敏娣過日子 Mindi's Diary

我真的不是針對中國什麼, 但是他們的電影名字的翻譯真的很搞笑, 好嗎? "怪誕城之夜"! 真是有夠怪蛋的! 是找誰在替他們翻電影名字啊? (英文原名：The Nightmare Before Christmas * 中文译名： 圣诞夜惊魂- 怪诞城之夜（大陆） 圣诞夜惊魂（台湾） 圣诞夜惊魂（香港）)

My sister's co-worker, Marisela, is a big fan of the 1993 movie "Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas", and she asked Min-Ling if I could make a cake in the movie theme for her after she saw and tasted the cake I made for the baby shower last time. I really didn't think why I can't, so I took the order, and made her the cake with Jack, the stick figure star of the movie, on it.

我的摯友, Sheila, 問我能不能為她老公, Sam Wu, 的公司聖誕晚會做五個蛋糕. 我怎能不做呢? Sam 是南加州聖蓋博谷地區理想地產公司的負責人, 他們公司在本地已經成立超過三十年, 極具盛名及信譽, 在 Sam 的領導之下業務更是蒸蒸日上. 以前他們是在 Monterey Park, 幾年前搬到現址: 625 E. Main St., Alhambra, CA, (626)289-8888 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              (626)289-8888      end_of_the_skype_highlighting, 在我還沒和 Sheila 成為好友之前就已經麻煩過理想地產公司幫家裡處理房產管理事宜了呢.

My best friend, Sheila, asked if I could make cakes for the Christmas party of the company, IDEAL PROPERTIES (理想地產), of her husband, Sam Wu. This is a realty/property management company that has been long established in San Gabriel Valley. I remember seeing their signs even before I was married, and their office used to be in Montery Park, but has now moved to a more convenient location in Alhambra, at 625 E Main Street, (626)-289-8888 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              (626)-289-8888      end_of_the_skype_highlighting. I have used their services for my family's real property needs even before Sheila and I became good friends! I was very glad to have this opportunity to serve them in return by making them the party cakes. Sam, the big boss of the company, wanted to try different flavors of my cakes, and wanted to have them spelled out IDEAL for decorations. (Well, I actually "failed" on the decoration challenge this time, sigh...) Yes, all cake orders are challenges to me! Can I do this? Can I meet the needs of my clients? Well, if I had more time... I could have made it the way Sam wanted it. Anyway, sorry, Sam and Sheila! Next year! I have already got ideas on a perfect cake for the occasion.

自從做了這個巧克力蛋糕之後, 因為廣大食客讚不絕口, (呵呵, 真夠老王的!)就沒再做過別種巧克力蛋糕了! 這個蛋糕很好用, 夾草莓或桃子鮮奶油或慕斯餡, 都很好吃. 其實最早先是做成黑森林蛋糕, 也是極受喜愛黑森林蛋糕的食客讚賞! 以下的做法是依照亞洲人的微甜口味做過調整的, 所以原名 "Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate Cake" 前面又被我再加上 Mindi's:

I have tried many chocolate cake recipes, and have found this one really popular--Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Cake. Ever since I made this chocolate cake, I have not used any other chocolate cake recipes because all my chocolate lover friends love this chocolate cake the best, plus it is very easy to make.

當我告訴 Crowne Plaza 員工我會帶 Tres Leches 去參加她們的聖誕晚會時, 她們的眼睛都亮了起來! 其實我壓根兒的沒吃過這個著名的老墨三牛奶蛋糕, 更別提做過它了! 於是趕緊問人, 又上網去查做法. 嗯, 好像不是太難的樣子耶! 就是很基本的一個蛋糕浸泡在牛奶汁裡呢! 至於是哪種蛋糕, 似乎從海綿到白奶油蛋糕都有人做. 想到我妹敏玲曾經告訴過我這個蛋糕, 再問她一下, 果不其然, 她吃過的就是個黃奶油蛋糕加牛奶汁.

I wanted to bring a cake to the Crowne Plaza Employee's Christmas Party. When I mentioned to some employees the kind of cakes I was thinking about bringing, I received few responses until I said "Tres Leches", then I saw the eyes sparkling, mouths opening wide, and heads nodding with joy. The funny thing is that I've never tasted a Tres Leches before, not to mention making it! So I asked the cooks, and searched online. Hmm... It seems like Tres Leches is a very moist and very delicious cake, and the best thing is that it is pretty easy to make!

這是我接到位於 San Pedro, California 的 Crowne Plaza L. A. Harbor Hotel 的第一個 300 人大蛋糕的訂單! 好開心但也立刻好緊張! 300 人耶! 我好像都還沒做給 30 人吃過呢! 不過既然有這機會就盡量爭取才能多練習啊!

This is the first event cake order I received from the Crowne Plaza L. A. Harbor Hotel in San Pedro, California. The event is about a non-profit organization, New Beginnings Mai Am, whose ministry involves sponsoring an orphanage in Vietnam, as well as sending out medical volunteers to the same rural area. The organization was going to have a fundraising event at the Crowne Plaza L. A. Harbor Hotel on December 11, 2010, and the hotel GM, Mr. David Lai, introduced me to meet the President/Director of the organization, Dr. Mike Lehoang, for a chance to present my new cake career. Since this is a fundraiser, and it's for the orphans, I then volunteered to make a cake for this event, but Dr. Lehoang was just so kind and was generous enough to purchase the cake from someone who doesn't seem very much a real baker like me.