This is why I do what I do....

is there any better face?

My beautiful friend, Anna, ordered the black and pink cake from the previous post for her sister, Staci, who was turning 40. Staci has special needs and is the apple of her family's eye. The party was a complete surprise to Staci, as was the big cake.

I am truly blessed to be a part of something that evokes a reaction like this one.

I hope you're doing what YOU love....life's too short to do anything less.

Good eats,
Jill

Birthdays, Brides, and Business Licenses...OH MY!

This was one of my most fun creations to date...


this cake was for a very special lady who is turning 40! My dear friend has a sister with special needs who always requests a 'white cake with pink frosting'. For her fortieth, her family held a big soiree complete with gorgeous invitations, catering, and a BIG cake! I had so much fun designing this particular cake knowing that the woman who was to receive it had NO idea it was coming and would be so thrilled to see it!

The cake is all light pink buttercream with black royal icing accents. The pink ribbon is made to match the pink on the invitations. The black is a 'shout out' to 40, and is made out of fondant. This cake weighed a TON, so I hope it made it to and from it's location without incident! It's always a fear to send my creations out the door and hope they perform well for the clients! This order also had 36 super yummy cupcakes going out the door with it. I hope it was a yummy success!

I've been getting lots of calls from brides lately. When I first started the business I was dead set against having anything to do with weddings. As I've gotten more comfortable with my own skills and my product, I'm beginning to feel confident enough to take on weddings. Super Husband says, "Weddings scare the heck out of me!! You're a lot more brave than me!" Honestly, I'm not sure it's bravery or just a lust for creativity that leads me toward weddings! There are lots of hot trends in weddings these days. If you see an interesting idea for a wedding cake or a wedding cupcake tower, drop me a line and share it with me! I'm always looking for new and creative ways to make the day more special for the brides and grooms!

Finally, I've taken my last big 'leap' into being a REAL business! I have a MERCHANT'S LICENSE!! Whoo hoo!! I know it shouldn't sound as exciting as I'm making it sound, but it's a big deal! I can now legally charge sales tax and pay Missouri taxes! Well, wait, now that I think about it maybe having a merchant's license is NOT something to be excited about! Tee hee!

For anyone out there who is looking to start a home-based business, GO FOR IT! The book, Home-Based Business for Dummies has really helped me navigate the process. I'm now starting to really pursue advertising and other revenue generation streams. I'd love to chat with anyone else who is looking start a small business.

More creations to come!

Good eats,
Jill

Girl Scout Cookie Inspired Cupcakes....need your input!

This week I have the opportunity to make a really special cake for a very special lady. My dear friend has a sister with special needs who is celebrating her 40th birthday this week. She's having a fancy party and needs fancy cupcakes and a fancy cake to go along with it! I'm very excited about making the three tiered pink 'fancy' cake for this special lady. Can't wait to show you the pictures of it all!

I'm doing lots of research lately on new cake techniques. I'm not sure I ever realized how much fun it is to research the melting points of pure buttercream versus buttercream/shortening blend...but it's important to know when you're working on wedding options for June! No one wants a melted wedding cake!!!

This week's experimental flavor is Das Sheeb (named after one of my 'sons' who insisted). 'Das Sheeb' will have chocolate butter cake and cookie dough combined and will also be the first cupcake I've ever shipped! Wish me luck!


The Girl Scout cookies have also come in this week so I'm looking to make some Girl Scout cookie inspired cupcake flavors. Tell me about YOUR favorite GS cookie flavor and perhaps it'll be made into the next cupcake!

Good Eats,
Jill

The Best Part of My 'Job'

You know you've found the perfect job when one of your employment requirements is bringing a smile to the faces of very special people. I had the opportunity to do just that, yet again, today.

This was today's big project and delivery







This cake was part of the celebration of Raymond and Eileen Seipel's 65th (yes, you read that correctly) wedding annivesary. Wow. 65 years. Raymond and Eileen are about the sweetest little couple you'll ever encounter and I was so incredibly thrilled to be a part of this big day for them. When Eileen's daughter-in-law called me to order the cake I asked her to ask Eileen about her wedding colors, etc. so that I could match the flowers. Eileen told her that she thought the flowers were white. I found these gorgeous Chrysanthemums at our floral shop and I was instantly in love with the starburst shape. I also loved the organic color of the green mums and was really excited to get to use those as an accent color.

I absolutely love creating cakes out of buttercream. It's like working on a canvas that's just ready to be painted. I really enjoy working hard to make sure that the buttercream is smooth and ready for whatever I choose to do to embellish it. Lately I've been very excited about intricate scrollwork on cakes and the elegant way that it compliments the cake. All of the buttercream on this cake is exactly the same color, but I love the texture and class that the scrollwork and beading provide. I can't wait to really practice this technique and possibly begin to incorporate it into cupcake toppers, as well.

I'm not sure what the secret is to 65 years but I'm sure, somehow, it involves cake!

Good eats,
Jill

Finally......back to the blog!!!

So sorry, dear and faithful readers, to have been away from posting for A MONTH! This is ridiculous. Does this get me off the hook? I was obviously unable to communicate via technology, what with all of the snorkeling, sunning, card playing, etc. I was doing!



Truly it was one of the best trips we've ever taken. Six days, just adults, and critiquing cruise ship desserts...it was HEAVEN!

I'm back in the swing of things and working on the business harder than ever. I have some wonderful orders coming up including several weddings! I'm so thrilled to be able to share my talents and passions with others.

You might have noticed that there is a new button on the right hand side of the blog. If you copy and paste the URL on that button into your browser's address bar, you'll be taken directly to my brochure link. You can feel free to print or download as many copies of the brochure as possible! I am very, very excited about having a more formal 'menu' for my customers and look forward to creating some very exciting goodies in the coming months!

I have many pictures of holiday goodies to share, so enjoy a little break from whatever it is you're doing and take some time to scroll through the pictures. After all, it's not breaking your New Year's resolution to just LOOK, right?

Good eats and HAPPY NEW YEAR to each of you! Tell a friend about Just Like Mom's, post a comment about it with your name, and I'll give you 10% off your order of $50 or less! Such an easy way to save a few dollars!

Good eats!

Kids in the Kitchen

I was such a lucky little kid. I was raised in a family where the women were fabulous cooks and they weren't afraid to let me in the kitchen! In all gender fairness, my dad is a mean grillmaster and I had grandfathers who could cook like crazy. However, the biggest influence on my ability to cook were the women in my life. From my Aunt Connie's recipes that had such inspired lines in them as, "get them drunk enough and hungry enough and they'll eat anything" and "beat the hell out of it" to my Mom's red Better Homes and Gardens cookbook the things I learned to cook were simple, yet amazing.

Chocolate chip cookies have always been a staple of our family. My dad will tell you that there is really no need to BAKE the cookies, the cookies are just a vehicle for dough! However, I've taken to baking them tens of dozens at a time and love having a cookie jar full of them! My family will tell you that the cookie jar is often full of the 'rejects' or the cookies that I don't want others to have! But I would argue that the jar is just as often full of delightful cookies that are NOT rejects! :) I learned to make chocolate chip cookies when I was very young, and am just now teaching Avery how to make them. Patrick used to love being in the kitchen with me, but somehow his love for all things sports has taken over his love for all things baking! He still makes a mean grilled cheese and some very tasty waffles, so at least he won't starve in college! In addition to the chocolate chip cookies I have very fond memories of making little mini apple pies when my mom was making the real pies. I do, however, tend to cheat these days and buy my pie crust pre-made, but back in those days the crust and all were crafted by hand! My mind is also full of Grandpa Trambly's pork chops, Aunt Connie's frog eye salad (and many other fluffy salady things), Grandpa Trambly's homemade french fries (which will, undoubtedly be the #1 cause of any clogged arteries I have later in life), and Grandma Woody's Red Velvet Cake. Like it or not, food is such a staple of family life and cooking is truly becoming a lost art! I am forever grateful that I had these strong role models of cooking in my life because I'm not afraid to try anything in the kitchen. I love that I can make 95% of what I cook without a recipe and without using processed or boxed foods. It's a good feeling to pass this skill on to my own daughter. If you're afraid of cooking or say "I can't cook" I challenge you to bust out a computer, type in your favorite food, accompanied by the word 'easy' into Google and TRY IT! I want to hear about your adventures with new recipes! Tell me all about it in the comments section!

I don't let the kids help me in the kitchen when I'm processing orders, for obvious reasons, but I do like to get them involved as much as possible. Last week Avery and her darling BFF, Grace, had a great time decorating their own cakes. They decorated them using a Bearcat football theme, both believing that their cakes would be the good luck charm that the Bearcats would need to advance in the playoffs! It worked! Perhaps they need to bake again this weekend so that we can win our final game before the National Championship!







Good eats,
Jill

Making a list, checking it twice!

WWWWHHHHHHHEEEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW! I honestly have NO idea what's happened to November and the first seven days of December. I am significantly shocked that Christmas is just three weeks away. It seems like the Bakers were just all here for Thanksgiving. Then came the rush to get the tree up, decorating done, etc. I downsized significantly on my decorating for Christmas this year and I've been so pleased. We did a smaller tree than usual (our living room ceilings are 20 feet high, so we usually have at least a 10 foot tree). We bought an adorable little Frasier fir from Hy Vee and it's just charming. I think sometimes the holidays become so much work that they stop being fun and we completely lose the point of the season. One of the most wonderful things about this new adventure is that I get to be a part of making the holidays (and other special occasions) nice for others. There is something really wonderful about knowing that my 14 hours in the kitchen have made the holiday season better for a mom who has worked 10 hours, has small children to get ready, and is responsible for baking holiday goodies for a work party. If I can spend my 'work days' doing that for others, well, then this is a pretty darned good job!

I mentioned in my last post that a new flavor had been born to the family. Unfortunately I didn't remember to snap any 'baby pics' of this one, but it was born because of my pregnant sister-in-law's penchant for cordial cherries. I DO NOT understand the love of chocolate covered cherries by they are a real favorite of Anne's. So the 'Queen Anne' cupcake was created! It's a very simple chocolate cupcake filled with cherry filling (cherries in heavy syrup), topped with whipped chocolate ganache and topped with a Queen Anne cherry cordial. Apparently they were yummy, but since I absolutely do not love chocolate covered cherries, I stayed away! Maybe I should make all food in my world chocolate covered cherry flavored and then I'd look more like Jessica Simpson rather than Julia Child! ;)

It has been a tremendously busy week at the bakery and I don't see things slowing down any time soon! I keep a book and a calendar of all of my orders, but I'm always terrified I'm going to forget someone or something. I can't imagine being Santa! No wonder he checks his list twice! I think I check my book and calendar at least twenty times a week!!! Here are a few of the things I had the privilege of making last week...

This fun cake was for little Allison's first birthday. Allison had a farm themed birthday, so her mom chose this fun cake design. The top part of the cake is a jumbo cupcake decorated to be a barn. This served as Allison's little 'mini' cake for her to do with as she pleased.




These fun jumbo cupcakes were created for a little guy and girl who were both celebrating their first birthdays. The jumbo cupcakes are covered in black fondant and the ears are made with black fondant and buttercream.







I had the opportunity to get a bit of an education this week. Prior to Monday I had never heard of Chuggington. Apparently Chuggington is the new Thomas the Train. I had to do a quick study of the Chuggington characters in order to make the cake for Cash's 3rd birthday. I was worried about the figures not being exactly like the actual characters until I walked into Cash's house and he said, "CHUGGINGTON!" WHEW! Making actual characters can be so stressful because you can't quite ever get them exactly right. I think Cash and his mom were pleased, and I was happy to get my Chuggington education!









Another adorable 3 year old celebrated his birthday with a Just Like Mom's cake and cookies. Kort is a Handy Manny fan so I created this fun tool belt cake for him. I got to have fun creating some tool cookies, as well. I would do some things differently on these cookies the next time I make them, but they worked out just fine for this particular cake! I hope Kort enjoyed it!





I'm off to catch some ZZZs before another long day of baking and frosting. Tomorrow I'll show you some pictures of my adorable assistant bakers!

Good eats,
Jill