The Big Top Experiment

Christmas 2009 was the beginning of a new tradition on the Fernandez side of the family-- the "As Seen On TV" gift exchange which I blogged about last December. One of the gifts up for grabs was the "Big-Top Cupcake" and to much dismay, neither my sister nor I ended up with it by the end of the night. Luckily, we have a really awesome Abuela who decided to give it to us a few weeks ago because, yes, we were still talking about it.

Last night, Em and I gave it a go using a Better Crocker Devil's Food Cake mix, 3 eggs, half a cup of veggie oil, a cup and a half of water, and the best thing to add to a cake mix that never makes it on the box directions-- pudding mix.

{ingredients}

 

  {all mixed up}

 {and into the mold}

 

 

From there we waited for the oven to preheat to 350 degrees then popped it in. It  took about an hour to cook all the way through because the molds are so deep. There is one design flaw; because the topper mold is cooked upside down, it bubbles up and makes it difficult to ultimately place it evenly onto the bottom piece. 

 

We decided to go with white fluffy icing and sprinkles after we let the cake cool.

{icing the cupcake}

 

{sprinkle closeup}

I'm not sure if it was because of the four month build-up or the fact that most As Seen on TV items really are too good to be true most of the time. But overall, I was underwhelmed. The best part about it was the taste and that can happen no matter what shape cake is in. The mold itself was also a lot smaller than expected. I think it should probably be called The Medium-Top Cupcake because it doesn't really look as grand as you would think. All in all it was a pretty mediocre shape with a wonderful taste. The good news is, there are no winners or losers in cake because in the end you still get to eat it!

Gopher Goodness

As mentioned in my previous post, As Seen on TV products not only make for one hilarious white elephant exchange- they are also very useful.

For example:

Need a hand with your horn?

I can't reach my drink! Go-Go Gopher! Success.

Perhaps you would like to steal another person's drink. Done.

Lemon? Got it.

The greatest gift exchange ever: As Seen On TV

This year the Fernandez clan met up for our annual Christmas celebration. There are a few traditions that have evolved over the years like never being able to celebrate on the actual holiday, boat-loads of sushi, and even more cocktails now that the majority of us are all over the legal age. This Christmas we started what could be one of the best yet....instead of a typical gift exchange we started the first ever "Fernandez As Seen On TV gift swap". And trust me, it was amazing as it sounds.

Now this might sound weird, but shopping for As Seen on TV (ASOTV) gifts was more fun than you can imagine. What should I give? What is the craziest, weirdest thing I can find without offending someone? The Egg Genie? The Mighty Mend it? Perhaps, a Windshield Wonder? As a whole, the entire clan made some great choices.

I was hoping for a Magic Bullet Sytem, the food processor type thing that I have literally put on my Christmas list for the last, oh, 4 years however that was above the price limit. Instead, I received Smooth Away and Shoe Under. Ben was pumped about the Shoe Under now that we can have some real closet space and would not let me trade it in for another gift. Here are some of the great ASOTV's that were swapped around our family.

Because in a world of super-sized food, a regular sized cupcake just doesn't cut it.

This was my contribution to the exchange. Let me tell you, after a few cocktails it is really fun to walk around and see just what you can pick up. It also has a articulated arm for sneaking around corners to steal your favorite relative's Christmas cookies right off their plate.

Who WOULDN'T want this? Right? Right.

Ah, yes. Ben's contribution. How someone can beat up another person and then name and sell something called the "Slap-Chop" is really ironic. Especially when you read the tagline.... "Making America Skinner, One Slap At A Time". Sick and wrong.

And last but not least, the dog snuggie that my dad bought specifically for my cousin's dog, Mr. Butters, even though it was supposed to be a random exchange. I have never seen a dog love a piece of fleece more than Butters who coincidently looks exactly like the dog pictured above, but even cuter if that is even possible.

So there you have it. An epic As Seen on TV success. Not only did we all walk away with weirdly practical gifts- we had a wonderful time together as we opened each ASOTV wonder and marveled at its many expected and alcohol-induced uses.