GOSSIP FROM THE GIRLFRIEND GATHERINGS

Learning from YOU to empower ME !

NaBloPoMo #3 – My Choice?- Personal Chef or Self-Prepared Meals

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This is a no-brainer for me.   If I could afford a live-in personal chef, I would gladly hire one because preparing my meals is only a necessary task for me.   It is not something that I am very imaginative about in preparation.    I can be imaginative if I am having a party or visitors in my home but that is not often.

The generation of women in my family immediately preceding my generation were/are fabulous cooks.   My paternal grandmother was a cook for a wealthy family and all of the women in my extended family cooked / baked all of the time.   We had fresh homemade desserts every day at dinner.    They loved to prepare all types of food and I don’t remember myself, my sister, or any of the females in my generation every really being required to cook.   We were given the choice and my choice was to bake not cook.

Living the single-life now, I don’t really spend a lot time preparing meals.   I sort of “put” them together using the Deli, steamed seafood, and Café on the Run at my local HEB store (www.heb.com).  Also, I will pick up a BBQ chicken or other meat at Pappas Barbecue (http://pappasbbq.com/) and then prepare a salad or other side dish at home to accompany it.    Since I am now embracing a healthier lifestyle I have discovered My Fit Foods (http://www.myfitfoods.com/) and I really enjoy their fresh, healthy, and tasty meals.   It is now my plan to use their meals for my dinner meal and self-prepare my breakfast and lunch meals.   I believe this combination will be perfect for my schedule, my budget and my Monday-morning date with the scale.

NaBloPoMo #2 – How Do I Wish I Ate?

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The purpose of food is to nourish our bodies so that we can live and be healthy.    I believe that nourishment is an individual pursuit and we should not get distracted in the feeding patterns of others that have a certain desired physical appearance.   It is important for me to discover and maintain the eating pattern that provides a healthy lifestyle for me.

As I mentioned in the previous post, my daily eating routine is a 3-meals-with-a-snack pattern.    I have tried eating smaller meals 5 – 6 times a day but this did not work for me.    For some reason, when I eat more frequently I am hungry all day long.   My ideal eating pattern is 3 meals a day with the largest meal in the middle of the day and no afternoon snack.    I am weaning away that afternoon snack and actually did not have one today.

I also believe that “where” we eat is important to a healthy lifestyle.   In my childhood, it was required that the family sit down at the dinner table together for meals.  There was no eating on the run or in front of the television.   It seems food is more enjoyable and a person is more cognizant of what/how much they are eating when in this type of setting.   So, my ideal eating pattern is to experience each meal in the manner of my childhood.

NaBloPoMo #1 – Nourish – How Do I Eat My Daily Meals?

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Food is my nemesis.   It is difficult to live with it and impossible to live without it.  Living in Houston where there are great restaurants around every corner makes it very difficult to prepare food at home and then there are those Texas-sized portions.    You can feed 2 ½ persons from 1 restaurant entrée in Texas.   Recently, a colleague was here from Budapest for a month on expense account and he told me even though he was working out every day at the hotel he still gained 6 kilos! (I still need to convert that to pounds in my mind.)

How do I eat my daily meals?   Normally, I eat three meals a day with an afternoon snack – during that 3pm lull.   I sit down to eat lunch, dinner, and breakfast on the weekend but breakfast during the work week is eaten in the car driving to work or in the office while checking email.    I know this is a bad habit but it seems so hard to break because I am always crunched for time in the work week mornings.   Writing this blog post has helped me to see that I really need to make this change.

Making History – Creative Coolness – Judy Brooks

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Sometimes it is just amazing how and where creativity will show up.   With this next creative cool woman in my inner circle, Judy Brooks, I watched it appear and grow through our long and close friendship.    Now, I can’t tell you how long we’ve known each other because then you would guess our ages but suffice it to say we both have experienced several “evolutions of womanhood” since we first met in our workplace and were young single Moms.

Creativity comes natural to Judy. She does fabulous event planning for her personal parties, beautiful floral arrangements and her home is transformed to everything Christmas during the holidays with her elaborate village displays with pieces she has collected over the years.     Today, I want to showcase her creativity with food – in particular cakes, cupcakes, and cookies.    Judy can take an idea and create an edible, custom decorating theme.    Here are her words about her creativity:

Describe your creative art form.

I enjoy creating decorative baked goods, i.e., cakes, cupcakes and cookies.  My preference is the decorative cookies with cupcakes a close second.

 How/when did you decide to embrace your artistic gift?

I left full-time employment over 10 years ago.   I had worked since I was 18 years old, so the thought of not having a daily routine or schedule was a bit scary.  I have always loved design and decorating, and I became interested in the baking side of it.  So, the next natural step was to begin baking and decorating classes before I left my job.  In fact, my first test subjects were the lab staff that I managed.

Once I took the first class I was hooked.  Before long I had advanced to creating flowers, using fondant, creating tiered cakes, and perfecting the baked good itself.  It was fun, and at the time thought it would be a fun way to generate income.

 Positive/negative unexpected experiences encountered as a result of pursuing an artistic life.

There is an upside to cake or bakery art as well as a downside.  I have learned that in running your own business you will work much longer and harder than you will work for an employer.  The payoff is the satisfaction of doing what you are passionate about.  Output and marketing are key in the bakery business.

I might say that the downside of this same business is that it will consume your entire life, especially in the beginning.  What once took several days to do, now can be done in a matter of hours with proper planning.  Weekends are peak time for weddings, parties, etc. and deliveries will almost always include setup as well.    This is not necessarily a bad thing; it just depends on what success looks like from your perspective. 

For me, success is not in the income generated,  but in producing what my clientele want, while remaining flexible enough to pursue other interests.  Sharing the art of cookie decorating, baking a themed cake for a party or sending a cookie bouquet is a great way to go.  I love creating and sharing my art with others, especially children.  We sometimes host kids parties here at the ranch and love to incorporate a horse-themed cookie decorating component.  The kids can take their finished product with them to remember the event.  Cookie projects are very popular and a lot of fun for kids parties.  It is a great way to combine this art form with my love of horses.

  Favorite thing about the artistic life.

Decorating baked goods is an ever evolving art form.  You are only limited by your imagination.  From the cookie bouquet to the cupcake tree or the tiered cake, I am always excited about the finished product.  The icing on the cake is that the client is even more excited about it.

Here are some pictures of Judy’s creative delectable delights:

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Making History – Doing Her Own Thing – Jackye Carr Figg

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Today, I want to introduce one of the women in my inner circle who is making some  history in her own life.     She has embraced her entrepreneurial spirit and started her own business “Just Between Friends Gourmet Desserts”.   I sent Jackye a list of questions to answer about her journey for this blog post and below is her response.

DOING MY OWN THING – “I Finally See Me”

Just Between Friends Gourmet Desserts

Jacqueline Figg (aka: JRenee)

I am J Renee owner of Just Between Friends Homemade Gourmet Desserts (JBF) where the care that goes into producing our products yields the quality that our clients continually experience.

We specialize in a variety of gourmet desserts which includes, but are not limited to the Cocoa-Mocha Bar, the Brownie Fusion, Hallelujah Cake balls (one variety) and Apricot Nectar and Citron Torte Bars.  Of course your all time favorites… the lemony 7-Up Cake, the succulent Italian Cream Cake, and the delectable German Chocolate Cake remain best sellers.

In addition, JBF has put our own spin on things and have introduced a different perspective with our products…JBF Dessert Gifts.  Our Dessert Gifts (cake ball trees, cake ball bouquets, cookie bouquets, etc.) are specifically and professionally packaged as “gift giving” ideas and present very well as gifts.  These products preserve well and because they are baked fresh for each occasion they are ready to be consumed upon delivery.

I was motivated to birth this business after my mom passed in 2002 because I wanted to keep a part of her with me.  When we would travel, one of our favorite things to do was to thumb thru magazines and collect recipes.  One of the favorite family recipes is the Mocha Bars which is the recipe that has inspired me to bake and share with others.  When I am cutting the bars I feel that she is a part of the process.  We always enjoyed the response from people once they tasted them and I still get a “big kick” out of that as well as seeing the expression on  faces when the person try to identify the bars with something that they are familiar with.  It’s hilarious!

Strictly self-taught and with out any formal education in baking, I have mastered other techniques and developed flavors that have been instrumental in building our dessert menu.  Our packaging is impeccable and thus far all of our clients have been satisfied.

There are two things I love most about this business…”I Finally See Me” (i.e., independent of others who I thought I had to have in my life to see the success in me) and, secondly, to see the smile on the faces of everyone once they bite into our products…whatever product they order.  I would say to anyone who wants to develop an idea to pray about it first, listen for guidance, develop your passion and be open to change for growth. In this society, remaining the same does not always grow you or your business. However, remaining open not only allows a view from a difference perspective but allows you to glean from other’s knowledge and wisdom.  An example of that is when we entertained the idea of shipping our products to another state.  When we opened our eyes to the fact that shipping nationally was not an unattainable goal, not only do we now deliver locally but we have national recognition and have shipped our products to eight different states as well as international.  That is JBF in a nutshell and we would be please is you would peruse our social media sites and order for your next event.

You can find us at:  www.justbfriends1.com and/or www.Facebook.com/JustBetweenFriendsGourmetDesserts.

Let us “WOW” you with our exhilarating desserts!