Daniel Fast- Week One

So here I go again. For those of you who know me, this is my third year doing the Daniel Fast with my church. Everyone does it differently but I strictly do the fast as written. It's funny because I can't diet for the life of me but I can really stick to this one for some reason.

And probably the number one reason why I blog about it is because I give up all social media (except for Pinterest and I only look up anything related to the Daniel Fast), TV, watching or reading about the news and I only listen to KLOV for an entire week. I have a lot of time in my hands.

This year I've been feeling a little different though. I usually have a cleansing and calming effect when I remove all the distractions but lately I've been feeling heavy and burdened. I don't know if it's God's way of reminding me that I need to go though tough times to appreciate what I have in front of me OR maybe it's his way of opening up my eyes to see what's best for me. Whatever it is make me feel tired and drained though. I've cried numerous time listening to "Broken Vessels" on repeat in my car. It's the only way I can really release what I have inside. Plus the words to this song are very powerful.

All these pieces
Broken and scattered
In mercy gathered
Mended and whole
Empty handed
But not forsaken
I've been set free
I've been set free

Amazing grace
How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost
But now I'm found
Was blind but now I see

Oh I can see it now
Oh I can see the love in Your eyes
Laying yourself down
Raising up the broken to life

You take our failure
You take our weakness
You set Your treasure
In jars of clay
So take this heart, Lord
I'll be Your vessel
The world to see
Your love in me

All I know is that he has a plan for me. I can't see it now but he definitely has one.

Butter Mochi

Hi! I'm back. What's up?

So, the past nine months have been a complete circle. Remember my last post about new beginnings, new jobs blah blah blah.... well, that job laid me off. But before you start feeling sorry for me, my old job took me back so it worked out just fine. It's like I never left!

So today I decided to write down my current obsessions since my last entry. I'm overwhelmed with so much to say that making a list seemed like the most sense to me. Plus putting things on a list makes me happy for some reason.

Television shows:

1) Comedy Bang Bang. I LOVE this show because I laugh at everything. Just ask my husband.

This is by far one of my favorite skits played by Nick Kroll. Fabrice Fabrice - A Poem about Marsupials
It's so deep I can't take it.

2) American Horror Story: Coven. This is the best season, hands down. I couldn't get into the last season because it was far too scary for me and most of time I just covered my eyes and ears. But the Coven is so good! Mutilation, betrayal and witchcraft... now that's more like my cup of tea.

3) The Little Couple. I just got done watching a mini marathon last night and suddenly I'm connected to this family. The couple adopted an adorable boy, Will from China, and watching them juggle the new life of parenting and struggles with his health problems sucked me in fast. They truly love that little guy. They're also in the process of adopting a little girl so I'm looking forward to that too.

Blogs:

4) I've been reading a lot of blogs about expats moving to a different country for teaching jobs. I've been especially interested in South Korea, Abu Dhabi, Phillippines and Japan. Call this random but I am infatuated with how people adjust to the different cultures.

A couple of blogs provide lists (yay!) on what they enjoy most about the country and also what they miss about America. Sometimes it's the simplest things too... like dryers, Target, and trash bins.

But most of all, I read it because I feel like I'm traveling from my computer.

So, that's about it. I"m loving all of the above right now.

Last Saturday I was going through my instagram and saw that someone made Butter Mochi. I had no clue what it was but it looked delicious! I then googled the hell out of Butter Mochi and found the perfect recipe from it's origin, Hawaii.

I made it that night and practically ate a 9 x 13 cookie sheet all by myself. No regrets.

The Best Butter Mochi Aloha World
Ingredients
1 16-oz box Blue Star Mochiko flour 2 1/2 cup Sugar 2 teaspoon Baking powder 1 12-oz can Evaporated milk 1 14-oz can Coconut milk 3 eggs 2 teaspoon Pure vanilla extract 1 stick melted butter
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spread butter on a 9 x 13" pan or just use parchment paper. Mix together mochiko flour, sugar, and baking powder in a large bowl and mix. In a medium bowl, mix the evaporated and coconut milk,  eggs, and vanilla. Get the dry ingredients and combine it with the wet ingredients. Mix well. Add the melted butter and pour it into the pan. Remove any air bubbles but tapping the pan  on a hard surface. Bake 50-60 minutes or until goldish brown. Cool for an hour and dig in.

Happy baking!

New Beginnings and Cake Pops

Whew! How time flies.....

A couple of things have happened since my last post. First of all, we decided to enroll my little bug into Kindergarten and I'm proud to announce that she passed her screening with flying colors! She's a smart cookie and is more than ready to start her little adventure at private school. I'm so proud of her that I could just cry. 

Her new thing is that she only wants to be called "Princess Barbie Rainbow" from now on and I'm totally OK with that. 

I also attended my very first women's retreat at Mt. Harmon last weekend. I was a bit hesitant at first but ended up having a great time. We went hiking on trails and decided to try canoeing just for fun. For someone who doesn't know how to swim, I had a blast soaking in the scenery and  floating in the calmness of the wide open sea. 

I also made a friend and her name was Ship. (True story.)

SHIP!

The biggest change of all would have to be my NEW JOB! I'm scared, happy and nervous all rolled up in one but I do know that this new experience will do great and wonderful things for my career. 

And to celebrate, I decided to dust off my cake pop recipe and share it with you. A couple of weeks ago I was asked to make 30+ cake pops for my beautiful god daughter's dedication and I loved every minute of it. There's something about decorating and baking at 10:00 p.m. that's relaxing to me. 

Is it just me or are Cake Pops not as popular as they used to be? It seemed like a couple of years ago Cake Pops were found at your local Safeway, Starbucks and every wedding or birthday party known to man. 

Whatever the new trend is, I refuse to believe it's Pies. No offense to any pie lovers but pies are on the bottom of my dessert list for some reason. 

Anyway, here's to Cake Pops, new jobs and Kindergarten! Cheers!

Cake Pop recipe
Divas Can Cook

Ingredients:

• One box of red velvet cake, prepared 
• 
  
• One tub cream cheese Frosting
• 
  
• 2 bags of chocolate candy melts 

shortening

• 
  
• cake pop sticks

cello bags

ribbon

• 
  
• sprinkles
• 
  

Directions:

1. Add cake to a large bowl and squish it up until it turns in to fine crumbs. 
2. 
   
3. Add in frosting a little bit at a time until cake is moist and can hold a ball shape, yet still slightly crumbly.
4. 
   
5. Use your hands to mix up the frosting into the cake crumbs.
6. 
   
7. Roll the mixture into a tight ball and place on a plate.
8. 
   
9. Repeat until all the cake mixture has been rolled into balls.
10. 
    
11. Melt 2-4 ounces of candy melts in the microwave. 
12. 
    

Dip the tip of the cake pop sticks into the chocolate and insert into the cake balls about half-way. 

1. 
   
2. Freeze for about 20 minutes.
3. 
   
4. This is probably a good time to prep up your decorations.  

1. Melt the rest of your candy melts in a double broiler. Add a tablespoon of shortening to thin out and for a glossy finish.

Transfer the chocolate into a small cup (sippy cup or a kids cup)

1. Make sure you have enough chocolate to completely submerge the cake ball. 
2. 
   
3. Remove cake balls from freezer.
4. 
   
5. Dip cake balls carefully into the chocolate until covered.
6. 
   
7. Let the excess chocolate drip off. Swirl and pat your wrist to remove the excess chocolate.
8. 
   

1. Quickly add the sprinkles while the chocolate is still wet.
2. 
   
3. Stick the decorated cake pop into a Styrofoam block for drying. 
4. 
   
5. Cover with a clear cello bag and a pretty ribbon.
6. 
   
7. Store in an airtight container. 
8. 
   

Daniel Fast - Week One

I'm fasting. 

Not just any fast but a spiritual fast too. 

I'm participating in a Daniel Fast with my church for the next 21 days and it's been quite an experience. I'm on day 6 right now so I chose to use this blog to go over some of my struggles, Daniel Fast recipes and thoughts with where I'm at.

The Daniel Fast is pretty simple. We're allowed to eat all fruits, vegetables, whole grains (whole wheat pasta, quinoa, brown rice, whole wheat bread and tortillas) legumes and nuts. We can only drink water throughout the entire fast so that means absolutely no coffee. (Struggle #1) 

I'm also participating in a separate fast my Pastor suggested in addition to this. 

Week one- No Media (TV, news, radio, I'm still using the internet but I stay away from my google reader and the news)

Week two - Say three positive things to the people you know. No negative words. 

Week three - Do random acts of kindness.

First of all, it doesn't help that my past posts are about rich cupcakes and tasty cakes either. I have a major sweet tooth and I'd give up meat before giving up my beloved cookies and cakes. Plus baking relaxes me. (Struggle #2)

So here we go. 

Day one was definitely the hardest day for me, which I kind of expected. I'm used to waking up and turning on the news while I'm getting ready for work. The funny thing is I'm getting out the door earlier than I've ever been. I don't know if it's because I'm being less distracted but it feels good to be on time for once. 

I usually look forward coming in to work because I can sit down and drink my first cup of coffee. You see, coffee is my weakness. My last meal on this earth would probably be a good quality chocolate cake, fudge and a cup of french roast coffee. So not having to drink coffee was something I wasn't looking forward to. I sat at my desk with a banana and a cup of water feeling unsatisfied and irritated. On top of that, I got the biggest headache in the middle of day. One of my co-workers stopped by my desk and told me "I looked lost." The food wasn't too much of an issue but the lack of caffeine was kicking my butt. 

Day two arrived and I felt better. I noticed I was much more relaxed and my usual feeling of anxiousness disappeared. I began to question whether coffee was the culprit for my anxiety and restlessness issues all along but it was too early to tell. 

Day three. Yup, coffee was the problem. I'm full of energy (yet still fatigued) and I feel good. The last time I gave up coffee was when I was pregnant with my daughter. Pregnancy alone messed with my hormones so I didn't get to notice my burst of energy.

Before I go on, I know I'm spending a lot of time explaining my coffee (or lack of) experience but it's so much more than that. The Daniel Fast is a great way to feel closer to the Lord and I've been feeling a big difference in my faith. I've spent more time reading the word and devotionals on how to become a better parent and a wife. I already feel a difference on how I treat my daughter and my husband. Instead of walking through the door feeling irritated about a messy house, I set my purse down and spend time with my family. Cooking and cleaning can wait.  

When I feel stressed about a situation or when I'm having difficulty with the fast, I pray. I pray for strength and the extra push to get me through whatever I need to get through. 

The amazing part of it all is that I'm only on Day 6! Imagine what I'll be feeling in a couple of weeks. I'm not saying that it'll be an easy journey but I know I'll be stronger and wiser once I'm done. 

Just like my pastor said, "If you want to change something in your life, do something about it." 

And in case you were wondering, I haven't lost a pound either. Just the feeling of putting natural foods in my system makes me feel healthier. I remember thinking this fast would help me lose some of the weight gain from the holidays but so far it hasn't and I'm ok with that. 

Almond Bread and Cupcakes

The past couple of weeks have been jammed packed and eventful in our household. I mentioned earlier that I was in charge of baking cupcakes for my cousin's birthday on Thanksgiving and came up with flavors the day before. 

Yup, procrastinator at it's finest. 

But before I go into this any further, we spent Thanksgiving week at Disneyland with my husband's side of the family. For those of you who haven't had the opportunity to visit the magical kingdom during the holidays, you are totally missing out. 

I was seriously like a little kid in a candy store. 

And to top it off, it snowed on Main Street too! I cried and ate snow. The end. 

So here's a couple of pictures from our vacation. 

I think I lost five pounds from laughing and immediately gained it back eating cream cheese pretzels. Nothing beats Disneyland. 

Anyway, back to my beloved cupcakes. So I decided to embrace my Filipina roots and made Ube Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting. (Ube is a purple yam that is widely popular in Filipino desserts) 

I found the recipe on one of my favorite blogs, Burnt Lumpia, and was more than pleased with the outcome. *FYI, his Chicken Adobo recipe is to die for too. 

As for my second cupcake, I decided to make Black Bottom Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting. If you love the taste of dark and sinful chocolate, this is definitely your cupcake. 

After eating bad and unhealthy food during my trip, I was craving something "healthier" to bake this past weekend. My manager recommended an Almond bread that she got to try from her  Cooking Light magazine. I'm a chocoholic so I was a bit hesitant at first but ended up trying it anyway. Needless to say, the bread was made at 9 p.m. Friday night and gone by 7:30 the next morning. My four year old  loved it and called it a cake for breakfast. 

So here's the recipe. The reason why I call this bread "healthier" is because it only calls for two tablespoons of butter. It has the consistency of a pound cake and we all know how much butter is in those things. 

I'll be freezing about 10 loaves just in case there's a bread emergency at my house. (Yes, there is such a thing Ü)

UbeCupcakes

Adaptedfrom Burnt Lumpia

Makes about 2 dozen

1 cup grated ube yam (can be found frozen in Asian markets)

2/3 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

12 Tablespoons butter (1.5 sticks), softened

2 1/4 cups sugar

4 large eggs

4 Tablespoons vegetable oil

3 cups cake flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Drain and thaw the ube yam. On some foil, place ube in a steamerbasket and steam for 15-20 mins until it’s soft.

Place the ube into a small bowl and mash.  Let it get to room temp. Add the milk andvanilla to ube. Mix it well and set aside.

With a paddle attachment on your stand mixer, cream the butterand sugar together on medium speed until combined.

Add eggs one at a time and blend after each addition.

Add oil and mix.

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in aseparate bowl.

Little by little, add the flour mixture to the egg mixture andmix on low speed until combined.

Add a small amount of the ube mixture to the egg mixture andcontinue to alternate between the flour and ube until combined.

Place paper baking cups into muffin pans and spoon batter intocups until 2/3 full.

Bake the cupcakes at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Let the cupcakes cool on a wire rack for 1 hour.

Frost cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting. *Recipe below*

Black Bottom Cupcakes

Adapted from annies-eats

For the filling:

8 oz. creamcheese, at room temperature

1/3 c.granulated sugar

1 large egg,at room temperature

2  oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

For the cupcake:

1 ½ cupsall-purpose flour

1 c. firmlypacked light brown sugar

5 tbsp.unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp.baking soda

¼ tsp. salt

1 c. water

1/3 c.vegetable oil

1 tbsp.cider vinegar

1 tsp. vanillaextract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Linethe cupcake pan with liners.

Filling - In a stand mixer, beat creamcheese, sugar and egg until combined. 

Mix in the coarsely chopped chocolatepieces. Set aside.

Cupcakes – Sift flour, cocoa powder, brownsugar, salt and baking soda.

In another bowl, mix the water, oil,vinegar and vanilla extract.

Form a well in the center of the flourmixture and stir in the wet ingredients until smooth. Do not over-mix.

Divide the batter among the muffincups. Fill the center of each cupcake with filling evenly.

Bake for 25 minutes or until the topsare light golden brown.

I personally like this type of cupcakerefrigerated and unfrosted but I chose to put a cream 

cheese frosting on top toeven out the bitterness of the chocolate. 

Cream Cheese Frosting

Adapted from allrecipes

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 cups siftedconfectioners' sugar

1 teaspoon vanillaextract

In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter untilcreamy.

Mix in the vanilla, then gradually stir in the confectioners'sugar.

Store in the refrigerator after use.

Almond Bread

Adapted from Cooking Light

• 6.75 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 (7-ounce) package almond paste
• 2 large eggs 
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon 2% reduced-fat milk, divided
• Baking spray with flour (such as Baker's Joy)
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar
• Dash of salt

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Spoon the flour into  measuring cups and make sure to level with a knife. 
3. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt and stir until well combined.
4. Place granulated sugar and the next 3 ingredients (stopping right before almond paste) in a large bowl.
5. Beat with a mixer at medium speed for three minutes until well combined. 
6. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. 
7. Mixing at low speed, add the flour mixture and 1/2 cup milk alternately to butter mixture. Beat just until mixed.
8. Pour batter into a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan coated with baking spray and sprinkle with sliced almonds. 
9. Bake at 350° for 50 minutes. Use a toothpick to check if it's done. 
10. For ten minutes, cool in pan on a wire rack. Remove the bread from pan; cool on wire rack.
11. Place powdered sugar in a small bowl and add the remaining 1 tablespoon of milk with a dash of salt.
12. Whisk until smooth then drizzle the glaze on top of the bread. Let stand until set.

Happy Baking!

♥,

Anna

I'm Thankful For.....

With Thanksgiving quickly approaching, I thought I'd take the opportunity to express what I'm grateful for this week. I've definitely gone through my ups and downs this year but I couldn't have gotten through them without the people (or things) below . 

I'm thankful for my health. 

I thank God for being able to wake up and experience a new day. His beauty surrounds us and I get to soak that in during my morning commute.

I'm thankful for my husband, Daniel. 

If you meet him for the first time, I guarantee he'll be make you laugh within the first ten minutes. I've fallen in love with him at least a hundred times over.  

My daughter, Lainy. 

She's a carbon copy of her daddy and I'm thankful for that. She's funny, sweet, extremely smart and talented. My life changed the second I laid my eyes on this beauty. 

I'm thankful for my wonderful family. 

Life is so much brighter when I'm surrounded by the people I love the most. 

I'm thankful for my friends. 

I'll be honest and say that keeping true friendships takes a lot work. In my early twenties, the quantity of friends was what it was all about. 

But throughout the years I started to notice that when my life changed (marriage and kids) my friends changed too. I'm grateful for the friends who decided to stick around

Have a wonderful thanksgiving everyone! 

♥,

Anna

DYRDEK?

Do you really do everything kind?

This is my motto at the moment.

Think about it. Do I really do everything kind? Or is it because I'm infatuated with every Rob Drydek show on MTV right now? (I'm leaning towards option #2 on this one.) 

I find it funny that the show, Rob and Big, has been on the air since 2006 and I just now discovered the hilarity of Robert Stanley Dyrdek and Christopher Boykin?  I'm all about Black Lavender and Bobby Light/The Chunky Boys right now.

Unfortunately I'm about six years too late to discuss this show with anybody else. I want to talk to my friends about the mini horse and the younger Drama days but it just doesn't make sense to bring it up now. It shows on MTV2 at 1:00 a.m so we're not talking about prime-time television anymore. 

On another subject, I can't believe Thanksgiving's already next week and I have yet to find the perfect recipe for dessert. 

My side of the family decided to celebrate Thanksgiving dinner on Sunday night because we'll officially be in Disneyland next week! It's a quick trip with a bunch of fun cousins so I'm looking forward to eating, riding rides and crying during the firework spectacular show. I don't know what it is but Tinkerbell flying through the air just tugs on my heart strings every single time.

This year my job is to make one side dish, Candied Yams, and a dessert. 

I asked my husband, a.k.a. The Caramel Lover, if I should make a Tiramisu or a Caramel Pecan Pie and immediately regretted asking. That's like me asking him if we should watch Steel Magnolias or Abraham Lincoln The Vampire Slayer on a Friday night? It's a major duh. 


Caramel Pecan Pie
adapted from allrecipes

1 (9 inch) unbakedpie crust

36 individuallywrapped caramels, unwrapped

¼ cup butter

¼ cup milk

¾ cup white sugar

3 eggs

½ teaspoon vanillaextract

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a saucepan over low heat, slowly combine caramels, butter andmilk. Cook until smooth but stirring frequently.

Remove from heat and set aside.

Combine sugar, eggs, vanilla and salt in a bow and gradually mixin the melted caramel mixture.

Stir in pecans and pour filling into unbaked pie crust.

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.

Allow to cool until filling is firm.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

♥,

Anna