Call of Duty - Infinite Warfare Launch Cake

Fun fact: When my husband and I first started dating, we would often skip out on the typical dinner and a movie and hop on XBOX Live to play a few rounds of Call of Duty together. I think that's why we're such a great team together! We really did find the best ways to cap B. ;) 

The hubby works for Activision and on the Call of Duty team so to celebrate the launch of the latest COD game, I made a cake! I designed it after a new game mode called Zombies in Spaceland. I used this trailer to find my inspiration for the cake toppers. 

 

BB-8 Lemon Lavender Sugar Cookies!

I fell in LOVE with BB-8 when the new Star Wars came out last year. We got the little BB-8 toy and what better way to mesh my love for Star Wars than to pay homage to the little guy with some edible cookies??!! It look me quite a few cookies to get these perfect 5 since it was my first time working with royal icing. Flavors are lemon lavender and a vanilla royal icing. 

Lemon Lavender Sugar Cookies
Makes about 20 medium sugar cookies

Cookie Dough: 
•   3 cups of all-purpose flour
•   1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt
•   1 cup unstaled butter, slightly softened (2 sticks) 
•   1 cup granulated sugar
•   1 large cold egg
•   2 teaspoons of organic vanilla extract
•   1 tablespoon of culinary lavender, finely chopped
•   1 tablespoon of fresh grated lemon peel
•   1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice
 

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. 

2. Place butter and sugar into mixer bowl fitted with the paddle attachment and cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy on medium high speed. Approx 3-5 minutes. Scrape down the bowl then add in egg and continue to mix on medium high until light and fluffy. 

3. In a separate medium bowl, sift flour and salt together. Then add grated lemon peel and chopped lavender into flour and whisk lightly until incorporated.

4. Once butter, sugar and eggs have been beaten well together, scrape down the sides of the bowl again and turn the mixer on. Add vanilla extract and lemon juice. 

5. Turn mixer to low setting and add dry ingredients one cup at a time and keep mixing till incorporated but not too long. 

6. Remove 1/2 of the dough from the bowl and make a disc. Repeat with other half portion. Wrap discs in plastic wrap and chill both dough for at least 15 minutes in the freezer till hard.

7. Remove one disc from the fridge/freezer and out of the plastic wrap. Take your cookie sheet and line with parchment paper. Sprinkle lightly with flour.

8. Place your 1/4” wooden dowels on either side of the dough then place a piece of wax paper on top of the dough and begin to roll out.

9. Roll until dough is flush with the dowels to ensure even thickness. Then place back into your freezer for 10 minutes with wax paper on top.

10. Remove from freezer and remove wax paper. Start to cut out shapes.

11. Line baking sheet with new parchment paper and places cut cookies with at least 2” clearance around each cookie. Place back into the oven for a quick minute to re-chill.

12. Make sure when laying out the cookies to place all the smaller pieces on its own baking sheet. They bake faster so you can remove them from the oven before the larger cookies.

13. Bake for 13-15 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Then cool cookies on the sheet for 10 minutes then remove and finish cooling on wire racks.

 
 

Rainbows and My Little Pony

I've had the pleasure of designing some really fun cakes for friends, family and acquaintances. I especially love when I'm asked to create a fun cake for their kids who love all things colorful and cute. I mean, who doesn't want to spend their day playing with sprinkles and sugar?? :) 

Here are two rainbow themed cakes for two girls who loves My Little Pony. Inside is my signature chocolate cake with vanilla Swiss meringue buttercream. Nom nom! 

 

TRAVEL: Guide to Tokyo, Kyoto, Okinawa Eats & more!

Japan is one of the most exciting countries to visit because of the explosions of culture through art, music, entertainment and FOOD. Every time I go to Japan I'm left with this immense feeling of wanting to live there because there is SO much to explore and never enough time. Kelvin and I decided to explore Japan in the Spring because we were on the hunt for Cherry Blossom season! We spent most of our time in Tokyo, then stopped by Kyoto just in time to see some trees in bloom and finished with a trip down to Okinawa to meet my bestie who was living there at the time. 

Pretty sure I gained 10 lbs from the non-stop eating during this trip but that's what made it so awesome! Ramen, sushi, yakitori, unagidon, shabu shabu, tonkastsu, and so much more. And while I am fortunate to have wonderful Japanese restaurants throughout the LA, nothing compares to the sushi you can get out there. Take me back NOW. 

WHERE TO STAY: 

We stayed in the Cerulean Tower Hotel in Shibuya and then at the Westin in Ebisu areas during our trip and thought it was great and both very easy to get all around to neighboring cities. Cerulean was one block again from the train which made getting around so easy.  I would recommend Shinjuku if you like the fancier areas… or Daikanyama area is like the Venice's Abbot Kinney of Japan. There is SO MUCH to explore all around the different areas of Tokyo that I think you can’t go wrong staying somewhat central like Shibuya/Ebisu. 

TOKYO FUNTIVITIES: 

Robot Show in Shinjuku: So amazing and great to get your fix of the wacky quirky Japanese culture. Super touristy but worth it. Don’t get the bento box just eat before or after the show. Get tickets online for a matinee and they’re cheaper!

Sensoji Temple in Asakusa: Sensoji Temple in Tokyo's proletarian east-end area of Asakusa is reputedly one of Tokyo's oldest temples, founded in 628. Very touristy but fun to visit if you had to go to at least one temple in the Tokyo area. Tons and tons of kitschy souvenir stores and shops around this area.

Explore Daikanyama area. It’s like the Abbot Kinney area of Japan. Super cute streets that you can wander. Head to the T-Site at the center. There’s an expensive restaurant called Ivy Place in the middle of it but it’s a really beautiful place to chill. Wander around their awesome book store, etc. 

Sumo Match: Check out a sumo match if you have some time! It’s definitely not as exciting as you would think since it’s a ton of build up and then not a lot of action.. but a great way to experience a sport that has so much tradition! General admission tickets for Ryogoku Kokugikan are sold as same-day seats on tournament days. The box office opens 8am, and competition begins at 9am and lasts into the evening. Get your hotel to help with getting tickets for this.

TOKYO EATS: 

Mutekiya Ramen in Ikebukuro: So so amazing for miso ramen. There’s always a line out front but worth it and it moves pretty fast. Definitely worth the trip if you love fatty thick pork and nice gummy noodles. 

Maisen Tonkatsu in Ometosando: There are a couple locations but the original restaurant is in Ometosando area. You can visit if you’re in the area checking out Takeshita/Harajuku street. My favorite tonkatsu place. 

Nodaiwa Unagi-ya in Ebisu: Come here for lunch for the best freshwater eel meal ever! We did the set meal since it’s affordable during lunch. Much more expensive for dinner. They started the unagi business 200 years ago and one of the few unagi-ya’s that still serve wild caught unagi from Japan (vs. buy them from China). 1 Michelin Star. 

Afuri Ramen in Ebisu:They have a couple locations but the one we went to is right next to Ebisu JR station. Really delicious and different kind of ramen with a yuzu citrus broth. Much lighter than miso or other shoyu bases. 

Nonbei Yokocho in Shibuya: Grab a drink at this secret street in Shibuya where there are a ton of little bars that only seat around 4-8 people each (like the episode of Girls where Shosh is talking to her Japanese friends!) Some don’t let you in unless you’re a regular but others are very welcoming and the bar owners are super nice. 

Ichiran Ramen in Shibuya: Fun ramen experience ordering at the machine then eating in stalls. This is a chain and they’re all over but we went to the one in Shibuya. Gotta wait in line if you’re going during prime ramen hours esp post drinking. Ramen noodles are ok, broth is pretty good but the pork was not good compared to other ramen shops out there. This is really all about the experience of eating in a stall. 

Imahan (Sukiyaki style Waygu beef) in Shinjuku: There are more locations than just Shinjuku. This place is not cheap but they have great meal sets for some of the best waygu beef! They prepare all of it for you and if you like the sukiyaki style of cooking you’ll love this. They also have shabu shabu if you don’t want sukiyaki. 

 
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KYOTO FUNTIVITIES: 

There is literally no shortage of TEMPLES in Kyoto. You can literally just spend days and days at these temples but then they all start blend together. We actually got sick during out trip to Kyoto so had to squeeze everything into 24hrs of eating/seeing! Here are the highlights.. 

Keep in mind, things move A LOT slower in Kyoto. It’s not even CLOSE to the convenience of Tokyo transportation. In Kyoto the train options are limited and then you’re taking taxis or buses around. Make sure to account for that time when planning your days. 

KYOTO EATS:

Honke Owariya:There are 4 different locations in Kyoto but we went to the original shop. We arrived during a semi-off meal time and didn’t have to wait at all. This is traditional soba and Kyoto sweets. We got this crazy tower of soba and it was delicious!! Definitely a great experience. 

Kaiseki: There are a TON of different Kaiseki experiences in Kyoto that i REALLY wanted to try but because we got sick we couldn’t make it. Gotta save something for our next trip. ;) 
 

 

OKINAWA EATS & FUNTIVITIES: 

Okinawa was such a fun trip! Thankful that we have friends there who were able to take us around since you absolutely need a car to get around. Because of a strong military presence, there is a lot of English signage and speakers here. Felt kinda like being in Hawaii since there are so many little sleepy beach towns. 

Pizza in the Sky: Silly name but SERIOUSLY GOOD pizza. Holy crap. They only have 1 type of pizza and that's all they need. It was insanely good and I'm so sad I didn't take a photo of it before gobbling it up.

Hamaya Soba: This is one of my FAVORITE bowls of noodles on the trip. While they call it soba, it's really more of a clear broth thick noodle bowl. It was soooo good! Imagine a delicious bone broth and these hand pulled thicker noodles. Ugh, this I definitely haven't found in LA yet. :( 

Blue Seal Ice Cream: This place feels very Western but they have their ice cream flavors down! I was in love with their Ube flavored ice cream. Perfectly creamy and not too sweet. Yum!! 

Okinawa Aquarium: This will end all aquariums you've ever been to. I find sea life so serene and beautiful. The grounds are huge and there's no shortage of stuff to see. I feel in love with their huge whale shark exhibit. The most beautiful room there. Definitely make a stop here. 

Public Parks: We went to a park called Tobaru Koen and it was like they build a slide on steroids! If you have time check out more but the one we went to had this awesome spiraling tower and this FAST roller slide that will send you flying down the hill.  

 
Tobaru Koen Park

Tobaru Koen Park

Okinawa Sunset

Okinawa Sunset

 

My very first cake...

I wanted to share the first cake I ever made because this truly was the moment that I was hooked on baking. I'll have to admit it took me a whole 6 HOURS to complete it which is ridiculous looking back since it's only two layers on the inside! Haha. 

I am so thankful for all the opportunities that I've been given to pursue my passion and am a strong believer that hard work and perseverance will defy all odds. That and a bit of luck. ;) 

If you have passions, side projects, hobbies, ANY INTERESTS outside of just working all day,  I encourage you to nurture and pursue them! Don't discount them because you never know where life will take you when you believe in yourself.