Who Takes the (cup)Cake?

“Sin is sweet in the beginning, but bitter in the end.” -The Talmud

My recent sinful indulgence? CUPCAKES. Don't lie, you are addicted to Cupcake Wars on the Food Network too... I eat them, and eat them, and eat them, and in the end, I'm bitter that eating all of those fancy muffins are giving me a muffin top (although these days I have the luxury of being able to gain a few lbs). I'll be the first to admit, I'm a foodie trend whore. Frozen yogurt, acai berries, rhubarb desserts, quail eggs, you name it, as long as it's kosher (I'm dying to try true foie gras and coq au vin).

The newest trend: Sprinkles Cupcakes. Straight from the skinny streets of Beverly Hills comes this fattening fad. Eaten (and then likely regurgitated) by the ladies of 90210, and sweeping the nation from West to East. Sprinkles opened up about two months ago in Chi-town, bringing lingering lines lasting up to a few hours! Who would wait an hour and a half for a cupcake you ask? THIS GIRL! Work? School? Shopping? Eh, I had nothing better to do.

I first had a medium-sized Sprinkles in May of 2009 during a trip to LA, and was super excited to see the "coming soon" sign at 50 East Walton Street in Chicago. I'll be honest, they are not my favorite cupcakes, not even by a stretch, but for some reason the long line gives me the same type of thrill I imagine Dexter gets upon a killing. The best part? The cinnamon sugar cupcake. It melts in your mouth (if eaten fresh) with the added crunch of a frosting-free cinnamon-sugar topping. The worst part? Their signature dot in the center of the cupcake (uneatable candy? Why torture me?!) The rest, despite the long line, is in between. Yet for some reason I continue to stand in that line, like a mindless zombie. It also helps that if you follow Sprinkles on Twitter: they give you a secret word to whisper when you are there to receive a free cupcake. Don't underestimate the value of an almost $5 cupcake for free. Follow them at @sprinkles for some free goodies!

Another tweeting treat is @flirtycupcakes (http://www.flirtycupcakes.com/). A lovely young lady drives around in a Tiffany-Blue van, tweeting daily locations and times for people around the city to follow.* A hit in the summertime, you could see long lines forming on street corners. We'll see if the frosting can stand up to our winter frost. With creative names like The McDreamy (Chocolate Cupcake With A Cream Cheese & Chocolate Filling), Curious George (Banana Chocolate Cupcake With A Light, Salted Caramel Italian Buttercream Frosting), Smore Me Over (Chocolate Cupcake With A Marshmallow Frosting), and my personal favorite, Devil in Disguise (you guessed it, Red Velvet). There's also a lip-smacking assortment of four mini cupcakes for your chance to try to convince yourself that eating all four different flavors is the caloric equivalent of eating one regular-sized treat (you know who you are...). I find these cupcakes to be light, slightly smaller in size than competitors but full of heart (she bakes all night and drives around all day!), and definitely my favorite cream cheese frosting in flavor, texture and cupcake-to-frosting ratio.

Other notable options?
Sweet Mandy B's (208 W Webster Ave Chicago) are large and pretty, and probably one of the most favored in Chicago. Mandy is too sweet for me, I prefer her cookies.
Swirlz cupcakes (705 W. Belden Ave) have a great assortment of gluten-free and vegan varieties.
Molly's Cupcakes (2536 N Clark St) wins for most adorable store, with wooden swings hanging from the ceiling and a sprinkles station to add your own touch, for the complete nostalgic experience.
A great option in the Loop is Sugar Bliss Cake Boutique, where the frosting alone is so pretty you might want to just keep it for decoration.
For the more adventurous, try a More cupcake. Known for its original flavors and ingredients (passion fruit and bacon!), you are always in for a surprise. (1 E. Delaware Pl.)

With all of the over priced cupcake options out there, I'm sure you'll find your favorite. Perhaps a well-spent birthday would include going from place to place searching for the winner. As for my personal favorite? Nothing beats an oversized, colorful, perfectly-sweet Crumbs cupcake. As my luck would have it, just like men and shoes, I want what I can't have: Crumbs has not yet graced Chicago with its presence. Rumored to be coming soon to the Loop, I just will have to hope that it will open here before my next trip to LA, Boston, or NYC.

My final concession is that while paying a small fortune for a cupcake is, er, thrilling, I found after indulging in all of the toppings, flavors, fillings, varieties, shapes, and sizes Chicago has to offer, that nothing beats a good old fashioned home made cupcake. Simple, sweet, and a touch of love in every bite.

*Hungry for a full lunch? Follow @Happybodega. Another truck tweeting location updates around the city for a good lunch alternative to Corner Baker. A (sanitary) fun, fresh, flavorful food experience.

Oh For the Love of Dog!

Ahhh the single life. I didn't think I'd ever be back here.

I suppose going out now is supposed to be a somewhat different experience, and I don't remember it being so... so... oomph.

Just an excerpt of a recent conversation, taking place with an over-zealous 22 year old, for your entertainment:

Dilbert*: Hi.
Me: Hey
Dilbert: What's your name?
Me: Sally.
Dilbert: Are you from Chicago?
Me: Ya.
Dilbert: Where do you live?
Me: Downtown.
Dilbert: Where downtown?
Me: Streeterville.
Dilbert: Where in Streeterville?
Me: Michigan and Chicago.
Dilbert: Oh, by the American Dental Association! Do you live alone?
Me: Yes.
Dilbert: Wow. That must be really lonely.
Me: It's not, I have my dogs.
Dilbert: Wow, that's sad. You're like a cat lady.
Me: No.
Dilbert: Do they sleep in bed with you?
Me: Of course.
Dilbert: This is a weird question, but what do you do if you have, er, company over?
Me: Dont worry, you won't find out.

Just then my friend came in on his tall white stallion and swept me away, well, at least far away from Dilbert.

Next week is chock full of social events, including Halloween. I will be sure to have some more of these ridiculous escapades for your entertainment. I have to go take my dogs out now...


*Names have been changed so to protect the identity of morons.

Good Enough for Goodwill?

Every six months or so I shop my closet and purge it of whatever I no longer feel I need. I somehow manage to accumulate two full shopping bags of clothes- mostly hand me downs from my mom or once-worn Forever XXI outfits- and make a trip to Plato's Closet to try and make a buck or two per shirt. Whatever Plato doesn't want is dropped of at Goodwill (after a month or two of helplessly sitting in my car). Last night I went to an interesting class where I learned that Jews have an OBLIGATION to provide clothing for the homeless. When I first heard this I happily thought, "well, I've got that covered!" I was wrong:

The clothing we are to donate must be presentable, wearable, and in good condition. I learned that my favorite blouse with a wine stain on it, a ten year old sundress, or my Northface jacket with a tear on the sleeve won't cut it. This roots back to a fundamental Jewish principle stating that we are to avoid embarrassing another at all costs. The homeless shouldn't be forced to look homeless, and they shouldn't have to pick the best of picked-over rags. Thus, I doubt I will ever be able to walk back into a Plato's Closet to try to sell gently used clothes without a small man standing on my shoulder whispering "YOU SHOULD DONATE THAT!!!"

I know of a kind woman who has fourteen children (yes, FOURTEEN!). She is a great grandmother and still has two children living at home. She is a full-time teacher, but somehow, every Friday, her and a friend collect clothing from local homeless people and wash the clothing for them. And you thought YOU had a full plate? I have also been to a very special warehouse that has a clothing "store," where the less-fortunate can come and shop, either for free or highly-subsadized prices, and they leave with a shopping bag full of clothing. The children leave thinking they were in a normal store and the adults leave with their dignity.

In Judaism, there are seven levels of giving charity (Tzedakah). The levels of charity from least meritorious to most are:

1. Giving begrudgingly
2. Giving less that you should, but giving it cheerfully.
3. Giving after being asked
4. Giving before being asked
5. Giving when you do not know the recipient's identity, but the recipient knows your identity
6. Giving when you know the recipient's identity, but the recipient doesn't know your identity
7. Giving when neither party knows the other's identity
8. Enabling the recipient to become self-reliant

This past Tuesday I was honored to attend the Friends of the Israel Defense Force (FIDF) annual dinner. I believe they raised something like two million dollars for young Israeli soldiers throughout the evening. I was thrilled to hear that as the cause is very close to my heart. The primary fundraising strategy took place immediately after dinner, where guests who wished to donate additional funds were asked to stand and speak into a microphone on camera to announce their donation. The feeling in the room was a cocktail of curiosity and discomfort. Many stood up, donating anywhere from $500 to, get this, SIX HUNDRED THOUSAND dollars. 1000 pairs of eyes shifted from person to person wondering who will top the highest bidder. While the numbers were shockingly high, I couldn't help but think that this method is probably the least gracious way to inspire donation. Seeing people stand up and donate caused a wonderfully generous chain reaction of further donations. It was effective, but not affective. Unfortunately that is the world we live in today, but it doesn't have to be. As much as I'd like to make $50 at Plato's Closet, I think that I have to start giving graciously, without looking for anything in return.

Still, any form of giving is good, great, wonderful! I can only speak for myself though, in saying that I have to start giving in a more selfless way.

Time

Dear readers,

Time is the only way to heal, and right now I need some time. I thank you for all of your support, encouragement and comments.

"There is no forgiveness without love, and there is no love without forgiveness."

Love,
Sally

High in Heel Heaven!

"That Extra Half Inch..." An incomplete yet profound statement by Victoria Beckham. I was recently re-introduced into the concept of heels only to discover a 2010 world filled with colorful 6-inch stilettos and disco-barbie platforms. What a pleasant surprise it was! After three years of heel-less-hell, I have ascended into a whole new part of the shoe department.

Heels. They make you stand straighter and your legs look longer. I am tall, they help me stand taller, and I am strong, and they make me feel stronger. The last three years I dated a man equal to my height who was so uncomfortable with me being taller than him that my shoe closet was limited to flats and flip flops. At the time, I was happy to make this compromise, as it gave us both a reciprocal sense of pleasure and joy. We saw eye to eye. The shoe fit, and I wore it. Looking back, I think that our almost flawless relationship ended because he asked me to give up my height both in stature and in nature, and when I couldn't, it was a painful and sole-less (pun intended!) end.

I am going for some much earned retail therapy, and will hopefully find a perfect match, today, tomorrow, sometime soon. Shoes give you blisters, and may leave scars, but they heal (another pun!) just in time for you to put on another pair. I tried Jimmy Choo, but maybe I need a Manolo. I miss my old pair. They were broken in and I was ready to wear them for the rest of my life. But the heel suddenly broke, and the box they came in just didn't want to fit into my closet. I fell, and now I am looking for a shoe that will exert confidence when I have none, that will always give me a boost and never demand me to be smaller than I am, that will be comfortable, that will support me on the rockiest of roads, and a shoe that will fit like a glove.

I Doubt Self Doubt

What is it about women? They are catty, passive aggressive, and jealous, but when one is in a crisis they flock together like birds in a park.

I recently have experienced the most challenging week of my life, not like "American Idol" challenging, like "Survivor" on steroids challenging. I had to make one of those rare decisions that affect the rest of your life, and I chose to stand up for myself when I could have easily walked into a situation where I had to leave my voice and my soul and every aspect of my being at the door. Although the outcome was not one I hoped for or imagined, I can happily say that the one thing I have learned is how to lose ten pounds in one week - ladies, it CAN be done! Email me and I'll show you how!

The point is, after being told by an over the hill woman who knew my deepest vulnerabilities that, among other ridiculous accusations, "you have no friends!" my friends proved her wrong. In my moment of crisis, darkness, I-think-this-is-what-it-feels-like-to-want-to-die, it was my friends that created the most supportive, trusting, and loving cushion around me. Friends and family reached out to me literally from coast to coast, and from Israel to Cambodia, to offer their love and support to crush those crushing words that I heard.

The drinks and barely-touched meals they paid for, the calls, texts, hugs, visits, hours and hours of conversation and analyzing, and uplifting support pulled me out of a debilitating depression into some sort of wormhole in between grief and normalcy, which is a huge improvement from last week. I feel like a Chilean miner slowly being pulled out of the ground (so happy for their families by the way!).

What I am trying to say is that my friends saved my life, literally, and I can't thank them enough for it. Trust me, it's not over, there is alot of work to still be done, many more drinks, nights out, conversations, and tears until I can get anywhere back to feeling normal, but I dedicate this to those girls (and some guys!) that reaffirmed that there is a light within me and I did the right thing by keeping the flame alive. Anyways, they made me doubt my self doubt, and I thank them for every minute of it. I really saw a side of my friends I have never known existed, because I never needed so much support. I am in awe of these girls and how they brought me back to a sweat-pants-wearing, non-showered, somewhat socially acceptable, life.