Eat

"People eat with their eyes."

This is a common response on a lot of foodie type shows. It's true, if that snowman cake looks fluffy and full of coconut, our mind goes directly to how delicious it must be.

There's a television commercial running where a woman shows up to a Christmas party with a messy looking snowman cake and a sorry look on her face. She tried to make it look like the cover of the magazine she found the recipe in. I was impressed she used a recipe out of a magazine! Still, there were not a lot of takers for her cake, and we, the consumer, were encouraged to avoid the embarrassment by ordering ahead or picking something up. That's always a good option, and it's important to allow yourself grace when your skill or time doesn't produce your dream kitchen-born creations.

But, there are other options! I encourage you to find a YouTube video showing someone else who made that cake to see how to can get a better result, then try again! Making the treat is supposed to be the fun part.

Magazine covers, television commercials, store displays all show a perfect example of how you can dress, create, paint, cook, decorate. Ending up with the finished product that looks the same is the challenge, but it shouldn't be the stress. Reminding our listener not to feel the pressure of the picture on the page or in their mind helps you stand outside of all the commercialism this season offers, and that's what friends are for, right? While we're at it, here's one of my favorite no bake cookie cake desserts, you can even shape it like a snow man if you want: http://www.snackworks.com/recipe/famous-chocolate-refrigerator-roll-53331.aspx

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