Creative Cakes and Sandwiches

Our library purchases some of the most interesting non-fiction books and I enjoy discovering new topics! The first book I stumbled across yesterday is called The Birthday Cake Book: 75 Recipes for Candle-Worthy Creations by Dede Wilson (641.8 W747b). The cover itself shows a luscious chocolate and meringue swirled cake--and since it was right after my lunch break I just had to peek inside and see what this book was all about! The book opens with a section on making and baking the perfect cake, as well as a few ideas on how to create interesting candle holders and crystallize flowers. The next sections include instructions on how to make basic and speciality cakes and then classic frostings and icing. The next few sections include recipes for decadent cakes (such as a Butter Pecan Cake with Brown Sugar Fudge Frosting or the Hairy Caterpillar Cupcake Cake). The recipes are easy to follow and would be good for either the beginner or experienced cook.

The second book is title Insanewiches: 101 Ways to Think Outside the Lunchbox and it is written by Adrian Fiorino. This book shows you how to make outrageous sandwiches. While I think the idea is charming, and some of these creations are downright cute, I just cannot see anyone making these sandwiches and placing them in a lunchbox to be transported to school! Some of these crazy creations would make an interesting dish for a party, such as "The Banana Split Trickwich (pg. 122) . This would be a great April Fool's gag, because when you look at the picture, it looks like three scoops of vanilla ice cream sandwiched between a hoagie roll! On closer inspection, you see that it is made of mashed potato "ice cream," bacon and chive sprinkles, gravy masquerading as chocolate sauce and topped with cherry tomatoes. I think this would be an excellent choice for an adult dinner party or a child's birthday! Adrian Fiorino is the author of a popular blog, insanewiches.com that he began in June 2009. Adrian currently lives in Toronto and is always on the look out for new sandwich ideas!