Crème Caramel

Brain farts.  We've all experienced them. Sometimes they're harmless little lapses in judgment, like forgetting to pick up milk at the grocery store.  Other times they can have a little more impact that completely throws off your day, like forgetting your cell phone at home.  Then, there are the big ones, like the one I had last week.  It was so bad it stank up my office for two days.  Yes, believe it or not, I'm still talking about brain farts, not the other kind.

My Happy Birthday Macaron Cake

My birthday was a couple of weeks ago, but I've been debating whether or not to post this recipe.  This cake turned out less than spectacular, but since it was the first birthday cake I made for myself, I thought I'd document it anyway.  Although the finished cake was quite tasty with the strawberry jam filling, the cake layers were very dense, almost like a pound cake.  The whipped vanilla frosting had so much air in it that it was difficult to smooth it out when frosting the cake.  And, the colors just didn't turn out right.  The best part of the cake wasn't the cake, but the matcha macarons that I made to crown the top of it.  However, that recipe will be in a later post.

Despite my birthday cake disaster, I had a lovely birthday celebration, thanks to MAC.  While we weren't lucky enough to get a call from Gary Danko telling us that a reservation had opened up (darn!), MAC took me to Kokkari Estiatoria, located in San Francisco's Financial District, for dinner.  He's promised to take me there ever since we started dating, about four years ago.  It's quite a popular restaurant, and difficult to get a reservation, especially on the weekend.  After dining there, I can understand why.

Mango Bubble Tea

Mmmm.....boba drinks!   They're one of my favorite weekend treats.  I just love slurping up those chewy tapioca pearls with my milk tea through fat, colorful straws.  They do look a little freaky at first, as if little black eyeballs sank to the bottom of your drink.  But, once you get past that image and try it, they're actually quite fun!  The tapioca pearls don't have any flavor.  They're like very chewy, unflavored gelatin.  So why would someone put them in a drink in the first place?  Beats me.  But, I think they add an interesting texture and novelty to the normal, boring drink.

Chocolate-Dipped Chocolate Shortbread Cookies

Okay, so I bought a heart-shaped cookie cutter this past weekend.  I tried really hard to resist its cuteness and just walk on by, but it really wanted to come home with me so, so badly.  Then, of course I just had to have the super adorable red and pink jumbo heart sprinkles to keep it company.  I don't know what it is about hearts that make me so giddy with excitement.  Even as a little girl, I'd draw them over and over again in a rainbow of colors.  But, then again, what little girl doesn't do that, right?

Chocolate Cupcakes with Strawberry Buttercream Frosting

Ahhhh, Valentine's Day.  It's funny how those two words can have such a diverse effect on people.  Some people absolutely despise the day and think it's a cheesy holiday made up by greeting card companies.  Others love it and take every opportunity to celebrate it with fancy dinner reservations, flowers that are priced sky-high, and gift exchanges.  I don't remember ever hating Valentine's Day, even when I was single.  How can you hate a day that celebrates one of the most beautiful emotions people can feel?  But, I'm not one who insists on a grand celebration.

Strawberry Macarons

Kung Hee Fat Choy! Xin Nian Kuai Le! Happy Lunar New Year!

Chinese New Year was on Friday, and it's the year of the Horse, if you're curious.  I can't tell you what that means, really.  You'll need to research that on your own.  I have read, though, that the horse symbolizes transportation or travel, so it could be a good year to go on vacation and travel somewhere.  The farther the better, so it says.  Now that sounds very enticing.

Lemon Tart (Tarte au Citron)

Did you know National Pie Day was this past Thursday?  I didn't.  I only learned of it that morning while I was driving to work.  Darn.  A missed opportunity to bake and share a pie.  So, I decided to browse the internet for other "National" days for this month.  What I found was really quite interesting, bizarre, and amusing all at the same time.  Apparently, there was a National Static Electricity Day on January 9th.  I'm kinda bummed that I didn't know about that one beforehand.  I'm really good at shuffling my feet on carpet and shocking people with the static.  The best is when you hear the loud SNAP of the electricity, which sometimes is even more startling than the shock itself.  That would have made for a really fun day.  I'm definitely putting that on my calendar for next year.

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

This special Red and Gold post is my tribute to the San Francisco 49ers.  Even though I can't stand the game of football, I am so happy that they've made it to the NFL playoffs.  Why?  There's one very good reason - it makes my Sunday grocery shopping ritual so much more pleasant, especially during game time.  It's so gratifying when I have my choice of parking spaces, even in the notoriously packed Costco parking lot, and at midday.  I even whiz through the line-free checkout stand in record time!  So, go on, football fans.  Keep watching those playoff games so I can continue to enjoy some quiet, crowd-free shopping bliss.

Raspberry Tart (Tarte Framboise)

I'm finally writing my first post of the year.  I've been really distracted since the new year began.  Actually, it's partly because I have no self control when it comes to one of my weaknesses.  MAC and  I have been watching a marathon of Korean dramas and it's just so hard for me to peel my eyes away from them.  Of course that's because I need to read all the subtitles to understand what they're saying.   But, the Koreans really know how to write television shows.  If you have never watched one, I suggest you don't.  You'll never get anything else done around the house.  So, let's talk about this tart, so I can start watching another episode.