「ハッピーバースデー」Happy Birthday!!!

some 50+ yrs ago, on april 24, my step-uncle was born. then 30+ yrs later on april 24 in 1982 my Mommy & her best friend Auntie Mei had a son & a daughter, respectively, while sharing the same hospital room. One year later, on april 24 in 1983 my Mommy's older sister & my Mommy's other best friend Mommy Zhen had a son & a daughter, respectively.

story goes on...

6 yrs later, on april 24 in 1989, my Mommy coincidentally went into labor this day, but my little brother did not want to share his birthday with everyone, so he decided to come into the world @ 1 am, so he was born april 25.

=D

Happy Birthday to all of you!!!!!!

i made 2 birthday cakes for 2 of the people above - my best friend since birth Julie (Mommy Zhen's) & my little brother.

for julie, a tiramisu charlotte trifle
 

for wilson, a chocolate cake featuring domo-kun

to update with more pix another day...hehe. BED TIME!!!

「桜と抹茶のマカロン」Cherry Blossom Macarons with Green Tea Buttercream

finally completed 1st attempt @ macarons!

baked 3 different sets 3 different ways & ONE set has feet! WOOHOO!!! the AirBake tray batch had a little bit of feet, but that made my day!!!

i end'd up aging my egg whites for 5 days, so i consider'd toss'n them out, BUT i couldn't! i love eggs! can't waste them. so...

@ 9:30 pm, i setup shop in the basement on top of the washer, so as to not wake my Pops.

here's the final product after all that macaronnage'n/macaronner'n. hehe.

ready to bake. into the small oven u go.

sakura flavor with maccha on top.

plain sakura flavor'd with sakura extract

sakura sakura - sakura flavor with sakura sugar - sugar with dried sakura flower petals & leaves

my feet-less macarons

these have feet!!! thank u AirBake!!!

boobie pads? LOL!

can u spot a very dirty pup? Yup tofupuppy likes to snooze in the kitchen doorway with all the smelly dirty shoes. silly puppy!

more pictures in the morning!!!

[update] more pictures!!!

very simple yet delicious 抹茶 buttercream

VOILA!

set up shop out in the yard with tons of props, then it start'd rain'n. yes, showers are expect'd: April Showers bring May Flowers.

bought this lovely bunny set in Hiroshima during 2009

PRETTY!!!

bought this lovely bunny set (bunny not shown) from Tokai @ Porter Exchange.

here's my favorite shot while browsing thru my camera

my pretty Hello Kitty tea cup from either Hiroshima or Kyoto

which one do u prefer: sakura macarons with sakura flowers & leaves sprinkled on top or sakura macarons with maccha sprinkled on top?

Sakura Macarons

(original recipes from I Love Macarons by Hisako Ogita)

2/3 cup ground almonds

1 1/2 cup powder'd sugar

3 large egg whites, @ room temperature (i aged mine's 4-5 days...hehe)

5 T granulated sugar

1 t sakura extract (original recipe uses vanilla extract)

1. in a food processor, grind almond flour & powder'd sugar together, then sift twice (took me an hour to sift once, so i just sift'd once, guess my strainer was too fine)

2. in a bowl, beat egg whites on high until foamy, gradually add granulated sugar, beat until stiff & glossy, add sakura extract, beat until mix'd in

3. add half of the almond sugar mixture, stir, add the rest, mix in circular motion

4. when u no longer see the flour, press & spreah out the batter against the side of the bowl, scoop batter from the bottom and turn upside down. repeat 15 times

5. pour batter into pastry bag with a wide-ish tip (depends on size u want ur macarons)

6. pipe out same size circles on baking sheet

7. when done piping, rap/hit the bottom of the baking sheet a few times

8. dry the batter for 30 minutes or more, up to when the surface is no longer sticky to the touch

9. bake with 2 trays stacked (i used 1, but airbake tray helped the feet form (kinda)) in preheated oven @ 375 F for 15-18 minutes

Maccha Buttercream

7 T unsalted butter, room temperature

3 T water

3 T granulated sugar

1 egg

1 t vanilla extract

1 T maccha (green tea powder)

1. microwave the water & sugar for 3 minutes

2. beat the egg until foamy, pour in hot syrup in a thin stream while mixing the egg, mix until white & heavy, quadrupled in size

3. add butter to the egg mixture in 3 batches while beating the mix, add green tea powder, beat buttercream until fluffy & creamy (egg & butter will separate while beating, just keep going)

ENJOY!

「ピロウ ソフト ピーナッツバタとチョコチップクッキ」 pillow soft PB chocochip cookies

i'm drool'n over yummy pillow soft cookies!!! r u?

doughy just the way i like 'em!

cookie vs. tofu!!!

mmm cookie!!!

ate 6 by the time i took out my camera =P

a week ago, i baked about 6 dozens of mini chocolate chip cookies & ate about 6 of 'em (left photo).

i had to resist pig'n out on 'em cos Judy had to take them to her class. so as i walk'd the 11 minutes home from Judy's house with my cupcake book, handmixer & some mixing bowls plant'd in my arms, i decided that i MUST bake some more!!!!!!! went & bought some nestle morsels (chocolate chips) but i got lazy & occupied with other things, so i suppress'd the urges to bake cookies & the cravings to chow them down.

this morning, as i was gather'n things to finally attempt to make French macarons, those "must-have-a-foot!" almond meringue sandwich cookies that intimidate me A LOT, i felt that i had to build up my confidence first by making something i've made many plentiful times. so of course i'd make chocolate chip cookies!

during the week, i came across this recipe, that instantly got saved to my Favorites. usually i just skip thru the chocolate chip cookie photos on tastespotting, but this one call'd to me!!! when it comes to chocolate chip cookies, i'm more of a DOUGH lover!!! my brother asks why don't i just make/buy sugar cookies, i say "THEY'RE DIFFERENT!!!!" talk'n about it, it's gotta be the brown sugar, huh?

anyways, the cookies from this recipe turn'd out pillowy & cakey, just the way i liked.

while i prep'd the dough, i wasn't sure what to expect since it was a bit crumbly & dry, but with some knead'n, it turn'd out better. then when the dough went into the oven, again, i felt uneasy again: 1. the dough didn't heat up & spread out. 2. the dough didn't brown up.

BUT when i took them outta the oven (i never time the baking minutes...), they turn'd out DELICIOUS!!! very cake-like & doughy! YUMMY!!!

i changed the recipe a little bit, but the cookies came out lovely!!!

Pillowy Peanut Butter & Chocolate Chips Cookies

recipe yields about 20 cookies

• 1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda (originally 1/8 tsp)
• 1/3 cup brown sugar (originally 1/2 cup)
• 3/4 stick butter, softened/room-temp
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup Nestle Peanut Butter & Milk Chocolate chips (originally semi-sweet chocolate chips)

1. preheat oven to 350°F

2. cream butter with brown sugar & granulated sugar, add egg & vanilla

4. sift together flour, salt, baking soda & baking powder, stir into butter/sugar/egg/vanilla mix

4. add peanut butter chips & chocolate chips

5. shape dough into 1 inch balls

6. bake 12-15 minutes

ENJOY!!!

[discretionary notice] no pups were harm'd in the photography session of this post. tofupuppy did not consume any cookies! =P

「タルト大好き」i love tarts!

after making my 1st two tarts on march 6 for our afternoon tea party, i've been addict'd to making fruit tarts. =D these 3 were made on march 26 for the family in NYC. i even carved & taped up 2 "pizza" boxes for the drive. =D

got too lazy to make a 3rd box

tempt'n tofupuppy again with food he can't eat. i'm a meanie!

from our afternoon tea party - tart #1 

「苺と豆乳カスタードのタルト」strawberry & soymilk custard tart

10 PM: baking on a whim (again...) - tarts are baking in the oven, & the just-made soymilk custard & strawberries are in the fridge - devour'n my lovely strawberry custard tarts tomorrow morning =D

updates:

woke up very late late this morning, took tofupuppy outside to potty, fed him, then fed myself this before rush'n outta the house.

my strawberry & custard tart was VERY yummylicious!!! it almost satisfied my craving of an 苺カスタードクリームクレープ。i can't wait to re-visit Japan in 2012. hear'n & read'n about all the news of the events from the past week has been very heartfelt. my heart & thoughts are with those in Japan. i pray for survivors!!!!!!!! i also hope that all of my friends stay safe & un-affect'd by the earthquake/tsunami/nuclear radiation threats!!! 気をつけてください!

got home from work, took tofupuppy to the neighbor's yard to play with chewy for the 1st time. it was hilarious! chewy kept growl'n nonstop @ tofu & we were all uber-confused, wonder'n if chewy welcomed tofu or not. tofu kept run'n across their pool cover & drench'd himself with the chlorinated rain/snow water, plus consumed tons of it. sigh...oh this puppy! gotta give him a bath in the morning, too late to do so now. let's say there'd be a wet me, a wet bathroom, tons of wet clothes & towels yield'n one full load of laundry & a 1-hour blow-dry'n session with a vicious puppy - TOO MUCH TROUBLE for 8 in the evening. so instead i work'd on this before dinner:

almond soymilk tart pastry recipe

(makes 2-18" tarts)

1 & 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting to roll-out dough

3/4 cup confectioners' sugar

1/2 cup ground almonds

1 stick unsalted butter or margarine, diced & chill'd

1 egg yolk

1 T soymilk

1. sift the flour & sugar together in a bowl, stir in almonds

2. rub in the butter/margarine until mixture resembles breadcrumbs

3. mix in egg yolk & milk to form dough

4. knead dough briefly on a flour'd surface

5. wrap & chill in fridge for 30 minutes

6. preheat oven to 400°F

7. split the dough to 2 balls, roll out flat & lay one each on to the tart pan

8. use the rolling pin to roll across the top of the pan to remove excess dough

9. prick the pastry bottoms with a fork

10. bake @ 10-15 minutes until lightly golden brown

soymilk custard recipe

(adapt'd from Soymilk Desserts, took out the butter & used cornstarch instead of AP flour)

3 egg yolks

5 T sugar

3 T cornstarch

1 cup soymilk

1 t vanilla bean paste/vanilla extract

1. whisk yolks & sugar together

2. add cornstarch, mix well

3. heat the soymilk in a pan over medium heat until bubbles form on the side of the pan

4. slowly pour a stream of the warm soymilk into the custard mixture while whisking it

5. pour the custard back into the pan & heat on medium-low for 2-3 minutes until thicken'd

6. pour custard back into bowl & place saran wrap directly on top of the custard

7. refrigerate until chill'd

ENJOY!!! 

「라면+떡볶이=라볶이」Spicy Korean Rice Cake & Ramen

i took friday off work & was craving some spicy food so i made 라볶이 (rabokki) aka 라면 (ramyon/ramen) with 떡볶이 (ddeokbokki): a very popular snack food served on the streets in Korea. i couldn't find a simple recipe online, so i made up my own using the usual ingredients - chili, sesame, soy sauce. some of the ones i came across required anchovy broth, etc.

i made it quick, snap'd a few shots, post'd it to facebook & enjoy'd the spicy kick'n chewiness while work'n on my resume. the next time i log'd back onto facebook, i received quite a few comments.

since i got so many people drool'n over it, i thot i'd share the recipe. like everyone i know who cooks, i do not measure when i cook, only when i bake. so this recipe gives approximate portions, but u can ALWAYS adjust to your taste. Enjoy!!!

라볶이 Spicy Korean Rice Cake & Ramen
serves 2-3?

1 bag of tube-shaped rice cakes - 떡 ddeok (refrigerated/frozen type, not the dry ones!)
1 bag of ramen - 라면 ramyon
3T fermented red chili pepper & soybean paste - 고추장 gochujang
2T red chili pepper flakes - 고추가루 gochugaru
1T sesame oil
1T soy sauce
1t sugar
veggies (cabbage, onion, carrot - chop'd)
enough water to cover the rice cakes
2 cloves of fresh garlic, minced/diced
hard-boil'd eggs

1. in a large pan, sauté the garlic in the sesame oil, add veggies, cook a minute or two.
2. add water to pan of sautéed veggies, boil, add rice cakes, ramen, chili paste, chili flakes, soy sauce, sugar.
3. boil until the rice cakes float to the top, then it's ready to eat. the liquid will absorb up so don't worry about it being too liquidy since the sauce is usually served thick.

Note: get the milk ready if u can't take that spicy kicks to your tongue. enjoy!