im baackkk (for good!)

one of 712 pictures that i took while in Turkey and Greece. this is a group of us visiting the fortress in Ankara, Turkey.

what an amazing view, and an even more amazing group of people! cant wait to share the trip with my bloggy :) (does anyone even read this anymore? i've been so MIA!!)

YOU GUYS!

{*via pinterest}

YOU GUYS - i'm leaving for an amazing trip to Turkey and Greece TOMORROW!

Funfetti Cupcakes part 2

i've made funfetti cupcakes before - but i made one key error. i used non-nonpareils instead of "jimmies" - make sure you use jimmies or else your cupcakes look like rainbows....weird, weird rainbows.
these turned out pretty great, but i did overbake them a little bit. oh well - lesson learned. i am still learning how to use my gas oven and not screw things up.

Vanilla Almond Funfetti Cupcakes (from scratch!)

Recipe slightly adapted from {Simply Scratch}

makes 24.

Ingredients:
4 whole Egg Whites
1 cup Whole Milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond extract
3 cups Cake Flour, sifted (i used regular, and it came out just fine. next time ill use cake flour)
1 1/2 cups Sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/4 teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 1/2 sticks of Unsalted Butter, softened
1/2 cup Sprinkles, plus more for garnish
 

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a cupcake pan with paper liners.

Combine the egg whites, vanilla whole milk. Whisk together and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl; sift the dry ingredients. Fitted with a paddle attachment, blend the dry ingredients with the butter and half of the milk and egg mixture. Scrape the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl, and then slowly add the remaining mixture and stop mixing once combined.

Fold in sprinkles and fill paper liners half way. Bake in preheated oven for 17-20 minutes. Watch carefully so you don’t over bake.

Lastly, frost with the prepared cream cheese frosting and sprinkle with remaining sprinkles.

Refrigerate any uneaten cupcakes.

Cream Cheese Icing
via {Simply Scratch}

1 package (8 oz.)  Cream Cheese, softened
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) Butter, softened
1 teaspoon of Real Vanilla Extract 
1 package (16 oz.) powdered sugar (about 4 cups), sifted

Beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add the sifted sugar gradually, beating until well blended after each addition.

Frost Cupcakes.  note: Always keep cream cheese frosting refrigerated.

LETS GO RAVENS!

Uncle Phil and me with Poe, the Raven's mascot!

beginning of a beautiful tribute to 9/11. may we never foreget.

6 rows off the field? yes please! having a blast with the best uncle/godfather I could ask for!

amazing. god bless america.

me and Petak!! had such a great time (well maybe she didnt, she is a DIEHARD steelers fan!)

i was lucky enough to hang out with my uncle phil twice this weekend! Happy Hour(s) on Friday and at the Raven's season opener on Sunday! i am so blessed to have him as my godfather, i love him to death. not only is he super caring and a great uncle, he is also SUPER fun and awesome!

thank you uncle phil! i love you!

drybar sanfrancisco

amazing little salon!! great employees!

i went to drybar in san francisco (oscar was my stylist - he was talkative, knowledgeable and AWESOME) while i was on my work trip to Dreamforce 2011. while the blowout didnt last as long as i wanted to (i touch my hair a lot and dont have the best experiences with dry shampoo), i still loved the entire experience!! i ordered a "cosmopolitan" which was lots of big curls! i also got a "shot" which is a deep conditioning treatment, it made my hair even softer than it already was from getting a keratin treatment a few weeks before. i should add, all of the products they used on my hair were sulfate free, so it did not affect my keratin treatment at all (if it did, i would have had an anxiety attack)!

...and for us DC people, there are plans for one to open here around Thanksgiving time! just in time for the holiday; i will most definitely be going back! this place is perfect for special occasions where you just dont have the time or energy to do it yourself!

post blowout and styling! i love it, the curls didnt last as long as i had hoped, but it looked pretty while it lasted!  {my eyes looked all wack so i put on some shades using picnik hahaha}

 

 chairs custom made for drybar and imported from italy!!

fog...blows my mind.

i was mesmerized by the fog in san francisco. i took this picture flying over the airport because we missed the landing the first time (seriously). nature BLOWS MY MIND.

food pics because i have nothing else as of yet....

the flower actually blooms in your glass and makes the BEST tea! @houseofnanking in san francisco

umm...we did damage.

flower tea before the flower opens up! so cool! i love House of NanKing

first homecooked meal back home - amazing. definitely could have seared the scallops a bit more, but they were still cooked well.

please disregard my fancy plate and utensils - but this salad was too good to not share! arugula+spinach+beets+sundriedtomatoes+romatomatos+goatcheese+greekdressing

i promise ill be back with more fun stuff coming up!

i'm baaaackkk!!

had the best time EVER at Dreamforce 2011 (#df11)! this is a picture of our BAE Systems Team with our Salesforce.com Account Executives 

...and now back to regular blogging! (i hope!)