I Heart My Mama

My Mama’s birthday was in the middle of a very hectic holiday schedule.  Luckily, now on my 6^th birthday cake I know my strengths and weaknesses.  Sponge cake is now my specialty.  And judging from the amount of cake my family eats, I decided a relatively small one will be more than adequate.  I chose a small heart shaped pan for the sponge.  I only had one pan so I had to bake it twice.  I always line the bottom with parchment paper so the cake can slide out easily.  The heart came out of the oven so fluffy and light! 

Since it was a relatively simple cake I wanted to make the filling special.  I drained a can of peaches and a can of lychee and cut them into bite sized pieces.  I whipped up some cream and sugar and put that aside.   As soon as the sponge cake layers cooled, I spooned a generous amount of whipped cream and fruit filling in the middle and frosted the cake. 

Due to the small surface area of the heart shaped sponge cake, I put too much filling in and found it hard to hide the imperfections with the whipped cream.

I looked around at what I had in the kitchen and found some ribbon that I was able to wrap around the cake.  It looked especially good because it accented the heart shape of the cake. 

When my Mama saw the cake, she said it looked great.  She also loved the peach and lychee filling and the light sponge cake.  Most importantly, she said look at how much money we saved this year by making our own birthday cakes!

Sponge Cake

1 Cup Cake Flour

1 Tsp Baking Powder

6 Eggs separated @ room temperature

1/2 Tsp cream of tartar

1/4 Tsp Salt

1 Tsp Vanilla

3/4 Cup Sugar

1/2 Cup Water

1/3 Cup Oil

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F

2. Sift flour and baking powder

3. In a large bowl combine egg yolk, salt, vanilla and 6 Tbsp of sugar.  Whisk until ribbon state.

4. Stir in water and oil and again whisk well.

5. Fold in flour but don't over-mix.

6. In another large bowl combine egg whites, cream of tartar and sugar. Beat until stiff.

7. Fold a third of the egg whites into the batter and mix gently until blended.

8. Fold in the rest.

9. Pour batter into paper lined pans and bake until golden brown about 45 min.

Lemon Strawberry Shortcake

Due to my Las Vegas trip Gohgoh's birthday cake was delayed.  Since I knew my brother has peculiar tastes, I asked him exactly what kind of cake he wanted. All he said was no to the following: Chinese Birthday cake, Sponge cake Black forest cake, Cheesecake, Chocolate cake and Tiramisu.  Gee thanks for all the help!  Then I remembered seeing a really good recipe for Strawberry Shortcake.  This he was okay with. 

I went shopping for strawberries in November and found that they weren't the ripest berries out there and they were certainly not the cheapest either.  I bought a box anyways and cut them into slices, mixed in some lemon juice and sugar and put them aside.   

Next, I worked on the cake.  I was worried that it would come out too dry and too hard because the recipe called for a lot of flour but it turned out fine.  The recipe made two good sized layers but I only used one.  My family is not a huge fan of cake and two layers of this size would not be appreciated.  I also should have sliced this layer in two but I was being lazy so I piled the filling all on top instead. 

While the cake was cooling, I made a lemon curd.  It was perfectly tangy and would go great with the shortcake and strawberries.

After spooning a good amount of lemon curd onto the shortcake, I began to line the edges with the strawberry slices.  This kept the lemon curd from dripping off the edge.  Then I placed a lot of strawberries on top of the lemon.  For future reference, I should have used only a thin layer of the lemon curd.  Too much made it too unstable and my parents thought it was just a tad too sour.

 

Finally to add the finishing touches, I whipped up some whipped cream and piped it on top of the strawberries.  A couple more strawberry slices and a cherry completed Gohgoh's strawberry shortcake!

Strawberry Lemon Shortcake

3 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking power

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup butter, softened

2 cups sugar

4 eggs, lightly beaten

1 1/4 cups buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups of lemon curd

Step 1: Preheat oven 350 degrees F

Step 2: Line pan with parchment paper

Step 3: Sift flour, baking power, baking soda and salt in a large bowl

Step 4: Using electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter and sugar together until a milky yellow. Don't forget to scrape down the bowl.  Add eggs in 4 additions.

Step 5: At low speed, add flour mixture and buttermilk alternatively starting with the flour.  Beat in vanilla.

Step 6: Pour batter into pan and bake until golden and cake springs back lightly.

Step 7: Turn out cake to cool.

Step 8: Place berries in a bowl with sugar and lemon juice and let stand.

Step 9. Whip cream to soft peaks and add vanilla.

Lemon Curd

1/2 cup butter

1 1/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons lemon zest

6 eggs

Step 1: In a saucepan, combine all ingredients except for the eggs using medium high heat until the sugar is dissolved

Step 2: Whisk eggs while pouring in 1 cup of hot lemon liquid then transfer egg mixture back to saucepan.  Continue to cook until mixture thickens

Step 3: Cool and use with Shortcake

Assemble

Step 1: Use your imagination.  You can do a one layer cake or a 2 layer cake.  You can cut the cake into smaller sized pieces and serve individually.  You can do whatever you like!

Enjoy!

Wynn Seafood Buffet an Eye Opener - Las Vegas

The Wynn Seafood Buffet was our target since the beginning of  the trip.  We knew even before we got to Vegas that we would need to visit them at least once.  I wasn't very excited since buffets arent' my favourite type of meal.  In fact, I thought food would just be sitting on warmers going brown and soggy.  Little did I know what I was getting myself into.  And finally, after walking and walking and walking, looking and looking and looking at all the sights and sounds we arrived at the Wynn. 

The hotel itself was gorgeous but we will talk about that more after we get the food out of the way.

We got there just a tiny bit before the crowd did. From the outside, I still did not see the grandeur that this buffet proved to be.  We barely waited 5 minutes before we were seated.  We quickly put our stuff down and walked to the middle of the buffet where we were greeted by racks of lamb, and a huge slab of prime rib.  My god, the lamb was so juicey! 



 We made our way down the buffet to our left since we started in the middle and helped ourselves to chicken, pork, beef, etc.  Then we saw the giant mound of king crab legs! So sweet and succulent.  I think we went back for thirds after we piled them high onto a separate plate to share.  I dipped the crab meat in cocktail sauce and it tasted even better.

 Going back the other way there were vegetables and salad, a pizza section and the huge plate of Oysters Rockefeller.  They were so tasty.  They were very oyster tasting with some crunch due to the topping.  They were definitely addictive.

In addition to all the main courses, dessert was incredible.  They had chocolate cheese cake, creme-brulee, kiwi and lime mousse, tarts, mini cupcakes, bonbons on a stick, and different types of cakes.  I tried all of them and it was like having a little party in my mouth with all the different sweets.  They even have a crepe station and a gelato station! 

 

After we were more than stuffed we walked around the entire building in an attempt to help digestion.  The beauty of the hotel distracted me from my full stomach.  The Wynn had extremely high ceilings, modern decor and great chandeliers.  Fresh flowers were displayed everywhere along with beautiful and comfortable pieces of furniture.  They had many banquet halls that could be rented out for weddings and ceremonies or what not.  The soundproofing in these rooms were impressive.  We were walking down the gorgeously carpeted quiet hall where even our footsteps were muffled when suddenly a door opened and club music streams down every corridor.  Once that door slips quietly shut, all was silence once more.

The Wynn was definitely a highlight of the trip thanks to Cowie Wowie's wonderful planning.

Studio Cafe Brunch Fat Tuesday Snack Las Vegas

Cowie and his buddies discovered the Studio Cafe the last few times they were in Vegas.  It is actually located in the MGM casino.  All the staff there were very courteous and we didn't have to wait to get a table even though they were quite busy that morning.  Cowie said a must try is the Corn Beef and Hash.  It may look simple but it tastes delicious.  When the dish arrived I really was quite surprised at how simple it looked.  But after trying a few bites, I can see why they loved it.  The combination of the corn beef and hash provides a fork-full of savoury smokey flavour and crispy oh so goodness.  Cowie also said that they have tried corn beef at different places on the strip but this was the best one.

I ordered my own dish so we can try something new so I got the Eggs Benedict with Hollandaise Sauce, Pork Loin and Hash.  This was so good on the first couple of bites but then it got too rich towards the end.  Cowie obviously had to help out.

After brunch we walked down the strip. After hopping into a couple of hotels and casinos, we stopped to get a drink.  Instead of getting a coke or whatnot, we decided to get an elevator cup sized daiquiri at Fat Tuesdays.  They have all kinds of flavours swirling around on the back wall.  You can pick multiple flavours or just stick to your favorite.  You can tell them how many shots of rum you want and you can choose from a variety of sizes.  We chose strawberry and peach and oh boy it was thirst quenching and severely spiked with rum!  Just one shot was good enough for me.  Everything was so much more fun! Haha, just kidding.  But we did go on the New York New York Roller Coaster immediately after.

Traveling Executive Class Air Canada to Las Vegas

My company booked us into first class to Las Vegas. This meant we got to hang out at the Maple Leaf lounge before we boarded the plane.  As we walked toward our gate, which was coincidentally right next to the Maple Leaf lounge, we looked up at the map and was surprised at what we saw.  Cowie and I wonder why nobody else is seeing this and why it was even allowed to be posted.  Unless, they wanted it up there as a symbol of how free we are in expressing ourselves in Canada. 

Walking pass this unique map posted high above our heads,  we continued through a glass door and into an elevator by our gate.  Up one floor and we were greeted by a concierge looking desk where we signed in.  We walked in to see rows of comfy chairs to the left and a cafe style seating to the right. 

There was a self serve bar which is similar to AYCE.  There were unlimited juice, wine and spirits. 

There was soup and salad and other light snacks.  I got there just in time for the last bowl of chicken noodle soup.  It was very hearty with big chunks of chicken and vegetables.  They brought out cream of broccoli which Cowie had and it was thick and tasty.

We got down to our gate just minutes before the boarding time.  We actually got to board the plane first because we were in first class, what a change!

When we got our tickets it looked like we weren't going to get to sit together because my seat was 4D and Cowie's was 4F.  When we found our seats, we were indeed sitting together.  In fact, the middle seat was missing because the two seats needed more room.

As soon as we settled into our seats, the flight attendants showed up with water and OJ.  I also didn't think there would be a full hot meal since we were flying out at 2pm but there was.  

Cowie had the Parmesan Chicken with rice and I had the Salmon with creamy rice pilaf. It was really good.

 The meal came with a spring salad with a vinaigrette dressing, warm crusty bread with butter and a piece of strawberry cheesecake. What made the whole experience so different was that everything was real, I mean nothing was plastic! The utensils, plates, bowls, glasses, they were all real! Haha, the service was great too! Wow! I didn't expect this at all even though it was my very first time flying executive class with Air Canada.  After the meal, I slept the rest of the way there which wasn't too long at all.

Western Lake Seafood Restaurant

Western Lake used to be our favourite dimsum place.  Unfortunately they became so popular that even if you make a reservation, you would still have to wait almost an hour for a table.  Their prices have also gone up making it difficult to make it our go-to restaurant.  But the food remains exceptional, so we come here on special occasions like birthdays.

Most Chinese dinners start with a soup and for Rice Bowl's birthday we chose a crab and fish maw soup.  Its our favourite.  It has crab meat, fish stomach and egg whites.  Umm Yumm.

We ordered a couple of other dishes that have become our favourites over the years.  The food came pretty fast and the service was very good.  They refilled our tea when we tilted the teapot lid and cleared away empty dishes as soon as we were done.  After packing up our leftovers, they brought out desert of red bean soup.  Yumyum.

Porkchop with Champagne Sauce

Walnut Shrimp: Deep friend shrimp with a creamy mayo sauce with honey glazed sesame walnuts

Beef and Gailan

Seafood, egg white over broccoli

Coconut Taro Chicken

The food came pretty fast and the service was very good.  The food arrived steaming hot which made my mouth water.  They refilled our tea when we tilted the teapot lid and cleared away empty dishes as soon as we were done. After packing up our leftovers, they brought out desert of red bean soup. 

Western Lake rarely disappoints in terms of tasty dishes.

Yumyum.

Cattle Cafe

Sundays are exclusively reserved for family activities.  Since moving out on my own almost a year and a half ago, I have gone home every Sunday for my Mama's home cooked meals.  And almost every Sunday we would start the day by eating out for lunch.  One of our favourite places to go is Cattle Cafe.  Rice Bowl discovered this place with her friends and one day we took the parents and that was the beginning of a beautiful relationship.

There are a couple of things that make Cattle Cafe a nice spot for a weekend bite. 

Number one, most of their meals come with a free hot beverage.  And being an Asian place, they have quite a selection of hot beverages.  My Daddy would go for the Hong Kong style Coffee, my Mama goes for Ovaltine or Almond Milk, Rice Bowl and my brother Gohgoh would usually get a Milk Tea and I would get a Hot Chocolate.

Number two, they have a noodle combo where you can pick your soup,two toppings and even the type of noodle.  Imagine all the combinations and how many times you can keep going back and still be able to try something different.  This is my pick: regular fish soup, special sausage and sliced fish with rice noodles.  It comes in a pretty good size too.

Gohgoh's pick was fish soup with cilantro and century egg, fried fish cake and fish tofu with rice noodles.

Rice Bowl had a bowl of rice! Hehe.  She chose terryaki chicken on rice and |Mama chose terryaki pork chop on rice.  They both come with a side of veggies and a fried egg.

We generally enjoy our meals every time we come here.  The line up can sometimes go out the door but that's because the restaurant is fairly small.  In fact, the restaurant seating wraps around the kitchen in a circular fashion, making seating cramped and limited.  However, we keep going back because of the variety of food they have on the menu. They serve a lot of cafe food such as bubble tea, bubble waffle, chicken wings, mini hotpots etc.