Renaissance Culinaire

Thanks For Reading!

renaissanceculinaire@gmail.com (Amber *) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 07:48:00 +0000

I know that this site hasn't been updated for a while. But readers kept leaving comments & sending me feedback. And following RC - whether it was through feedburner, google friend connect, or Twitter, or via the Renaissance Culinaire facebook fan page , the followers don't quit. I would like to say thanks - I really appreciate it.

I have big plans instore for this blog, and my goal is to update everyday - starting now. So be on the look out for new content. I plan to have some giveaways soon too!

Curb Your Cravings - Not Your Enthusiasm

renaissanceculinaire@gmail.com (Amber *) — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 05:30:00 +0000

January is the month of revival, whispers all around of a better year - aspirations held for those resolutions you have either penned to paper, or kept quietly in your thoughts.

According to data published from various studies published throughout the last 5 years, every January, roughly 40% of Americans vow to change something in their lives, in the form of a resolution. One of the top 3 resolutions is to lose weight¹.

A study published in 2002 by Scranton University¹, shows statistics for the percentage of people who had made New Year's resolutions, as the resolve to keep those resolutions dwindles steadily over time:

Resolutions held past the first week: 75%
Resolutions held past 2 weeks: 71%
Resolutions held after one month: 64%
Resolutions held after 6 months: 46%

The Study gathered data on the usefulness of resolutions made in January. To gather data, 2 groups of subjects were followed over a 6 month period and interviewed. The groups were made up of:

People who had NOT sat down and made resolutions.
People who DID make the effort to create resolutions.

The Study found that after 6 months time 46% of the people who HAD made resolutions were successfully accomplishing their resolution goals - compared to only 4% success rate of those who did NOT create resolutions .

This is good news for people who have reachable aspirations this year. For those of you who are seeking to shed extra pounds this year, it may be in your favor to write down a resolution or two. By keeping your resolutions in an accessible place, you create a reviewable bookmarklet of your goals. This will help improve your willingness to keep your word, as well as serve as a constant reminder of what you are working toward.

Once you have established your basic goals for weight loss, it is time to confront the barrage of seemingly frustrating obstacles, some are - portion control, peer pressure, advertising, self esteem, cravings and lack of motivation.

One of the biggest problems dieters face is curbing cravings for high calorie foods. The salty, crunchy and mostly grease laden mass produced items like chips, are readily available via retail shelves and can be found virtually everywhere - vending machines, break rooms and parties etc.

What can be done about cravings? Deprivation - The act of denying oneself access to these treats? Well studies also reveal that denying cravings only results in more weight gain, because most dieters succumb to the internal turmoil caused by the denial, and then start the binges. Binges are mainly eating large amounts of high calorie foods for an extended period, disregarding portion control or the caloric values. This can create an ugly cycle with dieters. It can be quite disheartening.

I think one effective method to ward off cravings is to find a similar food - one that is close to the texture, and taste of that high calorie, unneeded food you might crave. The key is to find the version that is the least in calories, yet still as tasty.

Thankfully flavor technologies are starting to catch up with the science of creating and marketing low calorie products. The bland, obviously doctored tastes of diet foods past seems to have dissolved, much like the once bad after tastes.

So keeping in tune with this post, I wanted to share that I discovered something recently, that was pretty nifty. Kellogg's brand 'Special K ' has started marketing low calorie snacks as part of their pro-low calorie product line. I think by far the multi-grain crackers they just released are one of the tastiest store bought crackers I have had in a while.

The closest retail comparison I could think of is "Wheat Thins". Now I have not been a fan of "Wheat Thins", the crackers are a bit too substantial for my taste. And they have an overpowering taste that competes with anything you add to them. Plus I find that I get this odd after taste when I have had a few at a time.

But Special K's multi-grain crackers surprised me. They have a very light & airy texture with bits of whole grains - but can still hold their own when used with a thicker dip or soft cheese. The taste of the cracker comes off very pleasant, with a slight hint of onion. Very buttery.

I honestly can say they were extremely good. Something I will keep in my pantry.

There is a second variety of Special K's crackers I tasted. The flavor is Italian Tomatoes & Herb. Now if you are someone who loves the taste of tomato bisque or sun-dried tomatoes - you will appreciate this variety.

I am not a fan of tomato bisque. I love marinara sauces and sun-dried tomato but something about that kind of soup just doesn't do it for me.

I did taste the crackers enough to get a sense of their flavor. The tomato flavor is pretty heavy in these crackers. IThe crackers actually reminded me of tomato soup with an aged cheese melted into it.

My husband (who happens to be an avid tomato bisque consumer) loved these crackers. As did my 20 month old. Plus they passed the "picky eater" test with my 5 yr old.

So if you are looking for something to curb your cravings, these crackers seem like a win-win. Per serving of 17 crackers it is only 90 calories. They come in individual portion controlled .77 oz pouches, or you can purchase a box of 6 pouches, and for larger amounts, the 8 oz carton is great for parties.

You can view more about the crackers , such as the nutritional & allergy info, by clicking on the above links (which point to Kellogg's website) or visit their product pages:

Special K Multi-grain Crackers:

http://www2.kelloggs.com/Product/ProductDetail.aspx?product=15751

Special K Italian Tomato & Herb Crackers:

http://www2.kelloggs.com/Product/ProductDetail.aspx?product=15771

How sweet it is: The Skinny on Low Glycemic Sweeteners

renaissanceculinaire@gmail.com (Amber *) — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 00:00:00 +0000

The market for alternative sweeteners has started blossoming into quite the selection - no longer are consumers tied down to shopping at obscure health food stores or sending away bulk orders to specialty shops to find alternative ingredients, now super markets and even corner stores are following the trend which is shifting toward using natural whole ingredients.

While our quest for natural ingredients may have started as a trend, it may --- as a result of decades of digesting over processed, convenience type foods that saturate the market and whose establishments flood food courts and tend to cluster urban sprawl --- be a necessity to help reverse the ill-effects we have brought on ourselves through poor food choices.

There are many reasons to want an alternative sweetener, some include lifestyle choices - from Vegans who want to avoid bleached all-purpose sugar that may be processed using animal bones, to Raw Foodists who believe that all food they consume should be in the closest state to nature as possible (i.e minimally processed through heating), to those who are required to follow restricted diets such as those who suffer from Celiac Disease, or those who are diabetics^W. There is a great pdf document that you can download that touches on both Celiac Disease and Diabetes - outlining the connection between the two diseases and foods you consume.

In this post I want to concentrate on sweeteners that are suitable for diabetics. Those sweeteners that are low-glycemic. I will show some examples of each category of low glycemic sweeteners: unrefined, sugar alcohol, artificial, and herbal sweeteners.

There are many choices for alternative sweeteners. Natural, unrefined low-glycemic alternatives include:

Brown Rice Syrup^W, which comes in different grades and gluten-free versions. It is normally used in cooking or baking ,by substituting a ratio of 1 1/4 times BRS to 1 amount of honey, molasses, or all-purpose (refined) sugar called for in a recipe [if using BRS to substitute for AP sugar - reduce liquids in your recipe by 1/4 cup for every cup of BRS used]. The main component of BRS is maltose and several complex carbohydrates - which are absorbed very slowly by our bodies, making it a good low glycemic^W choice.
Agave Nectar^W or Agave Syrup, is produced commercially in Mexico. Juice is expressed from the core of the agave, called the piña.^[1] The juice is filtered, then heated, to hydrolyze carbohydrates into sugars. Sources I have read say: "It is not manufactured from starch, but rather from fructans. ^[6]Due to its fructose content and the fact that the glycemic index only measures glucose levels, agave syrup is notable in that its glycemic index and glycemic load are lower than many other natural sweeteners on the market. ^[5] When using Agave, substitute 25% less for sweeteners called for in a recipe (ratio of 3/4 Agave to 1 cup refined sugar or other sweeteners), you will need to reduce your liquids by as much as 1/3. If using for baking make sure to reduce your oven temp by 25 F°.

Other low-glycemic Sweeteners options consist of Sugar derived alcohols such as:

Maltitol^W It has 75-90% of the sweetness of sucrose (table sugar) and nearly identical properties, except for browning.
Xylitol ^W . This sugar alcohol is used as a naturally occurring sugar substitute found in the fibres of many fruits and vegetables, including various berries, corn husks, oats, and mushrooms.^[2] It can be extracted from corn fibre,^[3] birch, raspberries, plums, and corn. Xylitol is roughly as sweet as sucrose with only two-thirds the food energy.

There are many more sugar alcohol alternatives. Most are great because they actually prevent tooth decay, and they can be used in producing hard candies and confections. (seen allot in dental offices) The downside to these sweeteners is after a certain amount is eaten - it produces a laxative effect.

Another option and maybe the most well known category of low-glycemic sweeteners are those that are artificial. These artificial sweeteners have been largely used in commercialized products.

Splenda^W , a.k.a Sucralose is approximately 600 times as sweet as sucrose (table sugar),^[4] twice as sweet as saccharin, and four times as sweet as aspartame and can be found in 4,500 products. Unlike aspartame, it is stable under heat and over a broad range of pH conditions and can be used in baking or in products that require a longer shelf life.
Aspartame^W This sweetener is marketed under a number of trademark names, including Equal, NutraSweet, and Canderel, and is an ingredient of approximately 6,000 consumer foods and beverages sold worldwide. It is commonly used in diet soft drinks, and is provided as a table condiment in some countries. However, aspartame is not always suitable for baking because it often breaks down when heated and loses much of its sweetness.

There is a lot of controversy surrounding artificial sweeteners. and the safety of longterm ingesting. For those who cannot have sugar otherwise, these artificial sweeteners bring hope. Artificial sweeteners tend to have an unwanted aftertaste after ingested, and like Sugar Alcohol based sweeteners , they too have a laxative effect if eaten in large quantities.

The last category of low-glycemic sweeteners are herbal based. These sweeteners generally come from the parts of different herb families:

Stevia^W The species Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni, commonly known as sweetleaf, sweet leaf, sugarleaf, or simply stevia, is widely grown for its sweet leaves. As a sugar substitute, stevia's taste has a slower onset and longer duration than that of sugar. With its extracts having up to 300 times the sweetness of sugar, stevia has garnered attention with the rise in demand for low-carbohydrate, low-sugar food alternatives.

People have told me there is a learning curve with Stevia - you have to acclimate your tastebuds to the actual taste of stevia - it is sweet, but the ratio needs to be just right or you find a bitter after taste.

Recently the Food and Drug Administration (a.k.a FDA) approved 2 Stevia derived sweeteners, a first for the United States. One of the approved sweeteners Truvia, was developed by Cargil and The Coca-cola company.

Beverage brands such as Odwalla and Sprite's New "Green" line of sodas, all are planning to feature Truvia as the main sweetener in their products geared toward eco-friendly and diet soda buying consumers.

I got a chance to try Truvia. I was pretty interested because of what people had told me about Stevia, and that made it a challenge, plus the approval of this sweetener is pretty huge in the world of herbal ingredients.

Truvia comes in packets, much like Sweet 'n' Low, or regular table sugar you find at restaurants. Each packet is equal to 2 teaspoons of regular all purpose sugar. Truvia is also a Certified Kosher ingredient.

In the realm of eco-friendliness - The box and packets themselves are all recyclable paper and printed with Soy ink (big bonus there).

I tasted a few grains of Truvia by themselves, and noticed a very light vanilla note, and hints of tapioca. The aroma of Truvia is also similair to tapiocca custard. The look and texture is similair to fine sugar used in professional bakeries. I got a slight tingling, almost effervescence like sensation on my tongue once I tasted the Truvia grains.

Truvia did not pass my "coffee" test. I added it to my normal brewed coffee w/ half 'n' half and got a definite bitter aftertaste, similair to that of Dandelion greens. I would say that the ratio of one packet may be adjusted according to personal taste - I would use much less.

But maybe I need to acclimate my taste buds slowly to get used to the taste of Truvia in my coffee? I consider my morning coffee a sacred practice and I think I am not yet ready to change it. My favorite alternative to sugar in coffee is Agave Nectar - this stuff is great, I prefer the light colored agave syrup, as this has the least amount of flavor profile between Light Agave syrup and Amber Agave syrup varieties. If you taste the light agave syrup on your finger, it is very similair to normal sugar in taste.

Truvia preformed well however in my baking tests. I looked through the recipes found on the Truvia website. Some of the recipes include:

I decided to try the Classic Cheesecake recipe. It was not that bad, the taste was not as different as I had expected - texture was slightly affected, not as firm as traditional cheesecake formulas, but overall if you were looking to cut out refined sugar and calories this version might be a good bet. This cheesecake recipe has 270 calories and 4 grams of sugar per serving as compared to regular cheesecake that has 310 calories and 20 grams of sugar per serving.

Overall I would say that Truvia is pretty pleasant to the palate when used in baking and is great when trying to use a natural low glycemic sugar substitute, similair to sugar in quality. The ratio of Truvia to sugar might need to be adjusted when substituting in recipes - but you can use a combination Truvia with Agave Syrup to cut the aftertaste of stevia, as they both are low-glycemic sweeteners.

You can visit the Truvia website for more info: http://truvia.com/index.html

M&Ms Custom Printing, Colors for Any Event

renaissanceculinaire@gmail.com (Amber *) — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 18:41:00 +0000

Chocolate in bar form, from it's humble production years at the turn of the century, has gone hand-in-hand with military rations throughout history. From the America's first World War^W , when soldiers were given chocolate bars in abundance, as a cheap source of energy and nourishment. The unfortunate thing about chocolate is on it's own is most definitely guaranteed to meld into a puddle of chocolaty goo in the palm of your hand, or if carried close to your body too long.

During the Spanish Civil War , an innovator of Mars candy company saw Spaniard soldiers had been given chocolate encased in a sugary coating, which kept the chocolate from liquefying in the hot sun - which led to the development of the first M&Ms and a patent filed March 3, 1941, with actual production of the first M&Ms sold to consumers in paper tubes . M&Ms have been known the world over.

...Order
Custom M&Ms

22 Colors

Recently M&Ms have launched a very cool site,
so that you can create a campaign of custom
m&ms.

From birthdays to weddings - you choose from
22 colors and a variety of fonts to get your
perfect message on that candy coating.

The ordering process is very simple you choose
your colors,font and type in your message.

Once you have selected all the custom info,
you can see a dynamic demo in flash giving
you an idea of what your m&ms will look
like, featuring your colors & message.

Not only is there custom printing options
for the home consumer - But for businesses
as well.

I went ahead and ordered some for my husband's organization. He holds an elected office position and using the faces-on-m&ms option, I chose the organizations colors, then put his face on one side and his office title on the other side. The process is just as easy as the basic custom message - Upload your picture, crop it if you want a closer image, then their site techs will get the image resized so that it has the best appearance on the m&ms. I also ordered some basic m&ms with my personalized message.

I really liked the interactivity of m&ms site. It's a really neat service. Great for making an event even more special, or for advertising your business or organization. http://www.mymms.com/

Recipe: Fresh Fruit Napoleons with Blackberry Curd

renaissanceculinaire@gmail.com (Amber *) — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 23:48:00 +0000

I did these blackberry curd & fresh fruit napoleons a while back for restaurant baking. I wished I would've had time to get better pictures.

This recipe is more suited for summer, but when winter rolls around, and the holidays have past - it is refreshing to see desserts that awaken memories of summers past - and that reminds you summer is right around the corner.

Fresh Fruit Napoleons
This recipe yields 20 servings.

16 sheets of frozen phyllo dough
1 cup butter (melted) [you can substitute "butter flavored" baking spray or earth balance sticks]
1/2 cup crystal sugar
2 cups blackberries
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon orange zest
1 cup sugar
4 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons cold water
4 1/2 cups mixed berries (strawberries, raspberries, blue berries)

Whipped topping,
or hand whipped cream,
or sweetened whipped marscapone cheese

Pastry Procedure:

Preheat oven to 350 °F.

Now as stated in my former post (Recipe: Banana - Rum Napoleons) you need to work fast and follow certain guidelines when working with phyllo {Tip: When you are working with phyllo dough it is best to have a tray to lay out the sheets, then keep totally covered, under a damp kitchen towel. If exposed to air, the moisture from the phyllo dough will be wicked out and it will become dry and brittle - which means non workable for you. So work quickly.]

You will need 2 half sheet pans (jelly roll) lined with parchment, to bake 10 sheets on each pan.

Place a sheet of phyllo onto a jelly roll pan, brush with melted butter. Sprinkle crystal sugar. Top with another phyllo sheet and repeat these steps until 10 sheets are used. Make sure to repeat butter & sugar on the last (top piece). Repeat with second sheet pan.

Using a ruler - score each pastry stack with a pastry wheel or sharp paring knife into squares or rectangles of equal measurements. Bake in the preheated oven 10-12 minutes (pastry should be golden and crisp). Allow the baked pastry to cool. Do not handle the pastry until building your napoleons or the baked phyllo squares may crack.

Blackberry Curd Procedure:

In a sauce pan combine the blackberries, 1/2 cup of water and orange zest. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for 5 minutes more. Scrape berry contents into a food processor and pulse until smooth. (if you don't have a food processor, you can place the berry contents in a sieve over a bowl and using a ladle , gently push and rub the contents against the mesh, repeat this until most of the contents have been filtered through the sieve into the bowl. This will leave behind seeds and a few skins from the berries).

Return the berry contents back into the sauce pan (on medium heat) - stir in 1 cup of sugar and 4 tablespoons of butter.

Combine the cornstarch & cold water in a small bowl stirring briskly. With a wire whisk add the cornstarch mixture to the berry contents in the saucepan . Stir until thick and bubbling. Stir for 3 minutes more. Remove from heat , scrape into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap - allow to cool for 2 hours or over night.

Napoleon Assembly:

Place a small dallop of blackberry curd onto the center of your serving plate.
Place a baked phyllo square (sugar side down), add 1 tablespoon of curd onto the center of the pastry square. Add (by pressing) enough of the mixed berries to cover the blackberry curd.

Finish by piping or adding rounded dollops of your favorite topping (Whipped topping,
or hand whipped cream, or sweetened whipped marscapone cheese) then add another pastry squared (sugar side up) to top.

There are many ways to finish this dessert , you could make it much fancier than this- drizzling berry syrup onto it, or around the base, using pastry cream on top of the blackberry curd - the combinations are endless.

Recipe: Banana - Rum Napoleons
Recipes for Muffins, Scones & Pastries featured on this blog
Dessert Costing : Banana Strawberry Torte

Quick Party Eats - Plus Enter to Win $3,000

renaissanceculinaire@gmail.com (Amber *) — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 03:56:00 +0000

Holidays. No matter what culture or faith you practice, the end of the year, and into January, tends to be a whirl wind of errands and visits with friends, family and co-workers.

Photo Credit: glam.com

If you are not cooking that big feast, or baking up a storm - you may be expected to bring something to a party, or there is always the possibility of having unexpected guests.

Recipes for easy appetizers are always a nice thing to have on hand - and they allow you to tend to other things while a time saving recipe is ready in no-time .

Heinz & Ocean Spray teamed up to create a website geared just for that - easy, simple recipes that free up time, and tips for entertaining . They are even hosting a Sweepstakes to help you throw the Ultimate Party: Grand Prize is $3,000 in gift cards. 20 second prize winners will win a Rival 4 Quart Slow Cooker , to help with your future party plans. You can fill out an contest entry until January 31th, 2009.

Ultimate Party Meatballs

These Ultimate Meatballs are super simple to make - for any cooking level.

Ingredients:

1 16-ounce can Ocean Spray® Jellied Cranberry Sauce
1 12-ounce bottle Heinz® Chili Sauce
1 2-pound bag frozen, pre-cooked, cocktail-size meatballs

Procedure:

Combine sauces in a large saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring until smooth. Add meatballs. Cover and cook for 15 minutes or until meatballs are heated through, stirring occasionally.

Makes 30 appetizer servings.

**Slow cooker Preparation: Place meatballs in a slow cooker. Combine sauces and pour over meatballs. Cover and cook 4 hours on HIGH.

*---------------------------------------------------------------*

Now you could really do these "Ultimate Meatballs" up right - make your own meatballs using prime cuts, create some fresh cranberry sauce (which is soo easy to do), etc - but the whole point of this recipe is to simplify and free up time in your kitchen. This recipe would make great snacks for Super Bowl on Feb. 1st 2009, (which falls on my husband's Birthday this year - hence even more reason for us to host a party).

When I was thinking about the meatballs, I wanted to include a vegan version. On the net there have been allot of different versions thrown around including what I call the trinity of vegan meat substitutions (tempeh, tofu , or textured vegetable protein). By far this recipe seemed the most pleasing to the eye, and it got some great write-ups on Josh & Chelsea's Blog. This recipe might be a little work, but these will definitely please. If you really want to save time look for Vegan meatballs in your grocer's freezer.

No Whey Jose Vegan Meatballs

2 cups TVP (textured vegetable protein)

1 1/2 cups vegetable broth

1 1/2 stalks of celery, minced

1/2 cup onion, minced

1/2 cup mushrooms, diced (4-5)

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

1 teaspoon oregano

1 tablespoon basil (if making Ultimate Meatballs, omit & use 1/2 tsp thyme)

1 teaspoons garlic powder

2 tablespoons tomato paste

3 tablespoons tahini

1 tablespoon tamari soy sauce

1/3 cup nutritional yeast

2 tablespoons olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Procedure:

In a large bowl, combine TVP and broth to rehydrate. Add all other ingredients except nutritional yeast and oil.

Stir well to fully combine. Use your hands to roll golf ball-sized balls and press slightly to shape. (if you are having trouble forming into balls - add a little more broth and toss some nutritional yeast into the mixture)

Put nutritional yeast on a plate or shallow bowl and roll each meatball to cover. Spread olive oil on a baking sheet and arrange meatballs in a single layer.

Bake for 30 minutes, turning every 10 minutes or so, until golden brown. If using in a tomato sauce, add to the sauce 5-10 minutes before serving and carefully spoon them onto a plate to serve.

**If using with Ultimate Meatball recipe , add to the sauce 5 minutes before serving, strain extra sauce from meatballs gently by using a slotted spoon - arrange on serving tray.

Vegan & Vegetarian Friendly Recipes featured on this blog

Love Your Veggies Mom? Chef Art Smith Wants to Know!

renaissanceculinaire@gmail.com (Amber *) — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 04:25:00 +0000

Art Smith is a twice named James Beard Award winner, Executive Chef, co-owner of Table Fifty-Two restaurant based in Chicago, Ill. - an establishment dedicated to serving and highlighting seasonal organic, farm raised produce. His latest restaurant endeavor , opened in October 2008, hails from Washington D.C, Art and Soul, which lends a southern twist from his roots:

Art and Soul offers guests a chic setting in which to meet and connect, while enjoying “food for the soul” – food made with love and special attention. With celebrated two-time James Beard-Award winning Chef Art Smith as chef/owner and Culinary Institute of America-trained local Ryan Morgan as executive chef, this 221-seat dining destination serves up fresh and modern regional cuisine with southern accents.

Named for its nationally renowned chef and the genuine welcoming feeling guests experience when they walk through the doors, the cuisine will be presented with southern-style hospitality. - Art & Soul website

Chef Smith truly encompasses what most people
envision as a successful chef, with hosts of celebrity
clients, including Oprah, who he served as personal
chef 10 years, and still heads her special events;
Smith also served as a former special events chef
for Martha Stewart Living. Television appear-
ances on popular shows like Iron Chef America,
The Today Show and Oprah.

Among his literary accomplishments - Chef
Smith is contributing editor to O, The Oprah
Magazine, And author of three award-winning
cookbooks: Back to the Table; Kitchen Life Real
Food For Real Families ; and Back to the Family .

Art Smith is a true philanthropist, spreading the
wealth of not only funds to disadvantaged children,
but knowledge about food and helping them find
the joy within their selves and those around them.
His labor of love Common Threads started in
2003 and continues to touch children in Chicago.

In the spirit of his philanthropy, Chef Smith has partnered
with the makers of Hidden Valley® Salad Dressings to find
moms who are true vegetable advocates through the Love
Your Veggies™ Search for Veggie Champions Contest. For 10 lucky moms whose essays are selected, Chef Smith will lead a two-day all expense paid retreat ,aimed at learning and sharing tips and tools on planting, harvesting, cooking and eating vegetables with children. These moms will also receive $5,000 to start or maintain a community vegetable garden in their hometown. Follow this link for complete prize winnings : whole prize package.

What an awesome way to spend 2 days - a retreat with a celebrity chef who wants to share his passion for organic produce and encouraging children to enjoy them too! This is a great opportunity for your community - $5,000 in seed money to create a sustainable source of food for your neighbors, what a great way to offset the rising food costs and strengthen the bond you share with both people & the garden.

When you visit http://www.loveyourveggies.com, not only can you enter the contest for a chance to win by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time January 15, 2009, but you can also check out kid tested recipes from Chef Smith, and activities to do with children.

On VerTerra: Can Your Eco-Friendly Disposable Do This??

renaissanceculinaire@gmail.com (Amber *) — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 10:26:00 +0000

Sure you have probably heard of, or even used eco-friendly containers, such as those made from bio-plastic ^W a.k.a corn derivatives. But have you baked with them? VerTerra ,(which is Latin for "close to earth"), have these really nifty eco-friendly trays, and now bowls, that are really versatile.

Below if you click on the picture you can view a larger version of the eco-friendly disposables comparison chart . This chart compares VerTerra products against the more popular materials of earth friendly disposables: recycled paper , sugar cane, recycled plastic, bio-plastic corn, bamboo. The chart notes how product materials fair using these standards: price, oven safe, hot liquids, hot foods, compostable, sun resistance, renewable source.

Credit: VerTerra Brochure

Needless to say VerTerra 's product material wins hands down in functionality compared to the other eco-friendly materials . This line of eco-friendly disposables has so many great positives going for it, it is unbelievable. If you are looking for the ultimate in sustainable , well designed biodegradable plates, bowls and trays - then you can be rest assured VerTerra has something to offer you.

All of VerTerra's products in the line, are created from palm leaves that have naturally fallen of the palm. There is NO cutting of trees or other plants involved in the collection process. The next step is steaming the palm leavess - which , while still pliable, pressed into a mold ( the excess is trimmed) and the molds are heated , to set the palm materials and create each products shape. The final process is %100 percent natural - no binders, glues or chemicals are applied when creating VerTerra's products. This means there are no bleaches or waxes making the product line completely non-toxic.

Picture Credit: Theodore Samuels

VerTerra's Bowls come in two shapes:
"Classic" shown to the right, in a 7 inch size, and their newest addition to the VerTerra product line "Signature bowls", shown to the left - these will be available Dec. 22nd, 2008 ranging in sizes of 6x8 inches and 8x8 inches. The newest bowls are very sexy, and are obviously Classics' modern, stylish cousin.

Picture Credit: Theodore Samuels
VerTerra's plates are great too. There are many options.
From the Classic line, you can purchase 6 inch hexagon shaped plates, shown to the right. Or Classic 9 inch square plates.
The highlight of VerTerra's plate line is their newest addition "Signature Plates", shown to the left above, also debuting Dec. 22nd 2008. And like the "Signature Bowls", the Signature Plates have a streamlined, modern , low profile appeal. The Signature Plates range in sizes from 6 inches to 1o inches.

There will also be a nifty assortment of trays debuting in the Signature line on Dec. 22 2008. Available sizes of Signature Trays are: 7" x 8.5" , 10.5" x 12.5" ,12 inch Square Platters or the largest version in 14" x 16" Trays.

All VerTerra dinnerware is biodegradable and compostable after 2 months. As well as being able to accommodate hot liquids without the worry that the product will disintegrate .You can even bake in each piece at 350 F ° for up to 45 minutes, without any buckling or warping of the piece. This makes any of the VerTerra products perfect for home or on the go.

Picture Credit: Theodore Samuels
The bonus at home, is that you can reuse each piece up to 12 times - if hand washing with a mild eco-friendly detergent, such as Seventh Generation Dish Soap . However VerTerra dinnerware are NOT dishwasher safe.

Oven-safe, microwaveable and refrigerator friendly, VerTerra Dinnerware will bring a guilt free, versatile and stylish disposable experience right to your table.

Available in packages of 10 to bulk packs of up to 300 pieces , VerTerra dinnerware is a very easy and economical solution for both home users or culinary business professionals.

Ec0- Friendly Related Posts:

Owning a Domestic Kitchen Bakery: Is Your Kitchen Not Right?

renaissanceculinaire@gmail.com (Amber *) — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 18:28:00 +0000

In April of this year, I had posted an article: Oregon: The Last Domestic Kitchen Frontier , which outlined having a bakery business in your own kitchen - which is officially termed Domestic Kitchen Bakery, here in Oregon. The article outlined the requirements of obtaining a Domestic Kitchen Bakery License, as well as some statistics and tips I have learned through my own research.

I received a reader comment left anonymously under the post:

Hi! Thanks for the great info. I used to have a very small bakery,then had to close for financial reasons. I have been really wanting to get my license for my home,but my kitchen is not enclosed. To put a door on it,would really mess up the home value. It would look horrible. I have a separate area that is two small rooms attached to the back of my house,but it takes me a world away from my kitchen,where I do all my baking! I don't know what to do. It is very discouraging.

I replied to this person, in the comments, but most people probably won't be following the comments of that particular post (especially new readers), I thought it would be something that would be of interest to all readers so I decided to post my reply in this post:

If you are serious about obtaining a Domestic Bakery license you should not worry about "baking away" from your kitchen.

The perks from having a separate space for your home business outweigh the emotional attachments you feel for your kitchen space.

One of many perks --- You will be able to reap the tax benefits of having a separate business space.

The downside to having a "Domestic Kitchen License" at home is that you can NOT use any commercial equipment, at ALL. So all appliances must be those you would normally use in a standard home kitchen.

These two rooms at the back of your house that you spoke of - are you able to add (2) 220 watt outlets - one for a standard oven , and another for a refrigerator, or upright freezer?

You can have the 220 watt outlets put in by an electrician - then to cut costs you can find used or free appliances (check your local craigslist.org free section, or post a wanted message on your local freecycle.org message board). And check salvage yards etc for old counter tops and cabinets to use as work spaces.

If you do not want your rooms plumbed with a sink, or paying a plumber or contractor would be too expensive - Check with your counties' individual regulations - You may be able to have a food grade tank filled daily with clean tap or bottled water, in the room, for you daily water usage (which you can calculate the usage based on your baking formulas, and have plenty of extra in case your formula doesn't bake off right). This water cannot become contaminated, so a water cooler stand might be a good solution.

Don't let emotional attachments get in the way of your baking - if you cannot get past this, maybe you are not yet ready to take on a domestic kitchen business in your home.

I recommend you do some research and really consider how far you are willing to be vested in this - not only as an idea but as a physical and mental and financial challenge that will really take a large percentage of your time. Just as your former commercial bakery business did.

If you are interesting in knowing more about running a Domestic Kitchen Bakery from your home - Please see this post: Oregon: The Last Domestic Kitchen Frontier

Children's Toy Review: Counting Bunnies Puzzle

renaissanceculinaire@gmail.com (Amber *) — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 02:48:00 +0000

In this day and age store bought toys are a dime a dozen and their designs and novelty are temporary if not fleeting. Even the quality is not as it once was, with giant companies racing to cut over head by outsourcing to factories with shaky safety records, hoping to turn a lucrative profit.

But do toys really matter any more? When video games and electronic devices such as cell phones and ipods , have consumed the culture of most of the civilized world's daily existence, and become the most wanted items - echoed in the fashions and advertising campaigns that flood our televisions and printed media. Do seemingly "dull" toys of yesteryear have a needed place in our children's lives? I, among a growing movement of parents , educators and specialists, believe the answer is yes.

There have recently been many studies compiling findings that support the theory that moving our children into the digital age has not come without a price. People are cluing in to the fact that children are slowly loosing out on make believe play, which is critical for language and problem solving development within their growing brains. Articles such as The End Of Make Believe featured on Newsweek.com, site that technology and entertainment are NOT tools used to stimulate imaginative play, no matter what their clever advertisements may lead you to believe.

In order for a child's brain to be stimulated to encourage proper make believe play , the toys he or she plays with need to be very plain and basic in nature (always wondered why your children enjoy the box the toys came in, more than the toy it's self?) - without all the flashing- beeping- digital goodness that floods store shelves. Wooden blocks and other basic toys are open ended - meaning there is no set outcome or plot, these toys can be anything the child imagines and the potential for creativity is limitless.

One of the toys I am reviewing today falls into the category of those reminiscent of toys of yesteryear.

Counting Bunnies Puzzle is offered by Imagiplay.com, a company that believes in selling toys that are eco-friendly and that inspire the imagination.

Counting Bunnies Puzzle Specs:

Hand-crafted & hand painted with child-safe paints. Made from plantation-grown rubberwood, an environmentally-friendly hardwood.
Non-toxic, eco-friendly, educational puzzles that teaches numbers, colors, dexterity and fun!
Fair Trade allows artisans a fair wage to support their families.
10 puzzle pieces (8 bunnies, 2 carrots) 1 wooden puzzle base.
Ages: 3+
Product Dimensions: 1 x 4 x 14.5 inches ; 1 pounds
ASIN: B0016HPLK0

Pros:

This puzzle is sized very nicely, perfect for a child's hands. The pieces are larger than other similar puzzles I have seen on the market, they also have rounded edges. It is nice to have a puzzle that offers a 2 dimensional feel instead of the typical one-dimensional, painted-on-one -side-only puzzles you find elsewhere.

The Counting Bunnies Puzzle's design is very sweet with momma bunny watching over her babies as they race to get to the large carrots, all numbered to encourage your little one's counting skills. The way the bunny pieces are positioned will help your child to learn about balance and sharpen his or her's dexterity. It is a nice feeling knowing that the designer used child safe paint when decorating the puzzle pieces, so many toys are made without forethought into the ingredients that will be used.

My 5 yr old daughter liked the way the pieces fit into the base and thought the carrot theme was "so cute!". Even my 18th month old little boy was drawn to the bright colors and different shapes.

I was happy to know that this purchase is supporting fair trade ^W artisans and that the wood used to create this puzzle is rubberwood - which can regenerate new growth that is usable fairly quickly, so the harvesting process is very eco-friendy.

Con's:

The only slightly negative thing I can say about Counting Bunnies Puzzle is that because it is eco-friendly the puzzle came wrapped in shrink wrap, so there is not actually a container to house the pieces - which was a little inconvenient. My kids had the pieces all over the place in no time.

Overall Impression:

The Counting Bunnies Puzzle is well constructed by hand out of environmentally sustainable wood and supports Fair trade workers in disadvantaged countries. Not only will your children love the cuteness factor of the puzzles design, but this puzzle is educational and something that will last for years to come, and would make a great toy to pass on to future generations.

Guest Post: Modern Woman's Guide to Holiday Cooking

renaissanceculinaire@gmail.com (Amber *) — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 21:36:00 +0000

As the months start to spiral onward, Fall 2008 has arrived and Thanksgiving is fast approaching. I think that any one of us - regardless of cooking level or knowledge can remember sometime in our holiday past when dinner was anything but perfect and kitchen errors were left ingrained in our memories forever.

Post Forward: Awhile ago I put out a call for interesting stories related to cooking, that would be featured on Renaissance Culinaire , and one of the responses I received was from Amy, who is a resident of Portland, OR.

This is what she wrote:

It is a humorous piece. I did not know if you wanted only articles that were written by 'real chefs'. Obviously, I am not, but I thought you might enjoy it anyway. - Amy M Whidden

Amy Whidden's Guest Post:

This year I did something I had never done before. I hosted our families traditional Thanksgiving dinner. Since the tragic salmonella poisoning of 1997, my family had voted (68-1) that I should never again be allowed to set foot inside a kitchen. Determined to redeem my inner domestic goddess, I crafted an ingenious plan to ensure that I would be the one cooking the bird this year.

Quite surprisingly, saying "please,please,please,please" for three hours straight works as well on my mother now as it did when I was a kid.

"This will be the best Thanksgiving ever." I told my husband as I happily planned the seating arrangement. Having only four chairs I had worked out a course by course rotation schedule to accommodate all of the guests, provided Aunt Tessie could not make it who would take up two seats alone.

"We need new placemats?" I reminded him, eying the plastic Easter Bunnies that still graced our table.

"We just got those." He said, gripping his wallet. "Just color in some feathers and a waddle."

I narrowed my eyes at him and he changed the subject.

"You inviting your brother?" He asked nervously.

"I had planned to." I replied. My brother was an anti-consumerist vegan who owned a million books and dvds which explained why shopping and holidays were wrong. My husband sighed helplessly.

"You know, you've never cooked a turkey." He informed me, as if this was something I had not considered.

"How hard can it be?" I asked him. "After all, it's just a big chicken. If the colonel can do it, then so can I."

Even so, his ominous words had me a bit worried, and reluctantly I sought out the wisdom of my mother.

"How were you thinking of preparing it?" She asked.

"I was thinking of brining it." I informed her, feeling knowledgeable.

"Brining?" Her voice grew louder, filling with alarm. "Do you even know what brining is?"

I hated to admit that I did not. I had read about it in a recent copy of Better Wives magazine while I was in the Super Cuts last week. Unfortunately, I had only read the part that said "Want to start a new Thanksgiving tradition? Try brining your turkey this year." before the stylist called me up to the chair.

"I'm starting a new Thanksgiving tradition." I told her simply, offering no more.

There was a long pause over the phone, followed by my mother's voice uttering an old Catholic prayer.

She is not catholic.

According to a google on the Internet, brining, as it turned out, is a very laborious process of salting the inside and the outside of a turkey, letting it sit overnight, and then rinsing the whole mess off again before baking it. This was way more work than I had intended and I really did not look forward to polishing a turkeys innards. Fortunately for me there were a gazillion other turkey recipes on the net and I found one that was not too difficult, after a bit of personal tweaking.

"Mom," I said, calling to report the change in turkey status, "I decided to use a recipe instead."

"April, I'm so glad honey!" She sounded so proud of me, as if I had just discovered the cure for seasonal hay fever. "What does the recipe call for? Rosemary? Sage? Thyme?"

I blinked and tried to recall where I had heard those words before. Weren't they the gifts from the wise men? I glanced up at my three-gallon bottle of Albertson's Season All and told my mom I had it all under control.

"Would you like me to make the stuffing?"she asked. I could tell in her voice that she was afraid I would, heaven forbid, use a boxed mix. "I can have it ready in the morning and you can swing by to pick it up and stuff the turkey before baking it."

"I wasn't planning on cooking the turkey with the stuffing. It will ruin my recipe." I looked at my meticulously written notes, scribbled in crayon, which hung on the refrigerator door.

Defrost turkey 2 hours...bake for four.

Any variation to this recipe and I knew I was in trouble.

The morning of feast day I woke up bright and early, eager to begin our families newest Thanksgiving tradition. It was almost 11. Wanting to be in a positive frame of mind before I started the actual cooking process I lounged about in my pajamas for a few hours catching up on Desperate Housewives via my trusty Tivo. At 1 PM, during a very good Susan scene, my mother called me to ask how the dinner was coming along. "Fine, mom." I told her absently, trying to read Susan's lips.

When I was little my mom used to get up at 5 AM to start preparation for the day. She began by making the pies, cutting the vegetables, setting the table, and then baking the turkey. She was busy from the moment she woke up until the time she went to bed, attempting to make our meal as wonderful and perfect as a Norman Rockwell painting.

But my mother had lacked the vision, not to mention the modern conveniences I had at my disposal. There was really no reason to waste one's entire day cooking one meal that would be eaten in less than fifteen minutes, when you could achieve the same results in a few hours. At 2 PM I removed the turkey from the freezer and let it sit on the counter to thaw while I tried out bold new hairstyles profiled in Celebrity Monthly. I certainly did not want guests coming over when I had my everyday hair on.

"Mom, turkey's still frozen." my son called to me from the kitchen. Glancing up at the clock I realized he must be mistaken. It was 4:30. It had had a good two and a half hours to go from solid to liquid form. I scratched my head, perplexed. Perhaps I had done a bit too much tweaking.

I put it in the microwave for an hour, using the popcorn cycle repeatedly.

Viola! Like magic, at 3 PM it was thawed, thanks to my incredible foresight to buy the microwave with the popcorn cycle my husband said we would never use.

The bird was small. It had been the Charlie Brown tree of turkeys and I had bought it because I was sure that no one else would not. I had imagined it, cold and alone in the store, wanting desperately to be a part of someone's special dinner this holiday season. I had created a whole Thanksgiving movie about it in my head, a heartwarming tale in which I had given it love and a home...The Littlest Turkey.

Somehow the popcorn cycle had done more than defrost the turkey, it had aged it. It was no longer cute and sweet, but shriveled and old.

"This thing okay to eat?" Asked my husband, uncertain.

"It's fine." I said. "That's how all turkeys look before you cook them" He shrugged and held open a turkey bag and I dropped it in.

Thwak!

That is the sound that turkeys make when they fall through turkey bags onto the floor. It is also interesting to note they do not make a sound at all when they slide across that same floor.

"Catch it!" I cried, panicked. My dogs had entered the room and were circling the bird like bandits on a wagon train. The only thing that kept them at bay was they could not reconcile the smell of turkey with the look of the leather-skinned bird that lay sadly on the linoleum. That would not last long.

My husband hurdled the chairs and seized the turkey just as three hungry canine jaws snapped shut behind him. It was a close call.

I finally put the turkey into the oven and was relieved to actually turn the dial to 325 F °. My job was done. I suppose it would have been wise of me to have preheated the oven, but I was already straying dangerously away from the recipe as it was.

With that, I went off to pick up my vehicular-impaired family. I loaded in my brother and his wife, laden with the traditional vegan goodies, and my mother and dad, carrying so many pies it looked like a circus juggling act. How we all fit in I will never know. The only sound on that still Thanksgiving night came as my dad yelled for me to slow down as we approached speed bumps at a dizzying three-miles-per-hour. Somehow we made it back to my home, safe and sound.

When we arrived, I hesitated at the door. I tried to imagine what my mother would encounter and I felt a pang of guilt. Thanksgiving and holidays had always been important to her. No matter how terrible the times had been for us as a family, she had always made holidays special. Somehow I felt like I had ruined this for her. I admitted to myself that perhaps I had not given the care and the love to the meal that she had. I wanted to warn her, to apologize for what might come. She seemed so happy, I could not do this to her. I would let her find out on her own.

The ghost's of holidays past were with me that night. The house, which only hours before had smelled of burnt leather and wet dog, felt warm and welcoming. The smells that came from the oven made my stomach lurch with hunger. My husband and son had cleaned in my absence and had even lit some scented candles. It felt like a real Thanksgiving.

There is this a part of me that hoped for some drama that night. Drama is always fun to write about. I had hoped that my brother would go on his traditional rant about the wrong-doings of the pilgrims. I had hoped that my mother would yell at me for not following turkey protocol. I had even hoped to burn the bird. None of that occurred. Everyone was happy and merry and the turkey turned out tender and delicious. It was a perfectly lovely night. I had not ruined Thanksgiving after all. Perhaps they will even let me cook dinner for Easter. After all, how difficult can baking a ham be?

This original article is authored by April M. Whidden , who resides in Portland, OR , who is a freelance writer. Permission was given to republish this Article. 2005 © Amy M. Whidden. All Rights Reserved and stay with the Author.

Chocolate Landing on The Floor - Not In Your Mouth

renaissanceculinaire@gmail.com (Amber *) — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 05:11:00 +0000

When I am working with chocolate - be it chocolate sauce, tempered chocolate, ganache or chocolate buttercream I have a tendency to slob the stuff around. Somehow I end up with it all 0ver the sleeves of my chef jacket or apron. When you are in a time crunch to get a product prepped, there is a delicate balance between artfully creating and efficiently creating, and sometimes things get sloppy, better yourself and not the product.

As a mom I realize that the possibility of chocolate getting totally consumed is a dream in theory. When children get a a hold of anything remotely edible, watching them consume and having the high expectations that they will be good and not make a mess - well let's just say they cannot help themselves and right it off as a disaster in the making.

...this cleaner will

Spot Shot
Carpet Cleaner
remove those
stains safely..

When I was chosen by Mom Central to review WD40 Spot Shot Carpet Cleaner, I thought this would be something pretty useful to have in my household.

Product Specs:

22oz spray bottle

Can Remove:

Old Stains
Dirt/Grime
Cola/Colored Soda
Tracked in Mud, Dirt and Oil

Safe and Permanent Removal of

All kinds of new and old stains
Dual-odor eliminators absorb and neutralize odors
Anti-Resoiling agents protect carpet
Approved by the Carpet and Rug Institute for product performance

Safe for Pets, Kids and the Environment*

Non-Toxic
Certified Biodegradable by Scientific Certification Systems
No Phosphates
No Volatile Organic Compounds
Recyclable Packaging

Official Website: http://www.spotshot.com/

Cleaner Characteristics: I am always worried with cleaners about fumes and their ingredients because I am very sensitive to everything and can have pretty major allergic reactions, plus I don't want my children exposed to toxic chemicals. When I read the back of the Spot Shot bottle I was amazed to see that there were no warnings about accidental ingestion or inhaling the fumes. The label states that Spot Shot is non-toxic in both instances. The spray is not over powering and similar to Febreze in scent.

How To Use Spot Shot: The directions on the bottle say to use on both new stains that are still damp and older stains that are dry. It says repeat as necessary.

While using on a fresh stain:

Blot the stain with a dry cloth to wick up any moisture
Spray the stain with Spot Shot Spray
Wet a clean rag or sponge and start blotting the area to remove the stain.
Rinse out the rag or sponge as needed and repeat the above steps.
Allow carpet to air dry

While using on an old stain:

Spray the stain with Spot Shot Spray, allow to soak in.
Wet a clean rag or sponge and start rubbing the area to remove the stain.
Rinse out the rag or sponge as needed and repeat the above steps.
Allow carpet to air dry

The Performance:

My daughter had a spill with some chocolate sauce on the carpet.

I used a rag to blot the remainder of the chocolate that hadn't quite soaked in. I followed the above noted steps for use with a fresh stain. The spray bubbled once it was applied. It worked better to blot at the stain as apposed to rubbing. The total cleaning process was repeated 3 times.

I am able to say that Spot Shot did a pretty good job at removing the chocolate sauce, which tends to be a very hard stain to completely remove. Spot Shot is not an instant fix - it won't take all the work away for you, you will have to use a little elbow grease, but the time it takes to remove a stain is minimal. Compared to other spot cleaning products I have tried on previous carpets, I would say this does an excellent job. I wish I had had it when my daughter was a toddler, it might have saved my husband and I, hours of frustration.

Overall I would say Spot Shot does what is advertised, with minimal effort and with a solution that is safe for kids and pets. It is biodegradable and has recyclable packaging. Eco-friendly solutions are always a plus.

Stumbleupon Lashes Out Against Bloggers

renaissanceculinaire@gmail.com (Amber *) — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 21:12:00 +0000

What is Stumbleupon? It is a social networking site, which allows people (i.e stumblers) to submit pages, or video or photos on the web that people can review and post whether they like or dislike the content, members can also build up a network of friends or fans that can subscribe to a stumbler's reviewed content.

Stumbleupon.com is one of the more powerful tools used for SEO, and can launch your sites into popularity by giving other stumblers the chance to view your link by referral of another stumbler - if that particular stumbler has allot of subscribers , or is highly regarded on the site - this can mean basically the equivalent to Internet gold for your site in the form of traffic. Search engines seem to love pages that are added to this service. And having your pages reviewed gives your site a better web presence.

By far stumbleupon.com has been one of the more popular sites for bloggers' to social network and get their content known, and helps to increase page views in turn adding to revenue from advertisements placed on blogs. By adding badges, stumble links and merely stumbling the very articles that fill up Stumbleupon's site, this has basically inundated Stumbleupon.com with traffic, which in turn gets them sponsors and huge advertising revenues.

Then WHY you ask is Stumbleupon.com targeting bloggers? These very same people who hurled the SU site into popularity ? How do you ask is Stumbleupon.com lashing out at bloggers?

Apparently it started with Entrecard.com. What is Entrecard? Entrecard is a blogging service that allows a widget to be placed on your blog, where people can give you Entrecard "credit" in exchange for advertising on your site., and vis a versa. Entrecard members signed into Entrecard get credit for visiting other members sites and "dropping" their ad card, by pushing on the widgetbutton that says "drop" - which lands the user's blog ad in the "recent droppers" section of the user's dashboard at Entrecard.com, or by clicking & visit the blog who's ad currently is displayed by the widget and also by adding comments to other Entrecard members' blogs.

Apparently, it started with some nefarious dealings involving bloggers posting to a forum about exchanging Entrecard credits for a stumble of their recent blog posts. Stumbleupon.com reacted by banning ALL posts referencing Entrecard from being stumbled on SU. If you do try to submit a post to stumbleupon.com , you will get redirected to this page of Banned Sites. The below pictue is a screenshot of what it says.

O.k, you may be wondering why am I posting about this? At 8:35 a.m this morning I received an email from Stumbleupon.com:

from StumbleUpon
to renaissanceculinaire (at ) gmail.com
date Mon, Oct 6, 2008 at 8:37 AM
subject Your StumbleUpon account has been frozen
mailed-by stumbleupon.com

Your StumbleUpon account privileges have been restricted and the account is under review.

Accounts are placed under review for breaching our Terms of Service, which may be found here: http://www.stumbleupon.com/terms.html

The most common cause for account suspension is a contravention of the clauses which forbid the use of personal accounts for the promotion of a business, product or service, and also with regard to the sending of 'spam' messages to other members.

If you wish to appeal this suspension, having first reviewed the TOS, then you may contact us here: http://www.stumbleupon.com/feedback.php but be aware that we will only have imposed the suspension if we believe it to be warranted.

I immediately responded that I had done nothing to violate the TOS . I was NOT a business owner using SU for promoting a business; Nor was I spamming members with messages, I rarely used the message system.

I couldn't believe it. I had used, promoted and encouraged others to use Stumbleupon.com. Now my account was frozen? I went to twhirl, my twitter client that I use to post tweets to twitter, starting with "I am really tired of Legit, talented bloggers getting bullied by sites like Digg.com & Stumbleupon", because there was a slew of banned bloggers from both sites recently. Here are my typed series of tweets:

My contacts were like What? And sent replies such as "I wasn't aware there was a problem with SU", or "DDOS attack?", Some, not regular users weren't sure where I was going with the tweet.

Then I got a Direct Mail from another contact, who asked "what? Your Su account was frozen this morning?", I answered back and got his reply which said:

"everyone in the comments of my post was banned from SU this morning"

What?! That is right - because I merely posted a comment on a random blog (which was NOT a banned site on SU), I was banned from Stumbleupon.com. I hadn't even stumbled ANYTHING related to Entrecard.com, nor had I participated in receiving EC credits for stumbling any sites. Stumbleupon.com had found that random post and banned every blogger that commented on the post, from the Stumbleupon.com site.

Yes, because I am an Entrecard user, I was targeted this morning by Stumbleupon. Yesterday I noticed a tweet from one of my contacts on Twitter that mirrored the spirit of The Problogger Love-in, a social networking experiment and experience that connected bloggers using various social networking sites to each other.

I thought it was a great idea, retweeted it to my own twitter stream, and then added the first comment for that particular post. I had referenced that I had 2 blogs on Entrecard, and noted that this blog, Renaissance Culinaire, was one of them and proceeded to link to my stumbleupon profile, within the comments. I had NO idea that SU had banned Entrecard.com.

ImpNerd owner Gary Hess, the original blog where the post I had commented on, is here. All the previous comments of the recently banned members have been removed. You can view what SU's support said in response to Gary's questioning here.

Stumbleupon has gone too far. Bloggers are the life blood of SU. I was unfairly targeted, for commenting on a post related to Entrecard. I, like many other bloggers are being unfairly punished for a sketchy forum post that included a few participants. Most people do NOT even know about the ban. How long will SU be combing the Internet for linked SU profiles that are randomly, somehow by coincidence, tied to a post that references Entrecard?

Can Elephant Ears do Upscale? Remembering the Circus.

renaissanceculinaire@gmail.com (Amber *) — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 17:12:00 +0000

One of the highlights of my childhood was getting to ride on a huge pachyderm, a.k.a elephant. For my cousins and I, the circus was a frequent part of our childhood. On this occasion, the circus made it's home in the dusty dirt floored arena of a historic fairgrounds, whose fairway had seen many, many generations of eager carnival, concert or rodeo goers. The concessions had a looming presence between the main arena and the white washed wood, gray roofed exhibition out buildings who had welcomed 4-H livestock, various crafts and the eleclectic mix of gawkers whose ages were of a varied range.

This was all surrounded by a scenery of ancient Maple, Oak and Locust trees - whose gnarled appearances of lacy leafy canopies gave shade on the hot sultry summer nights and perfumed the air with an earthy sweetness, when these events were usually scheduled. A once proud chained link fence, now disheveled kept watch over the whole property, only the ticket booths and metal arms of the floor to head height turnstile gates allowed slowly for the pandemonium to spill outward and overflow into the street.

The circus was an adventure for my cousins and I, we delighted at the splendor and surprise of all that the circus offered. From the sugary sweet aroma of cotton candy and caramel corn and of course elephant ears, to the buttery unmistakable popcorn aroma and roasted peanuts that permeated the whole grounds. To the magic feeling of the performers and smells and sounds of the trained animals. Through our child eyes, these routines did not seem rehearsed, they seemed as though they had been played out especially for us.

The circus has the power to touch a special part in all of us - to harness the child-like wonder and air of magic, as adults, we wished existed.

picture provided by markus941

I think out of all the circus and carnival concessions, elephant ears might be my favorite. The kid in me loves all of there soft, warm and cinnamon-sugar goodness. The baker in me knows their is a more upscale, adult version. The Crispy. Crispies use puff dough as a base. You can find a formula for puff dough here in my previous post Formula: Scratch Italian Puff Pastry.

Formula for Cinnamon Sugar (home use version) [commercial version should be increased by 8 times]

26 oz all purpose sugar
2 2/3 oz. cinnamon
1 oz. vegetable oil

Procedure:

Mix together cinnamon and sugar first with paddle attachment in kitchen aide (for commercial version use 20 QT), then add oil .

You can store this in an air tight container for future use with breads, cinnamon rolls etc.

Procedure For Making Crispies:

Roll out or sheet puff dough to 5 cm (you can use a yard stick to measure the dough thickness if rolling it out by hand).

You will need to have a dough width of 20 inches. (remember to roll out your dough a few inches wider , then using your hands push the sides in to get the 20 inches width on your yard stick. This is called "shrinking" which promises that your crispies will stay the size you originally made them and not shrink during bake off).

Egg wash (1 egg beaten), the dough rectangle. Spread the cinnamon sugar over the egg washed dough, leaving 1/2 inch uncovered for seem allowance.

Starting at the top of your dough triangles left side, tuck your first 4 fingers of each hand under the edge of the dough - keep your thumbs free, and start by tucking the edge under using the heal of your hand and thumbs until you have spanned the length of your rectangle to the right. Keep repeating until you have tucked all of your dough, creating a tight roll. (it is very important not to press the layers of puff dough to tightly, as this will effect the integrity of the puff dough it's self.)

Once you have a roll, slowly pull the length of the roll so that it is of a uniform length and width. Using a sharp chef knife cut in increments of 1 inch wide pieces using a rocking motion when cutting each piece - you may need to hold each piece while cutting - be careful in the position of your knife blade.

When you have cut all your pieces, using all purpose sugar, spread it out all over your work surface to form a thin layer. Place each piece spiral facing up and roll with rolling pin until paper thin and semi circular. Place crispies on a parchment covered sheet pan, in groups of six (arranged 2 by 2 by 2). Continue adding new parchment onto the finishes sets of six until your pieces are all done.

You can then bake off each parchment sheet containing six crispies until crisp and golden at 375 F °ree; The unfinished crispies can be refrigerated if encased in a plastic bag, knotted tightly (airtight), to bake off later.

These are a very crispy and sticky sweet version of the elephant ear. They make great garnish for custards or cheesecake - break into pieces and arrange by gently pushing into the center of each dessert portion.

Now back to the topic of circuses, I know there is a circus tour starting soon. Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus have tour dates planned for all over the East Coast and South East corner of the US. There is one Stop in California on the West Coast. You can click on the picture below to see the tour stops below on the map.

To Get more info visit http://www.ringling.com/, where you can purchase tickets or view other fun things.

Tables Are More Ethstetic Than Utilitarian

renaissanceculinaire@gmail.com (Amber *) — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 05:23:00 +0000

What is a table? In the world of food, a table was thought to be a key element, not only in the placement meals - but also in the gathering of the guests who invited, would devour it. In current times, the table has taken on a backdrop appeal, more suitable as a place to position the laptop, and very little is discussed there - as digital gadgets have replaced the once lively meal time chatter.

Days are becoming far less about meals and more about classes, appointments, events and schedules. Both children and adults have increasingly growing activities to occupy their time, and statistics show that 40% or more, of surveyed families do not sit down to eat meals together on a regular basis.

One popular brand know best for canned vegetables, Libby's (can you say pumpkin pie?) has brought attention to this state of affairs, by actually launching a whole month of awareness. The campaign entitled "Get Back to the Table Month", is aimed at driving home the benefits of sitting down to meals as a family, to US consumers via the website www.getbacktothetable.com.

According to the website some of those benefits regarding children:

Perform better in school
Have a lower risk of smoking, drinking, and drug use
Have higher self-esteem
Develop stronger interpersonal relationships
Eat healthier
Teenage girls develop a healthier body image

Not only are their statistics, but tips on being frugal, coupons, and recipes.

One of the featured recipes is Mexican Tortilla Soup. It is pictured above. A very simple recipe anyone could follow. For a more festive presentation of this soup, more as a side or appetizer instead of an entree - try ladling the soup into into small ramekins or high walled tea cups (without handles), then make up some tortilla fries as garnish.

Tortilla fries can be of varying thickness - what ever you want the final result to look like.

Have 2-3 inches of oil in a pan, allow to get to 350 ° . Start with either corn or flour tortillas tortillas, and taking a vary sharp paring knife or pastry wheel (pizza cutter), which I feel works the best, lay the tortillas on a cutting surface. With sweeping brief cuts, make long strips across the tortilla. When you have a nice pile.

Grab a handful of the tortilla strips, and gently drop the handful into the oil. Fry until they turn golden, or crispy. Make sure the oil is strained from the finished tortilla fries. Let rest on paper towel. When about to serve add the piles of tortilla fries to the soups serving containers, this keeps the fries crunchy.

You can also do this with fresh wonton wrappers, to add to salads or other dishes. Just follow the above steps.

Formula: Scratch Italian Puff Pastry

renaissanceculinaire@gmail.com (Amber *) — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 01:22:00 +0000

"Pasta Spogolia Al Vermouth Blanco" is a commercial baking formula, and should be reduced for home usage, down to 1/3 or even 1/4 of the original formulation. This formula requires a 20 QT mixer. It is a Full Developed dough. Ingredients are measured by weight - NOT volume.

This is a really lovely puff dough to work with on the bench, it has a nice feel and tastes pleasing.

# = pound (US standard)
BP = Baker's Percent (disregard if not culinary professional)

Formula:

3# 10 oz. Organic Bread Flour Baker's % (80)
1# 8 oz. butter (use European style, has better plasticity) BP % (20)
1 1/2 oz. salt BP % (2)
1 oz. malt BP % (1)
7 oz. white wine (boxed is fine for this) BP % (10)
1# 4 oz. water BP % (27.5)
3 1/2 oz. eggs BP % (3)

Butter For Roll-in/Fold-in

3# 10 oz. butter (use European style, has better plasticity) BP % (80)
1# 8 oz. Organic Bread Flour

Procedure:

Dissolve salt in cold water.

In a 20 QT mixer with the hook attachment, mix the flour, butter, salt & water until well incorporated. Add the eggs and white wine. (slowly pour in) [NOTE: The amount of water needed depends on the hydration of the flour - different batches of flour from the mill will be drier than others, thus requiring more water that stated. You should always add extra liquid slowly 1 ounce at a time, to avoid over saturating your dough.]

Give the dough an intensive mix. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Mix folding butter & remaining bread flour. flatten the folding butter into a square and reserve in the reach-in /refrigerator.

{When working w/ puff dough - it is critical, for the flakiness & layers to form, to NOT push the edges of your dough down (as if pie dough), you must handle the edges delicately, or it will hinder the steam from forming during bake-off (steam = proper puff & rise).}

Place the butter square (from reach-in) on top of your chilled dough, on the lower half of the dough. Fold the dough in half, completely covering the butter - preform these steps:

Roll out the dough until it's length is 3 times it's width.
Fold the dough into thirds, like a letter.
Rotate the dough 90° and roll out the dough until it's 4 times it's width. (Be sure to roll the dough perpendicular to the first turn.)
Wrap the dough n plastic wrap, place it into the reach-in /refrigerator for 45 minutes.

Remove the dough and repeat steps 1-5 as stated above . (roll dough : 1 x 3, 1 x 4, 1 x 3, 1 x 4)

The dough is now ready to be used. This dough makes up great pastries - turnovers, palmiers, savory pastries - whatever you desire.

Related Posts:

Commercial Formulas Featured On Renaissance Culinaire

Formulas for Muffins, Scones and Pastries Featured On Renaissance Culinaire

Encourage Your Little Chef, while Encouraging Listening Skills

renaissanceculinaire@gmail.com (Amber *) — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 04:56:00 +0000

When foodies envision the perfect pizza, the visions are filled with wonderful and exotic ingredients - the texture, the smells and the very process of the pizza production conjure up such great memories and mouthwatering fantasy of new creations.

When cooking with children, pizza is often a dish that gets top attention. It is fun to mix and children love to see the dough rise and are thrilled to spread the sauces and cheese or other toppings upon the pizza.

But sometimes with younger pre-schoolers or those in kindergarten, it can be quite the challenge to hold their attention and keep them focused.

Well that is where Noodleboro Pizza Palace Listening Game comes in handy. This game comes complete with pizzas & real take out boxes, a peel (which doubles as the scoring track /game board) , plenty of toppings. Think of it as a pre-pizza conditioner, to help your kids strengthen those listening skills needed to cook along side you in the kitchen.

When I got the chance to review this game, not only was my 5 yr old excited, but this game was something she could relate to me and culinary. She loved that she would be "cooking" up pizza and earning points when her orders were right. The audio CD was a hit with her too and even my 17 month old joined in and was dancing and clapping. A fun game for the whole family.

Noodleboro Pizza Palace Listening Game Specs:

Contents:

25 pizza topping cards
2 sets of 25 pizza toppings
2 pizza boxes with pizzas
2 pizza topping trays
Chef's Hat Moving Pawn
Scoring track
CD (21 tracks)
Storybook
instructions in English and in Spanish.

Product Dimensions: 3.4 x 10.5 x 10.5 inches

ASIN: B0013WKAJK

Item model number: 40505

Mfr. Recommended Age: 36 months - 6 years

Number of Players: 2 - 3

...this will
big fun for little chefs
while honing
skills...

Noodleboro Pizza Palace Listening Game

In the Noodleboro Pizza Palace Listening
Game storybook "Listen While You Work": Chef
Listentino stubbed his toe and has the only pizzeria
in town. Suddenly it looks as if pizza eating is
doomed for the whole town - until 2 young boys
offer to help.Avery and Earnest tell Chef Listentino
they will make the pizzas for him.

They get a crash course in proper pizza production,
but Avery doesn't listen to Chef, and when the time
comes to make pizzas their assembly line goes awry
due to Avery's bad listening and communication
skills with his partner Earnest.

Although not up to HAACP standards, this book is
written in a way that will engage your little chef. Filled
with bright illustrations, and plenty of non-stop silliness.

This same theme is echoed in the actual game play:

The "order giver" must select 3 topping cards, most of the ingredients are standard pizza topping such as pepperoni or anchovies, but just like the storybook some silliness carries over in the form of soccer balls, tennis shoes or French fries and other objects edible or not. Order Givers are encouraged to change their orders to help strengthen memory and listening skills.

"Pizza makers" must listen as these ingredients are read out loud, once they have been said it is up to the pizza maker to remember what was said without hints. Each successful pizza order gains the pizza maker another spot on the scoreboard (a.k.a the peel) , whoever advances their chef hat game piece first to the top spot, wins.

The audio CD included in the game has 21 tracks of silly sounds and songs which all coincide with the storybook, that strengthen the overall lessons of the book - bringing the book to life for your kids.

This game is guaranteed to encourage your child's social skills such as working on a team and communicating, all naturally through different sensory stimulations, whether it be from the book, the audio CD or actual game time.

From Bottles to Bags - Green is both Cool & Responsible

renaissanceculinaire@gmail.com (Amber *) — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 17:19:00 +0000

In keeping with my eco-friendly theme lately on Renaissance Culinaire I have reviewed two great bags. These bags are not from your typical company who creates a few pieces for their product line that cater to the Green market. These are in fact created by Act2GreenSmart who's Owners Tom & Debbie, who once marketed products under the company brand Shoreline which started in 1995, decided in 2007 with guidance from Tom's education in Conservation of Natural Resources at U.C. Berkeley and Debbie’s green oriented background to convert the company into a viable, brand using eco-friendly materials through a special process.

According to the companies own research:

Plastic bottles (PET #1) are one of the biggest environmental disasters today. In the United States alone, 230 bottles per person go to landfill per year. That’s enough crushed bottles to fill the Rose Bowl Stadium in California every two weeks.

These bottles, which are made from petroleum, find their way into landfills, rivers, lakes and roadsides. And they never decompose.

We think this is unacceptable. It’s also completely unnecessary. The technology exists today to convert these bottles into high-quality, durable fabrics which look and perform equal to their virgin counterparts. All of our act2 fabrics are made from 100% certified post-consumer PET bottles. You get a top quality product made from one of the world’s most durable fabrics AND save the planet at the same time.

When I got the opportunity to review these Act2greenSmart bags I was ecstatic. I would be sharing with you not only a cool looking product, but one that you and I could feel great about purchasing and using. Act2GreenSmart not only uses environmentally friendly material in their products, but also in their printing inks (vegetable based), promotional materials and product tags (using natural cotton twine to attach them). They also use recycled material to ship their products.

The first bag I got to review was the Act2GreenSmart Shoulder Pouch.

Product Specs:

Exterior Fabric: 450d 100% rPET polyester

Interior Fabric: 150d 100% rPET polyester

Shoulder Pouch Dimension: 7” x 5.5” x 1.5”

Colors: Blue or Olive

This is a really nice substantial bag for being on the smaller side. I received this bag in "Olive", like the messenger bag pictured below.

The outer fabric feels and looks great. It has a very small raised checker look to it, which gives it just enough interest to separate it from similar bags. You can actually feel the durability when comparing the fabric to standard backpack canvas. The hems and stitching are all very well hidden with cording details which also gives this bag a nice style element.

The Shoulder Pouch is lined with a nice buttery lime fabric silkscreened with the Act2green logo. It isn't as dark as the picture to the right.

The Shoulder Pouch has two zippers on the outside, like those pictured to the right except they are in a nickel toned metal as apposed to the brass toned pictured. The zippers are large, light, and curved - making them very ergonomic and allow for easy gripping, if you or someone you know has arthritis or other hand problems - this bag would be easy to maneuver with. Open an outer lined compartment in the pouches outer flap, and a back deeper lined pocket that has two roomy compartments.

Inside the pouch is a standard black metal zipper that reveals a deep lined pocket, suitable for a passport or money. And below this pocket is a smaller lined open split compartment which allows for expansion. Nice for sunglasses or items you need to get to quickly. The magnetic snap closure is hidden and very large also, making it easy to close on those hurried days.

The shoulder strap is a tightly woven strap, which feels comfortable on your shoulder, and allows for cinching up or down for length with aide of a metal ring clasp, and is attached to the Shoulder Pouch bag by metal c-hooks which have a lever to easily remove the strap.

The sticker that was inside the shoulder pouch said that making each pouch uses 5, 16 ounce PET Bottles, and saves 3437 Btu or 1 KWh. That is enough energy to power a laptop for 40 hours!

Overall I would say this is a great smaller bag for weekend jaunts, or times when you can't take a bulky bag with you, yet you still need to take some essentials. It is stylish enough to bring to work or for semi causal activities. Has allot of pockets for it's size. You can find the Act2GreenSmart Shoulder Pouch on Amazon.com

The Second bag I got to review was Act2GreenSmart's Vertical Messenger Bag. When this arrived to my house and I opened the box, I was thinking to myself how I was in so love with a bag, and hadn't even used it yet.

The Vertical Messenger Bag I received was in "Stone", like in the second picture below.

Messenger Product Specs:

Exterior Fabric: 600d 100% rPET polyester

Interior Fabric: 150d 100% rPET polyester

Vertical Messenger Dimension:

17” x 11” x 5”

Colors: Olive or Stone

The outer fabric has a slightly different weave than the Shoulder Pouch, it has a very fine weave similar to a snowboarding jacket. There is no raised pattern, and it gives the bag a very smart modern look. The outer fabric feels very durable, yet still retains the lightweight needed when searching for a messenger bag.

It is also lined with a nice buttery lime fabric silkscreened with the Act2green logo. It isn't as dark as the picture to the right.

The Vertical Messenger Bag has two zippers (as detailed above) on the outside, like those pictured to the right except they are in a nickel toned metal as apposed to the brass toned pictured. The zippers are large, light, and curved - making them very ergonomic and allow for easy gripping, if you or someone you know has arthritis or other hand problems - this bag would be easy to maneuver with. Also great for kids. One is used to open the outer back pocket, it is wide yet shallow, which is nice for loose change or pens. The 2nd opens an roomy outer flap pocket. This pocket is great for a variety of items you need to reach frequently.

The Vertical Messenger Bag's main flap is held closed by two smooth hidden magnetic metal snaps. When you open the flap, you can see the open main lined compartment ,which has 3 long strips of high density recycled material that are sewn into the lining of the back of the compartment and the front has wider overlapping strips that form a movable wall, which seperates the main compartment into two different roomy compartments, making it a perfect place to rest your laptop inside.

The outer area under the flap, has three open, unlined pockets total. The largest is deep and about 10 inches wide.

The Vertical Messenger bag's shoulder strap is very tightly woven, with a nice outer edge detail. It is very comfortable when resting on the shoulder, the materials it is woven out of allow for some give which allows it to form around the contours of your shoulder, yet will hold it's shape. You can adjust the length of the strap also. There is a large loop in the back created from the same outer material, to pick up the bag without using the shoulder strap.

The sticker inside the Vertical Messenger bag said to make this bag: 23 ,16 ounce PET Bottles were used, which saves 15,684 Btu or 4.6 KWh - enough energy to power a laptop for 184 hours!

Overall I loved the Act2GreenSmart Vertical Messenger Bag. It could easily double as a diaper bag or be used for carrying text books. The materials and colors give it a very hip and modern feel. And not only does it look cool while you wear it, but it is roomy, utilitarian and eco-friendly and durable. Very comfortable to wear. You can find Act2GreenSmart's Vertical Messenger Bag on Amazon.com

Kudos to Act2GreenSmart for taking the initiative to reform their company and create such cool useful products out of PET bottles (these bottles have a 1# stamped on the bottom - generally water & soda) which normally go to landfills and take up to 1000 years to decompose.

You can read further about Act2GreenSmart's president Tom's quest and his aspirations by checking out his blog.

Children's Book Review: Sunny's Adventures

renaissanceculinaire@gmail.com (Amber *) — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 04:31:00 +0000

I love to find children's books with a baking tie-in. It gives me such joy to expose children to the wonderful warmth and quiet passion that is following a recipe. In todays world, not as much time is spent watching the skilled rhythms of well versed hands whipping up tasty baked goods in the well used kitchens of our homes, at least not as much as in my childhood or those before me.

...Kid Mystery?

Sunny's Adventures
will intrigue
your budding Sleuths...

Sunny's Adventures delivers that warmth that only
whispers of childhood could bring forth. The words
upon the page awaken the innocent ramblings and
romping we all shared with our neighborhood
friends on bright sunny days. When our back-
yards were jungles. And time spent with
family baking was a special treat.

Book Specs:

Reading level: Ages 9-12
Paperback: 52 pages
Publisher: Jabberwocky Books (June 13, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0980245605
ISBN-13: 978-0980245608
Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 0.2 inches
Author : Leketha Marie Johnson
Author website: http://www.sunnysadventures.com/
Author's blog entry: New Book - Sunny's Adventures

Contents:

Sunny's Adventures has 5 chapters, or 5 mystery stories within the main story. Even though the reading level claims to be for 9-12 year olds, I was able to read this to my 5 yr old and it held her attention - with a bit of enthusiasm and voice play on my part.

The main character Sunny, is a young girl, determined to get to the bottom of every mystery that unfolds around her. From missing puppies, to turtles to diamond rings and dolls - she gets the clues and leads her friends to the scene of the crime. And once solved she finds herself a big helping of her grandmother's cake, a tribute to her grandmother's seeming tireless baking.

I especially liked the 3rd chapter "The Mystery of The Cooking Contest", where Sunny and her grandmother enter a pie contest, and the pie ends up missing!

My daughter loved the animals and the fact that this girl was solving mysteries by putting the clues together and baking too.

There are quizzes at the end of the 5 chapters to encourage critical thinking, and my 5 yr old was pretty excited to come up with the answers.

There are black and white illustrations throughout the book that are very whimsical and kid friendly. My daughter couldn't get enough viewing them and connecting them with the words being read in parts of the story.

Summary:

Sunny's Adventures is a wonderful children's mystery which celebrates the joys of baking with family and the value of friendships. Your children from ages 5yrs+ will delight in following Sunny on her journey to find clues and solve each mystery, all aided with whimsical illustrations, and chapter specific quizzes which will stimulate your child's critical thinking and problems solving abilities.

When Shopping

renaissanceculinaire@gmail.com (Amber *) — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 12:00:00 +0000

I am constantly pricing everything. Constantly doing a price comparison. When you are a parent that is a given. When the economy has taken a bit of a turn you will expect most people to do this also. In general everyone loves to get a deal.

Besides the deals then comes a responsibility. Do I forget deals and purchase brands or with merchants who are eco-friendly? As time goes by I am thinking further about mine and the merchant's global impact on the environment. I am not the only one - green products and services are at the fore front of most retailers minds as this eco-friendly mindset continues to grow into a global movement.

With such emphasis on finding ways to be eco-friendly, shopping for name brand companies that are known for quality products that also have eco-friendliness in mind is a definite plus.

Recently I have been looking into products that I can feel better about purchasing. One of these searches has involved pricing cameras. I am looking to purchase a new camera because my old one has been having issues and possibly the sensor is broken. I have thought long and hard whether buying a more advanced camera is worth the investment. I feel that it is the right decision. I am very passionate about photography and I am more inspired by food when I have pictures. If I am to start seriously food blogging, a good camera is worth it's weight in gold.

One of the sites I found through pricing cameras is Super Warehouse. As I looked around at the other products they offer, I was pretty impressed at the site in general. There are some great prices on electronics. You can easily navigate throughout the site , there are both a dynamic drop down menu sorted by categories, and text links plus a logo directory of your favorite brand name products. There are consumer buying guides on the site to help you make the most of the site.

Super Warehouse prides itself on featuring the largest selection of big name eco-friendly electronics such as Apple laptops , HP scanners , Brother laser printers and a vast variety of other color laser printers. Boasting 50,000 retail products available to consumers 24 hrs a day 7 days a week.

On further investigation, I found out this company was started in 1997 by Russell Schneider out of his 2 bedroom apartment. Russell wanted to provide customer service that would go above and beyond what customers expected. 10 years later and 16 warehouses strong, his business can deliver to most places in 1-2 business days.

Super Warehouse is committed to only sell products they can feel good about. I am really impressed about this companies background and their commitment to customer service and the ideals associated with the go green movement.

This Blog Has A Comment Form

renaissanceculinaire@gmail.com (Amber *) — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 17:25:00 +0000

This blog is still revealing it's self. Slowly emerging into something I can be proud of. If it seems like I have put the food writing and blog writing on hold it is because of all the stuff going on right now. Unfortunately due to the nature of all of it, it is far too personal to throw it out to the web. If you follow me on twitter you might wonder, well you pretty much tweet about everything else in your life - why not shout out what's all happening?

These things have no words I think that would encompass what I truly feel, and might come off as cheapened if I blog about them. It would be like setting my troubles on a balance scale and match them against a million much more tragic events happening to the masses.

Because of these happenings I will be working on slowly getting back up to speed in the world of foodie postings. Bare with me.

In the meantime I wanted to update everyone on some of the new features to Renaissance Culinaire. I have been working hard to tweak this blogger template to the very max of it's capabilities.

I have added a comment form! No more redirects to blogger - if you want to comment on a post, you can now do it on my blog under the post, in a comment form - similar to wordpress blogs. The comments will still be moderated by me, same as usual. But hopefully having a comment form spawns a new influx of commenting people for this blog. Comments are also displayed in a recent comments widget on the sidebar.

Above is a picture. You can find out how to add a comment form to your own blogger blog here.

So not only have I made it easier for you to comment, but I will featuring the best comments w/ link to your profile /blog in a comment carnival, similar to this former post: Reader Comment Carnival. So what are you waiting for, grab yourself some blogger karma - give me some comment love, it encourages me to keep writing.

There are allot of useful archived posts, so poke around.

Product Review: I-Spy Memory Game

renaissanceculinaire@gmail.com (Amber *) — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 05:09:00 +0000

Many occasions on long car trips you may have played I-spy as a child or now play it with your children or grandchildren. Calling out the familiar phrase "I spy with my little eye...", hoping to baffle those trying to figure out what exactly it is that you do spy. Then the triumphant "I know ..." was sounded, signaling your "secret" spy is no longer a riddle any longer, and all at once you are out a turn at spying, and your role becomes the questioning, searching finder.

I Spy Memory Game by Briarpatch captures the thrill of those car games, and magically condenses that spirit into card sized fun.

When I first received this game, I opened the box and was surprised that the cards were not pre-cut. There are sheets of thick card stock that you must push the scored cards out of. The process over all was not to tedious, and my 5 yr old daughter enjoyed seeing what I would pop out next. While doing this I noticed that there were two types of cards:

Elaborate Image cards with a blue text background on the bottom.(Memory Cards)
Text cards with a red text background on the bottom (Riddle Cards)

These cards are important because there are different options to play the game, depending on your player's skill levels in reading.

If the player is not skilled at reading there is an option to play with just the memory cards themselves. The instructions have a detailed list of images you are looking for to match in pairs, to be read off before the game is started.

This is the option we opted for, as my daughter isn't quite at reading confidently yet, as she will be starting kindergarten this fall.

It seemed a bit overwhelming for my 5 yr old at first, she was really exited to just get to the playing of the game, but once she found her first match she really took to the game. In fact she got the most matches between me and my husband combined.

We all enjoyed this time as a family, and our youngest toddler even got into the spirit of things by holding onto my "matches" pile.

If you are playing with older players who are skilled at reading then the riddle cards will come into play.There are 8 options total to play this game. You are also encouraged to make up your own riddles.

Game Specs:

Number of Players: 1-6
Age range: 5 yrs to Adult

Contents :

60 Memory Cards
15 Riddle Cards
Game Instructions

Game Play:

Option to play memory matching with younger players who aren't proficient at reading.
Riddles included for older players who are skilled at reading.
8 ways to play this game total

Quality:

Cards are made with very heavy grade matte card stock
Images are lively and well done
Instructions are very detailed.
Riddles are quick to grab players interest.
Briarpatch will replace missing game pieces w/ description and $1.00 to cover shipping costs.
I Spy was awarded a Parent's Choice Gold Award.

Over all I would say that this game is a real gem. It promises to create a fun environment for your friends and family. I spy encourages attention to detail while stimulating creativity and problem solving abilities. Fun for all ages. I would highly recommend I Spy.

Products, Services or Website Reviews

renaissanceculinaire@gmail.com (Amber *) — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 05:09:00 +0000

Here are a variety of Reviews featured on Renaissance Culinaire.

Children Related:

---> Books

---> Clothing , Toiletries & Accessories

---> Toys

---> Websites / Service

Cooking Related

--->Books

--->Dishware / Bakeware

Eco-Friendly Disposable Trays,Bowls & Dishes Review: VerTerra

--->Cleaning Tools & Products

Eco-friendly Household Cleaner Review: WD40 Spot Shot Carpet Cleaner

--->Food & Drinks

Eco-Friendly:

---> Children's Products

Children's Eco-friendly Toy Review: Counting Bunnies Puzzle

---> Clothing & Accessories

---> Household Cleaners

Eco-friendly Household Cleaner Review: WD40 Spot Shot Carpet Cleaner

---> Household Related

Eco-Friendly Disposable Review: VerTerra

---> Websites & Services

Eco-friendly Retailers Review: Super Warehouse

Household Related:

--->Cleaning Tools & Products

Household Cleaner Review: Scrubbing Bubbles' Action Scrubber

General Book Reviews:

--->Guides / How To

Book Review : How to Survive the Real World

--->Fiction

Book Review INTERRED WITH THEIR BONES

Request a Review:

If you have a product or service that you would like reviewed on this site - please read the About Us page, and look over Renaissance Culinaire's Disclosure Policy , before filling out the contact form.

Alternatively you can email at:

If you like - read more info on my review history.

Baking Theory Notes: Archived

renaissanceculinaire@gmail.com (Amber *) — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 20:56:00 +0000

Here is a list of archived Baking Theory Notes featured on Renaissance Culinaire. These notes focus on the chemistry and properties of different ingredients and their relationship to baking. This page will be updated as more theory notes are added.

Dessert Costing : Banana Strawberry Torte
Mixing Geekdom
Fermentation Chemistry
Yeasts
Proof boxes / Hints for new Bakers
Chemical Leavening &
Dough Strengtheners
Dough Preparation &
Fermentation
Functions of Eggs
Dairy Products Used in Baking
Sweeteners
Other Flours
Rye
Bread Troubleshooting
Bread Baking
Salt & Yeast
Fats
Wheat / Flour

Tutorials

renaissanceculinaire@gmail.com (Amber *) — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 20:47:00 +0000

Here is a list of popular tutorials on Renaissance Culinaire. Here you can learn step-by-step instructions on a variety of foodie related things. This page will be updated as more tutorials are added.

Learn How TO:

Reverse Macro w/ A Digital Camera

Procedure For Tuile Stencil Cookies

Make A Simple Proofbox for Home Use

Use Greasemonkey Scripts for Culinary

Make Shortbread Tarts

Shape Croissants

Make Chocolate Croissants

Make Great Pate a Choux

Be A Successful Baker

Find The Sex of a Dungenous Crab

Maintian Your Rolling Pin

Sheet Croissant Dough