Tire Cake for Ride Makerz

Jonathan (the manager of Ride Makerz at Baybrook Mall in Friendswood, Texas) and I agreed that I’ll make a cake for them since there are mom bloggers that are coming in their store on May 17, 2009.  Here is what I came up with; I’m hoping to get some feedbacks about it… thanks!  

Here is the website of Ride Makerz, they are pretty cool, it’s a place where you can build and customize your own toy car... yes! kinda like build a bear for boys!…you may want to check them out.  www.ridemakerz.com

Fancy… Not!

 

I got these ginormous strawberries from our local grocery store and thought I’d make strawberry shortcake but of course I was too tired to do it so I decided to just make chocolate covered strawberries.  I do not have time to temper the chocolate so I just used some chocolate almond bark and drizzled some with vanilla almond bark and sprinkled it with almonds.  Here’s how they look like..

 

shhhhh!  They look fancy but very easy and affordable… want some???

 

 

 

• You can find chocolate and vanilla almond bark on your local grocery store.  I think they’re only $2.00 each.  Microwave four squares of it for a minute and it’s ready!  

The 911 Leche Flan!

 

When I was growing up, this yummy custard enrobed with caramel syrup was always served on almost all of the occasions that we go to.  I got addicted to it; I love it so much that I could finish one whole “lyanera” (flan mold).  I call it the 911 leche flan since it’s made with 9 egg yolks, 1 can of evaporated milk and 1 can of condensed milk and flavored with a tbsp of vanilla and key lime zest or lemon zest and of course since there’s 9 egg yolks there, you already know that if you eat this everyday you might really end up calling 911.   Basically, you need to make the caramel ahead of time, 1 ½ cups of white granulated sugar and ½ cup of water in a saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves and is dark amber in color then pour it in the mold covering the bottom and sides of the mold.  Pour the custard mixture* in the mold. Pop it in the oven in 350º for 40-50 minutes on steam bath* but of course the baking time all depends on the size your mold but when you check it, as long as it wiggles like Jello, it is done.  After 20 minutes just put the leche flan in the refrigerator for atleast 3 hours.   

• You can use whatever mold you like.
• Run a knife on the side of the flan and soak the bottom of the mold in warm water for easy release and turn the flan over to reveal the caramel bottom and syrup will run down the sides of the flan.  

E.N.J.O.Y!!!

*    Custard mixture = (egg yolks, evaporated milk, condensed milk, vanilla and zest

      mixed together)

*    Steam bath = (flan molds in a baking pan with a little bit of water)

It’s almost that time of the year again…

Mother's Day, for me this is one of the special days of the year since we are reminded of how we owe our moms gratitude for all the care and love that they blessed us… aww!... but I want to be honest, I like it too because I’m a mom and I get to take a break from all the chores for the entire day!!!  Thinking about it made me excited that I came up with some decorated cupcakes for Mother’s day.  I hope you’ll enjoy looking at them as much as I did making them.  Here they are:

·         Hats, bags, rings and flowers are made of fondant and accents are pink and silver dragees.   

Where to find fondant? 

·         At your local craft store

Dragees?

·         I got the silver dragees from Kitchen Krafts online and the pink ones are from the Philippines.  

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!

 

Mooyah-2-know!

Non-vegetarians and vegetarians are very much welcome to this place.  It’s my first time to eat at Mooyah Burgers and Fries today.  My husband told me about this place since Mooyah sometimes cater their lunch at work and he said that they’re good, kinda taste like IN–N-OUT, and we love that place, so once I heard that, I felt the urge to try and see for myself.  I am obviously not a vegetarian but I choose to eat vegetables whenever I can.  When I saw the menu at Mooyah, I got really excited because they have black bean veggie patty!  I of course ordered that with grilled onions, Mooyah special sauce (which I think is also similar to creamy Thousand Island dressing or In-N-Out’s Animal-Style Fries dressing) and Swiss cheese.   Let’s not forget about the fries by the way, they are a-okay because since they are considered seasoned-fries, I think they need a little bit more salt but that’s just ‘cause I like my fries salty.  As for their cheeseburger, I took a bite of it, their burgers are good too but I still think In-N-Out’s better.  Now, let me tell you about their veggie burger, although they should be known for their all beef-never frozen patties, they should be proud of their veggie burger the more!  I believe it’s the best veggie patty I’ve ever had in my life.  It’s like Morning Star no meat burger patty on steroids!  (No disrespect to Morning Star because, I still think they’re good).    The corn kernels on the patty adds a little sweetness to it, it’s juicy (surprisingly more than their regular burgers), smells good and definitely Mooyahmmy! 

Where to find Mooyah?

·         In Texas… Heehaw!!! J

Price?

·         Starts at $4.99

*If you are surprised to learn that In-N-Out has Animal-Style fries… all you need to do is ask and they’ll make it for you J

Say it with me… A-ROZ-CAL-DO!  (Arrozcaldo)

My idea of dinner this evening is to pan fry some salmon seasoned with salt, pepper,  garlic powder with a little bit of olive oil and butter and of course some sautéed green beans on the side but when I talked my husband this afternoon, he didn’t sound very good.  I know he’s not feeling well and I was right because he was at the doctor’s clinic when I called.  Before I went home I decided to buy chicken thighs because I’m pretty sure that salmon won’t be appealing to someone who’s sick.  My mom used to cook this chicken rice porridge for us when we are not feeling well so I thought I’d make it for my husband with his approval of course and I’m happy to say that he loved it.  If you want to try it, it’s really very simple so I thought I’d share this recipe with you…

Ima’s Arozcaldo:

3 tbsps canola/olive oil

1 small onion

2 tbsps of chopped garlic  

Pinch of Saffron

8 pcs. chicken thighs (whatever part of chicken you like)

2 cups of uncooked rice  

1 large box of vegetable stock/chicken stock

Ginger (it depends how strong you like it…this is important to remove the funky taste of chicken),

Salt and Pepper

Fish Sauce (optional)

Lemon

¼ cup crunchy fried garlic

Chopped green onions

Place the pot in medium heat, add oil and onions once they are translucent then add garlic.  Once the chopped garlic turns light brown add the chicken.  Let the chicken brown then add rice, saffron, ginger and stock then cover the pot.  Let it boil/cook until rice is cooked; make sure that the porridge is not too thick in consistency.  If so, just add more water or if you have extra stock that’s even better.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  

Before serving add chopped green onions, fried garlic on top and a wedge of lemon on the side.  You can serve it with fish sauce too if you like.  

*Many people are allergic to fish sauce so it’s safer to ask first.

*You may also add some hardboiled eggs if you want an extra topping.

*This doesn’t guarantee that you will feel better but I’m pretty sure if you eat it, take your medicine and get some rest… you will.  :)

Where to find fish sauce:

*In some major grocery stores they have it but you’ll have more chance of getting one in an Asian store of course.  

*Arozcaldo by the way means hot rice.  

*Arozcaldo or Arrozcaldo doesn't really matter to me... they both sound good.  

Hope you like it!  

 

I made some very common and simple cupcakes for Easter that I shared with my friends and co-workers. I must say though that… this is my version of semi-homemade, I was able to finish all these cupcakes in less than 2 hours. I used Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate Fudge cake mix, I normally like to bake my cake from scratch but this is a full proof mix, I really like it compared to others so I don’t mind using it when I’m in a rush but I know you might think that with all the mix-ins why not just do it from scratch, it’s just because I don’t want to sift cake flour and wash extra dishes, just cutting corners.. Also, I believe that it doesn’t matter if you use a cake mix as long as you make your icing from scratch. I always make Swiss meringue buttercream. (I got my recipe from Martha Stewart).

For the decos:

· M&M Easter Eggs (Speck-tacular)

· Purple, Pink, Blue Peeps Marshmallows

· Buttercream icing (thanks, Martha Stewart… I really love this icing!... to get the recipe please check her website and here’s what you type in the search field “Swiss Meringue Buttercream for Cupcakes”)

* I do not have the prices this time but I'm pretty sure they are all on sale now since it's already Easter.

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!!!