Monday, October 25, 2010

Crumbs Cupcake of the Week - Madison Avenue

Mad Men may be over for this year, but you can at least pick yourself up with a Madison Avenue cupcake from Crumbs.

This week's Crumbs features a vanilla cupcake with raspberry filling. Topped with chocolate ganache and edge with almonds, this is a cupcake you don't need a high falutin sales pitch for this mouth-watering treat.  

I'm already sold on the picture. 

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Sunday, October 24, 2010

It was a Dark and Stormy Night...

Ever since I've fallen in love with Lolita, I've been following several Lolita blogs.  One of my favorites is La Vida Frills. It's not one of your ordinary Lolita blogs with fashion advice, but incorporates her love of film as well.  And after going to a college that is famous for its communications school, I love being introduced to new movies, mainstream or independent.

Catching up on all my blogs, I noticed she had a contest about your "Dream" coordinate, which seems to take a step beyond finding and owning just a "dream" dress.

In addition to anime, I would have to say that Anne Rice introduced me onto the path of Lolita. I was a big fan in high school and throughout college.  Like a typically outcast I dressed gothic, but I leaned towards more Elegant Gothic.  However since I've discovered Lolita I have never dressed gothic at all, so this outfit is homage to my gothic and vampire roots.



Thursday, October 21, 2010

Macarons are the new cupcake


Macarons are an iconic symbol for Lolita. They appear in prints (i.e. Angelic Pretty’s Dreaming Macaron), jewelry and is a common food item to bring to picnics and outings. Personally, I’m not a big fan of almonds, which is the main component to macarons. Cupcakes are more my thing, but I’m getting ahead of myself.

(Macarons should not be confused with macaroons, as macaroons are made with coconut not almond paste.)

Now before I go any further, perhaps I should explain what exactly is a macaron. A macaron is like a small sandwich cookie, usually about the size of a silver dollar, filled with jam (sometimes crème), except much more difficult to make. Making macarons are like baking a soufflé because the recipe must be followed exactly as directed or else you’ll end up with charred inedible cookies instead of something light and crisp.  However practice makes perfect, and when you get them right, macarons are simply delicious. Violet LeBeaux has a great entry on how she made macarons.

A few local patisseries even organized Macaron Day at select shops to raise the reputation of this dainty delicacy. Last March marked the first year Macaron Day came to NYC. Do you have a favorite place to find macarons in the City?

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Crumbs Cupcake of the Week: the Chocolate Good Guy

Besides being a meal and a half, Crumbs not only has a Cupcake of the Month but a Cupcake of the Week. This week's cupcake is the Chocolate Good Guy. With all the colored sprinkles and chocolate, it's definitely something to pick up on your way home when your feeling down.

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