Birthday Treats

Given the insane heat wave that made its appearance over the past couple of weeks, my birthday plans shifted a tad.  I had been pretty flexible about plans this year anyway especially since I knew we would be semi-celebrating with the ice cream cake at the game night we hosted just a few days prior to my birthday.  Since the actual day fell on a Sunday this year, I knew we'd spend most of the morning at church, but it took a bit of creative thinking to sort out the rest of the day. I remembered we still had a couple of gift cards from my bridal shower that we hadn't been able to use yet so a plan was set!  We would have brunch at Sarabeth's followed by spending a few hours checking out the Guggenheim Museum.  Two great beat the heat ideas.

I only managed to snag a photo of the basket of muffins we ordered at Sarabeth's.  I really enjoyed trying the different types.  Banana and pumpkin were my favorite!  Overall, the food was great!

The Guggenheim was an interesting place. The layout is in a circular pattern with a number of exhibits lining the walls while others are displayed in rooms off to the side.  Chris and I took turns finding our favorite piece in the smaller rooms and just enjoying a leisurely stroll through the exhibits.  The museum hosts several really neat and unique pieces.  The most interesting to me was a couscous castle in the middle eastern art exhibit area.

After roaming around the museum, we stopped by Two Little Red Hens bakery to pick up a small cake.  I indulged in a mini cupcake there, too.  Calories don't count on your birthday, right?

I spent the evening opening a few gifts from Chris and my parents along with a stack of birthday cards. It was a nice day.  A lot calmer that some of my previous celebrations, but just what I needed this year!

How do you like to celebrate your birthday?

Andrea :)

Mini of the Month: December

With a name like Snowstorm...especially given the incredibly warm winter so far...I was expecting a real treat from this month's mini.  And I always love those marshmallow toppings so my hopes were high for this one!

Unfortunately, there was just too much sugar going on for me to really enjoy it the way I had envisioned.  The white vanilla cake with vanilla icing and nutella stuffing worked, but the white sugar topping was a bit too much - though I did love the mini marshmallow topping!

Do you like nutella?  What about sugar sprinkles?

Andrea :)

Mini of the Month: November

I was so excited to discover the November Mini would be Caramel Apple Pie.  Sounds delicious!!  And it's definitely the right time of year for pie...yum!!

This mini was SO good!!  The yellow cake is filled with apple pie stuffing and frosted with caramel cream cheese icing before being topped with cinnamon streusel and cinnamon.  The absolute perfect blend of caramel and apple.  Simply wonderful!

Are you a fan of pie?  What is your favorite kind?

Andrea :)

Mini of the Month: October

Pumpkin Spice everything is all the rage for fall.  This year, Baked by Melissa jumped on board with a pumpkin spice mini.

This tasty mini has all the right stuff!  The pumpkin bread is off-set with vanilla icing and filled with pumpkin spice!  To top it off, the mini features a pumpkin and sprinkle brittle.  Simply delicious!  The Pumpkin Spice mini has the perfect blend of pumpkin without being overpowering.  Definitely enjoyed this yummy treat!

What is your favorite pumpkin flavored food?

Andrea :)

Mini of the Month: September

Literally translated, Dulce de Leche means sweet [made] of milk.  Think along the lines of evaporated milk turned into candy form.  I wasn't sure what to expect of this unique creation for the mini this month.

It was Dulce de Leche all around.  The white vanilla cake boasted Dulce de Leche icing, stuffing, and topping.  Definitely making for a super sweet treat!!  After tasting, I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it either.  I am certainly into sweet, but I think this mini could have used a bit more balance with the sweetness.  Especially since it wasn't a familiar sweetness.  It wasn't all bad though.

Have you ever tried a Dulce de Leche treat?

Andrea :)

Mini of the Month: August

To be honest, I wasn't thrilled when I learned this month's mini was Boston Cream.  Ugh!  Doesn't even sound appealing to me. On the other hand, Chris was quick to mention it was his donut of choice as a kid.  I was shocked since this favorite New Yorker of mine despises all things Boston, but that's a post for another day.

Today, we're focused on the Boston Cream mini. With standard yellow cake and chocolate frosting, its Bavarian cream stuffing and white drizzle topping really work together to give it some flavor.  Regardless, this cupcake was pretty basic.  It didn't have a lot to offer, but I wasn't as disappointed as I expected originally.  
 

Do you like Boston Cream?

Andrea :)

Mini of the Month: July

Lemon flavored everything has become super popular in the last year or so.  And Baked by Melissa finally jumped on the bandwagon.

The Lemon Cupcaron totally hit the spot on a hot July day!  The cake and icing are lemon, but the twist is in the topping - a yellow macaroon.  I absolutely loved it!  They had sampled the cupcaron in a few other flavors earlier this year, but I think lemon was the best of them all.  It probably helps that I am a big fan of macaroons, but even without the topping I think I would have enjoyed this one!

Do you like macaroons?

Andrea :)

Charleston Eats

No exploration of a city is complete without devouring some food in a few of the city's best spots! We spent a good deal of time seeing all the sites in Charleston, but we managed to work in a few meals as well.  We experienced two fabulously fun restaurants while we were in town - brunch at Hominy Grill and dinner at Jestine's Kitchen.  We also grabbed breakfast one morning at Callie's Hot Little Biscuit - yum!  And you know we found a dessert spot - Cupcake DownSouth!

There was an hour wait when we arrived at the subtle Hominy Grill location.  It is located right in the middle of a neighborhood not too far away from popular King Street.  It came highly recommended so we waited it out.  And it was definitely worth it!  They are known for their shrimp and grits, but none of us were brave enough to get those.  I did try the cheese grits though and they definitely get a thumbs up.  We also splurged for the Fried Green Tomato appetizer.  It was amazing!!  Some of us got breakfast and some got lunch.  Chris had the Fried Green Tomato BLT....certainly unique!

Callie's Hot Little Biscuit was fantastic!  It is a tiny little shop on King Street, but SO worth it!  We lucked out and were actually able to grab a couple of seats inside.

The selection made deciding which three to try a real chore.  All the options looked great!  Chris and I eventually settled on blackberry, country ham, and cheese & chive.  They were all delicious!  Mom even let me have a bite of the cinnamon one - the only biscuit mom and dad opted for that we didn't.  So nice of her to share :)

Jestine's posed a bit of a wait as well.  Again, it was highly recommended so we waited it out.  It was so hot they even had fans and a cooler of water with cups for those waiting outside to enjoy.

Once inside, we munched on some super tasty cucumbers and onions before our meal arrived.  We also ordered some cornbread - SO good!  Chris tried the Cheerwine.  I ordered the pecan fried chicken breast with two vegetables - mac & cheese and watermelon...not sure either of those qualify as veggies, but I'll take it.  Super neat little place if you don't mind the wait!

Finally, you know we found a cupcake shop!  And not just any cupcake shop either.  The icing on these bad boys was piled high!!

We tried bits and pieces of several different ones - red velvet, creamsicle, strawberry, watermelon, coconut, and charleston love - a cupcake specially made to benefit the Mother Emanuel Hope Fund.  Each one I tried hit the spot so I honestly don't think you can go wrong here.  Well, as long as you scrape off about half the icing before you dig in!

Have you been to Charleston?

Where did you eat?

Andrea :)

Mini of the Month: June

I was surprised a summer mini would be so heavy on chocolate, but it seems that somebody knew what they were doing after all.

Peanut Butter Pieces was delicious goodness!  With chocolate cake accented by peanut butter icing and a fudge stuffing, the Reese's Pieces and Butterfinger brittle topping set it all off.  Creamy chocolate flavor second to none!  Both of us really enjoyed this month's mini.

How do you feel about peanut butter and chocolate?

Andrea :)

Mini of the Month: May

May is a month that centers about Mother's Day so it was no surprise to see that Baked by Melissa took the opportunity to create a fun cupcake for all to enjoy.

Mom's Banana Bread was fantastic!!  Perhaps it's because my mom is a huge banana flavor fan and a little bit of that rubbed off on me, but I loved this tasty little treat.  The chocolate chip banana bread cake with chocolate banana icing and chocolate chip topping proved a perfect combination.  This mini was a bit hit with us!

Do you like mixing chocolate chips into baking batters?

Andrea :)

Mini of the Month: April

We started April with a bang by trying out the new mini of the month - Confetti Crunch!  We had mixed feeling about this one going into it.  There just seemed to be a lot going on for such an itty bitty cupcake.

I really liked the confetti theme going on with this cupcake.  I wasn't sure how the chocolate icing would mesh with the vanilla confetti cake, but the rainbow sprinkles and cereal crunch topping really set it off in terms of appearance.

In the end, it was just so-so.  The icing didn't seem to add or detract from the cupcake which was a pleasant surprise.  The cupcake had a nice mix of both vanilla and chocolate flavors though the cereal crunch topping turned out to be a bit overpowering.  It would have looked much more plain without the topping, but I think the sprinkles alone would have provided the best overall taste.

Do you like rainbow sprinkles on your cupcakes?

Andrea :)

Mini of the Month: March

Who doesn't love cookies and milk, right?  It's a classic favorite loved by all - young and old!  It had to be a winner in cupcake form...

I liked the unique look of the Cookies in Milk mini.  The vanilla chocolate chip cookie dough cake with chocolate chip cookie icing and a chocolate chip cookie brittle topping had all the right ingredients for a scrumptious treat!

Yum! This mini certainly proved to be all I imagined.  Next time, I'll have to try these with a big glass full of milk to wash them down!

Do you like drinking milk with chocolate chip cookies?

Andrea :)

Kiss Me...I'm Irish!!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

Even though I don't celebrate this one in a major way, I do feel a connection to it.  After all, I am Irish.  My mom has traced a branch of our family tree back to County Down in Ireland.  And I had the best time when I visited Dublin a few years ago with my friend, Mary!  Check out more about that magical trip here!  Hope you're all decked out in green today!!

Andrea :)

Mini of the Month: February

Nothing's better than discovering the new mini of the month flavor from Baked by Melissa each month.  The flavors are always so creative and tasty!

Salted Caramel was sure to be a winner, right?  That flavor is all over everything these days.  A caramel cake with chocolate icing might have been enough for some, but there was also a dulce de leche stuffing.  And adding the salted dark chocolate brittle on top - pure genius!

Unfortunately, I wasn't a fan. The cake didn't seem to have much flavor at all.  As a result, it really lacked the caramel taste.  Maybe a little caramel drizzle or a caramel based stuffing would have given it the punch it needed.  The dark chocolate chunk on top was certainly the highlight.

Are you a salted caramel fan?

Andrea :)

2014: A Year to Remember...Forever!

I will absolutely never forget all that the year 2014 brought me.  It was an amazing year filled with once in a lifetime fun and excitement.  Enjoy my recap of this amazing year along with some sneak peeks of photos from the wedding planning posts that are to come in the early part of the new year.

On the brink of 2014, Chris proposed to me.  I can't believe it has been a whole year (as of last night) that I've had this beautiful ring on my finger.  I surprised him last night with some cupcakes of my own to celebrate.

In January, we went to see Motown: The Musical with some of Chris' family, officially decided on our wedding date, and started our mini of the month taste test with some Cotton Candy deliciousness.

In February, we traveled to Kentucky to search for wedding venues, finally made it to Burlington, Vermont, celebrated Chris' birthday with some hibachi fun, and weren't too impressed with Toffee Crunch!

In March, I set a personal record in the NYC Half and gobbled up lots of Vanilla Cookie & Cream minis.

In April, I ran the Cherry Blossom 10-miler with friends in DC, we celebrated four amazing years together in Providence, and gave Lemon Cheesecake a try.

In May, we returned to Kentucky for lots of vendor meetings including my favorite of the whole process - cake tasting!  I attended a book chat with the author after reading The Lullaby of Polish Girls in my work book club, and we suffered through Neopolitan mins.

In June, we watched Tim Howard the US team play before they headed off to the World Cup in Brazil, loved the Chocolate Pretzel minis, and enjoyed our engagement party hosted by Chris' parents.

 

In July, I was a bridesmaid on the beach in my friend's wedding in Florida, celebrated my birthday by escaping the room, and couldn't get enough of the Root Beer Float minis.

In August, I said goodbye to an old friend, had my first wedding dress fitting back in Kentucky, got outraged by a mini of the month repeat, and had a fabulous time with friends during my bachelorette weekend in NYC.

In September, I co-hosted a baby shower for my friend Mary, attended my amazing bridal shower in Kentucky, had fun at Wine Riot, and scooped up lots of Banana Pudding minis.  We also took our engagment photos and ran a race together.

In October, I wasn't sure it was going to all come together in time, but it did...and I married the love of my life on the 18th.  And if the month wasn't already jam packed with fun for the wedding, we managed a trip to Detroit, snuck some Chocolate Caramel Cookie minis, and I enjoyed Central Perk with F*R*I*E*N*D*S.

In November, we mostly honeymooned....yay!  We also saw Stevie Wonder in concert, gave Cornbread minis a whirl, and saw an amazing show on Broadway - Disgraced.

In December, I revealed my ultimate coffee date, we celebrated our first Christmas together...ever, and enjoyed some Hot Cocoa.

What were the highlights of your 2014?

Andrea :)