{mom visits a-town}

I stole my mom away for a week and introduced her to our new home. All week we were busy little bees, sightseeing a bit, and just enjoying each other’s company. It was so great to have her here; I can’t wait until her next visit!  

I took her to BAJA Fresh one day for some yummy tacos. Neither she nor I had ever been to one so it was a nice first. The tacos were pretty good---they even had free chips for our table and a wide variety of salsas.

After a delicious lunch, we headed over to the aquarium to say hello to the fishes. It was my second time there and it was much less crowded than my first visit, which made it easier to enjoy all the exhibits. We even caught a cute little 3D show full of splash and motion effects. My mom could not stop talking about how much she loved the aquarium. Our favorite room was the giant ocean view room. We just sat there and watched the whale sharks and fish schools for close to an hour. We even stayed long enough to watch the whale shark feeding. It was kind of cool; in a frenzied mess all the fishes swarmed over to try and steal a bite of krill. The aquarium presenter explained that sometimes the other fish get sucked into the whale sharks’ mouths along with the krill, but the whale sharks throats are too small to swallow them, so they end up being thrown out their gills. I imagine that might be a bit of a wild ride.

One of the weirdest sights at the aquarium was the tank above that had these little sea worms going in and out of the ground. They were really funky and made me think of the sandworms in beetljuice...haha.

Of course we had to say hello to nemo!

We couldn’t leave without seeing the penguins!

My mom treated us to a fantastic dinner one night and shared a few cooking tricks she tried to teach me when I was younger but was too distracted (with teenage woes) to comprehend. It was very special for me and reaffirmed where my love for cooking came from. I can’t believe I had forgotten how good my mom is in the kitchen. She made three different dishes at the same time, used all of her ingredients (and parts you wouldn’t think to use, i.e. bean juice), and timed everything perfectly, to be finished and still warm by dinnertime. She even had enough time to take a shower, get dressed, and doll herself up. Impressive!

One of the dishes my mom made was her famous “albondigas” or dominican meatballs. To form the meatball my mom puts a scoop of her prepared ground beef into a coffee mug and swirls it around (while dancing to some good merengue) until a perfect little ball forms. I had lots of flashbacks of my youth when she would give my brother and I our own coffee mug and encouraged us to join in this meatball forming dance. It is such a nifty little trick and works everytime!  

I am truly blessed to have such a wonderful mother. She may not always be perfect (or quiet), but she goes above and beyond in everything she does. She has more energy than anyone I know (except when her novelas are on...hehe...don’t mess with those), and has an extremely big heart. I miss her already.

Bye for now!

The Mrs.

{recipe: hostess with the mostest cupcakes}

Today’s post is on some delicious cupcakes I made for a BBQ we hosted a few weeks ago. Have you ever had a hostess cupcake; those yummy cream filled delights with the little white icing curls on top? They were one of my favorite childhood treats! I had a major craving for one so I thought it might be fun to try and make them myself. I searched throughout the net until I came across this well reviewed recipe. The cake came out very moist and just as I remembered, however the ganache topping and center filling are so much better (sorry hostess). I skipped the frosting curls as I ran out of time (my guests were arriving!) and instead left a cute little filling dot on top. Try them out and let me know what you think. My guests were impressed...hopefully yours will be too!

hostess with the mostest cupcakes:

Servings: 10 – 15 (less if you keep them to yourself…ha!)

Source: Bake at 350

Cake Ingredients:

1 & 1/4 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

1 & 1/4 cups granulated sugar

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped

1 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

How To:

Step 1: Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350.

Step 2: Place paper liners in a muffin tin for about 24 cupcakes. We ended up with a little less as my hubs couldn’t keep his spoon out of the batter.

Step 3: Bring the sugar and 1 cup of water to a boil in a saucepan, stirring until the sugar dissolves.

Step 4: Pour the sugar water into a large bowl; add the chocolate and butter and let sit, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate is melted and the mixture has cooled slightly.

Step 5: Stir in the vanilla.

Step 6: Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.

Step 7: Using a mixer, beat the eggs into the chocolate, then mix in the dry ingredients.

Step 8: Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans (about 1/4 cup batter per cupcake) and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes.

Step 9: Cool in the pans for about 25 minutes, then transfer cupcakes to a rack to cool completely.

marshmallow filling:

Servings: 24 cupcakes

Source: Bake at 350

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1 cup marshmallow crème

How To:

Step 1: Using a mixer, cream the butter until light and fluffy.

Step 2: Beat in 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar.

Step 3: Add the vanilla and 1 tablespoon heavy cream; beat until smooth.

Step 4: Beat in the remaining 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar and 2 tablespoons of heavy cream in batches, alternating after each addition.

Step 5: Beat in the marshmallow crème; set aside or refrigerate.

Step 6: Once your cupcakes have cooled, use the back of a filling tip to cut out the center of each cupcake.

Step 7: Spoon some filling into each hole; don’t worry about the filling showing, the ganache will cover it.

ganache topping:

Servings: 24 cupcakes

Source: Bake at 350

Ganache Ingredients:

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

How To:

Step 1: Place the chocolate in a stainless-steel bowl.

Step 2: Heat the cream and 1 tablespoon of butter until just boiling, then pour over the chocolate; let stand for 5 minutes.

Step 3: Whisk until smooth.

Step 4: Add 2 teaspoons of vanilla; let stand until cool but still glossy and liquid. **Don’t let it cool too much as it will be harder to spoon over your cupcakes.

Step 5: Spoon the ganache carefully over each filled cupcake.

decorating icing:

Servings: 24 cupcakes

Source: Bake at 350

Icing Ingredients:

1 stick unsalted butter
1 & 1/2 - 2 tablespoons milk
2 cups powdered sugar

1/4 tsp vanilla

 How To:

Step 1: Using a mixer, beat the butter, 1/4 teaspoon vanilla, milk, and confectioners sugar until smooth, adding more milk if needed.

Step 2: Spoon icing into a pastry bag with the smallest tip you have and pipe onto the cupcakes to decorate. Check out Bake at 350 for a very cute decorating idea.

Make sure you give yourself plenty of time to make these as they can be a little time consuming. They are definitely worth the trouble!

That’s all folks! Enjoy!

Mrs. E



{sweet surprises: cinnamon bun orange}

Hello friends!

Today I’m going to share something fun (and sweet) that we successfully attempted during our Easter camp trip. I heard about this trick sometime ago and had always wanted to try it. It’s called the “Cinnamon Bun Orange.” Basically you cook a cinnamon bun inside a hollowed out orange over a campfire. The little bun is cooked perfectly and ends up with some citrus hints. Below is a short tutorial on how to do it yourself!

Cinnamon Bun Orange How To:

1. Take an orange, cut it in half, and hollow out both sides. A spoon does the trick, but a citrus juicer makes it even easier.

2. Place a pre-made raw cinnamon bun inside one half of your hollowed out orange. I’ve never tried this with homemade cinnamon buns, (just the store-bought kind), so I’m assuming the cooking time will vary a bit.

3. Place the other half of the hollowed out orange on top of the one with your cinnamon bun and wrap the whole orange completely with foil.

4. Carefully place the foil covered orange into a fire pit. Do not put it directly in the fire, just near enough to the base of the flames to get warm. Let cook for about 20 minutes.

5. After 20 minutes, remove the orange from the fire and carefully unwrap it.

6. Remove the top half of the orange and voila! A perfectly cooked cinnamon bun!

And that’s how you do it! I was very surprised by how great this turned out. It was super moist and cooked all the way through. We only made one cinnamon bun like this and cooked the rest in an oven, but I think next time we may have to make them all this way (the ones in the oven overcooked and burned some). Give it a try on your next camp trip!

After awhile crocodiles!

Mrs. E

{shoplove: crown+cole & rooftop fibers giveaway results are in!}

Happy Monday Everyone!

I’m sure you’re all excited to find out who the lucky winner of the Crown+Cole & Rooftop Fibers giveaway is! Well I won’t hold out any longer...drumroll please...

And the winner is......

Congrats Isaiah! You are sure to look dashing with your new necklace! Even though your plan is to wear it everywhere to make your wife jealous, I do suggest that you let her borrow it a few times, so she can feel pretty too J

We will be in touch soon to make sure you get your lovely piece!

Many thanks to Step Miller for sharing her designs and participating in our giveaway!

For those of you interested in looking at more of Ms. Miller’s designs, click on either of her shop logos below (or on the right sidebar) and you will be redirected to her etsy shops. She’s added more pieces in the last few weeks which are perfect for summer!

Until next time!

The Mrs.

{26 before 26: #11 check! and some updates!}

{yay! progress!}

I’m on a roll!...ok not an insane roll...just a California roll...ha!

#11: Complete guestbook project.

I finished it! Finally this handsome little peacock has his feathers and can grace our mantle. Read more about how to make your own here.

Progress Updates:

#1: Run a 5k.

I have picked my 5k friends! Ready for it...The Warrior Dash! It’s not only a 5k but an obstacle course as well. Ack! Am I ready? I sure hope so...it’s in two weeks! I have been training---to eat the delicious turkey legs they will offer...siiike! No, I really have been training pretty hard, running every other day and incorporating strength training into my workout. I am so excited and will let you all know how it goes!

{yes i am!}

{i hope my moves are as awesome as peewee’s on the left...}

#2: Create 5 new recipes.

I’ve been working diligently on this goal, playing around with different flavors in the kitchen. So far I have created this herb roasted baby potatoes recipe, and this creamy bacon carbonara recipe. This week I have also worked on a few new recipes that I will be sharing sometime in the near future!

#4: Read 26 new books cover to cover.

This goal is one of those that I should have started yesterday. Never fear, I will be on track soon. I have been known to finish whole books in one day after all; especially when they are super interesting, like The Hunger Games (favorite series of all time by the way, thanks Maureen for introducing me to it). I am starting with these two books: Choke by Chuck Palahniuk, and The World of Normal Boys by K.M. Soehnlein.

#7: Achieve goal body image through regular exercise and healthy eating.

I am super pumped about this one as it has been working! Granted it is a slow process as there is no magic plan that can make this happen overnight (no healthy one at least). I have been active practically every day of the week doing some sort of exercise for more than 30 minutes a day. On occasion I will take a recovery day (which is highly recommended) and jump back in the next day. I love how this makes me feel! To be honest, I hated getting back into an exercise regimen as baking new goodies or crafting seemed more fun. Now that I have been at this for the last few months (starting slowly with the Couch25K program) I am always looking for new opportunities to work myself out. Lifting weights during commercial breaks, jogging to and from the mailbox, and engaging my core while doing the dishes; there are tons of moments in the day to take advantage of. I have also created a workout calendar on my phone with reminders so I’m not scrambling to figure out what workout to do for the day and I no excuse to forget. Currently, my regimen looks something like this: run 3 days a week, ab workout on my run days, bootcamp, wii zumba, or pilates on my non-run days, butt workout (or buttercises...haha) every other day, and weight lifting every 2 days or so. The best part of this regimen is that I can do it all at home or in our neighborhood so I don’t have to pay for a gym membership! There is no excuse not to workout, especially when you can do so much in your home. And if you get bored, it’s easy to change it up! Now this regimen is for me and I am in no way recommending it to anyone. You should find what works for you. The point is to get off your butt and move!

As far as healthy eating, my diet has improved so much. I have been reading tons of healthy eating tips to make sure that I’m picking the right foods and I also have been taking daily vitamins to supplement where I lack. A favorite tip I’ve read is to eat dessert for breakfast as you have all day to work it off! Ice cream with my cereal---yes please! Because I have been more active I have also included more protein and tons of water into my diet to help fuel my workouts. Again, this plan is what works for me. You should contact a nutritionist to find the best diet for you. There is no magic plan as everyone’s bodies are different.

Maybe I will post some progress pictures of this...maybe.

#8: Start Etsy shop.

This is a work in progress. It has technically been started but we’re still working out the kinks. More on this later.

#13: Publish 100 blog posts.

I am getting very close! This post makes 62! I’m glad that I have stayed consistent with this little blog. I can’t wait to see how it continues to develop.

#15: Keep plants alive until @ least 26.

My plants are still alive friends! My indoor cactus is hanging on, and our inside fern is still kicking! My herb garden is also doing wonderfully. I have even harvested my little herbs a few times and they continue to thrive! We are almost there!

These are all the updates I have for now! Check back in for more in the future. How is your list coming along?

Peace!

The Mrs.