Vegan Central

Well since 6am this morning it has been non stop vegan pie baking, I'm taking a short break to write and then have to go straight back to the kitchen. We have a lot of different kinds of pies that we are testing out, I'm hoping it something vegans will love!! Only time and tasters will tell us... We are also making more Vegan White Bread, it has become pretty popular, which is a great feeling, to know that one of our recipes has brought comfort and joy into someone stomach. There has also been a request to make a vegan gluten free White bread, so today or tomorrow we are going to test it out, hopefully it works the first time. By the way, we have not given up on the macaroons, we are still planning on trying to make it work again... We are going to set up some time and hopefully it will work... Practice makes perfect.
Thanks for Reading!!!

-Ioanna and Raven
Pique Season Cuisine
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www.youtube.com/user/piqueseasoncuisine
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Joy To The Vegans Out There!!

Raven has convinced me that we should do all our test/taste kitchening to all vegan dishes for the entire month of December. SO to all the vegans out there we will be coming up with lots of fun vegan dishes savory and dessert. I I have perfected the Vegan White Bread and am now happy enough with it to share the Recipe with you all!! I hope you enjoy it as much as Raven, my family and I have! Here is goes!

Vegan White Bread
2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/ 45 degrees C)
2/3 cup sugar or 1/2 cup coconut crystals
1 1/2 tablespoons or 1 package yeast
1/4 cup melted coconut oil or vegetable shortening
6 cups bread flour

1. In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar in warm water, and then stir in yeast. Allow to proof until yeast resembles a creamy foam.
2. Mix oil into the yeast. Mix in flour one cup at a time.
3. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth.
4.  Place in a well oiled bowl, and turn dough to coat. Cover with a thick blanket or towel. Allow to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
5. Punch dough down. Knead for a few minutes, and divide in half. Shape into loaves, and place into two well oiled 9x5 inch loaf pans.
6. Cover blanket or towel again and allow to rise for 30 minutes, or until dough has risen 1 inch above pans.
7. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes.               

In this picture I was asked if I could make the bread look like Brioche, so I simply took my two balls of dough and made 16 equal small sized balls of dough. You will get two bread loafs from this recipe, I have more because I had to make a lot of bread yesterday. I hope you enjoy this bread!
Thanks for Reading!

-Ioanna and Raven
Pique Season Cuisine
www.wix.com/piqueseasoncuisine/catering
www.youtube.com/user/piqueseasoncuisine
www.twitter.com/#!/PiqueSeasonC
piqueseasoncuisine@gmail.com

Crema and Vegan Bread

Yesterday I put a vlog on my Grandmother Recipe that she calls "Crema" translation to English its Cream. But of course it not cream, in Greek we have words that mean something completely different in English such as "toast" you here that here and you think a piece of sliced bread that has been toasted, over in Greece it means a grilled cheese sandwich with ham.
Crema is basically cream of wheat but made with Semolina, its something I have had for breakfast at my grandmothers house since I was a little girl, I think its something she created her self because I do not remember it in Greece... Regardless she was more than happy for me to give out the recipe which is difficult, nor time consuming, and very cheap to make. so go check it out www.youtube.com/user/piqueseasoncuisine
Vegan White Bread is what I am making today, I'm going to do my best to get it filmed so that I have put it up on our YouTube page. I'll make sure to take pictures to post up here. My family members had the chance to taste my Vegan White Bread and now I have 7 orders of it. They love it!! And I'm happy to make it, because if this bread is good enough for meat eaters to eat, then I'm sure the Vegans will love it!!
Raven and I plan to get together after his vacation is over and come up with many fun recipes to add to these blogs, and to do it in front of the camera for our vlogs as well.
Thanks for Reading!!

-Ioanna and Raven
Pique Season Cuisine
www.wix.com/piqueseasoncuisine/catering
www.youtube.com/user/piqueseasoncuisine
www.twitter.com/#!/PiqueSeasonC
piqueseasoncuisine@gmail.com

Running...

Its amazing how running makes me feel, first before I run I'm excited, during I'm tired and I have to motivate myself to finish, at the end I'm trying to catch my breath and after all that I'm pumped and excited to do it again! I ran twice this morning, it was fantastic! I had my Mom's homemade Greek Yogurt with nuts and cranberries today for breakfast, its so yummy and so healthy for you! Can't wait to run tomorrow! It just brings me more energy for the day, isn't that weird? How something that takes so much energy to do can bring you so much energy for an entire day?! I love it!

Well besides the running lets get to some cooking! I have two clients right now, one wants me to make 150 Grilled Chicken Salads for his mothers birthday on Tuesday. Can't wait for that one! That is going to be so much fun!! We are renting a kitchen for it so that we have enough room, ovens, and a walk-in.
Our second client wants us to come up with a few sample menu items, she wants to open something new and exciting for San Diego, and we have the chance to make that happen! We are excited to do it! Of course I can't tell you what its going to be , nor the what's on the menu yet... But I will most definitely keep you updated!!

Looks like I need a shower! I make sure to keep you all informed ;D don't forget to follow us on Twitter!!
Thanks for Reading!!

-Ioanna and Raven
Pique Season Cuisine
www.wix.com/piqueseasoncuisine/catering
www.youtube.com/user/piqueseasoncuisine
www.twitter.com/#!/PiqueSeasonC
piqueseasoncuisine@gmail.com

What A Great Day

I'm happy to report for the first time I didn't over stuff myself, yet I was happy and satisfied. It was really good to see friends and family that I haven't seen in a while... Who loves the moments when a family member corners you to ask why you don't come by any more to see them? :/ Oops... I yet again made another promise that I hope I can keep... I will try to go out and see them more often, but its hard to do so when you are limited on time and money... But regardless I made a promise, and I'm going to do my best to keep it. ;D As for the food, amazing!! Nothing beats home cooked meals!! Today is an official day off for me, no cooking, no working... Not sure what to do with myself really... I'll try to relax and lounge... however that can be very hard for me to do... Its hard for me to sit in one place for too long... Maybe I'll go out for a jog, then breakfast, and then I guess just go with the flow... who knows what opportunity will come my way today... Hope your Thanksgiving day was a great one! I hope it was full of joy, wonder, fun, warmth and all together just a heck of a good time! Below I have posted a few pictures of the food we had, well the ones I got to before they disappeared for good.
Thanks for Reading!!

-Ioanna and Raven
Pique Season Cuisine
www.wix.com/piqueseasoncuisine/catering
www.youtube.com/user/piqueseasoncuisine
www.twitter.com/#!/PiqueSeasonC
piqueseasoncuisine@gmail.com

2011 Father Joe's Thanksgiving 5K Run!!

It was so much fun!!! I finished in 39 minutes and 19 seconds, Raven and Eugene couldn't make it... Three of my friends came along for the ride, two of them finished at 35 minutes and the third finished at 39 minutes with me. It was so much fun!! A very big turn out!! I think over 4,000 people showed up!! We plan on running in the Seaport Village Run as well. Its on December 15th! I'll have more information when the date gets closer! The plan now... Help the family finish cooking and eat!!!
Thanks For Reading!!

-Ioanna and Raven
Pique Season Cuisine
www.wix.com/piqueseasoncuisine/catering
www.youtube.com/user/piqueseasoncuisine
www.twitter.com/#!/PiqueSeasonC
piqueseasoncuisine@gmail.com

Baking Up A Storm

Gingerbread Cookies

Greek Dessert Called Bougasta, its a custard filled pastry

Usually Served with powdered sugar and Cinnamon

Individual Mix Berry Pies

Baking up a storm over here for the family, Still have Brioche Dinner Rolls, individual Pineapple Upside Down Cakes and one Pumpkin Pie

So much to do and only this one day to do it in... I'm sure I'll have everything done before 6pm tonight. Have to get ready for the run tomorrow!! Hope to see you there!!

www.thanksgivingrun.org

Thanks for Reading!







-Ioanna and Raven
Pique Season Cuisine
www.wix.com/piqueseasoncuisine/catering
www.youtube.com/user/piqueseasoncuisine
www.twitter.com/#!/PiqueSeasonC
piqueseasoncuisine@gmail.com

Good Morning

Today I am going to start on my starter dough for my Brioche 'i'm making dinner rolls for the family for thanksgiving' I am then going to make gingerbread cookies, there is a good chance that I might film and take pictures of both these dishes and upload them on our YouTube page and or FaceBook. I then plan on getting all ingredients together for tomorrow so that I can make individual pineapple upside down cakes, individual mix berry pies and one pumpkin pie... All for the family... lots of work, but it will be worth it to see everyone face enjoying this wonderful holiday... Were you're loved ones come together and you surround yourself around food... I love it... I hope you have a great morning/day/night!!

By The Way Its Not Too Late!! You can still register for the Father Joe's Thanksgiving 5k run! www.thanksgivingrun.org if you can't run make a donation, everything will still be available before Wednesday 6pm... Hope to see you there!!
Thanks For Reading!!

-Ioanna and Raven
Pique Season Cuisine
www.wix.com/piqueseasoncuisine/catering
www.youtube.com/user/piqueseasoncuisine
www.twitter.com/#!/PiqueSeasonC
piqueseasoncuisine@gmail.com

Sorry its been a while...

Sorry it took a while for me to get back on here, we were cooking for clients. Making sure all their pies were ready for thanksgiving, we have a lot of Vegan pies that we made. Mostly pumpkin. We have also registered for the Father Joe's Thanksgiving 5k Run. So we will be out running for the kids before going home to our families for a well deserved meal. Its for the Kids, even if you can't run that day you could always make a donation or buy a pie that was donated by the culinary students of AI, its only $15 dollars a pie and all the money goes to the kids. We hope to see you there, even in spirit! I will try to film the day and upload it on YouTube and FaceBook. May your thanksgiving be full of joy, warmth and happiness with your family and loved ones. I'll will do my best to write everyday this week, but if I don't my apologies in advanced, I have a lot of baking to do, its my job to do desserts this year. ;D
What are you doing for thanksgiving?
Thanks for Reading!

Father Joe's Thanksgiving 5 k Run www.thanksgivingrun.org remember it doesn't have to be a race, you can go at your own pace. There are prizes for the 6 fastest runners. Its on thanksgiving day 11/24/2011 at 8am to 11am. Last day to register is Wednesday 11/23/2011 at 5pm... Hope to see you there!
-Ioanna and Raven
Pique Season Cuisine
www.wix.com/piqueseasoncuisine/catering
www.youtube.com/user/piqueseasoncuisine
www.twitter.com/#!/PiqueSeasonC
piqueseasoncuisine@gmail.com

Issues

Having some issues with my new video camera... First off it films great, the picture itself is 10 times better and it picks up sound beautifully... The issue I was having was uploading it to my laptop, after two hours I found a way to upload it without following the directions that it was telling me to do... However the issue now is that the video itself wont edit with my software and I can't use the cameras software because I uploaded it by not following its instructions... so now here I am frustrated on what I should do next... Because when I follow its instructions the windows that should be popping up to take me to the next file, does not pop up, instead something completely different pops up, and I have no instructions on where to go from there... Wow, I was so excited when we got a new video camera to record higher quality videos for our vlogs on YouTube, and now I just want to go back to using my camera phone... :( Any suggestions on what I should do, our laptop is DY and our new Video Camera is a Everio) Any help would be greatly appreciated...
Thanks for Reading!

-Ioanna and Raven
Pique Season Cuisine
www.wix.com/piqueseasoncuisine/catering
www.twitter.com/#!/PiqueSeasonC
www.youtube.com/user/piqueseasoncuisine
piqueseasoncuisine@gmail.com

hello

I'm going to have to make it short today, I have a few deliveries to make and then back to the taste kitchen to try to work on some new stuff we having brewing for thanksgiving! Sorry, but I didn't take a picture of the Awash Ethiopian Breakfast Burrito... I forgot... ;D But it tasted fantastic. In it: celery, onions. eggs, and potatoes, with the Awash spicy mustard sauce, and it was wrapped in the Awash flat bread, I'll make sure to describe the bread better with its proper name and a recipe with directions on how to make it. Hope you have a great day! Stay warm!!
Thanks for Reading!

-Ioanna and Raven
Pique Season Cuisine
www.wix.com/piqueseasoncuisine/catering
www.youtube.com/user/piqueseasoncuisine
www.twitter.com/#!/PiqueSeasonC
piqueseasoncuisine@gmail.com

As promised...

Here is the cake that I was talking about. Let us know what you think?

Today we have a day off, no cooking :( 'for other people' I plan on making myself a Awash Ethiopian Breakfast Burrito! Yeah! I'll make sure to take pictures and upload them. I love Ethiopian Cuisine, its very flavorful, all fresh ingredients, and very filling... love it! The best part though... you get to eat with your hands! I love it!
Well I'm going to start on breakfast, quick reminder... Send us a message or email asking us food to try out for you, blogs you want us to discuss about, you can even just ask simple questions there is a good chance we'll answer it, if its appropriate... Hope you have a good day!!!
Thanks for Reading!

-Ioanna and Raven
Pique Season Cuisine
www.wix.com/piqueseasoncuisine/catering
www.youtube.com/user/piqueseasoncuisine
www.twitter.com/#!/PiqueSeasonC
piqueseasoncuisine@gmail.com

The Cake So Far...

So the Gluten Free Vegan cake is turning out great, we have put the Avocado and Chocolate together as the base of the cake, the Avocado itself has made the cake very moist, and surprising enough you can't really taste a strong Avocado flavor. We are going to make the filling out of the Jalapeno and Mango today along with the Vegan frosting. We can't wait for the turn out. Hopefully all goes well and most importantly that the client is excited, happy and is satisfied with the flavors. Well I have to get going we have a long day of assembling this cake, probably will be done by tomorrow, we want it right the first time. I'll make sure to upload pictures!
Thanks for Reading!

-Ioanna and Raven
www.wix.com/piqueseasoncuisine/catering
www.youtube.com/user/piqueseasoncuisine
www.twitter.com/#!/PiqueSeasonC
piqueseasoncuisine@gmail.com

Creativity

A new client has come up with a interesting Birthday Cake that she wishes for us to make. She has given us a challenging combination of ingredients that must be in this cake... It must also be Gluten Free and Vegan... We accepted the challenge, so here we are in out taste kitchen trying to make these flavors work... Are you ready for it??? Chocolate, Avocado, Jalapeno and Mango.... We have our work cut out for us... but I know we are going to make it happen!! I already have some ideas up my sleeve... lets hope it plays out!!!
Thank for Reading!

-Ioanna and Raven
Pique Season Cuisine
www.wix.com/piqueseasoncuisine/catering
www.youtube.com/user/piqueseasoncuisine
www.twitter.com/#!/PiqueSeasonC

Vegan Brioche Part Two

So the Vegan Brioche turned out better than I hoped... The texture was perfect on the inside... however it was a bit crunchy on the outside, the color and overall look of the Vegan Brioche is perfect, however... The taste was unfortunately not the same, which was to be expected, don't get me wrong it tasted great, but its just not the same without eggs and butter... So in conclusion, I believe it was a successe but its also a working progress, I would like to make the outer layer softer, and have a flavor closer to the original Brioche recipe.
Thanks for Reading!!

-Ioanna and Raven
Pique Season Cuisine
www.wix.com/piqueseasoncuisine/catering
www.youtube.com/user/piqueseasoncuisine
www.twitter.com/#!/PiqueSeasonC
piqueseasoncuisine@gmail.com

Quicky

Hey thought I should post a quick blog in before we head off to the Garden Party... Trust me I didn't forget about the Vegan Brioche, Just have to finish it when I get back... But I promise I'll have pictures up of the third rise, pre baked and baked... and possibly my volunteers and myself eating it...
we have the tea set packed up in the van, we put so much bubble wrap an paper in there that we hope that not even the force of nature can break those babies... Foods getting done right as we speak, we wanted the finger sandwiches as fresh as possible. I had a lot of fun making pettifours, mini cup cakes, and other variety of baked goods, savory and sweet last night! I love making miniature food items, everything is so delicate and finished within two bites... Love it! Well I have been called to the floor, so better get going, I hope your day is a safe one!!! Stay warm and dry!!!
Thanks for Reading!!

-Ioanna and Raven
Pique Season Cuisine
www.wix.com/piqueseasoncuisine/catering
www.youtube.com/user/piqueseasoncuisine
www.twitter.com/#!/PiqueSeasonC
piqueseasoncuisine@gmail.com

Vegan Brioche Part One

So, I finished the starter batch of the Vegan Brioche... now only time and baking will tell if it turns out great!!! I can't wait to see the turn out tomorrow afternoon! But so far, it looks and smells amazing! I just placed it in the fridge and will have to wait till tomorrow afternoon to take it out... I would take it out in the morning to work on it... but... I'm working a small Garden Party in San Diego... Hope the bread turns out!
The Garden Party I'm excited for, its the first one I have ever worked/been to. I hope the weather holds up... I'll let you know about both tomorrow! Hope you all have a great day!! Stay Warm!
Thanks for Reading!!

-Ioanna and Raven
Pique Season Cuisine
www.wix.com/piqueseasoncuisine/catering
www.youtube.com/user/piqueseasoncuisine
www.twitter.com/#!/PiqueSeasonC
piqueseasoncuisine@gmail.com

A few attempts on the list

We still need to try to do the macaroons again... we have been avoiding it/I mean we haven't had the time to do it...

We are also going to attempt today to make Vegan Brioche, I know what a difficult thing to do right? Brioche is all about the butter, milk and eggs... But I think we might be able to accomplish it... We wont know how it will turn out till tomorrow around 3 or 4pm, but we will find out soon enough...

We are also going to be attempting something very different for the holidays, but we are not allowed to say it out loud yet... Hopefully it turns out, if it does... we might be the first to have accomplished it. there is a chance that someone else has figured this out, it just hasn't been shared with the world yet... :D

We also want to start vloging on our YouTube page on items our followers/subscribers/readers and watchers ask us to try/taste/attempt, film it and upload it for all to see... So make sure you start emailing those requests in! We haven't received anything yet but excited to see what kind of results we'll get.

We are also trying to place a charity function/advertisement together, we plan on asking companies that involve food that have been in business for less than three years, have less than 8 employees and still have not been able to get their name out there. We want to get those companies together along side with us and have a tasting to the public of all our foods, we plan to charge a small fee at the door, not for the food but for a charity that we have not chosen yet for the holidays... we hope. So if you have a list of companies that involve food lets us know, if there is a Charity you have in mind that could really use the money let us know. We will be getting in contact with them soon. For the food companies, they need to know that they will be spending their own money, and know that they will not be receiving it back, this is meant to help a Charity and to help those specific companies like ourselves at Pique Season Cuisine to get our names our there and show what we can do! Hope to hear/read from you soon!!
Thanks for Reading!

-Ioanna and Raven
Pique Season Cuisine
www.wix.com/piqueseasoncuisine/catering
www.youtube.com/user/piqueseasoncuisine
www.twitter.com/#!/PiqueSeasonC
piqueseasoncuisine@gmail.com

Coconut Crystals...

Thanks to one of the readers emailing me this fantastic product to try out! Coconut Crystals, its amazing. I found it at Sprouts in the Pacific Beach area. This stuff is amazing, first off it taste great, a lot like brown sugar, but with a hint of caramel... This product is made for the sap of a coconut tree, it has amazing health benefits and for those diabetics out there... its friendly to you too! The sap is low in glycemic and contains B vitamins, C vitamins, minerals 17 amino acids and has a nearly neutral pH level! wow... Its a sugar replacement! Examples: Baked Goods, over cereal, coffee, tea, fruit, whatever you use regular sugar for you can use this for too!!
This morning I used it in my tea and grapefruit, the grapefruit... amazing it tasted like I put a little caramel over it! Yummy!! My tea I used one spoonful and it taste fantastic, I love that it tastes good and I love the health benefits that come with it!

                              Coconut Crystals          Brown Cane Sugar          Refined Cane Sugar
Nitrogen (N)          2,020.0                         100.0                                0.0
Phosphorus (P)      790.0                            30.0                                  0.7
Potassium (K)       10,300.0                       650.0                                25.0
Calcium (Ca)        60.0                              240.0                                80.0
Magnesium (Mg)  290.0                             70.0                                  10.0
Sodium (Na)        450.0                             20.0                                  10.0
Chlorine (Cl)       4,700.0                          180.0                                 100.0
Sulfur (S)             260.0                             130.0                                20.0
Boron (B)            6.3                                  0.0                                    0.0
Zinc (Zn)             21.2                                2.0                                    1.2
Manganese (Mn)  1.3                                   2.0                                    0.6
Copper (Cu)       2.3                                   0.6                                    0.6
Iron (Fe)            21.9                                 12.6                                   1.2

Fantastic results! Thank you Mary for sending me that email! I found something that will give me my fix with my sweet tooth without going overboard on the sugar!
If anyone else has products out there they would like me to try out and then blog about it I'll be more than happy too! If its wild and out there I might even tape it and upload it on our YouTube page. Thanks for Reading!

-Ioanna and Raven
Pique Season Cuisine
www.wix.com/piqueseasoncuisine/catering
www.youtube.com/user/piqueseasoncuisine
www.twitter.com/#!/PiqueSeasonC
piqueseasoncuisine@gmail.com

A New Item To Play With...

Coconut oil, at room temperature its as thick as butter and can melt just by the warmth of your hand. Its almost flavorless, just a hint of coconut and makes a perfect butter replacement... Its healthy and makes it easier to create vegan dishes. So far I have made lovely vegan bread, which I'm eating right now for breakfast. Vegan cookies chocolate chip and ginger snaps, and vegan pumpkin pie. I haven't tried the pie yet, but the cookies were great!!! I can't wait to make some more! Any ideas of what else I can make with it? Or any ideas on what else I can use to try make the other dishes with...

Thanks for Reading

-Ioanna and Raven
Pique Season Cuisine
www.wix.com/piqueseasoncuisine/catering
www.youtube.com/user/piqueseasoncuisine
www.twitter.com/#!/PiqueSeasonC
piqueseasoncuisine@gmail.com

p.s. Still waiting on those pictures from the Palm Springs Party...

Darn It!

Well I had a small blurp about unpacking, and traveling to Idyllwild, CA. How much we can't wait to go back to Palm Springs... and when I clicked Publish post, it logged me out and my blog for the day disappeared... Darn!! Lets try again...

It amazes me on how unpacking feels like a lot more work then just packing... Everything that didn't need to be washed when we came back to San Diego is still in boxes, waiting to be unpacked and organized... Have you ever felt this way? Where you know you had to get something done, but can't find the will to make yourself do it? I would rather leave it packed, but that's not realistic. Oh well, I'll get it done today at some point.

Raven, Eugene 'our food stylist' and I went to Idyllwild, CA... It was on the way back to San Diego, so we decided to check out a restaurant that a few locals in Palm Springs had recommended for us to try out. Its called Aromas, and the food was fantastic. They have fusion foods, and they are vegan friendly... Their decor was a small cabin feel, with a fireplace and old horror movie posters from the 1980's. It was very fun, did I mention it was snowing? Oh it was so beautiful, a cabin restaurant with a fireplace, fantastic food, and a beautiful blanket of snow outside with of course the delicate falling of snow. It was perfect, and a memory I will always cherish. Thank You Palm Springs Locals for telling us about it!!!
Please if you have the time, and don't mind the drive, go there!! Make sure to make reservations! It is a very small place, it would be a shame to drive all the way up there and have to wait in the snow 20 minutes for a table...
Thanks for Reading!!

Ioanna and Raven
Pique Season Cuisine
www.wix.com/piqueseasoncuisine/catering
www.youtube.com/user/piqueseasoncuisine
www.twitter.com/#!/PiqueSeasonC
piqueseasoncuisine@gmail.com

Palm Springs 2011

Well the party was fantastic, it started at 6pm and ended at 1am this morning... We had fantastic feed back about all our food! Nothing came back, all was eaten and everyone was marry!! This was not only the largest party we have done... but the best party yet! The people were amazing, including three Chefs that not only liked our food, but plan to use us in the future for larger functions and coming up with menus!!!! So exciting!! I can't wait for another party and see what amazing things my crew and myself will come with for a new menu!!!
Thank You For Reading!!!

-Ioanna and Raven
Pique Season Cuisine
www.wix.com/piqueseasoncuisine/catering
www.youtube.com/user/piqueseasoncuisine
www.twitter.com/#!/PiqueSeasonC
piqueseasoncuisine@gmail.com

p.s.  We didn't get the chance to take pictures ourselves, however we were promised by the host of the party that she would send us the pictures... once that is done we will be posting the pictures on our Facebook account.
Raven for the first time is right next to me so he would also like to write a little blurp of fun on this segment.
- What an amazing turn out. There were so many people and the feedback we were getting in the kitchen was so positive. There's nothing more gratifying than watching people connect over something you've made with your own hands. Food is one of those amazing mediums with which you can express yourself. It's colorful, sensuous, fun, and adaptive. It's something every human culture has been a part of and no one can live without it. On a less bougey note, the party was epically amazing, the planner, staff, and hostess were on point. The decor was perfect. I think it made me want to throw a really huge party in the future, Ioanna and I cooking of course ^^.
Here's to following your dreams. Serendipity is alive and well here at Pique Season Cuisine.
Peace, folks, and thanks so much for following us. We <3 you!

Tomorrow Is The Big Day...

We still have a lot to prep before the party tomorrow, I'm not worried about the prepping, I'm worried about having everything out on time... 18 courses for 90 people is a lot... I have never done anything this big before... I'm full of excitement, joy, and worry all at the same time! My stomach becomes more and more filled with butterflies the closer we get to the big day! I hope all will go well, that it will be smooth, and that everyone loves our stuff!! Hope you have a great day! Relax and enjoy what you can!! I'll do my best to upload pictures of the party on Facebook as soon as I can after the event!

Thanks for Reading!!

-Ioanna and Raven
Pique Season Cuisine
www.wix.com/piqueseasoncuisine/catering
www.youtube.com/user/piqueseasoncuisine
www.twitter.com/#!/PiqueSeasonC
piqueseasoncuisine@gmail.com

Vanilla Extract

According to the Wikipedia Vanilla Extract is a flavor compound that contains alcohol, water and vanilla. Did you know what all the different types of vanilla means when looking how each one was made? In the U.S. in order for Vanilla Extract to be called pure, the U.S. Food and Drug Administrations requires that the Extract must contain a minimum of 35% alcohol and 13.35 ounces of vanilla bean per gallon!! Natural Vanilla flavoring is taken from the vanilla bean itself with little to no alcohol added. The Imitation Vanilla Extract is a wood by- product that is made by soaking the wood with vanilla essence and then chemically made to imitate the flavor of vanilla...

Interesting in site, on how the differences are truly very different. I like to use pure vanilla, but next time I'm going shopping I plan on looking at the alcohol/vanilla ratio first.

Side note did you know that vanilla is a natural bug repellent? I had tried it last night because mu left arm was eaten alive yesterday, I'm happy to report that I have no new bites and that I'm sticking with my semi natural bug repellent. ;D
Thanks for Reading!!

-Ioanna and Raven
Pique Season Cuisine
www.wix.com/piqueseasoncuisine/catering
www.youtube.com/user/piqueseasoncuisine
www.twitter.com/#!/PiqueSeasonC
piqueseasoncuisine@gmail.com



extract, a wood by-product usually made by soaking alcohol into wood which contains vanillin. The vanillin is then chemically treated to mimic the taste of natural vanilla.

Palm Springs...

It is very beautiful here, peaceful and so far very quiet... And very cold!!!At least this morning. We drove up last night to avoid traffic and a good nights rest, I think we chose right. But wow, did not expect it to be this cold in the dessert.... I'm wait for Raven and my Foodie Designer to wake up, so we can have some breakfast, and then get started with organizing what we need to do and by when before the party this Saturday. I'm so excited to be doing 18 courses for 90 people!! It is amazing, a challenge, but exciting, because I know that we are going to do great!
I'll be posting pictures on Facebook for sure, I might post some on here as well...
Hope everyone has an amazing morning!!
Thanks For Reading!

-Ioanna and Raven
Pique Season Cuisine
www.wix.com/piqueseasoncuisine/catering
www.youtube.com/user/piqueseasoncuisine
www.twitter.com/#!/PiqueSeasonC
piqueseasoncuisine@gmail.com

Weird...

On a personal note... Did anyone else have basically no Trick-Or-Treaters come into your neighborhood? I only had one batch of teenagers and that was it.. Raven had no Trick-Or-Treaters in his neighborhood either, my Mother on the other hand had plenty... So my questions is "Where have all the children gone?" Did anyone else have that same issue? I know I'm stuck with three very large platters of candy... That I'm not sure what to do with... Ideas?

Business now- Macaroons turned out ok, but not to what we wanted... We here at Pique Season believe that we should always give our customers the best, so we went to Opera cafe in Mira Mesa, CA to buy them out of our own expense, we knew that they have one of the best in town, and they happily made us the 270 we needed basically overnight. We thank you Elena for doing that for us!! We owe you!
My fantastic mother has bought me three new macaroon cook books, I am reading each one of them carefully, each book has a different way of making these cookies, however the one thing they all share in common, besides the recipes is that they all explain that the humidity in a room and the moister levels can throw off this cookie easily... knowing this now, we know that we must have more control of humidity and moister when making these cookies. We plan on trying again after we finish with the upcoming party.
We are going to have a busy, but fun 4 days in Palm Springs!! I'll make sure to take lots of pictures and post them up on Facebook! I already uploaded the Brioche and Party Favor Boxes filled with our cookies!! So Excited for everyone to taste them!!
We hope you had a fantastic Halloween! And we can't wait to see what Thanksgiving brings us all!!
Thanks for Reading!!

-Ioanna and Raven
Pique Season Cuisine
www.wix.com/piqueseasoncuisine/catering
www.youtube.com/user/piqueseasoncuisine
www.twitter.com/#!/PiqueSeasonC
piqueseasoncuisine@gmail.com