allow me to introduce you to my taste testers

the serious tasters - every sunday, my mother's family gets together for lunch. in my family, the women outnumber the men. however, the men can't complain b/c all of these women are bakers. this is a perfect place for me to get tips on specifics for my recipes. these ladies all know a lot about baking, and they are able to not only tell me what is good and bad, but what i can possibly do to make it better. this is the place where i get honest opinions about my cakes.

the confidence boosters - my husband's work may not be the best place to test new flavors. however, it sure does make me feel good when ryan tells me that 24 cupcakes were gone before he even had a chance to announce that they were there. ryan works at a oil refinery, so the majority of his co-workers are men. one of the guys has a sweet tooth like i have never seen. his favorite sweet - candy corn. that means that if i sent sugar in a bowl, this man would think it was gourmet. there really is no way to make this group unhappy.

my favorite - my 22 month old says, "cake" every time my mixer hits the kitchen island. there isn't anything he will not eat (except for provolone cheese.) while he was helping me make a stew, he was eating raw onions! as far as he is concerned, i really can't go wrong in the kitchen. not to mention, he is the cutest of my tasters!