California Adventure Part 1: MILK

I promised a post all about my fabulous food adventure in California, so here it is! After gaining 5 pounds from my week-long trip to the Los Angeles area, I realized that I did a lot of eating... To put them all down in one post would be incredibly embarrassing, so I have decided to distribute the evidence of my gluttony over the course of 4.

Here is Part 1: MILK, 7290 Beverly Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90036
I begged my friend, JJ, to bring me here 3 times over the course of 6 days! Why 3 times you ask? With a freezer full of macaron ice cream sandwiches, how could I not come every day? Not only that, these babies sell out fast! Didn't get to try their popular blue velvet cake because I was too distracted by the ice cream, but will do next time I visit. :)

- even their storefront is awesome -

- ice cream case full of goodness -

- Day 1 -

- Day 2 -

- Day 3 -

Just amazing... You would think that the macaron shell would be really brittle and hard from that thick slab of ice cream in the middle and from being in the freezer, but it actually is still chewy on the inside. MILK also lets you custom make your ice cream sandwiches, so be prepared of all the different flavor combinations! 

Bridal Shower (Champagne & Navy)

A new year brings with it new beginnings! I'm not just talking about making New Year's resolutions.. I'm referring to the start of wedding season and the beautiful marriages people I know will soon be, well beginning.

One of my coworkers is getting married next week, and in honor of her upcoming nuptials, we threw her a surprise bridal shower. As the resident baker at my workplace, I was in charge of cupcakes. Of course they were mini cupcakes, because we all have resolutions to keep :)

Congrats, Ahinoa!

- Champagne & Navy Chocolate Cupcakes -

Happy New Year 2014!

Wow... 2014 has begun! I trust everyone had a safe and wonderful holiday season! I have fallen a bit behind in posting as a result of the holiday craziness.. but I shall catch you all up to speed with what I have been up to!

Thanksgiving Day we had the whole clan over at my family's place, where I made not 1, not 2, not 3, but 4 different desserts.

- Thanksgiving Desserts -

Christmas Day came around and I was making all sorts of sweet packages to give out as gifts.

- Christmas Treats -

Right before the New Year, I was away on holiday in California, where I came across so many scrumptious edibles (stay tuned for my California Adventure post)!

And a new year has come, bringing with it new projects, adventures, and endeavors. I decided to start off the new year by revisiting macaron-making (inspired by my trip to Bottega Louie in Downtown LA). My friend, CraftySong, came over to help me make the adorable, delicate French cookies. Not too shabby for my 2nd attempt, if I do say so myself!

- Macaron w/ Chocolate Buttercream -

Cars Cake

This is post is long overdue in that I made this cake during the summer... A coworker of mine was throwing a birthday party for her son, who was about to turn 2. She mentioned that her little man loved the Disney movie, Cars, and wanted a cake that would feature the main characters of the movie. I covered the cake in blue buttercream and added fondant decorations. Everything from the road signs, cacti, and even the road itself is made of fondant! My coworker had the Lightning McQueen figurines which she was going to add to the cake right before the party. I, being a lover of all things Disney, had a great time making this cake. 

- a closeup of some of the fondant work -

for the cacti, I pricked it with a toothpick to give it the look

for the road signs, I used edible black marker

- the finished product minus the characters -

Happy Birthday, M!

Lingerie Cookies

The past two posts were sugar, now it's time for some spice! My friend from high school, Katie, hit me up and asked me to bake some naughty lingerie cookies for her friend's bachelorette party. Some of you may remember the panty cookies I made for my cousin, Jayne's bachelorette party. To see that post you can click here!

I took it a step further this time and created some matching bras for the undies. 'For the underwear cookies, I took my big heart-shaped cookie cutter and cut off the tip (not too much this time). I used the same heart-shaped cookie cutter for the bras, but left them as hearts. The upside-down hearts were the perfect shape for creating busty bosoms. The cookies were decorated with tinted royal icing.

- my personal favorite -

- all packaged up and ready to go -

I hope the bride-to-be loved them!