10 Things I Am Learning About Building a Business

Wondering where I am? Yeah, it's as if I have been abducted by aliens and all that is left are my clothes! Actually, all is fine, just productive getting my Big Red Kitchen Cooking Salon into the Market. I have met with the Market Coordinator and found exactly where my tent will be located. Have I told you that already, because Himself keeps telling me I am repeating myself? I guess that happens when I talk to so many people every day, I have no idea whom I've told what. But here are some things I have learned along the way as I build this business...

1. Networking- as my college professor once said, "it is not about knowing the answers, it's knowing where to find them, and who can help you."

2. Humbly but boldly asking for help- This whole cooking in the market thing is completely new and I am relying on surrounding businesses, family, and friends to help me, and I will do what I can to help them. Want to live your dream, ask for help.

3. Saying no- This is a time when all my energies are going into building the business, and with that in mind, My God and family comes first, then my teaching job, and then the business. So everything else that may drain my time, although important, has to be put on hold for a little while. Only a little while though.

4. Keeping lists- If it is not written down I will forget. Check list frequently.

5. Staying organized- This is hard for me, I can be organized, but I am mostly very abstract in my lifestyle and I desperately have the "I'd Rather Syndrome." You know the one where you say I would rather bake than fill out 52 thousand LLC and trademark forms? But now it is so bad I am saying, "I'd rather run a rusty file up and down my shins than..." My kids love that one. See #4.

6. Eating, drinking plenty of water, and moving!- Keep your body strong and healthy. I walk a lot, cashews are a lifesaver, and I force myself to drink plenty of water. Healthy body=healthy mind.

7. Talking- I am a talker. (Zip it Ma!) I have to hear my ideas come out of my mouth to hear/see how they sound/look. I am blessed with people who will listen, play devil's advocate, and tell me the truth, and help me expand on those ideas.

8. Not letting the "What Ifs" stop me- Since I will be cooking al fresco in the market, I have run through all kinds of scenarios. "What if it rains?" "What if it is windy?" "What if I wake up with one of my tremendous headaches on market day?" Etc and etc. All to which Himself says, "Yup, you should quit now." Sarcasm noted. So with that, I keep on keepin' on.

9. Making every minute count- I have tiny pockets of time during the day when I think, "I have five minutes, what can I get done in five minutes?" Is it a load of laundry? A phone call? Commenting on my friends blogs? Sadly, sometimes I stare at the wall, daydreaming about all my ideas. Or running a rusty file up my shin.

10. Realizing it is hard! - I guess if it were easy, everyone would be doing it. Starting a business is hard, and uncomfortable, and overwhelming, and exhausting, and exciting, and energizing, and exciting. I'm repeating again.

I haven't been cooking anything incredibly exciting of late, I wish Amy of Eat! were my Personal Chef. Would that be bad to be a food blogger and have a personal chef? Go check out all the wonderful dishes she makes for her very fortunate clients.

Robin Sue

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45 More Days!

Gulp. Big Red Kitchen Cooking Salon goes live at Lake Anne's Market in 45 days! I am in overdrive as I speak daily with dinnerware and flatware vendors, scheduling and account management companies, Paypal, the Market Coordinator, marketing reps, attorneys, and Health Department. Some days I work 12 hours! The biggest obstacle is getting the website up and running. I must explain the Salons, allow my Distinguished Guests to register and pay for their Salon, and answer whatever questions folks may have.

I am hoping that one of the restaurants near the market will allow me to rent their dishes for the day, but if not I have been testing various products and found this beautiful dinnerware created by Verterra. The plates and bowls are made from special leaves that have been shaped with steam. I am seeking a product that is compostable, attractive, and has that Salon feel. The flatware? Well I am still waiting for the second vendor to send me some samples. The first samples were very rough and I felt my Distinguished Guests did not deserve splinters in their lips and tongue. I'll continue to keep you posted with how things are going.

Busy me means I have been coping with these easy meals.
1. Roast Beef served as opened face hot sandwiches with gravy, fruit.
2. Roasted chicken, homemade potato wedges, salad.
3. Fajitas using leftover beef and chicken, fresh fruit.
4. Breakfast for dinner.
5. One Pan Pasta Carbonara with shrimp and asparagus, salad.
6. Pork Tenderloin, Thin-thin potatoes, unsweetened applesauce, salad.
7. Crockpot Chicken Curry, rice, fruit, salad. Delicious- thanks Michelle!

What do you cook when you are very busy?

PS- Do you like my Big Red Market Bags?

Robin Sue

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Wherein They Fight Over Bread

Now that I am filling my gas tank with grocery money, I am looking to lower priced cuts of meats and poultry to feed my family. I am a fan of dark chicken meat and now because it is, and has always been less expensive than breast meat, I find I am purchasing it more often. My three children fight over the drumsticks and while there are only two on a whole roaster, I need to find a chicken with three legs. Enter stage left, the leg quarters. I love the thighs, the kids like the drumsticks, and because Himself enjoys the savings so much, he is not missing the breasts. Smirk. Since the leg quarters come in packs of four or more, there are no more fights for drumsticks. Now there are fights over the bread. Let me explain.

A few months ago on Mimi's blog Mimi's Kitchen, she shared that she had roasted a chicken over top of two slices of bread. What? I was intrigued and Mimi was gracious enough to email exactly what she had done. No recipe really, just a method. I tried her method with my leg quarters and my oh my, that bread! It was moist and crispy, almost a fried-like absorptive sponge of chicken juice and flavor- as if it were dressing/stuffing.

And now they fight for the bread. Can a mother ever win?

Here is the quick of what I did...
Line a lightly oiled 7x11 or 9x13 inch dish with bread, we prefer the thick sliced bread, like Texas Toast, as it does not get as soggy as the thin bread. Try to completely cover bread with chicken leg quarters (or your favorite cut), four quarters fit in my 7x11 inch dish, and brush the skin with olive oil, and sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper or your favorite seasoning blend- I like Penzey's Sandwich Sprinkle. Roast in 375 degree oven for about 70 minutes or until juices run clear. If the chicken seems to brown too quickly, tent with a piece of foil. Put your boxing gloves on and get ready for a fight! *This method is meant to be used with bone in, skin on chicken.

Note- The second time I made this, I got too heavy-handed with the oil and the bread was soggy. Don't do that, because then they fight you that dinner was gross. Monsters.

Note 2- At my grocer the organic leg quarters are quite affordable.

Oh remember that Cooking Connections Virtual Cooking Class I co-hosted last week on themotherhood.com? Well here is the edited version. Not edited because we had potty mouth or anything, but because there was so much information shared that the editors organized it into a clear concise program. Take a peak. That was one fast moving class. While a live video was running, and a live chat streaming, I was typing my fingers off the bone. Now that was fun!

How do you like to roast chicken? And what ways are you cooking to save money?

Robin Sue

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Breakfast Cones

For breakfast or lunch, I think these will make a nice addition to the menu rotation. Even though this first batch had the traditional breakfast fare- scrambled eggs, natural sausage, cheese, and potatoes- I think the filling options are endless. I would also like to try this with different tortillas as well, like whole wheat, spinach, or tomato. I made these with my daughter in mind, she is only 8 and has a hard time holding opened tacos and sometimes even a burrito can spell disaster for her as they can be too large and floppy. This cone is small enough for her hands, and the cone shape prevents spills. Here is how it is done...


Place about 1/2 cup of filling on one side of the halved tortilla.


Fold 1/3 of the tortilla over the filling, being sure the cone bottom is completely closed.


Continue rolling the tortilla until it is completely surrounding the filling. Serve immediately or freeze. These are great in the lunchbox!


Breakfast Cones
2 pounds bulk breakfast sausage, cooked- I used Jimmy Dean Natural
2 pounds hashbrown pototoes, cooked- I used Ore-Ida Southern Style
6 eggs scrambled
2 cups shredded colby-jack cheese
Kosher salt to taste if needed
10 large tortillas, cut in half

In a large skillet cook sausage until evenly browned, remove from pan and drain on paper towels. In remaining sausage grease, add 3 tablespoons olive oil and fry potatoes until golden. Remove from pan and scramble eggs. In a large bowl, stir together eggs, potatoes, sausage, and cheese. Salt to taste if needed. Place about 1/2 cup of filling on one side of the halved tortilla. Fold 1/3 of the tortilla over the filling, being sure the cone bottom is completely closed. Continue rolling the tortilla until it has completely surrounded the filling. Freeze cones on a tray then wrap individually in waxed paper. Store in zip top freezer bags until ready to serve. These will reheat at various times according to your microwave power. Carefully uncover cone while leaving the paper on to catch any possible spills, serve with sour cream and salsa, then enjoy. Makes 20 cones.


When Food is Dangerous
Many families are dealing with multiple, extreme food allergies that not only make their children sick, but could kill them. In my home we deal with tree nut allergies that can kill our son. We have had to educate ourselves about safely feeding him and making sure he is very careful when we are not around. My friend Anne has a cute "Certain Little Someone" who has multiple food allergies which have made it very challenging for his parents to feed him. Anne who authors the food blog When Food is Dangerous has written an ebook called No Allergens, No Fuss! containing recipes that exclude the top 8 allergens plus #9 and #10! So if you are a parent of a child with severe food allergies or know someone who is, send them over to Anne's site.

Robin Sue

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Cooking With Dad- a Virtual Cooking Class

I am trying something new and different. I will be co-hosting a virtual cooking school called Cooking Connections this Wednesday night. I think the neatest thing about doing these things is that I get to meet new bloggers and possibly make new friends. Wow that sounds teenage girlish and dorky doesn't it? But I must say that every time I have joined in a roundup or blog project, I make a few virtual friends who would be folks I would definitely hang with in real time.

Here is the 411...

When: Wednesday, March 16, at 8 p.m. ET

Where: TheMotherhood – click here to join in the fun. Here, here, here!

What: The class I’m co-hosting is called “Cooking with Dad,” and it is hosted by the awesome Jim Lin, aka BusyDad The Busy Dad Blog, and the equally awesome Shannon, aka Mr Lady Whiskey in My Sippy Cup. Join us for a fun and hilarious class. Jim and Shannon will be chatting via live video feed, and the rest of us will be sharing anecdotes and tips for having fun in the kitchen with Dad (and/or the other non-cooks of the family) in the text-based comments below the video.

The Co-Host Posse-
Julie- Angry Julie Monday
Mishelle Lane- Secret Agent Mama
Ashley Evans- Schadenfreudette
Tanis Miller- Attack of the Redneck Mommy
Dan Deguia- Deguia.net
Lotus Carroll- Sarcastic Mom
Melanie Sheridan- Mel, a Dramatic Mommy
PJ Mullen- Real Men Drive Minivans
Diane- Momo Fali
Eddie Carroll- Life, One Pixel at a Time

After looking at all these co-hosts' blogs, I was a quite chuffed. I mean to be included with this crowd? Geeky girls like me do not get to hang with cool people like them. Being seen with this in crowd may raise my Cool-O-Meter a few degrees.

The class is sponsored by ConAgra and hosted by TheMotherhood.

I hope to see you there with bells on!

Robin Sue

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Decorating Cupcakes Part 5: How to Make Your Own Cake Mix

Did you know that you can make your own cake mix? Sure you can! By taking your favorite cake recipe and whisking together the dry ingredients, you have a cake mix at the ready for later. The great thing about this is that you can use your favorite flour, gluten-free flours, and tweak the ingredients to get the cake the way you like it. I also like that fact that there are no hydrogenated oils or preservatives in my homemade mix. When you have to, pull out your mix, blend in the wet ingredients and ta-da, you have cupcakes! I like a light and fluffy cupcake and have adapted a recipe to get that exact result everytime. So here we go...





Homemade Yellow Cake Mix
3 cups or 12 ounces cake flour
1 1/2 cups or 10.5 ounces sugar
1.5 teaspoons baking soda
1.5 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

In a large bowl whisk together all ingredients and store in a labeled zip top bag with the following instructions for baking the cupcakes.

Directions to Make Cupcakes
One Yellow Cake Mix
12 T. unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 cup milk
3 eggs

In a large bowl and using a mixer on medium speed, mix cake mix with butter until mixture is crumbly. Add vanilla, mix. Alternate mixing in milk and eggs, mix 30 seconds. Then with the mixer on medium, beat the batter for exactly 1 minute, no more! Pour into 24 cupcake liners and bake in 350 degree oven for 17 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely and decorate. Makes 24 cupcakes.

Buttercream Frosting
1 pound powdered sugar
1 stick butter, room temperature
2-3 T. milk
1 tsp vanilla

In a large bowl using your stand mixer or hand mixer, beat all ingredients together until smooth and spreadable. Do not make it too soft or your frosting will not hold its shape when you pipe it onto your cupcakes.


Just is case you've missed them...
Part 1: The Pastry Swirl
Part 2: The Rose
Part 3: The Rainbow
Part 4: The Inside Out Cupcake

All videos can also be found on Big Red Kitchen's Youtube Channel.

Thanks for joining me this week for CUPCAKES!

Robin Sue

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Decorating Cupcakes Part 4: The Inside Out Cupcake

I do have a pet peeve. Wasted Cupcakes! You have seen it before too, in a kiddie birthday party aftermath, a table full of frosting-eaten-only-cupcakes. All that work wasted. May as well given the kids a pile of frosting and a spoon and they would have been just as happy. To try to solve this issue- can we solve anything when kids are involved?- I send my children to school with the Inside Out Cupcake. That's right, a good ole stuffed cupcake for that frosting-in-every-bite-experience. It seems to work too. No more wasted cupcakes. See how it's done...




TIP: Some of the cake may goop up around the outside of your decorator tip. Wipe with a damp cloth. Be sure to make the star at the top of your cupcake slightly bigger than the hole you just made, just to tidy things up a bit!

Just is case you've missed them...
Part 1: The Pastry Swirl
Part 2: The Rose
Part 3: The Rainbow

Big Red Kitchen on Youtube Channel

Tomorrow: How to make your own cake mix.

Robin Sue

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Decorating Cupcakes Part 3: The Rainbow

One of my most visited posts is the Rainbow Cupcake post, I think because we can turn out whimsical cupcakes by simply layering color. A few extra steps but not entirely too difficult. In that post I showed you how to layer the colored buttercream in the pastry bag, but if a photo is a thousand words, a video must be worth a million. Watch and see how alternating three colors in your pastry bag can add such pizazz to your cupcakes. Your children will be wild for these.





To get the vibrant colors in these cupcakes, I used McCormick Neon! Food Color & Egg Dye.

Just is case you've missed them...
Part 1: The Pastry Swirl
Part 2: The Rose
Part 4: The Inside Out Cupcake

Big Red Kitchen Youtube Channel

Tomorrow- The Inside Out Cupcake!

Robin Sue

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Decorating Cupcakes Part 2: The Rose

It's just sugar, don't let it beat you up! Ma asked me a few months ago what my goal was with Big Red Kitchen. Ultimately, I would like to help other parents in the kitchen, whether it be getting dinner on the table or creating fun desserts. So with these videos, I hope to debunk some of the mystery behind achieving professional looking cupcakes. With the simple tool, the 1M decorator tip, I have been able to replicate cupcakes I see in the fanciest of bakeries. If you have been intimidated by trying your hand at cake decorating, give the techniques I teach in these videos a try. Remember, nothing is easy, ease is even an effort, but with the right tools the job can be simplified.




Buttercream Frosting
1 pound powdered sugar
1 stick butter, room temperature
2-3 T. milk
1 tsp vanilla

In a large bowl using your stand mixer or hand mixer, beat all ingredients together until smooth and spreadable. Do not make it too soft or your frosting will not hold its shape when you pipe it onto your cupcakes.

Tips:
1. Always make extra buttercream, at least 3 batches. Why? With using the 1M tip, more frosting is required and extra frosting freezes beautifully, saving you time with the next batch of cupcakes.
2. If you are still a bit intimidated, try practicing your pastry swirls on waxed paper first, the frosting can be easily scraped back into the bowl and reused. I used to watch my Ma practice over and over again on waxed paper until she got the technique down perfectly. Its just sugar, don't let it beat you up!
3. It may be time to finally purchase a kitchen scale. It is best to weigh ingredients when baking.

Yesterday: The Pastry Swirl.

For more videos, visit my youtube Big Red Kitchen Channel

Related Posts:
The Pastry Swirl
The Rainbow Cupcake
The Inside Out Cupcake

Ideas from other bloggers...
i am baker's Rose Cake
Kelly's Tiffany Cupcakes- here are her swirls and roses side by side- Sweet!!

Robin Sue

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Decorating Cupcakes Part 1: The Pastry Swirl

"Oh this is soooo easy." I am tired of hearing people tell me how easy recipes are to make. I have even done it to you! I do not think anything is really easy when one has to take into account the grocery shopping, cooking, and cleaning up, and for some of us with kids underfoot. Many of us work 40+ hours per week on top of it all. I created these videos in hopes of showing you a few pieces of equipment I use not so much make things "easier," but to simplify the task and give us professional looking cupcakes. Easy would be purchasing cupcakes! If you are a seasoned baker, these videos are not for you, these are geared toward the person who may be wanting to try their hand at cake decorating for the first time and just need that extra push. Hopefully by the time you have watched all five videos, you will say, "I can do that!" I will not do anything extraordinary like little doggies or kitties- I don't know how anyway, or raise the bar too high, you have other parents in the school to make you feel like a schmuck, and wow do they enjoy doing that too. With too much "fancy" going on and lack of time, it is no wonder we run to the local bakery. To follow along with me, you will need some cupcakes, buttercream frosting, a 1M star tip (found at Michael's or at your local cake supply shop,) and 10 or 12 inch disposable pastry bags- also at Michael's.

Buttercream Frosting
1 pound powdered sugar
1 stick butter, room temperature
2-3 T. milk
1 tsp vanilla

In a large bowl using your stand mixer or hand mixer, beat all ingredients together until smooth and spreadable. Do not make it too soft or your frosting will not hold its shape when you pipe it onto your cupcakes.



Tips:
1. Always make extra buttercream, at least 3 batches. Why? With using the 1M tip, more frosting is required and extra frosting freezes beautifully, saving you time with the next batch of cupcakes.
2. If you are still a bit intimidated, try practicing your pastry swirls on waxed paper first, the frosting can be easily scraped back into the bowl and reused. I used to watch my Ma practice over and over again on waxed paper until she got the technique down perfectly. Its just sugar, don't let it beat you up!
3. It may be time to finally purchase a kitchen scale. It is best to weigh ingredients when baking.

You know, I have always been intimidated by all the beautiful cupcakes I see each day on other blogs, but when I discovered the 1M decorator tip, I decorate confidently now. So can you.


See my pretty necklace? It's my logo, made by my friend Sarah of Paper Trail Gallery. She would be happy to make you one too! Or anything you want for that matter.

Big Red Kitchen Youtube Channel

Related Posts:
The Rose
The Rainbow Cupcake
The Inside Out Cupcakes

Robin Sue

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Oh, There I Am

My little niece Mia was crying in the dark one night and when her mom turned on the light she exclaimed happily, "Oh, there I am!" Well here I am. Where was I? Sick like everyone else around here. So I feel like I have missed you all, missed out on some great blog reading, commenting, and downright orneriness that goes on between some of us. Even though I was down and out I got a little bit more done with the market. Like ordering my little Breville Smart Oven and completing some research on the other pieces of equipment I will need. One major thing that happened was Big Red Kitchen was chosen second year in a row for babble.com's Top 100 Mom Food Bloggers. I am very pleased to be chosen for such an honor but more so to be lumped together with some of the best food bloggers in the industry.

For next week in Big Red Kitchen...



Oh I bet you are gagging for more after that clip. One whole week of cupcake videos, right here in Big Red Kitchen. Tell your friends, tell your mom, tell your tattoo artist, bake some cupcakes, whip up some butter cream, because we are going to roll up our sleeves and decorate simply, elegant cupcakes.

See you Monday. Have a great weekend. And thanks for following BRK!

Robin Sue

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