They Simply Went Too Far

Micky Arison

     After more than 30 years at the helm of the company that brought us the "Fun" ships, its embattled CEO stepped down this week. Micky Arison, will remain at Carnival as Chairman of the Board, but his role as Chief Executive Officer has come to an end.  Mr. Arison, the son of the Carnival founder will be replaced by Arnold Donald, a long time Board Member. It seems to me that this is nothing new in American business.  When companies attempt to save their way to success, disasters can happen.  When you have cut your staff to the bare minimum, the only category left for big savings is upkeep and maintenance.  In our past, airlines have cut back on "capitol" or upkeep costs, with disastrous results and now we see it in the cruise line industry. 
     It shouldn't surprise us.  When times are tight economically business's look for ways to bring more revenue to the bottom line.  This is called flow-through.  The problems come when the balance gets skewed.  In the case of Carnival;  maintenance, staff reductions and poor planning probably played a large role in their recent list of very public failures. 
        As companies reduce their staffing levels they not only incur a people-drain, but depending on the depth of those reductions they begin to develop a talent-drain.  Talent for our purposes here points to skill and knowledge levels.  If you layoff your three top engineers for example or sometimes even those mid-level manager types you just may be courting catastrophe.
        I don't know what happened that led to this string of failures with the ships in the Carnival fleet. I do know or at least I believe that if the blame is not found in a conscious effort to cut costs then these failures have no other cause than negligence.  I prefer to think that Carnival was simply trying to run its business in the most cost effective and efficient manner possible; they simply went too far.

The List

So tonight when I got home from work, I pulled up my MSN website and found the following list:

6 ways to improve your butt and thighs.

1. 5 ways to shut down emotional eating
2. 12 reasons to stop multitasking now
3. 8 Surprising things that make you stink
4. All your sleep problems, solved
5. 11 reasons you should never, ever take a cruise
6. 13 ways to have a healthy road trip
7. 6 bad excuses for overeating
8. 7 ways to have a healthy fourth of July
9. 12 turnoffs that kill your sex life
10. 10 signs you may have OCD
11. 9 moves to tighter butt
12. The 10 biggest food label lies
13. How to avoid foodborne bacteria at a picnic
14. 6 ways to improve your butt and thighs

     Ok; so sometimes I just need to write.  The concept behind the My Big Fat Cookie blog  is to chronicle the events surrounding the launch of our cookie truck business.  Our plans from the beginning were that we would include life events along the way, family milestones and of course anything and everything that had to do with our cookie truck . . . . .  but sometimes I just need to write.  When milestones are still a mile away, and life events don't rise to the level deserving of a blog post, and when Baby Fat (our cookie truck) is parked for the night, you may see the occasional Op-Ed appear on our blog.  Let me apologize in advance for anything I may write which could offend you.  That is not the intent.  I simply have an opinion and sometimes it will bubble up and spill forth onto our blog page just like the one you are reading now...    
     So; did you read the above list?  WTF?  (Whose The Freak?)  Are you kidding me?  This list came from one web-page on the MSN site.  Let me see if I can put that in words which are easier to understand; this list came from one web-page on the MSN site!     I sometimes wonder if the media (in this case MSN) gets to a point where they are so desperate for content that they simply start making up stories.  Like; #9 for example.  "12 turnoffs that kill your sex life."  Really?  Only twelve?  Without even trying I can come up with 15 and all of those take place over a cell phone. 
     How about number #8?  "7 ways to have a healthy fourth of July."  The fourth of July is not meant to be healthy!  The whole holiday is about being unhealthy.  Fried chicken, hamburgers, hotdogs, mayonnaise based salads, beer, wine, chips, dip, soda, and pyro-maniacal toys which can turn a 40 year old man into an 8 year old boy before a single fuse is lit.   We are celebrating our nations independence, and this is no time to be healthy. 
   Then there's number 13; "How to avoid Foodborne bacteria at a picnic"  I didn't even bother to read about this.  If you suffer from #10 than #13 probably wont be a problem for you anyway but on July 4th the last thing you want to trouble yourself with is proper food handling practices.  All concentration should most likely go toward the salvation of your digits.  More people suffer from serious burns and dismembered hands during this holiday than  all of our other holidays combined and that includes New Years Eve.  (New Years Eve has its own set of rules for people who are stupid.)  On July 4th it doesn't matter what the label on the package says, 8 year old 40 year olds will still find it necessary to throw, hold, pitch or otherwise pick up, those little pyro-toys once the fuse is lit.  The exhilaration which comes from clutching 8 ounces of black powder with the fuse burning is too great of an urge for most men to overcome. 

11 reasons you should never, ever take

a cruise.

     #2; "12 reasons to stop multi-tasking now."  Really?  Just when the one holiday that multi-tasking was made for is upon us; you ask that we stop the practice?  When I need multi-tasking the most there are 12 reasons to stop?  How am I supposed to hold my hotdog, take a sip of my beer and still light and throw my Zippy Whig all at the same time?  If there is ever a day for multi tasking; it is the fourth day in July!  On this day if I choose to practice #14, then I certainly qualify for #10, which is bound to aggravate my issues with #4.
     In September, my wife Donna and I are going to ignore #5 when we take a cruise. During our cruise we will certainly violate all the rules stipulated in #1.  This is all enough to make you want to take a long drive to parts unknown but look at #6; there is no way I can keep up with all 13 of the ways to have a healthy road trip.....
     Is this really what we have come to?  We need a "news" website to tell us all the different reasons we should start, stop, continue, or change the things we do (or don't do) which make us who we are? 
     A list that informed us on the basics of how to throw a lit bottle rocket or the proper dosage of Kaopectate to combat the side effects of potato salad left out in the sun too long would be much more helpful.  Come on MSN; it's almost the fourth of July; don't harsh my buzz!

Do you need a Big Fat Cookie?
 

 

Chocolate Chips & Paint Chips

I know.  It doesn't look that bad, but

you should see it in real life when I'm

standing next to it crying. 



    Well what a day!  Pulling out of work today I managed to brush against a parking stanchion in my truck, and chipped the paint off the trim over the left, rear wheel well.  Not too worried about it, but I'm not happy about it either.   I called Donna to tell her what I had done and she thought I meant Baby Fat.  Ultimately I explained that the damage was not to our precious Cookie Truck.  I damaged my Ford FX2.  Outside of Baby Fat as far as vehicles go this truck is my favorite of all time.  6.2 litre Boss Mustang engine with a Flow Master; my little beauty can purr and be sassy all at the same time.  Oh well; I just need to walk it off.  A few hours at the body shop and my Ford will be fine.  It could be worse; it could be much worse. I'm just gonna keep telling myself that.....
     Yesterday, Donna and I had a little photo shoot.  The subject? Well cookies of course.  We dolled them up, plated them up and started snapping photos.  We did this in part because we need some art for the truck graphics and we'll need art for other uses as well. 
     Donna has completed her graphic design and has produced a rendering.  I wanted to scan it in and display it here in the blog, but apparently her and I are not in agreement.  Because I don't want to lose any of my favorite body parts, I have agreed that I will not post the rendering until she tells me I can. I thought about chancing it and posting the rendering anyway, but I'm just not ready to become a gelding.


     I would like to take a moment to thank everyone who has been reading our blog, "liking" our My Big Fat Cookie FB page and commenting.  Your good will and encouragement is never taken for granted and I just thought it appropriate to let you know how much you mean to us and what we are trying to do. So Thank you!
     Do you need a Big Fat Cookie?
                                                                                       

BFD (Baby Fat Day)

Donna peels the vinyl graphics from the

side of Baby Fat.

     So; yesterday was a Baby Fat Day as we completed some major work on our girl.  It's a step at a time, but we peeled all the prior graphics off the body and we secured a generator to the rear bumper.  Donna took measurements inside and out.  She has started the design work for the new My Big Fat Cookie graphics that will go on little BF and those inside measurements will help her create the inside layout of equipment, storage and prep area.
 We're both excited and it was a good day.  Today we'll take the little girl to an RV truck wash and spray her down and put her away for another week. 
     When did I get so old?  At 53 I swear sometimes I feel like I'm 83.  The day was full of stooping, bending, reaching and crawling around as we went about our modifications to Baby Fat.  It was a very hot day, and by the time we were finished I was ready for a shower and a nap.  Between my back, my knees, my hips, my neck and my shoulders, I don't know which part  of my body hurts the most. 

That's me in 1984 in an
apparent but feeble attempt
to look like Tony Orlando

     In 1984 (The year Baby Fat went into service for FedEx) I was 6 feet tall (still am) had a 32 inch waist, (that's gone) weighed 170lbs (yeah, right) and while I have never been athletic, I could bend, stretch, twist, turn, lift, swivel, crawl, climb, crouch, and contort without suffering a single side effect.  Now? Some days it hurts when I bend over and tie my shoes. 
     Donna is an absolute trooper.  She peeled all the vinyl graphics off of Baby Fat, (no easy task) and helped me lift the generator onto the bumper platform.  She prepared lunch for the two of us, and was still going strong when I hit the rack for my nap.  

Donna smashed her thumb as we lifted
the generator onto the platform.  We
secured it with four chains, four padlocks
and four u-bolts.

     I know I'm not that old, but it is surprising how age seems to creep up on a fella when he least expects it.  We still have a lot of work to do, so later today I'll load up on Aspercreme, Advil and ace bandages.  Because Donna has strict uniform requirements I have assured her that I will make sure my bandages are white. . . . .
    

Baby Fat, with her new power plant and stripped of her

old graphic design.

 

Gizmo about a week before she left us. . . .

    There were two deaths this week which I feel must be recognized and memorialized here in our My Big Fat Cookie blog.  In our first post I mentioned that one of the purposes of this blog is to chronicle our journey as Donna and I start a new chapter in our lives.  Part of that journey; that chapter, goes beyond the business we are hoping to start and includes our life and family events along the way.  I hope you will indulge me as I caption these certain moments, for they are as much a part of the "journey" as baking, cookies, and trucks .
     Last Sunday, June 16, we lost one of our beloved pets.  Gizmo; our Chihuahua passed away in her sleep.  She was 15 years old, and an important part of our family.  I didn't much care for her as a pet, due to an aversion I have to small, squeaky dogs.  she was however, part of our family and her importance and status were founded in her history with us.  Gizmo was a birthday gift for our youngest son, Jake when he turned 8.  This little dog started out with the name Velcro because when we first brought her home, her little puppy nails got caught in the carpet and froze her in place.  As a puppy she didn't have the strength to free herself, and when we pulled her free the sound was similar to that of pulling Velcro strips apart.  We soon changed her name from Velcro to Gizmo, because "Velcro" is trademarked and we didn't want any trouble from the 3M company.  We thought about "Hook and Loop" and decided that was too large of a name for such a small dog.  Gizmo was a more fitting name anyway and we were carful not to get her wet and we never fed her after midnight.  In a family comprised of two Ferrets, two Basset hounds and a cat, Little Giz sometimes got lost in the shuffle, but she was a good sport and she always seemed to find her niche.  Even though she was small and squeaky, I will miss her. 
     On Tuesday June 19 the world lost one of the best actors to come our way in a long time.  As I'm sure you know James Gandolfini passed away.  He was 51 years old, and he died way too soon.  It is a shame when life ends this abruptly.  You know he had some unfinished business, and how much more; I wonder, could he have shown us. . . . . .  we will never know.  

Do you need a Big Fat Cookie?
     

   




 

BFF - Baby Fat Forever

That's Baby Fat all nestled between two moving vans
at Storage West. 

     We took our girl to the Storage center night before last.  This will be her home when she's not out carousing with all the other food trucks in town.  She looks a little lonely parked there between those big boys, but look at her; she'll charm them in no time.  With her sexy grill and cute little pink air scoop, she'll have those big fella's wrapped around her antenna before you can say backup camera.  (Because Baby Fat's a lady, I'll stay away from the headlight metaphors )
     This weekend, we peel the vinyl lettering off her sides and next week we take her in for a paint estimate.  After that comes the My Big Fat Cookie graphic design and then . . . . well we park her.  Using the model of; "plan your work and work your plan", Baby Fat will sit for while as we get our Big Fat Licenses, Big Fat Permits and Big Fat Certifications.
     I have never been much of a mechanic.  The night we brought Baby Fat home I tried to open the hood and couldn't find the release handle inside the cab of the truck.  I had watched Jazz, the previous owner pull on it several times to open the hood.  I knew it was located somewhere under the dashboard but I couldn't see it.  I looked for a good 10 minutes and then my patience ran out.  I started pulling on every knob I could see.  I knew the cable was stiff because when Jazz had pulled the handle he had to use both hands and put his weight behind it.  Ultimately I pulled so hard on one of the knobs the cable broke.  I knew I would never get the hood open.  It took me another 10 minutes to realize that the knob I had pulled belonged to a now broken cable which operated the vent on the passenger side of the cab. I still have not found the hood release.


First project:   Replace the ignition switch.
 Right now we have to start Baby Fat
with a screwdriver.  It's effective but tacky.

     I love to tinker, but as you can tell, I usually make things worse rather than better.  I have little patience for bolts that wont break free, threads that get stripped and parts that no matter the angle don't look like they belong together.  I once took apart the motor to a blender, to see how it worked, when I couldn't put it back together again I threw it away. I bought a broken grandfather clock one time with a plan to restore it; I threw it away.  I used to build model airplanes but I never quite finished them and I threw them away.  I've thrown so many of my projects away over the years that I should have tried out as a pitcher for a farm team!
          My wife, Donna is worried that I'll get discouraged with Baby Fat and that I wont be able to keep up with the mechanical demands of a 30 year old  P-30.  "You just wait" I told her.  "When you put your mind to something, magic can happen."  She rolled her eyes.  I continued; "She's old and was built before computers or electronic fuel injection.  I can do this!"  She rolled her eyes.  "My brother is a phone call away, with Skype it'll be just like he's here with me.  He can help me in real time"; I said.  She folded her arms across her chest and stared at me.  "What?" I said.   With an edge to her voice sharp enough to shave a 3 day old beard; "Skype your brother"; she demanded.  "Now?   Why?"; I asked.  "Well; if you're going to make magic happen, aren't you going to need to open that hood?"
     Do you need a Big Fat Cookie?

The Side Effect

    

     It's just amazing. The paperwork, thought and planning that one must go through to launch a business.  There's the LLC  (Limited Liability Corporation) paperwork, business insurance, business license,  health inspection, Food Handlers certification, trademark filing, truck registration, truck insurance, truck storage, and minor truck modifications.  On top of that there is equipment purchases which of course requires "shopping" for the best price and value.  There are marketing plans, marketing related purchases, business cards, business stationary, business equipment, and office supplies.  There are tax considerations, tax implications, and taxation of my brain . . . . . . .   Sound like a lot?  I haven't even scratched the surface.  So much to consider, plan for, and implement.
     OK; let me break it down a little.  We have to put Baby Fat in storage, because our Homeowners Association doesn't allow commercial vehicle's to be parked in our driveway. Well that's not a problem, because we pretty much knew that, going into this.  We cant put Baby Fat into storage unless we have proof of insurance.  Insurance for our 1984 commercial vehicle $265.00 up front and then $95.00 a month.  Storage fee is $119.00 per month.  OK  so not a problem, but think about this;  Between insurance and storage we're paying over $200.00 a month.  Our business plan calls for our first event to take place at the end of October.  So lets do some math; $200.00 a month for 5 months, equals $1000.00 and we haven't even sold a single cookie.  I've eaten a few but those don't count.  Add in all those other expenses referenced above and your head starts to spin faster than a lime in a margarita machine. 
        I call my wife, the "Reluctant Entrepreneur." If there was ever a person less inclined to start a business it's Donna.  Her lack of desire has nothing to do with laziness, a skill deficit, or fear of failure, it's just that the "business" part of this endeavor is not where she finds her challenge or reward .  If she could park Baby Fat on a corner and give these cookies away that is what she would do.  The thrill for her or the passion comes from people enjoying her culinary creations.  Like a great artist or Broadway performer, or talented pianist, the "thrill"  has nothing to do with money; it has nothing to do with business at all. 
    What she does with these cookies is an art.  You can't describe a My Big Fat Cookie cookie any more than you can describe Andrea Boccelli's voice, or the smell of a rose, or the sound of a baby cooing to someone who has not experienced these things.  You see for Donna it's about the way the flavors all work together.  It's about the texture of the cookie and the gooey feel of the confections on the pallet.  Its about the aroma and the appeal to the eye.  Its about creating a unique flavor or flavors which lead to a sensory experience so profound that it defies description.  For her, its about all those things coming together in one explosive moment of flavor which overloads the brains ability to maintain molecular control .  It is in this instant; this absolute moment when the Brain overloads where we begin to understand her motivation and her art. During this moment of a moment something happens which can only be described as a........ tastegasm!
     This is why Donna does what she does.  Her happiness comes when a patron buys a cookie, tastes it, and then buys three more.  Trust me; it's not about the money going into the cash register, its about the joy she was able to bring to someone else.  For Donna its about the taste and flavor experience.  The money? Well that' just a side effect.    Do you need a Big Fat Cookie?

What the Tongue Tells the Brain about Taste

1. Marion E. Frank and
2. Thomas P. Hettinger
   

The tongue translates a chemical taste signal into a neural code that the brain can interpret. How it does that is still a mystery, but the key elements are known. Specific molecular taste receptors on taste receptor cells located in the taste buds bind taste stimuli. Through complex transduction schemes and synaptic activation of neurons, stimulus information is sent to the brain by peripheral neurons. There is a close correspondence between the stimulation of particular types of taste receptor cells, the activation of classes of peripheral taste nerve fibers and the evoked taste qualities. In humans, these perceptions are defined as sweet, umami, salty, sour and bitter. Incomplete homologies may exist for other species. The tongue tells the brain about taste quality, but the brain bypasses the quality assignment in brainstem reflexes and assesses the qualities for hedonic value.

 

 

What's In A Name?

    Yesterday was an exciting highpoint; my wife Donna and I, brought our baby home and parked her in the driveway.  This truck with 232,464 miles on the odometer (yeah; you read that right) still has a destiny.  Our 1984 Chevy P-30 KurbMaster started life like many of its siblings.  Surprise!  It was a FedEx truck.  The good lord only knows how many miles it traveled as its many drivers delivered packages and correspondence all over Southern Nevada.  At some point it became a plumbers truck and then a cupcake food truck and soon it will be a cookie truck. 

This is a Hybrid gas-electric FedEx van operating in New

York State. I wonder how long she'll be on the road and how

many business names will grace her flanks?

     As I stood outside and looked her over, in the Nevada June heat (101 degrees) I couldn't help but wonder; how many roads had our baby traveled?  This truck has no factory air conditioning and until it began life in its most recent capacity as a cupcake dispensary it didn't even have an after-market RV style rooftop unit.  How many of those FedEx drivers sweated in it?  Cursed traffic in it?  How many doorbells had they rung?  How many times did these drivers deliver a much awaited package, containing good news or a needed item of clothing, or home appliance, or a gift for a special person in someone's life. 

That's our baby!  All fat and happy in her new home.

     In 1984 there were no cell phones, no electronic signatures, no IPods, IPads or IPhones; in fact there were no entertainment or communication devises which began with the letter "I".   In those days anyone who was anyone carried a pager with a numeric display. If you wanted to know how to live you watched Lifestyles Of The Rich and Famous (For my younger readers: No; this was not a show about rich and famous people's condoms.) and if you wanted to make a statement you traded in your Dodge Laser, put 18 thousand dollars with it and you bought the first model year of the Nissan 300ZX. 
     In those times, FedEx along with UPS were expensive alternatives to the United States Postal Service.  Both carriers were used sparingly and strategically. 
     Today, businesses and individuals have pretty much gotten over the sticker shock associated with using parcel services and find their value and the piece of mind which comes with using them well worth the price. 
     In 1984 I had friends, Nick and Kelly Russo. Nick worked for FedEx and I wondered as I drove our baby home, if perhaps this had been his route truck.  I lost track of Nick over the years, but he and his wife Kelly were good people. 
      In her next life our soon-to-be cookie truck was put into service as a plumber's service truck.  You see; the P-30 step vans and the many trucks which owe there heritage to them, are what move America.  These trucks (in most cases) have many lives as they support our nations businesses occupations, and services. 
     I wondered as I stared at our baby girl; how many pipes, elbow fittings and plumbing related parts and pieces did she carry?  How many tools?  Did FedEx ever deliver something to this plumber?  Did our girl stare at that truck and long for the glory days when she too had the bright FedEx logo painted on her sides? 
     By the time Channa and Jazz Bender; (the most recent owners) purchased her and pressed her into service as their cupcake truck our little lady had been driven hard and put away sweaty more times than a Budweiser Clydesdale.  She was tired, droopy and the miles were showing.  Along the way the transmission and the 5.7L V8 Chevy engine were rebuilt, but other than that, she looked, and smelled like a plumbers truck. The Bender's wasted little time and spared no elbow grease bringing their P-30 back to life.  They gutted the racks and shelves needed to carry plumbing parts, cleaned her top to bottom, and replaced all that utilitarian metal with shiny new food handling apparatus. For three years, and with an "A" rating from the Clark County Health Department, Channa navigated our roads and sold her confections to countless Las Vegans.
     Cupcakes would not to be the final chapter for their little truck though, combined with the birth of a child and the sometimes changing priorities of business owners, Jazz and Channa made the difficult decision to let the cherished Cupcake truck move on.  My wife Donna and I are the lucky benefactors of their hard decision.
     Two nights ago, Donna and I laid awake trying to think of a name for this truck.  We thought it would be a cute and useful bit of marketing to have a name of some sort painted on the front quarter panels.  Obviously we will adorn it with the name of our Company, but to name the truck gives it a personality and like Donna and I it becomes a member of the My Big Fat Cookie family.  The name we told each other; "is important", and it is.  What we have come to discover though, is even without a name, this little truck already has a personality; its personality lies in its background; where it has been, the roads it has traveled, its different uses, all of the hands that have turned the steering wheel, and all the hands which will turn it in the future. Our little truck is a dream weaver, with or without a name!
     I am thankful to the Bender's.  They literally brought a 30 year old "has-been" back to life, and they made it possible for me to ride along as Donna travels her dreams.  Thank you again Channa and Jazz, we will treasure this truck, which we have christened Baby Fat and we will treat her with the same love and respect she has grown accustomed to.   

This 1957 International Metro Van, is one of Baby Fat's ancestors.
One need only look at the sliding driver's door and the roof mounted

windshield wipers to see the family resemblance.

Do you need a Big Fat Cookie?

K.









The Journey Begins

    Well alright; so the title is a bit on the nose, but after sorting through the various options, and bouncing numerous words off the four walls it is (I have come to believe) the most appropriate.  On Monday, June 10, 2013 my wife, Donna and I began our American Dream with our commitment to purchase a food truck.



This 1984 step van will be (we hope) the beginning of that dream.  With her five perfected cookie recipes and a passion and expertise for cooking and baking which rivals only Paula Dean and Ina Garten combined; my wife will take us on the most American of all trips; the entrepreneurial journey. 

     To do proper justice to this; first of what will be many posts, and to pay proper homage to the passion for cooking and baking my wife (and all those who call us friends and family) enjoy; we must first explore Donna's culinary lineage.  Born in the mid-west where great American cooks are born and raised Donna comes from a long line of women who could do anything and everything in their kitchens; stopping just short of turning water into wine. 

      These women (the ones I know about) were farm cooks, each and every one.  While Donna's mother may never have lived on a farm, one only need taste her country fried steak, or her ham and homemade macaroni and cheese or fried chicken  and the image of twenty hungry field-hands gathered around the table comes to mind.  Donna's mom learned to cook from her mother, who learned to cook from her mother and this heritage goes back through countless generations. 

      In skill, knowledge and ability Donna, equals her mother.  The flavors are sometimes slightly different, the technique used to get the desired effect may be unique to each cook, but the result from either kitchen, clearly defines the word; tantalizing. 

      In 2012 my wife won the first annual Las Vegas Cupcake bakeoff when she took first place in a field of over 100 contestants. In 2010 she had won a segment of the "Women of Philadelphia"  cooking contest.  It was with these two wins, and a healthy dose of encouragement from our friends and family that My Big Fat Cookie became her big fat dream. For 33 years we have been a team. For my part; I will drive and maintain the truck, I will assist with the baking, and I too will follow my passion.  I will chronicle our experience, track our progress and hopefully fill these pages with prose worthy of your time. 

In 2010 Donna won the Las Vegas Cupcake Bakeoff among a field of over 100 contestants.  Many of the bakers owned professional retail bakeries or catering companies, and with a simple but original cupcake recipe she stormed her way to the top of the pack and won the Grand Prize!

      Tomorrow we go pick up that truck, and our journey will truly begin.  It is my hope that you will follow us as we travel the ribbons of our dream.  These posts; by design will be spontaneous and thus random.  Sometimes I will leave you with more questions than answers but it is my fervent hope that you will find these writings interesting, entertaining, amusing and informational.  We hope that you too will come to share our passion, and we invite you to take this journey with us,  In the spirit of "more questions than answers" I leave you with this:  Do you need a cookie?

Here's the winning entry.  Hog Heaven Cupcakes.

These gems with their maple cream cheese frosting are capped with handmade fondant

piggy's and the most addictive substance known to man; candied bacon!