Hot Pink Cupcakes and Paint Splatter Cake!

Girls Night Out Cupcakes

Chocolate with Marshmellow Cream Frosting

I love the hot pink color with the chocolate brown

Paint Splatter Cake

Culinary School Creations

Baked Lemon Chicken with an Avacado Puree

Spiraled Chicken Marinara

Chipotle BBQ Chicken with a Pepper Onion Salad

Eggs Benedict with Poached Eggs

Steamed Salmon with a Peach Onion Dressing

3 Year Anniversary

Although our anniversary was on June 15th, Nathan and I waited until we both had time in our busy schedule to get away for a day and spend it together. That time, finally,  was last weekend. We booked a hotel in town and took full advantage of ciaos free silence. We had dinner reservations at C.I. Shenanigans at 7:30 on the water and wanted to do something relaxing, like taking in a movie before hand. We decided to see Eclipse from the Twilight Saga, I have read the books, Nathan just likes the movies. We both really enjoyed it and look forward to the next instillation. After the movie we checked in to our hotel and headed to some shops around town to kill time before dinner. We actually only ended up going to one shop, World Market and spent at least an hour talking to the WINE guy who sold us on this amazing South African Pomegranate wine. We learned a few new things that day about wine, like which dessert wines go best with fruit and which ones are best for chocolates, and if you want to transition into beer, which beer is the best to start with. It was really fun and we are really excited to drink the wine later that night with dessert. Since we bought wine it was the best time to purchase new wine glasses, and I found some great ones for only $1.99 each on clearance, what a steal right? ;) After spending way too much time in the store we headed to dinner, where I had the most amazing grilled salmon with a peach and walla walla sweet onion salad on top! I can't wait to try it at home or at school! We ordered a mud slide to go for dessert and headed back to the hotel to eat and drink wine and cuddle! Sunday Nathan took me out for Eggs Benedict, which is becoming out favorite breakfast item! Over all it was a perfect way to spend our 3 year anniversary, we can't wait for next years and many more to come!

After School Fun

I came home today more inspired then ever before. Being at Culinary School has really exposed me to some really raw talent that I eager to be like! Today I was flipping through my Hello Cupcake book and saw these!If you remember I made sunflower cupcakes for Mothers Day out of this book and had a blast! So I grabbed all my ingredients and baked away. I made chocolate angel food cake with vanilla bean frosting. Here are the cupcakes along the way through out the decorating process. It took me about 4 hours between baking, mixing, cooling and decorating but it was so fun! Go grab Hello Cupcake and have some fun!My cupcakes were the more tropical version of coarse! I love them and so do the fish!

Apple Tart Tatin and Goodies

Yesterday we headed up to Ikea to buy some goodies for the house along with window shopping for a few things we will be needing to buy in the near future. I managed to only spend $50 and walked away with a brand new area rug, mirror, dish towels, measuring cups for school and a new pie dish! Below are the dish towels, so cute and perfect with the cupcakes on them!With summer in full swing I wanted to make a dinner that involved as little work as possible but would still be delicious with plenty of left overs. So I went with the all time favorite chunky soup.I popped all the veggies, potatoes and meat in the slow cooker at 10:30 this morning and by 6 it was ready to go!For dessert I made the most delicious summer treat you could ask for, well in my opinion anyways! Apple Tart Tartin, I was excited because I got to use my new pie pan. Call me silly because that is what make me happy but its true. It turned out amazing, better then I could have ever asked for. I photographed it in steps so you can appreciate the final product that much more! ;)

New Car

So I bought my best friend Megan's car the other day from her since she bought a new car from her coworker. Now we are looking into buying a SUV too! I am so excited about it! Thanks Megan and Yanni!

Taste of Culinary School

We have been cooking different cute of meat each day this week but in the midst of all the chaos of cooking and cleaning and the 30 other students , these are the only photos I have managed to take!I apologize for quality of photos these were taken with my phone!Chuck Roast with Bow tie Pesto and Parmesan PastaChuck Stew

I used the left over Chuck Roast, stuck it back in the oven for another 2 hours and let it just fall apart in beef broth and reduce down and I got this! Tore up some bread for dipping! It went fast!
Top Sirloin with veggies and potatoes, dry roasted!Top Sirloin finished product with a dollop of sour cream and chives!

Loves an Excuse

To go to Seattle!

This past Saturday I took my little sister Brooke to Seattle for the day and then out to dinner at the Rain Forest Cafe. We had so much fun being tourists, laughing and enjoying the sun! I love anytime I get to take a ton of photo's.