i miss this.

I can't wait to ski again.

I miss it.

for Hads...

For some reason, this totes made me think of Hads (and Megs)...

So happy (late) bday to the bestest 5 year old I know!

And definitely the funniest. Just like her mama.

entrenched...

Oh yes, it's that time of year again!

March Madness!

Should be a national holiday...

But I take it off work every year, so I can see every minute.

I love it.

So I am hunkered down with Lavs, remote control ready to flip between any and every game, "good snacks" (but not really) in the pantry, Lucy occupied with naps and squeaky balls...

Let's go Zags!

Also, for those of you who don't know, the PPLAACK Bracket Buster is a hotly contested challenge every year.

And I just happen to be the defending champ.

Hoping for the first-ever 2-peat.

hmm

I have 2 thoughts about this picture:

1) LiLo is redheaded again. THANK GOD. She looks SO terrible and trashy as a blonde.

2) That shirt keeps making me think of a baby's unbuttoned onesie. Not a good look.

okay, and 3) Remember how cute she used to be? Parent Trap? Mean Girls? Man, how far they fall.

best in show

Watching "Best in Show" with Lavs on this thrilling Saturday night.

I forgot just how great this movie is.

Seriously, SO funny.

Christopher Guest: If, by some small chance you read this, please please please get the gang back together and make something new. Please.

home alone

Lulu and I are spending the weekend with a house to ourselves!

So far, we have slept in (thank you Lucy for your amazing bladder that let me sleep a good 9+ hours!),

read the paper,

relaxed,

then I went to the gym (which is the first time in ages and felt great),

then came home and cleaned the kitchen (including the OVEN which sets off our smoke alarm every time we open the door),

now i'm doing nothing except waiting for the ZAGS to play BYU tonight.

It is wonderful.

Kinda makes me wish I lived alone all the time.

Except I do have 1.5 pretty awesome roomies... so... ;)

Black Hole cupcakes!

I figured I would blog the recipe for the amazing Black Hole Cupcakes... They are dark chocolate cupcakes with a raspberry center, with dark chocolate frosting. Seriously, they are SO good.

I'm honestly not sure where I got them (I found them on the internet a few years ago), so if I ever do track down the recipe again I'll post the source!

Here it is:

CUPCAKES: (enough for 24+ cupcakes or 2 9” layer cakes)

2 cups granulated sugar

1¾ cup white all purpose flour

¾ cup Dark Cocoa (Hersheys if you can get it, or the equivalent), sifted

1½ teaspoon baking powder

1½ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 cup milk

½ cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup boiling water

Directions: 1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celcius). Line 24 muffin tins with paper cupcake liners

2) whisk together dry ingredients in a large bowl. (I sift the cocoa, it tends to clump). Blend in eggs, milk, oil & vanilla. Beat for 2 minutes on medium speed of standing mixer, high speed of handheld mixer.

3) Pour in boiling water and mix another 30 seconds IMPORTANT: This batter is very thin, like chocolate syrup. The best way to fill your cupcake papers is to transfer the batter to a cup with a pouring spout. I use my 4 cup measuring cup. Or you can use an ice cream scoop, but it is runny. Fill cupcakes 2/3 full. If you overfill they burst and form odd blobs, tasty but unsightly. You will fill at least 24 and have batter left over since this recipe will also make 2 nine inch cake layers. Don't be tempted to overfill, make more cupcakes.

4) bake for 15 minutes until they crown nicely and bounce back when pressed.

5) cool in tins on racks. cool completely before filling

The Filling:

½ to 3/4 cup Good quality raspberry jam or jelly.

Place jam or jelly in bowl. Run a fork through to loosen it up or it's won't pipe properly. If it's very stiff a teaspoon or two of hot water will help. Place in a plastic baggie with a zip top (and if you have one, add a wide-mouth piping tip to help control the flow). Snip a small hole in a corner. Take a sharp knife and make an 'X' in the top of the cupcake going about halfway down and a good inch across. Place the open tip of the baggie in the 'X' and squeeze to fill.

FROSTING:

½ cup (4 oz/100 g) butter

2/3 cup Special dark cocoa

3 cups powdered sugar

1/3 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Optional, 1 tablespoon raspberry jam, or replace part of the milk with a flavored liquer

~Melt butter, stir in cocoa, Alternately add sugar and milk and then vanilla.

~If using jam loosen with a fork or heat slightly. Too much jam and the frosting will be too stiff to spread properly. This is plenty of frosting. If you wish to gild the lily, a fresh raspberry on each cupcake will do the trick.