Melania Bettarelli is the proprietor of Palatofino, and she specializes in these tiny works of art. She tells us about the traditions behind these Old World cookies.

Tell us about Springerle cookies.
Springerle are a type of European embossed cookies, historically connected to figurative writing and Egypt. Carved molds are necessary tools to produce these heirloom treats, a tradition that can be traced back to the 14th Century.  Springerle developed into a full mass media tool of communication, printed with images of everyday life events, street scenes, erotic and/or romantic messages, like today’s postcards. It was a media for political and religious education and propaganda up until the 18th Century. The decline began in the 19th Century with the introduction of modern media tools. Today the molds are highly collectible. Most cookie molds on the market are replicas of the originals. Old time designs from the Marie Antoinette era can still be reproduced today, and are among my favorites. A small section of my production, however, includes modern media icons. This was the original purpose of the craft and the part that mainly interest me.

What is your process?
You need good molds to start with. Size and deepness will tell you what type of recipe is necessary. Mine is generally the traditional recipe for Springerle with a couple of “secret” adjustments. It involves long hours of work but is the most reliable. I like to make my own butter – the results are worth the extra effort. At times, I explore other edible printable forms of media such a marzipan, fondant, icing sheets. The process of measuring and baking is not different than others. Working by myself, I need 3 to 4 full days to complete a batch of any type of “picture” cookies.

How did you decide to specialize in this type of cookie?
My father actually first introduced me to this edible craft. Sometimes he would come home with a giant cookie from a small town nearby depicting a woman with 3 breasts, a symbol of a good wine harvest. Those cookies, tokens of affection and an introduction to symbolism at the same time, are among the sweet memories that I cherish. So, when my husband presented me with a marzipan mold depicting a rose a few years ago, I fell in love and started to collect them right away.However,I don’t consider myself a baker or an artist, I am interested in media connections. And this is quite a good one for me. My cookie mold collection is still expanding.

Who are your typical clients?
Marie Antoinette-style lovers of all ages

What kinds of events do you make these for?
Mostly weddings and other special romantic occasions.

Tell us a little bit about your background.
I was born, raised and educated in Rome, Italy. I did not go to culinary school. I studied media education in Rome at the Istituto di Stato per la Cinematografia e la Televisione. I moved to NYC, in the East Village, in 1998 and bake in my upstate Catskills kitchen.

Vapur – Reusable water bottles are de rigueur nowadays.  Vapur takes it to the next level with their flattenable bottles.  With liquid inside, Vapur stands like a bottle.  When it is empty, you can fold, roll, or flatten the bottle, making it easier to slip into your pocket, purse, or gym bag.  The company calls it the anti-bottle – rightly so.  The flexible BPA-free plastic resembles an IV bag or an ice pack, which is great for weirding out people.   Vapur comes with a removable carabiner clip so you sporty-types can attach it and go.  It is freezable for those extra-hot days, and is dishwasher safe.  Plus, it is fun to play with.

Activeion Cleaning Solutions – This is one of those too-good-to-be-true products.  I did not test this product, so I will have to take the company’s word for it that this works. According to the literature, “The ionator is a new handheld appliance that uses advanced ionizing technology to convert tap water into a powerful cleaner, eliminating the need for chemicals or harmful toxins.”

Verterra – Here is an interesting one: dinnerware made from fallen leaves.  I’m gonna let that sink in for a minute. It is pretty much as ecologically friendly as you can get with single-use dinnerware.  Sometimes you just don’t want to do dishes after a big BBQ.  The leaves and stems are collected from the ground, so living plants are not touched.  No chemicals, binders, dyes, plastics, or bleaches are used in the creation of this dinnerware.  The plates, bowls, and trays are sanitized and formed with steam, pressure, and heat.  They a clean, simple look and shape, are remarkably durable, biodegradable, and compostable.  They are even microwavable and oven safe up to 350 degrees.  The downside?  Saving the environment doesn’t come cheap.  Depending on the size of plate you want, it can cost up to $1 per single-use, dinner-sized plate.

Currently, Salted Caramel only offers two flavors:

Bacon Bourbon Caramel Corn: Is there anything bacon can’t make better? Salted Caramel’s original flavor is surprisingly subtle. The bourbon-laced treat gives a “darker” flavor that is quite rich, and complimented beautifully by the smoky, salty bits of bacon mixed in. It didn’t take long for me to get used to the “bacon as dessert” notion, evidenced by my near-empty bag that had to be forcibly taken from me.

Pecan Bourbon Caramel Corn: I’ve never been much of a fan of pecans, until now. I think I would eat damn near anything drenched in Salted Caramel’s sugary, smoky, bourbon-y caramel.

It is tough to choose a favorite, though I think the Bacon Bourbon flavor wins – let’s face it: it has bacon in it. Luckily, Salted Caramel has the indecisive covered with sampler packs. Those diabolical confectioners have also recently introduced a 3.5 lb size – something I did not need to know about.

To order, visit SaltedCaramel.net

But there is a new Best Option: Zero Water. I have to say, I am in love with this water. It is similar to Brita in that it is a pitcher with a filter inside. The name comes from the fact that, after going through Zero Water’s patented five-stage ion exchange filter, removing “100% of detectable dissolved solids.” So if you stick the included digital water tester stick in a glass of Zero Water, you will get triple zeros. For comparison, tap water read 240, and Brita read 174.

The science sounds great, but let’s be honest – it is mostly meaningless to most of us. What isn’t meaningless is the taste. Or lack thereof. It is just so clean and pure. I actually find myself drinking more water because it just tastes good. My husband, who would go through cases of bottle water, now loves getting a glass of water from the fridge.

I truly cannot say enough good things about Zero Water. I drink water almost exclusively – no coffee, no soda, hardly ever juice. Zero Water is a joy to drink. The written word can’t do it justice – you are just going to have to buy one and see for yourself.

Not to be confused with the Lovin’ Spoonfuls, Lovin’ Scoopful is a premium ice cream brand with 1/2 the fat and 1/3 the calories of other ice creams. But it’s not just a way to indulge without the guilt. 25% of profits go directly to Special Olympics. Unlike many other companies who max out what they will give to charity, Lovin’ Scoopful sets an annual minimum: $50,000. I haven’t tried it yet, but it sounds divine. Can anyone offer their opinion?

The small, sleek appliance fits easily on the kitchen counter, and looks stylish. Simply fill the one liter bottle with cold water, hit the button a couple of times to activate the CO2 tank and carbonate your water, and add your desired syrup. No batteries or electricity required. No mess – just rinse out the bottle before making another batch. Fresh soda in seconds, less money, less waste, more deliciousness.

I just love this machine. So does Mr. Spork – he hardly lets me zap it with carbonation. He loves that he can over-carbonate his soda. I love that I can under-flavor mine (the syrups are a little too sweet, so I usually use a little less than half the recommended amount per liter). It’s quick, easy, and fun. Plus, when you release the carafe from the machine, it make a cool sci-fi vacuum sound. With over 25 different flavors of regular, diet, and caffeine-free sodas, energy drinks, and flavor essences, there aren’t many flavors you can’t get.

Save the Earth
• Carbonator cans are reused – send them back to the company, they will sanitize them, refill them, and send them back out.
• Carafes are reuseable and BPA-free.
• No excessive packaging to worry about.

Save Your Health
• Regular soda mix flavors contain less sugar, sodium, and carbs than leading national brands.
• Diet flavors are all made with Splenda – no aspertame anywhere.
• No lugging cases of soda.

Save Your Pennies
• Depending on the model you choose, the cost averages out to as little as $0.20 per liter of seltzer water and $0.57 per liter of flavored soda.
• Smaller bottles mean you don’t have to stock up on soda, only to realize it has gone flat. Mr. Spork and I will usually make a bottle and split it over a meal.
• Exchanged CO2 cans are nearly half the price.

Is there anything I am leaving out? I don’t think so: healthier for you, healthier for your wallet, healthier for the planet… so why haven’t you bought your own yet?

I love granola, but I am the world’s pickiest eater, and I can never find granola that has the perfect blend of Spork-approved ingredients. So Mix My Granola is my new favorite site.

You start with your choice of four granola bases, and then select from over 50 add-ins, ranging from dried fruit, nuts, seeds, cereal, even candy – all organic. Your choice is then blended together and shipped straight to you. You can even name your creation. Complete nutritional information is available for all ingredients, and your tube of granola even has a nutritional label label right on it.

“Spork’s Special Blend” included plain granola, oat bran flakes, rice crispies, dried apples, dried strawberries, dried melon, dried apricots, dried blueberries, and – because it was getting a little too healthy – chocolate caramels. And I must say, I am now beyond addicted to this stuff. Every bite has a different flavor and texture – and each one is something delicious. It suits my taste buds exactly. No more searching for granola without almonds, pecans, or other nuts (which I hate). The cereals were crispy and fresh; the fruit was sweet and perfect (I have never had dried strawberries but now I can’t get enough).

There is one downside to my new granola addiction: it doesn’t come cheap. The granola in and of itself is not unreasonable. The base starts at $4.99, and each add-in varies in price. My mix came out to about $12 before shipping, for a 16oz tube. At the rate that I eat cereal, I could easily go through the tube in under a week.

Get started on your granola addiction! We’ve teamed with Mix My Granola to give away a $20 gift certificate for your very own granola mix (that’s enough to get two tubes of granola). Simply fill out the form below and you are in!

Want an extra chance to win? Just blog about this contest, and post a link to the post in the comments section.

Get your own granola mix at MixMyGranola.com

I was excited to discover the functional ceramics of Gina DeSantis. This Cleveland-based artist creates magnificent mugs, bowls, plates, and pendants out of ceramics and stoneware. For someone with a Masters of Fine Arts, you would almost expect her to create fussy pieces better suited for pate than PB&J. Her goal is to blend beauty and function, and she succeeds.

I have never used my fancy china because, even though it looks nicer than my collection of mismatched mugs with cartoon characters and logos emblazoned on them, it just feels too delicate to use. Gina’s pieces are gorgeous and don’t inspire fear. I am proud to serve a heaping mug of tea or cocoa They are sturdy, well-weighted, and microwave and dishwasher safe (though she recommends hand washing to preserve the glaze). Gina incorporates interesting glaze combinations and printmaking techniques to ensure that each hand-fired piece is a work of art.

Visit Gina on the web at GinaDeSantisCeramics.com. To purchase, visit her Etsy Page