Cupcake Mania - Eleni's Bakery

Something you should know about me, I love cupcakes. Like seriously love them. I could eat them all the time. And I am always looking for the new, better cupcake and I think I have found it.. in Chelsea market.

The store... Eleni's Bakery and it has been right under my nose for years.

Their cupcakes are so soft and delicious it reminds me of when I was a kid eating homemeade cupcakes. I think they are some of the best cupcakes I've ever eaten.. that's right I said it.. the best. I know what you're thinking are they better than Magnolia's and Billy's.. to which I say YES.

The even better thing is at 7:00pm everyday all the items in the glass case go half price. Which obviously makes it the best time to buy them. They have all different flavors like peanut butter and jelly, lemon, banana nut and many more. I tend to stick with vanilla because that's my favorite. They even have an Obama cupcake that's always in store.

These cupcakes are great to take into work for a co-worker's birthday or even for your kid's school event. Especially if you can get there by 7:00 when that are half off. And depending on the type of cupcake you get the 1/2 off special price makes them some of the cheapest cupcakes in the city.

But like I said I'm always looking for the new, better, more delicious cupcake so let me know what your favorite places are.

Today is Nelson Mandela Day

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

by Marianne Williamsonfrom A Return To Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles(Quoted in Nelson Mandela Speech)
Today is Nelson Mandela day and what better way to celebrate then to do some volunteering with NY Cares. Today it was Lenox Hill Center in the Upper East Side. I was prepping and serving food for senior citizens. It was so much fun, great people, and good food. It's always nice to give back and do some good for others and I know the people really appreciated us being there.

If you want to volunteer with NY cares it's super easy all you have to do is sign up online, and go to a 30- 45 minute orientation. Once you've completed orientation you can go on the website and select whatever projects you want to participate in.

I've been doing it for about 6 months so I'm fairly new. It's a great way to meet new, really nice people and you get to do things in the city that you wouldn't normally do, all while helping others and giving back. What more could you ask for?

If you want to check out more information go to their website:

http://www.newyorkcares.org/get_involved/

Chef's - Buffalo, New York

In Buffalo, NY there is an amazing Italian restaurant called Chef’s. The special dish they’re known for is Spaghetti Parmesan.

When I was there I ordered the Calamari, Chicken Parmesan and they’re famous Spaghetti Parmesan.

The calamari was good but had a little too much breading for my taste. However, the calamari had a twist to it. Instead of using a typical marinara sauce for dipping they used cocktail sauce.

Next came the Chicken and Spaghetti Parmesan. The Spaghetti came with a side of meat sauce. Plunging my fork into the gooey, cheesy center and spinning the spaghetti around, I then dunked it into the tomatoey, meat sauce and opened my mouth. Upon the first bite, I tasted the sweet acidic tomatoes, the perfectly flavored meat and the salty, chewy mozzarella cheese. It was delicious. Perfetto. I couldn’t stop eating it. I can see why it is their most popular dish.

For desert I had the homemade tiramisu, which was delightful. It had the perfect amount of creaminess, sweetness and coffee flavor. I will definitely go back here again.

Added Bonus: They sell their delicious sauce. If you want to order you can do it online.

http://www.ilovechefs.com/index.php