'put the milkshake down'

^^^ don't mind me - just guzzling my chocolate, coffee + oreo milkshake

from shakeaway in huntington beach ^^^

dress: topshop via nordstrom, bag: urban outfitters, 

bracelets: alex & ani charm bracelets, sandals: havaianas

while on our recent trip, i indulged (perhaps a bit too much?) -

ice cream, milkshakes, cookies, french fries, etc. etc. 

however, the restaurant choices in california are innovative! 

at home, the options are fairly standard: ice cream, 

coffee shops, mexican, italian, and the list goes on.

we came across so many fun // unique options while in huntington beach.

one of my favorites was shakeaway, a create your own

milkshake shop with hundreds of combinations, toppings, and ingredients. 

i kept it simple with my chocolate, coffee + oreo shake, 

but i could have chosen virtually anything :) 

now that we are home, and my sweet tooth 

is happy, it's time to return to more healthy eating habits (darn!).

i sure wouldn't mind just one more milkshake, however!

xoxo.

baking like a fiend

what does one do when they have a substantial amount of free time...

plus an insatiable sweet tooth?

and is surrounded by her closest girlfriends?

bake, of course.

the ingredients.

preparing to make the cake balls.

it started out promising.

and then they died. cake. pop. fail.

(i also tried to eat one before freezing them - BAD IDEA.

 could not scrape all the bittersweet chocolate out of my teeth for ages.) 

some of our treats turned out beautifully:

nutter butter ghosts.

pumpkin muffins with powdered sugar topping.

chocolate "monster" cupcakes.

treats for days! 

a special thank you to my favorite girlfriends who helped bake with me :) 

i cannot wait to do this again.

and i apologize in advance to my poor, poor stomach... treat overload...

xoxo.

*image found on google