SF GIANTS WORLD SERIES 2012 CHAMPION CAKEPOPS

if you haven't heard, the SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS won the world series...again!! to have lived through one win in my lifetime was magical, but two? that's unbelievable!!! quite honestly, nothing beats the first feeling of victory when the boys won in 2010. because it had been so long since this franchise had actually won and the fact that it was the first win as the "San Francisco Giants", not "New York Giants", 2010 was so, incredibly sweet!!! don't get me wrong, there were some seriously awesome things that happened to get us to the 2012 win - two playoff comebacks, a well-rounded team with many firsts for some of the players (like marco scutaro), and a sweep for the underdog team that was counted out! take that, odds makers!

so, how do i celebrate? by baking! in 2010, i made caramel apple cider cupcakes...this year, i decided on pumpkin cakepops. i figured they are super of-the-season and i also hadn't made cakepops in quite some time. what was also perfect was the giants victory parade was set for halloween day and there was orange & black everywhere!

PUMPKIN CAKEPOPS
pumpkin cupcake recipe posted on allrecipes.com by javaru

• 2 1/4 c all-purpose flour
• 1 t ground cinnamon
• 1/2 t ground nutmeg
• 1/2 t ground ginger
• 1/2 t ground cloves
• 1/2 t ground allspice
• 1/2 t salt
• 1 T baking powder
• 1/2 t baking soda
• 1/2 c butter, softened
• 1 c white sugar
• 1/3 c brown sugar
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 3/4 c milk
• 1 c pumpkin puree (i actually use the whole 15 oz can)

preheat oven to 375°F. grease 9x11 baking pan. sift together flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, allspice, salt, baking powder, & baking soda. set aside.

in a separate bowl, beat butter, white sugar, & brown sugar with an electric mixer until light & fluffy. add eggs, one at a time, blending each before adding the next. stir in milk & pumpkin. stir in flour mixture until just incorporated. pour into greased pan.

bake for 25-30 mins until golden. cool in the pan for 5 mins, then transfer to cooling rack to cool completely.

**my yummy tip: i bake the cake the night before and make the cakepops the following day. ideally, the cake should be completely cool.**

cream cheese frosting

• 4 T butter (1/2 stick), softened
• 4 oz cream cheese (1/2 package), softened
• 2 c powdered sugar
• 1/2 t vanilla extract

once the cake is cooled, prepare frosting. whip butter & cream cheese. mix in powdered sugar, then vanilla extract.

cakepop assembly

• prepared cake, crumbled
• prepared frosting
• 3-4 bags of candy melts
• 1/2 c vegetable oil, divided
• 40-50 lollipop sticks
• floral foam block

whip the cake & frosting together. roll about 40 golf size balls - the consistency of the mixture should allow the ball to keep its shape and stick together. place on a parchment lined baking sheet.

heat one bag of candy melts per bag instructions. add 1/8-1/4 c of oil to the melts. dip one end of the lollipop stick in the candy melt & stick into prepared balls. place tray into freezer for 30 mins.

remove from freezer and reheat candy melts, stir. dip the cakepops in the candy melt and stick upright into foam blocks to cool & harden the candy coating. add decoration, if desired.

CHICAGO-STYLE BASEBALL & FOOD

the husband & i have a bucket list of things we'd like to do together. they're mostly travel, sports, or food-related and categorized as pre-baby and post-baby. but, if things fall into the post-baby category, we're not opposed because the future babies get to have a fun story to tell themselves as their lives develop, but we'll see what happens when we cross that bridge. for now, we're keeping pre-baby bucket list items in that category.

in our sports/travel-related bucket list, we wanted to see historic baseball fields, one being wrigley (we'll plan on fenway next year, probably). what's fun about my marriage is having these similar interests, which is obviously great for any healthy, happy relationship to have. san francisco giants baseball is something we can root for and enjoy together. when i looked up the next time the giants would be facing the cubs in chicago so we could go to wrigley, i knew we had to make it happen!

i've been told that you can fall in love with chicago, especially during the spring and late summer, when you're not being attacked by blistering, humid heat or severe cold winters. but, it happened, i love chicago. the fans at the game were mellow and enjoyed friendly competition. the field is amazing and old-school and the giants won! we definitely will be back and probably stay in the city (we were staying with family friends an hour away, so we didn't really get the whole chicago experience).

SLURPING TURTLE
interestingly, the first thing we wanted to try was the slurping turtle that was suggested by my friend, hannah. her sister lives in chicago and when visiting stops here. i looked up and the menu and knew we had to try it out! it's the type of food we love, so we knew it'd be a winner!

[seared big eye tuna] the husband loves seared tuna, so this was a must! it was done perfectly and had a great acidic flavor. the avocado added a nice texture and flavor to complete the dish (honestly, if it was lacking avocado, i would've been upset).

[pork belly snack] ah-may-zing!!! we got another order of them before we even finished the dish. this was a great modern twist on the pork buns i've grown up with. the pork belly was so succulent & tender, the flavor combinations were sweet, salty, & tangy, and the silver of bun was fluffy & sweet! i dream of this dish...

[duck fat fried chicken] how intriguing, right? frying one bird in another bird's fatty fat! it was good, nicely battered, but a little overcooked and not as juicy as chicken usually gets when deep-fried correctly.

[grilled foie gras] ever since california banned the sale of foie gras, it has become something i think about every once in awhile. it's that "you always want what you can't have" mentality. anyway, i was so ready for this fatty, gamey treat and the slurping turtle did a great job in cooking it perfectly.

GIORDANO'S
so, we did end up getting our deep-dish on since you can't go to chicago without trying it! we have a couple deep-dish places in san francisco (patxi's & little star, which i have yet to try), but it is definitely necessary to go to the source and the experts.

there were some serious recommendations on which one would be best: giordano's, lou malnati's, gino's east, and if there's a key one i'm missing - please send it over...because i will be doing a deep-dish face-off on the next visit!

anyway, we chose giordano's because it sounded like the most traditional chain and was near the house we were staying in and was the pick of another friend who had also tried gino's east, but preferred giordano's.

so what did i think? i felt like i needed more salt or something on the stuffing. the sauce was nicely seasoned and the cheese to crust ratio seemed well proportioned. overall, i imagine that this is what a classic deep dish pizza is. i can't wait to do a face-off!

SF STREET FOOD FEST

i am known for going to big food events, so if you've ever wondered which one i look the most forward to...it has to be the sf street food fest!! where else can you find san francisco's best in one area, where there are 5 blocks of the best each place has to offer that you pay for with monopoly money! between regina & i we spent $50 and really had to stretch on where to spend that last $10 since we had tried most places here already and because we were utterly full! if you're ever in san fran in mid-august, make a stop here so you can get a taste of sf!

[STATE BIRD PROVISIONS - hand pulled burrata on garlic bread] this was incredible and i was so happy we started off with this and got before the rush (we got it later in the day because we loved it so much and the piece of burrata was much smaller and the bread was a little stale)! the bread was perfectly flaky and the burrata was well-seasoned. i cannot wait to get a reservation at the actual restaurant!

[PINX - sweet potato pie waffles] i loved the enthusiasm of the people behind pinx! it's always great to see how much pride chefs have for the food they present. the waffle was lightly sweetened and had a good crispy outside, fluffy inside effect that you look for in a waffle. the salted bourbon caramel sauce was also nice and light, not overwhelmingly sweet!

[AZALINA'S - chicken kaya penang chilaquiles] what a great combination of flavors! it had a nice kick, the chicken was tender, and had a nice penang flavor! the crushed raspberries gave a good break to the spiciness and the chips on the bottoms were nicely soaked in the juices.

[ZELLA'S SOULFUL KITCHEN - jacked up hush puppies] these were yummy deep-fried goodness. there were whole kernels of corn, which i love, especially in cornbread, and melted cheese in the middle! i think the melted cheese and jalapenos is what made these "jacked up".

[TACOLICIOUS - grilled squid veracruz] i actually really love tacolicious tacos - they're great! i also love squid (we were actually having a conversation of our love for squid ink dishes). so, when we saw this offering at a well-known restaurant booth, we went for it. sadly, it was pretty disappointing and lacked some serious salt!

[CLAIRESQUARES - deep fried caramel pops] oh my goodness! this was amazing! pure gold! we had been splitting everything up until this point. we really felt we needed our own pop, which turned out to be a good and bad idea. good because they were so yummy, bad because they were so rich! i would definitely get this again!

[15 ROMOLO - chicken wing boriquas] tasty little things covered in coconut milk & lime! the batter wasn't too think and the chicken was moist. i didn't really care for the plantain, but this was great!

[GOOD FOODS CATERING - pork belly sandos] i love seeing the word pork belly and am a sucker for tasting anything with this succulent meat in it! i really wish i wasn't too full, but the bites i took were super delicious - the pork belly was perfectly tender and that's all that matters!

[MISSION STREET CART - diabolito rasposado] i don't know if it's the spanish-influence in my culture, but i love chili and tamarind things! i was initially going to this cart for the chili mangoes, but was very intrigued by what the people in front of us were ordering, which was this amazing concoction! it was shaved ice, tamarind, strawberry puree, and a chili tamarind stick. i would've easily preferred just the chili tamarind stick, but was okay drinking this incredibly thick thing. i don't know that i'd ever get it again, but it was an interesting experience.

overall, another successful event! i can't wait for next year. i hope there's definitely new places to explore.

MINI KEY LIME MERINGUE PIE

for my father-in-law's birthday, i didn't have time to think about baking...so i went to my local pie shop to get him an assortment of his favorites: cherry, apple, key lime, & banana cream. i was actually really disappointed in myself for not making my own pie to celebrate his day...it's my ambitious drive that gets me to attempt things i never have. so, i chose to make the key lime pie for two reasons: 1) it's the father-in-law's absolute favorite and i've never seen anyone make one for him since i've been around (8 years) and 2) that was the least favorite of the slices i brought from the local pie shop...and i felt it needed some redemption. i also needed an excuse to finally use my mini keebler graham cracker crusts. by the way, he said it was the BEST he ever had...he was a little intoxicated so this statement may be slightly exaggerated.

MINI KEY LIME MERINGUE PIE
posted on plum pie by brooke on april 2011

CRUST (i cheated and used prepackaged crusts)

• 1 1/3 c graham cracker crumbs
• 1/3 c sweetened shredded coconut (dethawed)
• 2 T sugar
• 5 T butter, melted

preheat oven to 350°F. lightly butter a 9-inch pie pan OR 4 mini tart pans.

in a bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, coconut, sugar, and melted butter. press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the pan(s), stamping down the crumbs to form an even crust. bake for 8-10 mins until lightly golden. reserve and prepare filling.

FILLING

• 4 egg yolks (reserve the whites for the meringue topping)
• 1/4 t cream of tartar
• 1 14-oz can of sweetened condensed milk
• 1 c key lime juice
• 3 T key lime zest (optional, but it's best to get the zest before squeezing the juicing from the limes)

in a mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and cream of tartar. whisk in the sweetened condensed milk. gradually whisk in the lime juice until well combined. stir in lime zest, if using. pour mixture into the prepared shell(s).

bake for 15 mins, until filling is just set. remove from the oven, cool completely, and refrigerate for several hours or overnight. before serving, prepare topping.

MERINGUE TOPPING

• 4 egg whites
• 1/4 c sugar
• 1 t vanilla extract
• pinch of salt

place egg whites in mixing bowl and beat on medium speed until the egg whites form soft peaks, about 2-3 mins. slowly add sugar, vanilla, and salt. beat until the whites form stiff, glossy peaks, another 1-2 mins. do not over mix or the whites will dry out.

place meringue in a piping bag fitted with a star tip and pipe the meringue onto the chilled key lime pie in dollops that run in concentric circles, completely covering the top of the pie. OR, spread the meringue on the pie and using the back of a spoon, create peaks and dips in topping, or swirl like i did.

use a blow torch to caramelize the meringue. OR, broil the pie under the oven broiler until golden brown (watch carefully because the meringue will burn easily).

"ICE CREAM CONE" CAKEPOP

i've seen these made before and have been wanting to get more creative with my cakepops. so, i had the opportunity to do just that for my niece's first birthday. it's simple - i made my red velvet cakepops and put them on ice cream cones instead of a stick.

"ICE CREAM CONE" CAKEPOP
posted on you tube by yoyomax12 on january 17, 2011

• red velvet cakepop
• sugar cones (if you can find mini ones, those are great!)
• candy melts
• sprinkles, candy, anything you like for decorating

if you are not using mini cones, simply use a serrated knife to cut the regular sized cone into mini versions. i cut about halfway.

after mixing the cake and frosting, mold them into balls and place on top of cut cones. lay on wax paper-lined baking sheet. place into refrigerator for 30 mins.

follow candy melt instructions for preparation. you can add a little canola oil to thin - sometimes the thicker consistency can be difficult to work with. prepare a styrofoam block with plastic wrap for drying. dip set cones in candy melt and place on styrofoam block to dry. sprinkle and decorate as desired.

A DAY FULL OF MICHELIN STARS... REDD & THE RESTAURANT AT MEADOWOOD

as i mentioned last year, i was going to my first michelin star restaurant, cyrus, for flag day with my best foodie, regina, as well as other food-loving companions (cyrus has also become the new tucker anniversary tradition). this year for our annual pretentious flag day, we were set to go to the restaurant at meadowood - a three michelin star restaurant in st. helena. other than french laundry, this is the only other california restaurant that has received three michelin stars. these are one of the few times i actually don't research and prepare myself for what's to come. i enjoy the surprise aspect - it also helps to not have overly high expectations, which i think makes the experience more satisfying.

before we went to meadowood, we decided to have lunch at redd in yountville, which is a one michelin star restaurant. it was great to have an "appetizer" to what was to come later that night.

REDD
the space is very modern and cool. it was casual and approachable. we sat outside on lime green chairs in what was to be one of the hottest days i've experienced this summer, reaching 105°F. the food here is familiar, but done with those details that achieve michelin stars.

yellowfin tuna & hamachi tartare - this was light and refreshing, mixed with avocado and fried rice.

trio of foie gras - on july 1st, foie gras will be banned to sell, unless certified humane. which i am all for. so, in celebration for this delicacy, we ordered the trio, featuring a terrine (which was my favorite), mousse over a brioche, and a pate encrusted with pistachio. the flavor was gamey in all the best ways. a nice farewell dish.

shortrib sandwich - this was bbq-y, like a pulled pork sandwich. the bread was buttery and the onion rings (which i don't typically like) were perfectly seasoned.

butterscotch pudding - this was suggested to us by our server and i was intrigued. i love butterscotch pudding (the best i've had is from butterscotch on the go) and am always for trying renditions from various places. as yummy as it was looking, the vanilla anglaise made the pudding runny, instead of the thick texture i enjoy. the crunchy bites of toffee were great, though.

strawberry tart - this was a sweet dessert and was so nice to have the strawberry sorbet to cool off from the heat. this dessert was fresh and classic.

of course, a trip to napa wouldn't be complete without a stop at bouchon bakery for macarons.








THE RESTAURANT AT MEADOWOOD
what was different and interesting is that the menu is not presented. the dishes just begin to flow from the kitchen. i did say earlier that i enjoy surprises, but i would've like to take a peak or received a copy as a souvenir, which would've also helped me remember the parade of food we experienced that night. as you can imagine, since this is the highest rating a restaurant can get, the 8-course tasting was $225.

amuse bouche

crisp pillow - filled with formage blanc cheese. it tasted like a white cheddar cheez-it, bursting with cheese.

garden crudites - baby carrots & radish in a garden dip. the stems of these veggies are edible and were purposed to be used as scoops, but i would've preferred a knife or spoon.

geoduck & clam puff - recommended to take in one bite because it bursts in your mouth. it was delicious and earthy.

shrimp roll - this was kind of like a refined version of the shrimp balls you order from chinese restaurants.

brown butter balls - this was a little unexpected to serve a ball of butter, but it had a light sweetness. i can't remember what the puree was.







first course

yogurt with black sesame & shiso - this was really great, the photo does not do this dish justice. it had a serious flavor profile of sweet, salty, and tartness that worked really well together.






second course

cuttlefish with beans, avocado puree, & maitake mushrooms - light and salty. it had a little bit of a latin flair.









third course

shrimp & caviar - the shrimp as so tender and the caviar salty. the flower was also stuffed with shrimp, which was a nice surprise. again, this dish was a mix of sweet & salty.







fourth course

abalone, barley, & black garlic - i haven't had abalone since i was a child, and this was very good. the broth added intensified the flavor.







fifth course

sturgeon wrapped in leek - this was meaty and good. the overall flavor was light.








sixth course

new guinea hen - before this dish came out, we were presented with what the preparation consisted of. the bird is salted and surrounded by salty dough. this dish was very tasty and perfectly tender.






seventh course

steak & morels - this was my favorite dish. the steak was pure perfection (like matt cain's perfect game for the giants, haha). it was incredibly juicy.







eighth course

goat milk - the trio included a soft cheese ball, hard cheese sliver, and butter with nori. i was so happy to have this course arrive. the butter was amazing.

tallegio cheese donut - we got an additional cheese tasting, which was topped with rhubarb and paired with a tasty german beer.

palate cleanser: moving onto the dessert course, we needed to clean out our taste buds with  a citrus verbena snowball. so fun!







ninth course

dark chocolate mousse with creme fraiche ice cream & bruleed beets - this was so lovely. the ice cream was sweet and the mousse was silky. i loved the idea of using beets as dessert.






mignardise

forest bites - we got a box that rounded out meadowood's earthy theme. it consisted of dehydrated white chocolate green tea, cocoa nib ball, cinnamon wafer, caramel leaf, & honeycomb. it was fun to try each one.

to end the night, we were offered a souvenir of the order ticket used in the kitchen to time when each course needed to be ready, as well as a look inside the kitchen! it was a great way to get the whole experience. upon walking into the kitchen, we were greeted with a "happy flag day" from the chef, which was so funny! and, a happy flag day it was.

since we've exhausted the michelin star offerings in california, a trip to vegas, chicago, and/or new york are in the near future!