Sunday Favorites

It's been a somber weekend as my YeYe (paternal grandfather) finally passed away after suffering a set of serious strokes 3 years ago. He never got out of the hospital bed since the strokes. I'm fortunate to have been able to spend time with him about 2 years ago when I went back to visit, and I'm glad he's probably had the chance to say goodbye to everyone at this point and vice versa. We will certainly miss him, but I hear that our family back in China is able to focus more on the positive things we want to remember about him at this point. I'm sad not to be able to attend his funeral, but my dad's on his way back now and will bring the best wishes of all of us who can't make it. As I was just telling my friend, I'm doing okay but I've still lost so few people close to me that it definitely hits me still. Just the concept of having someone being gone forever (no offense to anyone who is, but I am not religious) is still so difficult to grasp. I think I'm more sad for my little sisters growing up without our grandparents than for myself. I'm sure we'll keep their spirits alive through stories though =).

On a happier note, I felt like this would be a good time to restart my Favorites posts and focus on some joyfully beautiful things that are in our world. As pretty as my picks are, I don't just post them for looks.  I save the works that inspire me from all sorts of artists to serve as a constant reminder of what's possible to make with our mind and own 2 hands if we just set the mind and heart to it. As you surely have noticed, I've developed quite a passion for cake decoration in the last year, and I need to remember to practice practice practice to hopefully reach the level of these artists I admire one day. As usual, I hope you feast your eyes on these wonderful works!

Stunning Wedding Cake with Glittery Stripes and Peony Flowers by The Cake That Ate Paris

Vanilla Tea Photograph from Alicia Buszczak (Stylist)

Baking Ingredients Photograph from Ingwervanille

AMAZING Nautical Wedding Cake (Photograph by Green Tree Photography; Cake Artist Unknown)

Chicken Rice Noodle Soup from My Cooking Hut

Baklava Bars from The Pretty Blog

Sunday Favorites and a Few Free Cookbooks!

 

Happy (belated) Thanksgiving! I hope all my US readers had a wonderful holiday surrounded by LOTS of good food and loved ones. I definitely did and am so THANKFUL for the people in my life right now. Since P's schedule (off work at midnight on Thanksgiving and back to work at 4 am on Black Friday) ruled out our usual tradition of driving to see his family, I did my best to create a little feast for us as well as my mom here: P's favorite tomato vodka pasta, scallion cheddar biscuits, steamed broccoli with hollandaise sauce, dijon mustard lemon roasted potatoes, Mom's celery mushroom wheat gluten stirfry, and tiramisu served in individual glasses.

In support of the holiday spirit (and to prevent my apartment from exploding from the pressure of too many unused cookbooks), I've decided to give away 4 cookbooks that are gorgeous and have gotten great reviews, but that I simply don't see myself using to full advantage anytime soon. To keep things simple, I'm giving these away on a first come, first serve basis, and I'll pay for shipping within the continental US. Simply comment with the title you want to enter. Limit 2 cookbooks per person, but feel free to name an alternative in case your 1st choices are taken.

1. Fresh in Summer by Alastair Hendy (Photography by David Loftus)

2. The Essence of Chocolate by John Scharffenberger and Robert Steinberg

3. Holiday Cupcakes by Annie Rigg (Photography by Kate Whitaker)

4. Heirloom Baking with the Brass Sisters by Marilynn and Sheila Brass

Food Photography Favorites

Apple Pecan Whole Wheat Scones from Naturally Ella

Blue Poppy Cake by The Fondant Flinger

Savory Autumn Leaf Pies from Martha Stewart

Buttermilk Pancakes with Blueberries and Spiced Maple Butter from The Food Dept

Purple Artichokes Photographs from At Down Under

Ruffled Wedding Cake by Wow Factor Cakes

Saturday Favorites

I have a long weekend due to Veterans Day this week! Especially since I work for a veteran-owned company right now, the courage and sacrifice of those in service is never far from our minds. Just want to take a moment to thank all of those who dedicate their lives and risk their safety to keep us secure. We are so grateful for them, and I'm glad to have the chance to give back through several charities our company's working with this holiday season =). 

The extra long weekend is a godsend as it's giving me a chance to grab some much-needed sleep (hopefully to avoid catching that cold that's going around these days...), catch the new Bond movie with P (really excited about Skyfall!!), and check out all the new music and food posts I've gotten so behind on. My blog reader is probably at least twice as huge as you'd imagine, but there's just so much inspirational stuff out there that I always look forward to taking it all in and showing you all my favorites. Hope you fall in love with these like I have!

Upside-down Clementine Cakes from Drizzle and Drip

Sea-colored Wedding Cake with Gold Branches by Cake Opera Co.

Apple Pie from Paulina Kolondra

Roasted Vegetable Salad with Poached Eggs from Everyday Food

Feather Cake by The Caketress

Royal Icing Bird Cookies by Nelle Cakes

Sunday Favorites

Hope everyone's been well! Here are my favorite songs/photos from the last...well it's been like a month, hasn't it? *Sheepish grin* well I've been baking plenty but it's been the basic flavors that aren't so exciting for orders or old favorites for work. I'll be doing a pretty big cake for improving my own skills this week, so I hope to have that to share with y'all soon. Have a great week!

French Macaron and Cotton Candy Wedding Cake by Ms. B's Cakery

 Bean Chili with Walnuts and Chocolate from Green Kitchen Stories

 Hand-Carved Ganache Chocolate Wedding Cake by Sweet Ruby Cakes

Egg Drop Soup from eCurry

Okra Gumbo Stew with Blue Crabs and Shrimp from Food & Wine Magazine 

Cherry Almond Cupcakes Photograph by William Lingwood

Heirloom Tomatoes for Tomato and Burrato from The Jewels of New York

Gumpaste Dahlia Flower Tutorial from Lulu's Sweet Secrets

Cake with Gold Leaves and Branch by Connie Cupcake

Peaches and Cream Crepes from The Blender

S'mores Eclairs from Bakers Royale

Homemade Cheese and Mango Photographs by Anna Williams for The Voracity

Asian Risotto Balls with Sticky Mango Chili Sauce from Cook Republic

Monday Favorites!

It's only Monday and already been a long day leading into a long week, but I thought I'd force myself to take a quick break to share these gorgeous cakes and other food photos that I've been stockpiling. I've just got to power through the rest of this month, then I promise some exciting new treats and recipes will be shared! For starters, I'll be making a much belated birthday cake for 3 amazing years of 6 Bittersweets. My mind's been set on white chocolate cake with raspberry ripple for a while, and I'm gonna have some fun with the decorations. Suggestions are welcome in that area. In the meantime, enjoy these soothing sights for sore eyes and hungry bellies =D.

Wedding Cake with Golden Royal Icing Details via Style Me Pretty

Savory Sandwich Layer Cake from Mrs A in the Cove

Mini Black-bottom Cheesecakes with Cherries Photograph from Janne Peters

Gold and Bronze Wedding Cake by Sweet Sensations

Plum Galette Photograph from A Little Sussy

Blue Wedding Cake with Fuschia Flowers by Sweet Disposition

Mango Sorbet from Spoon by The Kitchen Finesse

Monday Favorites

Hi guys -- I'm still here! Sorry to be MIA again lately, but it's a bit of an understatement to say that my life has been kuh-ray-zeeeee lately! It's gonna be at least another few days before I can return with my first recipe in who knows how long, but I thought I'd go ahead and share the food photography and music favorites I've nonetheless been saving up in my spare moments here and there. Below you can also find a quick phone snapshot of a strawberry and vanilla cake I baked this week for a Hello Kitty fan's 7th birthday this week! I didn't have the chance to meet Kara directly, but I sure hope she liked her strawberry-loving kitty ^-^.

How've you all been? I've really missed our interactions and can't wait til things calm down to get back on track.

Ampersand Mosaic Wedding Cake by Blissfully Sweet Cakes

Basil for Snickerdoodle Cookies from Desserts for Breakfast

Nautical Wedding Cake by City View Bakehouse

Cherries for Cherry Ginger Chutney from Indian Simmer

Ombre Buttercream Wedding Cake with Bird Toppers by Sugar High Inc.

Roasted Peach Sherbet Cones from Always with Butter

Sunday Favorites

Wow! Did you guys SEE that storm? What a crazy weekend, eh? For those of you lucky enough to be outside of the affected region, this article and this slideshow from Washington Post provide both visual and written documentation of recent events. According to the former, "The storm . . . took at least 13 lives across the eastern United States, caused widespread damage, and [left] more than 3 million people without power." We were out of power for about 24 hours (made especially miserable by the record-setting high temperatures) and even lost cell reception for several hours.

After 2010's "Snowpocalypse" and the microbursts of recent summers, we're not unused to our utilities going bust, but we could usually escape the effects previously by driving 5 or 10 miles away. But on Saturday morning we drove over 20 miles away on a major road and still failed to find a single building with power. Even worse, even the busiest intersections had neither working traffic lights nor authorized personnel guiding traffic. We quickly realized that venturing out was a bad idea and were grateful to see power come back that evening.

I know that many hit by the storm are still without power, struggling with fallen debris, or mourning loved ones. My thoughts remain with them, and if you have friends or acquaintances hit hard by the storm, I encourage you to offer your support until they can get everything up and running again.

Stunning Piano Wedding Cake by Legacy Cakes Bakery

High Tea Mini Cakes by Three Little Blackbirds

Summer Squash Tacos with Avocado Chimichurri Sauce from Cookie and Kate

Pinwheel Wedding Cake by Couture Cakery

Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting from Hungry Girl Por Vida