365 Organic Everyday Value Yellow Cake Mix

I didn't know it, but this is Whole Foods' private line of organic food, and I have high hopes for the rest of the products.

That said, make sure you read the directions on the side of the box FIRST. I goofed and started dumping wet ingredients (1 egg, 2 yolks) into the dry mix, as you would with regular boxed cake mixes. Then I read the directions: You're supposed to cream 8 tbsp of butter, then add the eggs, then add 1 cup of milk until all the wet ingredients are combined. THEN you add the cake mix.

Another potential glitch was that I didn't soften the butter to room temperature beforehand, I just stuck it in the microwave to soften. This method, while convenient, makes for little butter lumps in the batter, I've found. I ended up creaming the butter, then mixing in the milk before dumping this bowl of wet ingredients into the other bowl with the dry mix and eggs. It took a while to get the mixture "smooth and shiny" as it says in the box, but I finally got a fairly smooth, dense batter that I felt good about it.

Sure enough, the cupcakes turned out AWESOME. Moist, tender with a wonderfully buttery flavor. Of course, with an entire stick of butter, how else would it turn out? While I'm not thrilled about that nor having to find another use for 2 egg whites (I know, I know, making a healthy omelet would fit the bill), these cupcakes taste better than other boxed cakes mixes I've used.

Dr. Oetker Organic Muffin Mix Cornmeal

Dr. Oetker, a German-based manufacturer of frozen pizzas, baking mixes, dessert mixes and more, offers a USDA certified Organics line, including this cornmeal muffin mix in a 16.9 oz box.

Preparation is easy: just add 1 cp water, 1 egg, 2 tbsp of oil. I followed the directions to the T and used a 12-cup muffin pan as suggested on the box. Instead of using liners, I greased the pan with butter.

The resulting muffins were OK. Tender, with a nice crumb and a satisfying grittiness that is the hallmark of cornbread. Still, I thought it was a tad dry and kind of blah tasting. I'll continue searching for a better cornbread mix.

India Tree Decorating Sugar

This was previously posted at www.supernovamom.com

If I want my kids to try a new food or I just want to jazz up a treat, I reach for colorful sprinkles. Ten-year-old doesn’t like mashed potatoes? A dash of green decorating sugar gets him in the mood. But with the new dietary restrictions I’ve imposed, which includes eliminating artificial colors and flavors, they’ve had to do without their culinary touchups.

Now, however, I’ve found an organic cookie decoration supplier and they can have sprinkles in their ice cream again! Natural candy store sells decorating sugars and nonpareils (those little candy globes) that are colored with natural ingredients such as paprika, annato, turmeric and vegetable juices. As with most organic alternatives that I’ve found, you’ll pay more for it; they go for about $4.80 to $5.40 for about 3 ounces. At least I found ‘em before I started making my Valentine’s Day cookies!