In the meantime, I hope to have great Flan in Spain!

Great Custard Tarts in Portugal,

Great Macarons in France,

Great Almond Briouats in Morocco,

and Great Black Forrest Cake in Germany!

I shall dutifully report back when I return. Be sure to sign up for my mailing list here so you don’t forget about your dear, dear DD!

I’ll miss you guys!!!!

ps: click on each image for its source

pps: for any creepy people in cyberspace, we have a house-sitter with a barky dog, so you can forget about robbing an “empty house”  :P

You guys, I tried it. It works. I’m a little dumbfounded… but after 6 months of not shedding those annoying 5-post-wedding pounds, I finally caved and decided to invest in some Slim Star sessions. First, you smother this stinky gel on your thighs and torso.

Then you come fully clothed in sweats and lie down on this bed, where you will relax for an hour, watch a movie, TV, read a book, or play Words With Friends (my current addiction )

Here I am, wrapped up and ready to go! The infrared heat penetrates twice as deep as other heat sources to target toxins and cellulite trapped in pockets below the surface of the skin (though, I only noticed a change in weight-loss, not cellulite). These wraps get very Hot!

They had one plus size model who lost twenty pounds using Slim Star!!!! Holy smokes, I want to sing it from the mountain tops, this machine is insane!! Click here to see more about the science of Slim Star and how it works.

Normally it’s $345.00 for 3 sessions, but if you mention that the DD sent you, you can buy 3- get 3 sessions FREE! Hot-damn.

To book an appointment with UVA Sun (on 3rd Street between the Grove and the Beverly Center), click here.

(Sigh) I’ll be honest, I’ve been avoiding this review for a while. That’s what happens when you meet the owners of an establishment and they’re nice to you! Alas, the truth had to come out eventually…. Magnolia Cupcakes… are not good. There- I said it. The frosting is both extraordinarily sweet and bland while the cake is often times dry.

Furthermore, horror of all horrors, they don’t even use cream cheese frosting on their (hyper) Red Velvet cupcakes! Instead, it’s a marshmallowy whipped vanilla icing. My friend’s birthday had both Hansen’s Cakes Cupcakes (on the left below) and Magnolia Cupcakes (on the right).

Look how artificially red the Magnolia’s cupcake is!

Everyone agreed that Hansen’s made a way better red velvet (I mean, it’s really no competition when you don’t even have cream cheese frosting!)

On a positive note, I love Magnolia’s slightly smaller size and wonderful frosting to cake ratio. They also make a phenomenal Banana Pudding!

For more information on Magnolia Bakery, click here.

YeeHaw! Society Bakery in Dallas nearly earns 5 cherries for the concepts alone! First off: Bread Pudding Woopie Pies. Holy Smokes- GENIUS! These creative Whoopies have a distinct cinnamon presence and a sassy secret ingredient in the cream cheese frosting that makes them super delish!

Secondly: the name “Society” doesn’t stand for “high society,” but rather, this incredible bakery gives back to society, donating to over 100 different charities, schools, and non-profit organizations a year! Wow-wee! Now what could be sweeter than that?

If you’re in the Dallas area, you Must check out Society Bakery!

It’s hard to find an actual ice-cream sandwich, you know, made with real ice-cream, that comes in a 100 Calorie serving size. I scoured the shelves at Whole Foods, my eyes cruising by the soy, coconut milk, yogurt, and even goat-milk options before I landed on on Julie’s Organic Ice-Cream sandwiches.

The “Juliette” has thin chocolate wafers that neatly contain a bar of delicious vanilla ice-cream. Made with natural and organic ingredients, Julie’s Organic “Juliette’s” won my heart.

For more info on Julie’s Organic Ice-Cream, click here.

Click here to see ice creams that I won’t eat anymore, delicious or not!

Monsanto, the chemical company that’s determined to run the world’s food supply (and thus, the world), created genetically engineered growth hormones to make cows produce more milk. The cows utters get extremely large, tender, and soar.

This swelling and pain makes the cows get infections, which makes them need antibiotics. Furthermore, the infections lead to blood and puss being released into the milk.

So now, dairy from cows injected with rBGH have:

• Genetically Engineered Hormones
• Antibiotics
• Puss and Blood

“Food is information,” per this article by Dr. Franklipman. What we eat directly interacts with our genes and can make us healthy and happy, or diseased and sick. Wonder why some kids are hitting puberty as early as six years old?! Consuming milk from affected cows with artificial hormones and antibiotics directly and adversely affects our own bodies.

Sadly, my ALL TIME FAVORITE ice cream brands: Baskin-Robbins, Haagen Dazs, Breyers, and Dreyers, all use dairy from cows injected with rBGH. Seriously guys, this is like the Day the Music Died for me. People often ask what my favorite dessert is, and it’s ice cream. I’m so bummed that my childhood staples are so careless with the quality of their ingredients. Furthermore, some have the audacity to outright lie with labels like “All Natural”- UGH!!! Good news though..

Ben and Jerry’s has always taken a firm stance against using rBGH dairy, long before I even knew what the labels meant. All Organic ice creams are safe as well, like Stonyfield, Alden’s, Julie’s, and pretty much any brand that you’d find in a health food store.

Hopefully, if enough of us demand quality ingredients with our shopping dollars, Baskin-Robbins, Haagen Dazs, Bryers, and Dryers will catch on and make the shift to natural milk products. Hey, it worked for Starbucks! Who, I’m happy to share, also refuses to use dairy with rBGH.

Derby Pie can only be sold in Louisville, Kentucky- crazy! This Chocolate and Walnut tart tasted much like a less nutty pecan pie with a few chocolate chips and an extra flakey crust.

A few of us are ready for brunch on Derby day!

Fondant Horses greet us at the buffet line..

Bourbon Banana Bread Pudding (sorry for the sideways pic, I can’t flip it back for some reason!)

My little plate of Derby day delights. Loved the frosting, fruit tart, and chocolate pastry!

Sweet mint brownies to cap off the end of the day!

Shoot- I can’t seem to switch my long images straight on (they’re going sideways!) and I have to go to bed, but I’ll try again tomorrow night to show you the fabulous hats I saw!

Sweet dreams!

What’s that song from the ’80s? Anyway, everytime I think Susina, that song comes to mind.

Susina is a super charming bakery & cafe on Beverly Blvd and La Brea that serves one of the best berry cream cakes I’ve had. Indeed, their Berry Blossom vanilla sponge cake layered with white chocolate mousse, fresh berries, and touches of orange liqueur, meringue, and white chocolate shavings, would make Sweet’s Lady Jane’s bland rendition cry.

Susina’s pastries are also quite delectable.

The Red Velvet Cake let my friend and me down a bit with it’s thick and mild frosting, and the iced Frog Cookie, while darling, was hard, firm, and tasted liked it came from a box in a grocery store.

Overall, I recommend convening with friends at Susina Bakery or stopping by to try some of their many tempting treats yourself!

For more information on Susina Bakery & Cafe, click here.

ps: Pass on a Tarot reading from the in-house Tarot reader, Jackie. She gets half a cherry for her rubbish~

xo

At one of the birthdays I attended this weekend I encountered Trader Joe’s Almondictive Bits, a TJ’s treat that I had strategically been avoiding. I mean, come on! They tell you right there on the tub that you are going to eat the whole thing at once and wallow in misery over your lack of self control and growing love handles! Or something like that. So alas, there they were, right in front of me.. and since they’re Almonds (healthy) and Dark Chocolate (healthy too!), I dove right into these tempting treats. One thing I applaud TJ’s for- they don’t have false advertising. These delicious, caramelized almond morsels covered in chocolate were indeed, addicting.

However, these Cookies & Cream Almonds that were also at the party were sweet, chalky rubbish.. even if they were made in California.

For more info on Trader Joe’s, click here.

This Thinny Thursday tip is pretty self-explanatory. Soda has been linked to pancreatic cancer, heart risks, rotting teeth, and of course, obesity. I know a guy who simply cut soda out of his diet and dropped 15 pounds. Wop-babaloo-bop, there you go.

And for you diet soda fans who drink a beverage as a snack or food substitute, you’re drowning your insides in disgusting chemicals for nothing, because studies show that “artificial sweeteners increase weight gain odds.” Studies also show that even sugar free sodas result in an increased incidence of metabolic syndrome (“a cluster of risk factors linked to diabetes and heart disease”).

Yikes!

Anyway, it’s a complete waist of calories to drink them, if you ask me. I’m a huge fan of the tall glass of water! If you need caffeine, drink tea! Tea can have incredible benefits for your body.

If you need bubbles, try fruit flavored sparkling water. Or if you want a cold palette cleanser with a kick, try Kombucha! This fizzy beverage is has many healthful benefits and is naturally low in calories

Finally, if you must must must have “soda”, try all natural brands made with natural sweeteners (NO High Fructose Corn Syrup!!) and fewer calories. Hope that helps!