... vanilla cupcakes and Nutella frosting ...

It is not secret that I try to use Nutella wherever I can ... and those who know and follow me, know about my piping obsession ... so to fulfill both needs I decided to make the following recipe ... my inspiration originally came from these two posts, one from Brown Eyed Baker which includes a wonderful vanilla cupcake recipe and from this other post from Just Putzin' Around the Kitchen which features a delicious recipe for Strawberry Crepe Cupcakes.

I did a mixture of both recipes ... I used the cupcake recipe from Brown Eyed Baker and the frosting recipe and filling idea from the Strawberry Crepe Cupcakes.

***

As you can see I did not quite fill up the cupcakes to the same degree.  

Since I am not a fan of the swirl look, but since I still wanted to add a droplet of Nutella along with the strawberries, I filled the cupcake liners with half of the total mixture and then added the Nutella.  Unfortunately I was not very successful at leaving the Nutella in the middle so some actually touched the borders as you see in the cupcakes below.

After letting them cool I proceeded to frost.  Here I used the Just Putzing Around in the Kitchen frosting recipe.  

I am not a fan of frosting as it is often too sweet for me, however I was very pleased with the outcome of this recipe.  

My piping abilities are not up to par lately ... I am better when using the round tip ... maybe I should go back to it!

Please excuse my pictures ... the family was anxious to taste and after a long day at work ... well, lets just say I am not in my best shooting mood.

I love the fact that both recipes ... frosting and cupcakes are for 12 cupcakes.  I love the fact of having the strawberry inside the batter with the little hint of Nutella inside as well.

... and now looking at these cupcakes again ... I must make a mental note to practice my piping skills!!! :)

... a dopo ... J

***

Daily Recap

1. #photoaday (-3)

2. #plankaday Streak #2

3. exercise streak #2

4. #RWRunStreak #2

... and the training begins ...

I remember in 2010 I was an unexperienced runner and my friend (boss and avid runner), challenged me to train for my first half ... I was at a different time of my life I guess, because I was driven to complete it ... nowadays I have weeks of super dedication and weeks in which I really can't motivate myself. But today ... the training begins ... after skipping my second half due to injury ... I am going to do it ... my second half ... 

Today is a holiday and I made great plans yesterday as I entered my training plan in my calendar ... but this morning again my motivation was not at its peak ... suddenly I just got dressed knowing well that it was just way too late to run ... I also knew that I would find an excuse not to run later that evening ... so I got changed without thinking much about it and headed out the door ...

The Run

Well, lets just say it was miserable ... my times were not too bad, but I was hot and thirsty!  I think that the only thing that improved was my runner's tan.

I considered walking because of the heat, but fortunately talked myself out of it ... and here I am happy that the run ... the horrible run is over ... but I did it ... 

Summer Running Streak

I was catching up on my blogs and was reading Tina's blog CNC and she was speaking of Runner's World Summer Running Streak ... it entails running at least one mile a day from Memorial Day until Independence Day ...  I am already nervous as I have two tradeshows back to back in June ... 

However I am in ... though it changes my half training I figured I could train Dante where my training does not call for running ...

My Intentions

So lets see how I am doing in my new intentions:

1. #photoaday (-4)

2. #plankaday Streak #1

3. exercise streak #1

4. #RWRunStreak #1

So not too bad! ... a dopo ... J

... will I ever complete a photoaday challenge?

I truthfully wonder if I will ever complete a #photoaday challenge ... I have tried in the past and I have completed them, however I have not completed them in the true photo a day way ... I am always catching up ... so here it is ... I will try to do the photo a day challenge in June ...

I am also starting my formal Half Marathon Training ... yes ... that too ... I have more than the 12 weeks needed, so hopefully I will be able to disregards the 2 weeks I have of straight shows in June, and that most likely won't include any type of running.

My #plank a day continues ...

I will try to have an accurate count of my streaks ... #photoaday, #plankaday, Half Marathon Training streak.

I will restart everything tomorrow. You know a Monday, day 0, new beginnings.

1. #photoaday (-4)

2. #plankaday (-1)

3. exercise streak (-1)

Thankfully I believe in new beginnings ... unfortunately this year it seems I have been needing them quite frequently ... I just need to remember ... to be forgiving ... I guess no one is keeping count but myself.

... a dopo ... J

... Butterfly Bakery ... Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Review ...

When I was given a chance to review Butterfly Bakery's Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies I was happy to oblige.  I do not eat gluten free but I have a growing interest in improving my diet and that of my family.  

I have to say our family eats very healthy, as we do not eat much junk food in or out of our house, we eat plenty of fruits and vegetables and we enjoy home-cooked meals daily ... however there is always room for improvement and there is always time and need for an indulgence here and there, and if the indulgence happens to be a healthy option well ... this is always a positive point.

First of all I wanted to take the opportunity to thank Butterfly Bakery for sending me the products free of charge, my only responsibility is to provide an honest review.

I must admit I was hesitant as I am not to knowledgeable on gluten-free eating and did not know what to expect.  

I figured I would start with calorie content, and was pleasantly surprised to find that the calorie count and total fat count are significant lower than my go to ready made chocolate chip cookie dough.

I then proceeded to taste the cookies with my family ... Mr. semplicemente j ... absolutely adored them ... he actually found a slight licorice undertone ... and loved the fact that they were on the light, crispier side ... this however was my daughter's complaint ... she enjoyed the cookies but would have rather they be chewier, most likely because this is the way she has been accustomed to eating chocolate chip cookies.

The mind is an incredible thing, it stores along with information much misinformation and many preconceptions ... looking back I think I should have not told them much about what I was doing, and just offered some cookies for them to munch on ... I think my daughter was just comparing the two cookies and for this reason asked for a chewier cookie.

I myself was able to tackle the task at hand ... I bit into them ... I immediately saw from their appearance that they were going to be crispy cookies, however they are still moist ... I found a slightly nutty hint to them ... though I would not describe them as your traditional chocolate chip cookie taste, these are a delicious treat for the family to enjoy, and with the added benefit of being gluten free.

 

... I am unable to review on how they stand the test of time because Mr. semplicemente ... j did not leave much for me to test ... in a way that is a good thing, right!  


I have emailed the company to tell me where to find the products so I will be able to advise about pricing and selection at the store.

... so stayed tuned, more to come ... a dopo ... J

... back home ...

I am back ... after 6 flights and 8 cities and and and 8 day trip ... I am back from Brazil ... it was a great trip ... but I am glad to be back home and recuperate a little of my weekend back.  

Here are a few tidbits of my trip from left to right and across:

1. Traveled light - at least on one flight ... I never do!

2. Pics from my eats ... not diet oriented that is for sure! (2,4,6,8, 9, 10, 14)

3. Though pics 7 and 12 look exactly the same ... and they are for sure not the only times I partook in FroYo :)

4. Culinary sights ... salad buffet ... delicious salad ... pizza (brasilitalian style) ... Brazilian food buffet ... grilled octopus ... yummy churrascaria ... appetizer buffet.

5. Last but not least ... after a red-eye ... bagels ... but not any bagel ... Einstein Bros. Bagels ... my favorite!  (Just opened close to my house!)

Now it is on to some resting and enjoying time with the family!

... a dopo ... J

... what have I been up to lately ...

I can't believe I have not written a post for almost one month.  There has been much to be done at work and a show that I had to attend. For some reason after I come back from a show, work seems to pile up and it takes MORE than a few days to get back to a point where I feel semi-caught up and feel my to-do list is manageable.

So my days were spent like this:

1. Happiness Project - my next read.  Yet unfinished.
2. My hotel room in Chicago - no sharing this year - HEAVEN!
3. The view from my room ... I love Chicago!
4. Chicago - Has to be one of the most beautiful cities that I have ever been to ... I really think I could live there!  I LOVE Chicago ... (did I already say that?)











Work ... work ... work ... and a little more of Chicago ...

I was lucky to be able to run in Chicago ... I think it ended up being a 6 mile run with frequent stops ... but the city's sights and sounds are so amazing ... I really had not had such a beautiful run in ages ... the buildings, the people, the energy of a city ...

Have I said I love Chicago yet? :) Well, I can at least say I DO NOT like Chicago  style pizza ... 

The run was not without surprises ... the homeless in the street saddened me ... I started my run in the heart of downtown, the high-end stores, and wonderful restaurants ... but being that I am directionally challenged instead of running towards the water I ended up running parallel to it only to arrive at a less busy part of the city ... here too I felt saddened to find an apartment building completely empty - closed probably it had a chance to sell ... such a sign of our times ... scary.  

We had an interesting dinner at the Slurping Turtle ... egg - coconut milk shot included ... I know what you must be thinking ... she passes on the Chicago style pizza but asks for an egg shot dessert without a problem ... I know ... I know ... :)

Another highlight of the last few weeks was running in my daughters' school 5K.  3rd in my age group ... but I can't brag too much as there were only 12 women in my age group ... I was #17th overall ... again ... I can't brag too much either ... this year there were only 47 participants as opposed to last year's 125 or so.  Regardless, it was a lot of fun and I love supporting the school.  

Notes for future 5Ks:

- don't start too fast ... I always do ... this time it was no different

- warm up ... I stretched, but should have run a little too ... I felt my ankles for the first 1/2 mile

- push myself more ... I could have done more ... or at least started before ... I did not ... I will ...

Notes for future 5Ks ... the positive ...

I cheered my friend on for the last few meters to the finish line ... I loved being able to cheer someone on ... actually today she is running the Diva's Half ... wishing her the best virtually.  I was supposed to run it ... but I leave for Brasile today ... so because of this and many other reasons I had to pass.

Mother's Day was wonderful ... spent it with my girls ... my family ... Dante and I enjoyed some alone time early in the morning ...

I also went to my first Charlotte Food Bloggers meeting ... I met very nice people, actually the authors of two blogs I follow ... they were very funny and welcoming, however I realized that I felt out of my medium ... I realized that I am not really a food blogger ... I do not review restaurants often, I do not post my recipes ... but what really made me realize I really do not know a thing about this blogging world is when M. asked me for my card ... truthfully I reached for my business card as that is the only card I have, and I guess when someone says card I think of work ... it was kind of embarrassing when I realized after someone else joined us that M. was talking about a card from the blog or my blogging persona ... I felt so dumb and a little out of place ... fortunately I was able to laugh about it later as I spoke about the incident with friends.

And to round up my last week ... 

1. Lunch with Jillian, (co-worker and friend) ... I love her and it is always so much fun to have lunch with her.  It was also amazing to leave the office on a beautiful day.

2. Spending time with my Dante ...

3. Sports Awards Ceremony with Matthew and Tittina ... MVP for Golf for Matthew!

4. Senior Award Banquet with the girls ... Nana is a NC Scholar and was recognized for the amount of hours in Community Service. Proud Mamma Moment!

The coming weeks:

- Next week - week 1 - This week I will be in Brazil - 7 days about 5 cities ... I am missing my 3 day weekend .. :(

I need to start training for the Montreal Half ... yes, I said a HALF ... help ... I need to get serious with my training.  It is time to buckle down if I really want to do it ... 

2010 - my first half

2011 - 2nd half skipped because of injury

2012 - don't want to have to write ... skipped because of laziness ... :)

Week 2 - office

Week 3 - college orientation with Nana ... :( ... :) ... excited ... and in disbelief

Week 4 - graduation at the end of the week ... again I repeat ... :( ... :)

Week 5 - office

Week 6 and 7 - back to back shows ... will be out traveling for 16 days, this time only two countries ... 3 cities.

Week 8 - office for a few days - July 4th - office for one day and then off for two days to visit with my family ... yeah!

I think that is as far as I can think ... I have to fit in a trip to Canada and Mexico ... really do not know where or how ...

... a dopo ... J