New Obession

Everyday I faithfully check out Cake Wrecks and now I've added Cupcakes Take The Cake to my Internet cruising routine. It's a wonder I manage to get showered and dressed in the morning! And, if as if the Cupcakes Take The Cake wasn't enough, I also check out the links on that site, like Cupcake Swirl, and A Cup Cakery. I need to win the lotto, there are so many amazing little accessories for cupcakes that I must have! I have yet to figure out how I made it this far in life without these adorable cupcake liners.
These are simple, which is what I like, but there are some that are very intricate and laser cut. The liners/wrappers are wrapped around the decorated cupcake to give it a finished look. Too cute! I'd only use these for very special occasions, as they're not practical for everyday use, but what a fabulous idea. And, the site that sells these is called "Cupcake Wrapture" - gotta love that name.

And to think that I'm late to the cupcake party?! This cupcake craze apparently is all the rage in New York City, Los Angles, and other metropolitan areas. Guess I need to get out more.

Crazy About Cupcakes

Yesterday I visited the library and checked out a few books. Gotta have something to read at night before bed or I go crazy. Then, for fun, I checked out "Crazy About Cupcakes". A whole book dedicated to cupcakes, wow, what fun! The author, Krystina Castella, has tiered cupcakes. Dang, why didn't I think of that? Take a cupcake, and then put another cupcake on top of it, the fabulousness of this is just too much for my little brain to comprehend. Can't wait to try it out.

I'm sure if my hubby knew that taking a single cake decorating class would turn into an obsession he'd never have suggested it. Oh well, at least he gets to partake of the finished products - and the works in progress. Though, he usually will pass up the opportunity to lick the spoon of batter and wait for the actual item to be baked. I figure more for me! That's the second best part of baking - the batter!



I made these guys last night for fun. They're marbled cupcakes. What a pain in the @$$ these fellas are. Marbling within the cupcake liner isn't very easy. I think this works great for cakes, but for the little dudes, I'll just stick to a single batter type. There's one cupcake in the mix that is only yellow cake and just a dab of frosting because my one friend doesn't like chocolate?! I don't understand how that's possible, but hey, more chocolate for the rest of us. Some cupcakes have little bird nests with a single egg, and a few cupcakes just got an egg, while some are plain. Trying to please the masses.

Of course, I made these before I looked over the "Crazy About Cupcakes" book, because if I had, these little cakes would be tiered! Now I know for next time. Yeah, something new to try.

One tough cookie!

While shopping at Lowes for trim for the guest room , I spied this:

Awww yeah! You know you want one too. It has 16 ball-bearing drawers, it's stainless steel, has a stereo system, and an itty-bitty fridge. Oh, and LED lights too. 4,000 pound capacity caster wheels, power strip with 4 outlets, and it's sexy! What's not to love... oh, the price tag. This bad boy will set you back about $2000 calms. But, aside from that, it's one helluva of baking center. Can't you just see every draw filled with cookie cutters, cake decorating tips, muffin and pie tins... oh I get all teary eyed just thinking about it. The open top shelf could be the cooling area as well as for displaying my baking creations, which is safe from dogs and cats alike. Wow, my little heart is all a pitter-patter over this hunk of metal. Oh well, it won't fit in the kitchen and my baking via grill top wasn't so successful, so I guess I'll just stick to my current set up. But, if I ever win the lotto...

Happy 200th B-day Darwin

In honor of Darwin's b-day I made a cake. We're going to a birthday bash later to celebrate Darwin, so it's only appropriate that I should bake a cake. What's a party without cake - no damn fun, that's what! So, here it is:


Oh, you want a close up of the nest, ok:

This nest is made of cake, coco frosting, and coconut. If you like Mounds or Almond Joy you'd love this nest. I cheated on the eggs, those are my favorite Easter eggs, the Cadbury mini eggs. So dang good. Mmmmm, is it time to cut the cake yet?

Frobidden Love

Look into my eyes... hey, over here, my eyes are over here. Well, anyway, see that, it's passion for YOU, my love...

Let us cuddle...



You're my one, my only...

Snow! Ugh... I hate this stuff!

Yucko!



Ahh, that's better:

Wine Tasting in Santa Barbara in January

Several weeks ago we hooked up with some friends to taste vino in beautiful Santa Barbara. It was fabulous to just get away for a couple days and catch up with our buds. Oh, and drinking wine is always a good time!




This winery, Racncho Sisquoc, has a cat named Jezebel, see, what a cutie:


They even had cows, moo:

Cupcakes!

I made these cupcakes just because I could. Actually, I just like decorating them, and they tasted great too! I took these to work to share, I sure as heck don't need to eat 24 cupcakes. These were filled with vanilla pudding. Mmmm, makes me want to make more!

Popovers

Not too long ago, just for fun, I made some popovers. They're so simple to make, and taste quite good considering all they consist of is flour, eggs, milk and only two table spoons of butter, and a dash of salt. Yum! Of course, these are best if eaten warm, right out of the oven.