My Grand-Son's Lego Minecraft Birthday Cake

I love my grand-children's birthday.  Hate to see them grow up so fast, but I love the challenges they give me.  This year, it's Lego Minecraft Birthday Cake.
The cake is basic Chiffon Cakes in layers with different flavors - vanilla, chocolate, and green tea.  The challenging part is in making the Lego Minecraft figurines.  And since there are two other birthdays on the same week, there is also the biker dad, and break-dancing nephew.
It was fun making it.  What will it be for next year, I wonder.

 

KAKI MOCHI Cookies

My mother's Giant FUYU KAKI ripened really quick this year.  We did not have the chance cropping the figs this year on time, and we lost it all, basically.

Here with soft KAKI, beside pulping them and freezing them, I tried it in a couple of different reicpe.  

Ingredients:

1/2 C soft KAKI/PERSIMMONS

1/2 C Sweet Rice Flour

3 Tbsp Water

1 Tbsp sugar

1 Tbsp Extra Virgin olive oil

1 cookie sheet with Oiled Silpat

Mix all ingredients together 

Bake at 375'F

Flip at 15 minutes

Bake 15 more minutes and flip again.  Chnage temperature to 400'F and

Bake 2-1/2 min longer.  

Remove from oven . 

Serve with sprinkles sugar on top.

Organic SOBA with Cucumber and pickles

Japanese Cold Soba is tasty and easy to make.  You can top with all kinds of Japanese pickles and shredded seaweed.   You can eat it dipped in sauce or drizzle the sauce over the noodle. 

Ingredients:

1 pkg Organic SOBA

1 large cucumber

Varieties of pickles 

Sheet of seaweeds shredded with scissors into approx 1-1/2 in. strips

Sauce:

1/2 C Soy Sauce

1/2 C MIRIN

3 TBsp sugar

5 pieces of dry SHIITAKE

Cook all in a pot.  Simmer for at least 30 minutes.   Remove everything, except mushrooms/SHIITAKE. 

Boil noodles and strain.  Set aside.

Peel cucumber, shred it or use spiral cutter.   Hold cut cucumber between the palms of hands and squeeze water out as much as you can.  

Serve with SOBA and top with you favorite pickles and sauce.

Dragon Fruits

Dragon fruits are so good for health in many ways.  They are quite expensive in the States.  If you can get hold of it, eat it as often as you can.  These two cisted me $16.50.  

In Viet-Nam it is also known as sesame seed fruits. 

Just cut, slice and peel.  And enjoy.  

KAKI doughnuts (Fuyu KAKI)

What are some ways that bring out the taste of the persimmons - FUYU KAKI.  Eating them fresh is the best.   There are over 100 recipes for persimmons .   This one is my concoction of  Persimmon doughnuts I made  with yeast dough - 1/2 tsp yeast, 1-1/2 C flour, 2 Tbsp sugar mixed with 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1 egg, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/3 C water, put more water as needed to form medium soft dough .   Knead 8 min.  After proofing, divide dough into 6 pieces.  1 C chopped KAKI.  Divide into 6 portion. Enclose chopped KAKI invthe rolled out dough.  Deep fry till done.   Sprinkle with powder sugar.   Serve warm.