MUG CAKE!

This is the go-to dessert in our house:

pixar mugs = totes adorbs

Quick & easy & most importantly....DELICIOUS.

Recipe:

2 tablespoons flour 
1 teaspoon of sugar
2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder 
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch salt
2 tablespoons milk (or almond milk)
1 tablespoon oil 
1 Tbsp Speculoos crunchy cookie butter
1/2 banana
whipped cream


In a (non-stick sprayed) small mug combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt until no lumps remain with a fork. Stir in milk and oil until smooth. Make sure and scrape your fork around the edges of the cup so you don't get dry flour in the corners/bottom of the mug.  Drop the speculoos in the middle of the cake mix and push it down to submerge. Bake in the microwave on high for 50 seconds-1 minute. You may need to add or subtract 5-10 seconds depending on your microwave, but don’t be tempted to overcook or it will be dry. It should still be moist on the bottom and will continue cooking as it sets. We have a pretty powerful microwave and I do ours for 50 seconds (1:15 for a 1 1/2 sized batch).

Top with bananas & whipped cream -- enjoy!


Original recipe found here, but I have made some adjustments here and there. Also, speculoos isn't the only thing you could use! Peanut Butter, Nutella, fruit preserves, etc. all work amazingly with this! The speculoos, however, has really good flavor and gives it a great CRUNCH. If you do fruit preserves, it really makes the cake moist - we tried ours a few months back with raspberry and blackberry preserves-delish. enjoy!

He's Hoooommmme!!!

Ok, I slacked off writing a little bit, but I will do a nice catch-up post with lots of photos. k? ok.

So picking up where I left off last...
I got 4 letters in 1 day,

another email a few days later,
and even better, a phone call/face time on August 7th!!!

Note: this is 6 a.m., but I was ok waking up to take the call :)

My dearest Cadet-Captain is home and allowed to roll up his sleeves now lol. He survived training and now we get to focus on getting through the rest of school :)

Thanks goes to Scotty's sister, Britt (http://www.brittishdesigns.com) for the adorable sign!

Due to some family conflicts, we celebrated his birthday/homecoming all in one! I got a little creative with the setup, and this is the amazingness that unfolded (you can't see it at the end, but he missed 1 candle that didn't quite go out)

http://instagram.com/p/c5PuyvvHrD

Poor Scotty was about a week late in coming home from training to get to go to Bear Lake with his family on their yearly trip, but me and Ellie made the trek for a few days:

On the way up we stopped at Scheel's for a quick Dock Diving event!
Ellie did SOOOO good! We can't wait to show Scotty at the next competition!

Enjoying the view from the lookout before we descended into Garden City
Ellie was a bit distracted...

I somehow even convinced my brother to get on a tube with me! This was the best boating/tubing experience he has ever had.  Basically because my in-laws are amazing and he has apparently just gone boating with all the wrong people in the past!

please excuse my "whiteness"
everywhere except my legs were a decent tan color...i promise!

In other news, the bathroom/apartment didn't get as "finished" as I had hoped before Scotty got home, but there was definitely some progress!  One of my favorite enhancements being the curtains I put up in our bedroom:

"Before"

"After!" and of course with a made bed now :)

The bathroom is slowly but surely coming along. We got the mirror put back up and the rest of the tile is done. I will post lots of pictures when it is finished...its so close that I don't think I'm going to post anymore until it is ALLLLL DONE and I can say that it is finished once and for all :D