My First Gig!

I just successfully completed my very first legit, paid gig!
I was enlisted to make a birthday cake for my co-worker's son - a dinosaur-loving 5 year old.
Which led to the creation of this...

The "beach" bit was made of crushed graham crackers, rock-shaped chocolates, and root beer hard candies.
I was going to do coloured coconut for the grass, but my client (!!!) didn't want coconut, so it's just coloured butter cream.

I also made dinosaur sugar cookies for the loot bags, which included a cookie, dinosaur eggs (jelly beans), and a dinosaur gummy.

I think I should just forgot school and open a bakery.

Dinosaur-themed cake, anyone?

Italy Flashback

Yesterday I got crafty in the kitchen and made pizza!
I tried out this Bon Appetit no-knead pizza dough recipe for the first time and aside from a pizza pan mishap (more on that in a second), it was a success!
I'm not very experienced with yeasted doughs, so I have a feeling I likely messed up, but I'd say that it was a pretty good first attempt.

I got special "00" flour for my pizza-making endeavours, which is supposed to produce a nicer crust (and it's what they legit use in Italy) - I'm not really sure why though, perhaps the gluten content?

So although the dough recipe doesn't require any kneading (win!), it does require some serious planning...
Why?
The dough has to rise for 18 hours (!!!).
In other words, this dough is not ideal for when you have a mad pizza craving that has to be fulfilled immediately.

After rising for 18 hours, prepped to rest for one final hour

So! After 19 hours of rising and a mere 10 minutes in the oven, this is what I got to enjoy...

Salami with mozzarella

Pesto with kale, tuna & mozzarella

Needless to say, it was a delicious flashback to my time in Italy.
Particularly the second pizza - not all pizza has to have cheese and tomato sauce, at least not in Italy!

So the pizza pan mishap...
Notice how my pizzas are rectangular?
That's because the round pizza pan (it is specifically designed for pizza with the holes and everything) was out to sabotage me: the pizza got stuck and could not come off!
I swear the pan must have been made of the least non-stick material ever.
Aside from getting a little discouraged with my pizza-making skills, I was more upset about the lost pizza that was unable to be consumed - what a waste of fresh bocconcini and Sicilian salami!
Damn you, pizza pan!

Anyway, I'm definitely going to use this recipe again - but NO round pizza pan, thank you very much!

Sisters, Seafood & Sunshine

Last weekend I took a mini vacation to Victoria. My mum, my sister, and I had two days of mother-daughter bonding while we helped my sister move into her new apartment.

On the ferry!

The last time I went to Victoria I was 11 years old and it was for a school field trip. So I sort of felt like I was visiting for the very first time.

I quite liked Victoria. It was very quaint with great architecture - it had a bit of an English feel to it - and lots of cute boutiques and independent restaurants. 

The downtown core is so fun and colourful!

How cute is this store sign?

See what I mean by an English feel?

One of the highlights of the trip was eating at Red Fish Blue Fish - a takeout place located right on the wharf.
Why?
1. They use sustainable Ocean Wise seafood.
2. They're housed in an upcycled shipping container!!!

3. The food is amazing!

THE best Fish & Chips I have ever had. EVER.

The batter on the fish was super light and crispy - and not greasy at all!
And the chips were very, very close to being as good as the fries I had in Amsterdam.
I have this theory that eating fries in Amsterdam has ruined all fries for me because nothing will ever be as good. Damn you, double-fried fries!!

Seared Albacore Tuna and BBQ Fanny Bay Oyster Tacones

Tacone = taco + cone
Tacone also = delicious
The Tacones were super good. They single-handedly revolutionized oysters for me. And there's something about seared tuna that I just can't say no to.
I look forward to visiting my sister again just so I can more Tacones - they have 8 to choose from!

Spicy Pacific Fish Sloppy Joe

We ordered the Sloppy Joe out of curiosity, not really knowing what to expect.
It ended up being a delicious mix of various fish (tuna? salmon? I don't really know...) with a tomato sauce that had just the right amount of kick.

Everything at Red Fish Blue Fish was great, except for one thing.
Good food draws a crowd...

I have this thing about waiting in line to be seated at a restaurant...I don't like it.
Especially if you have to stand outside and only get served mediocre food.
BUT, I would wait in line again for Red Fish Blue Fish.

When I took this photo we were right at the end of the line. It took us 1 hour from when we arrived to when we started stuffing our faces with deliciousness. That may seem like a long time, but I equate it to waiting 30 minutes for a table at a restaurant because since Red Fish Blue Fish is a takeout place, there's none of the usual get seated, server vanishes, server reappears to take drink order, server vanishes (maybe they had to draw your water from a well?), server returns with drinks and takes food order, server leaves and spends ample amount of time tending to every table except yours, server actually vanishes, and finally...food arrives.

Anyway, the point is, I loved Red Fish Blue Fish.
So much that I think I'm going toaccept the challenge posed by my sister's boyfriend: try everything on the Red Fish Blue Fish menu.
IT'S ON.

While waiting in line, we decided to have dessert before lunch and shared a salted caramel sundae from Jackson's Ice Cream Truck. Delicious.

Salted Caramel Sundae

Last, here are some other snapshots I captured while playing tourist in Victoria.

Decorated (and useful) electrical boxes
(at least I think that's what they are...)

Fan Tan Alley in Canada's oldest Chinatown

Summery tableware

Enjoying patio beers and the sunshine at Canoe Brewpub

PB + Chocolate = Love

I'm not exactly sure when I fell in love with the wonderfully delicious combination this is peanut butter + chocolate, but we've been going steady for quite some time now.
I have this memory of being about 8 and I was inspired to try Oreos with peanut butter by my swimming instructor - she had said that it was one of her favourite things to eat, and she was my super cool swimming instructor and I wanted to be just like her.

It was at that chocolatey, Oreo-y, peanut buttery moment that peanut butter was forever changed.
It was no longer just something to eat with jam.
It was no longer just the filling to my Ritz Bits crackers.
It was no longer just a banned item from school.
A whole new world of delicious possibilities beyond Reese's had opened up and I was prepared to conquer it.

I should note that my experiment entailed scooping a generous helping of peanut butter onto my Oreo directly from the jar - none of this spreading with a knife business.
It was also carried out with super processed, super delicious, Skippy-style peanut butter - the type of peanut butter I still crave despite knowing that there are scary unpronounceable ingredients in it.

Anyway, I was inspired by Bake It In A Cake, and made these beauties yesterday:

You're probably thinking "What's the big deal? That looks like a normal cupcake to me...".
Wrong.
There's a surprise in that innocent little cake.
A peanut butter cup surprise.
And that's no Duncan Hines or Betty Crocker frosting on top.
That's chocolate peanut butter buttercream.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Surprise Cupcakes
Adapted from Bon Appetit

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar *
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup cold water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 tablespoon vanilla
12 frozen peanut butter cups

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Sift flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium-sized bowl.
3. Whisk together water, vegetable oil, and vanilla in a large bowl.
4. Whisk dry mixture into wet mixture until combined.
5. Fill each muffin cup until about half full, press a peanut butter cup into the batter, and top cup with batter.
6. Bake for about 12 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

*I halved the sugar due to the peanut butter cup centre. If you're making regular cupcakes, or like a sweeter cake, use 1 cup of sugar.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Buttercream
Adapted from Australian Women's Weekly

2 ounces (62 grams) butter, room temperature
3/4 cups icing sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon cocoa, sifted
1 tablespoon (or to taste) peanut butter

1. Beat butter with an electric mixture until as white as possible.
2. Gradually add about the half icing sugar, beating constantly.
3. Gradually add milk.
4. Gradually add remaining icing sugar and cocoa.
5. Add peanut butter and beat until smooth and easily spreadable.

Once cupcakes have cooled completely, frost with buttercream and enjoy!

10 Great Things

Hi there!
Sorry to have been so neglectful - again!
I really don't have a legitimate excuse, so there's no point in beating around the bush and pretending I have a good reason for being lazy...I'm sorry.
Anyway!
Here are 10 Great Things I want to share with you.

1. Hello! Lucky paper goods.
I don't know how to describe my obsession with these paper goods. Everything is just too amazing for words.

2. Cuppows.
What's a Cuppow? Just a genius invention that turns a mason jar into a travel mug!

3.  This YouTube video:



4. Peter Pan collar nails.

5. Ork Posters and their beautiful depictions of places we call home.

6. This 8tracks playlist - ignore JBiebs' face:

Indie covers pop. from jbear_4 on 8tracks.

 7. The Sketching Backpacker.

8. Christopher David Ryan's work.
I particularly love this gem:

9. Bake It In A Cake.
What's better than a cupcake? A cupcake with a surprise inside!

10. My dream bike!

I'm really going to try to keep up with this blogging business. I'm off on a mini-adventure this weekend. BUT, I will take lots of pictures and will write a witty recollection when I return!

A Sunny Sunday

It was far too nice to spend the day indoors, so I went for a walk along Broadway today.
I picked up some cute cards, as well as an awesome tote bag with bicycles printed on it!
My afternoon stroll ended at Baguette & Co, where I had tea with my mum and our homestay student. It was a sort of a birthday celebration (why yes, I had an entire birthday month) because our plans kept getting cancelled and things only ended up working out this weekend.
We managed to snag a seat on the patio and enjoyed chocolate hazelnut cake, a mille feuille, and an almond croissant.

Everything was so good. I felt like I was in France again.
My favourite was the almond croissant, which was filled with chocolate and some sort of coconut custard filling. I'm not entirely sure what it was, but it was delicious.

PS: This photo is so hipster, it hurts.
PPS: I wore my new shoes, which is why I had to get them in the photo.

Hope you had a lovely Sunday as well!

Tea Time!

I recently celebrated my birthday, and rather than overindulge in alcohol, I decided to overindulge in cake and other baked goods.
I hosted a proper English tea party with floral dresses, facinators, and white lace gloves, and various cakes, cookies, and other treats.

I made homemade oreos, currant scones, cheese scones, and mini trifles.

I would post the recipe for the mini trifles, except I really have to credit my Mum on making the trifles.
We have a system, you see.
She makes the pound cake, custard, and whipped cream (the real deal, none of this Cool Whip from a plastic tub business).
And I assemble the ingredients into layers of pure deliciousness.
So I'm not really qualified to instruct one on how to make trifle...sorry!

The scones, which I do actually know how to make, were a big hit though, so here's the recipe.

Scones

2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 cup butter, chilled
2/3 to 1 cup milk

For sweet scones:
2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 cup current (or raisins, craisins, chocolate chips, anything really!)

For cheese scones:
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 teaspoon dried mustard powder

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Combine flour, salt, baking powder, and cream of tartar (and sugar for sweet scones or mustard powder for savoury scones).
3. Cut butter into dry ingredients with a pastry cutter until mixture is uniform and resembles small peas.
4. Stir in currents or cheese, etc.
5. Add milk and quickly incorporate into mixture without overworking the dough. More milk may be needed if the dough isn't coming together.
6. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and pat into a rectangle 3/4 of an inch thick.
7. Cut into desired shape.
8. Brush tops with milk (and sprinkle with sugar for sweet scones).
9. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden on the edges.
10. Serve warm with butter, jam, and if you want to get real legit, clotted cream.

Berlin

The last stop on our European Adventure was Berlin.
Berlin was really interesting, the city is full of so much history.
It was like AP Euro History had come to life.

The Brandenburg Gate

We went on a bike tour, which was a lot of fun and really informative.
I learned that...

• Berlin was completely destroyed by WWII, so the city is almost entirely new
• A lot of the old-looking buildings were just made to look old by burning the stones
• The hills in Berlin are actually piles of rubble
• Synagogues and other Jewish centres have 24/7 security people patrolling the building
• The Victory Column is adorned with cannons stolen from the French and was moved to its current location by the Nazis
• The Holocaust Memorial is just down the road from the site of Hitler's Bunker
   

Humboldt University
Some famous alumni: Einstein, Marx, Engels and Bismark

The Reichstag

Otto von Bismark

The Victory Column

A REAL old building

Hotel Adlon
aka: the hotel where Michael Jackson
dangled his baby off the balcony

"Luxury apartments" in East Berlin and the site of
Hitler's Bunker (it's just under the parking lot)

We did our own tour of the Berlin's Cold War history.
Basically, we went and saw all the things related to the Berlin wall.
Every so often the murals on the Berlin Wall are whitewashed and new ones are painted, pretty cool, huh?

Checkpoint Charlie
(for crossing from East Berlin to West Berlin)

Paul on the East Side of the Wall
(Cobblestones run throughout the city that mark
where the Wall once stood)

We went to Museum Island (but not inside any of the museums...)

The best quote from the trip: "The best view of Berlin in from the TV Tower because you can't see the TV Tower". (The TV Tower is that disco ball on a stick on the right).

We also went to Europe's largest chocolate store - Fassbender & Rausch!
(I thought Belgium or Switzerland would have Europe's largest chocolate store, but no, it's in Berlin).

We went to the Holocaust Memorial which is this giant piece of interactive art that has no set meaning, but is very, very cool.
The blocks are all different heights and they get progressively taller as you move towards the middle.

We went to the Reichstag on our last night to climb up the glass dome.
The view was amazing and the whole experience was super cool.
You walk up with looong spiral ramp while listening to an audio guide that describes the view to you.

We also did other German things like...

Drink a litre of beer in a beer hall

Wear Birkenstocks

Appreciate Ampelmännche
(the little crosswalk man)

  Oh, and beer is cheaper than water in Berlin.

Paul, my dad, and I also went on a Berlin Underworld tour, which was SO cool.

We went into an old bunker, which was pretty scary, but cool at the same time.

Some of the rooms were set up to show how they would have looked back when they were in use, and other rooms had various artefacts from WWII.

It was really neat.
Sadly I don't have any pictures because cameras were prohibited :(