Stumm - The super moms guide to simply super sweets and treats for every season: 80 cakes, cookies, pies, and snacks for perfectly imperfect moms

Copyright 2014 by Deborah Stallings Stumm

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

Cover design by Danielle Ceccolini

Cover photo credit Nick Biliotti.

Print ISBN: 978-1-62914-568-6

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-63220-141-6

Printed in China

For Morgan and Dylan

My amazing kiddos who inspire me to be the best Super Mom I can be.

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I am a firm believer in taking the path less traveled: sticking to your beliefs, persevering, and creating your own destiny. I have also come to realize that life can take you in directions you never imagined if you are ready to seize unexpected opportunities that are put in your path. This book is one of those opportunities.

The journey began twelve years ago when I resigned from my high profile job to get married, start a family, and try my hand at becoming an entrepreneur. The president of my company, in his typical arrogant form, said to me, Youre resigning?! What are you going to do? Get married, pop out some babies, and become Betty Crocker? Had I not been stunned into silence, I would have said, I can only hope to be fortunate enough to become a wife, a mother, and thought of as highly as one of the most well-respected brands in the country! Life does have a funny way of working things out though, as I find myself blessed with a beautiful family and now a sweets and treats cookbook.

I would like to express my heartfelt appreciation to my husband, Mark, who has encouraged me to pursue my entrepreneurial spirit through thick and thin and has stood by me through the victories, tears, and anxiety that come with running your own business. My children, Morgan and Dylan, are my biggest cheerleaders and truly believe that their mom is a Super Mom. Please dont burst their bubble! My parents and sister are always wondering what crazy idea I am going to come up with next and have been wonderful sounding boards and support for me. To my best friend, Dani, who deserves a cookbook more than I do, I love you for your faith in me even though you are a much better cook than I am.

Courtney, you were with me as we developed the SuperMoms360.com concept and I cant imagine having started the journey without you. Ashton, thanks for being the yin to my yang, keeping me in balance and for bringing your best every day. Nick at Enne Bi Communications, thank you for taking such gorgeous pictures of our sweets and treats and making them the stars of the show. To my talented team past and present at Super Moms 360, Cleopatra, Stefanie, Amber, Monique, Rachael, David, Blaise, and Alex, your hard work is not forgotten. To my agent, Andrea, at Harvey Klinger, I connected with you from our first communication and felt that we were somehow kindred spirits. I appreciate your belief in me, your perseverance, and continued guidance. And to the team at Skyhorse Publishing, I am eternally grateful for the opportunity to share my voice and think that you all are simply...... super!

Introduction

Confessions of an Imperfect Mom

Ill admit itI am intimidated by the moms who can do it all. You know the onesthe ones who have an immaculate home; the ones who look like a ten when they drop their kids off at school; the ones that make amazing customized cupcakes (from scratch of course!) for their kids birthday parties. Maybe I am just missing the cooking gene, but I have never been very comfortable in the kitchen. In fact, if there was an award in high school for the Least Likely to Write a Cookbook, I would have been a shoo-in for the honor. Even back then, I burned the brownies I baked for my boyfriend and had trouble making a grilled cheese. Flash forward a few years (or twenty... ) and even after watching all the chef shows and buying the fancy cookbooks, I still dont know how to candy a kumquat or create a masterpiece with fondant.

When my kids started school, I quickly realized that expectations were high and time was short when it came to childrens parties and family celebrations. I would dash to the store to buy cupcakes for the classroom party, display them on my own plate, and cross my fingers that nobody noticed. After comparing myself one too many times to the moms who spent hours in the kitchen and feeling like I was letting my kids down, I came up with a simple solution: I started to explore making easy but adorable treats that were partially homemade. Most of them didnt even involve baking and took no time at all. This kernel of an idea led to the development of my website, SuperMoms360.com, The Busy Moms Guide to Being Simply... Super! I quickly realized that my ideas were resonating with other busy moms and it fueled my desire to share my discoveries.

Simply Super Sweets and Treats for Every Season is a compilation of my recipes, tips, and tricks so overscheduled moms everywhere can look like stars without breaking a sweat!

If you are a mom who is truly amazing, these recipes may be a little too simple for your taste. But for the rest of us who are perfectly imperfect , I hope you will find these little sweets and treats to be fun, festive, and stress-free. Please enjoy Simply Super Sweets and Treats for Every Season!

BEFORE WE GET STARTED