Wanna come over after school?

From Miette

Presenting, the ultimate after-school snack for adults: Ants on a Log truffle, from the moustachioed mastermind at Pink,White,Brown. When Dane told me about these I freaked out imagining how amazing they could be. And when he sent a sample, they were even better! That does not happen very often in the candy world! But Dane's a bit of a genius: milk & dark chocolate combined perfectly with peanut butter (again, very rare!), garnished with plump raisins, and elevated to genius with...celery salt! Celery salt, people! I can't get over it. And I can't stop eating them.


This truffle has come at the perfect time: after hating celery my whole life, I have become obsessed with it the last few years. I think it all began with the incredibly spring-fresh celery-infused cocktail at Nopa that I can't remember the name of, and that they hadn't made since. Maybe someday? Perhaps in exchange for some Ants on a Log?

And if anyone knows how to obtain Bitter Truth Celery Bitters without paying 11Euros +13Euros shipping (um, that comes to $35!), please let me know. Mmm, those Mole Bitters look good too...

Ants on a Log
Price: $2
Availability: Octavia Sold out!

You'll definitely be invited back

It's party season!
Pumpkin painting parties, orphan Thanksgivings, tree trimming! Yes! I'd like to be the kind of organized, sophisticated adult who stocks up on cool host/hostess gifts, but...I'm not. But you can be! I'll live vicariously through you! I think the ideal gift is something the hostess would never buy herself (without being too expensive!). Your host might not splurge on organic honey-maple caramel sauce handmade by the lovely Anastasia, but he'll be soooooo glad you did.

From Miette

Plus, a spoonful of caramel sauce a day is an excellent plan. But I don't recommend you combine it with my two Mahalos a day system unless you are a trained & certified Miettegirl.

Sweet Revolution Caramel Sauce
Price: $18
Availability: Sold out!

I hope the prizes included tiaras for all the cows.

From Miette

Oh, Straus Family Creamery! We love you so! Your beautiful bottles, your homeopathically-treated cows, your super-creamy cream & super-buttery butter. Your products are so delicious & happy & alive! As Sommer at our Ferry Building shop put it, "The difference between Straus & other butters is like the difference between me & a corpse."

We've always used Straus butter & cream in all our baked goods because we think they're the best, so we were sooooo proud of those darling cows & farmers when they recently swept the Los Angeles International Dairy Competition.* Out of 43 competitors, Straus won 4 gold medals, 2 silver medals, and a bronze.

From Miette

And that's why this cupcake looks so proud.

*My grandpa, uncle, and brother are all championship dairy judges. They can tell you what mood the cow was in & what direction the wind was blowing, just by smelling cream! Not so surprising, but still impressive, considering my grandpa & uncle live in rural Missouri. But my brother lives in Chicago! Nice work, city kid!

Jamstresses & Jim-Jams*

From Miette

The talented jamstress Casey Havre of Loulou's Garden makes these precious little jars of jam for us, using seasonal fruit, very little sugar, and no pectin. The results are saucey & sassy, and there are soooo many amazing flavors beyond those you see here.

From Miette

The lists of ingredients are like my ultimate bedtime reading. Apricot-Sour Cherry Preserves: apricots, sour cherries, meyer lemon juice, sugar, cognac. Mmmmm. Does that come in a cocktail, too, perhaps?

From Miette

Plum Lavender Jam: Organic plums, sugar, lemon, garden lavender. Oh, to have a little garden with plum & lemon trees, & butterfly-filled lavender plants! My friend Mary once told me she hoped to someday have a little cottage, where "I would grow lavender, and wash my hair in a bowl". I've always loved that: it's so specific. I still dream of that for her, gorgeous & glamorous in her stone cottage.

Until then, there's jam.


LouLou's Garden Preserves
Price: $10/jar
Availability: Ferry Building, Octavia, Chestnut
Notes: Flavors vary by shop & by day! But they're all great!

*A British term for pyjamas, perhaps the best ever. Any other contenders?

Hooker's Sweet Treats!

From Miette

We've searched far & wide for the perfect chocolate-covered caramel, which sounds like an easy task but it was NOT! But now we've found it! Handmade in tiny batches by David, these perfect little bites are only available at Miette, the gorgeously spooky Perish Trust, and from the adorable boys at Sightglass Coffee. Oh, and you should go to both of those places because they're amazing! Tell them the Miettegirls sent you!

From Miette

Hooker's Sweet Treats
Price: $3.50/single, $10/box of 3
Availability: Ferry Building, Octavia, Chestnut