Seattle/Bellevue Community: Fun, family-friend, and foodie Event this Saturday 14th at Bellevue Whole Foods Market!

'Tis the season. The chilly weather is here! Lights are up! Peppermint mochas are everywhere! What is a very sweet way to start the holiday season: decorate your very own gingerbread house! Whole Foods Bellevue Bakery Team is hosting a gingerbread decorating event this Saturday 14th.
Perfect event for families, little ones, and die hard foodies.



The Details…

TIME AND DATE: Sat. Dec. 14^th at Bellevue Whole Foods Market (888 116^th AVE NE Bellevue WA), 10:00 AM – 1:00PM. Feel free to arrive at any time to start decorating!

WHERE: Front and center of Bellevue Whole Foods Market. There will be tables set up when you arrive on Dec. 14. Still can’t find the event day of? Ask a helpful Whole Foods Team Member who can assist you in the right direction. (Free parking in our spacious lot right off of 405, by the hospital. Minutes from downtown Bellevue.)

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST: $19.99 gets you one gingerbread house to decorate, all the frosting and candy décor, your entire parties admission (no matter how people you bring), and fun drinks and snacks to munch on. Plus, Bakery Team Members will assist you on decorating your house!

HOW DO I RSVP? Easy! You can 1) Pre-pay  inside Bellevue Whole Foods Market at the Bakery Counter  (Recommended! This event is popular) or  2) Call Bellevue Whole Foods Market  (425-462-1400), connect to the Bakery Team, reserve a spot, and pay on December 14th when you arrive.

WHAT HAPPENS ON December 14th: Come on inside with your party, decorate your beautiful gingerbread house (everything will be ready for you), eat snacks, check out the sales happening at Whole Foods, and take your house home with you! Don’t worry, we will deal with the clean- up and mess.

MORE QUESTIONS?Call Bellevue Whole Foods and ask to be connected to the Bakery Team. We will happily answer any questions or concerns you have.

Facebook Event Page: https://www.facebook.com/events/447089168728742/?ref_dashboard_filter=calendar

 

See you Saturday!

Kimm

 

A letter to the young, aspiring baker/pastry chef.

Hello,

First off, in life you should do you what love, and love what you do. If it is baking bread, teaching third graders, creating websites, or fixing computers that you love doing then do it. We spend numerous hours and time AT WORK...... unsure what to do? Great, I love it when people say this. Why? Because you get to TRY NEW THINGS IN LIFE. Try a new hobby, sport, or activity. Met new people, go out to a new restaurant/bar/coffee shop, and find out about new industries, companies, and positions in your community.

Now, you have settled it: you want to cook/bake for a living. Good news: WE NEED FOOD TO LIVE, thus there will ALWAYS be positions/jobs for you. Bad news: The food industry can, well, be crazy and hectic. Most restaurants/cafes/bakeries are open 24/7 and require hard work and long hours.

My advice?  My top 5 tips…..

- First off, find a company/business that you truly like and care for. Note: most food small businesses are so small, they cannot offer health benefits, paid time off, or 401(k) plans, keep this in mind when searching for jobs. Note: some cooperate food businesses, can get very cooperate and less artistry is required for the job.

- Second, find a position that you like doing and can expand. Doing anything over and over again can get monotonous and boring. Can you learn new skills? Move up? Possibly learn something besides cooking and baking delicious food? On a better note, ask your brand new co-workers if they like working there. They will be honest.

-Third, get used to wearing a chef uniform: chef pants, non-slip clogs, hat, and chef jackets.  Oh yes, and working on weekends and major holidays. (Boo.)

-Fourth, to all the young women: From a girl’s girl point of view, working in professional kitchens is a very masculine industry, but I never let that change me. I am who I am, and still enjoy the color pink, 4 inch high heels, and lip gloss after working nearly 8 years in the industry. Your hands and nails will become very dry, you will have oily skin, and your feet will ache after work.  This just means you have to take extra special care of yourself , don’t let the job GET YOU. You are better than that.

-Finally, find an outside hobby outside of cooking/baking. Why? This will keep you sane, I promise.

 Don’t limit yourself to just restaurants for food jobs. There are numerous outlets for us: cafes, bakeries, gourmet grocery stores, cooperate dining, catering,  wineries, coffee shops, etc.  Find what fits YOU, not the person sitting next to you.

I find it very rare that a person cooks/bakes their ENTIRE career. Most of us move on: management, admin, sales, etc. We are still dedicated to food, but our lives, dreams, and goals change. We desire softer schedules and lifestyles. Keep this in mind while you are young: don’t be afraid to learn a new skill set beyond culinary and pastry.

Don’t let anyone get to you because that is their problem, not yours. Keep your chin up, positive attitude, and everything will come in place.

Best,

Kimm

Cooking a new recipe? My top 3 tips for foodie success!

I love, love,  cooking and baking new food and recipes. Gathering ideas from Pinterest, fellow foodies, bloggers, and tv shows, I enjoying creating a new dish that I can blog and tell my friends about.

From a new Sunday Supper meal, to a sweet breakfast treat, or a easy breezy lunch, there are helpful rules I easily follow before I start my chopping, dicing, and slicing. With my 3 easy tips, I know I can have a successfully happy tummy and meal.

Tip #1: Check your pantry!
-Find the ingredient list in your new recipe and check your fridge and pantry. This will avoid any last minute trips to the grocery store. If there is a special or hard to find ingredient, check your local specialty shops for their inventory. Avoid the miles on your car, and call the store to see if they carry it.

Tip #2: Check your cookware/bakeware!
-If you are baking spiced banana bread, you will need a loaf pan. Cupcakes require a muffin tin and paella needs a special paella-pan. Making a large batch of chili? Make sure you have a large pot or dutch oven for the job. You don't want to be in the middle of your tasty brownies and realize you don't have a rectangle cake pan...

Tip #3: Check your heat/oven!
-This is key. Double check what the recipe suggestions for the baking/cooking temperature and, well, use your common sense. If a chocolate chip cookie recipe says to bake 'em at 450 degrees F, I know better to turn down the heat to a nice 350 degree F.

All in all, go into a new recipe with confidence and ease. Double read your new recipe and don't b e afraid to ask a fellow friend, family member, or co-worker for help or advice.

Happy cooking!
Kimm

Why you should toss away your pure aluminum cookware!

Just like cell phones, technology, and care, the cookware industry is rapidly growing and changing....for the better. Cookware manufactures WANT you to have success with their products and cook delicious meals in them.

Back in the day, people used pure aluminum cookware. Why? It is: Abdundant, conducts heat pretty evenly, and is soft to mold into a variety of shapes and sizes.
Now, aluminum goes through a process called "anodizing." What is it exactly? Think: electro-chemical process to make aluminum STRONGER and conduct heat better. It turns into a dark gray, porus material versus the light, super shinny apperance.



It is rare that you will see pure aluminum cookware, for sale, in the domestic field today. It is either: hard anodized with a protective non-stick coating over it or combined with stainless steel.

Here are my top 3 reasons why it is great time to toss out your used aluminum cookware and upgrade your set:

1) Pure aluminum over time, it "worps." The pans "titer-toter" and become uneven on the bottom over time. It will not "sit flat" on your cooking range.

2) Aluminum reacts with acidic and citrus foods, causing a discolor in the pans. Watch out for food like tomato sauce and lemond curd to stain aluminum cookware.

3) Aluminum cookware is just...unattractive. Cookware is getting "cosmetic" and there are a variety of colored and bronze-toned cookware on the market. Not only should cooking and baking be fun, your pans should be, too!

Happy cooking,
Kimm

What is "icing on the cake?"

"Your work ethic is like icing on the cake, my dear!"

 

 "That last piece of chocolate was really icing on the cake."

 

 "Enjoying a cold margarita after a long day is icing on the cake."

 

 "Meeting new people is like icing on the cake, especially if they help you out professionally!"

First off: What is icing? It is a thick confection made of sugar, fat (like butter), flavor additives (like vanilla extract, fruit, liquor, etc), and eggs to top and decorate cake. Can you eat cake without any frosting? YES. Is it better with some sort of frosting? YES. It adds moisture, more flavor, and a smooth texture in conjuction with the delicious cake. Cake and frosting go together like freshly squeezed moijiots and Seattle's first sunny summer day.

Since I was a little girl, surrounding myself with my E-Z bake oven, cookies, cake, and brownies....the expression "icing on the cake" was tossed and turned around within the everyday conversation between people. Bosses used it to compliment their employees; People said it when a positive gesture passed through their day; Teachers said it to well-behaved students.

After seeing how people loosely use the expression, "icing on the cake," it is meant to compliment a genuine, absolute, and clear act that positively adds to your life. Is it necessary? No. Is it needed on a hourly basis? No, and you won't come across it every day of your life. Does it make you smile and look at life from a different view? Yes. Small gestures from total strangers will bring the best in you. It will make you want to do "icing on the cake" acts to every single person you meet.

Moral of the story? Just like icing, petite and humble acts, give us more to our day-to-days.  We may not need an extra chocolate chip cookie, a scoop of pistachio gelato, or a glass of a strong Malbec, but unneccessary modest moves are pure sweetness.

Now: go forth and put "icing on the cake" to someone's day.

Happy Baking,
Kimm

First foodie interview of 2013: Get to know Whitney Heinrich of CRAFTED.

Welcome to my first interview on 2013, peeps: Whitney Heinrich is a smart young woman who is also a fellow Girl Power Hour (www.girlpowerhour.com) blogger. She started and created "CRAFTED" to bring unique and one-of-a-kind treats to the Seattle and Eastside community. When she is not baking up a storm, Whitney is very like me: loves new cocktails, trying new restaurants in Seattle, and simply being sweet.

Whitney, in action, at an event with her treats.





Get to know Whitney, read my interview below:

1) What 'sparked' your love of baking and creating sweet things?
What sparked my love for baking was when I was working at a local coffee shop in high school and I would bring in cupcakes, and people would rave about them and tell me I should be selling them. I hadn't thought about that as a profession before, but at that moment I was like hey...I could totally do this and be happy forever

2) Describe your experience at the French Culinary Institute.
Going into the FCI I had totally pictured myself becoming a wedding cake designer, it wasn't till I started school and saw how much more was out there. I got really excited when menu planning came along, I knew I had to be the one to come up with my own ideas and not follow others.

3) Why did you start Crafted? What do you hope to do with Crafted?

Delicious breads are made with love and nice ingredients.

I started Crafted because I truly feel I can offer unique and special dessert concepts to clients. I love to break the rules in pastry and come up with flavor combo's and dessert offerings that are off the "norm" - I strive for that whimsical factor. Right now I am going with the flow with Crafted and letting it become what the community wants and needs, but long term I would love to have a small shop with crafted cocktails, house brewed beer, small plates, and those whimsical dessert concepts I love to come up with! I have a true passion for everything culinary, not just pastry.



4) You are a big foodie! What's your favorite restaurant in the Seattle area?
There are so many amazing restaurants, but I think my all time favorite "foodie" restaurant is Crush. I love what Jason Wilson and his team do, I love their service staff, and their pastry chef Lori always keeps me on my toes - I mean come on.. she came up with a Douglas Fir sorbet!

5) What is your favorite sweet treat to eat?
My favorite sweet treat has to be anything that involves the s'mores concept. You can't beat a good s'mores and I think that's why one of the first set of recipes I nailed down were for Crafted's s'mores kit.

Perfect Valentines Day treats!

To buy these delicious treats, check out CRAFTED's Etsy Shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/CRAFTEDconfection

Plus she is social media friendly:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/CraftedEats
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CraftedTreats

Happy Baking,
Kimm

My top predictions for the Seattle foodie community in 2013!

Happy New Year everyone! I hope everyone had a very kind, exciting, and of course, SWEET New Year celebration. I know most people like to go on a health kick in the beginning of the year, but just remember a nice cookie won't hurt your diet.

2013 will be a fantastic year for food! Not only do I enjoying cooking and baking for my friends and family, I like see what is new and improved out in the community. Luckily, Seattle is a HUGE foodie city filled with fresh sushi, local wines, baked goods, and distilleries.

Here are my top 3 foodie predictions for the Seattle community:

1) More distilleries will open: Wine bars and local breweries are already a HUGE success in Seattle. We love good food AND good drinks. Those who forgo wine or beer (don't ask me why!) enjoy a delicious cold hard cider or hard liquor on the rocks. (Look out: "Capital Cider," a strictly hard cider house due to open in this year in Capital Hill.)

2) Dessert Buffets for private/special events: Wedding cakes are a curse and blessing. The time, labor, and skill it takes to create a one-of-a-kind cake is hard and long. Yet, the tradition cake adds flair and "oohs-ahhs" at your reception. More brides and grooms are opting for dessert buffets filled with mini cupcakes, cookies, and candies. Plus, this is MUCH easier to serve a large crowd!

3) Cheese added to desserts: If it is mascrapone, cream cheese, goat cheese, or even a mild cheddar, I've been seeing more cheeses being incorporated in desserts. Move over cheese platter, the dessert needs room!

Now I know with every trend, another one must leave. Thus here is my list for my top 3 Seattle foodie trends that must take a quiet exit.

1) Truffle oil: First off, I love the stuff. Over grilled chicken, homemade popcorn, or sourdough bread. But putting it over every.item.on.the.menu.is.CRAZY. Please stop, thank you.

2) Making every item on a restaurant's menu gluten-free: Yes, I do enjoy eating naturally gluten-free foods like fruits, veggies, rice, and quinoa. Yet, when you make your super juicy bacon burger "GF," just to please a couple customers, it makes the rest of us crave that sesame seed bun. A nice alternative? Just have a small seperate menu with items that are gluten-free or can be specially prepped to be gluten-free.

3) Over-dosing on Asian sauces: Trust me, I love sriricha, soy sauce, and hoisin sauce when I cook. But, when gobs of it are all over my sushi, fish, or salad, it gets out of control. I like to order it on the side and add as much as I please. I have never been a "extra mayo" kinda girl, always "sauce on the side," please.

I hope everyone goes out in 2013 and:
-Trys a new restaurant or bar.
-Enjoy a fancy cocktail.
-Order something different at a "regular" restaurant.
-Cook and bake something delicious!

Happy Baking!
-Kimm