Little Book Bakery

  • Homemade Korean Milk Bingsu

    Milk bingsu made with an ice cream sandwich mold

    Homemade Korean milk bingsu at home.

    In summer, there are days when I need to prepare something cold for the kids.

    Sometimes it is ice cream, sometimes it is a shake, and sometimes I make Korean milk bingsu instead.

    This time, I used an ice cream sandwich mold to freeze the milk ice. It turned out to be a very useful way to make just enough for one serving at a time.

    This was actually an idea one of my kids suggested to me.

    The milk ice was made with milk, a little heavy cream, and a little condensed milk. After it froze, I broke the pieces into bowls and added whatever toppings we had at home.

    Before eating, we usually add a little condensed milk, chocolate syrup, or fruit syrup. The toppings can be ice cream, Korean rice cake, fruit, or sometimes nothing much at all.

    That is one of the nice things about bingsu at home. It does not have to be the same every time. Each bowl can be a little different, depending on what is in the kitchen and what everyone feels like eating that day.

    The ice cream sandwich mold made the whole thing easier. The pieces were small enough to break apart, the amount felt just right, and the bowls came together quickly.

    A cold homemade Korean milk bingsu, made for a summer day at home before everything melted too fast.

    Now playing: Mei Lost in the Forest

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    A few more small notes from home

  • Birthday Table at Buvette

    A birthday dinner chosen for mousse au chocolat

    Birthday table at Buvette.

    On birthdays, I usually like to prepare breakfast at home.

    Dinner, though, is often something we save for a family meal outside, especially when the day already has plans waiting for the evening.

    This time, the kids chose Buvette for one very clear reason: MOUSSE au CHOCOLAT.

    There were other French dishes on the table, but for the chocolate lovers in our family, the mousse au chocolat is always the favorite.

    It somehow becomes the dish everyone remembers first, even after all the other plates have been shared.

    Not a homemade table this time, but still a birthday food memory I wanted to keep here.

    A birthday dinner at Buvette, saved as one small table note from outside home.

    Now playing: Happy Birthday to You (Jazz Version)

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  • Weekend Brunch at Home with Pancakes and Fruit

    A summer table with a watermelon bowl, even without watermelon

    Weekend brunch at home with pancakes, fruit, coffee, corn, salad, and a few small things to share.

    There was no watermelon on the table, but somehow the table still felt like it had watermelon on it.

    Sometimes, on weekend mornings, even mom wants a break from preparing another family meal. But weekend brunch is also one of the best times of the week, so I end up standing in front of the kitchen again.

    Around this table, the small stories we missed during the week start to come back.

    A weekday episode someone forgot to mention, something to look forward to next week, something someone is not looking forward to, a funny new story, a new song, and whether everyone likes today’s menu.

    Because of those small conversations, weekend brunch at home is hard to skip.

    Half of our family loves watermelon, and the other half does not, so I am always a little careful when buying one.

    On days when I miss the feeling of summer watermelon but do not bring one home, I let the watermelon bowl join the table instead.

    It always works like a small trick.

    Even without watermelon, the table somehow feels like summer.

    Now playing: At the Table

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  • Mini Chocolate Cakes

    Small chocolate cakes with a little extra shine

    Mini chocolate cakes at home.

    When it comes to the desserts my kids like most, the word chocolate is almost always in the name.

    Sometimes even a cupcake feels a little too much, and that is when a mini size feels just right.

    Because the cakes were small, I added a little chocolate coating on top and finished them with a few tiny pieces of gold leaf. Just a small touch, but it made them feel more special on the table.

    The kids were happy with the chocolate, and because of them, I think I have started liking chocolate a little more too.

    Small chocolate cakes, made at home for the people who always make dessert feel worth baking.

    Now playing: Whisk & Rhythm (Groovy Baking Beat)

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  • Vanilla Pound Cake at Home

    A cake baked the night before lunch

    Vanilla pound cake at home.

    I baked this cake the night before because the next day was one of those rare lunch days when everyone in the family could sit together.

    I wanted something simple to leave on the table, something we could each have one slice of after lunch.

    There are many desserts my family likes, but vanilla pound cake felt just right for that day. It is quick to make, easy to share, and everyone is happy when it is on the table.

    By the next day, the cake had settled, the lunch table was full, and one slice each felt like a nice way to finish the meal.

    A simple vanilla pound cake, baked the night before and shared after lunch at home.

    Now playing: Baking Time

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  • Cheesy Smashed Potatoes

    A warm tray of small potatoes

    Cheesy smashed potatoes at home.

    I was given a bag of small potatoes, and this felt like the easiest way to use them.

    When there are several small potatoes in the kitchen, cheesy smashed potatoes are one of the fastest, tastiest, and least fussy things to make.

    They go into the oven, the edges get crisp, the cheese melts, and for a little while I can move on to another dish while the tray takes care of itself.

    By the time they come out, they already feel like something everyone can take from the middle of the table.

    A warm tray of small potatoes, saved from an ordinary day at home.

    Now playing: Cooking Time

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  • Fourth of July Cake at Home

    A Small Cake Decorated by the Kids

    Fourth of July cake at home.

    Over the weekend, we decided to make a small Fourth of July cake with the kids.

    I baked the cake sheet and made the cream, and the kids took care of the decorating.

    The cake turned out a little uneven and a little bumpy, but to my eyes, it was cute and wonderful.

    After dinner, we shared the little cake the kids had decorated.

    There is always a happy smell around this time of year. I am not sure if it comes from the kids’ cake, or from the evening table we share together.

    Maybe it is both.

    Now playing: Totoro Seed Growing Dance

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  • Homemade Cake Pops

    Cake Pop Day at Home

    Today, I made cake pops for the first time in a while because one of the kids asked for them.

    I did not use a scoop or a mold, so each cake pop came out in a slightly different size.

    But that has its own good side too.

    Between a cake pop that is “a little bigger”
    and one that is “a little smaller,”
    I start thinking about things I probably do not need to think about.

    Which size feels just right for now, whether this makes today’s dessert a little too much,
    and other small things like that.

    In front of cute cake pops, those “serious” thoughts start to feel kind of cute too.

    Thanks to my family, who always eats my baking happily, I keep making these imperfect little things at home.

    Today, the smell of cake pops fills the house again.

    Now playing: Sprinkle Time (Cute Outro Jam)

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    A few more small notes from home

  • Summer Fruit Cups

    Watermelon Fruit Cups with Green Grapes and Orange Slices

    When plain watermelon feels a little boring, I make a simple fruit cup like this.

    You can add any fruit you like, but today, watermelon is the main one, so I used much more watermelon than anything else.

    The drink, syrup, or sauce you add to the fruit cup can be whatever you like.

    Now playing: Raindrop Waltz

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  • Warm Blueberry Muffin

    Homemade Blueberry Muffins with Almond Flour Crumb Topping

    Blueberry muffin at home.

    I wanted blueberry muffins, so I baked them with plenty of almond flour crumb topping.

    I like adding butter while the muffin is still warm.

    It tastes best with a strong latte.

    Most people like muffins that are soft and moist,

    but for fruit muffins, I like them baked a little longer.

    A warm blueberry muffin, butter, and a strong latte.

    This combination was pretty satisfying.

    Now playing: Blueberry Muffins

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    A few more small notes from home