Alice in Wonderland

I found a hilarious Alice in Wonderland mug at the Annapolis Bookstore, right on Maryland Avenue in historic downtown Annapolis. The Annapolis Bookstore is a gem. I have found scores of used and nearly new Agatha Christie novels, a like-new copy of Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters (a gorgeously illustrated Cinderella-style story set in Africa, which I loved as a kid), and some neat, engraved "This book belongs to..." bookplates, not to mention an old-style inkwell, gold-colored ink... just about everything that can draw book lovers in like magnets.

Back to the mug. The Cheshire Cat disappears altogether, all, that is, but his smile, when you add a hot beverage. Like, ahem, Trader Joe's 100% Columbian Instant Decaf Instant Coffee. Or Paromi's delicious gourmet tea! Anyway, the mug depicts Alice looking up at the Cheshire Cat, and saying:

Well, I've often 

seen a cat without 

a grin, but a grin without a cat!

It's the most 

curious thing.

Speaking of Alice, I really want to check out a book I just came across on Google Books, Alice Eats Wonderland. I hope that they have recipes for those adorable "Eat Me" cakes. I do see, from the brief preview, that the authors, Jim Imholtz and Allison Tannenbaum (cool names worthy of any Lewis Carroll work) even instruct their literary cooks in various rabbit dishes. One must approach this book with a certain sense of humor.

Actually, I just made some fanciful cupcakes with strawberry frosting, which I think the Mad Hatter and Co. would have gobbled up. The cupcakes themselves were from a scrumptious chocolate mix by Bob's Red Mill's chocolate cake mix (add eggs, fresh lemon juice, and water).  In the past, I have used Betty Crocker's gluten free chocolate cake mixes, which are great, but BRM's mix is even moister and richer in taste, so I'm a fan. The strawberry frosting featured fresh strawberry puree, which I made exactly from a recipe in Artisanal Gluten Free Cupcakes.