Hello, Cupcake! & Challenge

Well, after the holidays the baking has slowed down a bit. I am sure it will pick up again after everyone detoxes...myself included! However, for Christmas I received a really great book that I am sure a lot of you have heard of called Hello, Cupcake! I LOVE LOVE this book. I loved it so much that the next day I went out and bought a copy for a girlfriend...you know who you are! As soon as I got it I read through it and felt like a complete cupcake amateur! There are some AWESOME things in this book and ideas that I am jealous I didn't think of first! There are e few things that I really like:

• All the pictures...Some books have great recipes without pictures, but this book has really beautiful pictures
• The step by step on how to do it all! Also you don't need all the tips and professional baking gear. It shows you how to do all the piping using a ziplock bag. I have used a ziplock before for simple things, but never thought to cut the bag tip like the piping tips...so smart!
• It gives a list on all the little items to use, like cereal and candy. It's nice that a cupcake book doesn't do EVERYTHING in fondant. I like a little fondant, but the candy etc isn't as complicated...plus, not everyone likes fondant.
• The book not only does not look down on boxed mixes and canned frostings, but ENCOURAGES them. WHAT, you say? I KNOW! I appreciate the low pretense and understanding that sometimes short cuts will be taken. I mean I am a n advocate for homemade buttercream and scratch cakes, but I like the fact that sometimes it's a mixed bag.

OK - now that I have plugged the book I will now plug the website...I have listed it on the side on my blog and you can easily click the link. The thing I like about the website is that there's a "Club" and what that includes is a CHALLENGE! Woo Hoo! Love a challenge! Every month they list a challenge on the website and you either list your blog on their site or upload pictures to their flickr account...this month is a "cupcake pictogram". Remember those good old pictogram puzzles? Now it's in cupcake form! Check it out and enter the challenge. Leave me a comment and let me know if you're gonna enter. I am for sure and will post the pics on here. GOOD LUCK!!!