When it comes to finding true love, most of us have to encounter a few bumps in the road. Today we have a fun giveaway, where you get a chance to step up to the mic and share your best “Worst Date” moment ever. So, come on, tell us. Was it the time your blind date showed up at your doorstep with his mother? Or when you had an allergic reaction to your date’s perfume and your face swelled up like a balloon? We know you’ve got something terrifically terrible to share, so ‘fess up.

But don’t think this is all for nothing. I want to help turn your sour experience into a sweet one. Three lucky (previously unlucky) winners will be chosen to receive a freshly delivered gift from Mrs. Fields Gifts, shipped just in time for Valentine’s Day!

First prize is our Perfect Valentine Basket, loaded with two dozen of our mouthwatering new frosted cookies. That’s worth the time you broke your nose in an awkward goodnight kiss, isn’t it?

Perfect Valentine Basket

Having your date dump a plate of spaghetti on you was completely worth qualifying for our second prize, Little Bit of Love Trunk, right?

Little Bit of Love Trunk

And finally, our third prize of Classic Heart Frosted Cookies Tin, will heal the old wounds (though maybe not the scars) of the his-and-hers tattoos date night you came to regret. Don’t you agree?

Classic Heart Frosted Cookies Tin

Let the stories come rolling in! (And don’t forget—our early bird discount is still available on all Valentine’s Day gifts until Wednesday, February 1st! Use code 12BEB at checkout.)

Enter to win by leaving your story in the comments section or emailing it to mrsfields[at]mrsfieldssecrets[dot]com before midnight, February 8, 2012. One entry per person, please. Winners will be selected and notified via email. Winning entries will be shared on a future blog post.

{Image via Pinterest.}

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Mrs. Fields Trivia – January 26th 2012

Here’s your chance again to win another amazing gift of FREE cookies from Mrs. Field

Enter the contest by leaving a comment on our blog.  If we pick you as our winner, we will contact you via the email you’ve provided.

We will draw 1 name from the correct answers given and that person will receive a FREE Mrs. Fields Holiday Memories Tin ($44.00 Value, with shipping). Answers will be accepted until midnight (January 26^th, 2012). Limited to one win per month per entrant. Winner will be notified via email.

Prize Details:

This week we’ll be giving away one of our Classic Mrs. Fields Tins – item #10025, a $44.00 value, including shipping. It contains 60 Nibblers® bite-sized cookies. Perfection!

Question:  What is the name of our newest Valentine’s Day stuffed animal?

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I love a cookie with a sense of humor. When I saw these Melting Snowmen Cookies online, I knew I had to try them. These cookies are perfect for the January Thaw we’re all hoping for. And one of the best things about these cookies is that you revel in imperfection while making them. No two are alike, and nothing should look perfect—that’s the key! Wouldn’t these be great for a winter-themed party? Or a snow day with the kids? Try them out; I think you’ll love them!

Melted Snowmen Cookies

Cookie Dough
1 cup butter flavored shortening
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Royal Icing
3 pasteurized egg whites
3 cups powdered sugar

Accessories
24 marshmallows
Black edible ink marker
Orange edible ink marker
Black gel icing
Colored confetti for buttons

Directions
For Cookies: Cream the shortening and add the sugar gradually. Beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Add the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt gradually to the creamed mixture, stirring in by hand. Cover and chill dough overnight or at least four hours.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Use a cookie scoop to divide dough. Mold each ball into a puddle-like shape, about 1/4-inch thick. Place cookies onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes or until cookie has a golden appearance. Remove to a rack and cool completely before icing.

For Icing: In a large bowl with an electric mixer, whip egg whites until light and frothy. Add powdered sugar slowly, mixing on low, until completely incorporated and shiny in appearance. Turn speed up to high, and mix for 5-7 minutes, or until frosting develops thick, stiff peaks. Divide 1/3 of frosting into a pastry bag with a fine tip, then outline each cooled cookie. Add 2-3 tablespoons of water to the remaining icing, mix well, then transfer to to another pastry bag and fill in the remaining surface of each cookie. Use a toothpick to spread it out and fill in any holes.

For Accessories: Use the black and orange edible ink markers to draw eyes, mouth, and carrot nose on each marshmallow. Cut a small wedge out of the bottom of each marshmallow, so that it will sit with the head tilted up. Place each marshmallow on a still-wet iced cookie. Use confetti sprinkles to create buttons, then pipe black gel to create arm branches. Allow to dry completely before serving.

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Remember when you used to stand outside in the snow and catch snowflakes on your tongue? Well, these beautiful snowflakes are just as fun to savor in your mouth, and a great activity to do with the kids on a snowy day. No two snowflakes are alike, but every one is delicious!

Tortilla Snowflakes

Large flour tortillas
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
Sharp, clean kitchen scissors

Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Mix sugar and cinnamon together and set aside. Fold a tortilla in half, then in thirds. (If the tortilla is stiff, try microwaving it for 10 seconds to make it pliable.) Use kitchen scissors to cut shapes into the tortilla, then carefully unfold it to reveal a snowflake. Place it on a baking sheet, then brush it lightly with butter, then sprinkle liberally with cinnamon and sugar. Bake for 3-5 minutes, or until golden brown around the edges. Serve warm or at room temperature.

HINT: This isn’t just a fun activity for kids. I love to serve these to guests with a large scoop of cinnamon ice cream on top, with a drizzle of caramel and chocolate. It makes a fantastic dessert display!

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2012 is the Year of the Dragon

Chinese New Year 2012 begins January 23 with the Year of The Dragon. It’s a time to celebrate with family and friends, eat good food, and enjoy fun customs and traditions. You don’t have to be Chinese to join in the fun, so gather your friends and family and put together a great party with the following ideas.

1. Sweet & Sour Chicken is a crowd favorite. This recipe is easy and delicious, and much of the prep work can be done ahead of time. For dessert, make your own fortune cookies. (It’s easier than you think.)

2. Print and post a Chinese Zodiac so that all party guests can find out which animal they represent based on their birth year. According to the zodiac, some animals are more compatible than others. Find out if it’s true!

3. Celebrate the Year of the Dragon with this simple craft that is fun for kids and adults too. Have a parade around the house and light fireworks outside!

4. Simple labels over bottled drinks add a finishing touch and offer your guests traditional Chinese wishes of longevity and prosperity.

5. Decorate your home with colorful Chinese Lanterns. Let the kids help and hang them down the hallway, above the dining table, or in the entry way.

6. Have guests write fortunes, then tuck them in paper cookies made out of cupcake liners (genius!). Add them all to a jar or bowl, mix them up, then distribute them among your guests.

{Dragon image via Pinterest.}

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Mrs. Fields Trivia – January 19th 2012

Here’s your chance again to win another amazing gift of FREE cookies from Mrs. Field

Enter the contest by leaving a comment on our blog.  If we pick you as our winner, we will contact you via the email you’ve provided.

We will draw 1 name from the correct answers given and that person will receive a FREE Mrs. Fields Holiday Memories Tin ($44.00 Value, with shipping). Answers will be accepted until midnight (January 19^th, 2012). Limited to one win per month per entrant. Winner will be notified via email.

Prize Details:

This week we’ll be giving away one of our Classic Mrs. Fields Tins – item #10025, a $44.00 value, including shipping. It contains 60 Nibblers® bite-sized cookies. Perfection!

Question:  What cookie did we recently re-invent and is getting rave reviews?

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These are not the popcorn balls of your past. These, my friends, are the popcorn balls of your future. I sometimes call them “Mother Lode Popcorn Balls” because they contain the ultimate richness of  flavors—silky sweet caramel, toasted coconut, pecan chips, chocolate, and a little bit of sea salt to keep it all balanced. And it’s all delivered in scrumptious bites on the wings of fluffy popcorn. (Am I sounding ridiculous? Sorry, it’s the popcorn balls.) These are the sophisticated popcorn balls that little popcorn balls dream of becoming someday. Try them and enjoy the ridiculous bliss they contain. Mmm!

Mother Lode Popcorn Balls

12 cups popped plain popcorn
3/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon table salt
3/4 cup butter
1 cup toasted coconut
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/8 cup coarse sea salt (for garnish)

Directions
Place popcorn in an oversized bowl or large roasting pan. In a medium saucepan, combine brown sugar,  granulated sugar, corn syrup, water, vinegar, and table salt. Bring to a hard ball boil (260 degrees on a candy thermometer), stirring constantly. Once it reaches 260 degrees, remove from heat and stir butter in until completely incorporated, allowing caramel to cool slightly. Drizzle caramel evenly over the popcorn, followed by the toasted coconut and pecans, then let it sit for 2-3 minutes to cool a bit. Use a large spoon or spatula to carefully fold caramel into all the popcorn. Prepare your cleaned hands with cooking spray, butter, or ice cold water and form 3-inch balls, then place them on a sheet of parchment paper to cool completely.

While the popcorn balls are cooling, melt chocolate chips, canola oil, and heavy cream in a double boiler. Stir until smooth and shiny. Drizzle melted chocolate over popcorn balls, then sprinkle each ball with a pinch of coarse sea salt. Allow to set completely before serving.

HINT: If you don’t have one already, invest in a candy thermometer. It will take all the guesswork out of making perfect caramel and candies!

HINT: Serve popcorn balls in cupcake liners for a pretty display that keeps your hands clean.

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Few things are more embarrassing than forgetting the birthday of an important person in your life. Here are five simple strategies to keep on top of birthdays. You don’t have to have a great memory, you just have to have some great tools!

1. If you use a wall calendar, write in all the birthdays at the beginning of the year. (I transfer them from my old calendar.) Then, write in another reminder one or two weeks ahead of each birthday (”Jenny’s birthday in 2 weeks!”) to give yourself enough time to purchase and send a card or gift. Birthdays that fall on the first few days of a month will no longer sneak up on you.

2. A perpetual birthday calendar never needs to be replaced and can be updated easily. Download a free copy of the calendar shown above from Lemon Squeezy. Keep it posted in a spot you’ll see often, like inside a cupboard door or on the wall next to your hanging calendar.

3. Since our lives are more and more managed on our cell phones, download an app like Birthday Express and enter all the birthdays you want to remember, as well as how many days in advance you’d like a reminder. Like an alarm clock, you’ll have a notification pop up right on your phone!

4. Facebook has a good birthday reminder, but if you’re not in the habit of checking Facebook everyday (or every five minutes), sign up for MyCaldendar Birthdays. You’ll get early notifications, and you can write a birthday message in advance that will be delivered on the right day!

5. If email is your preferred mode of information, sign up for reminders from Punchbowl. Not only can you get email reminders for birthdays, anniversaries, and important dates, you can easily share information with your friends and family, which makes it easier to coordinate that group gift for Aunt Lucy.

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Forget spring cleaning, I always get the itch to clean up and clear out in January. And my first place of attack is always the kitchen. If the kitchen is clean and organized, I feel like I can handle anything. If the kitchen is a mess, I feel out of sorts. Here are my best tips for a tidy kitchen and pantry. I hope you’ll share yours too.

Repeat in 3 or 4 months. It used to frustrate me when my January organization efforts seemed limp or dead by March or April, until I realized that organization is an ongoing process. I don’t organize once and then it’s done forever.  I know that I’m going to have to “refresh” my organization again in a few months, and now I plan on it as part of the journey. The frustration is gone.

One drawer or cupboard at a time. I don’t know anybody who has the time to overhaul their entire kitchen all at once. I go after one drawer or cupboard at a time, sometimes using as little as 10 or 15 minutes. I empty it, wipe it down, examine the contents, discard anything I don’t need or use, and set everything back in an orderly manner. It’s amazing how good one completed drawer can make you feel, and you get an immediate sense of completion.

Keep necessities within reach. What is it they say about real estate? Location, location, location! I think about my drawers and cupboards as real estate, and only the most used, most important, most necessary items can afford to be within my busy reach. I should never have to grab a stool or walk across the kitchen to retrieve something I use on a daily or almost-daily basis.

Label spice tops. My spice rack is in a lower cupboard, so I have an aerial view of all the containers but not an easy view of their labels. My life changed when I took a few minutes to label the top of each container. I don’t have to guess which bottle is the nutmeg anymore! Yippee!

Rods for pan lids. I recently found these genius ideas for storing pan lids that I plan to implement right away. A simple towel rod on the back of a door, or a tension rod inside of a drawer keep lids stowed neatly!

Categorize food. I organize my pantry shelves as I would a grocery store, with food items grouped by category. And again, I pay attention to real estate. I make sure my most-used items are the most convenient to grab.

Use an over-the-door organizer. I maximize the space in my pantry by using a simple organizer, found at the hardware store, similar to this. It’s shocking how much it holds!

Display beautiful, beloved ingredients. I love the rich, earthy tones of my favorite baking ingredients, like brown sugar, oats, flour, and even chocolate chips. So why have them hiding in bags and containers in the cupboards? They look great in glass jars on the countertop, and they’re so easy to access when I’m ready to bake.

Those are some of my favorite tips for an organized kitchen. What are yours? Share your thoughts in the comments section!

And don’t forget—only a few more days to share your silliest skiing story and be entered to win gourmet prizes from Mrs. Fields! The stories have me in stitches! Contest ends Sunday, January 15.

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It’s funny. I get the same warm feelings inside when I think about cookies that I do when I think about true love. I guess that’s why I think our gifts are perfect for Valentine’s Day. It’s a no brainer, really. Our gorgeous new catalog is hitting mailboxes soon, but I can’t wait to share a sneak peek at some of my favorite gifts. Check them out!

Frosted Hugs & Kisses

Our classic assortment of cookies freckled with sweet hugs and kisses in the form of our new frosted cookies. Adorable!

Heartfelt Gift Box

This super cute gift reminds me of “I Love Lucy” and the gourmet treats inside will remind your sweetheart how much they love you.

Little Bit of Love Book

Everybody loves a great love story. And everybody will love this fantastic gift that opens like a book to reveal an assortment of our favorite cookies and brownies.

I Will "Owl"ways Love You Box

It seems that owls are popping up everywhere, including our catalog. The truly wise will be drawn to this gift because it’s brilliant.

Valentine's Personalized Tin

Immortalize your love on a keepsake tin. Trust me, there is no better way to put that photo of you and your boyfriend in the sombreros to good use!

Valentine's Heart Cookie Cake

Of course, there’s always the classics. Who doesn’t want a giant heart-shaped Mrs. Fields cookie? Nobody, that’s who. Perfection.

Perfect Valentine Basket

Valentine’s Day is all about indulgence and abundance for your sweetheart. Two dozen of our new amazing frosted cookies are both of those things. To the nth degree.

Love Monkey

Our sweet Love Monkey is one of my favorites! He’s so cute and soft, and ready to show up with an armload of cookies for your sweetheart, secret crush, or even your little kidlets.

And just because we love you, we’re offering a 15% discount off your entire order before February 1st. Which means that you can shop now, save 15%, and have your gift delivered on Valentine’s Day! Simply use code 12BEB at checkout. Valentine’s Day has never been sweeter.

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