“I broke my cookie in half and bit one piece. There are times in life when sugar turns into medicine. This was one of those times.”
~ Ilona Andrews, “White Hot” (2017)
sugar
Link dump time again
I was out sick for the past week. I was also way to groggy to post, but I did mark all the crap I found interesting while I was out (sleeping 17+ hours a day makes you desperate for something different to do that doesn’t involve moving or thinking–and the internet was perfect for the job). So here’s the non-video stuff. (I’d put up the video links later this weekend.)
How to make deep fried butter from a new website I found. The recipe sounds better than the title does.
“She needs energyless, artificially sweetened foods and beverages like a turtle needs a seat belt. Sugar swings. Serve some.” (A sugar industry ad from 1966)
“…there are still people in their eighties who remember austerity scrimping and saving, and many others who, like me, have lived in the shadows of such memories, and with the mentality of making do.” Here comes austerity chic.
Bear, don’t eat that! (a cat link for my husband)
An article about a 26 page recipe for brownies (click here to download the actual recipe).
The Food Timeline is a massive repository of food history, recipes, and information. A small example covers 20th century American foods. I’ll be wasting a lot of time here.
An open letter to the assholes who dumped two young dogs.
I would arm-wrestle my husband to hang this in my home.
Space kitty cake goes “pew pew”! I’m not really sure how to describe it, other than adorable in a truly odd way.
Space by Spacewest 2010 Pan-Galactic Alien Film Festival
I apologize for the delay, things kept getting in the way but I really didn’t want to add anymore new posts until I finished my tribute to Kimberly’s award-winning cake. So here it is in all its glory.
As I stated previously, there’s so much to Kimberly’s cake that I’m going to have to break it down by layers and visit all the geeky little details. We’re starting at the bottom and working our way us, we we’ll start with the table decorations… also known as the parking lot.
See the brickwork behind the shrink-ray valet? Kimberly made over 1500 of the little buggers for the bottom layer.
Here are some of the shrunken ships in the parking lot. (And here is where I display my crappy photography skills. I don’t know what I did wrong, but this year’s photos aren’t as good as last year’s, even though I have a better camera. I’ll have to get my sister-in-law to give me a few quick lessons.)
My first photo of this was taken at a different angle and when I reviewed it later that day, it looked like the little green guy was pissing on the wall. I don’t think that was quite the effect she was going for, so I made sure to get a shot where you could see the spray paint can.
Now to the Lobby Tier:
First is Leeloo with her multipass.
The little green toothy dudes from GalaxyQuest
The Doctor’s TARDIS
Mars Attacks! and Planet of the Apes, along with some more movie posters
The Predator is giving the Alien (with the pink bow that you can’t see) flowers…. is this an homage to Alien and Predator, or to Robot Chicken?
Check out the slime. It’s those little details that I love.
Now it’s time to visit the Concession Stand Tier:
Another poor quality photo. Someone else did it better here.
This entrance to Miliways had me squeeing with joy. That shows you how much of a geek I am.
The chick from the mini-series V (I’m trying to forget the full television series).
I love the single shoe next to Audrey 2’s pot.
The concession stand with Popcorn, Reese’s Pieces, Spice, and a Slurm vending machine.
I’d love one for my cube at work.
The third tier is the movie auditorium, showing Plan 9 from Outer Space, and once again, it’s a crappy photo.
At this point, I’m going to stop trying to add a comment for every photo and just post.
The alien egg was hidden at the back of the cake – I didn’t even notice it the first day of the show.
This was probably my second favorite part of the cake: Futurama AND Buckaroo Banzai jokes in one shot. (The “Han shot first” graffito was my favorite.)
The entire fourth tier, and hopefully final crap quality photo.
One last shot of the entire cake.
It only took a month and a half to put Kimberly’s cake up on my site… but it was worth it.
2010 Cake Show: Showcake Competition
Special Showcake Competition
This was the second year that the Austin cake show offered a division for Showcakes. Last year there were a decent number of entries for this division, but this year there were even more. While the entries in the other categories don’t have to reflect the theme of the show – about a 7th of the decorator’s score in the Showcake Competition is based on how closely they follow that theme. This years’s theme was “2010 – A Cake Odyssey” (they announced early last year that this would cover both Science Fiction and Fantasy).
In addition to the general rules, the following rules apply specifically to entries in the Showcake Competition:
- Decorations – Any sugar medium is allowed.
- Construction – The entry can be made out of Styrofoam or any other cake substitute if the final design is one that could realistically be made out of real cake.. If the entry is a sculpted cake, it must be made of real cake with 3 in process pictures submitted along with the entry.
- Size – The entry needs to meet minimum height and serving requirements. The minimum finished height is 24” and the entry must be of sufficient size that it would meet or exceed a minimum of 100 servings.
- Display – Each entry will be displayed on an individual 48” round, standard (29” – 30”) height tables. The entrant will be responsible for dressing and decorating the table. The decoration of the table should compliment the decoration of the cake to complete the theme of the entry. Judges will consider all table decorations as a portion of overall eye appeal criteria. If table decorations are made of sugar media, they will be included in the number of techniques used, originality, creativity and difficulty judging criteria.
- Judging – Judging for the Showcake entries will be based on a point system. 100 maximum points with points awarded based on the following criteria:
Application of the theme (15 pts)
Precision of techniques (15 pts)
Originality and creativity (15 pts)
Appropriate design – size, shape, colors, table decorations, etc. (15 pts)
Difficulty of techniques (15 pts)
Number of techniques used (15 pts)
Overall eye appeal – judge’s discretion (10 pts)
Judging will be conducted by a team of qualified judges (this year it included a judge from Sony Pictures).
I tried to post photos of all the cakes, but I may have missed a few. Other than for the 5th to First Place winners, I didn’t get all of the names of the cake decorators because these cakes were roped off and many of the entry forms were out of reach.
Alice in Wonderland
R2-D2
“Pixie Hollow”
“Dream Scape”
(There were two cakes by this title, so I just referred to this one as “the claw”)
(Gandalf? Merlin? Cranky old man with a sword?)
“E.T. Phone Home”
“Baby Na’vi”
(what you can’t tell from the photo is that both the eyes and the tip of the hair/biological USB connector glowed)
“Dalaran: City of Mages Cake”
(I have better quality photos of this cake, but they were all taken after it began to split apart. My WoW obsessed co-worker loved this one)
“In To the Future”
(this was the only moving cake at the show. The top half of the cake revolves)
The Nightmare Before Christmas
(poor Jack Skellington collapsed and had to be removed the next day)
Robots
Science Fiction
“Dream Scape” by Joy Longberg
(Exotic plants? The center support was lit.)
Attack of the Killer Tomatoes
(I liked this one a lot – but think it would have fared better in the novelty tiered cake division)
Fifth Place
Chronicles of Narnia – The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by Claudia Estela Rosales
Fourth Place
The Decorator of the Future by Sylvia Wilson
(I think that was the title)
Third Place
Avatar by Lisette Vergara
Business Name: Austin Sweet Treats
(she was last year’s first place winner for this category)
Second Place
Golum by Brian Stevens
Business Name: Crazy Cakes Inc.
First Place
Space by Spacewest
2010 Pan-Galactic Alien Film Festival
by Kimberly Chapman
(No business name because she’s not a professional. She’s simply a highly talented decorator who enjoys designing cakes for her family)
This cake was designed to be viewed from all sides, so giving you one good photo is almost impossible. Up next will be a post with pictures of all the details of Kimberly’s cake.
2010 Cake Show: Masters Division
Masters Division: Expert in sugar art. Is known to have mastered specific mediums and techniques. May be an author, instructor, or work in the sugar art business. Has more than 120 hours of instruction. Open to all styles
(There weren’t very many entries in the Master’s Division.)
Any non-tiered cake with a theme such as a Birthday, Anniversary, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, etc. including one tier wedding or anniversary cakes. Any sugar mediums or techniques may be used (only one entry)
First Place for Special Occasion or Novelty One Tier
Flower Shoe by Ruth Rickey
Business Name: Ruth’s Sweete Justice Bakery, OKC, OK
2-D or 3-D cakes and sculptures. Entries must be real cake. Minimal use of Styrofoam allowed to complete entry. Any sugar mediums may be used. Must submit 3 in-progress pictures (one entry).
First Place for Sculpted Cakes
Little Yellow Jacket by Janette Pfertner
Business Name: Miss Janette’s Cakes
These are cakes with two or more tiers (stacked or tiered). Novelty/ special occasion cakes do not include wedding or anniversary cakes. Any sugar mediums or techniques may be used (two entries).
Second Place for Special Occasion or Novelty Tiered Cakes
Heavy Metal by Janet Rosebeary
Business Name: Rosebeary’s Designs in Baking
So cuuuuuuuute!
and such a tiny robot butt…
First Place for Special Occasion or Novelty Tiered Cakes
Private Island by Michele Foster
Business Name: The Sugar Fix
Cakes with two or more tiers decorated specifically for weddings or anniversaries. Any techniques or sugar mediums may be used (three entries).
Third Place for Wedding Tiered Cakes
Pink Lady by Michele Foster
Business Name: The Sugar Fix
Second Place for Wedding Tiered Cakes
Mosaic by Ruth Rickey
Business Name: Ruth’s Sweete Justice Bakery, OKC, OK
First Place for Wedding Tiered Cakes
Wedding Outside by Janet Rosebeary
Business Name: Rosebeary’s Designs in Baking
And a sneak peek at one of the cakes in the Showpiece Division. A very small sneak peek.
