Baked and Burned:The Continuing Saga of Do You Bake

So, after a month of trying to track down some commissions owed, I called it quits with Do You Bake the other day. I sent an email to four people: owner, old gal Friday, new gal Friday, and "founding" consultant and have received zero response. And yes, I did check my spam folder.

My immediate sponsor called it quits this week too. Her sponsor has been out for about a month but is still owed money. I have one downline sponsee who has reported that they are also owed money. Tonight, I saw that someone I believe to be heavily invested in the company called it quits.

When I was in college, I was privileged to take a class that was three quarters of solid analyst and investing. We spent the whole first quarter learning how to research companies and what to look for in a solid investment. In the second quarter, we invested. In the third, we we wrapped it up and packaged it for presentation. For this reason, when I look at any company, I look at the news and I look at what the "primaries" are doing. I don't try to do this anymore, it just happens because I had a damn good professor who made the stock market easy and fun for even the least technically inclined finance student (that would be me: I always got good grades but mathematics is not my strong suit.)

Try to find any news on Do You Bake that isn't generated by a consultant. I looked last night. I never thought about it before because most of those news articles are boring press releases about something that is supposed to be exciting. Just to be sure, I researched a couple of some what obscure direct sales companies to see what I could find and I could at least find where some where they were excited to announce their existence. You're not going to find loads and loads unless you are looking up one of the heavy hitters, but you should be able to find something...even if it is locally in my opinion.

That being said, my comment about the consultant that I considered to be heavily invested, she's gone. What does that say? It says to me that there is definitely something amiss. Smart people walk away from investments when they realize there is no possibility of recouping them. I was surprised to see her post that she was leaving.

There has been in my personal experience, a complete lack of communication. From anecdotal sources, I find that I am not alone in that experience. I understand busy and I understand start-up but I also understand customer service and it has been my experience that the short falls, like the ones we consultants have experienced, are indicative of less than above-board business practices.

I am not posting about this because I am obsessed or vengeful or some other crazy emotion I am posting this because I know that not everyone involved in direct sales has the education, self-esteem, and knowledge that I have. Direct sales makes a promise of a dream that could come true, actual results will vary. I know in my heart of hearts that there are women out there that got involved with Do You Bake that have experienced the same shoddy experience that I have had who are blaming themselves for a perceived failure, who are afraid to walk away because they have put so much time and money into it, who keep thinking that someday those Rio Rancho leads are gonna pay off.

Ladies, do you realize that allegedly the Do You Bake website and system were compromised over the weekend to the extent that the perpetrator was able to heavily discount the products? Did you ask yourself about the personal information...your personal information...your customer's stored information...what about that? When was the last time you ever heard of hackers being merry pranksters and only deeply discounting a companies products? Yeah, me either.

What about that address? 2669 Shillington Rd, Reading, PA 19608 is what appears on all the invoices. The first time I Googled it, I gave it a bye. Upon further examination, though, I do question the UPS store mailing address, not so much because I think it's shady but because I also did a Whois search. The address and number that the DYB website are registered under also pull hits for known and convicted scammers.

That leads me to just one other thought, have you ever noticed there is a veil of secrecy to the whole company? I have been with other companies. I lunched with the creator of one of those companies. I've never seen a direct sales company where someone wasn't putting their name and face to it. I have never seen a picture of the people who created Do You Bake, ostensibly over jasmine tea and sushi. No press releases, no blurb and headshot in the catalog, no candid shot as a profile picture, nothing.

I know some people are out there thinking that there is nothing to be done. Sure, Do You Bake is not a Direct Sales Association member, but it doesn't mean that you can put them on the DSA radar as a company not to endorse. Also, depending on what your specific experience has been you may have cause to file with the Better Business Bureau and/or your state's Attorney General office. And, of course, depending on your level of braveness, there is the internet. If everyone who has been burned by Do You Bake, took a little time to post, tweet, flag or otherwise share their negative experience you will save someone else from the headache that you have experienced.

Why am I so sure there are others? The end of December through January 3, I think, Do You Bake offered a free consultant sign up. Then again, a few weeks later they offered a one day sign up on their "birthday". Off hand, I remember that the difference between my # and one of my downline was at least 700. So, in a very short time this company grew explosively. I am sure that a number of people who signed up never became active because many of my team let their 50% off expire because of the sheer number of shipping issues that were being reported. I am not sure the total number of total consultants in the US and Canada, nor would I be remotely able to whip up the mathematical formulas that could correlate my team's experience to the company at large.

I guess what I am saying is that if you have been burned by Do You Bake (or any other company for that matter) do not sit in silence blaming yourself. There are always options. Not only does your silence keep you in pain, it hurts other people too.

A moment of silence for my sadness, but not a second more

Tonight, I have been tying up loose ends with my direct sales businesses. It is interesting how you can go from all to nothing so quickly.

I am feeling a bit sad because I truly loved Clever Container and my Clever gals and genuinely thought that I would go far with the company. A year ago I was anxiously anticipating a trip to Chicago for the first ever convention. If you had told me then that I would be writing this now, I would have told you that you were completely crazy. I rolled off the ranks of Clever Container for lack of personal volume, something I could have done something about really but I thought my energy was best suited elsewhere.

I joined/added another company, Do You Bake, at the end of December. On a personality basis, baking and cooking is much better suited to me than organizing. Honestly, I had intended to incorporate the two of them into some sort of beautiful and compliant with both companies relationship. I guess, though, that was not in the mix. I resigned my affiliation with Do You Bake earlier this evening. Unfortunately, there are a number of issue that make it impossible for me as who I am to actively continue with that company.

It's kinda like when you leave a boyfriend for a guy you perceive as somewhat cooler only to discover that the new guy is a complete tool and you have no chemistry. I've been happily married almost five years so I am totally unprepared for that feeling.

Sigh.


The good news is that I have my husband and his music. I have realized over the past couple of days that for all the time I have spent not making any money in direct sales, I could have not been making money for him. You say codependent, I say symbiotic. I have made three videos for him in the last week. Actually, four but the last one is still in process. I didn't do it because he asked me to, I did it because I wanted to and I enjoyed it. Now to drive traffic to http://www.reverbnation.com/enpde !  It's kinda one of those things where I want to advocate liking and hiding but not so much because those of you who really know me know that I am completely discerning about men who claim to be musicians and that I could never date...let alone marry some who completely sucked. His music is "electronic" and most of it is strictly instrumental. There are three free downloads available and actually if I can get enough interest I could run a giveaway of CDs because we have a few left over from when enpde was a band and not a solitary bastion of awesomeness.

So we'll never be organized nor will we schlepp baked goods mixes but we'll have each other and a combining of talents. Hmmm, seems fair, not let's see what happens.

In all seriousness, though, I meant what I said about feeling sad about Clever. I feel like I let a lot of people down and I am not sure how to make amends for that.

Until next time...

Being an adult means always having to say you're sorry

I'm sorry. Yep. I'm sorry. Why? Because that's what mature, responsible people say when they have done something that is hurtful or that they perceive to be hurtful. Why did I say that they perceive to be hurtful? Because sometimes things that weigh on our conscious don't even hit the radar of the person that we think we have wronged, but that doesn't excuse the behavior.

No one likes to be wrong. It's a horrible feeling but sorry really does take the pain away.

The idea of amends has been swirling around my head for awhile, but really got kicked to the forefront the past couple of days. You know or may have picked up on that I am in direct sales, a dabbler really. (Or at least that's what I tell myself to lessen the pain of the lack of income derived from direct sales.) Anyway, I made a decision regarding my direct sales lines that I am really feeling some stuff over. I thought I had an opportunity to be a part of an organization that peddled a line of products that I could really get behind without much effort. The bonus was the it was free to join. After a month, based on faulty information, I chose to concentrate my efforts on this organization exclusively.

So where's the pain? Well, my sponsor in Clever Container really invested a lot in me and I do feel remorse. I actually have come to regret my decision to stop working that line. My renewal comes up in just a little over 30 days and I am in need a miracle mode to continue there. It's really only a couple of parties worth of volume, but I have no books, no supplies, no leads, so yep a miracle.

To continue where the pain is from, I have really felt over the past couple of weeks that I need to speak with and apologize to each of my downline in Do You Bake individually.  Ironic, because most of them never actually became active with the business. I chose to become active based on a lie really. I looked at my dashboard and saw sales and assumed it was from the work I had done. I looked at my dashboard and saw a team, and felt a little optimistic. Much of what scared many of my downline members away was the inability of anyone to control what was being said on the consultant page on Facebook. Well, that and a lack of understanding about the "free" sign-ups.

So thinking that I was making progress, I made a commitment. Turns out though, it's all been a sham. The sales volume that I saw on my reports. I don't know what it was or where it came from but I surely never got paid on it. I understand that I wouldn't be paid on DLs who joined under the free, but I had roughly a hundred bucks that I showed....and subsequently disappeared...that would have equated to about twenty bucks income. I wrongly assumed that the fruits of my mastering Hootsuite had finally come to pass.

At the current time, they owe me money for fundraisers that I had set up. It's not a huge sum of money, but it is the principle. They also to my knowledge owe two other people. An upline and a downline of mine. I do not know the sums, but I feel embarrassed that I put some one else in this situation. Me and my DL, we may have learned Valley View math, but we also have Valley View ethics, so this is totally unacceptable. no one should have to ride a direct sales company to pay out what they are owed...ever...period...end of story.

I am tired of people's excuses. I am tired of my emails going unanswered. I am tired of hearing about "growing pains". I am tired of other people's BS. I gave them a bye on one issue, because I thought it was knee-jerk on the parts of the people crying foul. Nearly six months later, I wish I had been as smart as those gals.

Thankfully, all of my DL joined under a free promotion. Only a couple of people have any money tied into this and again thankfully not too much. (Well, at least, what I can see so I pray that their additional investments are minimal.)

So, yeah, I screwed up and I am sorry. No amount of remorse is gonna make them move on paying anyone though. It's just a chain of unanswered emails. I do wish I could turn back the clock and some how make things not turn out this way. I'd love to turn back time and put the same amount of effort in to Clever as I did DYB and not feel like such a POS right now. If you are in my DYB DL and have not been correctly paid, please, please let me know and we will work on righting this wrong. I know that many of you have dreams of your own that you are trying to bring to fruition. I hope that this has not hindered you.



So yeah, I am sorry. On the DYB tip, you trusted me and now my integrity is tarnished because of their lack of ethical behavior. Cleverly speaking, I had dreams there and I thought something bigger had come along and I abandon all y'all and I feel terrible. If we stay here all night, I will eventually apologize for the Hindenburg disaster.

I am sorry. I am so sorry. 

Do You Bake May Specials and Offers

Looking for some extra income and fun this Summer? Consider becoming a Do You Bake consultant for only $37.95 in May. 

http://shop.doyoubake.com/Category/39-join-do-you-bake-in-may.aspx?AffiliateID=392

There's still time to get in on the May hostess and customer specials too:

http://www.DoYouBake.com/JennyWolfe

Summer insert preview is available on my website. Lots of good mixes for picnicking and taking it easy this summer. Summer products available 6/1/2012.

Baranoff Elementary's Spring Carnival Silent Auction: Do You Bake? Brownie "Basket" from Consultant Jenn...

Baranoff Elementary's Spring Carnival Silent Auction: Do You Bake? Brownie "Basket" from Consultant Jenn...: Mmmmm, brownies! This package includes a Cuisinart 9" Square Baking Pan for making your  Do You Bake? Choco-nut Brownies & your  Do You...

I know I have a few readers in Texas, specifically Austin. Take a minute to check out the entire Baranoff Elementart Spring Carnival Silent Auction line up and get over there on Saturday for the fun!

Do You Bake News and April Specials

Rolling off of a good March, and I am excited for April.

As you can see, the hostess special for April is: 

• Get an extra $10 in rewards when you close a $200 party.  
• Close a $300 party in April and in addition to the extra $10 in rewards, you will receive a free jar of Sinfully Cinnamon. 

  I still have openings for April, and I always have space for an online party. Remember, right now Do You Bake is only in US and Canada, so if you are in one of those places and would like to schedule a party shoot me an email. 

Our customer specials for the month of April are: 

• Cupcake trio for only $19.50. What is in the trio? Chocolate Cupcake Mix, Lemon Cupcake Mix, and Carrot Cupcake Mix all for only $19.50
• If you haven't already signed up to be a part of YUMM Club, do it in April and get the Popcorn Poppers Set as our gift to you when you join. The Popcorn Poppers Set is a $20 value and includes 1 shaker of each of the following - Cheesy cheddar popcorn seasoning, Cha-Cha Chocolate Popcorn Seasoning, Caramel Sprinkle.
• The YUMM Selections for April are:  
• Cracked Pepper and Parmesan Dipping Oil Mix 
• Slow Cooker Pot Roast and Seasoned Veggies Mixes 
• German Chocolate Cake Mix
•  Yours for $29.00 and free shipping
• YUMM Club is a monthly meal subscription and you will receive the YUMM Selection of the month every month, unless you cancel. 

So that's just a peek at what's on the horizon for April. May will bring more deliciousness, and I am not just saying that. We will be unveiling our summer flyer which I hear has a couple of cocktail options.

Want to stay in touch about Do You Bake?  Come follow me: https://www.Facebook.com/DYBJennyWolfe

Happy baking friends!!

Love Those Latte Bars by Do You Bake?: A half-baked review

 So, I made Love Those Latte Bars for my Scentsy party a couple of weeks ago. I had intended to do a full spread like I do of the process and the end result. It was a spur of the moment decision and well, let's just say I had too many things going on at once to execute it well.

To make them you need roughly three sticks of butter and three eggs, so you know they HAVE to be delicious. At least, that is my humble opinion. And it has to be buttah, no margarine, no Crisco, no I Can't Believe It's Not, nope, nope, nope BUTTER.

 So, three eggs, three sticks of butter and three bags. Good things really do come in threes!! Since I am writing this well after I actually made it, and have since thrown it the box away. I can't tell you the steps really, except for that as always it was pretty easy.

I can't even remember from looking at my "step-by-step" pictures exactly what the process was to be honest because I think I skipped important shots. So, in order to fill space, let's admire this bowl of butter:)

This next picture is the psychology portion of our Do You Bake? experience. What do you see? How does it make you feel? Tell me about your mother. Ha, soo kidding there, lighten up, life's to short to not laugh.

Actually, if I remember you mix Bag A with Vanilla and then dare your caffeine-fiend husband to drink it. Then, you dump that into melted butter and use every ounce of willpower not to drink that beautiful concoction yourself!   Then you dump in bag #2 and a trio of eggs, pour and spread in a 9 x 9 and bake. Obviously, you bake it after all, it isn't Do You Microwave or Do You Toaster Oven.

Bag #3 is the icing on the cake, literally.

Biting into a Love That Latte Bar...it's one of those things like a wedding or birth of a child or some world event where you remember where you were and what you were doing when everything went down. One rep shared on our rep board that she was renaming them Holy Sh*t Bars because that was the reaction she was getting when she sampled them. I am not making this up. I took a tiny, tiny corner to sample before the party because I don't want to serve anything that I don't like or at least can't defend. So, then I took another just to be sure it wasn't the hunger talking.

OMG, these bars are awesome! I can't really explain the fireworks and angels singing that happened when I bit into this bar. Now, if you do not care for chocolate and/or coffee, then you will not like these bars. Me, well, my breakfast of choice for a long, long, longer than I care to admit time was coffee and Ding Dongs, so for me these bars were kind of a big deal.

My Scentsy gal and I grew up together, and when she asked me what I thought... I told her that next time I make them I am adding coconut to the mix and seeing if they don't turn out exactly like a cake our cafeteria used to serve.

So, yeah, I love Love Those Latte Bars! My love is reinforced by my friend, Lynnie, buying the leftovers and reporting back that her guild people liked 'em lots.

There is nothing half baked about Love Those Latte Bars...just this consultant :)

Disclaimer: I am an independent consultant for Do You Bake?. The opinions expressed here are my own and if you click a DYB? linky I might receive compensation.

Women with Heart Network Shopping & Bingo~March 22

https://www.facebook.com/events/300530546668607/
Doors open at 7pm for Shopping / Bingo begins at 8pm
Cash & Carry Items will be available!
All in attendance must be at least 18 years of age

The Women with Heart Networking Group (WHNG) has a mission to give back to our community. Please join us at our shopping and bingo event by making a donation or contribution to Fellowship Baptist Church for the support of a group of Bhutanese refugees who came to the United States with only the clothing they wore.

Receive 1 Bingo card upon entrance with a donation/contribution. Examples of items needed are non perishable food, toiletries, paper products, cleaning supplies, linens, and adult size small or children’s clothing.

Earn extra Bingo cards for the following:

Bring a Friend – 1 Card
Every Retail Value Purchase of $25.00 – 1 Card
Book a Home Show – 3 Cards
Sign Up as a Consultant – 5 Cards

Food and wine will be available for purchase from Valley Vineyards.

I will be there with Do You Bake? and I will have some cash and carry. I am putting up a VA-VA Chocolate Kit as a Bingo prize, so come on out and spend an enjoyable evening at Valley Vineyards!

Kindness in Giving Removes Ink

https://www.facebook.com/events/333519800018278/

Prior to about a week and a half or so ago, I had never heard of INK180.

INK180 provides FREE cover-ups to former gang members and victims of human trafficking. Transforming their bar codes and hate symbols into something beautiful...something that reflects the turn around in their own life.

At the current time, INK180 is not a 501(c)3 but is working toward getting established as such. The idea behind the I Support INK180 event is simple. A number of different direct sales professionals, myself included, have pledge to pay 100% of our commissions from the event to support INK180.

Who is participating:

CLEVER CONTAINER - Total as of 3/4/12 for INK 180: $7.50, Goal: $100
www.CleverContainerStore.com, Shirley Lassiter #113, 100% of commission
Browse the catalog or click Shop Now and browse by product to de-clutter and get organized. IMPORTANT: Select Chris Baker as party host at checkout, if it times out on you please add my ID 113 to keep going. SPECIAL: Purchase $50 get the Organizer Gear Pocket for only $17!

DO YOU BAKE - Total as of 3/4/12 for INK 180: $0, Goal: $100
http://shop.doyoubake.com/default.aspx?AffiliateID=392&EventID=740, Jenny Reibert-Wolfe, 100% of commission. SPECIAL: The Essential Four for $20. It's a shaker of For the LOVE of Garlic Seasoning, Sinfully Cinnamon Seasoning, Chive and Onion Seasoning, Simply Season All Seasoning.

GIGI HILL BAGS - Total as of 3/4/12 for INK 180: $0, Goal: $75
Here is the party link: www.gigihillbags.com/party/30993, Becki Burke,
100 % of commission.

INITIALS, INC. - Total as of 3/4/12 for INK 180: $0, Goal:
http://www.myinitials-inc.com/shop/eventhome.aspx?eventId=E34076&from=MYEVENTS, Joanne Joseph, 100% of commission

JAMBERRY NAILS - Total as of 3/4/12 for INK 180: $0, Goal: $100
.http://jamminnails4u.jamberrynails.net/party/host/?id=d69ca7b1-79b3-4f75-898e-25ea6ca01584,
Wendy S Blaney, Donating 100% of commission

ORAGAMI OWL - Total as of 3/4/12 for INK 180: $0, Goal: $100
www.leslie.origamiowl.com, Leslie Cantymagli Rhoads, 100% of commission
Create your story in a living locket then at check out there will be an option to associate with a party, choose "Chris Baker / INK 180" from the drop down box. This will allow for all the sale to benefit Chris.

PAMPERED CHEF - Total as of 3/4/12 for INK 180: $0, Goal: $100
http://www.pamperedchef.biz/albert?page=host-search-results&showId=3575939%2CMargaret Toomey Albert, 100% of commission
SPECIAL: https://www.facebook.com/ajax/messaging/attachment.php?attach_id=5ca0a8298a550c871e6795affe026b7b&mid=id.379955418700626&ext=1330902610&hash=AQBwSBcArNvTPRov

PINK ZEBRA - Total as of 3/4/12 for INK 180: $0, Goal: $100
www.pinkzebrahome.com/party/1432, Jessica Jones, 100% of commission
SPECIAL: Stonewashed Denim line is 15% off and our Anjou Pear Sprinkles are also 15% off

SCENTSY - Massachusetts - Total as of 3/4/12 for INK 180: $0, Goal:
https://cindyandlulah.scentsy.us/Buy?partyId=74527476, Cindy Lassell Merchant, 100% Commission

SCENTSY - North Carolina - Total as of 3/4/12 for INK 180: $0, Goal: $100
https://jolenecox.scentsy.us/Buy?partyId=74485384, Jolene Marts Cox, 100% Commission
Make sure you confirm you are shopping in Chris' party. We have introduced "Layers by Scentsy" a line of personal care and laundry care items, in addition to Scentsy Buddies, Warmers, and Bars. Love the cause!!

TASTEFULLY SIMPLE - Total as of 3/4/12 for INK 180: $0, Goal: $60
https://www.tastefullysimple.com/secure/pomm/GuestResponseCatalogParty.aspx?pxid=10308058&key=493e0ffd-394a-4476-ad3d-ca7c09d5a8e8, Heather Frost Fredenburg, 100% of commission, SPECIAL: place an order for $40 or more and receive a NEW Recipes for Best-Dressed Burgers book FREE.

THIRTY-ONE - Toal as of 3/4/12 for INK 180: $0, Goal:
http://www.mythirtyone.com/shop/catalog.aspx?eventId=E1500041&from=DIRECTLINK, Jena RochonOyervides, 100% of commission
Explore the trendy & affordable purses, totes & accessories for children to adults, Pssst! They cater to men too.
SPECIAL: For every $31 dollars you spend you get a 2nd item for 31% off.

 Or if you prefer the direct approach, you can visit http://ink180.weebly.com/get-involved.html.

A Twist on Baked Enchilada Dip from Do You Bake?

First off, I love the Baked Enchilada Dip. I made it for the first time when we watched the Super Bowl, and it was, for me, the highlight of the game. I don't remember if I posted the pics here, but I do think they are on Facebook.

Anyway, my husband started a new job and the training period has him away from home A LOT! Being just me and the kids for dinner it hardly seems worth the effort. The oldest feeds herself as soon as she come home from school. The youngest is hit or miss, unless it's mac and cheese or whatever big sister is having. I have heard from a lot of other people the the Baked Enchilada Dip is great with the addition of chicken. I decided to try a vegetarian twist and added a bag of "California" medley to the mix.

Overall, great flavor and really filling. I served it with tortilla chips, of course. The size of the veggies was a bit annoying, so in the future I will have to chop them a bit before adding.

While I am typing this, my son is leaning on my arm and he keeps saying,"I like that food" , outta the mouths of babes! He does like it...for about a bite, then it's too spicy.

Another vegetarian idea might be to add soy chorizo and the frozen veggies to the mix. I will probably give it a try...when my hubby is back on a regular routine because I was eating this for the next couple of days. Incidentally, the leftovers were great in eggs!

What twist have you put on this mix? I would love to hear about it!

Whole Wheat Flax Beer Bread from Do You Bake?

I believe I posted about this bread before. I wanted to post again because I made it differently and have my own photos and I haven't got anything else to talk about.

 This is all it takes to make a loaf, and yes, I am aware of the irony of using a diet soda with my all-natural, preservative-free, additive-free mix.

I made it with Coke Zero last time and it had a tinge of sweetness to it. I wondered if root beer would have a similar sweetness.

I probably should have used the macro setting to show you the texture of the mix better. I just love how hearty it looks. The darker areas are the flax seeds.

 Just 12 ounces of liquid is all you need to add to the mix.

Just for the record. Those are two different measuring cups. I measured in a two cup and mixed in a four cup, but in the future I will use something slightly larger for mixing.

Prior to baking, the instructions specify to add one tablespoon of olive oil or melted butter/margarine to the top.

The finished product.

To be honest, I didn't really care for this batch of bread. The flavor was fine with the root beer, but using oil instead of butter seemed to dry out the top. Also, if you weren't an olive oil fan, the flavor would definitely bother you as the earthiness of the EVOO was fully imparted in this bread.

I still recommend this bread mix. My husband liked it both ways, as did the kids...and the dog. I just personally probably won't use oil in the prep in the future.

In addition to Whole Wheat Flax Beer Bread, Do You Bake offer seven other varieties of beer bread, along with sweet cream breads. You can check them out at http://www.DoYouBake.com/JennyWolfe.

Do You Bake?: Frenchy Chicken and Quinoa Ooh La La!

I made this for dinner the other night, had leftovers a little bit ago for lunch. I have to admit the I was a little leery because I just haven't really like quinoa in the past, but trust me if I truly didn't like this dish I would tell you.

The mix comes with the herb packet and the quinoa. You add chicken, onion, and tomatoes and after about 60 minutes...voila! The asparagus paired nicely with it. Asparagus isn't normally in the rotation at the Wolfe den but it was on sale this week so I couldn't pass it by.

If you do not know what quinoa is, don't be swayed. As you can tell by the picture it looks a bit like sticky rice. It is a grain that is native to South America, and is nutrient packed and very easy to prepare. Don't skip the soak, it is an important part of the process. I set mine to soak before I started the chicken, then put it on the burner after the chicken was in the oven and everything was done about the same time. I think my quinoa actually ended up a tad on the overdone side, because I had an unexpected chauffeur duty that put off dinner by about fifteen minutes.

I most prep there is with the chicken is dicing the onion and tomato. The ingredient list says canned tomatoes are okay. We rarely have those in this house. I'm glad on this first run that wasn't an option because I do not think that canned tomatoes would be as good.

My other thoughts on this are that it could very easily be stretched past four servings by increasing the onion and tomato and cutting the chicken in to smaller pieces. I intend to try this in the near future, so if there is anyone out there who knows me and wants to volunteer, I could use a taste-tester.

I love the combination of herbs that are in this mix, and I sincerely hope that down the line Do You Bake? will offer a shaker of it. It be an extra bonus if they called it "Frenchy Ooh La Licious Herbs"

So two thumbs up for the Frenchy Chicken, more if I had them. My husband really liked it, too, and he's very particular about what he puts in his mouth.

Disclaimer time: I am an independent distributor of Do You Bake products. If you click this link, and place an order, I will receive a commission of your purchase.  You can check out this and the complete line of Do You Bake? products at http://www.DoYouBake.com/JennyWolfe

Whole Wheat Flax Beer Bread

First, I want to apologize for a lack of a picture. I just didn't think about it.

One of my reasons for trying Do You Bake? in the first place was that they have this product. It's hard to find good whole wheat mixes. I'm pleased to report that my search has ended.

I made this the other evening to rave reviews. I used a Coke instead of a beer which added a certain sweetness to the bread. It is really easy to make and uses only 2 ingredients aside from the mix. 12 oz of liquid and 3T of butter. See easy!

The consistency and texture was spot on with what I would expect from a whole wheat bread. The sweetness from the Coke makes me think that in the future I could fake some quick bread, like banana nut, by using juice and adding some nuts or whatever.

I fully recommend this mix to anyone who likes a good wheat bread.

You can purchase it from Do You Bake?.

Do You Bake? Sunday

So, Do You Bake is another direct sales company that I am involved in. We offer preservative free food mixes and the like. Since Clever gets Saturday, I thought I would give Sunday to Do You Bake?.

Lazy Sunday, so I'm just going to put up the February Specials today : ) my personal site is http://www.DoYouBake.com/JennyWolfe usually I would have my flyers updated but like I said lazy Sunday.