I LIKE FOOD

custom cookies

2011-07-22T19:02:00.000-07:00

i've done a couple of custom cookie orders lately (oddly both have been with birds). i actually have a lot of fun decorating these cookies, and it's exciting planning out how to decorate them. the worst part is making the cookies. i hate cutting cookie dough. i have so little counter space, and rolling out dough is such a pain in the butt. and then using a cookie cutter and transfering the dough to the cookie sheet is super annoying - it takes forever to get it right. but once you get the cookies out of the oven, the fun can start!

ps. hi jess :)

key lime pie with pretzel crust

2010-06-15T22:36:00.000-07:00

i made this pie for my friend's birthday. i've never actually had key lime pie, and i didn't get to eat this. so i hope it was good. looked delicious..

momofuku's crack pie

2010-05-26T12:13:00.000-07:00

i was invited to a pizza party, and i offered to bring dessert. i was going to stay in the theme of "pie" (pizza PIE), so i decided to go with the momofuku crack pie. la times posted the recipe not too long ago, and i bookmarked it since everyone seems crazy about it. i can see why - it's pretty much a pound of sugar and a pound of butter, baked inside a cookie crust. oh my.

momofuku crack pie recipe can be found here

professional baking class - yeast baking I

2010-05-18T21:47:00.000-07:00

carbs! my faaaaavorite. i love bread, it's no secret. so i was very excited to learn now to make my very own baguette. we also made challah bread, which made for awesome french toast the next morning.

you'll see that my baguette rolling can use a little work. but hey, at least i tried!

professional baking class - Pate a Choux

2010-05-17T21:43:00.000-07:00

time to get fancy! pate à choux is a pastry dough used to make profiteroles, eclairs, and other fun and pretty things. it's made with only butter, water, flour and eggs. it rises because of all the steam! that's why these things hollow out, and then you fill them with delicious pastry cream.

my partner and i made chocolate mousse filled profiteroles, and then we built them into a croquembouche. i took it home with me but since it was warm outside it fell apart. but i ate most of the profiteroles anyway. heh. also notice the pretty swans that another group made!

professional baking class - soufflé

2010-05-16T12:13:00.001-07:00

our soufflé class was a lot of fun. i had never made soufflé, or even attempted it, because it always seemed so scary. they're so delicate, they're notorious for falling after removing from the oven, the slightest breeze can crush these babies.

however, after making what seemed like a dozen different types, it's really not all that hard. you should try it. you will easily impress your guests/yourself.

included flavors: coffee, almond, blackberry, goat cheese and chocolate

chocolate chip cookies

2010-04-29T19:30:00.000-07:00

professional baking class - vanilla sauce

2010-04-25T12:05:00.000-07:00

in this class we used a main "vanilla sauce" recipe to create ice cream, creme brulee, creme caramel, and pot de creme. it's really fun to see how one basic recipe can be changed to result in so many different things.

lemon pound cake

2010-04-19T22:09:00.000-07:00

i made this lemon pound cake back in january, and it's something my coworkers still talk about. i guess i should make it again...

i used a basic pound cake recipe and added some lemon zest, and used a lemon glaze for the top. i tend to like a denser pound cake. otherwise i feel like i'm just eating birthday cake.

professional baking class - cakes 2

2010-04-18T16:50:00.000-07:00

for our second cake class, we did butter based cakes. this included cheesecake (not my favorite but they turned out pretty good nonetheless), pound cake, and checkerboard cake. i love love love pound cake, so i was excited that we got to try three different versions: the master pound cake, the perfect pound cake, and the great pound cake (i think that's what it's called). they were all tasty, fyi. for the cheesecakes, we did a test to see what happens if you bake it without a water bath. my partner and i were in charge of the sacrificial cheesecake, so ours cracked down the middle. it still tasted good, though!

julia child butter cake

2010-04-17T23:51:00.000-07:00

for my brother's birthday i decided to try something challenging (and fun) and make a cake from my new julia childs cookbook. i decided on her basic vanilla cake, with buttercream frosting. however, i had some bananas laying around to i decided to throw those in there, and add some rum to the buttercream - voila, banana fosters cake!

the buttercream though, being a traditional french buttercream, was 90% butter. so putting the cake in the fridge did not work. eating the cake was pretty much like eating a stick of butter. but after letting it sit out and come to room temp, it was pretty darn good.

professional baking class - cakes 1

2010-04-12T11:04:00.000-07:00

for our first cakes class, we made egg based cakes. so using a sponge cake recipe, we made a jelly roll, tiramisu, and a chocolate version which was rolled into a bouche de noel. this was a really fun class, but i think i was suffering from sugar overload all weekend long.

professional baking class - quick breads and cookies

2010-03-29T21:41:00.000-07:00

so here are some pictures from my first two baking classes at the epicurean school of culinary arts. our first class was quick breads. we made scones, biscuits and muffins. pictures below are my currant scones, buttermilk biscuits and blueberry muffins.

our second class was about cookies. each group made two different batches of cookies, so you can imagine just how many cookies we had at the end of class. my partner and i were in charge of making thumbprint cookies and double chocolate cookies. other groups made chocolate chip cookies, gingersnaps, biscotti and mexican wedding cakes.

the best part of class is the critique/sample time. we all try some of everyone else's work, and our chef tells us about what we're eating, that way we can learn to determine if something is overbaked, undermixed, too salty/sweet, etc etc.

next classes - cakes!

i'm sorry!

2010-03-19T12:27:00.000-07:00

oh gosh over a month without a new post! i apologize. i have been in crisis mode as of late.

- dog was in hospital for a week after eating a bottle of ibuprofen (he is ok thank goodness)
- broke up with boyfriend after scandalous affair surfaced

so life has been a little tougher than usual. but that's ok because i start baking school tomorrow and i can fully throw myself into it and enjoy it and learn a lot and meet new people and have FUN.

will try to get some post up this weekend regarding the class. i *promise.*

going back to school

2010-02-12T10:18:00.000-08:00

i have a few posts lined up, which i'd like to put up this weekend, but first i just wanted to announce...

i've signed up to go to baking school!

i'm going to take the professional baking 1 series at the Epicurean School of Culinary Arts, which is a 12 week course of baking baking baking. i'm really excited to hone my craft and maybe in the future this will open some doors for me.

starts ~~march 13~~ uh date pushed back a week - i can't wait!!

vegan bake sale

2010-01-31T18:08:00.000-08:00

today i donated some vegan goodies to the vegan bake sale that was raising money for haiti disaster relief. it was a really good cause and there was so much food! thanks to everyone's baking and volunteer work, they raised over $2,000 for doctors without borders. which is really really awesome.

i decided to do something different for the bake sale, something i hadn't done before. i've always wanted to try to make vegan cannoli, so i saw this as a good opportunity. but just to be safe i also planned on the always tasty fluffernutter cupcakes.

so i ordered some cannoli forms online, and found a basic recipe for vegan cannoli. it was pretty easy to make these, just super time consuming. first i made the cream and let it chill for a day so it could really firm up. then i had to make the dough for the shell. once i rolled out the dough and wrapped it around the cannoli forms, i had to deep fry. now i don't have a deep fryer (it might be a good idea to get one if i plan on making these again) so i had to heat some oil in a deep pot. i highly suggest using a deep fryer. the mess i created on my stove top, the oil i have to dispose of, and the smell of hot oil for days in my house are all good reasons you should use a deep fryer (outside) for this. but i made it work. so if i can do it then so can you. a few dough rolled forms came un-rolled during frying, so i just ate them. i ended up with 18 cannoli shells, though, so i think it worked out. the next day i melted some chocolate and spread it inside all the shells, then stuck them in the fridge to harden. then i filled with the cream. a little dusting of powdered sugar before packaging, and voila! yummy vegan cannoli!

if you haven't already, do something to help those in haiti. donate money, clothing, food, anything you can. they need our help.

palmiers

2010-01-21T08:43:00.000-08:00

so easy and so tasty!

chocolate ice cream cake

2010-01-09T21:17:00.000-08:00

my coworker's birthday was last week and i promised him i would make something. he wasn't around for when i distributed my christmas goodies, which is why i promised i would make him something yummy. i asked him what he wanted and he said 'something you haven't made yet.' so i suggested ice cream cake. he was excited.

i did some research online to find the best method. a lot of recipes said to just use ice cream sandwiches, but that is lazy to the max. then i found a few that said to bake cake, then freeze ice cream in the cake pans and layer it all together. now that's what i'm talking about.

first i baked the cake. the recipe i used made enough batter for 3 cake layers. that would mean i needed two ice cream layers. i was creating a 5 layer cake - holy moly.

once my cake pans were available again, i could put the ice cream in. had to make sure to cover the pans with foil so i could easily get the ice cream out once it was frozen.

i let everything sit in the freezer over night and assembled the next evening. i took everything out of the freezer, unwrapped it, and started layering.

then i threw that back in the freezer for about an hour or two, just to firm up. i read in a recipe online that cool whip is a good icing for ice cream cake, since it freezes so well. and it turned out really nice, i have to admit. it was a perfect icing for the cake - it wasn't too heavy and it was a nice compliment to the heavy cake and ice cream.

the cake was a big hit with the birthday boy and everyone else at work. i think everyone is expecting an ice cream cake for their birthday now. i wouldn't mind being the designated work baker, as long as they put a little something in my paycheck to pay for all this stuff! maybe one day..

christmas dinner

2010-01-04T11:24:00.000-08:00

every year my family has a christmas dinner tradition - we pull a cooking assignment out of a hat and then you have to make something for christmas dinner! example, this year i pulled "side dish." my brother got "appetizer" and dad got "potato." mom is always in charge of cooking the roast and the yorkshire pudding, so the rest of us have to make everything else.

i was set on making mac and cheese for my side dish, but realized no one really had the responsibility of bringing a vegetable to the table. so i sighed, then looked up vegetable recipes. i found an interesting recipe for broccoli pudding. ok i know, that sounds kind of gross, but if you've ever had corn pudding, then you would not cringe at the name. it's yummy, trust me.

recipe can be found HERE.

my brother made bacon wrapped water chestnuts for his appetizer, but i didn't take any pictures. people ate them up too fast.

dad made twice baked mashed potatoes. they were really good, but took forever to reheat. everything else was ready except for those potatoes. we ended up sticking them in the microwave. they were really delicious, though. his recipe is from idahopotato.com but there a million recipes and i have no idea which one he used.

and the beautiful roast and yorkshire pudding courtesy of mom.

YUM.

christmas goodie bags

2010-01-03T21:06:00.000-08:00

instead of buying my coworkers gifts for the holidays, i like to bake. i think receiving something homemade is really special and means a lot - you know the person worked really hard and did it with good intention and of course thought about you when making it. it's so easy to buy a gift card or coffee mug for someone, but baking takes a lot more thought.

this year i kind of went crazy with the baking. i suppose i was a little ambitious (as usual), but everything turned out really great (if only i could say the same for christmas morning, my cinnamon rolls didn't rise and breakfast was a failure).

first i had to bake some vegan cookies for a holiday party. left to right: vegan chocolate chip cookies (a veganized version of betty crocker's recipe), vegan snickerdoodles (a veganized version of martha stewart's recipe), and vegan chocolate chip candy cane cookies (betty crocker + extra candy canes in my house)

then i used martha stewart's linzer cookie recipe for these pretty treats. most linzer recipes call for almonds, but martha uses hazelnuts. the taste is much more rich and nutty, but i think it's nice.

i was making three batches of gingerbread cinnamon rolls for my coworkers...

luckily i had the space in my fridge to store them!

they came out really nice. i topped them with a lemon icing - i added some lemon juice and a little zest to the normal icing recipe.

all wrapped up for gifts!

i also made some chocolate cherry muffins, but they didn't come out too great. i tried to make them in a christmas tree shaped muffin pan, but it's actually really hard to get pointy muffins out of a tin. i messed most of them up, so they were not picture worthy.

after all of this, i think i can safely say i'll be staying away from the kitchen for a while. well, not too long. my friend's birthday is in two days and i think i have to bake a cake...

christmas party treats

2009-12-07T22:12:00.000-08:00

every year around the holidays my parents throw an amazing party - with lots of food, drink, a piano player and carolers, lots of christmas decorations, a golf cart (long story), and amazing party outfits. my mom has some great christmas cookie recipes, but she asked me to make a few things this year. she namely wanted "individual" desserts, since a lot of people bring cakes and cheesecakes that need to be sliced and don't usually get eaten because people just want to pick up something and eat it.

so of course i knew i'd make cupcakes. but i wanted to make special christmas-y cupcakes. i found a recipe for white chocolate cupcakes (vanilla cupcakes with white chocolate frosting and white chocolate curls on top). so i made those, but added crushed candy canes to the top as well. over time the candy cane soaked into the frosting and gave it a stronger peppermint flavor, which was nice. i also used a real vanilla bean instead of vanilla extract for the frosting, because i absolutely love the look of those little vanilla specks in any kind of baked good.

for my second dessert, i thought about making individual fruit tarts. i recently got a hold of some mini tart pans, so i figured this would be perfect. first i made the pastry cream, since that takes some time. you have to heat the cream and then add it to egg yolks and then heat it again and stir it constantly and then strain it and let it cool then refrigerate for a while..gaah. but i must say..IT WAS DELICIOUS. oh my goodness. let's just say this ended with "extra" pastry cream and a spoon in my hand. while the pastry cream was cooling, i made the pastry dough and stuffed it inside the tart pans. i was reading a recipe that said to roll it out and lay it into the pan, but i was working with little 2 inch pans. i didn't bother rolling it out (plus it was so buttery that it kept sticking to everything). i just ripped off little pieces of dough and pressed it into the pan. much easier.

i waited until the next day, hours before the party, to assemble these little guys. i had some mint leaves, so i candied them by rubbing them with an egg replacer (i didn't want to waste a whole egg for a few mint leaves) and then covering them in super fine sugar, letting them dry and get crunchy. the tarts came out really pretty, i was proud. i should have put them back in the refrigerator, because by the time i got to the party and put them on a serving platter, the cream soaked into the crust and they got all soft. eh, whatever. they were still delicious and people ate them all.

i will definitely make the tarts again. maybe next time i'll make one big one and wow everyone with my skillz.

happy holidays!!

white chocolate holiday cupcakes

2009-12-05T10:40:00.000-08:00

here's a sneak peak at one of my desserts for my parents' christmas party (i was once again in charge of making "individual" desserts).

yeah, these are pretty delicious...

i'll post more details later! but you can salivate over this for now.

thanksgiving 2009!

2009-11-30T22:15:00.000-08:00

oh my goodness. what a week. i spent all of last week baking for thanksgiving, and then spent about 20 minutes eating it all up. isn't it funny/annoying/sad that so much time goes into planning for thanksgiving dinner, and then you're so excited to eat that you inhale everything and it's over in a flash... at least i can look back on it and think how delicious everything was (oh and ps i totally ate too much this year, had to excuse myself from the table because i thought i was going to puke. that's not normal, right? i have a problem).

anyway, here come the photos.

first, i made an apple crumble pie. you can't have thanksgiving without apple pie. i love making lattice crust tops - people are always so impressed with lattice tops, and they're really not that hard to make. after you've done it once, you'll be able to do it really quickly on all your pies. this pie was good, it gelled really nicely and wasn't runny at all. secret? apple sauce!

next, i had the pecan pie tarts. these are so so so good. and they are so easy to make. the crust is basically just butter and cream cheese, and the pecan filling is nuts, sugar, egg and butter. good, simple ingredients=delicious food. these were the perfect size and a big hit, especially with my brother.

i decided to spice things up by adding a cake to the list of thanksgiving desserts. i found this recipe for a pumpkin sandwich cake on the better homes and gardens website, and i love pumpkin and i love cream cheese frosting, and this recipe combined the two, and then added chocolate (drools). when making the cream cheese frosting, i think it was a little too tart for my taste. but when inside the cake and with the chocolate ganache, the tanginess complimented the rest of the cake (which was all really sweet). cakes are fun to make, but you really have to have the patience.

and of course we can't forget the pumpkin pie. i made a brandy pumpkin pie, and it was some of the best pumpkin pie i've had. there was just enough brandy in the recipe where you couldn't really taste the alcohol, but you knew there was something a little special in there. the custard was so smooth and silky, not too thick like some pumpkin pies. and the crust came out really nice and crispy. this recipe is a keeper!

i also made a vegan pumpkin pie for scott. according to him, it's delicious. i didn't try it - by the time he got to eating it i was done with pie and just looking at sweets made me sick. but he said it was good, so i'm happy about that.

i hope you all had a great and tasty thanksgiving, and didn't eat to the point of nausea (like me). i really enjoyed baking this year, i'll probably tone it down a bit next year, though. four desserts? yeah, a little crazy.

bring on the christmas cookies!

cheesy grilled cheese

2009-11-23T22:08:00.001-08:00

i'm pretty picky when it comes to cheese. some might even say it's a miracle that i'm eating cheese at all (i never used to go near the stuff). but one morning i woke up and craved some greasy, stretchy, ooey gooey cheesy goodness. and i was craving that same goodness tonight.

i had half a loaf of leftover french bread, so i thought it would make a great sandwich. i also had some leftover pasta sauce from dinner last night. i decided that a mozzarella and marinara sandwich would taste good. but the best part - the parmesan crust. one of my friends in high school had a chef as a dad, so she had a few good kitchen tips. one day when i was at her house she made a grilled cheese sandwich, but spread some butter and parmesan cheese on the bread before putting it in the pan. so i remembered this friend, and remembered her awesome bread trick, and i did it.

if you want a crispy parmesan bread, spread some butter over one side of the bread, and then pat some parmesan cheese (i just used some good ol' kraft grated cheese) over your butter. put the butter/cheese side down in the pan and let it get crispy. once you start to get a nice golden orange color, add your sandwich fillers and let it all get hot and gooey. then indulge your cheesiness nature and eat it up!

acorn squash

2009-11-20T19:33:00.000-08:00

i bought an acorn squash last week at the hollywood farmer's market. that brown sugar/cinnamon/maple syrup flavor was calling my name. and if there's a way to make a vegetable (is squash indeed a vegetable?) into dessert, i'm in. plus the flavors are so fall-y, it's a really good seasonal treat.

ingredients:
1 acorn squash
sugary butter mixture:
- 1 1/2 tbsp melted butter
- 2 1/2 tbsp brown sugar
- splash of orange juice
- dash of pumpkin pie spice (if you don't have this, you can play with cinnamon, clove, allspice, etc)

1. take your acorn squash and cut in half lengthwise. remove the center of the squash (seeds and goopy stuff. save those seeds! see below...)
2. place your squash halves, cut side down, into a baking dish. roast these at 350 for about 45 minutes (i know that sounds like a long time, but it goes by quickly).
3. after 45 min, take the squash out of oven and flip over. pour your butter mixture in center (you may want to spread it around the cut sides, or poke some holes with your fork in the bottom of the squash well, let the juices get around!)
4. put this back in the oven and bake again for 25-30 min, or until the squash is tender.
5. drizzle your finished squash half with some maple syrup. yum!

before baking with butter mixture
out of the oven!
why yes, i WILL eat you!

i told you to save those seeds - don't forget to roast them!

1. separate your seeds from the squash goop. rinse them off so they're not so sticky (or else they'll all clump together when you cook them). place clean seeds on a baking pan.
2. sprinkle with your preferred seasoning (i used chili powder, garlic powder and seasoned salt)
3. roast in a low temperature oven (300-325 degrees) for at least 25 minutes (longer or shorter depending on how crispy you want them)

these are great on a salad or just grab a handful and shove them in your mouth. they're such a good little snack!

holiday pies

2009-11-17T21:31:00.000-08:00

hi! i'm back. i had to take a week off because of the swine flu, and then i wasn't too keen on baking and getting my germs into cupcakes and such. but i am better now, and more than making up for it with pies.

on sunday night scott asked if i would make him an apple pie. i ran out to store and bought some apples and soy milk, then came home stoked to make my first pie of the season. so i get home, make the crust, put it in the fridge to chill, then get out my vegetable peeler to start the apples. on my first apple, on the third stroke, i nicked my ring finger. i don't cut myself when cooking, i'm usually really careful. so of course i saw blood and FREAKED. i ran screaming to the bathroom, luckily scott was there to dress my wound. i almost passed out...

scott was nice enough to finish peeling and slicing the apples, and once my finger stopped throbbing i continued to make the pie. i used the pie crust recipe from veganomicon (love that pie crust, its so easy and always turns out amazing) and then adapted the apple pie recipe from my better homes and gardens special edition new cook book. it was easy to veganize, apple pie is pretty standard..

it came out pretty darn nice, i was pleased.
i couldn't wait for it to cool, we had to eat it within a few hours of coming out of the oven. probably should have let it sit so the liquid could gel up a bit. oh well. it was still delicious.
soy vanilla ice cream for scott

tonight i decided to make a pumpkin pie for my boss who just moved into a new house. pie is her favorite baked good, so what better way to say "welcome to your new home" than with pie! my boss is not vegan, so i just did a plain ol' pumpkin pie. i used my better homes and gardens cookbook again, only because this recipe seemed so easy (pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, sugar, egg, half and half).
yumyum
i'm proud of my crust. i'm a fan of crust.

i know i said i wanted to test drive some of the recipes i chose for thanksgiving dessert, but instead i've been making these. oh well! i guess it will be a surprise on thanksgiving.

update!

2009-11-04T11:10:00.000-08:00

hello. i haven't updated in a few days and i apologize. unfortunately, i've come down with the H1N1 flu (oink), so i'm a little out of commission. but you better believe i'm watching food network 24/7 while laying on the couch or in bed.

hope to get some posting done once i feel better. stay tuned :)

holiday baking

2009-10-19T10:00:00.001-07:00

the holidays are upon us and that means it's time to head to the kitchen and bake up some pies and cakes and cookies! i've already "scheduled" my thanksgiving baking - yes, i've marked on my calendars the days on which i should be baking...

so far this is what i'm planning on taking to my parent's thanksgiving dinner:

- brandy pumpkin pie
- apple pie with crumble topping
- pumpkin sandwich cake
- pecan pie tarts

is this too much? i don't think so.. it might be a bit ambitious, but i'm determined to make enough dessert to please everyone's palate.

also, i know scott will probably be having some sort of "thanksvegan" dinner, so i'll make a vegan pumpkin pie and apple fry pies for that.

yeah, this does sound like a lot of stuff. i better stock up on sugar and flour..

yummy cupcake class

2009-10-18T20:28:00.001-07:00

i work in burbank, so naturally my resident cupcake shop is Yummy Cupcakes. i've been eating their cupcakes for a few years now, so i feel pretty loyal to their cupcakey goodness. they recently started conducting cupcakes classes, so i jumped at the chance to get into their kitchen and learn how they make their cupcakes so tasty.

they of course couldn't tell us all their secrets. all the cupcake ingredients were measured out for us, so we couldn't know how much of what went into it. but i did learn some good baking tips and decorating ideas, plus i got to take home a dozen cupcakes and i got a gift card for another half dozen on my next visit. umm, best deal ever!

we made summer lemon cupcakes and a basic vanilla bean cupcake. i didn't get a chance to take pictures until i brought them home, and they slid around in the box a little bit during the ride. unfortunate for the pictures, but a-okay for my taste buds.

stop by Yummy Cupcakes in Burbank or Santa Monica for some tasty and fun treats!

vegan apple coffee cake

2009-10-18T20:17:00.001-07:00

i bought a big bag of apples from the store, and the first one i bit into was mealy. i HATE mealy apples. i did some research online and found out that cooking the apples will sort of disregard the mealiness. so i sliced up the apples and cooked them down with some brown sugar, cinnamon and butter. THEN i thought about adding this apple mixture to a coffee cake.

i made this coffee cake as a combination of like, four other recipes, so i can't link you to one recipe (sorry). but that should be all the more motivation for you to make up recipes on your own! i wasn't 100% pleased with my results - it was really delicious, but i was missing the light, fluffy texture that usually comes with coffee cake. since i did a vegan version, i'm sure i lost something along the way that would have helped it rise. but it's ok, better luck next time.

vegan cinnamon rolls

2009-10-18T19:50:00.000-07:00

scott had been bugging me for a while to make him cinnamon rolls from scratch. it took me a while to decide to make them because they're so time consuming - you have to make the dough, let the dough rise, then knead, then roll out, then make the cinnamon rolls, then let those rise, then finally bake, then ice...aye yi yi. so i promised him it would be the first thing i'd bake once i moved into my new condo.

i kept my word! i made these for him for a saturday morning, and i have to admit, i am really proud of these. they turned out so well, the dough was great, the cinnamon sugar was delicious, and the icing was perfect. there was no way in hell anyone could think these are vegan - i couldn't taste any sort of soy flavor. i'm sure all the cinnamon and sugar covered that up, anyway. i could easily sell these and make the big bucks....maybe one day.

anywho, here are some pictures, and here's a link to where i found a great recipe (you always have to make little adjustment though to make the end product uniquely yours).

updates to come!

2009-10-08T11:59:00.001-07:00

hi! i have a ton of updates coming, you just have to bear with me and be patient! i moved recently (i bought a condo!), so i've been testing recipes every chance i get. my new kitchen is a designated baking zone on the weekends. i'll post some pictures and words, soon, so get excited to see some tasty treats!

dandies marshmallows

2009-08-21T09:40:00.000-07:00

i've never been a huge fan of marshmallows (expect for s'mores. i am a fan.). so when scott brought me a bag of vegan marshmallows and told me to make something with them, i was at a loss for ideas. rice krispy treats and s'mores were the only thing that popped into my head when i thought about what i could make.

but the chicago soy dairy's dandies marshmallows are really, really good. they're vegan, and since they're not made with gelatin, they seem a little denser, a little less puffy. but they aren't as sweet, and that's what appealed to me. i've never been able to eat a plain marshmallow, it's too sugary even for a sweet-tooth like me. but since these ones are a little less sweet, and have a little more substance, i was happy to eat them.

so for my first dandies cooking experiment, i went with the good ol' rice krispy treat. i made these for a summer party i had, and everyone enjoyed them - vegan or not. i knew i had to step it up for the next marshmallow recipie. i decided a rocky road cupcake would be a fun idea, because who doesn't like rocky road ice cream?

i made a basic chocolate cupcake, but shoved a few marshmallows in the batter before sticking it in the oven. once they came out of the oven and cooled (and deflated), i covered them with chocolate ganache, then threw some chopped almonds on top and a few more little marshmallow pieces.

VERDICT- really yummy, could use a little more work to get the marshmallows spread throughout the cake.

next, i decided to try a fluffernutter cupcake. my mom was on a recent kick of fluffernutter sandwiches for breakfast. she's a health nut, so she found some healthy peanut butter, and sugar free marshmallow fluff. so i figured if she can make it healthy, then i could definitely make it vegan.

first, i made a vanilla cupcake. as they were cooling, i melted down the dandies with some earth balance, then piped the marshmallow fluff into the cupcakes.

then i smeared the extra marshmallow cream on top of the cupcake.

then i spread peanut butter buttercream on the top, and then found some vegan chocolate sprinkles that i threw on top as well.

VERDICT - a big hit. people seem to know me for this cupcake (oh you made those good fluffernutter cupcakes!). still, i need to work on that peanut butter frosting. i've tried it multiple times and i just can't get a good consistency. but i'm determined to get it right.

next, i went with a non-vegan s'more brownie recipe that i used for a work bakesale and loved. i veganized it, which was a little difficult. finding vegan graham crackers is near impossible (if you know where i can get some, please enlighten me!). i was about to give up, until i strolled by the pre-made pie crust section, and found the graham cracker crusts, which were vegan! success! these brownies have a graham cracker bottom, brownie center, and melted, toasty marshmallows on the top.

the marshmallows melty wonderfully, better than when i used regular marshmallows. i mean, who wouldn't want to eat this?

VERDICT - people loved these. i brought these to a party and they went fast. when you make something like this, people don't even question why it's vegan. who cares, it's a brownie. with marshmallows. and graham crackers. YUM.

finally, i was at a loss for my next marshmallow creation. i thought, 'well, i've made cupcakes, i've made brownies, i've made rice krispies, are there cookies i can make?' yes, yes there are. i made mallowmars, or moon pies as some of you may call them. i started with a basic vegan shortbread, then put some marshmallows on top and let them get melty and soft in the oven.

i let that cool down and then threw the cookies in a big bowl of melted chocolate. i let the chocolate harden, and then feasted on these delicious cookies.

VERDICT - amazing. these are so so so good. i could easily package these and sell them. after posting a picture of these on my facebook, i received tons of comments from people who were about to eat their computer screen. next time i've got a party to go to, i'm bringing these.

so! if you want to cook with vegan marshmallows, use dandies! hey, if you just want to cook with marshmallows, these are a great choice. visit their website HERE.

brooklyn vs boston creme pie cupcakes

2009-03-09T12:53:00.000-07:00

from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World

Melisse Feb 10, 09

2009-02-16T20:57:00.001-08:00

for dad's birthday this year he chose to dine at Melisse in Santa Monica. despite calling myself a foodie, i had never heard of this restaurant. according to the website, Melisse is rated #1 "top food" restaurant in los angeles by Zagat and has received two stars from the Michelin Guide.

now, if you've ever watched Iron Chef America, then you'd appreciate this type of food. each dish was served on a big white plate with little smears of sauce or sprinkles of herbs or dollops of foam. after each dish was placed down in front of us, the waiter explained all the ingredients of the dish as well as how to eat it. i've never had anyone tell me how to eat my food, but that is something so reminiscent of food network, i almost died.

after being seating, checking in our coats, and getting a cocktail, we were offered fresh bread baked on sit. i chose the bacon roll and the basil brioche. other options included a ciabatta roll, olive loaf, plain brioche, and a french roll. after ordering, the waiter brought a small appetizer/palate cleanser. on the plate was a small spoon with some sort of fish or vegetable (maybe both) mixture, and then a shot glass full of fennel and cashew cream. first you had to eat the spoonful of veggie fish stuff, then use the spoon to scrape the bottom of the shot glass, bringing the cream up, then eat it. i was so excited to be eating such fancy food, that i didn't care what it was (it was very odd tasting, though, not something i'd eat willingly if i had another chance).

minus kyle, we each had an appetizer - i had a salad, mom had a winter vegetable salad, and dad had some lobster thing. i didn't even think to take pictures of the appetizers, which of course i now regret. but then came dinner:

Kyle had a small ribeye with beef-cheek ravioli. as scary as beef cheek sounds, it's just a stringy beef, like a brisket or something. it's not scary at all.

i had the vegetable gnocchi with burrata cheese. some of the vegetables included zucchini, onion, carrot and garlic. i'd never had burrata cheese, but it tasted just like a richer mozzarella.

dad had the trio of pork. i don't remember all the different ways the pork was cooked, but there was this amazing bacon wrapped date on the plate and i think i now love dates. they're so delicious!

mom had chicken, and apparently no one took a picture of it.

oh and they brought out three little pots of the smoothest mashed potatoes you could ever imagine.

it was time for dessert and of course we couldn't pass that up. i went for the sticky toffee pudding (mostly because i saw an episode of gordon ramsay's kitchen nightmares and this woman make a sticky toffee pudding that was the restaurant's only salvation, so i figured it must be good), and kyle got the creme brulee. it was all so amazing and i can't believe i didn't gain 10 pounds after eating there...

all in all, amazing experience and wonderful food. just don't ask me to eat that cashew cream thing again.

tahiti treats

2009-01-07T16:16:00.000-08:00

shojin in little tokyo

2008-12-15T10:52:00.000-08:00

for scott's birthday dinner we ate at shojin in little tokyo. it was delicious.

the restaurant was inside the mall at little tokyo in downtown los angeles. the mall is full of japanese markets, shops, restaurants, and there's an arcade, too. it's pretty romantic compared to all the other 'wax food' places surrounding it.

we each started out with some tea. i got a sencha tea, and scott had something like kukicha? i think that's what it was called..

we also got the appetizer sampler which included seitan meatballs, pumpkin croquettes, and barbequed tempeh. i was too excited so i forgot to take a picture, but you can trust me when i say it was yummy.

the menu was page and pages of amazing looking food. i was torn between the bbq seitan with broccoli, or the soba noodles with tempura vegetables. i decided that seitan with broccoli was not exciting enough, so i went for the soup. it was so good.

scott got the bento box. it included a salad, vegetable, bbq seitan, and cristy katsu seitan. the bbq seitan was amazing.

after dinner scott mentioned to our waiter that it was his birthday, so the waiter excused himself and came back with some birthday ice cream, including his name spelled out in strawberry/raspberry jam (we couldn't decide which flavor).

then on our way out the waiter gave scott a cd of the music they were playing in the restaurant, which is some fun lounge-y music i enjoy bopping to. i can't wait to go back and try something new!

vegan birthday cake for scott

2008-12-15T10:43:00.000-08:00

scott's birthday was on saturday the 13th, so i made him a birthday cake!

i took the basic chocolate cupcake recipe from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, but put it in a square brownie/cake pan. when it cooled i cut it in half to make a double layer rectangular cake. i used the peanut butter buttercream recipe also from VCTOTW, which i was a little disappointed with. i don't know if it was the peanut butter or just the recipe, but it came out super thick, and the oil in the peanut butter kept separating from the icing. even though i sifted the powdered sugar twice, it still got all lumpy, creating the illusion of "cat food" as kyle said. looks aside, it was the perfect filler frosting, as it absorbed into the cake, giving a lovely peanut flavor. i covered the outside of the cake with the chocolate buttercream frosting from VCTOTW, which scott said was too sweet, but i thought it was pretty delicious.

vegan apple pie

2008-12-09T11:00:00.001-08:00

vegan apple pie before putting in the oven:

vegan apple pie after spending some time in the oven:

it was good, a little too juicy though. i used the Veganomicon recipe for the pie crust (which is a great recipe, easy and the dough is so easy to work with), and then i found a non-vegan apple pie recipe online that i made vegan.

pie is fun!

pumpkin pumpkin pumpkin

2008-10-28T20:37:00.001-07:00

i felt like i had to fully emerge myself in pumpkin this past weekend - its still 90 degrees outside, that fall smell isn't in the air, and we haven't changed the time yet. therefore, i obsessed with pumpkin in order to make it feel more like fall. i think it sort of worked.

first, i made vegan pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. i'll link the recipe later.

then scott and i carved pumpkins.

then of course we had to toast the seeds (with salt, garlic, onion and cumin) mmm.

and that was my pumpkin weekend!

Weight Watchers Red Velvet Cupcakes

2008-10-24T09:47:00.000-07:00

i made Weight Watcher cupcakes for my boss' birthday.

they weren't as red as red velvet cupcakes should be, but that's only because i got a little freaked out by how much dye i was putting into the batter, and stopped after it reached a nice rust color. i'm sure if you had no qualms about food coloring, you could just add the whole bottle of red. recipe found here.

french macarons

2008-10-23T14:34:00.000-07:00

oh, hi.

things have been busy. i haven't taken many foodographs lately, but here's a little french macaron (from france) to keep you occupied.

henry's tacos

2008-09-25T16:14:00.000-07:00

Henry's Tacos is the best taco place ever. i don't care what others say, i don't care if it's dirty, i don't care if it's mystery meat. nothing can ever come close. i will be eating here until the day i die.

today i had two hard tacos. yumyumyumyum.

teuscher chocolates

2008-09-24T09:41:00.000-07:00

chocolate buddies from teuscher san francisco.

sprinkles cupcakes

2008-09-19T15:22:00.000-07:00

oh man, i would kill right now to have a red velvet cupcakes from sprinkles.
mmmmmmm.

coffee and cookies

2008-09-17T11:29:00.000-07:00

Masse's Pastries in Berkeley, CA.
ngan, scott and i enjoyed coffee and lattes with some french macarons and i think there was a ginger cookie. delicious!

chocolate graham goldfish

2008-09-17T11:27:00.001-07:00

just ate these. yummy!

indian food

2008-09-16T11:41:00.001-07:00

i am craving indian food right at this very moment. if i were living in berkeley, i'd call India Palace and order enough food for free delivery. i would kill for some of their chicken pasanda (boneless chicken cooked in a mild coconut and almond based curry sauce - a good dish for the beginners)

YUM.

INDIA PALACE - BERKELEY, CA

vegan apple galettes

2008-09-16T10:30:00.000-07:00

from Veganonicom, September 13, 2008

tomato and basil pizza

2008-09-15T11:18:00.000-07:00

ngan+kat+pizza dough+hunger=one successful pizza

berkeley, 2006

chocolate vegan cupcakes with raspberries

2008-09-12T15:37:00.000-07:00

chocolate cupcake and frosting recipe from vegan cupcakes take over the world
for scott, february 2007

hello.

2008-09-12T15:04:00.001-07:00

i like food. a lot. not just eating it, but cooking it, looking at it, taking pictures of it, pretty much just the whole idea of it. since i'm known to my friends for always taking a photo of my food before i eat, i thought i should start a collection of all my food photos, as well as my favorite recipes, restaurants i've tried, and other food blogs i like to read.

so, welcome all food lovers! and bon appetit!