Everything is Anew

Now that the world officially knows I'm a betrothed woman, writing about all things anew makes a bit more sense.  I feel like I'm working on a clean canvas with so many new beginnings.  In December I became engaged which started a new season of my life I feel.  Then Josh and I moved into our new house which we are totally smitten with (projects galore to come soon!).  Of course there is the new year which always brings about a feeling of starting fresh.  And then there is the beginning of the end of my twenties as I just turned 29 on January 17th.

With so many big changes in such a short amount of time, I'm a bit overwhelmed.  I'm also feeling inspired to really seize these new opportunities to make the best of myself and my circumstances.  I've heard of these xx things to complete before xx birthday, so I've been working on my 29 before 30 list which I'll post soon.

I also have jotted down a few goals/intentions and lifestyle changes I've set for myself this year and beyond, including being more conscious as a whole.  This includes conscious eating and fitness, conscious spending, and conscious saving for those things that are really important, say a wedding and buying a house!  Instead of impulsively buying frivolous items because they make me happy at that moment, I'm trying to think of the big picture.  And instead of throwing down on an In n Out cheeseburger then skipping the gym, I'm thinking about back fat in my wedding dress and maintaining a better quality of life.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not going to give up my love of cupcakes, I will just practice moderation!

I think I need a new phone, the focus has gone to crap!

Another goal I've set for myself, not just for the year but for always, is to seize opportunities and set fear aside.  I can admit that I sometimes shy away from those things that would make me happy out of fear of failure.  It's about time I just make shit happen!

So "Carpe Diem" and "Just Do It" and all that great motivational stuff!  I'm kicking ass and taking names from here on out.

nathalie.ie

From The Kitchen || Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cupcakes

When it comes to desserts, Josh is very simple in his likes.  And since it's just us in the house, baking normally requires that I keep him in mind unless I plan on eating the goods all by myself.  Confession: I've dusted off more than I care to admit on my own and my thighs are thanking me now.

Back to Josh...  For his birthday, he originally requested chocolate whoopie pies with mint frosting.  Sure, it's his call since he is the birthday boy but I wanted to try something new and take advantage of my pumpkin fever. Seeing as how he loves snickerdoodles and cream cheese, I figured I couldn't go wrong.  Lucky for me I got to knock out two birds with one stone (no actual birds were harmed in the making of these cupcakes) and easily convinced him that I should make these instead.

The verdict?  Yum!!!  The cake is extremely moist and isn't overpowering with either the pumpkin puree or pumpkin pie spice flavors.  To me, subtly is key when you're using such powerful spices.  And while I'm normally not a fan of cream cheese unless it's thoroughly disguised, this frosting won me over.  Josh requested I leave a few without the frosting so I just dunked the tops in the sugar/spice mix and served them at breakfast.

A few notes/variations I made on the recipe. 1) I used yellow cake mix instead of the alternative, white; 2) I opted to use oil instead of applesauce since that's what I had on hand; 3) I only used 3T of butter to coat the tops and it was more than enough; 4) Trying to keep my expanding waistline in mind, I went for reduced fat cream cheese; and 5) I found the right amount of powdered sugar for the frosting is 4 cups.  Another change to the recipe is the oven temp; I've found that 325 for 20 minutes with each cup filled 3/4 full is the magic equation to perfect cupcakes.  I'm also a big fan of baking with these party cups since they can be pulled apart easily, making eating a bit less messy.  I still use a cupcake pan so that each cupcake bakes evenly.

Pardon the day after iPhone photo.

These cupcakes were a hit with Josh and his family and super easy to make.  I'm always looking for new pumpkin recipes to try, any suggestions?

Birthday Boy!

Happy Birthday shout out to my other half!  Today marks another year in which he's managed not to kill himself, which is no easy task!

With both of us working today, I tried to make the best of it starting with a Starbucks run and a homemade breakfast at the crack of dawn (literally) to get his day off right.  Tonight we're off to his mom's house to enjoy a family celebration and to devour the pumpkin snickerdoodle cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese frosting that I whipped up last night.  Recipe to come soon!

Love you, babe!