Muffins, Key Lime Cake, and Brake Time

you know, i really love muffins. they are an awesome breakfast. portable. delicious. customizable....kind of. at least in the fact that you can make many different flavors. i am pretty sure i have a three way tie for my favorite muffins: chocolate chip, blueberry, and strawberry. i mean, i like other flavors too. wegmans has those giant muffins of various flavors...aww yeah. but these muffins...they're super easy! and did i mention delicious?

i actually got this recipe from school a few years ago, and my professor got it from mr. breakfast. i haven't used another chocolate chip muffin recipe since. it even works great with whole wheat flour! they're super yummy.

speaking of muffins, i am getting ready to make a ton of strawberry muffins! i went strawberry picking on thursday. i have been thinking about these florida strawberry muffins for weeks. june came around, and i was like....strawberry season!?? so my fridge is now full of about 6 pounds of strawberries. well, minus a few. i made strawberry daquiris yesterday. also win.

i was thinking about some strawberry bread, strawberry fruit leather, and strawberry frozen yogurt too. i don't know what will happen with those though. they're totally optional, but a possibility.

i seriously have been enjoying this whole frozen yogurt thing lately. maybe it's summer, maybe it's a phase. all i know is that i went out with kris the other day to her work, and we got some from the place next door....salted caramel frozen yogurt! need i say more? the salted caramel obsession will not go away, so that just made it that much better. then i put a few cookie crumbles, some granola, coconut, reeses pieces minis, and more caramel on top of it. it was absolutely delightful. the way my week has been going, i need some happy, and that helped.

can i just tell you brakes are a bitch when it's your first time changing them on a new car? as in i have had my car for three years, and i have never changed them until now. it should not have been an issue. it was all easy stuff, aside from buying the special piece to turn the rear pistons back into the calipers. but seriously, holy crap, it's like everything and anything was trying to stop me from getting anything done. 

bought all the parts, took her apart....front pads were the wrong size. i was given the correct part number for the make, model and everything, and it was still wrong! so next time i have to buy for a 2010 model for the front pads. then the rotors would not come off. i sprayed them daily with liquid wrench, dented the sh*t out of them from hitting them trying to loosen them over two days....ron's dad shows up.....taps them loose in under a minute. like, taps. not going full force. i had to make three different trips because we thought there was another bolt in the center (which can happen sometimes) trying to match the proper size, and i didn't even need it after all. what the hell?! i broke a c clamp (as you can see), although that wasn't a huge worry, other than replacing it took up my time. finally, after getting everything back together, when it was all said and done.....pulling the "final" turn to tighten the last bolt.....aaaaand i busted a (lug) nut. i did not know whether i wanted to laugh or cry, although i'm pretty sure it would have been cry if i stood there any longer.

 

and this is how i feel about everything.

so now, while i got to drive her carefully to work, i still have to finish fixing her. i suppose this is what i get for wanting to do things myself. i will probably do it all again next time i need brakes though. because now i know....and just for the record, my hands were almost black initially, that was after washing them a couple times, and, aside from a puff of rust and debris in my eyes, my thumb was the only thing to suffer any injury. it still stings. i keep hitting it with things and it gets all red and puffy and angry.

onward, to (somewhat) better things!!

happy birthday to my husband! i hope you enjoyed the day yesterday! i can't really afford much, but i cooked a bunch of food, made this epic cake, and then went bowling....until 2am. i am tired. but as long as he's happy, it's all good.

let's talk about this cake though. i am in love. i already love key lime to begin with, and the last cake i made was kind of a hit or miss (it was a key lime cake with white chocolate mousse....sounds delicious right? i did not have the right frosting to pair with it so it was just meh). but this.....i got it from pinterest (of course) via bakerella, whom anytime i hear the name, i think cake pops, but anyway....key lime cream cake!

i was really surprised when he asked me for a key lime cake. i was just thinking i would have had a request for something different. i was originally planning this chocolate raspberry mousse cake. but i will not complain for key lime.

alright, my picture is not as fancy as the one on bakerella's page, but when you have an apartment with no windows, and people over, you can't really stop to take super glam shots. i should have refrigerated it though when stacking the layers. the frosting was kind of runny at room temperature, so it squeezed out of the sides the more layers i put on top, resulting in the slight dome. i am probably the only one who cares about that though.

i think yesterday was pretty good though. at least i hope so. i could not get out of work, so i had to leave for a bit. i think his favorite part was bowling though.

 

i should probably go and do some work, like get those parts and make muffins. you know, be productive instead of sit on the internet all day long. i will leave you with this guy though. i am not a hatch back person, but for some reason, these little 90's hondas.....i love them to death. i might make an exception. but this was too good. if you can't read the line in the window...it says "fat boy in a little car." if you get the reference.....high five. this car made my day (other than picking strawberries with two of my favorite people). if not....do us all a favor and watch the movie "tommy boy" with chris farley. then come back and we can talk.

thanks for reading!! ☺

Day of the Dude

we are starting this off right, with the cake. wedding cake is the most important part of the entire event, and it was an honor to be able to make it for someone dear to me. it was also an honor to be a part of the ceremony itself. i may not have been the best man, but i think i made up for it with everything else (cake, hair bows, etc). i will get to the fun pictures, but i am going to tell my story and weave them in as i go along. if you are that guy who cheats and just scrolls down to the good parts, fine. you suck. i spent lots of time preparing for this, and had a blasty blast, the least you could do is read with me and share my excitement for my friends, and myself in this epic event. poop on you. lazy....

for those who are actually reading, thank you!! you are the ones who make it worthwhile! i know there aren't many of you, but thank you anyway, and i hope you will continue to read with me in the future! ♥

my adventure started on friday morning. well, unless you backtrack to several months ago when i was asked to be a part of the wedding, but who's counting, and thursday i spent all day decorating cupcakes and cake, and then went to the rehearsal dinner, because food, that's why (and because i got to see the bride chase the groom and his friend up a hill with a water bottle because they were sparring).

anyway....i was up early on friday morning to deliver and set up the cake. as you can see, my car was loaded with boxes, and yes, they are system display boxes from work. they make super awesome cake boxes. the flavors, if i did not mention, were more lemon cupcakes with raspberry icing, and chocolate cupcakes with either vanilla (green) icing, or raspberry (purple) icing. the cake was a lemon cake filled with fresh raspberries and whipped cream. hooray for purple!

so i spent the first few hours of my morning in my car, since i had a long drive from manlius to rome. on the way i had to do my last minute gift buying because i am awesome like that. not to mention, the happy couple is always awesome to me no matter what, so even if it is a little, i wanted to do something special for them. (i also made part of the gift too, which i will post shortly, but first....)

after i was done with my errands, the groom and i headed back to his place to meet the rest of the guys for some early lunch. snacks are always good in my book. after the snacks, it was time to get ready!

yes, it's a bathroom selfie. but come on. i should wear a tie and vest all the time. it totally gets better though. to keep the suspense going a little further though, here was the picture i made for them as a gift.

i kind of stole it from pinterest, but added my own twist. the bride had pinned it to her wedding board months ago. it was a tall white board with just the words and date on it that someone was selling for like $60.

<--- better? and way cooler? i tied a frame to it and put their names on it. crafty, and so full of win. it took me about 2 hours to make the letters nice like they are. aside from this, i gave some chocolate wine and a cheesecake factory gift card.

awesooooome!! ♥♥♥

now let's get on with this, shall we? SUIT UP!

DOUBLE. WIN.

i dare say, best groomsman's gift EVAR? i was vibrating with glee, and started swearing in the church when it was presented to me. i think we all got some gaming related stuff. steam cards, resident evil, nintendo cards, and i think the last one was a couple of books, i didn't catch it exactly, but my guess is greek mythology themed, or something about sparring. i think everyone was real excited though.

but seriously, on another note? i think i make a pretty awesome dude, and, in the words of barney stinson, nothing suits me like a suit. hahaha. *insert more suit one liners here*

spectacular! everything was so fancy, all i could think about all day long was "when in doubt, pinkies out!" in the voice of patrick star. i had a few who agreed with me, so it's all good.

congratulations again to steve and amanda! i am so glad to have been a part of your special day! for you, and for the suit. but mostly for you. the suit was just a bonus.

i had the honor of putting all the boutonnieres on everyone before the ceremony since no one wanted to stab themselves. i am pretty sure i confused and offended a few people by being dressed as a guy, but who cares. it was all in fun.

would i do it again? hell yes! is it going to happen? probably not. as much effort as i put into everything for people, i am always overlooked. maybe that means something else though. i don't know. i was going to say something meaningful, but i think i lost it. maybe you get the idea though.

everything went over pretty well though. despite all the trouble in the weeks before hand. the ceremony was nice, the reception was fun, they liked the cake, everything was all sparkle sparkle, the bar made for some interesting people, but when does it not. i mostly watched, but was forced to struggle with dancing for a bit because i am so bad at it, but it was still entertaining. now, they're off to new orleans for a week of relaxation. i guess that is their version of the outer banks to me. it would be fun to visit sometime to see what it's like. if you guys ever read this at all, thank you again for letting me be a special event in your life. i am glad to have met you, and love you both!! ☺

and then because i never said i was done with pictures.....
(these are my favorites, by the way)

AAHH!! this is a whole new level of bad assery. i had way too much fun. i wonder if there are any guys out there who would go gay for me? or even any girls? i could be your boyfriend. ♥☺

except that i am already married. to the guy that took these pictures (of me, anyway. i took the rest, and thank you! now stop being confused by my epic transgenderness.) i can't wait to see the professional photos from the photographer.

i need an excuse to do this again. i was talking to a friend though, and she told me i would actually be a real bridesmaid, in which case i need a photo side by side of bridesmaid me and groomsman me, and then i would have a poll to see if i make a better dude or chick. CHALLENGE ACCEPTED.

i have to wait until she actually gets married though, which is nowhere near set in any way shape or form. maybe i will be lucky enough to be a part of that special day soon. ♥

WELL now that i got that out of my system, i hope you all enjoyed my journey. it was absolutely legen-wait for it....i hope you're not lactose intolerant because the second half of the word is DAIRY! LEGENDARY. awwww yeaaaahhh!

and to think, it was only a few days ago that they were chasing each other around, and now they have each other forever. (happily ever after? fatality? *insert some monster hunter or avengers pun here* (and the fatality is from mortal kombat, if you didn't catch it).

thank you for reading!! come back soon! ♥☺♥

More and More Cupcakes Galore!

***wow. i meant to post this a couple nights ago. well, better late than never. i should have more this weekend, too!!

holy crap. i can't believe it's june already. where did may go? it was here, and now it's gone. so fast. i don't even remember what i did for half of it.

so, instead of me reminiscing about where an entire month went, how about we move on to something more tasty and fun?

....like these alice in wonderland cupcakes to start. they are more filled cupcakes. gotta love the chocolate peanut butter combo. oh, and the vanilla. these were the first time i used fondant on cupcakes, even if it was only for the base to decorate. if i ever have to do it again, i will have to make sure the frosting is on a little nicer to adhere it to. it kind of poked out in some places. i think they came out alright otherwise. got to love pinterest for all these ideas. these were for a wedding shower themed in wonderland.

i also had to make some birthday cupcakes. these were not filled, but were red and blue "funfetti" cupcakes, with a cake to go with it. apparently the person receiving is a rangers fan, but i don't get sports. there are colors, and pictures. sometimes things move. and epic cricket catches.

this one was all rolled fondant with the words piped on. it was also funfetti like the cupcakes. AND...apparently made the background of a phone for a while. as long as people enjoy the things i make, it makes me happy. the alice cupcakes went pretty well, too!

this busy weekend is not where it ends, though. i have 10 dozen cupcakes and a small wedding cake to do by friday for the wedding i will be in. i get to wear a tux!! i am super excited. how many times do you ever get to dress up and be fancy like a sir? like, almost never. especially this guy *points to self*. mostly because i am not really a sir, which is why it is going to be epic fun.

speaking of being fancy, on top of the already 3 dozen cupcakes i cranked out in 3 days, i made some more this morning for a friend's birthday, and to experiment.

small batch lemon meringue pie cupcakes!

yes, they were totally filled, and had a cookie crust bottom. i probably should have taken a little off of the core part so it would fit properly, but...more cupcake to eat!

i kind of liked the way they came out. these lemon cupcakes came out more cake like than the last ones, and still tasted lemony. the recipe? i re-tweaked the same chocolate cupcake i use all the time. it's simple, doesn't need dozens of eggs, each batch makes EXACTLY one dozen...this picture doesn't look as puffy, the cookie in the bottom took up some space, so i didn't want to over fill the liners. BUT....i am certain that if i had filled them properly, minus the cookies, they would be perfect. they certainly tasted that way. ♥

i love cupcakes. i don't mind making them, there are so many things you can do with them. hence why i end up making more, even  after i make several dozen. i always come up with something while i'm baking, and then get excited to the point where i can't wait to eat whatever it is i'm thinking of. my only problem now is money to get the stuff to make the cupcakes. i am still waiting to make something key lime, and may or may not go strawberry picking soon. i. can't. wait.

...as long as it doesn't rain. in other life-ey news, i had to go to work a little early to help a friend with something...and there was a torrential downpour as i was leaving. of course i was leaving late, so i was not even outside for a minute, and was completely soaked. (and yes, i did put some color in my hair again. i also cut it since this picture, just today, actually, but more about that later). at least it was warm outside, so it wasn't terrible. work was freezing once i finally got there, but work is always cold. it was like reliving my childhood, playing in the rain, except without the playing.

today i had to put my stock tail lights back on my car, too. one of the outsides fell off and got lost somewhere, so i had half of a tail light :( i like having my special ones, but i suppose i will have to look for some different ones. in the mean time, my car is stock again. she is still an xrs though, and nobody around here has that! take that.

hmm. well, i suppose i should quit there for now. i think that about catches me up since i last posted a week ago. got more cupcakes coming up,