Stunned, I tell you

I've been a pretty good girl lately, so I treated myself to a Baking Day today.

This is Pina Colada. It starts with a yellow cake mix . . then a little crushed pineapple . . . then frost with whipped cream and top with coconut. If only there was a little steel drum music in the background it would all be perfect.

I've been summoning up my courage for a long time to try this one out. It is a French Toast cupcake. Seriously. And it tastes exactly like french toast. The frosting is a maple buttercream concoction that is a perfect compliment to the cupcake and makes it taste exactly like french toast. It's a little bit freaky. Topped with crisp bacon crumbles - how can you go wrong? It's another keeper.

I finally made time to try out my new pasta machine. Pasta dough is super, super easy and then after kneading you just divide the dough into four balls and roll each one through the machine. Each ball takes 7 times through the pasta machine - starting first on a thick setting and working down to paper thin. After it's at it final thin-ness, it goes through the cutting mechanism. Although it is really a 2 person job, it was so totally easy. The pasta was so delightfully thin it dried super fast and is now in the fridge awaiting next week's chicken noodle soup dinner. I paid about $40 for this genius machine (totally worth it) and I got it from Overstock.com. If you were thinking of getting a pasta machine, think no more my friend. Get one. Get one now. Or come over and play with mine. You will be stunned at how easy fresh pasta can be.