Monday, October 7, 2013

Waiting Game

There are times in my life where I completely ignore something because I'm too afraid to face it. I think it's been that way with this blog. I've been swept up by my first full-term pregnancy and these last 9 months, I don't think I've cooked a lot, nor have I made anything that really tastes good.

I did make my first Chocolate Souffle, but would anyone like to try and make it? I really cut down the sugar on it due to my gestational diabetes and I made enough for one person. So it would be a bittersweet, lonely Chocolate Souffle recipe. Hmmm, maybe I will post the recipe.

Anyway, I just wanted to share a pic of what comforts my current 39 weeks-pregnant ailments...ICE. Crushed ice, chipped ice, ice discs...any kind of ice sounds good to me. I'm doing all I can induce labor but I've come to realize that Baby will come when Baby decides. Tomorrow, I meet up with my doc and we shall see what she says about my bun in the oven.

Ice is gone! I need MORE ice.
Oh, one thing I'm craving really badly is Pineapple Fluff Cake. Maybe I'll make some and post it. It all depends on if I go into labor or not. If not, then yes, if so, then I'll ask my husband to make me one. Have a good rest of the day, I know it's Monday and Monday isn't too many people's fave day. Hope you find something good about today! 



Monday, August 26, 2013

The Sims 4: GGGGGAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!

Hi There! As you can see from the title, I will not be sharing any food pics or anything food related today. This blog continues to be about things I love to share about being a Full Time Wife. Pretty soon I will be a Full Time Mommy and I look forward to capturing moments, purchases and more moments of my baby and family. But before baby arrives and my time is consumed by loving duties of a mother, I wanted to share my excitement for The Sims 4.

My husband shared an ad about The Sims 4 a couple evenings ago and today on my Facebook feed I find a first look game trailer of what creating and gameplay will look like. First off, here's the official trailer:

 

At first I wasn't sure what Brock was trying to show me. But as soon as I saw the PlumbBob...I freaked out! Since I've been pregnant, I haven't been able to play my Sims 3 as much as I wanted. So to tell me that there is a new Sims 4 coming out is just too much to take in. I cannot wait to get a laptop and play a little bit in between nursing (LOL). I have a feeling mothers are laughing or rolling their eyes at the comment I just made because it sounds absolutely ridiculous. A girl can dream. Watching this next vid about what to expect in Sims 4 thrills me with the thought of spending hours creating my family members and favorite celebs. If I can create the cast of Downton Abbey in my Sims 3, surely I can get even more detailed in creating the cast of Battlestar Galactica, Downton Abbey, Doctor Who and Breaking Bad. This is going to be an awesome Sims world.

 
The Sims 4 will be available in 2014. You can pre-order your limited edition Sims 4 today (I'm checking my budget). Have a good start of the week! Now I'm off to baking a Lemon Pound Cake. I had some leftover egg yolks from my Chocolate Souffle, I don't like to waste good yolks.

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Cinema Sentinel: Pacific Rim

Uh...totally awesome fun! Great monsters and fight sequences. I actually felt like I was a little kid again watching my favorite saturday shows. It was great growing up in Asia and getting the opportunity to watch Japanese anime.

Here are two YouTube videos of this movie. If you haven't seen it yet and you like action sci-fi, fun action films, check it out at your local theater or wait for it on Redbox.


Monday, July 15, 2013

Two-egg Lemon Bundt Cake


I haven't baked in a while but when I do, I go old school. I pulled out some old cookbooks and tried a recipe from one of my go-to Better Homes & Gardens Dessert Recipe book. Every time I try a recipe from this book, I feel as if I'm getting to experience baking history first hand. I'm baking something that would be made when my grandmother was young woman, just like me.

Today's cake is adapted from the recipe, Best Two-egg Cake, but I added food coloring (yellow), lemon extract and used a bundt pan because I felt like it.

For cakes to come out clean from a bundt pan, line the bottom with parchment paper. Measure the bottom and cut a hole in the middle for a ring shaped liner. Spray pan with baking spray, this time I used Baker's Joy.

The recipe calls for using two round pans at 375 degrees. I know my oven, so I baked the cake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes and reduced to 325 degrees and baked for another 10-15. As you can tell, I'm quite experimental and I hate burning cakes, such a waste of a party.

In the end, the cake turned out quite delightful, very dense with a touch of lemon flavor. I would say, a nice thin slice of this cake would be fantastic with fresh cut strawberries or raspberries and whip cream, garnished with some mint leaves. Enjoy!

Two-egg Lemon Bundt Cake
Recipe adapted from Better Homes & Gardens (1965) Best Two-egg Cake
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons of bourbon vanilla
2 eggs (room temperature)
2 1/4 cups sifted cake flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk
--------------------------------------
2 teaspoons of lemon extract
4 drops of yellow food coloring

  • Preheat oven 350 degrees.
  • Beat shortening until softened. 
  • Gradually add sugar and beat thoroughly.
  • Add vanilla, beat and then add eggs one at a time, beating well after each. 
  • Sift flour with baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternating with milk, beating well after each. 
  • Separate about two cups or desired amount, add lemon extract and food coloring. 
  • In prepared bundt pan, spoon in vanilla cake batter and alternate with lemon cake batter. I layered my batter. 
  • Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, reduce heat to 325 degrees and bake for another 10-15 minutes. Depending on your oven. Remove from oven and allow to cool before removing the bundt cake. 

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Cinema Sentinel: The Great Gatsby

I haven't posted a lot of movie trailers I'm excited about, but this summer is chock-full of blockbusters to keep us all busy! We've already kicked off our summer of movies with Iron Man 3 this past weekend at our local AMC Dine-In Theatre. If you haven't experienced AMC's Dine-In theatre then I encourage you to do so. If you have food allergies or you are particular about what you eat, then take a look at their menu before you visit.

Okay back to my movie that I'm excited about watching...The Great Gatsby, Baz Luhrmann style! From Strictly Ballroom, to Romeo + Juliet and Moulin Rouge!, his films have always made a lasting impression on me and I still enjoy watching them in 2013. As a child, I didn't know Strictly Ballroom was directed by Baz, I just enjoyed the style and characters he so vibrantly created.

I know The Great Gatsby has a different soundtrack than the era it is supposed to be set in but I trust the music director's vision. I can remember listening to Romeo + Juliet soundtrack over and over in  high school on my cheap cd player and then singing at the top of my lungs to "Come What May" from Moulin Rouge! with my thespian friends. Good times of song and dance.

Well, in celebration of this upcoming film, I just wanted to share some 1920s YouTube vids I like and a hotel that I believe is absolutely fitting for this time period. My dear friend Lacy took me along with her to a conference a couple years ago that was held at The Cavalier Hotel in Virginia Beach. This establishment has been hosting famous guests and presidents since 1926. There are two different structures of the same hotel, one historical and one built in the 70s. Lucky for us, we got to stay in the historical hotel. From the moment we drove up and checked in, I could feel the spirit of the hotel, almost haunting yet quite inviting. Read more about The Cavalier Hotel here.

Anyway, thanks for humoring me and let's get right to the videos:
I know I'm a 1920s girl at heart when I dance. Uninhibited and fun!

(via Aaron1912 on YouTube)


(via maynardcat on YouTube)

Last but not least...The Great Gatsby trailer! Release day May 10, 2013. Be sure to get your tickets boys and gals!

(via TheHollywoodBird on YouTube)

Our 1920s look for a friend's wedding we attended in Temecula. Happy Hump Day!

Monday, April 29, 2013

I'm a Mommy...of 16 Weeks!

Let's see, my last post was in March and I bet that was posted on a decent day when I wasn't plagued with nausea and heartburn. These past three-four months I've been MIA from my blog for a very good reason...I'm 16 weeks pregnant!

This has been an answer to our prayers and even though I had terrible pregnancy sickness, deep in my heart I was thankful for every unwanted pregnancy symptom that made my days miserable. My heart goes out to all mommies and future-mommies who have and will go through pregnancy sickness. To be honest, I thought I would be able to handle it well and still continue with normal day-to-day activities/chores but I was deeply mistaken. I can't tell you how much I hated the smell of my own home. I hated the smell of my fridge. Worst of all, I hated the smell of buttercream and all things sugary. Even the thought of baking and decorating a cake would send me straight to the bathroom. It was bittersweet when I had to cancel my Wilton classes. I was on a roll with this cake decorating venture but at the same time Life decided to take me on a hormonal ride called major pregnancy sickness . We shall meet again Wilton!

For now, I'm currently enjoying my 2nd trimester and looking forward to learning more of what I can do to prepare for a baby. I look forward to sharing our baby story with you on my other blog...The Full Time Mommy (in construction).

Thanks for reading my post today!! :)

Some funny pregnancy announcements online:

Found on Weffaroo's Photobucket. Too funny! 

Found this one via Pinterest via 9laughs.com under Honest Pregnancy Announcement. I feel for the poor mommy but I love his enthusiasm.

I can totally see my husband and I doing this, trading my nice dresses and him some of his old electronics (never our Xbox 360). Found this via Cheezburger.com

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Bounty of a Local Farmer's Market

We haven't had the sunniest weather here in California but I can't complain. I can tell you one thing I don't miss about the Midwest...winter, snow and sleet. But I miss other things about my midwest hometown. I look forward to visiting my sisters there this summer! Yay!

Well, today I thought I'd cheer myself up by posting pics of things I've purchased at my local farmer's market in the Santa Monica area. It's great to be in a state where I can get a variety of almost all my favorite fruits and veggies year round and for a much cheaper price. So I hope this gets you excited for Spring and Summer and all the glories that your local farmer's market has to offer.

These figs were amazing and come to think of it, these were my first real figs I tried. I love fig Newtons but I prefer the real stuff now. 


 Found some multi-colored fingerling potatoes and ended up as a delicious potato salad. Have I mentioned how much I love potato salad? 

There was a man selling bread on the outskirts of the market and I decided to try something new...Squaw Bread. The taste reminded me of one of my favorite beers, a nice cold pint of Guinness. Wonderful bread, I should've saved some for my husband but I ate the entire loaf in two days. I'm still working it off me. 

Last but not least, one of my top 5 favorite fruits, the luscious strawberry. Pretttttty darn good. It was just as sweet as Driscoll brand strawberries. Mmm...mmm...mmm.

Friday, February 22, 2013

My First Wilton Decorated Cake


The next class of my Wilton cake decorating course consisted of being asked to prepare two bags of frosting, frost an 8 inch circle cake and decorate with any of the three designs given. There as a fish, hamburger and cupcake. Of course, I chose the cupcake.

My instructor used my cake as an example of how to frost. It was a toss up of how I felt about that. On one hand I preferred her to use her own cake and frosting so I could learn. But on the other hand, maybe she had confidence in me that I already know to frost a cake and so she didn't mind using my cake as an example. Did she recognize my ability to decorate from my mad Star piping skills on the cookie from last class? Haha. Jk. Jk.

Anyway, it was fun to get the opportunity to get my hand sweet and sticky with frosting as I decorated my cotton candy pink and blue cupcake. We used Wilton Tip #18 for the zigzags & stars on the edge of the cake, Tip #1 for the cupcake and Tip #3 from the little squiggly lines for the cake liner area. For the multi-colored looked in the zigzag, streak both sides of the bag with blue and fill the rest of the bag with pink. Burp the bag and frost away!



Happy Friday!


Thursday, February 14, 2013

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! I hope you are surrounded with friends and family who love you. But if no one loves you, I'm sure Ryan Gosling does...at least his memes. Woke up this morning and found this in my inbox from my sis Juls:


She really knows how to crack us all up. I don't really get the Ryan memes but every time I see one of these memes, I laugh a little. Thanks Juls, Sam and Anz for wishing me a Happy Valentines. Love you, Ladies!

As for me, I like to bake cookies and treats pertaining to V-day but this year, I'm focusing on learning how to decorate better. We haven't learned how to create the signature Wilton rose just yet but this is my first fragile attempt to create one for Valentine's Day. This was the nicest one out of five. Have a great day!




Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Oscar Short Films I Love

I love watching the Oscars although I haven't been a faithful viewer for about three years, but it's different now. My husband is currently is studying animation at Animation Mentor and I'm writing from time to time on my other blog The Animator's Wife. It's so sweet of him to keep me close and involved in his life by encouraging me to write about his animation education. I'm so thankful that he's patient with me. You see, I feel like a fish out of water sometimes when I write on my other blog. I don't know a lot of the correct terminology for animation-speak, but I try my best to write from a perspective of a supportive wife. It's a process. Well, because of that, I've taken a liking and a better eye on some things in animation and I'm also gaining a little more knowledge of this world from what he's going through.

This year's Oscar nominees for Best Animated Short Film are diverse and strong...they are heart-touching, creative, thought-invoking and funny. But my two favorites have to be Paperman and Adam and Dog. Hope you enjoy it!

Paperman Trailer
 (Disneyanimation via YouTube)

Adam and Dog

(Minkyu Lee via YouTube)

Cake Decorating Class 1: Week 1

Hi there! I just wanted to share a little bit about my first class of cake decorating. First of all, it was a totally new experience for me and I didn't think I would like such a close-quarter class but it turned out pretty cool after introducing myself to my classmates. As you may or may not know, I'm a bit of an introvert in new situations, but it is amusing how I muster enough courage to get out there and introduce myself to people. From that point on, I'm golden. Maybe, I'm not an introvert.

Anyway, my teacher is Ms.Thelma and she is very, very confident that she can make professional cake decorators out of us. I appreciate her confidence that sometimes borders perfectionism. I kinda like that trait in teachers who want nothing but the best results from their students. I look forward to getting better with each attendance.

After plenty of discussion about our class kits and what each utensil is for, Thelma proceeded to tell us more about baking cakes and her little tips and tricks of the trade (Bonus!). Our first task in class was to learn how to prepare our frosting/icing bags and we worked with Tip #21 (Star shape). With some pre-made sugar cookies we were instructed to squeeze out star shaped frosting. I took it another level by covering my entire cookie with cute stars. It looked so cool and I wish I could show you what it looked like, but on the way back home, this is what happened...

It was so pretty.

I was so excited to show my husband my star covered cookie. Well, I made up for it and showed him my new skills. Check out his hand modeling of my cookie.


Sooooo...that's what I have learned so far. I'll be posting what I learned this past week, Class 1: Week 2. I can't wait until we get to learning about fondant and flowers. I'm really looking forward to making the Wilton rose. Have a great day!

Monday, January 28, 2013

A Great Birthday Present


It's official that I'm officially going to learn how to decorate cakes via Wilton! My awesome husband surprised me this morning with a birthday present consisting of a tub of icing, a small box of icing colors, a gift card to Michaels, Course 1-4 student kits and a receipt letting me know that he paid for my classes. What a thoughtful and special gift this is!

I've been looking at cake decorating courses all year long and have dedicated this year to doing new things and going on on adventures from the perspective of Fun. I love to decorate cupcakes and confections but I've never really had any training and in a sense, it's made me a bit timid to go out and decorate cakes for others. For me, this is one way to boost my confidence in learning something new and I get to meet other people who are interested in learning this craft. I certainly look forward to sharing my designs and assignments with you.

Well, I'm off to spending the rest of my day with my man. Hopefully, I can update you all on my progress as the weeks go by. Have a great Monday!

See your local Michaels Arts & Crafts for Wilton certified cake decorating classes. 

Friday, January 18, 2013

Baked Eggplant with Turmeric and Cumin

Photo courtesy of Samantha

Happy Friday Everyone! This recipe today comes from the kitchen of my sister Samantha. Seriously, she is one talented chick when it comes to all things crafty, sweet & savory. Now that she got an iPhone (about time, hehe) she has been texting me more and sending me video and pictures. Yesterday afternoon she sent me this picture of what looked like eggplant chips and I just had to post and bake some for myself. I'll probably try this on the weekend. Thank you, Sam for sharing this recipe!

Baked Eggplant with Turmeric and Cumin

3 Japanese or Chinese Eggplants
1/4 teaspoon of Cumin
1/8 teaspoon of Turmeric
3 tablespoons of Panko bread crumbs
2 tablespoons of Olive Oil
Olive Oil spray
2 Green Onions, chopped
Salt to taste
  • Preheat oven 450 degrees.
  • In a large bowl, mix eggplant with 2 tablespoons of olive oil until vegetable is well coated.
  • Add cumin, turmeric and salt.
  • Add bread crumbs and green onions. Mix well.
  • Spray pan with olive oil spray, place eggplant in a single layer and bake for 30 minutes or until slightly crispy. Garnish with extra chopped green onions.
Photo courtesy of Samantha

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Dainty Lemon Cupcakes


Some days are just days when I give into my cravings and go with the flow of life. Today, life gave me lemons and I chose to turn it into what I call, "Dainty Lemon Cupcakes". I just had a lot of heavy things on my mind and it's amazing how a mental battle can take such a toll on you physically. Maybe that's why I turned to these delicious carbs? Maybe.

I call these cupcakes dainty because of the light & softness of the cake and the delicate sweetness of the Lemon Cream Cheese glaze, more like a cute hybrid of frosting and glaze...Fraze...or...Glost. I'll see which word I like best by the end of the day. Maybe I'll ask my husband what he thinks of this new term I came up with. But this glaze is really tasty and it can remain a bit gooey so if you are serving this, you might want to glaze the cupcakes ahead of time and keep them chilled in the fridge before serving. Now that I think of it, this would make a great treat for Afternoon Tea or a Summer Party. Chilled Dainty Lemon Cupcakes. Mmmmmm.

For the cake portion, I went easy and just used Duncan Hines Lemon Supreme boxed cake. Bake according to instructions provided. At the bottom of the instructions there is an option for a lower fat content. Happy Baking!


For the Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 package of Cream Cheese, softened
1 cup of Powdered Sugar
Zest of 1-2 lemons
3-4 tablespoons of fresh squeezed Lemon Juice
extra powdered sugar for thickness
  • Beat cream cheese until smooth, gradually add in powdered sugar.
  • Add zest and juice. Beat until all ingredients are blended. Adjust according to taste and consistency with powdered sugar. I prefer mine less sweet and more zesty creamy. 
  • Take a spoonful of Fraze/Glost and turn those cupcakes into a treat.

Monday, January 7, 2013

800 Degrees Neapolitan Pizzeria...Yes Please!


Pizza Margherita with Prosciutto & Anchovies
I have a confession to make. I craved so much carbs this month that I had pizza three evenings in a row! It was AMAZING but would I do it again? Probably not. However, there is a new pizzeria I just might have to visit from time to time when the craving calls. 

My husband is the one who loves pizza and not just any kind of pizza, neapolitan pizza. So since we've moved from DC, we've been looking for that special place we can call "our favorite pizza" spot, or "one of our fave" spots. I have to give him all the credit for venturing out and discovering 800 Degrees Neapolitan Pizzeria for us. 

What convinced us to pay a nice visit was reading their About page and watching their Vimeo presentation of who they are and what they do. I would like to confirm that they delivered. 

My husband ordered their Pizza Margherita with added Pepperoni and Prosciutto (below).
I ordered a Pizza Margherita with added Anchovies and Prosciutto. We also ordered a side of Broccolini, which was very delicious with a bit of a char on the chopped greens. I added some balsamic vinaigrette and the rest was history. 


Service was speedy and if you arrive a little earlier than 6pm, there wasn't much of a wait. But even if there was a wait, it was worth the trip. 

My only comment on the food would be that the middle of the pie was a bit soggy. Maybe I'll try a different pizza next time and see if that's a consistent thing. Other than that, I would recommend trying 800 Degrees at least once if you happen to be around UCLA area. Happy Eating!


Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Happy 2013!

Happy Day 2 of 2013!
It's a new year and I'm so glad that we have beginnings and endings and new beginnings.

This year, I'm taking my healthy habits of last year and continuing these habits into 2013. I'm going to finish what I started and reap the rewards of perseverance and commitment.

I've chosen a theme for the year and shared it with my husband. This year, I will seek to do anything and everything from the perspective of FUN.  I don't recall ever dedicating a year to a theme and especially the theme of "Fun". I'm looking forward to having a ton of fun this year!

So call it a New Year's resolution or statements, but having two for one year is enough for me. I hope you see your plans, resolutions or convictions through this year. Wishing you the best for a new beginning. Cheers!