Messy Goodness

Geez louise, does that cover look good or what?? The title alone is composed of four of my all-time favorite adjectives: sticky, chewy, messy, gooey . . . well, uhh, four of my favorite dessert-themed adjectives, anyway. With a title like that, how can you go wrong? For more info on Jill O'Connor's newest cookbook, Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey, click here.

Birds, Birds, and More Birds

Every time that I'm involved in the planning of baby shower, which seems to be quite often lately, I fantasize about serving these cupcakes!! I wish I was talented enough to recreate them. If you're good with a pastry bag and want to try your hand at assembling these little sweeties, you can find directions here, at Martha Stewart's Web site. And, because you know Martha is into the whole matchy matchy thing, you'll also find a recipe for some delicious looking Bird's Nest Cookies and another for a Hummingbird Cake. All the makings of an exclusively bird-themed shower, if you're so inclined. Frankly, I love birds, but it is possible to overdose on cuteness, so it's probably best to just pick one. A little cuteness goes a long way!

Lemon Mascarpone Mmmmm

My mom made this delicious Lemon Mascarpone Pudding over the weekend. It doesn't look like much in the picture, but trust me, it was sooo good!

It features two of my favorite dessert components: a cookie crust AND lemon curd. Just add some mascarpone cheese and you've got the perfect summer treat! Oh, and my mom put it in a bowl, instead of parfait glasses, so everyone was free to scoop out as little . . . or as much as they wanted. For the complete recipe, visit Relish magazine's Web site.

It is my dream to one day meet this cake and I will work until I make that dream come true

It's official. Bakery Bar is my new favorite Web site! For one thing, they are the creators of what has to be the cutest cake I have ever seen!! I stumbled upon it on Sunday and I can't stop thinking about it!! I mean look at it!


How can you not fall in love with it?? Unfortunately, realistically speaking, my palate isn't quite so excited, given that it's completely covered in fondant. Topic: Why oh why can't someone invent a delicious tasting fondant?? Discuss.

For more lovely, albeit fondant-covered goodies, check out their Web site. There's a whole lot more to see!

Ultra Mentha Lip Shine

This lip shine by C.O. Bigelow is like a little mint candy for your lips. It has such a delightfully minty fresh flavor and smell that it's almost good enough to eat . . . and sometimes I'm tempted to do just that! Just the other day at work the guy that sits next to me actually said "stop eating your lip gloss!" while I was reapplying. Not that I was actually eating it. Although, the saleswoman at Bath and Body Works said you could use it as a breath freshener, so if you want squirt a little in your mouth go right ahead. I won't judge you for it!

Dog Town Bites

photo courtesy of designsponge

A traveling cart of organic, gourmet dog treats! Part of me thinks this is totally lame as a dog will pretty much eat anything, and doesn't know the difference between an expensive dog treat and week old pizza that it’s pulled out of the garbage. I have to say, I think fancy dog treats are a little too yuppy for me. On the other hand, the part of me that goes "ahhhhh...that's so cute" over anything animal related loves this idea! Also, these treats look so yummy, I'm actually tempted to eat one! Okay, not really, but I probably couldn't resist buying one for my dog, if I had one. If you live in New York City, click here to find out when the Dog Town Bites cart will be in your area. Mail order is also available via their site.

How to Win Friends and Impress People

I made this chocolate cloud cake a few years ago for a party and people are still talking about it! Apparently it made a lasting impression. Frankly, I think it's the only reason I get invited anywhere! People are only using me to get to this cake! If you are an individual who's interested in winning friends and impressing people, then just click here for the chocolate cloud cake recipe (courtesy of England's sex kitten with a spatula, Nigella Lawson).

The Best Thing about Getting Married? The Cake!

I know about five people who've gotten engaged this year, so I've been looking at a lot of wedding stuff lately. Josef’s French Pastry Shop is a favorite among Grosse Pointers (see the movie Grosse Pointe Blank or the book Middlesex for more on Grosse Pointe), so it’s not surprising that they have an impressive array of wedding cakes available. They’re all beautiful, but I found this eight foot cake especially impressive. Wow! If ever a cake was awe inspiring it is this one. It's almost enough to make a girl want to get married. Almost. Click here for more info.

Is There a 12-step program for Yogurt Eaters?

I bring Stoneyfield yogurt to work every day. It’s much healthier than other yogurt. They never use any artificial sweeteners, colors, flavors, or preservatives, which means that the yogurt doesn’t contain any yucky high fructose corn syrup. One of my co-workers decided to give it a try and now she’s completely hooked on the Chocolate Underground flavor! She can’t stop talking about how much it tastes just like chocolate pudding! Eager to share this newfound treasure with others, she, in turn, mentioned it to her friend, who has become similarly addicted. Unfortunately, now every time my friend goes to her local grocery store they are completely sold out of Chocolate Underground! This stuff is like crack. Delicious, chocolatey crack! Mmmmm.... They carry Chocolate Underground (and my other favorite Caramel Underground) at Whole Foods market, but to find a grocery store in you area visit their Web site.

A Passion for Desserts

A Passion for Desserts by Emily Luchetti is my absolute favorite dessert cookbook! Not only are the recipes delectable, but there are also tons of beautiful pictures that accompany most of the instructions, which I like because cookbooks without images bug the crap out of me. The desserts take quite a while to prepare because everything is made from scratch, but it's well worth the effort. Besides, I kind of look at baking as a mini craft project, and I don't mind spending hours in the kitchen. If you have a couple hours to kill, try it some time. It's so much more rewarding than making something from a box mix!

Achatz Pies

Achatz pies are, quite literally, the best pies in Michigan! Okay, so they are the best pies in metro Detroit. I don't really know what's going on in the rest of the state. Seriously, these pies are the best! While Achatz is famous for its award-winning four berry pie, I have to say that the banana split concoction is my favorite. It's orgasm inducing! Hey, I take it where I can get it, even it is from a pie. Unfortunately, my fave is not available by mail order, but many of their fruit pies can be delivered straight to your doorstep. Click here for details.