Green Halloween Candy!

Halloween time = Candy time

But candy time doesn't have to be destroy the world time! Of course, the best candies are going to be ones that are organic and fancy and all that goodness, but if you want to have some nostalgic candy going on, and don't want to get caught up in the whirl that is the palm oil industry, check out all the palm oil-free candies at this list here. And another list here!

And you can read more about palm oil (which I wasn't too familiar with) at ThinkProgress.

Cookie Nails!

Mmm, aren't they delicious? Chocolate-chip!

Read an Unpublished Chapter of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory"

You can read a whole, unpublished chapter of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory over at The Guardian.

There's generally a reason why part of a book doesn't get published, and it certainly makes sense here (too many kids!), but the mountain of vanilla fudge does sound delectable - though I'd prefer salted caramel fudge to vanilla.

NYT's "What's In It?"

Once you get past the hyper-produced graphics, there is some serious shit to be learned in this video series by Michael Moss and the New York Times. The first lesson? Apparently there was a thing called "Cookie Dough Oreos"



Other things I learned: uncooked flour can make you sick (I never knew this one and now I'm somewhat terrified), and this whole "Permissions" marketing strategy. It's creepy and I don't like it, but at the same time I did eat a lot of "banana pudding ice cream" when we were in Pawley's Island, but I think it did have some legit banana pudding, whipped cream, and 'Nilla wafers in it. Then again, maybe I just imagined them?

Companion Short to 'Grand Budapest Hotel'

I was a little late to seeing Grand Budapest Hotel, so it's not surprising that I'm a little late to catch the companion short. Check it out below:



Dessert and Wes Anderson? Deliciously sweet.

[via /Film]

Macaron Ice Cream Sandwiches are the New Cronuts

Now THIS I can get behind.

Macarons - Good
Ice cream - Good
Multiple flavors - Gooooood

Have any of you tried a macaron ice cream sandwich? I can't wait!

Um, Dream Dessert Table?

If only I could have a dessert table this epic at my wedding...

Photo: Marcus Nilsson

Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds' wedding is the star of this month's Martha Stewart Weddings, and it's no surprise - look at that dessert table!! They even had fancy s'mores bars like at Park Avenue Autumn! Come on!

No worries, though... Our dessert table may not be as elegant, but it will be just as epic, that's for sure!

[via VideoGum]

It's a Nice Day for a Winged Wedding

Now that is one classy snitch cake! They really did a fantastic job. I still want to eat the cake, but I can appreciate the artistry (unlike the dragon cake where I just want that dragon to come alive and by my buddy!).

Definitely the most elegant Harry Potter-themed wedding cake I've seen!

[via Neatorama]

Donut Shot Glasses

Now if only I had a couple of these this morning, I'd have been set. (Though of course I'd fill them with chocolate milk instead of Kahlua).

[via Neatorama]

Starry Night, Swirly Cake

I want this cake. A) I love Van Gogh B) It's so pretty!! (love his wheat fields) C) Honestly, it looks pretty tasty. Clearly, there's plenty of icing! Plus, it's good icing and not fondant - that's the way you use icing to make baked goods pretty!

The only downside would be that eating it would destroy it... Unless by eating it I ingested its artistic abilities and then became a great painter myself!

[via Neatorama]

Artful Stew: ENGAGED!!

OMGosh the ring!! Isn't it beautiful?

Since most of my readers are my good friends, you probably already know that your very own Artful Stew got engaged last week!!!

Isn't it exciting!?

I couldn't be happier. My fiance is the most wonderful man in the world. So wonderful that he's the one who bought me my Harry Potter ebook collection the day it was released as my early birthday present! It doesn't get any better than that! We're not sure when or where the wedding will be yet, but we're thrilled that we're going to spend the rest of our lives together. Also, saying "my fiance" is a ton of fun!

He proposed at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens on the first seventy-degree day in NYC. Absolutely perfect. Here are some flower photos to show you how lovely it was:

We spent all last week eating at wonderful restaurants around the city - seven places we had never tried before - including DB Bistro Moderne (using a gift card), Eataly, Chikalicious, Locanda Verde, Buvette, Ciano, Northern Spy Co (best kale salad!), the Spotted Pig, and our favorite place to celebrate, Harry's Cafe and Steak. Unfortunately, our favorite waiter wasn't there to share the news, but we're going to email him and make sure we return on a day he's working so we can celebrate with him. After all, he's been there for most of our anniversary and birthday dinners! Plus, we got some engagement cupcakes from Magnolia, just for good measure.

Below are some fun food photos, too. Enjoy!

Delicious chicken and fancy fries at DB Bistro

Desserts from Locanda Verde

Formerly a sundae at Harry's

His burger and my salad at the Spotted Pig

OMGosh engagement cupcakes!

Laduree in New York City!

Real French macarons have landed in NYC!

Beloved French tea salon Laduree has finally (finally!) opened a store in New York, at 864 Madison Ave.   Renown for their delectable macrons, Laduree has been hinting at opening a New York branch for years, but only now have they officially opened their doors in America.

As you will recall (from the above picture), this was the bf and my's favorite dessert in all of France. We didn't know how much we would love the little almond cookies until we ate twelve in about ten minutes (after waiting in line for half an hour). The flavors are bold, the cookies crisp but yielding, and the goo holding them together is, what I believe to be, the essence of happiness.

The bf and I are still on vacation, so after a scrumptious Restaurant Week lunch (which I will describe in detail in my next post), we headed over to check out the new shop. We arrived at 2:50pm and were out by 3:15pm, so only a 25 minute wait. Not too bad for the first week. Plus, the line was entirely indoors, which made the wait much more pleasant. We got eight macarons - two chocolate, two vanilla, one caramel, one coffee, one pistachio, and one raspberry - for $23, which is insanely expensive ($2.70 per macaron is more than a Magnolia cupcake!), but worth it as a rare treat.

My favorite is the vanilla, and his is the caramel. The vanilla has the strongest vanilla flavor you can find in the United States aside from eating a vanilla bean straight up. I was amazed, but somehow they tasted just as good here in the United States sitting on a bench in Central Park as they did in Paris watching the sunset from the apartment. Unbelievable.

Serious Eats has a much more descriptive article here. They spoke with David Holder, the chairman of Laduree (he also runs Paul, the delicious bakery from our Paris adventure). He claims that we'll be seeing a Laduree tea room with a full kitchen in Soho or the Village sometime next Spring. What a treat! Although, I'm sure reservations will be incredibly difficult to get and the prices will probably be through the roof, but it will certainly be worth it.

Picture of Chocolate-Chip Banana Muffins

Proof of the fact that I can do something I set out to do! (Ok, I know, I'm no great photographer, but at least you can see chocolate chips and stuff, right? And I used the "Macro" setting!)

Things I've Actually Accomplished: Chocolate-Chip Banana Muffins

After months of seeing spare, overripe bananas go to waste, Liz and I finally decided to take action and make the banana bread we always said we would. The result: pure, tasty, muffin-y bliss.

Pictures to follow.

Working on my Night Cream

Alright, here we go, world, what about -

Professional puppy photographer by day... and professional ice cream maker by night? How's that sound?

MILKMADE: NYC's NEW Sustainable Ice Cream Makers, Hand-delivering to Your Door from SkeeterNYC on Vimeo.

Things I Like About Dallas: Dessert

I've been going home a lot recently, Thanksgiving, a funeral, and the upcoming Christmas spectacular that begins next Saturday - get ready, family! Despite all my treks to the southland, though, I haven't said much about it and its many wonders. Here is a brief list (minus all of my friends and family that I get to visit, of course!).

First Up: Dessert!

1) Mustang Donuts: so named for being right next to SMU (Southern Methodist University) whose mascot is the Mustang, and for selling donuts. About a two-three min drive from my house, this spot sells the absolute tastiest donuts that I've ever eaten anywhere. New York has nothing on these fried little bites of heaven. My favorite? The Mustang White Cream - a donut filled with Mustang's own white icing - not pudding - icing. Just be warned: it closes at noon (like any real donut place) and may hold too much tastiness for one sitting.

2) JD's Chippery: Right around the corner from Mustang (literally), is JD's, which makes the best store-bought cookies ever, I think. I specify store-bought because out of familial ties I must say that my dad's homemade cookies (oatmeal, chocolate-chip, pecan) are the best cookies of all time. But JD's are great, freshly baked right there, and sometimes I get a Cherry Limeade to go with it - but that depends on how much sugar you can handle because they always put SO MUCH syrup in it! Yummy but also terrible for your teeth. My favorites: the oatmeal chocolate-chip, the snickerdoodles, and the milk chocolate-chip.

3) Pokey-O's: Also three minutes from my house, but in a slightly different direction than JD's and Mustang, Pokey-O's is an ice cream sandwich place - yes, just ice cream sandwiches all day, everyday. They make ice cream sandwiches daily from delicious, freshly baked cookies (of your choice, I generally go for chocolate-chip here, too), and then stuffed with a mound of Blue Bell ice cream - a classic ice cream made only in 17 states but also the 3rd most bought brand, so there you go. This store is new to Dallas, I think only since the summer after freshmen year of college, but it's pretty darn delicious.

4) Paciugo: Gelato made by an Italian with ingredients imported from Italy - having eaten the real stuff, I am fully qualified to say it's just as good. DARN good. Tons of flavors to choose from and you get to put three (3!) different flavors in the small size (which is big enough, let me tell you). My favorites: Stratiacella, Chocolate chocolate chip, Banana with Nilla Wafers. I never go for the sorbet because I'm just not that kind of girl, but I hear it's fantastic.

5) The Highland Park Pharmacy: About 10 min from home, best grilled cheese and shake combo EVER. You've got to split the shakes, though, because they're massive, so I hope you're ready for that. But, mmm mmm, it's always a great decision. And it's totally awesome because it literally has not changed since like, 1950, so it's totally old and dirty and the ladies that work there are super old and have been there since who knows when. So fun.

Stew of the Week

BONUS!

Check out The Cupcake Project's "Oreo Cookie Cupcakes with Built-In Cup for Milk." Now if you were to use Newman O's and my previously posted vegan chocolate cupcake recipe (just add Newman O's instead of chocolate chips) then this recipe is still Artful Stew approved for health and tastifaction.

Mmmm, mmm!

Happy (sweet) Stewing!

Correlation or Causation?

So after spending a weekend in Pittsburgh (vacationing from work and posting) gorging on delicious desserts, I went into the doctor's on Monday expecting my cholesterol to have skyrocketed.* To my surprise, it fell by nearly 30 points.

Now, I'm not saying definitively that eating delectable delights in the form of mini banana cream pies, cake-like cookies that are filled with scrumptious vanilla icing, or just plain thumbprint cookies will lower your cholesterol or even had an effect on mine, but it's a pretty convenient coincidence.

Ok, and maybe it also had something to do with the influx of vegetables I ate or the fact that I was fairly active all week, but I still find it hilarious that I discovered this high-dessert-low-cholesterol correlation immediately after posting a "Stew of the Week" that entirely focuses on eating healthier desserts. Just goes to show you that sometimes you can cheat and pay the opposite of the price.

*I'm on a few different medications that cause an increase in cholesterol, so I have to be on the lookout for any dramatic increases.