Martha, Martha, Martha!



Why is it that every time Martha publishes a book on a topic she is suddenly saving the genre, reinventing it, taking it to an all new high? I know, I know, she is uber talented. She has a creative staff working for her that is larger than some university campuses. Greg Morago of the Houston Chronicle recently did a review of the new book and proclaims that she has singlehandedly saved the cupcake trend. While I, myself, think it is a good book, so are a lot of the 25 other cupcake books that are sitting on my bookshelf right now. I'm just saying...why is it Martha that is proclaimed the savior??? There are many other premiere cupcakers out there, yet to have their book, yet to have their fame. Ladies (and gentlemen), you know who you are.


Bookmark and Share

Cupcakes By The Dashboard Light



Another excuse to head back down to Chicago. This one is compliments of the NYTimes.com:

In New York, Los Angeles or Miami, the Meatloaf Bakery could have been doomed. But in Chicago, fan clubs tend to form around ventures that cater to the quirky and carnivorous (see: The Publican). With wit and creative layering, the owner, Cynthia Kallile, presents eight versions (and a daily special) of cupcake-shaped meatloaf topped with icing in the form of a side dish (mashed potato, pasta, roasted veggie).

Not only does it require some sensory dexterity to see a cupcake and accept the taste of garlicky meat, said meatcake eater must also be able to order things like No Buns About It and the Mother Loaf with a straight face. Loaf-a-Roma is a base of beef and Italian sausage laced with sun-dried tomatoes, basil and gooey mozzarella and topped with a three-inch swirl of angel-hair pasta marinara. A paean to wing-eating and beer-slurping Bears fans, Wing and a Prayer layers ground chicken, celery and spicy wing sauce under a thick “icing” of buttery blue cheese. For the confused vegan, Kallile crafts a mixture of lentils, cheese and brown rice topped with roasted peppers. If you can say “Yentl Lentil,” it’s yours. Welcome to Chicago!

Meatloaf Bakery
2464 North Clark Street

(773) 698-6667
www.themeatloafbakery.com

Bookmark and Share

ICM - Vegan/Gluten-Free - Making a Difference



As IronCupcake:Milwaukee grows, so does the event and what we can accomplish with it. Beginning with our July event, the VEGAN a/o GLUTEN-FREE challenge with our partner Beans & Barley; a $3 donation will be requested to taste/vote. In return, a portion of every donation will be shared with a local non-profit organization. This month, in honor of my long-time friends, Jason and his son Noah and Joe and his son Corey; this months donation will go to the Autism Society of Wisconsin. It is through my friends that I learned of the benefits of a gluten-free/casin-free diet for autistic children.

As always, we look forward to tons of fun, and how great that now we have enough people attending our events that we can do good in our community as well!?

See you July 20th!

Bookmark and Share

IC:E_011_Summer Berries - We Have a Winner


SUMMER BERRIES were the sweet surprise from our IronCupcake bakers. The variety of creations were gorgeous and tempting and made me want to eat every last one! But when all the votes were listed and fed to the random.org list randomizer it was Cassie at How To Eat a Cupcake and her Not-So-Blue-Berry Cupcake that takes home the prize. From her flickr post: Purple is the new blue in this not-so-blue-berry cupcake topped with blueberry Swiss meringue buttercream!

Before the fall colors blow in, the June prizes will be arriving to her door in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Sweet!

The June ETSY PRIZE-PACK is from artists:
Last and certainly not least, don’t forget our corporate prize providers: HEAD CHEFS by FIESTA PRODUCTS, http://www.fiestaproducts.com, HELLO CUPCAKE by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson, http://blog.hellocupcakebook.com, JESSIE STEELE APRONS http://www.jessiesteele.com; TASTE OF HOME books, http://www.tasteofhome.com; a t-shirt from UPWITHCUPCAKES.COM http://www.upwithcupcakes.com/. Iron Cupcake:Earth is sponsored in part by 1-800-Flowers, http://www.1800flowers.com .
Random.org results and a complete list of entries can be found at the 011_SUMMER BERRIES archive. To view a complete explanation of the voting procedure, visit http://www.ironcupcakeearth.com/2008/12/new-voting-procedure-for-iron.html

Bookmark and Share

Lucky Girls!


AmyGwenMart, originally uploaded by amynxdx.

The other night, at the No Doubt show, in addition to being an incredibly FABULOUS concert; Gwen was the hostess with the mostess when it came to her adoring fans. At one point in the show, she called 2 girls up from the front row onto the stage for a picture. And shut up! Here it is, those lucky girls posted it to flickr! Keep in mind that Gwen took this shot with one hand while hugging the girls with the other. Could Gwen be ANY MORE BEAUTIFUL??? I am soooo jealous.

Big Gay Cupcakes for EVERYONE!


Everyone knows I love big gay cupcakes. And so do the folks at Cupcake Royale in Seattle. In honor of June's Pridefest celebrations, they created this sweet gay cupcake gear - shirts, buttons and stickers! Buy some and they'll donate money to Lambda Legal. You get to look crazy hot in your new duds. They get to keep fighting the good fight for equality on a national level. And we all get to feel good about ourselves. Everybody wins!

Cupcake Royale / Verite Coffee
2052 NW Market Street
Seattle, WA 98107
206-782-9557


Bookmark and Share

Pass the Cereal - Eat a Cupcake


Before you go and eat your July 4th burgers on the grill, pop on over to my bff's Heather's new blog, Pass The Cereal. There is a great post about making hamburger and fry cuppies for with her awesome kidlets. They made these sweet treats for her hubs, Matt (above), to celebrate his birthday. I am AMAZED that Heather has the time to toss a blog into the mix, but I know that the blogosphere will be all the more entertained for her doing so. xoxox


Bookmark and Share

Daisy Café in Madison, WI strikes Gold!


I haven't made the trip out west yet, but it appears that many have! They almost sound surprised that they have had so much success. I am telling you...Milwaukee...we NEED a shop!

WISCONSIN STATE JOURNAL reports:

It seems cupcakes take the cake when it comes to Madison’s taste for sweet treats.

Open since May 18, the Daisy Cafe & Cupcakery, 2827 Atwood Ave., expects to sell its 10,000th cupcake on Friday.

That translates to 10,000 cupcakes in 46 days, or about 217 cupcakes a day — twice as many as owners Daryl Sisson and Kathy Brooks anticipated.

Read more at the State Journal link ...



Bookmark and Share

No Doubt About It!


My girl Gwen and her original Orange County posse, No Doubt are in town tonight. Summerfest mainstage. I am hitting the fest with the Tally Ho (aka Chef Jeff's lovely lady) and us girls are gonna rock! Woo!! See y'all later!

Bookmark and Share

ICE_012 - HERBS


The IronCupcake:Earth challenge for July is HERBS! Fresh from the garden or picked up from your favorite culinary shop. Nothing ads a unique touch and flavor to any treat than the twist of herbs. Use any combination or focus on just one. It is your choice for our JULY 2009 challenge - HERB.

FINAL POSTING DAY is the 24th of every month: FRIDAY, JULY 24 at 12 noon. All times are CENTRAL time.

TAKE NOTE:
• Photograph your baking experience and then post about it on your blog.
• Posting your recipe on your blog is optional.
• Cupcake Pops are allowed, provided they also LOOK like cupcakes.
• New creations only, please. No previously submitted cupcakes.
• In your post, please be sure mention that you are competing to win the following prizes, be sure to include reference and an active link to our prize providers and sponsors:
Our June ETSY PRIZE-PACK is from artists:
Last and certainly not least, don’t forget our corporate prize providers: HEAD CHEFS by FIESTA PRODUCTS, http://www.fiestaproducts.com, HELLO CUPCAKE by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson, http://blog.hellocupcakebook.com, JESSIE STEELE APRONS http://www.jessiesteele.com; TASTE OF HOME books, http://www.tasteofhome.com; a t-shirt from UPWITHCUPCAKES.COM http://www.upwithcupcakes.com/. Iron Cupcake:Earth is sponsored in part by 1-800-Flowers, http://www.1800flowers.com .
  • Please verify that all links are active.
  • Post your favorite shot (two if you are showing a cross-section) of your cupcake to the Iron Cupcake flickr group, along with a brief summary of your post. Please include a link to your blog in the description and your blog name in the tags. No photos or summaries will be accepted via email.
  • You can enter more than one cupcake, but each counts individually as separate entries. Each cupcake must be submitted to flickr and via email separately as well. NEW CREATIONS ONLY, no previously submitted cupcakes please.
  • E-Mail your recipe(s), along with your first and last name and blog link to IronCupcakeEarth@wi.rr.com . In your subject line, please include IC:IngredientName. Your cupcake recipe must be emailed in order to be eligible for voting and the prize. Please note: you must do BOTH the email submission and the flickr submission.
  • Voting will begin no later than Tuesday, July 28 at 8 p.m. at NO ONE PUTS CUPCAKE IN A CORNER, http://www.ironcupcakemilwaukee.com and will be open through Wednesday, August 5 at 12 noon. Send your readers to that address to vote.
  • Winner will be posted the night of August 5th, before 11:59 p.m.
  • Please refer your readers to the IronCupcake:Earth cuphub at http://www.ironcupcakeearth,com to become a part of the excitement.

GOING FORWARD: New ingredients will always be announced on the 1st of the month (or earlier). The submission time closes at 12 noon central on the 24th of the month, regardless of the day of the week. It had been suggested that I standardize these dates, so there you go.
Also, please be aware of the revised voting procedures, posted on the Iron Cupcake site.

ONE LAST THING: Any entry that is missing either its flickr post OR a complete email submission will not be included. So…please be sure to submit to both flickr and via email to be eligible for the vote. TIP: The 00X_received tag will be added to your flickr photo(s) when your submission is processed.

By participating in IRON CUPCAKE:EARTH you agree to have your recipe considered for use in a future Iron Cupcake:Earth cookbook – credited with your name and blog address (optional) attached. Actual prizes may vary, at the discretion of the artists/manufacturers.