backround

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

really late post..... Easter Basket Cake :)

On Easter, my uncle came over for Easter dinner. I brainstormed all morning thinking of what cake to make. i went from cupcakes that look like nests, to a cake that has eggs in the grass, to finally an Easter basket with colorful eggs inside. It turned out really cute and I'm pretty proud of myself! I made a vanilla cake and decorated it with lavender icing. then i put mushed up rice krispie treats all around the edge and colored that with a brownish-yellow icing. I then put some decorated plastic eggs in the middle of the cake and sprinkled bright floral sprinkles on the edge. And then-- BAM! DONE! ;)

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

in honor of grandma

on sunday, May 15th, my grandmother, Marian Stapp Horton, was honored at a beautiful memorial at mission viejo church of christ. along with sining "Just As I Am" i also decided to make cakes to help honor this amazing woman. She always loved daisies, so i made her two cakes in the shape of daisies that i decorated with a vanilla glaze, and two chocolate square cakes with homemade icing on top and decorated it with little sugar & icing daisies. I think they turned out well and they tasted AMAZING.
I love you grandma.




my brother josh, me, and my grandma

Friday, April 22, 2011

sombrero cake

hey, wow i have not blogged in a while... i don't really have a reason but, whatever i'm back! :)


Feliz Cumpleanos!
So i REALLY long time ago i made this cake for my Spanish teacher's thirty-first birthday. He is a really good teacher, but sadly for whatever reason he doesn't have a job at my school next year :( so i thought i'd better make him an awesome cake. When asked, he said that he wanted chocolate with chocolate chips added so i used chocolate chocolate chip mix with about half a bag of extra chocolate chips added-- woah, it was sooooooo good. I made the top and brim of the hat with rice krispie treats. Then, i iced it with white icing that i died BRIGHT yellow (just for fun). I used twizler's pull away candy and wraped it around the cake and bent it around to make the red designs. And that was it! TAH-DAH!

Monday, January 31, 2011

Random cakes i made and want to brag about :)

MY FIRST CAKE!
Made this at my cake classfor my friend on her b-day

made this at another class

made these for my birthday-- HOW CUTE????

you can guess when i made these

I made this in december. Im not going to tell you why just to confuse you...

Food review: The Great India Cafe

Oh my word. So good. Like SO good. I'll start from the beginning...

So my mom and i had just got back from a 10 mile walk at venice beach and we were both really tired. We had already planned to go out to this new indian restaurant with my dad because we had a group-on, but by the time we got home the three of us were seriously considering staying home with some soup. Thank goodness we decided otherwise. We walk into the place not knowing what to expect, but praying it's good. The three of us were tired and hungry and ready to be pleased. And the food did NOT disappoint. we started off with chicken-filled naan to hold us over, which was pretty satisfying. Once our main meals came, we were in heaven. My mom ordered a cooked spinach dish with shrimp and spices. She would NOT stop raving about how fantastic it was, and she told us that she kinda wanted to try ours but she was so happy she didn't want to ruin it. My dad had butter chicken curry, which he was really happy with as well and said that it had a delectable flavor. I had the "Lamb Mansala", beautiful, hefty pieces of lamb swimming in a very spicy-but-not-too-spicy sauce. MMMMMM-M-M-M-M-MMM! It was the best indian food i'd ever had and i will definitely be back for more. It's right on Ventura, if you go (which you totally should!) tell them hannah from the blog sent you!
This picture comes from cheapeats.ie

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Restaurant Review: Lazy Dog Cafe

Okay, i have been meaning to write a review on this amazing restaurant for quite some time now, but i just never got around to it (procrastinators unite!), so here it is.
Lazy Dog Cafe has quite an unusual theme, the entire place is devoted to dogs. Everything from the interior decorating, to the worker's clothing, to the outside patio has something dog related. Even the door handle is shaped like a giant bone. It's sorta freaking adorable. And get this, the patio is designated for dog owners who would like to eat WITH their four-legged companion. Or for people who find it entertaining to have a bunch of dogs who aren't theirs being fed and saying "hello" (if you know what i mean) to each other...i guess... Anyway, so the place is not just decorated with a doggy theme, the decorating and the whole ambiance is actually really, really cool. It sorta has a steakhouse feel what with the wood everywhere and the dim lighting, but you more have to see it to understand. Also, the workers there are always so sweet and polite every time. i have eaten there about six times and each time i encounter new waiters, but each time they are astonishingly kind, but not overwhelming or annoying. There are about seven locations in southern CA, and one 'coming soon' in the Los Cerritos Center. i have  no idea what the Los Cerritos Center is, but for those who do they congrats! there is a Lazy Dog coming soon! The one i personally have gone to is the one at Thousand Oaks, which is what the picture above is from (i got it from the lazy dog website).


Somebody reading this has realized i have gone over 10 sentences without even mentioning food once. Don't worry, i would never forget that part. The food there is soooooooooooooo good! oh my goodness, it's phenominal! their menu has something that everybody would like. Burgers, meatloaf, pasta, Mexican food, salads, even Chinese food. Everything has it's own uniqueness to it as well. One of my favorite things to get is their tortilla soup. I pay the extra buck for the avocado because, come on, it's avocado. The soup has chicken, peppers, spices, little tortilla chips, and just the right amount of cheese. mmmmyumyumyum just thinking about it right now makes my mouth water. The soup comes with a choice of "tortilla strips" or crackers. psssssssttttt, get the tortilla strips. I wouldn't even call them that. I would call it "Really thin bread with some mix of garlic, Parmesan, and something green on the top that taste so good that i never start on the soup unless they are at hand because they are one of the best parts, beside the avocado" but i guess that might not fit on the menu. The kid's menu, or the "Puppy meals" (how cute is that???) is split in two. one for kids 8 and under and one for 12 and under. The little ones get a little yummy meal with a drink and a side included while the older kids get a bigger meal and one side included (add a drink for $1.00). Both get a candy "Dog collar and leash"

Friday, January 14, 2011

Guacamole: thank the good lord it's healthy

One of my favorite foods is guacamole. I'm serious. I love it. Me, my mom, and my brother both love it so much that we finally got my slightly panty-waste of a dad (Love you daddy!) to enjoy it. It is amazing. If i had eat only one food for the rest of my life, it would be guacamole. Not that "Guacamole Dip" crap, that adds extra saturated and trans fat and extra calories to a perfectly healthy low-fat snack. Avocados themselves are also great for spreading on sandwiches instead of mayonnaise or cheese and awesome on top of a salad.
The reason i love it so much is because it is SUPER yummy and SUPER good for you. 

Here are some health benefits that come from healthdiaries.com

1. Cancer Defense (breast, prostate, and Oral cancers)
2. Eye health
3. Lower bad cholesterol
4.Raise HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol)
5. Heart health
6. Stroke prevention 
7. Improved absorption of nutrients 
8. Excellent source of Glutathione (a antioxidant that prevents aging, cancer, and heart disease)
9. Vitamin E powerhouse