When everyone online went gaga over these adorable Mii Chocolates, I actually pulled out my credit card and bought a set for my video game obsessed boyfriend for Valentines Day. Paul Pape was so efficient in the order fulfillment and shipping of these tasty characters that I had to hide the package in our refrigerator for almost three weeks. Chris, observant creature that he is, never even noticed the post office box nestled behind his precious Coronas. Last night we both ate our respective Mii’s and I glared at Chris every time he pretended his chocolate was in pain…and then I bit his head off.

Instead of baking a cake for Chris’s birthday this year we decided to pick out some goodies from a new specialty bakery called Kickass Cupcakes that opened recently in Davis Square. We definitely made the right choice. Why bake a whole cake with one boring flavor when you can pick up a 6 pack of gorgeous and original cupcakes to share?! Our unanimous favorite was the mojito which is a rum soaked cupcake topped with sugar cane lime frosting and fresh mint. While I really wanted to eat all six cupakes at once, we somehow managed to hold ourselves back, but just barely. From the top (left to right) we happily consumed:

• A vanilla cupcake with chocolate buttercream frosting
• The Super Chocolate (a chocolate brownie cupcake topped with bittersweet chocolate ganache and covered with chocolate shavings)
• The much raved about Mojito
• A chocolate cupcake with chocolate buttercream frosting
• A Banana Cream cupcake (vanilla cupcake and custard, bananas, graham crackers, and whipped cream)
• And finally Cinnamon Chai Pecan Sticky (a spiced up cupcake covered with gooey caramel pecan topping)

We’re obviously all more than aware that I can cook, but I bet you didn’t know that CK can also hold his own in the kitchen. The below dish is actually a replication of the first meal that Chris ever made for me. We both had a bit of a crush on Giada de Laurentis and spent many lazy Sundays watching the Food Network together, so it was only appropriate that he made a recipe from her show. This dish of farfalle pasta topped with mushrooms, peas, and freshly grated cheese is very hearty. You can also vary the flavor of the meal by using different types of sausage. In the past we’ve used Sweet Italian Turkey Sausage, but in the below instance we bought Spicy Italian Sausage. I actually prefer the spicy version as it gives the dish an unexpected “eyebrow raising” tang.

Grocery Shop	Remove From Casings
Brown	Ask Erin to Assist
Boil	Bake the “Fake Bread” in the Oven
Set Sausage Aside	Add More Olive Oil
Saute Mushrooms	Pour in Peas
Combine	Re-add the Sausage
Stir in the Pasta	More Olive Oil
Top With Parmesan	Seriously Impress Your Girlfriend