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Bacon Power
An article about a cookbook prompted me to buy a cupcake yesterday. The photo on the cover of “The Butch Bakery Cookbook” shows a cupcake topped with bacon. I immediately remembered reading a blurb about maple bacon cupcakes being sold at The Cup this month.
I had some errands to run, one of which put me in the same shopping center as The Cup’s Bearden store. I bought one cupcake to split with my wife, despite the staff’s suggestion that I buy two.
It was a great cupcake, that I would highly recommend. Candied bacon is used as a garnish on top. If there was more bacon under the icing, I didn’t notice it. Pecans were infused into the cake and more were placed on top. The delicious maple icing was the most dominant flavor. The combination of tastes reminded us of breakfast, not dessert. I had poured us each a glass of milk but my wife said she would have enjoyed a glass of orange juice instead.
Wish Fulfillment
A few days after each “Dinner with the Bone Doctor,” Susan Seals mails me a few snapshots from the event. The pictures are signed by Dr. Bill Bass. This past week I was fortunate to receive a few pictures of myself with Dr. Bass as well as some pictures that I need to give to others.
Melissa Treece is a fan of Patricia Cornwell’s books and sometimes corresponds with the famous author via Twitter. Melissa plans to start reading the novels and the non-fiction books by Dr. Bass and Jon Jefferson. She bought a ticket to the dinner last Monday night and had a fabulous time. I have three autographed pictures for her.
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Amy Sams entered the Star 102.1 Fall Fantasy contest last year. Her entry was picked on Halloween morning and she quickly called in to claim her prize. Her wish was to meet Dr. Bass. The radio station paid for Amy and her mother to attend the dinner. I have two autographed pictures for her.
Hip to Be Square
Dr. Bill Bass brings a different set of bones to each “Dinner with the Bone Doctor.” The fourth such event at Echo Bistro & Wine Bar was held last night. Guests enjoyed sea bass and veal while staring at various bones from the Body Farm. I have had the good fortune to serve as emcee for each of the dinners.
The first bone of the evening was a native American skull that was about 400 years old. Dr. Bass could tell that the person’s skull was flattened by a cradleboard during infancy. As he placed the skull on each table in the restaurant, guests grabbed their cameras and cell phones to take a picture. Melissa Treece posted her photo to Twitter right away.
One of the bones came from the neck of a bison. It had a huge hump spine. Dr. Bass compared it to the same bone from the neck of a human. Before the dinner, Susan Seals of the Bone Zones team said to me, “when Dr. Bass holds up the buffalo bone, be sure to mention that they serve bison steaks here at Echo.” When the time came, I grabbed a menu and read aloud: “Bison Strip Steak ‘Denmark,’ broiled to perfection then topped with sautéed shiitake mushrooms, country ham and blue cheese crumbles.”
In the past, Dr. Bass has shown what remains of an artificial hip from a person who was cremated. Last night he showed an artificial hip from someone who decomposed at the Body Farm. The number 31-05D is visible on the pelvis. According to the Body Farm numbering system, the bones came from the 31st body donated in 2005.
Dr. Bass gave a few hints about the next Jefferson Bass novel, “The Inquisitor’s Key,” which will be released on May 8. It involves the Avignon Papacy, the Shroud of Turin and a mysterious set of bones.
But Moses Invests
One of my favorite church sign sayings is “If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?” I assume that the owner of a decorated minivan in St. Louis wants the answer to be yes.
From a distance, it wasn’t clear why one car in the Walmart parking lot stood out from the others. Upon closer inspection, my family and I could see that it had been painted with religious messages, the largest of which was “Jesus Saves!” The license plate referenced Yahshua, another name for Jesus.
As I photographed the van, a police car pulled up behind us. For a second, we thought that the officer was going to tell us to stop. However, she just wanted to get a closer look at the van too.
No Surrender
Jilly’s Cupcake Bar & Café in St. Louis has expanded since my visit in August. They knocked down a wall and took over an old fabric shop that was next door. They have a fun atmosphere and a great Sunday brunch. In August, I learned that I should have made reservations. Yesterday, I learned that the reservations have to be made a few days in advance. They don’t take same-day reservations.
As soon as my family and I arrived, we noticed a sign that said they would be on “Cupcake Wars” again that night for a battle of previous champions. Casey Shiller saw us watching him through the window that now surrounds the kitchen. He washed his hands and came out to the hallway to chat with us. He remembered us from August and graciously welcomed us back. When we asked about the show, Casey spoke carefully so as not to reveal the outcome of the episode.
After brunch, we saw Casey and the staff assembling four types of fancy cupcakes. It was obvious to us that these would be the same cupcakes we would see on “Cupcake Wars” that night. My wife knew immediately that he had survived the first round. I hoped he would win and based on his plans for local media appearances this week, I thought maybe he would. Unfortunately, he was sent home after the second round.
The judges seemed unusually harsh in their criticism of Casey’s decorations. The unintelligible French pastry chef Florian Bellanger thought they did not capture the spirit of the American Music Awards. When we lived in California, I was fortunate enough to take my daughter to the American Music Awards and to the after-party. I think Casey’s cupcakes would have been a fine fit for the event.
Peanuts and Cracker Jack
The Christmas gifts that my friend Bean and I exchanged had a childhood flair to them. I sent him peanut butter and jelly from Blackberry Farm, the world-class resort in Walland, Tennessee. Coincidentally, our mutual friend Jimmy Kimmel received a surprise trip to Blackberry Farm for his birthday last November.
Bean sent me a fantastic framed photo of the New York Mets winning the 1969 World Series. That event sealed my fate as a lifelong Mets fan.
Perry Simon is a lifelong Phillies fan, so it’s understandable that he hates the Mets the same way I hate the Phillies. The other day he posted a link to a great story about Mr. Met, the lovable mascot for my team. I was amused by Perry’s take:
Here’s a whole article on the travails of Mr. Met, the cheery mascot of the troubled New York Mets. I’m not sure what the point of the thing is, but Mr. Met always seemed to be a pretty lame mascot to me. I mean, what does he do? He’s a guy with an enormous baseball for a head. Um, okay.
Perry’s comments are hysterical because the mascot for his team is the ridiculous Phillie Phanatic, a cross between Big Bird and a radioactive aardvark. Without his Phillies shirt, who would know what the Phanatic stands for? Even in street clothes, it would be obvious that Mr. Met lives and breathes baseball.
Three King Circus
St. Mark Church in Vienna, Virginia, celebrates the Epiphany by having parishioners display their nativity scenes in the Activities Center. The annual Crèche Exhibit is a nice tradition that I would enjoy seeing catch on at more places.
Before Christmas, my family visited the Way of Lights at the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows in Belleville, Illinois. The gift shop sold nativity figurines, including two animals I hadn’t seen in that context before: horses and elephants. The Bible doesn’t say how many Magi visited Jesus and it certainly doesn’t mention their mode of transportation. It made me wonder, are elephants mentioned anywhere in the Bible? Yes, in the second book of Maccabees, elephants are used by warriors in chapters 11, 13 and 14.
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