What's new pussycat and a call for a little dog in need

Greetings to all:)

I know this blog has been fairly dormant over the past few weeks and I apologize for that.  There has just been so much going on both good and bad.  Never fear, all is well and I hope to have an updated Fall Fair schedule listed in my next post:)  To summarize I have received a job offer with the company Aramark, Inc. as a prep/grill cook two weeks ago which I took:)  I feel like the Dunkin Donuts guy when I get up in the morning but I love my hours and my coworkers are pretty cool too.  Granted it's a fairly entry level job but I understand practically everyone starts at the bottom with these guys and there's lots of room for rapid advancement so I'm not worried:)  I'm still volunteering in the hospital cafe Mondays after work so my days can get fairly long and tiring.  It's a situation that takes getting used to but hey at least I'm not bored right?;)

Anyway, as I mentioned earlier I've got a few applications floating around for the new holiday season and I should have my complete schedule up shortly.  In the meantime, I need your help.  Recently, as a favor to a family member who shall remain nameless for the time being, I took in a little Shih Tzu named Mugsy.  I won't go into full detail here but basically Mugsy arrived in a condition that was described by my vet as neglected and has medical issues that call for surgery to the tune of $700!  Said family member has decided Mugsy is no longer a priority and has since abandoned him to us.  Needless to say animal control officers have been contacted and charges of animal cruelty and abandonment are forthcoming.  In the meantime, I've set up a blog documenting Mugsy's story and our attempt to raise the funds for his operation by October 18th.  And so all proceeds from candles sold in my shop (this includes custom orders) until October 18th when we hope to have the surgery, will go towards Mugsy's operation.  We are also accepting donations if you don't wish to buy a candle.  Any money left after the surgery will be donated to the Coastal Humane Society of Maine.  So please, take a look at Mugsy's blog and spread the word to help us get Mugsy back on his feet again:)  Thank you in advance!  Ciao for now.

Psst, Hey New England crafters, c'mere!

Greetings all!

I'm back and rested from visiting family back home. It was good to see everyone again after so long and I found myself chuckling as I watched my little nephews and cousins running around and being yelled at by the same people who less than 20 years ago were the ones running around and being yelled at! By the way, while I'm on the subject if you're passing through New England and need a quick bite for lunch the Gulf Express station along Route 84 near the border of Connecticut and Massachussetts has THE best turkey and cheese sandwiches I've ever had in life! I don't know what they do to them, maybe it's the bread they use or the mayonnaise or even the type of deli meat and cheese or maybe it's all of the above but we found the place when we first went house hunting in Maine last year and the sandwich tasted so good I nearly crashed the car in surprise he he

Speaking of New England, this is a reminder to all crafters in the area that I'm setting up a Christmas in July Craft Fair and need vendors! The fair will be July 17-18 9am-4pm at the McKeen Street Rec center, 12 Windorf Circle, Brunswick. Items do not have to be Christmas/holiday related. Advertisement for the fair will be viaFacebook, Twitter, 1000 Markets, Cafe Handmade, Diva Cafe and Craigslist online and posters for everyone to display in their area. Set up is Friday evening and Saturday at 7am for those who can't make it Friday. Chairs are available but tables are limited so please bring your own if you have one (let me know if you don't). Spaces are 8x8 for $5 payable by clicking the Buy Now button to the top left of your screen (if you don't have or wish to use a Paypal account you can still pay with a credit or debit card with this button). If you have any questions contact Miranda at culinarychiqconcepts@gmail.com.

Finally, I know I haven't posted any new candles lately but I'm diligently working on some new items for Fall and hope to unveil some of them in time for the craft fair. Items to look forward to include tarts, glassless votives, brand new dessert and beverage candles, some old favorites with a new holiday twist and my favorite Halloween creation, the Boo Kitty! Those of you who have been around from the beginning are familiar with my adorable plush kitty cat with attitude but to those of you who are just joining us or are newly familiar with Culinarychiq Concepts, Boo Kitty will be a pleasant surprise and makes an adorable gift!

That's about it for this week except to say if you're still on the look out for that perfect gift for dad, why not pick up a Bacon Candle? Men and meat go together like, well, ham and eggs! My high quality soy wax Bacon Candle comes in 6, 8 and 10 oz jars with lids hand painted to resemble strips of streaky bacon and give off the smoky meaty scent of real bacon. If meat isn't his thing I also have exclusive Maple Syrup candles and candles that blend bacony goodness with sweet maple decadence and the tart citrus fragrance of Orange Juice. If dad's a foodie or just really enthusiastic about his ice cream, baked desserts or a certain alcoholic beverage, you'll find something unique that he'll just love at Culinarychiq Concepts, Foodie Tees and Foodie Shoppe! Chow for now!

Shop Talk

Greetings to all! This week I've been a busy bee expanding the concepts part of Culinarychiq Concepts. Don't worry, I'm still making my unique soy candles but I've also decided it was time to get into the apparel game. Now you can get buttons, mugs, bags and baseball caps with food pun cartoons as well as T-shirts and tanks for the entire family including the dog! Choose from Snow Pea, Chickpea, Black-eyed Pea, Deviled Egg, Milkman and Milkmaid. Also launching this week will be Deviled Ham, Butterfly, French Bread, Collie Flower (Cauliflower) and Broccoli Rob (broccoli rabe). For shirts and decorative buttons visit my Spreadshirt shop, Foodie Tees and for mugs, bags, baseball caps and other goodies visit my shop on Cafe Press called Foodie Shop.

Attention Maine and New England crafters! I'm setting up a Christmas in July Craft Fair and want you to display your talent and wares! The fair will be July 17-18 9am-4pm at the McKeen Street Rec center, 12 Windorf Circle, Brunswick. Items do not have to be Christmas/holiday related. Advertisement for the fair will be via Facebook, Twitter, 1000 Markets, Cafe Handmade, Diva Cafe and Craigslist online and posters for everyone to display in their area. Set up is Friday evening and Saturday at 7am for those who can't make it Friday. Chairs are available but tables are limited so please bring your own if you have one (let me know if you don't). Spaces are 8x8 for $5 or a potluck dish for customers to snack on while they browse. If you're paying in cash instead of food click the Buy Now button to the top left of your screen (if you don't have or wish to use a Paypal account you can still pay with a credit or debit card with this button). If you have any questions contact Miranda at culinarychiqconcepts@gmail.com.

That's it for now except to say Culinarychiq Concepts will be in vacation mode Thursday June 10th until Tuesday June 14th while I spend some time visiting the family:) I will still be checking my email periodically during that time so if you'd like to place an order or have questions about an order feel free to contact me. Foodie Tees and Foodie Shop will remain open during this time. Have a great week everyone, stay cool and safe. Chow for now!

Summertime and the living is easy...

With summer officially underway my thoughts have immediately jumped to the next season. Of course this doesn't mean I won't be making anymore summer goodies this year but as fast as the year is going we'll all blink twice and start seeing the changing of leaves. So with thoughts of harvest time mixing with the celebratory atmosphere that accompanies the start of summer vacation the first thing that popped into my head was apples. Try as I might, I couldn't get thoughts of apples out of my head. So I decided to create some scrumptious new apple candles! These beauties stand 3" tall, contain 11oz of creamy scented soy wax and smell like the real thing. Pick a Red Delicious, Granny Smith or Golden Delicious for $10 plus shipping (also available unscented upon request).

I also experimented a little this week and came up with a "British Chocolate Spread" candle for my British, ex-pat and Anglophile fans. This exquisite delight was hand poured and set in an old (and thoroughly washed) jar of the famous chocolate spread with the purple label that we all know and love! It's 14 oz of chocolatey goodness for $12 plus shipping (International customers please contact me with your post code for a more accurate shipping cost).

This Saturday, June 5th, I'll be setting up shop at the East Deering Neighborhood Association Craft/Yard/Bake Sale located at The Columbia Club on Wordsworth Street in Portland (just off Veranda Street) from 9am - 4pm. The weatherman is calling for another soggy day (I swear he's out to get me) but fear not, in the event of rain the sale will be moved inside the Columbia Club. Hope to see you there! Have a great week everyone, be sure to check out my personal blog, Egg Drop Soup, which was written in honor of our servicemen and women who have served and continue to serve today. Have a safe and happy Memorial Day:)

Good food and walking it off

Well, it's official (I guess), the 50 World's Best Restaurants have just been announced.. at least according to S. Pellegrino anyway.

As usual the list consists of some fairly fru fru, high priced venues around the world where mainstream people usually don't go and probably won't step foot into in life! Noma in Denmark snatched the #1 spot from El Bulli of Spain, who had held the position for 4 years and now sits at #2. According to CNN, El Bulli accepts 8000 reservations annually out of millions of requests but will be shutting down until 2011 and 3 years later will become a non-profit organization for young chefs. Surprisingly 8 of the 50 restaurants are located right here in the US, a fairly commendable feat when you think of the decades long struggle for American chefs to be recognized and respected by epicureans around the world.

The thing that gets me about these lists though is they almost never cover regular establishments serving regular food to regular people. I'm not talking about chain restaurants like Applebees or McDonalds but mom and pop small businesses with prices people who work for a living can afford! I remember a year or so ago there was a major uproar when Zagat added a little hole in the wall noodle place (I think it was in Hong Kong) to its list. There were no fancy paintings on the wall, no snooty waiters or pretentious little appetizers posing as $100 meals on big fru fru plates. It was clean, cheap, no frills good food and apparently had people lining around the block for hours BEFORE Zagat added them to the list. I guess when a place is deemed Best Noodlehouse in the World by thousands of happy customers, you can't exactly ignore it even if they aren't charging very much.

This is what I'm talking about though. Yes, if you ever get the chance to experience a fancy restaurant at least once I say do it. The ambiance is nice and the food is usually very good even if you do have to run for a burger an hour later;) But, there are plenty of establishments that serve decent food for decent prices and they don't all involve burgers and fries, fat and grease.

So, what are your favorite, non-chain local places to eat? Who makes the best breakfast? Where's a nice place to go for lunch? Where's your favorite place to go on a date? Let's compile a top 50 list of our own shall we?

On the candle front, there are 6 days left for the NAMI Art Walk and I am PUMPED! The weather looks to be decent, sunny and mid-60s although there's supposed to be one of those bad thunderstorms moving through when the temperature drops 20 degrees like they're saying it will and I'm hoping I won't have to set up in the mud:( I'll be developing one more votive candle but the rest of the week will be devoted to setting up and finishing touches. So next week's blog will be all about NAMI with lots of pictures about the event. So, all you Mainers out there and visitors to the Portland area be sure to visit Back Cove (it's a kind of park off 295 exit 7) from 10-4 and root for the walkers taking part in a good cause, get some food and face painting, listen to some local musicians, support your local artisans and quite possibly you might get a chance to meet Glenn Close:) It promises to be a pretty day so get off your duffs and get some air! Chow for now.

UPDATE: Shortly after this posting I discovered vendors of the Art Walk will be situated in a horseshoe around a tent (assuming it's the BringChange2Mind tent) where Glenn Close will be signing tshirts and having photo ops so it should prove to be an interesting day:)

A New Challenge

Today I was honored with a commission by an old friend for a Doo Wop Birthday Party in March. The challenge is to make 50s themed candles small enough to serve as party favors for at least 70 guests. We put our heads together and started thinking old fashioned milkshake and ice cream sundae candles, jukeboxes, Elvis, poodle skirts, hula hoops, roller skates, rock n roll, the possibilities are endless.. until a furtive search turned up the lack of possibilities in candle molds (methinks I may have to study up on mold making one of these days). I did find a few things that could work though and after going over color scheme with my client/friend and talking pricing we've agreed on pink poodles, pink and black (I'm going to attempt some kind of swirl pattern) musical notes and chocolate sundaes with a cherry on top, all chocolate and vanilla ice cream scented and all the size of a 3oz votive candle.

A bit difficult? Maybe. Beyond the realms of possibility? Never. So long as the willingness, creativity and imagination are there, anything is possible! This is the kind of thing I love about this business, the challenge and ability to come up with something creative and unique while working within a client's wishes:) If things go as well as I think they will, I'll have pictures and prices up soon on my Etsy store.

Volunteering ideas for the average foodie

As the crafty season grinds to a screeching halt (snow piling up outside my window) and I work on my next big creation, I've also began occupying my time with more culinary related things to do. Still hearing a chorus of crickets from the employment front (nothing says great big loser than submitting 23 resumes in 4 days with no reply), I've decided to focus on keeping my skills sharp for a worthy cause and volunteering my services.

First there's this great organization called Share Our Strength, thinking about it now I vaguely remember seeing commercials around Thanksgiving on Food Network. Anyway, their aim is to end childhood hunger in the United States by 2015 and they do this via fundraising events and grants that assist organizations around the country that provide children and families with healthy food as well as in education programs that teach families how to eat right and stay healthy. You don't have to be an award winning chef, doctor, teacher or nutritionist to help either. You can hold a bake sale, eat at an establishment participating in the Great American Dine Out program, attend a Tasteful Pursuit event, or just write a check.

As for me, I'm happy to say I'll be an active participant and volunteer in kitchens at a few events occurring in Portland over the next few months (details to follow as I get them:) but if you want to find out how to get involved check out this link: http://strength.org/get_involved/

They really are great people and what's better than breaking a sweat to fill the bellies of our nation's youth?

The other organization that's come to my attention is a bit more difficult to get involved with but its cause is just as worthy. The Culinary Corps "enables chefs, cooks, food educators, and culinary students to volunteer their professional skills and tackle some of America’s most critical food challenges: emergency hunger relief, cooking and nutrition education, healthy food access, childhood wellness, and culinary heritage preservation." They've gone to places such as New Orleans and Puerto Rico and plan on visiting Haiti once the first responders have left and rebuilding has begun. However, they are making a list of people interested in offering their services so check out http://culinarycorps.org/category/culanthropy/ for details.

So, between President Obama efforts and the focus on Haiti, if you've started to feel the urge to volunteer by all means do so. Donate blood, give coats, clothes, glasses, food to your local Goodwill, house of worship or school and contact your local soup kitchen or anyone holding a charity event and see how you might be able to offer your services. Whether you're standing red faced over a boiling pot, hammering nails into a wall of a future home, or gathering supplies for a care package to the troops, there's nothing in this world that feels better than the warm fuzzy feeling of satisfaction you get in doing something for others, you just can't put a price on that:)

Greetings and salutations!

First, I hope everyone had a happy holiday season and hope you all got to where you needed to safely.

My name is Miranda and I am a Culinary chick! International cuisine and the various methods of cooking and preparing food amongst the various cultures that grace this great planet of ours has always fascinated me. I found myself glued to Food Network when it was in its infancy and finally last year I enrolled in Culinary school in the hopes of someday becoming a chef and opening up my own little piece of epicurean heaven.

With the economy (and personal finances) being what they are my dream is slow going. I'm not just a culinary student but a military wife as well and when the US government dictated it was time to pick up and move to a new station, my quest for a degree quickly became a race for a certificate which I managed to obtain just weeks before transfer. Now as I hunt for a decent school to finish my degree I'm finding the job market to be less than hospitable to a non-Mainer living in the boonies with enough schooling for at line cook position at a wage places around here seem only to happy to offer only to the very experienced chefs (who sadly it appears are actually taking the much reduced paying positions). So I plan to make my way slowly, stealthily into the field searching for volunteer work, food prep temp jobs with catering companies until I can at least finish my degree.

In the meantime I plan my attack. I develop and tweak recipes for friends, family and neighbors for items that hope to find their place on my future menu and to raise money for my future endeavor I've resurrected an old craft business of mine I've recently dubbed Culinarychiq Concepts. Currently I make faux food soy wax candles that look and smell like pies, hot chocolate and coffee and whoopie pies. I intend to extend this line to other food items over the course of the next year as well as add a line of food themed dammit dolls (for those who don't know what a dammit doll is, I'll explain later on when I'm ready to launch them in a few weeks:) I'm also considering several other little projects that will be a pure delight to all you foodies out there who love anything and everything epicurean!

And so be sure to check out my page on etsy: culinarychiqconcepts.etsy.com and check back here often for updates on my quest and of course new items added to the store:) I'm also currently searching for fairs and festivals in Maine this spring and summer who are looking for craft vendors so give me a heads up if you know any!

Wishing you and yours a safe and happy new year! Chow (ciao) for now!