What Do YOU Want From The Pampered Chef?

A simple post and a simple question -
But first, an explanation.

I'm going to let you in on a little secret, the first priority of a Pampered Chef Consultant is NOT to sell you products! (Shhh! Don't tell anyone!)

The first priority of any Pampered Chef Consultant is to make your life better.
How do we do this?
We provide you with a service. We serve YOU!
That means we need to know what it is you want from The Pampered Chef.
Do you want recipes?
Do you want cooking tips?
Do you want party and entertaining tips?
Do you want to save money on your Grocery bill?
Do you want to replace old/outdated kitchen tools or serving dishes?
Do you want a whole new life?

A Pampered Chef Consultant can help you with the answers to all of these questions and more.

I, Your Pampered Chef Consultant, can help you with all these and more.
Please realize that just because I call you, email you or talk with you about The Pampered Chef doesn't automatically mean I'm trying to sell you something. I'm trying to find out what I, and The Pampered Chef, can do to make your life better.

That may not always mean selling you something. I know that. I realize that. Do you?

So, please, tell me what do YOU want from The Pampered Chef? Comment here, email me, call me, show up on my doorstep to tell me.

I post this because I want to take down that wall that goes up any time I contact you and others because it is automatically assumed that you have to buy something to make me happy. You buying something won't make me happy (it will make me money, but not always happy). What will make me happy is to know that your life is just a little bit, or even a lot, better because I was able to help you.

So, tell away what you want and need! I'm listening.

Holiday Gift Idea - Pretty And Useful!

Who doesn't enjoy a nice warm beverage to hold in their hands this time of year?

Need a simple, yet totally useful, gift for a friend or coworker?

Put together this little package and be the favorite friend of Chocolate Lovers in the upcoming year.

Combine
1 cup sugar
1 cup non-dairy powdered coffee creamer
1 cup nonfat dry powdered milk
1 cup milk chocolate morsels
2/³ cup unsweetened cocoa powder.

Place 1/³ cup cocoa mix in a cellophane
bag; top with miniature marshmallows.
Seal bag and tie with a bow. Place the bag
in a Coffee & More Cup with Sweet Mocha
Hazelnut Sprinkle and a chocolate-dipped
peppermint stick.
To prepare, place cocoa mix into the cup.
Add 1¼ cups hot milk. Stir until well blended.
Yield: about 12 giftable servings

Don't Fake It

When running your own business, or playing a crucial role in someone else's, you have to be "for real".

Don't Fake It.

If you decide to work on your own, do not rely on making your paycheck at something you do not have a passion for.

In the movie Sister Act 2, Whoopi Goldberg told a High School student, "If when you go to sleep at night, thinking about singing. If when you wake up, you think of singing, then you are a singer." The reverse is true too. If you wake and sleep thinking you're a carpenter, then you'll pretty much struggle through trying to be a restaurant chef.

You may be able to go through the motions of the job you choose, but in the end, your success, or lack of, will be determined by the passion you have.

If you're checkbook is going to depend on the success of what you're doing on your own, then you had better love doing it day in and day out, 24 hours a day.

You can't fake your way to the bank.

Why I Blog. . .

I've been at this a few days now, so I guess its time to tell you why I'm doing this.
As you can read in my bio statement here on this Blog, I've been a PC consultant for over a year now. Through this time, I've been hit and miss on communicating with my Hosts and Guests.
It has always been my hope to organize my communications.
This Blog gives me a format I can work with in posting updates to you. I've put together a schedule of posts so that you'll always see new and fresh posts giving you the most up to date information that you can use.
Also, I've never been comfortable with beating anyone over the head with the Pampered Chef information I have for you. Therefore, this Blog is here for your taking.
There are several options available on this page for you to keep track of the posts. You can "follow" by using the link to the right, or if you scroll clear to the bottom of this page, you can "subscribe" to this blog using your RSS feed which will download the posts into your email program (this is the option I use for Blogs I follow)
If you ever have questions about the Blog here, or want to see a certain issue or product addressed, then do not hesitate to contact me.
I hope this will be the start of a beautiful path of communication between you and the Pampered Chef.

Quick Monday Update!

Just a quick note -
For work today, we had a photo shoot in order to update the website.
The photographer, Karla, from Banks Photography, is quick!

Check out
www.bankspix.com/blog.html

This Week's Upcoming Schedule

Mondays I'm going to let you know what the upcoming week looks like for me, and for you. I'll, of course, include all my Pampered Chef related appointments, but I'll also throw in some odds and ends that'll give you a clue to me and who I am outside of The Pampered Chef

So, here we go

Monday, November 17th -

• A Day planning to make Special Days spectacular for my Brides - Yeah, by day, I'm a Wedding/Event Planner with Devoted To Details in Dublin, Ohio
• The Best New Show on Television! "My Own Worst Enemy" with Christian Slater. If you like intrigue, espionage and even a bit of mental distress, you'll love "My Own Worst Enemy"
• My Goal For PC (short form of Pampered Chef) today is to do follow up calls with at least 5 people on my contact list and to also schedule 3 new shows (for December and January)

Tuesday, November 18th -

• I work in the DTD office Monday through Thursday, so, yeah, today is another Wedding Planning day.
• My Tuesday evenings are spent with NCIS. I'm such an avid fan, I help with a Charity event every fall in LA - The NCIS Fan Fest
  

Wednesday, November 19th -

• DTD daytime
• Meeting with a local Photographer for a casual meeting in the evening. In Wedding/Event planning, you can't expect it to be all work. We all like to let loose and just meet for a beer or a meal every now and then.
• No TV shows tonight. Anyone have any suggestions?

Thursday, November 20th -

• DTD time
• Smallville and Supernatural on CW tonight. Watching Smallville this season is kind of bittersweet. Its the final season. bummer...
• Thursdays also sometimes turn into a movie night with Jerry and friends. Depends on what's out and if I have the dough. This week the movie "Bolt" comes out, so yeah, I'll be there. LOL

Friday, November 21st -

• I work from home on Fridays, though it doesn't mean I don't work. LOL Today is dedicated to PC. I'll schedule shows for December and January today. (want to schedule a show, email or call me today)
• I have a show closing out today. If you need an order placed, let me know by the 21st.

Beaded Elegance

Want to add a touch of elegance to your Holiday Table?

The new Holiday Beaded items from The Pampered Chef will add class, elegance and beauty to your Holiday spread and your friends will be talking about your table next year!

These items are made of high-polished stainless steel neck and head are beautiful and durable. The handle is constructed of colorful glass beads. Due to nature of hand-making process, bead alignment may vary. Having seen these with my own eyes, the description and the pictures just don't do it justice.

These are truly beautiful items.

When taking good care of these beaded items, you want to keep in mind -

• Wash prior to first use; hand wash only. Towel dry immediately. Not dishwasher-safe. Do not soak.
  


• Do not use abrasive cleansers, such as steel wool, scouring pads or cleansers with chlorine bleach as this may scratch glass and could permanently damage stainless or glass surfaces.
  


• Not recommend for use with cookware as metal serving head may scratch nonstick or stainless surfaces.

As well as the Serving Spoon and Serving Fork shown in the picture above, there is one more beaded piece that is offered

The Beaded Spreader

In fact in the month of December, if you place an order of $60 or more, you'll receive this item for FREE.

However, if you'd like to receive the entire set for FREE, make sure you email or call me and I'll get you started on the road to FREE Beaded Elegance!

Small Stations

Your Party Planning Tip Of The Week

When you are thinking of the layout of the area your guests will be mingling in, think of the "flow" you want your guests to move in.

You want everyone to mingle and have a good time getting to know everyone and catching up with those they haven't seen in awhile.

Yet, you don't want them empty handed at any time - They have two hands, one for food, one for drinks.

An easy solution to this is handled by creating stations within your Party area. Put two or three dishes in one area, displayed nicely. Set up several of these areas around your party area and this will allow your guests to continue moving in the crowd without ever being caught empty handed.

For amazing display ideas, check out the Simple Additions line where you'll find serving trays and bowls in several patterns and designs that make your displays look like you hired a pro!

Multi Use Tip of the Week

I'm always looking for new and inventive ways to use my Pampered Chef products for more than what the obvious use for them is.

Weekly, I'll be sharing a "Multi Use Tip" that you may not have thought of.

If you know of alternative uses for your Pampered Chef products, email them to me, and you might just see them up here on my Blog!

This week's "Multi Use Tip" is for the Prep Bowls .

Use these as great place setting/Guest gifts when you have family and friends over. Cut out circles of your favorite colored or print paper to fit just inside the top of the lid of the Prep Bowl. Write a greeting or your Guest's name on it, then fill it with a holiday treat that your guest can take home. (if you want, contact me and I can send you a pdf file for snowflake circles that are premade to fit the Prep Bowl lids.)

Recipe Of The Week

I'm going to make it a point to post a new recipe each week.


This one, the first one, is one I'm looking forward to making for my December Holiday Open House! I'll let you know how it goes and any tips I discover -

Candy Cane Brownie Lollipops

These irresistible treats make adorable
hostess gifts or take-home goodies.


Ingredients
1 pkg (18-21 oz) fudge brownie mix (plus ingredients to make brownies)
24 candy canes
10 oz chocolate-flavored almond bark
Additional decorations such as red jimmies (optional)


1. Line Medium Sheet Pan with a 13-in. piece of Parchment Paper; lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. Prepare brownie mix according to package directions; pour batter into pan. Bake 30 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs attached. Remove from oven to Stackable Cooling Rack; cool 20 minutes or until still slightly warm.

2. Meanwhile, cut straight ends of candy canes off to form 4½-in. sticks using Utility Knife. Place candy cane tops into resealable plastic bag and crush using flat side of Meat Tenderizer; set aside.

3. Using Medium Scoop, scoop brownie into 24 rounded scoops, packing brownie into scoop using hands. (Entire brownie will be used.) Roll brownie scoops into smooth balls. Insert candy cane sticks into centers of balls, mounding brownie around each stick.

4. Place almond bark into Small Batter Bowl; microwave according to package directions until smooth. Spoon melted bark evenly over each brownie ball, turning to coat completely. Allow excess bark to drip off. Dip into reserved crushed candy canes or jimmies and stand upright on a piece of Parchment Paper. Repeat with remaining almond bark, lollipops and crushed candy. Let stand until set. Place into miniature cupcake liners.

Yield: 24 servings
Nutrients per serving (1 lollipop, excluding optional ingredient): Calories 260, Total Fat 11 g, Saturated Fat 4 g, Cholesterol 20 mg, Carbohydrate 40 g, Protein 2 g, Sodium 75 mg, Fiber 1 g

Cook’s Tips: Although the edges of the brownies are crusty, they don’t need to be discarded. Simply scoop the edges along with the center, and they’ll soften as they stand.
If desired, lollipop sticks or stick candies can be substituted for the candy canes.
Wrap lollipops in cellophane, tie with ribbon and use as table décor, place cards or take-home goodies for a special holiday touch.

From The Pampered Chef® Festive Holiday Desserts Recipe Collection.
©The Pampered Chef, Ltd., 2008
Homemade for the Holidays