Pac-Man Body Pillowcase

Hello ya'll!

So this week was my first week of nursing school. It was a quite overwhelming. I only have classes 3 times a week but with the classes being around 2-3 hours a pop, it's very difficult to stay alert and to concentrate on the subject...especially when your stomach growls. Embarrassing!

Today, I feel kind of sad. I don't even know why! I'm thinking it's the pressure of nursing school but I also feel like it's something else. I just don't know what! :/ I hope it clears up soon! I have so much to read and so much to learn and relearn...I don't know how it's gonna fit in. My social life this week totally disappeared and I wasn't even as busy as I will be later.

All I can do is pray for the best!

Here I'd like to share with you a pillow I made for my best friend! I would only do this for her because she has helped me so much throughout our friendship and always encourages me to do my best. I made her a Pacman pillowcase! :D

I hand stitched the front of it. It took hours! But it looked very clean! Haha. (This was the unfinished version.) I used a sewing machine to sew the pillowcase together though.

It's funny how I made her this and I don't even have a proper cover for my own body pillow! Haha I think this looks really cool! The actual pillowcase is made of black flannel. The pacman parts are made of different color fleece.

I actually decided not to include the eyes in the finished product because they might come off during washing!

There it is! Haha. Sorry, not much of a tutorial or anything. Actually...just a story. Happy fall everyone!

Mexican Wedding Cookies (Snowballs)

Oh no! I start classes tomorrow! I have so much to do and already got assigned 2 chapters for one of my textbooks and some videos! I decided to post one last blog before my life gets hectic (as if it already wasn't!) It'll be short and sweet!

Here's another recipe from the wedding I catered. It's Mexican wedding cookies, or snowballs, or Russian tea cakes!

They're really delicious! It contains pecans which gives it a great flavor. Make sure to roll it in the powder sugar twice so they look like snowballs! :D

Recipe from Allrecipes.

Mexican Wedding Cookies (Snowballs)
Yields 5 dozen

Ingredients:
1 cup butter
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar for decoration

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Cream the butter with 1/2 cup of the confectioners' sugar and the vanilla. Mix in the flour, nuts and salt. Roll about 1 tablespoon or so of dough into balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.
3. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 15 minutes. Do not allow these cookies to get too brown. It's better to undercook them than to overcook them. 
4. While cookies are still hot roll them in confectioners' sugar. Once they have cooled roll them in confectioners' sugar once more.

Matcha Green Tea Macarons with Black Sesame Frosting

How many of you love the fair? Well, I'm nonchalant about it. Haha. Just the whole idea of deep fried food, meat lovers paradise, and crazy heart-attack concoctions makes me uneasy. Yes, I would like to try every single one of them. But NO! I don't want atherosclerosis and I absolutely don't want to pay $20 for a turkey leg wrapped in a 1 pound layer of bacon...but I did buy this blooming onion!

Over-exaggerating much? I think so! Fatty food is good on occasion! I actually LOVE carbs! Haha.

I also love llamas.

Why hello there, kind sir.

So I made for you guys something that you definitely won't find at the fair. This is actually my second attempt at making the famed macarons. Did they turn out okay...well, not exactly what I wanted but they were good enough. They were freaking delicious! Nomnomnom.

The macaron itself is a good recipe...the mistake on my part is that it would not dry at the top at all. I don't know if it's my house or something but I wait longer than an hour for it to barely be even close to drying on top. Something is wrong with me! :/

This is a different recipe from the first one I used, but here you go! Recipe from Sugar Puff Blog.

Green Tea Macarons:

Ingredients:
2/3 cup ground almonds
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
3 egg whites
1/8 tsp cream of tartar
5 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 - 3 tsp matcha powder

Directions:

1. Sift together powdered sugar and almond, set aside
2. Beat together egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy, turn the speed to high and gradually add in granulated sugar, one tablespoon at a time, until stiff peak forms and then add in vanilla extract and beat for another 15 seconds.
3. Dump in all the almond mixture and mix with a spatula
4. You don’t need to fold the batter super carefully, but you also don’t want to be too aggressive and definitely don’t want to over-mix it
5. Pipe the batter on the baking pan. They do spread, so make sure you pipe them 1 inch apart from each other. For peaks, moisten your finger with water and press down gently to round them.
6. Let the macarons dry in the pan at room temperature for about 20 - 45 minutes; depending on the weather. If your kitchen is humid, they might need longer time to dry. They’re ready to go into the oven when they don’t stick when touching.
7. Preheat your oven to 280F
8. When the surface of macarons are dry enough to touch, bake in the preheated oven for 15 - 18 minutes, or until macarons are hard enough to touch; they’re not done when it “sinks in.” Another way of checking the doneness of macaron shells is when you peel one off your baking sheet, it does not fall apart; it should come off easily.

Black Sesame Frosting:

Ingredients:
1/2 cup softened unsalted butter
1 cup ground black sesame/black sesame powder
3/4 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

1. In a bowl, cream together butter, sesame and sugar. Set aside until needed. If using butter, put in the fridge until needed.

Frosted Sugar Cookies

Last week I catered sweets for a wedding. Woohoo! Weddings are so amazing. The brides are always gorgeous, the setting is always picture perfect, and the food is always great! Notice I have no mention of the groom!

Yes, the groom is very important! But as a spectator, there's more important things! Once I get to my wedding, I'll make sure that the groom is absolutely perfect! But for now, I like to look at the details!

Even though I'm kind of young, I actually have thought about my wedding a little. Definitely going to be outside and the reception will be outside/inside. Actually, that's all I thought about. I guess it's not as much as I thought!

I catered a lot of desserts...which will come in later posts. I think that the most amazing dessert I did though were these frosted sugar cookies. I made them to look like a wedding dress and a tuxedo!

Cute right?

It was actually my first time making sugar cookies and my first time frosting sugar cookies! I'd say it turned out exceptionally well for the most part. As a perfectionist, I think they're incredibly sloppy...although the general public seemed to differ.

These cookies were very simple. I didn't include to many intricate designs or anything because I was short on time! Plus, I wasn't getting paid for this! All for fun eh?!

Sugar Cookie Recipe: Recipe from Allrecipes.
Makes about 60 rolled cookies

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups butter, softened
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.

Sugar Cookie Frosting: Recipe from Allrecipes.

Makes around 12 cookies worth

Ingredients:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons milk
2 teaspoons light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
assorted food coloring

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, stir together confectioners' sugar and milk until smooth. Beat in corn syrup and almond extract until icing is smooth and glossy. If icing is too thick, add more milk.
2. Divide into separate bowls, and add food colorings to each to desired intensity. Dip cookies, or paint them with a brush.

Garlic and Cilantro Naan

Have any of you gotten your wisdom teeth pulled? I just got all 4 of mines out. They had to put me under sedation/anesthesia because one of my teeth was sitting right on top of my nerve. They even had to go as far as leave a bit of the tooth in there so that my nerve could be protected.

I kinda wanna know what nerve it was. Trigeminal, Facial, or Glossopharyngeal....ahhhh I'm just going to believe it's the facial nerve for now. Haha, curse me for forgetting my basic anatomy! I wonder when I can brush my teeth...

So this naan...I made awhile ago. I would be crazy to make it now since I can't chew a bit! If you don't already know, naan is a type of Indian bread that is normally cooked in a tandoor oven. This is why sometimes you find packages of it labeled tandoori naan! Versions vary drastically and I'm the type of person that likes things plain, so this was a bit of a leap for me.

I would recommend adding more garlic depending on the type of flavor you want. Stronger = more! I added red onions to the recipe because I had some on hand.

Garlic and Cilantro Naan:
Makes around 3 large Naan breads

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
½ tsp salt
2 tbsp plain yogurt
1 tbsp oil
3/4 cup lukewarm water
1/2 tbsp yeast
1/2 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp melted butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Directions:

1. Proof the yeast: Mix the lukewarm warm, yeast and sugar together until combined in a bowl. Set it aside until it turn frothy.
2. In another bowl, mix dry ingredients flour and salt together. Add in the yogurt and oil, and then the yeast mixture. Mix until combined. Turn the dough into working table and knead until elastic and smooth.
3. Cover with plastic wrap and set it aside to proof until double its size.
4. In the meantime mix the butter, minced garlic, and chopped cilantro together. Set it aside.
5. Line a baking sheet pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper (I like the latter). Pre-heat oven to 400F. Place your baking sheet in the oven.
6. Divide the dough to 3 large portions. Roll the dough out to an oval shape. (Instead of rolling I just used my hand.)
7. Put some olive oil on your pan to prevent sticking if using foil. Put the roll out dough onto the sheet and brush it with the garlic and cilantro mixture. Bake in the oven until golden brown.

Chocolate Mocha Coconut Cake with Coconut and Chocolate Buttercream (Portal Cake)

How has your summer been? I'm sad because mines' almost over. Just a couple more weeks then I have to start school again! Anyways, I have very good news to share with all of you!

I just got into the nursing program at my university! No more being unsure! No more having to worry about my future! It's literally in my hands now. With that feeling aside, I know I won't be able to bake as much anymore. It's upsetting, but I have to do what I have to do right? Sacrifices must be made! Feelings must be hurt! People must be pushed aside!

Ugh, the reality of it all is truly daunting.

On a better note, my brother's birthday was just a couple days ago! To celebrate, I made a Portal cake! Apparently this cake is from a game called Portal. I have no clue as to what that is, but now I know that this "companion cube" that I've seen countless of other times is from the same game. I just know that this cake looks amazing. The cake itself is moist and delicious! Truly one of my best works! I also made a cake shaped like a pokeball!

I made a chocolate mocha coconut cake for the portal cake. The layers in between are coconut buttercream and the outside layer is composed of regular chocolate buttercream. After I put the layer of chocolate buttercream, I used cut chocolate to make the rugged design on the outside. In place of whip cream, I used standard vanilla buttercream on the top of the cake! Maraschino cherries go on top of it.

For the portal cake, you need:
4 oz semi-sweet baking chocolate shaved/broken or chocolate shavings
8 maraschino cherries
Whip cream or white frosting
*Refer to here for assembly.

I think it looks stunning! I give it an A+++! :D Hmm...pictures in natural light always turn out wonderful! Don't you think?! :)

Original recipe from The Heritage Cook.

Chocolate Mocha Coconut Cake:
For a 2 layer cake (8 in)

Ingredients:
2 eggs
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 can coconut milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup dark cocoa powder
6 tbsp instant coffee powder or espresso powder
2 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
4 tbsp sour cream

Extra butter and flour to coat pans

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk egg and sugar until smooth and no lumps remain. Add milk, butter and vanilla, and mix until combined.
3. Sift dry ingredients together in another bowl and add to wet mixture. Mix until batter is smooth, and then stir in sour cream.
4. Coat pans with butter, then sift extra flour on top. Discard any excess flour from the pan. Distribute cake batter into both pans so that they have around the same amount. Bake for around 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Chocolate Buttercream:

Yields around 3 cups - Recipe from Savory Sweet Life

Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks or 1/2 pound), softened
3 to 3 1/3 cups confectioners (powdered) sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 tablespoons milk

Instructions:

1. Cream butter for a few minutes in a mixer on medium speed. 
2. Turn off the mixer. 
3. Sift 3 cups powdered sugar and cocoa into the mixing bowl. 
4. Turn your mixer on the lowest speed until the sugar and cocoa are absorbed by the butter. 
5. Increase mixer speed to medium and add vanilla extract, salt, and milk and beat for 3 minutes. If your frosting needs a more stiff consistency, add a little more sugar. If your frosting needs to be thinned out, add additional milk 1 tablespoon at a time.

Coconut Buttercream:

Yields around 3 cups

Ingredients:
2 sticks (1 cup) butter, softened
3 to 3 1/3 cups powdered sugar or more if needed
Pinch kosher salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 to 2 tsp coconut extract
1 to 3 tbsp of coconut milk or regular milk, or as needed
1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

Directions:

1. Cream butter in the bowl of an electric mixture until completely smooth and creamy. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add in powdered sugar. Gradually increase mixer speed and add salt, vanilla, and coconut extracts. Beat for 2 to 3 minutes, scraping down sides and bottom of the bowl occasionally. Continue to whip for another 4 to 5 minutes, scraping sides and bottom of bowl as needed.
2. If frosting is too thick, add coconut milk, 1 tsp at a time until desired consistency is reached. If it’s too thin, add powdered sugar gradually until it thickens.
3. Fold in shredded coconut and mix until just combined.