Watch Out Sin City...

...I'm coming back!

Boyfriend and I just booked our August trip to Las Vegas! I can't wait. This will be my fourth time to Sin City. The first time I went, my mom took me as my college graduation gift. We had a blast! I even got her to go see Common with me at the House of Blues. What a hip (hop) mom :)

The second time I went with Boyfriend, friends and my future brother and sister-in-law (I'm making assumptions here). It was a blast. I even got brain freeze, as depicted below.

Actually those tall drinks are disgusting. I can't handle the amount of corn syrup in the mix.

Boyfriend enjoyed his first Urban Outfitters experience in Mandalay Bay.

And we had the most delicious dinner at a hidden gem off the strip called Musashi! You HAVE to go there next time your in Vegas. By far, the best teppanyaki I've ever had.

The third time I went to Vegas was for work. Aside from work paying for everything, I don't recommend ever going to Vegas for that. It totally ruined it. I had a hard time focusing on what I was supposed to be doing when the pool was calling my name so loudly. I'd rather enjoy Vegas without the ball and chain that work tends to be.

This trip is sure to be a blast. Boyfriend and I haven't really gone on a trip by ourselves, and this vacation comes at the end of a very busy month for us. This will be a well-deserved week of living it up!

Absolutely Delicious

Yup. It turned out. You can just call me Chef Hana from now on. :o)

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but rainbow cheesecake will make it all better.

I won!...I think

So here is how my cheesecake turned out! I was baking this damn thing until midnight last night. I won't know if I did it right until we cut into it and serve it up. I was tempted to try it before the party got here, but who serves up a cake that's already been eaten? Tacky!

The top of my cheesecake did turn more golden than the one in the recipe picture. I adjusted the oven racks when I don't think I was supposed to. Also, it was hard to tell if my springform pan was waterproof. The crust looked a bit more soggy than I'd hoped...we'll just have to wait and see. I'll keep you posted.

Sticks and stones lessons still pending.

Hana vs. The Kitchen Round 1

A spoonful of happiness! image from tablespoon.com (click recipe below)

Even though it was Friday (and Payday Friday no less) I had a rather annoying day at work. For me, nothing cures those better than a good challenge. In the past, that would consist of pounding it out on the pavement and running for a mile or 10 down the trail. But since that is not an option right now, I thought I'd take another jab at my budding baking skills.

I must have had a really shitty day because I'm in the midst of conquering my biggest culinary challenge yet: a cheesecake! (Okay, so this very colorful recipe caught my eye as I was testing the Internet at work).

As a cheesecake lover for many years, legend had it that they could be tricky to tackle outside of the Cheesecake Factory - I mean come on - cheesecake should always be as easy as asking the waiter to bring out a second piece of Dulce de Leche. (Don't judge me!)

I shied away from even thinking about making my own after hearing horror stories. And I'm still pretty much a baking n00b (it really wasn't that long ago that I discovered how not to burn cookies).

And of course I didn't choose just any cheesecake for my first attempt. I chose a double rainbow cheesecake. Oh yeah. We're still keeping that alive.

What does it mean? I'll tell you what it means: we have four birthdays to celebrate and people are coming over tomorrow. I wanted to do something special to commemorate the birth of my three great friends and my lavah (Boyfriend!). Who knew one could have so many friends born under the astrological sign of Cancer?

So far, the cheesecake has materialized to the point of being in the oven, so I haven't totally effed up yet. The cooling process seems just a tricky as the mixing, separating, food-coloring, layering and baking process that proceeds it. At least I had Feist to keep me calm throughout it all. Oh Feist. Hurry up and release another album so I can continue to keep my sanity.

If this cheesecake is a success, I'll post pics of it when its done. If this cheesecake is a failure, I'll post pics of it when its done. No sticks and stones lessons can be bestowed upon you until we know the outcome of this great duel between me and the kitchen...

dun dun DUN!!