adventures in the dmv

weekend getaways- aren't they great?

a weekend trip with your cousin to the DMV to visit the greatest person ever; that person, the greatest one ever? that would be my little sister, made this trip even better than great - it was the greatest. our trip was full of amazing food, beautiful hikes, museums and monuments.

this was Sam's  first trip to DC - one weekend trip to the dmv certainly doesn't give one enough time to fully discover all the amazing things the dmv has to offer - my 7th trip down and i still haven't done everything there is to do!

here is a little glimpse at our weekend trip

pineapple express cupcakes

i love pink and brown.

i love pink frosted cupcakes.

this post & these cupcakes i am certainly loving.

i have been meaning to make this recipe a while ago but just now got around to actually

doing instead of thinking.

have you ever seen the movie pineapple express? i have. 50% of the movie twice - i kept falling asleep halfway through at the same point in the movie each time. i can't really explain why, it certainly wasn't the lack humor or entertainment factor, because it was definitely was humorous. anyways,

i do have a point here, these cupcakes are named in honor of the movie.

pineapple + hemp = pineapple express cupcake love.

double chocolate espresso cupcakes // ganache filled

ever have one of those days that nothing seems to ever go right?

your pants seem tight - but they fit last week!

you woke up later than you planned - which throws off your entire well planned

down to every minute day

and the cupcakes you are baking are just- well, plain difficult

first the bag of flour has a slit down the side which you did not see and now you are covered

 head to toe in flour including the just vacuumed floor

when filling the bag of  ganache you get more ganache on your hands and counter than in the bag

the beautifully envisioned piped frosted cupcakes is a huge fail because you were impatient and did not allow the cupcakes to fully cool before frosting

i almost gave up on these cupcakes- I'm sure glad i didn't though

they are so incredibly tasty

even though they nearly caused me to breakdown in the middle of the kitchen floor

yep- that was the kind of day i had yesterday

but at least i ended it with some sweet cupcakes that are sure to put a smile on any ones face no matter how good or not so good a day they have had

bourbon brown sugar cupcakes

i have the best parents

ever.

period.

this week my dad came over on his own time to help justin finish up the final mudding, taping and sanding of the new Sheetrock in the mudroom. justin loathes this part of the project

my dad came to the rescue - he is simply the best

now we can move onto the finish work; you see, this has been an on going project for the past year

my dad knows how badly i wanted this project completed and knows how little extra time justin has on the one day a week he has off

my dad definitely deserves a super hero cape and these cupcakes

as some of you may know i bake cupcakes for those that i love- i wrote about it in one of my very first blog posts back in january of 2011- smbp was just a baby back then

so as a thank you to my dad i made these cupcakes for him

of course, made with an extra handful of love

goji berry toasted coconut cupcakes

cupcakes - i mean come on who doesn't love cupcakes

they are little personal portable cakes

in honor of heart health & love

these cupcakes are for you

goji berries are said to have healing powers - a super food

possibly able to prevent cancer and heart disease

vibrant pink, tasty and a super food - i would say February is definitely the month to showcase this powerhouse of a berry

combined with toasted coconut it makes a pretty tasty cupcake too