Are You Ready For a Throwdown?

So, I have a little guilty obsession with Bobby Flay's "Throwdown" show. 

One of the most intriguing shows for me was the "Cake Man Raven" Throwdown with Red velvet cake.  

I have never really been a fan of the oily, red dye #39 tasting confection. 

But, since I truly love the versatility of cupcakes I thought maybe I could transform their traditional red velvet cake into a perfect little package, you know just enough, not overbearing. 

M recipe was inspired by both Raven and Flay, with my own "tabby-tab" flare. 

How do I know they were a hit?  S had 2 with his morning coffee...

He reasons Americans eat muffins for breakfast and that's OK, right? 

No excuses needed here....

As long as he's loving it I'm a happy baker :)

Let Snow, Let it Snow, Let it snow.......

Well, this is the 3rd Blizzard we have had this winter and at 16 inches in Brooklyn yesterday I though I'd share what it loos like outside today, Enjoy the Beauty

The Caribbean

Soooo, we were away on a 10 day cruise to the Caribbean.

It was incredible! We celebrated our 11th anniversary in St. Thomas complete with a lobster dinner!
With great friends, you know we had a blast!

I thought that it was going to be a little overwhelming being away at sea for SO long. But to my surprise it was one of the best vacations we've had to date (I know, I say that everytime).

It was great to reflect on God's wonderful creation OK and to soak up some sun! This snow in NY was driving us crazy. Well, enjoy the pics, I know it will be hard not to be too jealous, but don't hate - appreciate :)



Tortola

This was our favorite island overall!  The people were great!  It is a very clean, safe and gorgeous island!  We met up with some local friends and they gave us a personal your of the ENTIRE island!  We made frequent stops to take pics, drink water from coconuts, eat sugar cane and we enjoyed a picnic lunch on the beach - complete with lobster (my friends husband caught!), wine and tons of freshly picked fruit!
In one word.....
Paradise

St. Maarten

This place is a party ALL by itself!  Nice beaches, great shopping and the people are hilarious! 

Antigua

This I think was one of the funnest days EVER!  We weren't sure where to go or what to do.  All our friends were off doing their own "excursions" so we decided to make our own adventure!  And boy did we have one!  We rented a scooter (from some shady character) and rode around the island!  We hit Nelson's dockyard, rode through the rain forest, and stopped at a few beaches!  Incredible!

St. Thomas

This island is absolutely gorgeous!  We weren't sure which beach to hit first, but when I mentioned to the Taxi that we wanted the best place to snorkel, they said "You got go to Coki beach 'mon" (hee hee) so that's where we went and we were not disappointed!

Puerto Rico - Our 1st Port of Call

It was a lovely day to hang out in PR.  There was some festival going on in Old San Juan, so we decided to get together with some old friends at the Branch in Guaynabo

Day 1 Puerto Rico

.  Had a blast - so much so....we almost missed the boat!  Great times, great times! 

El Morro Puerto Rico