Technorati Tags: bakers, books, cake decorating, cookies, cupcakes, submissions

Just a few things you can do with this book:

–carve flames into pumpkins for your fireplace

–make your own skeleton luminaries

–float tissue paper ghosts in your window

–create a gourd-topped candelabra

–make a haunted house for your kid’s party

–serve pumpkin bisque and apple and sage chicken at your grown-up party

–make and decorate your own fall-themed cakes

–dress your wee one up as Little Red Riding Hood or a scary lion

Now that I finally have a nice, roomy house full of decorating possibilities, once my kitchen is actually in place and our piles of boxes have cleared (having moved recently to a fixer-upper in desperate need of fixer-upping), I’ll be sure to use this book heartily and post more ideas. In the interim, you can find Happy Halloween! HERE at Sterling or HERE at amazon.com or your favorite book store or site, and click HERE for tons of Halloween ideas at Country Living.

Technorati Tags: halloween, book review, Sterling publishing, Country Living

Some titles in food:

And they have a blog! Click here. Look what you can learn to make there. This lovely deer head for your wall, as excerpted from the book, Dorm Decor. Not sure how this could be construed as “edible crafts,” though I’m sure I could reach the logic in a convoluted, slightly off way, but I just had to post anyway.

And the bread bows serve as a perfectly lovely portal to this perfectly lovely blog, so I’m sure you’ll find you can spend some more time browsing “la prochaine fois.” Our creative hostess’s Valentine’s Day watercolor experiment is just one example.

I began this vegan cupcake search thanks to Cupcakes Take the Cake for linking us to these purpley vegan cupcakes, from Eurovision Nicola. Find the recipe here (link provided by the great Cupcakes Take the Cake). And further delving into the vegan cupcake world brought me to this popular book, Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero.And look, they also have a blog here. Looks like it hasn’t been updated in awhile, but still chock full of information and tips.

Inspired by the entry, I did some of my own searching, too, and amazon.com has a list of Children’s Books About Food found here (including “Blueberries for Sal,” oh, remember “Blueberries for Sal”?). I can of course always share my paper for graduate school on food, consumption and the grotesque in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Alice in Wonderland, but I’m afraid I’d bore you off the subject.

Enter the Ladies Home Journal sweepstakes for your chance to win The Gingerbread Architect, by Susan Matheson and Lauren Chattman. Send your entry by December 9th. Details found here. You can also go to the Ladies Home Journal site to download templates for a gingerbread house to make your own (as seen in their magazine, too).

One architect plus one professional baker equals The Gingerbread Architect. The book offers recipes and blueprints to create twelve classic American homes, such as a Cape Cod, Santa Fe or Colonial…in gingerbread.

And so, the edible art guru at bakerella is at it again, trying her hand at cookie decorating. (Wait, could it be that you’ve not heard of bakerella, the inspirational blog even Martha has recognized, popularized by the writer’s inventive “cupcake pops”? If so, I’d not be hurt if you proceed there immediately.)

Guided by Cookie Craft, by Valerie Peterson and Janice Fryer, published by Storey last year, bakerella was so impressed by her results (and so were we) she’s giving away a copy of the book. Click here to enter before midnight Friday, September 26.

And for all those who might have read my bio, you’ll note that Cookie Craft is in direct competition to my own Cookie Sensations. But alas, what I wouldn’t sacrifice for the greater cookie-decorating good in promoting such a nicely crafted book.

The book is called Come to Tea: Fun Tea Party Themes, Recipes, Crafts, Games, Etiquette and More by Stephanie Dunnewind, Dan Potash (designer), and Capucine Mazille (Illustrator).

As I, unfortunately, haven’t had the opportunity to read the book myself, here is the book description from Amazon.com.

Drink from delicate cups, eat dainty finger foods, dress up in your finery, and be as polite as you can be: it’s time to come to tea. With the help of this oh-so charmingly illustrated guide, you can throw a delightful tea party for birthdays, holidays, or just to have fun with friends. You can even choose a theme to make it extra-special. Start by designing your own invitations and decorations. Then, follow the recipes for making a great cup of tea, simple cucumber and other creative sandwiches, shortbread bars, and more tasty treats. What kind of party are we going to have? A Mad Hatter Tea, Teddy Bear Picnic, Garden Party, Fairy Tea, or one just with your dolls or your mom? Plus: crafts, games, boxed hostess tips, and delicious “tea party” quotes from favorite books, all shown in pictures that capture the timeless pleasures of this favorite little-girl event. A quintessential gift from grandmother to granddaughter.

To help consumers become better grillers, HPBA has developed a new resource tool for onsumers. The Grill-amentals of Great Grilling: A Complete Consumer Guide to Year-Round Grilling is the ultimate grill guide filled with step-by-step barbecue party preparation tips, safety and food handling tips, recipes and entertaining ideas

The guide can be downloaded by clicking here

For more great grilling tips, resources and recipes, please visit www.hpba.org/nbm ***********************************************************************************************************

The 2,700-member Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association (HPBA), based in
Arlington, VA, is the North American industry association for manufacturers, retailers, distributors, representatives, service firms and allied associates for all types of hearth, barbecue and patio appliances, fuels and accessories. The association provides professional member services and industry support in education, statistics, government relations, marketing, advertising, and consumer education