Christmas Desserts

This holiday season, I was in the kitchen baking up a storm. Although spending so much time in the kitchen can be tiring, I love baking and creating sweet treats for family and friends. Here are a few of my creations this year!

Devil's Food Chocolate Cake for Pre-Christmas Eve Dinner

Vanilla Cake with White Chocolate Whipped Cream and Raspberries for Christmas Eve Dinner

Cinnamon Rolls for Christmas Day Breakfast

Unfortunately, I forgot to snap a photo of the tiramisu I made for my family's Christmas dinner and the cranberry tiramisu I made for MH's family Christmas dinner but I'm sure you can imagine what they looked like and if not, it's quite all right.

I need to work on my finishing techniques. Frosting is definitely not my forte. It's a good thing I can get my desserts to taste pretty good. Otherwise, I'd be in serious trouble!

Pre-Christmas Eve Dinner

MH cooked up an Italian feast for our co-family pre-Christmas Eve dinner! The menu included homemade pizzas, baked rigatoni with sausage, orecchiette with meat sauce, and meatballs.

To accommodate vegetarian diets, MH made a pesto sauce and marinara sauce for the pizza base and we prepared a variety of veggies for our topping bar. Cauliflower and broccoli raabe are surprisingly tasty pizza toppings!

Pizza Topping Bar

As you can see, we haven't quite mastered the art of throwing our pizza dough to get beautifully stretched round pizzas but what we can manage still works pretty well.

Homemade Pizzas

Next time, I think we'll par-bake the pizza dough to quicken the process and make it easier to slide the pizzas on and off of the pizza stone when there are loaded up with toppings. Live and learn!

Pumpkin Stuffed with Everything Good

While MH and I drove up the 405 freeway to one our family's Thanksgiving festivities, we listed to NPR's All Things Considered and caught an interview with Dorie Greenspan. She was promoting her new book, Around My French Table, and talked about her favorite recipe "Pumpkin Stuffed with Everything Good", a homey, hearty, and seemingly foolproof recipe.

In a nutshell, you cut off the top of a pumpkin, scoop out the insides, fill the pumpkin with whatever yummy goodness that you can imagine, re-top the pumpkin, bake, and serve.

Stuffed Pumpkin Out Of The Oven

MH filled our pumpkin with bacon, leeks, mushrooms, and radishes. It was absolutely delicious!

Stuffed Pumpkin Serving

If you are interested in hearing the segment, you can check it out here - Sweet or Savory: Stuff, Bake and Devour a Pumpkin.

Adventures in Yountville

For the past few years, MH and I have taken a mini-winter vacation to Vegas just before Christmas. However, with MH already working in SF, we decided to change our mini-winter vacation to SF this year.

Luckily, whenever we are in bay area, we get to visit with TOBE (The Official Baker Extraordinaire) and she never lets us or our tummies down. She took us on an adventure to Yountville for a delightful trip to Bouchon bakery and a scrumptious dinner at Ad Hoc.

Bouchon Bakery

Here are some of the yummy treats you can find at the bakery. Unfortunately, since we were flying back, we were unable to bring home as many treats as I would have liked. Good thing there is always next time.

Bouchon Macaron Assortment

Bouchon Nutter Butter and Gingerbread Cookies

Bouchon Holiday Shortbread Cookies & Red Velvet Cupcake Snowmen

Dinner at Ad Hoc was quite the treat. We started with a TFL garden broccolini bruschetta, followed by snake river farm's beef tri-tip, dungeness crab cakes, pata cabra, and then finished with pecan bars. All I can say is YUM! If you ever have the chance to go to Ad Hoc, I would definitely recommend it. Ad Hoc changes their menu daily, so you won't know what you're really going to get until they post the menu the day of, but don't worry, I'm pretty sure you won't be disappointed.

Sweet Success, One Step At A Time

I received my score for Business Environment and Concepts (BEC) and I passed! Now I am 3/4 on my way to becoming a CPA!

Unfortunately, I will have to take Financial Reporting and Accounting (FAR) in 2011 and face all of the new exam changes. So, after the holiday season, I'll be back to the books once again, but hopefully for the last time (at least for CPA purposes). Fingers crossed!!!

Time For A New Doo?

It's been a couple years since I last changed my doo and I think I am ready for a change. My hair is pretty long now and the all of the layers that I used to have grew out. Since I want a down do for the wedding, I don't want to do anything too drastic though. Plus, MH would not be too thrilled if I came home with a bob or anything shorter. Although he doesn't stop me from doing whatever I want with my hair, I know he prefers it on the longer side.

I have an appointment at Lauren's Salon & Spa this afternoon. I'll let you know how it goes!

UPDATE: Michelle at Lauren's Salon & Spa is awesome! Like I said earlier, I didn't want to do anything drastic, so Michelle refreshed of my layers and thinned my hair to give it some extra texture. If you're looking for a new hair stylist, I would definitely recommend her. Even though I was the last appointment of the day, she was full of energy and super friendly. I'll definitely be going back to her!

Say Yes To The Dress

As a bride-to-be, I've become intrigued by TLC's reality series "Say Yes To The Dress". The show follows brides as they search for their wedding gown at Kleinfeld Bridal in New York City. You see brides of all shapes and sizes with varying wedding visions and dreams. I like the show because it highlights gowns that range in design and price. Showcased gowns range from the sample/ clearance rack to custom designer pieces.

After much debate about which dress to pick, my parents helped me make my final decision and surprised me with my dress. I don't want to give away all of the details because I want you to see for yourself, but I will be wearing a Vera Wang, ivory lace, sweetheart neckline, strapless, floor length gown! I can't wait to wear it to walk down the aisle!

'Tis The Season To Be Jolly

November came and went with a flash. MH and I had a wonderful Thanksgiving with our families. This year we had a late lunch with my family in the Valley and then enjoyed dessert in Orange County with MH's family. Our Thanksgiving festivities were actually easier this year than in years past since we only ate one main meal, go figure!

Since we are now in December, MH pulled out the Christmas decorations and I got to work spreading the holiday cheer.

Tonight, Hobbs and I had a busy evening decorating the Christmas tree. How did we do? Unfortunately, I couldn't get a good picture with the twinkling lights. You'll just have to trust me that they are there and look great.

Mac Attack

A couple weekends ago, MH and I met with K&J for dinner and learned about Milk Shop's macaron ice cream sandwiches. I don't know about you, but I think ice cream is wonderful by its self and when you sandwich it between two macarons, it is a match made in heaven!

I'm not sure if you can get them at all of the Umami Burger locations, but we went to the one in Santa Monica to give them a try.

Milk Shop's Salty Caramel & Grasshopper Sandwiches @ Umami Burger

MH and I both thought that the grasshopper sandwich was better than the salty caramel, not saying the salty caramel sandwich was bad by any means. Nothing just seems to comes close to Bi-Rite Creamery's awesome salty caramel ice cream in my opinion.

Last night, we went to the Milk Ice Cream Parlor and tried the rocky road sandwich.

Rocky Road Sandwich @ Milk Ice Cream Parlor

The rocky road sandwich was also very delicious but I think the grasshopper sandwich is my favorite of the three.

Dress Options: A Rose Is A Rose

Monique Lhuillier's Sunday Rose is one of those gowns that bride's dream about. Alas, with a $9,500 price tag, this bride will keep dreaming.

In my fairytale wedding, this would definitely be one of my dresses, and yes, I said one of my dresses. Since it is my fairytale I can have as many dresses as I want, right?

Flower Options

The flower options are endless! Do you go with the classic rose bouquet, a simple spring mix, or go big and throw in everything and the kitchen sink?

Sweet peas are nice... but do you think they would be too delicate to withstand the events of a wedding day?

I love stargazer lilies, but I think the flowers may be too big for me. As much as I love them in arrangements around the house, I'm not wowed by them in a bouquet.

I recently came across the idea of a baby's breath bouquet and am drawn to it's simplicity. It is clean and elegant.

In contrast, arrangements of spring blooms also catch my eye. The combination of hydrangeas, roses, tulips, etc are also beautiful.

Then there are calla lilies and orchids too!

I don't think I need or want something that is necessary innovative or one-of-a-kind. Most importantly, I want to find something that fits me, MH, and our wedding. Any thoughts?

Happy Halloween!

Arch Options

MH and I are well on our way in our wedding planning!

After setting the date, and choosing the location and photographer, we are now focused on the ceremony decorations. Even though we are getting married indoors, we want to create a natural and woodsy ceremony space.

What do you think of an arch at the end of the aisle? There are SO many arch options out there it is crazy! Here are the three basic styles to choose from...

Option 1: Wood Arch


Option 2: Wire Arch


Option 3: Branch Arch

What do you think? I am having a hard time deciding on which one I like the best. The branch arch is really cool, but where do you even buy them? Or, do you have to make them? If so, that could be interesting.

The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly

I received my CPA test scores!

The Good: I passed 2 sections, Auditing and Attestation (AUD) and Regulation (REG), which means I am half-way done.

The Bad: I still need to pass 2 sections, Business Environments and Concepts (BEC) and Financial Reporting and Accounting (FAR), which means I still have half-way to go.

The Ugly: My head will be back in the books for the months of October and November. The October/November period is the last testing window before the tests change to incorporate the international financial accounting standards. I have to study study study!

2010 Adventure: Souvenir

On day 2 of our 2010 adventure, MH changed our lives. After we ate our dinner, we took a stroll along the lake, and MH surprised me with the best souvenir ever.

We have not made any wedding plans yet and are just enjoying the moment. I hope you share my excitement!

2010 Adventure: Day 10

The last day of our adventure went by with a flash. Once we arrived in Seattle, we took the monorail over to the Space Needle and the Experience Music Project (on the right).

Unfortunately, the Experience Music Project was closed by time we got there so we ran over to the Olympic Sculpture Garden to check it out.

There are all sorts of sculptures throughout the garden and I liked some much better than others. I thought this one was fun. It reminded me of dominoes falling.

As the sun set, we took the monorail back to our hotel and stopped off in Pike's Market for dinner at the Pink Door.

We'll have to visit Seattle again. Our 16 hours in the city definitely was not enough for me.

2010 Adventure: Day 9

In the morning, we took the BC Ferry from Vancouver to Victoria Island in hopes of catching the first ferry out of Victoria Island to Port Angeles. However, when we arrived at the Victoria Island port, the first ferry to Port Angeles was already full. We bought tickets for the second ferry, and since we had some time to kill, we wandered around Victoria Island and saw the Parliament building.

Once we arrived in Port Angeles, we drove to Olympic National Park and checked out the beaches and rain forests.

Since it was a typical cloudy day in Washington, visiting the beaches wasn't as exciting as I had hoped but they were interesting to see. In the bottom left hand corner you can see MH taking a picture of this crazy tree.

One of the "must do" things in Olympic National park is to drive up to Hurricane Ridge. I suspect the view is more exciting when there are less clouds so I didn't even bother sharing my picture from while we were there. This picture was taken our way back from the Ridge.

2010 Adventure: Days 7 & 8

We arrived in Vancouver in the late afternoon. Our hotel was right next to Canada Place, so we checked in and then wandered around to see the sights.

In the guide book, the steam clock is marked as a "must see" and perhaps I am a jaded American, but when we saw the steam clock, I was a little disappointed. Don't get me wrong, it is cool and all, but the hearing the clock "toot" and release steam isn't very exciting.

The Dr. Sun Yet Sen Chinese Garden is really cool though. Although the Huntington Garden in San Marino is larger, the Dr. Sun Yet Sen Chinese Garden has more architectural details and is more authentic considering fifty-two craftsmen from Suzhou China, worked with Canadians to construct the garden with precise joinery without the use of nails, screws or glue.

The next day, we continued our Vancouver sightseeing adventures and visited Granville Island. I got the impression that Granville Island is a giant tourist trap, but maybe I would go there because of my love for farmer's markets if I were a resident of Vancouver, who knows.

I would definitely visit Stanley Park regularly if I lived in Vancouver. The park is spacious and offers art, a variety of nature trails, and much more to it's visitors.

There are lots of totem poles in Vancouver so I felt the need to include at least one picture of them from our trip.

2010 Adventure: Day 6

We started the next day early in the morning and stopped at the Peyto Lake Viewpoint. It was lightly snowing while we got there and MH and I crunched the freshly fallen snow as we trekked out to the viewpoint. The Lake is glacially-fed which makes it a brilliant turquoise.

Our next stop was the Columbia Icefield. At the Icefield Center, we took the Brewster Ice Explorer tour.

The tour takes you out onto Athabasca glacier, one of the six principal 'toes' of the Columbia Icefield. We were told that if you drink water from the glacier it makes you 10 years younger. MH and I both tried the glacier water and it tasted like extremely cold filtered water. We'll have to wait and see about the alleged side effects.

After the tour, we continued up the road to Jasper National Park. We stopped to see Athabasca falls and then headed into town for lunch.

After lunch, we drove to Mount Edith Cavell, but when we arrived it started to rain. There is a trail that I wanted to take to see Angel Glacier, but after a few minutes in the rain we decided to head back to the car and start our long drive to Vancouver.

2010 Adventure: Day 5

In the morning we drove to Banff National Park. Once we arrived, we took the Lake Minnewanka scenic drive and were greeted by a herd of big horn sheep that had little horns.

Our next stop was Johnston Canyon for a 1.1km hike to the Lower Falls. You can hike another 1.6km to the Upper Falls, but MH and I were tired, and it started to rain, so we thought seeing the Lower Falls were good enough for us.

When we got back to the car, we were drenched. It was a good thing that everything in Banff is so far apart because it gave us time to dry our clothes before we arrived at our next destination, Moraine Lake. At Moraine Lake, there is a large rockpile on the left-hand side that you can climb up. When you get to the top of the rockpile, this is what the lake looks like.

We ended our day at Lake Louise. The area is very touristy and reminded me of when MH and I visited the Canadian side of Niagara Falls. Large buses unloaded tourists of all sorts and there were people all over the place.

Just before we left, we saw a bride and groom taking photos at the edge of the lake. I'm sure those were going to be amazing wedding shots! When the clouds cleared and the sun light shined through the reflection on the lake was gorgeous.

2010 Adventure: Day 4

The morning wind woke us up early, so we packed up, and as we left the park, a grizzly bear mother and her two cubs greeted us roadside. Unfortunately, I couldn't pull my camera out fast enough to get a picture of them scamper across the road but perhaps it is for the better that our visit with them was brief.

Our next stop was Calgary, Alberta. In Calgary, we visited the Glenbow Museum. At the museum, we learned about Alberta's history and saw a wonderful Botero exhibit.

The rest of the day we relaxed and made sure we got to sample Alberta's famous beef. MH and I both agreed that Alberta definitely know what it is doing when it comes to beef and recommend trying it if you ever have the chance.

2010 Adventure: Day 3

In the morning, we hiked the Trail of the Cedars and then stopped to admire Wild Goose Island at St. Mary Lake.

Then, we headed over to Many Glacier and took the Swift Current and Josephine Lake boat tours. When we arrived at the other side of Josephine Lake a moose mother and baby were enjoying the lake too.

MH and I hiked to Grinnel Glacier. The sights during the hike were nothing short of breathtaking. Grinnel Glacier is amazing. Even though the hike is a tough one, it is well worth it when you get to the top.

On our Swift Current boat tour return, we saw a grizzly bear mother and her two cubs.

We set up camp at Many Glacier and enjoyed our camp-side dinner to another beautiful sunset.