go world: haiti cupcakes

Ok I have a confession. I am completely and irrevocably obsessed with the Olympics. Maybe more than Twilight... ok, maybe not. But every two years my TV is taken over, my couch cushion gets a dent in it and my eyes go bloodshot from consecutive late nights with Bob Costas. I love everything about the games - the music, the competition, the athlete spotlights, the parents, the commercials, the camaraderie and respect, the fact that I get chills when they play the national anthem and tear up when athletes cry on the podium. I love the short track and snowboarding and ski jumping and downhill skiing and figure skating - and that there's a whole new set of sports to watch just two years from now. It's one of the only times the world peacefully comes together (usually) and intermingles for a common goal.

And it's easy to forget while tuning into the latest Lindsey Vonn injury or Bode Miller wink that there are places outside of Vancouver that don't have time to follow the medal count - like Haiti. But instead of forgetting, this past weekend was filled with fundraisers, events and volunteers giving what they could. Go world!

The weekend began with a 4-mile race for Haiti hosted by New York Road Runners in Central Park, and 100% of the proceeds went to New York City's Haiti Relief Fund. More than $400,000 was raised with over 10,000 runners participating, including my friends Emily, Bennett, Jeff, and Tom (photo by Emily Webster).

The next day I got up early and got busy in the kitchen. I mentioned StirIt 28 in my last post and I was thrilled to offer my services for a good cause. With a buffet-style dinner, I chose cupcakes for dessert, thinking they'd be easy to pick up and more appetizing than a pile of cookies or cut cake. After my last cupcake post my Mamma offered to buy me a pastry bag and tips (hooray!) so I picked up a Wilton set at N.Y. Cake and got baking.

I made two dozen chocolate and two dozen vanilla cupcakes, iced each dozen differently, and took a very bumpy cab ride downtown to drop them off at the event - many thanks to my friend Heather for joining the ride with her steady hands!



Christy organized a lovely evening and guests gave a $30 donation to Haiti charities to sample sweets and treats from over 10 NYC-area food bloggers. And like the Olympics, it was inspiring to see strangers come together to support a great cause - and in this case sample culinary achievements.

Oh, and I found these wonderful edible stars at N.Y. Cake! How cute are they? I can't wait to use them again soon. After all (here comes the Bob Costas cheese), we're all stars in the Olympics of our lives!