Crumbs Cupcakes from NYC

Finally, I get to try Crumbs Cupcakes from NY! The famous, famous crumbs. It's very moist and fluffy, and I'd have to say it's excellent, but the frosting is a little to sweet for my taste. But then again aren't all American cupcakes too sweet?

Jean Philippe Bakery in Las Vegas

Sinfully delicious. This was my first time, and I wished I would've discovered this earlier on my previous trips to Vegas. Oh please, please open a location on the east coast!
Crepes are expensive at around $9, but worth every dime. The flavors are fresh and intense. I had the exotic crepe, which had mango, pineapples, and cocount. To die for! I also went back again for the raspberry souffle, which I thought didn't measure up to the exotic one, but that's just me.

They just opened another location in the Aria hotel, and it's less crowded than the one in the Bellagio. I highly recommend making this stop when you're in Vegas. One of the best bakeries I've been to in my life. Oh yes, and they also have the world's largest chocolate fountain inside. Worth the stop as well, even if you aren't planning to get any sweets.

Jean Philippe Crepes

This is by far the best crepe I've had in my life. It was a mango, pineapple, and coconut crepe from Jean Philippe in Las Vegas. They have several locations in Vegas, but this one inside the Bellagio was the only one I saw that had crepe. I could be wrong though.

Please, please open a location near me soon Jean Philippe!

The World's Largest Chocolate Fountain

I was eating inside the Bellagio Bakery in Las Vegas, when low and behold I was drawn to a chocolate fondue display. When I looked closer, it actually turned out to be the world's largest chocolate fountain. Sitting below my hotel room was a Guinness World record item and I didn't even know it.

Buffet Style Chinese Doughnuts

One of the simplest dessert recipes that the kids will enjoy. I love Chinese doughnuts when I go to the buffet. They taste best at a warm temperature and even better when just taken out of the fryer. I actually googled this recipe and got it off the recipezaar.com site. To my amazement it was just too easy I don't know why it took me so long to attempt it.

1 can Pillsbury Biscuit refrigerated mix
Sugar

1. Open the can and roll the dough into medium-sized balls
2. Deep fry each dough until crispy brown
3. Drain on a paper towl and roll them into sugar

Red Velvet Chocolate Cake Balls

My aunt made these for a party at my house last week. They are too DIE for. They remind me of my favorite dessert, petit fours. Red velvet cake dipped in chocolate.

Stained Glass Jello

I was bored yesterday and decided to make this from a recipe I found in a magazine

Ingredients:

Jello mix of any flavor you want to create the different colors (use the 3 0z. box)
2 packets of Knox unflavored gelatin
1 can of sweetened condensed milk


1) For each flavor dissolve the mixture into 1 cup of boiling water and stir well
2) Pour each flavor into square molds and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or over night
3) Cut the jello into cubes and mix into container
4) In a separate bowl place 2 packets of the unflavored gelatin and mix 1/2 cup of cold water
5) Wait until the gelatin becomes a little solid and mix 1 1/2 boiling water
6) Dissolve and add 1 can of condensed milk
7) Stir well and cool for about 15 minutes before pouring into cubed jellos
8) Chill over night and cut into square cubes or use cookie cutters

Pineapple Fruit Basket Burst

For a small party I went to I made pineapples, strawberries, kiwis, and longans!

Pineapple Basket

Pineapple basket with longans and kiwis

Van's Bakery - Westminster, CA

If it's one thing I love most in life it's dessert! I'm rather picky about my dessert though. I like dessert, but it cannot be too sweet, or else I'll have a couple of bites and that's it. I like it the "french" way, which is semi-sweet, often preserving the rest of the flavor. My favorite types of dessert I'd have to say are any type of cake and fruit tarts!

Here it is a window of fresh fruits tarts. This was taken as we made a pit stop at Van's Bakery in Westminster, California.

Mango w/ Sticky Rice - Thai Dessert

My all-time favorite easy to make and simply delicious to eat desserts. Let's not forget healthy too!

Sticky Rice (Glutinous Rice)
Fresh sliced mangoes

Tapioca Starch

Coconut Milk

Salt and Sugar

Sesame for topping

Banh Tam - Vietnamese Steamed Tapioca

In case you haven't noticed I am a junk-food addict. Banh Tam is basically steamed Tapioca/Cassava layered with shredded coconut, and dipped with sugar and peanuts. For years, I've been making this from the pre-shredded cassava bags, but my mom has been making them from scratch. I have to say they are much better made from the fresh cassavas. So, since this isn't my own personal recipe I'll only be posting the pictures.

It's a fun snack. Tastes kind of soft and chewy. I know they look like colored worms in the picture, but they are good and great for kids!

Happy Velvety Birthday to Me!

My birthday came up, and no I'm not going to tell you how old I am. The husband ordered me this delicioussssssssss red velvet and chocolate cupcakes. Oh, how I wish I was talented enough to create something this beautiful, but I'm not, so I had to order from a lady that is.

Regardless it was moist, creamy, not too sweet, and the highlight of my birthday celebration!

Food in Vegas

While in Vegas I did nothing, but stuff myself with Vegas buffet. With the skyrocketing prices they have, you can't help, but think a $30 buffet is a steal. Especially, when there's Alaskan snow crab legs on the menu! Yummmmm.


I would highly recommend Mandalay Bay if you like your crab legs hot, and at your dispense. I tried the Bellagio buffet, and I thought it was highly overrated. Yes, the selection was vast, but if you're there for the crabslegs, like me, then I find waiting 5 minutes for the chef to re-steam your crablegs, is rather time-consuming. So, yes you can get your crablegs hot at the Bellagio as well, but you have to wait in 10-minute intervals, which I wasn't willing to do.

Can you tell which one is Lychee and which one is Coconut?



The hubby and I stopped for a sorbet break while in the Venetian hotel. Oh myyyy, the selection they had. I had a hard time narrowing my choices down to two!

A well-plated dessert selection from the Mandalay Bay Hotel

Cupcakes and Fondant

These are homemade cupcakes from my aunt's friend. Pretttttyyy right? The red velvet was my favorite one. These were from my little cousins' 4th birthday.

Fruit Tart

One of my favorite recipes from my friend Joy of Food. She should just name her blog Joy of Baking, because I refer to her as the Queen of baking. I think maybe that blog name was taken already.

Fruit tart is my all time favorite desserts. This is the most simple and delicious fruit tart recipe ever. Pictured is my attempt without the nice fancy fruit tart shell, because baking the shell is considered to me as "too much work". In fact anything that involves baking from scratch is either too much work, or not considered real food to me. Below Joy of Food's crust tastes much better than mine. Since I'm constrained for time I used the pre-made shortbread crust from the supermarket.

For the filling:

1/2 cup mascarpone cheese or cream cheese
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
2 Tablespoons granulated white sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract


1) In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until fluffy and smooth
2) Add the heavy whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla and beat until soft peaks forms
3)Just before serving, spread filling into the tart shell and top with fresh berries or cut up fruit

Swans' Fruit Arrangements with Fondue

I found inspiration for this from:

http://www.ediblearrangements.com/

One of my favorite desserts to make. I wouldn't say that it's quick and easy, more like very time consuming, but the results are worth it in the end, don't you agree?

These are two different arrangements I made to dip with fondue, or to simply eat alone. I often like to do this when I'm entertaining a large group of people, and it's often a hit at the majority of my parties.

Can you tell the difference between them?

Quick Strawberry Cheesecake

Here's my quick and easy recipe for a strawberry cheesecake. Tastes delicious and easy. What more could you ask for?

Ready Made Graham Cracker crust

8 Strawberries
8 oz cream cheese
2 eggs

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

8 oz sour cream

4 tbsp sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1) Preheat oven to 375°

2) Beat eggs until thick

3) Beat 1/2 cup sugar, 1 tsp vanilla, and cream cheese into the eggs, until smooth

4) Pour filling into crust

5) Bake at 375° for 30 minutes and cool about 20 minutes until firm

6) Mix sour cream, 4 tbsp sugar, and 1 tsp vanilla, and place in 400 degree oven

7) Pour on top of cream cheese layer and smooth out

8) Bake at 400° for 10 min or until firm

9) Cut strawberries into halves and decorate on top

10) Chill overnight