TV Dinner Cupcakes

It's amazing what you can do with a simple cupcake. I was watching Martha Stewart and Karen Tack was there promoting her cookbook called Hello Cupcake. She made some Corn On the Cob cupcakes and also some TV Dinner cupcakes. I don't know if I could eat a dessert that looks like a chicken drumstick. Its so wrong. I might try it out though. Maybe I could sell them for Cupcake Day for the RSPCA...


You can get Karen Tacks cookbook from http://www.amazon.com/. If you want to get involved with the RSPCA's cupcake day go to http://www.rspcacupcakeday.com.au/ for more information.

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Happy 30th Birthday Marissa

This morning at work the girls and I decided to get our friend Marissa a little present. She is turning 30 and she is off on holidays tomorrow. We surfed the net for 10 minutes and came across http://www.balloons.net.au/. We wanted to get her the Big 3 and Big 0 balloons. I rang them at 9:00am and they delivered the balloons at about 10:30am for no extra charge. Not to mention they gave Marissa free Jellybeans. Now that's what you call service. If you ever need to order balloons for loved ones or mates I recommend you call the friendly staff at balloons.net..

Happy Birthday Marissa. Have a fantastic day...

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Jollibee or In And Out

Jollibee is a famous fast food restaurant that every single Filipino kid loves. Everyone I knew wanted a Jollibee birthday party. The last time I went to Jollibee was 21 years ago. When I went to Las Vegas in June, my cousins told me that there was one opened in the local shopping centre. So we went and everything I ate gave me back those memories of going when I was a kid. I sure wish someone would open one up in Sydney.

Check out the sign it just draws you in..

Oh look at the smile.. (come in and eat here)

Some signature dishes that Jollibee have are the Chicken Joy and the Spaghetti. It was exactly the same taste and portions as I remembered it. The chicken was juicy and the gravy over the rice made me want to get up and sing.. The Spaghetti was sticky and sweet with just the right amount of sauce.

Chicken Joy (oh yes it was a joy to eat)

Filipino Style Spaghetti

A few days after my Jollibee experience we went for a long drive to LA. On the way we spotted In N Out. Apparently the lines are always out the door. The burgers are all freshly made. The burgers are amazing. Juicy thick burger patties, extra cheese and a special mayo. The burgers look small but it would have been hard to down more than one that's for sure. If you ever go to Las Vegas make sure you check out Jollibee and an In N Out. Its worth it...

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Caleb's Room

For month's I've been meaning to make my nephews name for his wall. I just get some wooden letters and make them look all cute. It's a really simple way of decorating a kids room. I wanted to use something that will last him a few years. Kids grow out of things so quickly these days. I sure hope he likes it.

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Miracle Frooties

Woohoooo the Miracle Frooties have arrived. Stay tuned, I am planning a flavour tripping party... Let's see if this really does alter your taste buds.

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Family Sunday..

Every Sunday we have family dinner at my brother's house. Last Sunday was special, he celebrated his birthday and also the birth of his daughter Caitlin. He invited family and a few of his closest friends. It was a fun afternoon with lots of catching up and lots of food.

basa fillets with mustard and cream sauce

vermicelli spring rolls with scallops and shitake mushrooms

fried pork money bags

My sister in-law wanted to make my brothers cake. He wanted a kids cake so she made a Frog. I think its a top effort for someone that has never done it before.

Filipino parties are always full of desserts so with the cake we also had almond jelly with lychee's, chocolate covered strawberries and leche flan with lime rind to cut through the sweetness.

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Masterchef Australia Winner..

Congratulations to Julie Goodwin for winning the first ever Masterchef Australia...

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Masterchef Australia Who WIll Win?

I'm sitting in the lounge room watching Masterchef Australia. Who will win? Julie or Poh? Poh or Julie? Only time will tell.

http://www.masterchef.com.au/home.htm

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Weigtht Loss Solution?

I've been hearing a lot about this Miracle Fruit that is suppose to help you loose weight. So I googled it and found a stockist in Australia that sell this miracle berry. It's suppose to trip your taste buds and make things taste better than what they really are. Lemons taste like lemonade or lollies, strawberries taste sweeter than what they really are and chilli sauce won't give you that hot taste that normally makes you sweat.


So I ordered these Miracle Frooties. I will let you all know how I go when I get them. Could this be the answer??? I sure hope so.... ehehehe...

Below is a video of what this Miracle Berry can do.

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The Pretzel and The Hotdog

You can't go to New York without having a giant pretzel and a tasty hot dog. The pretzel was soft and would have been good with a cup to Joe... I'm trying to be a New Yorker here.. The hot dog was salty and delicious. Topping are not extra so for a buck fifty you get a hot dog and all the extra toppings you want. That's a bargain.

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Magnolia Bakery New York City

While in New York I went to the popular Magnolia Bakery as seen on Sex and The City. The line was out the door but it was well worth the wait. I ordered the Red Velvet Cupcake and the Chocolate Mud with chocolate buttercream.

The Red Velvet was so delicious. It was light and the cream cheese frosting so smooth. Often times cupcakes look pretty but are dry and really grainy. Magnolia cupcakes are perfect. They really know how to bake. I hope one opens in Sydney soon. I ended up going twice and it was one of my favourite places to have a quick snack in New York.

http://magnoliabakery.com/

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Serendipity 3 New York City

In June I decided to take a leap and do some travelling on my own. First stop New York City. I had plans to meet a friend who was also travelling solo at Serendipity 3 on East 60th street. The cafe was made famous by the chick flick of the same name. You have to get in early otherwise the wait can be up to 2 hours.

Cel and I ordered a light lunch of Chicken Julia and Shrimp Stuffed Avocado. The salads came out in big bowls overflowing with Shrimp or Chicken. It was well seasoned and the dressing was delicious.

Chicken Julia $16.00 US

A Shrimp Stuffed Avocado $18.50 US

Serendipity is famous for their extravagant desserts. The most popular is the Frrrooozen Hot Chocolate. We both ordered our own and when it came out we were both in a bit of shock at how big it was.

Frrrooozen Hot Chocolate $8.50 US

It was creamy, smooth and really really worth going to Serendipity 3 for.

If you are ever in New York make sure to drop by Serendipity 3.
http://www.serendipity3.com/

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Edge Brownie Pan

About a year ago I went into one of my favourite Food Blogs http://www.chocolatesuze.com/ and she was writing about the Bakers Edge Brownie Pan. I love to bake and the first thing I did was try and get myself this pan. I had no luck. I searched hi and low and no one was shipping to Australia. How hard is it to ship a baking pan? Gosh..

I went on a holiday to America in June and I searched all the stores and they didn't have the pan either. I didn't order it online because it would take too long for it to arrive and I would probably be back to Australia by then.

So I GAVE UP. It just wasn't meant to be.

While I was at dinner with the girls they surprised me with part of my birthday present. It was a cook book and the Bakers Edge Brownie Pan. It was by far the best present. I was so excited. I just wanted to go home and use it. I decided to make some Brownies. But with a twist. Ricotta Brownies. The pan is perfect for any fudgy brownie recipe. They bake evenly and each piece has an edge for the edge lovers.

For recipes go to http://www.bakersedge.com/index.html

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Dinner at Bonta Vita

It's been so long since I've had a catch up with the girls. We decided to go to Bonta Vita on George Street. They specialise in Malaysian/Italian Cuisine.

We ordered an entree of 3 different dips with toasted baguette. It came with Hommus, Baba Ganush and Guacomole. It was a nice entree. I'm normally used to seeing a bigger entree but it was just enough for the 3 of us.

The mains came out a few minutes after the entree. We ordered Chicken Ritza and a Spicy Beef Ritza. A Ritza is basically Roti which has pizza toppings inside. It was a bit oily but very tasty. We also ordered a curry tasting plate and an Eggplant Sambal. The tasting plate came with a beef, chicken and lamb curry. The beef curry was very salty and the pieces were very big for a tasting plate. The chicken and lamb curries had just the right amount of spice.


The eggplant sambal was so mouth watering. I didn't know whether this would be too spicy for me but it was just right. A bowl of rice would have been good with it. As you can see I was so into it that I forgot to take a photo.

We didn't order dessert because when I made the booking I told them that it was Eileen's birthday. I didn't know that they were going to make such a big deal out of this. They ended up turning the lights out and singing happy birthday. Out came a plate with 3 different kinds of gelato for the 3 of us to enjoy.


Overall Bonta Vita was a nice restaurant. Although a little pricey with mains starting at $18.00, the combination of Malaysian and Italian cuisine will attract a lot people.

Thanks for the free gelato Bonta Vita. We will definitely be back soon.

http://www.bontavita.com.au/location.htm

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