V-Day cookie tins at Fred Flare

Ahoy! I just got home from the Japanther show at the Bell House in Gowanus (Bklyn) where I was wheelin' and deelin' cookies and cupcakes. There were a lot of young folks there (like teenagers) who were vegan (I know because they would drool over the chocolate chip pecan toffee cookies and lemon buttermilk cupcakes and say, "are these vegan?"). I was a vegetarian when I was thirteen, and until my pediatrician made my mom force feed me some chicken soup, it felt like the right thing to do. I was disciplining myself, testing my boundaries, and even being a little rebellious. But now, 15 years later (I'm dating myself), I look at these young kids who won't eat a cookie because it has eggs in it and I feel weird. Just eat the damn cookie and get on with it, lad!  Youth: 'tis an awkward and glorious thing. [p.s. totally not dissing veganism or vetetarianism here- I just have a fascination with teenage rebellion.)

Now onto the reason I'm actually blogging. In my last post I mentioned that my buds over at Fredflare.com will have specially designed Valentines Day cookie tins available on their website for the week leading up to the big day of LOVE. They put the tin on their site today, and I just love the cute little photos they took of the tins and each of the goodies inside of them. Now that I've become much more interested in food photography, I'm wondering what I can do to take better pictures of my goodies without spending a ton of cash on a digi SLR camera and a proper flash. I have a really nice film camera, but alas, all analog signals have gone digital in my world. Unless my boyfriend gives me a mix tape on Valentines Day.  I don't post images of my goodies that often because I usually bake in the afternoon and/or evening, which is not the best kind of lighting for making sweets look yummy.  They just look like they're having their mug shot taken. 

But look at these beauties!

 

You can find the tins and purchase them here. They're $20 and the shipping is expedited at no additional cost (you still have to pay ground though I think.)  The tins include yummy ginger brownies, sweet and sour chocolate cherry cookies, and really delicious heart-shaped sugar cookies with royal icing (it's my boyfriend's mom's recipe- we make christmas cookies every year and I eat two of them for every one I frost.)  

Yum!  Take a look!

xo Tracy

February and March sugar high

Photograph by Katie Kline at Secret Project Robot, 2009.  

[It was freezing-we were outside for the purpose of the 

photo shoot only- but the baked goods still tasted damn sweet.  

In this photo are Oatmeal Cream Pies and Smores Brownies.

Eaters are myself-Tracy- sitting, Andrew and Suzanne standing.]

Hello there!  I hope your first month of 2009 has been filled with sparkly magic so far!  Sweet Tooth of the Tiger took a short break to chill the eff out this holiday season- stuff was super duper crazy busy!  But now I'm back, refueled, rollin' up my sleeves, and immersing myself in cake batter.  I'm out there again with my little bake sale table, makin' new friends, baking new things, and overall pretty psyched about what's coming up for this wheelin' and dealin' bake sale project that could.  Here is a list of February and March updates, with more info on each of them as you scroll down:

2/6, 8pm: Bake Sale at a Japanther show at The Bell House in Gowanus, Brooklyn

2/6-2/14: Valentines Day cookie tins for Fred Flare

2/13, 8pm: Bake Sale Residency collaboration with Frankie Martin at Secret Project Robot in Brooklyn

2/14, 1-4pm: Bake Sale for "I Heart Art" at WORK gallery in Red Hook, Brooklyn, to benefit The Wassaic Project

2/21, 8pm: Bake Sale at a French Kicks show at The Bell House in Gowanus, Brooklyn

March: Bake Sale Residency collaboration with Tara Strickstein at VOLTA art show/fair in NYC

2/6 and 2/21 at The Bell House, Gowanus (Bklyn):

I'm going to be at The Bell House for a few dates this month-

2/6 is the Japanther show (tix are $8 adv, $10 at the door)

2/21 is the French Kicks show ($12)

The Bell House is a new music venue on 7th street at 2nd Avenue in Brooklyn that is seemingly not corporate, has cheap tickets and a really great bar that has gotten sick reviews.  The whole building is gigantic and beautiful, the staff is super friendly, and the stage and sound are amazing.  I did a Ponytail and These Are Powers show last week and did a sold-out Thermals show a few days ago.  I've been wanting to do bake sales at a music venue but never wanted to deal with ClearChannel or who ever owns all the venues now, so I'm psyched.  You will love this place!

Bake Sale Residency Program:

I recently developed a new program for Sweet Tooth of the Tiger where artists can bake stuff and take over the bake sale table to raise money for a creative project.  They are basically "in residence" at the bake sale table, and get full control over what they want to bake.  I set up the bake sale locations with my various constituents and then meet them there with my table in tow, and we sell their goodies (and only their goodies).  Artists pocket the cash, and are able to live a little bit longer in this terrible economy  (thanks Bush family!).  I will also be using the Hello, Sweet Tooth blog to post interviews with artists who participate in the residency, including links to their site and such.  There was actually a little write up about the residency program in the Time Out NY Blog a few days ago, read it here.

Frankie Martin/Sweet Tooth, 2/13 at Secret Project Robot:

The first residency guinea pig is FRANKIE MARTIN, a rad Brooklyn-based multi media artist represented by CANADA in NY.  Frankie's work is at an intersection of culture, fantasty and color all contained within a conceptual framework that varies on a per-project basis.  Her collaboration with Sweet Tooth of the Tiger will raise funds for BIKE USA, a project which involves her bicycling across the United States this summer.  Check her fan club here. 

Frankie and I will be at my home away from home, Secret Project Robot in Brooklyn, on February 13th from 8-10pm for the These Are Powers Record Release art show "All Aboard Future," where they will be playing as well as exhibiting 18 artists whose work visually represents and interprets the concepts for All Aboard Future (the possibility, potential, and rising of a positive and dynamic New Age).  More info here.

I'm not sure what she's baking yet, I think she's going to be busting out some vanilla and peanut butter cupcakes and some other stuff.

Valentines Day Cookie Tins for Fred Flare!

I love the peeps over at Fred Flare- they are the cutest, sweetest, coziest of work families, and I can't get enough of them (shout out to Keith, Chris, Jen, Mo, and my fiery haired/smiley heart pal Chris Uphues).  They've asked me to organize a little Valentines Day cookie tin bake sale, and what I came up with will tantalize your tastebuds and get your heart a-pumping!  The cookie tins are 7 inch round silver tins with a Sweet Tooth logo decal on the lid, filled with Double Chocolate-Sour Cherry Cookies, Spicy Ginger Brownies, and Sweetheart Sugar Cookies!  All three are so yummy- I couldn't stop gobbling up the extra samples for the photoshoot!  The tins are around $20 and will be for sale on Fred Flare's website and maybe even in their store beginning the 2nd week of February- just in time for VDAY!  Check out their site in the meantime.

Bake Sale at WORK gallery in Red Hook (Bklyn) for "I Heart Art" on 2/14:

I'll be peddling sweets at a benefit for WORK and the awesome Wassaic Project from 1-4pm on Valentines Day!  They will have small works for only $60, live music and performances, and a silent auction.  I know Eve and Bowie who run The Wassaic Project (we both participated in The Last Supper art + food festival together at 3rd Ward last September), and they are really talented artists who dedicate much of their time to helping other artists expand their practice.  The Wassaic Project is situated on a series of historic farm structures and their adjoining land in the Hamlet town of Wassaic in Dutchess County NY.  Come to the benefit and help support these great ladies!  More info here.

Tara Strickstein + Sweet Tooth at VOLTA art show/fair in March:

The second bake sale residency trophy goes to Tara Strickstein, a Chicago based artist that has her MFA from the University of Chicago (she also studied at the French Pastry School) and is interested in pretty much all the same stuff I am (food theory + art theory).  She suggested we go for the gold and invite ourselves to an invitation only art fair in NY, and they accepted our project.  This all happened in about 7-10 days, which is seemingly unheard of.  Tara came up with a project that involves odd flavored lollipops, us (along with her colleague Adam Danforth) performing as cigarette girls/guy selling mango and lime (or some other flavor combination) to VOLTA guests.  Amazing.  We will be included in the catalog also, so this is majorly exciting.  I'll post the specific date we will be at the VOLTA show soon- come say hi and get a sucker!

xo Tracy

Spicy Cookie Goodness

Hello lads and ladies!

It's that time again!  So many crazy things happen in December- for us grad students, it's finals time!  Balancing finals on top of work, projects, play, baking, and life, is incredibly difficult.  In fact, I should probably not be blogging right now and instead be writing outlines and such.  I am excited though, in true dork fashion, to write my next paper.  It's kind of about the bake sale!  I'm using theories of participation and discussions surrounding socially collaborative art (like those put in place by Grant Kester, Miwon Kwon, and Claire Bishop) to talk about the politics of art projects that use food and consumption as a platform for ideas about the nourishment of a community.  It's also about the (art) market and the reverse co-opting of commercial models.  Yeah!  It's a big 25 page-er, wish me luck!

In a few weeks Alicia and I will be at La Superette!  I'm so excited because I'm offering new cookie tins that I screen printed with my new friend Gabe Cohen (www.pangeacorps.com) at Exit Art!  They are so rad and rather smart looking.  I'm also so excited to be making the cookies for the tins- they are all family recipes that we've made for during the holiday season for many years.  Making the cookies above for the photoshoot got me a lil teary eyed- I miss my Gram!  She was the one who taught me how to make the Ruggulah cookies shown in the picture.  I actually won a Girl Scout Bake Off with these cookies when I was ten.  It was amazing!  I don't remember what I won but I think it's one of the very rare times I've won anything.

So- check out our website to order and then come visit us at La Superette at 159 John Street at South Street Seaport next Saturday and Sunday (Dec 13th and 14th) from 12-8pm (12-6pm on Sunday) to pick them up!  

See you soon,

xo Tracy

OCTOBER!

Well hello there!  Just wanted to let you know that bake sale photos from September and October 2008 are now up on our Flickr page!  Check em out!  And also, make sure you VOTE!

Blog I must!

Hello, friends!

I'm supposed to be doing homework right now, but I'm too distracted with all of the super delicious things happening over here at camp sweet tooth!  

We're in BUST Magazine this month!  We've been chatting about it for about a week or so already, carrying the mag everywhere we go to show friends and family and whipping it out at parties.  We're so proud yet still feel super humble- we couldn't have been chugging along on this super sweet highway without you!  You talk with us about recipes, about ingredients, about the best way to keep a cupcake moist and a cookie chewy.  We tip our hats to you, community!  Thanks ten tons!

We also just got a super exciting invitation to cater Fred Flare's super awesome store opening in Greenpoint this month.  Dudes, their store is called SUPER CUTE.  They seem to understand my soul in many ways over there at Fred Flare headquarters!  We're so excited for them and also for the super fun party!  We're making a boat load of mini cupcakes (birthday stylee, as it's also their 10th anniversary!), yummy peanut butter bombs (Peanutbutter sandwich cookies), and our famous mac and cheese.  Um, that sounds like a party I want to hang out at... how about you?  The event is on Friday, October 24th at 7pm.  Check out their website, www.fredflare.com for lots more info (and a hilarious, guts spilling video blog about the opening of the store- they're so cute and hyper that they make me feel like I'm on a sugar high!)  The hearts painted on the brown kraft paper covering the windows of STORE CUTE (this pic was taken in August) are by Chris Uphues, our new friend that we didn't know we had.

We're also excited about doing more deliveries- so excited that we're offering a 15% discount on all delivery orders right now!  We've made up little coupons that you'll probably see around various cool neighborhood hangs.  Let us bring you cookies!  Send us an email to see delivery menus, pricing, etc.

Also, we're launching what we're calling a retail initiative.  We're packaging up our cookies and bars into little cellophane bundles of sweetness and hoping to get some retail stores to carry them, in order to reach a broader community of guys and gals with a serious sweet tooth.  We'll keep you updated about where you can find our chewy chocolate chip cookies, oatmeal cream pies, peanut butter cookies, rebel bars, double milk chocolate chip cookies, snickerdoodles, sugar cookies, gingersnaps, etc. etc.  If you have a little store and you want some packages of cookies to make your cash wrap smell yummy and offer your customers something special and homemade, send us an email at sweettoothofthetiger at gmail dot com.

Whew!  We've gotten through September already!  Find images from our events at Secret Project Robot/Monster Island's block party, the Last Supper food and art festival at 3rd Ward, and Design Trust For Public Space's Reinventing Grand Army Plaza event under the arches at Grand Army Plaza on our flicker page: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sweettoothofthetiger 

We're really excited about October!  xo Tracy and Alicia

Seventh Inning Stretch

Dear Sweet Teeth,

 

As mid-August approaches, Sweet Tooth of the Tiger finds itself nearing the homestretch!  The last two weekends have featured double-headers of sorts--nearly back-to-back gigs, home-runs in every bite!  At Exit Art, we enjoyed lots of delicious conversations with new friends and acquaintances (SHOUT OUT to the dude in the orange tiger t-shirt who drunkenly regaled me with "Eye of the Tiger".  I don't know who you are, but you made my day).  

At NADA's County (Af)Fair, the performance pieces were as stimulating as the sweet treats.

Last weekend, we helped Printed Matter celebrate their T-shirt Party.    We discussed the trials and tribulations of t-shirt modeling, apron collections, and the best ingredients for a sugar-free baked good before heading to Secret Project Robot for their Drawing Brunch.  At the Drawing Brunch, participants' creative appetites were whetted by brunch-y booze and food as they drew on others' drawings.  The palimpsests made for colorful images and conversations.  For photos, please see our flickr page.

On deck, T-Top and I will be participating in two events close to our hearts and mission.  As the season wraps up, if you haven't come out to see us yet, save the dates:

August 9, 1:30-4:30pm

The Big She-Bang!

ABC No Rio

156 Rivington St. 

August 11, 5-8pm (reception 5-6pm)

Recipe Slam and Community Cookbook Craft-Nite

Etsy Labs

325 Gold St - 6th floor, Brooklyn, NY

Besties,

A-Rae and T-Top

On Fire

With the heat and humidity of summer stifling, T-Top (Tracy) and I often overhear people wonder how we can bake in this heat. As I sit in my poorly ventilated kitchen, penultimate batch of choco-rocket cookies in the oven, rocking out to Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire,” I’m unfazed; I’m on fire. Sylvia Plath I am not, but my oven has its own meditative pull. Allow me to muse a moment on heat, fire, and the like.

Truth be told, with every opening of the oven door, I feel not only the warm of so many BTUs on my face, but the warmth of so many memories in my heart: memories of rural Wisconsin summers. Young love, county fairs, skinned knees. I remember windows open wide, the smell of fresh-washed sheets wafting in from the line. Returning from the thrill of the berry hunt, snitching the ripest, reddest raspberries—one on each fingertip—before they could be turned into the most delicious homemade jam. For my family, summer was baking and canning season. It was a way of convening with the harvest, with each other, appreciating nature and family and interconnectedness. Having grown up in the Midwest, where affection isn’t communicated in words (take a listen to “Prairie Home Companion”), food equals love.

Even Johnny Cash sings: “The taste of love is sweet….”

I wooed my first love with a dozen cookies (store-bought) and a note:
“I like you. Do you like me? Check yes or no.”
Each arrow pointing to the yes box was one of Cupid’s arrows in my heart. Looking back at the break-up, a distance measured in months and miles, I blame the bakery.

And I bake today, in this heat, because I love participating in and nourishing community spirit. And because sweets are sweet!

I’m especially excited about this week’s events; they take me back to first loves and country summers:

Thursday, July 24, 7-10pm
Summer Mixtape Volume 1: Get Smart Edition, Opening
EXIT ART

Saturday, July 26, noon - 6pm
NADA County Fair

STEP RIGHT UP and buy sweet treats for your sweetheart!
Here’s the menu:

-Choose your own cupcake adventure: Mix-and-Match your favorite icing and cupcake flavors
-Cinna-choco-oat cookies
-ChocoRocket cookies
-Lemon Sandwich Cookies
-Chocolate Rebel Bars
-Snickerdoodles
-Strawberry Mint Pops
-Mango Pops

With love, cupcakes, and skinned knees,
Alicia