Cinnamon Swirl Bread

I've been trying my hand at bread-baking lately, and let me tell you, it's HARD! I've had my fair share of difficult dishes (temperamental Thanksgiving turkeys and deflating souffles come to mind), but making your own bread is on a whole different level.

I've been stalking food blogs and forums for tips and tricks on how to make different kinds of bread, and it's mind-boggling how many things you have to consider when you finally decide which one to make. I truly admire the hard work and dedication of the people out there whose experiences make mine a little easier. Even though I take what they say into consideration, it's still darn DIFFICULT!

There are so many factors that go into making a single loaf of bread: yeast, timing, temperature, risings, ovens, your hands'/mixer's kneading prowess, etc...and there are different steps to take for every kind of bread! Sourdough, brioche, ciabatta, focaccia, baguette, and even your basic sliced white bread require specific conditions and a whole lot of watching and waiting. It's enough to make me want to forget about it all and just drive to the nearest market and pick up a prepared loaf. Plus, my poor mixer is threatening to commit suicide if I make any more bread this week. Something about too much kneading.

Except.....

There really is nothing like homemade bread. Nothing! Despite all the hardship you had to endure, during which you cursed yourself for messing up a single small step which caused the entire dough's demise, got even more angry when you realized that you just spent 5 hours on a failed project, or beat yourself up for even taking on the task in the first place...Making bread, to me, is like love.

You give it everything you've got, nurturing it and keeping it as warm as you can. It's emotional and dependent upon the amount of care you put into it. It definitely asks for a lot of your time and awareness, and if you neglect it, it will fail.

However, if you make the effort, remain patient, watch over it faithfully, and use your instincts correctly, then the end results are phenomenal.


And it will make you happy! The smell of freshly-baked bread will weave itself throughout your home and suddenly, things don't seem so bad after all and you will wonder why you don't do this more often. :)

For my latest forays into the world of bread, I've been using this recipe. It seemed like the most simple but impressive-looking recipe. Also, I already had all the ingredients on hand. I've made it 3 times, and each time, it got easier and looked/tasted better. I even made a loaf to give to the bf's family when I was invited over for dinner. It's been a hit with everyone who has tasted it, and, like the recipe states, is excellent for French toast. Next time, I'm going to add the optional raisins to the dough!

I wanted to share this with you, even though Sunday is almost over. Making bread is a weekend project that's totally worth your time. Recipes will say that the prep time may take 4-5 hours or even overnight, but a lot of that time is for the risings, which don't require you to do anything but monitor warm conditions and wait. You could watch a movie, spend time with loved ones, or get other errands done while the dough is rising. I would make a loaf on Saturday, and use the leftovers (if there are any!) for a French toast breakfast on Sunday.

Just don't be overzealous with the humidity as I was the first time or you will end up with this:


Overly-rapid yeast! This was after the first rising...haha. It only looked puffy, but once I touched it, it deflated to its original size. No good!

Bread-making is definitely trial and error, and possibly a lot of frustration and anxiety (at least for me!), but like any labor of love, the end result will have you coming back again ;)

Mixed Fruit Tart

Speaking of berries...Here's a mixed fruit tart that I made a few weeks ago. Looking at the pictures now makes me hungry for a fat slice of it! This is quite possibly the most impressive thing that I have baked thus far, but it wasn't actually that difficult to make! I, of course, relied on smittenkitchen once again for the crust and the pastry cream, and this site for some more tart-making tips.

I mentioned in my last post how much I love autumn and winter, but the one thing I miss most about summer (besides nice weather) is the abundance of produce. All my favorite fruits and vegetables are at their prime during summer and spring. This tart has very simple elements, and the fruit is the star attraction, so make sure to use things that are in season for the best flavor. Unfortunately, berry season is almost over so I'll have to start making apple tarts...


This is the creme patissiere (pastry cream). This stuff is like crack. You don't even need to make the tart; just make this cream and dip with shortbread cookies, cut fruit, cake, your fingers...it's seriously that good!


And it has to be good. It required an actual vanilla bean and it's made from butter, milk, and eggs. How can that combination not be good?? Well, maybe if you're talking about your figure....but hey, we're not going to think about that right now!


The most difficult part of this tart was the shell, or pate sucree. But if you have a nice removable bottom tart pan (thanks bf!) and some patience, it should turn out just fine.



See those slashes in the crust?? I had to run some errands while it was baking and asked my mom to keep an eye on it. She slashed it with a knife when she thought it was puffing up too much...lol. This picture was taken while I was spreading apricot jam on the crust to prevent the cream and fruit from making it too soggy...nice tip!


Putting in the pastry cream...


Arranging the fruit...


Almost done...


Finished product!


Me, super happy with the results of my first fruit tart


My family was happy, too. It was gone in 5 minutes. Literally. I didn't even get a slice! I barely got to take a bite from my cousin's plate. But trust me, it was goooooooood :)

Cinnamon Rolls

Good morning dear readers!

I don't know about you, but I don't think that there's anything that smells better than cinnamon rolls baking in the oven. I mean, if Cinnabon's addicting smell already makes me walk a little slower every time I pass by it in the mall, then I couldn't imagine how good it would be if I tried making my own at home.

Let me tell you, I was not disappointed.

I made these on Monday when there was a holiday, and my bf and I lounged around playing Wii, eating lunch, and sipping iced coffee in between risings. It was the perfect day to make something like this, since I could take my time instead of rushing to finish them.

While the recipe itself is not too difficult, the hardest part for me was waiting for the dough to rise. Oh, the anticipation! After the first 2 hours of rising, I finally got to roll out the dough...


Spread on some softened butter...


Sprinkle on the brown sugar/cinnamon mixture...


Roll up the dough...



Cut it into 18 sections...


At this point, the boy was giddy with excitement at the prospect of having cinnamon rolls to eat. He could not stop exclaiming over how cool the swirls looked :)




No....it was still not time to bake...we had to wait another hour for the second rising! Le sigh!


After the second rising, we were finally able to put it into the oven.


Then we had to make the cream cheese glaze...which is pretty much cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract lol. Not exactly for anyone on a diet.


All that waiting was totally worth it in the end. The smell that wafted through the entire house was so intoxicating and comforting and delicious. There's no way anyone could resist them! The bf's family and I polished off one pan right then and there, with only sighs of happiness and sticky fingers as evidence of our pig out :)


Sweet, soft, warm, and satisfying. Perfect with a cup of coffee. And, dare I say it, better than Cinnabon! Is there any way I can get someone to make these for me every morning?? I want to wake up to the smell of cinnamon rolls. Even thinking about them now makes me wish that I had some left!


Perhaps once again this weekend? ;)

Josie Maran Argan Oil Lip Treatment + Peach Shortbread

Hello dear readers, how was your weekend? Yesterday was Labor Day here in America, so there was no school or work for most people. That meant a 3 day weekend! :) I didn't do anything this weekend besides hang out with my family and bf. A quiet, relaxing weekend...just what I like!

The past few days, I spent a lot of time cooking. Taking advantage of the extra day off, I tried to make food that I've been wanting to try out but haven't had the time to. Ever since I moved back home, I haven't felt quite free to cook the things I use to love making when I was living on my own. My mom is the one who cooks all the meals in my house, and it's hard to tell your mother that you would rather eat, say, your own pasta carbonara or roast chicken than her homecooked Vietnamese food. I really miss coming home from classes and just making whatever I feel like eating that day! I'm still adjusting to living with my parents again after living on my own for the past 4 years; hopefully I'll find some sort of balance between their lifestyle and mine soon!

Anyway, this weekend I was at the mall with my bf and as a little treat, he got me Josie Maran's Argan Lip Treatment ($20) from Sephora. I was browsing around and saw this cute little lip balm container. I already love Josie Maran's Argan Oil Moisturizing Stick, but it wasn't emollient enough for me to use on my lips. I figured that the lip treatment would be much better at keeping my lips slick and moisturized. It's supposed to be "a naturally age-defying, Argan-infused lip treatment balm that conditions, repairs, and protects dry, fragile lips."

The lip treatment comes in Josie Maran's signature rose-gold packaging.

Organic, paraban-free, cruelty-free, fragrance-free, and recyclable to boot! My sister, who is big on using organic, animal/environmentally-friendly products, approves of my love for Josie Maran :)


Close up of the product description and ingredients.


The first thing that caught my eye was the super cute packaging. I love the lid! It's different from a regular flat-topped lid.


The second thing that had me sold was THE SCENT. Ohhhmyyyygosh it smells SO GOOD. It's infused with this natural green apple flavor that is seriously the best green apple scent I've ever smelled. I almost wanted to eat it, haha.

Product-wise, I feel that it does an excellent job at keeping my lips smooth and soft without being sticky or greasy. I keep this on my nightstand, and it makes me feel a little giddy when I put it on before bedtime. Sounds a little crazy right?? The price is a little steep for what it is, but I believe that every woman deserves a little something something every once in a while that makes you feel happy and beautiful, whether it's a cute lip balm or a favorite perfume, lipstick, or nail polish. Wouldn't you say so? :)

Overall, two thumbs up for Josie Maran's Argan Oil Lip Treatment!

--

One of the things I made this past weekend was some peach brown butter shortbread (recipe here). Whenever I bake, my little cousins love to come over and help. This time, I enlisted them with the job of tiling the peaches. I've enjoyed eating fresh, in-season peaches all summer. I had 2 that were a bit past perfectly ripe for eating on their own, but just right for baking!


Finished product. What I loved most about this recipe was that the crust wasn't too sweet. This allowed for the flavor of the peaches, the true star of this dish, to really shine. And look at the beautiful red, yellow, and orange colors of the skin peeking through the crumble on top!


The brown butter also added a nutty undertone that made the bars a little different than regular shortbread. I ate mine at room temperature with a cup of green tea, but I imagine these would also be delicious served warm with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream on the side... ;)

Strawberry Chiffon Shortcake + A Welcome Back

Hello everyone! It's been a long time since I have posted any updates. A lot has happened since my last post, most important being that I finally finished my undergraduate education at UCLA back in June and moved back home to Northern California. So, I will still post some reviews of LA eateries, but they will not be as frequent or recent as the ones from Norcal (namely, San Francisco and the surrounding area).

Thanks to my dear friend J of Art School for revamping my blog and inspiring me to update again. :) Her design for me really reflects the vision I have for this site: a simple, clear cut, aesthetically-pleasing place for my dabbles in food and beauty. Isn't the banner adorable?

Now that I have more motivation to blog, I hope to post more regularly. For today, I want to show you the cake that had my family swooning this past summer. I discovered Deb's smittenkitchen blog at the beginning of this summer and since then, it's been my go-to place whenever I need a recipe. I've been obssessively reading her posts and making everything I like. Check it out! There are a lot of gorgeous pictures and helpful tips.

It's sometimes difficult to please my family since everyone has different tastes, likes, and dislikes. But this Strawberry Chiffon Shortcake was a hit with everyone for its lightness, freshness, and perfect sweetness. Plus, it beautifully incorporates some of my favorite things-- whipped cream and strawberries--with an airy batter that tastes rich without being heavy.

See? Whipped egg whites being carefully folded into the batter...

Layering cake, strawberries, and whipped cream...

Voila! Finished product :) A delicious, impressive, and crowd-pleasing cake for any occasion. I mean, who doesn't like strawberries and whipped cream??

Until next time.

-S

Over the weekend I.....

Made and carved a turkey for Thanksgiving dinner....

....along with fresh cranberry sauce, yams & toasted marshmallows, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, and maple bacon biscuits. My sister made corn muffins and we also had ham and assorted veggies :) I use Alton Brown's recipe for roasted turkey every year and it always comes out juicy and flavorful

Went to grab some sushi with an old friend...my new love is salmon hand rolls!!

Some more yummy rolls

Was given the most deliciously CRUNCHY macaroon ever, along with a creamy dreamy egg tart

Watched "New Moon" with my sister

Made more maple bacon biscuits with my little cousin <3 onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX2PdDOUdfiwttp20l0kT04bE4w_BUIomI1mmiAUU4r6VfcW42DBg-yBFSny4RmBwhhofnQkiM-dFwuX76_ki_3I31JlOYEQWxZn9B0B1JcguIL_TH4DEU1XFVNnGPFyGCw_kC7c_wurc/s1600-h/Picture+492.jpg">So flaky and yummy! I got this recipe from this blog and have been making it nonstop. After I made it the first time for my roommates, they have been requesting over and over that I make it again. I made a batch for a Thanksgiving potluck, and one for the boy's family, and they've been a hit with all. This is worth a try!

How can anyone resist??? Slightly sweet and savory...and buttery and with BACON...yummm...they're best served fresh from the oven but my roomies microwaved leftovers and still devoured them

Helped my mom put up a live Christmas tree...I had to go back to school before she put up decorations, but the next time I'm home for the holidays I'll take a picture of the finished tree. I love live trees because they make the house smell so fresh and comforting...

On the drive back to LA, I encountered many things welcoming the holidays. There was the annual Starbucks red cup (love their seasonal drinks...Gingerbread Latte and Peppermint Mocha are always must-haves for me this time of year)

A customary stop at In-N-Out for a burger and fries...

....with a holiday wrapper :)

Stopped by Century City Mall to pick up some Godiva chocolates and saw a cool Christmas tree made from potted poinsettias

Mall decked out in gorgeous lights at night~


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My nails in these pictures are painted with China Glaze in Atlantic...love this polish! It's soooo sparkly in real life. I love glitter polishes!