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I'm excited! You could say I'm...enthused. My artwork was featured in Wine Enthusiast Magazine!
I'm honored that my artwork acted as accompaniment to the always clever and well-observed writing of Jameson Fink, who makes a compelling case to give some love to the under-appreciated champagne flute.
Not only can my artwork be viewed in the December print issue of the magazine, but online, as well.
Hiiiiiiiiiiiiii you guys. In case you missed the memo, last month was a big month for me. It was the 10 year anniversary of this l'il site, it was my own personal birthday, and I bought a house in Philadelphia. Yup! It was a Very Big Month.
At this point, it's been just about a month since I actually departed Asheville. Given how much has happened, it seems like much longer since I left Asheville in a blaze of sparkling cocktail glory (this was my little going away party!)
...but according to the calendar it was just August 13 that I packed up my little car and drove north to my new house.
My last sweet treat in Asheville, in case you were wondering, was some soft serve from Frostbite Ice Cream. Rainbow sprinkles, natch and ALWAYS.
While usually I love stopping at Dairy Corner in Winchester VA for some soft serve on my way...
there was no time for the luxury of stopping on this trip, so instead, my snack/dinner ended up looking something like this:
ARRIVED! On August 14, I had my closing. Here's my sweet little house in Philadelphia, BTW.
You know, when I arrived, I think the city was happy to see me:
Since I have arrived, I've been discovering plenty of awesome new things, as well as re-discovering tasty treats and awesomeness that I remember from when I lived here years ago. Let's talk about some of the awesome stuff, ok?
This isn't the most traditional butter cake, it's actually more like a lemon bar in its construction (a shortbread-like base). But it is crack-addictive. This butter cake is SO GOOD, people. It was one of my favorites years ago and it remains that way now. Go to Flying Monkey and get yo'self some!
One of the other places I used to frequent (seriously, about every other day; the only reason I didn't go every day was because I alternated with the place listed next) was, and now is again, Bassetts Ice Cream. It's one of the oldest ice cream places in not only Philadelphia but the USA, and I am addicted to their peanut butter swirl ice cream.
I first went to Capogiro when I was in Philadelphia on my first book tour, and I was instantly hooked. Their chocolate is so rich and thick and incredible that I don't know if I can really explain it to you, I just need to tell you to get on a plane or in your car and come get some with me. The flavor I got with it here was "salted bitter almond" which was quite splendid for this salt fiend.
Those of you who follow my artwork know that I'm a massive Keith Haring fan. There's actually a big mural of his not far from my house, with a sweet little garden in front so you can sit and enjoy! This was a pleasure to visit.
I made a New Jersey detour on August 26 for my birthday, and my mom made my favorite classic birthday cake. She had misplaced her piping bag so she actually did all of the piping you see here using a freezer bag with the end cut off, which I find very impressive.
I got this jacket at the kid's section of H&M in center city Philadelphia. Isn't it the best?
I bought a cheap painting at the Goodwill and unicorned it! I was pretty pleased with the results.
I finally got one of my birthday wishes: to take yoga with both of my sisters! Here we are post-class.
I painted myself a new yoga mat. What do you think?
I couldn't imagine a finer diner! I was missing biscuits (Asheville is so rich in them!), so I hightailed it to Sam's Morning Glory Diner. If you've ever been here, you know that the biscuits are very unique (almost crumb cake like in appearance and density, if not flavor) and very delicious. If you haven't been here yet, when you go, DO NOT ORDER TOAST ONLY BISCUITS.
I'll be honest, it's been some time since I've actually eaten a Tastykake, but I like having them all around me.
Let's repeat that same picture from the top! OMG you guys. The butter cake from Whipped Bakeshop is the BOMB. I got to visit the bakery with a friend following another cool experience, the Phila Flea Market located on the perimeter of the Eastern State Penitentiary. While I didn't find the lawn flamingo I was looking for at the market, I did score a visit with the super talented baker-owner Zoe and her husband, and she gave me some of her amazing butter cake. This version is fairly traditional, with a yeasted base. It is incredible. You'd better hightail it to this Fishtown bakery to buy some if you come to Philadelphia!
Whew! What a month it's been. There's been plenty of more good stuff going on food, friend, art-wise, but this is a nice little sampling of what I've been up to.
Stay tuned to my facebook and instagram feeds to stay up to the minute with what I'm working on and eating!
At long last, my friends, it's here. The Unicorn Coloring Book has a younger sibling: Another Unicorn Coloring Book. They're both available on Amazon (click the respective titles for the link) or in my Etsy shop. But here's the thing: I want you (and a friend!) to have a copy. Scan to the bottom of the post for the giveaway details!
But first, let's take a sneak peek.
So, I need to tell you that I am super-mega proud of this book. It includes 24 brand new unicorn illustrations, including some of these:
Each page spread has an illustration, and on the back side of each page, a quote. This is because you don't want any media to bleed through and ruin a second page; a quote keeps things interesting. Now, I have edited the designs so the quotes are in a lighter grey color; this way, they don't shine through on the flip side of the page. This is my favorite quote, btw:
I really hope you'll enjoy coloring them as much as I loved drawing them.
OK, I know it's annoying to click over to a different platform for the giveaway, but I want to keep it easy to track, and these days Instagram seems to be the easiest way to do it. To enter, click over to Instagram (my user name is @cakespyblog) and tag a friend. I'll choose one winner at random, and send a copy to you AND the friend you tagged!
The fine print: unfortunately, since international shipping is freaking expensive, I can only offer this giveaway to US/Canada residents at this time. I'll choose a winner at the end of this week (Friday afternoon).
Guess what? I am going to be working on another oeuvre of recipes + witty banter. But this time, I have a partner: Andris Lagsdin of Baking Steel. Hang on, let me tell you the story.
First came the match-making. About two years ago, my literary agent, Alexandra Penfold, mentioned that she knew someone named Andris with whom she felt I'd make a great collaborator. Andris was the creator of this kitchen gizmo called the Baking Steel, which was garnering all sorts of buzz in the food world, with accolades from Serious Eats, America's Test Kitchen, etc, etc. I mean, in record time, Andris practically had Modernist Cuisine, Christopher Kimball, and Kenji Lopez-Alt (I know there's an accent, Kenji, but I'm too dumb to figure out how to make it happen on my blog) on speed dial.
In a nutshell, Andris had figured out that steel was a superior to stone in terms of even heating and cooking in the oven. Originally, he made the Baking Steel as a tool to attain a perfect pizza at home, but it turned out that it was capable of much more. You could bake cookies, pies, and bread on this thing and get truly professional results.
Me and Andris had our first phone conversation while I was on vacation in Puerto Rico. It played out almost like a blind date, with us getting to know each other personally and professionally. As it turned out, we clicked on both counts. Not only are we both incredibly sarcastic, funny, and clever, but we're both very into pizza and food. And we're both devoted yogis! I knew that our meeting was serendipitous, and we agreed right then and there to make a book happen.
Well, fast forward two years, which included more than a handful of long phone calls, too many emails to count, lots of pizza photos and Instagram tags, and even me visiting his test kitchen in Boston's South Shore. Oh, and a lot of writing. Together, we made a brilliant book proposal, and after a little bit of moving and shaking, I have some great news to share:
Yup -- we've got a book deal with a big, powerful publisher. Our book is slated to come out next year.
And I need to tell you that based on what we have done so far, this book is going to be freaking brilliant. It's going to include a lot of recipes, and because I am involved, it will also include limitless cleverness and witty repartee.
Yes, it's a little bit different for me because it's a collaboration and I am also working on savory subject matter, but it's kind of fun to do something different every now and again, isn't it?
OK, so I am sure that you'll be hearing more about this in the coming months, but I just wanted to share the good news!
MEANTIME, be sure to check out the BAKING STEEL website and to follow them on social media. I have conveniently placed all of the appropriate links just below.
And on social media:
This one, you've got to hear. I dish on (among other things) nasty blog comments, fighting blog fatigue, unicorns, and eating disorder recovery.
You guys. I wrote the Valentine's Day food feature for New Mexico Magazine! It's glossy, it's on shelves, and it has ME inside of its tasty pages. OMG!
The article I was assigned to write was about desserts that were found "only in New Mexico". But given the time of year, the desserts also had a Valentine's Day spin! So what you've got in the tasty article are recipes for a flourless chocolate cake with pinon and salty caramel, easy chocolate truffles, a horchata tres leches cake, and--my fave--red chile red velvet cupcakes.
Really, the article is quite worth a read. You can find the excerpt online here, or (even better) buy the issue in bookstores or (if you're in NM) on shelves...or subscribe!
These might just be the most dignified cookies I've ever made: lemon pistachio tuiles with olive oil.
Before the cookies, though, let me explain a bit about my experience baking with olive oil.
I made these cookies for what is quickly becoming one of my favorite companies to work for: Colavita. I've long purchased their olive oil, because I think you get a pretty good bang for your buck--they have a very good flavor but won't break the bank. I am a big fan of olive oil on bread or salads. When olive oil is drizzled over a pizza before serving...well, let me just tell you, that is my happy place.
I'm a little newer to baking with olive oil, but the more I do it, the more I love it. It gives cakes an intriguing texture, and a flavor that is something different entirely than a butter cake. I'm not saying I'm abandoning butter--that is never going to happen. But I am saying that if you want a totally new taste experience, try pound cake made with olive oil. Seriously.
First things first: how do you say the name of this cookie? Tuile rhymes with “wheel”, and ideally should be uttered in your Frenchiest accent. “Tuile” comes from the French word for “tile”; allegedly, the cookies’ resemblance to a particular type of roof tile are said to have inspired the name. While that particular connection may be a bit tenuous, the cookies are a sophisticated delight, lightly crunchy and bursting with flavor.
Bacon? Yawn. There's a new meat of the moment: meatballs. And its cult status is reflected in a slew of new products which employ meatball as muse, from phone cases to t-shirts to, yes, bubble gum.
I found out about this fantastic new product via In Touch Weekly, where it was listed as one of the "losers of the week". Well, In Touch, as much as I adore your hard-hitting coverage, on this note, I will have to respectfully disagree. Bubble gum that looks like nubbly little meatballs? That's hiliarous and charming!
This "Hearty Italian-Style Meatball Gum" is a perfect treat for me to bring back to my Italian-leaning family in New Jersey for the holidays.
It appears out of stock on Amazon at the moment, but I have already signed up for updates about when it's available again.
Of course, if meatball gum isn't your style, you could go for some other products by the same manufacturer, including Thanksgiving-themed gum:
this includes "twenty-two delicious gumballs in the classic flavors of Thanksgiving - turkey, cranberry and pumpkin pie! Enthusiastically approved by pilgrims. Twelve shrink wrapped tins in each illustrated display box."
If you're looking for something you can enjoy year-round, try the TV dinner gumballs.
The product description: "Remember when there were only three networks and you had to get up out of your chair to change the channel? This is the gum for you! Your vegetable is buttered corn flavored gum, your main dish is roast beef flavored gum and for dessert, apple cobbler flavored gum."
Find all of these sweet treats at accoutrements.com.
So, in case you missed the news, I attended the 47th Pillsbury Bake-Off last week. Woo!
I will have a full roundup of that adventure for you shortly, my dears, but in the meantime I had to share some important news about the event.
This year, things were a little different. Instead of announcing the million dollar winner, they announced four finalists, which had been narrowed down by a set of esteemed foodie judges. While the judges' input will count for 55% of the final tally, the final winner will be decided by online vote.
That's right: you could have a say in who wins the million dollars! VOTE HERE.
Meantime, though, let me better educate you on the recipes in the final running.
First, we have Chocolate Doughnut Poppers.
They're made with crescent dough, which is stuffed with chocolate hazelnut filling and finished with a sweet glaze and nuts on top.
Next up: Peanutty Pie Crust Clusters.
These addictively sweet-and-salty treats are made with a melange of peanuts, pie crust, toffee, and white chocolate.
And then, venturing into savories, creamy corn-filled stuffed peppers.
Peppers are stuffed with creamy corn and then rolled in crescent dough--very cute.
And then another savory: Cuban-style sandwich pockets.
Visually, sort of like cuban sandwich meets pop-tart. I say that as high praise.
When I first moved to Seattle, I had a "real job" at an upscale furniture store. Truthfully, it wasn't very well suited to me, and it didn't last very long. But one of the real benefits of having the job (you know, aside from the money) was the fact that I was next to a store that sold bars by Seattle Chocolates.
More often than was decent, I would purchase and eat an entire "Pike Place" bar--a deep, dark chocolate bar amped up with the addition of toasty ground espresso. It was so good that it made me float for as long as I ate it, and since I would slowly suck each piece, it would really last a good long while.
That is a very happy memory for me, so I was really-really-really excited when Seattle Chocolates reached out to me to tell me about their new program for the holidays. Basically the idea is this (from an email from their marketing department):
Through our #ChocolateGives program, we are raising money to fight hunger through a network of local food banks. One of our partners is Northwest Harvest! We would like to send you a special gift of our Seattle-based, American made chocolate and information about the program. We know your readers will enjoy, because we are happy and colorful just like you.
So, they sent me a package and darn-straight, it was jam-packed with happiness and color.
So what does my awesome box of chocolate have to do with you?
Fact 1: I think that Seattle Chocolates are just great. I think you should buy them.
Fact 2: If you do buy them between November 1 through the end of the ear, for every item purchased on the Seattle Chocolates website and every post of #chocolategives on social media, Seattle Chocolates will donate a serving of fresh food to someone in need. The donations will be made through a network of food banks in New York City, Boston, SF-Marin, and Seattle.
And that--along with the chocolate you're eating--is something to feel really good about.
So go ahead, get your chocolate on! Shop at Seattle Chocolates.
Hey, do you wanna win a million dollars?
Well, if you're an amateur baker and love tinkering with recipes, you might have your chance. The next Pillsbury Bake-Off is open for entries!
As a past media attendee of the event (see my reviews of the Bake-Off in Vegas here, and in Florida with Martha Stewart, here), I love what they do and am always excited to discover the creative recipes that entrants always come up with.
The Pillsbury powers that be have told me of some changes to the competition this year:
- For the first time, America’s vote will be combined with the judges’ decisions to determine the Grand Prize Winner.
- The Contest ingredient list has been expanded to include Pillsbury’s Gluten Free line of products.
- Judges will award the Pillsbury® Gluten Free Award to the Finalist with the best recipe which uses a Pillsbury® Gluten Free product and does not contain wheat or any products that include wheat as an ingredient.
- The Bake-Off® Contest now features four recipe categories with separate two entry periods. Participants have two chances to enter and vote.
So here's the nitty gritty:
The first entry period includes the Simply Sweet Treats and Savory Snacks & Sides categories and is open for entries from now until March 27 (11:59 a.m. CDT), 2014. The second contest entry period runs from March 27 (1:00 p.m. CDT) to May 8 (11:59 a.m. CDT), 2014 and calls for Weekend Breakfast Wows and Amazing Doable Dinners recipes.
To check out all things Bake-Off, it would be a good idea to visit the official site: www.bakeoff.com.
At this time of year, you have plenty of options if your heart is in need of some warming, including Hallmark or Lifetime holiday-themed movies, multitudes of volunteering opportunities, or perhaps simply sharing some cookies with the ones you love.
But if your heart needs a little more warmth, worry not. Let me tell you all about how I taught a cookie baking class for kids last weekend.
It was a hands-on class, and these kids were very dedicated to baking.
The class was at the Santa Fe Culinary Academy (which also deserves credit for the cooking class photos featured in the post), right up the street from the historic Santa Fe Plaza. The title of the class was "Kid's Class: Holiday Cookies". Well, if you guessed that we spent the class baking up some of Santa's favorites, you are correct. The kids mainly ranged from 6 to 10 in age, but there was one little brother who was three who also (quite ably!) participated.
After introducing myself and asking if they knew where gingerbread men sleep (on cookie sheets!), we got to work.
We made snowballs...
and candy cane cookies...
and of course, cut out and decorated gingerbread men.
Then we went into no-bake territory and made some cornflake wreaths. Have you ever made those? The process is similar to making rice krispies treats, but you use cornflakes, tint the marshmallow mixture, and shape them into wreaths.
At the end of our 2 hours-and-change class, we had a wonderful variety of cookies, and each student had a little gift bag including a card, a bookmark, and a button.
During breaks or dough resting periods, I taught them how to draw a variety of my characters, including Cuppie the cupcake, as well as my unicorn and robots. They had crayons and craft paper on the tables--here are a few shots of their brilliant work.
I told them that I brought one of my little mascot Cuppie figurines and placed it on the edge of the baking space, because in case anything went wrong, then I could blame Cuppie. They *loved* the idea of that: BLAME CUPPIE!
In fact, one student was so inspired that she sent me this a few days later. Note the fine attention to cupcake detail, and the "blame cuppie" incorporation.
Another student gave me this:
flip side of the envelope:
and inside, this note:
Doesn't it just melt your heart?? As for me...my reaction is that I must have done my job well! I was so impressed by these creative little baker-elves, and felt a renewed sense of wonder and magic at the art of baking after spending time with them.
What is your favorite cookie that we made?
After a successful round in LA, it's coming your way, Seattle…
Here's the 411 from Melissa Riddington, the organizer of Seattle's Depressed Cake Shop event:
The Depressed Cake Shop – a one day charity event that aims to stomp out the stigma of depression, one grey cake at a time.
The Depressed Cake Shop campaign started in London early August, by Miss Cakehead (Emma Thomas). The concept is simple – make grey cakes and sell grey cakes for one day, in an attempt to raise awareness around depression and mental illness. The campaign’s idea spread quickly around the UK and is now going global, with lots of one-day events taking place around the world.
What: The Depressed Cake Shop Seattle
When: Saturday, October 5
Time: 10am-4pm
Where: Sole Repair Shop 1001 East Pike Seattle, WA 98122
Money raised will go to the Seattle’s non-profit organization, NAMI –Greater Seattle (National Alliance on Mental Illness).
More info for interested bakers:
We’re on the lookout for talented bakers, cakers and sugar shakers to donate delicious grey goodies for our event! The only stipulation is that the goodies need to be grey in color (to represent the feelings felt by many suffering from depression), but they can have a pop of color inside the cake (to represent the feeling of hope). Here’s a link to our Depressed Cake Pinterest Board for inspiration on making grey beautiful!
Learn more by "liking" the Depressed Cake Shop Seattle Facebook page.
Find out more about the global Depressed Cake Shop campaign.
Want to bake up a storm for the Depressed Cake Shop Seattle event? Please do get in touch! Melissa Riddington melissariddington@gmail.com, or phone 206-432-1852.
Stomping out Stigma, One Grey Cake at a Time.
This is hardly a news flash, but last year when I went to the Pillsbury Bake-Off, it was basically the best thing to ever happen to me. And I have had a lot of things happen to me.
There have been some changes to the contest, and it has made me more excited than ever! Let me give you a brief primer.
As I was alerted by finalist Brett Youmans, creator of the "Heavenly Hazelnut Torte with Mascarpone Cream" recipe (which is pictured above--and the maker of which was also a finalist in the last Bake-Off, for his Orange Cream Macadamia Torte), for the first time ever, the Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest organizers are allowing America to choose the recipes that get to compete in the Contest finals. These finalists are on view at www.BakeOff.com, and it's open for public voting June 13 - June 27 at 1:00 pm ET!
New this year, to encourage simpler, original recipes, submissions were limited to seven or fewer ingredients and must take 30 minutes or less to prepare, not including baking or cooling time. A difficult task, I should say!
Out of the 60 recipes selected for the online vote, only 34 will advance to the next round to compete for a chance to win the $1 million grand prize to be held at the Bake-Off Contest finals, November 10-12, 2013, at the Aria Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.
It's a 1 time only vote (not daily!) so make yours count.
Will you vote for Brett's tasty-sounding Heavenly Hazelnut Torte with Mascarpone Cream (pictured top of post)? Or perhaps the Hot Pink Raspberry and Cream Cake (pictured above this paragraph)? Or maybe the Creamy Peanut Butter Truffles? Or perhaps the Spicy Churro Crescent Bites? Gosh, they all sound so good!
Do your part: View the finalists and vote here!
Happy May, Sweeties. Which brings us to the first order of the month...May I have a Margarita Cupcake?
Why, yes you may, if you're in Seattle! Because Trophy Cupcakes has a sweet (and a little salty!) special for this month: Margarita Cupcakes! Prepared with Tequila Lime Buttercream and a sprinkling of salt, these treats may not be for kids, but they sure are delicious for adults.
They can be obtained at Trophy Cupcakes all month long; find locations here.
There's still a week until my new book, The Secret Lives of Baked Goods: Sweet Stories & Recipes for America's Favorite Desserts, is released, and I just know that you are dying--absolutely dying--to buy it or see me on book tour (those dates, btw, can conveniently be found running on the left side bar of this site - just look to your left! <-------).
Well, I can't make May 7 come any sooner, but I can reveal a secret or two about the book, I suppose!
How about giving you a preview of the art that will be inside of its lovely pages?
This book is quite different from my first, and as such, a different style of illustration seemed appropriate. So in this book, it's all more bold and linear pen and ink illustrations. It's certainly not my usual style! But that was actually kind of fun - challenging myself to a different style of artwork. Doing all of those little shading and cross-hatchy bits brought me back to art school, and in a positive way. I found it meditative to do them while watching Gossip Girl.
I hope you like this different style--here's a peek at some of the illustrations which were used as spot illustrations in the book!
Buy the book here: The Secret Lives of Baked Goods: Sweet Stories & Recipes for America's Favorite Desserts!
Dolci Divino
Dudes, dudettes. Here is some very exciting news: there's a BAKED GOODS FARMER'S MARKET coming to the Seattle area!
It's true: I know this because the organizers reached out to tell me all about it. Here's the 411, from the source.
Cottage Bakers Market, taking place on May 4 and May 11, 2013, in Bellevue, WA.
Dolci Divino
This is a temporary indoor market where small-business specialty food crafters and bakers will gather to sell their fresh, made-from-scratch sweets, such as brownies, cupcakes, pies, cheesecake, lollipops, breads, caramels, marshmallows, cookies and cakes to everyone who loves delicious desserts. This includes folks who are gluten-intolerant, adhere to a vegan diet or want sugar-free and dairy-free options.
First of Its Kind. This is the first market of its kind in the Seattle area (there is a similar market up in Vancouver, B.C.) and is a new outlet for small food companies and bakers to offer their goodies to the public, since none of the vendors at the Cottage Bakers Market have retail stores – except for one! It’s also an opportunity for people to find a really unique mix of handcrafted food items under one roof.
Sweets You will Find Here: Decadent sweet (they also do savory) cheesecakes in cupcake-size servings from Dolci Divino. Owner Keri D’Angelo says “we take care in developing all nuances of our recipes from the crust to the topping. Our 2 signature flavors are Cinnamon Roll Cheesecake and Triple Chocolate Stout Cheesecake.” Another vendor is award-winning pie maker Barbara Schwartz of Pies By Barbara. She took home the award for Best Professional Cherry Pie at the High 5 Cherry Pie Bake-off in August 2012! She also offers hands-on pie making classes. Yum! The market will also feature customized, flavorful cupcakes from Jessie’s Haute Cakes, moist lavender-infused brownies by Little Sunshine Bakery and This Charming Candy’s lollipops, hand-poured in small batches to ensure a silky texture and superior, beguiling flavors.
Lavender brownie, Little Sunflower Bakery
Dates of Event: May 4 and May 11, 2013; Saturday; 11 am to 4 pm Location: Northwest Arts Center - 9825 NE 24th St., Bellevue, WA 98004 Cost to Attend: Free.
For more information, visit the Cottage Bakers Market website!
Dear Philadelphians:
If you walk by the current Scoop DeVille in the next few days (starting April 27th), you'll be horrified to see it closed. But PANIC NOT! Because they're only moving a few blocks away! I have proof by way of a letter from the owner.
Here it is:
My name is Spencer Philips, and I am the guy opening the new Scoop DeVille in Center City!
The long-time Scoop DeVille owner, Matt Shore, will be closing the doors to the current Scoop DeVille at 18th and Chestnut in order to focus on his own brainchild: Sophie's Cafe in the suburbs of Wayne, PA.
I have partnered with Matt to open my own Scoop DeVille at 1315 Walnut St. We'll keep the Scoop DeVille name, mission, and delicious ice cream blends. Even the employees will be the same. I have been a lover of Scoop DeVille since I was an undergrad at UPenn in 2004, and I am so excited to share Scoop with even more people in Center City!
I would be honored if you would cover our new Scoop DeVille on your blog. We need help to spread the word that Scoop isn't closing for good, just moving a couple blocks!
Here's the plan: the current Scoop will close in ONE WEEK- so take advantage of the ice cream and sales now! We are renovating our new location in order to keep the same Scoop DeVille appeal that you've come to now and love. We will REOPEN AT 1315 WALNUT in Mid-May. We'll keep you posted on all the progress!
So, ice cream lovers of Philadelphia, do not panic--Scoop DeVille will be back soon! You can keep up with their goings-on via the website. And starting mid-May, visit them at their new location, 1315 Walnut Street in Center City Philadelphia!
What's cuter than a cupcake and ten times sweeter?
CakeSpy of course! And if you want a piece of this sweetness, well, you're in luck, because I am headed on book tour next month! I'll be bringing not only my amazing self but stories to tell about baked goods--after all, that's the point of my delicious new book, The Secret Lives of Baked Goods: Sweet Stories & Recipes for America's Favorite Desserts. And in some cities, I'll even be doing a demo or bringing sweets with me. Just read below--I've detailed where I am going and what type of event is going down in each city!
Here are the places I will be (oh, and a printable text-only version can be found here!)
First Stop: Seattle!
Tuesday, May 7th: OMG! My book is released, officially. Go to the store and buy it, or go ahead and buy it online (it's ok. I know it's cheaper there).
My first event!
Still in Seattle! Wednesday, May 8th:
Next Stop: Portland
Saturday, May 11:
Next Stop: San Francisco!
Monday, May 13th:
Tuesday, May 14th:
And then, after a few days off, I'm off to...
Philadelphia
Tuesday, May 21:
Chicagoland:
Thursday, May 23rd
And then a hiatus, then...
Albuquerque, NM
Thursday, June 20
And then to New Jersey...
June 29th:
And then back to Philadelphia...
June 29:
What: Signing and Discussion Where: Towne Book Center, Collegeville
June 30:
Then, back to Seattle!
July 13 and 14 (Sat and Sun)
Here's some sweet news: I'm being auctioned off for charity! It helps benefit Figure Skating in Harlem.
Here's the 411:
Enjoy a lunch with illustrator and blogger Cakespy at New York's Peanut Butter & Co. Sandwich Shop!
You will also receive an autographed copy of Jesse's new book, a selection of Peanut Butter & Co. goodies and a cookbook.
Jessie Oleson Moore is a freelance writer and illustrator responsible for cakespy.com. Cakerspy.com is a Dessert Detective Agency dedicated to seeking sweetness (literally) in everyday life. Sweet dispatches are posted nearly daily, including writeups of bakery visits, decadently delicious recipes and baking experiments, confectionery themed art projects, and more. CakeSpy encourages you to bake (and live) with sweet abandon.
Donated By: Jessie Oleson and Peanut Butter & Co. Sandwich Shop