Gift Guide: Cookie Jars & Candy Dishes

Vintage Mid Century Covered Candy Dish - Royal Haeger ($16)


Round Owl Candy Dish in White Vintage Design ($34)

Vintage cookie jar ($64) from Three Potato Four


Bird Cookie Pot ($250)

Gift Guide: Plates

Late-For-Dinner Plates ($24/set)


Fiori NeriPlate ($25)


Sweet Stack . Hand Painted . Ceramic Small Plate ($28)


Fashion Plates ($42) set of four different plates


Vintage jadeite jadite Fire King Fantasy leaf plates, available on Ebay


Gustavsberg Bersa Plate by Stig Lindberg ($55-65)


Flirting Birds Plate Set ($85)

Gift Guide: Cake Stands

Vintage Milk Glass Pedestal Cake Stand, available on Ebay


Vintage cake tin ($25) available on Etsy (White Elephant Vintage)

American Milk Glass Cake Stand ($78) not vintage, available on Ebay


Bengt & Lotta Cake Dish ($85)


Bird Cake Plate ($80-110) by Whitney Smith


Undergrowth Design Cake Plate (approx. $190)


Cake Plate ($238) by Frances Palmer


Cake Tray ($240) by Jenni Brant

Let the Gift Guide Begin! (Day 1: Bowls)

Okay, here it is, my first attempt at a gift guide. I tried to include at least one vintage item per post because there's just soooo much great vintage kitchenware out there. I also tried to focus on Etsy sellers because if you're not going the vintage route, at least you're supporting independent artists. As far as the layout is concerned, there is probably a better way to set this up, but my time is limited, so I just stuck with the basics. Enjoy!



Vintage Pyrex Friendship Mixing Bowl, available on Ebay


Mini Bowl ($35) by Jill Rosenwald


notNeutral Bowl Set (4 @ $48)


Just He/ Just She - Big blue-black bowls ($60)

Whirl Bowl ($70) by Kim Westad

Handbuilt candy bowl ($87), designed by Aida Dirse, available at Rare Device


Poppy Bowl ($158) by Whitney Smith


Eight Nesting Lotus Bowls ($325) by Whitney Smith

Buckwheat and Banana Pancakes, Paltrow style

Gwyneth Paltrow, actress, mother, food lover, recently launched a newsletter named GOOP. The blog-like newsletter, which contains the tagline "nourish the inner aspect," is basically a weekly compilation of all of Mrs. Martin's favorite things. The fashion icon shares tips on everything from putting together a great outfit to eating right and staying healthy. She even shares her favorite recipes, which is, in my opinion, the best part of the whole thing! A couple of weeks ago, she offered up a recipe for vegan buckwheat and banana pancakes that sounds wonderful! GP describes them as a "combination of nutty buckwheat and sweet, sticky banana." Yum! I think most people are either waffle fans or pancakes fans, but very few like them both equally. I'm definitely on team pancakes, and banana pancakes are one of my favorites.

Right now, GOOP is only available via e-mail, but there will be an archives section added to the site soon. See below for the complete pancake recipe and, to subscribe to GOOP, click here.

SERVES: 3 or 4 (makes about a dozen pancakes)
TIME: 15 minutes

1 1/4 cups soy or rice milk
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon maple syrup, plus more for serving
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour or white spelt flour (substitute rice flour to make pancakes completely gluten-free)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 bananas, thinly sliced

Mix all the wet ingredients together in a small bowl. Mix all the dry ingredients together in a slightly bigger bowl. Add the wet to the dry and stir just enough to combine – be careful not to over-mix (that’s how you get tough pancakes).

Heat a large nonstick skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. Ladle as many pancakes as possible onto your griddle. Place a few slices of banana on top of each pancake. Cook for about a minute and a half on the first side or until the surface is covered with small bubbles and the underside is nicely browned. Flip and cook for about a minute on the second side. Repeat the process until you run out of batter. Serve stacked high with plenty of maple syrup.

Pottery excitement: Whitney Smith

I love, love, love, love, LOVE Whitney Smith's pottery. Can I say love one more time? I can't stop looking at her Web site. Every piece is just so lovely! If I had to pick one as my favorite, I don't know which one I'd choose! Maybe the Bird Cupcake Stand ($68) or the Dogwood Flower Dessert Plate ($34) or the Bird Cake Stand ($115). There are so many choices! If this little sneak peek has got you drooling, check out Whitney's Etsy page and Web site to view the full collection. You can also view her blog by clicking here.

Baked in Brooklyn

It seems like everyone is talking about Baked these days. There is the hip bakery, the new cookbook, and the interesting flavor combinations. I admit it, I've bought into the hype! I just received my copy of Baked: New Frontiers in Baking and I'm awfully excited to start trying out the recipes, especially the sweet and salty cake and the green tea smoothie. But here's one thing that you may not know about Brooklyn's latest culinary hunks: they don't only sell delicious brownies and mouth-watering cakes at their shop, but they also have the cutest little bird mug for sale AND it's available online, too! Want to check out their goods and dream about marrying them? Click here to view the Baked Web site and dream away. :-) If you're interested in making their Sweet & Salty Cake for yourself, you can click here for the complete recipe.

LARABAR: Yummy and good for you!

Larabar, creators of what have to be the world's healthiest fruit and nut bars, have recently introduced two new flavors, both of which are, like their previous snack bars, inspired by classic desserts. The two new additions, Peanut Butter Cookie and Coconut Cream Pie, fit in nicely amongst the older bars like Banana Bread and Cinnamon Roll.

For those of you who don't know, Larabars are made of all natural ingredients. There are only a handful of ingredients on the wrapper and you'll be able to pronounce and recognize each one! That's because there are no added sweeteners or chemicals in Larabars AND, for those of you shun dairy products, they're vegan! I tried the Coconut Cream Pie bar last night and I have to say, it may be my new favorite flavor! It was pretty tasty. Don't get me wrong; It's not a candy bar, if that's what you're craving, but it is a pleasant and healthier alternative. For more information, click here.

Chocolate with Bacon?

Being a vegetarian, I won't be sampling any chocolate bar with the word bacon on its packaging, but I had to post it because it's just so odd! I will admit, that after I thought about it for a minute, I decided that it probably does have a really great flavor, but maybe that's because I'm a sucker for all things sweet and salty. At the very least, it would be interesting! If you prefer a little less meat with your chocolate, Vosges offers a slew of interesting bars. There is chocolate with mushrooms, chocolate with wasabi, and chocolate with curry, among others.

For truffle lovers, the Aztec Collection offers up chilies and cinnamon, while the Zion Collection includes allspice, pumpkin seed, and ginger. Don't even get me started on the ice cream and brownies, both of which include equally unusual items in their ingredient lists. If you're tired of boring old chocolate, then definitely check out Vosges Haut-Chocolat. You can find their stores in Chicago, New York, and Las Vegas or you can click here to order items online.

Jessie Steele Aprons at Sur La Table

I can't seem to bake anything without getting sugar and flour all over my clothes, so I'm always sure to put on an apron first to protect myself from the mess I'm about to create! If you're a cooking slob like me, check out the super cute aprons ($40 each) at Sur La Table (my favorite is the red cherries version, seen above). They're so adorable that you won't mind covering up your outfit while you're in the kitchen. Frankly, I wish some of these were dresses, so I could wear them outside of the house! Oh, well. Click here to view Sur La Table's complete apron collection.

This just in. I just discovered that these aprons are also available via the designer's Web site. Click here for more info.

Halloween Spider Cake

I couldn't let Halloween weekend come and go without posting a little something sweet for all you monster mashers out there. This Frosting Web cake from Country Living would be the perfect addition to any Halloween celebration. It keeps with the theme, but isn't too kid-like for an adult get-together. You can use any variety of layer cake for the base. The top and sides are then covered with chocolate glaze and melted white chocolate. Click here for the recipe and for instructions on creating the web.

Cakework at Dean & Deluca

I just stumbled upon this beautiful Cakework creation on Dean & Deluca's Web site. This lovely almond cake is filled with layers of vanilla cream and raspberry filling, wrapped in a chocolate casing, and topped with marzipan pears. It sounds wonderful! And, at $160, it's also quite a bargain! (That last part was sarcasm.)

Cakework, which like so many of my favorite bakeries, is based in San Francisco and are known for their unique, highly sculpted wedding cakes that not only look amazing, but also taste great. The fact that they can create a cake that is not only interesting to look at, but also delicious, is probably due to the fact that each cake is wrapped and decorated in chocolate instead of yucky fondant. Luckily, for all of us that live outside California, they'll deliver cakes to almost anywhere. Click here for more info or, to order their chocolate wrapped cake, visit Dean & Deluca's Web site.

cuppacakes by +wondermilk

These gorgeous cupcakes are from Malaysia-based bakery cuppacakes by +wondermilk. There are so many beautiful cupcakes on their Web site that I had a hard time choosing which two to post! The fact that these cupcakes are so pleasing to the eye is not really surprising when you consider that the bakers behind cuppacakes are all trained graphic designers! Cuppacakes by +wondermilk is actually a design consultancy, a cupcake shop, and an art collective all in one! Unfortunately, the cuppacakes cafe is in Malaysia, so I don't think I'll be sampling these any time soon. If you live in Malaysia, check out their adorable store. Or, if you don't feel like leaving the house, call their cupcake delivery service! To view more of cuppacakes by +wondermilk's lovely creations, visit their Web site and click on the design gallery.

Little Circles of Heaven

When I started this Web site, my friend Nancy asked me if I was familiar with her chocolate chocolate chip cookies. When I replied that it wasn't ringing any bells, she said "ask Dean about them." Curious, I asked Dean if he remembered Nancy's cookies, thinking that there was no way he would still remember, considering that it was years ago. Here is his reply:

OMG. How could I ever forget those cookies. They were the absolute BEST!!! They were little circles of heaven.

After that endorsement, I knew that I had to have the recipe!

Here are the specifics. Straight from the source:

1 box Duncan Hines devil's food cake mix (yes, the brand does make a difference!)
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 stick butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips

I usually end up eating half the batch as they come out of the oven.

Mix it all together, bake in oven at 350 for 10-12 minutes. The cookies look wrinkly.

Also extremely tasty with peanut butter chips and, separately, teeny tiny marshmallows for smores cookies. I also like them with the standard chocolate chips and loads of shredded coconut.