DD’s Diary :: Dessert Darling

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You Are Loved

By Dessert Darling · Comments (4)

Sunday, February 13th, 2011

A year ago from today my fiance proposed to me in a 4 Seasons hotel room that he had decorated with seventeen dozen cupcakes, chocolates, candies and more (full story w/ photos here ). I am the luckiest DD that ever could be.

Today I encourage you to think of something extra special to surprise a loved one on Valentine’s day tomorrow. Whether it be a friend, parent, mentor, or sibling, you can never say or hear “I love you” enough. When you smile, the world smiles back. So have fun, get creative, clever, sweet, or simple- just find a new way to say- You’re loved.

XOXO

ps: to see my top treats for any Valentine, check out my Redbook article here!

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Real Maple Syrup and Snow, a Yummy Combination

By Dessert Darling · Comments (5)

Monday, January 3rd, 2011

Happy New Year everyone!!! 2011 is sure to be one of the Best year’s yet! I’m so happy it’s finally here.

I just got back from an incredible ski trip in Whistler, Canada, where they served these sticks of maple syrup poured onto a bed of snow, to form a taffy-like treat. It was the best way to replenish my energy after a day on the slopes!

In 5th grade I actually wrote a paper on the Colonial Days where I remember reading that these were the treats of choice back in the day!

To see more pics from my Whister trip, click after the break. Official dessert reviews will resume tomorrow! Hats off the the people of Whislter for being some of the nicest people in the World!

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Dylan’s Candy Bar – Fabulous Book and Fun Event

By Dessert Darling · Comments (4)

Friday, October 22nd, 2010

Looks like this is the week of book signings! Tonight I attended Dylan Lauren's (of Ralph Lauren) book signing for her new, fabulous coffee table book, Dylan's Candy Bar: Unwrap Your Sweet Life. It's a joyful compilation of gorgeous images and creative ideas for celebrating, cooking and decorating with candy.

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My Top 10 Favorite Food Sites from the BlogHer Food Conference

By Dessert Darling · Comments (7)

Friday, October 15th, 2010

My Sister-n-Law from Cooking SF and I got down to business last weekend!

We attended the BlogHer Food conference in San Francisco, which was an incredible, sometimes overwhelming, and even times touching experience. I learned golden nuggets of information, met and listened to some rock stars of the food blogging world, and came home with a mountain of biz cards and new sites for my Bookmark bar! One of the key points emphasized at BlogHer was that the blog world is a very giving community. By nature of being a blog, you are giving information that informs and/or entertains. In the spirit of sharing, I’m listing my Top 10 favorite sites that I discovered at BlogHer.

In no particular order:

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Hazards of Being the Dessert Darling – An Open Letter to my Dog

By Dessert Darling · Comments (8)

Friday, September 17th, 2010

Dear Charlie,

You are the sweetest, most wonderful living thing on the planet Earth. I am So incredibly sorry that I left that bag of chocolate chips on my desk. I "hid" them behind my laptop screen so that for me, they were out-of-site, out-of-mind. But you and your super doggy-senses are too smart for that. You sniffed them out, jumping up on my chair and on top of the table while I was blindly skipping off to Bar Method class.

It is not your fault Charlie, you're just too smart, and frankly my love, I would have done the same thing. What kills me though, is that you could have gone into cardiac arrest over something as crap awful as Nestle Tollhouse Chocolate Chips. If you were going to go, it should be from something fabulous like Jacques Torres or John Kelly Chocolates. Bullocks. I hereby swear from this moment on to never snack on terrible Nestle chips just because they're the only chocolate in the house. Let the lesson be learned! I'm relieved to hear from the vet that you are doing much better, but I miss you terribly as I write my first post ever without you by my side. Boo

All my love,

Your Dessert Darling Mama~

You at the Vet

the Awful evidence

ps: the vet said that they take in about three dogs a day for Chocolate Poisoning. Be careful with your pooches!!!

Update: The Vet said Charlie is "very Happy and Peppy" and that he didnt' have any seizures during his whole visit. Thankfully we caught it in time and got all the toxins out quickly! THANK YOU everyone for your kind wishes and loving thoughts. They Really helped! xo

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Fun Features

By Dessert Darling · Comments (0)

Friday, August 27th, 2010

Hi guys! I'm out of town, so I'd thought I'd take this moment to highlight some fun features of Dessert Darling in case you're not totally familiar

TASTY TUESDAYS: At least one Tuesday a month I'm posting a video of me trying great desserts. Click here to check out the first two videos and join the sweet adventures! Or click here for my new YouTube channel! The vids are really fun

TWITTER: Ok, Twitter isn't exactly the most unique "fun feature" on a blog, but now that I finally know how to use it and use it well, I think it's really worth pointing out. In one way, it's like "subscribing" to my blog, since you'll always know when I post something new and fresh. Additionally, I share fun and interesting links ranging from great recipes to new music finds. So go on, click the button and Follow me on Twitter! While you're at it, let's be FB friends too.

THINNY THURSDAYS: By popular demand, I now blog my personal Tips and Tricks to maintaining a happy and healthy lifestyle while eating desserts along the way. Click here to see my Top 10 Tips and scroll down to start from the beginning!

BEST DESSERTS: And of course, let's not forget the reason we're here- to find the Best desserts! So click here for all my 5-Cherry and Golden Cherry award Winners!

I hope you enjoy! And if you do, please share www.DessertDarling.com with all your friends, family, and co-workers! Tweet it, FB it, Blog it, Shout it from the Roof-Tops! Dessert Darling is you're new Guilt-free pleasure and it's totally delicious

Thanks my dessert-loving friends!

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A Special Cupcake Photo

By Dessert Darling · Comments (2)

Sunday, August 15th, 2010

My guy and I are recently got to see the images from our engagement shoot and I just had to share this photo with you. Right when the photographer snapped the last shot of me on the grass surrounded by cupcakes, the sprinklers went off! It was crazy! We were in a mad-dash to save the cupcakes. SAVE THE CUCPCAKES! And of course, the hair. Yikes!

Jerry Yoon was our photographer from San Francisco and he's an incredibly talented artist. If you scroll through his blog, you'll imediately note his interesting use of angles, light and shadow and his ability to catch people in the most precious moments as they're mid-laughter, tears, or celebration.

Thank you Jerry for wonderful day and the fantastic album that you assembled for us!!

For more information on Jerry Yoon photography, click here.

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Dessert Platter from Global Cuisine Catering

By Dessert Darling · Comments (2)

Wednesday, July 28th, 2010

One of the perks of living in Los Angeles is getting to attend sexy events like roof-top parties where you can marvel at a California sunset, test drive a new fancy car, and dine on divine food by caterers who happen to know a thing or two about great desserts. Such was the case for a recent Jaguar party, catered by Gary Arabia from Global Cuisine.

After a lovely evening with friends and a delicious peppercorn steak, I couldn’t wait to see what we had in store for desserts. Mr. Arabia did not let me down. A delightful array of goodies came out that included parfaits, chocolate pot de cremes, mini macaroons, a cheesecake pop, and a ding-dong pop. Yummers!

I truly loved everything on my plate! The cheesecake pop might disappoint specialists as it was a little sweet and had a hint of fruit, but I melted with joy while eating it. I had to go back for seconds on the cool parfait since it was perfect for the warm summer night, and the ding dong was like the ’80s on a sitck!

Overall, a wonderful night! Check it.. wind in my hair, dessert on my plate, and a sweet ride. What more could I ask for? ;-)

For more info on Global Cuisine catering, click here.

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The Opening of Magnolia Bakery in Los Angeles

By Dessert Darling · Comments (6)

Friday, July 16th, 2010

Wooo! I'm jumping for joy!

Thanks to this post in Daily Candy about the famed NYC bakery Magnolia opening in Los Angeles today, hundreds of people dropped by the fresh corner shop in WeHo, only to learn that they don't open until tomorrow. Oops. That said the good people of Magnolia Bakery did not turn their new neighbors and eager fans away empty handed. In fact, the owner himself scooped free cups of the most swoon-worthy Banana Pudding I've ever tried.

Mmmmmmm

It was so good I got a second one. Hee

The Banana Pudding wins the sparkling Golden Cherry award for which I will write a separate review, but for now, let me revel in the joy that is leaping around a brand new, fresh bakery before anyone else gets to!

My friend and blogger Ben from B-sideBlog joined up with me and we chatted with the owner a bit.

Turns out there's a terrible neighborhood scandal involving an old-lady mafia that tries to close down and prevent new businesses from opening in the area!!!! How awful and appalling! Check out Ben's fine reporting on the story here.

Ugh, on that note, WELCOME TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD MAGNOLIA! We are so happy to have you join 3rd Street and wish all small business owners the very best in their endeavors!

and LA CUPCAKES YOU!

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Chocolate Covered Strawberries at the Monterey Plaza Hotel

By Dessert Darling · Comments (3)

Sunday, February 28th, 2010

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Fresh off the tail of our engagement, my man and I, (eh hem) or should I say, my Fiance and I drove down to Monterey to celebrate Feb 14th at the gorgeous Monterey Plaza Hotel where chocolate covered strawberries and champagne awaited us in our room.

Might I digress, for a moment to declare. OHMYGAWD, the Monterey Plaza Hotel is one of the most luxurious, romantic, and special places I've ever snuck away to. It jets out over the ocean where the waves are so dramatic and the air so fresh, that one feels swept away in a romance novel. Plus, the food is UHmazing there. Amazing.

Anyway, chocolate covered strawberries awaited us in our room and I have to say.. I'm not usually a choc-strawberry girl. In general, I don't think fruit has a role in my desserts. Unless it's banana.. otherwise, fruit is too zingy and healthy to be much fun. That said, these chocolate-covered strawberries were totally delicious. Even my guy agreed, and he never likes sweets (I know, crazy).

The strawberries were sweet and ripe and enveloped in a particularly delicious chocolate shell. Together, chocolate and strawberry danced in my mouth before their champagne bath.

I guess you'd have to stay a the Monterey Plaza Hotel in order to try these delectable treats… but really, would that be so bad? A 5-cherry experience all around!

For more info on the Monterey Plaza Hotel, click here.

To see some photos, click below

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