flower cupcake

For our third basic cake decorating class we learned to use the different flower and cupcake nails, and to do a few flower designs.

I decorated a few cupcakes with little flowers.



My colored icing was having problems for some reason. The icing itself and the colors seemed to be separating as they sat in the piping bag. When I mixed them on Sunday everything looked fine, but Monday I noticed the slight color separation in the bag. I wonder what happened. I will make another batch and see.

Will play with decorating cupcakes this week.

cupcake cake

For the second basic decorating class we learned to ice a layered cake, use round decorating tips to make designs, and use piping gel to transfer a design onto a cake.

And to put all these techniques to practice we were to choose to make either a fish cake (a cake with a fish design on it,) or a cupcake cake. I was planning on making a fish cake because I thought most people in class were going to make the cupcake cake, but then when the instructor asked, most people (I think it was everyone but me!) were making the fish cake! I switched to the cupcake design at the last minute.


It was a 9-inch cake.

I was slow at decorating the cake, so I layered my cake, iced it (without too much of smoothing), and made the cupcake design on it (while my classmates decorated their fish cakes with the fish, borders, and such).


Whoa! My first iced cake! Gonna use the color gel more sparingly next time, though.

icing stars

I started taking the Wilton basic cake decorating class last Tuesday, and it was a lot of fun. I actually knew the instructor back in college when I worked at the University of Utah post office!

Before the first class I was given a syllabus, with a list of tools I needed to bring. I could get a "student kit" for the basic class, but I also read if I got the Ultimate Decorating Set I would have all the tools I needed for all three cake decorating classes, plus a cool carrying case, and some extra stuff.

I went back and forth for a while, and decided to get the Ultimate set because I got a 50% off coupon from Michaels! What a deal! I just couldn't resist it. Plus I really would like to take all three classes in a row. This expense should get me motivated.


(photo from Wilton official web site.)

The first class I learned the basic stuff about the tools, cakes, different icings and such, and the first decorating action I learned was to make little stars.

And I went home and decorated some sugar cookies with little stars.



I think I'm really gonna enjoy these classes!

forage and a-gui

It was my birthday yesterday, and for that John made a reservation at Forage!


It was a wonderful dinner. I shall blog about it later on. Chef/owner Viet Pham was phenomenal!

John and I had their tasting menu. It was so good.


My wonderful friends gave me nice presents and loves! This painting of A-gui is from Daena.

It was a lovely birthday. Thanks everyone!

cakes in a van

I had been thinking about registering and taking a cake decorating class for a while, but still couldn't decide if I really want to take the time to go to classes.

The other day I went to the kitchen supply store and saw a couple vans in the parking lot with pretty cakes in the back!




I stared at them for a while, and made up my mind that I would learn how to decorate cakes because I want to make pretty cakes myself.

I registered for the Wilton basic cake decorating class, and the class starts tomorrow!

i love it when john makes dinner

John is recovering steadily, and he has been working and using his foot well. While he spends a little more time at home these days, he has been making us dinner most of the nights!

He makes yummy dinners!

Sometimes he makes rice, and we'll make some Taiwanese sausages with garlic, and "tomato eggs." Other times he will make rotisserie chicken thighs and we'll have that with kimchi or other Asian pickles. Still other times we will have noodles with yummy sauces, or curry. I can go on and on with this!

Even though we don't change our dinner menus super often, John did try some new items for our dinner table sometimes.

The other day he made us pork tenderloin with rosemary. He also put in some special ham in the tenderloin. Tasty.




And another day he made us a chicken-mash-biscuit bake. It was with chicken soup, mash potatoes, and biscuits.



I love cooking, and I also love it when John makes us dinner. These days we close the caffe at 6pm, and therefore we have a little more time preparing and cooking food. I love it!