ONLY 3 days left to enter.....

Just a reminder that there is ONLY 3 days left to enter the Valentine's Day Traditions Giveaway. To enter, visit here and remember the more points you earn, the more entries you get! Good luck to you all! Happy Baking-

P.S. Be sure to tune into Good Things Utah- tomorrow morning to see 101 Gourmet Cupcakes (and me) show a cute and affordable way to spread some chocolate "love" to your Valentine this year. 10 am, abc4.

Auhorpalooza this Saturday!

Good morning everyone! It's a great day to be alive. The sun is shining.... at least out my window it is. The air is fresh. Considering the crappy air we have had to breathe this winter. Other than dealing with sick kids (again) I am feeling great!

On Saturday, February 6th from 1-4 pm, I am going to be at the Sandy Barnes & Noble in the South Towne Centre (north of the mall). I will be there along with other great authors... I will have treats... and I will have a drawing for a great little cupcake caddy. So come on over and enter to win.... and get a treat! Say hi, bring your book ( if you already have one) to be signed or grab one for a Valentine's gift. Perfect! I hope to see you there!!! Happy Baking!

Happy National Chocolate Month!

Fitting, isn't it. That National Chocolate month fall on one of the best "chocolate" holidays, Valentine's Day. Chocolate is addictive, tasty, creamy, smooth, melt-in-your mouth good. I am always looking for a chocolate fix, and when there is a whole month dedicated to celebrating it, I want to shout from the roof top- Yippee!!!

Do you have a favorite chocolate treat? I sure do. When I'm in the need of a quick fix, I always turn to the Dove dark chocolate. It seems to be my perfect mix of sweet and bitter chocolate rolled into one. I could eat the whole bag if I so desired.

Are you thinking of Valentine's Day? Do you have a favorite Valentine's Day tradition? My husband and I usually celebrate Valentine's Day before or after the fact. I don't like large crowds, especially when it comes to enjoying a dinner. So, we usually go to Jim's Family Resturaunt- but it recently burned to the ground (the one by our home, anyway). I know- so romantic, right? But this started 6 years ago when my husband made reservations for dinner at an amazing place and I had an appointment to get my hair done... and was delayed. Let's just say, that we missed our reservation, and all the other resturaunts had 2-3 hours of waiting.... because everyone was celebrating their "love." So, we drove back toward Salt Lake City and ended up at Jim's Family Resturaunt. We had a great dinner, and the check was less than $ 20. Not too bad for a evening that could have been ruined. So for the last 6 years, we have gone there, to celebrate Valentine's Day. It's fun and a great memory for us. We have a great dinner and are in and out in less than an hour, and usually under $ 20.

Here's the deal. I want to hear about your Valentine's Day traditions. It's the Valentine's Day Traditions Giveaway! Post a comment about what you like to do to celebrate your "love" or lack thereof, be a follower and you can even post about this contest on your blog or website. You can earn points to win a Valentine's Night Out package, including movie & dinner gift certificates, and best of all, One dozen of chocolate cupcakes, courtesty of 101 Gourmet Cupcakes! Contest ends on February 10th, midnight. Winner will be chosen by random.org and be announced right here on this website on February 11th!

Here's the points:
1 point= posting a comment here
2 points= becoming a follower
2 points= post about this contest on your blog or website

I can't wait to hear from you- Happy National Chocolate Month & Happy Baking!

Valentine Cupcake Bouquet on Studio 5

Today was a blast. Let me start by saying that I love being able to be creative. I saw a cupake bouquet and thought, this would be great for Valentines- it would even be great on Studio 5! I could make it beautiful, beath taking, and most of all EASY!

I love being on the set. There is so much excitement! Everyone makes you feel at home. I feel like I am at home. ( I'm strange that way...) But, here is the link to Studio 5 to see the cupcake bouquet assembled. If you have any questions, just email me. This is perfect for your Valentine. Happy Baking!

Proposal at Costco?

I know, it's stange the things that can happen at a book signing. I should really be writing all of these things down. So I am going to start with the lastest from today's book signing. Sometimes I am embarrassed with dirty old men telling me their ideas for books, or men telling me I am too thin to have written a cupcake cookbook.. for which I am most grateful. But this one takes the "cupcake" so to speak.

Today, while talking to anyone who would listen and make eye contact with me, I met this nice man who was quite excited to see the book. He then proceeded to ask me what my favorite cupcake in the book was... that has to be the most F.A.Q. of all time. I said, "Key Lime Pie." He then seriously began to get so excited, turned to the page to see the photo and was almost jumping up and down and said, "Will you marry me?" "What?" I asked. "I'm so very sorry, but I am already married. My husband is Mr. Cupcake and he doesn't take that position lightly." This man went on and on for several minutes, and then didn't even buy a book. He walked away, disappointed.

You should have seen the people around me stare in disbelief when they heard him ask me to marry him. It was like the whole aisle at Costco froze, and on a Saturday afternoon! That is not an easy thing to do, mind you. It did get me more attention, and more people did come over to see this incredible Key Lime Pie cupcake that is worth a marriage proposal.

So that was my exciting afternoon. All in a cookbook author's day of Costco signings. Happy Baking!

101 Gourmet Cookies- A cookie for everyone!

A cookie for everyone. The sections of the book are; Forget the calories, gluten-free, low-fat/low-sugar, and vegan. So there really will be a cookie for everyone. So that has been what I am doing in my spare time.... haha! I am writing and baking new cookie recipes.

I have a question, and favor. Will you help me do some baking? If you are interested in baking a new cookie recipe, anwsering a few basic questions about your cookie, and offering "kind" suggestions, please email me at 101gourmetcupcakes@gmail.com.

In the next week, I will be sending you a recipe, those who would like to participate of course, and you just need to bake it and taste away! This book will be released in the fall. Just in time for the holidays, where there's always a reason to bake. In the meantime, happy National Blondie Day. I made some blondies this week. Butterscotch, white chocolate macadamia nut and coconut. All new recipes which will be featured in the new cookbook. :)

So, have a great weekend, I look forward to speaking with many of you. I'm off to Orem Costco for a signing event tonight. Come by and say hi if you are in the neighborhood. Happy Baking!

2009 Top 10 cupcakes according to yours truly...

Until now, I have never written down my favorite cupcakes.... I have started thinking, that I should make my own top 10 list, since this is probably my most F.A.Q. So after much deliberation, taste testing, and heart aching, here is my top 10 list.

10. Cranberry Upside Down

9. Coconut Cream Pie

8. Lemon Cream

7. Double Fudge

6. Banana Streusel

5. Harvest Pumpkin

4. Rootbeer Float

3. Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup

2. Nanaimo Brownie

1. Key Lime Pie

Now, I reserve the right to change this list from time to time. I thought of other cupcakes to make today... Maple Brown Sugar, Margharita, Rosemary Lavendar, Lemon Curd, Chocolate Pumpkin, Lemon Raspberry, and I could go on, and on, and on. I will work on perfecting these new recipes and share photos. It should make for a great 2010 full of cupcakes. Happy baking!