Fall Cupcakes

I did promise to show you what the final mini cupcakes looked like... and here they are!

The chocolate ones are yellow butter cake with milk chocolate-cayenne pepper frosting.

The other ones are pumpkin spice cupcakes with cinnamon-vanilla frosting.

I did the swirly decoration on all of them. And then sprinkled these cute little sugar leaves that I found on etsy. Have you heard of Etsy? If you haven't you need to go.. NOW! Click here.

The fall sprinkles were from this shop here on Etsy: BakeryBites

I wanted to display the cuppies on a table and didn't know what to use.. so ended up using a pizza pan which worked out wonderfully!

I bet you want a cupcake now, don't you? I know I could go for one!

What Happy Tastes Like

Football and ice cream = happiness!

It's probably not the first combination that you immediately think of, but picture yourself at an August pre-season game in the 90+ heat and humidity of NY... and ice cream should now enter your thoughts!

Plus, after eating a few spoons I noticed Carvel's tag line, "It's What Happy Tastes Like!" Mr. Happy and I almost at the same time thought that we had to bring you a picture or two of this happy little cup. A big thank you to the cameo of Mr. Happy's hand!!

And, more importantly if you are now curious what happy tastes like ... march out and get yourself some Carvel!

Happy (chocolate-vanilla combo) is pretty darn tasty in my book!!

Peanut Butter Pie

Frozen Peanut Butter pie = happiness!

For my birthday this past week I was treated to a very special sweet treat from my mother in law! Yup, you guessed it, homemade peanut butter pie! I have a certain weakness that hits me in the knees for this tasty frozen treat. So rich, so chock full of peanut buttery goodness, and that crumbly oreo crust -YUM!

It goes great with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or is magical on it's own. You can eat it off a plate or from a bowl; with a fork or a spoon. Make sure once it's completely frozen that you do let it sit out at room temperature for a bit to enhance the flavors and then dig in!

Thank you for the fabulous surprise and for making me feel spoiled rotten! (oh, and for letting me take the left overs home with me!!)

Cupcake Tease

As you may have noticed I have been enjoying cupcakes every Wednesday now for a few weeks. This past week's flavors were coconut and chocolate chip. The coconut on the top of the frosting was adorable and yummy!

Both were delicious, and I couldn't resist bringing you a cupcake strip tease of sorts. Sit back and watch as the wrapper comes off!


Cupcakes, of course = happiness!

Visit Big Girl Baking Company for more details on how you can get these cupcakes and their other creative creations!

Cupcakes

Ending Wednesday's on a sweet note = happiness!

Wednesday's have become a sweet day for me lately. Not just because I get to bring you Happy Spot Hump day, but because I have discovered an amazing treat at the local farmers market.

CUPCAKES!! I can't say enough times how much I love cupcakes. Be prepared to hear it a jillion more times!

Big Girl Baking Company is my newest addiction for that moist homemade or as they put it 'honest' baking. They are the perfect size... two to three bites of heaven. Just the right amount of sweetness. Perfectly moist. And beautiful! I'm not sure if the cupcakes are on their website yet, but don't let that stop you from contacting them and begging for a taste!

My favorite is the chocolate buttercream on chocolate cake with chocolate chips -- I mean really, what's not to love about chocolate? I have also sampled vanilla with lemon frosting, vanilla with raspberry frosting, and chocolate with vanilla frosting. YUM!

My dear friends at Big Girl Baking... I will see you next Wednesday!

Extra bonus pour moi? ... Mr Happy has treated me to these little delights 3 weeks in a row. Better than flowers in my book. Yes sir, I'm a lucky gal!

Mellow Yellow Monday: Postcard

This post is inspired by Mellow Yellow Monday! For more yellowy goodness click here

Getting a bright, happy and fun postcard in the mail from Spain = happiness!

Postcards are such a fun way to remind someone that you are thinking of them or to tell them a little story! The world would be a better place if we sent each other more postcards! Mucho gracias! Happy Monday!

Rosendale Festival

Festivals... the food, the people, the music, the art, the goodies for sale, being out in the sunshine, walking, spending time with good company = happiness!

I opened with week with drummers from the Rosendale Music Festival and promised more pictures... well here they are! It was an excellent afternoon. Some of the highlights for me was the food, the mushroom stools, and this neat metal dragon sculpture.


As you can imagine they had all types of food. I endulged in a philly cheese steak made with hot sauce, cheese and peppers. They also had Jamacan, Puerto Rican, German, Italian, and Greek food... YUM! Then all sorts of snacks and desserts like frozen chocolate dipped bananas, funnel cakes, kettle corn, deep fried oreos, chocolate covered strawberries... seriously it was comfort food heaven!


Next up was the mushroom stools. Made by a very friendly britsh couple. The husband uses a chainsaw to shape them and the wife painted them. They were prepared to be placed outdoors in a garden and they raved about how they only got better over time! One of my favorite memories from the day was seeing the wife dancing while standing on one of her mushrooms. Really made me want to get one for myself! (note to self, Mr. Happy said he could make one for me one day!)


So, the festival boasted 70 bands over 2 days... and the music was enjoyable. And as fun surprise to me, they also had an arts area. Lots of paintings, handmade clothing, and sculptures. My favorite piece of the day was this metal dragon. Made from all sorts of recycled metal bits. It reminded me that I would really enjoy to take a welding class.

I hope you are having a great day so far and if you see any festivals in your local area... go support them! You may find a few surprises of your own!

Cupcake

Eating a chocolaty cupcake to hit that strong chocolate craving that has been bugging you for days = happiness!

The perfect size, very moist, excellent frosting and purchased by the best husband in the world!

These cupcakes came from a local farmers market here in White Plains, NY. Made by Big Girl Baking Company. What a great way for an up and coming company to get their name out there!

Wild Blueberries

Finding and eating wild blueberries on a hike = happiness!

In NY, blueberries grow in the wild! On a recent hike I was lucky enough to happen upon a few bushes that were ripening. Wild blueberries are smaller than the store bought kind, but let me tell you they are sweeter than the store ones have ever dreamed of being!

Some sort of primal instinct kicks in when I see these wild sweets. My palms start to sweat, my brain looses focus, and my arms and fingers reach out to pluck the berries. Nothing better than popping a handful of wild blueberries in your mouth and chewing slowly!

Gives you a burst of energy and a huge guilty smile on your face!

Ice Cream Cake

Eating cold sweet ice cream cake on a hot summery day = happiness!

I am so craving some today! YUM!

Homemade Cupcakes

Sitting down to indulge in a homemade strawberry vanilla cupcake one bite at a time = happiness!

Ask anyone and they will be able to tell you that cupcakes are a serious weakness for me. Tiny cake morsels topped with sweet icing that you can eat with your fingers? Delicious!

These were homemade cupcakes. I started with a box of vanilla cake mix and added strawberry jello and tiny chopped strawberries. Gave them a nice summery sweet taste. These were topped them with melted bittersweet chocolate chips and of course, sprinkles!

For fun I put some in cupcake cups and some in ice cream cones. They turned out so adorable and really did look like little scoops of ice cream in cones!

What's your favorite type of cupcake?

Lighting Candles

Lighting candles on a birthday cake and then belting out Happy Birthday at the top of your lungs = happiness!

I shared a bit of Mr. Happy's birthday last week and we snapped a few pictures of the event. These came out well and really made me smile. Flame has a simple allure (especially in the dark) ... and how fun is it to belt out a song to the one you love? I don't think I sing well by any means, but I love how my singing made Mr. Happy smile anyway!

Best part, after the candles were all blown out... we got to eat ice cream cake! YUM!

Fresh Bread

Big loaves of freshly baked bread... the smell, the warmth, the taste = happiness!

Can't you just taste it with melted butter already! And don't those look like they would make the best garlic bread? YUM!

Cupcakes!

Finishing off the day with a touch of sweet peanut butter and chocolate = happiness!

These are from Magnolia, but I seriously love cupcakes of all kinds... homemade, filled, any flavor, even with coconut. Something about bite size cakes that can make any day good!