My dear, Happy Anniversary!

Time Sure Flies!!!~~~ I can't believe it's already 2 years since becoming a Mrs! 2 years ago today we had our very first wedding in Taiwan, and shortly after the wedding we went to most people's dream honeymoon destination: Maldives!!

Let's let pictures take us down our memory lane~~

Singapore Airline's Honeymoon gift to us!

Bathroom in the hotel is even bigger than my current bedroom!

It's still part of bathroom!!!

Waiting for Sun Rise

週末美食

今天這個, 純粹是想要來愛現加上分享一下我們禮拜五晚上吃的好料!


日式Friday!!

沒錯...就是..我.....做.....的!!!!! 當然要感謝M&M 贊助的一大塊生魚片鮭魚!!! 鮭魚握壽司, 鮭魚壽司捲, 辣鮭魚壽司捲, 最後來碗魚丸味增湯收尾拉!


這次沒有食譜, 不過有幾個小撇步可以跟大家分享!


1. 壽司飯要先煮飯, 等飯煮好了馬上加入壽司醋, 這樣飯才會入味 =>
2. 握壽司的飯要很黏, 可是要如何不讓半鍋的飯都黏在手上 ( 像我第一次失敗的時候 >"<) ? 答案很簡單, 在握飯之前手心和手指上沾點水就不會黏了唷!!


所以, 只要買到生魚片等級的魚, 就可以自己在家做高級日本料理囉!!

Cake Pops!!

My love with the cake pop idea stem from a picture I saw 8 years ago. It was a picture of a dozen colorful mini donuts that's sticking on a lollipop stick. Back then when there's MSN, I used the picture for my profile for the longest time!! Lately I decided to challenge myself and make cake pops from scratch. With big thanks to The Kitchn I successfully made my first batch of Cake Pops!

Cake Pops

What do you need?

*TIME!* Making the cake pops take a long time!!! It's the waiting to cool time that really makes it harder. First you need to wait till the cake cools down completely, then after you mix everything you need to wait till the mixture is cold enough that is can make a firm cakeball! You need at least 5 hours or prepare some parts the night before!

1 batch of  Dark Chocolate Cake

1 pack (8 ounces) of cream cheese, softened

2 cups icing sugar

4 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon milk

2 bags of Candy Coating

60+ Lollipop Sticks

How do you do it?

1. Break the cooled chocolate cake into crumbs. I used a fork to "dig" my way through the cake.

2. Use a mixer to mix together the cream cheese, icing sugar, butter and milk until smooth. (Make sure the mixture is FULLY smooth, I was too rushed so I ended up with little chunks of cream cheese in some of my cake pops >_<)

3. Mix the creamy mixture with the cake crumbs until fully incorporated.

4. Cover the mixture and refrigerate until it is firm and will stay in ball shape (I let it sit overnight)

5. Once you take it out, roll the mixture into ball sizes. I made 60 cake balls from the batch. Make it as round as you possibly can!! Once again, I didn't think it will matter after the candy coating, BUT IT DID!! I put half (30) cake balls in the freezer for future use. 

6. Stick the lollipop stick halfway into the cake balls, and return it back to the fridge to let it SIT another hour or so (this step helps it firm up the ball around the lollipop stick)

7. Melt the candy coating in a double boiler or by microwave (bought it from Michael's along with the lollipop sticks) - Side note, never buy stuff from Michael's without a coupon! They have coupons EVERY WEEK!!!

8. Dip the cake pop in the melted candy. The trick to get smooth exterior look (took me 2 batches to finally figure out) is to dip it in, lightly bang the lollipop stick against the side of the bowl to let excess candy drip off the cake ball. REMEMBER, lightly tap the lollipop so the cake does not break off the stick. Once it is thinned out, turn the cakepop around to where it was dripping off excess previously, gently tap twice to smooth out the uneven part. TADA! there's your smooth cake pop!!

9. I used an upside down egg carton and punctured tiny holes to serve as my cake pop stand as it dries. But best tool would be a big fat styrofoam to hold up your cake pops.

Enjoy!! Everyone loved these Cake Pops, they taste very moist and fudgy due to the moist cake and cream cheese mixture :) 

Ahi Tuna

I have been very lucky~ my in-laws constantly have fresh supplies of seafood and will always share with us! When they brought over a ginormous piece of sashimi grade Tuna, the first thing I wanted to make was my fav Seared Ahi Tuna!! Seriously, for such a elegant dish, I did not expect it to be so easy to make!

Lightly Seared Ahi Tuna

What do you need:

FOOD:

A piece of sashimi grade tuna

Dash of Salt and Pepper (I used Rose salt~~ Gourmet salt enhances the flavor!!) 

1 cup of grated Daikon

1/8 cup of Soysauce

1/8 cup of Mirin

1 Teaspoon of Sugar

GADGET:

Preferably a non stick pan

A Sharp Knife

How do you do it?!
1. Grate 1 cup of Daikon, use 1/2 cup for plating and 1/2 cup for Sauce

2. Sauce: Mix thoroughly 1/2 cup of grated daikon, soysauce, mirin and sugar, put aside.

3.  Sprinkle dash of salt and pepper on all sides of Tuna

4. I actually don't have non stick pan, so I used a regular frying pan instead. *Here's the trick* to make regular have non stick quality, first you have to make sure you heat the Pan very very hot before you add oil. Test the heat by dropping a drop of water to the pan, if it evaporates instantly then you are good to go! When you add oil, you can see that Oil actually slightly floats on the super hot pan, and then put in the tuna. I seared each side for about 30 seconds!

5. After searing the tuna, wrap it in tin foil and put it in the Freezer for 15 minutes to tighten the fish so it is easier to slice!

6. After taking it out, slice the fish with a very sharp knife to make sure it stays in 1 full piece and not crumble to flakes

7. Plating suggestion: spread out the grated daikon on the plate, layer the slices of Seared Ahi Tuna on the daikon, lastly, drizzle the sauce on the tuna slices, TADA!!~~~ There's your super simple yet professional looking Ahi Tuna!!

Fast and delicious Chocolate Cake

I get a little obsessed when it comes to food. When I'm in the craving state of mind, I would literally have a whole night of light sleep and wake up at 6AM to bake, just to satisfy my craving. It got to a point where I am unsure if I am craving for the food itself or that I am craving for the process of making it!

So my challenge for myself last month was the famous Cake Pops!! I spent 2 weeks researching for the perfect recipe. I looked at Bakerella, whom seemed to have started a trend of Cake Pops, looked at Joy of Cooking, my Bible for almost everything edible, and searched everywhere online. Bakerella calls for boxed cakes which I am not a fan of because it doesn't give me that sense of satisfaction when I am done making it... this leads back to the point again, maybe I am just craving for the process after  all and the food was all just a big disguise. Joy of Cooking's sponge cake turned out a bit dryer than what I wished for. Online I was lucky and found The Kitchn which provided me with an AWESOME Chocolate cake recipe as the basis for my Cake Pops! 

According to The Kitchn, this recipe was originated from Hershey's. It is a very moist cake with shiny pretty exterior, so if you are planning to make a cake without frosting it, this would be a good GoTo cake. :)

Delicious Chocolate Cake - Adopted from The Kitchn


makes 1 9-inch round spring-form cake, or two 9-inch round 1 layer cakes, or 1 13 x 9 inch pan


What do you need?
2 cups of Sugar (white or I used Cane sugar)
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder - I used Dutch Processed Dark cocoa powder. Remember to get unsweetened! The better the cocoa powder the better the cake will be.
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil - I used Grapeseed Oil since that's the only oil in my Pantry at the time
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water


HOW?
1. Pre- Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour the baking pan(s)
2. In a mixer bowl, stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
3. Add eggs, oil, milk and vanilla into the bowl and beat at medium speed until evenly mixed. About 2 minutes. 
4. Add in the boiling water and gently mix until even. Note that the batter will be pretty runny. 
5. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for about 30 min to 40 minutes depending on type of Pan used. Best way to test is to insert a wooden stick or a knife through the middle of the cake and it comes out clean.
6. Let the cake cool to room temperature before attempting to remove from the pan. Let the cake cool completely before frosting. 

The "New" Toy!

March 16, 2012 - this date may sound familiar to those of you out there that is somewhat tech savvy!

That's right!!!! We got it!!!!

The resolution on this iPad is unbelievable!! Even the tech dummy me can tell the difference!!

Super Easy Stir Fry Asparagus

We were hosting dinner this weekend and I made a full on Chinese meal to spice things up! We did everything Chinese style, with 5 assorted dishes, 2 meat, 2 veggies and 1 tofu with a big bowl of soup to end the meal! This dish is SUPER easy and fast, it can be done within 15 minutes.

Stir Fry Asparagus

What do you need:

5-7 slices of bacon

about a bunch of asparagus  (I used about 20 spears)

How do you do it:

1. Cut the asparagus at an angle (prettier and soaks up more sauce!)

2. Cut the bacon slices to about 2 cm chunks 

3. Pan sear the bacon until it release most oil, and starting to turn a little golden. If the bacon is very fatty, pour out some oil.

4.Add the cut asparagus into the pan, pan fry the asparagus and bacon at medium high heat for about 3-5 minutes until the asparagus is tender. 

5. Scoop them into a pretty dish and you are all set!! (No salt is needed for this dish since the bacon is already salty and flavorful)

Addiction...

So my hubby downloaded an app for me called "Draw Something Free" last week, and little did I know how addicted I will become in the next couple days! In my defense, at least I am interacting with someone playing this app!!

But check out some good artists and some brilliant ways of portraying a word!! Go ahead and take a guess!!!

Sunday Afternoon

This is how Sunday afternoons should always be!! Chilling with kitties blanket!

What is Simply Crave...

Day 1:

ME: Babe... I am totally craving for a BIG FUDGY BROWNIE!!!!

Hubby: Don't we have a bar of Chocolate in the cupboard? 


ME: NOOO!!! I want a Fudgy Brownie!!!!!!

Hubby: Yeah! Chocolate Fudge, Chocolate Brownie, ToMAEto ToMAto, same thing!

ME: You don't understand!! I am craving for the Fudgy part of the Brownie! An oreo won't do, a chocolate bar won't do, a piece of chocolate Definitely WON'T do!

Hubby: YOU and your weird Cravings....@___@

Day 3:

ME: BABY BABY!!! I am totally craving for a Filet O'Fish right now!!!

Hubby: We can defrost some fish and make it for dinner :)

ME: ................ Filet O'Fish... not Gourmet fish

Hubby: But the fish we have at home is much healthier than McDonald!! and WHY do you always have cravings?

ME: My body is just calling for Filet O'Fish right now, I need the soft McDonald Filet O'Fish Bun and the unknown fish patty fried to Golden perfection to fulfill my craving!

Hubby: >_________<

And the days just kept going with all sorts of weird and random Cravings

This is how Simply Crave came about! It is my space, my wonderland to share with you about my everyday cravings!! My cravings are mainly for food, but every once in a while I crave to share about other parts of my life. I simply crave to share with you....

Show You How We Clean Minnie!

The Story begins with me and my lovely family. As a proud owner of 2 popular kitties in a little apartment, my hubby and I have been desperately trying to find a way to clean after our shedding cats! So far the most productive way we came across for Minnie is...... a video speaks a million words:

How We Clean Our Cat!