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Santa Cake Pops

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What fun we had this week when we were invited to appear on KSHB’s KCLive TV show. In case you missed it, you can watch it now and share in the fun.

It is always a treat to be on television but it is magnified when we get to talk about cake pops and our newest cookbook, The Big Book of Babycakes Cake Pop Maker recipes.

We adore Michael and Michelle and the folks at Channel 41 couldn’t have been more hospitable to us. It was a pleasure sharing cake pop tips complete with Santa directions. We made Brownie cake pops from our cookbook and those little bites of brownies are scrumptious.  You can find all kinds of creative, out-of-the-box cake pop ideas in our new book. (Available from thebabycakesshop, Amazon or Barnes and Noble)

Cake pops can answer the question for gift giving this season. You can surprise a crafty friend with a Babycakes Cake Pop Maker and a copy of our cookbook or you can make cake pops and deliver them to friends, neighbors and teachers. We all have those hard to buy for folks on our lists this season. Why not think of giving cake pops to that special some one? They are such a welcome treat and there will be smiles all around! Guaranteed.

 

Thanksgiving Turkey

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If I were to select the one cooking question that we are asked most often it would be, “how do you prepare your Thanksgiving turkey?”

While I have brined, roasted, smoked and deep fried with great results, my go-to-recipe for a fail-proof, moist turkey is to bake the turkey in a roasting bag. This is what I recommend to my friends who are more or less afraid to step in the kitchen and tackle Thanksgiving dinner. [Read more…]

Tomato Basil Soup

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My vote has been cast and I am feeling very patriotic and nostalgic today. What better way to feed my soul than to prepare a soup that screams Americana to me!

This Tomato Basil Soup was inspired by a recipe in Ina Garten’s newest book, Barefoot Contessa Foolproof. The recipe goes together very quickly and you can have dinner on the table in no time. If your children have already drawn the line that they do not like tomato soup, I would suggest you simply rename the soup with a more enticing title. Perhaps Italian Pasta Soup would be just the rename to provoke tastes and squeals of delight from your family. [Read more…]

Apple Butter

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This is absolutely my favorite time of year for so many reasons. This year I have been blessed twice to be gifted with apples. The weather in the Midwest has created a bumper, delicious apple crop. A few weeks ago I shared a favorite apple pie recipe and today it is my husband’s favorite–apple butter.

Apple butter makes a wonderful gift for teachers, neighbors and a fun way to say thank you to that special someone. We’ve mentioned before that Kathy and I started working together in the test kitchens at Rival, the Crock-Pot people. A test that we executed on many a day was preparing apple butter in the Crock-Pot, slow cooker. It was designed to determine the approval for plastic lids when they were first introduced. We would simmer the apple butter for days to insure that lids were top quality. [Read more…]

Chicken and Dumplings

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Gathering around the table to enjoy a meal is the fiber of a good life. We all need to eat to live so why not make memories, create joy, show love and enjoy a good meal at the same time? I love to listen to the podcast each week of The Splendid Table with Lynn Rossetto Kasper.

A few weeks ago, Lynne was conducting an interview with a chef and I experienced one of those classic “aha” moments. The topic was, “Eat to Save”, particularly referring to not wasting food but additionally referring to the experience we have each enjoyed when we taste a food or smell an aroma from the kitchen that reminds us of home or a particular time in our life. Eat to save is what I hope my family and friends experience when they enjoy a meal at our table. It is probably the number one reason that my life and career has been devoted to food. My mom and dad created the most amazing food experiences and traditions at our table. It may have been for our family of four or a meal for thirty four but each of those memories was an eat to save moment. The rhythm of food preparation in our kitchen growing up will always be a part of me and music to my ears. [Read more…]