Happy Bday Dad - Kayaking cupcakes

My dad loves kayaking. Well actually he loves fishing and kayaking enables him to fish, so therefore he loves kayaking. :) So for his birthday I decided to make a mini version of him kayaking. His kayak isnt just any kayak, it's got all kinds of mods on it so I wanted to replicate it to make it look exactly like his did, so I used a picture of him to do so, and even went into their garage to check it out. 

Here is a pic of my dad with his kayak:

 And here is my fondant version of him :) He said I did pretty good, except I forgot his hair lol. This little fondant version of him is bald! Notice the details? It has the same criscross things (whatever those are?) and even has a fish finder, and a place for fish in the back. :)

And here is my dad, happy with his cupcakes and his little mini me. :) Happy Birthday Dad!

Mod Monkey Cupcakes for Karisma's Birthday!

I didn't know what a mod monkey was before my cousin Kathy asked me to make them for her daughters birthday. Turns out these little mod monkeys are as cute as a button! German Chocolate and Red Velvet cupcakes covered with mod monkeys and some cupcakes are topped with my cousin Kathy's homemade toppers! Kathy always plans awesome parties for her kids! I always tell her she should do this professionally. So Kathy if you are reading this, I'm telling the world that you are an amazing planner and people need to hire you if they want an amazing party for their kids. :) 

Sea of mod monkey cupcakes:

Here I am setting up the cupcakes. An just an fyi I did not make the cake. ;)

 Here is the complete set up of the cupcakes :) topped with Kathy's toppers! Happy Birthday Karisma!

Superhero Cupcakes!

Part 1 of birthday cupcakes I made for my beautiful friend Lupe's sons birthday. She said he loves superheros and disney, so it was only right to make half Superhero's and Half Mickey. :) 

Superman, Batman, and Spiderman Cupcakes.

3rd Annual Cupcakes For A Cause Bakesale!!!

Hello Blogger Land!

Gosh, I can’t believe how long it’s been since my last blog. Well life’s just been really crazy but I promise I’ll be good about blogging! Anyhow, just wanted to warn you all too that since it’s been a while, I’m going to be posting a whole bunch of things to fill in the gaps from the last few months. J Anyhow, what I wanted to write about today (or right now since I plan on posting all day today) is my bake sale.

This Month on July 15 from 7am – 2pm, I’ll be hosting (for the third year!) a bake sale at my church. I am really excited to work with the community to aid Share our Strength in their mission to combat childhood hunger in America by 2015. Share our strength is a national organization that is dedicated to help end childhood hunger by working with a network of community groups, activists, and food programs to catch children who are struggling with hunger and surround them with nutritious food where they live, learn and play.

Do you know?

· More than 50 million Americans struggle to put food on the table.

· More than 16 million of those affected are children - That's 1 in 5 kids in America.

· 21 million kids receive free or reduced lunch, yet only 3 million get summer meals.

· Children who struggle with hunger are sick more often, recover more slowly and are more likely to be hospitalized.

· Children who face hunger are more susceptible to obesity and its harmful health consequences as children and as adults.

· Lack of enough nutritious food impairs a child's ability to concentrate and perform well in school.

· Teens who regularly do not get enough to eat are more likely to be suspended from school and have difficulty getting along with other kids.

These are just a few alarming facts, so please be sure to check out Share our Strength for more information, ways to help support their efforts.

Last year, with the support of our family, friends, and church community, we were a ble to reach our goal of $1500 (!!!!!). We had a huge variety of baked goods - there was something for everyone! You can read and see pics from last year here. This year I've set out a goal of $1500, and I know we can reach this with all of your support!

Funds raised by the bake sale will help accomlish the following:

· Enroll more eligible kids in school breakfast, after-school snacks and meals, and their families in SNAP (Food Stamps)

· Bring community gardens and farmers markets to low-income neighborhoods.

· Bring affordable, fresh fruits and veggies to urban corner stores.

· Help local food pantries, food banks, and soup kitchens meet the pressing demand for more nutritious food.

· Increase awareness and understanding of childhood hunger and solutions to it.

· Teach at-risk families how to plan, shop for, and prepare healthy low-cost meals at home. (this bullet point is especially important to me, as I teach the nutrition lesson for some of the classes in the area J ) 

So please please come out on July 15th from 7am-2pm at All Saints Church in Hayward to purchase yummy treats! Also, if you are able to donate your time or baked goods, I would greatly appreciate it. J If you are interested in baking, please contact me at catrinaarmas@gmail.com. Thank you for reading and hope you can make it!

Karisma's Baptism Cupcakes

These baptism cupcakes were made for my sweet little cousin, Karisma on her baptism day. After I began setting up the cupcakes, I realized I should've brought an extra layer of the cake stand. :p But they still looked pretty. hehe.



And lastly, here is the sweet little princess with her cupcakes. She especially loved the fondant toppers. She took one of the cupcakes with the letters of her name and ate it! :)

Salted Caramel Cupcakes

Salted Caramel Cupcake. Dark rich chocolate cake filled with fleur de sel caramel. This is probably my favorite cupcake to eat. And the flavor I'll go for at any other cupcake shop. Yummmm.

Salted Caramel Cupcake topped with a nutella taiyaki. Taiyaki's just make everything better.

Making Mochi

I love mochi. I love the chewy goodness on froyo, around ice cream, in Filipino desserts, and in yummy Jamnese desserts. I also enjoy mochi in savory dishes like stir fry or wrapped in nori and sprinkled with furikake.

Anyhow, I was inspired to try and make my own mochi after a fun trip to Japantown with my love. There is a store there that has an array of mochi...Next time I'm there I'm definitely going to pick up a box of chocolate mochi - yum! Jon and I had lunch at this little kiosk that sold onigiri and tea. And while I was browsing I found a tray of Mochi! And it was from one of the best places around - Sheui-Do Manju Shop! I was so happy because theyre mochi is the best. It's the perfect size shape, texture. OH and they sell shave ice! Winner!

Little Wall of Mochi and My stash:

So. I decided to make some. And for instructions/ideas/support, I went to one of my fave blogs to read Just Jenn Recipes. She has a whole section on Mochi Recipes so check her out!

I decided to try out the PB&J Mochi. It's easy to make, just very messy and hot!

I made half pb&j and half nutella. yum! Here's most of the ingredients minus the sugar and water.

Before they're rolled into the ball shape:

Here's a nice round mochi =)

And here's a finished one!

Next, I want to make some fall inspired mochi - probably pumpkin and nutella - best combo ever!

Oh and this weekend, we're headed down to LA again to celebrate my birthday in Disneyland so I'm for sure going to make a stop at Mochilato for some yummy mochi gelato! Cant wait!