22nd Birthday Celebration!

I don't know 'bout you...

Oh! So this is what T Swift has been talking about.  I totally know what it feels like to be 22 now :).

Today is my 22nd birthday! My mom keeps saying that she can't believe how old I am.  Frankly, I can't believe how old I am.  Bri gave me a really sweet card that talked about some of the things that have happened in the last year like running a half marathon, graduation, getting a job, and signing a lease on an apartment.  I can't believe I am old enough to be doing all that! I am so scared and excited about what the future holds and this birthday is a reminder of the fact that I am pretty sure I'm an adult now.

Last night, I had a really fun celebration with some of my friends downtown.  We went to RJ Grunts for dinner and then hit up a couple of bars in Lincoln Park.  It was a great night and we all had a really fun time!

Now, I am getting ready for a little birthday zumba with my mom and then grocery shopping for a birthday bbq!  We are having friends and family over tonight for a grill out and I am excited to keep the celebration going!  I also made my favorite desserts to share: Red Velvet Cupcakes and Homemade Funfetti Cupcakes.  I brought some of these in for my counselors at camp, made Homemade Funfetti Cupcakes for my campers, and now I have leftovers for today's party!

For the Red Velvet, I did the same recipe as the cake version, poured the batter into cupcake pans, and baked them for 12-18 minutes.  12 for the mini cupcakes and 18 for the big ones.  Then, I frosted them with my favorite cream cheese frosting:

16 oz light cream cheese
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 1/2 - 3 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
milk or half and half as needed

Simply beat together and frost!

For the Funfetti, I followed the exact same recipe as last year and they came out super delicious! The campers were raving!

Foodie Friends Friday: Picnic Party!

This week, Foodie Friends Friday is back!  This week is all about Picnics! Picnics during the spring and summer are so much fun! Just follow the rules and link up some recipes that are perfect for this party! Also, host favorites will be featured on Daily Dish!  This week I'm linking up Dark Chocolate Fudge Brownies, Chocolate Chocolate White Chocolate Chip Cookies, and Lemon Brown Butter Pasta Salad with Arugula, Tomatoes and Pine Nuts.

Most Clicks:

1. Rustic Christmas Candle

2. Homemade Christmas Ornaments

3. Old Fashioned Christmas Fudge

And Host Favorites!

Welcome to Foodie Friends Friday!

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An InLinkz Link-up

An InLinkz Link-up

Whole Wheat M&M Mug Cookie

I have a horrible sweet tooth.

Luckily, my mom bought some amazing Phish Food Frozen Yogurt (my favorite) and when I am craving something sweet, I take a scoop.  I try to make that pint last as long as possible since I don't want to pig out, and my mom hardly ever gets it so I want to savor it!

A few weeks ago, my mom didn't have anything sweet in the house!  Gasp! It was so she wouldn't eat anything bad, but I was seriously in need of some sort of dessert like thing.  So, I found a recipe for a mug cookie!  I had never made one before and it was just SCREAMING my name.  I made my "healthy" by using whole wheat flour and I mixed in Mini M&Ms because that just made me happy.  It seriously took me less than 5 minutes and it was awesome!  Check out my mug cookie!

Whole Wheat M&M Mug Cookie
(adapted from The Comfort of Cooking)

Ingredients:
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
a pinch of salt
1 egg yolk
3 tbsp whole wheat flour
2 tbsp mini m&ms

Directions:
1. Microwave the butter for 30 seconds or until just melted.
2. Using a spoon, stir the sugar and brown sugar into the butter.  Stir in the vanilla and salt.  Next, stir in the egg yolk until completely combined.  Finally, stir in the flour and m&ms until just combined.
3. Microwave for 1 minute.

Enjoy :)

Crafty: Homemade Silly Putty

My birthday is coming up and I can't say I'm that excited.  I think that it just hasn't hit me yet.  So, yesterday I went shopping with Anna in the hopes that retail therapy would help to inspire me to excited.  I did get some pretty fun outfits and I think I am starting to feel birthday ready.

Tonight, I am going to be starting my baking endeavors for my birthday and I think this will also help me to get in the birthday mood.  I am baking for my campers, counselors, and friends and I have a ton of great ideas lined up!

I have another really cool craft to share today! Last week at camp, the theme was Silly School Days and all of our art projects were like fun science experiments.  We made volcanos, oobleck, and tye-dye t-shirts.  We also made Homemade Silly Putty! This was one of my favorites and the campers loved it as well.  All you need a few simple ingredients that you might even have lying around your house!

Homemade Silly Putty
adapted from Learn Play Imagine

Ingredients:
4 tbsp white glue
2 tbsp Sta-Flo (liquid starch)
food coloring

Directions:
1. In a plastic bag, pour the glue and sta-flo.  Start kneading the bag.  If the mixture is too sticky, add sta-flo, and if the mixture is too stringy, add glue.
2.  Once your mixture looks like it is coming together, add in the food coloring and continue to knead to combine.
3. Turn the bag inside out and peel away all your silly putty.  It should look like silly putty and not stick to your hands.  If it sticks, just add a little sta-flo.

Enjoy :)