Project: A joint themed birthday cake

When this project was given to me the first thing that came into my mind was an image of a "doble cara" singer performing a male and a female duet by himself/herself. Funny but that was the best picture of how they wanted the cake to be like. I couldn't honestly think of any other way to make it look creative and artistic, but I knew I had to try harder to come up with a nice idea.

They only wanted a single-tier cake. Given that, I looked up the web for some couple cakes or cookies design that I could maybe put together. And I was just lucky enough to instantly find a few.

I used blue in place of the black for the male tuxedo, and pink for the bride's gown.  I chose not to add the vertical lines detail on the tuxedo for it to be plain and simple; whereas with the gown, I placed flower cut-outs all over it to emphasize the contrast.  

This was the third cake project that I had completed over the weekend.  Thank God I was able to finish all of them successfully.  

After spending countless hours working on each of them in the kitchen every night, all I needed was a good night sleep and words.  And it's such an overwhelming feeling when people give good comments about my work.  All the hard work simply pays off.  And I'm more inspired to do better on my next projects. 

Project: Cake topped with bows and curliques

Rhianna asked me to make her this cake for a tea party she was gonna have with her girlfriends prior her wedding.  She wanted it to be round, with bows and loops on top, and in pink and blue colors.

Last weekend was one of the busiest time I've ever had - three cakes in a row all for pick up on the same day.  This was the second on the line up.  I dressed it up in Friday night where I spent hours and hours making that lush design on top.  It was really fun because I've never done it before.  Got the idea from http://bakedecoratecelebrate.com/techniques/fondantbow.cfm?cat=4 , http://bakedecoratecelebrate.com/techniques/curliques.cfm?cat=4.

side detail

Something new and different to spice up a simple cake.

top view

I was so happy with the outcome of the cake.  And Rhianna loved it too.  She kept saying, "It's so nice".  All my hardwork really pay off when people appreciate my work.  It makes me want to do more projects.  

She was about to go when she saw the picture of a bride and groom cookies that I was looking at while working on my third project.  To my surprise, she wanted them for her wedding. 25 pairs.  I've never worked with coated cookies before but I knew my sister could help me out.  So I said yes.

Project: Baseball cap for Bunso's Birthday

First of the three cake projects that I made over the weekend.  A birthday present to a guy who simply loves wearing cap. 

Everybody calls him "Bunso" or youngest, because apparently he was the youngest amongst all the men who came here to work six years ago.  That doesn't define him as a person though.  His experiences and motivation in life could speak for himself as someone who has matured through time. 

This was pretty easy to make.  Dressing it up only took me about 30 minutes as compared to most projects that I normally do where I spend hours and hours.  The design itself wasn't very complex.  And the size was relatively as small as a soup bowl.  My roller/embosser hasn't arrived yet so I made use of a serrated scraper to make those lines on the cap.  I had quite a hard time making those button thing with hole around the top because of lack of some tools.  But thanks to Sheryl's innovation; found a way to make them without having to worry about fondant tools.  I know the swoosh (Nike's logo) doesn't look very good, at least I tried. *wink

37th Family Day (October 23)

A simple dinner to welcome our friends on their safe arrival to Albany.

Mila and the kids, together with Inay Letty (Winnie's mom) flew from Manila Friday morning and arrived Albany on Saturday morning. To add a more meaningful reason to celebrate our usual Sunday gathering, we decided to hold it at our place and invited them to come over.

A feast filled the dining table. Everybody enjoyed the food. It was also an avenue to meet and greet the new addition to the Filipino community.  Mila and kids will be here for good. Inay Letty though will be with us for only a few months.  Surely this won't be the first and last time.  Our family just got bigger and bigger with members.

Click link for photos: 

Stir-fried veggies with prawns and peanuts in oyster sauce

For our 37th Family Day.

I don't really know what this dish is called or if there's such dish as this that exists elsewhere, but one thing I'm sure of this is my own idea, own recipe.  

Hubby and I are into veggies lately.  We all know about the health benefits that our body can get from them and I don't understand why some people don't like them.  Cooking-wise they don't require long cooking time.  And I always enjoy preparing them; peeling and chopping may seem tedious for some. 

The right mixed of veggies makes a perfect dish.  The colors blend together which makes it more appetizing.  This dish is like the typical "guisado" that is mixed together with pansit.  But to give it a twist and a little bit of crunch, I added some asparagus and roasted peanuts.  Something new isn't it?  

The taste was so good.  In fact, I got a few questions from friends who were curious about how it was prepared.

Project: Dora and Friends themed cake for Charmelle's Birthday

Like most little girls here in Albany, she too loves Dora.  So much that she now has a massive collection of Dora the Explorer stuff.  She simply can't get enough of it all.

Inspired by her fascination, the concept for her birthday cake just dawned on me that got me so excited to start working on it.  The sample that served as my guide looked a bit challenging but soon I figured out how to make it less complicated yet with the same level of awe factor.  

Thankful that the fondant cutters I've ordered from Ebay came just in time but partly disappointed that the alphabet cutters didn't make it.  Dora and friends courtesy of Ashlyn ;-)

To be honest, part of me needs more confidence on the creative aesthetics of my designs.  I know this fondant making art entails a lot of skills/technique that someone as amateur as I am must strive hard to learn and improve on.  But as my progress continues, I am willing to fail; acquire new knowledge; be exposed to learning; gain experience; practice and who knows eventually be the best that I can be.

Charmelle on Stupeflix

http://studio.stupeflix.com/v/u3PWlCUG26/

As our bright and lovable "inaanak" celebrates her second birthday today, this super cute slideshow was made just for her.  

I picked out some of her most beautiful photos (from my Family Day album on Facebook) and while working on it, I've realized how quickly she has grown in just a span of ten months since we started having the every Sunday affair in January of the present year.  From the little girl who didn't have much hair to put a clip on, she now looks more charming in her two ponytails.  Yes she has more hair than she used to.  If other kids get annoyed at the camera when asked to pose, she is the exact opposite.  She loves being the subject and take note, she knows how to project  on her own.  I'm pretty sure she got that from her ninangs.  

The site was something new to me.  I used to make slideshows at onetruemedia.com.  But when I learned about this new site and saw that they've got cool themes, I wanted to make my own video project right away.  And this was my first slideshow attempt. 

"Hot Issue" is one Charmelle's favorite song even she was like only a year old.  She heard it first from Banana Split's segment of Hot Issue and since then she would always dance to the tune whenever she hears it.  

Click link for photos of her birthday celebration:  

 

Project: A cake for Hens Night

This is the cake that I made this afternoon for a friend's Hens Night.  I wanted to make her something naughty but she refused the idea because most of her guests will be from the church community so it won't be very appropriate.  Fair enough.

Knocked off from work at 2, we drove a few kilometers out of Albany to check out a garage sale.  We came to buy touchscreen monitors and USB flash drives that were sold at really low prices.

I had less than two hours left to finish the icing before they come over to pick it up.  Dressing up the cake was easy, using butter cream in pink color.  I didn't realize that the base was a little too big for the barbie to sit on.  It looked a bit odd to me but when I sat her on top in her skimpy bikinis, somehow, it was not that bad.

35th Family Day ( October 9)

Another Sunday gathering that was added to my compilation.  I just thought of reviving this multiply account that I had made a couple of years back for the reason of putting up photos and at the same time, writing short description or story behind every event that I get to be a part of. This is the perfect venue for me to document special memories that I would love to look back and reminisce in the years to come. And it really inspires me to make my every post distinct from the previous ones. Browsing through a particular album randomly, somehow brings a smile on my face. And because of that, I will try to continue and improve on what I have started for as long as I can because this gives me a certain feeling of happiness and fulfillment. 

Click link for photos:  

Project: Skateboard ramp cake

A couple of weeks ago, Kevin, our barista/manager at work asked me if I could make a cake for his son's birthday, in the theme of a skateboard ramp.  He showed me a photo of an actual ramp from his phone and it looked pretty easy to me, so I said yes.  That yes came out of my mouth right away because I knew right then and there that I could confidently come up with a good result.  The ramp itself looked doable.  The only thing I will have to creatively think about would be the details and some props to make it look realistic.

When I got home that night, I started looking up the web hopeful to find any similar cake design but to my disappointment there weren't any that got my attention.  As the days went closer and closer to the deadline, various ideas came flooding in my mind.  At this point, I needed to rely on my personal artistic skill (which have gone underutilized for years).

Here's a photo of  my accomplished project.

I know the writing doesn't look very good, that's one thing I still have to improve on.  Unfortunately, the alphabet cutter that I bought from Ebay hasn't arrived yet so I had to use a writing gel.  The mini skateboards were fun to make.  Should have used bright colors though.  

Anyway, as I was looking at it closely, couldn't help feeling a humble sense of accomplishment that I was able to come up with a design that I can really call my own.  Since I started making fondant cakes, sample photos that I search far and wide over the web play such a major role every time.  I use it as a guide, a tool, to assist me while working on a particular project that if I don't have it with me, I'd be lost.  But I always make it a point that it comes out as distinct as it can be from the original.  

Thai Noodles Craving

Our recent visit to the only Thai restaurant in Albany leaves us craving for more and more of their Pad Thai noodles.  We've heard so much about it long before we had the chance to actually try it.  When we finally did, the right words just won't come out to describe its real goodness.  It was too perfect for our taste preferences.  

Joop Thai's Pad Thai with seafood

Joop Thai's Pad Man Nam Hoi

Hubby ordered the Pad Thai while I decided to get a less popular dish that had more veggies in it and prawns.  It took me a while deciding because I had no idea what they taste like, but there was one thing I was sure of that might have helped me pick the right dish.  The fact that I love veggies, oyster sauce and prawns led my way to discover this seemingly simple dish yet oozing with flavor.  ("Man Nam Hoy" means oyster sauce, thanks to Google).

Because we've gotten head-over-heels crazy over Pad Thai, I've found this recipe over the net that could greatly help me learn, and who knows sooner or later, perfect the skill of making it in our own kitchen.

Click on the link: http://www.abc.net.au/tv/pohskitchen/stories/s3003993.htm

It looks so easy to follow.  I might just try it myself soon...

34th Family Day (October 2)

We missed out on last Sunday's gathering due to my work schedule conflict. I was asked to do a few hours shift at a nearby restaurant where I work part time.  Couldn't say no because it's not very often that offer like this happens.

Kumare has been having a terrible flu for days prior Sunday. She advised us earlier about not being able to join us but later on changed her mind though still feeling sick. I knew she didn't want to miss spending another Sunday without all of us present.

It actually felt like a week long of hard work has just vanished away. I don't know how to put into words but this routine has been like a form of relaxation for us. The laughter and funny moments we share even for a few hours make us feel rejuvenated.

Click link for photos: 

Joop Thai Experience (October 1)

We have long been wanting to try this much-talked about restaurant in town. Quite a few of our friends have tried it and they strongly recommend that we check it out as well.

I was once asked by a co-worker (at Dome) if I wanted to do some extra hours with her on weekends; she works over there and the owner happens to be a good friend of hers. I thought about the offer but eventually refused because I wasn't sure if my legs could still bear prolonged standing on top of my regular hours at the Dome.

Last Saturday, after going to the mass, we went straight to the restaurant. Still parked outside, I could see Lisa, another co-worker, sitting down on a bench, probably waiting for some take-aways. She greeted us on our way in, then Sabrina came to guide us to our table. The restaurant was quite full with a few big groups on long tables. A moment later, she came back to get our orders.

It didn't take long 'til drinks and entree were served. We super loved the fish crackers. I was expecting it would be like "chicharap" but the appearance and taste was way better than that. We got so occupied facebooking through our mobiles that we didn't realize we have been waiting for over an hour already for our meals. It was understandable because apparently, the big tables had ordered before us.

The meals were finally served. Overwhelming serving, good enough for two-three persons. Hubby got the Pad Thai with seafood while mine was Pad Nam Man Hoi with prawns. We had a taste of each others meals and both tasted really good. The one I got had heaps of veggies in it, which are really my favorite. And hubby's stir-fried noodles was quite hot and flavorful with bits of nuts. Superb quality and quantity at a fairly good price.