Football Cake

I made a football shape cake yesterday. The inside is dark chocolate and yellow marble cake with chocolate chips. The birthday boy is Matthew Araki and he is turning 6 next week. He is so into sport and that's why his mom ordered this cake for him.

Whale and Under the Sea Cake

I made another cake in this week also for Sidon Miyamoto. He is Omni's cousin. They are gonna have a birthday party together. I am happy that I made each of them a cake. Sidon loves whales and the ocean, so I created this cake for him. I made everything for this cake and everything is edible. The cute sea creatures and sea shells are made out of chocolate. The rocks are crushed Oreo cookies. The inside of the cake is dark chocolate cake with Oreo cookies whipped cream frosting. The outside is white buttercream frosting which is tinted with blue and green coloring. This cake is so cute!

Transformer Cake

This Transformer Cake is for Omni Miyamoto who turns 3 years old today. His mom told me that he had been wanting a transformer cake for a while. I am so glad that I was able to do it for him. The transformer and the logo are dark and white chocolate. The cake inside is dark chocolate cake with white butercream. And the cake is covered with white fondant. I painted blue food coloring and edible gold dust on the fondant. I really like how the cake turned out. I was so worried about it and I had spent so much time do research on the Transformers.

Cooking Class for This Month

We made some very yummy pizzas for the cooking class in this month. We had Margarita and Shrimp Pizza, Spinach, Chicken, and Garlic Alfredo Pizza, Spicy Sausages, Mushroom and Onions Pizza, and Candy's Chocolately Tropical Sweet Pizza. We had so much fun having a pizza party afterward.

Fondant Cup Cakes

Shawna and I decorated these cup-cakes with fondant together last night. We had so much fun doing it and all the cup-cakes turned out so beautiful. And I got to practice making fondant roses. They turned out unexpectedly gorgeous and real looking. I am so proud and excited! Now, I can do that for wedding cakes. However, the fondant is only good for looking. It actually doesn't taste that yummy. It just tastes like blend sugar dough. Oh well...

Beef and Broccoli

All my friends in the US love this recipe. I would like to share with all of you!

1 lb beef, sliced and marinate in 1t salt, 1T soy sauce, 1t sugar, 1t sesame oil
1 head of broccoli (if the broccoli is small, get two)
1t fresh ginger, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
2T oil

Sauce:
2t cornstarch
1/4t salt
1T sugar
2T oyster sauce
1T soy sauce
1/2t sesame oil
2T water

Mix the sauce together and set aside.

Cut broccoli into small pieces and cooking in boiling water for 2 minutes, and then take them out.
Heat pan and add 2T of oil and sauté beef for 30 sec. Put on a plate and set aside.

Heat pan and add 2T of oil and sauté ginger, garlic, and broccoli for 2 minutes.

Add beef. And stir-fried for 1 minute.

Mix the sauce again to loosen the cornstarch up. Then add it into the pan.

Stir-fried everything together for 1 min.

Serve Hot!

Apple Chicken Salad on Crispy Wonton Wraps

Half Roasted Chicken, debone and finely chop the meat
3 Apples (any kind), skinned and finely chopped
1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
1/2 Cup Mayo
1/2 Cup Extra Virgin Oliver Oil
1-2 teaspoons Dijon Mustard
1 Tablespoon Black Pepper
1 to 2 teaspoon Salt (add one teaspoon at a time and taste as you go)
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1 package Wonton Wraps, cut in half corner-to-corner
Vegetable Oil for frying

Mix everything (except wonton wraps and oil) together. Chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

Fry wonton wraps in hot oil until golden brown and crispy. Lightly pat wonton wraps with paper towels in order to get rid of the extra oil.

Finally, put about 1 Tablespoon of chicken salad on top of each crispy wrap. Enjoy!

Italian Bake Chicken

4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
1/4Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3Tablespoons Italian Seasonings
2teaspoons Salt
1teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
2Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice

Put everything in a zip bag and marinate in the fridge for at least two hours or up to a day ahead.

Take marinated chicken out for at least 30 minutes before cooking.

Preheat oven at 375F.

Heat a non-stick pan on high heat. Add 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil in pan.

Place chicken in hot pan. Cook each side for 2 minutes.

Put all the chicken breasts on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. No longer than that!

Serve Hot!

Enjoy!

No Cabbage-Chopping-Require Egg-Rolls

1 pkg egg rolls wrappers
2 pkgs coleslaw mix (shredded cabbage, carrot and red cabbage)
1 pkgs bean spouts
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2 T soy sauce or teriyaki sauce
1 tsp sugar
2 T water (for sealing the edge)
Vegetable oil for deep-frying

Cook coleslaw and bean spouts with 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil for 2 minutes.

Turn off heat. Add all the other ingredients (except vegetable oil) into the vegetable and mix well.

Let vegetable mixture cool in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Wrap the mixture with egg-roll wrappers (wrapping directions is on the back of the package). Use water to seal the edge.

Deep fried in hot vegetable oil until golden brown. Serve hot!

*You can also put ground chicken, ground pork or shrimp into the vegetable mixture.

*You can freeze the uncooked egg rolls for up to 2 weeks. No need to threw them before frying.

Stuffed Bread and Fillings Recipes

Candy's Hong Kong Style Stuffed Bread

Dough:

Mix together:
2 cup Warm Water
2 Tablespoons Yeast
1/2 cup Sugar or Honey

After mixing all three ingredients together, wait for about 5-10 minutes to proof yeast. When you see small bubbles around the mixing bowl, the yeast mixture is good to go.

Add:
2 1/2 teaspoons Salt
3 cup All Purpose Flour

Mix them well.

Add:
1 Egg and 1 Egg Yolk
1/4 cup Vegetable Oil
2 to 2 1/2 cup All Purpose Flour (one cup at a time)

Mix them well together. Lightly grease the top of the dough. Cover mixing bowl with a towel. Let dough sets in a warm place and raises for 45 minutes to an hour or until tripled in size. Preheat oven at 375F.

After rising, punch down the dough. Dough will be a little bit sticky and that is what supposed to be. Lightly grease your hands with cooking spray or vegetable oil before working with the dough. DO NOT add more flour in the dough or put flour on your hands. It will make the dough dry and hard. More flour you put into your dough and harder and tougher it becomes.

Make whatever shapes or bread that you want. Remember to grease your hands when the dough sticks on your hands.

Take a little bit of the dough, about a golf ball size, and form a ball shape with your hands. Then, pat it flat, like a small flat pizza dough, with your hands. Put 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon (depends on how big your dough is) of stuffing in the middle of the dough. Seal the edges together. Seal side down when you put on a lightly greased baking sheet.

Let the formed bread raises for the second time for 15 minutes.

Egg wash: Mix 1 egg with 1 tablespoon of water, milk, or cream.

Brush egg wash or melted butter on ready-to-bake dough before putting it in the oven.


Baking time:

Normal size loaf: 25 to 30 minutes

Small stuffed bread, rolls, or bread sticks: 10-12 minutes

Big stuffed bread: 15-20 minutes

Stuffed Bread Fillings:

Cheesy Tuna Rolls 12 rolls

2 cans Albacore Tuna (drain well)
1/8 cup Celery (finely chopped)
1/8 cup Green Onion (finely chopped)
1/4 cup Mayonnaise
1/3 cup Grated Cheese (Mozzarella or Cheddar)
1 teaspoon Salt and Pepper

Mix everything together. Chill for 15 minutes before using.

Green Onion Cream Cheese Spread

1 8oz Cream Cheese (soften)
1/3 cup Green Onion (finely chopped)

Mix them together and chill for 15 minutes.

This spread is very good using with hotdogs in “Piggy in a Blanket”. Put spread on dough before wrapping hotdog. Try it. This is my favorite!


Creamy Chicken Rolls 12 to 15 rolls

1 8oz Cream Cheese (soften)
1/4 cup Mayonnaise or Ranch Dressing
2 cups Chopped Cooked Chicken (I personally prefer baked chicken meat)
1 clove Garlic (finely chopped)
2 Tablespoons Dry or Chopped Fresh Parsley
2 Tablespoons Green Onion (finely chopped), optional
1 teaspoon Salt and Pepper

Mix everything together and chill for 15 minutes.

P.S. You can add thawed frozen chopped spinach, or any kind of frozen vegetable in the filling.

Culinary Diploma Graduation!

I went to a culinary school to get my Professional Chef Diploma in Westlake, California in September 2005. I graduated in March 2006. In those short six months, I learned so much about French Cooking and Fine Dining Cooking. I got to work with so many different interesting ingredients and got to make so many delicious dishes. I was blew away by all the incredible food that we made in class every time. It was so much fun to learn how to make high-class dishes. My teacher, Chef Cecilia De Castro, was a great teacher. She taught us so many things and she never held back any secrets. Whatever cooking questions we asked her about, she could immediately give us a clear answer. She is wonderful and I do miss her.

Here are the pictures of my graduation day banquet. We worked so hard on it. We prepared this banquet at the Hilton Hotel in Westlake for about 200 people, our friends and families. Of course, we prepared for all the food for them. I am so glad that my mom and brother were about to fly all the way from Hong Kong to this special event. Tim's parents, uncle and aunt were there also. What a great time! I do miss my wonderful and fun cooking buddies! I hope they are all doing well and keep cooking great food!

Gourmet Cooking

This one is Salmon Tar Tar with Crispy Wontons with Wasabi Aioli.
I made this salmon dish for a Valentine's Day Dinner. Seared Pesto Salmon and Mashed Cauliflower with Dill Sauce and Roasted Red Pepper Sauce.
This one is Miso Glazed Halibut with Spinach and Wild Mushroom on Ginger Rice.


This is Salmon and Scallops Mousse in Puff Pastry. I made the puff pastry also. I learned this in cooking school. This dish is sooooo yummy! I need to make it again! And I will make the fish looks better!

This is Rosemary Garlic Lamb Chops, and Roasted Potato and Asparagus with Balsamic Reduction and Mint Oil.
This is my seafood medley. I made this for my brother, Calvin, when he was visiting with us last October. We all love seafood in my family back home as well as my own. OK! Here we have Bake Lobster Tail with Cheesy Garlic Sauce, Seared Sea Scallops, and Hong Kong Style Pan-Fried Ginger and Green Onion Shrimps.

Bread And Desserts

I love making this little cute stuffed buns. The bread is so soft and fluffy. The top one is Tuna, the next one is Spams (my favorite), the last one is my "piggy in a blanket". I actually grew up eating them in Hong Kong. I had Spam and egg bun almost everyday for breakfast when I was in high school coz' there was a great bakery right across the street from school. Well... I had it for snack after school sometimes. I am so glad that I can make them now so I don't need to wait until I go to Hong Kong. It not, that would be a great torture. I have a long enough list of the food that I am waiting to eat back home. :p
I made this chocolate pretzel bird nest for last Easter. I lightly coated the pretzel sticks with orange flavor dark chocolate (melted dark chocolate with orange extract). There were dark chocolate truffles and marshmallow birds inside the nest. I made the truffles but not the birds.