all cooked out

Phew, I'm exhausted!  I have spent close to 10 hours in the kitchen today and I'm so glad I'm done. I don't know how cooks/chefs work 10 hour days on their feet, I couldn't do it.

I started out at my friend Melissa's house this morning teaching 2 groups of the sweetest Japanese ladies how to make her families homemade donuts full of money.  

She gave a little demo

and then everyone got to take turns helping

She told the story of why her family celebrates this tradition every year

This is Yoko.  If I could choose an honorary grandmother, I think I'd choose her!

 (hi Yoko!)

One of the groups

 It was a long morning but so much fun!

After a morning of donut making, I had lunch with the husband then headed home to start the 6 hour process of baking cupcakes for my Bible study's year end picnic tomorrow.  

A little back story.  While I was in America for a month, I tried and became OBSESSED with this yummy dessert from CheeseCake Factory

I'm not a fan of either cheesecake or red velvet cake, but the combination, slathered in cream cheese frosting is to die for!

Since I've been back in Japan, I cannot stop thinking about this dessert.  I decided our PWOC picnic is the perfect opportunity to try making it myself.  I chose to go the cupcake route instead of making a layered cake and here's how it went.

After reading hundreds of recipe reviews, I went with Annie's red velvet cake recipe and Martha Stewart's cheesecake recipe.  The cupcakes are FABULOUS, the cheesecake is just so so (but like I said, I'm not a huge cheesecake fan to start with so I wouldn't take my word for it).

I cut holes in the cupcakes like I do for the car bomb cupcakes I make and scooped cheesecake into the hole with a mini ice cream scoop

like so

 then covered them in Annie's homemade cream cheese frosting.

Not quite the same at the CheeseCake Factory original (and WAY more time/effort) but they're a pretty darn good substitute!

I chose 3 recipes based on the reviews online but I'm certain any 3 would do.  If you have a favorite cheesecake recipe or you like the red velvet cake from a box, go for it!