2014 Trends {Cauliflower}

Yes, I realize it is almost March. Yes, I also realize that looking at food trends and predictions for the year usually start much sooner than this, but you know what, better late than never.

If you set out on Google or Pinterest to find a list of food trends for 2014 you will notice something very quickly... there are several  lists with this years popular items. I just decided to combine some items from a bunch of different lists that I liked/or interested me. Instead of dumping them on you all at once, I am going to spread them out a bit so we can truly enjoy each one. So, here we go!

1. Cauliflower

That's right! The stuff you probably turned your nose up to as a kid,{and maybe you still do} but hang on a minute, cauliflower has gotten totally cool recently. Who knew it could be use so many different ways? I read somewhere that cauliflower is the new kale. I personally love cauliflower but have had fun trying it out in new ways recently.

Here is one that blew my mind...pizza crust! Picture and recipe found here.

Ingredients

• 1 small head or 2/3 large head of cauliflower
• ¼ cups Parmesan Cheese
• ¼ cups Monterey Jack Cheese
• ¼ teaspoons Sea Salt
• ½ teaspoons Dried Basil
• ½ teaspoons Dried Oregano
• ½ teaspoons Garlic Powder
• 1 Egg

Instructions

1. Wash and thoroughly dry the cauliflower.
2. Cut off the florets.  You don’t need the stem.
3. Pulse in the food processor until you get cauliflower “snow”.  You should end up with 2 to 3 cups.
4. Cover the cauliflower and microwave for about 4 or 5 minutes.
5. Dump the cauliflower out onto a paper towel and clean tea towel and let it cool off.
6. Preheat the oven to 450ºF.  Place your cookie sheet in the oven to heat it up.
7. Wrap up the cauliflower in the dish cloth and paper towel and wring out as much excess water as you can.
8. Combine the Parmesan cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, sea salt, dried basil, dried oregano,  garlic powder, and cauliflower in a medium bowl.
9. Mix it together with a spoon to combine the ingredients. Then add the egg and use your hands to form it into a dough ball.
10. Pat it down gently onto a piece of parchment paper with oil spread (or sprayed) onto it.
11. Use your hands to form it into a pizza crust, about 1/4″ thick.
12. Optional: Slide the parchment paper onto the heated up cookie sheet and bake the crust without any toppings for about 8 to 11 minutes until it is golden brown.
13. Remove from the oven and add your toppings. 
14. Bake it for another 5 to 7 minutes with your toppings on it.
15. Note: If you are only going to bake it once, leave it in for about 15 to 17 minutes.

Another fun idea is cauliflower garlic "mashed potatoes".  Now, I will be honest, it took me a few times to get the consistency just right. This is probably because I am one of those "a splash of this" type cooks and I am guilty of just eyeballin' it way to often. I like to think it is my creativity- I just make things up as I go. I am also stubborn in thinking I can glance at a recipe an figure it out and I refuse to look up the original recipie. Oh well! Anyways when I get these just right, they were excellent! I love the lighter feel of these but they do not skimp on flavor.

Or maybe you want to start off with something super simple like roasted cauliflower. Before you know it you may end up like this food blogger who uses her creamy cauliflower sauce for everything!

Hopefully this gives you a new take on this once boring vegetable. What else have you made with cauliflower? I'd love to hear your experiences too! 

Next up on my list. Lemons!

January Tasting

I used to think there would be a naturally occurring "off season" in catering, and there is, but it is a little different than I had imagined. Busy event season is typically May-September which is to be expected due to weddings, summertime ect. Then there is the holidays too, so November-January is also very busy for us. You'd think the months of October and February-April should be pretty laid back, right? Yeah...not so much, haha. I do tend to have less scheduled events, but these "off season" months have JAM-PACKED with growing my business. But don't get me wrong, I love it!

I am the type of person that if my calendar doesn't have something scheduled in a day, I get a little anxious {I guess i picked the right career path}.
                                   
                                   Exhibit A:

See Jan 30th...stressful. P.s. don't ask about my color coding obsession.....

So what have I been doing to promote my business? Networking, networking, networking. That is the name of the game these days. It has been so rewarding for me thus far, not necessarily in a monetarily sense but in a personal growth sense as well. I have met some pretty great people in the last few months that I know I never would have come in contact with if I didn't put myself {and business} out there. At the end of the day I am a big time people person and I enjoy getting to know new people. 

So, at the beginning of January I attended the Tacoma Wedding Expo by Bridesclub with a venue that I work closely with, The Neuwaukum Grange. This was such a fun experience for me, I had the opportunity to meet a ton of newly engaged couples and brides. It was fun sharing about my business and trying to help some of them with ideas on menus and what pricing looks like as well. It was the first Wedding Expo I have attended, and I learned a lot. I can't wait for the next one at the end of March.

A few weeks after the Expo I hosted a tasting and open house at the Grange and we invited couple to come out and tour the venue as well as try some of my popular menu items. Thanks to Sarah, of Sarah Katlin Photography, I got some beautiful photos of the set up from that day. Here are a few of my favorites:

 I really love how she paired these pictures side by side, the food and the description. I know that whenever I look at food pictures I'm like oooo...yummy...that looks delicious...but, um what is it? This idea totally solves that problem.

 She also did a great job capturing the whole display and look that we were going for {the shabby chic/lace and burlap thing}. This venue has been beautifully restored and I think you can do a lot with it as far as themes, by either dressing it up for a more elegant feel. Or you can play up it's classic elements; the hardwood floors, the rustic barn feel and so on. It is a very versatile place to decorate in my opinion.

The main dance floor is pretty awesome as well. The fixed strings of lights give it such a cute touch and the large dance floor really leaves room for a lot of creativity as far as seating arrangements. And, lets not forget the stage. I think it work really well set up this way and I know the DJ's or band really like this set up too, they are out of the guests way, they can easily manage the event with announcements and updates. I think it is a great feature that not many places offer.

I really like how these "poof balls" turned out, too. There is a funny story behind them actually, first of all, have you ever tried to find brown tissue paper? And not like dark chocolate brown, but that tan color brown..? Let's just say it's not easy. My assistant, had a the idea of using brown paper lunch bags, and it turned out exactly how we wanted it. Creativity at it's finest!

To view the entire album be sure to visit my Facebook page; Eclectic Events. A huge thank you again, to Sarah for these gorgeous pictures. It is not easy to photography food, to see how great she can do with live subjects, make sure you check out her web site here.

The tasting was a very fun event for me. I was able to play around with a few new menu items and get to know a few new couples. I hope to have the pleasure of working with some of them in the future. I would also like to thank Jason and Gina, of the the Neuwaukum grange for partnering with me on the event, as well as to all the great guest that came out on that exceptionally nice winter afternoon. 

Sochi Winter Olympics

Well now that it is 5 days since the incredible beat down that was the Superbowl, I think I have almost recovered. No joke, this week has been like a holiday in and around the Seattle area. A lot of people are comparing  it to Christmas {but maybe better, since Christmas happens every year, where as the Seahawks winning the Superbowl, is a 1st}. Monday many people took the day off, {Smart!} then Wednesday was  "SEApocalypse" aka the Victory Parade that everyone went to, and that's really not an over exaggeration.

And now...we move on to the next major sporting event going on, The 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi {I promise this blog is not always so sports based!}

I've always loved watching the Olympics! Growing up we would watch them as a family, my favorite event being the couples figure skating performances. I've also come to really enjoy the snowboarding stuff, too. I wouldn't consider myself to be athletic, I definitely got more creative skills than I every did coordination. Which is why most of the Olympic events really impress me, because it is so far out of the range of possibilities for me.

So today I have decided to share with you some fun Olympics inspired food! Because really, that's what life is all about anyways, right?

First off, you can draw a lot of inspiration for the Game's host country this year, Russia. They have a wide range of foods {and Vodka} they are known for.

If you are looking for a classic Russian dish to serve up for dinner tonight as you watch the opening ceremonies, look no further than Beef Stroganoff. Tatyana Nesturek was featured on the Today Show this morning, making some of her Russian dishes. she is a food blogger over at Everyday Food, and she has some awesome recipes and how to videos for all sorts of things {not just Russian items}.

Now as for just plain fun Olympic inspired food:

 I love the creativity of incorporating some of the iconic Olympic symbols, like the rings, into yummy food. I personally could go for one of the those blackberry topped bagels. Okay, and the bowl of chocolate chips :)

The cute ideas for the torches are fun, too! I really think the ice cream cone popcorn would be super kid friendly and so easy to throw together. 

Speaking of kids...I think this mom {or dad} totally wins the packed lunch award ! How.freaking.cute!? I myself do not have children, and would never think to do something like this. But hats off to the parent that took the time to put this together, that kid must feel super special!

I also came across this article about hosting an Olympics viewing party that I found to have some cool ideas in it. Now I wish I was hosting a viewing party!! However, I will be watching my fair share of it over the next few weeks.

Now, go make yourself something fun and Olympics-y to eat!

USA! USA! USA!