Another Year Gone...

Wow, 2014! Where did you go? The years are getting faster, right? It has been an eventful year, though it went by so fast I have no idea how everything fit! I kept my resolution of posting at least once a month about 80% of the time (which I don't think is THAT bad....). OK, I will try harder this year. Maybe I'll even post twice a month! 

To end the year, I tried my hand (again) at making those pesky-but-beautiful french macarons. I'm always hesitant when making these because 1. the ingredients are not cheap and 2. these things are so high maintenance (humidity, resting period, etc). 

I picked a nice, dry day to make these again, and I was really happy with how they came out. They had a crisp outside and the insides were soft and chewy. I let them rest for a good 30 minutes so they had cute little feet. Half of them were filled with chocolate ganache and the other half with buttercream. I'm now not afraid to make these! :)

For Christmas this year, I did most of my shopping online. My new favorite website btw is RedEnvelope.com. They have lots of different gifts for everyone in the family, and they also personalize a lot of them (giving it an extra special touch!). I ordered these kitchen towels for myself, and LOVE them!

- Have a Happy New Year!!! -

Happy Halloween!

I realize I missed last month's entry...... I had bought these adorable candy decorations at Michael's, which I were dying to use! I remember seeing these last year during Halloween season, and regretted not buying them. These little mummies are holding even smaller jelly pumpkins. Since our school has a nutritional policy and took away all the fun of school parties, I decided to make some cupcakes for the staff. Hey, at least we can have some fun!

 

- look at that adorable face -

Up and Away!

I was asked to bake cupcakes for my friend's baby. You see, Little Luca was turning 1 and mom had an adorable theme in mind! She told me she wanted an Up, Up and Away theme, complete with balloons and hot air balloons. The color scheme was aqua and red, and up and away I went!

- the cutest backdrop for pictures -

I made a couple of different cupcake toppers out of colored and patterned paper using my craft punches. The different designs dressed up the cupcakes and tied the desserts to the theme. A cute topper can make a BIG difference! So bust out your craft supplies, because the possibilities are endless!

- 3D balloons -

- cluster balloons -

I wanted to make one edible cupcake topper, so I took out my fondant tools and got rolling. My amazing friends helped me create these red discs topped with a cloud and a blue #1.

- fondant toppers -

These cupcakes came out fun and festive! 

Happy Birthday, Luca! 

Peter's 30th Birthday

I got a request from my cousin, Sandy, to come up with a poker-themed cake for her boyfriend, Peter. He is celebrating a milestone birthday, the big 3-0. I had made Vegas-themed cupcakes a couple of months back for a coworker, so I thought "sure, I can do this!" Sandy then informed me that there must also be a royal flush represented on the cake as well. This was a bit trickier, but in the words of Barney Stinson, "CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!"

The poker chips came out just how I wanted them to! I made black, red, and white ones to have a variety to play around with. The dice I made with white fondant and edible marker. 

The royal flush was the most difficult piece of this cake. I didn't want to make separate cards and stack them on top of each other in fear of an ugly rippling effect, so I kept them as one piece of fondant with indentations to mimic a hand of cards. I had to make a template first and then cut it out, because there was NO WAY I was free handing that!

Along with the poker-themed cake, Sandy wanted cupcakes topped with turtles. Yes, turtles. An odd request for a 30th birthday party, but special to the couple nonetheless. So I busted out my tools and got started molding and sculpting all of the little pieces that I would need for this project. I rolled out green balls of fondant and shaped them to form the turtle shells. I then wrapped the shells with a snake-like piece. The flippers I made from small circle cutouts that I sliced in half. Everything was attached using gum glue adhesive (gum paste dissolved in water). The eyes are drawn with edible marker. 

- isn't he adorable? -

- fleet of turtles -

And the finished product? .... dun dun dun duuuuun!

Happy 30th Birthday, Peter!

Elmo Birthday

Remember my other coworker Diana, who was preggers last year? I made her the elephant topper mini cupcakes for her baby shower last year, and was asked to make baby Nic's 1st birthday treats this year! Babies grow up so incredibly fast! It makes me feel old...

I was asked to bake Elmo cupcakes and a small smash cake for Nic to, well smash. For the Elmo cupcakes, I used the "grass tip" to create his furry face. It is a lot of piping, but you don't need to worry about perfection here! His mouth is half an oreo cookie (I went through lots of cookies trying to get that clean cut, because they would crack). Don't worry if it's not a completely perfect cut, because you can cover it with frosting. For the nose, I used an orange peanut M&M. The eyes were piped on and dotted with a candy-covered chocolate like these, which can be found at craft stores.

 Mama Diana went ALL OUT (with the help of Auntie A) in planning an Elmo-themed birthday party.  There were so many details that were well thought out. They did an adorable job! Gotta love Pinterest, right?

 that's a lot of Elmos...

The smash cake was a 2-layer 6" cake covered in buttercream and sprinkles. The letters of his name were made of fondant pressed into molds, which can also be found at craft stores. The top border are sprinkle stars made by Wilton.

Nic was really intrigued with the smash cake at first, but then I think he got grossed out. He did get a couple of good smashes in before he lost interest, though! If you look carefully, you can see his tiny handprints!

Happy Birthday, Nic!

Mickey Cupcakes

Remember my coworker Debbie, who was having a baby last year? I made her the mini button cupcakes for her baby shower last year, and had the privilege of making baby D's 1st birthday cupcakes this year! My, how time flies... I can't believe he's already 1!

Mommy Debbie asked me to whip up some baby Mickey-themed cupcakes for this year's birthday party! Debbie gave me a picture of the baby Mickey plates that she bought for the party, and I used it as inspiration for the color scheme.

How adorable are these little Mickeys??? The nice thing about making these Mickey ears was that all you need are circle cutters. I found 3 different-sized circle cutters that were in proportion to Mickey and started cutting up green, blue, and black fondant. I attached Mickey to the pastel discs using gum glue adhesive (which is a tiny piece of gum paste dissolved in a about a tablespoon of water). 

I have a crazy amount of cupcake liners in a variety of colors and patterns. While rummaging through my stash, I found these cuties! I had green and blue polka dot mini muffin liners that were PERFECT for this project. These really couldn't have come out any cuter... in my humble opinion... :)

 Happy 1st Birthday, D!

Vegas, Baby!

Did you get that? from Friends... anyone?

Anyhow, my coworkers and I threw a surprise bridal shower for a coworker. Where was she getting married, you ask? Where do you think? VEGAS! I was in charge of baking mini cupcakes for this special event. I wanted to jazz them up a bit to match the excitement of Vegas, so I decided to make some festive fondant toppers for my little sweets.

Using red and black fondant, I made some hearts, diamonds, clubs, and spades. I bought these little cookie cutters at Williams-Sonoma a couple of years ago. You can find them here. Using white fondant, I cut out circles and created poker chips. With an edible marker, I drew on the details.

Congratulations to the new Mr. and Mrs. !

California Adventure Part 4: Bottega Louie

This is my last and final post about my trip to California... I know, I know. Four whole posts about this trip, but as you can see, it would have just been one reallllllllly long post! Naturally, I saved the best for last!

Bottega Louie: 700 S. Grand Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90017
The second our car pulled up to this store, it was love at first sight... Even before stepping through the doors, I was in love! My nose was pressed up against the window in awe of the tall, pastel macaron towers. As I finally stepped under the golden letters spelling LOUIE, I came face to face with a a whole counter of macarons. There was row after row of macarons in every color imaginable! I was so tempted to buy the biggest box of macarons they offered, but exerted some self-control and bought 13... (yes, 13 all for me!).

 aren't these just gorgeous??

The rest of the store is equally as beautiful, with shelves full of sweets in pastel packages. Even their homemade marshmallows are pastel-tinted! The detail they put into their brand was not overlooked by me. I was just as much in love with their packaging as I was with their products.

macaron boxes

pastel-tinted marshmallows

other sweets in sweet packaging

Their bakery case showcases edible works of art that I have never seen, including huge macarons, pies, and eclairs.

Super tempted to quit the East Coast and move out to LA just to work at Bottega Louie. I mean, who wouldn't?

California Adventure Part 3: Food!

Remember how I said I gained 5 pounds? This one post will show you all just how much food was consumed in one week...

Here's Part 3:
A-Won Japanese Restaurant, 913 S. Vermont Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90006
This place is known for their big bowls of rice topped with colorful fish roe or chunks of fresh sashimi. the bowl was humongous; like it could have been a comfortable hat for a bear... Is this not a work of art???

Beer Belly, 532 S. Western Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90020

My friend and I stopped by here for happy hour before heading to dinner. Apparently their duck fat fries are too delicious to miss! As a lover of french fries and all things fried, I had to try them! You can definitely taste the duck fat flavor in the fries, and the duck skin cracklins on top are a nice fatty crunch on top. 

Tahoe Galbi, 3986 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90010

Whenever I visit my friend in Los Angeles, I make her take me to All You Can Eat Korean BBQ. I mean, they have places like this in the East as well, but it's just not as good and just not as CHEAP! What they say about happy cows living in California must be true. The meat just tastes better and fresher here. There are so many options to choose from and each place has their own little pluses, but this place is my favorite thus far!

Mastro's Steakhouse, 246 N. Canon Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90210

We went to this famous chain steakhouse for a goodbye dinner for a friend, and it was delicious! Everything from the steak, to the sides, to the dessert, was so good! OMG that butter cake... It had a bit of a crust, but the inside was moist and it was all topped with vanilla ice cream and a raspberry sauce. I found some pinterest recipes, so I will be trying to recreate this really soon! 

The Yellow House Cafe, 234 S. Oxford Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90004

JJ took me to the most adorable little cafe I have ever been to. It is literally a yellow house, complete with a courtyard and multiple rooms and floors. Every space in this house is filled with tables, chairs, and sofas for customers to lounge in. I have never seen a place like this around me, so it was pretty cool to see. I hear these kind of cafes are all over Korea, but considering I haven't been there in probably 10 years, I wouldn't know!

There is one more California post left... Yup! Just when you thought, DAMN this girl ate a lot in a week, there's one last place that I went to and absolutely fell in love with. I would move out to California just to eat and work there! Stay tuned...