敏娣過日子 Mindi's Diary

Had a nice lunch with a friend at the Julienne in San Marino. It was such a nice and clear day today, bright sun-shiny day today, though the air is a little chilly, it is a good weather for a good mood. Felt like to go for a walk, so I went to Lacy Park. No roses today, gardeners were pruning the rose bushes. Came across an older couple holding a brown Siamese cat, what a beautiful cat! It's such a nice day today! It is a special day, a day I'll never forget... Now go back to the studio for my next painting project. I miss Lacy Park. I miss the empty rose garden. I miss a big warm hand to hold.

這是為畫家 Michael 陳小明老師做的巧克力草莓慕斯夾心的生日蛋糕. Michael 老師的畫室在加州 Arcadia 市, 我常誇他對小朋友和家長都超有耐心的. 他個人也真是一位非常有實力的畫家呢! 我自己很喜歡在他的畫室做畫, 因為我不喜歡讓老師操刀修改圖畫, 但是很喜歡 Michael 老師明確的指點, 然後自行修改, 總覺得這樣對我進步比較大. 如果朋友們自己或是有小朋友喜愛美術想學畫, 可以盡自打電話給 Michael (626)446-7822 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              (626)446-7822      end_of_the_skype_highlighting.

This is another chocolcate cake with strawberry mousse filling, and it is for my art teacher, Michael Chen, who's art institute is located in Arcadia, California. I always complement him on how patient he is with the students and parents. I enjoy painting at his studio as he does not "touch up" on my painting; rather, he comes around and critique on what he sees not satisfactory. This teaching method really works for me; it helps me see my blind spots, and it is usually the whole painting! Hahaha... If any of you were interested in learning to paint or draw, just give Michael a call at (626)446-7822 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              (626)446-7822      end_of_the_skype_highlighting.

敏玲訂了好久的小公主 Baby Shower 蛋糕時間終於到了! 這是我第一次做完全翻糖裝飾的蛋糕. 搞了好一陣子才克服了困難, 保持住蛋糕的美味和可愛的裝飾.  這是個巧克力蛋糕體加草莓慕斯夾心餡口味的蛋糕. 近來似乎這個口味還頗受歡迎的, 幾乎都變成我的 signature cake 了呢! 嘻嘻, 真不好意思!

Finally had the baby shower cake made! It's a chocolate cake with strawberry mousse filling and fondant covered decorations.

真不可思議, 這星期接到四張蛋糕訂單耶! 其實很早前我妹敏玲就已經要我幫她做藥房同事的 baby shower cake, 那是第一張訂單, 我妹永遠都是最支持我的, 謝謝, 敏玲!

Ha.. I've received four cake orders last week! Thank you, friends and family, for you love and support! So happy!

我竟然去 Wilton 學蛋糕裝飾, 真是太不可置信了! 11/11-11/19, 兩週的學習非常的緊湊, 也學到了許多以前自己摸索不來的技巧.  之前做的杯子蛋糕的擠花其實慘不忍睹, 只是好友們都只會鼓勵不會批評呢! 還好我應該還算有自知之明吧! 希望以後的蛋糕會比較可看性. 課上完倒是有個好消息, 不過大部分的朋友們應該都知道了, 我根本就是藏不住心情的人, 人還在芝加哥的機場就忍不住 po 在臉書上了: 我的作品被學校拿去拍照了!! 好開心喔! 好像比考上大學時還興奮呢!

I have never dreamed about doing cake decorations. Not that I don't like amazingly gorgeous looking cakes, just that these cakes are usually not tasty. They seem like eye candies only, and I could not understand why take so much effort to produce something that will evantually, and usually very soon, be eaten. But, since I have been baking more lately, I do want my cakes to look as pretty as possible besides the good taste. Especially when there is an occasion, I secretely want it to be a center piece, hehehe... (My evil grin!) So I searched online, going to youtube, trying to learn from what people post about cake decorations. The result was very slim. I did not learn much at all from minutes of demonstrations online. So, I decided to attend a class, and that's when I learned about Wilton School. I remember seeing these classes in local Michael's craft stores, but I rather go to the original school to learn from the teacher's teachers. So I registered at the last minutes, and off I went.

去年女兒 Jessica 買了 Pantages Theatre 一季的戲票, 因此跑了 Hollywood 好幾趟. 我妹敏玲資訊通達, 特別知道許多別緻的餐廳什麼的. 我們請她看戲, 她就請我們去 Cafe Solar de Cahuenga 晚餐. 就是在那裏第一次吃到這個 Triple Berry Cake, 姑且稱之三莓莓蛋糕吧!