My GIFT to one of you!!!

I had plans to post this giveaway earlier....but...well....Christmas kind of took over! The Holiday orders I filled kept me up late all last week, but it was so super exciting to know that my treats were going to be gracing so many tables!

This little side venture of mine has been SO truly rewarding. I love having a reason to be in the kitchen creating on a regular basis. I am BEYOND thrilled by all of the friendships I have made. I feel truly blessed to have found an outlet and a way to connect with like-minded people!!!

Many of you probably don't know this, but I just made my first ever Cake Pop in July of this year! It was, as they say, history from there ;) I fell head-over-heels and have been at it ever since. I've had so much fun finding inspiration from my fellow Cake Poppers....which of course includes the Queen of Cake Pops herself....Bakerella!

I got to meet Bakerella at her Chicago book signing earlier this year. You can read all about it here. I had preordered a copy of Bakerella's Cake Pops book ages ago, and I also ended up winning a copy as part of my Pizzazzerie prize pack (you remember....when back when I won the Cupcake Skewer Contest right?!?!) Well....when we went to the book signing you had to present a receipt showing you had purchased the book from Williams Sonoma to be able to have it signed....so I bought another one. This might sound like overkill....but at that time I hadn't received my copy from Pizzazzerie yet and I didn't want  to miss my chance to have a signed copy!!!

Really...it's good news....because it leaves me with an extra copy....you know....one I'm willing to actually part with ;) Maybe you'd like a copy for yourself....or maybe you know an aspiring Cake Popper...

Photo by Bakerella!

All you have to do is become a Follower of my blog and leave a comment on this blog post...tell me what Cake Pop is your favorite or what one you most want to try! I'll be selecting a winner at random on January 1st!!! UPDATE: WINNER IS HANNA! HAPPY CAKE POPPING!!!
You can have your name entered in the drawing twice if you also become a fan on my Facebook page and leave a comment there!!! If you are already following me just leave a comment and you're golden!

Here are some of the Cake Pops I've created over the past year!

Spread the joy!
~Audrey

Reindeer Food!

I shouldn't even be posting...I have too much to do! Plus, every time I spend more than 5 minutes in the blogosphere my To-do list gets longer! There are just so many fun holiday ideas out there right now, and not enough time to do them all :(

I've been spending most of my "spare" time feverishly working on holiday orders. I still have a bit of space on my baking schedule, so if you want something and haven't contacted me, this is the week to do it!

I made a point today to set aside a bit of time for a super quick and easy project. I made a big batch of Reindeer Food (our holiday version of Puppy Chow) and packaged it in a fun and festive way for the kiddos to take with them to daycare as gifts.

This isn't really a tutorial because it's just TOO easy....but here's what I did:
1) Collected Frappucino bottles for about a month, removed the labels and ran them through the dishwasher.
2) Made some Reindeer Food, filled the bottles.

3) Embellished the bottles with super cute printables from Paperglitter...these are from her Funky Holiday Line and can be purchased in her Etsy shop!

That's it! Super cute and super easy...just how I like it! I've seen these bottles used for similar purposes on other sites so I can't take credit for the idea...this is just my take on it ;)

~Audrey

Sweet Cheeks December Specials!

Do you have a hard-to-shop-for person on your list this year or a Holiday Gathering around the corner and no time to bake?

I would love to create something truly special to satisfy your Holiday Sweet Tooth and meet your gift-giving needs!

I am taking preorders for Gourmet Cake Rolls and Holiday Boxes containing a variety of my favorite seasonal treats NOW through December 17^th!

All Holiday orders will be available for pick-up on December 23^rd. **

You are strongly encouraged to place your order early to ensure availability!!!

If you would like to order a Holiday Box or Cake Roll for an earlier date please contact me to discuss.

CAKE ROLLS

Pumpkin Roll      $15 each; with chopped Pecans $18 each

Banana Cake Roll $15 each; with chopped Walnuts $18 each

Limited Time Seasonal Rolls

Red Velvet Roll $15 each

Chocolate Mint Roll $15 each

***BONUS***           

Order more than one roll and get 15% OFF every roll in your order!!!

HOLIDAY BOXES

SANTA’S SNACK

$5 each

This sweet sampling of old fashioned sugar cookies, cake balls and Reindeer Food is perfect for Secret Santa gift exchanges, stocking stuffers….or as a special treat for the kiddos to leave out for Santa on Christmas Eve!

Contents*: 2 Old Fashioned Sugar Cookies, 2-3 cake balls (assorted flavors), 1 bag of Reindeer Food (my holiday version of the ever popular Puppy Chow snack!)

SANTA’S SAMPLER

$30 each

The Sampler Pack is perfect as a take-along to parties and would be a truly special gift to give to…well…anyone....including yourself!

Contents*: 1 doz Cake Balls, 6 Holiday Pops, 6 Decorated Sugar Cookies, 6 Dipped Pretzels, Peppermint Bark

SANTA’S PARTY PACK

$50 each

Contents*: 1 doz Cake Balls, 1 doz Holiday Pops, 1 doz Decorated Sugar Cookies, 1 Doz Dipped Pretzels, Peppermint Bark

**All Holiday orders are PICK-UP only, unless delivery arrangements are made at the time of ordering

*Specific Contents may vary and can be changed without notice

As always….please share this with anyone you know that may be interested!

I have you all to thank for keeping me busy in the kitchen!!!!

~Audrey

That's how I roll...

Let me start by saying that this post is going to be a little scattered, but it's been a busy couple of weeks and I have a lot to share ;)

Where to start....well...the inspiration would probably be as good a jumping off point as any....here goes...

A couple of weeks ago I was reading the Simply Iowa blog created by my good friend Barb, something she wrote struck such a chord with me I've been thinking about it ever since. She included a quote by Eleanor Roosevelt that I hadn't heard before...."Do one thing every day that scares you."

It really got me thinking about all of the things I just don't do because I doubt my ability. The age-old fear of failing...you know (it's not just me right!?!?) Well, anyways, I decided that I was going to make a point to check a few things off my To-Try list that had been haunting me for awhile.

Of course, being the sugar-fiend that I am, one of the first things that came to mind was making a Pumpkin Roll. This dessert has been taunting me for seriously years. I love eating them but never had the nerve to try making one myself. Just the idea of rolling up a cake made my tummy do a flip-flop. So what better excuse than a Thanksgiving at home to prepare one right?

I was so proud of myself when that first roll was finished....I had to make two more! One with crushed pecans, and the other one...well it was a Banana Cake filled with Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting...yeah...it was good. Why did these things intimidate me so much? I don't know, but I'm so glad I took this task on because now the ideas are really swirling....just think of all the cake-filling combinations!!!!

I actually tackled a few scary tasks on Thanksgiving Day. This was the first Thanksgiving that I prepared the entire meal. I've never made a Turkey because...well... it's just not my job...you know...my Mom or Grandma or whoever was in charge of the bird and we brought a side dish. We were staying home this year to dedicate the 4-day weekend to a Potty Training Bootcamp for my son (I don't think I need to even mention how scary that task is!) Well, since we didn't have a big crowd, and we're not huge turkey-people (gasp!) I opted for the less intimidating option of preparing some Cornish Hens....or Starter Turkeys as I prefer to call them. They turned out great, and it was really fun for each person to have their own, my 2 year old was very impressed.



The meal turned out delicious...we had Pumpkin Roll for dessert....and I kind of felt like I had a Blue Ribbon Day.

The final scary thing I went after this weekend was a little sewing project. Let me just say that I am not, by any means, skilled in the art of sewing. I own a sewing machine that rarely sees the light of day. But for some reason I got it in my head a few weeks ago that I wanted to try to make handmade ornaments for Christmas gifts this year....out of felt....so I figured this would be a relatively simple, starter-type sewing project for someone with absolutely no technical knowledge, but with a sincere wish to make something cute. So far I've made one little mitten ornament. I was encouraged by the fact that it does, in fact, look somewhat like a mitten....and as a starting point I don't think I did half bad.




I must admit, this weekend left me feeling fairly exhausted...the Potty Training alone, ugh...let me tell you! All-in-all I feel like I really accomplished a lot and plan on trying to make a point to do "scary" things more often....cause you know....that's just how I roll these days ;)

How about you? Tried anything you've been wanting to for a long time....or have anything on your list? I'd love to hear ;)

~Audrey

Giving Thanks...

It isn't hard for me to come up with many, many things to be thankful for if I'm sitting back and taking stock. With two small children in the house, most days I'm thankful to make it through with my sense of humor and good faith in tact.


One of the things that I'm most thankful for is the time I get to spend in the kitchen baking with my Grandma Deanna.


My Grandma taught me how to make Kringla Cookies when I was old enough to help roll the dough. I remember making those cookies and feeling like I was helping create something really special. I was right....the memories we created in the kitchen are some of my favorite childhood moments....and that is where my love of baking and giving goodies as gifts started. Every year at Thanksgiving my Grandma would make a "double-double" batch of Kringla dough and we would spend all day baking. After the cookies were finished and divided we would share them with friends and family.


In honor of this tradition, and as a THANK-YOU to all my customers and followers I'm offering a special this month on Kringla Cookies!

For those of you who have never experienced a Kringla,

they are a Norwegian Pastry. They are simple, sweet, and impossible to resist!

I use my Great Grandma Viv’s recipe as taught to me by Grandma Deanna herself!

Sweet Cheeks November KRINGLA Special!

1 Doz Kringla Cookies for $15

1/2 Doz Kringla Cookies for $8

 

I’ll be taking preorders for Kringla Cookies until November 19^th!

The cookies will be ready for pick-up by November 24^th….just in time for Thanksgiving!

I also wanted to share a few images of the BEYOND adorable Milk and Cookies themed Birthday Party I got to create for last weekend. I already posted pictures of the Cookie Monster Cake Pops, but I can't help but share these additional images.

The party pictures are amazing...they really thought of every detail and I'm just excited that I got to be a small part of the festivities!

 All party images courtesy of Kenzi Photography.

~Audrey

It's what's inside that counts!

This was one of my busiest baking-treat making weeks to-date! On the roster this week: 20 dozen Cake pops with a couple dozen Cupcakes on the side. Every night this week, after the kiddos were in bed, I was up in the kitchen...baking...mixing....rolling...dipping....decorating....wrapping.

Same drill, every night, all the way up through this afternoon.

There were a couple of nights when I really wasn't sure if I was going to be able to pull it off. I had a real, genuine sense of accomplishment when the last order of the week went out the door this afternoon.

So, besides the fact that I sent a bunch of super cute (if I do say so myself) Cake Pops out the door...what I was really excited about was what was on the inside of some of those pops!

The biggest order I was working on this week was an assortment of birthday party treats for two very special little boys. Grady & Jude are having a big 1st Birthday bash this weekend, the party theme: Milk & Cookies! Too cute right?!?!? I was asked to come up with some special treats for the party...Cake Pops for sure, but something different....ya know...to go with the theme and all. Well I instantly thought my Cookie Monster Cake Pops would be a big smash....but what flavor would be best?

Here's where it gets exciting....I created Cake Pops that taste like Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough!

I'll give you a minute to wipe the drool off of your chin.These seriously taste just like Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough....which, I don't know about the rest of you....happens to be one of my favorite things in the world! What's better is they taste like Cookie Dough...but they're fully cooked and safe to eat!

I love it when people come to me with an order and ask me to come up with something new and different. It's truly rewarding to be faced with a fun challenge and feel like you exceeded even your own expectations!

Here's to a great week everyone!
~Audrey

Merry NOT Scary Costume Party for the Little Monsters!

Well, after almost two months of planning, obsessing, crafting and creating….oh and a whirlwind 48 hours of baking and treat making….our Merry NOT Scary Costume Party went off with only a few minor hitches last weekend!

We had 27 Little Monsters in attendance!!! It was so much fun to see them all running, walking and crawling around in their costumes!

So first, the FOOD! I have been in Halloween treat-making mode for awhile now and last week all of my creativity exploded for a fun, festive display the grown-ups and kids could appreciate!

I made some Ogre Toes, lots of Cake Pops, Popcorn Balls...and had tons of yummy candy and treats!

Like the fun tags and matching line of Halloween printables? Check out http://www.paperglitter.com/!

Photobooth!

My friend Kara of KV Photography, accompanied by her lovely assistant Amanda, came to the party to take pictures of the festivities and to get fun photos of all the kiddos in their costumes. They did such an amazing job wrangling all of our little goblins and getting smiles out of them….can you even imagine!??!

Kara also took the amazing images of the goodies and party set-up featured in this post....I normally use my own pictures for my blog posts, but Kara took these pictures for me so I could enjoy the party and not have to run around with a camera attached all afternoon! It was awesome and I love seeing my party through the eyes of a true artist!

Here are a few of my personal faves:

Next, the FUN! For most of the party the kids were busy running around in their costumes and working off their sugar highs....but we did have a few activities lined up for them.

Pumpkin Patch Hunt!

Each little boy and ghoul was given a festive bucket and they were all sent off tromping through a field full of small Jack-O-Lantern containers filled with goodies and toys. At the end of the hunt they each cashed in all of their emptied containers in exchange for a grand prize and some more toys (this was what I came up with to get the containers back so we can use them at next year’s party…tricky-tricky….I know!) I made sure to h!ave some extra treats on hand in case anyone didn’t find any pumpkins in the patch.

Hayrack Rides!

This was the one planned activity that was a casualty of the weather....I can't complain too much though, the rain held off for so long....we were incredibly lucky! My Grandpa Mickey was all set to give the kiddos rides through the neighborhood, but halfway through the first ride it started sprinkling and the party had to move indoors! There's always next year (did I just say that!?!?! Yes...I'm already thinking about next year's party, shameful I know!)

I have looked forward to hosting a children’s costume party since before I even had kids of my own….so this was kind of a big deal for me! I think we created some memories all of our little guests will look back on for a long time....that was my hope anyways!

Happy Haunting!

~Audrey