Vintage Cupcake Idea

Happy Friday everyone! I can't believe this great weather in southern california but then again...I can. (sorry cold-weather-neighbor-states and beyond). Well, this has been a very merry birthday week indeed. So instead of just one person getting cake and candles we all had a shindig with pizza, cupcakes and Disneyland.

Originally, I wanted to make princess cupcakes but instead they turned out looking more like vintage housewife cupcakes. Cute transformation.

Anyway, I made this cupcake using the following ingredients...really simple ingredients:

1 box of French Vanilla cake mix (eggs, oil)
1 can of Lemon Supreme frosting
A bag of Red tart candy hearts
Blue pearl sprinkles

Tip: Decorate blue pearl sprinkles right after frosting. Have a fun weekend!

Flourless Brownies...Thank You Whole Foods

I just recently discovered a magical website called Pinterest. My cousin Melody mentioned it to me and then my girlfriend Lacy affirmed it's awesomeness. Hehe. Well, in search of things to "pin" onto my Food board, I ran across a flourless brownie recipe that led to another gluten-free recipe that I had ingredients to in my pantry. So I decided to make Whole Food's version of this magnificent treat. My first attempt turned out okay but not quite the chocolatey texture I wanted. This picture is of my second attempt with added melted chocolate bar from Trader Joe's (72% Dark Chocolate). I am not saying this is gluten-free or peanut allergy-free but it certainly is flour-free. Have a blast making this and I know it's sure to become one your favorite family treats, just don't tell them it's made with black beans! 

Flourless Brownies
Recipe adapted from Whole Foods website

1 (15 oz) can of unsalted black beans, drained and rinsed
3 large eggs (room temperature)
1/4 c Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
2 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/8 tsp Salt
1/3 c Melted Unsalted Butter & a little more for greasing pan
1/2 c Xylitol or artificial sweetener
1/2 c Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips
3 oz *Melted 72% Chocolate Bark
1/2 c of Walnuts (Optional)

• Preheat oven 350 degrees. Grease 8x10 inch pan.
• In a food processor, mix black beans, eggs, cocoa powder, vanilla, salt, melted butter & xylitol. Blend until consistency is smooth.
• Add melted chocolate bar into food processor and blend well.
• Pour batter into greased pan and mix into batter 1/4 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips. Sprinkle the other 1/4 cup of chocolate chips on top of batter. 
• Bake for 30-34 minutes for soft, gooey brownie.

Enjoy with milk of choice!

* When melting chocolate bark, I use my homemade double-boilder method. Like this pic.

Photo from Baking Bites Blog

Oklahoma Joe's BBQ...Kansas City Does it Right!

My sisters are fans of this place. My parents make a trip to this place each time they visit the States. I finally had lunch with my husband here...Oklahoma Joe's BBQ.

There's definitely something magical about Kansas City BBQ sauce and if you ever drive through this town make sure you stop by and get a taste. Personally speaking, I have always preferred KC sauce to the mustard based sauces. Molasses for me, please!

I wanted to share some pics of the Oklahoma Joe's BBQ located in Olathe, KS. I'll post according the order of things seen. Happy Tuesday indeed.

Visit Oklahoma Joe's BBQ.

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.

Cinema Sentinel: The Apple Pushers & Albert Nobbs

Once again I have two trailers I wanted to share with you. The first one is called The Apple Pushers written and directed by Mary Mazzio (follow her @marymazzio) and narrated by Edward Norton. I get really excited for documentary films that deal with our current reality and hopefully inspire us to make a change for the better. I hope we all get a chance to view this sometimes soon. So far it's only been reviewed on the East Coast.

For more information about the film (Applepushers.com) and screenings.

The Apple Pushers

(via YouTube 50 Eggs Films)

This next film, I believe, is a strong contender for the Oscars in the category of Best Actress for none other than the indelible Glenn Close. What an exciting year for me with movies. Happy Friday!

Albert Nobbs 
in theatres January 27, 2012

(via YouTube VISO trailers)

Delicious Oreo Truffles

This past Christmas I had the pleasure of being with family and visiting close family friends. One of our friends made this delicious treat called Oreo Truffles. I like truffles but I'm also quite picky as to what kind of truffles I enjoy, however, these will probably go down into my Top 5 Truffs!

Aunt JoAnne, as I like to call her, gave us a simple recipe and had we only had a larger food processor it would have made things easier for my sister and I. But in sisterly fashion we (Sam, Lydia and I) made things more complicated by using a small food processor (my Christmas gift) and had a BLAST making them. So here goes our recipe and attempt...

Oreo Truffles

1 pack of Oreos (Double Stuffed for extra sweetness)
1 8 oz. pack of Fat Free Cream Cheese (less guilt)
1 pack of Chocolate Almond bark, Milk Chocolate or Dark Chocolate would do
1/2 pack of White Chocolate Almond bark for decorating
Wax Paper
A bit of insanity for making these at 12am.

• In a large food processor, blend oreos until it becomes a crumbled consistency. Remove and set aside. 
• Next, quarter cream cheese and add oreo crumbles and blend together until it forms a dough-like consistency.
• Roll mixture into quarter size balls. Place on wax paper.
• In a saucepan, melt chocolate almond bark until completely melted. Remove from heat.
• Using a fork or however is easier, dip oreo balls and place coated balls on wax paper. 
• Once your truffles are dried, decorate them with melted white chocolate almond bark. Have fun! 

My sister is so stinkin' creative. 

My sister Sam took the liberty of dipping the chocolate coated truffles into white chocolate and making little ghosts. This could be the perfect Halloween truffle! Thanks Samantha and Lydia for decorating while I was busy consuming food at 1am.

Cinema Sentinel: Movies I'm Going to Watch

I don't want to say anymore but let you see these trailers for themselves. But one thing, CAN MERYL STREEP WIN AN OSCAR NOW?! Okay, I'm done. Happy Friday!

The Iron Lady

(via YouTube aaspri)

War Horse

(via YouTube VISO Trailers)

The Hobbit

(via YouTube ColliderVideos)

What to Expect When You're Expecting

(via YouTube VoltzTrailerz)
One reaction: LOL

Almond Poppy Seed Cake

Happy New Year 2012!! It's been a long time since I've been on blog and a lot of life has happened since then. My husband and I experienced joy, anticipation, grief and now healing. But all is well as we look forward to the future with hope and love. I am wishing the same for you and your life!

Well, I wanted to start off the new year's blog with a favorite recipe of my mother's: Almond Poppy Seed Cake. She left her recipe in Thailand so we searched the web for the closest recipe according to her recollection.

I found this recipe on Cooks.com and I made specific changes e.g. instead of just butter, I recommend using unsalted butter. As for buttermilk you can make your own by using 1 cup of whole milk and two teaspoons of vinegar. Let stand for 5 minutes or more before use. My Almond Extract, Cinnamon and Poppy Seeds are all from Penzeys Spices. The quality is wonderful and potent. Even my mother noticed a difference. Enjoy this recipe and visit Cooks.com for more recipes that don't have pictures but they are tried and true delish!

Almond Poppy Seed Cake
Recipe adapted from Cooks.com

1 teaspoon Almond Extract
1 cup Buttermilk
1 1/2 cup Sugar
2 1/2 cup Sifted Flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/4 cup Poppy Seeds
1 cup Unsalted Butter
4 Eggs, separated
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 cup Sugar (Additional)

• Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Grease and flour bundt cake pan. 
• Make cinnamon sugar; combine cinnamon and 1/2 cup sugar. Set aside.
• Combine almond extract, poppy seeds and buttermilk; set aside.
• Combine sifted flour, baking powder and salt; set aside. 
• Cream butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar. Add 4 egg yolks. Beat until creamy.
• Add alternately, flour mixture and buttermilk mixture into creamed butter/sugar bowl. Mix well.
• Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Then gently fold in egg whites into cake mixture bowl. 
• Pour 1/2 the batter into a well greased and floured bundt cake pan. Sprinkle 1/2 of the cinnamon sugar mixture. 
• Pour the rest of the batter into the pan and sprinkle remaining cinnamon sugar mixture on top. You can add more sugar and cinnamon if you prefer. (My mom added a bit more). 
• Bake 40-60 minutes. I found out our cake was done when I could smell the almond throughout the kitchen and living room! Not the best way to find out but it worked. As always, you know your oven best.

You can glaze this with a lemon rum glaze or go the extra mile, like my sister, by spreading whipped pink frosting and enjoying the holiday calories to the max. Happy Thursday to you!

My sister's take on glaze. :) Awesome!