{It's the LittleThings that Make Me Happy}

 

When Mr. Man comes home with Crumbs Cupcakes for his girls..... 

M&M's cupcake for the Lil Diva and their new Red Licorice cupcake for me!

Nothing Says Summer.....

photo: weheartit

Nothing says summer more than a delicious ice cream cone.

We have several local ice cream shops in our area.  My favorite is a place called Sundaes.  They make all their ice cream on the premises.  My favorite?  Key Lime Pie!  It is like literally like eating a frozen slice of Key Lime Pie, graham cracker crust and all.

But when I want to bring home a pint from the market, I am a bit of an ice cream snob.  And it can be nothing but the best.  Ben & Jerry's Chunky Monkey or Cherry Garcia.  Mr. Man always tries to get me to select one of the ice cream brands that are on sale, rather than paying regular price for just a pint of the gourmet stuff.  But no such luck. Once you try it, you just can't go back to plain vanilla.

What is your favorite ice cream?

Favorite Finds

I just love when I stumble upon new things....

During my day trip in NYC, I just had to pay a visit to my all time favorite cupcake bakery, Crumbs.  Typically, their Red Velvet cupcake screams my name each time I go there.  But this time, a newbie boldly told me "CJ, trust me, you want to give me a try.  You will definitely be blown away when you sink your teeth into me."  I am not shy to trying something new and decided to respond...."Let's see what you got!"

Tiramisu cupcake was....OUT...OF....THIS.....WORLD!!!!

My mouth waters just thinking of how incredibly delicious this cupcake was.  I actually raved about it so much to Mr. Man, he can't wait to try one.  Hopefully, he will bring one home for me too so I can experience the tasty goodness all over again.

Everyone knows I am a MAC girl.  But that doesn't mean I do not take a peek into other shops like SEPHORA.  The closest Sephora to me is the itty bitty one located in JC Penney.  No fun, since they do not offer everything a stand alone shop has to offer.  The little people who accompanied me in my recharge trip to NYC all groaned when we turned a corner on our way to lunch and saw the Sephora store beckoning me on 67th and Third.  I compromised, I told them "I will take you to lunch first, then if you let me take a peek in this "candy store", I will take you for cupcakes!"  They quickly agreed, unbeknown st to them that I was going to take them to Crumbs regardless.

Luckily I did take a peek.  I found the above headband.  You can match it to your hair color and looks so natural, as though you took the time to actually braid a piece of hair and create this hairstyle.  A wonderful summer accessory whether you are wearing it to the beach or out to dinner.  And for the tune of $10, it is extremely affordable.

Happy Friday Everyone!

Photos: Crumbs, Sephora

For the Love of Cupcakes

Everyone that knows me personally, know that I adore baking.  Particularly, cupcakes. I love getting pretty foils or liners, then taking out my cake decorator and pipping on yummy, rich, buttercream frosting. And if the mood arises, I dip them in sprinkles.  Having one at the end of the day always brings a smile to my face.

A couple of years ago, Mr. Man called me and practically gushed about this cupcake he just ate. "There are no words for it, you have to try it" he said.  So he brought home a little bag from Crumbs Bake Shop with the delicious treat.

One thing you should know....when we typically think of the size of a cupcake, we picture a delectable morsel you can consume in 3 bites, tops. This is not true when it comes to Crumbs cupcakes.  Their cupcakes are enormous!

After dinner that evening, I poured myself a tall glass of milk and sat down with my red velvet cupcake to watch a television show.  I can't even tell you what I was watching, because once I took one bite out of my treat, I was in a sweets euphoria. The cake was so moist and the cream cheese frosting was to die for.

Ever since then, I have been addicted to their creamy goodness. 

If you are ever in NYC (or CA) and see a Crumbs Bake Shop, run, don't walk, inside for a little taste of cupcake heaven!

Source

Guilty Pleasure

I admit....I indulge in many guilty pleasures. Sometimes more often that I care to admit.

Let's define Guilty Pleasure, shall we?

This is Wikipedia's definition:

A guilty pleasure is something one considers pleasurable despite feeling guilt for enjoying it. Often, the "guilt" involved is simply fear of others discovering one's lowbrow or otherwise embarrassing tastes, rather than actual moral guilt. Fashion, music,^[1] and food (especially unhealthier foods high in sugar and/or fat) can be examples of guilty pleasures.

I am mere minutes from partaking in one of my guilty pleasures, and am looking forward to every minute of it! For the past 2 years I have been paying careful attention to my dietary habits and have made adjustments accordingly. I tend to refrain from eating foods high in fat, I take my coffee with skim milk, make sure I have fiber in my diet, use Splenda as a substitute for sugar, and almost totally abolish sweets from making it's way into my eagerly awaiting mouth. Notice I did say almost.

There is one thing I am totally helpless to saying no to. I see it, and my mouth waters. My brain starts screaming I....WANT.....YOU.....NOW!!!!! And at this very moment I am anxiously awaiting for my timer to "beep" and the cool down to be complete on one of my absolute favorites of a long list of guilty pleasures...... Red Velvet Cupcakes. The pretty red little cupcakes dressed up to the nines with a slathering of cream cheese frosting stare up at me and seem to sing "I know you want me, you know I want you" to the heavy bass beat and come-hither voice of Pitbull. And who am I to say, No.

I will devour the moist velvety confection and let out a soft sigh. No, there is no way I could have possibly abstained from it. Of course two cupcakes later I start feeling guilty and that little CJ on my shoulder with the pretty, perfect little angel wings and the annoyingly sugar coated voice whispers in my ear...."Now, did you really need to eat two?" I wish I could flick her off my shoulder and tell her "Oh shut up, little miss perfect!" Then the sexy, voluptuous CJ dressed in red from head to toe, perched with her legs crossed on my other shoulder looks at me with a sly smile and tells me in her sultry voice "But you know you enjoyed every minute of it!"

Red Velvet Cupcakes.....Guilty Pleasure Indeed!