Whew! We have just returned from the National Housewares Show in Chicago and what  an experience. Babycakes® are still center stage and very much the belle of the show. We had a grand time showing Micky Mouse® waffles, Babycakes cupcakes, Babycakes cake pops and Babycakes donuts. [Read more…]

When it comes to BBQ I would like to think that I have become somewhat of an expert. Growing up in Kansas City, with a father who was in the meat business, how could one not become an expert? Imagine my surprise when I read about a terrific local BBQ restaurant in one of my favorite New York City blogs.  Not only did I learn about it from NYC but I also discovered that a famous San Francisco chef, Mitchell Rosenthal had visited and written about his food experience too! That was enough for me to twist my family’s arm one more time so that we could experience another food field trip.

The Hillsdale Bank Bar B-Q was the star in these  NYC posts and reports and after experiencing this local find first hand, I can certainly see why all the rave reviews. Not too far outside of Kansas City, south of Olathe, on 169 Highway, you will find Hillsdale Bank. What a breath of fresh air on a Saturday night! It was fun to visit small town Americana and enjoy the setting.

Our 14-year old insisted on starting our meal with onion rings. After remembering that this was not her idea of a terrific Saturday night, I consented to appease her. Wow! I was the winner of her selection. These had to be, hands down, some of the best onion rings I have ever tasted.

Now on to the main event. I selected the rib and meat dinner. The secret to the success of this BBQ joint is the fact that that do not use rub to flavor the meat. They prepare the meat slow and low with hickory. The result is beyond delicious. Topped with their famous sauce it is definitely blue ribbon quality. I liked to mix the two sauces, regular and hot. In addition the baked beans were sweet, delicious and obviously cooked slow and low too. [Read more…]

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.