Todd's Bday

One of my fave people, Todd (or The Todd as I like to call him), has a Cinco de Mayo birthday that happened to fall on a Saturday this year. He shares his birthday with his girlfriend's sister and they had a joint party in Galveston at Buckshot Saloon. I went and had a great time! Here are some pics:

Me with the birthday boy:

 Lacy and I with some waxed lips (it was her sister's 40th bday so they had old school candies and toys at the dessert table)

Frosting for the birthday boy

Glow sticks!

Happy Birthday, Todd!

Maker's Mark Cupcakes

I made Maker's Mark cupcakes for the wedding of some soccer teammates of mine. Apparently the groom is a bit of a Maker's Mark zealot and wanted to see if cupcakes could be made with the flavor and likeness of Maker's for his grooms cake situation. I did a few trials and they ended up choosing a spice cake recipe with a cinnamon cream cheese recipe I found and altered from the Maker's Mark website. I hear they were a big hit at the wedding so check these babies out:

Test phase cupcakes:

 Cake view:

 Ready to ship out:

 Final look was white frosting with a whole candy chip on top, drizzled with melted candy coating:

Recipe

Maker's Mark Cupcakes (adapted from Maker's Mark website)

1c flour

1/2t baking powder

1/4t salt

1/4t baking soda

1t cinnamon

1/4t nutmeg

1 stick butter, softened

1c brown sugar

3 eggs

1/2c molasses

1/4c whole milk

1/2c Maker's Mark bourbon

1 (8oz) pkg cream cheese, softened

1/2 stick butter, softened

1/2t cinnamon

1t vanilla

1/2t salt

1T Maker's Mark bourbon

powdered sugar

Preheat to 350F. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg. In a large bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides after each addition. Add molasses and mix well. Add the dry ingredients alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry. Stir in bourbon. Fill liners to the top and bake for ~15 minutes. Allow to cool completely.  

Beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add cinnamon, vanilla, salt, bourbon and 1c of powdered sugar. Mix until uniform. Add powdered sugar until desired consistenancy is achieved. Pipe onto cooled cupcakes.

Congratulations to JP&T!

2nd Annual Feagan Crawfish Boil

This past weekend was the 2nd Annual Feagan Crawfish Boil at Thomas D's house. They boiled up 150 pounds of crawfish and had 5 homebrew kegs on tap as well as tons of other goodies and imbibements. It was so much fun seeing tons of peeps I haven't seen in awhile. Thanks for the invite, Thomas D! Here is a pictoral recap:

Another batch of mudbugs:

 Drinkmaster Josh:

Rambo faces:

Steph and I outside playing lawn games:

Bro hug during lawn games:

NASA Chili Cookoff

A couple of weekends ago, NASA held its annual chili cook off and I decided to attend. You will notice that I am not trying any chili in any of these pictures because the rules stated that there could be no beans or vegetables in the chili. This led to a bunch of pots full of spiced ground beef essentially. Definitely not my jam. I did, however, taste lots of Apogee Brewing's beer. Couple of my friends are really into brewing and have gotten really good at it judging by what I was drinking that Saturday. I think my favorite was the Honey Blonde if you ever get a chance to one day buy their stuff. Here are some pictures of the debauchery:

Lately

Here's what's been going on with me lately:

Randi and Steph at Prohibition for Laura's Bday

JP and I enjoying fancy bevs for Laura's bday

The birthday girl and I at Prohibition

 My April Foodzie Box

Baloo with his Kong Wobbler

At lunch with Matty as he drove through Houston

 Lots of randomness occurring lately. Hopefully a more concise post soon!

April 2012 Birchbox

I've received my 'natural wonders' themed April Birchbox and it was a pretty good one. Check out the goodies:

Juice Beauty Moisturizer. I've used this a couple of times and you should only use a thin layer. Otherwise, you get a lotion film on your face and it rubs off. So, I'm assuming this means it doesn't absorb into the skin well, which makes it pretty pointless as a moisturizer.

2oz=$28 so 0.17oz=$2.38

Mini Zoya Nail Polish in Bevin. I really love this color for Spring and currently have it on my toes! Zoya polishes are great because they started the 'three free' movement with the no formaldehyde, tuolene, and dibutyl phthalate formula. Full size=$8 so mini is about $4

Say Yes to Blueberries Brightening Facial Towelettes. I actually already had this exact product sitting in my bathroom when I received my box. They're great for when you are just needing to clean makeup off your face late at night or just need a quick freshening between work and drinks! I actually buy mine through the Say Yes To website because they have so many other great products I use and they give great discounts. If you follow the link you can get 35% off! Regular priced $2.99

Erno Laszlo Active pHelityl soap. I used this soap once and my face felt squeeky clean. I've since read up on the 'Laszlo splashing technique' and I plan on trying that next time I use the soap. Just seems like soap to me. 6oz=$40 so 0.5oz=$3.33

Harvey Prince Yogini Purfume. So I've already received this in my December 2011 Birchbox and it was a disappointment then. Definitely a Boo! on this product.

50mL=$50 so About 1mL=$1.10

Grand Value total is $13.80. Not the best Birchbox, but still more value than the $10 I paid. Can't wait for May!

Dog available for adoption in Clear Lake, TX

For those of you reading this in the Clear Lake, TX area, I'd like to put the word out that there is a small dog available for adoption. He's not really my style (if you know me, you know I prefer bigger dogs and/or short hair dogs), but he's a pretty cool little guy. I'm friends with the guy who is fostering him and we meet at the park most weekdays. I've never seen the little bugger bark and he seems pretty chill with all the other (mostly big) dogs that are playing. He really likes to snuggle in your lap and be pet. So if you're looking for a <15lb adult dog (potty trained), please let me know via email (jaclyn.wolfe@gmail.com). Here are some pictures:

Pass it on if you're not ready for a pup!