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Foodbuzz 24×24: Pop! Pop! Pop!

Jun 29, 2011 General

Today was a good day. Amaya played hard at her very own birthday party. The kids weren’t one bit bothered by the rain, and still played hide & go seek, jumped on the trampoline, and made bubbles by the boatful. They were soapy, soaked, sugared-out, and happy for 5 straight hours.

That’s the way birthdays should be. I remember crying at a few of my own kid-birthday parties, about stupid things, but mostly it was about expectations. Amaya played it cool, all the way through, and just wanted to have fun.

For this month’s Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24 (click to see all the other fun, creative events held on Saturday, June 25th) the glorious editors at Foodbuzz chose to support Amaya’s 5th birthday party. For our theme we went with Pop!sicles, Pop! (soda for you urban folks), and Pop!ping Bubbles.

If you know me, you know throwing a party is not my thing. That’s the kind of talent that’s similar to craftiness. I love to cook but cooking for a party throws me off. I just want to hide out until she’s 18 and she can throw her own parties. If she wants.

So I took a deep breath and dove into party planning. I thought about parties I’ve been to and I put those experiences to good use when I was planning my party. I’d like to share those thoughts with you here.

Invite Electronically

I used Facebook to invite everyone to the party. I sent invites to the parents and it was easier than easy to monitor who was coming or not because of the quick “attending” button. I called those that didn’t respond to make sure that they saw the invitation. This saved me tons of hassle. Maybe it’s not classy, but hey, is this about invitations or a party?

Focus on Food Made with Love

I went looking around for some of my favorite products, especially ones that would not be run of the mill for most people. One of the reasons to have a party is to entertain the guests, and why not give them something to remember?

For this reason I chose OnoPops and Waialua Soda Works. These are both local companies that I have loved and I knew they would be a hit at our party. Both companies feature local ingredients. One really amazing thing about supporting local companies is that you get a better connection with the people behind the product. It doesn’t feel like a clinical transaction. I went by OnoPops kitchen and got a quick peek at his progress on the first lychee pops of the season and felt confident by my interchanges with both OnoPops and Waialua Soda Works that I was supporting real people doing something that they love. I feel the same way about Farmer’s Markets. It’s hard to feel anything when you’re walking down the aisles of a supermarket.

My favorite part about OnoPops is their outrageously creative flavors. The guys behind the operation, Joe and Josh, have made a very smart product and I hope to try every one of their many, many flavors. They currently sell OnoPops at local farmer’s markets, Whole Foods Kahala, and several other stores that sell organic and local products.

I took the stranger route and started with an Ume Thai Basil.

With the first few licks I wasn’t sure, but pretty soon I couldn’t get enough of it. The salty plum taste was so well-conceptualized as an icy dessert.

Later I had a Gingatanical green and I was breathing fire by the end of the pop, but I loved it anyway. It felt energizing and refreshing. Everyone else thought I was crazy.

There were sweeter flavors for everyone (even a few no-sugar added ones), and strong favorites were the Mexican Chocolate and Dark Chocolate Chinese Five Spice OnoPops. I could eat about a million of those Chinese Five Spice treats. It was definitely a departure from normal party fare and part of the fun was trying out a new flavor, once the kids saw that “Cherry” and “Grape” were not options today. We all had multiple popsicles and passed around our favorites. Yum.

Just thinking about these popsicles made me want to make a cool popsicle. This week I made a li hing mui mango popsicle. Mangos are a classic li hing mui accompaniment and the pair make a modern island-traditional snack.

• 1 Cup water
• 1 Cup mangos
• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp li hing mui

1. Blend all the ingredients together and freeze in popsicle molds. Note, it is very thick. I had to siphon mine into the mold.

Seen here in its natural element.

From Waialua Soda, Karen and Jason Campbell have created a light tasting soda featuring uniquely Hawaiian flavors. I like that this pop has sharp, fresh bubbles, and isn’t syrupy sweet. Waialua Soda uses glass bottles, which is a naturally attractive choice for a party, so there’s no need for plastic cups! Everyone went in for 2nds and 3rds because we wanted to try all the flavors. You can find Waialua Soda at Cost Plus World Market locations nationwide as well as at many local businesses.

Simple Appetizers Only (and perfect for hands-on eating)

I didn’t want to have food that wouldn’t taste good (or be safe) after sitting around at room temperature for hours. In Hawaii it’s pretty much a no-no to not serve a meal, but I scheduled the party from 2-4 (although most people stayed until 7, which made me feel like a success!). I didn’t feel comfortable giving out food that wouldn’t taste good after it cooled down, so I picked things that would stay good the whole party. Also, I had time to make the food without running around like a crazy person for three days straight (I only did that for two days).

For the rest of our spread I made from scratch hummus, cupcakes, homemade salsa and served with tortilla chips, fruit, and vegetable sticks (all seen here in my husband’s hand-made, wheel-thrown, beautiful bowls. Lucky, aren’t I?).

Oh, and cake pops.

Yes, people, I made cake pops. I’m the girl that lacks craftiness, and cake pops are the ultimate crafty food. I know, mine are not that pretty, but we all ate them. Because these ones actually tasted GOOD. Cake pops are notorious for having just a one-size-fits-all sweet flavor. These ones were guava flavored, and the cake flavor stayed true through every bite. I originally wanted to make a mango flavored cake pop, but the mango flavor just didn’t come through and I kicked that recipe out the door.

P.S. We are all good parents. Cake pops are for special, only. Plus we did cut the limit of cake pops to 5 or less. Ha ha.

Guava Cake Pop Instructions (makes 40-45 pops)

(click the links to print the recipes and instructions, without pictures)

1. First I baked a guava cake from Kaui Philpotts’ book, Hawaiian Country Tables. With this recipe you’ll make about 40-45 cake pops. It helps SO much for your brain if you don’t have a baby grabbing onto your leg every two seconds. Maybe you will remember to make sure your camera is not on JPEG because you won’t get any good pictures of the cake making and next three steps, otherwise.

2. Then I let it cool completely. COMPLETELY. There are a lot of points during this construction that I have an urge to ignore warnings (which is exactly why I will never be a seamstress), but don’t ignore this.

3. While it is cooling, make a guava syrup from 1 Cup of guava puree and 1/4 Cup sugar. Heat the puree and the sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Let it simmer, stirring constantly, until it reduces to about 1/3 of a cup of sauce.

4. When the cake is completely cooled, cut off the edges and the bottom of the cake (if crusty at all) and discard those hard edges.

 

Crumble the rest of the cake into little itty bitty crumbs in a large bowl.

 

Ignore all that crap you just got on the floor. Your kitchen is about to get a lot messier.

5. Mix in a cup of cream cheese frosting and the guava syrup into the cake crumbs. Stir it all together with a wooden spoon until fully incorporated. Try to make a test ball out of about 2 Tbsp of cake crumbs. If the ball falls apart easily, add more cream cheese frosting (a Tablespoon or two at a time) and try again. Too much or too little frosting can make or break your cake pops.

6. Make cake balls out of the cake crumbs by rolling together a couple of tablespoons of crumbs, making sure they are firm with no cracks. Put the cake balls in the fridge until you are ready to make and (soon) serve your cake pops.

7. Pull out the cake balls from the fridge. Put desired sprinkles in a bowl.

In a bowl that has high sides and isn’t too wide, melt 2 Cups of white chocolate candy pieces in the microwave for 1 minute, 20 seconds, stirring every 30 seconds and removing the bowl when the chocolate is completely melted. (when this runs out, melt about a cup more of white chocolate for the rest of the pops and repeat as necessary). 

Using at least 6” lollipop sticks, dip the end of the stick into the white chocolate (about 1/2”) and then push that end about halfway into a cake ball.

8. Dip this newly formed ball on a stick into the melted white chocolate, putting the pop straight down. Hopefully this action will cover the whole cake pop in one go, up to the bottom of the stick. DO NOT TURN the cake pop. Use a spoon, if necessary to drape the rest of the cake pop in the chocolate by spooning the chocolate over the part of the cake pop that is exposed, without turning and tiling the cake pop. Lift the pop out, straight up, and then hold it over the bowl on its side and tap your arm gently to remove the excess chocolate. Don’t tap the pop on the side of the bowl—just your arm. 9. Sprinkle as desired while the chocolate is still wet. (note, dipping the pop into the sprinkles does not work and only results in a bunch of chocolate being put into your sprinkles). Push the pop straight down into a piece of Styrofoam so it will dry easily. I found that if I sliced a small x into the Styrofoam with a sharp paring knife that it was easiest to push the stick through it. Let it dry completely (takes a minute or two) and serve. Will keep at room temperature for several hours. Can be stored in the freezer but not the fridge.

Even though these were tasty, once I started getting the idea, I had to make the most perfect cupcake ever. (Oh, was I talking about a diet during the last post? Puhleeeze. I am so cheating today.)

Orangette’s chocolate cupcake (A Homemade Life has become one of my very favorite books, and I have adopted her recipes as my new favorite foods.)

Baked’s Matt Lewis’ caramel (as a filling) from his caramel apple cake. Jake made this cake for me for Mother’s Day and we’ve been dipping into this amazingly rich and buttery caramel ever since.

and The Pioneer Woman’s best frosting ever.

Are you drooling yet? Did I just put the most perfect three recipes together for the first time ever?

I just blew your mind. I know. I cored out the middle of the cupcake and then put a heaping teaspoon of caramel in the middle.

Fun Activities without Directions

Kids play fun games at birthday parties, but I already knew that wasn’t my style. I didn’t see much reason to corral everyone into a game that not everyone wanted to play. Instead I put out bubbles (homemade: 4 gallons of distilled water and 8 Cups of dawn dish soap—regular, not antibacterial, mixed the night before for proper development of prime bubble making) with spatulas, cookie cutter shapes, and yarn and straw wands. I made a big bucket and left it out for the kids to play whenever they felt like it. Pretty soon they discovered that their own hands were just as good as any of the wands. (click here for where I got the bubble idea). Y’know what’s great about bubbles? No directions needed. Other good activities like that are sidewalk chalk, sidewalk paint, and a big area to play in. Check, check, check. The kids went back and forth through all of these activities when they felt like it, eating popsicles and salsa in between, and the adults could enjoy hanging out together without worrying about keeping their kids in check.

Make it Special for Everyone

It was Amaya’s birthday, but the great thing was that it was a party for everyone. I didn’t want there to be too much emphasis on her alone, as that’s where jealousy or embarrassment can get mixed in. I asked guests to not bring gifts (and the few that were brought, not wrapped, were given on the side) and we never did sing Happy Birthday or have any sort of “look at me” formal agenda. Gifts are really fun, and I know she’ll get a few, but I didn’t want anyone to feel pressure about buying anything and it helped that we didn’t introduce any rivalries with the whole “watch me while I open my new cool presents” thing. I know my daughter, and she sometimes gets focused on the wrong things in big group situations. Do what feels comfortable for you. I know that Amaya did not feel deprived in any way. We’ll see how she feels when she’s turning 6.

Amaya has friends of all ages and sizes. She really lets you know she adores you. I have a hard time believing she’s my kid. She transcends age-differences and wants to have real conversations with everyone about their day, the last movie they saw, what they like to eat, whatever. And she does it with flair. Today was special for her because she got to eat as many cake pops as she wanted and played nonstop with her friends.

She loved every second of it.

Tags: 24x24, 5th Birthday, Birthday Parties, Birthday Party, Birthdays, Bubbles, Creative Events, Deep Breath, Favorite Products, invitations, Party Planning, Pop Pop Pop, Pop Sicles, Pop Soda, Saturday June, Straight Hours, Stupid Things, Throwing A Party, Today Was A Good Day, Trampoline

Reducing Holiday Stress

Aug 24, 2010 Bakery House

The holiday season is upon us. It seems like only yesterday we were putting away the decorations and making New Years resolutions. Now Thanksgiving has passed and we’re all getting ready for December. Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukah, Kwanzaa or any other big holiday, the pressure of the season seems magnified compared to other times of the year.

It is also a time when we remember those who won’t be with us during the holiday season. Perhaps you have lost a loved one or you have a son or daughter in the military or away at college who can’t get home. Maybe they want to go on a ski trip with their friends instead. And, as the family grows, the juggling act of whose family to spend the holidays with often creates hard feelings for the family that not chosen. Perhaps money, or lack of money, is an issue. The anxiety induced by financial difficulties is high on the list of reasons for relationship conflict.

For many people, the stress of the holidays diminishes the joy of the festivities. Preparing the right meal, buying the right gift, having the right clothes, and cleaning the house can be overwhelming. Truly, don’t you deserve to enjoy the holidays? More importantly, don’t you deserve to enjoy each and every day?

Take a deep breath. Relax. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Don’t make yourself crazy making sure that your house is spotless and your meal is perfect. The holidays are about family and friends, not about the food.

Now, for some practical tips whether you’re celebrating with family or alone:

IF YOU’RE HAVING THE FAMILY:

While some people enjoy the hustle and bustle of holiday shopping and decorating, others find it cumbersome and confusing. There is the pressure to find exactly the right gift, to have the house decorated to Martha Stewart perfection, and to cook a meal worthy of Wolfgang Puck. Somewhere along the line, the true meaning of the holiday season has become muddled, and for so many people it is more stressful than enjoyable.

If you’re having the family over, here are some simple ways to relax and enjoy the holiday – a way to be a guest at your own party:

First, ORGANIZE! Make lists of everything that needs to be done. Have a list of things to buy for the big dinner; a list of presents for each person; a list of things to do in the house. Keep the lists handy so you can alter them as needed.

Then, PRIORITIZE! Figure out the Must Do’s and tackle them first. Then consider the Want To Do’s, see how much time and energy you have and decide how to proceed.

Finally, DELEGATE! Ask someone else to pick up the items on your grocery list; consider having a service come in to clean your home. Ask guests to supply the dessert or the wine. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

Here are some more tips: Consider ordering gifts on-line. Some sites even offer gift wrapping and free shipping; but most importantly it saves you time and the pressure of facing the mall. You can even order food on-line or at local gourmet grocery.

Love the aroma of fresh baked cookies, but you can’t find your way around a kitchen? Buy a “Christmas Cookie” scented candle and check out your neighborhood bakery.

Most importantly and something that happens to all of us: make sure you have everything you need and you know where it is before you begin any project. Have you ever started wrapping packages and discovered that you can’t find a pair of scissors? Gather all your tools together before you begin.

Be sure to reasonably allocate your time. If you underestimate how long it will take to perform each task, you will be constantly running behind schedule.

Try to fit in a manicure, a massage, a lunch date – something that will help you reconnect and relax. Give yourself permission to find some pleasure in the process.

Holidays are about making memories. Make sure you have plenty of camera memory cards, film or tapes for your camcorder. And don’t forget to make sure that everything is charged and ready to go.

Turn on some holiday music to set the mood. Who doesn’t feel better listening to Jose Feliciano singing, “Feliz Navidad” or Adam Sandler’s “Hanukkah Song”?

Whatever holiday you celebrate, remember that it is not about the stuff, it’s about the love.

The following websites are personal favorites of ours, and we want to share them with you:

Amazon.com – gifts for the whole family.

rachaelray.com – simple holiday recipes and organizational tips.

flylady.net – tips to help you to organize your life and simplify!

hgtv.com – decorating ideas.

realsimple.com – helpful holiday hints.

allrecipes.com – real recipes submitted and reviewed by real people.

We hope you will find useful tips and information to help you to be a guest at your own party! But what if you’re not having a party and are alone and not celebrating with family or friends.

IF YOU’RE ALONE

Some of us live away from our family, some of us have gone through a divorce or lost a loved one and may be alone or with only one or two people. Maybe it’s the first year you’re alone or maybe it’s the tenth. It doesn’t matter. The holidays for some are times of stress. We think we’re supposed to be happy, but we’re not. We think we’re supposed to embrace the holidays, but maybe fear is standing in the way.

Here are some suggestions for things to do if you’re alone and prefer not to be alone:

TRAVEL. There’s still time to plan a trip. Go on a cruise that has set dinner tables – you don’t have to dine alone. Take an organized tour of someplace you’ve always wanted to go. On tours there are couples and there are singles and think of all the people you might meet!

If you plan to stay home:

INVITE. Make a list of all the people you know who are also alone and invite them over. Follow the suggestions above to have a stress free holiday.

TELL A FRIEND that you’re going to be alone. Your friends are your friends and they want to be there for you. People want to help.

GO TO A RESTAURANT. Find one other person who is alone, or your child, or your parent and make a reservation at a restaurant where you never get to go. Make it special.

ASK AT YOUR HOUSE OF WORSHIP. Many churches and temples have dinners on the holidays. Many also know of people who welcome someone who is alone. Don’t be embarrassed, do it. You never know you could meet your best new friends that night.

VOLUNTEER. If you’re not ready for a celebration, volunteer. There are so many places that can use your help to serve meals to those who are less fortunate than we are.

The most important thing we can say is don’t sit home alone unless that is your preference. Embrace the holiday in as simple a way as you can and remember that your loved one wants you to be happy. This can be the first day of the rest of your life.

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Tags: Anxiety, Bustle, Deep Breath, Family And Friends, Festivities, Financial Difficulties, Hanukah, Hard Feelings, Holiday, Holiday Season, Holiday Shopping, Juggling Act, Kwanzaa, Martha Stewart, New Years Resolutions, Reducing, Reducing Holiday Stress, Relationship Conflict, Ski Trip, Stress, Thanksgiving, True Meaning, Wolfgang Puck

The Customer Experience Payoff

May 27, 2010 Delivered Birthday Cakes

Here is the brutal reality: It’s not enough anymore to JUST provide customer service.

When my mother grew up and it was her birthday, her mother went to the store and bought flour, sugar, milk, and eggs; came home and baked a birthday cake. When it was my birthday, my mom went to the store, bought a cake mix and baked me a birthday cake.

When my kids? birthday came, I did neither of those things. For about ten bucks I went to the store and bought a pre-made cake complete with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on top. However when parents prepare for their children?s birthday today, a cake is not enough. There must be a party with games, prizes, balloons, and a clown.

This is what Harvard researchers Joseph Pine and James Gilmore call The Experience Economy. It is a fundamental shift in the marketplace where ?work is theater and every business a stage.?

In other words, people come to businesses today with dramatically different expectations than they did even a few years ago. They don?t want an ordinary product or run-of-the mill service, they want an experience.

This is what will keep your customers coming back to your business again and again and again, the exceptional experience you provide. Or the lack of it that will drive them away.

THREE ESSENTIALS TO EXCEPTIONAL CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

Here?s how you can make every customer?s contact with your business an exceptional experience:

1. Cast Your VISION

It?s a quaint, yet insightful story told of a Londoner taking a walk downtown at the turn of the last century. He came upon laborers working on a construction project and asked one of the men, ?What are you doing??

He answered, ?I?m layin? bricks.?

Continuing down the block a bit, he asked a second worker the same question, and the man answered, ?I?m buildin? a wall.?

To a third a bit further down he posed the same question. The man stopped for a moment, took a deep breath, and looked to the sky saying, ?I?m building a great cathedral!?

Getting very, very clear about the vision of your work, the great cathedral that you are building, has a powerful effect on people. It transforms ordinary, routine jobs, like laying bricks, into a cause. And when people are committed to a cause, nothing can stand in their way.

In short, vision creates passion. And passion for one?s work is what delivers exceptional customer experience that is so critical to succeeding in this experience economy.

2. Empower Your PEOPLE

The carrot and the stick have proven to be poor motivators in the workplace because they do not move people from within. Positive input, encouragement, and genuine appreciation, however, communicate to people their value and worth and motivates them from the inside out.

When provided on a regular basis, work becomes a place people enjoy coming to instead of just putting in their time.

?Because of its power, ridiculously low cost and rarity, praise and recognition is one of the greatest lost opportunities in the business world today,? write Gallup researchers in 12: The Elements of Great Managing.

In other words, your employees are your internal customer. When their experience working for you is affirming and energizing, that positive emotion overflows to your customers creating the exceptional experience you seek.

3. Live Your VALUES

One of the most infuriating customer experiences is to be told by someone that your reasonable request cannot be met because, ?It?s not our policy.? Many companies develop policy manuals as a rule book to keep people in line and keep customers from stepping out of line.

Leading companies, however, do not do this. They teach people values and how those values apply to the many, and varied, situations that may arise with customers.

Visit any Marriott® hotel and you will experience this phenomenon. ?Do whatever it takes to take care of the customer? is their mantra and they live it every day.

The heroes at Marriott® are frontline employees who give money out of their own pocket to help with a guest?s cab fare or take special care of a package so that a traveler?s child receives it on their birthday. Here is a customer experience that is truly exceptional!

Not surprisingly, this also impacts the bottom line. Marriott® consistently stands as one of the most profitable businesses in the hospitality industry and in 2005 won an award for best customer service for any hotel chain in the United States.

THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE PAYOFF

When I visit Washington, D.C., there is only one hotel I will stay at, The Willard Intercontinental.

Why?

Not because of the complementary bottle of wine that was in my room. Or because when I arrived bleary-eyed from the west coast in the dead of night, the manager came out to greet me. All nice touches!

It is because of a cleaning lady.

I conducted a leadership seminar at The Willard Intercontinental and took off without the power cord from my laptop. Replacing one of those is a pain in the neck, not to mention living with a dead computer until you do.

But on my way to the airport I received a call from, you guessed it, the cleaning lady who found it and took the time to figure out that it was my power cord. She then OVERNIGHTED the cord to me and I had it to use the next day.

What an exceptional customer experience!

Yes, there are much cheaper hotels in Washington D.C., but the experience I had there was unmatched. Why would I want to stay anywhere else? You see, that?s how the experience economy works.

Would somebody get me a piece of birthday cake.

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Tags: Birthday Cake, Bricks, Brutal Reality, Cake Mix, Construction Project, Customer, Deep Breath, Exceptional Customer Experience, Experience, Experience Economy, Fundamental Shift, Harvard Researchers, Insightful Story, James Gilmore, Kids Birthday, Laborers, Layin, Londoner, Mutant Ninja Turtles, Payoff, Stage 13, Teenage Mutant Ninja, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles