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!

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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

playing catch up 11/18/09

I need to stop with these sporadic updates! Lots of things to post, but let's start with a very late Halloween entry ;)

This year I went as Snow White! The last time I dressed up for Halloween was...maybe 6th grade? I forgot that costumes could be so expensive! >:(

I opted for a big emphasis on the eyes, and did upper and lower false eyelashes. A touch of blush and some red lipstick, and I was good to go!

Mirror, mirror on the wall....haha

The finished product!

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I spent my Halloween at church for a party that was planned for the kids. It was a lot of fun!

Some cuties in their costumes. Notice the absolutely adorable Tigger!!!

We had apple bobbing for the kids. Baby Tigger only wanted to play with the water! Ignore the guy pretending to kick him haha. Btw my red lipstick is my Shu Uemura in RD 165. Loves!

We had a cupcake decorating booth, too. Among other things, of course.

The boy diligently decorating cupcakes for me :)

He made me Keroppi and Hello Kitty cupcakes!!!! :D

Baby Tigger with a tiger mask <3 onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG22FVe7eZaNUafBCbmaJ_JMKY7GytuQD-ukgNZhdjTQsGhI8z1kchyphenhyphenAmPgyYrYR1O4iBg58iDYksNf7gBXg0HWzFSWsBotfSk3bIn4KS8sWDBd9hEYZt6l3177E7DHfBzXPVlmnRUglU/s1600/Picture+329.jpg">Closer look of the cupcakes

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To me, one of the best things about this time of year is the abundance of all things PUMPKIN! I love the flavor of pumpkin!

The boy and I carved this Hello Kitty pumpking together. It turned out pretty nicely, no?

As you may be able to tell already, I love all things Hello Kitty

Pumpkin whoopie pie with cinnamon cream from The Corner Bakery. This was surprisingly tasty. I really liked the fragrant cinnamon cream

A trio of cupcakes from my favorite cupcake shop in LA, Susiecakes. Red velvet with cream cheese frosting, chocolate with vanilla cream, and PUMPKIN also with cream cheese frosting. The pumpkin cupcake was sooo good!

My faaaavorite pumpkin thing so far, though, is definitely this pumpkin cheesecake that I tried, also from Susiecakes. The cheesecake was super fluffy and perfectly sweet. The sour cream topping contrasted perfectly with the pumpkin flavor. I need to go back and get some more! I ate this one as slow as possible in order to savor it ;)

I'll end this post with a close up of my nails with Sephora by OPI in Queen of Everything. The Sephora site describes this as a "sterling gold" but I found that it was a pretty warm silver. I really liked this color. It gave my nails a really futuristic, mirror-like finish.

A picture of Queen of Everything from far away. There's Gracie resting on my shoulder!! She's so cute <3


Next up, a look at my haul from the Sephora Friends & Family Sale! :)