Vanilla Caramel Pistachio Cupcakes ☺

just think about that title for a minute. vanilla. caramel. pistachio. woah.

i am getting a feeling that lemon cupcakes aren't really a strong point for me. every time i make them they come out really dense. they are delicious, the ones i made today are like big squishy lemon bars (i haven't frosted them yet so no pictures for you) which is a good thing, but it doesn't make me think cupcake. i will just have to hunt the internet for more recipes, and try them. i have a few weeks until the wedding to get this right. more right? right-er? better? something like that. i hope these first ones are enjoyed by everyone anyway.

so anyway, to make things a little better, i made these pistachio cupcakes today, too. i've had this pudding sitting in my cabinet for a while now, trying to figure out something to do with it other than make it, since i won't eat that kind of pudding. cake was an option. then i found these cupcakes. that was a few months ago. nooow i'm just getting around to making them. of course, there are a lot of things i can say that about, not even just food.

the vanilla and caramel idea? i seriously googled "what flavors pair with pistachio" and looked through a couple pages, i think i found this combination on another little home bakery page. i don't think those were filled though. i made that part up. a few of these cupcakes even have some sea salt on them, so they're vanilla salted caramel pistachio cupcakes. oh. em. gee.

the made up filling doesn't have the salt in it, i just felt like a little on the top would be a nice touch. i haven't even tried them yet, i am so full of food from lunch, all i could do was look at them when i frosted them. i need a picture of their delightful inner glory, which is a combination of cream cheese, a little of the vanilla buttercream, and some of the leftover home made caramel sauce from my macarons that i made.

tomorrow. breakfast? maybe. i don't know yet. i might go for a walk if it's not raining, so i suppose it wouldn't be all that terrible. i can't even think about food right now. ugh. stupid pizza being so delicious. see this image.

and then look at these cupcakes some more. i think they came out really pretty, on top of everything else. i wish i had more time to dedicate to being fancy. these make me want to make more cupcakes and be all fancy some more. i don't know what to do next though. i still want to make those caramel cheesecake bars.....mmm,,,,

alright. that's all i got for now. when i break into one of these tomorrow i will post that, not to mention the lemon raspberry cupcakes. i will defeat them. YOU HEAR ME?!? DEFEAT YOUUU!!

thanks for reading!

Quick Update, More Later This Week

yes, i know it's been a while since i've posted anything. working random hours sometimes kills any time you have to do anything, and anything aside from work sometimes takes whatever time you have left over. i don't really know what i've been doing that is taking all my time, other than trying to work all the hours.

don't worry though. i have a couple weekends in a row that i will have some fun things to share, starting with cupcakes this weekend! in the mean time, enjoy this picture of these oatmeal cookies i made (again) as a bribe for a good review at work-i mean.....i love cookies! ♥♥♥

i did make a batch of chocolate chip cookies as well, but they are long gone. i have too many bad things to eat at my house, and i just keep making more. it's that inner fat kid calling out to me: "i'm bored with these cookies. make some cupcakes! cupcakes? bored- eat that box of peeps on the counter. not feeling it....ice cream day!" it's a vicious cycle. that's why i try to eat things that are good for me. try.

the cupcakes i am making for this weekend are for a bridal shower, and the cake for next weekend is another bridal shower. just having this realization now. i don't pay much attention to what i am doing until it's time. so right now, or at least tomorrow and the next couple days, it's cupcakes. lemon cupcakes with raspberry frosting. yay! i will post recipes/links later when i have some pictures.

in the mean time, i am a personal bird jungle gym.

look at mr. sneaky face. he got to sit with me last night while i watched a movie. d'awwww. dat face. ♥

today, it is cosmo. oh, hes such a pain in the ass. spoiled. he has been attached to me all morning long. i have to leave for work in a few minutes though, so that is gonna change. i don't know if i had mentioned he likes to rub his face on everything, but he likes to rub his face on everything. he was doing that to my face/eye. i have no idea. he's dumb.

well, i suppose for now, i will leave it at that. i will be back with more pictures of some yummy treats! thanks for reading!

Strawberries and Cream Jello Shot Cupcakes

LOOK AT HOW CUTE THESE ARE.

also note that they are not as innocent as they appear to be.

kind of reminds me of me. sure, i'm little and awesome, but i am trouble.

so yes, these are the completed cupcakes from yesterday!! vanilla cream cupcakes with a cream cheese frosting, laced with alcoholic strawberry jello. CAKE FLAVORED alcoholic jello. oohh, it makes me all giddy, and i want to eat one!! but not until after work....

i totally made my jello in the shape of little stars, just because i like stars. aahh!! i want to make these in other flavors!! it will give me an excuse to use up all of this booze i have laying around. i don't usually drink very much, if at all, and mostly i buy it for the novelty of it (ie: cake flavored, key lime whipped, creamsicle, fluff, rootbeer....etc.). you get the point. i will have like one shot or mix it with something, and that's pretty much the end of it. it's not even because of an epic hangover or bad experience or anything. i'm pretty sure my worst booze experience was when i drank half a bottle of sweet tea vodka, threw up a few times, and then got up and made 10 people breakfast like a boss. it just doesn't happen.

anyway, i am excited to share these, and with all of the ideas i have been thinking with these, i could make an adult cupcake business. how fun would that be? bachelor/ette party? turning 21? hell, i-just-broke-up-so-lets-get-chocolate-wasted party? i think it's a fun idea. i bet there aren't many other places that would cater boozy cupcakes.

i have more cupcakes to make down the road for a bridal party, and a wedding, but they are non alcoholic. that is not until may and june though. the theme is purple and green though, and that makes it fun.

on a random note....look at my sooon!! ♥♥♥

i super love him. i changed his water this morning and he took a bath, which means i had to change it again.

ohh, hes so cute!! with his happy face, and floppiness, and his little tail shake!! my heart melts for him. except for the wet bird smell, but once he dries he smells normal again. (yes, i smell my birds.)

le sigh! well, the weather is getting nice again, and i hope it stays this way, no more of this bipolar crap. i don't know if i said that or not, but i'll say it again. i just wanted to make a short post for those cupcakes up there! i promised i would when they were finished!! well, i will have to come up with something next week to share. in the mean time, thanks for reading!! ☺

Today: Cupcakes. Tomorrow: Hangover

okay, well not really a hangover. they actually won't be ready until tomorrow, unless i get bored enough today and have time before work, but most likely not.

i am kind of putting these together while i am typing this. no, not like that. baking, typing, cooling, typing, putting jello together....etc. you get it. there's no way i would want to dump jello all over my laptop. i would die. like, table flip everything, and then curl up in the corner and die for breaking a 6 month old laptop. i am so glad to finally have one again, since my previous one was 8 years old and on it's last legs, which also makes me sad....but no sadness right now. there are jello shot cupcakes in the making in my home at this very moment! ☺

...and breathe carolina. i forget how much i like them. usually i have my "cars" station on pandora (and was totally jamming out to every bon jovi song that came on while i was making my tea party treats....zero f*cks given), or "panic at the disco," but not today....yet.

so these cupcakes called for a vanilla cupcake, of course. i believe i posted the link from pinterest a couple posts ago for the whole jello shot cupcake thing. well, they used a box cake in theirs, and i will not use a box cake. it's just not the same. i turned on my laptop this morning, and in one of the little app boxes on my home screen, there was a recipe for some blackberry and cream cupcakes. i bet you're thinking one of several things: a) that sounds delicious, b) why would you ruin a perfectly good cupcake with booze?!, c) just get on with it already!.....i would like to make the actual blackberry cupcakes someday. but in the meantime, anything good about them is getting cancelled out by cake vodka! yay!

the original recipe called for grape, which i think would be super awesome, but in the interest of everyone else, i think strawberry is pretty universal. rule of food: anything pink is usually delicious.

these look and smell super delicious!! ♥♥♥

instead of blackberry and cream, strawberry and cream....and booze. i think that's a yes!! AND they totally have a cream cheese icing! topped with a little jello cube (hence the extra pan of jello above). i kind of have half of the recipe going, since i don't know if two dozen would be too many. they are for a friend's 21st birthday that i work with. i feel so old. i'm pretty sure he was 16 when i started at the restaurant. *tear* they grow up so fast! right after his birthday he had heart surgery, so i promised treats when he came back. anyway, if a dozen is not enough....i can try a different flavor next time! i bet i could do orange, like a creamsicle....i have all these random vodka flavors. key lime whipped? i could do a key lime cupcake/shooter combo. ohhh baby!!

well, i can't really prep them too far ahead of time since i have to wait for the jello. now i am just wondering what to eat today. i am thinking of some buffalo chicken. that sounds pretty tasty. i wanted to make this buffalo chicken mac and cheese, but i don't have enough cheese. maybe next time. i get paid a little bit tomorrow, it can be next week's lunch.

i am going to leave this post somewhat short today. i am starving now, and i just keep thinking about food. it is getting nice again. i love how the weather was like 80 on sunday and monday, and then tuesday it was 30 and snowed all day. all four seasons in one week. thanks new york. you can stay in the 50's and 60's from now on. no more of this crap.

thanks for reading! ☺

After Tea Party

two posts in one day? i know. its total blasphemy. what am i thinking? i'm crazy like a fox. i'm also extremely tired....as usual. i blame that in part due to my contacts though. they always make me extra tired. my eyes are like,"noooo what are you doing?! stahp!" okay. anyway...

look! i told you they were cute. i like the purple ones. i mean, purple is my favorite color anyway, but i don't know. they're all cute. very sweet, but delicious. that could also be because i was eating all kinds of sweet things anyway, and went on a sugar overload. who knows.

not sure if i mentioned it, but i used a sour cream pound cake recipe from my book, All Cakes Considered, by melissa gray. it is the first recipe in the book which, if anyone wants it and can't find it, i would be glad to post. maybe i'll even come back another day and post it anyway since noone responds to me on here. the poured fondant came from king arthur flours via pinterest. i decorated with a little batch of buttercream. they took some time, but i think the end result was worth it for.

hmm, well i guess i already posted a picture of the macarons, but here they are again. i don't think i mentioned that i air brushed the color onto them (aside from the white/tan ones). i didn't want to over mix, or make four batches, so this was a quicker solution. i even added some edible glitter spray to make them shiny. who doesn't like shiny? (another one of those questions- everyone does, or get out.)

sadly, only a few people turned out, most of my invites cancelled at the last minute due to various issues. that's just how it happens i guess. it made me get everything cleaned faster though. maybe a breakfast buffet will lure everyone out in the coming months.

yay scones! they turned out better than i thought, too. i think i already told my story about doubling only the milk, and going crazy over doing it wrong and all that stuff. not quite as puffy as most, but they were pretty fluffy anyway. next time i will get this...

the jam and cream went really well too. i was a little skeptic about the unsweetened cream, but the jam made up for it. english people are genius, i tell you. i am glad i have extra. they are totally going to be my breakfast for the next couple of mornings. i will need to find a use for all of this jam, too. i don't really use it for much of anything. still thinking some cheesecake is in order at some point....like that white chocolate raspberry cheesecake.

meh. i am glad a few people came out. it kind of makes me a little sad, i want to see my friends and have a life, so i try to make something fun.

i am still thinking about those jello shooter cupcakes, too....maybe later this week. i have to go get some more healthy food to cancel out all of these bad things that i am eating. of course, i only find more bad things to cancel out anything good that i eat. kind of like today. i started off with a multigrain bagel, and then went straight to some peanut butter caramel brownie ice cream, followed by scones, petit fours, oreo truffles, macarons, and fancy candy shop chocolates. i mean, i walked almost a half mile between all that....it's something, right? lol.

#foreveralone #innerfatkidrage #whydoihashtag?

it's like one of these things is not like the other. i always feel kind of goofy in a dress, but have to make up for it by wearing my converse sneakers and be a total badass.

it's just how i roll. by the way, this was on my walk earlier. it was like 80 degrees of awesome outside, and i couldn't justify spending the whole day looking out the window.

le sigh. well, i guess i will try to come back later this week with something else crafty or delicious. we'll see what happens. i am going to go to bed, and not have anything to do before work tomorrow for once, although i'm sure i'll remember something at the last minute. thanks for reading! to the five who came to see me and enjoy some tea and treats, thank you for making today worth it! ♥

Tea Time!

wow! so the longest couple of weeks ever is seemingly coming to an end finally, and what a better way to end it than with some tasty, bite sized treats and tea!

yes, i know. so they're pointy. i didn't want to over mix the batter so.....for a first time, i was extremely cautious making these. these macarons are super delicious though. i filled some with nutella, some with vanilla icing, and some with salted caramel. oh yes, you read that right. salted caramel is kind of like crack. i was considering making some caramel nutella ones, but then i realized if i did that, there wouldn't be any left for later.

everything is just about set. i just have to put together some cucumber sandwiches, i have to warm my scones, whip the butter, and set everything out. i have petit fours as well, but i will post that picture later. they are adorable. just you wait. i think some chocolate ones will be fun for next time.

just the scones in the oven, they were half way done at this point. i actually got really scared they wouldn't come out. i haven't had the best luck making them in the past. i had to double my recipe, kiiind of unintentionally (i was planning to make two batches, but separately) because i wasn't paying attention and doubled only the milk. the batter was really runny and set off little red flags because "it doesn't look like the picture!!!" (got the recipe from this pin here, super awesome). i threw together all of the ingredients for a second batch excluding the milk, and kind of mashed it all together. i was really worried i had over mixed it and they were going to suck, but they actually turned out pretty good. baking experiment win.

i am still kind of in shock that i was able to get everything done in time. i am still thinking to myself, what else did i forget? what else is there to do?! like something is going to go terribly wrong and explode all over the place, which is usually my luck. i guess in this case, i am just going to shower and finish up my final prep. i will post more after my party!

oh, i almost forgot! hot wheels cake! yay for cars! haha alright, so i am probably the only one who would love a car cake for my birthday, especially if it was my car. i am so weird. anyway, i think this one turned out pretty nice considering it was all buttercream!

alright! well, NOW i will post more pictures after my party. i am off to double and triple check everything, and then play the waiting game until 6 or so. check back soon! thanks for reading! ☺

Moving and Lots of Treats

holy crap am i tired. i think last night was the earliest i made it to bed (about 11pm) than i have in the last 10 days. this 1am stuff does not work for me, especially with the number of hours i worked last week.

aaaanyways....

i have been working extra hard to get ready for my tea party this weekend. i am really excited. i love tea. i have my pound cake done for my petit fours, i am going to make scones and macarons. there will be cucumber sandwiches. there will be (of course) all kinds of tea. it's even supposed to be somewhat nice out, although my party is later in the day. fancy high tea, or at least my rendition of it.

i also have a cake to make for tomorrow. i am going to start decorating it in a bit, i am waiting for my butter to come to room temperature. it is going to be hot wheels themed, i will post pictures later when i am done.

i am almost done with the unpacking part of moving. the past two times it usually takes a couple months to get everything done, but this was like a speed run. i think this is like 9 days. i have to take out this box of boxes that probably weighs half as much as i do, and i have 2 small boxes left which are holding the kitchen cabinet doors shut (i need those child proof hinge thingys, one of my cats locked himself in the cabinet a few days ago for 8 hours. they are retarded). so, almost there. i should be done by sunday.

now, on to this pie....

as you can see, i added a little special ingredient to the graham cracker crust. i was worried i wouldn't have enough so i threw a few of these dulce de leche girl scout cookies into the mix. genius. strangely enough, i think it goes rather well with the lemon meringue. here is the recipe, which i got from allrecipes this time!

i think i got carried away with the meringue, however. i beat it a little too much, so it kind of deflated. it was still delicious though. i am the only one eating it anyway.

i made this pie twice unintentionally. i had the dry ingredients and the crust set aside in my fridge from right before the move. the crust melted, hence the graham cracker crust. i forgot the dry ingredients and mixed them all again. i guess once i eat this one i just have to make another pie. maybe i'll do key lime next.

 

as much as i obsess over key lime, it wasn't really my next idea. i have been dying for a coconut cream pie. more specifically, i have this delightful chocolate lovers book that has a white chocolate coconut cream pie. ohhhh yeahhh. i will have to get someone to share that with me since i am the only one who likes coconut in this house. it is one of my top favorites aside from salted caramel, key lime, anything chocolate....well, anything, almost. there are no such things as favorites in my mind, since they are always changing. those things i just mentioned are pretty consistent though. ☺

aside from all the unpacking, cleaning, and baking, i made a little time for some crafty-crafts too. i made this little spring time decor for the center of this lower ceiling-almost-arch-thing in my living room. i also made a little bouquet
 for a table or something for sunday. i have some more flowers left, i haven't decided what to do with them yet.

i really like lilies. an ac moore was going out of business near me, so i got a bunch of neat things for real cheap. yay less money! less money is ALWAYS a favorite in my book.

i can't wait to have a little more time after all of this. i have such fun doing things like this, it almost makes me feel like i have a chance at understanding the word "relax." isn't that terrible? it's like the word is not a part of my vocabulary at all sometimes, and is probably why i am as broken as i am. i am still trying to blame moving for my new neck/back issue, and the fact that i chemical poisoned myself a few nights ago, too. i mean, why can't everything just pick itself up and move, or clean itself more often? maybe these things wouldn't happen? ohh one could only dream. hahaha. i am so delusional.

well, i suppose i will wrap this up for now. i have a list of things i need to do over the next few days, and they definitely will not do themselves. check back soon for more pictures of all these things i will be making. thanks for reading! ♥

Moving Week....Quick Update

look at this little bird ball. puffy butt!! squeeeeeze dat face!

ohhh this has been such a long week.

working, moving, work-move-work-work-things.

i think we are officially out of the other place. i am a little sad. i drive past it now every time i come home and think, "i wish i wasn't poor." like that will ever happen. pretty sure i pulled or did something to my back or neck that i will be stuck with forever. it hurts to turn to the right, or at least the right side.

the week is not over yet. i have to hard core clean the new place, i'm not sure the last people here cleaned often. there are cobwebs. bathroom is kind of icky. stove: nope. i showered in my bathroom sink at work today. stove has to be done asap because i have a cake to do by friday, and my tea party is next sunday. ohhh my goodness.

i keep seeing all of these things i want to make on the internet, and i can't yet! i have that lemon meringue pie that is sitting in pieces in my fridge, i really want a coconut cream pie at some point (that is from a book...its white chocolate coconut....ohhh yeahhh!!), these things (click me- need them in or around my mouth), my quinoa is calling out to me, but the pizza in the fridge is saying, "i'm already made! just take me instead!" cupcakes....oh the cupcakes i've been finding. i want more of those oatmeal cookies. i have girl scout cookies to experiment with. god, my inner fat kid has been screaming at me. maybe it's all the heavy lifting and exercise i've been getting. or just the internet.

this was a few days ago. i have a lot more done now, and things are going to move again. in the mean time, i am doing this tonight. i suppose i should have one night without work, although i worked twice already. yay!

i can't wait for things to get back under control so i can do what i want. when i was helping clean my friend's house last week, i was rewarded with deodorant and a wood burning tool, which is my ribbon cutter. i have a bunch of lanyards i want to cut up into hair bows. i am excited for that. i got some xbox, playstation, uhh, destiny and watch_dogs.....i don't even remember what else. i totally want to granny craft all day long. maybe paint something, though i don't know what yet.

then, i want to make all of those things i was talking about. i think i deserve it after a hard week. who needs alcohol? treats all around! ohh the plans i have. don't worry, i will share them when the time comes. obviously i can't share them when i haven't made them yet.

well, i am going to cut this one short, since i am sure most of you (if anyone reads this) probably just want to see treats and crafty artsy things. next update, i promise something delicious!! thanks for reading!! ☺

Purple Spider Cake...Also WTH is Wrong?

Hooray! I am totally using the iPad at work to blog! Worst. Employee. EVAR. but I don't care. It's a slow day.

It was heathers birthday a couple days ago, so I made a tiny cake to share! I wish I had a little more time to add a unicorn or something, but there's always next year for that. It's purple. It's spider themed. I used my edible pearl dust because glitter- that's why. Yep. It came out pretty cute despite the fact that I do not like spiders much.

These ones were made of frosting though, so I can eat them, instead of them eating me. You hear me!? Take that, spiders!

I totally used my go-to cupcake recipe from the Hershey book and it worked out quite nicely. Nice and soft and fluffy. Chocolate? Yes. All over the place.

I have lemons and the beginning of a lemon meringue pie in my fridge, but it will have to wait until the weekend for me to even think about making it. I am in the middle of moving! maybe those of you who participate in moving activities will be awarded with some pie if you are in the right place at the right time.

isn't it cute? ♥

Yes, as of today I am switching apartment to a slightly smaller one. The townhouse was nice and I will miss it, but I can't afford that kind of luxury at this point in my life. Oh well. Maybe someday.

I ended up posting a status on Facebook in attempt to rally some assistance. A lot of good that did. That's why I stopped going on there to begin with. Well, I got three responses anyway. So far two actually came out this morning, which I am eternally grateful for. If you can't help, you don't have to tell me about it. The number of times I have dropped everything to help everyone and I can't ask for anything in return. I got hurt feelings, man. #themfeels

I really should stop being so nice to every single person I come into contact with. It's almost not even worth it. *sigh* I will never change that about myself though, no matter how much I am stepped on in return. I will always suffer in silence. Aside from this post. If one of you happens to come across this and reads it, just know that I am willing to help, I am always smiling on the outside, but inside may be another story.

Blarg! My swiffer duster is so gross, it is just spreading the dust around. No one will buy me more. I don't want to max out my card, but I may buy some. At least I can get reimbursed for them next paycheck. But now I am bored again. It's been a slow day so far. I will be opening tomorrow, too so I get to come right back. Sleep-move-work-move-sleep?-work-move-sleep-move. I like to think sleep will happen in there sometime. I really need it. I feel like I could fall asleep standing up. It's almost time to go home, even though that means I will have to be awake longer.

*****

well, now i am back home again. too tired for words, and i no longer have the ipad to correct my capital letters and whatnot, but who's paying attention, anyway? got quite a few boxes moved, but still have quite a bit more. lots of big things. how fun is that?

 

look at this dumb face. i put him on my futon frame and he was (of course) rubbing and tapping his face on the bars. he was having a field day, so i left him there for a while, until we had the doors open often, and he started screaming. i love my darling poopsicle, i don't care what anyone says about him. while i am sitting here typing this, it sounds like he is tapping his face on the bottom of his house, probably rolling around in his newspapers again. yep. newspaper crinkling. go home, bird, you're drunk.

i really should go to bed. i say that a lot in my blog, for some reason i always end up posting before i go to bed, so i am always really tired.

hopefully unpacking will go quickly, i am still planning my tea party for the 13th, which is a sunday. i think i need to do a breakfast buffet party sometime after that. breakfast is my favorite meal of the day, and i would be happy to eat it all day long if i could. doesn't matter. there is a breakfast food for that.

 

OH MY GOODNESS THIS FACE. ♥♥♥ i love him so much. i would take him with me everywhere if it wasn't frowned upon. grocery shopping, work, you name it. he would probably sit with me all day and be so content, especially as long as i feed him whatever he wants. this was from this morning, too, we were looking out the window together, and he whistled for me. he will always win my heart.

well, i guess i will leave the crazy bird lady talk be for now. i don't have any new recipes that i have tried, mostly because i have been busy. i found a few, like these key lime coconut cookies and just today these grape jello shot cupcakes (which are super pretty, btw, and purple....for the win). i want to do all these things, but i can't! not for a while yet! not to mention....this game....i want it. i just looked it up today at work, mostly because of the title: akiba's trip: undead and undressed. oh my goodness. its a crazy anime vampire game. in order to defeat them, you have to steal their clothes to expose their skin to the sunlight. holy crap i want to play it, and its only going to be $40.

alright. bed. now.
thanks for reading!