Flashback: Bacon? In my cupcakes?

I originally posted this entry on September 20, 2010 back at my old blog. The pictures in that entry have since died, so I've decided to give it new life over here.

Besides... EVERYONE needs to make bacon cupcakes.

***

I've been talking about it for a while but tonight I finally did it.
I made bacon cupcakes.

I got the recipe in question from Vanilla Garlic which claims that this was the "original" bacon cupcake recipe on the internet, so I knew I was in good hands.

I followed the recipe pretty much exactly except for one component. As I was frying up my bacon for the batter I had a revelation. A BACON ROSE. The perfect classy addition, and super easy to do. I started by lining a baking sheet with foil and putting a wire baking rack on top. Then I just rolled up strips of bacon and put a toothpick through about 1/3 from the bottom. I took each roll and sort of wedged them in between the wires of the rack so the rose was standing upright with the toothpick perpendicular to the wire. Then I baked those babies for 15 minutes on 350. After I let them cool, I trimmed off the bottoms because the strips were quite wide to begin with, but if your bacon is thinner then you can probably skip that step.

After frosting the cakes I popped a toothpick through the roses and stabbed them to the tops. I skipped topping them with sea salt since the bacon was salty but I did add the turbinado sugar.

Find the recipe HERE and try them out for yourself!

Ask & You Shall Receive!

Seriously
All you have to do is ask!

I've been dreaming of a bike. A pink cruiser with a wicker basket. You may have seen my etsy bike accessory wishlist a little over a week ago...

On Friday I decided to ask for what I wanted. On facebook I posted:

Dear Universe:
Please deliver me a pink Schwinn cruiser.
Love, Erin.

LESS THAN 12 HOURS LATER....

I admit, it's not a Schwinn but it is EXACTLY THE BIKE I'VE BEEN DREAMING OF. It's exactly the right size for my short legs. It's exactly my price range. Perfect colour. Perfect handlebars. Perfect fit for my basket. DID I MENTION IT'S PERFECT?

Ask for what you want. IT'S THAT EASY.

First of the Gang to ...

WED

I can't believe the time has finally come. The first of my friends is set to get married this summer. I'm sure it's going to open the flood-gates and from here on out, summertime will be wedding time for me. I'm definitely cool with that.

Yesterday was my first bridal shower for someone who was not a family member. It was an adorable couples barbecue on a day that turned from dark skies into completely beautiful as the party started.

I took this occasion as a great reason to make the first card in what feels like FOREVER.

I am completely in love with the Dear Lizzy Neapolitan line from American Crafts. Summery and sweet and perfect for the happy couple.

 

• Cardstock - 8.5x11 smooth card stock in Crumb Cake - Stampin' Up!
• Paper - 6x6 Dear Lizzy Neapolitan paper pad - American Crafts
• Stamp - Life - Penny Black
• Ink - Classic ink pad in Early Espresso - Stampin' Up!
• Sticker - Dear Lizzy Neapolitan remarks stickers - American Crafts

Weekend Wishlist - I Want to Ride My Bicycle

I am currently gearing up to buy my first bike since elementary school (no pun intended). Here are some potential accessories for my new ride!

Brown Paper Baggin' It - May 16 2012

Marvel
Avengers vs. X-Men #4
AVX: VS. #2
New Mutants #42

DC
Batwoman #9
Wonder Woman #9

Dark Horse
B.P.R.D.: Hell On Earth- The Devil's Engine #1

BOOM!
Adventure Time #4

I have feelings about The Avengers

I planned on doing a "Quick & Dirty review" of the Avengers. I had also planned on there being at least SOMETHING I could nitpick. This turned out to be not the case. I've seen it twice now (and I'll be going again tonight) and I cannot find a single thing I disliked about it. In fact, the film has instantly jumped into my favourite films of all time, behind only Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz.

So instead of doing a "review" that's simply me gushing over how amazing it is, I bring you the top 5 things- no matter how unlikely- I want to see in the sequel (I'll try to keep this spoiler free, but it may be safer to not read on until you've seen the film).

1. Joss Whedon to return as writer/director. This man knows how to do an ensemble story. No character seemed like they were pushed into the background. They all had their moments to shine and the battle choreography & cinematography was some of the best (if not the best) I have ever seen.
2. Spider-Man. How I wish Marvel Studios had the rights to the character! (On another note, HOW EXCITED AM I ABOUT THE NEW SPIDER-MAN MOVIE?! Hint: very)
3. Spider-Woman & Ms. Marvel. Two of my favourite Marvel heroes, and the cast is in dire need of more bad ass women.
4. Redemption for Loki. I have some speculations about his character that I am saving for a future, mega spoilery blog post.
5. THE VISION. I will go more in depth into this in the above mentioned post!

Brown Paper Baggin' It - May 9 2012

Saturday, May 5th, was FREE COMIC BOOK DAY aka Geek Christmas, and I picked up quite a few awesome titles! I'll note these books on my regular list by putting *FCBD* beside them.

Marvel
Avenging Spider-Man #7
Deadpool Vol. 3 #54
Journey Into Mystery #637
Avengers: Age Of Ultron Point One *FCBD*
Spider-Man Season One *FCBD*

DC
Frankenstein, Agent of SHADE #9

BOOM!
Peanuts/Adventure Time Flipbook *FCBD*

Oni Press
Yo Gabba Gabba Free Comic Book Time *FCBD*

Archaia
Mouse Guard / Labyrinth & More (hardcover!) *FCBD*

Drawn & Quarterly
Moomin Color Special *FCBD*

Avenging Spider-Man #7
Deadpool Vol. 3 #54

Weekend Wishlist - Avengers Assemble

This is it! My most anticipated film of the year has finally arrived! I saw it last night with a friend of mine and IT WAS INCREDIBLE. I'm seeing it again tonight at the VIP cinema! Let me explode my excitement all over with a bunch of Avengers themed goodies from Etsy!

Iron Man


Efflorajewelry, VictoriaTheGerm, Lilydotcrochet

GlitterSide , Hansma


Captain America

Journeymantattoo , RebelDowntown , OliviasStudio

kaylaconspiracy , ChrisCrossCraftsEtsy


Hulk

PonkoWorld , SweetMapleSugar , spandexsplinters

jennandtonybot , namesdollface


Thor

TreasuresByUs , RareCrafts , kutegurlklothing1

TheStrikingViking , SecretIdentityAcc


Black Widow

alyciacreative , GeeksAreChic , Harshness

GeeksAreChic , Cyberoptix


Hawkeye

chubbyninjacrafts , bunnimew , TheBearAccessories

designbynickmorrison , TheTwistedCrafts


Loki

NaiveCRIMSON , MirthTones , jhulligan

crabappledesign , brucelovesyou

.

Brown Paper Baggin' It - May 2 2012

No, not that brown paper bag! It's my bag of comics I have waiting at my LCS (that's local comic shop to you) every Wednesday!

Here, take a peek in my sack and see what I'm picking up this week:

Marvel
Amazing Spider-Man #685
Avengers vs X-Men #3
Exiled #1

DC
Animal Man Volume 1: The Hunt (trade paperback)
Dial H #1
Earth Two #1
Worlds Finest #1

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

There was some chat recently at the School of Life Design about morning routines. Taking a look at my own morning and evening routines I saw I was in dire need of a change up!

A typical "work day" for me looks a little something like this: set my alarm for 7am, hit snooze til 7:30, rush to get ready and run out the door at 8 for work. I'd leave for home at 5 and do a lot of sitting around until I finally decide to get my pjs on (usually around 1am) and watch tv til 2-2:30am.

This was not working for me! But somehow I convinced myself that it was. I'd feel sluggish all day and not want to do anything when I got home. I was in the slump of all slumps.

I have decided that I needed to tweak my daily routines to maximize my awesomeness!
I started my new routine this morning!

New Rituals for Morning
6:00am  - Wake Up.
              -  Drink water, practice yoga.
6:30am  - Shower, brush teeth, get dressed and ready for the day.
7:30am  - Meditate on affirmations.
              - Have tea.
8:00am  - Go to work relaxed and fresh.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

New Rituals for Evening
5:00pm  - Leave work.
5:30pm  - Have dinner.
7:00pm  - Take a walk.
------------ free time
11:00pm - Wash face, brush teeth, floss.
11:30pm - Write gratitudes, meditate.
12:00am - Sleep!


 I am so excited about this!