Create a fun, colorful logo for a friendly recipe blogger

This is what The Weary Chef: Easy recipes for busy cooks! was looking for in their logo design

I write easy, approachable recipes for busy people at wearychef.com. My audience is largely women between 30-60 looking for easy dinner ideas. I want my logo to be cute, fun, and friendly. I have these little caricatures (attached) that I have used since I started two years ago, and I am torn on whether or not to keep them. The characters feel like part of my brand, but they are also limiting on what I can do with my logo. I'm open to design options with and without them. It might be time to move on.

I'd like my logo to be colorful, feminine (but not super girly), and down to Earth. I like these palettes:
http://design-seeds.com/home/entry/peppered-hues3
http://design-seeds.com/home/entry/peppered-palette2 Read more