Christmas – Will Bake for Shoes

Japan
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Illumination in Roppongi

Posted on January 11, 2014by Brandy Saldana

After spending a day at my sisters school we headed out with a couple of friends towards Roppongi Hills in order to view the Light Illumination. On our way there we stopped in Shinjuku for some dinner. There was a slight drizzle that persisted throughout the night and some of the photos are a little blurry since I was walking and trying to hold my umbrella.

Shinjuku is gorgeous at night because all of the lights from the buildings, but it is even prettier with all the lights on the trees for Christmas. We stopped at a Steak & Hamburger Restaurant located at the corner of this street in Shinjuku.

In case you didn’t know, Hamburger dishes in Japan come without the buns and usually have a sauce on them or on the side. This place is considered fast food because when you enter you pay for your order at a vending machine and submit your ticket. It is served to you once you it is ready. Our entrees came with rice and miso soup and I will admit I was so hungry that I ate everything!

After dinner we hopped back on a train to Roppongi, specifically Roppongi Hills. I spotted so many Christmas Trees and among my favorites was this white one in front of Banana Republic

We made it to the 52nd floor of a building and entered to view all of the lights of the city. Inside there was a lighted up Christmas Tree with tiny horses moving every 30 minutes and playing a song as the rotated around the tree. My favorite part of the viewing was seeing Tokyo Tower decorated in the Olympic colors since it will be hosting the 2020 Olympic games.

The rain prevented us from viewing from an outside deck, but it was a still a beautiful sight. I was not wearing the best type of shoes for the weather and had to dry boots in a bathroom using a dryer while everyone else toured the perimeter of a shopping area decorated with a bunch of lights or risk catching a cold due to my wet feet. I could see some of the displays from the inside of the mall, and I admit it was nice being indoors since it was, ahem, cold.

Cupcakes

Cupcakes for a Posada: Winter White Wreath and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

Posted on December 25, 2012by Brandy Saldana

This year my parents decided to host a Posada at our house. A Posada is a “Christmas festival originating in Latin America that dramatizes the search of Joseph and Mary for lodging.” We were essentially the house of lodging where all the food, drinks, and pinatas were for the night.
In honor of the festivities, my mom asked my sister and I to make some holiday themed cupcakes. We made a wreath with white chocolate leaves and some reindeer cupcakes. It took up almost our entire Saturday preparing them for the festivities in the evening. They were a big hit at the party and were gone almost right away. What do you think of our holiday themed cupcakes?

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Cupcakes

Christmas Inspired Cupcakes

Posted on December 14, 2012by Brandy Saldana

Just a little Christmas baking inspiration inspired by cupcakes made last year.
My sister and I made the wreaths together for our family. The white chocolate leaves were melted and painted on the back of a clean lemon leaf. We peeled off the dry chocolate and placed on top of devils food cake with homemade peppermint frosting. We added the red M&M’s and bows for garnish. The smaller wreath has a lot more detail than the larger one.
The Christmas tree was made for a holiday party I hosted at my apartment 2 years ago. It is actually very simple and can be pulled off as long as you have a cupcake stand that holds 12-24 cupcakes. Green Wilton Chocolate Chips are melted and drizzled onto wax paper in zig-zags and refrigerated. Add green frosting to cupcakes along with red M&M’s and white sprinkles and you have a centerpiece-worthy dessert! The topper was made free-hand with melted red chocolate chips.
The white Christmas wreath comes from the Hello, Cupcake! book, and the Christmas tree comes from the sequel What’s New, Cupcake?
Hope this gives you some inspiration to bake something wonderful for a upcoming party or family gathering.
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