Chinese Takeout Anyone??

Posted on by under Cakes, Icing, Recipes

photo 3  Birthday parties… The hardest thing about them is always the theme!!! For my sister though, that wasn’t the case. She’s been interested in the Chinese culture ever since my dad went there on a business trip haha. So of course, she had a Chinese themed party with everything Chinese you can think of! It was hilarious because half of the people she invited even came dressed in the Chinese cultural clothing. She asked me to make her her cake like last year (which was a rainbow layered cake from inside) so I didn’t mind at all, considering it’s been a while since I baked due to exams and studying. After some research, I decided that I was going to make her a fondant Chinese Takeout Cake! I used a Coconut Cake recipe seen below, covered it with fondant, & drew on it with edible food markers.

Coconut Cake

Ingredients:

  • 6 large egg whites
  • 2 1/4 cups cake flour
  • 1 1/4 cups sugar
  • 1 cup coconut milk
  • 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
  • 1 1/2 sticks of butter (or 2/3 cup), RT
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • Icing Recipe from here
  • Pre-made Fondant (bought from Michaels)

Directions:

Preheat: 350 F

  1. Mix together all the dry ingredients: cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt
  2. Cut the butter in 2-inch cubes and beat with the dry mixture until it becomes crumbly (1 minute aprox)
  3. In a separate bowl, mix together the egg whites, coconut milk, coconut, and vanilla extract
  4. Add half of this liquid mixture to the dry ingredients and beat until well combined
  5. Add the remaining liquid mixture until the batter is consistent and uniform
  6. Pour the batter in the cake pan and bake for about 15 minutes or until lightly golden
  7. Allow the cake to cool completely

What I did for assembling it was cut it into four pieces, which I then stacked on top of each other with layers of frosting in between. I completely coated the whole cake with a thin layer of frosting after to seal the crumbs (because you need a flat surface when you place the fondant over it). For the fondant, I just measured each side of the cake and cut out each piece a half inch larger so I could seal each side on top of each other. I drew the Chinese symbols & house onto the fondant cut outs before putting them on the cake.

Lastly… It was pretty spontaneous, but to top it off I decided to make her cupcakes to go along with it!

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It’s Only The Beginning…

Posted on by under Lunch, Recipes

Usually you hear of people doing a bucket list, which consists of a myriad of items ranging from places to visit or dare-devil adventures to take. Me and my friend are big foodies so we gave a twist to it. When she gave the idea to have the “Ultimate Food Bucket List”, we just loved it and couldn’t stop adding foods to it! Hahaha it was just perfect & we both couldn’t wait to get started. We started off with a Pina Colada smoothie & Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas, which turned out quite successful due to the teamwork from everyone that helped. We didn’t have time to make the Strawberry Mojitos, but we will get to those later!! Keep posted as we blend, bake, slice, sauté, and cook our way through the Ultimate Food Bucket List :)

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Pina Colada Smoothie

Printable Version

Ingredients

  • 3 cups chopped pineapple
  • 1 cup coconut milk
  • 1 banana
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons honey
  • 5 ice cubes

Directions

Blend together and enjoy your fruitful smoothie!

*If I could change anything about this, I would have added only 1/2 a banana, a couple more ice cubes, and more coconut milk! 

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Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

Printable Version

Enchilada Sauce

Ingredients

  • 8 oz chicken broth
  • 16 oz can diced/fire roasted tomatoes (your choice)
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1 tbs cumin
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a medium pot and heat over medium heat on the stove for about 30 minutes to an hour. (For a more flavorful sauce- can also be done in a slow cooker for 6-8 hours on low heat or 3-4 hours on high)

Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients

  • 10 tortillas
  • 2 cups shredded cooked chicken
  • 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
  • 2 1/2 cups Enchilada Sauce
  • 4 oz cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder

Directions

  1. Combine the cream cheese, sour cream, 1 cup of shredded cheese, and 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce in a medium bowl 
  2. In another bowl, mix the shredded chicken, cumin, and garlic powder
  3. Combine the enchilada sauce mixture with the chicken mixture
  4. Pour 1 cup of the enchilada sauce at the bottom of a glass baking dish
  5. Divide the enchilada/chicken mix among the 10 tortillas
  6. Roll them up and place them seam down in the dish to keep them from opening
  7. Pour the remaining 1 cup of enchilada sauce over the tortillas
  8. Finish it off with another cup of the shredded cheese
  9. Bake for about 30 minutes at 350 F

SugarCane Glory

Posted on by under Desserts

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When I first saw my brother cutting this in the kitchen, I wondered… What the heck is this boy doing with a bamboo stick? Haha turns out it was actually a sugarcane!! This is basically the processed sugar we eat on a daily basis in it’s unrefined form. Seems kind of weird right? It’s quite deceiving knowing that this comes from the grass family which we all assume is “healthy” although it produces that sweet product that we all try to stay away from lol. I was really curious about how sugar is made and allll these different types that we find at the grocery store.

Here’s a quick run down:

White Sugar: Made from the sugarcane; multiple washings to remove all traces of molasses and give the white color

Molasses: Byproduct syrup after sugar is extracted from the sugarcane; the type of molasses depends on which pressing of the sugar it was collected at (first-light molasses, second-dark, third-blackstrap)-with each pressing the molasses get less sugar than the previous one and become darker and less sweeter

Brown Sugar: Plain white sugar mixed with molasses

Turbinado Sugar: Made from the first pressing of sugarcane- syrup is boiled to produce the crystals and then is spun in a centrifuge to remove the moisture (gets its name from turbinelike centrifuge); retains more of the original flavor

Preparing sugarcane is a relatively easy task. Take a sharp knife and remove the green skin from all around the cane. You will expose the creamy fibrous inside that we see below in the picture. Then you chew and chew until you draw out all the juices/sugar (don’t swallow it!).

For choosing a sugarcane, Walter Nicholls gives us an in depth description in his article on the plant

“In stores, sugar cane may be sold in one-foot sections or six-foot sections. Willie Robson Jr., produce manager for Dean & DeLuca in Georgetown, suggests the following: Choose light-green-fading -to- yellow- colored batons mottled with reddish-brown patches. Avoid white canes and those with cracks or blackened areas. Thin, heavy canes tend to be sweeter than thicker ones. Those with joints that are three to five inches in length are best for skewers and swizzle sticks and easier to eat out of hand. Ask the produce clerk to make a fresh cut on each end of the cane. The best cane has opaque, off-white, moist flesh. Canes are past their prime when the flesh is dry and brown or red.”

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Enjoy!

Cupcake Wars

Posted on by under Cupcakes

I know it’s been a while, but here is the post I’ve been meaning to write finally. Nope, it’s not a recipe. Even better, a stunning and exquisite presentation of some pretty talented cupcake bakers around my area! We held the competition at a carnival & it’s funny because this marvelous idea popped up randomly during one of our planning meetings for the carnival. I, myself, was very surprised at the extent to which people decorated their cupcakes. Not only that… But the stands as well!!

When the judging time came near to discern the cupcake winner, it was pretty intense. Groups of people stood near the door in huddles waiting for the results. Friends, family, even the bakers themselves as well… No news came for a while. While it was quite noisy outside, me and the other judges were quite busy at a serious task. Tasting all the cupcakes that is. I didn’t think it would be difficult with only 8 competitors, but it was more time-consuming considering we had to discuss each cupcake, pros and cons. We already knew who each cupcake belonged to, so we asked the bakers to come in, one at a time, and describe their cupcake to us and answer any questions we had. It was quite the experience. Y’all should have seen the judges table where we split the cupcakes. Haha what a mess. Anyways, onto the cupcakes themselves :) IMG_7454One of the display tables with a variety of four cupcakes, all displayed differently. These varied from lemon cupcakes to cotton candy even! I absolutely love the creativity that each competitor demonstrated.IMG_7456The second table with the remaining cupcakes. Not all can be seen, but detailed pictures are coming after! Four different cupcake entries were here as well.IMG_7458Rose patterned Red Velvet Cheesecake cupcakes (YES there was indeed cheesecake inside- toooo yummy) & Chocolate Espresso cupcakes. Gotta say, these two cupcakes are my favorite combos ever :) IMG_7437These were 4 different cupcake flavors submitted by the same baker. They range from Red Velvet Cream Cheese, Reeses, Cinnamon, and even Strawberry topped with Cotton Candy.IMG_7452Beautiful Lemon & Raspberry Cupcakes with Lemon filling as well!! Lovin’ these healthy choices. Definitely make you less self conscious as you eat one after another of these cupcakes hahaIMG_7438Yet another creative entry which were topped off the mocha flavored icing along with those addicting chocolate sticks! My favorite flavor-espresso!!

IMG_7451Creativity hands down for this one! This competitor went all out and even designed a humongous styrofoam cupcake along with a colorful Candy Land-like stand with a glittery water interior to compliment the many toned Cotton Candy Cupcakes topped with fondant. Yes, they were just as beautiful inside as well.IMG_7440Dense & moist Lemon Cupcakes with a curd filling. The top was done creatively with chocolate molded swirls, assorted berries, and coarse sugar as well!IMG_7445Lemon Meringue Cupcakes blowtorched to give them the toasty look. A very light and healthy choice as well, although I prefer the other type of icing to this light meringue one.IMG_7443At LAST… The Winner of it all went to these Moist and delicate Chocolate Chip Cupcakes stuffed with Choc Chip Cookie Dough inside as well! The cookies on top were homemade too! This entry was submitted alongside to the Lemon Meringue Cupcakes on top ^^^. The other two places went to the extravagant stand of Cotton Candy Cupcakes as well as the Lemon Curd Cupcakes topped with the chocolate molds and berries.

Hope you enjoyed this medley of fanciful desserts. Do you have a cupcake that you would enter into a competition? Which of these ones was your favorite?

That One “Spur of the Moment” Pie

Posted on by under Desserts, Recipes

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Sooo usually when I come back from school, I’ll take a break, study during the evening, and go to the gym to finish it off. Well, the other day I was just so tired! I had too long of a day at school & on top of that had to wait out on that rush hour traffic -____- Now, especially during the semester, any free time I can stumble upon is like gold so I really have to spend it productively. This instance it came down to the decision, did I want to go to the gym or bake a pie??? Now, keep in mind, I have been CRAVING pecan pie for a week or two. DONE DEAL, Pecan Pie it was! Haha now that didn’t take too long. Oh and something else. After searching if I had all the ingredients I came to the conclusion that we did not have any pecans…. I had already made up my mind though on making this, so I had to do with walnuts instead (which by the way tasted just as good). Anyways after making this, I don’t think I could ever eat a pecan pie from the grocery store given all the unknowns that are in those. This is definitely a decision I won’t regret, & you’ll find out too why when you make this pie according to the directions below :)

Chocolate Drizzled Pecan Pie

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

  • 9 inch pie crust, frozen or homemade 
  • 3 cups pecans, chopped
  • 1 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
  • 3/8 cup white sugar
  • 3/4 cup butter
  • 3 eggs, room temperature
  • 1 1/2 tbsp all purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 tbsp milk
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat: 400 F

  1. Beat the eggs until slightly foamy in a large bowl
  2. Stir in the butter, brown sugar, & white sugar
  3. Whisk in the flour, milk, & vanilla
  4. Add the pecans until they are fully coated
  5. Pour the mix in the pie shell
  6. Bake at 400 F for 10 minutes then lower to 325 F for 40-50 minutes

Homemade Pie Crust

*(Double Crust Recipe- half it for the pecan pie or save the other half in the freezer)*

Ingredients

  • 4 cups flour
  • 1 1/3 cup butter or shortening
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 2 tsp salt
  • enough water, ice cold

Directions

  1. Stir together all the dry ingredients
  2. Cut the butter in small chunks into the mix
  3. Fill a separate bowl with ice cold water
  4. Add the ice water to the mixture a couple tablespoons at a time using a fork to mix it
  5. After getting a lump of dough, take it out of the dry ingredients and continue until all the flour mixture is gone

***The reason we use ice cold water is because flour needs water to develop gluten. Gluten is what makes the pie dough so tough to roll. The ice water will inhibit the gluten production and makes the pie dough much easier to handle.

***Recipes adapted from http://www.bakerita.com/pecan-pie/ and http://tikkido.com/node/673

Happiness in A Cupcake

Posted on by under Cupcakes

Spontaneous baking… Haha that’s what this was. That & it was the perfect opportunity to use those edible silver pearls I just bought! I really wanted to make something with bananas so I was about to make my 4-ingredient banana bread, but…… There was the fact that I couldn’t remember the last time I made cupcakes. Cupcakes it was :)

*Why do I say “Happiness in A Cupcake”?? Well, as it turns out- Bananas have been known to cheer people up. They are the only fruit that contain high levels of tryptophan that is later converted to serotonin. Serotonin is a chemical neurotransmitter that lowers depression. Sadly….. I discovered during my research that this is a myth -__- Yes, bananas contain serotonin. BUT there remains the fact that this serotonin is unable to cross the blood-brain barrier and so can’t get to where it needs to be. I still believe there is a lot of happiness to be found in bananas. Seriously, with almost no fat, low calories, and a plentiful of vitamins who could deny this bountiful fruit?

Banana Cupcakes

Ingredients

  • 2 2/3 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 cup shredded coconut (optional)
  • 3/4 cup white sugar
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk (or regular milk)
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 ripe bananas
  • 1 1/2 sticks butter, room temperature
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Directions

Preheat: 350 F

  1. Get a large mixing bowl and beat the butter for a few minutes until creamy 
  2. Add the sugar and then the eggs & vanilla extract while beating at a low speed
  3. Add the 2 mashed bananas & coconut and continue to beat
  4. Mix in the flour and buttermilk in small intervals
  5. Fill the cupcake pan about 2/3 full each and bake for about 18 minutes

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1/2 stick of unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 3/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

  1. Beat together the cream cheese and butter
  2. Add the powdered sugar in small intervals
  3. Pour in the vanilla extract and beat until fluffy for a couple minutes

 

Adapted from BlissfullyDelicious

Houston Premier Bakeries

Posted on by under Recipes, Restaurants

Yup. I’ve finally decided to put a list together of my top 4 favorite bakeries in Houston! Of course I’m sure there are manyyyy more than what I’ve listed & I’m always on the lookout for new finds so I’ll find them slowly but surely :)

Something my friends & I loveeee doing is finding new places to eat out at whether it is a restaurant or a bakery. A successful find = a new go-to place to hang out with friends or to grab a quick dessert. Most of the places that I have found have been through word of mouth. Seriously, after hearing about a bakery for so long, there’s no doubt that you’ll be curious as to why it’s so prominent. And of course, there are those that we discover simply by driving by. You’re driving past the normal everyday stores you see, but wait… Something catches your attention! That new bakery on the street or whatever it may be haha. Well enough already, you get the idea. Let’s just get on with these deelish bakeries. By the way, they are in no particular order!

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SAVANNAH BAKERY & CAFE

http://savannahcafeandbakery.com

This bakery is simply amazing. When you walk in, you really are overwhelmed with the amount of choices you can make. Shall it be that Raspberry White Chocolate Cake, Red Velvet Cookie, or even that Apple Praline Pie? I was actually really excited when this bakery opened, because I thought it would be one of those local bread bakeries. Turns out I was wrong lol, but nevertheless I was very happy with this find! Friendly staff, nice atmosphere, and large portions are more than enough to enjoy with friends :)

*Apple Praline Pie pictured above*

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 DOLCE DELIGHTS

http://www.mydolcedelights.com

Macarons (n):  delicate small cookie sandwich with mystery filling; constantly seen everywhere in a variety of colors/flavors; very addictive.

Any bakery serving these should be beyond amazing. Not only does Dolce Delights serve these, but they also have these miniature mousse cakes that are too adorable (not pictured). I actually discovered this place from my one of my friend’s Instagram pictures. After she told me the name of the place, I went literally the next day with my friends and got some macarons. The best one out of them was the salted caramel hands down! The banana cream one though was not as soft as the others, leading me to believe that few people have probably ordered that one haha. The mocha and red velvet were both equal in my opinion after the salted caramel one. Overall, if you are craving macarons or a cute little cake, this is definitely your place.

*Salted Caramel, Mocha, Banana Cream, & Red Velvet Macarons pictured above*

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NOTHING BUNDT CAKES

http://www.nothingbundtcakes.com

If you’ve been following my blog then you probably know too well my obsession with pumpkin desserts! Haha. I was so excited when I got this Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. It may look small in this picture, but the cake was so dense that it actually feeds two people. Not to mention, it was super moist as well! I got an extra bonus when I got this bundt cake, because the place had just opened so they had mailed out “free bundt cake” flyers in the mail. The variety here was smaller making it easier to choose something. You know what you’re getting: a bundt cake basically. All you have to do is choose a flavor. Simplicity wins here. I can truthfully say that this was simply delicious ;)

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SPRINKLES CUPCAKES

http://www.sprinkles.com

Oh no…. On to the last bakery on my list! Don’t worry, I will most probably have a second post once I find more memorable bakeries. Anwaysss, Sprinkles Cupcakes is well known all over the US. I’m sure every area has a place that could be comparable to this one (Georgetown or Crave Cupcakes for example). These cupcakes are quite pricey and didn’t seem worth the hype that everyone always makes over them, although they are good. But.. If you go on twitter or their fb page, you’ll be sure to find these secret words that get you a free cupcake. And they post these words every day for the first 50/100 ppl to say it, so be sure you are one of those lucky few!

*Red Velvet & Mocha Cupcakes pictured above*

Any favorite bakeries that you have found worth sharing?

Peppermint Shakes & Macarons = Pure Joy

Posted on by under Desserts, Drinks, Recipes

College winter breaks are seriously the best!! Totally beats the measly two weeks we would get back in high school. One of many things that I was looking forward to making once I had finished with the busyness of all my exams was macarons!! This soft delicate cookie along with the slight crunch you taste when you first bite into it, is truly one of a kind. The hundreds of flavors that you can make it in, not to mention the crazy fillings you can come up with, only make it more desirable. In a previous post, I made chocolate macarons with 3 different kinds of fillings- chocolate espresso, chocolate chip cookie dough, and chocolate coconut. This post along with the recipe can be found here. Today though, I made a pink coconut flavored macaron and filled it with chocolate espresso. Needless to say, they disappeared within seconds. Can’t wait to make these again!

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The day before I made these macarons, I was really craving something sweet. Hmmmm, what to get?? I decided I must get a shake! Sadly though, there are no places near my house that are known for their shakes. I was quite disappointed with the ones from Sonic. They tasted more like ice cream and were so thick I had to use a spoon to eat it. The best shakes I have tried where at Chicago at a chain restaurant called Steak N Shake. I guess you can deduce from the name that they must be famous for their shakes! There is a Steak N Shake in fact near my area, but the fact that it has not opened yet is killing me!!! Oh well, the next best thing I guessed would be a homemade shake. Being it the winter season and all, I’ve been reading about all these peppermint desserts so I resolved that I would make a Peppermint Shake. A quick search on foodgawker and I had my recipe ready to go. It really is quite easy. All you need is vanilla icecream, white chocolate, milk, and peppermint candy canes. Blend it all together and top with crushed candy canes and whipped cream and you are good to go!

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The Search Is Over!

Posted on by under Restaurants

I read in an article once that spending money on experiences and eating out made people happier as compared to spending money on materialistic items. I for one, agree completely with this. An experience will stay with you forever, an unforgettable memory. Every time I eat out, it’s another new experience. Discovering new restaurants and bakeries is always a joy, not to mention the varieties of cuisine that you will get exposed to. In the past weeks I have also discovered two new bakeries, one known for their moist bundt cakes and another for their delish macarons (pictures coming up soon).

Anyways, me and my friends have been looking foreverrrrrr for an exceptional Chinese restaurant to go to! The Chinese fast food in the mall just wouldn’t cut it anymore and neither would those loaded buffets. We settled on P.F.Changs in the end, a decision well-made. Before we even walked into the restaurant, we knew it would be spectacular due to the clean cut presentation. If you haven’t been to this restaurant yet, I highly recommend you visit it if it’s near your area.

**By the way, my goal this winter break is to post something everyday whether a recipe, book review, or something interesting I’ve read, so keep posted! :)

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P. F. Changs!

What we ordered…. Before the real food came haha. Dynamite Shrimp, Crab Wontons, Spring Rolls, oh and can’t forget Auntie Chang’s Frappe :)

*Almond & Cashew Chicken*

Stir-fried with bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, celery, bamboo shoots and water chestnuts in a garlic soy sauce