Food || What Can Possibly Be Tastier Than Pound Cake? Cold Oven Pound Cake! [June 21, 2010]

I recently discovered something so great and delicious that I had to share it with all our readers (are you still there?) I’m sure you’re all familiar with the super tasty, classic dessert pound cake. If you’re not, we’re so sorry. I love to bake, and when I bake classic desserts like pound cake, I like trying new recipes. Of the recipes I have tried, my favorite has been Paula Dean’s Mama’s Pound Cake recipe. Worth every butter calorie. Last week, while searching for a new dessert recipe, I came across this recipe for Cold Oven Pound Cake, and let me tell you, it’s REALLY GOOD. Cold oven pound cake is the same as regular pound cake, but it’s baked for longer in a cooler oven that hasn’t been preheated. Before Cupcake Project, I had never heard of cold oven pound cake, and now I’m not sure I will ever go back to regular pound cake. So, if you like to bake and you like pound cake (or better yet, your friends like pound cake), try this recipe. It says it makes 24 cupcakes, but when I cut the recipe in half, I still came out with 12 regular-sized cupcakes and 24 mini-cupcakes (or what my friends call “a cupcake shot”). My trusty taste testers all agreed that cold oven pound cake is better than regular pound cake. Try it yourself, and let us know what you think!

By Stephanie | Posted in Food | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0) | 242 views
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Entertainment || Graph of the Week: Musician Expectations [February 9, 2010]

Here’s a Venn Diagram outlining some reasonable expectations of two popular music-makers.  (Note: I used graphjam.com’s Chart Builder for this one.  Sorry, Excel; you know I still love you.)

Song_Graph

By Matt | Posted in Entertainment | Tagged , , | Comments (0) | 264 views
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Life || Philly Is Giving Away A $90,000 Wedding [February 4, 2010]

UPDATE: Faye and Matthew WON A $90,000 WEDDING!!!!!! Congrats to the lucky couple!!! A huge thank you to everyone who voted for them! Now it’s time to vote for Faye’s wedding dress style, the flowers, invitations, menu, cake, and wedding bands! Read their Philly.com wedding blog for more details: http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/weddings/

Philly.com is running an awesome contest: Love of a Lifetime Wedding Giveaway! The contest started with 500 couples, and now it’s down to the final round with only 10 couples left! The prize is a $90,000 wedding at the Independence Seaport Museum in Philadelphia. Once the winning couple is chosen, readers will also choose the bride’s dress style, flowers, invitations, menu, cake, and wedding bands. Sure, you don’t get to plan every detail of your wedding, but hey, it’s FREE so who’s complaining?

It so happens that my friend Faye and her fiance Matthew are finalists in this contest, and they need YOUR HELP!!! Follow this link: http://bit.ly/fayematttowin to get to their page and register by clicking on “registration” above their photo. You’ll get a confirmation sent to your email.  Click on the link in this email – it will take to back to the website to vote. The whole process takes less than 30 seconds (seriously), and you will be helping a fantastic couple win a $90,000 wedding!

Plus, their bulldog is super cute, so how could you possibly resist? Vote now and everyday through February 10th. Go to their page here: http://bit.ly/fayematttowin to read their sweet and funny entry (and then VOTE)! Here’s a taste:

How Did You Meet?
MATTHEW: I never would have thought I’d meet my future wife in a dark, dingy basement! I was just looking to hang out with the guys at my friend’s party, but after spotting Faye, I knew I had to talk to her. As I watched this striking, bubbly girl fail miserably at flip cup, I saw my chance and offered to teach her how to play. FAYE: For the record, yes, my flip cup skills are terrible and Matthew did give me some coaching—but I suspected he wasn’t there to teach me how to play flip cup, he was using it as a pretense to ask me out to dinner! Not that I’m complaining as I was thrilled he was talking to me, so thrilled in fact that after making dinner plans, I completely forgot his name. I was too embarrassed to ask him again, so on our first date, I stealthily stole a glance at his ID and he never knew (until now)! MATTHEW: I admit it might be true about approaching Faye with the intention of securing a date, but after learning she forgot my name, I think we’re even. FAYE: And now I’m going to marry a man whose I name I couldn’t remember—I promise not to forget it at the altar!

Flier Copy

By Stephanie | Posted in Life | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (1) | 335 views
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Entertainment || A Book Recommendation For You and Your Mom [January 31, 2010]

Love, Mom

I’m currently reading Love, Mom: Poignant, Goofy, Brilliant Messages from Home, and it is FANTASTIC. This book is a collection of submissions from the website PostcardsFromYoMomma.com where readers submit texts, IMs, and emails from their mothers for the world to enjoy. The site is definitely worth adding to your Google Reader, and every page of the book has made me laugh. Mother’s Day is still a few months away, but why not buy the book now and surprise your mom with a I-saw-this-and-thought-of-you gift. For under $6 on Amazon.com, this hardback book is a STEAL and definitely worth every penny.

By Stephanie | Posted in Entertainment | Tagged , , | Comments (0) | 282 views
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Tech || GotW: Colors [January 23, 2010]

Well, Graph of the Week has definitely become quite an inaccurately named feature.  But on the off chance that it’s established a cult following, I’m not going to change it.  If anyone asks, just tell them the title’s ironic, and everyone knows it means “Graph Whenever Matt Feels Like It.”

Below is a graph I thought was interesting, how often different colors are searched for on Google.  The line colors match their search terms (Red, Blue, Green, Yellow).  A couple of points jump out at me which I really can’t explain.  For starters, Yellow and Green started out being Googled about the same, but Green stayed pretty stable while Yellow declined.  Meanwhile, Red and Blue started out similar, but Red experienced a few spikes, and then right before 2008 began, really ran away with it.  Why, in the past couple years, has Red been so much more popular than Blue?  Does anyone have any idea?  (Keep in mind these are just instances of someone Googling the color name by itself.)

colors

By Matt | Posted in Tech | Tagged , , , | Comments (2) | 257 views
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Entertainment || Mash-Up Of 2009’s Top 25 Billboard Hits [December 30, 2009]

2009 was a great year for pop music! Check out DJ Earworm’s mash-up of this year’s top 25 Billboard Hits. You’ll be dancing in your chair in no time. Happy 2010! See the list of songs after the jump! Read More »

By Stephanie | Posted in Entertainment | Tagged , , , , | Comments (1) | 649 views
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Entertainment || Best New Fall TV Show Bracket – Cougar Town vs The Vampire Diaries [December 7, 2009]

Thanks for your TV show suggestions and for voting in the seeding poll, Sweet Sixteen, Elite Eight, and Final Four. The top 2 fought their way to the Final Round! It’s starting to seem like the battle of the pretty people. Tell us – do you love the Cougars or the Vampires? Leave a comment!

And be sure to follow us on Twitter for periodic bracket score updates during the week:

twittericon40 Follow Us On Twitter

Here’s the bracket as it currently stands:

bracket2

After the jump, see the schedule rundown and vote in each match-up!
Read More »

By Stephanie | Posted in Entertainment | Tagged , , , | Comments (11) | 655 views
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Entertainment || Graph of the Week: Dear Internet [December 6, 2009]

Dear Internet,

Since you bombard me with so many quizzes, here’s a small one in return (with accompanying answers):

Twilight

Glad we got that settled.

By Matt | Posted in Entertainment | Tagged , | Comments (0) | 300 views
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Food || Worth the Trip [December 1, 2009]

A tiny dim sum restaurant in Hong Kong was recently awarded a coveted Michelin star.  What makes this award so remarkable is that dishes start at $1.42, making this by the far cheapest Michelin-starred restaurant in the world.  In fact, if you flew to Hong Kong for a day, ate two or three meals there, and flew back, it would still be cheaper than eating two or three meals at many a Michelin-starred restaurant elsewhere (where prices can soar into the hundreds of dollars per person).

Who’s up for a trip?

PS – If getting a Michelin-starred meal for under ten bucks isn’t awesome, I quit.

By Matt | Posted in Food | Tagged , , , | Comments (0) | 301 views
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