Alcohol Infused Cupcakes

yes, you read that right. thanks to Stephanie and her brilliant drink-filled cranium. I made her "4th of July" cupcakes, Memorial Day style. I don't think there's a more fitting way to share the recipe with y'all than to link-up for Stephanie and Chelsee's party link-up.

here's how I made mine::

step one- gather your ingredients.

I tried to stay on the path of Steph's recipe since I have negative baking skills. white cake mix, some regular frosting, a cupcake pan, and blue food coloring. with the vodka of course.

I happened to have UV Cake vod and Pinnacle Cotton Candy. which is what I used.

step two- follow the recipe on the cake mix box, but substitute the water for vod (as in, 1 cup water = 1 cup of vodka). then put it into the tin, after it's lined with the paper things of course, and bake. I made mini cupcakes, the oven was 350 and they baked for about 10 min.

step three- frosting. I put the whole can into a bowl and mixed it with 4-6 tablespoons of vod. however, I realized then that it was too much frosting and I probs could have gotten away with half the can. oh well. tip:: if the frosting is too runny just add powder sugar.

step four- after the cupcakes are cooled and the frosting is ready started spreading it on, and then top with alcohol soaked cherries. recommendation:: do not use moonshine soaked cherries, people think they're too strong. 

final product!

they were delish, everyone loved them!

also, do not touch the pans when they are in a 350 degree oven, or this will happen

obviously I know not to touch hot items and this was an accident cause the stupid oven mit wasn't cooperating. it didn't really hurt, I'm sure it will leave a nice little scar though. oops.

there ya have it, folks! if I can manage to make them, I'm positive anyone else could. for our big firework bonfire I think I might try adding whiskey.

anyways, I'm off to work. then home to get things organized to see Tim McGraw tomorrow!! first country concert of the summer!!

Influenster SpringVoxBox - Tastykake Kandy Bar Kake

I've been slaking big time with reading other blogs.. sorry friends! I've been busy working watching Arrested Development and Psych on Netflix instant streaming.

but I qualified for the Spring Vox Box on Influenster! and finally received it over the weekend. (if you want to be invited to Influenster let me know, I have extra invites!!) I only have a short post for y'all today, I'm too busy watching instant streaming and preparing for the Tim McGraw//Brantley Gilbert//Love&Theft concert on Friday!!!!! woot woot!!

Tasty Kake's Kandy Bar Kakes

I received the peanut butter flavor. it was alright.. kind dry tasting. I'm not sure I'd purchase them ever, since it also had 15g of fat. 15! yikes.

**I received these products complimentary for testing purposes from Influenster. Opinions are my own.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Weekend Update - Memorial Day '13

Friday::
worked. home. then back to Melt. (I went to Melt Wednesday with friends, and again on Friday.) I discovered a great drink- Berry Hard Cider. and tried a new sandwich- Rising Sun Melt, which was shrimp, seasoned greens, some kind pickle thing, and a chili aoli sauce. I wasn't a fan of the pickles, but the rest of it was pretty good. my dad and I went hafsies, he got the beef au jus (pictured below) and we split that and the shrimp sandwich.

Saturday::
I actually didn't have to work. this was the first Saturday in 3 1/2 years that I didn't have to work that wasn't requested off. I tried to sleep in, that failed. then I made Stephanie's vodka infused cupcakes (separate post to come later), before the Lear family came over for a cookout.

Sunday::
watched some Food Network and American Pickers, before seeing The Hangover 3- which was good, the ending is great.. first one is still the best though. and then of course I started watching the new Arrested Developments. (Stephanie, I had to get Netflix Instant Streaming for a month because of this show)

Monday::
Memorial Day!
started off the day by planting 200+ hot pepper plants, and about 100 more bell peppers//tomato//etc plants. #KirtlandPepperPackers. then it was to the Leber's for a pool party.. even though it was a high of 68 and drizzled on and off. 

and today I am FINALLY getting my haircut. last time I got it was in October. it's so long, and annoying.

the end of it's okay

it's okay that...

this link-up is coming to an end.

it's not supposed to be ridic warm for Memorial Day weekend.

I have to close work tonight.

I won't see my best friend for a month.

the Tribe lost to the Tigers. (no that's not okay, eff Detroit!)

I don't feel like working out, but I know I should.

I'm extreme excited for my Melt leftovers.

I have Saturday off from work.

family friends have an awesome pool and throw a pool party on Memorial Day.

my boys have been doing excellent. they're 1st in the AL Central, with a record of 26-19. they've been doing amazingly lately. I hope they continue to keep up the good work. I wish they would have beat the Tigers though. now we're only .5 games ahead of them for 1st, as opposed to the 2.5 we were. the Tribe plays the Red Sox next, then the Reds after that. ROLL TRIBE!

my idosyncrasies... part two.

(read part one here)

I play with straw wrappers. more specifically, I fold straw wrappers in half and then in half again. every. single. time. I. encounter. a. straw. wrapper. I didn't even realize I was doing it at first, it just was happening, and then someone pointed it out to me. after I fold the wrapper twice I'll sit there and play with it until the food comes or I move it out of my reach.

I wash my hands in the shower. it's the first thing I do. I didn't really think of it was odd until I mentioned it over here. but really, how strange is it? I don't want dirty, unclean hands going into my hair that I'm trying to clean.

I love banana flavoring but not actual bananas. totally effed, I know. for whatever reason I love banana flavored things, such as:: banana cream pie, strawberry-banana yogurt//smoothies//margaritas, banana bread, banana chocolate chip muffins, etcetc. but when it comes to eating an actual banana.. I'm like Ron Swanson.

I love peanuts on my ice cream. give me a bowl of ice cream, I want peanuts. I mean I can eat ice cream without peanuts, but if they are available I will certainly be putting them on.

I have extremely sensitive taste buds. when it comes to foods I dislike I know immediately if it's in a dish. for example.. lime is a big one for me, I absolutely hate the taste of lime, and if it's involved in a meal at all I will taste it first bite. recently I also tasted beer in steak, I had no idea my mom marinated the steaks in beer and other ingredients.. it took me like 3 bites and I knew beer was involved. my dad thought I was cray.

I laugh, a lot. I just laugh a lot. if I don't know how to respond to something, I laugh. if I feel uncomfortable or awkward, I laugh. if I find something funny, obvi, I laugh. I laugh at other people, I laugh at myself, I laugh at people laughing.

I'm not a big fan of cheese. it's not that I don't like it. it's just that I prefer not to have it. I never add it to sandwiches or burgers, if it's already on that's fine but if I have the option I'd rather not have it. thanks, but no thanks.


ps:: birthday shoutout to my precious pup Penny Lane, love and miss you girl! and also, my cousin Tallon who turns 6 today! :)

"Bears, Beets, Battlestar Galactica"

I, of course, am talking about The Office.

as much as it pains me to say... The Office ended Thursday, forever. it was one of my all-time favorite shows and one of the funniest I've ever seen. I will definitely miss watching The Office on Thursday nights. I plan on owning all the seasons so I can re-watch them whenever I so desire. I have the first four seasons already.

The Office has made me laugh, and laugh, and laugh over the years. what boss is better than Michael Scott? what co-worker is more fun to prank than Dwight? who gives better looks at the camera than Jim? who's more perfect together than Halpert and Beesley?

Michael Scott.

Dwight.

Jim Halpert.

every single character in this show fit perfectly. every actor played their characters perfectly. from season one all the way to the finale last night. I can't even put it into words how much I love this show, or how sad I am to see it come to an end. I realize a tv show can't last forever, and I'm grateful I was able to grow up with these actors and characters, but I'm still sad to see it go.

jello stapler - hilarious.

classic.

the 'Jim face' is my favorite.

the last episode was perfect. spot on. the best way they could have ended it. I love a good ending, and thankfully the writers gave me just that.

dear cast//writers//crew members//etc of The Office, thanks for making me pee my pants on Thursday nights. it's been a great nine seasons, you'll be missed my friends.

Weekend Update - Ashley's Birthday

Sami ;; I... ;; yolo

Thursday::
worked. then it was to downtown willoughby for round one of Ashley's birthday festivities. it was a fun night. and a hilarious one too.

Friday::
worked- which was the weirdest day ever. then did absolutely nothing. I was in bed at like 930 I was so exhausted. (Ashley's birthday, and my cousin Hayley)

Saturday::
worked. then attended "I Never Saw Another Butterfly" play at our local theater. Allison's younger siblings starred in the play, and they all did awesome. after that it was to Hooley House for possibly my favorite drink ever- Baked Apple Raspberry Ale. YUM! then back to downtown willoughby for round two of Ashley's birthday festivities. Thursday seemed to go by so slow, but Saturday night flew by. I think my favorite moment was when Chicken Fried played in a bar called Mullarkey's, which you better believe we sang along as loud as we could.

Sunday::
relaxed the whole day. tv was playing a bunch of great movies so I watched:: He's Just Not That Into You, Dodgeball, and Live Free or Die Hard. I also watched about 4 hours worth of SNL re-runs.

5/13-5/19

1:: figure out a birthday present for my friend.

2:: get a birthday gift for my other friend, and give her said gift.

3:: work out three times. (upping the ante)

4:: return Netflix.

5:: do laundry.

yea, this week was kind of a bust. oops. here's to a better turn out this week.

5/20-5/26

1:: return Netflix. (I seriously cannot put this off again)

2:: work out three times.

3:: clean my car.

4:: do laundry.

5:: enjoy Memorial Day weekend.

how to survive life... part one.

#1:: always have chapstick while intoxicated. and//or not intoxicated, but mostly intoxicated.

#2:: never drink any kind of beverage while watching It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia, or you may laugh it up through your nose.

#3:: always push in your chair.

#4:: when filling out a NCAA bracket remember to breathe, as it can be immensely stressful.

#5:: laugh.. laugh a lot.

#6:: stand up for yourself and your loved ones. don't let people tread on you.

#7:: remember, it's five o'clock somewhere.

#8:: always rep your teams. sport their colors and cheer loud and proud.

#9:: hold doors open for others.

#10:: if you can't decide on something, flip a coin.

#11:: drive at least the speed limit.

Happy Wednesday! what are some rules you live by??

"where were you on that one, dipsh!t"

^ Happy Gilmore.
we're now fourteen days into May and I haven't done the May Blogging Challenge once. hence the title of this post.

oops.

so here I am to catch up do a few of them, cause lets be honest I'm not going to do all of them. that's a fact jack. sorrynotsorry.

things that make me uncomfortable...
silence. standing somewhere where I'm in the way of other people. talking about my feelings. phone calls.

blogging love...
I'm cheating on this one.
I'd pick Melissa, but because she's technically a real-life friend over a blogging friend I'm not going to fully count it. but I love Melis cause she's the bees knees. the koolest kid around (so cool you have to spell it with a K.) and I love her forever.
for an actual blogging friend, I'm going to pick...
Stephanie, she's super friendly and funny. She has followed my blog from basically the beginning, and despite our love for rival football teams we still manage to get along quite well. plus, she holds the secrets to alcohol cupcakes.. which I need. oh, and she doesn't judge my drinking habits or my love for chicken nuggets.
(but I want to also shout out to Katrin and Steph cause they're both super awesome too!)

what do you do... (no job mention allowed)
I... go to school, watch movies, enjoy sports, indulge in way too many tv shows, eat sweets often, try to be healthy, am lazy, drink, hang out with friends and family, am addicted to social media.

things I'm most afraid of...
there's really only two things that completely terrifiy me.
numero uno is spiders. I freak out if you just show me a picture of one. they're disgusting hairy bastards and I hate them.
numero dos, creepy masks. I'm not talking like a halloween mask, those don't scare me. I mean like straight up The Strangers or The Purge masks. google image those movies, and you'll see what I mean. fuckin creepy shit.
and you can throw heights in too. I don't like heights either. but I'm not like extremely terrified of them.. I ride rollercoasters and what not.
that's basically it... there's other things I don't like, but I'm not necessarily afraid of them. 

a moment of my day...
watching The Lonely Island's new spring break video.. and then I found this gem..




ten things that make you really happy...
Zac Efron, Ryan Reynolds, Brad Paisley, Luke Bryan, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, James Laurinaitis, Eric Church, Brayden Schenn, Jimmy Kimmel, Jack Hannahan.
but seriously...
watching the Tribe//Browns//Buckeyes//Monsters//Flyers win. country music playing while sitting around a bonfire. family vacations. the spirit of Christmas. when a good movie has a great ending. when I'm wrong while watching a movie- like when I don't see a twist coming. Disney//Pixar movies. clean sheets. when celebrities dance on Ellen and act goofy. my family//friends//blogging friends.

Weekend Update - Mothers Day

Sami ;; I... ;; yolo

Friday::
worked. came home and watched This is 40, which was pretty funny, a bit long though. but overall a good movie.

Saturday::
worked. then home for yet more movies. a few friends invited me out but I was really tired and just stayed home. I watched Independence Day for the first time, and yes I realize I'm 17 years late on that one #betterlatethannever. and then I watched The Dark Knight Rises, which was awesome! I absolutely loved the ending. phenom.

Sunday::
momma's day. we went to dinner as a family, even my aunt//uncle//cousins came, and Gram too of course. and pretty much did nothing else the rest of the day.


today I'll be at Jacob's Field all day for the Indians double header against the Yanks. GO TRIBE!!

5/6-5/12

1:: burn cds for Erin.

2:: return Netflix.

3:: start the blogging in May challenge. (post tomorrow)

4:: figure out a Mothers Day gift.

5::  work out at least twice, and eat healthy.

5/13-5/19

1:: figure out a birthday present for my friend.

2:: get a birthday gift for my other friend, and give her said gift.

3:: work out three times. (upping the ante)

4:: return Netflix.

5:: do laundry.

I did okay. I didn't burn any cds, and I didn't return the netflix though. and I only ate somewhat healthy this week, we had so many leftovers it was tougher for me. I hope to do better this week.

"if you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball"

^ name that movie... Dodgeball

first, I just want to say it's been one year today since I got jaw surgery. it's crazy to think that a year ago I was under for 12 hours, in the hospital for three days, and couldn't eat for 6 weeks. I've came so far healing in the past year. no more numbness, no more pain, my braces are off, I'm done with check-ups at the ortho. I'm very happy happy happy!! :)

a quick update on the Tribe... they're doing awesome! they're currently 18-14 and 3rd in the AL Central. my boys just swept the A's, making them on a four game winning streak. Reynolds is on fire, Swishy is right there with him. Raburn is still doing well when he plays. Cabrera got out of the funk he was in earlier and is doing better. they're looking real good offensively right now. I hope it continues once the All-Star break goes.. last year that's when the fell apart. keep on going boys!! windians!!

one:: momma made Skyline Chili for dinner the other night. 

two:: this semester is officially overrrr- bring on summatime!

three:: I hit 70 followers, and was inducted into the LEEIB Hall of Fame, yahoo!

four:: for mothers day we're eating at Danny Boy's. loove that place.

five:: I've continued to workout//eat healthier.. and I feel gooood!

The Pact by Jodi Picoult

Goodreads:: For eighteen years the Hartes and the Golds have lived next door to each other, sharing everything from Chinese food to chicken pox to carpool duty-- they've grown so close it seems they have always been a part of each other's lives. Parents and children alike have been best friends, so it's no surprise that in high school Chris and Emily's friendship blossoms into something more. They've been soul mates since they were born. So when midnight calls from the hospital come in, no one is ready for the appalling truth: Emily is dead at seventeen from a gunshot wound to the head. There's a single unspent bullet in the gun that Chris took from his father's cabinet-- a bullet that Chris tells police he intended for himself. But a local detective has doubts about the suicide pact that Chris has described. 

thoughts:: I heard many good things about this book. however, I wasn't a huge fan. I may be the only person in the world, but I just didn't think it was great. it was very predictable. the twist at the end, saw that coming from a mile away. and the whole book was just depressing.

currently reading:: Delirium by Lauren Oliver (and I'm loooving it so far)

Happy Friday!! have any big plans for Mother's Day?

tailgating tips

Steph ;; Chelsee

this week I give you tips for tailgating at country concerts. or anywhere really, but mostly concerts.

at Blossom, which is where most of Cleveland's outdoor concerts are held, and the majority of country concerts, it's prime for tailgating. we usually get there around 1pm and tailgate all day until the concert begins at 7-ish. it's always a blast.

here's how we do it...

cooler. obvi packed with alcohol. as many as you need to hold all of your supplies. and another mini one for food.
solo cups. preferably red or camo. yes, they do have camo ones.
food. hot dogs are perfect. don't forget the buns or the ketchup though. pretzels are always a good drinking choice too.
portable grill. just a little thing, to grill those hot dogs.
corn hole. that's a given.
portable stereo. not a super giant one, just big enough to play some tunes.
sunglasses//hat//sunscreen. trust me on this one.
chairs. campfire chairs work perfectly. trust me, when you're tailgating for 6 hours you'll want to sit down in between corn hole games.
cheap table. just a small fold up table. it can double as a set up for your grill, hot dogs, buns, ketchup, stereo, etc.. or use it for a beer pong table. either way you can't go wrong.
alcohol soaked fruit. it's delish.
camera. so you can capture moments like these::

I have way too many pictures from way too many concerts, so I'm just giving you one from each.. or we'd be here all day. enjoy.

Brad Paisley 2008

Kenny Chesney, Keith Urban, Jennifer Nettles, Gary Allan, Sammy Hagar 2008

Tim McGraw, Jason Aldean 2008

Brad Paisley, Justin Moore, Darius Rucker 2010

Toby Keith & Eric Church 2011

Brad Paisley, Blake Shelton, Jarrod Neimann 2011

Brad Paisley, The Band Perry, Scotty McCreery, Jana Kramer, Love & Theft 2012 (with Gram)

Toby Keith & Brantley Gilbert 2012

Kenny Chesney, Tim McGraw, Jake Owen 2012

coming in 2013:: Tim McGraw//Brantley Gilbert//Love&Theft ;; Kenny Chesney//Eli Young Band//Kasey Musgraves ;; Rascal Flatts//The Band Perry ;; Toby Keith//Kip Moore ;; Blake Shelton//Easton Corbin//Jana Kramer ;; Miranda Lambert//Dierks Bentley ;; Keith Urban//Little Big Town, Dustin Lynch ;; Jason Aldean//Jake Owen//Thomas Rhett ;; Luke Bryan//Thompson Square//Florida Georgia Line.

any tailgating tips y'all have for me? anything I missed?