Chego

So you're all big fans of the Kogi truck, right??!! You love wonderful korean bbq tacos with scrumptious short ribs too!! It's so sought after that lines for the truck, from standing in line to receiving your food, can be as long as 45 min! They're so popular that they have 4 trucks that travel all over So Cal. Well if you love the korean street flavor as much as I do then you're gonna be in heaven when you visit Kogi creater, chef Roy Choi's restaurant that I can only describe as incredibly delicious asian soul food! The menu is witty and salavating. Just check out some of the items: Sour Cream Hen House- grilled, w/fried egg, Chinese broccoli, sour cream sambal, Thai basil, sesame, red jalapeño (omg, does that just blow your mind, or what!?) I don't care what people think, a fried egg ontop of anything makes it awesome!!, or the Ooey Gooey Fries fries- sour cream sambal, melting montery and jack cheese, cotija, chillies, Thai basil ( I went back after this posting and ordered the ooey gooey fries...and....its ...the...best..thing...ever!!..trust me!)

So anyways, if you live in Culver City area near Overland Ave you must stop by. Here's what we ordered...

One Chubby Pork Belly kochujang-lacquered, w/fried egg, pickled watermelon radishes, water spinach, cilantro, cotija, peanuts

Its a rice bowl with a spicy kick! The pork belly is crunchy and has loads of flavor! Delish!

Tiny’s Prime Rib Rice Plate chili-rubbed, w/fried egg, water spinach, creamed horseradish, roasted garlic serrano paste, shallots

The prime rib was sooo tender, one of the best thin prime rib pieces I've ever had! And surprisingly the horseradish didn't ruin the flavor for me. My husband loves horseradish (and anything spicy for that matter) and to me its always too overpowering but Chego's version is do-able for me.

A great, CHEAP and quick meal! So much flavor and innovation for one meal! Please..go. You won't regret it!!!

Carrot Cake Cookies.... by Bon Appetit may 2010

So I wanted a change of pace from my usual cupcake dessert so I found this carrot cake cookie recipe. I'm a big fan of carrot cake and the cream cheese icing. It's the best of cake/cookie hybrid! The recipe was fairly easy if you dont mind making baked goods from scratch. Don't worry, its not that bad and the outcome is worth the effort!!! You can find the entire recipe on bon appetit's website in the May 2010 issue.



Here are some of the pictures I took.....

Dim Sum.... by Hipcooks

If you're looking for one of those cool Los Angeles activities to partake in- I happily suggest joining a Hipcooks class. Hipcooks is a fun, innovative and hands-on cooking class for the beginner cook, entertainer and international food lover. Cuisines from all over the globe are specialty of the charming chefs at Hipcooks. Not only are the recipes creative and fun to make, but also EASY!! Myself and a dear friend enrolled in the "Dim Sum...and then some" class which offered this wonderful meal:


Steamed shrimp wontons
Chicken cabbage dumplings
Scallion pancakes with shitake mushrooms
Chinese style green beans
Seared sesame beef in rice paper
Lotus flower Pork Puff Pastry
Seared scallop lo mein
Sweet wontons with orange, dates and walnuts

All the recipes were delicious!! I'll mention a few favorites.

Steamed Shrimp Wontons with Red Chili and Scallions

Trust me....this was actually very easy to do. Once you gather your ingredients you let your food processor do all the work!..then, steam! Even wrapping the stuffing in the dumpling skin was simple. Once you get the fanning technique down, your dumplings look cool and taste great! Next time I think I'll try pork.

Scallion Pancakes Stuffed with Shitake Mushrooms

This was my best plating picture-so I had to post it. I really enjoyed the flavor of the pancake, however the sole shitake filling was a little too chewy for my liking. I would add a meat and something crunchy like water chestnuts or shredded carrots. But the pancake was a hoot to make!

Sweet wontons with orange, dates and walnuts

I liked these so much that I made some that night!! The dates really make this dessert outstanding! Its like a sweet paste. And filling the wonton skins was easy as well. The wontons skins are easy to handle and frying was a cinch. I have many ideas of what else to stuff in these wontons, such as peanut butter and chocolate! yum!

Hipcooks is such an awesome place to learn new and fun ways to entertain! I will definitely sign up for another class! Warning: Classes are very popular and fill up months in advance, so sign up early!

Los Angeles Cupcake Challenge Feb 2010

A sample of some of the many cupcakes that we were allowed to take home!...wow!!

The third annual Los Angeles Cupcake Challenge was finally at my fingertips this past weekend! I was in heaven!! It was even more glorious than last years! So many wonderful and inventive flavors and too many close votes for me. But first....the RESULTS!! ( I got them from my fav cupcake blog...(http://www.cupcakestakethecake.blogspot.com/)

Best Traditional:

1st Big Man Bakes-Red Velvet

2nd Blue Cupcake-Sweet and Salty Vanilla

3rd Southern Girl Desserts-Red Velvet

Big Man Bakes' Red Velvet and Carrot cake ...yum!

Best Original:

1st My Delight Cupcaker-Breakfast Cake

2nd Jus Minis-Caramel Banana

3rd Two Parts Sugar-Chocolate Covered Strawberry

Best Overall:

1st Jus Minis-Caramel Banana

2nd My Delight Cupcaker-Breakfast Cake

3rd Two Parts Sugar- Chocolate Covered Strawberry

MY PICKS

Best Traditional:

Big Man Cakes-Red Velvet

Best Original:

My Delight Cupcaker-Amaretto Sour

Best Overall:

My Delight Cupcaker-Breakfast Cupcake

The Breakfast Cupcake...I have to recreate soon!! (if you love pancakes and bacon, you'll be hooked!)

Definitely the event of the year!!!! And I can proudly announce that I took my left overs and ate some the next day. There are never enough! (some people can't handle the truth!) I had such a great time and I was really impressed with this years decorations and unique flavors. Although not all of the flavors were hits. There were plenty of vanilla and red velvet to go around but I was disappointed in the lack of coconut.

I look forward to visiting the winning cupcakeries and my favs of the competition! I had so much fun!

Food Network Magazine's Almond Joy Cupcakes

I am a fanatic about coconut! I love shredded coconut, coconut milk, coconut scones, coconut ice cream and pina coladas! Making this cupcake creation inspired by the candy bar, Almond Joy was so much fun and so true to its originality. The coconut flavor is so yummy!

Cook time is 20 min.

Yields 24

Ingredients
For the Cupcakes:
2 large eggs plus 4 egg whites, at room temperature
1 cup cream of coconut
1 teaspoon coconut extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups cake flour, sifted
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces, at room temperature

For the Topping
2 cups whole milk
1 14-ounce package shredded coconut
1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

For the Glaze and Garnish:
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
48 roasted almonds, for garnish

Directions
Make the cupcakes: Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. Line two 12-cup muffin pans with paper liners. Whisk the whole eggs and egg whites in a large bowl. Whisk in the cream of coconut and the coconut and vanilla extracts until smooth.
Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Beat in the butter, one piece at a time, with a mixer on low speed until the mixture resembles coarse meal, 3 to 4 minutes. Add half of the egg mixture, increase the speed to medium-high and beat until fluffy, about 1 minute. Beat in the remaining egg mixture until combined, scraping down the bowl as needed.
Divide the batter among the prepared cups, filling each about halfway. Bake until a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean, 18 to 22 minutes. Let cool in the pans 10 minutes; transfer to racks to cool completely.

Make the topping: Combine the milk, coconut, confectioners' sugar, vanilla and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and cook until the milk is absorbed and the mixture thickens, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Cool completely.

Make the glaze: Put the chocolate, corn syrup, butter and 3 tablespoons hot water in a microwave-safe bowl, cover with plastic wrap and microwave on 50 percent power until the chocolate melts, about 2 minutes. Whisk to combine. Keep warm.

Top each cupcake with a heaping tablespoonful of the coconut mixture, pressing gently until compact. Spoon 1 teaspoon glaze on top and garnish with 2 almonds. Refrigerate until the glaze sets, about 20 minutes.

Candy Bar- San Francisco, CA

If you're a dessert lover like me and you also enjoy a bit (or alot) of wine and alcohol... this is the place for you! This is all you need to know:the Candy Bar; part art, wine and DESSERT!!

OK, so I will go into details! What a cool place to come hangout and enjoy each others company. The Candy Bar is set in a cute lounge area with couches and a bar. One of the most unique things about this place is that they have board and card games for you to play with! What a great idea! This reminds me of a similar place in Flagstaff, AZ called the Wine Loft. (I couldn't find the web address so heres some reviews on yelp www.yelp.com/biz/wine-loft-flagstaff ) The Wine Loft has an HUGE collection of wine and beer while also sporting the board games. Trivial Pursuit has never been so much fun when you're feeling silly.

Anyways, we didn't have time for any games at the Candy Bar but we did eat our share of desserts.

Banana Bread Pudding- toasted almonds, Bailey's Creme Anglaise, vanilla ice cream

Chocolate Mousse- Mango Sauce, Oh Henry! malt ice cream

Butterscotch Chocolate Brownie- candied walnuts, thyme ice cream

My favorites were the chocolate mousse and the butterscotch brownies! The chocolate mousse with the mango sauce was so delectable but the butterscotch brownie with the thyme ice was phenomenal!! Ok, so thyme ice cream may sound weird to you but trust me, it was so refreshing! With the sweetness of the brownie, the thyme ice was a welcomed subtle hint of spice!

Definitely check this place out for your next dessert/game hangout! I love SF!!

Heaven's Dog -San Francisco, CA

We made reservations at Heaven's Dog, a Vietnamese inspired menu always featuring organic meats and greens. I knew this was a good place because I heard it's a favorite with the locals (aka. my cuz Sunny!) They also have a complex cocktail menu plus a "freedom from choice" selection which you could choose a favorite alcohol with or without citrus and the bartender would create your very own drink. How cool!

Some of the favorites of the night seemed to be ..anything with pork belly, fish claypot with haddock, eggplant, honshimejis, thai chili and crispy half duck (cured in fragrant spices). We ended up ordering spicy niman lamb skewers, cumin, chili, sweet pickles. The tenderness and flavor of the lamb was excellent and I loved the pickles.



For entrees:
Chicken curry claypot, carrot, potato, coconut milk. This was very good as well. I'm a bit particular about my curry flavors but this was definitely a great flavor.

Heritage berkshire pork chop, lemongrass, pickled chanterelle. Sooooo yummy! The pork had just enough fat and crispy ends and the chanterelles were a great combo.

Kung pao tofu, fresh bamboo, toasted cashew

Having been to Heaven's Dog I now must explore the fusion vietnamese food in Los Angeles. This was a great experience and introducing me to Vietnamese food, other than pho. Like most awesome restaurants in San Francisco, the prices can run high, especially with alcohol, but it makes a perfect place for a special night with friends!

Tee Off Bar and Grill-San Francisco, CA

On our lovely Christmas vacation to Northern Cal we decide to make a detour to San Francisco before heading home. We definitely ate our way through the city! Our first stop was at Tee Off Bar and Grill. We're avid fans of Diners, Dive-in and Dives and this bar was featured for their amazing pork chops and mac & cheese. Tee Off Bar and Grill has a small menu, just the bar basics like buffalo wings and burgers and beer battered mushrooms. We decided to split the mac & cheese (a blend of four cheeses with pancetta on ziti pasta) and ordered some beer. Thankfully, we had ordered the LAST mac & cheese! It was delicious! Bubbling, brown cheese all over with a creamy texture and crunchy bits at the end. I also recommend the grilled double cut pork chops (achiote & apricot relish over garlic mash and deep fried sweet corn). Someone next to us at the bar ordered those and, WOW!..were they huge!


Prices were average, a little spendy for bar food, but the quality was definitely there! If you're near the Outer Richman area in SF, stop by Tee Off Bar and Grill. Oh, and don't forget to check out the neat juke box too!

Pumpkin Dulce De Leche Cupcakes

These cupcakes turned out fabulous! Thanks to http://www.cupcakestakethecake.blogspot.com/ and http://www.thesweetestkitchen.com/ I found this recipe for halloween this year. I was unable to frost the spider web on my cakes, but the dulce inside made up for it! They were sooooo delicious! This recipe definitely goes on my top favs!

Pumpkin Cupcakes

Adapted from Martha StewartMakes 12 cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon allspice

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

7.5 ounces pureed pumpkin

Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper liners; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together, brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter, and eggs. Add dry ingredients, and whisk until smooth. Whisk in pumpkin puree.
Divide batter evenly among liners, filling each about halfway. Bake until tops spring back when touched, and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating pans once if needed. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely.
Once cooled, using the cone method, fill each cupcake with a dollop of dulce de leche and frost with dulce de leche buttercream. If desired, decorate cupcake with spiderweb design using 3 tablespoons chocolate chips melted together with 1/4 teaspoon shortening.

Dulce De Leche

Adapted from Recipe GirlMakes just enough to fill cupcakes and use in frosting

Ingredients

1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

boiling water

Method

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Open up the can and pour the sweetened-condensed milk into a pie pan. Cover tightly with foil. Place into a larger pan and pour boiling water in larger pan & around pie plate (level of water should be about halfway up the pie plate). Don’t let any water seep up and into the pie plate.
Place in oven and bake for 1 hour. At the one hour point, peel off foil and check for progress. If the mixture has thickened and turned a caramelly color, it’s done. If it doesn’t quite look thick enough or dark enough, cover it up and bake it a little longer (mine took 75 minutes).
When the mixture appears to have turned into a nice, thick caramel, remove from the oven. Let sit for a few minutes, and then beat with an electric mixer until smooth.

Dulce De Leche Buttercream

Adapted from Joy The Baker

Makes enough to generously frost 12 cupcakes

Ingredients

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 tablespoons heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups powdered sugar

pinch of salt

1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons prepared dulce de leche

Method

Cream together softened butter and powdered sugar on low using an electric mixer. Add cream and vanilla and beat on medium speed until smooth and no lumps appear. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the prepared dulce de leche and beat to incorporate.

MILK

A truely indulgent place to go!! I L-O-V-E MILK!! The food is tasty and comforting and the desserts are amazing! It's a small shop that sits in front of Beverly Blvd right down the street from the infamous New Beverly Cinema (where I get my dose of exploitation movie education every now and again...thanks to my hubby!). They feature a daily menu aside from the regulars of sandwiches, soups, salads and pastas which is always a crowd pleaser. I suggest the crispy half chicken with a basil risotto cake, oven dried tomatoes, olives, roasted fennel and citrus sauce! YUM! But who am I kidding.....I come for the DESSERT!! I like to sit right in front next to the display case full of cupcakes, blue velvet cakes, cookies, macaroons, muffins, scones, blondies, moon pies...just to name a few.It's deadly! While I wait for my lunch to be prepared I can already fantasize about which desserts I have to have and which ones I want to try. In the end I can't resist the ice cream. This isn't just any old ice cream. MILK makes their ice cream in house and always surprises me with seasonal flavors, such as blood orange sorbet, pumpkin choc. chip, thai tea and banana dulce de leche!

No matter how much I love the desserts here, the food is still on my top list! The hot pressed sandwiches never disapoint! Check these out!!



Prosciutto & Provolone-with arugula, slivered potatoes, pickled onions and cabbage and black pepper cream (all sammies only 9$) The potatoes in the sandwhich defintely bring out the flavors. I had it once before without the potatoes and the mixture of the prosciutto and provolone was just too salty.


Media Noche-roasted pulled pork and ham with manchego cheese, pickles, and roasted garlic mayo. Always a crowd pleaser in my book! I loved the pulled pork and the pickles are the best!




Turkey BLTC-turkey breast, crispy bacon, lettuce, tomato, aged cheddar cheese and lemon mayo. It's a good sandwich, but I felt it was lacking a bit of bacon. But the lemon mayo was the highlight!

DESSERTS!!
I think one of the reasons why I always get the ice cream is because there are so many variations of recipes for the ice cream. You can: Make an ice cream sandwhich (choose any ice cream you like and any 2 homemade cookies), Shakes, Malts or Floats (either choose one of the concoctions created by MILK or create your own), Make an ice cream sundae (choose one from MILK or your own; comes with your choice of topping, sauce and with vanilla, chocolate, cookies n' cream or starwberry ice cream), or a Dipping Station (choose either of the 4 ice creams with choice of it dipped in Chocolate,Chocolate Mint Crunch or Butterscotch)...it just goes on and on!!! They call it the Ice Cream Bar! It's fabulous!!


Pumpkin chocolate chip and coconut ice cream


Pumpkin chocolate chip and banana dulce de leche ice cream sundae with chocolate sauce and nuts

If you've got a sweet tooth like me, then definitely hit up this LA favorite!

Royal/T Cafe

Is there anything more glorious than having tea and cupcakes in the afternoon at a Japanese/French fusion cafe and being served by waitresses dressed in maid outfits?? I think not!! Strolling into Royal/T Cafe for an afternoon snack is quite the think to do in Culver City, CA. If you're looking for a little pub grub meets sophistication, Royal/T Cafe has the food, sweets and the drinks perfected. Not to mention it's also an art gallery and a cute gift shop too where you can buy the art, or their famous tea. Although we didn't stop by for the food, I here it's delicious and well worth the trip (even if you're not getting a cupcake..but why wouldn't you??). I was told the Sat/Sun brunch is awesome and the dinner/lunch menu (when its not crowded with events) is good also. Check out their menu.


You definitely have to try the Chocolate Raspberry Mousse cupcake. It looks so scrumptious, we couldn't resist. The cake was nice and chocolatey but the mousse was excellent!! It was velvety smooth and very sweet! Perfect!

The stawberry had a nice flavor as well. I'm not a big fan of strawberry, but this one is pretty good. I find that most strawberry cupcakes have to be overly sweet to compensate for the subtle taste, but I was very satisfied with this one-just sweet enough, especially with my tea.



I had the Kyoto Sunset Tea-hot. It's a black tea with apricots. We liked it so much we purchased a 3 oz bag of loose leaf. It's a very fruity mix. The best thing about the teas here is that they recommend adding flavored syrups to the teas, such as vanilla or peach. Later at home, we made this tea iced...and it's very refreshing!



We also tried the Royal/T Milk tea-brewed in soymilk-Iced. This one is another black tea with rose leaves. I love adding milk to my teas! And this one was great too!




Definitely need to try the food here! But I can always count on sweets and tea! And I heard Tea Parties here are fun too!

The Cupcakery-Las Vegas, NV

Ooo, I'm so excited to blog about the new cupcake place I went to! I know I'm biased because I think Sprinkles are the best thing since fro-yo, but I have to say, The Cupcakery in Las Vegas, NV is right behind Sprinkles in taste and flavors.

Here's the DL, The Cupcakery is located just a couple miles off the the strip and easily accessible. I just had to stop by! I love the fact that they have so many flavors and that the decorations and names are adorable! The quality of these cupcakes were very surprising. In fact, the chocolate cakes were the moistest of all of the flavors, and normally I find chocolate to be dry. I was also VERY impressed by the presentation of the frosting. There's always some cute sprinkles or swirls that make the cupcake look so inviting. So, here's what flavors we got (couldn't remember some of the flavors..sorry..and I couldn't find them on the website either):

Southern Belle-red velvet

Coco Frauline(dark choc. cake with creamy coconut and pecans) and vanilla with pink coconut

Lemon (with vanilla/lemon buttercream)

Hazelnut...i think??-with coconut and almonds

Grasshopper (mint chip dark choc. with mint choc. frosting) and Cherrylicious (stuffed choc cherry mousse inside a dark choc cake and topped with ganache)..hmmmm! my favorite!!

Sharon and me..holding our fab cupcakes! I was sssoo happy! I even wore my Johnny cupcake tee..I planned this! haha If you loved this post, check out www.johnnycupcakes.com/blog for more cupcake propoganda!

SushiSamba-Las Vegas, NV

My girlfriends and I headed over to Las Vegas for a birthday and I just happened to be capturing the blog-worthy food we ate there!...it's the only pictures I can show from the trip! ha!

To celebrate my friend's birthday, we ate at the super hip, SushiSamba, located in the Palazzo hotel. SushiSamba is a blend of Brazilian, Peruvian and Japanese inspired cuisine. The dishes are made for sharing so the sushi rolls and churrasco plates are perfect. And the drinks are good too! Some of the mentionable drinks were an acai blackberry vodka cocktail and the watermelon martini.



We ordered 3 rolls: BoBo Brazil roll- seared kobe beef, avocado, kaiware, shiso, red onion, and chimichurri. This came with 2 side sauces: soy sauce infused with avocado puree and chimichurri. The sauces gave a spicy and sweet hint to the rolls. Not to mention the kobe beef was delicious. Green Envy roll- tuna, salmon, asparagus, wasabi pea crust, aji amarillo-key lime mayo. This one was my favorite!! The key lime mayo was the defining flavor. And we also ordered a shrimp tempura roll, always a crowd pleaser!


We decided to take advantage of the Brazilian part of the menu which was a 5 meat churrascuria plate. It was definitely a plate to share! Our 5 meats included grilled hanger steak, ribeye, pork tenderloin, chorizo, lingüiça with malagueta pepper oil and chimichurri. And......it also came with a side of white rice, black beans, collard greens and farofa. So delicious! The favorite was the chorizo and the hanger steak. The seasonings were salty and smokey!





They gave us a complimentary birthday dessert- a 3 chocolate (milk, dark and white) mousse complete with brown sugar crisp at the bottom.


The prices are very spendy ($$$). $15-19 per roll and $46 for the 5 meat plate. Must make reservations for dinner!! The place gets very crowded. But a good place to eat before heading out to club Lavo!

Coconut-Pecan Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache

This recipe was take from yet another recipe from my favorite cupcake book of the year, Martha Stewart's Cupcakes. Martha's recipes are great, but sometimes they get a little complicated for a novice baker such as myself. So I was definitely pleased with the flavor since I was able to complete her entire recipe. It wasn't your typically sweet cupcake. To me, the cake tasted like a moist muffin and the ganache has a rich, decadent taste. Here's the recipe:

COCONUT PECAN CUPCAKES

1 c. firlmly packed sweetened shredded coconut

3/4 c. pecans (3 oz.), toasted and cooled

2 c. sugar

2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 c. (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp

1/4 c. creamed coconut (or 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temp)

1 tablespoon pure coconut extract

4 large eggs, room temp

1 c. plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened coconut milk (9 oz.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. In a food precessor, finely grind shredded coconut; transfer to a bowl. Process pecans with 2 tablespoons sugar until finely ground. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt; stir in ground coconut and pecans.

With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, mix cream butter, creamed coconut, and remaining sugar until pale and fluffy. Add extract and then eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with 2 additions of coconut milk, and beating until just combined after each.

Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each 3/4 full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until golden and a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, 20-22 min (cupcakes will not be domed). Turn out cupakes into wire racks and let cool completely. Cupcakes can be stored overnight at room temp or frozen up to 2 months, in airtight containers.

To finish, dip tops of cupcakes in chocolate glaze, then turn over quickly and garnish with toasted coconut.

CHOCOLATE GANACHE

2 c. unsweetened coconut flakes, toasted

6 oz. semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

2/3 c. heavy cream

1 tablespoon light corn syrup

Place chocolate in medium heatproof bowl. Bring cream and corn syrup into just a simmer in a small saucepan over medium-high heat; pour mixture over chocolate. Let stand, without stirring, until chocolate begins to melt.

Using a spatula, gently stir chocolate and cream until totally combined; begin near the center of the bowl and gradually work your way toward the edge, pulling in as much chocolate as possible, until the mixture is smooth and glossy. (if any chocolate pieces remain, strain mixture through a fine sieve and discard solids). If not using immediately, glaze can be refridgerated up to 5 days in an airtight container. Reheat gently before using.

Hope you all give this a try!

Orochon Ramen

We were inspired to eat at Orochon Ramen because we had seen an episode (yet another foodie show) of Man v. Food on the Travel Channel with Adam Richman. If you're not familar with the show-I'll explain. Adam travels to different cities in search of local hang-outs and unique menus. The highlight of the show is when Adam "takes on" a menu item from a restaurant, kind of like competative eating. Some previous challanges include: Eat a 72 oz. steak, with sides (bread roll with butter, potato, ranch beans, shrimp cocktail, and salad) in less than one hour or eat 6 "Atomic" chicken wings in a habanero sauce. At Orochon (located in little Tokyo in dowtown Los Angeles), Adam conquered a serving of the "Special No. 2," an incredibly spicy soup made with 10 kinds of chilies in the "Hot Ramen Challenge." If that doesn't sound crazy to you, just check out the menu below. The menu gives you a WARNING!! Specials #1 and 2 are eat at your own risk!

The menu is very simple. You choose the soup base: miso, soy sauce or salt, pick your number of spiciness and choose additions. The ramen ranks from 1-7, with 7 being non-spicy and 1 being VERY spicy. We both ordered #6 (and I could barely finish it!!). The ramen comes with green onions, egg, pork, bamboo and garlic. The ramen was delicious and SPICY! I was sweating while I was eating it! Not only is the ramen cheap and delicious, but the portions are huge!! I took half of my bowl home!
If you can take the heat, make your way over to Orochon. Be sure to arrive early, the place gets packed for lunch and the seating is limited.

The Waffle

For that perfect hang over fixer-upper, head over to The Waffle on sunset blvd for breakfast. Boy, do I love breakfast!! If you're like me, you could eat breakfast all day.. hah! The decor of the restaurant is cute with a 70's vibe with browns, mustard yellows and oranges all around, just like those old coffee shop truck stops. There's also an upstairs part of the restaurant which I think is a bar and a whole separate menu-its called the Big Rig Bar. Seating is available inside or outside on the patio.

The menu also features lunch and dinner..but lets get to the good stuff! I ordered a lemon curd blueberry waffle. Yum, so good! My waffle was perfectly cooked-crisp and golden! And the sauces together were sweet and fruity!
My husband ordered the BAKED-IN apple-wood smoked bacon waffle! This wasn't just bacon ontop of waffles-there were small bits of bacon INSIDE and all over the waffle! It was crazy! It was even better with maple syrup!

Some things to try for next time: Cornmeal Jalapeno Waffle, Baked-In Pecan waffle :)

Fair Oaks Pharmacy

This is a one of a kind trip back to the past. Where in southern California can you still find an old fashioned soda fountain with a real working soda fountain?? --At the Fair Oaks Pharmacy in South Pasadena, CA. It's a ice cream parlor, cafe and gift shop all in one! We luckily stumbled upon it on our way back from the Huntington Library. We recognized not only the line of people outside but the famous sign we has seen on a Diner, Drive-In and Dives (I'm an avid fan of the show) on the Food Network.
We were lucky to get a seat at the counter because the place was extremely busy. The service was frenzied, but friendly. We had the magnificent All American Banana Split! Vanilla, Chocolate and Strawberry ice cream with hot fudge, strawberry and pineapple sauce and a split banana. Wow! it was awesome! Definitely a place to visit again! And don't forget to check out the gift shop with neat gifts!