Random Places, But Still Good Eats!

Isn’t it marvelous that God created food?  I mean, really now.  Food is amazing!  It’s delicious!  And sometimes nutritious.  Though more often than not.. the food I love.. is not.  :(

Anywhos, I haven’t posted on the numerous places I get to eat at in awhile.  I did go to many many great places, but I shall focus on just a couple of them.  :)

I’m sure you all know by now that I have a special penchant for cafes.  Especially cafes with real coffee and made-from-scratch baked goods.  Ah.  So good!  So my friend Nathan and I happened upon this cafe called Chimney–quite by accident, I tell you.  Okay fine.  Yelp told me about it, but still.  Neither of us had heard of it before!  And what a gem it was!  I would love to go back.. if I am ever in Chinatown again.

Strange, right?  This great not-Chinese cafe in the middle of Chinatown?!  I love it!

Nathan ordered beignets with strawberry sauce.  And I got coffee, of course, and a blueberry muffin.  It was quite delish!  :)

And then just this past weekend, I, along with some church friends,  went to this pizza joint (oh how I love pizza!) called Redballs Rock and Roll Pizza.  This was again found by Yelp.  But you know what?  I have pretty good luck with Yelp.  Thanks to the great reviews and just a natural gut instinct, my choices usually end up pretty dang good.  :)

But anyhow, this place is totally a homage to rock and roll.  The walls are plastered with posters and pictures and paraphernalia.  Granted, I am not a fan of rock and roll.  But I am a fan of the pizza!  :)

Doesn’t that pizza HUMONGOUS?  Well, yes.  Because it was!  That’s the standard size of the pizzas.  They have yummy custom made New York style pies.  Yummy.  :)  As well as some VERY garlicky garlic bread with marinara sauce.  I wouldn’t mind coming around here again.  Maybe even on Thursday night during their open mics.  hehe.

Mm.  I love it when I happen upon things on Yelp and they turn out amazing!  :)  It’s a gift.  I pretty much have a 90% success rate.  Not sure how I can prove that.. but perhaps my posts are proof enough?  :)

Tags: bakery, coffee, food, friends, pictures, pizza

Blue Blue Blueberries!

Blue blue blueberries!  A bountiful bunch of bright blue blueberries!

Considering how I made about 3 different wonderfully delicious blueberry treats… I actually don’t like blueberries all that much.  haha.  Strange, huh?

But when there’s a sale on blueberries…

You can make… BLUEBERRY PIE!

Let’s not forget… BLUEBERRY LEMON MUFFINS!  :)

And last but not least… BLUEBERRY BOY BAIT.  :)

Delicious, right?!  It’s called a boy bait.. because apparently,  it’s all you need to snag a boy. HAHA.  Though… I hear cookies work just as well.  ;)

Blueberries are wonderful to bake with–fresh or frozen!  I do have some more blueberries in my freezer… I wonder what I will make next!  :)

Tags: blueberries, fruit, muffins, pictures, pie

Cake Pops Cake Pops Everywhere!

Ah yes.  The craze has finally reached me.  Since Bakerella released her cake pops book, I fear such an insane mania has swept the nation.   People from all over (even Starbucks!) have fallen victim to this cute bite-sized cake on a stick.  How is it different from a cake ball, you may ask?  Nothing.  Except it’s on a stick.  Simple.. and yet it seems to add a whole new dimension of cuteness and consumer demand.

I have had one experience making cake balls.  I came out of that experience with a couple of thoughts, but one main thought was… this is a lot of work for something so small.  haha.  But it’s interesting how it seems to blow the minds of those who don’t bake…I’ve gotten plenty of questions from people on how to make this little suckers.  Pretty funny ideas too.  :)

But the main point of this post was to share about my (insane) experience to make 300 cake pops as wedding favors for Carrie, my old roommate.  I foolishly thought that I would make 2 cake pops per person.  But after hearing that the guest list was about 300 people… I quickly scratched that idea, because making 600 cake pops would make anybody go crazy.  Especially me…. and possibly even a little bit angry.  So, I decided to just go with one per guest, alternating between green and pink (which were her wedding colors).  :)

To put it simply… I may did go a liiiiitle bit crazy, but I was so happy that everything came out wonderfully.  The packaging of the cake pops took me a VERY long time, but they came out so cute!  I guess it made all the long hours of work worth it.  haha.  :)  And besides, they made Carrie happy.. so it’s win win for everyone!  yay!

I made chocolate and red velvet cake pops!  And as you can see…I had many casualties along the way.  Sad.  They could not be saved.  :(

Isn’t the packaging super cute?  :)

I also made special cake pops for the wedding party!

So pretty right?  But Bakerella’s are still prettier.  Sigh.

Anywho, the wedding was wonderful and beautiful and fun!  And lots of people actually really liked the cake pops… so that made me very very happy!  :)

Congrats again to Carrie & Mike Saechang!  :D

Tags: cake pops, friends, pictures, wedding

A Sweet Heart Cake for Sweethearts!

Remember this beautiful cake?  :)

Well, I am proud to say that I have now made TWO of them!  One for a bridal shower and one for a wedding!  :)

The second cake I made with a strawberry cake filling (with real strawberries!)  It was definitely super cute with a pink heart.  :)  It didn’t take me as long as the first time to make this cake, but there were still moments of tension and suspense!  Especially when I was stacking the layers and transporting the cake.  Then I was greatly perplexed as to why the cake seemed WAY bigger than the last one… but I thought maybe I was just seeing things (due to lack of sleep). hahaha.

Doesn’t the cake filling look like brains?!  hahaha.  Sorry.  It did kinda look gross when I crumbled up the strawberry cake and mixed it with frosting.  Oh, speaking of which.  The frosting was seriously to die for.  I loved how white and smooth it is!  I even bought clear vanilla extract to make sure the frosting was a perfect white!  And it wasn’t too sweet with a nice hint of almond to finish it off.  :)

So those of you who were wondering how to make this cake… here is a quick explanation.  I made 4 separate white cakes and then stacked 2 of them together to make 2 separate 2 layer cakes (are you following?).   Then I made strawberry cake and then crumbled it and mixed it with frosting (kinda like how you would make a cake ball).  Next, I carved out the 2 white cakes to create the 3D shape of a heart (see pictures below).  After I froze the cakes, I stuffed them full with the strawberry cake (see below picture) and then froze them so more!

Last, I smooshed the 2 cakes together to make one giant 4 layer (with strawberry cake inside) cake!  Oh, and I frosted the whole cake two more times (you mustn’t forget the crumb layer) to make it just right!

 

 

Oh yes… the reason for the kettle and pot on top.. was because I felt like the cake was too tall.  I guess my sleep deprivation made me think that the kettle would squish the cake and make it smaller… or something like that…. hahaha.  But now that I think about it, I was just being a tad bit silly.  :)

 

 

 

Whew.  Lots of work indeed.  :)

But take a look at the final product!

Isn’t it sooooo cute?!  :)  I definitely enjoy making this week.  It is a bit nervewracking when I’m carving out the cake.. and nervewracking when I stack all 4 layers together… and nervewracking transporting/delivering the cake.  But to see people’s look of surprise and delight makes it alllllll worth it!

I definitely want to make this one of my specialties.  For weddings or bridal showers or anniversaries.  :)

It’s such a sweet cake.  Perfect for sweethearts!  hehe.

Tags: friends, heart, pictures, strawberries, wedding cake

New Place, New Post!

Hello hello!

It has been a VERY long time since I’ve posted.  (Yeah, I’m bad like that.)  Not because I wasn’t baking, but because I’ve been busy moving and settling in my new place.  :D

Yes!  I have moved!  Still living in the westside though, because west LA is the best place everrrr!  Especially in this intense summer weather, I am extremely grateful to live so close to the ocean so I won’t die from the heat.

Oven heat + summer heat = DEATH.

But yes, I did manage to find time to bake a couple times while many of my things were still in their boxes.  :)  I’m a bit sad that my new oven is smaller than my last one.. but I will make do with what I got.   Sigh.

Anywho.  Since it’s summer, I’ve been on a fruit spree!  Not to eat.  Oh no.  No.  I can’t look at fruit now without thinking about how I might bake with it.  hahaha.  I love cobblers, pies, and tarts!  Perfect topped with whipped cream or ice cream!  nom nom nom.

Speaking of which.. I have delicious lemons and peaches that desperately need to be consumed/used.  Hmm.  Peach hand pies? Lemon bars?  Peach crumble?  Lemon meringue cookies?

I have a whole bunch of things to post about… so please be patient!  But here’s a heads-up:  EXPECT LOTS OF FRUIT!  ;)

Tags: fruits, moving, summer

Carrot (Cake) on a Stick?

I wasn’t a huge carrot cake fan growing up.  I can probably count on one hand (or more specifically three fingers) how many times I’ve eaten it.  I think it just weirded me out that a vegetable (though I do love carrots) was put into something decadent and fatty like a cake.  Or maybe it’s because it’s usually served with cream cheese (yuck) frosting… yeah.  That’s probably why I didn’t like it.

But after my friend Kerri, who is quite an avid baker herself, made some carrot cake (without cream cheese frosting, thank goodness!) I decided that it’s not that bad after all.  I think mainly because she had an awesome recipe with a secret ingredient!

Now this secret ingredient totally revolutionized carrot cake for me!  I had never thought the pairing of the carrots and this secret ingredient could result in such a yummy cake!      I found some recipes that called for a number of different things.  Some asked for raisins.  Some for walnuts.  Among a number of other things.  I decided to use Kerri’s recipe, which kept things simple.

I never realized how HARD it is to grate an entire pound of carrots!  Yikes.  My hands were cramping from gripping the carrots so tightly.  Yeah.  I’m a wuss like that.  :(

But the exciting part was adding in the secret ingredient which is… PINEAPPLES!  Crazy, right?  Yummy yummy pineapples!  It gives it a nice sweetness and tartness and moistness.  :)

And I actually made this recipe twice, which is very rare for me.  (This means I really liked this recipe and you should REALLY try it sometime)   The first time I made cupcakes and the second time I made a really pretty bundt cake (but alas!  No pictures of that one.)

Ah.  So good. Especially when it’s warmed up a bit (with no cream cheese frosting)!  :)

If you really want the recipe, then let me know!  I am more than willing to email it to you.  :)

Tags: cake, carrots, cream cheese, cupcakes, pictures, pineapples

“Healthy” Sushi, Anyone?

I know.  What can be healthier than fish on rice?  (And no.  Those nasty rolls with cream cheese are not my idea of “healthy”.)

Sushi… made with BROWN RICE?!

Yes.  I mean, no.  I am not one of those health freaks who is constantly jumping on every single new “superfood” trend that comes about.  I have heard enough about soybeans, acai, quinoa, and pomegranates!  Brown rice though.  Hm.  I used to purple rice… sooooo I guess I’m okay with my rice being brown. 

But sushi with brown rice?!  I was instantly intrigued when I happened upon Shikibu while Yelping (yes, I made it a verb!).   This tiny sushi bar (and when I mean tiny… I mean TINY) was less than 5 minutes from my apartment too!   I think there was only space for about 5 people inside and maybe 4 out on the “patio”. But despite the cramped conditions, the food was delicious!    And I felt so healthy eating it too. 

My friend Wendy Shaun and I ordered a Tiger Roll, Salmon Roll, and Crispy Brown Rice with Spicy Tuna.  :D  YUM.

I thoroughly enjoyed this meal.  :)  I can’t wait to go back.  Considering that it was decently priced and less than a mile from my apartment…it’s definitely a keeper!

Tags: brown rice, healthy, pictures, sushi

Do I Hear Wedding Bells?!

Yes indeedy!  And no.  Not mine.  hahaha.

I was asked to bake for my dear friend Liz Lee’s bridal shower.  :)  So I decided to utilize the wedding cake and wedding dress cookie cutters I bought a few months ago.  I almost forgot about them.. but was super excited to finally have a reason to use them!  I also decided to make a very special cake, which I also happened to bake for a friend of a friend’s wedding (of which I will post about later).  :)

These cookies were pretty labor intensive… I must admit.  But the finished products… were so cute.. that it was almost worth the sleepless night.  :)

And NOW  for the amazing cake!  I think I want to make this a specialty of mine…

Pretty… right?  :)  Wait until you take a look INSIDE!

Isn’t it wonderful?!   YES.  THAT IS A HEART!  The cake that I made for my friend of a friend’s wedding (which, I will post in greater detail at a later time) had a strawberry cake heart.  This one was red velvet cake and I actually liked this recipe (unlike the other cake I made before).

This cake took me well over 10 hours for all the baking and frosting and chilling and assembling and frosting.  It also cost me a whole night of sleep.  :(  But when you open it and you hear the crowd gasp… well… it’s all worth it.  :)

Tags: bridal shower, cookies, friends, pictures, red velvet, wedding cake

Look What the Easter Bunny Brought!

Not that I believe in the Easter Bunny… or anything.  Nor do I even slightly resemble a giant bunny.  But since all the kids were talking about this giant bunny who goes around giving out eggs and candy, I thought.. why not join in the fun?!

And who can resist these absolutely adorable cupcake liners?!  So cute!  When I saw these at Joanns, I knew I HAD to buy them and bake something!  :)  I bought them in the regular and mini size.  hehe.  I decided to make strawberry cupcakes and lemon cupcakes with vanilla frosting and pastel green, yellow, pink, and purple sprinkles and jellybeans!

I made a gazillion of these cupcakes for my coworkers! haha.  When I brought them to the office and pulled off the foil, the delicious smell of SUGAR filled the air. Let’s just say that they were instantly devoured, which made me very very happy!  :)

Aren’t they precious?!  :)  The mini cupcakes were so cute and dainty!  hehe.

I know this post is a couple days late, but I hope you all had a blessed Easter!

He is risen!

He is risen indeed!

Tags: cupcakes, cute, Easter, jellybeans, pictures

Delightful Treats in the City

As some of you may know, I took a trip up to norcal yet again.  I know.   Again.  Third time this year.  haha.  Don’t worry.  Not falling in love with the bay.  No way!

LA is still THE best place to be!  :)

Anyhow, I was there visiting the Vo’s and other friends and experiencing some delightful treats in the city of SF.  I will admit–SF is fun.  But everywhere else… yeah… BORINGVILLE.  :)

A few  fun places I went to are Paulette Macaron, Miette Confiserie, Philz Coffee, Ferry Building, and Blue Bottle Coffee Co. (which also happened to be in the Ferry Building).  :)

Though I am not a huge macaron fan, these cuties were quite tasty.  :)  And the colors were quite gorgeous.  Apparently, there is also a Paulette Macarons shop down in Beverly too.  We got four different flavors:  Earl Grey, Carribbean Chocolate, Lemon, and Columbian Coffee.  :)

Aren’t they so pretty?!  :)  And mighty tasty too!  hehe.

Though… I didn’t take any pictures at Miette Confeserie… I LOVED IT!  It’s a bakery/candy store.  Oh man.  So many cute Easter stuff.  Their cakes were SO  precious!  Gave me a few ideas for some future cakes.  :)  Also, they have a macaron “happy hour”  when you can get $1 macarons!  Score!

Next, we hit up Philz Coffee.  I used to be sucha Starbucks addict (I do own a Gold Card… yeah)… but no more.  Philz has ruined me.  I don’t want to be a coffee snob, but nothing is as delicious as my own freshly ground and brewed coffee.  Mmm.  Yes.  I do love good coffee.  :)  I think every time I go to norcal… I’ve managed to visit a different Philz.  Once in Berkeley, once in Palo Alto, and once in SF.  I shall try to visit them all!  haha.

Speaking of which!  We also hit up Blue Bottle Coffee Co. in the Ferry Building.  A nice hot latte with a caramelized belgium waffle for breakfast?  YES PLEASE!  Though I’m not really a breakfast person… I’d gladly eat this every morning!  :)

 

We did some light grocery shopping while at the Ferry Building, which included picking up some Acme bread rolls!  Yum yum.   I love the smell of freshly baked bread!  :)

Next we had lunch with Jarrod at Jack’s Prime.  Yes yes, this restaurant was not in the city, but oh well.  I’m going to lump it all together. haha.  Let me know tell you… this place has GOOD burgers.  Yummity yum yum!  But my most favorite part was the… FRIED PICKLES!  :D

Don’t those burgers look SO amazing?!  :D

I also ended up cooking for my dear friends, John and Kristen Vo.  :)  I know… she cooks?!  haha.  I actually don’t like cooking for myself, but I really enjoy hosting dinner for friends!  :)

Rosemary pork with roasted asparagus and potatoes and bread roll!

And of course, I baked for this trip too.  :P

 

These are oldies, but goodies!  hehehehe.  Molasses Spice Cookies with Orange Sugar (which, apparently.. I forgot to post about it before… but I will in the future!) and Lemon Poppyseed Muffins!

Overall, I do have to say… it was quite a delightful trip!  :)