According to the gang at Yumsugar, Sprinkles cupcake shop is serving .75 cent shots of their rich and decadent buttercream frosting…frozen.  Although it never ocurred to me to eat frosting frozen, it sure sounds terrific.  We don’t have a Sprinkles in New Orleans, but I did just get the latest Martha Stewart Cupcake book (genius by the way) and so I’m planning on whipping up a bit of extra frosting to pipe into mini tasting cups and toss into the freezer.  The lazy person in me is also considering going to the local cupcakery and asking them to do it.  Either way, I’m checking it out.

What a sight to see a heaping mound of shell peas at the farmer’s market this week!  I dropped by for a bit of lemon-thyme to use in a sorbet I am making for the dinner menu tonight and couldn’t help but snap a picture of these peas on my way through the market!  So impressive!

If loving you is wrong, I don’t want to be right.  At La Divina Gelateria, this is but one of the delectable gelato flavors.  The almost tobacco-like flavor of Steen’s cane syrup gelato, wrapping it’s creamy self around smoky bacon…I need a fainting chair positioned near the cold case.   Then, when I faint, here’s hoping someone places cool slices of bacon on my forehead whilst having me whiff bacon-scented smelling-salts.

Emeril’s BFF, Mario Batali, is serving some fantastic bar snacks at his West Side eatery, Del Posto.  My favorite of the little plates menu was a fancy-pants version of a club sandwich.  The “Hare Club,” sandwiches layers of wild hare and rabbit pate, homemade tomato jam and baby spinach between the thinest slices of white toast I’ve ever seen.  Not too shabby for the end of a toothpick.

While waiting for my son to finish football practice (yes, in this outrageous heat!), I popped into a coffee shop and happened upon a display of several cakes, including a lush, three-layer red velvet with cream cheese icing.  Moist, and gently cocoa flavored, this slice and an iced coffee was just what I needed for a late afternoon pick-me-up.  Caffeine and sugar are my vices;  what are yours?

Dollar Dumplings!

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Picture 1 from 3: Chive and Pork boiled dumplings are 4 for a $1.50!

Can you believe that this take-out box of four boiled dumplings cost me at $1.50?!  And, better yet, the cooking demo and people-watching comes free of charge!

Way back in April, Lorin wrote about the Ponchatoula strawberry festival and since then, I’ve barely been able to contain my berry-envy!   Thankfully, we’ve finally got some great local strawberries making their way onto the farmer’s market tables here in NY!  While the berries aren’t from New York just yet, Connecticut and New Jersey have been so kind to sell their goods on our side of the state line!

I’m staring at the thermometer and it reads 105 degrees -yikes!  Ah, New Orleans in summer (almost - tomorrow it’ll be official).   No way am I heating up the house by turning on the oven, so that means trotting down the street to the local seafood shop for freshly boiled Gulf shrimp.   A pile of boiled shrimp, some Abita Satsuma Harvest Wit and a crisp, cool salad of local cucumbers, tomatoes, onions and Greek-style Feta, should be just perfect as the sun and temperature drops.  You’re invited.

Ok, Dan Aykroyd’s “luxury” Crystal Head vodka.  Watch the video, ignore the video, be puzzled by the video (me!); drink the vodka, it’s quite nice… and pricey too (about $50).  The skull head is very cool and I’m pretty psyched about the “magical powers.”

Or any other kind of mold you wish.  Bompas and Parr, named after the two mad scientists behind the company, will custom make you a jelly mold of your liking.  I wonder if they could make a mold of my tiny NYC apartment.  I’d probably need a microscope to see it!