Hi ho, hi ho it's back to work I go...

Heartfelt thanks to the well wishers who inquired after my mother's health. The surgery went very well and she's back home recovering nicely! So I'm heading back to Maine this weekend and will be opening Culinarychiq Concepts on Etsy and 1000 Markets again tomorrow with orders being shipped first thing Monday morning. I've got a lot of great ideas for some new Fall candles that I'll be working on this week and should be launching by next weekend. In the meantime, due to the shop closures, I'm extending my Christmas in July sale until Sunday August 22nd. This will be your last chance to get 20% off my mouthwatering tropical drink and ice cream candles before they disappear for the season.

Also, Sunday August 15th marks the 98th birthday of the one and only Julia Child. The Cooking Channel is asking people to post pictures of any of her recipes that you make and since I'm nowhere near the DC area to sneak a stick of butter into her display at the Smithsonian (something I've always wanted to do to play homage to the great lady. I thought about a nice freshly made croissant but that'd just attract ants which I don't think the Smithsonian people would appreciate;) I thought it'd be the perfect opportunity to actually attempt one of the recipes in Mastering the Art of French Cooking (volume 1). Even with the training I've received in school it's a bit intimidating, maybe because of how detailed the instructions are, so I haven't actually attempted anything yet but this week I'm going to be brave and crank out not just dinner but dessert!

Enjoy the weekend everyone. Ciao for now:)

So what's for dinner?

Apologies for the unannounced hiatus, sometimes life throws you a couple of curve balls and it takes a little while to come back from it. Anyway, lots to talk about this week so let's get started:)

First, I found a new website that though it definitely needs some tweaking, has lots of potential! It's called Dinner Tool and I found it via one of those ads that hangs out along the sides of your Facebook page. It's geared towards the busy mom but basically if you're usually too busy to cook or are tired of standing in front of the fridge and staring endlessly at the contents trying to figure out what you're gonna make for dinner only to throw up your hands and run to the nearest fast food joint, this is the site for you. You can log in either with or without your facebook account, then you can make up the menu for the week or just set it up one day at a time. You can enter an ingredient (say you wanna make chicken but chicken and what?) and you have boxes to tick off (or not) of whether you want the recipe(s) to be easy, fast, budget, healthy and made ahead and drop down boxes with dietary restrictions like gluten free, low carb, vegan etc. and another drop down box asking which of 16 cuisines you prefer (if any) ranging from African, English or French, Latin American, New American (whatever that is) and Thai. Once that's done you get a list of main dishes, sides and desserts or meals which include the other three lists. My one complaint about this is that should you see a meal that you want you can't just click "drag to menu" like you can with the other tabs. Instead you have to click each course in the meal, drag that into the menu and hope you remember to click "search results" instead of back or you lose the whole thing and after to start all over! You also have to remember to save every time you add to the menu or once again back will clear everything out.

Now if you're not picky or don't have any allergies to worry about, clicking the "I'm Hungry" button is like activating the "I'm Feeling Lucky" button on Google. Do this and your whole week is planned out for you. Once you have your week set up, click shopping list and it exports your menu to a neatly arranged list according to section (dairy, baking, grocery etc.). The recipes are very good too and only as elaborate as you'd like them to be. Because I like a challenge I refuse to click fast and easy and so far my two favorite meals are the Jamaican Jerk Pork Roast which I've made both with Gingered Sweet Potatoes and with yellow rice and it's just phenomenal although a word to the wise, if you don't like much spice or heat I suggest dramatically reducing the amount of spice the recipe calls for. Lightly dust it rather than coat it. If it's still too spicy, a tall glass of milk or a bowl of ice cream will easily extinguish the flame:) The other recipe I'm in love with is the Grilled grouper with orange ginger glaze and roasted asparagus only I substituted salmon for grouper and it was excellent! The Pasta Sauce with beef ribs and cinnamon gave hubby and I indigestion which we usually don't get and I think next time I'll just stick with my old faithful Ropa Vieja recipe. Anyway, I've only used the site for about a week and a half and as i mentioned before it's got some real promise.

Businesswise the shop is starting to pick up as my Christmas in July sale winds down and my Back to School sale starts up (courtesy of Etsy's Team Homefront) I've started working on my Fall and Winter candle line.

The fall candles are available now, the winter candles become available in September but here's a sneak peak:

Nice aren't they? Anyway, that's about it for now. Who can believe July is nearly gone already? Have a good week everyone and stay cool!

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:)

Like Flowers for Chocolate

Hi, I am a Culinary chick and I kill plants! Not intentionally of course but I was cursed with the black thumb from elementary school when mine was the only styrofoam cup that didn't sprout the green telltale bud of success. I can make a beautiful and delicious gallantine but in school I cringed when it came time to make aspics because I'm also unable to make jello. Don't ask me why but no matter what I do hours later I wind up with a bowl of Kool-Aid! Miraculously my aspic did form but it was still softer and took longer to set than that of my classmates.

I am however, extremely capable of making pudding which came in handy this weekend when I attended a Plant Swap with some ladies from my gym class at the Y. I told them I didn't do plants so they said I could bring a dessert instead (the lemon cake I'd made at the last luncheon was a huge hit:) I'd thought about making banana bread but the epicurean in me screamed for something more fun. Now, I'm not a baker. I can follow a recipe but would much rather taste and experiment than worry about accidentally swapping baking powder for baking soda (with disastrous results) and with a tightened wallet I was limited in what I could spend. But as I wandered the aisles of the grocery store I was suddenly inspired, I would make a Chocolate Cream Pie!

This was extremely easy and quick to do although you have to remember to leave time for the pie to set. I took two 4oz packets of My T Fine chocolate pudding and followed the pie directions on the label (3 3/4 cups of whole milk although the skim I used worked out fine added to the mix and stirring constantly over medium heat until it comes to a full bubble, then remove from heat and let cool 5 minutes, stirring twice.) If you don't have time to make a graham cracker crust, go ahead and buy the 9" tin with crust included (if you make an 8" pie you only need one packet of pudding and 2 cups of milk) and pour the pudding into the tin. The directions say to let it set in the fridge for 4 hours (3 if using one packet) but I found the pie set in an hour and a half which was a pleasant surprise. In the meantime make sure your Cool Whip is thawing (the package says not to leave it out on the counter to thaw but as I was pressed for time I did it anyway and found most of the container was ready when I needed to use it). Once the pie set I added the Cool Whip (you don't want to bury the pie under half the container... or maybe you do;) and grated some Hershey's Special Dark on top as a garnish. The pie looked beautiful and was a huge hit:) I did end up walking away with some sweet smelling Lillies of the Valley and this other plant that sprouts these pretty pink bell like flowers... that is if they manage to survive! I've got them planted in the garden section of my front yard and will be taking tons of pictures if they end my botanical killing spree (botanicide?).

Anyway, while I was busy playing Betty Crocker I decided to finally act on a candle idea I'd been contemplating. So I bring you the "Smells Like Freedom" Sundae Candle! The name was inspired by my husband who said exactly that while I was waiting for it to set. The scents are Strawberry, Lemon and Blueberry and comes with little handmade American flags for $10 plus shipping. You can also get French flags for Bastille Day upon request! Next week, I hope to unveil a cute new candle that's a perfect gift for your favorite teacher:) Have a great week everyone, chow for now!

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:)

Changing clocks, changing bandages, changing weather...

Good morning to all! I'm lounging on my couch on a wet, chilly day, a vigilant puppy sits by my foot guarding the windows, and nursing my ankle after somehow managing to slip on a rock and badly twisting my ankle last week. Nothing is broken luckily, although the pain told me otherwise, and I'm starting to be able to hobble around the house without the use of a crutch but I'm supposed to keep my air cast on until the end of the week so it's just a matter of being patient while nature does her thing.

Anyway, this unfortunately means no new unveilings this week. However, I am awaiting confirmation of my spot vending for the NAMI Maine Art Walk on May 8th from 10am - 4pm at Back Cove in Portland. NAMI is the National Alliance on Mental Illness and every year communities all over the country sponsor these walks to raise awareness about better treatment options and recovery systems with proceeds benefiting families affected by mental illness.

This particular walk is a partnership between NAMI and Glenn Close's BringChange2Mind Foundation that helps fight and educate to end stigma. There'll be puppet shows, face painting, a live rock and roll band, and a donated pot-luck lunch is available after the walk and award ceremony. It's also been confirmed that Glenn Close herself will be making an appearance. So if you're in the Portland area come by and show support for the runners and look over some great arts and crafts. Or you can help the cause by donating, supporting a walker or get into the action yourself and walk or organize a walking team yourself!

Don't forget to move your clocks forward if you haven't already and be sure to check back next week for some new drink and pie candles! Chow for now!

Delicious goings on are afoot!

March looks to be a very busy month as there are now 7 new items listed in my shop with much more to come! I had so much fun making my Old Fashioned Hot Fudge Sundae candles that I’ve decided to make a smaller votive sized version which is now featured for $5 plus shipping. This week I’m also unveiling the long promised Orange Dream sherbet candle that smells as sweet and creamy as it looks and, for a taste of the tropics to help you lose those winter blues, there’s my mouthwatering Pina Colada candle.

Next week you’ll be introduced to my strawberry, mixed berry and blueberry pies and strawberry milkshake will be added to the ice cream line of luscious soy candles. For those who may have missed it another creation I had fun with, the Irish Coffee candle, is now on sale so pick one up today!

I anticipate announcing consignment at two local stores as well as my spring and summer fair schedule this month once I confirm the venues so if you live in Maine or intend to visit the Portland area feel free to look me up! Keep checking this blog for updates and feel free to browse my shop: culinarychiqconcepts.etsy.com for items available now. As always if there’s something you’d like but don’t see, drop me a line and ask me about it.

FREE TEALIGHT WITH EVERY ORDER!

Now, when you place an order, you'll receive a sample tealight of a different candle currently available at Culinarychiq Concepts or get a sneak preview of upcoming candles: Blueberry Pie, Strawberry Milkshake, Lemon Meringue Pie and Margarita!

If you have a tealight preference, please leave a message when you order otherwise let it be a pleasant surprise:)

Chow for now!

The Yorkshire Popover

As you may or may not know, 10 years ago September, I snagged me a Brit. In the early days of our marriage I not only struggled to make something edible in the kitchen every day but I took it upon myself to attempt my new husband’s favorite dishes to help him with his homesickness. The hardest part of this was learning how to make a Yorkshire Pudding from scratch. After several years of metric conversions, scorching, burning, underbaking and periodically setting the oven on fire, I finally accomplished a yorkshire pudding like mum used to make… of course it was at this point I discovered my Mum-in-Law, like most other women in Great Britain it seems, used the ready to bake yorkshire pudding available from the grocer’s freezer!

Anyway, I was watching one of my favorite shows, 5 Ingredient Fix, on Food Network this morning and throughout the episode Claire kept interchanging yorkshire pudding and popover which irritated me enough to want to blog about it. According to Culinary giant, James Beard, the resemblance between Yorkshire pudding and popovers is coincidental, because the popover has gone through several changes before becoming the recipe that it is now. Although they are related, there is a difference between yorkshire pudding and popovers, and there's a lot of misconception involved with these members of the puff pastry kingdom.

“Popovers rise, yorkshire puddings don’t” is something I've read several times. So yeah, that's why if you fill the tin or tins more than halfway with batter your oven doubles as a fireplace! “Popovers are made with the batter going into individual cups while yorkshire pudding batter goes directly into the roasting pan.” Traditionally yes, this is true, however in recent years most people have started to make individual sized yorkshire puddings rather than one large one. My favorite misconception is mired with "Ugly American" syndrome, "using beef drippings is purely an American invention and distinguishes the popover from the Yorkshire pudding." Sorry compatriots but our neighbors across the pond have been using beef drippings in pastry for a couple of centuries now.

Popover batter tends to involve herbs and many people like to grease individual cups with butter instead of drippings or oil. Both Yorkshire pudding and popovers can be made sweet and eaten as a dessert or as a side drizzled, or drowned whatever your preference, with a savory gravy.

Ok, so how do you make the perfect yorkshire pudding without burning your house down or sending dinner guests running for the nearest bathroom? Check this out:

Ingredients:

1 egg

4 oz plain flour

4 oz milk

4 oz cold water

drippings or vegetable oil

Preheat the oven to 425F. Just cover the bottoms of each cup with the drippings/oil and heat in the oven. Put the flour in a bowl and make a well in the center. Drop the egg in the well then add half the milk and half the water and mix together with a wooden spoon. Then add the other half of the milk and water and stir until the batter is smooth and has bubbles in it. The pan drippings/oil should be hot at this point so carefully pour the batter about halfway into each cup and return to the oven for 45 minutes. DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR FOR THE FIRST 30 MINUTES AS THE PUDDINGS COULD COLLAPSE. Puddings should be golden brown, have risen above the cups like a popover except with an indentation in the center. Serves 6.

A couple of personal notes. First I’ve yet to be able to get a decent yorkshire pudding when using chicken drippings. I’ve yet to try beef drippings but I get the best results with vegetable oil. Also, for the past 8 years I’ve been using regular muffin and cupcake tins to make yorkshire puddings and while these haven’t been too bad, I’ve found investing in a popover tin helps make some great puddings so if you don’t have one already definitely put that on your gift list this year! If you’re really tight for money the aluminum disposable tins are doable however you do get a better quality in solid metal baking tins. I’ve yet to try the silicone cups that are all the rage now but if you have please let everyone know what the outcome was.

That’s about it for this week. I hope to list my newest creation, the Irish Coffee candle, by Wednesday on Etsy so keep watching my shop, Culinarychiqconcepts.Etsy.com, for the unveiling! Have a great week, here’s hoping March comes in like a lamb. Chow for now!

NEW CANDLES!

So, it looks like my latest experiment has paid off, introducing my new Ice Cream candles coming this spring! Pictured above is the scented Butterscotch Ice Cream Sundae, mmmm. Scrumptious French Vanilla blends with the creamy aroma of sweet Butterscotch for a treat so real you can almost taste it... and yes, that IS a scented cherry on top!

Over the next few days I'll be making and posting pictures of Hot Fudge Sundae and Strawberry Sundae. Also coming soon will be pictures of Banana Split, Italian Ices and Orange Cream Pop. As always, if there's something you'd like to see feel free to drop me a line and I'll see what I can do! Sundaes will price at $15 plus shipping, Banana Split will price at $18 plus shipping and Italian Ices and Orange Cream Pop TBD.

So keep checking this blog for updates and in the meantime scope out other goodies available for sale right now at the Culinarychiq Concepts store! Chow for now.

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:)

Haitian Earthquake Relief

Unless you've been living under a rock the past couple of days, you're aware that there was a massive earthquake measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale followed by several aftershocks averaging around 5.0 that savaged the nation of Haiti, already the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere. Thousands are dead, millions are homeless and the people have only just begun to attempt to rebuild.

And so 40% of all proceeds this week will go to Yele Haiti, an organization founded by Wyclef Jean, musician and humanitarian from Haiti who's been active and vocal about the plight of his people for several years. You can also donate $5 by texting YELE to 501501 or get more info by visiting www.yele.org. And the thing I like to see best when giving a donation: 100% of all donations to Yele Haiti actually go to the people!

Thank you in advance for you donations and help and may I say a pox on Pat Robertson, literally may a big ole pox land all over your senile bigoted tiny brained head! There's a special extra hot, ultra humid, funky, moldy place in Hell for people like him.

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!