the life of the party

(A rough draft of the opening to my food piece.)

WHat do you imagine a birthday party to look like? Balloons and streamers and presents and all of your friends and (of course!) cake. Can you even picture a celebration without some kind of cake sitting smugly on the table? It wouldn’t be the same without letting the birthday boy or girl blow out the candles in a hurricane-level breath and handling an over sized (and very sharp) knife to cut the first slice. It’s the one food that has become an almost symbol of birthday celebrations. It’s not a party without cake. But in this day and age of calorie-counting and image consciousness, fitting a large cake into every single occasion is out of the question. Don’t fear my cake-loving friend: you can have your cake (and enjoy it too). Miniature-sized cakes have been cropping up across the country in a bakery near you. The invasion of the little cupcakes has already begun. Smaller in size, but still as mouthwatering as a whole chocolate cake drizzled with melt-in-you-mouth icing without the guilt of chowing down a huge slice and what to do with the leftovers in you refridgerator. Cupcakes may be the tiniest of cakes, but don't judge them on their size. These bite-sized treats are what take the cake.

E

blog review, part duex

Blogs viewed, take two

Cupcake Bakeshop

by Chockylit
http://cupcakeblog.com/

Cupcakes Take the Cake

http://cupcakestakethecake.blogspot.com/

Saucy's Sprinkles (bloggedy blog blog)
http://www.saucysprinkles.com/

Carrots 'N' Cake
http://carrotsncake.com/

Desserts should be good for you
http://www.sugoodsweets.com/blog/

FOr round two, I was hunting down food blogs...about desserts (it sounded too good to pass over). I grinned at the sight of Jessica Su's promise to search out dessert that is not only tasty but good for you as well. Oh sure, there are the insane recipes (bacon+cookies=good idea??), but the humor and willing tone, confessing to a diary almost, to try what ever it takes to get that perfect dessert really won me over. It seems like a picture coated blog is what makes people drool over it, but not here. There is usually only one picture per post, but it's a good quality picture, not taking me away from the real content here: the food. That's why I'd visit a food blog: to make food and have a picture so I know that the concoction I cook up looks half-decent.

THe blog is categorized into groups based on the main food (the "Nutella" and "Eat Your Vegetables" are personal favorites). Just below is a box that has the most popular posts on the blog (nice to see what other people like off this blog). A handy dandy search bar makes finding your guilty pleasure food that much easier. The archives box is small compared to almost all of the other blogs I've seen, but makes for a neater looking layout.

ADitional content to food realated things can be distracting. I guess some people like reading someone's story about their dog, kid, husband, ect. But not me. Jessica Yu kept her focus on the food and came out a winner in my book. Her funky and off-the-beaten-path recipes (and chocolate!) make for an enjoyable read and preps you for food that makes me want to run to the kitchen, take out my spatula and whip up a batch of her breakfast cookies. You have to see then to believe it.

E

looking around town

I'm checking out proffesional food blogs, written by those who know food and blog about it

blogs consulted

Tea and Cookies

-food, stories, recipes

http://www.obsessionwithfood.com/

honey&jam

-Recipes+Photos

http://www.honeyandjam.com/

Dessert First

-a passion for pastry

http://dessertfirst.typepad.com/dessert_first/

Bittersweet

http://bittersweetblog.wordpress.com/

Savory Sweet Life

-easy everyday recipies from an everyday home cook

http://savorysweetlife.com/

I Actually came across this blog a few years ago while looking up knitting patterns. Hannah, the mastermind behind the blog "Bittersweet", shares not only a ideas for cooking but knitting and crocheting as well. The dual interests add to more traffic on the site because it caters to two interests. With a name like "Bittersweet", I immediately thought of chocolate and desserts, but this blog has a wide range of choices for some of the more picky eaters. Many of the recipes are vegan-friendly: adding another group of people that would read this blog. The images in the posts are very artful and decorative. It brings a more professional level to the blog rather than just messy and blurry pictures. The pictures show that Hannah takes care of her blog and its appearance. The banner at the top with the title of the blog is fall themed and I'd guess that it changes based on the season. Changes like that show that Hannah updates her blog regularly.

I Also liked that recipes were included in "Bittersweet." They bring the food right to your oven so you can appreciate its taste rather than just words, the ultimate review. Hannah’s tone is sincere and grounded. It gives me the impression that she is writing this blog because she is passionate about the things she writes about. The passion is what makes this writing fun to read about recipes that aren’t exclusive to top chefs.

E