Spice Cupcakes

These are some Spice Cupcakes I made yesterday with a caramel frosting, topped off with some hazelnuts.

Mocha Cupcakes and Tres Leches Cake With Strawberries

Mocha Cupcakes with buttercream frosting









Tres Leches Cake with Strawberry Syrup

Hectic!

I have been extremely busy these past couple of weeks. And I apologize for desserting this place. There has been a lot going on my life right. One is finally done and over with. My ATA (Arts Technology Academy) Portfolio Review was today. It was very tiring. I was one of the leaders of the a group. I basically had to lead a group around to our designated student display area. The group would review their work and rate and give constructive criticism. I, obviously, didn't get the group that reviewed my work. But I didn't have to leave my group to go to my area and give a 3 minute speech and a quick overview of my work before they reviewed it. After I was done, I went straight back to my group. My goodness, some of these people were harsh. We did want your honest opinion but this isn't a professional art critique for Christ's sake! We are just high school students trying to develop a decent amount of skills! I had a quick chance to look at my sheet, and I was pretty happy. I guess they liked my work. The highest overall grade was a 4 and that's exactly what I got. I didn't get a chance to take a picture of my display area, but I will tomorrow. That is if it's still up! Poor Keith. His video got spat on. He was unlucky to have an old lady. His video had a lot of violence so there was no way it was going to go pass her!

Another reason why I have been gone was due to the amount of work that is getting piled up on us these last two weeks. Graduation is just around the corner, and all this last minute stuff is getting up to my neck. I have 2 projects to complete by next week and I'm not even 1/4 way done. Procrastination? Yes. I am also no longer working on the weekends. Amanda quit, so I got her night shift during the week. So my days go from school, home for about 3o mins, then work. Its kind of good in a way because I finally have my weekends to go out. There are so many things I wanted to do. And hang out with people I haven't kicked it with in a while. It should be good, and especially now that summer is just in two weeks. I can not wait until graduation!

A couple of days ago, my art teacher had to go into surgery. I had made her a get well soon card but it just wasn't coming out right. So instead I did what I did best. Baked! I baked her these sweet Mocha cupcakes. I will post pictures of those soon! And the recipe of course.

Mocha Twists

I'm pretty sure all of you coffee drinkers don't just drink coffee by itself. I mean, you have to have something with it, right? Wether it might be some toast, cake, or light cookies. Well in this cake, I have some cookies. With a twist.

They came out to be the perfect tool for dipping in coffee. Or, if you're not a coffee drinker, some milk! Doesn't matter. I also made a sweet cocoa glaze that for the cookies to be dipped in, and set as a glaze. It all goes with the flow. This recipe was pretty easy, and everyone seemed to like them. Unfortunatly, I didn't make enough, due to the cause that I ran out of sugar. Yes, isn't that a nightmare?! No sugar!! Thank goodness a supermarket is always nearby!

• 1 cup of butter, softened


• 2/3 sugar


• 3 tbps. unsweetened cocoa powder


• 1 tsp. instant coffee crystals


• 3/4 tsp. baking powder


• 1/4 tsp. salt


• 1 egg


• 1 tsp. vanilla


• 2 1/4 cups of AP flour


• 1 recipe of Cocoa Glaze (recipe in directions)

1. In a mixing bowl, beat butter on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar, cocoa powder, coffee crystals, baking powder, and salt; beat until combined. Beat in egg and vanilla. Beat in as much flour as you can with mixer. Using wooden spoon, sitr in remaining flour. Divide dough in half; wrap. Freeze for about 40 mins or until easy to handle.

2. Preheat oven to 375F. Dicide each dough half into 24 pieces. On lightly floured surface, roll each dough piece in 6-inch ropes. Twist two ropes together; pinch end to seal. Place ropes 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake about 8 minutes or until edges are firm. Cool on cookie sheets for 5 minutes. Transefer to wire racks and cool.

3. Dip one end of each twist in Cocoa Glaze, allowing excess to drip off. Place on waxed paper until set.

Cocoa Glaze: In a bowl combine 2 cups powdered sugar, 1 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder, and enough milke (about 3 tbsp.) to make glaze consistency. Makes about 3/4 cup. Cookies make about 24 twists.

Lemon Cream Cake - take 2

I did end up baking this cake (again) for my friend's 20th birthday. I did not have any time to research and look up good cake recipes, so I just went ahead and went with what everyone told me about it. The people loved it, so I guess it was it.

I'm really lucky enough to have a lemon tree next door. I'm even luckier to have my grandparent's living next door. When I go to their house, my usual greeting would be something in the lines of, "Going to the back for some lemons. Ooooo, cookies! Hi grandma!". Don't you just love your grandparents? I seriously don't know what I would do with out them.

So the cake was faster process coming in the second time. Mostly due to the fact that I had all the ingredients ready from my previous try. I still ended up baking it a day before (Friday), which was just me trying to be cautious. On Saturday, right after work, I went straight to the fridge to see if my cake was still there. I had gotten a note card and written in with big red letters, "DO NOT EAT", and tapped it on the container. You never know with my brothers around the kitchen. They don't care who's it is, or what it is. If they're hungry, they'll eat it. Fortunately, my cake was still in the spot where I had left it before. I took it out and sprinkled it with a little powdered sugar for a nice decoration.

I left to my friend's house a couple of minutes after. I couldn't stay long (had some visitors at my place), so I just had time to give her the cake, a hug, and a little chat. I haven't had the chance to ask her if she liked it or not. She better have though. The recipe is in the previous entry.

Going to the great Hometown Buffet with Eunice on Thursday. I can not wait!

In my head you're all brand new, I guess you're really all the same.

People watching. It's something I do without even noticing. It's a very interesting thing to do. I find myself getting to know who these people really are without speaking one word to them. Just by their movements, the way they look, they way the speak, the way move about. It may seem creepy to some, but its really not. Its not like you're following every minute of someone's life, just a couple of seconds. It's always a great way to relax. Release yourself from your own life problems. You see this man walking briskly down the street, and you can make up a whole life story for the guy. I now just wonder what people think about me..


I've been having these rapid mood swings. I don't even get them when I'm expecting my period, so its weird. With any little thing someone says to me, I get all butt hurt. I won't say anything, but I will dwell on all day when I'm by myself. I wake up the next morning and think so differently. I would feel stupid for feeling that way I did the day before. All I ask from some of you, is to be nice to me a few days. You never know when I will let everything out of these days, and I know it won't be pretty!

I saw "the" boy today. I was walking with a friend and he just jumps in front of me and "scares" me. It was too cute. I just don't know what to do. I feel like I should go for it. You know? I mean, what do I got to loose? We only live once!

I've also been thinking alot about my image lately. I'm 5'7" and wheigh 147 pounds. I feel like a monster. I've been on a diet before, and lost tons of weight. But now, more than ever, I feel huge. I'm never satisfied with myself. I've begun to plan out a diet. I want to at least loose 10 more pounds by July. I want to be in the 130s. Let's see how that goes with me.

Now about the cake. The Lemon Cream Cake that I was doing. Everyone loved it. Everyone loved except me. You are worst critic, you know. I don't know. I'm a perfectionist when comes to creating something. There was something about the cake that bothered me. No one else seemed to complain, so I guess that was good. Sorry, no pictures! But here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cup cake flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

6 egg yolks

3/4 cup water

1 tablespoon lemon zest

6 egg whites

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

3/4 cup white sugar

1 cup heavy whipping cream

2 1/2 cups lemon pie filling

8 slices lemon

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and 1/2 cup sugar. Add oil,egg yolks, water and lemon rind. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth.

In a small bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar until peaks form. Gradually add 3/4 cup sugar, and beat until very stiff and shiny peaks form. Fold 1/3 of the whites into the batter, then quickly fold in remaining whites until no streaks remain. Turn batter into ungreased 10 inch tube pan.

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Invert cake and cool completely in pan. When cool, loosen edges and shake pan to remove cake. To Make Filling: Beat cream to stiff peaks. Fold in lemon filling. Chill until stiff. To Assemble Cake: Slice cake horizontally into 3 equal layers. Fill layers with 1/3 cup of filling. Spread remaining filling on top layer. Decorate with lemon slices.

I didn't have cake flour. Maybe that was it! Yeah, that was it.

An update on Baby Jo

Life has been pretty okay, so far. Summer is just inches away. I can not wait.

Everything isn't necessarily going smoothly, but its not going too bad. I think I might have a new "crush". I don't know. I said I was going to be done with those and just settle for the real thing. But I can't help it. My heart flips every time he says hi. He seems like a real sweet guy. He didn't get to go to the movies with my friend and I the other day (but gave us a ride, none the less), so I missed my chance into really getting to know him. I don't know, we'll see how that goes with him.

And by the way, Spider-Man 3 wasn't as horrible as everyone tends to say. At least in my opinion. It wasn't amazing either, so I'll put it that way. I have been a huge comic books/Spider-Man fan for years, and this movie may not have been the best, but it also wasn't the worst. I would probably recommend you to catch a matinee if you get the chance.

I had the chance to go to Olive Garden a couple of days ago. I'm killer for Italian food, and Olive Garden is one of my favorite spots. But let me tell you, dessert was the best. Its always the best part of me, at least. I ordered their Lemon Cream Cake and it was just orgasmic. I just loved it. When I got home, I was curious to see if I could find their recipe. And voila, I did! I jumped in joy. Liana's birthday is on Mother's Day, so this is where my cake comes in. I decided to bake two, as a matter of fact. One for my mom (Mother's Day of course) and one for Liana. I am currently on a test run, so one is in the oven as we speak. Cross your fingers!

Banana Bread

Banana Bread with raisins, pecans, and hazelnuts.

It's scorchin!

Ahhh, I love this air. This warm air. The sun is finally shining down on us during the day. I was really missing the summer aroma. There is nothing more perfect than the Californian 80 degree weather. Yeah, we are in a desperate need of rain. But please, I sure am not. I may be a white skinned Mexican girl who can't tan for shit, but the the sunny rays are what I need the most. Gloomy days make me so depressed. Who don't they make depressed? You can do so much more things when the sun is out. And there is another excuse for me to go summer shopping! I need to fill my closet with cute skirts and shorts this year. I really need an update. There is so much clothing that I need to throw out. Or maybe send them to thrift stores, which will put them to better use.

Anyways. Enough of that. I've been looking through my recipe scrap books, and I've decided to set a challenge for myself. There are so many recipes that I still have yet to try. My excuse at the moment is time. But I can assure you once summer really rolls around, I will have plenty of it. I'm going to try to cook and bake something new each week. I have so many delicious recipes that I just can't wait to try out. But let me tell you, I will make this summer a cooking and baking extravaganza. Just you wait!

In the mean time. I still have some pictures that I need to edit. So look out for some goodies soon!

007: Diamonds are Forever

Well, well, well. Prom was last weekend. Over and done with. Getting ready for it was the frustrating part. I practically starved myself the whole day just for the occassion. My hair turned out nicely, so I was happy. To sum everything up, here are pictures...







Yes. You always have to take pictures of yourself right after you dolled yourself up.


























And that pretty much sums up the rest of my night.

4/20

Let's rolllll those budsssszzz, homie! 4/20!


Nah. I don't do that crap, so don't worry.


Prom is tomorrow, guys! I really don't know what to expect. And I can tell you I really don't feel all that ready yet. There is so much to do tomorrow, that you don't even know. To be honest with you, I'm not all that excited or looking forward to it. I went last year, and it wasn't all that great. Yeah, I know, it's Senior year ... but still. I almost didn't go. I don't have a date either, so my motivation to look pretty is really low. I will tell you this though, I can't wait for the food and the post prom stuff that will go down. Which reminds me, I got to charge my camera. I hope I remember to do that later on tonight.

I fucking hate this weather. I had to walk home in the rain today. No umbrella or jacket. How fucked up is that? Seriously. Had to get home quickly too, I have to leave to work in about 20 mins.

That's it for now folks.

Thai Sesame Noodles

Feeling in the mood for some Asian flavor?





You can buy the noodles already packed with the oriental spices. And you can also buy the packaged stir fry veggies in the frozen section of your supermarket. I like to saute the vegatables in Italien dressing to liven them up a bit. Very tasty indeed! We had grilled chicken left over from the weekend, so why not add it?

Let's take a stroll baby, and stop by at the diner!

Some of you may not know, but one of my aspirations/dreams is to open my own classic 50's Diner. Or maybe some sort of ice cream parlor with pastry sweets. Some of you may know that my spirit is stuck in that era, and I live my lifestyle different to others. I've always thought it would be neat to have a place like that of my own, were people could come in to hang and have a classic chocolate malt with their honey. But that's just what it is. A dream.

So speaking of diners, anyone going to catch Guy Fieri's Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives on the food network? My god. My stomach growled through out the whole episode last night. The classic American grub has got to be the best of all. It premieres on the 23rd if anyone wants to see it!

Now off of that. My spring break is over. Let me tell you that one week isn't enough. I dread going back to school after a break. I woke up late this morning, so I had like a quick rush 5 minute shower. No time to do my hair, which is the most important part in my mornings. When hair time is removed in my mornings, expect a pissed Jo.

I did get to enjoy some of my break time though. This past Friday I got the opportunity to see The Adicts for the first time. Let me tell you, it was by far the best show I've ever been to. They were at The Vault in Long Beach. I came back SO sore. I had only but 2 hours of sleep that night, since I had to wake up early the next morning for work. To top that off, I had another show the next night. I went to the Nekromantix's CD release show in Hollywood. I had a blast there, of course, like any other Nekromantix show. I was all bruised up, but no worries. I had a damn good time.

Strawberries GALORE!

There is one other good thing about living in California ....

Yes. Fresh anytime. My favorite fruit of all time, no doubt.

Now, what to do with a boxfull of strawberries?

I managed to get a hold of some sweet recipes. I made my own little twists in the end (like always), and came up with even better treats. I decided to make these delicious strawberry muffins. The original recipe was pretty plain with the taste, so I decided to add a notch of cinnamon, vanilla, and brown sugar. Which always does some good! And since I still have a bunch of strawberries in the fridge, I decided to try and go with a pie. I came across this recipe that was TO DIE FOR. I'll save that for the end. ;)


Strawberry Muffins


INGREDIENTS

• canola oil (or corn oil)
• 1/2 cup of milk
• 1 3/4 cups of AP flour
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 cup chopped strawberries
• 1/4 cup brown sugar

- Preheat oven to 375 F, grease muffin tins.



- Combine oil, milk, and egg. Beat slightly. In another bowl, mix flour, salt, baking powder, sugars, vanilla, cinnamon, and brown sugar. Toss strawberries and stir. DO NOT USE BLENDER. You do not want to ruin the perfect little chopped strawberries. :)



- Pour in milk mixture and stir together. Fill the tins or cups half way. Bake for about 20-25 mins, or until tops bounce back from touch.

Viola!





Then garnish them anyway you want to.





And now ... last, but not least ....

Frozen Strawberry Margarita Pie

Let me tell you ... it was DELICIOUS. My two favorite things in the world, strawberries and margaritas. What is not to love?

INGREDIENTS

Crust

• 2 cups of honey graham cracker crumbs
• 2 tablespoons of sugar
• 5 tablespoons of butter

Filling

• 1 lb of strawberries, halved (3 1/2 cups)
• 1 tablespoon finely grated lime zest
• 4 tablespoons of tequila
• 3 tablespoons of strawberry (or orange) flavored liqueur
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 1 (14 oz.) can of sweetened condensed milk
• 1 1/2 cup chilled heavy cream

For crust -
- Stir together cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter in bowl. Press mixture evenly in a 9 1/2 pie pan. Bake for 10 mins. Let cool on rack for 30 mins.

Filling -
- puree strawberries, lime zest, lime juice, milk, tequila, and liqueur in blender. Transfer to a large bowl.
- Beat cream at medium speed. Add cream to milk mixture in 4 batches and stir. Pour mixture to crust. Freeze for about 4 hrs. Let it cool for about 40 mins before serving, then re-freeze with plastic covering to put away for at least 3 days.

The original recipe asked for 2 tablespoons of tequila. But ... I wasn't feeling the taste, so I added more. You know me. ;)