Prada Candy

Oh, how do I love Wes Anderson, let me count the ways. Oh, how do I love Prada, let me count some more. Wes Anderson + Prada? Be still my heart! Yes, it's true, Wes Anderson and collaborator  Roman Coopola have co-directed three short films for Prada's new fragrance titled Candy. The films, which run just over a minute long, take place in Paris and are are filled with Anderson's trademark quirky coolness. French model and actress Léa Seydoux stars as the title character, Candy, a young woman torn between the love of two men, Julius and Gene (who frankly look like twins). I couldn't help thinking of Francois Truffaut's 1952 film Jules et Jim while watching it and Sydoux actually mentions that film in the behind the scenes footage. Whatever the inspiration, Anderson and Coopola have given us some seriously fun eye candy (no pun intended). The films are delightful and utterly French. There's also plenty of dessert action, including a birthday celebration and a scene in a cafe. Oh, yes, and then there's the fragrance itself, which is described as "sweetly addictive," a mix of winter musk, benzoin, and caramel. Check out Prada's website for more info. ~Erin

Olive & Sinclair

I love every aspect of these chocolate bars by Nashville company Olive & Sinclair. The first and most obvious attraction is the packaging. You can’t help but be won over by the graphic, vintage-inspired wrapper. Next there are the unique flavors: salt and pepper, Mexican style cinn-chili, buttermilk white. (Don’t even get me started on the bourbon nib brittle.) I want to try them all! But the best part of all, tops on the “why I love this company” list, is the fact that the chocolate at Olive & Sinclair is handcrafted, slow-roasted and stone ground in small batches, using both new and vintage machinery. Owner, chef, and visionary Scott Witherow is a firm believer in the bean-to-bar process and uses single origin cacao beans to create a chocolate bar that feels so much more special and one of a kind, than your average ol’ candy bar. Check out the video above to find out more about their process. It’s a great combination of old and new chocolate making. Click here to check out all of the Olive & Sinclair products and to shop online.

How to Visit a French Bakery

Ahhh, France. The Louvre, the countryside…the pastries! It’s hard for me to think about France without thinking about the food. I’ve never been to France, but I definitely have this sort of idealized notion of french cuisine, especially french sweets! This video titled How to Visit a French Bakery perfectly captures all of my french bakery fantasies. Created as a collaboration between Ben and Gabrielle Blair (Olive Us) and filmmakers Tiger in a Jar, the video features three of Ben and Gabrielle’s six kids visiting a bakery in France, where they recently moved. Apparently, the Blair clan packed up and moved to France last year and are currently living in a farmhouse in the french countryside (sigh…).The video itself is beautifully shot and reminds me a bit of a Wes Anderson film. It’s fun and cute and the children are lovely and so well-behaved. If you’re like me and you daydream about visiting a charming little french bakery and eating croissants and macarons, you’re bound to like this video. For more Olive Us videos, click here. ~Erin

Tim Burton Caketrope by Alexandre Dubosc

Master of the Zoetrope, French artist Alexandre Dubosc has just released this stunning tribute to director Tim Burton, which features several references to Burton's films. Watch carefully and you'll see visual nods to the films Batman, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Sleepy Hollow, and Burton's latest project, the stop-motion animated film, Frankenweenie. The "Caketrope," as Dubosc calls it, is actually not an animated film, although it may appear that way upon initial viewings, but is, in reality, a movie composed of still images. It is the rapid succession of these images that creates the illusion of movement. Pretty cool! For Burton fans and cake lovers alike! To see more of Dubosc's work, including additional edible zoetropes, click here.

Giga Pudding

If you were to ask me, Hey, Erin, what is Giga Pudding, exactly? I would not be able to give you an answer. Apparently, it is a type of pudding. A type of pudding that comes in a bucket. A type of pudding that comes in a bucket and wobbles a lot. Quite frankly, Giga Pudding reminds me more of a toy, than something that is meant to be consumed, which is not surprising given that it's manufactured by a Japanese toy company. It's a food toy, not unlike the Easy Bake Oven of my youth, and I can see how it would appeal to kids. On the other hand, unlike the Easy Bake Oven, Giga Pudding seems to be marketed to adults as well as children, as you can see in this hilarious commercial. I will probably never actually eat Giga Pudding, unless it's on a dare, but I can watch this commercial over and over again. I do quite enjoy watching things wobble. To visit the Giga Pudding website, click here.

Breakfast Interrupted

I’m not a person who likes to waste food. I will eat every last bite on my plate, even if my gut is completely and utterly stuffed and I will often eat the last spoonful of food in a bowl, rather than throw it down the sink. But, despite my aversion to waste, I simply cannot stop watching this utterly charming food video by Bruton Stroube Studio for the Marlin Network, titled Breakfast Interrupted. While there is a small part of me that is upset about the ruining of a perfectly lovely breakfast spread, I feel like there is something oddly calming about the piece as well. It definitely makes me hungry for brunch! For more on Bruton Stroube, click here. (You can also check out short behind the scenes video below.)

Cooking with Photoshop

I’ll admit it. Sometimes it takes me all day to bake a cake. I don’t know if that’s because the desserts I enjoy making tend to be more complicated or if I’m just really slow in the kitchen, but either way I thoroughly enjoyed watching this creative stopmotion video, Cooking with Photoshop, by artist Maya Rota Klein. Not only does it make baking look so easy, but it was made doubly entertaining by the fact (and I’m sure most food bloggers would agree) that I’m constantly processing photos and therefore do often feel like I’m cooking with Photoshop! If only baking were that easy! (Thanks, Lotta!)

Brownie Husband

Tina Fey on Saturday Night Live. This is one of the funniest things that I've seen in a while. High-larious! [Thanks, Alja!]

Sweet Dreams are Made of Cupcakes

Sweet Dreams by Kirsten Lepore. This stop-motion story about a cupcake construction worker made me smile. How can you not smile at a film where the trees are made out of ice cream cones! I'm not sure how I feel about the ending, though, or the love scene, but, as the Eurythmics say, who am I to disagree?

Julie & Julia Trailer

Julie Powell, author of the blog/book Julie & Julia and hero to food bloggers everywhere, hits the big screen in August, in the film adaptation of her book. Well, more accurately, the adorable Amy Adams hits the big screen, playing Powell, while the planet's greatest living actress, Meryl Streep, tackles the part of Julia Child. Oh, and then there's Stanley Tucci and that strangely attractive guy who played Claire's boyfriend/husband on Six Feet Under as their spouses. I never read Powell's book and, yes, this is a Nora Ephron movie, so there is a definite possibility that it will break records in cheesiness, no pun intended, but I'm still excited to see it. I mean, it's an entire movie about food!! How bad could it be?? Okay, so it could be terrible, but what can I say, I'm trying to stay positive, at least for the time being. In the meantime, check out the trailer and the great poster below.


In an unrelated note, I've noticed lately that I've been getting a lot of hits from StumbleUpon, so I thought I'd make it easier for everyone by posting the SU button. Thanks to everyone who has already Stumbled something from my little site!! I'm always thrilled to see that someone liked a post enough to Stumble it. What can I say?? I'm a dork!!