Mish Mosh

So, I've been feeling pretty artisanal lately. Regardless of feeling somewhat limited in my crafts by finances, I've been pretty darn productive the past couple weeks, if I do say so myself. Mainly, I've been in a card-making frenzy. It seems as though the majority of my friends and family have birthdays between February and June, so I've been preparing for that. I'd show you those cards, but I make most of my birthday cards specifically for the person in mind, so I don't want to spoil the suprise. But I have also made a bunch of Valentines, seen below.

I also found a cool pattern for a CD holder, which I've made a couple of (one example below). Due to our financial limitations, we've been doing a lot of hand-made gifts this year, and mix CDs are a great inexpensive, personal gift, in my opinion.

But, I must say that the thing I've made recently that I'm the most proud of is these yellow cupcakes with chocolate ganache frosting. I found the recipe on cooksillustrated.com, which requires a subscription to access it, so I won't post it here. But if you want it, shoot me an email and I'd be happy to share it. My dad turned me on to Cooks Illustrated years and years ago (he's had a subscription to their magazine since I can remember), and I really love their magazine and cookbooks. They are very thorough about going through recipes and doing them over and over to find the best way to prepare this, that, or the other thing, and they actually explain why something works better than something else. It's a great resource for anyone who really wants to learn how to cook versus how to make one specific item. These cupcakes are by far the easiest cupcakes I've ever made, and also the most succulent, moist, rich, and most delicious cupcakes I've ever made. There is no turning back. This will be my go-to cupcake recipe from here on out. My only complaint is that the chocolate ganache is a bit too chocolately. It overwhelms the flavor of the cupcake, which could be eaten without frosting because it is so good. Next time around I'll either do a cream cheese frosting or a chocolate buttercream.

In other news, today is the 7 year anniversary of Chris and I meeting! 7 years ago, I was filling out transfer applications to the U of M, I was done with boys, done with AZ, done with ASU, and ready to get the hell outta dodge. On a complete whim (probably because I was so done with everything), I agreed to meet this tall, dark, and handsome guy who I met on, of all websites, hotornot.com, at a bowling alley in Tempe. My roommate came with me (which is a MUST when meeting people from the internet for the first time!!! You hear me, Audia??), and when we left the bowling alley that evening, she and I both agreed that Chris and his friends were the type of people we could see ourselves being long-time friends with. A few months later, I was convinced Chris was the man I would marry. And sure enough, I did! I couldn't have ever asked for a sweeter, more caring, fun, loving, silly, understanding man to share my life with. I love you so much, Uber!