Happy Monday Friends!
This 4th of July weekend Zach and I traveled down to Connecticut to celebrate the holiday with his lovely family and friends. In preparation for the festivities I tackled some red velvet cake balls that taste a whole lot better than they look…
90 degree temperatures in the kitchen and my first time using colored melting chocolate were NOT my friend. I was sort of bummed about how they turned out but everyone that ate them loved them! Zach’s brother kept telling me he ate a couple for breakfast each morning 😉
We were also trusted with the incredibly important task of whipping up some rice krispie treats for the weekend… 
I attempted these rice krispie “S’mores” treats from Beyond Frosting that were totally delicious!
The town’s fireworks are typically on the fourth but due to some impending rain storms they got pushed back to Saturday which ended up being great as we were to just hang out and watch some World Cup. Zach’s sister in law is from Brazil so we of course had to root for the home team with her! I even made a spinach and artichoke dip that was so yummy… recipe to come!
When Brazil crashes America’s day 😉
Still rockin’ that Patriot Swag though
Saturday was deemed take two of the 4th of July so we packed up and headed down for a great day at the beach before the fireworks. We also got to celebrate John and Carolina’s 1st wedding anniversary! I wish you guys could have been at their beautiful backyard wedding, it was absolutely one of the highlights (short of my own best friend’s wedding) of last summer!
Who doesn’t love an intense game of Yahtzee?
On Sunday Zach and I said farewell to Fairfield and hit the road with two VERY important stops in mind. First up was mine…
My first trip to NoRA’s Cupcake Company!!!
For those of you who know me, you know I’m obsessed with cupcakes. My original blog was intended to be a way to test out recipes and share new ideas with friends and family. One day I’ll show you guys the 150 cupcake “mountain” display for my dad’s retirement party but that deserves it’s own post.
Anyway, NoRA has been on my list since I saw it on a 50 cupcakes to try in 50 states list and needless to say I HAD to make the detour on our way back to Vermont. The cupcakes almost stood up to the test of an AC-less car, but instead they melted onto themselves which was not as disastrous as it sounds after they sit in the fridge for an hour or so. Meghan and I split a Chocolate Chip Cheesecake one last night and holy shit was it good, even had graham cracker crust! I’ve got 3 more at the apartment right now and I’m basically salivating.
Next stop was Zach’s pick of Cabela’s where he so very easily could have cried tears of joy over his new fishing gear. Kid in a candy store times a thousand, really.
When we arrived back in Vermont we met up with the family to say goodbye to Meghan who is on her way back to Lexington for her senior year of college!
This is a blurry photo of my Brother and Meghan but it was necessary as Megs is not a hugger.
We also had a bonfire to celebrate her last night with a few friends down at the beach…
She does not enjoy her photo taken either…
It was so great having her around for the month, she is literally the best roommate ever. I can’t wait to see what great things she does after college, good luck baby sis 🙂
Now back to that Monday grind!
Green Mountain Life 