Junk Food

This odd little illustration by Jared Stumpenhorst, originally dreamed up as a t-shirt design for Woot, caught my eye mostly because of the interesting selection of snacks. I've seen the burger/fries combo on t-shirts, the cupcakes and candy combo, even a family of fruits with faces--but I'd yet to come across such a fine sampling of junk food. 

The nervous smiles on their faces make me wonder, are they self-conscious about the way some might look down on them? Or are they about to get eaten by someone more like me?

Let's face it, these snacks may not be the best for your diet, but there are some benefits to cooking them in your own kitchen. Healthy recipes and fresh ingredients can take out a lot of the yuck-factor from these usually mass-produced treats. Alternatively, making a conscious decision to buy all-natural alternatives to your old favorites can help satisfy a craving without doing any real damage. Everything in moderation, right? Ahh, junk food..

Clockwise from top left:
Really simple homemade pizza from (one of my favorites!) Smitten Kitchen 
Copycat Oreo cookie recipe by Cupcake Project 
Soft pretzel recipe from Cooking Light via My Recipes 
Healthy microwave potato chips from Fat Free Vegan 
100% natural GuS (Grown-up soda) available in a variety of flavors
Fried chicken photo from Sweet Tea with Lemon , recipe by Alton Brown 
Homemade peanut butter cups from Genesis of a Cook 
Glazed donut holes recipe by Diana's Desserts 
Greek lamb burgers with spinach, red onion and Feta from Bon Appétit
Fresh fruit roll-ups recipe by Sugarlaws 

Dessert Buffet: Chocolate & Cream

Dessert and candy buffets are all the rage at weddings and events this year. Photos of stylized buffets, like this one above from a Martha Weddings magazine spread, are almost unavoidable when doing party planning research. As someone who likes to bake and decorate, I've yet to come across a buffet of treats that seems difficult to replicate.

This blue, brown and wintery white tablescape is no exception. The linens are simple, the cake stands are plain, candies are in clear glass vases and the display pedastals for bite-sized goodies are clean and modest. This modern style uses enough basic pieces to allow even those with a tight budget to find a perfect match.

Below are some easy recipes for elegant-looking desserts that you can whip up in your own kitchen. For a smaller crowd, downsize your table and swap out some of the tiered cakes shown above for tiered platters with cupcakes or petit fours.

Clockwise from top left:

Whoopie pies from Gourmet magazine via Epicurious 

Chocolate marbled meringue recipe from BBC GoodFood 

Chocolate-dipped pretzels, photo by Schakolad, recipe from Robin Miller via Food Network

Chocolate ganache truffles by Culinate 

Foolproof chocolate fudge recipe on Hubpages  

Mini vanilla cupcakes by Mary Bakes 

Jordan almonds with a bronze candy coating from Patchi 

"Hot" chocolate cake spiced with cinnamon and cayenne pepper by Country Living 

Hazelnut chocolate linzer cookies from the LA Times 

English buttermints and brown sugar licorice from Fiona's Sweetshoppe 

Boston cream pie recipe from Country Living 

Homemade marshmallows with toasted coconut by recipe by Ina Garten