Cadbury's Return of the Goo

Call me a dork, but I kind of love this catapult game from Cadbury, which allows you to "egg" any location in the world with a giant Creme Egg. All you have to do is enter the address into the little box of the main page, pull back the catapult, and then, wallah, watch as the egg flys through the air and splatters across your chosen target. The game uses Google Maps technology, so the effect is, somewhat, realistic. I picked my office building for my egging and let me tell you, seeing your place of work covered in Cadbury Egg goo, is especially hilarious, not to mention dreamy. Who wouldn't want their rooftop covered with candy?? Click here to start egging.

The Mixing Bowl: Tiramisu by Zara Picken

I love learning interesting tidbits about food, like why there isn’t flour in flourless chocolate cake or how and when chocolate and peanut butter first hooked up, so when illustrator Zara Picken sent me her recipe for Tiramisu, along with an explanation of the dessert's name, I was instantly smitten.

From Zara: I wanted to evoke the colours of the dessert and the meaning –"tira mi su" loosely means “pick me up” or “lift me up” in Italian and the dessert was intended as a cheering dish to be eaten when feeling low. I also referenced the Italian origin of the dessert by imagining the illustration in the context of a 1930s Italian Art Deco poster, the sort you might see in a café.

Pretty neat, huh? I love that Zara put so much thought behind her recipe/illustration!

Zara Picken is an illustrator based in Bristol, England whose work combines mid-century modern design, muted colors, and surreal elements to create something totally unique. Given the fact that Zara is influenced by things like the writing of Haruki Murakami and the film Inception (both of which I love), it's not really surprising that I've developed a fairly major crush on her work. I'm especially fond of her series of people with electronic devices instead of heads. Those may be my favorite pieces. You can check out more of Zara's marvelous work, including the electronic head people via her Etsy shop, Web site, and Flickr page.

You can find the tiramisu recipe and more pics after the jump.

Inspiration Board: Henna

When I first laid eyes on these gorgeous cakes by Rora Does Cake, I couldn't get over how breathtakingly unique they were. The detailing is so intricate and unusual, at first I thought they were inspired by lace patterns. After a little bit of research, I discovered that they were actually created using henna techniques, and it all started to make sense! It really is a great method to use as design element. The cake sort of becomes a blank canvas, making even the most ordinary dessert feel special!

Almond Banana Bavarian Tart by Foodaholics

Diwali Cupcakes by The Cupcake Place

The Mixing Bowl: Black and White Present (Mascarpone) Cupcakes by Tamar Levine and Jennifer Becker

One of the best things about having a website is that it gives you the opportunity to come across new and interesting work that you may not have otherwise seen. You get the chance to discover the work of strangers and, every once in a while, you stumble upon a little unknown something that is so fantastic and wonderful that it makes you do a little happy dance in your seat! This is exactly what happened a couple of months ago, when I was first introduced to the work of Tamar Levine, a fashion, portrait, and fine art photographer based in Los Angeles. After noticing that Tamar had graciously tweeted one of my posts, I checked out her website, and I was so happy that I did! Her photos are so feminine and retro and surreal . . . all things that I love. I want to live inside them or, at the very least, hang them on my wall!

Tamar, who created her Mixing Bowl contribution with the help of her friend and fellow photographer Jennifer Becker, definitely has a penchant for the girlie side of life, so it only makes sense the her recipe for Black and White Present Cupcakes would be not only be pretty but theatrical as well. Just like her photos! Unfortunately, I couldn't include all of my favorite Tamar photographs here, but there is a large selection of images on her website. You can check them out by clicking here. You can find the complete recipe and more photos after the jump. Thanks, Tamar!

Macaron vs. Cupcake

The print pictured above is by graphic designer Vahram Muratyan who recently produced a series of adorable images that asks the question, Which is better, Paris or New York? By comparing two similar images, one stereotypically Parisian, the other classic New York, the viewer is asked to take sides. Now, before I give you my opinion on the age old macaron versus cupcake battle, I should probably first make a SHOCKING confession. You may want to sit down for this. Oh, wait, you probably are sitting down. Okay, here it goes… I’ve never actually eaten a macaron! I know! It’s pretty pathetic. Food sites have been filled with these babies for the last few years, but I have yet to sample one. So, as much as I like voting, I think I’ll have to abstain this time. It wouldn’t be right to cast my ballot when I don’t have all the information, but I'd love the hear your opinion!

If you want to check out Vahram's Paris vs. New York blog, click here. If you're interested in picking up a Macaron/Cupcake print for your home, click here to check out Vahram’s Paris vs. New York prints ($24 each).