Sunday Favorites

It's been a somber weekend as my YeYe (paternal grandfather) finally passed away after suffering a set of serious strokes 3 years ago. He never got out of the hospital bed since the strokes. I'm fortunate to have been able to spend time with him about 2 years ago when I went back to visit, and I'm glad he's probably had the chance to say goodbye to everyone at this point and vice versa. We will certainly miss him, but I hear that our family back in China is able to focus more on the positive things we want to remember about him at this point. I'm sad not to be able to attend his funeral, but my dad's on his way back now and will bring the best wishes of all of us who can't make it. As I was just telling my friend, I'm doing okay but I've still lost so few people close to me that it definitely hits me still. Just the concept of having someone being gone forever (no offense to anyone who is, but I am not religious) is still so difficult to grasp. I think I'm more sad for my little sisters growing up without our grandparents than for myself. I'm sure we'll keep their spirits alive through stories though =).

On a happier note, I felt like this would be a good time to restart my Favorites posts and focus on some joyfully beautiful things that are in our world. As pretty as my picks are, I don't just post them for looks.  I save the works that inspire me from all sorts of artists to serve as a constant reminder of what's possible to make with our mind and own 2 hands if we just set the mind and heart to it. As you surely have noticed, I've developed quite a passion for cake decoration in the last year, and I need to remember to practice practice practice to hopefully reach the level of these artists I admire one day. As usual, I hope you feast your eyes on these wonderful works!

Stunning Wedding Cake with Glittery Stripes and Peony Flowers by The Cake That Ate Paris

Vanilla Tea Photograph from Alicia Buszczak (Stylist)

Baking Ingredients Photograph from Ingwervanille

AMAZING Nautical Wedding Cake (Photograph by Green Tree Photography; Cake Artist Unknown)

Chicken Rice Noodle Soup from My Cooking Hut

Baklava Bars from The Pretty Blog

Sunday Favorites and a Few Free Cookbooks!

 

Happy (belated) Thanksgiving! I hope all my US readers had a wonderful holiday surrounded by LOTS of good food and loved ones. I definitely did and am so THANKFUL for the people in my life right now. Since P's schedule (off work at midnight on Thanksgiving and back to work at 4 am on Black Friday) ruled out our usual tradition of driving to see his family, I did my best to create a little feast for us as well as my mom here: P's favorite tomato vodka pasta, scallion cheddar biscuits, steamed broccoli with hollandaise sauce, dijon mustard lemon roasted potatoes, Mom's celery mushroom wheat gluten stirfry, and tiramisu served in individual glasses.

In support of the holiday spirit (and to prevent my apartment from exploding from the pressure of too many unused cookbooks), I've decided to give away 4 cookbooks that are gorgeous and have gotten great reviews, but that I simply don't see myself using to full advantage anytime soon. To keep things simple, I'm giving these away on a first come, first serve basis, and I'll pay for shipping within the continental US. Simply comment with the title you want to enter. Limit 2 cookbooks per person, but feel free to name an alternative in case your 1st choices are taken.

1. Fresh in Summer by Alastair Hendy (Photography by David Loftus)

2. The Essence of Chocolate by John Scharffenberger and Robert Steinberg

3. Holiday Cupcakes by Annie Rigg (Photography by Kate Whitaker)

4. Heirloom Baking with the Brass Sisters by Marilynn and Sheila Brass

Food Photography Favorites

Apple Pecan Whole Wheat Scones from Naturally Ella

Blue Poppy Cake by The Fondant Flinger

Savory Autumn Leaf Pies from Martha Stewart

Buttermilk Pancakes with Blueberries and Spiced Maple Butter from The Food Dept

Purple Artichokes Photographs from At Down Under

Ruffled Wedding Cake by Wow Factor Cakes

Saturday Favorites

I have a long weekend due to Veterans Day this week! Especially since I work for a veteran-owned company right now, the courage and sacrifice of those in service is never far from our minds. Just want to take a moment to thank all of those who dedicate their lives and risk their safety to keep us secure. We are so grateful for them, and I'm glad to have the chance to give back through several charities our company's working with this holiday season =). 

The extra long weekend is a godsend as it's giving me a chance to grab some much-needed sleep (hopefully to avoid catching that cold that's going around these days...), catch the new Bond movie with P (really excited about Skyfall!!), and check out all the new music and food posts I've gotten so behind on. My blog reader is probably at least twice as huge as you'd imagine, but there's just so much inspirational stuff out there that I always look forward to taking it all in and showing you all my favorites. Hope you fall in love with these like I have!

Upside-down Clementine Cakes from Drizzle and Drip

Sea-colored Wedding Cake with Gold Branches by Cake Opera Co.

Apple Pie from Paulina Kolondra

Roasted Vegetable Salad with Poached Eggs from Everyday Food

Feather Cake by The Caketress

Royal Icing Bird Cookies by Nelle Cakes

Monday Favorites!

It's only Monday and already been a long day leading into a long week, but I thought I'd force myself to take a quick break to share these gorgeous cakes and other food photos that I've been stockpiling. I've just got to power through the rest of this month, then I promise some exciting new treats and recipes will be shared! For starters, I'll be making a much belated birthday cake for 3 amazing years of 6 Bittersweets. My mind's been set on white chocolate cake with raspberry ripple for a while, and I'm gonna have some fun with the decorations. Suggestions are welcome in that area. In the meantime, enjoy these soothing sights for sore eyes and hungry bellies =D.

Wedding Cake with Golden Royal Icing Details via Style Me Pretty

Savory Sandwich Layer Cake from Mrs A in the Cove

Mini Black-bottom Cheesecakes with Cherries Photograph from Janne Peters

Gold and Bronze Wedding Cake by Sweet Sensations

Plum Galette Photograph from A Little Sussy

Blue Wedding Cake with Fuschia Flowers by Sweet Disposition

Mango Sorbet from Spoon by The Kitchen Finesse

Monday Favorites

Hi guys -- I'm still here! Sorry to be MIA again lately, but it's a bit of an understatement to say that my life has been kuh-ray-zeeeee lately! It's gonna be at least another few days before I can return with my first recipe in who knows how long, but I thought I'd go ahead and share the food photography and music favorites I've nonetheless been saving up in my spare moments here and there. Below you can also find a quick phone snapshot of a strawberry and vanilla cake I baked this week for a Hello Kitty fan's 7th birthday this week! I didn't have the chance to meet Kara directly, but I sure hope she liked her strawberry-loving kitty ^-^.

How've you all been? I've really missed our interactions and can't wait til things calm down to get back on track.

Ampersand Mosaic Wedding Cake by Blissfully Sweet Cakes

Basil for Snickerdoodle Cookies from Desserts for Breakfast

Nautical Wedding Cake by City View Bakehouse

Cherries for Cherry Ginger Chutney from Indian Simmer

Ombre Buttercream Wedding Cake with Bird Toppers by Sugar High Inc.

Roasted Peach Sherbet Cones from Always with Butter

Sunday Favorites

Wow! Did you guys SEE that storm? What a crazy weekend, eh? For those of you lucky enough to be outside of the affected region, this article and this slideshow from Washington Post provide both visual and written documentation of recent events. According to the former, "The storm . . . took at least 13 lives across the eastern United States, caused widespread damage, and [left] more than 3 million people without power." We were out of power for about 24 hours (made especially miserable by the record-setting high temperatures) and even lost cell reception for several hours.

After 2010's "Snowpocalypse" and the microbursts of recent summers, we're not unused to our utilities going bust, but we could usually escape the effects previously by driving 5 or 10 miles away. But on Saturday morning we drove over 20 miles away on a major road and still failed to find a single building with power. Even worse, even the busiest intersections had neither working traffic lights nor authorized personnel guiding traffic. We quickly realized that venturing out was a bad idea and were grateful to see power come back that evening.

I know that many hit by the storm are still without power, struggling with fallen debris, or mourning loved ones. My thoughts remain with them, and if you have friends or acquaintances hit hard by the storm, I encourage you to offer your support until they can get everything up and running again.

Stunning Piano Wedding Cake by Legacy Cakes Bakery

High Tea Mini Cakes by Three Little Blackbirds

Summer Squash Tacos with Avocado Chimichurri Sauce from Cookie and Kate

Pinwheel Wedding Cake by Couture Cakery

Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting from Hungry Girl Por Vida

Wednesday Favorites and Food Jewelry Giveaway!

Hi everyone! I know it seems like I dropped off the face of the (blogger) world, but don't worry I'm fine! Better than fine, in fact. I started a new full-time job last week and I'm loving the people and being back at work. The only slight downside is the 1 to 1 1/2-hour commute, but even that gives me time to flip through the latest Gourmet Traveller or to dance (inwardly) to my favorite music. My coworkers been really welcoming and, perhaps best of all, it's a very food-friendly group so I know my baked treats will be welcomed =D.

I am planning to get back into the groove of regularly posting my original recipes, photos, and other content. But in the meantime, I thought I'd jump back into blogging by sharing some back-logged food photography favorites and a super fun giveaway of some sushi-shaped earrings! I have to be honest...this might have been a product review rather than a giveaway if I had pierced ears. But my loss is your gain, so I hope you'll take advantage of all the many ways to enter!

These earrings and other adorable food jewelry are hand-sculpted from polymer clay by the talented Amelia of The Frippery Factory. Her work has been featured at the Walker Art Center's (one of the "top 5" modern art museums in the US) gift shop, and it's my delight to share her charming work here. If you like these earrings, be sure to check out her site for other interesting designs based on foods including linguine frutti di mare and French macarons. To enter, do as many of the following as you want and leave a separate comment for each thing you do! Please also make sure to leave a way for me to contact you if you win. The giveaway is limited to mailing addresses in the US and will close on July 4 at midnight; the winner will then be announced shortly thereafter.

• Leave a comment that you'd like to win these earrings.
• Like 6 Bittersweets on Facebook, then leave a comment telling me you did or already do.
• Like The Frippery Factory on Facebook, then leave a comment telling me you did or already do.
• Subscribe to this blog, then leave a comment telling me you did or already do.
• Follow 6 Bittersweets on Twitter, then leave a comment telling me you did or already do so, including your Twitter name.
• Follow The Frippery Factory on Twitter, then leave a comment telling me you did or already do so, including your Twitter name.
• Tweet about this giveaway, tagging me @6bittersweets, then leave a comment telling me including a link to the post.

Noodle Soup with Poached Egg Photograph by Aya Brackett

Ruffled Wedding Cake by City View Bakehouse

Baked Bread and Butter Pudding Photograph from Painting With Food

Momofuku Ooey Gooey Butter Cake Bars with Blueberries from Bakers Royale

Broccoli and Pumpkin Tempura with Soy and Mirin from BBC Good Food

Saturday Favorites and Some Thoughts on Life and Loss

This has been a week of shocking news. I've learned of the unexpected deaths of 2 spirited young ladies I knew, K and E. One was a high school friend I'd fallen out of touch with, the other, the wife of a friend. Though I did not know either of them closely at the time of their passing, I'm still heartbroken at the loss of such young, bright individuals. Being in my mid-20s only, I suppose the very reality of death, its unflinching finality and often invisible approach, still comes as a shock to me. It absolutely boggles my mind that I'll never again see E's face light up in laughter as it so frequently did. Completely by coincidence, on the same day I learned of E's death I discovered the most beautiful dance video I'd ever seen (above). These performers speak volumes with just their bodies -- a moving story about the loss of a loved one. As I watched it I couldn't help but think of E's husband of only a few years and what he must be feeling right now.

Though I was merely on the fringes of K and E's lives, I feel the space they've left and am keeping their loved ones in my thoughts. And as trite as it may sound, these tragedies have reminded me of how precious and fragile all our lives are. Especially while we're young, we tend to put off doing important things until "tomorrow" as if the next moment or day or year is guaranteed when it's really not. Of course I don't think we should spend our lives in fear of what bad things may befall us. I simply want to remind my readers and myself to not take things for granted and appreciate the beauty around and inside each person; to be kind to loved ones and tell them how you really feel; and to generally live life to the fullest while we're here on this earth.

Sesame Pea Shoot Salad from Westervin

Mini Jelly Domes Photograph from Kim Morphew (Food Stylist)

Vanilla Poached Pears with Hazelnut Praline Ice Cream Parfait from BBC Good Food

Sweet Potato Pie from The Food Dept.

Tomato Olive Pasta and Tortellini Soup Photographs from Maja Smend (Photographer)