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About Me
A mother and pastry chef's commentary on all things culinary , from thoughts, poetry or reviews. Highlights include - recipes; commercial baking formulas. Delicious food photography.

Occasional posts reviewing products, services or websites geared toward parents
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Teaching Kids The Value of Money, Sustainability & Eventually Food Costing. When kids look at food they only see ... http://bit.ly/8bVddH a month ago
This post references cookbooks,  publications, lectures and industry focused literature on truffles. I was re-read... http://bit.ly/8ypY7b a month ago
I am lucky to live here in Oregon, where the ancient forests sprawl down into the valleys , whose spindly branche... http://bit.ly/5ydGaK a month ago
A growing trend for established trusted brands seems to be going green or at least trying to add some Eco-friendli... http://bit.ly/7pzkjV a month ago
Hey thanks for all the twitter lists :) Very nice to add me. Cheers! 2 months ago
Are you: Entertaining Master or Grasshopper? Contribute by 12 A.M (pacific) for chance to win! http://tinyurl.com/entertaininggtips 2 months ago
Renaissance Culinaire - Nancys Appetizer Giveaway + Link Love (top 60 tips) - 12 / 8 http://bit.ly/6fqwvi 2 months ago
The most successful host & hostesses have an arsenal of tricks they have tucked away in their little entertaining h... http://bit.ly/6G03R9 2 months ago
Thanks for Becoming a Fan - wow! Over 100 fans, this is great! http://bit.ly/3lnOIy 3 months ago
I know that this site hasn't been updated for a while. But readers kept leaving comments & sending me feedback. And ... http://bit.ly/3M1RuQ 3 months ago

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Discussions

My Ink Blog 8 months ago
It’s really sad, to go googling right now looking for updated cross browser examples for menus etc. - most of the sites I came across were linked to site examples that had been removed (out dated) or 404′d.I ended up typing 2008 with my keyword and found this post. Thanks for more current resources! Amber´s last post was… Curb Your Cravings - Not Your EnthusiasmRead more comments by Amber 
 
Last.FM Profile Exchange... 10 months ago
I am into all types of stuff http://www.last.fm/user/abstract2Read more comments by Amber 
 
Recipe: Mango-Ginger Salsa 11 months ago
@Asian Recipes:Hi, that's not a dumb question. There are several ways to get lemon juice from a lemon - first roll the whole, uncut lemon on a clean work space by pressing firmly on it with the heel of your hand.this will loosen up the juices inside and allow you to get more juice from the cut lemon's flesh.To get the juice by hand: you can cut the lemon in half and hold one half in your hand, squeezing in your fist - over a sieve (this will catch the seeds that fall out with the juice.OR if you have trouble using your hands to squeeze (such as with arthritis or if you are prone to eczema) - use a small spoon pushed into the center of the cut lemon. Hold the cut lemon firmly in once hand, while using the second hand to turn the spoon - which will loosen the juice pretty well - just repeat with the second half of the lemon.You can also use an electric juicer - it'll make obtaining juice much easier!Lol.Hope that helps.Cheers!Amber (of RC)Read more comments by Amber 
 
How sweet it is: The Skinny on Low Glycemic Sweeteners a year ago
Thanks for the comments Everyone.@Cheap Posters: Thanks for copying the info from that study. It gives more balance to this discussion.@Wenningstedt auf Sylt: I tend to agree. There have been allot of problems associated with synthetic foods. You should be choosy - it is your body & it is a choice to be educated & weary of what goes into it.@Michael Eliades: You are welcome. I know how overwhelming it can be learning you are diabetic - during my 2nd pregnancy I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. I had to monitor my blood sugar with a meter and watch my sugar and carb intake. Luckily once I had my baby, my blood sugar levels came back to normal.There is a lot of information on the web devoted to the diet for diabetics - do a google search for "low-glycemic", the worst things for blood sugar tend to be "bleached flours", white rices etc.Try to use more whole grain flours or search for alternatives to wheat flour - just make sure to ask a Registered Dietitian if what info you found is indeed the best fit for your partner.I am glad you found this post helpful. As a former chef you may find it allot easier to substitute ingredients and re-work recipes than a home cook.Good Luck!Read more comments by Amber 
 
VeganYumYum a year ago
Wow! These look great. The Pastry Chef in me is excited to find a new recipe to try.Tho I am not vegan, I find Vegan baking really interesting, and I am always looking for new recipes.Kudos to you for creating a new recipe & your photos & tutorial are great!Read more comments by Amber 
 
How sweet it is: The Skinny on Low Glycemic Sweeteners a year ago
Hi everyone, thanks for your comments.I saw this interesting blurb on todaysdietandnutrition.comAll Sweeteners Not Equal for People With Diabetes:"Researchers from the University of Massachusetts and the University of San Paolo in Brazil have discovered that some sweeteners, such as date sugar and less refined dark brown sugars, may help manage type 2 diabetes and related complications. According to a study published in the Journal of Medicinal Food, the researchers discovered that many such sweeteners are rich in antioxidants that may help control diabetes-related high blood pressure and heart disease. Several even may inhibit the action of alpha-glucosidase, an important enzyme related to type 2 diabetes." This goes right along with my post. The ability to have a natural sweetener with heart & BP preventative side effects is a great bonus.Read more comments by Amber 
 
Mom Bloggers Prove Powerful Resource a year ago
I somehow over looked that facet of blogging when I first started in 2004 - I was a new mom, but at the time I needed an outlet for myself to feel like “me”, not just a frazzled mom persona . My blog is culinary themed. I kept with my blog and it is going strong. In 2007 I started to immerse myself in the “mom’s who blog” culture on the web. I found allot of moms, support and networking opportunities. 2008 was a big year and I was involved in allot of parenting geared reviews.My twitter following exploded and I started to realize the power of social networking and how great content plus PR relates to successful blogging. I had always done private beta / alpha reviews for marketing research - but never made my reviews publically available - but when the opportunity presented itself, I rolled with it. Turns out I love to review! PR is not only great for advertising products to an audience - it empowers moms to have a voice, and to reach out to the world-at-large. This can be very hard sometimes for new moms - they can feel overwhelmed and awkward.Read more comments by Amber 
 
9 am Sunday: butter and babies a year ago
Hi, I just glanced about in your comments.(I was searching for a Vegan version to add to my recipe catch - google kept bringing me to this link)Anyway I wanted to add a few tips since there were some questions on what pans can be used etc.Most formulas for Dutch Babies can be done in individual portions, in ramekins - just be sure to divide the butter equally between your ramekins - you can use (2) 16 oz ramekins, or even 6 smaller (3-5 oz) ramekins (spaced on a cookie sheet).And the pan is important - mainly the sides - if you use a heavy cast iron pot with deep sides - the dutch baby tends to be overall flatter (thicker) and doesn't have that beautiful petal effect that happens with the sides. Any kind of heavy skillet - whether you use cast iron , or even good triple ply stainless pans, will work. Main thing is that they're oven safe.Just remember to have the pan warm (I like to put mine in the oven while pre-heating) when you apply the batter - this helps the babies get a proper start. Plus these are not limited to sweet toppings - omit the sugar, increase by one egg & 3/4 cup flour, 1/2 cup liquid, plus add 1/2 to 1 tsp salt to create a savory baby (( try adding fresh herbs to the batter or Parmesan or prosciutto)) the skies the limit....yummy!Read more comments by Amber 
 
Love Your Veggies Mom? Chef Art Smith Wants to Know! a year ago
@Eli -- Obrigado pelas amáveis palavras comment.I e agradecemos a sua visita! - AmberRead more comments by Amber 
 
Oregon : The Last Domestic Kitchen Frontier a year ago
@anonymous Please see this post: Owning a Domestic Kitchen Bakery: Is Your Kitchen Not Right?, I have outlined some information that may help you decide whether a Domestic Bakery is right for you. Thanks for commenting.Read more comments by Amber 
 
Oregon : The Last Domestic Kitchen Frontier a year ago
@SimonThanks for the kind words. I am still considering taking it on - maybe when my daughter starts school full time and the state of the economy isn't so shaky.It doesn't seem like quite the right time to venture on my own yet.Read more comments by Amber 
 
Recipes for Cakes and Tortes a year ago
Poeme: Oh, je suis désolé, ce blog est en anglais. Si vous souhaitez la recette en français, essayez d'utiliser un traducteur de Google tels que traducteur, pour traduire le texte de la poste française pour vous, afin que vous comprendre mai.Read more comments by Amber 
 
Photography : Folding in dark guittard chocolate for hazelnut scones a year ago
Hi, Thanks for asking for the formula for Dark Hazelnut Scones. You can find the direct page on my blog here: Callebaut Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Sconesand Also some other interesting formulas for scones & muffins or other pastries here:Muffins, Scones & PastriesFor future reference - if you want to look for other recipes or formulas on Renaissance Culinaire, Look for the section to the left, in the sidebar titled "featured posts", there you will find links to specific recipe lists featured on this blog.Read more comments by Amber 
 
Stumbleupon Lashes Out Against Bloggers a year ago
@The Fitness Diva: The site wasn't a banned site on SU. We were targeted because we were members of a Banned Site. And this post we commented on was NOT stumbled. SU found the post through other means.It is indeed ridiculous all the same.Read more comments by Amber 
 
Idiot Report - StumbleUpon vs. ImpNerd - Who's to Blame? a year ago
Great post.You can view my take on this BS,since I was one of the participants who was banned this morning:StumbleUpon Targets BloggersSpread the word!Read more comments by Amber 
 
Food Blogger Blogoversary Calender a year ago
Aww, thanks nate n annie, I appreciate your enthusiasm to participate in my project. Hopefully this becomes a really great resource for foodies, bloggers and their followers.So far word is slowly getting out. Hopefully the idea catches on.Read more comments by Amber 
 
Twittermoms Shows Why Twitter Needs Groups a year ago
Don, I think it’s great you can step away from huge sites and see the potential in smaller sites and use them to orchestrate your point.Kudos to TechCrunch for showcasing a group that is predominantly moms. As a mom & twitter user, and member of twittermoms - I applaud you.Ning groups are popular, due to their great features, ease of use and add-ons or hacks being developed to customize each individual site.Where similar sites offer “customizable social sites”, their’s are usually are lacking in functionality, design and are 1 dimensional compared to ning. As I have tested & tried many, and have chosen to use ning for several of my social projects, I can honestly say this.Read more comments by Amber 
 
Oregon Hazelnuts + Recipe : Praline Paste a year ago
@urawazaonna :To answer your question there are a few things to consider first - 1.)Are you working in a commercial kitchen/bakery? The equipment tends to be more powerful and commercial gas ranges(stoves) have a higher temp / flame, than say your typical home appliances or electric stove top.2.)The volume of praline paste you want to make. The smaller the batch, the less prep and overall production time you will need.Generally for a small home batch:It takes 5-8 min. to lightly toast the hazelnuts. The should be allowed to cool - if you add them to the caramel warm they will soak up the caramel & become gummy.A small batch of caramel (say 2c. water to 2c. sugar) takes about 15-22 min. to get to the right color. Do not stir the caramel or swirl. Just allow it to be caramelized on it's own. If it splatters up the sides of your pan - use a wet pastry brush to wipe down the sides so that caramel doesn't harden faster then the rest. The stirring in of the toasted hazelnuts about a minute.5-10 minutes for the nut brittle to flatten, before it's flipped, so it takes about 10-30 minutes to harden - this varies though due to humidity in the air and the overall temp of your kitchen.The breaking of the brittle 1-5 minutes. I suggest you use a parchment sheet over the top or put the brittle in a heavy duty freezer bag - the shards of brittle will shoot all over. As for the pulsing to actually get the nut brittle to a paste consistency - well it will take about 1-4 minutes in a typical Food Processor, using a standard blade. I would use the pulse function, because if you use just hit power it might give you the wrong consistency - you want to control the grinding.Hopefully this answers your question. Please let me know how this worked for you. Cheers!Read more comments by Amber 
 
A Delightful Giveaway! a year ago
Hi, Thanks for posting this contest to twitter :) I think I would choose the Chip Cheery Storage Container Mega Set (in stripe).I could always use more storage in the kitchen.Read more comments by Amber 
 
9 Things I'm Done With Online (video) a year ago
This is great. I especially liked #4.I think people posting job offers / ads in general should stop using street / web / LOL slang, or texting speak. period. Post in whole sentences, use proper grammar. Be professional.I will have to come back to add more. I got a deadline to do.Read more comments by Amber 
 
This Blog Has A Comment Form a year ago
@Camikaos Thanks for stopping by & I love the comment form too!@Nathan You are so sweet to leave well wishes for me. That helps so much though to know someone is reading my posts...Thanks!I am coping. There are so many things to be grateful for even through this stuff I am going through.Read more comments by Amber 
 
Food Poetry : The Secret Life of Chefs a year ago
Thanks for your comments everyone. I appreciate your willingness to read my poem and comment!@biblioChef Hi, thanks for commenting. Well I am not sure if you are making an observation or accusing me of plagiarism? Hmm.Well I can tell you that my poetry is mine and mine alone.As for the "strands of words", a poem will reflect different sounds the way the words & sentences are arranged (in stanzas). I wrote the poem in more traditional form, but I wanted it to flow very quickly and frantically - just as the work in a commercial kitchen is.The pauses and punctuation in this poem were better as if flowing downward.Read more comments by Amber 
 
Recipe: Italian Turdilli a year ago
@Max Ha Ha, that is pretty hardcore :) Glad you enjoyed the recipe!Read more comments by Amber 
 
Product Review: I-Spy Memory Game a year ago
Thanks everyone for your comments! Yes this game was really fun, even at just the beginner level. When my daughter is a little older we will play it with the riddles added. From what I read of the riddles cards, they seem really fun.Read more comments by Amber 
 
Sassy Sunflower Pops Cookies - Healthy & Fun a year ago
“How to Jump Highersaid...: Does it really taste a lot like frosted min wheats? because that is one of my favorite cereals and I am having a hard time picturing it being a cookie. How did you ever come up with the recipe?!”Actually this won't taste like frosted mini wheats.The cereal is ground up. It actually will taste like a peanut butter cookie - only with a crunchier texture. You will hardly know that the cereal is there. Kind of sneaky way of getting some nutrition into your yummy treats.I added the Veg/Vegan & decorating notes, but the recipe itself is adapted from the one at The Snackivate Website.You can find more recipes there also.Read more comments by Amber 
 
Re: Video: Your Images for Sale a year ago
Jonathon,The larger known a photo site becomes - the less involved their interests are with content protection.As a user of flickr since 2004 before the corporate takeover, I have encountered a great sense of community and meeting global photographers from all walks of life and skill has really encouraged me to let my hobby of taking pictures blossom, but the darker sides of these photo sharing sites keep rearing their ugly head --- to the point now that I am left with a sour taste in my mouth, and contemplating whether I want to renew my pro account with flickr.I am really glad that I stayed away from photobucket. The more content rights are ignored the further it pushes me to think of other ways to display my content, and that really saddens me.Thanks for sharing this video and making it CC - I hope it goes viral, bloggers are a big enough entity encompassing the net, we need to band together as a community to make the corporate sites listen to this important issue. 
 

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