Posts by movita beaucoup
sidewalk cat
Recently, my friend Bobbie shared this photo on Instagram: That’s one of her best friends, Sequins, waiting for his dinner in a high chair. Because that’s how Sequins rolls. It got me thinking about an incident that occurred over a decade ago when Bobbie came to visit me in… where I was living at the time. I’m…
Read Moregiant balls cake
If a google search has directed you here so you can make a cake shaped like male genitalia, welcome. This is the cake I made for my niece a few weeks ago. It was her birthday, and I wanted to make our family jewel a very special cake. The Very Special Cake was supposed to look like one of…
Read Moreballet explained: giselle, act 2 {finale}
Backstory: apparently, the residents of Giselle’s village like to bury people in a mysterious glade, by a woodland lake. This is also where the Wilis are known to gather. Wilis are victims of unrequited love, sometimes called Died Brides. They haunt the glade dressed in bridal gowns and… draperies. These spirits were jilted by their lovers before their…
Read Moreballet explained: giselle, act 1, part 2
Quick recap: Giselle is being pursued by two suitors – Hilarion and Duke Albrecht (who is disguised as a farmer named Loys). Giselle has fallen for Albrecht and Hilarion is pretty jealous. It is an autumn morning during the grape harvest, Albrecht is wooing Giselle, Hilarion is getting annoyed, and things are about to get…
Read Moreballet explained: giselle, act 1, part 1
Our story takes place in a small Rhineland village. The grape harvest is underway, and a bunch of people with ridiculous names are about to do some weird and confusing things. That’s what people did during the Middle Ages. Netflix hadn’t been invented yet. Hilarion is a gamekeeper – that’s better than being a rat…
Read Morecrap no. 11
Welcome to Crap I’ve Been Meaning to Tell You About, 11th Edition: A Declaration. A few months ago, Adam Roberts’ post on the evolution of food blogs from anything goes to magazine polished landed in my rss reader. I was seriously considering abandoning this space at that time, and his words really resonated with me.…
Read Morerhubarb curd
On Father’s Day, I told Bill Beaucoup that I love him very much and that I’m glad he’s my dad. He responded with an eye roll and “whatever.” It was pretty touching. Despite his lack of sentimentality, I gave him a jar of rhubarb curd made with love. Hear that, Bill Beaucoup? YOU ATE LOVE. Here’s…
Read Morecardamom rhubarb snacking cake
If I were a plant, I’d want to be rheum rhabarbarum (rhubarb). Short, thick, tart and pretty: who wouldn’t want to get with rhubarb? It’s one of the more pulchritudinous creeping rootstalks (obviously), but did you know that rhubarb is also slang for fight? Use it as you would donnybrook, melee or brannigan. For example: there…
Read Morepetal topped cakes and cupcakes
I’m pretty obsessed with petal tips these days. No, not the ones you find outdoors. The ones Ateco and Wilton make. The ones that facilitate the flow of buttercream from a piping bag to your mouth the top of a cupcake. They are extremely versatile, and invaluable when it comes to piping ruffles and flowers…
Read Moreoatmeal coconut crusted brioche french toast
This French toast is soft, sweet and filling. The buttery, egg-infused brioche makes it especially rich, and the oatmeal coconut crusting gives it a little chew. We prefer our French toast swimming in a pool of maple syrup, but it would also be nice with a dusting of confectioner’s sugar and some fresh fruit. Brioche has…
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