore Korean cuisine, but where? My experience at Samos, is based solely on my taste buds, my years of experience working in the hotel industry in Singapore and that I am a foodie…love love love food of all kinds.

Samos Kitchen
345 E Shaw Ave
Fresno, CA

Wilton Sugar Sheets-new

This year, Wilton has expanded the cake decorating tools line. Today, I tried their Sugar Sheets. I liked it, easy to handle. It costs $3.99 and can be found at Michaels Craft or Joann Fabrics. I made the Green Bay Packers logo from them. I did not need to freeze like the customizable frosting sheets. I just made sure my hands were dry when handling the sugar sheets. They come in tons of solid colors, patterns like zebra strips and also, cut-outs alphabets. It is nicely package, with a cardboard backing to prevent mishandling. Each item comes in one full sheet of eye popping colors, thickness is just right & manageable when I peeled it of from its backing. I would use it for simple cutouts, for example, logos. Overall, it is a good and smart product.

I used white (solid pure white), green and yellow sheets here.

XOXO – loving it!

Green Bay Packers helmet on a field cake

 

It is record time  (3 days) for me to complete this 21st birthday cake from a very good sister for her brother who turned 21 last week. The helmet is hand molded from RKT and wrapped in fondant. Flavor of cake: milk chocolate cake and ganache & fudge frosting. All edible except the front part of the helmet where I bent floral wires wrapped with fondant  to make the protective  face gear.

Frosted Cakery at Tower District

This is not my favorite!

The top left one is da bomb, salted caramel.

I visited Frosted Cakery last weekend. It was at historic Tower District, it is a quaint little shop with ample parking on the side of the building. As you enter, you are greeted with cupcakes at the front counter and the back is the open kitchen where all the cake decorating work is done! I met the owner, whose father owned the former Jimmy’s Bakery in Clovis. It is a family run business, nice people!
The cupcakes came in a brown box with a clear top. Finally, someone is willing to spend the monies on packaging that makes the cupcakes shine! However, the customers will be paying the price of the nice packaging. They had canolies, French macarons (not the coconut macaroons where spelling mistake always occurs) and cake pops.

For my initial visit, I purchased 3 dozens of mixed variety and 6 of the gluten free/vegan. It came to $111.

Here is my likes/dislikes about this place:

1. Love the buttercream frosting, very fluffy airy, just right in terms of sweetness. Hands down winner for excellent buttercream frosting!
2. The cupcakes has different cupcake liners-but not very good quality liners like what Sugar Shack uses, sturdy brown and uniform across all types of cupcakes. I had a hard time holding my chocolate cupcake with fudge frosting (I think that is the flavor).
3. My first bite into the chocolate fudge frosting cupcake was not to my liking, the frosting has a waxy after taste and the cake itself is bland and gummy in texture, it was not my favorite.
4. Then I tried the popular salted caramel, the cake is fresh, soft like a sponge cake and love the frosting with caramel drizzle, it is to die for!
5. I do not see any visible pricing displayed like how other cupcakes places in town do. Letting your customer know the prices is a good thing!
6. They have gluten free and vegan which I love!
7. They not only sell cupcakes, they make cakes for all occasions!

I will try to go back as often as I can because of the other flavors I have not tried and also for the buttercream! I am a buttercream girl!

Dora the Explorer cake

I enjoyed making this cake esp. when it is all worth seeing the birthday girl’s big smile. The 8″ cake sits on a turntable and rotates around. All pieces are edible except for the board.

It came with 48 sets of toppers for cupcakes.

To see more of the cake in action, go to here.

Petal Crafts – Glendale, California

The talented Edna dela Cruz’s creation using the topsy turvy pans.

I buy most of my baking and cake decorating stuff online nowadays, because it is easier and I am trying to avoid going to my local bakery supply store in town because of their unprofessional customer service. My point in case, I will take my spending to somewhere else and pay a little more sometimes for shipping, but I can deal with that. Then I found Petal Crafts online during one of my blog reading sessions late nights. www.petalcrafts.com
Owner-Kaye H. is known for her sugar flowers and jewelry making talent! I bought several items from her to make high heels from fondant. It was like any other purchases. Then I liked her company on FACEBOOK. She does monthly giveaways for stuff that people like me –  would love to own but strapped with cash in this gloomy economy of ours. I was lucky to be the August 2011 winner and received a prize of $130 worth, it is the latest topsy turvy pans-6″ 8″ 10″ 12″. I was late to claim the prize due to Internet failure over labor day weekend. In addition to that, I was lucky that her fans on FB gave me another chance to claim the prize and today, I received my topsy turvy pans! There is more to this experience with Petal Crafts.

I was declared the August winner around 9/8 and gave all the necessary info for shipment. Almost 2 weeks – I did not receive my prize and so I emailed Kaye personally, she was sure she forwarded the necessary info to her warehouse staff. Then she found out she did not do so and she apologized.

5 Points in being a Great Person in anything you do!
1. Always be nice.
2. Always be nice without an agenda.
3. Sincerely own up to your mistakes.
4. If you are able to make someone’s day special, do something EXTRAORDINARY!
5. Be humble in all you do.

Kaye scored all 5 of these POINTS with me.
The part I appreciated the most, she apologized sincerely, she went an extra mile to make sure I got the pans asap! She incurred some shipping charges via Priority Overnight so I can get my prize!

So I endorse, www.petalcrafts.com for their great products and great customer service!

The Westersund Wedding Cake

 

Photo by Carli Morgan Photography

Photo by Carli Morgan Photography

The Westersund wedding cake is chocolate mud cake layered with ganache covered with buttercream, followed by champagne tinted fondant. The bottom tier is 14″ round 6″ height, middle tier is 10″ round 8″ height, lastly the top tier is 6″ round dummy tier with fondant decorations and rhinestones belt – for bride to keep.

Things I learned from this cake:-

1. Wedding cake pedestal – a must for wedding cakes! I bought on Ebay for $90, a 20 inches round aluminium. The pedestal gives the cake extra height and a majestic feel to it. It is a good investment.

2. The Mat by Sweet Wise – another tool I found very useful, for the first time my fondant covered middle tier looked immaculate. The Mat is food safe vinyl mat which is an excellent tool for rolling out fondant to cover cakes, if you are like, who keep wishing for fondant sheeter. The Mat costs $19 on Amazon.com

Everyone raves about how good Satin Ice-endorsed by celebrity cake bakers. I do not agree. I used it once long time ago, here is my old post. http://xoxodesigns.wordpress.com/2009/02/14/amore/

I still hate using it. It has a indecisive texture to it. When I roll it out to cover my bottom tier, cracks appeared, luckily the bottom tier was designed with ruffles. I used Satin Ice to make roses, comparing to my normal 50 wilton 50 duff fondant combo, the petals on Satin Ice roses cracked easily. It still smells funny to me.