Ahoy Folks!

It’s Friday! And we finally had to turn on our heat. Boo. BUT, there are plus sides to winter weather, right? Like eating delicious and decadent cakes, cookies and sweets such as this gorgeous Fig Almond Tea Cake with Coconut Honey Glaze from the Hungry Rabbit. I’ve told myself I need to make this cake for Thanksgiving…but I’m not making any promises.

Another plus side to the chilly temps is that you can bust out (or buy) super cute winter clothes! I LOVE having four seasons (even though I complain about the cold a lot) and one of the main reasons is because I can shop for all kinds of different weather. I’m obviously obsessed with Alexa Chung and think she is perfect. So of course her collaboration with Tommy Hilfiger is phenomenal…and expensive.

Also, this hat.

And to keep you warm when you’re not running around in super stylish winter garb, how yummy does Coconut Chai sound?

And per usual, Buzzfeed does it again. This time with a list of things that every cat owner wants to buy…

This one is my favorite. And you may even have an extra one lying around…the keyboard “decoy” is a cat owner necessity. If you’re a cat owner you understand the struggle that it is to try and type or get anything done when your cat decides it’s nap-time on your keyboard.

I made myself a cake to celebrate the fact that I have 5,000 followers!

THANK YOU SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH!!!

I am so amazed that what was once an idea I was embarrassed to try is now a hobby that I love so much! I feel blessed by all the support and new friends I have made thanks to Mikey’s In My Kitchen!

Mikey doesn’t like peanut butter, but It is my absolute favorite. So I decided I would make something that I love. I don’t normally choose chocolate cake over white cake, but this just seemed too good to pass up. And I’m so glad I made it.

This cake is soooo rich (but in a good way) and the peanut butter frosting is out of this world. I could have eaten the whole bowl with a spoon!

It’s a bit time consuming to make, but worth it in the end. Especially if you make it over the course of a couple days.

I am so honored by all of the kindness and support I’ve received from friends, family and followers around the world! There is nothing I love more than baking and cooking and it has been so fun to watch my blog progress over the past couple years. From the photos (which started out soooooo bad) to the content, I have been given so much constructive criticism from people, which means so much to me!

Thanks for sticking with me through this journey of my life through food. Thanks for reading through my rants, stories and opinions from things like food and drinks to cats and weather. I feel blessed to have the time and means to bake and cook for the people in my life! It has been such a learning experience for me as I struggled through figuring out how to upload pictures and add links to my blog and take pictures of my food when all I wanted to do was eat it and be done. There is so much that goes on that is way less glamorous than my blog may at times seem. The kitchen behind me is a disaster, I have chocolate on my face and flour in my hair. There are dishes that take hours to wash, and sometimes I burn things and then cry. But through it all, I have found that it is worth the work when I publish a recipe and receive sweet comments from my followers out there.

Mikey has been my cheerleader from the very beginning. He encouraged me to start the blog and always gives me that extra nudge I need to keep baking. Mikey will often tell people about my blog when I typically don’t because I feel awkward and he thinks it’s “cool” which usually results in me convincing people it’s a weird hobby. But it makes me happy that he is so proud. He is my editor and my #1 fan and I would not still be doing this if it weren’t for him.

I hope you enjoy this celebratory cake as much as I did!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I MEANT to post this while Mikey and I were gone last Friday…but I was too busy having fun…so here is the delayed post from last week!

Since Mikey and I are in Denver for the Great American Beer Fest (GABF)…I figured I would include some beer-related things I’m currently loving.

We are here to visit my brother-in-law who is a brewer in Aurora CO. The brewery is called Dry Dock  and I’m proud to say they won TWO bronze medals at GABF this year! One for their Apricot Blonde (which is one of my favorites) and the other for their S.S. Minnow Mild Ale.  If you’re ever in Denver make the short trip out to Aurora and go here.  You won’t be disappointed.

 

This is their delicious (and my favorite) Octoberfest.

Mikey and I went to the Dry Dock Brewery to help his brother, Timmy make a Firkin

I helped him pour in some lime juice and coconut shavings for a coconut-lime cream ale…yum!

Mikey and Timmy, giggling like little girls at the Great American Beer Festival.

Hanging out with the brewers after.

Our last night. That’s Mikey’s cousin, Lindsey, in the middle.  We stayed with her all weekend and had such a fun time laughing our heads off and making new memories. 

This beer bread from Dine & Dish looks pretty tasty!

 

Look how beautiful these Tumbler glasses are. They are upcycled beer bottles with gold leaf…so cool!

Here is a recipe for a Beer Cheese Soup. Yum!

Check this out...you can bike to your picnic without having to hold your beer in one hand!

 

NOW…I don’t necessarily love every beer listed here…but I think it’s super cute and love that New Glarus is at the very top of the beer list!

 

And finally, from Denver to you…