International Edible Book Festival

I was so thrilled to hear from artist Béatrice Coron about her wonderful edible book Hard Boiled Thriller: Tales of a Tough Cookie and a Smart Cookie, which she created for The International Edible Book Festival. Béatrice and Judith A. Hoffberg created the festival in 1999 and each and every year, on April 1st, people around the world show-off their own versions of edible books. Anyone can participate and the guidelines for what constitutes a book are very flexible. Click here for more info on the festival and here for more of Beatrice's edible books. Thanks, Béatrice!

Working in the cutout method, Béatrice Coron creates glorious images that have appeared on books covers, in subway stations, and on street corners, as well as having been included in the museum collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Getty, and the Bibliotheque Nationale of France. It really is amazing work. You can find other, nonedible examples of Béatrice's amazing art by visiting her Web site. You can also find some examples after the jump.

Sugar Bliss Cupcakes

I'm pretty taken with the frosting on these cupcakes by Sugar Bliss Cake Boutique in Chicago. Cupcakes have been everywhere for the past decade, so it's nice to see a new design option for this classic sweet.



Sugar Bliss offers more than 20 varities of cupcakes, with flavors ranging from cinnamon carrot to orange creamsicle and everything in between. They also carry breakfast cupcakes like apple cinnamon and berry berry. In addition, if you're jonzing for a sugar rush, you can also order up a frosting shot, for those who are so inclined. Personally, I prefer my frosting on cake, but I know people who can't resisit a shot of frosting in the middle of the day! Click here to visit their Web site and to order online.

Eating Animals, The Book

Let me preface this discussion by saying that, yes, it is true. I am a vegetarian. But I'm not the kind of vegetarian that forces my beliefs down the throats of friends, family, or any random passer by that happens to cross my path. I don't appreciate it when people tell me that what I believe is wrong, so I try not to treat other people with the same disrespect. That said, today, while I was engaged in a completely tedious and boring work activity, I passed the time by listening to various audio clips of writer Jonathan Safran Foer discussing his book Eating Animals. The more I listened, the more I realized something: I need to do more, personally, to make sure that what I'm eating is coming from a healthy and clean source, not a place that abuses animals or pollutes the earth, not one that makes me, or others, ill.

To some, that may seem like an obvious statement to make and, no, it wasn't a complete epiphany for me, either. It's not as though JSF was telling me anything that I hadn't heard, and thought about, before. As a person that is already conscious about what I eat, a person who already reads ingredient lists, and is concerned with animal welfare, his words didn't shock me, but they did serve as a reminder, a reminder to not be so lazy. As consumers, we come to rely on packaging and labels, which often, don't mean anything at all. Free Range, Cage Free, Organic, these words don't necessarily mean what we think they do. We have to take it upon ourselves to find out where our food is coming from.

I know that this is a dessert blog, so at first I wasn't sure if this would even be relevant, but then I realized that the major components of baking, ingredients such as eggs, butter, milk, are also a large part of factory farming. I'm not telling you what to do or how to eat, but I think it's important information, even if you eat meat, to know where that meat is coming from, how the animal was raised and treated and processed. Even small changes, even minor adjustments, in the way we eat food, in the way we think about it, can make a big difference. Just something to consider.

Inspiration Board: Kiss

Anyone who reads this site religiously or anyone who knows me personally, knows that I'm not a fan of Valentine's Day. It's not because I'm not romantic or sentimental. I just think it's silly, the way some people make such a big deal about it. Don't even get me started on Sweetest Day! Just writing the words "Sweetest Day" makes me angry! :-) That said, even I cannot resist the perfect Valentine card or the perfect Valentine cookie, so when my brother sent me this picture of the Kiss cookies that his friend made for her man on Valentine's Day, I immediately went, awwww. They are just sooo awesome! Make them for your man friend today or tomorrow or some other random day. Not because it's Valentine's Day, but just because you love him. :-) Check out more inspiring Kiss desserts below.

Kiss Cupcakes by Clever Cupcakes


Kiss Cake, from Kiss Online

Edible Art: Ticings

What am I going completely gaga over at this very moment? These adorable cake decorations from Ticings! Boring old cakes, cookies, and cupcakes are completely transformed into something fun and interesting simply by adding one of these pieces of edible icing. It's such a great way to turn everyday treats into something unique. I'm already thinking about which one I want to try first! Oh, and they're totally gluten free and kosher! Click here to check out all the designs online.