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Sweet Little Lamb Cupcakes

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Spring has exploded in the Midwest and painted the country side with vibrant colors and new life. I was just not content to let Mother Nature have all of the fun—and had to get in the kitchen and bake up some sweet creations of my own. Cupcakes and Cake Pops from the Babycakes appliances hatched these darling little lambs. I missed having some little hands in the kitchen to help out—and I think children would be delighted with the little lambs–but even without kids around they are just so fun to make and serve. They are perfect for Easter or any springtime event and they will bring lots of smiles and fun to the table.

Bake your favorite flavor of cupcakes and cake pops using your Babycakes Cake Pop and Cupcake Makers, then follow these easy directions to make your own basketful of lambs, using the cupcake for the body and the cake pop for the head. You might find a fun new flavor of cupcake and cake pop in either of our two new books. The directions to assemble these cute little guys are below, but the photos and how-to information in 175 Best Babycakes Cake Pop Maker Recipes would make these especially easy to make. (You will find all kinds of tips on dipping the cake pops and painting faces in that book, plus other fun, creative suggestions for decorating cake pops.)

The appliances are just so fun to use we can’t stop using them and are always baking up something new! Now bake some of your own—then tell us about them, or even share a picture of your little lambs . We would love to hear about your fun. [Read more…]

Housewares Show 2012

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Whew! What a week we have enjoyed. We just returned from the International Housewares Show in Chicago, working with Select Brands, Inc., the company that introduced the Babycakes Cupcake Maker and ultimately the entire Babycakes treat line. We had many days filled with grocery shopping, prepping and preparing for this huge event. We even carried 400 premade cake pops with us on the plane, not to mention the display cake pops that piggy backed along in the overhead compartment. We have enjoyed the Housewares show for decades and each time we attend and work the demonstration counter we have a great time!

Not only were our days filled with excitement, enthusiasm, smiles and giggles galore, we got to enjoy some fabulous dinners with our friends from Select Brands. It is so difficult to capture our experiences in words, so we thought a picture would represent 1,000 words.

 

This is a picture of the new booth introduced this year. It was beautiful….two stories tall, with products, our demo counter and our new, improved large back kitchen! The second floor is expansive and takes your breath away with the meeting rooms and new product ideas.

Here we are with Bill Endres, the President of Select Brands.  We have worked with Bill for 3 decades! Did we really reveal that bit of trivia? He is a gem, an entrepreneur and the best salesman in the business. We are so humbled and honored to be able to continue our relationship with Bill after all these years.  The three of us worked together at Rival (the Crock Pot Company) and that relationship has continued for many, many years. It would be a Guinness book of records entry if we had only counted how many laughs and great times we have enjoyed with Bill.

Our big news at this show was the introduction of two more books we are writing that will be available in the fall. We have had so much creative time in the test kitchen and truly, had more than 200 recipes that wouldn’t fit. That’s how versatile the Babycakes Cupcake Maker and Cake Pop Maker can be.

Don’t you love these creations? Many of the directions are found in our current book, 175 Best Babycakes Cake Pops Recipes and here’s a sneak peak of the second cake pop book….Goldilocks and The Three Bears!

As the lights dimmed on the show and we returned to Kansas, once again we are pinching ourselves. Thank you Select Brands for your confidence in us and for counting us as part of your team. Thank you, our friends, family, colleagues and loyal followers, for your support, for believing in us and for making Babycakes appliances part of your lives. We are humbled and in awe beyond belief.

Tortellini Soup

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It’s funny how we get “hungry” for a specific food.  Why does a salad sound great one night and the next you must have a juicy burger? This week, I was hungry for Tortellini Soup. Why, I don’t know, except I hadn’t made it in several weeks. It’s easy and really is one of those soups that tastes like it simmered all day, but is done in about an hour or less. Best of all, it tastes fresh and fills the house with mouth-watering aromas.

I think I like it because the vegetables taste fresh, so it is a great transition from winter to spring. Roxanne would tell you that  I like the vegetables nearly raw. That’s probably true and this is one soup that I can cook quickly enough the vegetables keep all of their bright colors and a hint of that crisp texture I love. If you like them more done, just simmer a bit longer. The only trick is to add the tortellini during the last 7 to 9 minutes so they don’t overcook.

It is also just a bit different from our typical dinner and that makes it special. Enjoy!

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Chocolate Cream Pie

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2012 has gotten off to a rocky start in our home. Tough times call for tough measures, most importantly hope, faith, love and prayer. A close second would be food. In order to show my love and devotion, I do the best thing I know……get in the kitchen and cook. Comfort food has been in order these past several weeks. My #1 go to comfort food is Chocolate Cream Pie. This recipe is so very easy to stir together and there are no worries about tempering the hot mixture with the eggs. This is as easy a “one saucepan method” as you can find. [Read more…]

Asian Sesame Pork Tenderloin with Napa Cabbage Slaw

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My taste buds are fickle and get bored easily. I love to cook with the seasons as the weather changes—a salad and fresh corn in the summer, a soup or stew when it snows. Yet, this time of year, I tire of winter fare and long for fresh—especially this winter with the weather so oddly warm. So I hunger for fresh and different, yet in reality, it must be simple and quick.

This week, the answer to my dinnertime dilemma was this Asian Sesame Pork Tenderloin with Napa Cabbage Slaw. I really do mean quick and easy as it uses a bottled salad dressing for the marinade and dressing. Pork tenderloin is at the top of the scale for effortless—pop in the oven and roast! Best of the, the aroma of the glazed, roasting pork fills the kitchen like only a very special dish can and the flavor is bright, fresh, crisp and wonderful. It transcends the seasons and broke my dinnertime boredom.

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