June 2, 2007

cupcake test #1: Kara’s Cupcakes, san francisco

melisser & i went to Kara’s Cupcakes yesterday in the city. It was the first spot on our journey to find the Bay Area’s best cupcake. What’s in a good cupcake? What makes a good cupcake? What’s the best combo? I’m starting to learn my way through a good buttercream….and trying not to be biased when it comes to Cream Cheese frosting (my favorite). She’ll be writing ’bout our experiences, and I’ll be the one snapping photos and eagerly eating the other half of each cupcake. Next time, I’ll be sure to eat lunch beforehand…as I had a huge sugar headache at 7pm! Bay Area, look out.

6 cupcake flavors tested:

-sweet vanilla
-chocolate velvet
-kara’s karrot (mini)
-java (mini)
-meyer lemony lemon (filled with lemon curd)
-banana caramel (filled with caramel)

***update*** you can read Melissa’s post here:

http://theurbanhousewife.blogspot.com/2007/06/foodie-fieldtrip-karas-cupcakes.html

recipes, Uncategorized

May 31, 2007

vanilla bean & lemon cupcakes with lemon vanilla cream cheese frosting!

-5 were given to neighbors two doors down
-2 were given to neighbors across the street (i ate one with her!)
-3 were given to people whose computer casey fixed (how’s that for service?)
-2 were eaten by sweet-toothed hubby

Uncategorized

May 27, 2007

simple pleasures

roasted tomatoes, originally uploaded by shutterbean.

yes yes… the simple pleasures of a sunday. the sweet smell of roasted tomatoes fills the house. the pit of laundry disappears into dozens of neatly-stacked-fresh-smelling piles. the sound my camera snapping away pictures is muffled by the birds chirping in the backyard mixed with an over-zealous cat who WANTS to be let outside…(only to roll around in the dusty leaves that still sit on the porch). Toes are painted, touch panels are being tested in the living-room-turned lab, coffee is downed, cats are squeezed, and chores are slowly getting taken care of- It’s almost 2:30 and I think what I’ve been putting off since I woke up is NEXT… a shower. Happy Sunday. Happy lazy-ass day.

around the home, Uncategorized

May 23, 2007

protein shake is the new black

down the drain, originally uploaded by shutterbean.

after watching the show WORK OUT, I was aching to try the protein shake that Jackie Warner recommended for her clients. I thought was totally nasty the first time I had it (i guess i used too much liquid aminos)- but then suddenly i was sitting at my cubicle at work CRAVING it. I’ve made it the past 4 days for breakfast. This is my latest food fad. When am I not in the market for a new food fad?

Uncategorized

May 20, 2007

maker faire explodes on my desk

maker faire explodes on my desk, originally uploaded by shutterbean.

today we went to the maker faire! Talk about sensory overload. We were standing in line to get food and someone commented “this place is like burning man for nerds”

so many fun things…so many business cards…so many crafty people and buckets and buckets of inspiration!

i almost bought a checkbook cover that had little birds on it…but decided I should really motivate and make my own. The only question is – how long it will take?

this weekend was filled with gardening (new hydrangeas & a meyer lemon tree), deep kitchen cleaning, cappucino drinking, laundry, cat snuggling, and preparing/eating a vietnamese chicken slaw.

time to watch sopranos!

around the home, Uncategorized

April 11, 2007

i’ve decided it’s time to get organized

the thought of all the things i have to organize makes me a bit stressed out. Working 9-6 every day doesn’t help either… So when I come home after working in front of a computer all day and all i want to do is collapse. I simply shove the never-ending stacks of paper and piles to sort through way off to the side and hop on the couch and veg-out in front of the tv or computer. So what to do? Where will this energy come from? The energy that will make my life much easier & simpler…. One idea is to make a master list of all the things I ever wanted to do to make things run smoother in my household & knock things out one by one at a reasonable pace. It’s just that initial push in the right direction and with systems in place things will run a lot smoother.

One of the hardest places for me to organize is my kitchen cabinets. When we first move into a *new* place, I immediately go to the kitchen (after cleaning it of course) and unpack all my beloved stuff. The husband finds all the electrical things and starts setting up his home theater…. So after ooohing and awwwing over my cute little dishwares & tiny soy sauce bowls that are in shape of flowers….I finish unpacking the entire kitchen. I live with it for a week and then immediately decide my problem areas and usually fix the most important ones right away. But then, other home stuff distracts me and I find myself 6 months into living in our new house NEEDING to really re-think my set up. I would say that 60% of my kitchen cabinets are used appropriately…but that 40% of cluttered mess hiding behind a one inch of slab of *wood* really bothers me. If I had all the time in the world, I would spend at least 2 days re-arranging everything in my kitchen and organizing my pantry. That would be the day… My goal this week is to start that list…and make a list for TARGET too!

here are just of few parts of my kitchen i enjoy

around the home, recipes

March 31, 2007

lazy egg saturday

today we spent most of the day at home….lazy/chore day.

laundry was done
lawn mowed/dead plants were hauled away
mint was planted
several to-do lists were written
sent out bills (yuckie)
hair was dyed
groceries were bought
a lobster roll was eaten

it occured to me that i need to use the eggs in my fridge. i made hard boiled eggs today. Try em:
martha stewart’s perfect boiled egg recipe It seems kind of weird to make boiled eggs this time of year and not color them. Easter is only a week away.