still life with puffed rice

In his essay on gift-giving, Emerson says "the only gift is a portion of thyself." Gifts should be individualized, they should covey your biography, and be unique to what you (the giver) do. Thus, the shepherd should give a lamb, the sewer, a needle-pointed handkerchief--and the casual crafter, Hello Kitty lover should do something like this. This Hello Kitty rice crispy treat was made for me by my friend Maryrose. The bow and the eyes are made with M & Ms and there's a mini chocolate chip for the nose. Though it is just one of the insanely cool birthday presents I received this year, it is perhaps the only one that's Emerson approved.

birthday cake

My mom's birthday is one week before mine so we share a cake. It is a chocolate cake from Rose Cafe in Venice, with alternating layers of chocolate cake and chocolate mouse with raspberries, topped with chocolate ganache. And it is enormous. My mom, who is famous for under-ordering food stuffs (like me, she is 5'' tall and just over 100 lbs., and thusly assumes that everyone eats the way she does--bird-like), does not skimp on cake. In the days following a party, she has been known to eat leftovers of this cake for breakfast lunch and dinner, until it is completely finished. However, this year she left town after our party and therefore wouldn't be home to eat the said leftovers. Or so I assumed.

Today I went home to discover an entire half cake in the freezer, wrapped in tin foil and two gallon-sized plastic bags.

I love you, mom.