My Baby Sister...

is 27 today. Not much of a baby, huh? Especially since she's expecting her first baby this year.  (I can't wait!) She was just about the pudgiest baby ever.  (Had rolls up and down her legs.) And people would ask my mom if she was a doll... although that may have been more about the peculiar hair line she had back then. So glad I have her though. Growing up we had more of a love-hate relationship. But now that we aren't forced to wear matching dresses to church every Sunday and she doesn't borrow my clothes all the time, it's more of just a love relationship.

I have to work tonight.  (Wednesday.) So, we celebrated last night.  She and Paul recently discovered Rodriguez Tortilliaria (had to be good because of the name, right?). They ordered to go and brought it over to Mom and Dad's.  It was awesome!  They asked if they had guac and they didn't but they made some special just for us and it was spectacular. The chips were awesome too!  (Diego was literally giggling over them.) They're located at Harry and Hydraulic, but apparently there's one by us, too.  (Here all this time I thought they just sold tortillas and so I've never been.) The one close to us is at  Waco and 18th.  Going there soon to see if it's just as good. Silly me, I didn't get photos. (I will get better about taking photos, I will get better about taking photos...)

Anyway, I offered to make cupcakes. It really isn't much of a sacrifice because I seem to always be looking for a way to use this book that I got from my cousins, Jason and Wendy, for my birthday.

It's pretty incredible and the recipes are very unique... I'll be using it again this weekend for Eliana's birthday. Anyway, I decided to make salted caramel chocolate cupcakes.  And it went pretty well except for the fact that I failed to realize that I don't own a candy thermometer until it was too late and ended up using a digital meat thermometer.  I thought I'd be OK, but the caramel was a little too chewy and not creamy... until we nuked them and then we were good to go.  But the frosting was awesome! And I guess it should have been since it required a pound and a half of bitter-sweet chocolate and four and a half sticks of butter. Seriously ridiculous, but ridiculously yummy! 

I am such a messy baker, and this frosting is all over my counters still... we were running late to the party and I just left it. Good thing my mom is coming over today to wash my dishes watch my kids. But the frosting is so buttery soft that it didn't take a whole lot of effort to frost them... although I think I could have made them prettier with some practice. I can't find the recipe on Martha's site, but 52cupcakes made her own tutorial of the recipe... she made them mini (the way the recipe was originally designed and her pictures and cupcakes are prettier than mine.)

If I were really with it, I would have also bought brown cupcake wrappers online a couple of weeks in advanced so they would have matched the cakes better.

Look at the kids faces... they were very ready for the cupcakes!

Really.

Really ready.

Overall, it was a great night.  We love you, Elisabeth, and hope you have a wonderful birthday!

Now let's open your presents.