Birthday Cupcakes

I love blue and polka dots so for my birthday it only made sense to combine the two. I picked up both mini and regular size cupcake liners for what I planned to be blue velvet cupcakes.

I had teal but not blue dye already, so teal it was. Teal, cream cheese frosting that is.  I had considered making the frosting dairy free, but I have not found a dairy free cream cheese that I like.

The blue velvet cupcakes did not end up the way I hoped but they were certainly delicious chocolate cupcakes made using the Kind Arthur chocolate cake mix.

Everyone who ate one of these mini gems asked for a second one. Frosting or not. YUM!

Christmas Comes Earlier Every Year

Thanksgiving is near, but it hasn't happened yet, and yet.... the malls were decked out in Christmas decorations November 1.  That's just scary. And the colored Christmas trees-oh my!  While the pink and blue ones are cool, it just does not seem right. White, well, that can pass because of snow. Maybe we'll get a can of "snow" this year to dust our tree.

Night in Santa Monica

Santa Monica is great for the beach and boardwalk, but there is definitely more to do. I pretty much end up trying sushi every city I visit. and on my last trip to the Los Angeles area my aunt took me out to the Crazy Fish. It was a low key place with a long sushi bar and several tables. It definitely seems like a place where the staff would learn your name and all the locals went. The menu was simple, but unbelievably tasty. I thought the fish was pretty high quality and very well priced. In fact, I don't think I have ever eaten as many rolls for such a low cost in the Sacramento area.

After dinner we headed over to Angel's Piano Bar, which is the perfect place to go for an old-fashioned drink and some live piano or jazz music. This place never charges a cover and is a nice mix of bar and small tables for their small eats menu. It is a place to come for the music and conversation; not a place you worry about going to impress people. We happened to be there on the night that Dessy Dilauro was performing. She has a great mix of style and it was pretty cool to randomly pick a place to go and to sit 6 feet from a live performance

I love stumbling upon new and fun places, and this time around I didn't hit any duds. Next time you're in a different city, make sure to explore it, as a local for a recommndation,  and don't just stick to a premade plan you had; it can be more fun that way. :-)