My "Feature" Presentation

Oh let me count the ways that today is a good day!

My daughters and I spent the day at the Zoo, we had such fun. We have a new Giraffe Ridge, where you can hand feed the giraffes (amazing). Snakes were out of the reptile house (with zookeepers, obviously), so my 4-year-old got to pet 3 different kinds of snakes. [No, Mom didn't join in on that one......yick!] It was a glorious day - sun out, but not too bright - breeze blowing, but not too much....just perfect.

Then we got FABULOUS news that Syndel (my 4-year-old) was accepted as an Ohio State Finalist in the National American Miss Pageant!!! How exciting that is!?! I just cannot express the joy she has right now. Her over-all goal for the entire pageant is to meet Mickey Mouse (please keep in mind that she is only 4 - LOL). Our over-all goal for her is to win a college scholarship (I know, boring for a 4-year-old).

Here is the picture that we submitted when she met with them last week:

MY MISS OHIO STATE PRINCESS
*They have termed her age category as "Princess", ages 4-6.*

Ok, so I'm already having a good day, right? Well, today is Friday, which means that my featured "appearance" for the *Ultimate* cuppie is TODAY! Interested to see what the article says? Go here and see for yourself, my friends.

In fact, I'm so very excited today, that I feel like a giveaway! How about you? Yes! I thought so!

How about The Only Bake Sale Cookbook You'll Ever Need? Sound good? Great!

This book is jam-packed with great recipes for just about anything "bake sale" related you could possibly think of! Fabulous!

Here is how YOU can enter to win this great book:

1 - Visit my *Ultimate* cuppie feature. Come back here and leave a comment telling me something that you found useful in the article. (required)

2 - Follow me (or post again if you already follow me)

3 - Subscribe via e-mail

4 - Follow me on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway (leave the link/address in your comment)

5 - Blog about this giveaway (leave a link in your comment)

6 - Subscribe to The Back Burner (leave a comment here to let me know you did)

Each participant can get up to 6 entries.

Giveaway will close on Thursday, May 14th at 8 PM (Eastern).

*If you leave an ANON comment, please be sure to include your e-mail address so that I can contact you if you win*
*If you're using an account, please be sure your e-mail address is accessible*

Enjoy!
-Erica

Caramel-Maple Popcorn (for the FBI)

Sweet. Salty. Crunchy. Clusters of Heaven.

Recently I came across this site that is in charge of the FBI (Food Blog Inspection). It sounded like a really fun thing to do....and so, I have made Caramel-Maple Popcorn for the FBI as my initiation.

I've never even made regular caramel popcorn before (though I really like it....especially the "Crunch N Munch" version....Mmmmmm), so I was excited to try this. My hubby is in love with maple syrup, really. Once I even spied him taking a little sip after drowning his pancakes in it. (Shhh - don't tell him I told you. That was supposed to be a private moment for him) He is at work right now, but he sure is going to be happy when he arrives home tonight.

This was a really easy treat to create....so don't hesitate to try it at home!

I started with some popped popcorn and mixed in pecan pieces:


Then I made the caramel-maple mixture and poured it right over the top:


Good thing I knew this stuff was super hot, otherwise, I'd have stuck my finger right in there and had a taste!

Then, you just mix it all around and spread it out on a pan (I used my new handy-dandy paella pan....LOVE IT!) and wait for it to cool.



Pure goodness! This stuff is awesome....and what is even more awesome, it took me all of 15 minutes from start to finish!

This month's inspection is of Culinary in the Desert Country.
The recipe I recreated was Maple Caramel Popcorn Crunch. I had a lot of fun and look forward to doing it again each month!

Enjoy!
-Erica

Exciting News!

I am so very excited to share with you my very exciting news! Monday I was opening mail and came across this title, "An Invitation".....I was curious, so I opened it. Boy am I ever glad I did! It was an invitation (thus the title) to be a guest blogger on Key Ingredient's blog, The Back Burner for this week's Tips & Tricks segment.

Needless to say, I was (and still am) totally flattered that they invited little 'ol me! They wanted a segment on making "The Ultimate Cuppie"....so I set off to work. I asked some of my buddies what information they would like to see in such an article. Well, let me tell you, they delivered!

The article will be featured on their blog tomorrow....but here is a sneak peek at the finished "Ultimate Cuppie".



Enjoy!
-Erica

Delish - Yes? Actually - No

When you think of Chocolate Covered Almond Biscotti or Orange Creamsicles, you think YUMMY, right?

Well, not in this particular case....at least that is if you don't normally eat soap. Which, I'm going to pretend that none of my readers eat soap. That'll help me sleep better tonight. If you do eat soap, please feel free to keep that information private. *smile*

I've made a new friend, Silvia, from SVSOAPS. She has graciously offered one of my readers a free bar of her handmade Vegan soap and a handmade lip balm. Are you excited yet? Well, you should be - this stuff looks fantastic!

To tell you a bit about Silvia, this is a little interview:

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself, please.

I am the mommy of two adorable boys. My son Joshua is 4 and Nicholas is 6 months old. I am a WAHM. Some days it can be very challenging to balance everything but I would not trade it for anything.

How long have you been making bath and body products?

I have been making bath and body products for twelve years. I am always striving to make my products better and learn new techniques that I can incorporate in my products. Soap making is my obsession and my passion. I love to put a lot of creativity into each batch I make.

What inspired you to start?

My inspiration to start making natural bath and body products was the fact that the store bought soaps made my skin very dry and itchy from the chemicals and large amounts of fragrance in them. I started reading books on soapmaking and started to experiment. I must tell you they were sooooo ugly. But they smelled pretty and left my skin soft and itch free.

Making soap takes time, do you ever find yourself impatient for a batch to finish?

Yes, I get very excited when I come up with a new soap design. I can't wait to un-mold it and see how it has turned out. I have gotten better over the years to just stay away from the mold until the soap is ready. Then I am like a kid in the candy store. I get so excited when the soap turns out just as I had planned.


Do you accept custom orders for scents/combinations?

Yes, I do except custom orders. I think they are a fun way to challenge myself. And I love to hear customers ideas and make them into something they love. It is a wonderful feeling to see how excited they are with the finished product.

If so, what is the strangest request you've ever gotten?
I know this is a boring answer but I haven't had any strange requests yet.

What is your favorite scent?

That is such a hard question. There are so many. Everytime I get a new scent I think oh this is definetly my favorite and then I find something else I love just as much. But I have to say that after so many years of soap making I have always loved Satsuma and Love Spell the most. I never get tired of smelling them.

Do you have any other hobbies or interests?

I have many hobbies. I love to paint. I have another site on Etsy with my painted items. I love to knit, sew, decorate, bake, read, and being crafty (as my husband calls it).

Thanks so much for a little peek, Silvia!


WINNER:


Congrats Monica!!! Thanks so much to everyone who entered! :)

Enjoy!
-Erica

CUPPIE WINNER!

These cute little goodies now have a new home. I hope that you'll love them and cherish them always....but don't eat them, OK? I mean, I know they *look* good, but I assure you, they don't taste good. Really. You can trust me.

Well, let's hope that Vanessa takes my advice, shall we?



Congrats, darling!!!

I'll be in touch for your address and get these babies on their way to you!

Thanks so much to everyone who entered (and voted in the IronCupcake: Earth April challenge!) - it was a lot of fun!

Be on the lookout for more great giveaways - there is one more on the way in just a little while. *tee hee*

Also, be on the lookout for more great cuppies - IronCupcake: Earth May challenge is SAVORY!

Enjoy!
-Erica

Still 'winging' it?

Alright everyone - we have our winner!!!

She says she 'wings' it majority of the time....do you think she'll still wing it with this fabulous book at hand? I guess we'll see.....

Congrats!!



I'll get this book right out to you! :)

Thanks to everyone who entered - you all make it fun! Be on the lookout for more exciting things.....later this week!

Enjoy!
-Erica

Black Cherry Cuppies

Yup, you guessed it! That same trip to the store warranted another great find....Faygo - Black Cherry.

Here they are:


The inside of these guys are:

Kinda purple-y....pretty.

Now, these were more my speed. The Black Cherry soda wasn't very strong in these cuppies. You could tell they weren't just "regular yellow" cuppies, but if I didn't tell you they were black cherry, you probably wouldn't have guessed that.

Still yummy, though!

Again, you can find the recipe here.

Enjoy!
-Erica