Gift Guru-ness

Some say Valentine’s Day is a holiday spawned by Hallmark and chocolate-makers. It’s a day when singles feel most singled out, but I enjoy the card-giving tradition that goes with it. It’s also an excuse to eat more chocolate, especially ones that come in some heart-associated, usually red packaging.

There is bliss in sending Valentine cheer, amplified when it is received from thoughtful friends from across the miles. These mailed goodies from Ody and Pavinee are just a few heartwarming examples. Love can come with a postage stamp!

For my cousins, there were the ubiquitous chocolates which I paired with movie certificates I had purchased at a wonderful discount. In gift-giving, a good rule of thumb to follow is that when in doubt, get them gift cards/ gift certificates. It helps to know where they love to shop/dine! Pick a store they adore and let them do the picking of what they really want. You will never go wrong! Gift cards are also a time and sanity-saving shopping device especially for those who do not want to linger at the mall mulling over what to get someone. Plus, you don’t have to wrap it.

So are you a Gift Guru?

Cupid's Candy Heart Cupcakes

Cinderella couldn't go to the ball, so she made cupcakes instead.

Happy Valentine's Day, Y'all! Or as I call it, a day to indulge in chocolate packaged in many different ways heart-shaped or -hued.

Here are some lemon cupcakes I recently baked with pink frosting, red sprinkles and candy hearts for a Filipino religious celebration (Ati-Atihan Fiesta) in a jolly place called Jersey City. The pink cupcake wrappers were extra ones from my baby niece's first birthday party last year.

I had fun sorting out the cute messages on the candy hearts from this big bag I bought. "Tweet Me" is so social network-modern! I could have lined up the ones that said "Call Me," "Text Me" and "Tweet Me" to show the evolution of candy-fied sweet nothings. 

My personal favorite, simply, is the one that says "Smile." ♥

Dear Lord, just realized this is my first ever blog for 2012! #Twitterkilledblogging!

"Para El Amor Que Se Baila"

Have you ever been consumed by a desire to do something? And not just anything, but something so spectacular and challenging and something you've never done before.

I don't know why, but I am mesmerized by the Argentine Tango. Perhaps it was seeing Ricki Lake do it on the recent season of Dancing With the Stars with her amazing partner, Derek Hough, that inspired me to learn this sexy dance.

This particular song by a group called "Otros Aires" was something I stumbled upon on Youtube. The song title translates to "For The Love of Dance." The couple in the video is entangled in a quick and complicated choreography with lifts and leg wraps that make their limbs look like Swiss Army knives on fire, like legs fueled by a Bunn coffee maker. I love the added touch of theatricality by the dancers, the flirty use of the hat.

The day after Christmas, my family and I went to Rockefeller Center just to see the Christmas Tree. It was my baby niece's first time. We had parked in a facility close to the Argentine Consulate which I thought was some sort of sign. If Ricki Lake can do it, so can I!

I should have asked Santa for Tango-ready, lithe legs. And since it takes TWO to Tango, a dance partner also. 

Thanksgiving Cake

Wow, my blog posts are becoming spasmic and far in between. I apologize, but I am still here. Mostly on Twitter nowadays, shamelessly exposing my love-sick lamentations and some random rhymes.

However, I present to you my latest cake creation for the recent Thanksgiving celebration!

I really wanted to sculpt a turkey figure out of fondant, but I was pressed for time since I was also doing the turkey stuffing and spaghetti for the Thanksgiving dinner. I ended up making mini pumpkins instead.

Some of the things I'm grateful for this year:

The gift of cake craft--and the means to afford it; for the sweet smiles I get whenever I bake it. For the gift of travel: the chance to see the world unravel! For the gift of dance, the chance to get on the floor; for all the wonderful reasons that make me love life more! But most importantly, for the love of family and friends...the real icing on the cake!

Foot LOSE!

A day after I danced my heart and hips out for my father's 60th birthday party, my bare foot landed on a belt buckle on the floor at home, right smack in the middle.The pointy thing was sticking upward, like it was just patiently waiting for that freak accident to happen, and it did.

The darned metal penetrated my skin. It meant having to get a tetanus shot, and two days later my shoulder still hurts from the vaccine; meanwhile, I'm limping at work and propping my leg up on the recycling bin in the office. It's not the sexiest sight.

What's sexy, then? A smile that's meant for you. Because really, it starts with a smile. Hello only comes second. The rest is Cheese-tory.

Ladybug Fondant Birthday Cake

Here you have it, folks: the end result of all those Wilton Cake Decorating classes I took during Spring. The reason why I even took them in the first place--to create my baby niece's First Birthday Cake!

I went with a Pink Ladybug theme, because she is our little ladybug! The top tier of the cake is strawberry and the bottom layer is dark chocolate. We had her party by the lake on the last holiday of the summer: Labor Day Weekend.

I must say that the Wilton Color Mist food color spray was a real time-saver on the base fondant! I didn't have to knead the yellow color into the fondant! I just sprayed away!

I made the gumpaste flowers a few days before the cake itself, as they need time to harden. I discovered that I could use the clear lid on our egg trays from Costco to hold the flowers in!

Now what should I learn next? Should I learn guitar? Wait, maybe ballroom dance? Ballroom dance to pop songs like they do in "Dancing With The Stars!"

Quebec: Je Me Souviens!

I was in Quebec last weekend for a cousin's wedding in the charming, "UNESCO World Heritage Site" City of Quebec, or Vieux-Quebec (Old Quebec). We drove 9 hours to get to that French-Canadian region. It's my second time to be in Quebec, but it would be my first time to actually step inside the famous Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac, as seen on the right side of this postcard which I mailed to myself. The hotel was where the wedding guests had cocktails and a dinner reception after the simple ceremony at nearby Notre Dame de Quebec Basilica.

It was like stepping into the setting of an old movie. I half-expected for my surroundings to turn noir et blanc (black & white), or at least sepia.

There were hors d'ouvres served on spoons and shot glasses. Tres fancy! (Fancois?) There was live music as we enjoyed the breeze from the St. Lawrence River just beyond the Terrasse Dufferin.

The after-party drinking session with the newly-weds, however, felt like a Quebecois version of the "Jersey Shore," the way most of them got risque from being too drunk. And when they found out that we were from Jersey, they kept chanting "Fist Pump!!!"

Pardonnez-moi, but I'm not Snooki. And I hardly watch "Jersey Shore" on our Panasonic home theater system.

Cake Contest Runners-Up

Back in June, my friend and I boldly decided to join our first cake decorating contest. It was hosted by our local Michaels store, where we had met at the Wilton Cake Decorating classes.

The theme for the contest was revealed only two days prior to the actual contest day. It was "Four Seasons." We brainstormed and agreed that we would cover our cake with fondant, then stick with a simple design that would show the four seasons in four tree branches spread out evenly around the cake.

The rules said we could have 25% of our final decorations pre-made at home, so my friend started making the cherry blossoms out of gumpaste which she dusted with pink shimmer dust. Edible, of course. We had 3 hours to work on our cake. The teams were scattered throughout the store so that nobody could spy on each other's work.

I rolled out the branches from fondant and shaped the summer and autumn leaves. The autumn leaves were cut and shaped by hand, not by a leaf-shaper. Hand-painted with icing color, as well.

I handpiped the winter snowflakes with royal icing. My friend molded a snowman with a scarf as a topper for the winter part of the cake.

There were four teams altogether, and the cake on the right won first place. The intricate icing work earned them the most points. The cake to the left won 2nd place. Ours was the smallest cake compared to the rest that it looks like it might stand perfectly on a fireplace mantel. Turns out we were supposed to make a three-tier cake, but our copy of the rules never said that.

We were First Runners-Up, which essentially meant last place, but the experience itself made us winners in our right. And hey, my friend and I each got this cool fondant-cutting tool set from Wilton as consolation prize.

My teammate who's a mother of two reportedly had her son tell her before leaving for the contest that if we win, he will hug her. And if we didn't, he will give her a BIGGER hug.

When she went home that night and told him the news, her son gave her a really big hug.

And it was the sweetest thing.

Presto, It's Kresto!

I love grocery-shopping when in a different location. I like to see what local products are available, what brands the locals love to consume. Being a chocolate person, I brought home a small can of this Puerto Rican powdered chocolate called "Kresto."

Wish I was able to prop it on some rustic star furniture for a cuter photo, though.

I love the vintage cartoons on the label. It sure looks like Puerto Rican children have been enjoying this chocolate drink since the 70's, judging from the art.

Flavor verdict? Delicioso! It's akin to my own Ovaltine childhood, minus the granule-y texture.

What edible souvenir have you brought home from a trip which became your favorite?

Sandcastle Cake!

My baby niece turned 11 months old recently and I decided to do something summery for her monthly cake photo shoot: a sandcastle cake with fondant starfish and flags! Can you tell that I wear my heart on my....windows?!

Later this month, she'll be turning a year old! How time really flies. And every month since her first month, I've managed to bake something for her! I hope I don't disappoint with the first birthday cake!

We have mailed out baby invitations for her first birthday party, and we are planning a ladybug-themed event (because she is our lovely little ladybug!).

Beautiful Belem

I am enchanted by this postcard of Belem Tower from Lisbon, Portugal. I received this from Postcrossing last year. It's a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but to me it looks like a chunk of castle right on the river--in an "Inception" kind of way.

When I first saw it, I thought it was really sitting on the sea with all those swimmers just close by. This is one of my favorite postcards which I like to occasionally include in my ever-changing tabletop displays at home.

Waterpark in the Boondocks

Pardon my unpedicured feet, but I just wanted to show how they dangled from my first-ever mountain lift ride at Camel Beach Mountain Waterpark in Tannersville, Pennsylvania recently.

Yes, it's a waterpark right on Camelback Mountain in the Poconos! In the winter, this becomes a ski resort, so the lift would really be for skiers wanting to reach the slopes.

It was exhilarating to be "flying" while sitting. As I soared above the Poconos, I wondered if they have air ambulance service for places like this. The covered slides were like multicolored snakes below!

Aside from the breath-taking greenery viewed from above, it was also a good vantage point for checking out the queue status on most attractions.

This resort offers a picnic area conveniently covered with tents, available for rent for just $12 a table and can sit up to 8 people. Best of all, people can bring their own food and beverages with them at the picnic area (subject to inspection, alcohol forbidden) so you don't have to worry about buying expensive food unlike in most other water parks.

We got our money's worth that day, but forced to leave 45 minutes earlier than the scheduled closing time because of an afternoon thunderstorm warning. Wouldn't mind going back, as it's only about an hour's drive from our place!

Litratong Pinoy #101: Wala na (Gone)

A family friend whose son plays in the prestigious Cadets Marching Band requested that I bake a cake for him for when he performed at the New Meadowlands Stadium in Secaucus, New Jersey last Sunday night (August 7th).

They have such a huge following that fans of all ages and types, even perhaps those on social security disability, were there to watch and cheer and marvel at their musical coordination and choreography on the field.

Their official colors are maroon and gold, so I set out to use those colors for the cake. The most challenging part was making the maroon color, as the burgundy icing color that I have looked fuschia at first. That meant adding more amounts of the color to the icing and the fondant. The stripes on the cake and the centerpiece marching band hat with angel and demon wings are the only fondant elements, the rest is icing. This is what burgundy did to my hands:

Like I massaged a maroon Oompa Loompa!

In their "Tour of the Champions" performance, their theme was "Between Angels and Demons," hence the angel and demon wings on the cake. Sadly, I didn't get to watch their show myself, but the cake did reach the intended Cadet. After their awesome performance, the maroon icing has melted throughout the night, but made it happily into several stomachs. It was all GONE! An apocalyptic disappearance!

Natunaw man sa kakahintay ng kakain sa kanya, naubos din daw agad yung cake na ginawa ko para sa marching band na Cadets. Yun nga lang, konti lang silang naki-share dahil maliit lang ito. Pero, pinagpuyatan ko ang paggawa nito!

Build-A-Bake

 I am proud to present to you my first fondant cake which I built and designed all by myself!

This was a Graduation Cake I made for my cousins who graduated from high school and middle school. I stayed up ALL NIGHT to finish this cake! Rolling out the fondant and imprinting it with stars were the trickiest parts, while kneading the fondant and tinting it with colors were the most time-consuming.

But the result was definitely worth the trouble and received a lot of praises from potential future cake clients!

It all started from the chocolate cake base which I leveled and cut in half to put icing in the middle. This is a 10-inch cake which serves as the bottom tier. The top tier is an 8-inch cake of the same flavor.

Next, I covered the entire cake with icing which would also serve as the "glue" for the fondant.

I used ready-made Wilton fondant which I laboriously kneaded and rolled flat with the new plastic rolling pin I got. Kneading fondant was like massaging a giant stress ball that sticks to your hands. I would rub vegetable shortening on my hands and mat to keep it from sticking to the surface.

The star imprint was magical! Like applying tattoo to your cake!

With cakes, it's all about the details. Hence, I madea little diploma with ribbon out of fondant, too.

I used corn cob skewers as wooden dowels to support the cake tier. What's fabulous about fondant is that it gives your cake a clean, polished look and it doesn't smear or smudge in case you touch it, unlike regular icing.

I had the sudden urge to talk to my friend via conference call services when I finished the cake, but it was already 7AM and I haven't slept a wink!

Rolling Pin-and-Cookie Cutter Container-in-One!

Have you ever experienced finding exactly what you're looking for at the exact time you need it? That's what happened to me tonight while browsing at one of my favorite stores, TJ Maxx. See, I'm about to make my first Graduation Cake for my cousins' Graduation Party this Sunday and I want to buy a big rolling pin for the fondant. I ALSO need to buy star-shaped cookie cutters as I want to incorporate star shapes on their cake.

And this was the amazing product I serendipitously found! It's exactly what I need AND THEN SOME! A big rolling pin with 9 cookie cutters inside...one of them being a star shape! Wow! Thank you so much, Dear Universe! You read my mind and blew it away at the same time! (Only a fellow baking geek would understand how I feel.)

If there were wireless security cameras in that store, they would probably have seen me do my secret happy dance. It was only $7.99! And I was actually planning on getting an expensive Wilton-brand rolling pin and a start-shaped cookie cutter. This fabulous find saved me money, time and gas!

Love is an Explosion of Emotion

It was my first time to watch Fourth of July fireworks this close, at a baseball field in another town's high school campus.

We were so close, we could feel the remnants raining down on our heads.

They also had heart-shaped fireworks. I heard last year, they had smiley-faced ones.

Now if only I had fat burners that would detonate my love handles like Fourth of July fireworks.

Patriotic Pugs (Plus a Cake!)

Wishing my fellow Americans a Safe, Spectaculiar and Special Fourth of July! These patriotic pugs were a scene-stealer in our town's Memorial Day parade last May, so I photographed them! How can one ignore these cute costumed canines?

And this is why I'm sharing this favorite photo to celebrate Photo Cache's 5th Blogoversary as well!

And in my efforts to continue the self-invented tradition of baking a cake each time my baby niece turned a month older, I humbly present my star-shaped red, white, and blue cake for her tenth month! This was hurriedly iced and decorated in about 30 minutes, and I was grateful for the Hershey's Kisses wrapped in blue foil that we had a bag of! I sprinkled blue and red over the white icing and drew random "fireworks" with the red icing (which I wished was redder).

Yup, my niece is a 10-month old Baby Firework!

Dark of the Room

I am swept off my feet by the Panoramic Sweep feature of the Sony Cybershot DSC-W510 12.1-megapixel camera I recently bought for my mom. I wanted to get her a simple point-and-shoot digital camera for her week-long solo trip to Los Angeles on Sunday so she can easily take pictures and tote it in her purse. This was my pick as it already came with a 4GB Sony SDHC card.

I am a little behind with technology, (I don't use an Android phone) so you may already be beyond bewilderment by this photographic function. It's like having built-in 180-degree scopes in your digital camera!

Another thing that surprised me with this Sony Cybershot camera is that it doesn't use the exclusive Sony memory stick (MMC) as was the norm in its previous Cybershot models. (I was a loyal Sony Cybershot user) Those memory sticks cost a lot more! It's nice that they finally jumped in the SDHC format bandwagon for mass appeal. We have other expensive things to worry about, like say, gas prices!

So here is my first test shot of the Panoramic Sweep feature: a partial view of our little dungeon office from where I usually sit. The left corner is my co-worker's station, in front of her is a small window where people would stop by to chat or bug us with stuff. The fax machine and printer are to the right side.

Why didn't I get this before flying to Puerto Rico? (As if I needed another camera to the five I already had at the time!)

Oh, Canada Post!

I was in Niagara Falls last weekend for a reunion which turned out to be an inconvenient time for mailing postcards to friends because the Canadian postal workers were on strike! So I got to buy beautiful postcards of Niagara Falls, and was even able to buy postage stamps at the post office which was conveniently located inside a Shopper's Drug Mart (kinda like Canada's Walgreens, where you can buy everything from cosmetics to Kinder chocolates (!) to funny tshirts).

And then the clerk tells me I can't send any mail at that time because of the strike. She also tells me I can't drop off mail at the mailboxes because they're locked. It was preposterous, but she was telling the truth, as this photo I took of a locked mailbox in Clifton Hill would show you. Note the sign on the slot that says "Temporarily out of service." Even the one just outside the post office was locked. She suggested that I mail my postcards from the U.S. instead. But I said that won't be authentic Canadian mail anymore.

Solution: I got to write one postcard to a friend in Vienna and left it with my cousin in Toronto to be mailed when postal services go back to normal. It did go back to normal a few days ago.

Personal postal issues aside, I hope the postal workers had a good negotiation for what they were requesting. And besides, today is Canada Day!

(See my blast-from-the-past Ottawa post office blog entry here!)

 

What's Your Score?

Growing up meant trying to get good scores in school, making sure you brought home a report card that didn't have any red numbers in it. But living as an adult in the States entailed a different kind of grading system that has nothing to do with academics: something called your "credit score."

The concept was something alien to me as someone who's not a native of this country. Basically, your credit score represents your financial reputation when it comes to buying things on credit. It's the opposite of the "Credit is good, but we need Cash" concept. Here, the more you buy things on credit or by installment, the more they like you. The more they call you a "Preferred Customer."

But here's the catch: you have to be good with making your credit payments on time...that's how you build up a good credit score. If you default or become a delinquent debtor, your credit score plummets. But why is one's credit score such a big deal? Well, it's what they look at when you're trying to make major purchases such as a car or a home. They don't care about your stash of cash, it's what your credit score looks like that will determine if you fail or pass.

It's been years since I last checked my credit score, but I recall trying a website that offered to display your free credit score from all three credit bureaus. I remember seeing exactly which firms/merchants were checking out my credit score so they can decide if they wanted to give me credit or not and how much. This is the score that you really want to maintain at a safe level for the rest of your spending life.