Yay for CAKE...balls!

Not usually one to fall for fads, but I couldn't resist making these cute little cake balls.  My source of inspiration came from my sister Olivia, and her source?...Bakerella!  If you haven't checked out her blog (http://www.bakerella.com), it's totally worth it!  I have to admit, I even teared up when reading the entry where she assisted in a marriage proposal!

For those of you who don't know what cake balls are, it's just a cooled, sheet cake mixed with a tub of frosting.  You can use any combination of flavors you want...like red velvet & cream cheese frosting, strawberry & vanilla frosting.  I used chocolate fudge cake mix & chocolate frosting.  Then you roll them into little balls, freeze them for a bit, and dip them in melted chocolate.  Here are my cake balls pre-dressed:
The dipping in chocolate part got a little messy, but I got some good tips from Olivia.  Add a little vegetable oil to your melted chocolate to really thin it out and work fast! That chocolate can harden up pretty quick.  I used both milk chocolate & white chocolate bark.  Here are some of the toppings I used after the balls got their chocolate bath.


After I rolled them around in the toppings, they were set on wax paper to harden.  Then for a few of them, I went back and drizzled it with more chocolate.  For my first-time, I was pleased with how they tasted because the inside is soft like cake and not chocolate candy...even though it looks like a truffle.  My husband, who does not have a sweet tooth, really appreciated them!  Here they are!

Niu Rou Mein (Beef Noodle Soup)

My attempt to make beef noodle soup stemmed from a conversation I was having with some ladies at church who love making this dish.  I mentioned this to my best friend, Teresa, and she promptly sent me her mother's recipe for this classic bowl of Chinese noodles.  Thanks, Teresa!

Beef noodle soup has many variations: spicy, with or without certain vegetables (tomatoes, carrots, greens), soy sauce or beef broth base.  This particular recipe had a spicy, soy sauce base soup with carrots (I added tomatoes) and the all powerful spice STAR ANISE!  I hate the smell of star anise, but I added it because I knew it would really flavor the soup.  Edwin helped a lot with the cooking and here's our finished product...

We had a few friends over to try it out, and the overall consensus was that it was tasty but didn't really imitate the quality of the classic dish you would get at a Chinese restaurant.  I think most places use a beef-broth base instead of soy sauce.  And maybe most places use an actual tea infuser for the spices rather than a make-shift one from an emptied-out tea bag and a few staples!  Shhh, don't tell...

Roy's Hawaiian

Since I haven't posted in awhile, I decided to do a mega-update...so get ready for a string of entries!
I know that eating at a restaurant doesn't constitute actual cooking, but the experience was so memorable, I had to post about it!  This will probably sound more like a yelp entry.  Edwin and I went to Roy's Hawaiian, courtesy of a great wedding gift from our friend Kyle.  We wanted to try it in Hawaii but didn't get a chance, so we went to the one in downtown Austin.  It was an awesome time...mostly because of all the free food we got!  If you get the chance to go, I recommend sitting at the bar and chatting it up with the chef- you'll get the hook-ups!  We started the meal with free edamame (sprinkled with chili salt), free sushi rolls & free tuna sushi.  It was delicious.  

The pictures to follow will show the rest of our meal (yes, we are piggies):
*Starting from the top we have...
1. lobster-stuffed potstickers
2. sashimi sampler
3. butternut squash bisque w/ goat cheese & cranberries (*complimentary because our entrees took awhile)
4. trio fish sampler (salmon, ahi & butterfish)
5. surf n' turf (filet & shrimp)
6. grilled peaches a la mode w/ french toast (*complimentary because Edwin's shrimp was undercooked!)