Edible beads

Nope, I didn't bake this...I fervently hoped though I did. I might fail attempting this but I surely won't with real beads...I have baking utensils and jewelry making tools at home but I use the latter more than the former. :D Back when I was pregnant with my youngest child I would make myself a set of earrings, necklace and bracelet. I lost the "lust" afterwards...

Jewelry beads are easy to make but I wouldn't say the same for edible beads. I haven't made them yet but below is a recipe that I might soon try.

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Ingredients:

White fondant, marzipan, or chocolate plastic
Luster dust (available at cake decorating stores, and some craft stores)
Clear alcohol or clear flavored extract like orange or lemon
Round pastry tip(s)
Preparation:

1. Begin by kneading the fondant until it is smooth and supple. The amount of fondant you use depends on how many pearls you require, and the size of the pearls you make. It’s always a good idea to be generous in your estimate of how much fondant you need, but I am often surprised at how many small pearls I can get out of even a quarter pound of fondant.

2. Lightly dust your workstation with corn starch or powdered sugar, and roll out the fondant until it is about ¼ inch thick.

3. Use a piping tip to cut discs out of the fondant. For small pearls, use a tip with an opening of 1/4” to 1/2” wide. For larger pearls, use the bottom of a small or large tip to create much larger circles.

4. After you have cut a number of circles, roll them one by one between your palms to form balls. If you don’t have piping tips you can always just pinch off bits of fondant and roll that into balls, but the beauty of cutting out circles is that it produces pearls that are all very close in size.

5. At this point, the balls can be stored in an airtight container or bag for weeks or even months before they’re needed.

6. When you are ready to finish you pearls, pour some luster dust into a container that can be sealed, like a Tupperware container. Add a small amount of clear alcohol or alcohol-based extract, just enough to turn the luster dust into a shimmering liquid.

7. Working in batches if necessary, add the pearls, being sure to leave plenty of room in the container. Cover the container with a lid, and shake the pearls around until they’re coated with the luster dust. Pour the finished pearls onto a baking sheet covered with waxed paper or parchment, and repeat until all of the pearls are coated and shiny, adding more dust and liquid as needed.

8. Once dry, the pearls can be used to decorate your cake, cupcakes, or pastry.

Photo from abccakeshop.com
Instruction from about.com

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Restaurant City rules!

The Restaurant City game on facebook continues...with new recipes to upgrade, new equipments to buy and lots of other interesting stuff....*sigh* I don't think I could ever quit! I however stopped playing Cafe World... What if your Restaurant City and Cafe world restaurants are real? If a food blogger is really up to his or her dream of making it big,  it doesn't end up  with  just one's love for food. At some point, they go to that stage of cooking their favorite food at home, discovering how each dish is concocted and what the secret ingredient to a hearty meal is. With this comes also the want to make food aesthetically pleasing, a good mix of color, a lovely sprinkle of garnish and a lovely arrangement. Thus, it follows that food photography is an inevitable course.  There might be ideas of attending a culinary school or a photography class. Along the way, the foodie invests in professional cookware too. Finally, after spending too much time in the kitchen and restaurant hopping, the foodie wants to open up a foodshop with herself/himself as the Chef.


Setting up a restaurant involves a handful of tasks that are time-consuming, mentally draining and physically tiring. Aside from location, licenses, budget, staff hiring/training, one must also plan and think of the smaller yet crucial matters such as consumer target, water and electricity connection, interior design restaurant equipment and foodservice supplies.

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Focusing on restaurant equipments, Wasserstrom.com is your one-stop online shop. From smallwares and tabletop items, like flatware, tableware, glassware, to smallwares and kitchen utensils, from table service to displayware, from pizza to bakery gadgets, from storage supplies to beverage equipments. Order menu boards and signages,  and even furniture. Pricing and shipping is also provided in the website.

With diverse and comprehensive product lines in the foodservice industry, Wasserstrom is a big help to cut down not only on the time you alloted for preparation,their tested products are sure to last making you save on money as well...They even customize and design what your equipment specification are,  wasserstrom restaurant supplies are the best that  you can depend on.

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Selecta Chocolate Truffles

(Pardon the lack of presentation)

I blame our former editor for this addiction. Selecta Chocolate Truffles is my new favorite ice cream flavor...that after having it on a Friday night, I hurriedly bought one  next the morning and feasted on it the whole day....Nevermind the calories for it was worth forgetting one's diet and budget.

This is one of the 3 flavors  in the Selecta Gold series...Created by Chef Rolando Laudico, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, this creamy confection features bittersweet chocolate against a milk chocolate base generously swirling with dark chocolate fudge. Chef Laudico was very determined to ensure rich texture that he insisted on importing gourmet Belgian chocolate for this concoction. The truffles were particulary what delighted me, you can scoop one all the time and their chunky and chewy texture would make you want to savor them longer....*sigh* - I definitely recommend that you try this!

Now, if only we have Selecta here...

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Join us!

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Blueberry Muffins

One of the things the kids enjoy at the kitchen is baking. Once in a while I let them mess with me as we prepare flour, butter and other ingredients. One morning I decided to use the fresh blueberries we got from the grocery the day before.

Mixing the ingredients is a job for the bigger girl and boy while the lining of muffin cups is for the little boy. I also allow them to put the baking pans in the oven and they would always watch with excitement which is the first cup to grow the biggest.

The basics of a muffin is easy to remember just like this recipe...

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 cups fresh blueberries, (may use frozen)
2 tablespoons sugar, for topping
Preparation:

In a medium mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs and mix well; stir in milk. Combine dry ingredients and add to the mixture; stir to combine. Gently fold in blueberries. Fill greased muffin cups about 2/3 full. Sprinkle tops with a little sugar. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for about 20 minutes, or until lightly browned.
Makes about 12 muffins.

As the kids wait for their muffin to brown, I would start to clean utensils and kitchen stuff, my daughter would occasionally sweep the floor of what the little boy accidentally dropped there. The best part of it all and what they look forward to, is getting to taste what they baked and waited for. :)

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