Mac & Cheese Cupcakes

The other day my husband complained that I 1) haven't blogged in forever and 2) need to blog and blog more often. And he has a valid point. I'm happy when I blog, take pictures, and share my thoughts with the world wide... world. However, I (and we) have been traveling quite a bit so whatever free time we have is spent catching up on our home life, or family, and our friends. Blogging is almost last on the priority list, which is unfortunate. This is why I now have three tumblr accounts, one of which is updated almost daily.

Thankfully, I had a little bit of time tonight so I wanted to share with you something amazing... a recipe for mac & cheese cupcakes! Yes, you heard me, mac & cheese cupcakes! They were a hit our friends' cookout this past weekend.

The following ingredients will make two dozen cupcakes:

14-16 oz of elbow macaroni

4 cups of shredded cheese (I used mozzarella)

4 eggs

2 cups of milk

5 slices of bacon

24 cupcake liners

salt & pepper to taste

I also added cayenne pepper because I like my food to have a little bite. :)

Directions:
1) Cook pasta according to the instructions on the box
2) Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees
3) Bake bacon until crispy, let it cool and then crumble into small pieces
4) Line your cupcake pans with paper lines (you'll have a huge mess on your hands if you don't!)
5) Beat eggs and combine with milk, mix in spices (salt, pepper, etc.), set aside
6) Drain pasta and put it back in the pot, add the cheese and stir until it melts
7) Add the egg and milk mixture and the bacon
8) Portion the mixture into the cupcake pan
9) Bake for 20 minutes
10) Enjoy!

The recipe was inspired by Framed Cooks that I found via Punchfork.

Motivation Monday: Good Things

via Pinterest

good things come to those who work their asses off and never give up

Inspiration for Monday

via Take Me for a Twirl

A good reminder on a Monday to strive to be better than I was yesterday.

Project365: are you in?

Day 15

There once was a time where I blogged everyday... it was early 2000s and LiveJournal was "da bomb." Or some such.

Since then, my dedication wavered and I wanted to get back into logging my daily life. I've seen many bloggers and twitter and instagram friends participate in some version of Project365. The goal is to take a picture everyday and then to look back once you're done and see what you have accomplished that year (or how you've grown or changed, etc). There are many versions. I freestyle, no daily or monthly themes, just whatever moment I happen to capture that day. Some follow daily theme lists. It's really up to the individual participating.

I wish I did this last year. It was amazing and scary all at the same time... and an absolute blur! Going into surgery for the third time last year, I made a promise to myself: take a picture every day and blog it. I haven't failed yet. Although, I am a little behind in blogging the photos. :)

You can check them out on my tumblr account: inthequeencity365.tumblr.com

Do you participate in the 365 challenge? If so, please post your links! Would love to check them out. How do you do it? Following a theme or free style? What platform do you use to share your photos?

Personal

I’ve been pretty absent from this blog, or any other for that matter. Life happens, both good and bad. To quote a friend, “in the grand scheme of things, no matter how crappy, life is pretty impressive.” And there’s so much truth to it. Last year was amazing, I married my best friend and the process took over my life temporarily. But I also had three surgeries, one minor and two pretty major ones that slowed me down to a complete stop. I’m still healing from the one in December but the doctors think this one was the last in the series. Now we’re trying to figure out how to pay for all these surgeries, along with other financial demons.

I’ve also been faced with learning the same lesson I’m forced to learn every year, that there are people out there that are two faced and I shouldn’t trust everyone that comes along. But my Pollyanna self believes the best in people and sometimes ignores the worst. One day.

On the brighter side, I met some amazing people that I am proud to call my friends. I got to travel some, both for business and pleasure. My father was able to walk me down the aisle and I finally have a picture of both my parents and myself for the first time in my life. I’ve recently got a promotion at work and am more than excited about the new challenges ahead. And most recently, I spoke in front of a crowd of about 100 people without puking (a win in my book).

I’m so so so thankful for all the wonderful people in my life, for all the things that happened to me (both good and bad), and most importantly for my amazing family.

Thanks for reading. Not sure what direction I’m going to take this blog in next. There are no more excuses in not updating.

Cheers!