Cheesecake Stuffed Pumpkin Cupcakes. Yes, Please.

Hosting a dinner party is a ton of fun. Especially when  you are trying out an promising new cupcake recipie on your guests.

I dont' usually go for Rachel Ray recipies, but this one looked too good to pass up. And my intuition was right, as usual!

Click here for the recipie. 

Using a cute turqoise cupcake liners to contrast the orangey brown of the cupcakes, these cupcakes christened my newly purchased cupcake tree. I don't have the tip to make the whipped cream look as good as in the picture, and, to be honest, I had had a glass too much of wine at that point and was impatient to put all that good stuff in my mouth.

The key to great whipped cream? Freeze the bowl and the whisks before hand. And add a little cinnamon and nutmeg after you dollop the cakes. Nom!

Car rides.

With the commute down to school, it feels like I spend a lot of my days in cars.

Idle conversation.
Unwinding from the day.
Recovering from the previous night.
Good music.
Dance parties.
Rain or shine.
Gotta love this passenger seat.

Yikes. And Mustaches.

It's been awhile.

I am making a really late New-Years Resolution (or early, depending on how you look at it) to get back into blogging. Not to toot my own horn, but I have an incredibly colorful life that needs to be shared with the world. And the world will love it.

Returning to my school this year was great. This is the first time in a very long time that I have actually put down roots and stuck to a place. The second time around, teaching is much easier. I know all the kids already, and they know what I expect. I can be much more creative with my instruction, and have a little more fun.

One major contribution I have made to the school culture this year is the introduction of the Mustache. Giant, stick on mustaches of different varieties are worn by students while presenting on TV (a daily activity that we do) and handed out as table prizes for good behavior. I have inspired students to wear them in the evenings, prompting amused and laughter ridden comments from parents. Students' smiley faces are sporting a new look: facial hair. One student has even started a mustache collection, claiming that she even has "red and blonde ones!".

I have also incorporated hip hop into my teaching. I had a blast teaching hip-hop-ocabulary to the fourth grade. "Cosas en la Clase" never was so fun.

Red Velvet & Creamy Cheese

A perfect end to a lip-smacking meal. Even the prep was picturesque, thanks to the lovely (literally) cutting board given to me by one of my besties.

Baked wontons stuffed with spinach, artichoke, cream cheese and parmesean and a touch of cayenne.

Homemade red wine marinara with red pepper flakes abound, spinach-garlic linguini, with a mezcla of seafood. I let the sauce simmer and cook for about an hour and a half, giving it a rich flavor and bringing out that pepper flake kick.

And of course, cupcakes.

Pumpkin Picking & Carving.

@patch

@Carving Party

Voila. Another successful year!