This post is a few weeks late but I wanted to share the cake that I made for John.
John's 28th birthday was a bigger deal than normal because it was the first birthday that we got to celebrate physically together as a married couple AND since we started dating 6 years ago.
I am more of a cupcake person, so when I decided to bake a three-layered red velvet cake I was a little nervous. I went through several blogs and found the best one, which I have shared below. Baking the cake was actually really enjoyable. I baked, assembled and iced the cake in three days. Hiding the cake from him was the more difficult task.
What did I learn from all this?
- mise en place is really important, especially if you're doubling the recipe
- take out the butter first thing in the morning or the night before!
- not to be too bent on getting the icing really smooth because I made a bigger mess of it. I had to re-ice the cake until it finally came out like this.
If this is your first foray into cake layering and icing, you might find the following resources really helpful:
Hummingbird High
Michelle's Red Velvet Recipe
she shares tips on how to make red velvet really red
Completely Delicious
How to Build a Layered Cake
making a layered cake without leveling
A Pair of Pears
Bunting Cake Topper
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
happy birthday, johnny!
Monday, February 1, 2010
29/365: mascarpone & nutella calzone
this was yesterday's dessert.
when i saw david rocco make this on food network i just had to do it too!
you may find the recipe here.
since i have a sweet tooth, i would probably change the ratio to 2:1 nutella & mascarpone.
this is the perfect combination ever. david rocco knew what he was doing for sure!
ps: mascarpone can be a little pricey. don't buy from loblaws. longo's has it cheaper. if you know of any other cheaper places to buy mascarpone, let me know!
grownup pizza party + new york, i love you
yesterday my best friend, her lovely bf, neil and john had a little grown up pizza party. hehe. we used whole wheat dough that you can buy from your local grocery's bakery (like loblaws). for toppings we had
* caramelized onions
* spinach
* grilled eggplant
* pesto
* tomato paste
* anchovies
* spicy salami
* mushrooms
* cheddar and mozzarella cheese
it was a lot of fun, coming up with different combinations. afterwards we had some dessert (will share with you in a different post!) and coffee and watched new york, i love you.
sigh, unfortunately i didn't really love it. there were only two stories that i like, one of the little girl and her "manny" and the one of the old couple on their anniversary. besides that, i felt that it didn't showcase the city so much and the stories just didn't blend so well. hm. but that's just me.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
tgif
hello all! i hope everyone is having a great weekend! it started off with an awesome friday.
this ship always fascinated me. i don't know if it's the real deal and if it can actually sail the open seas, but it is a restaurant/banquet space. i've always wanted to check it out and try it, but there's something questionable about their menus posted up like grubby ads on lamp posts and bus stops.
see the ice? i could hear it cracking and shifting.
john took me for indian food last night at little india. it was the perfect cure to frozen toes and hands! the tandoori chicken, chicken korma, eggplant bharta, pulao rice and of course the naan, were just so amazing. my tummy was really happy. (you should try it!)
we wanted something sweet so we walked over to cafe crepe. i had a nutella and banana crepe (surprised?)...a tad disappointed though that the crepes were all premade. i guess this is understandable since they get lots of customers? i made some crepes tonight with pancake batter, nutella and strawberries and i must say that freshly made crepes are much better and cheaper - it beats the $14 bill!
from cafe crepe, we started walking eastward with the intention of taking the train to meet up with my siblings. but upon seeing nathan phillips square with its twinkling lights and hearing the upbeat music, we concluded that it would be a shame to miss out on skating! and so skating we did.
it was a lovely night, albeit a cold one.
winter's finally beset us. dress warmly all :)
Monday, January 25, 2010
23/365: a mountain of chopped apples
by adding things like apples to my salads or bringing nutella in little containers i now find packing lunch a much more enjoyable task.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
22/365: rosemary & dijon mustard chicken
rosemary & dijon mustard chicken
12 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in chunks, pat dry
2/3 cup dijon mustard
1 cup olive oil
5 sprigs of rosemary, chopped (without the stem of course)
5 cloves of garlic, sliced thinly
juice of one lemon, lemon zest
salt & pepper
olive oil for frying
1. whisk dijon mustard, olive oil, rosemary, garlic, lemon juice + zest together, with just a bit of salt and pepper. take a little taste!
2. sprinkle salt & pepper over chicken then toss into dressing.
3. heat up pan with olive oil for frying on medium-high heat.
4. fry up chicken - make sure you don't crowd the pan!
5. fry on one side for a few minutes, then turn. make an incision with a small knife to make sure it's thoroughly cooked!
6. repeat with rest of the chicken.
7. serve.
give it a try :) the family loved it. i also made enough for today's lunch. hehe.
have a good week, all!
a saturday out
yesterday we had our trends event at hart house. everytime i go i feel like i'm at hogwarts. harhar.
this was followed by yummy $8.99 bento box with a generous serving of california rolls at japan sushi for dinner.
Monday, January 11, 2010
the palmerston
i had such a good day yesterday! as a christmas gift for him, i signed john and myself up for a letterpress workshop at bookhou. i will blog about the letterpress workshop in a separate post, but i would like to share with you this little cafe that we went to. we wanted to have brunch before our class, and arounna suggested the palmerston.
the owners were super friendly and they let me take as many pictures as i wanted (some establishments don't allow it for some reason. like the red tea box). crooners were singing in the background (from sirius' great american songbook) while john and i sipped on lemoned water and coffee.
i ordered the eggs benedict and john got croque monsieur.
they were both very good. instead of the typical combination of english muffins and hollondaise sauce, the eggs benny at the palmerston was made up of grilled slices of baguette, arugula and drizzles of olive oil. at first glance, the eggs looked like they were going to be rock hard with a coagulated mess of a yoke. oh but the eggs were awesome. they were perfectly poached.
we spent $15 each, including taxes and tip and free refills of amazing coffee. eating was very enjoyable and we left feeling satisfied without feeling gross, and ready to do some letterpressing!
the palmerston
800 dundas street west
416-361-3333
you should go. :)
Thursday, January 7, 2010
three markets
one very cold wintery day, john and i went on a day date to take pictures. i wanted to share some of them with you. going on this date reminded me how lucky i am to be living in toronto. and how especially lucky i am to have him here for a few months (he's from north carolina).
the day started off with breakfast at the mill street brew pub at the distillery.
i am still in search for the perfect eggs benedict (i know, i won't find it a pub) and i don't like that they used peameal bacon. i think it's a little gross. but i have to tell you, nothing beats ikea for breakfast (in price and even in taste hehehe).
the first market was, you know it, st. lawrence market. we didn't buy anything, but there were so many meat stalls i wanted to buy ground beef. next time i'm going back to get cookie cutters.
next we took the train to chinatown. i love chinatown, with its cool funky clothes, their spread of herbs and vegetables, and their bakeries. i am a hugest fan of egg tarts. i first had them in grade 9 when my friend's grandmother baked some. it was heaven in a tart tin. i also love bubble tea. my favorite is taro with tapioca.
and by the way, if you want inexpensive dishes, servers, kitchen cookware with a restaurant aesthetic, check out tap phong. you'll love it. you'll also find cheap chinese takeout boxes in many colors (never buy at michael's. they are overpriced there!)
of course you can't not go to kensington market, where you're welcomed by the scent of incense and the smell of vintage and old leather.
sometimes i complain that there's really nothing to take pictures of, but he reminds me that a good photographer always finds the perfect opportunity, wherever you are. john is one smart (and adorable) cookie.
our next day date is this sunday. we're taking a letterpress workshop at bookhou and we are so excited. we're hoping to find a nice cafe along dundas street west. if you have any suggestions, let me know!
you may find more pictures here.
have a good day everyone!
Monday, December 21, 2009
A's birthday + potluck food
for the potluck, i decided to make croque monsieurs, veggie panini sandwiches and brie+cranberry puffs. they turned out great, if i may so myself...but the events that preceded A's party were pretty much like a cross between an episode from bridezilla (or insert show with crazy women here) and the breakup, where vince vaughan comes home with three lemons instead of twelve (without the fighting of course!).
at 10:00 am i thought i had everything under control. at 11:30 john got me cooking arugula instead of baby arugula. at 11:35 he was on his way back to longo's. 12:00 john comes back with the right arugula. by 1:00 i was burning things trying to multi task, looking for tape, yelling at no one in particular and drying my hair.
i relinquished everything to john, being the calmer and more patient one (and the sweetest thing in the world), and when i came down, the kitchen was spotless.
hardeehar.
and i say i work best under pressure.
in the end, everything turned out great and we got to A's house all in one piece. there was LOTS of karaoke, board games and fun.
(but of course i forgot her gift)
just in case you needed something for your next holiday potluck, here are the links/recipes. i thought that the brie+cranberry puffs are great to bring for work, instead of your typical box of chocolates or candy canes. :)
my friend virginie says that croque monsieurs are the parisiens' version of street meat. can you imagine?
*instead of coating it with egg, i grilled the sandwiches and topped it with bechamel sauce with gruyere cheese and broiled it in the oven. make sure to watch over the oven. i burnt four yesterday and set off the smoke alarm.
no recipe link. i made it vegetarian for A...this is how i normally like my sandwiches made from fast fresh foods. in this sandwich i had sundried pesto spread, baby arugula, goat cheese, roasted red peppers. i brushed both sides of the baguette slices with olive oil and grilled them.
cranberry+brie puffs
these are really yummy! no need to slice that cheese up and place it on some type of cracker, nosiree! all you need to do is pick one little puff up and gobble it.
* when making these, you don't need to get rid of the skin, just in case you didn't know. because i didn't. :)
have a great week, all! three more days before christmas!
pearl and A.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
japan sushi+high park
a bento box from japan sushi has become a saturday ritual. if only they had those stamp cards. like, "buy 5 get a 6th meal free".
$6.99 for a bento box that includes 4 sushi rolls, 6 tempura pieces, salmon teriyaki (or beef or pork or gyoza), rice, salad, noodles & soup. so good.
japan sushi
482 bloor street west
after lunch, john and i went to high park. it was the first time in many years that i've been thisclose to nature. nature meaning bugs, really really tall trees and dirt paths.
teehee i also saw lots of mallard ducks. it reminded me so much of make way for ducklings.
high park
take the train west (green line) and get off at high park.
and follow the people. normally with cameras or picnic baskets.
i hope everyone had a great weekend.
ps: i finally got my 50 mm lens and i am SO happy with it!
pps: the slr still frustrates me though. i really should read the manual.
