Whoa! Aaaahhhh! Whaaaatttt?!? No!!! Yesssss!!!!

So yeah, those were all the things that went through my head when my friend S. handed this box to me this morning. She’s just gotten back from Paris, and with her thoughtfulness brought me a box of the ultimate French treat. I was speechless. Especially because she put the box in my hands with the words, “These came from the bakery that made the pastries for that film Marie Antoinette.” *gasp!*

I took these photos in my office with my phone. I know posting all of them is a bit excessive, but I kind of felt like those geeks, you know? Those Apple fanpeople who love their Macs so much they post “unboxing” pictures? This is me being a food geek unboxing MY macs! (Heehee.)

Ladurée was established in 1862. It was the Parisian institution that brought the “salon de thé,” or tea salons, to life. These were places where women could gather freely as they grew more confident in roles in society.

I shared these morsels with friends, though I have to admit I ate three all by myself! I had a coconut one, a strawberry one and a vanilla one to cap off my trio of treats. Not all one after the other, though! I stretched those tastings over several hours, their intense sweetness lingering on my tongue long after the last delicious bite.

S. said the line at the Ladurée shop on Champs-Elysées was out the door, and the pastry chefs had to keep bringing in trays and trays of macarons to keep up with the demand. I want to be in that line someday!

And apparently, a Ladurée shop is where Carrie Bradshaw spent some time during her stay in the City of Lights during the last few episodes of SATC.

Aside from these legendary little cookies, they also make the prettiest pastries! *sigh.*

And they come in the loveliest boxes.

Someday, SOMEDAY, I will eat my way through Paris and have dessert at Ladurée. In the meantime, I will keep this box forever. I even asked for the crumpled-up shopping bag from S. Haha. Such a dork, I know.

Délicieux! May you dream in macaron sweetness tonight!

It was a weekend of firsts!

I tasted a Hostess Snoball for the first time in my life. (Cream-filled chocolate cake, covered with marshmallow and rolled in coconut. I liked it. A lot. Don’t judge me.)

Took a lovely drive along Pacific Coast Highway with friends to Malibu Seafood. We ate on a patio right across the shoreline, and it was a beautiful day. It was first time there, and my calamari and fries were so yummy I’m still dreaming about them.

Also, I tried working with circular knitting needles for the first time.

Which promptly became a knitting FAIL.

Haha. I need more practice! Maybe next weekend?

Hope yours was lovely!

Beautiful sugar peony on my friend Sara’s wedding cake

Pink statis from the farmer’s market in Goleta

Cupfulls of sweet summer cherries for a clafouti!

Purple baby artichokes for a healthy lunch this week

Hope you had a wonderful weekend!

Little Red Riding Hood tea set from Fred Flare

And the head becomes your teacup! Aaaaah, so cute!

Designed by the awesome folks at Team Manila

If I can’t eat them, I can just wear them.

Have a lovely long weekend, all!

Amy Butler for Kalencom

Because I need another purse like I need more fabric.

Have a lovely weekend, all!

The National Food Bloggers Bake Sale is TWO DAYS AWAY! Woot!

WHAT: National Food Bloggers Bake Sale
WHEN: Saturday, April 17, 10:30 am to 1 pm
WHO: ME! I’ll be there from 11:30 am to help sell my Cakes In A Jar, along with baked goods from over 40 other food bloggers in Los Angeles.
WHERE: Morel’s French Bistro at The Grove, 189 The Grove Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90036
WHY: 100% of proceeds from the bake sale will go to Share Our Strength, whose main focus is ending child hunger in America.

IF YOU CAN GO:
Look for my uber cute Jar Cakes! I’m making Swirled Nutella Cupcakes and Blueberry Sour Cream Coffee Cakes. Yum!

IF YOU CAN’T GO:
You can donate online at The Girl With A Curl’s page HERE.

Tell people about it by sending them the link above or pointing them to this blog post!

The first annual National Food Bloggers Bake Sale, part of the Great American Bake Sale, will be held on April 17. Organized by Gaby Dalkin of WhatsGabyCooking.com, food bloggers from across the country will unite to support the cause by holding bake sales in their states. Readers will have the opportunity to taste the baked goods from their favorite food blogs at each state’s bake sale location.

Funds raised through Great American Bake Sale support Share Our Strength’s efforts to end childhood hunger in America. Nearly 17 million—almost one in four—children in America face hunger. Despite the good efforts of governments, private-sector institutions and everyday Americans, millions of our children still don’t have daily access to the nutritious meals they need to live active, healthy lives.

Food bloggers are holding bake sales in locations across the U.S. this weekend. To find one in your area, go HERE.

I woke up at 6:30 am to stand in line at the Apple Store in Century City with E. so he could get his new toy. So far, so cool! Though this new-fangled thing isn’t mine, I’m hoping to borrow it from time to time to look up recipes and craft projects on the fly, hee. E.’s already installed the Epicurious app–and all the hi-def recipes on it are inspiring!
Happy weekend!

April 17 is your date with sweetness!

I’ll be part of the National Food Bloggers Great American Bake Sale on Saturday, April 17, from 10:30 am to 2:30 pm. It’s going to be at Morel’s at The Grove, 189 The Grove Dr., Los Angeles, CA 90036. I’m volunteering to sell some yummy things from 11:45 am to 2:30 pm, so come by then if you can!

This bake sale is spearheaded by Gaby of What’s Gaby Cooking, and there are going to be around 40 awesome, passionate, fun food bloggers selling their most delicious stuff, from sweet to savory. Funds generated will benefit Share Our Strength, an organization dedicated to ending child hunger in America.

Other bake sales are all happening on the same date all over the country. To find out about what you can do for the National Food Bloggers Bake Sale in your city, head over HERE for contact information for your area.

To find out more about Share Our Strength and their cause, HERE’s their website, with lots of information about many ways you can help.

I’ll be blogging about what I’m contributing to be sold at the event, and I’m VERY excited about it all—the baking, the packaging, the volunteering and the chance to meet fellow food-crazed writers.

One of my wishes for 2010 back in January was, “Give back.” The fact that I’m getting the chance to do so by doing something I love makes me immeasurably happy. Now, where did I stash my piping bag?

I’ll be sure to keep you posted on all the deliciousness!

I’ve been on the lookout for a good cupcake carrier to replace the one I have. I’ve discovered that there are many new ones out there—and wondering if any of you have had any experience with them?

I’ve had this Oneida 24-Count Cupcake Carrier for over two years now. What I love about it is that you use the bottom as an actual pan to bake 12 cupcakes, and then slip a plastic shelf on top of it that holds another 12 for traveling.  Though I give it nothing but good reviews, it has seen its share of cupcakes, and the plastic second shelf is now sagging a bit from all that cupcake-y weight it’s had to bear. Another thing about it is that there’s no way to really store it efficiently—it takes up a lot of room on the shelf.

I’ve been patiently trolling the Internets and found these interesting-looking options. So now, I bring you, the Super Awesome Big List Of Cool Cupcake Carriers. Which one should I get, you think?

Progressive International Collapsible Cupcake and Cake Carrier - $24.70 approx
Why I ♥ It: Dual use (round cakes and cupcakes), collapsible for easy storage

Martha Stewart Cupcake Carrier - $24.99 approx
Why I ♥ It: Dual use (cookies/cookie bars/brownies and cupcakes), looks sturdy

Baker’s Sto N’ Go Container - $24.95 approx
Why I ♥ It: Many uses (cookies/cookie bars/brownies and cupcakes, and even cereal and dry foodstuff when upright), though I’m not sure if the shelves would sag after a while. It even has trays for deviled eggs!

Cupcake Courier - $29.79 approx
Why I ♥ It: It’s the only one that carries 36 cupcakes at once; adjustable for smaller amount. Comes in blue sky, petal pink, lemongrass and saffron yellow.

Wilton Ultimate 3-In-1 Cake Caddy - $19.99 approx
Why I ♥ It: Triple use! A 9×13 cake, 12 cupcakes or 24 mini cupcakes.

These individual carriers are all kinds of cute, too! These have special grooves that hold each cupcake, so they stay in place even if the carrier is turned upside down. Perfect for lunch boxes!

Go Go Cupcake Holders - $6.99 approx for a twin pack

Cup-A-Cake Single Cupcake Carriers - $5.75 each approx

Are you having a sweet week so far? I hope so! If not, it’s going to get sweeter…come back tomorrow for some yummy, exciting news!

I’ve lost my crafting mojo!

I don’t know where it’s gone. I suspect it’s enjoying a mai tai on a beach in Aruba while getting its nails done. Wherever it is, I’m ticked off that I wasn’t invited! I haven’t had the creative energy to sew, crochet or make jewelry in the past weeks. My stash of new fabric given to me as Christmas gifts over the holidays sits forlornly in a bin. My sewing machine is dying to make something that I get the feeling it runs itself during the day when I’m not at home, just for the heck of it.

I’m amazed professional crafters who do creative work everyday. I suppose if I were immersed in it, it would be easier. I know this because when I’m on a roll, ideas come hurtling at me and I have to duck sometimes so they don’t whack me on the head! But stopping and starting these periods of crafty creativity is challenging, especially with a full-time job and people to cook for. I’m just hoping I get a chance to start crafting again—and soon—because I miss building quilt blocks and just working with my hands and making stuff.

To parch the dry valley of creativity that I’m faced with, I’m constantly looking through photos of old projects. I came across my Flickr set of photos taken at the Road To California Quilt Show a couple of months ago. I realized I haven’t shared these inspiring photos, and now taking the time to do so to try and get the creative rivers flowing again. And if you have a tip or two about getting over Quilter’s Block, do let me know! (I’ve just decided that “Quilter’s Block” is now my all-time favorite pun!)

I went to the Quilt Show with my mom (who was giddy with excitement and running around like it was a big birthday party). While there, I got the chance to meet the talented Latifah of the LA Modern Quilt Guild and we had fun ogling all the insanely beautiful handiwork on display. While most of the designs were more traditional, I still admired all the hard work that went into them, and even spied a modern quilt or two among them.

I hope you’re inspired by these, as much as I want to be inspired by them!

Is this redundant, or is this redundant? Someone made a brilliant quilt of mini quilts on display at a quilt show, with people looking at them. I waited for the two women in front of it for more funny redundance. Haha.

Wow. Alfred Hitchcock and The Birds immortalized in cloth and thread. My goodness, this lady had lots of time on her hands.

Well, applique me! I’ve always wanted to try this, but I’m horrible at needle-turning. My mom’s a pro. I try it and fail miserably. My flowers become stars or unidentifiable blobs! Obviously, I didn’t inherit the needle-turning gene.

This quilt gets my stamp of approval for cuteness. Pun intended.

The first thought I had when I saw this ice-creamy wonder was one word: “Really?” Quilters are craaaazzzy!

I’m in love with these modernesque reverse-appliqued circles and squares, all done in solids. I hope to work with organic cotton solids on a quilt I’m making as a gift to some friends who are getting married.Wish me luck!

Life is sad without buttons. You can never have too many!

There’s more awesome handiwork on my Flickr set for the Quilt Show HERE.

I’m crossing my fingers that I get back to crafting soon—you’ll be the first to know when the drought ends! In the meantime, I hope you’re sipping cosmos with your creativity and having a blast.

Exciting times in these parts!

Here’s two crafty, cook-y things you need to know today:

1) First Online Sample Sale Site For Cookware To Launch In April

Snappy Tuna promises to work in the same way online fashion sample-sale sites do, by offering top-name kitchen tools and gadgets at 70% off. When I heard about it from my boss at work, I hunted down the article on the NY Times website that alerted her to this cool, new thing on the net:

Snappy Tuna covers “the whole experience, from prepping a meal to getting it out the door,” said Marcus Greinke of his new Web site, the latest in a growing number built on the sample-sale model. Snappy Tuna specializes in well-known kitchenware and tabletop brands that are discounted up to 60 percent off retail prices, for three days only. Items for sale will include specialty foods, espresso machines and Le Creuset cookware…”

You can sign up on their site right now without an invite (you can go through my Snappy Tuna link HERE). After March 20 or so, the site will be invite-only. I’m SO excited for this!

Now if only they had something similar for fabric…ok, well, let’s not go there. Money doesn’t grow on curls, you know!

2) The First-Ever Crafty Con

YES. You read that right.

Faythe Levine, author of Handmade Nation, tweeted about this. IF money grew on curls I would go in a heartbeat! Early-bird registration is currently $699, and increases by $100 the closer it gets to the show. Plus, it’s in Chicago—home of the Joffrey Ballet and a city I’d LOVE to revisit. Sigh. Can someone out there who plans to go just stuff me into their suitcase? I’ll bring my own snacks for the plane ride! Go HERE if you can take this trip for me!

The Pillsbury Doughboy sent me a Valentine over the weekend!

I LOVE the Doughboy! I was kind of squealing when I saw the e-card in my inbox. Haha.

Hope your weekend was sweet! More posts to come about mine—I made my first roast chicken and it was EPIC.