Art You Eat

Winter Cupcakes Round-Up and an Announcement

2009-03-17T00:00:00.000-07:00

My sincerest apologies to all of you who have been waiting to see the round-up and participated in the challenge. I just can't seem to keep track of this event when I'm trying to put the information over here on a separate blog with a separate email address.

So, AYE is in for some big changes. The first big change - this separate blog will be no more after this round-up. It will still be here as an archive and I will add links over at PheMOMenon, but all postings will happen at PheMOMenon instead.

My next change is going to be how the themes are chosen. Let me explain why I'm making these changes. When I first put together this event it was to explore specific ingredients, techniques, and recipes as well as different types of creations that we can all use our creativity to come up with a different spin on.

I want it to be a collection of all the cool stuff that all my cool food blogging friends can put together - and it definitely has been exactly that, but not to the extreme I want it to be. That is my fault because I've done a rather lousy job as a host. I need to do better. I hope that these changes are the start of this! I will soon be announcing the new Art You Eat event on PheMOMenon!

Without further ado, here is the roundup for the Cupcakes - please vote for a winner and they will receive the winning badge! You have until March 20th (midnight MST) to vote!

White Chocolate Coconut Cupcakes, by CB aka Clara at i heart cuppycakes!

White Chocolate & Cranberry Cupcakes with white chocolate, cranberry,pistachio cream cheese frosting from Jen at Beantown Baker

Orange Cupcakes with Prunes and Chocolate by Zozó at Cooking Star

Chocolate Shiner Stout Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache and Bailey's Buttercream Frosting, by Sherra at Baking Up Chaos

Brownies Cupcakes by Priyasuresh at Priya's Easy N Tasty Recipes

Christmas Cupcakes by Happy Cook at My Kitchen Treasures

Snowmen Cupcakes by Nicisme at Cherrapeno

Winner and Art You Eat #6

2008-11-14T17:11:00.001-08:00

Drumroll please..........

The lovely and fabulous by CB (aka Clara) at i♥cuppycakes! and her oh so darling Caramel Apple Cupcakes won the Autumn round of competition!

So, without further ado (because I am way too excited) guess what Clara let me help suggest (ok, talk her into) as the next theme.............................

Cupcakes!! That's right people. A cupcake event. Of course, since this is Art You Eat, you know there is going to be a catch right? We want to see your Winter / Holiday inspired cupcakes. So, Art You Eat #6 is all about SEASONAL CUPCAKES!

I'm not just talking Christmas here. If you have an idea for a cupcake - whether inspired by a snowflake or snowball, your favorite winter sport or activity - whether inspired by Christmas or Kwannza or Hanukkah or New Year's or whatever - whether the inspiration comes in your decorating or your flavors, bring on those cupcakes ladies and gentlemen.

Now, I do realize that it isn't winter everywhere in the world, but I'm hoping even if you are in a different season, perhaps you'll feel like joining in with some cool flavors, colors, or whatever - just get inspired!

Bring them on!

Recognizing it is the holiday season and everyone is busy, you have a nice amount of time to put something together, post it and email me BY JAN. 5TH!

Here is the information to email me at:
artyoueat[at]gmail[dot]com

Name
Blog Name
Creation Name
Creation Post URL (Permalink)
Photo (250px)

I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with! Happy Holidays and Have a Fabulous Winter!

Art You Eat #5 - Autumn Edition Round-Up

2008-11-08T09:02:00.000-08:00

What a FANTASTIC job everyone has done in their Autumn Art You Eat creations! Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who was able to participate! You are all amazing.

Please email your vote for your favorite (or favorites) to artyoueat[at]gmail[dot]com by Nov. 12th at midnight (US Mtn Std Time). Thanks again!

Apple Cider Yeast Doughnuts by Holly at PheMOMenon (wacky creator of Art You Eat Event - me!)

Pumpkin Risotti by Chriesi at Almond Corner, Winner from AYE4 and Theme Hostess for this Autumn Edition!

Apple Trifle with Apple Doughnuts by Manggy at No Special Effects

Chilli Apple Tart with Basil Mascarpone by Cathy from Aficionado

Caramel Apple Cupcakes by CB (aka Clara) at i♥cuppycakes!

Curry Chicken with Potatoes by wiffy at Noob Cook

Harvest Pumpkin Truffle (aka Fall in a Glass) by Cristie at Edible Antics

Roasted Butternut and Garlic Soup by Jen at Delightful Delicacies

Red Currant Tart by Jen at Delightful Delicacies

Eggless Vanilla Apple Cake by Bharti from Veggie Foodist

Quince Coconut Fried Pies by Lore at Culinarity

Wiener Apple Cake by Happy Cook from My Kitchen Treasures

Penne with Butternut Squash Cream Sauce by Amy from Tart Reform

Cream Cheese Swirled Pumpkin Bread by Mike from Mike's Table

Chocolate Cupcakes by Nikki at Crazy Delicious Food

Sour Cream Pumpkin Pie by Sihan from Fundamentally Flawed

Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies by anudivya from ...and a little bit more...

Pumpkin Corn Chowder by Diana of Dianasaur

Gingerbread Pumpkin Trifle by Diana of Dianasaur

Homemade Eggnog by Diana of Dianasaur

Fall Pear Salad by Diana of Dianasaur

Art You Eat Autumn Edition - Round-Up Coming Soon

2008-11-06T23:17:00.000-08:00

Round-Up Coming Soon to a blog near you! This one! Watch for the Autumn Edition of Art You Eat entries to be posted hopefully this weekend. Thanks so much to everyone who participated!!

Holly @ PheMOMenon

Art You Eat #5 - Autumn Edition Announcement

2008-09-07T10:45:00.000-07:00

Drumroll please .............................................................

The winner of Art You Eat #4 - Special Effects was Chriesi from Almond Corner with her Strawberry Sorbet cubes! Thanks again to everyone who participated!

As winner, Chriesi got to choose the next theme and since this edition is for the Autumn / Fall quarter she has decided, quite appropriately to go with an Autumn theme!

So, your mission should you choose to accept it is to create an Autumn inspired dish using seasonal ingredients and/or colors (ie, pumpkin, squash, wild meats, pears, apples, etc, etc, etc! Also autumn colors - oranges, rusts, reds, deep golden yellows, browns, etc, etc).

If it is Autumn-ish and inspires you then please translate that into a dish - savory or sweet - and email me your creation. I am setting the deadline this time around as November 5th. That gives everyone plenty of time to brainstorm and make something (and gives those of us that want to try your dish out this Autumn plenty of season to make and enjoy your idea.

So - please just email me your entry at artyoueat [at] gmail [dot] com by November 5th with the following and you are in the running!

- Name
- Your Location
- Blog Name
- Blog URL
- Creation Permalink
- Your Creation Name
- A photo of your creation 250 x 250 pixels
- Don't forget to link your post to here

Let's all get busy and celebrate this beautiful season of the harvest!

Feel free to use this small badge
in your post or on your blog's sidebar!

AYE #4: Special Effects Round-Up

2008-08-22T08:08:00.000-07:00

August has just been completely crazy! It would seem that the busy craziness of the summer winding down has gotten me as I wasn't even able to participate in my own event this time! Rather than keep holding up the process of getting the round-up posted for those who did participate I am just going to have to get the round-up going without me.

So, though we were small in numbers this time around we had some very creative entries!

Make sure to email your vote to me at artyoueat [at] gmail [dot] com by August 27, 2008. Winner chooses the next theme!

First up we have Chriesi from Almond Corner over in Switzerland, who is always so amazingly creative. This time she brings these darling Strawberry Sorbet cubes.

Paula at Half Baked in Alabama brings us her Hydrangea Cupcake Bouquet - and how seriously creative and fun is that! The perfect dessert centerpiece for your next garden party (ok, so I just wish I had a garden to party in, but you get the picture!)

Priya from Boston who's blog is live2cookBlog made these Multi Grain Pancake Balls that look so darling and fun - hey, maybe this is the way to get kids to eat their grains!

And from AYE #3's winner Michelle at Big Black Dog in Illinois went all out and made these Animal Crackers All Dressed in Plaid - and yeah, she hand-painted them - so how cool is that!?

AYE #3 Winner & AYE #4 Announcement

2008-06-19T10:49:00.000-07:00

SO SORRY ALL! I've been so swamped with other projects that I have been putting off announcing AYE #4 - admittedly forgetting that I was neglecting to announce who won AYE#3! Bad Holly! No donut!

So... because I am still swamped (and currently typing one-handed) but don't want to put this off any longer the winner of AYE #3 was Michelle from Illinois and the blog Big Black Dogs with her beautiful Jelly on a Porch Rail!

Because life is getting a bit crazier around our house these days, and because there are sooooo many great events out there, to give more folks a chance to participate and to help with my schedule, I've decided to make Art You Eat a bi-monthly event instead of monthly. So, the deadline for this next event will be August 1st. It should give us all a chance to really think up some amazing ideas and have the time to execute them.

Now, on to AYE #4 - SPECIAL EFFECTS! Michelle and I agreed that it would be fun to see what shapes and patterns you all could come up with.

Think patterns, think special shapes, think moulded items, think "special effects" - putting a spin on the "normal" shape of a creation, or implementing and improvising shapes. Be it cake, cookies, something savory - hot, cold, sweet or sour, shaped breads, whatever your little heart desires - as long as it has a special shape to it.

For example, maybe you have always wanted to try piping cake batter or decorating cut-out shaped cookies and have a great idea or recipe to share? Perfect! Maybe you've always wanted to make steak pinwheels or you have a knack for making a fruit bouquet or you are a garnish master - show us what shapes make you think of!

As always, email your entry to me as follows by the end of the deadline August 1st!

Email to artyoueat[at]gmail[dot]com

Include the following:

- Your Name
- Your Blog Name
- Your Blog URL
- Your Location
- Title of Your Creation
- Permalink to Your Creation
- A picture of your creation (preferably 250 pixels wide)

THANKS!!

Art You Eat #3 - Go Local! The Round-up

2008-05-03T08:35:00.000-07:00

Here is the round-up for the challenging round 3 of Art You Eat. For the background of what this round is all about, check out the original announcement here. The theme for this round was chosen by Mrs. W, who won AYE2.

For this Go Local! Round we may only have had seven competitors, but what we lacked in quantity was easily made up for in quality. These ladies went all out in creativity and really thinking their entries through. Please be sure to check out all of their incredible posts.

Please take a look at all the entries -everyone did such an amazing job! The winner and my co-host for the next round will be chosen by email votes and will choose the next round's theme. I have highlighted Mrs. W's favorites with a little note from her below as the finalists. Just comment on this post by May 7th to vote for your favorite finalist!

For my humble little contribution, I made a Blackberry Peach Clafoutis from last summer's preserved berries and bottled peaches which you can read about over at my blog, PheMOMenon. My favorite part of this version was the dark brown sugar in the batter and the crusted crystallized sugary goodness on the berries. We said Go Local! after all - this is relatively healthy (by my standards anyway)! ; ) Now, go, enjoy the rest of the goodness brought to you by the amazing participants that took on the Go Local! challenge!

OhioMom from Cleveland, Ohio made this beautiful Country Apple Pie
as her entry from her blog Cooking in Cleveland . The apples she uses come from a nearby orchard. So lucky and so very delicious!

Maggie from Michigan made Foraged Ramps and Free Range Eggs at Dog Hill Kitchen.
Maggie has a wonderful blog with lots of great information and
a lot of really beautiful creations for you to see that a healthier lifestyle can be
just as delicious (if not more so)! Go - be convinced!
FINALIST: Dog Hill Kitchen: Buckwheat Crepes and Ramps - Beautiful photography; I love, love, love that she PICKED her own ramps! (And described what they were.)

Michelle from Illinois and the blog Big Black Dogs made this beautiful Jelly on a Porch Rail -
go to her post to find out the yummy and unique kind of beautiful jelly it is. I love this picture too, because it just makes me feel like I can feel the warm sunshine on my face!
FINALIST: Big Black Dog: By Any Other Name... Habanero Gold Jelly - This is a great entry--what's more local than canning jelly from a seasonal harvest then enjoying the bounty year-round? The photo taken outdoors is lovely and is that extra step to embrace nature and the theme.

Chriesi from Zurich, Switzerland joined in the fun again this time from
Almond Corner and gives us this Hungarian Rakott Krumpli .
All I can say here is bacon, potatoes, breadcrumbs, sour cream?
Oh, you know I am so in - this is a dish after my own heart! Seriously yummy!

Mimi from Brooklyn, New York and her blog Mimi on the Move hit the local Farmers Market and made some really incredible looking Chicken Marsala and a Roasted Rosemary Turkey. The Chicken Marsala (yum!!!) is pictured above - you have to go see all her other pictures too. She sent me a different picture, but I couldn't get it to work (dumb Blogger) for some reason, so I snagged this one from her post because it makes me really hungry!
FINALIST: Mimi on the Move: Going Local at the Farmer's Markets -
I love that she took a picture of being at the market, the produce
she brought home and then the finished dishes.

Becke the Columbus Foodie from, of course, Columbus, Ohio, made
Sauteed Veal with Ramps and Morels over Ravioli.
I really am getting pretty hungry here. If you could just box some of that
up and send it my way... too bad for me! We'll just all have to try to make it ourselves!

Caramella Mou from Caramella Cooks and the UK joins us
again with her really creative Alternative Sushi. Caramella thinks it still needs some fine tuning,
but I think it looks pretty darn spectacular.
You really have to go check out how she put this together!

Thank You again to everyone who participated
and to Mrs. W for the great theme!

Don't forget to comment on this post to vote!

Thanks Joy! This blog is excellent!

2008-04-07T17:29:00.000-07:00

I was pleasantly surprised the other day when Joy at Joy of Desserts awarded the Art You Eat blog an Award for Excellence. So nice! Obviously, since this blog is a roundup of others creations for my little event, I can't take all the credit. For those that don't know, I now get to choose ten excellent blogs in turn. I thought it would be appropriate to choose from the kind bloggers who have participated and made this little event possible. So, in no particular order here are ten of my favorites (although everyone has been great - some I noticed have already been awarded or chosen by someone else).

Before I get to that though, just a quick reminder that the new AYE theme has been announced so go check it out. Also, over on my blog I'm holding a special event for "little creations" that you can read about here.

Now then, ten of my faves (and no, I'm not going to nominate my actual blog -- just give it a shameless plug ; )

Sorry this is a short post, but I'm typing one handed and trying to keep a six month old tired little boy asleep. On to the excellent blogs!

Aran at Cannelle Et Vanille
Linda at make life sweeter!
Chriesi at Almond Corner
Gretchen Noelle at Canela & Comino
Mansi of Fun and Food
Emma of The Chef and The Photographer
Arfi of HomeMadeS
Anke of Vegan Bounty
Priya at 365 Days of Pure Vegetarian
Alexandra at Addicted Sweet Tooth

Art You Eat #3 - Go Local!

2008-04-06T07:20:00.000-07:00

As I previously announced Amanda, aka Mrs. W, won the AYE#2 Round for her Egg Chick creation which is too adorable to resist. So, for round three Mrs. W has chosen the theme of Go Local!

What does this mean? Well, here is an introduction from Mrs. W followed by more babble and information about the event from me.

In honor of Earth Day this year, the theme for the third Art You Can Eat event is: Go Local.

We invite you to think of this month's theme as an opportunity to highlight the best of locally-grown, sustainable* produce. Let's discover a world of delicious food that can be made with fruit and vegetables grown nearby--even in your own backyard! That means your main ingredient(s) should be in season and grown as locally as possible for your climate/region.

There's quite a bit of discussion these days about sustainable food sources--but what does that mean? Eating more locally-grown fruit and vegetables reduce the amount of food that needs to be imported from other areas. That means less fuel used to get your food from the farm to your door. And that's a good thing.
---
Amanda
Mrs.W
-------------------------------------------

Mrs. W and I also discussed including any local products since we realize that some areas (including ours) are just beginning their growing season. So, the reason it has taken me a bit longer to post the theme this time is because I wanted to do some research and give you some good information to help everyone be able to participate in this event. So, here is my introduction and all the information and resources I've been collecting. If anyone has any websites or resources in their areas of the world, please let me know and I will post more resources here so that we can all have access to this information on where to find local products.

Tidbits & Guidelines:

1. For purposes of this event "local" is defined as any product that took around 7 or 8 hours or less to get from the source to where you are. Any "local" product may be highlighted and should be used in a manner than is attractive or artistic. Since most of us think that any food is lovely, don't feel like you have to get crazy with garnish or plating or whatever for this round, but you are encouraged to get creative and try to make something inspiring. The better we can all highlight the beauty and availability of local ingredients, the better off we will all be.

2. Although Earth Day is April 22nd, the event will run until closer to the end of the month and the final day for submissions will be April 28th.

3. Please send submissions with the following information to me by the 28th - as always your post should include a mention and link to the event:

Name
Location
Name of Creation
Name of Blog
URL for Blog
URL for Post (Permalink)
Photo (250x250 approx. size)

Email these items to me at artyoueat AT gmail DOT com

So, here is a listing of good resources and articles I've found so far that I hope will help everyone. I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with!

Great sites to find local products:

Local Harvest
Farmers Market
Eat Well Guide (includes great search widgets you can add to your site - see it in action on the sidebar of my blog at PheMOMenon)
National Resources Defense Council

Guidelines for finding local products and information:

Fruits & Veggies: More Matters
Recycling Centers

More inspiration:

Ideal Bite - A Sassier Shade of Green
Kaboose

UPDATE: Maggie over at Dog Hill Kitchen let me know that she has found and posted even more great resource links on her blog, so go check it out!

And the Winner Is...

2008-04-01T07:25:00.001-07:00

Mrs. W's Egg Chick got an overwhelming number of the votes to become the winner of the Art You Eat #2 - Eggs challenge. I have let Amanda know that she won and gets to put this little winner badge on her site to prove it.

That is one cute little chick, and who can say no to such a cute little guy after all! Thanks again to everyone that participated and voted.

We will be posting the theme for April later this week, so check back soon! Amanda has a good one in mind, so keep tuned!

Thanks again!

Holly

Art You Eat #2 - The Round-up - Eggs & Egg Shapes

2008-03-26T08:00:00.000-07:00

The round-up for Art You Eat #2 – Eggs & Egg Shapes. The Easter holiday has come and gone for those that celebrated it in March, Spring is here for some, almost for others and months away for even more.

I am so grateful to all of our lovely participants this time around for sending in your egg-y creations for all of us to admire.

Here are the entrants, in the order they appeared in my inbox. The entries with a red title are the three finalists for this round, as chosen by myself and Inge of African Vanijle, the winner of Art You Eat #1 - "Chocolate."

Please check-out all the participants and then email your vote for one of the three finalists that most captured the idea of the theme to me by March 31st and we will announce the winner and “host” of the next round who will choose the theme for April.

Oh, and here is my little contribution. Chocolate filled eggs.

I wanted to give a big thanks to Inge for her creation again last month, and for her inspired choice for this month's theme. I think it was a wonderful theme that proved to put a bit of a challenge to us all.

Thanks again to everyone who participated! I really hope you will join in for the next round too! We’ll announce the winner around the 31st and announce the theme for April as well. Please email your vote for your favorite finalist below to me by March 31st:

artyoueat AT gmail DOT com

Johnny Zone from Venice, CA blogs at Le Petit Kitchen. Johnny sent in this fabulous idea for how to make your next Creme Brulee, with an edge - Creme Brulee baking in egg with vanilla foam.

Amanda, aka Mrs.W, from Central NY, USA, who of course is blogging from Mrs.W's Kitchen sent in these adorable little Egg Chicks.

Alexandra, from New York, USA, blogging at Addicted Sweet Tooth went the extra mile and showed us all that you never have to buy a Chocolate Easter Bunny from the store again.

Lisa, from London, Ontario, who is, of course, blogging from Lisa's Kitchen gives us a savory egg dish that sounds as lovely as it looks with her Greek Feta and Olive Frittata.

Aran, from Florida, USA, and blogging at Cannelle Et Vanille was kind enough to show us how to make a Milk Chocolate Cream with Milk Cloud, and seriously, how good does that sound!

Caramella Mou, coming to us from the UK and blogging at Caramella Cooks sent in a lovely way to make an Easter Egg Basket that you can eat - plus, you get to craft and bake!

Linda, blogging to make life sweeter! all the way from The Hague, The Netherlands, sent in these Ganache birds nest with caramel ganache filled eggs which sound and look truly delightful.

Emily, who is “An American in Paris”, is bloggin at Tomato Kumato and shows us all more ways to enjoy The Incredible Edible Egg.

Chriesi, of Zürich, Switzerland, is blogging at Almond Corner with this simply gorgeous Easter Eggs that look perfectly amazing!

Gretchen Noelle, from Lima, Peru and the wonderful Canela & Comino blog sent in these adorable Egg Shaped Sugar Cookies - simple and sublime - I am pretty sure I could eat a dozen!

Marquita, blogging at My Sweetest Dreams from Florida, USA sent us these Easter "Eggs" - the secret? These aren't eggs - what a seriously fun way to serve cake!

Thank you, thank you, thank you again to all of our amazing participants! Now, go and browse all these amazing blogs and don't forget to email me your vote!

Deadline Extended - AYE #2 - Eggs

2008-03-17T12:58:00.000-07:00

Hi all! Just a quick post to let you know that the deadline for Art You Eat #2 - Eggs & Egg Shapes is being extended to March 25th. We thought that would make it easier for those of you waiting to make your goodies until Easter.

So, get creative and send in those entries! Remember, it can be something with an egg shape or eggs as the main ingredient. Just email your entry to me by the 25th of March at:

artyoueat AT gmail DOT com

Send in the email with:

Your name
Blog Name
Post Title
Post URL
Blog URL
Small picture (250 x 250 pixels)

Thanks!

Announcing Art You Eat #2 - Eggs & Egg Shapes

2008-02-20T12:04:00.001-08:00

Hello again! We have another challenge before us, chosen by AYE #1’s winner, the lovely and oh so creative, Inge of Vanielje Kitchen. For this challenge Inge and I agreed that eggs and creations that are shaped like eggs would be eligible to participate.

As before, posts you have published before can be entered as long as you repost it as an entry to the event with a link back and tell us how you made your creation look so amazing and artful.

So, whether you make something with eggs as a main ingredient or in the shape of an egg, try to make it celebrate the coming spring and Easter season!

Please email entries to artyoueat AT gmail DOT com by the end of March 19th and include the following:

NAME:
LOCATION:
ENTRY TITLE:
BLOG TITLE:
BLOG URL:
POST URL:
THEME IDEA IF YOU WIN:

The top three entries will be chosen by Inge and myself for this challenge (mostly by Inge since it is her theme – I just get to put my two cents in!) and then voting will begin to choose who will host the next round.

Thanks for checking this out! We hope you can join in!

Holly
AYE Admin

P.S. To get your creative juices flowing, check out this picture of tea-stained marbelized eggs I found at http://whatscookingamerica.net/EllenEaston/TeaInfusedEggs.htm.

Art You Eat #1 Chocolate Challenge - And the Winner Is...

2008-02-17T07:54:00.000-08:00

African Vanielje of Vanielje Kitchen took the vote and the win for the very first "Art You Eat" Edible Art Challenge Chocolate with her Wildberry Dark Chocolate Mousse in a Bitter Chocolate Bramble Cage. Congratulations to Inge and many thanks for participating!

This beautiful creation and how to make it can be seen more fully on Vanielje Kitchen and I suggest that if you want to impress, you should give this a try. Get creative and give your own spin to it! A different pattern? Around a cake? Would white chocolate work? Hey, if you give this a try, please let us know so we can post that here as well!

Thank you again to all the participants and all of you who voted for making this challenge a success. I knew I could count on all of you to make this little idea of mine come true and obviously it wouldn't work without you.

So, that said, please tune back in in a few days for the announcement of Art You Eat #2 Challenge. As the winner of this first round African Vanielje wins the right to choose the theme for the next challenge. I will be posting her announcement here as well as on Is My Blog Burning which is so kindly maintained by the wonderful Andrew of Spitoon Extra. Watch for the announcement to come.

Here's to all of you and a great challenge. Now, on to the next one!

The Round-up & Top Three - Art You Eat #1 - CHOCOLATE CHALLENGE

2008-02-06T13:37:00.000-08:00

Hello again! It is finally here and I am so excited to show you all the round-up for my very first event hosting - The "Art You Eat" challenge. I am so grateful to all of the wonderful bloggers who joined in this challenge. Obviously, I couldn't do it without your participation, so thank you, thank you, thank you!

Now, I know you didn't come here to here me on my chocolate box (errr... soapbox) so I will only pontificate for a second about the topic - and also because, well, what can I really say? It is CHOCOLATE for heaven's sake! It speaks so gloriously for itself - and apparently so can the web on this well beloved topic. My personal favorite for a bit on the subject and history though, if you are interested, can be found here. Besides, if you watched Food Network this weekend (and oh, I did) then you have already seen and heard about more chocolate than you can probably stand (unless you are me - they could have chocolate weekend every time and I wouldn't complain!). Sorry, I digress...so...

Now, I said that I was going to choose the top three. Frankly, it was really hard. So, please keep in mind that when I created the event I had a very specific idea in mind. Using chocolate not just as an ingredient, but to make your creation look fabulous. All of the entries brought this to the table. So, as for the top three, they are simply the three that I thought really exemplified the theme idea. You may agree. You may not. Either way, please vote for a winner from the three to be the next "host" for Art You Eat.

Without further ado, but lots of gilding the lily - here is the round-up and my personal favorite top three for voting at the bottom.

Please, please check out all the competitors below. The entries were all beautiful and absolutely worth trying out! Once again, thanks to all of you that entered for making this event happen!

THE ROUND-UP!

Since I figured I had to put something in too. My contribution was totally experimental and to be honest, I think it is cute and they taste good, but it could have been a lot better. I won't give up on this technique quite yet though. I made Dark Chocolate Truffles on a White Chocolate Plate. Enough about me... check these out!

Priya over at 365 Days of Pure Vegetarian brought these fun and beautiful Chocolate Cups to the party. I can see doing so many fabulous things with this idea!

Anke of Vegan Bounty gives us a lovely tofu-free alternative to typical chocolate mousse with her Chocolate Mousse on Caramel with Red Nettles that looks velvety light and smooth (and did I mention tofu free)!

Mansi of Fun and Food brought, in my opinion, a truly original (and gorgeous) idea on the "molten" theme with her Molten Chocolate Cupcakes with Raspberry Filling.

Deeba who is Passionate About Baking...& beyond made shows us how to make a Chocolate Strawberry Cake which, as she says, is quite the Ultimate Combination.

Annina of Ann's Food gives us this Banana Chocolate Swirl Cake. She suggests that it would be great with a cup of coffee to impress a loved one.

Elle who says her blog is about Feeding My Enthusiasms
said that this Chocolate Turtle Fondue was so goo the first time around she has brought it back for this event. It looks absolutely decadent. I bet I'll keep bringing this one back too!

Emma, The Chef and The Photographer joins in the fun with her Peanut Butter Chocolate Mousse Torte which she says makes for a sweet ending. Seriously? I'll just skip the meal and take the whole torte please! Chocolate. And. Peanut Butter. Seriously. 'Nuff said.

Melissa, creator of The Mighty Muffin joins us for her very first event with this really fun and tasty looking Double Chocolate Peanut Brittle.

THE CONTENDERS

--- TOP THREE FOR VOTING!

Please choose your favorite from these top three. They were chosen for really making their creations look like works of art as well as look delicious. The other reason is because they got really creative working with the chocolate in its pure form. Not easy, but the results here are simply beautiful.

To vote just post a comment with your favorite. Voting will end on February 16th and I will post the winner who will "host" the next event!

Arfi, the author and culinary creator at HomeMadeS, brings us a beautiful creation suitable for decorating anything you want... cakes, mousse, my fireplace mantle (ok, the last is just me being obsessive - but seriously). Chocolate Lace. Pretty much speaks for itself.

African Vanielje of Vanielje Kitchen made some true edible art for all of us to wonder at with her Wildberry Dark Chocolate Mousse in a Bitter Chocolate Bramble Cage which are truly spectacular! I can't wait to impress with these beauties!

Linda is true to her blog's name and helps us all to make life sweeter! by teaching us how she made this Chocolate ganache covered orange sponge cakewith planetary chocolate decoration. Seriously cool, huh?!

Please remember to vote for your favorite and check back on the 16th to see who wins and gets to choose the theme for the next event!

Holly

Art You Eat

Art You Eat - First Event - Chocolate!

2008-02-01T21:50:00.001-08:00

Art You Eat #1 - Chocolate
Event Date: January 17, 2008 5:00 pm MST to February 5, 2008 5:00 pm MST
DEADLINE EXTENDED to FEBRUARY 11, 2008!

As this new year gets rolling I thought it would be fun to start a new event to help us all enjoy the beauty as well as the tastes and textures of different foods. Join in the fun and let's make 2008 the most beautiful and brilliant year yet!

The Idea: We all want our creations to look as wonderful as they taste and there are tons of absolutely gorgeous examples out there of the amazing creations that all you beautiful bloggers create. Why not hold an event that shares the decorating and presentation tips as well as the food? After all, if someone is going to try to recreate your masterpiece, shouldn't it look spectacular too?

Roget's New Millennium™ Thesaurus defines artistry as a noun that means "creativity". What I really love are the synonyms though: ability, accomplishment, art, brilliance, craftsmanship, creativity, finesse, flair, genius, mastery, proficiency, style, talent, taste, touch, virtuosity, workmanship. (Source: Roget's New Millennium™ Thesaurus, First Edition (v 1.3.1) Copyright © 2008 by Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. All rights reserved.)

That is exactly what I want to see from you all!

The Plan: Each month we will hold an event that will focus on a different kind of decorating theme, medium, idea, holiday, etc. That way we can all go for variations on a similar theme for that month and end up with lots of ideas to choose from! It should be fun to see all the variations we come up with.

You can post something you love that you created before, as long as you repost with instructions on how you made it look beautiful. Ideas should range from the sublimely simple to the extravagent. I've created a new blog where the winning ideas will be archived, as well as links to all posts each month.

The Rules: For this first round I will host the event and choose my three favorites according to to originality/creativity (the "wow" factor) as well as the ease of understanding the instructions on how to recreate (including the recipe for the dish). Though the entires won't all be recreated, if we can't understand the instructions, then that won't help anyone. I am hoping for entries from around the world, but please post in English. That will be taken into consideration when judging, especially if English isn't your first language!

Entry posts must site any sources, special equipment, techniques, supplies, and recipes that were used. Because writing the how to could take some time, entries can be something you have posted before as long as you repost with instructions on how you made it look that way. Pictures throughout the process are helpful, but there must at least be a photo of the finished product. Want to submit video of the process? Great!

The only requirement is that the "theme" be followed. How it is followed is up to you. It can be an ingredient, plating, decoration, whatever - as long as you use it.
Once the favorites are chosen, I will post a poll on the "Art You Eat" site. Voting will last for 3 days after the roundup is posted (in this case since all entries must be submitted and posted by Feb 5th. I will create the roundup and the poll, and barring any disasters, polling will start a couple of days later. The voting end date will be on the site with the 3 finalists.

Whichever entry wins gets to "host" the next event - in this case, that means they get to choose the theme (ingredient, holiday, or technique to be featured) and join me in choosing the finalists to place in the poll. I will post the roundup on the "Art You Eat" site with a special message on the theme from the "host" and featuring their entry for the theme. This may be a little different than normal, but this way all of these great ideas and their links end up being in one place and linked to your site. That way we all have easy access to links for great ideas on how to make all our culinary creations look spectacular.

So... ON TO THE EVENT!! Since Valentine's Day is almost here - and because it is what it is - I am choosing CHOCOLATE to kick this off with. This means chocolate in any type, but not cocoa. I want to see what you can do with the stuff you melt, or chop, or curl, or mould, or whatever! You can use cocoa too if you want, but there must still be chocolate involved (and this can include white chocolate... even if it isn't really chocolate)! Only one entry per person please. If you don't have a blog, just email me the information and it will still be included in the roundup.

Please make sure that you include the subject/tag "Art You Eat #1 - Chocolate" into your post and a link to the site: http://www.artyoueat.squarespace.com/ (I am working on moving this site to blogger instead - just FYI).

Here are the details for the entry. Please join me in this! I think it could be great, and I hope I'm not alone in wanting to know how you wonderful bloggers make things look so phenomenal!

SEND ALL ENTRIES TO:
artyoueat AT gmail DOT com
INCLUDE (please cut and paste into your email):
NAME:
BLOG NAME:
BLOG URL:
POST URL:
POST TITLE:
CREATION TITLE & DESCRIPTION (as in name what you did or made- i.e., curling chocolate):
Attach your favorite photo to be used in the roundup and let us know if there is video available at your site (for bloggers - emailers can email video directly to be posted on the site).

IF YOU WIN, WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE THE THEME TO BE (and it doesn't have to be something you are great at! In fact, it should be something you want to really know more about!)
I hope you will join in the fun and make some art we can all eat!