Tired of giving the usual gifts for Christmas?  Here is a quick list of creative ideas that you can use for this holiday season.  Some are fun, and some are functional…  We all have people that believe gifts should be something fun and frivolous; and others that prefer a ‘practical’ gift.  Happy Shopping!

Approximate prices are listed next to each idea.  Prices vary by location and store, so double check before purchasing.  All of these can be purchased from your local town or go online and shop for these gifts in THEIR hometown.  Sites like Yelp or City Search can help to locate the shop nearest to your family member or friend.  Most shops will send the gift or gift certificate directly to them.

• Chocolate party or class for small group.  Check out your local chocolate shop like Sharona’s Chocolate Shop.  They host parties in their back room.  For a set price per person they provide different dipping chocolates and items to dip (cake, strawberries, etc.)  Some shops provide beverages, others are BYOB.  A basic package can start at $75++.
• Picture framing for your artist friend.  Artists and photographers have a LOT of artwork that isn’t framed.  A gift of framing can get that great piece off the floor or out of storage and onto their wall.  Try a local framer like Aaron Brothers.  (Custom framing can run from $50 for small pieces simply frames to a few hundred dollars for large pieces with multiple mats and elaborate frames.)
• Meal delivery for a home-bound friend or working parents.  You can arrange for a week or a month, any time frame.  Many of these ‘meal delivery services’ can focus on a particular diet, organic or vegan.  Special note: If your friend isn’t ‘dieting’ giving them a gift of ‘diet food delivery’ might be offensive… many companies also provide non-diet delivery.  Check out the ones in your local area like: Evolution Catering, or a national chain: Magic Kitchen (prices vary – $150+)
• For your friends that order in a lot (think bachelors, singles or traveling for work). Sites like Seamless or Waiter.com can be helpful. (These are national sites but they work directly with local restaurants).
• Rolls of quarters and laundry detergent (the good kind) for a college student.   (1 roll of quarters = $10; fancy detergent – $10)
• The biggest local business is also the local government… support them by buying your friend/family a gift of a loaded card for their transportation system like a NYC MetroCard, DC Metro or SF Muni FastPass.  Many local transits offer a pay-as-you-go card instead of just a monthly pass.  This can be purchased in any amount from $5 and up and be sent directly to their home.  (Most monthly passes are approximately $80-$120)
• Newspaper subscription to an expensive or foreign newspaper.  Try the Wall Street Journal, London Financial Times ($8/week), French or Italian for sports or politics.  Magazines are good too, especially if you know they are planning a big trip to a particular country.  Time Out Magazine is about as local as you can get; it’s chock full of great information for the saavy traveler  The publish a magazine for most large cities (Amsterdam, Rio, London).  Budget Travel is a favorite and a year subscription with discount is about $12.

Gift Cards can be be great, especially if they are from a fun or needed store.  Sure, the AmEx or Target gift card can fit most people, but something that shows you put some thought into the gift is much more personal.  Try these gift cards:

• A gift certificate to one of the new, trendy “Blow Dry Bars” like Dry Bar.  This is the perfect gift for a fashionable sister, professional friend or working mom.  Haven’t heard of this trend?  Check out the article “The Blow-Dry Bar Scene” Wall Street Journal.  ($35+)
• Gift Certificate to a Shoe Repair.  Use this for either a fashionista or someone that is on their feet all day.  Fashionistas replace the rubber heels on their stilettos frequently.  Men’s shoes benefit from new soles when wear and tear becomes visible.  ($15-$50)
• Craft store for a crafty mom, grandma or a household with young kids.  Try Michael’s, JoAnn or any local craft shop.  ($10+)
• Watch repair or jewelry cleaning.  ($25-$100)
• Oil change at their local place.  This is more functional than ‘fun’, but in this economy it could be a welcome gift.  ($20-$60)

Happy shopping!

I love my slow cooker. It is the easiest way to make dinner. Just put everything in the cooker, set to low and wait 6 hours. Done! Love it.

Here is a recipe that I made this week. Very simple, tasty and it came out great. This dish is about $10 total for all ingredients. Let me know how you like it…

Pork and Garbanzo Beans

Serves 6-8 (left overs can be frozen and reheated later)

3lb Pork Should Roast – bone-in

16 oz bag of dried garbanzo beans (rinsed, but not soaked) *1

4 cups of water (also see “Notes” at bottom of recipe) *2

1 small onion, sliced

1 Tbsp dried cumin

2 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp ground black pepper

2 tsp salt

In slow cooker layer in this order: pork, then garbanzo beans, onion, pour water over all. Mix spices together and sprinkle over pork and beans. Cover. Set on “low” and cook for approximately 6 hours. The beans should be tender and creamy. The pork should fall very easily from the bone. The pork can be either shredded for cubed for your preference. *3

Serving Suggestion: Scoop about 1 cup of beans with broth into a soup bowl. Top with shredded pork. Add 1/4 of an avocado sliced, top with chopped fresh cilantro.

NOTES:

*1 The beans do not need to be soaked before adding to the slow cooker. They will be perfectly soft and creamy without pre-soaking.

*2 Substitute the water for: 2 cups water and 1 bottle of good quality dark beer like Negra Modelo. You can also substitute the water for chicken stock or pork stock. Each of these substitutions will add an extra dimension of flavor.

*3 If you want to shred the pork, it is easiest to do when the pork is hot. Use two forks to pull the pork apart and shred. If you want to slice the pork (like for sandwiches) it is best to do when the pork is cold. Let the pork rest in the refrigerator for several hours or over night. Slice with a serrated knife or a very sharp chef knife.

Trending: Mason Jars

Recently I traveled to 4 cities in three weeks. Cities as diverse as Dallas, Newport Beach and St Helena CA. The best part of the whirlwind trip? Eating out! (Isn’t that always the best part?) Restaurants, food trucks, noodle shops…

Several restaurants later, a trend seemed to emerge. Mason Jars. They were on almost every menu in some form. Savory: soft mashed potatoes with a 2 minute egg and crispy pancetta.  Sweet: warm flourless chocolate-whiskey cake with bourbon whipped cream. (This was baked right in the jar!)

The mason jar allows for both a creative presentation and individual portions. All of these appeal to restaurants. However, this is a great idea to use at home too.

A few ideas that are easy to make at home:

• Breakfast: Mashed potatoes with bacon crumbles and poached egg (same as at the restaurant mentioned above). Make each separately and layer in a small mason jar (8oz/half pint, wide mouth) These can be kept warm in a low oven. (try this idea with hash browns or left over Thanksgiving stuffing instead of mashers, tasty!)
• Hostess gift: Hot chocolate ‘kit’. (I saw this at a local chocolate shop for $9.00!!!) Layer cocoa mix on bottom, top with mini- or large marshmallows and shaved chocolate. Create a pretty tag with preparation instructions and attach with a ribbon. Use a larger jar (16oz/quart) for a larger family gift. Note: this idea can be used for any ‘dry’ recipe like Bean & Rice Soup, or Granola layered with dried fruit and nuts.
• Desserts: these can be a little tricky if you plan on baking inside the jar. Experiment with a favorite recipe on a lazy day – not the day of the big dinner or holiday. A good alternative is the do a simple dessert that will look great and bakes easily: apple pie filling with crumble topping; any kind of cobbler. Or perhaps the classic English trifle (no bake) of layered cake, jam and cream. A friend of mine makes a ‘pumpkin pie in a glass’. Start with a layer crushed gingerbread cookies, then pumpkin custard (or mousse or pudding), cinnamon whipped cream. Repeat one more time. Top with a candied walnut.

Happy Cooking!

I am pleased to announce that I have been asked to present a seminar for Bargreen Ellingson.  Every year they have an Foodservice show for their customers and an Annual Meeting for their sales staff.  This year the show is on January 20th, 2011.  (wow – 2011!  time flies…)  Both Bargreen and I are excited to provide this free, one-hour presentation for their customers.

For some reason the restaurant business is notoriously slow in adopting new technologies.  We have found that a lot of foodservice operators do not use social media to its basic or fullest capacity.  Perhaps it’s because they don’t understand how much their guests actually use it.  I have often heard the comment: “I don’t use social media that much.  Can my customers really be using more than me?”  The answer is YES!  Restaurant customers and guests use their phones and computers throughout the day, constantly looking at different search tools to find everything – including a restaurant nearby, a bar that has the game, a vegan friendly menu, etc.

The other reason restaurants don’t use social media is because they think it is too time consuming.  Social Media is made to be quick, short, brief and easy to use.  I will cover some basics about social media – what are Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, as well as more advance social media (Yelp, Foursquare). We will also talk about time commitments for updating your social media.  How often, by whom, how long does it take?

Here’s the text from the Bargreen website:

Seminar: “Putting Social Media on the Front Burner” - Bargreen Ellingson’s Foodservice Supply Show 2011

Your potential guests are looking for you —why are you hiding from them?

Jennifer Hancox, Restaurant Industry Veteran and social media expert, will teach you how to put social media on your front burner in this free seminar from 9am-10am. By attending this workshop, you can enter to win an Apple iPad!

• See what others are saying about you
• Why it’s important to get your name out there
• Tips on how to create good buzz
• Enter to Win an Apple iPad! Must be present to win.

See below for details about the show, location, time, etc.

Explore more than 75 vendor booths! Come see the latest products in the foodservice industry, watch live demonstrations, and enter to win some great prizes. Enjoy FREE PARKING at the Convention Center, free food and drinks, raffles, and much more!

January 20, 2011 from 10am – 4pm

Oregon Convention Center
777 NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.
Portland, OR 97232

See You at the Show!

For more information, directions, or to rsvp to this special event, please call Bargreen at 503.227.1161.

Stay Connected with Bargreen

Twitter Event Tag: #bargreen

Wow!  What a roller coaster day!

I was asked to present at the Portland Digital Marketing Conference for one of the Ignite Sessions.  These took place on December 13, 2010.  If you have never been to an Ignite session, then you are in for a treat.  The Ignite series host short, informative presentations on a specific topic.  The catch is that they can only be 5 minutes long, have no more or less than 20 slides – AND the slides advance automatically every 15 seconds!  You can’t hurry through one slide then spend more time on another.  Nope.  Just 15 seconds and keep it moving.

Luckily I have done a lot of 5 minute presentations in my day.  From being a manager and doing a daily pre-meal/line-up to the ‘elevator pitch’ in sales – sometimes 5 minutes is all you have.

The presentation was about the social media ‘disconnect’ between a restaurant and their guests.  Most guests are tapped into social media (twitter, facebook, yelp) on a constant, daily basis.  They look for everything including new restaurants and bars.  However, a lot of restaurant and bar owners don’t use social media daily or even weekly.  What gives?  Mostly its just misunderstanding.  The restaurant owner doesn’t use social media in the way the customer does so he thinks they don’t use it either.  My presentation touches on that and then explains how an owner/manager can jump into social media easily and quickly.  Two- to three sites only and updating only 10 minutes per day or per shift.

Here is the link to my presentation:  Ignite Presentation – Jennifer Hancox.  You can also watch this video directly from my website on the Restaurant Training tab, just scroll to the bottom of the page.

I hope you enjoyed the video.  I thoroughly enjoyed doing this and hope that I get to go back next year!

Seminar: Social Media Basics for Bars and Restaurants – Portland Oregon

November 17, 2010 – 10:00 AM or 2:00 PM

This seminar is for you if:

* You own or run a bar or restaurant.
* You know you need to get on the social media bandwagon to market your location more successfully.
* You’ve heard about tools such as Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare and LinkedIn.
* You’re limited in terms of time, tech skills, and money.

In one hour, you’ll learn:

* How social media differs from “traditional” marketing.
* What options are available to you in Portland.
* What to do about the social media tools you can control.
* What to do about the tools you can’t control.
* How to post, what to post, and who should post.

And most importantly, how to make it all work together in just 10 minutes per day…if that’s all you’ve got.

Presented by local hospitality social media manager Jennifer Hancox and NTN Buzztime’s Brandon Hull.

To purchase tickets online: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/135476

Tickets: 20 dollars if purchased in advance online; 35 dollars at the door. Bring a second guest for only $10 when you register in advance!

Lucky Labrador Beer Hall

1945 NW Quimby

Portland, OR 97209

“You are what you eat” is such an interesting quote. Where did it come from? A lot people have (erroneously) attributed this to the great Escoffier, and sometimes equally great Antonin Careme.  But neither is documented as saying this.
The real quote that has been shortened and misquoted as “You are what you eat” is a translation of the French phrase “Dis-moi ce que tu manges, je te dirai ce que tu es.” [Tell me what you eat and I shall tell you what you are]. This quote appears in “Physiologie du Gout, ou Meditations de Gastronomie Transcendante, 1826″, (“Physiology of Taste, or Meditations on Transcendental Gastronomy).  It was written by French doctor and gourmand, Anthelme Brillat-Savarin. You can find a great translation of this by M.F.K. Fisher. If you prefer the modern and comically sarcastic food writings of someone like say, Anthony Bourdain, then this book will be a big step up in arrogance and fairly dry. Check out the ‘Translator’s Glosses’ for a bit of perspective and welcome comic relief!
But what does this quote mean? “You are what you eat” – doesn’t really do the original quote justice. If you take it literally, it can be akin to “If you eat a vegetable then you are a vegetable.” Not what Savarin was going for. The original quote: “Tell me what you eat and I shall tell you what you are” is more logical.  What, exactly, are you eating? Junk food? Gourmet? Exotic? Maybe basic foods cooked in a natural state? The type of food that you choose to consume is a reflection of the kind of person you are. Not everyone chooses to by a gourmet/gourmand. Next time you to have a meal, think of Savarin’s quote.  Say to yourself “Is this food really who I am?”
Another perspective: “Tell me HOW you eat, and I’ll tell you what you are”. Are you eating quickly without thought? In front of the TV? Standing up? On the run? You might be enjoying a lovely organic lunch provided by Whole Foods, but if you are eating it in your car on the way to you next meeting, well, then…
Are you eating by yourself or with someone? If you have ever dined at a restaurant you might have seen ‘that’ couple. The couple that is out for the night at a nice restaurant – sitting across from one another, eating in silence. Looking glum, biding their time until the next course.  How you eat is just as important as what you eat. Enjoying a meal by yourself can be delightful.  Enjoying a meal with (good) company can be transcendent.
Enjoy your food.  Enjoy your company.

A WHISKEY BAR _ called Branch

It was a weekend unlike any other.  Our fearless weatherman announced that a huge winter storm was on the way.  It was supposed to hit overnight.  Arctic chill, freezy rain, cold, stay inside, brrr.  Storming in from the Pacific, across the Coastal Range, hitting Portland with the full force of Mother Nature, stay inside, chilly…

Damn.  It was supposed to be a good weekend.  Cookie bake-a-thon, cocktails with friends, a little more Christmas shopping.  What am I going to do instead?  All alone in the apartment, surrounded by ice?  More importantly, do I have any tasty beverages on hand?  (silly Jen, of course we have beverages!)

Well, fearless weatherman…you were wrong.  No Arctic chill, no cold, not even rain.  Glory!  The weekend is back on!

It started with a trip to Branch, Whiskey Bar.  Drove over from SW/downtown Portland to the Alberta neighborhood.  Big, windows, a lot of seating – banquettes, lounge tables, and high tops.  Perfect for a bar.  Nice vibe, easy going but attentive staff.  The perfect place for a chilly night with friends.

Food:  Baked Rigatoni (parmesan, creamy, yum) it’s like sophisticated, grown up mac n cheese.  Burger – it was just a mountain.  Very tall and delicious.  But a little salty when you finally got to the last bite.  Brandade – salt cod with mashed potatoes.  A favorite dish of mine, and a good idea for snacky bar food in an upscale establishment.  But this one was a little off.  The salt cod could have used a few more rinsings to make it less salty, and there could have been 50% more potatoes to make it a little light, fluffier.  The last dish – roasted potatoes with chipolte aioli – practically perfect…  warm roasted potatoes with a little spicy sexy mayonnaise – ah huh, that’s right.

Beverages:  It’s a whisky bar (or whiskey with an ‘e’).  Lots of whiskey is all the various forms - bourbon, scotch, irish, even one from Japan.  Just heavenly for me!  If you drink a fair amount of bourbon like me – or any other kind of whiskey – you probably can order right off the menu.  It’s a decent sized selection with all the regular favorites (Makers, Basil, Talisker) and a few delicious, lesser known brands.  Dickel, Corner, Ezra.  If you like whiskey, but want to know more about it, they also have 3 tier tastings.  I highly recommend this.  They will recommend a selection for you based on past preferences or give you an introductory tour.

If you are brand new to whiskey – try their Branch-hattan.  Really nice, slightly sweet, and deadly.  Two of our group were about to move on to their fourths, but luckily we were there to sway them away to saner stuff.  (“I’m not tipsy”, “These aren’t that that strong” – um, yeah…)  Stick to a maximum of three and have someone else drive you home.  If you live in the hood, don’t BUI – bike under the influence.

But definitely check this place out.  Worth a visit.  Tasty drinks, nice noshy food, comfortable staff, easy atmosphere.

BTW – really nice Sazerac.  It’s an all time favorite of mine.  Herbsaint or Ricard, Peychaud and Angostura bitters, and…whiskey…surprise.

Branch, Whiskey Bar, 2926 NE Alberta Street, Portland, OR 97211
(503) 206-6266

Merry Christmas Everyone!  Hopefully all of you enjoyed your holiday with a lot of food, wine, family and friends.

We had two interesting wines yesterday.  A tasty white from Austria and an inky, dark red from Spain.  Opposite ends of the wine spectrum, but equally as satisfying.  And just a quick note – these aren’t those friendly, approachable fruit forward $10 jobbies.  These are for wine drinkers that have expanded their horizons.

White:  Hirsch Zobring Reisling Kamptal  2008

Hirsch: Wine producer.  Kamptal - region in Austria.  Zobring - town within the region of Kamptal.  Reisling – Grape.  Alcohol – 12%

Pale-yellow green color.  Nicely dry.  Like drinking water from a babbly stream: clear, refreshing, rocky, slightly mineral.  Aroma: citronella, slight petrol, peach, apricot.  Medium to long finish.  Med-high acid.  It went surprisingly well with spinach-artichoke appetizers.  I’m a big fan of the drier style German and Austrian reislings and enjoyed this one very much.

Red: Idus d Vall Llach 2005 Priorat

Idus de Vall Llach - Wine Producer.  Priorat - region in Spain where the grapes are grown.  Grapes: A delicious blend of 42% Carinena, 20% Merlot, 15% Garnacha, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 10% Syrah.  Alcohol – 15.5%

Dark garnet, almost inky in color.  Quite tannic.  This was decanted for almost an hour before drinking with a dinner of rostisserie beef rack.  This wine would be better with another 3-4 years of aging.  At decanting it had a fresh walnut-hazelnut aroma mixed with black currants.  After getting past the tannins, the wine was delicious with a full body, long finish and notes of dark cherries, currants and a hint of sweet tobacco smoke.  Nice – but ageing is still recommended for an even better tasting experience.  Dark and inky – a welcome relief from the fruit bombs thrown at us from all directions.

Try these wines for something different.  The white was about $22-$25, the red about $38-42.

It’s that time of year.  Lots of recipes for holiday food.  In magazines, on line, even crusty copies passed from one family member to you.  Sharing, joy, love, happy, happy.  But sometimes – those recipes don’t work quite right.  Have you ever had that happen?  Isn’t that irritating?  Why doesn’t anyone write down those ‘clues’ to help you out?

I’ve been to culinary school, cooked professionally for years.  My family bakes great desserts, cookies and other tasty treats.  I have experience with recipes.  However, I sometimes get tripped up by confusing directions.  People tend to be short on time or don’t have the ‘confidence’ to bake an elaborate recipe.  So recipes tend to be ’shortened’ up so they look easy or have few steps.  The problem is – missing those extra steps or hints can result in a bad product or a frustrated cook.

For instance – I used a cookie recipe from a well known west coast magazine.  Little chocolate cookie sandwiches with crushed candy canes.  Yum!  Well – it would have been nice to know a few things.  1) Let the cookies cook in the pan for a few minutes – , then loosen with a spatula; continue to cool completely.  (otherwise they will stick).  2) Refrigerate the frosting to holds the cookies together.  Room temperature and the frosting is too runny to stick to the cookies.  Wouldn’t that have been helpful to know in advance?

Or the recipe for Creamy Chicken Paprika.  This is from a new crock pot cookbook.  (Yes – I use the crock pot – and love it!  Don’t hate…).  The recipe is easy – just a few ingredients, no prep and just a few cooking steps.  The ‘extra’ helpful hints?  1) skinless chicken is best, otherwise you get too much fat in the gravy; 2) let the chicken marinate overnight in the paprika to give it better flavor; 3) add a little extra cornstarch to the gravy to thicken it up nicely.  No hints?  Greasy, slightly bland, runny chicken paprikash.  With hints – thick, creamy sauced, tender, flavorful chicken thighs.  (Even Brandin and Paige took some home for later…)

In the future, I’ll post recipes with ‘helpful’ hints, and those ‘extra’ steps that were left out.

If you have a recipe that doesn’t work for you, send it to me.  I’ll try to figure out what’s missing so it will come out perfect each time.