Gluten free goodness: Betty Crocker Gluten Free Yellow Cake Mix

So I finally tried out Ms. Betty Crocker's newest Gluten Free offering: Gluten Free Yellow Cake Mix. First inaugural recipe: Banana Cupcakes with Brown Butter Frosting from BettyCrocker.com (For Recipe, Click Here).

The recipe was very easy to follow. Simply plus up the Betty Crocker mix with bananas, eggs, vanilla, butter and of course more butter, milk and powdered sugar for the frosting. Now, pre Gluten Free days, I ABHORRED boxed cake mix!! would not even consider boxed cake - NEVER!! Only Swan's Down cake flour for this girl (cake snob, i know!). But as I still have my gluten free training wheels on, I caved under recommendations from others who suggested the mix....and I am certainly glad I did!!

After mixing the batter, I placed them in my new silicone baking cups from Crate and Barrel - Highly recommend, BTW ( only bought a set of 12... so I had to supplement with Barbie cupcake liners - it's all the grocer had!) and baked for 18 minutes....
The cupcake was not moments out of the oven before one mysteriously vanished... hmmm.


Next step, brown butter frosting. 1/3 cup butter gently browned, cooled, then mixed with vanilla, milk and 3 cups powdered sugar. Whoever came up with this concoction - I would love to meet you and give you the biggest hug ever. It.Is.SOOOO. GOOOD!! You! Brilliant!

Look at the little specks of browned butter! yay!


This cupcake saved my life. Gluten free or not, you're life will change with one bite, I swear!

My First Blog AWARD!! YAY!

A good friend Jordana just made my day by nominating me for a blog award!! How wonderful! Jordana is a fantastic food blogger - menumaniac.blogspot.com - I encourage you to check it out. The pictures alone are totally crave-worthy!

Before passing on this award, you must follow the RULES:

1. Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award and his/her blog link.

2. Pass the award to other blogs that you've newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

Now, I have the pleasure of passing it on to a few other deserving blogs including:

Christina at Christina's favorite things

Gypsy Jane at Sweet Enough Already

Psyche at Economy of Style

Have fun!!

Rue La La!!

My good friend Christina (author of a great blog Christina's Favorite Things) introduced me to an amazing sale site: Rue La La. This invitation only site brings the best sample sales to users. For an invitation - click here.

Check out these AWESOME upcoming sales!!

Amazingly beautiful shoes from Sigerson Morrison

Great deals from Williams Sonoma!!

Juicy Couture (a personal fav)

and a perennial summer favorite - Havaiana's

If your interested in these sales, sign up! :) I know I'll definitely be looking at the Juicy Couture and Havaiana's

I.Love. Bacon!!

Bacon bacon bacon bacon! During breakfast with colleagues today, we discussed our infinite and concrete love for all things bacon... and that brings me to today's blog post: BACON!!

It's more than breakfast food. It's a cult phenom! Bacon Across America!!

This cured pork wonder is now the darling of the culinary world: Bacon Ice Cream, Bacon chocolate, the infamous Bacon loaf and now....

Bacon Donut

Squeezable Bacon (oh you Sweedes!)

Bacon LUBE (To which the testers say "mmmmm tastes bacon-y!") It started out as an April fools joke, to which the pranksters found interest from the Internet community - beta tested and found it successful! Yay to Internet democracy!

Link to YouTube video of SFW "beta testing"

... and even bacon alarm clocks!! Is there anything this wondermeat cannot do!?!!?

Chivilary is not dead... but I don't know what to do with it!

I just had to blog about this before I forgot about it... and it just happened to me again - so here I blog!

For those in the know, recently my work assignment changed and now call our corporate HQ home. "Headquarters" life is a bit of an adjustment, beyond the influx of emails, meetings and sweater vests (ew! guys don't do it!!) I find myself surprised and admittedly awkward around acts of chivalry: men opening doors, allowing women to exit the elevator first, etc. Don't get me wrong, the wonderful guys at design would hold doors open and such - and I found myself equally uncomfortable with it- but now it happens with more frequency. At least 4 times a day, I find myself in the awkward situation of "who goes first" through open doors or laugh when men will not enter through doors I hold open. My mom taught me to be independent and considerate, which means holding the door for anyone else, exiting elevators last, walking behind people if necessary, allowing elders to sit before me, etc. etc. and so forth. So when the door is held open for me, or people wait until I exit the elevator first, I'm a bit taken aback. I am sure I'll get used to it in time... but for right now, I find myself blushing, rushing awkwardly through doors and laughing nervously as cultural and social mores play out from elevator to entrance way!

Am I alone on this one? Gen X/Y ladies, do you feel me? Just throwing it out there!

First they outlaw guns, then knives?!!?

Apparantly in the UK, goverment regulations have become more stringent on gun ownership (which I am all for)... but the unintended concequence is predictible, yet simultaniously strange.





Crimes of passion do not subside simply because it's more difficult to obtain a gun. In fact, the proper Brits are finding more "clever" ways of doing in their friends and loved ones - the trusty knife.

Anyone who's studied history knows the knife has been a weapon of choice for centuries. But no longer! Who knew one could improve upon a timeless design?

Gizmodo features an excerpt and quotation from the designer John Cornock:

Mr Cornock, 42, from Swindon, said that
the knife will cut vegetables, but
will make it almost impossible to stab
someone to death and will reduce the risk
of accidental injuries.
He
said: "It can never be a totally safe knife, but
the idea is you can't
inflict a fatal wound. Nobody could just grab one out of
the kitchen drawer
and kill someone.

Simply, the New Point knife is for cooking "nothing more- nothing less". ...and I want one! Not because I fear death from the hands of my loved ones.. but am quite certain I will inadvertently do harm unto myself. Anyone who knows me understands I am a consummate klutz. I have lopped off many a fingertip (even with a veggie peeler.. it was a bad scene) due to my inability to concentrate or lack of depth perception. In fact, I can no longer feel the tips of most of my fingers!

Hence, I am very excited to welcome this knife into our collection :) I'll let you know how it goes. In the meantime, I'll keep using my Wustof's and keep bandaids in the kitchen.

Great give aways

Polka dots and cupcakes blog (lover of all things sweet, cute and preppy) is giving away a fantastic Hobo clutch. I have yearned for one since my good friend Christina introduced me to hers. You can check out PolkaDots and Cupcakes by clicking here - leave a comment or friend her blog to enter!







Another great give away comes from Fantabulously Frugal with her Favorite things giveaway bonanza! I love her site, it's all about finding great deals and free giveaways - highly recommend. Seriously, it's insane the amount of goodies she's giving away!! Here's a taste:

• Decorative envelopes from etsy seller Adnagam
  Frango Dark Chocolate Mints
  Sunshine Yellow Hair Pins from etsy seller creamrose
  Purple Rain Amethyst Earrings from etsy seller Sew*Cool Design
  Paperchase 8 Folded Cards with Envelopes
  Small change purse from etsy seller Made by Hank
  Cucumber Melon Salty Soap Scrub from etsy seller Sissy Soap
  Soap Nuts from Laundry Tree
  Spring Flower Garden Cupcake Liners from etsy seller Layer Cake Shop
  2 Vera Bradley cloth napkins
  Musings Recycled Notebook in Blue from etsy seller subu
  Fleur de Lis Necklace from etsy seller Bumble Beadz
  Marc Jacobs key fob
  Stationery and small letter-pressed notebook from etsy seller Sarah Drake
  Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Protective Recovery Complex
  Coriander Ivory Small Cosmetic Bag from etsy seller The Sweet Sugar Beet
  Smashbox Lip Gloss
  Reusable Sandwich & Snack Bags from etsy seller Green Street
  Reversible Coffee Sleeve from etsy seller LilE
  Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs
  OPI Nail Polish
  Stick With Me, Kid Shopping Tote from etsy seller Earth Cadets
  As well as MANY MORE surprises!

HOW AWESOME IS THAT?!!?! check out her site, it's great! either way, enjoy these giveaways and great blogs!