Zilly Rosen of ZILLYCAKES in Buffalo, NY, builds a likeness of presidential candidate Barack Obama using 1240 cupcakes.
More wonderful food photography.
Every once in a while, I like to nibble on some dark chocolate (for taste, the health benefits are just an incentive)—very, very dark, as dark as my heart.
Indulging my five senses
Mini, bite-sized vanilla cupcakes.
Milan Kundera - The Unbearable Lightness of Being (beautiful)
Lillian Ross - Portrait of Hemingway
Nancy Milford - Savage Beauty: The Life of Edna St. Vincent Millay
Edna St. Vincent Millay - Fatal Interview: Sonnets
A fine, purple, wool dress.
Beach House on vinyl. It’s a sickness, I know.
Chloé by Chloé. Has a sweet, lychee-esque smell to it.
Vanilla with Vanilla Buttercream.
In the morning, I made cupcakes, listened to my podcasts, wrote a little, painted a little and hung out with Apricot, mostly. I wish I had more time to do these things.
Nice things from the past few weeks
- Staying up really late to bake sweets for no particular reason, while listening to ambient tunes, reading short stories and licking batter off my fingers.
- Driving home late from the library with a stomach full of buttery, syrupy pancakes.
- Unexpected e-mails from people I hadn’t heard from in a while and thought about from time to time (one of whom I once had a minor crush on)
- Discovering really great reading/writing music that I’ll obsessively listen to in the coming weeks.
- Being introduced to the ‘love of my life’ by my cousin Christy. (more of a funny thing than a nice thing, actually)
- Getting slightly lost on a late-night walk and running like hell through scary hills with Ollie (my dog) in tow who seemed equally scared.
- A pair of nice, cushy, noise canceling headphones.
Chocolate fudge cake with strawberries, omigawd.
Cupcakes in the park
About a month and a half ago, I apparently signed up for this Cupcake Meetup/Swap. I was reminded of it a few days prior, but not feeling quite as social as the day I had signed up, I contemplated not going—plus, it seemed ridiculous to drive all the way up to SF for, what, cupcakes?* I did, however, RSVP for the event and after some coaxing from cousins and friends, I relented and said, “FINE! Damn it, I’ll go.” And I’m so glad that I did!
I had an awesome time. The park was lively and it provided a fun and laid-back atmosphere for our little meetup. People came from all over the Bay Area and everyone was super nice, but that was to be expected because who else could be die-hard cupcake aficionados if not the nicest people in the world? There were about 20 of us and everyone, amazingly, brought a different flavor (I brought Strawberry with Strawberry buttercream).
Here’s a sample of what I brought home with me:
Flavors included: Chocolate with a pear filling and vanilla buttercream, Pink lemonade, Carrot/almond/coconut with vanilla buttercream, lemon, banana with chocolate buttercream, vanilla with a nutella center, chocolate with a marshmallow-based frosting, chocolate with a vanilla center (à la Hostess cupcake), vanilla with vanilla buttercream (with sparkly sprinkles), chocolate with peanut butter cream filling and a fudgy frosting, toasted almond with vanilla buttercream and gingerbread with maple frosting (vegan).
*In retrospect, not so ridiculous as my sisters and I have driven all the way to Redwood City for cream puffs and to Union City for doughnuts, so naturally a trek would be made to SF for cupcakes.
Naiveté
I wish there was a way for me to truly discern objective reality. I’m sure I’m wrong most of the time; a lot of what I believe to be real, especially in terms of my interactions with people, is heavily influenced by what I fear and hope for, I feel. I seek the truth!
And I have to say, I really do have some of the best siblings, cousins and friends that have ever and will ever inhabit this earth. Their wicked wit makes me laugh to myself, prompting nervous glances from strangers. I wish we all lived together; I’d bake them cakes and pies.
