Some knitting indulgence for myself

Ever receive a knitted scarf? Have you seen people knit and wished you could knit? I had always wanted to knit, but never sat down and learned until Christmas break 2011. Oh boy, did I not know what I was getting into. I went to my local Joann’s; I bought a “Learn How to Knit in One Day” book, some yarn and a pair of knitting needles; and then I went home and started to learn how to knit. Once I got the hang of things, it was a breeze. I had learned later on that the smaller the knitting needles, the more knitting I would have to do.

The type of yarn I used to knit
 my first scarf

I had the ambition of knitting two scarves for my friends’ Christmas presents. I thought three weeks would be a piece of cake to knit two scarves, but I didn’t quite think things through. I picked a really thick, fuzzy, Joann Sensations type of yarn to knit my first scarf. It was so hard to see where the knits were for this type of yarn. When I finally got that scarf done in February 2012, I was able to start my second scarf. This type of yarn was much easier to knit and only took me three days. When those scarves were done, it was hard to give them to my friends because I worked so hard on them. In the end they loved them!

Since I had some extra yarn left over, I decided it was time to knit something for myself. I decided to knit a bow and it turned better than I thought. Now I have something I knitted that I can wear, and someone else may be the one thinking, “I wish I knew how to knit.” If you are that someone, here is the site that really helped me (because the book wasn't as hands on): Knitting Help.

My knitted bow 

I put a clip on the back so I can wear it in my hair.

Cupcake Cheers!

When planning a trip, what do you usually do after booking a hotel and a way to get there? I usually find myself looking at touristy sites and Yelp. Yelp has helped me find so many awesome places to explore and to eat at. It has also helped me satisfy my cravings. The craving of the day was cupcakes!

Black Velvet Cupcake

It was a long bus ride to Washington, D.C. After walking around for a while and hitting many museums, my friends and I were in search of coffee and cupcakes. We found our way to a Chinatown Dunken Donuts after asking for directions at a gym. A few blocks down, we hit Red Velvet Cupcakery. I was thrilled out of my mind. To myself I was cheering, “Cupcakes! Cupcakes! Cupcakes!” As soon as we walked in I said, “Smells like YUM!” I can't resist the lovely smell of baked goods!

My friends and I each ordered one cupcake. In our cupcake cheers we had a Black Velvet cupcake, which was a light, vegan/gluten-free chocolate cupcake topped with chocolate butter cream; Cookies in Cream cupcake, which was a marvelous chocolate, oreo cookie mixed cupcake topped with American buttercream; a Southern Belle cupcake, which was their famous red velvet cupcake topped with whipped cream cheese; and a Hazelnut cupcake with coffee buttercream frosting. What better way to enjoy baked goods than with friends? The buttercream was to die for! It was so rich and creamy that it melted in your mouth. Although it wasn’t the best cupcake I’ve ever had, it certainly hit the spot for the day.

Cheers to Cupcakes! Black Velvet, Cookies in Cream, Southern Belle, and Hazelnut

Can’t wait for the next time to feast on some delightful baked goods accompanied by friends!

Chocolate Covered What?

Most things covered in chocolate taste delectable. Chocolate covered strawberries are very easy to make. Although I've never made them myself, I've seen my roommates make them from time to time. Get a bag of strawberries and chocolate chips. Now you're good to go to make this mouth watering desserts. Food Network lays out easy to follow directions to make chocolate covered strawberries.
My roommates kindly let me take some pictures of their savory chocolate covered strawberries for my Image Process Workflow course.

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Don't they look yummy?

This is something so simple. There have been tons of things covered in chocolate that you wouldn't even think of. There has been squid, potato chips, marshmallows, peanut butter, pork loin, figs, bacon and many more. You name it. It has probably been dipped in chocolate. It amazes me that there are people out there who would actually eat chocolate covered pork loin or chocolate covered bacon. There are a ton of edible goodies that can be dipped in chocolate, but do you think everything should be dipped in chocolate? Does chocolate covered liquorish sound appealing to your taste buds?

My personal favorite are the chocolate covered grapes from the Chocolate Covered Company. They make all kinds of yummy chocolate covered food, however I'm not quite sure about those chocolate covered jalapenos though. I've heard and read reviews that they are good, but spicy! I don't think I would be able to take it. Plus, I would much rather enjoy chocolate, than suffer eating it.

Afterall, Milton Hershey himself said, "Caramels are only a fad. Chocolate is a permanent thing." So far, so true.