Aug 20, 2010
Hellooo, it's been so long since my last entry =)
I've been off to Korea for a month and a bit, then I had alot of work relating to a research paper I've been asked to illustrate for.
I have been making alot of new jewellery too; those will be updated shortly =)
I've been craving red velvet cake so dearly for a while, and the only good one around town is the $5 cupcake at Mb & Co. on Yorkville, which is rather pricey =S
So here's my attempt - it was rather good!
tres tres rouge, non?
The rich red colour of red velvet cake originates from the colour created when cocoa powder was mixed with vinegar. These days, its only mimiced by red food colouring...but it's still delicious nontheless!
There's really not that much food colouring that goes in, as you can see from the batch before baking
then it turns bright red after 25 mins in the oven
Yay =) I was a bit worried because the recipe doesn't call for whipped egg whites or baking powder, but it turned out so fluffy! Must be the baking soda + buttermilk combo.
I've mixed and matched several different recipes, but mainly followed along with this one from joyofbaking:
http://www.joyofbaking.com/RedVelvetCupcakes.html
The frosting with the mascapone cheese was so yummy, but I think you can substitute with cream cheese...I love mascapone cheese though =) I only frosted half the batch cause I wasn't sure how people would like the sweet cheesy frosting.
It's really not too hard to make as long as you're willing to shop for the ingredients, and I've sent them off to a couple friends and they've all said they were delicious! So try a batch today =)
Yum I'm drooling over the pictures again...Sweet desserts are my weakness. lol
Also, My family got a year old maltese! she's such a cutie, altho not very potty trained =S Sadly I had to leave her in Korea, and now I'm chasing after every single tiny dogs around town..lol beware
Her name is Mandoo, which means dumpling in Korean. It was the name the original owner gave her, and I think it suits her the best lol
Anyway, check back later for more jewellery!
May 31, 2010
Summer weather is finally here in Toronto!
I've been having fun with nautical summer themes on my nails to get me in spirit =)
Navy stripes that you can see everywhere, on everything these days.
They've been a great complement to the marine looks I've been sporting these days.
I used thin french tips to make the pattern and painted over it with navy, but if you are doing these on someone else's hands or if you have really sturdy left hand, you could probably use a thin nail pen to draw on the stripes and save some time.
Here are the colours I used
Sally Hanson complete salon manicure in 410 lavender cloud (which is basically white) and Revlon nail polish in 791 midnight affair.
I wore this deep light blue shade when I went to Varadero, which really popped against the white sand
I added the anchor with Swarovski crystals just to add some sparkle =)
I think one of my favourite things about summer is that you're much more able to accesorize your outfits.
Throw on some casual shorts, a plain t-shirt and do something crazy with your nails or throw on some statement-making jewellery, and get outside!
May 11, 2010
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April 17, 2010
What the @(*$^(!&#@^ is wrong with the weather?
I was so sure that it was summer, and now this... You need to take out your parka if you walk outside late at night =S.
Yesterday I walked to Guu, which is some amazing Japanese bar that I've been hearing good things about. I almost froze to death... plus the wait was over an hour. People, don't go on Friday or Saturday evenings...ended up going to Just Desserts for a martini instead.
Anyway, before the weather became like this, I went on a culinary adventure to a Ethiopian restaurant on Yonge, near Wellesley.
The lights are quite..interesting inside. Dim, yet very strong red, blue, and yellow lights cast colourful shadows on the food. Not really sure why, it's not such an appetizing colour...
Other than the fact that it was Ethiopian food, the reason why this was an adventure was because...
There are NO CUTLERY...I've heard about this place that allows you to eat with your hands right in downtown toronto and kinda doubted it, but really, no spoon, no fork, no nothing. I think it said that they won't give you cutlery even if you ask for it on the menu.
We ordered some random food on the menu, and the server probably read the confused looks on our faces. She asked us if it was our first time, and suggested some dishes for us. lol.
Here is the result...
It was kinda like a sampler plate of all the popular items in the menu. The dish is really really huge.
It was hard to get used to the spices, they are quite strong. I guess you could grow an appetite for them. But it's definitely not for everyone. If you tried and loved Indonesian food, you could give this a try.
It comes with these sheets of...forget what it's called. You rip off pieces of this and use it to pick up the food. We observed and learned while waiting for the food to come.
Like Zis! yea...doesn't look very appetizing with that light...
The taste? Well the bread thing looks chewy and tasty like crepe, right? Well it's not. It doesn't have much of a taste, it tastes like it's empty of nutrients or ingredients. And It was steamed, so it kinda has no texture to it as well.
But...it's worth an experience - eating something other than fries with your fingers. You always see it on tv, right. To warn you, earing with your fingers is one thing - but watching someone else scrape things off the plate with their hands is another lol. I wouldn't take your honey here for your first date
Wow it ended up being a very long story...
I was gonna post about a new nail polish shade, but I guess it'll wait until next time.
Good luck to anyone still wrapping up exams =D!
