My Sweet Homemaking Skills

Thanks to Duncan Hines for sponsoring my writing. There’s no limit to the baking possibilities, so grab your favorite Duncan Hines mix and Comstock or Wilderness fruit fillings and Bake On! www.duncanhines.com

A few incontrovertible facts: anyone who knows me knows I love sugar ~ anything sweet ~ anything that has more sugar than a little bit! Anyone who knows me knows I love to entertain the people I love ~ anything from campfire hot buttered rum to a girl’s night in to emptying my wine stock over great conversation. It seems the common element is something to eat (usually sweet), so taking about Holiday entertaining is natural. But wait…. I am not a homemaker by nature ~ anyone who knows me will also tell you that I can order some mean takeout because being in the kitchen is a labor of love that only my nearest and dearest reap the benefit of.

All that to say, I love entertaining especially around the Holidays! I’ve been conspicuously absent from the kitchen this year so wanted to come back with a bang! When I think of the Holidays, I think of friends, food, laughter, good times, and, yes, snow….(forget the snow right now though).  I am hosting a ‘Girls Night In’ before the Holiday madness moves into full swing ~ an opportunity for some of my closest and dearest friends to get together (many of whom know each other but for some it will be new), laugh about some shared craziness we participated in throughout the year, commiserate on the Ls we took and how we can avoid them in 2012, talk about the Holiday plans whether they were thrust upon us or our choosing, clear out a few bottles of wine (Idon’t have a wine cellar, so a regular function to clear everything out is perfect!), do a little bit of reminiscing on when we were younger, and….eat!

Right now and as I move into 2012, I’m all about the cakes. This has been a year of cupcakes ~ don’t get me wrong I love the little fellas ~ but there is something old-school-comforting-grown up-entertaining about a big slice of cake that an adorable cupcake do. It says someone greased a pan; it says someone took time to regularly check the baking process to ensure the final result; it says someone took the time to flip, cool, and cover the cake to make sure it was just right; and if it’s frosted, it says someone took the time to lovingly make sure every part of the cake was slathered in sunshine! There’s a lot of love that goes into a cake…..

Most of my cakes are ‘from scatch’ ~ yes, I’m a pound cake maker and I will continue that skill that my mother passed along however, I will be integrating some box cakes into the mix to save a a little time (said in a hushed tone). What about you? Will you try to save a  little time by using the box …. you’ll get a great result in less time, but still show your love simply by making it in the first place?

• So are you a round or rectangular cake maker? Or a piemaker?
• What’s your favorite kind of cake/pie to make? (Mine is yellow with chocolate frosting, or pound cake)
• What’s your favorite kind to eat? (Mine is coconut cake or pound cake)

This year the ladies will get yellow cake with chocolate frosting because it’s a basic, but I guarantee besides the pure tasty of my treat, it will give everyone pause and a smile as they flashback to a childhood memory of their mom/dad/grandmother/best friend’s mom giving them an ample slice of love! What’s your fondest memory?

Remember to check out Duncan Hines’ website www.duncanhines.com to find some great recipes for your holiday get-together! I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective