New Baby-New Treats

 Hi there! 

Well, it's been a year or so and a lot has happened. The start of 2021 was bittersweet. We lost family members, including my cooking buddy Jack, but we gained a few new babies. So with deep sadness, there is also an overwhelming amount of new love. Say hello to Cass, or pandemic baby! 

I decided that I needed to start making treats again and found the perfect book! The Nightmare Before Christmas cookbook and entertaining guide.

So making treats is going to be a bit different this time around. With a new baby, my time is never my own, and doing anything takes a lot longer. With that being said these posts will be fun but a bit shorter haha! 

For my first treat, I chose these Mummy Tartlets. Aren't they cute! 

I started by baking the butternut squash with some olive oil, pepper and salt. Cass had fun watching this stage. I made sure to narrate the process and point out that the oven needed to be at 425 degrees. 

While the squash bakes, I cut out pastry rounds and strips for the mummy wraps. I decided to only make 7 tarts since the dough was pre-rolled. Which, thanks Craig, made things easier but I couldn't roll it out and get even more rounds. To prepare the dough, I used an egg wash.

This was about the time that we needed to take a Mr. Calimari break and then a nap LOL! I had to finish the tartlets alone...but he lasted longer than I thought. Hopefully, the next treat keeps his attention. 

After the squash was baked, smooshed and cooled, I added them to the pastry rounds. 

Next came the delicious goat cheese, two olives for the mummy eyes, and the remaining pastry strips for its wraps. Make sure to smoosh the edges down to attach the round and strips together. Place in the fridge for about 30 mins to chill the dough. 

After that, bake for 25 mins and voila! Mummy tartlets! A fun savory Halloween bite. They were scrumptious and went well with a spinach salad. The goat cheese adds a nice tartness with the earthy butternut squash. 

Looks like I should have made the strips a bit thinner though.

Thanks for reading,

Bunny and Cass

Candytopia

Hey Y'all! 

I got sucked into another vortex of delicious art, this time it was at Candytopia in San Francisco. Located conspicuously close to the Museum of Ice Cream, this new pop-up features interactive art displays made entirely of candy.

This candy factory is a maze of themed rooms, sweet treats to eat and wondrous candy displays. Each featured art piece includes a plaque letting guests know how many jellybeans(or what have you) were used and also how much all that candy weighs. It was really nice getting the inside scoop of the hours spent on these masterpieces. Guests are also encouraged to touch and photograph the candy art which was really fun. I don't want to give too much away but here are a few of my favorites! 

One part of this experience that set it apart from the MOIC are their Sugar Rush photo-ops. A few rooms have cameras set up on the ceiling with timers. The photos are then emailed to you automatically. That was a big plus for me. You know I love my pictures!

My favorite space by far was the magic confetti room. Imagine candy pigs in tutus, jellybean unicorns and buckets of rainbow confetti falling from the sky! It brought out the kid in me instantly. I could have stayed in there forever!

 

This rooms particular Sugar Rush had a spinning color circle with a TON of confetti raining down! Can we say Holiday Card!?

Towards the end of the candy journey, much like the MOIC sprinkle pool, Candytopia features a giant pool filled with faux marshmallows. Stepping into this soft pit of white was hilarious, just trying to get from one side to the other was exhausting! he he But we loved it!

Candytopia was so awesome, I'd definitely recommend checking it out if you're in the area. This museum stresses the importance of candy in our lives...the importance of artistic expression and the ability to just have fun! That is everything!

Thanks Candytopia and San Francisco, until next time!

Cheers, Bunny

Little Damage Magic

Tucked into a busy corner in the heart of LA lies Little Damage. An adorably catchy soft serve ice cream shop, that i'm sure you've heard of. 

They popped up all over Facebook with awesome charcoal black ice-cream cones and equally colorful ice creams! It was all I had ever wanted in life, ice cream cones...yes as black as my soul. They looked so yummy! It took forever but Craig and I actually planned a SoCal trip, so I made sure Little Damage was our first stop in LA! 

First impression...SO CUTE! And they decorated for Halloween! These were my people! A few neon signs hung in the shop and they even have a photo-booth to commemorate your visit, completely free too. 

We tried a few of their flavors and I had already made up my mind to try the black ice cream...but then I tasted the Unicorn Tears. Sweet mother of god! Perfection! I can't pass up anything cake batter. I even got to choose some sprinkles to add to the unicorn magic! The black ice cream was yummy too, kind of an icy berry. Next time we are in LA I'll have to get a scoop. Craig went for the Smore Taco which looked amazing. He ate it so fast I didn't even get to try LOL!

I reluctantly left the sweet smelling shop but I did have a huge black ice cream cone filled with blue unicorn tears and two googly eyes. Little Damage, thank you...you have my heart!

If you are ever in LA, check them out. Little Damage is family owned and rotate their flavors seasonally and add in some creative creations. So you never know what you will find!

https://www.littledamage.com/

Cheers, Bunny