pineapple cupcakes

tomorrow we're going up to my husband's aunt's villa in the small mountain town of jarabacoa, dominican republic to finish off holy week surrounded by friends, family and nature. because my mom taught me never to show up empty handed, especially if i'm planning on spending 2 or 3 days, i made these super easy, super delicious pineapple cupcakes to share.

the recipe is from gina's skinny taste  blog, my new favorite blog. i "stumbled upon" it last week and i've been checking it non-stop since. having already made the cilantro lime rice recipe (which was simple and amazing, by the way), i decided to have a hand at baking these cupcakes, too. couldn't have better things to say about them. i mixed up the frosting, though, so i could frost the cupcakes before traveling with them. instead of adding crushed pineapples and coconut flakes directly in the frosting, i used a basic cream cheese frosting and then topped it off with toasted coconut flakes or almonds. wonderfully delightful! <sigh>

 don't judge my photographic skills...they're a work in progress.

p.s. - i now smell like cupcakes and frosting and coconut and that's exactly how i'm going to bed. don't want to shower (with cold water) again! gross, i know.

p.s.s. - i figure there's worse things i could smell like, so...

get-to-know-me pictorial

 born and raised in the magic city. currently living in the dominican republic, being a supportive wife.

 the coolest place in my dominican apartment.

the warmest place in my dominican apartment. but yes, if you look closely that is a huge basket of mangoes.

now, a few of my favorite things...

i guess i really like palm trees...

my obsession...my four-legged furry human boy. i love how cool he is.

i do not, however, feel the same way about horses...or birds. weird.

spot the palm tree in this beautiful mountainscape.

the love of my life. no words.

welcome

this blog is inspired by a number of things:

three books i've read over the past year - gretchen rubin's "the happiness project," elizabeth gilbert's "eat, pray, love," and julie powell's "julie & julia."

a realization that this moment, right now, is the prime of my life and i don't want to waste it being unhappy and ungrateful for all the good things in life.

my loving husband of one year, who encourages me and supports me through all my crazy moods. his words and advice have lead me to want to take on a self-help project, so to speak - something that's going to make me feel fulfilled, accomplished and overall happier and nicer to be around.

my plan for this project is to combine all the tips, advice and know-how i've gathered from books, articles, friends and family and apply them to becoming better at the things i love to do: cooking, eating, writing, teaching, living and loving. hopefully, in the meantime, i can inspire someone the way i've been inspired by so many.

also, much of the time, i have very little idea of where what i'm talking about is going...please, keep that in mind, always!