Bloomsberry & Co. Chocolates

Last month while I was on the hunt for chocolaty Easter treats for my pals, I came across Bloomsberry & Co. Chocolates. What made me focus in on these chocolates was the eye catching packaging. With amusing names for their chocolates such as, “Emergence Chocolate” and “Bochox” Bloomsberry is making its mark in the chocolate realm. This designer chocolate bar company hails from down under in New Zealand. After receiving loads of emails from customers all over the world raving about their chocolates, the folks at Bloomsberry expanded their reach and became accessible by opening up shop in Australia, Europe, and the U.S.A. Their clever casing and witty phrases help their tasty chocolates fly off the shelves. Bloomsberry & Co. Chocolates are a novelty item that surely make for an interesting alternative to the ordinary chocolate bar.

When I bought some of the chocolates for friends and family I snagged a milk chocolate bar for myself to try. I found the chocolate to be quite creamy and better than I initially thought it would be. I have not tried the dark chocolate variety but considering I was pleased with the milk chocolate I think the dark chocolate will be worth a try.

Prague Delights

If you ever thought of going to Prague I think this picture seals the deal. While checking out one of my favorite sections, the Travel section, in The New York Times I came across this mouthwatering image of desserts deliciously displayed in a Prague confectionery. The Erhartova Cukrarna is a vintage bakery dating back to 1937 complete with period decor. Read more about how to wisely spend 36 hours in Prague in this NYT article (check out the picture of the Dancing House, a remarkable architectural marvel!).

Photo Credit: Courtesy of The New York Times

Perfect Pancakes

I was browsing one of my favorite magazines, Real Simple, when I came across an interesting idea for reusing a ketchup bottle. You can recycle your ketchup bottles by using them as pancake dispensers. Make lovely round flapjacks by squeezing out the exact amount of batter without the mess caused by attempting to transfer it from a mixing bowl. Small, medium and large pancakes are easily achievable with this method and you can get crafty too! Squirt out ears for a Mickey Mouse pancake or create a three tiered snowman for the kiddies all with a few simple drops from the former bottle of ketchup.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Real Simple

Psycho Donuts

Would you buy a pastry with a name that flirts with serious mental illnesses? A new doughnut shop in Campbell, California called Psycho Donuts has stirred up some controversy since opening up last March. The store sells pastries with names like “Psycho” and “Bipolar” making light of what protesters call serious illnesses that should not be taken lightly. The community’s mental health advocates have been protesting the doughnut shop and in recent weeks the picketing has reached a new level. Mental health workers say that there is a stigma that comes with being mentally ill and that Psycho Donuts is perpetuating that stigma. Owners of the store say that their intention is not to poke fun at mental illness but to do something “that’s light-hearted and fun”. They also say that for them they are referring to the doughnuts as crazy and they are not making any statement about people. Residents of the city of Campbell are intrigued by the doughnut shop and its controversial theme. On the store’s website, they say:

Psycho Donuts has taken donuts to the next demented level. We bid a fond farewell to the tired, round ring of lameness, and the drab, time-weathered environment of doughnut past. Psycho Donuts has taken the neighborhood donut and put it on medication, and given it shock treatment.

They have a “padded cell” display and customers can take pictures with a straitjacket on. An art display called the “nutcase art display” is placed in the shop as a part of the décor as well as a flat screen TV that plays a slide show of Rorschach images. The staff at Psycho Donuts are decked out in doctor coats and nurse uniforms with stethoscopes, syringes and all. The owners of the shop Kip Berdiansky, who has done stand-up comedy and Jordan Vweigoran say that the idea behind Psycho Donuts was to reinvent the doughnut idea and to try to make their business stand out in a time of recession. The idea certainly has made them stand out but whether or not it is working to their benefit is yet to be seen. Source
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Would you visit Psycho Donuts? Do you find the theme of this new pastry shop to be offensive? Share your thoughts on Psycho Donuts with us by leaving a comment!






Photo Credit: Courtesy of Psycho Donuts

Birthday Party Cupcakes

This weekend I made cupcakes for a birthday party and they turned out fabulous...

I made vanilla cupcakes with chocolate frosting...

Once I ran out of chocolate frosting I improvised and whipped up some cream cheese frosting...

Circus Animal Cookies

Step right up all of you circus animal fans: Mother’s Cookies’ scrumptious Circus Animal Cookies are back! Thanks to Kellogg’s, this month the pink and white mammals are making their way back onto the shelves and into our tummies.
Back in October of 2008, Mother’s Cookies abruptly went out of business and along with filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy the company ceased production on all of their classic treats. In December of 2008, Kellogg’s Co. bought the trademarks and recipes for Mother’s most famed creations including sandwich cookies, wire cut cookies and our childhood favorite: iced animal cookies. These nostalgic goodies are all coming back in their original red and purple packaging with the smiling Mother herself in the corner.
Thanks to the fabulous folks at Foodbuzz I got a sweet sampling of these tasty animals before anyone else and I was not disappointed. I reached into the big glossy bag and pulled out a white camel with festive, colorful sprinkles and I instantly remembered how much I loved these cookies; the thought of them not existing anymore was unfathomable. After all, for finals week during college, these were my main source of nutrition! Mmm, elephants…


Photo Credit: Courtesy of Heather Scott (Ephemeron)