Cupcakes on Commercial ...

It was not supposed to be a day about food. It really wasn't, I swear. It was suppose to be a shopping day. The goal was bargains and good finds and the focus was jewelry and cute skirts. If you know anything about my life, though, you know that inevitably every day turns out to be a food day. I must have magic abilities because no matter where I am or what I'm doing, delicious treats just seem to magically appear. Sure enough, as Marcy and I were wandering in and out of thrift shops and cute boutiques over on Commercial Drive this afternoon, we stumbled across this -

Cassia Cupcakery. And of course we just *had* to go in. Afterall, cupcakes and I go waaaaaaay back. My mom says my first word was "mama" but I'm pretty sure she got it wrong and that it was actually "red velvet". I've since grown to be quite the cupcake connoisseur and my friends have even nicknamed me the Cupcake Queen. It's a title I take quite seriously and it's my duty to investigate any and every cupcake shop I come across to make sure they're dishing out nothing but the best. So into Cassia Cupcakery we went.

Flavors included coconut, lemon chocolate, mint, peanut butter, Oreo cookie ...

... And of course RED VELVET (my all-time fave)

They also serve cookies but, really, who orders cookies when you're in a gourmet cupcake shop? Not me, that's for sure. Marcy ended up ordering a vanilla white chocolate cupcake and I debated between their gluten-free, vegan chocolate one and the vanilla coconut before eventually settling on (what else?) red velvet. Moist and fresh, I enjoyed every bite but I was a little disappointed that the icing wasn't made of cream cheese. Boooooooo. Clearly, these folks need to get their cupcake-baking butts down to the deep south to learn how red velvet's done. Just sayin'.

Their red velvet may need some work, but Cassia Cupcakery did get some things right. The decor was cute and the little stands that the cupcakes are displayed on were absolutely adorable. The flavors and prices were clearly identified and the shop was clean and tidy ... no cupcake crumbs lurking about. I would have liked to have seen more creativity in their flavors but I understand that they offer different flavors each day so I guess it was just a case of bad timing. Even though it's not a necessary part of my diet, I was pleased to see that they offer vegan and gluten-free options. I think I'll try one of those gluten-free chocolate ones next time 'round.

Overall, they weren't the *best* cupcakes I've ever had in my life but they were good enough. Would I make a special trip over to Commercial to get some? Probably not, but I'll definitely pop in again next time I'm in the neighborhood.

Cassia Cupcakery, 1706 Commercial Drive. Visit their website here.

What's your favorite cupcake flavor? And while you're at it, lemme know what makes a cupcake shop "pop" for you?

xo Stephanie

How To Throw A Cupcake Party ...

1) Create some cupcake signage ...

2) Decorate and make things look pretty ...

3) Bake lots of yummy flavors including: Root Beer, Latte, Cookies 'n Cream, Red Velvet, Lemon and Peanut Butter ...

4) Invite the sweetest girls you know ...

Today was my cupcake tasting party that has been in the works for well over a month. About a dozen or so of my favorite west coast ladies showed up for some girl talk, giggling and (of course) lots of cupcake tasting! I did most of the baking myself and had told the girls they didn't need to bring anything to the party except themselves. My friends are so sweet + thoughtful that they showed up with things to share anyway including milk (thanks Marcy!), chocolate milk (thanks Rhoda!), lemonade (thanks Anwen!), lemon cupcakes (thanks Laura!) and red velvet whoopie pies (thanks Lynda!). I am so blessed to have such amazing friends. We had so much food to go around that even after all the tasting, we still had enough left over to allow each girl to bring some 3-4 cupcakes AND we'll be bringing a dozen cupcakes to church tomorrow for the kids. Talk about a success!

Everybody had a great time, and we're already talking about our next tasting party ... we're thinking a "pizza tasting party" with different pizza toppings.

Happy Saturday everyone! xoxo

I'm having a party...

... no, it's not a birthday party. It's not a holiday party or a special occasion party or anything like that. It's a "let's just have a good time for the sake of having a good time" party. It's a "come one, come all, the more the merrier" kind of party. It's a "let's stuff our faces" party.

It's a cupcake tasting party.

I've been wanting to host a cupcake tasting party for a VERY long time but I just never got around to organizing it. Well, the time has finally come and the date is set for late February. I plan on baking at least 5 different kinds of cupcakes from scratch, having little voting cards where my guests can vote for their favorite and cute little take-out boxes to send them off with a cupcake or two to enjoy later. This afternoon, I did a some online shopping and purchased these goodies for my party from The Cupcake Social store on Etsy -

Zebra-print cupcake liners

Red paper straws

Black damask cupcake liners

Choosing cute liners to bake my cupcakes in was easy. Actually choosing the recipes I'll be baking isn't quite as simple. Root beer cupcakes and red velvet cupcakes are a must. Chocolate and vanilla are always popular choices, but they're kind of boring. Lemon cupcakes could be cute. Peppermint? Peanut butter? Coconut? Cherry, cookies 'n cream, lime, fudge, caramel, Irish cream? I've got a headache just thinking about it. Thank goodness I've got a month to narrow it down!

What kind of themed party would you like to host someday?

xo

Cupcakes!!

I'm quickly learning that Vancouver is a cupcake city. There are several cupcake shops all around town and, unlike the cupcake shops back in Montreal, these ones actually seem to be thriving. What can I say? We're just a city that loves little bundles of deliciousness. You can find yummy cupcakes pretty much anywhere, but my personal favorites are sold here:

The name of this adorable pink mecca of awesomeness is Cupcakes by Heather & Lori. If that name sounds familiar to you, you've probably seen an episode or two of Cupcake Girls, the reality show that's filmed here. It's not the camera crews that keep me coming back, though. It's the atmosphere. This is just hands down one of the most adorable places on the planet and the cupcakes are sooooooo good. I mean, look at these babies:

My favorites are Red Velvet (of course!) and Blue Hawaii (coconut and vanilla flavor - yum!). There are several Cupcakes by Heather & Lori locations around the city, but this particular shop is on Broadway Street - just a 15 minute walk from my apartment! I have to say, I've been REALLY good and I've only slipped in once or twice to pick up a treat for myself. Usually when I swing by, it's to pick up a birthday cupcake for a friend. Here's the one I picked out this afternoon for Alan's birthday -

Mint Chocolate Chip. *be still my heart*

Happy Weekend! :)

xoxoxox

Eggnog Cupcakes

I made these yesterday for the girls and I to munch on as we scrapbooked. They turned out fantastic & were a big hit. (I bought the little edible icing snowflakes at Michaels.)

Eggnog Cupcakes
1/4 cup dark rum or bourbon - optional. I omitted this.
1 cup eggnog
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 cup sugar
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350F. Mix together rum, eggnog, vegetable oil and vanilla. In a separate bowl, mix together nutmeg, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Pour in the first mixture and whisk until well combined. Divide evenly into muffin tins.
Bake for 18-20 minutes.
Enjoy!

a few of my favorite things ....

I've been in such a creative mood today, and I'm just taking a tiny break from scrappin' to share this layout with you. It's for a new album that I've just started (my first 8.5 x 11 album) that I'm planning to fill with layouts about my favorite things, my obsessions, my guilty pleasures, etc. Just little snapshots of me. :o)

Products ~ Basic Grey & Bella Blvd papers, Sassafrass Lass letter stickers, October Afternoon journaling tag, Doodlebug scalloped lace sticker, lavender Stickles and a purple Zig pen.

my feet hurt :o(

Wow. What a week! I have fallen asleep at 8pm two nights in a row, and I STILL feel utterly exhausted. I need a vacation. I need a beach, a good book and a sangria. And I need it now.

I've been eyeing that *adorable* canvas in Jenny's Baker Shop etsy store, and am tempted to buy it for myself as an end-of-semester treat. What do you think? It's a little pricey, but I looooove it.

-xox-

Cupcakes & Andy Warhol

Minus the freezing winter weather outside, today was the perfect day ... one that began with delicious food and ended with amazing art. Jessica and I had breakfast this morning at Orange Bistro, which is this new contemporary restaurant on Stanley Street downtown. It certainly lives up to its name - the decor is orange and white, and modern art covers the walls. (Jess and I ate our meal under a giant ceramic nose .... it was kind of awkward, actually). The food there is absolutely delicious, but it's pricey and the service is reallllllyyyyy slow. I'll go back, but I'll be sure to do it on a day when I have lots of time on my hands and extra cash that I'm willing to splurge.

Anyway, moving on ... we ate at Orange Bistro and then headed over to Cho'Cola for some cupcakes and java. Originally, we wanted to check out Cocoa Locale (another cupcake place on the other side of town) but it turns out they're closed for the month of January so that was a no-go. Cupcakes at Cho'Cola never dissappoint, though, and I thoroughly enjoyed my peppermint chocolate cupcake and toasty warm latte. Yummmo.

After a morning of eating and girl talk, Jessica headed off to class and I headed off to the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts to *FINALLY* get to see the works of Mr. Andy Warhol. Those of you who know me know that I've been excited about this exhibit since I first heard of it back in August, and today I finally got to see it for myself. I was impressed. His paintings are huge and the colors are even bolder in real life. I also didn't realize how involved he was in music, film and dance. A few months ago, I ordered a book called The Warhol Economy: How Music, Film and Fashion Shaped New York City. I hadn't had time to read it, but I think tonight I'll curl up with a nice tea and read through it. It'll be the perfect way to end a pretty perfect day.

xOxOx