I’ve had about all the crazy I can for one evening.

Happy Easter ya'll. Today I realized at church that I  hadn't done my visiting teaching for the month of March, and seeing as today is March 31st I figured I probably should do something about that quick.  When I got home from church I whipped up a batch of cupcakes, frosted them, and made Jeremy walk around with me to drop them off.  What a sweet man he is.  The recipe I used was from yourcupofcake.com again.  I seriously love her cupcakes.  Today's concoction was Strawberry Colada Cupcakes:

Strawberry Colada Cupcakes

Coconut Cake:

1 box white cake mix

3 eggs

1/3 Cup oil

1 C. coconut milk

1/3 C. sour cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tsp. coconut extract

Strawberry Buttercream:

1 C. butter, softened

4-5 C. powdered sugar

2-3 tbsp. strawberry jam or preserve

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Shredded Coconut

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line pans with cupcake liners.

2. Sift cake mix into a small bowl and set aside.

3. In a large bowl combine eggs, oils, coconut milk, sour cream, vanilla extract and coconut extract.

4. Add cake mix and stir until smooth.

5. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full and bake for 17-22 minutes or until an inserted knife comes out clean.

6. Buttercream: Beat butter for 2 minutes. Add in powdered sugar until thick. Add strawberry jam 1 tablespoon at a time until you reach the right flavoring. Taste to test :) Mix in vanilla extract.

7. Pipe buttercream onto cooled cupcakes.

8. Sprinkle with coconut.

I hear he controls the weather and wrote the screenplay to Glitter!

So this cold, snowy weather this weekend was far from my favorite.  I am WAY over winter, and I'm ready for spring/summer to begin.  My only remedy for surviving this weekend was to imagine that it was the last snow storm, and after it is over spring can officially begin.  I hope my remedy is actually true, and it is the last of the white stuff for awhile.  I love spring, and I cannot wait for it to truly begin.  Jeremy and I have been much better at going to the gym lately, and I have decided that I am not allowed to buy any new spring/summer clothes until I have become more fit.  This winter was brutal on my body (Okay, I was the one that was hard on my body, but I like having someone to blame.  Inanimate objects are the best to blame because they can't talk back.). One of my favorite snacks after working out is a triple berry smoothie.

 They are super easy to make, and they really hit the spot.  I can proudly say that this recipe is 100% mine.  There may be recipes out there that are similar, but I came up with this smoothie recipe all on my own.  Here it is:

Nicole's Triple Berry Smoothie

1 1/2 cups frozen berries

1/2 cup yogurt (I use lemon)

1 cup orange juice

1 tsp vanilla

Blend ingredients in blender until smooth.  

This recipe is a guesstimate of what I do.  If the smoothie is too thick for you, add more orange juice.  Sometimes I'll add more yogurt because I like the texture it gives the smoothie.  The vanilla is optional, but I think it tastes better with it in there.

He doesn't write the orders down, he never brings you food that's hot or yours, he can't distinguish bagels from doughnuts, he hands out butt napkins, and he has worn that Foreigner t-shirt every single day since he started working here and he doesn't know who they are. I asked him.

I finally got my icing piping kit.  Thanks Amazon!  This week was my dear friend, and former roommate, Kenze's birthday.  To celebrate we had a little shindig at our house.  I was put in charge of cupcakes.  I had Jeremy pick which recipe to do.  He chose the Chocolate Banana Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting recipe from yourcupofcake.com  That was fine with me, considering that my favorite shake to get at the Malt Shoppe is their hot fudge banana shake with peanut butter.  He did have one addition he wanted in the recipe though.  He wanted me to put Reese's Peanut Butter Cups at the bottom of them.  I did so, and they turned out amazingly!  See for yourself:

The thing that is tricky about making these delicious cupcakes is that you want to eat them all the time.  We just started a Nicholls's family health challenge that Jeremy and I are bound and determined to win, and we can only have 4 sweets a week.  Having treats like this around the home is no good.  We're holding strong though, don't you worry.  Here's the recipe from yourcupofcake.com:

Cakes:

1 cup ripe bananas, mashed

½ cup oil

¼ cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 eggs

1 box Devil’s Food Cake Mix

Peanut Butter Buttercream:

¼ cup butter

8 oz cream cheese

1/3 cup peanut butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3-4 cups powdered sugar

Directions:

1.      Preheat oven to 340 degrees and line about 20 muffins tins with cupcake liners.

2.      In a large bowl, mash bananas (about three) using a fork to get rid of all large lumps. 

3.      Add oil, buttermilk and vanilla and stir well. 

4.      Add eggs one at a time, being sure to mix well in between each addition. 

5.      Slowly add cake mix and mix well. 

6.     Fill cupcake liners ¾ full (This is where my recipe differed. I put enough batter to thinly cover the bottom of the liners then added a full sized peanut butter cup.  Then I filled the liners with the rest of the batter to make it 3/4 full) and bake for 12-15 minutes (mine took a little longer) or until a knife or toothpick comes out clean.  Be sure not to over bake them, and place them in an airtight container as soon as they are out of the oven. 

7.     Buttercream: Beat butter, cream cheese and peanut butter until light and fluffy (should take about 5 minutes).  Add vanilla and as much powdered sugar as desired (I used 5 cups). 

8.     Pipe onto cooled cupcakes.

      Enjoy!

Bagels are like glue in your intestines and ensure that everything that enters your body will remain there until you die.

I've been on a new kick lately, these guys...

I guess it's not a new kick, it's more like an old flame that was recently rekindled.  I love making cupcakes.  They are so delicious and fun to decorate.  I even bought me a frosting piping kit and some greaseproof cupcake liners.  I'm going to become legit, and fat.  I found a fantastic website: www.yourcupofcake.com
She is amazing with cupcakes.  I've only  made two of her recipes, but they were spectacular both times.  The most recent cupcakes I made were for my ward's Relief Society birthday party.  I made some strawberry lemonade cupcakes, and they turned out marvelously.  The frosting is to die for.

Lemon Strawberry Cupcakes (created from recipes on yourcupofcake.com)

The Cakes:

Lemon cake mix (I used Duncan Hines Lemon Supreme)

1 cup sour cream

½ cup water

¼ cup milk

¾ cup oil

4 eggs

1 small box instant lemon pudding mix

Strawberry Buttercream:

3/4 C. butter, softened

4 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2-4 Tbsp. strawberry puree (see note)

3-4 C. powdered sugar, as needed

Directions:

1.     1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.    2. In a large bowl, beat eggs. 

3.    3. Add oil, water, and milk and beat again. 

4.    4. Stir in sour cream and then cake mix and pudding mix until well blended.

5.    5. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake for 20-28 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

       6. As soon as your cupcakes, place them on a cooling rack for about 5-7 minutes and then seal in an airtight container to make sure they stay perfectly moist.  The container will steam-up inside, but won’t worry… 

7. Buttercream: Beat butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add vanilla extract and add 2 Tbsp. strawberry puree. Slowly add powdered sugar until you reach your desired consistency. If it becomes too thick, add more strawberry puree.

8. Pipe onto cooled cupcakes.

**I didn't have my piping kit when I made these cupcakes.  You can still pipe frosting without the bag and tips.  Just put your frosting in a sandwich bag, and cut off a bit of one of the bottom corners.  Make sure if you are piping your frosting that your cupcakes are cool to the touch, and that your frosting is really thick.  I think I used almost 5 cups of powdered sugar for this buttercream recipe.

Would you like to eat dinner with fragrant lilies in the room?

Valentine's Day is one of my absolute favorite holidays--second only to Christmas.  I love that we have a holiday based on love.  It was my favorite holiday even when I was single.  I'll have you know that I never had a boyfriend for Valentine's Day before Jeremy, so I spent many Valentine's Days alone, and I still loved it.  My job also makes the holiday extra splendid.  For example, this was what one of my students wrote on his valentine:

It's true.  Kissing is good.  Many people asked me what Jeremy and I were doing for our first Valentine's Day as a married couple.  It's kind of funny to think of last Valentine's Day.  Jeremy and I had just started dating.  It was so fresh that I remember thinking Do I get him something for Valentine's Day?  Is it too soon?  This year I knew I needed to get him something, but I had a hard time coming up with something good.  This is what I came up with:

I typed up 100 reasons why I love him (which was quite easy), and bought a few gifts that went along with some of the reasons I came up with.

He seemed to really like it. :)  Jeremy gave me four of my favorite things: flowers, Reese's peanut butter cups, dinner, and a sweet note.  He always picks out the prettiest flowers.

We were going to go to Thai Evergreen for dinner as a tradition because that's where we went last year, and it was dead slow.  If I remember right we were the only customers there, but their food was DELICIOUS!  When we got there, though, they were packed, so went to Fusion, a Korean restaurant, instead.  The food was really good there.  The best part was that while we were looking at the pictures of customers on their wall by us (like every hole in the wall Asian restaurant has) we saw a picture of Jeremy with a date on the wall!  It was hilarious!  What are the odds that you see a picture of yourself on the wall of a restaurant?  Well, that basically sums up the Nicholls family Day of Love.  Cheers!

We could order some pizza, or Chinese food, or perhaps one of those hoagies that you cut into a million pieces

I have a confession.  I love pizza.  When I say "love" I really  mean it.  I think my love totem pole goes like this: Jeremy, sunshine, pizza.  I'm dead serious.  I could eat pizza any day of the week, and all day long.  I feel bad getting take out all the time though, so I have started to make homemade pizza.  Bless Pinterest because I have been able to find the best concoction of a pizza.   I decided to share the recipe with you.

Yeah, I made that pizza. ^

Homemade Pizza Crust (found at http://elizabethbryant.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-best-pizza.html)

3/4 T dry-active yeast
3/4 T Salt
1 1/2 cup warm water
3 1/4 cup flour

Mix ingredients in order in a bowl.  Dough will be sticky.  Do NOT add more flour.  Cover bowl with towel, and let rise for 2 hours.  Lightly dust pizza pan with flour. Spread dough on pizza pan (dusting with flour when needed to make it easier to spread out), top with sauce, toppings, and mozzarella cheese, and cook in a preheat oven at 500 degrees for 8-10 minutes.  Let sit for 5 minutes before you cut and serve it.

Marinara Sauce (found at http://smashedpeasandcarrots.blogspot.com/2011/01/easy-pizza-sauce-simple-recipe.html)

1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
1 6 oz can tomato paste
2 t oregano
2 t basil
1/2 t sugar
1/2 t onion powder
2 cloves garlic, crushed

Mix together in a bowl, and spread on pizza dough.

Alfredo Sauce (found at http://allrecipes.com/recipe/easy-alfredo-sauce-i/)

1 pint whipping cream
1/2 c butter
1 1/2 cups fresh Parmesan cheese (I just use the shredded kind in a bag)
2 t Italian seasoning

Melt butter in a small saucepan.  Whisk in whipping cream.  When whipping cream and butter are well combined, add Parmesan cheese and seasoning.  Stir until cheese has melted and blended with sauce.  Let sit for 5-10 minutes to thicken.  Spread on pizza dough.

When I make a Chicken Alfredo Pizza I grill 2 chicken breasts on my George Foreman with some salt and pepper. Then I slice them, and put them on the pizza.  I also have Mozzarella cheese always on hand in my freezer.  Did you know that you can freeze shredded cheese?  I do it all the time, and it works perfectly in any recipe I need it in.  Enjoy a pizza night on me!

I’ve got that elephant’s memory when it comes to nearly dying

It was hard to see through the billowing smoke, and the sirens and screaming made it hard to think clearly.  Panic and terror pursued my tender heart as I realized that Jeremy would most likely never let me cook again.  I couldn't believe that I let it get to this.  First the melted plastic spoon, then the melted plastic crock-pot handle, now this?!  I must really be letting myself go, or being with 35 eight- and nine-year-olds really is sending me to the nuthouse.
Okay, it wasn't really that bad, but it felt like it at the time.  I had just finished cooking dinner (I was in a bit of a rush because my Presidency meeting was coming quickly upon me), and we sat down to eat.  The meal was delicious, if I do say so myself.  Jeremy went to the other room to check his phone because he had heard an alert.  I was sitting at the dinner table, praising myself for whipping together such a lovely meal when I smelled it.  I caught the terrible whiff of something burning.  What could it be? I thought, The food is on the stove, and I turned off the oven.  I quickly turned around and saw my favorite grey pot holder smoking!  "Not again..." I moaned.  Jeremy quickly asked me what happened.  He dashed into the room, and said, "It smells like something is burning!"  Come to find out, I forgot to turn off one of the burners that was keeping the sauce warm, and later had set the pot holder on it.  This was the end result:

On a happier note, yesterday was Jeremy's birthday.  He's a whopping 27 years old!  We're thinking of getting him a hearing aide (aid?) next week.  To celebrate we had my former roommates, one of his former roommates, and a coworker of his come over Friday night for games.  On Sunday his siblings came over for dinner, and last night we went to dinner to Sam Hawks --where we went on our first date almost exactly a year ago (awe...).  It was a lot of fun to go back.  That place is delicious.  If you like Korean food, I highly suggest that you check it out.

**And for all of you smartypants out there that are thinking Nicole will eat Korean food? The answer is yes, so ha!