Cupcake craze!

I think I have to admit my cupcake addiction I have developed. I started this blog to share my love of cooking but I think I could probobly for the moment change the name to Carlys Cupcakes because I am just in love with the min cakes at the moment. I have been researching alot of fun cupcake shops around the states and want to hop on a plane right now and go to LA to visit sprinkles or to Brooklyn to visit the Little Cupcake Shop...hopefully one day I will get to go on my dream road trip but for now I will enjoy the cute pictures of these fun little cakes and will begin experimenting with some cupcakes in my own kitchen.

Gellati!

I love ice cream, but sad to say nothing in the states comes close to the creamy gellato in Italy. Our favorite gellati parlor was Blue Ice, if you ever happen to be in Rome, you can't leave unless you have a thick scoop of gellato from Blue Ice!

With this ring...

While in Italy I was able to buy Micah his wedding ring, which was really special because my mom bought my dad his wedding ring in Italy as well. I found his ring on the Ponte Vecchio bridge which is known for its amazing jewelry.

Mama Mia!

The summer of 2006, when Micah and I were engaged, I was able to take a trip throughout Europe with Micah and his family, focusing mainly on traveling throughout Italy so Micah could see his relatives and get in touch with his Italian roots. We were in Italy for two week and I think more than half of the meals I ate in those two weeks consisted of a giant amazing Italian pizza! That is of course before eating the appetizer of a huge bread basket served with olive oil for dipping. Needless to say I was pretty lucky when I got back when my wedding dress still fit!

Worlds Best Hot Chocolate

I know my mom thinks that the best hot chocolate is found at the Flour Girls and Dough Boys Bakery, and I would probobly have to agree if you didn't have time to fly over to Venice Italy to devour this thick cup of chocolatey heaven. It literally was like drinking down pure melted chocolate topped with rich whipped cream, not much gets better than that.

Favorite Places to Splurge

I love going to Dear Lizzie in Highland just to take in the fun atmosphere while I wished I could have everything in the store! They also have a darling bistro full of the cutest cupcakes and best brownies ever! This is definitely a place to splurge both with your wallet and your stomach.

Going back to my roots

This past summer Micah and I spend quite a bit of time in Europe, part of that time we were able to go to Greece, where my Grandpa John is from. It was so exciting to go see where part of my family came from. This is a picture of me in the Island of Santorini. Santorini is known for it's gorgeous sunsets, unfortunately we hit it on a gloomy day, but it was still amazing!

What do I also love?

My sweetie pie husband! Micah and I have been married a little over a year and a half. People would always tell us before we got married that marriage isn't a cake walk, but so far it has been a blast! Sure there have been hard times, but there is nothing better than being able to go home to your better half after a long days work. Above is a picture of us obviously at our wedding, about to share our first bite of cake together as man and wife...little did my husband know that he married an avid baker and there would be many more bites of cake to come! I loved my wedding cake and thought it was so whimsicle and fun, and it even tasted better than it looked!

My mom told me about a new bakery tucked away in American Fork. Full of fresh baked European breads, the cutest cupcakes, and yummiest gooeyist cinnamon rolls, the Flour Girls and Dough Boys Bakery wont be kept a secret for long!

Enjoying one of the best meals of my life in Tuscany Italy.

Cupcakes and lemon bon bons I made for my lil sis' birthday party.