Plugrá Butter – Rich and Flavorful Butter

I am a big fan of butter. My affinity for baked goods and pastries (eating or baking) that I probably consume more butter than an ordinary person does. It shouldn’t be a surprise that I do like Plugrá a lot when I bake at home. Heck, even using their unsalted butter, spread [...]

Carrément Chocolat Cake

Slice of homemade Carrément Chocolat Cake

It shouldn’t be a surprise to most of you that I adore am obsessed with Pierre Hermé’s desserts and pastries. (I actually bought the same cake (different shape and styling) from Paris a few years ago.) I was craving the most indulgent chocolate cake (and I had [...]

Christmas Dinner – Carnivore’s Feast of Pat LaFrieda Meats and Pure Bred Lamb

Christmas table setting, Whole mustard-rosemary Chateaubriand roast and my portion of that meat

Christmas dinner was essentially a carnivore’s feast. Don’t get me wrong, I love my vegetables but since I’m thinking holidays, I normally associate large hunks of meat to share with friends and family. That’s when I start ordering from [...]

The Butch Bakery Cookbook

The Butch Bakery Cookbook by David Arrick with Janice Kollar

Cupcakes (or any dessert or confection) appeal mostly to females. Think about it. Cupcakes, macarons, chocolate bonbons and so forth are cute, dainty, pretty, and usually come in bright colors that does not normally appeal to an average man. So, the proprietor [...]

Homemade Snow Skin Mooncakes (冰皮月饼)

I’m continuing my tradition of making my own mooncakes for myself and my family. (Here is last year’s mooncakes post.) The two main reasons why I’m making my own mooncakes is I know what the heck is in them (especially, I’m hearing/reading a lot of preservatives and odd things are getting into [...]

Peanut Butter & Co.’s Cake Mix and Flavored Peanut Butters

Peanut Butter & Co.’s Cupcake Mix & Flavored Peanut Butters

I admire Peanut Butter & Co.‘s peanut butters for years ever since they started selling their jarred peanut butters. My personal favorite is the Cinnamon Raisin Swirl; it’s like my Nutella, I eat it straight of the jar with a spoon. It’s [...]

Outdoor Dining for My Brother’s Birthday Dinner

The birthday cake

The past weekend, I celebrated my brother’s birthday with our family by cooking and baking a storm for him. The one of the highlights of this meal was the birthday cake you see above, a dark chocolate yuzu Valrhona Caramelia mousse cake. Sounds awesome, right? A thin dark chocolate [...]

Le Creuset Cookware – Beautiful, Versatile Cookware

Le Creuset 5-1/2 Quart Round French Oven with Stewed duck with taro (芋頭燉鴨)

I’ve been recently obsessed with Le Creuset‘s cookware. I love companies that have a long heritage of making great products and this is one of them. Le Creuset started in 1925 and able to make cast iron versatile by [...]

Teatulia: Flavorful, Organic Teas Sourced from Bangladesh

Teatulia’s canisters of teas

Teatulia is named for the region in Northern Bangladesh where this company’s tea is grown. Their teas are simple, clean, delicious teas that does not have any additives since that region cannot afford to add chemicals to anything. (If you look at Teatulia’s YouTube video on their “About [...]