I’ve been feeling a little under the weather these last couple of days. That and the craziness that this time of year brings for us and some other commitments I’ve had means I have been remiss in posting for you all this week much at all! We’re planning our big baking day for tomorrow. Cut-out sugar cookies are tops on the list and we’ll be trying these Gingerbread Cut-out Cookies.
And if you think there’s just not enough time for baking, check out my post from last year for some simple no-bake holiday treats. Enjoy!
Last Minute Holiday Baking Ideas {Menu Idea Inspiration}
December 18, 2010 By Leave a Comment
How To Plan A Bake Sale (and have a little fun along the way) {Get Organized Series}
September 19, 2010 By 2 Comments
September is pediatric cancer awareness month. Pediatric cancer kills more children than any other disease. This past July, the kids and I spent some time in the kitchen baking up dozens and dozens of cookies to put together a bake sale to benefit Cookies for Kids Cancer. It’s a cause we decided we wanted to get behind for many reasons and planning, baking and selling allowed us to enjoy some fun time together in the process. We ended up earning $155 which we thought was pretty good for our first try!
Thinking about planning a bake sale of your own? We made some notes for next time to help make our next sale an even bigger success. And, from now through the end of December, if you register your bake sale with Cookies for Kids Cancer, Glad to Give will MATCH your earnings (up to $200,000) to help fund pediatric cancer research!
Here are our top tips!
Choose Your Location. We set up at during swim team practices and the next day in front of our neighborhood’s main pool. Next time we’ll choose a spot with more foot traffic as a lot of people were driving by but didn’t always stop.
Simplify Your Options. No need to complicate things with a ton of options–that just means more work for you! We chose to have four varieties of baked goods. Brownies were our top seller, followed by sugar cookies, then lemon bars and finally chocolate chip cookies. You could also check with local bakeries to see if they would donate items to your sale. Each bag of two items sold for one dollar. You could also not price your items and just suggest donations. We tried this but it didn’t go over that well so added the pricing.
Display and Signage Are Key. Clearly state what you are doing—having a bake sale–and who you are benefiting. It should be clear enough to read from a distance. Nearly everyone asked us what our cause was because they could not tell from our too small signs. Next time we will also have a larger table and dress it up a bit to hopefully attract more customers.
Work Your Networks. Recruiting friends to help out with baking ahead of time or on sale day makes adds to the fun and less stress. I also sent out email and Facebook announcements to let friends know about our sale so they could plan a stop by our booth and tell their friends too. Next time I will contact some other related charities to help get the word out. I hope to also plan a sale with one of my kids’ scout troops as a service project.
Little Extras. Free samples are always nice so we cut up some of the cookies for just that. We also offered lemonade and fruit punch for sale, both very popular additions which meant more income. Next time, my daughter suggested we bring music to help attract customers and set a festive mood. I suggest having extras for your volunteers to sample or other snacks so that you’re not eating your sellable items—it’s hard to resist all those delicious treats!
Don’t Forget the (small) Essentials. For our change box, we wished we had more five dollar bills. Since we were outside in the Texas heat, we also found it helpful to have bug spray (to keep the mosquitoes off of us!), extra drinking water, our cooling water fans and hand gel. We also kept our extra supply of packaged cookies and beverages cool in iced down coolers. If your kids are helping you, they should bring an activity to do or book to read for those lulls in business.
I hope you’re inspired to plan a bake sale of your own…whatever the cause. You’ll no doubt feel good after you do for all the good you can do!
Cookies for Kids Cancer: Plan Your Bake Sale Now! {Kids Kitchen Connection}
April 8, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Last week I happened to catch a commercial on television that advertised Glad To Give, the effort by the Glad company’s family of products and their support to fund research for finding a cure for children’s cancer. I was immediately touched and a quick online search brought me to the Cookies For Kids Cancer site.
In just the last year I have either personally known or had friends who have children diagnosed with cancer. Of the three I know, one, a teenager, is beating the cancer, one, a second grader, has little time left to live while living with an inoperable brain tumor and the other passed away last month at the age of just two years old.
Being that I LOVE to bake and have wondered how my family could help these families and others like them, I felt like I had finally found my answer. I’m hoping I can organize a bake sale of our own here. I’ve already called my community association to see about setting up a booth at one of our local pools when they open for the season or maybe even setting up a table during my son’s soccer tournament in May. I just need to recruit a few friends to help out too! (hint, hint!)
The website is looking to break their one-month record and register more than 350 bakes sales in May! Are you on board to join the cause? Check out their site, register your bake sale, print out the signs and other materials to help you get started (they’re free!) You can even join their Facebook page to stay updated on all the things going on. Tell your friends, family, neighbors, school groups, scout troops–get your community involved and together we can make a difference for children and their families battling cancer!
I hope you’ll be inspired like I was and get start planning your bake sale today!
It’s Holiday Cookie Time!
December 4, 2009 By Leave a Comment
A few weeks ago we finally updated our kitchen with new counters (it’s been something we’ve been planning for awhile). We hit a few snags along the way including a week with no running water and still no working cooktop (going on three weeks now). But my old oven still works and until the new one comes in I’ve been busy baking my holiday cookies for upcoming cookie exchanges, holiday gifts and just general baking.
Our new oven is set to arrive soon, (the new cooktop and old oven aren’t compatible anymore–15 years later–surprise!) but I was worried I’d be totally without an oven in case we hit yet another snag and then how would I get my baking done? So I’m stocking my freezer with baked goods too so I’ll be prepared! Consider it a Holiday Baking OAMC!
Is the thought of baking that much a little overwhelming but you’d still like a variety of holiday cookies to serve and enjoy this season? How about hosting a cookie exchange? It’s fairly simple to do and best of all you bake one type of cookie and end up with a wide variety of cookies without all the baking! Not sure how to start? It’s simple and you can check out the basic how-to’s at this Cookie Exchange Site.
Don’t forget that holiday baking time is a great time to start a tradition with your kids or grandkids also! When I was little, after my grandmother would arrive for the holidays, we made our cut-out sugar cookies and decorated them with her. I’ve continued that tradition with my own kids (and their cousins, aunt and grandmother!). Ever since the kids could sit in a high chair we’ve decorated our cookies on “Cookie Day”. Now that my kids are a little older they ask WHEN we’re having our special day not IF. They look forward to it too and it is a lot of fun!
So, whatever method you choose I hope you enjoy a little baking this year and enjoy an extra indulgence or two also! Let me know if you’ve ever hosted or been to a cookie exchange and what’s your favorite part…or if you have any special holiday baking memories or traditions (just post your thoughts in the comments section). Happy Baking!
Check out last year’s post for more musings on cookie baking and some helpful forms for the holidays at Meal Planning Magic Holiday Style! Baking 101.
The Weekend Baker {Cookbook Review}
October 21, 2009 By 1 Comment
I was listening to Martha Stewart Living Radio a couple of weeks ago and the author of this cookbook, Abbie Dodge, was a guest on-air during their weekly baking segment. So many wonderful tips on how to make baking a reality in our busy lifestyles. If you love to bake like I do (or need to for an upcoming bake sale or other event) but just don’t know how you can find the time for this “extra”, check out this book!
Included is a section on the Weekend Baker Basics–things like what type of equipment to have (or not have), tools and basic ingredients–a great primer or refresher to getting started. Next are the recipe sections–Baker’s Express, Baking in Stages and Productions. Each chapter includes recipes based on how much time you have to get something made. The first section is when you need something and you need it quick! The second is just as it sounds..baking in stages with tips sprinkled throughout on where to stop and start and what you can prepare ahead of time. Don’t be intimidated by Productions…the author has taken seemingly complicated recipes and broken them down into smaller, manageable parts that can be prepared over several days. Gorgeous, full-color photographs for several of the recipes had my tummy grumbling wanting to taste them all!
With the holiday season soon approaching, this book can become a valuable resource to anyone who wants to bring a ‘wow” dessert to the table without stressing out! It can be done!
Meal Plan Magic Holiday Style! Baking 101
November 15, 2008 By 1 Comment
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Not to put the pressure on but the holidays will be here before we know it. Now, don’t start freaking out right now and think “Oh my! I’ll never be able to get everything done that I want to!”. It’s a familiar mantra that many of us tell ourselves each year. No matter what holiday you celebrate, food is no doubt a part of it.
Of course what you choose to do or not do is a personal decision you CAN enjoy the holidays a bit more if you’re organized and of course, plan for all the occasions for food!
This is this first in a three part series about meal planning for the holidays. This week I’m talking about holiday baking. For many, the holidays are really the only time they bake. For me, it’s when I bake the “fancy” cookies and candy for enjoying at home, parties and gift giving.
What I love about holiday baking is that most all the cookies I make can be made ahead and frozen up to three months in advance (usually). Then I can pull out what I need when I need it and not stress when company comes by at the last minute. But you’ve got to have a plan. Have you ever gotten all ready on a Saturday afternoon to have a bake-a-thon and then realized you ran out of butter or flour or some other key ingredient because you just didn’t figure out how much you would need total? Or forgotten about making that favorite candy that your sister-in-law loves until you show up at the family gathering without it?
I’ve got some tools to share with you that can help you get a little more organized: At OrganizedChristmas.com (not just for Christmas–they have other holidays there too), you can download free forms to help you get organized. Check out the Baking Planner or Pantry Inventory forms. They’ve taken the thinking out of what you need to remember when looking through your recipes and making your grocery lists.
Another easy way to get a variety of cookies is to host a Cookie Exchange. There are lots of ways to do it. I’ve hosted several over the years and sometimes it is an evening event for ladies only, sometimes a daytime event where kids are invited or held at the last regular meeting of a group that I’m in before we break for the holidays. How does it work? Check out Cookie-exchange.com or Entertaining at About.com to get some ideas.
My sister hosts an annual Cookie Exchange and hers is an event that everyone looks forward to. She even holds a contest for the most creative cookie and the most creative cookie container. Hot chocolate, wassail and other beverages are served and it’s a fun girls night out for everyone to relax and take a break from the hustle and bustle!
Where do you get all the ideas? Well, everywhere! As you can see from my picture, I’ve got LOTS of holiday baking inspiration (and that’s only about half of them!) I’m a sucker for those pretty looking magazines and mini-cookbooks at the checkout stand. It’s always a treat to get a new one (or two) each year. So go ahead and splurge on a new one for yourself this year (BTW, some retailers like Target and Sam’s Club offer 10-30% off the cover price!)
So whatever your plan—big or small, make things a little easier on yourself and take some time to make a plan. You’ll be thanking yourself later I’m sure!
Coming next week: Potluck Party Planning and Food Gifts.
Happy baking!
