Birthdays and Andes Mint Cupcakes

As many of you know today is father's day but today is also a special birthday.  Today is Rob's 31st birthday. You read that right my husband is 31! He's really getting up there. It's about time to trade him in for a newer model. Not really though because it doesn't get much better than him.

Yesterday I took him out for a fancy meal at one of our favorite places called Wink. We decided to try a few new things including rabbit and sweetbreads. If you don't know what sweetbreads are Google it. They sound weird but are DELICIOUS! We of course got our favorite beef tartar. Which I thought it may be my last tartar for a while since you cannot eat raw meat when pregnant. No, I'm not pregnant yet but it could happen any day now. 

Today I decided to make his favorite dessert....cupcakes! Which are my favorite to make. I decided to make Andes Mint cupcakes since it's one of his favorite candy/mints to eat. I've been wanting to try this recipe for a while and finally had the chance. The recipe looks difficult but is actually pretty simple.

Andes Mint Cupcakes

Cake:
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup buttermilk
Devils food cake mix

Chocolate mint ganache:
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
3 Tablespoons Heavy whipping cream
1 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
1/3 cup powdered sugar

Mint Buttercream:
8 oz cream cheese
6 tablespoons butter
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
2 teaspoons peppermint extract ( you can add more if you want a more minty flavor)
A few drops of green food coloring. 

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Wisk together sour cream, oil and vanilla. Add eggs one at a time. 
Add cake mix and liquids alternating between the two.
Fill cupcake liners a little over half full
Bake for 15 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

For the chocolate mint ganache melt chocolate chips and heavy whipping cream on the stove top.( I use the double boiler method) Stir in peppermint extract and powdered sugar. Place in squeeze bottle. When cupcakes come out of the oven use squeeze bottle to fill center of cupcakes.

Sorry for the mess

For mint buttercream Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add powdered sugar, heavy whipping cream and peppermint extract. Finally add green food coloring. 

Rob loved his birthday cupcakes. Along with his birthday dinner I cooked for him. We are going to spend the rest of the evening watching movies and relaxing. Hope everyone had a great father's day! 

The Big Move

So if you haven't heard I have a little sister. Well she's not so little since she is WAY taller than me but she's still my little sister. I'm not sure if I have ever talked about how awesome of a dancer she is. She is extremely talented.   Well she got accepted into the Joffrey Ballet School in New York. Yes, NEW YORK! So after a trip there and some convincing of my parents my little sister is moving. Though she is still a teenager she gets to have this amazing experience. It's an awesome opportunity for her to focus on her dance. I am so proud of her. Watch out New York DJ Sexy Jerk (my nickname for her) is coming through!

It runs in the family

This reminds me of my first big move. Though I was a little older it was still a big thing. I was only 21 when I moved to California with Rob. At first he was hesitant to move. I told him if we don't take this chance we may never get another one. So off we went. Though it was hard to leave family and friends we had to give it a shot. I think it was one of the best decisions I have ever made. Not only did I get to experience a whole new state with so much culture. I also had a chance to grow up and I mean REALLY grow up. At 21 I left my family and friends behind. So when I had a problem or issue I couldn't just drive to my mom's house. I was thousands of miles away from everyone. I always thought of myself as an independent person, but this move really brought it out in me. I feel like it helped mold me into what I am today. 

the "grown up" me

So I am excited for my sister to move. Also, I can't wait to go to NYC. I've never been there. Maybe we can be a extra on Law and Order: SVU (that's my sister's favorite show). I feel like this move may bring us even closer, even though we are super close already. Just knowing that she could come to me if she is having problems with being away since I have experienced it first hand.  So sometime in September I will be New York bound for a little while. That's right be jealous! 

Check Out My Shop!

Hey all! So I've been a busy little bee since I stared making earrings. I've had a few people request a pair or two! I finally decided to change my old etsy store around and start selling them there. Right now I just have a few colors up but I will be adding more as I go. Everyone should go check it out at ColorWonderland. If you like what you see then go ahead and buy it! 

Here's a little preview

I always love feedback so let me know what you think. Don't be shy. If you hate them tell me if you love them yell it from the roof tops! Tell your neighbors and your friends! I really love wearing these and can't wait to share the love.

Copycat Auntie Anne's Recipe

Happy Mother's Day to all you moms out there! I will not be spending the day with my moms since I live far away from them. Don't worry they still got their gifts and phone calls/texts. Hope all you moms out there are having a great day! I know as a dog mom I sure am with lots of cuddles and sloppy kisses.

This weekend I was craving a salty snack. So I went on my new favorite food website foodgawker.com and looked up something good. There it was, the perfect snack. I found the copycat recipe for Auntie Anne's pretzels! I almost died. Funny thing was Rob and I were at target yesterday and he said he was really craving a soft pretzel. You should of seen his face when I told him what I was going to make that night. The recipe is pretty simple. Now they don't taste exactly like Auntie Anne's but they are pretty close. I doubled the recipe because well we are fatties. Actually we aren't but I wanted to have enough for a few days of snacks.

Auntie Anne's Pretzels Copycat Recipe

Source Food Network Almost-Famous Pretzel

2 cups milk
1 1/2 tablespoons (2 packets) active dry yeast
6 tablespoons brown sugar
4 tablespoons butter, melted
4 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons salt

1/3 cup baking soda
3 cups warm water
Kosher salt
8 tablespoons butter, melted in a shallow dish 

Mine came out a little puffier than the original but they were delicious. If you want something sweet you can dip them in cinnamon and sugar after dipping them in butter. I just might have to do that tonight. Hope you guys enjoy!

My New Hobby

Happy Cinco De Mayo! Hope everyone is enjoying their Sunday. I know I am! I feel like I've been away for a while. It's been what..like two weeks? Sorry to keep you waiting. You are probably wondering what's up with Holli? Well nothing! I've been the homebody I am. I've been extremely lazy lately for no reason. Rob just built a computer and is back to his gaming ways. This means I need to start doing projects since I don't have as much t.v. time as usual.

 I could starting knitting again. I've only been trying to finish the same blanket for almost 2 years now. I don't think I have the patients to knit. I want to start painting again I just need some ideas. So I decided to start a new project. Making earrings. 

I was inspired by a pair of earrings I bought on Etsy. I looked at how they were made and thought I would try to make them myself. I bought the supplies and gave it a try. Success! Actually, they weren't perfect but I liked them.

Sorry for the lack of makeup

I hand colored the first pair with colored pencils. I decided to make another pair and switch it up. I decided to paint the next pair and see what happened. This pair is ok. I want to perfect the design a little but not too bad. I mean I hand painted a skull on a 10mm circle. That's hard enough. 

I think if I can get enough people interested I might add them to my Etsy shop https://www.etsy.com/shop/ColorWonderland. If you like what you see or are interested in getting a pair let me know. Either comment on my blog or contact me through my profile.

The Great Eyeliner Debate

When I first starting wearing makeup I was nervous of this stuff called eyeliner. To be honest it scared me a little bit. It's a nice addition to your makeup routine but some people overdo it. I had never tried eyeliner and was afraid I would poke myself in the eye or make myself look like a raccoon. 

First I watched videos on how to apply eyeliner. Yes I had to watch a video. I didn't want to have the cracked out raccoon look. You know the one I'm talking about. 

 Then there was the great debate of which kind of eyeliner I should use. I had no clue there were so many different kinds! I started with pencil and moved on to liquid. I tried out the gel liner but didn't like it as much. I recently found a kohl liner that I'm in love with. It glides on smoother than my pencil liner and and stays just as long as my liquid liner. My sister told me about the liquid liner I use. Now if you know anything it's that teenagers know a lot about makeup. Or at least more than I do. 

I am a woman who likes variety when it comes to makeup. So I switch up my liner depending on my mood, and how much time I have in the morning. I have my two favorites that I feel are must haves. 

My favorite Kohl liner

My favorite liquid

The thing I love about both is that they are affordable. I have tried the expensive liner and like these just as much. You know I'm all about saving money. Now I'm always up for suggestions so toss them my way!

What's your favorite liner? 

How to Fix Your TOMS

Hi, My name is Holli and I love shoes. I have more shoes than I wear. Honestly though what woman doesn't? My two favorites are gym shoes and flats. As of lately I've been obsessed with TOMS. If you haven't heard of TOMS they are canvas shoes and are super comfy. When you buy a pair of TOMS they send a pair to someone less fortunate. They are what all the hipster kids wear nowadays. Wow I sound like a granny. Anyways they are a great addition to my Tom Boy Chic look a.k.a Geek Chic. 

You could imagine how sad I was when I got a hole in one of my favorite pairs. I mean I really do love the shoes. Do I really want to spend $60 on a new pair because these have a hole? No! You know I'm cheap! So I looked up how to repair your TOMS online. It looked pretty easy so I thought I would try. Well....it worked! It actually worked so well I thought I would share. 

So here are my shoes with the hole. I got a few supplies. 

 

Canvas iron on patches. (like the ones you use on jeans) 

Fabric ( I chose a cute chevron canvas)

Fabric glue

First what I had to do was patch up the hole. This is so you don't wear a hole into the new fabric.

Once the hole was patched I cut out the fabric. I just cut out a square and cut the excess after everything was glued. After you cut the fabric put the fabric glue on the shoe where you are putting fabric. I just did the toes. Place the fabric on the glued area and smooth it down. I pleated the front of the fabric to create the fold by the toe. 

Once the fabric is glued down cut the extra fabric. I put glue around the bottom of the shoe to seal the fabric down. Let them dry over night and BAM!! New and improved TOMS. Well maybe not so new but definitely an improvement.