Coldstone Ice Cream Cupcakes

One day, while we were packing up everything in our old house, I caught an ice cream cake craving. Now this is nothing unusual... but it was a persistent one. Know the feeling? Well, after talking about it for two days, Jacob figured out that this one was serious. He has a few gift cards, courtesy of his mom, so we grabbed one and headed to Coldstone.

Now here's the thing about me and Jacob. We have very, very different palettes. He loves Oreos and chocolate chocolate everything. I happen to be much pickier about my chocolate - I pretty much only like pure dark chocolate (unless desperate, I prefer no milk chocolate, no chocolate ice cream, no chocolate cake). I also love cookie dough and all sorts of ice cream flavors he won't eat. This made it very difficult for us to agree on a flavor.

Behold! The Coldstone cupcake six pack! Three flavors, two cupcakes of each flavor. Sweet cream, cake batter deluxe, and oreo. I've been eyeing the cupcakes whenever we're at Coldstone, but we always end up with a full ice cream cake. We decided to try it this time, agreeing that he would take both chocolate cupcakes, I'd take both cake batter cupcakes, and we'd each take one sweet cream cupcake.

Left to right: sweet cream, cake batter deluxe, double chocolate devotion

The cupcakes consist of a crisp dark chocolate edible wrapper, encasing a very thin layer of cake, then a scoop of ice cream, topped with frosting that had the consistency of whipped cream, and sprinkles, chocolate shavings, or half a chocolate-covered Oreo.

Our thoughts? Jacob absolutely loved the chocolate cupcakes and he was a fan of the sweet cream. For me, they were mostly good, but the cake batter deluxe and sweet cream cupcakes were just too sweet. Too much frosting/whipped cream and the ice cream was very sugary, even for me. That is usually my issue with Coldstone in general - it's not my favorite ice cream place due to the super-sweetness. However, the chocolate shell was absolutely divine. Anyone know where to buy those? Or maybe I could find a mold and make them myself... so good!

Anyway, that was my first experience with ice cream cupcakes. I also just tried a strawberry one from The Ram, a brewery. It was delicious! I would love to try making my own version of ice cream cupcakes sometime. I feel like it would be less daunting than another ice cream cake.

Have you tried ice cream cupcakes? What did you think?

P.S. Due to the hectic process of moving in, I'll be skipping a few features this week. Unfortunately, I still haven't found my art journal yet (I put them in a "super safe spot" and then promptly forgot where that was), and I won't have time for Thoughts & Things Thursday tomorrow. I really, really hope to start them both up again next week! This weekend will involve catching up on blog reading, unpacking and getting things ready. I've set up/built most of the furniture in my studio and I'm ready to make it mine! Stay tuned for a big post on Friday!

Farmers' Market

Here in Seattle, we (sorta) almost broke the dry spell streak with 48 days of no rain. Alas, broken with fourteen minutes of rain overnight. Ah well! Forecast calls for sunny skies the rest of the week - I'll be grateful for that. Along with a bunch of other sad things, the end of summer means the end of farmers' markets for a while.

Last year, Jacob and I were excited to see signs for a new farmers' market held just blocks away from our house. We just moved last week and I'm already sad we'll be missing out on our little market in the future! I'm sure we'll find one next year in our new neighborhood, though. Fingers crossed! =)

I am embarassed to say that I actually did buy some delicious-looking fresh okra, fully intending to cook it as one of my birthday goals... only to have it go bad in my refrigerator. Oops. Next year?

We have had so many of these delicious peaches over the summer! Still have a few left at home, but not for long, I'm sure. =)

 And... my absolute favorite bakery ever, Forest Fairy Bakery. THE CINNAMON BREAD. It is so, so good! And the pumpkin bread too. The owners are super sweet, to boot!

Don't those look good? Last time we went, we picked up one of those giant cinnamon rolls (pictured in the round tin foil pan above), which is really four rolls combined.

Oh, and the berries. Sweet summer berries galore!

Last year we discovered this incredible pasta vendor, 18th Ave Pasta, at the market. We were heartbroken to find that they weren't at our little market this year. However, we ended up finding them online and stalking them at another market. Yes, I sent Jacob, and yes, he bought $20 worth of pasta (below). We also went back a few weeks later and bought another $20 worth. Hehe. Gotta stock up for the year! It really is the best pasta ever. I will share more pictures of their booth in another post!

And... when Jacob was at the bigger farmers' market (where the pasta vendor was), he also brought me back a bouquet of gorgeous flowers. Good boyfriend points awarded!

Oreo Cookies 'n' Cream Ice Cream Cake Recipe

This post has been a very long time in the making. I actually made this cake for my boyfriend's birthday in February (before I started my blog). But I took meticulous notes and process pictures. You'll see!

I'm not always this nice, but I knew how much Jacob loves ice cream cakes, cookies and cream, and oreos. Usually he gets a Coldstone ice cream cake, but this year I thought I'd change it up and see if I could successfully make an ice cream cake. Challenge: accepted.

Let me tell you something first. You have to be really dedicated to make this cake. It is really, really delicious, but it takes forever and has a bunch of steps. My process took seven hours! To be fair, I was also preparing other foods so it could take less time. The earlier you start the better though! Also, I did use cake mix. I thought about making it from scratch, but read up on several sites about how to make ice cream cake and someone astutely pointed out that you're freezing this cake. So who cares if it's from scratch? Point taken (and time saved). I added a ton of notes on what worked/what didn't, so if you decide to try your own cake, hopefully it goes smoothly. Let me know how it turns out!

Ready for this?

Oreo Cookies 'n' Cream Ice Cream Cake
Serves 15+

Ingredients

Two 1.5 quart tubs of cookies and cream ice cream - simpler if it's a rectangular carton

One 1.5 quart tub of vanilla ice cream

One white cake mix + ingredients

One chocolate cake mix + ingredients

One box of oreos

Optional Extras

Fudge

Mini chocolate chips

Oreo cookie cream icing

Semi-sweet chocolate chips for melting

Supplies

Two 13x9" cake pans

Wax paper

Saran wrap

Tray for your cake
Double boiler

1. Make the two cake mixes in separate cake pans per box instructions. Crush up some oreos (I used three) and mix them in to the white batter. Bake per instructions on the box.

Note: If you want to save oreo resources, you can start cutting oreos in half for the topping (step 5) during this step and use any broken pieces that result for the crushed oreos to put into the batter. Save the good halves for step 5.

2. After baking the cakes, let them cool completely. Carefully remove them from the pan without breaking them. Cut off the cake tops carefully so that both layers are flat. Wrap them each in saran wrap and put them in the freezer.

Note: I cleared out a whole shelf ahead of time so they could lay side by side and freeze faster.

3. Take one of the (now empty) cake pans and lay saran wrap down (pieces large enough to seal the whole layer when you're done), and then a sheet of wax paper over it to smooth it out. Fill the pan with ice cream.

Note: I used a knife to separate the ice cream chunk from the edges of the container, flip the container upside down, and slowly squeeze it out of the carton. That way I ended up with a big chunk of ice cream which I cut in half with dental floss and lay side by side. This still did not fill up the pan and was a messy process but it was a good start. Then I used the second carton to fill in the holes and flatten everything out. The only tool you need is a spoon! Make the layer flat and fill up the pan as evenly as you can. I used up about half of the second carton and the layer ended up the same thickness as the cake layers. If you want a thicker cake you might need three tubs of ice cream and you could make two ice cream layers.

4. Wrap up your ice cream layer in saran wrap. Put your ice cream layer in the freezer.  Make sure they freeze for a little while so they are both solid.

Note: I estimate this to take at least an hour but I also left to run some errands so I'm not sure exactly how long it took.  Just make sure they are solid enough to layer together.

5. While you're waiting, if you want to do the dipped oreos topping you can do that now.  Start boiling water. Lay a sheet of wax paper out on the other (now-empty) cake pan or over a baking sheet.

Note: If you don't have a double boiler, just look up how to melt chocolate for dipping without one. I highly recommend the double boiler though!

6. Lay out oreos on a cutting board and carefully cut them in half one at a time. I used 12 dipped half-oreos for my cake.

Note: I could only manage to keep one half of each oreo unbroken (it's difficult) but if you have time you could experiment with this - maybe freezing the oreos or using a hot knife would help? If you have tips please share!

7. Melt the chocolate chips and stir them with a spatula until the chocolate is a smooth consistency.  Dip the oreos in carefully. Place the cookies on the wax sheet so that they're sitting up at an angle - see image below. Put them in the refrigerator to cool.

Note: If one side is a little crumbled, dip that side since it's not really visible once it's covered in chocolate.  Make sure there's plenty of chocolate because the oreo will need to sit up on the baking sheet (see image). If you're having a hard time dipping them nicely you can use the spatula to pour the chocolate over the cookie also.

8. Take them out of the freezer and unwrap them, making sure your layers are solid/frozen enough to work with.  Lay out your tray. Put the chocolate layer on the tray with the bottom down so that the smoothest side is on the bottom. Optional: Add a layer of fudge and mini chocolate chips here (I planned to but forgot).

Note: I just used an inexpensive plastic red cookie tray. Be really careful - cake layers this size can break easily.

9. Your ice cream layer goes next. It seems to work best to unwrap one side and then sorta hold and flip them over then drop the layer onto the cake. Nudge it into place to line up. Optional: More fudge and chocolate chips if you want.

10. Put on the white cookies 'n' cream cake layer last.  Put the side where you cut the cake on the bottom so that the smoothest side is on top.

l1. Use a knife to smooth out the ice cream layer so it lines up on each side with your cake layers.  Make sure the layers are snug - you can gently push down on the top layer to ensure this.  If you have some gaps in the ice cream layer, use the rest of your cookies and cream ice cream to fill in and smooth the gaps.

12. Put your cake back in the freezer (on the tray) for 20-30 minutes. Simultaneously take out your vanilla ice cream so it has some time to melt.

13. After the 20-30 minutes are up, check your cake and make sure it's solid again. Take it back out. Use a butter knife to quickly "ice" the cake using the vanilla ice cream. Ice the top and all four sides of your cake. When you're done, put it back in the freezer until the icing layer is hardened (I waited an hour).

Note: It should be melted enough that it's easy to work with but not runny. If it starts to get melty put both the cake and ice cream back in the freezer for 10+ minutes and then take them out and keep working on it.  You may need a second layer of "icing" depending on the consistency of your vanilla ice cream but I just needed to touch up a few spots and it worked nicely.

14. Take the chocolate-dipped oreo cookies out of the refrigerator. Then take the cake out and work fast! Decorate with icing and stick the chocolate-covered oreos around the edges.

Note: Have everything ready to decorate before taking your cake out of the freezer. I used the oreo cookie cream icing around the edges but it was slippery and not that easy to work with since the icing tended to slide off the ice cream layer - you could decorate with a pastry bag or regular white icing if those are available to you. Take each oreo cookie off the wax paper carefully to avoid breaking the chocolate. I used one oreo in each corner, three on each long side, and one on each short side.

15. Put your decorated cake back into the freezer until you're ready to serve it!  And voila - impressive homemade cookies and cream cake! ENJOY!

Note: If you want GIANT slices (like we did), it serves about 15 people.  You can probably serve up to 30 with smaller slices. =)  It's a really big cake!!

Ingredients part 1.

Ingredients part 2 (I didn't end up using the red sparkle gel).

Breaking up oreos to mix in to the white cake batter.

Cake batters ready to bake.

Dipping oreo halves in melted chocolate.

Three layers combined nicely.

Using vanilla ice cream to frost the cake.

Decorated and ready...

Except for the candles!!

Have you ever tried making an ice cream cake? I'm not sure I'd ever have the patience for this again. But man, it was GOOD!

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- Please DO NOT repost any entire recipe unless you have made substantial modifications - if you have, please credit me and link to my original recipe post.

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Indie Spotlight: The Caramel Jar

Today, I wanted to share with you an awesome shop I discovered a little while back. I actually found them through a Fab sale and man, I am so glad I ordered! The shop is called The Caramel Jar and, as you may have guessed, they make the most delicious caramels. I tried the vanilla and fleur de sel - both are incredible, but I think vanilla would be my personal preference (by a very slight margin).

I ordered a 1/2 pound of each flavor, which arrived in adorable mason jars with ribbon adornment. The caramels themselves are individually wrapped in eco-friendly wax paper. I wasn't sure how much 1/2 a pound would end up being, but I thought the quantity was quite substantial.

The Caramel Jar also offers party/wedding favors. I'm usually nervous about trying foods from Etsy (although I always end up liking it) since you can't really sample it first. But I promise you'll like these caramels if you give them a try. Now excuse me while I go drool over their site some more. =)

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Indie Spotlight is a feature where I share a cool independent artist or small business. If you know of any artists / shops (could be your own) that you think fit my style, leave me a comment & link or e-mail me and I may feature them / you in a future post. =)

NatureBox Review: August 2012

Last month, I wrote about NatureBox, a subscription service delivering healthy snacks. Because I signed up between snack cycles, I ended up with the June box last time (even though it was July). This time, I'm back on the normal track and received my August box on Saturday. If you recall, last month's review was mixed, but I wanted to give it another shot. Here's the result:

My Review - August 2012 NatureBox

Top (left to right): Dried Fancy Figs, Far East Rice Crackers, Bombay Curried Cashews, 
Bottom (left to right): Maui Onion Crunch, Mexicana Mango

The theme of the August box was "Snacks From Around the World."

Far East Rice Crackers

This was a mix of various Japanese crackers, sprinkled with dried peas. I have had lots of these snacks before, so they weren't anything new to me, but I imagine they would be novel to some. It was good! I have always liked these kinds of snacks, and this was a relatively mild mix, which I consider a good thing because I'm a spiciness wimp and other times you get really weird flavored crackers. Not the case here. Good, solid snack, and I love how (like all NatureBox snacks) it contains no high fructose corn syrup, no partially hydrogenated oils, no trans fats, and no artificial sweeteners, flavors, or colors.

No sugar, fat, or cholesterol. Serving size: 1/4 cup.

35 calories (0 from fat), 55mg sodium, 8g carbs, and 1g protein.

Maui Onion Crunch

The only way I can think of to describe this snack is: savory almonds covered in a light, powdery sweet Maui Onion dry marinade. Crunch and flavorful and so, so good. Definitely a hit in the salty snack department. Jacob loved this one too. I had to hide it because, well, it's mine!!

No cholesterol. Serving size: 1/4 cup.

160 calories (130 from fat), 14g fat (1.5g saturated), 460mg sodium, 8g carbs, 3g dietary fiber, 2g sugar, 5g protein.

2% vitamin A, 2% vitamin C, 8% calcium, 6% iron.

Dried Fancy Figs

Okay, I'll admit it. I really dislike figs, so this was not my snack. I left this unopened so I can give this one away.

No fat or cholesterol. Serving Size: 40g.

132 calories (2 from fat), 6mg sodium, 31g carbs, 6g dietary fiber, 23g sugar, 1g protein.

5% calcium, 1% iron.

Bombay Curried Cashews

This was definitely the "interesting" snack of the bunch, to me. Curry flavored snack? It does have a strong curry flavor, which was a little odd to me on fruits and nuts, but it wasn't bad. I would say this was a medium snack in my book - I wouldn't buy it specifically, but I will probably eat most of the items in the bag.
No cholesterol. Serving size: 1/4 cup.
140 calories (90 from fat), 10g fat (1.5 saturated), 35mg sodium, 12g carbs, 2g dietary fiber, 5g sugar, 4g protein.
2% calcium, 6% iron.

Mexicana Mango

Definitely my favorite snack! I am a completely mango lover. I've tried all sorts of dried mangoes. These were divine. I used to go for the Philippines brand dried mangoes, which are delicious but have tons and tons of added sugars. These were light, natural tasting, and delicious. The snack was gone within two days of opening the box!

No cholesterol or sodium. Serving size: 3.5 pieces.

130 calories (5 from fat), 0.5g fat, 34g carbs, 4g dietary fiber, 30g sugar, 1g protein.

30% vitamin A, 90% vitamin C, 2% calcium, 2% iron.

Each NatureBox comes with a little description card, including a recipe and snack details.

Overall
Once again, the snacks were a little hit or miss for me, but I preferred these overall to the snacks in the June box. Two soaring favorites, two good but not exceptional, and one miss for me. Not too bad for a blind subscription box.

Bottom Line
I will give this box at least one more month and decide then.

Signing Up
I wrote about how to sign up along with additional information and a coupon code in my June box review.

Tried any new subscription boxes lately?

Myung Dong Tofu House - Seattle

First, thank you so, so much for your encouraging and sweet comments on Monday's art post! Reading them really made my evening! I will definitely be posting more of that in the future. =) Now, on to the food!

As a student at the University of Washington, I lived in Seattle's University District for four years. Restaurants and businesses would come and go frequently on the Ave (main street in the U-District). Someone once told me that businesses on the Ave only last an average of 10 years.

During my junior/senior year of college, a new business opened that completely changed my eating habits. The U-District was full of Thai, Japanese, Greek, Indian food, and more... but not Korean food. And then Myung Dong Tofu House opened just off the Ave, on 42nd & Brooklyn. Delicious food, cute little family-owned restaurant... and it was less than a block from my apartment. What's not to love?

I started eating there. A lot. At least once a week. Just to clarify, the food options are not limited to tofu. They do specialize in tofu soup, though, which is one of my favorite foods in the world. One thing I love about going to Korean restaurants here is the little "appetizers" of sorts that they bring out before your meal. All complimentary.

David, one of my best friends from high school, moved to the Seattle/Tacoma area (okay, he moved a year ago but we keep forgetting we live in the same area now). We decided to catch up over dinner, so of course I picked the Tofu House! I've missed it tremendously since leaving the U-District.

Clockwise from left: Two types of kimchi, bean sprouts, potato in sauce (tastes like soy sauce), green onion pancake

I ordered the vegetable tofu soup. I used to get the beef tofu soup before I stopped eating meat (other than seafood) - so good. With the vegetable tofu soup, they asked if I wanted water instead of the beef broth, and I said yes. It was still good, although not quite as tasty. However, I did also ask for mild spiciness since I'm a total spiciness wimp. So it would probably be tastier with more spice. They drop a raw egg in (if you want), which you mix into the soup so it cooks and looks a bit like the egg in egg drop soup.

 Can you tell it was really hot? It was hard to take a picture through the steam!

David got a mixed bowl dish with beef. This bowl was huge! You can't really see but it also has a purple rice in it... taro rice maybe? (If anyone knows what it might be, let me know.) The rice is so, so good. I got a bowl of it on the side of my soup too.

Our meal was delicious! They brought us a second round of the appetizers too because somehow, David was still hungry...

Can't wait to go back! Yum! Have you tried Korean food/tofu soup?

NatureBox Review: June 2012

Subscription boxes have made frequent appearances on various blogs this year. They seem like a fun idea - get a surprise box of different goodies each month. However, none of the well-known boxes sounded quite right for me. While I love eye makeup and am getting back into nail polish, I rarely use other beauty products, so while GlossyBox and BirchBox sound interesting, it didn't seem worth the investment for me. I love the premise of UmbaBox - delivering handmade goods each month. However, My style is dissimilar to the creator's, so I am not sure how well the delivered items would suit my taste.

(Note: A few other new box subscriptions I might enjoy have recently come to my attention, but they were unknown to me at the time of this purchase.)

Enter NatureBox: healthy snacks delivered to your door each month. Bingo! Sounded perfect for me. I have always been a snacker, but made a conscious decision to start bringing fruit and healthier snacks to work in the last few months. Recently, I switched to working four 10-hour days each week (and having Fridays off). I leave work at 6:30 and get home by 7:30, so I am usually starving by the time I get home. I tried bringing more snacks, but I was quickly getting sick of my options. See, I find a snack I like, get instantly obsessed, buy a ton of it, and then get sick of it within a few weeks. Then it sits around in my pantry until its turn comes back around. Bad habit, I know.

Case in point: KIND bars. I was starving and decided to try out a cranberry bliss bar at work one day (our cafeteria has a focus on healthy foods). It was so good. I went online and bought four full boxes of bars in different flavors. After several weeks of having a bar daily, I got tired of them. We have since reconciled and I am working through my boxes at a slower pace, but still. There are a lot of bars left. That's me.

When I read that NatureBox delivers five different full-sized healthy snack packs each month, checked some reviews online (all very positive), and looked through what snacks they provided in previous boxes, I was sold. I signed myself and my parents up (I knew they would love it - especially my dad).

My June box actually arrived in July, since I signed up in late June.

My Review - June 2012 NatureBox

Top (left to right): citrus kick almonds, harvest fruit granola, organic mighty mix

Bottom (left to right): apple rings, sun-ripened white peaches

Apple Rings

The apple rings are delicious. Sweet and chewy, just as described. The box also came with a recipe for cinnamon apple ring muffins, which sound delicious... but I'm not sure there will be any apple rings left by the time I get around to it!

No sugar, fat, cholesterol, or sodium. Serving size: 28g.

90 calories (0 from fat), 23g carbs, and 2g dietary fiber.

Sun-Ripened White Peaches

These were soft, chewy, and unsweetened. I was not a fan of the dried white peaches. Then again, I am fairly picky about my dried fruit. But I didn't like the texture and these weren't really sweet enough for my taste. This was my least favorite item in the box.

No sugar, fat, cholesterol, or sodium. Serving size: 1.5 pieces.

95 calories (0 from fat), 25g carbs and 3g dietary fiber.

Harvest Fruit Granola

Best thing ever. Seriously. This granola is so, so good. There were nuts and dried fruit mixed in - it was so soft and delicious. I really hope they follow through with their idea to offer some popular snacks for sale in larger quantities, because I would buy this. Tons of it. Definitely my favorite in the box - it was hard not eating everything at once!

No cholesterol or sodium. Serving Size: 1 oz (28g).

120 calories (60 from fat), 6g fat (1g saturated), 16g carbs, 2g dietary fiber, 7g sugar, 2g protein. 

Organic Mighty Mix

This was a mix of raisins, dried fruit, nuts, and other seeds. This was honestly not my favorite - it was a bit of a weird mix of sweet, salty, chewy, and crunchy. I'm not keen on raisins and the other mystery dried fruit was just okay. The seeds and nuts were decent but I think they would have been better as a separate snack. It is nice that these were not sticky at all, so they would be nice to bring as a trail mix of sorts on a hiking trip.

No cholesterol. Serving size: 1/4 cup (30g).

130 calories (70 from fat), 8g fat (1g saturated), 15mg sodium, 14g carbs, 2g dietary fiber, 10g sugar, 4g protein.

Citrus Kick Almonds

These almonds are covered in a citrusy coating - they look like sugared almonds but they definitely don't taste like them! "Citrus Kick" is the perfect way to describe them - they pack a punch. Jacob didn't like them, but I actually did enjoy them. I wouldn't say they were among my favorite snacks, but they are interesting for sure.
No cholesterol. Serving size: 1/4 cup.
170 calories (130 from fat), 14g fat (1g saturated), 280mg sodium, 7g carbs, 3g dietary fiber, 2g sugar, and 6g protein.

Overall
As you can see above, the snacks were very hit or miss for me. I think it would be perfect either for someone who is less picky than me, or for a family/group of people with different tastes - that way none of the snacks go to waste. You can see the contents of their other past boxes here. I am not sure if I will continue my subscription - I may try another box and see how I like it before making a final decision.

The size of each snack package was decent - midway between sampler size and chock-full. Each package had 3 - 4.5 servings (you can see the serving sizes above).

Possibly because shipping is built into the price, the snacks are on the pricey side. $19.95 for 5 snacks equates to $3.99 per bag, which is about what I would expect to pay at Whole Foods or (insert name of fancy/organic grocery store). Then again, they pick a variety for you and ship it directly to your front door, so there is something to be said for that. Also, with the discount for multiple months, it will cost less per bag overall.

I was impressed by their customer service - friendly, helpful, and professional. I had quite a list of questions for them and they were all answered satisfactorily.

Bottom Line
I would probably recommend this for those who love everything granola/nuts/dried fruits. For someone like me who is a little pickier, I'm not sure it's worth the money.

Notes About Dietary Restrictions
- I called to inquire about if the boxes are vegan/vegetarian. The friendly lady who answered informed me that while the next few boxes are scheduled to be vegetarian, there is no guarantee. They also contain some honey/dairy products so some snacks will not be vegan.
- However, they are looking to provide customizable boxes for these types of restrictions - vegan, allergies, no nuts, etc. Contact them directly to be put on a list, and they will notify you when these options are available.

Pricing/Options
- $19.95 / mo for month-to-month subscriptions. Use referral code "REFER25" to get 25% off your first box for monthly subscriptions only.
- $99.75 / 6 mo - essentially you get one month free.
- $179.55 / 12 mo - includes three months free.

Want to Sign Up?
You can sign yourself up through their website and they recently added a section for 3 or 6 month gift subscriptions here. You can also sign someone up for a gift subscription and keep paying until you choose to stop. Shipping is included in the price, except for the 3 month gift subscription. Please note that this is a relatively new service and they are frequently changing their policies/features, so be sure to check their site for the most updated information.

If you want to order your own NatureBox or find out more, visit their website here.

Have you tried NatureBox or found any other interesting box subscription services? Let me know if you decide to sign up, and how you like your box!

Note: This is my personal opinion and is in no way sponsored by NatureBox. Just like every review I write, I will always provide my 100% honest thoughts.

Mini Donut Baking!

While Jacob and I were visiting his family in Spokane, his mom told us she recently purchased a mini donut baking pan. Win! So one afternoon, the three of us made mini donuts!

The mini donut baking pan came with a recipe, so we used that.

Mmm... delicious smelling batter!

The most tedious process by far was getting the dough into the tiny half-donut-shaped sections of the pan. The dough was not as smooth or liquid as I would have expected. Then again, I've never made donuts before.

As suggested by the recipe, we dipped most of them in a cinnamon sugar mix while they were still fresh out of the oven.

We mixed up some vanilla glaze and dipped them in rainbow sprinkles: my favorite!!

Jacob's mom also mixed in some cocoa powder and chocolate ganache to make chocolate-glazed donuts.

Chomp chomp!

Don't be fooled by the picture. I wanted a nice image of the three donut types... but I definitely had more than three. =)

Best breakfast ever! The mini donuts were quite a bit of work but so delicious. Have you ever tried making mini donuts before? Or, for that matter, regular donuts?