Macha (Green Tea) Blueberry Muffins

sorry, guys. i know i have been hardcore slacking lately. i mean, a little bit because of the nicer weather, but a little bit because of whatever else is going through my mind lately. i feel like i am hitting another low where i don't want to do anything about anything ever.

but, fear not! (i guess?) i do have some interesting treats for today, and probably more sometime soon. at least, that is the aim, anyway, like this week or some sort.

it's too bad it was a cloudy day when i took these pictures. they really did have a "green tea" color to them. (i did not use food coloring, btw.) i have been going through a phase of being obsessed with green tea lately, and for almost two months, i was looking up (on and off) places to buy matcha relatively inexpensive. of course, wegmans had some that was decently priced, and i figured it would be for experimental purposes only, so why not. (i am totally drinking jasmine pearl green tea as i am typing this. these lonely, sad, sunday mornings. sigh.)

anyway, i super loved these! ron wasn't a fan. i have to make them again, though, because i didn't feel like digging for regular salt, and in a stupid moment thought, "sea salt will work fine!" NOPE.

saltiness aside, i put some powdered sugar on top of them and it kind of made up for it. either way, they were super awesome! matcha does have a slightly different flavor than green tea itsself, i read that it is quite literally ground up leaves, so you can get ALL the antioxidants and benefits from the tea. fancy, right? *pinkies out*

i dunno. i found some other matcha recipes, like truffles, cookies and bread. i also have been looking at stuff with lavender. i know, all these weird ingredients, right? i am weird. i will admit to that. deal with it. but how many places around here would make stuff like this? you can't really walk into many bakeries and ask for green tea flavored things.

okay, now i'm just rambling. i forgot where i was going with that. that reminds me i have to look up some ingredients for some cupcakes for a wedding next year.....i have to get ready for work, too. i need a way to keep track of my thoughts.

i love blueberry muffins. i love green tea. these were a nice twist on both. i wonder if strawberries would be good in them as well? ☺

that is an experiment for another day, i guess. oh! random last thought here. with all the nice weather, i had to get my brakes done (finally) last week. my friend works right behind my work, and i didn't have a ride home. it is only 4 1/2 miles (exactly) from work to home, sooo i did another experiment and walked/ran home! i actually made it in 57 minutes! 25 of that was jogging. go me! was feeling somewhat accomplished. ☺

anyway, i will leave it at that for now. hoping to have something to come back with next week if i can force myself to get motivated. have a good week, all! thanks for reading! ♥

Cookies and Cupcakes Galore (and more!)

i know, i know, i lied about monday. i wasn't expecting to get sick, or to go on a cleaning spree (which didnt help much- dust is bad). but....today you get a picture show! wooo!!
as soon as they load to one drive, that is.  it has been a while since i've posted anything, huh? after the breakfast party, i had a nice 11 day stretch or work, including making a couple cakes, cupcakes and some cookies! it was a busy time! also, very tiring. i got it done, though! my reward? a four day weekend. kind of. i still worked friday (between the cakes, cookies, the restaurant, and picking up a replacement tire for ron because he got a flat), and had a four hour drive north on saturday, where i helped put together a little party and made tacos. sunday was more relaxed, we went out in the morning for a couple last minute things, and then watched a three year old beat a pinata with a bat. did i mention half of this was for heather? it was her birthday, and then her niece's birthday, hence the driving to almost canada. it was nice to be away for a bit, though.

okay! pictures seem to be loaded, so on to the pictures! yay!

first up: smash bros cookies! i made them for lanmob (a gaming place near rome) for a viewing party over the weekend! i did not get completed pictures of them all, (particularly disappointed in myself for that one since i liked the way luigi came out), but they were all piped buttercream on sugar cookies. we had pikachu, yoshi eggs, little mac's glove (from punch-out), luigi, and captain falcon. 

next, the purple galaxy cake! i of course, found it on pinterest, and instantly thought of my other significant other because purple, stars, glitter. it is a black velvet cake (red velvet cake, but using black in place of the red), with cream cheese frosting, and blackberries in the middle. you can't see them well, but they're in there. i always forget that i make a pretty awesome red velvet cake, and i really should make them more. (except that my home is full of crap already so i don't need to make cakes all the time.)

lastly, minnie mouse cupcakes! (and mini cake.) for heather's nieces birthday! i am not crazy for kids, but the faces she makes....ahh it was a good time. just chocolate and vanilla cupcakes, and a vanilla cake. they came out pretty cute though. 

the last couple of pics i will leave you with are just from going out and about. i mean, i was in the adirondacks, so there was nothing around. nothing but outdoors, anyway, which would have been nice if i wasn't freezing the whole time, but that was to be expected. im going to go warm up and get ready for the day, and hopefully not die at work. i feel gross and tired. lots of tea today for me! thanks for reading! ♥