Tips for the Culinary Enthusiast

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A career in the culinary arts encompasses a wide range of professions. You must enjoy learning about food and beverages, as well as working with a team. If you have a passion for culinary arts, you must have the creativity for developing recipes and drinks, but the business know how to be able to manage a kitchen staff, a restaurant budget and possibly manage all employees or chain operations.  While it is possible to work your way up the corporate latter by starting an entry level job in the kitchen or front of the house, you are more likely to succeed if you attend a culinary arts school. The following list is a few of the specialized professions you will learn about in culinary arts school.

1. Personal Chef – This is one of the most common careers those wanting to pursue culinary arts enter into. You must provide customers and client’s meal prep services, as well as the ability to budget for a certain number of people and develop meal plans based on your particular clientele’s tastes. Most personal chefs complete training programs that incorporate menu planning techniques, food safety, managing a budget, and food storage. Most culinary arts schools offer a Certified Personal Chef (CPC) certificate and their median salary ranges from $25,000-$50,000, for those with an average of two to three years experience.

2. Catering – The catering professional can move within a hotel or restaurant operation, prepare menus for office parties, holiday gatherings and weddings. You must be very organized and have strong management skills to supervise a team while planning menus and preparing meals. After getting corporate experience, it is possible to run your own catering business and be your own boss. Many businesses are run by individuals or families and while some attend culinary arts school, others are self taught or get trained in restaurant management. A caterer’s salary can vary from $31,000 to $75,000, depending on which mode of operation they work within.

3. Pastry Chef – This is an ideal position for those who have a penchant for baked goods, such as donuts, cakes, cupcakes, and other pastries. Most pastry chefs must complete a formal training program at a culinary arts school before employment. Not only do pastry chefs have to know how to bake a variety of desserts, they may also have to supervise staff members, keep an eye on the budget, order supplies and be experienced in customer service. Like catering, pastry chefs can start out at entry level jobs in hotels, restaurants, and bakeries, but can move into owning their own business. The salary starts out lower for entry level chefs, averaging $23,000 per year to start, but can increase up to $55,000 to $60,000 for those who are self employed in their own bakery facility.

4. Sommelier – A sommelier has a finite knowledge of wines. The aforementioned professions deal mostly with food, but sommelier’s have to be wine connoisseurs, be able to select wines to complement certain meals, create wine lists, and sometimes train staff about each and every wine that is available. They must know the region where the grapes are grown, assist diners with wine selections, attend tastings and festivals, while remaining abreast of current trends within the industry. Culinary arts school is not usually a requirement to become a sommelier; however a certification from the International Sommelier Guild is helpful to gain employment. Sommelier salaries can range anywhere from $35,000 to $55,000.

Your Very Own ‘Playground’

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“Let’s go to the playground today!” As a parent, you know that summer days are the most exciting when spent at the park. Your kids can fill their days with make believe adventures, physical activity, and fresh air. Yet, you also know that a daily trip to the neighborhood playground isn’t always possible with busy schedules. Creating your own backyard ‘playground’ allows you to bring your child’s favorite parts of the park to your own home. Here are the Top Five playground items to help you get started building your own dream ‘playground’.

#1 - The Slide - For years the slide has been a popular choice for children as well as the whimsical adult. This is the spot on the playground that will have the largest group of kids. Children love climbing up to the top and showing their friends and family just how ‘big’ they are as they slide down on their own.

#2 - The Monkey Bars - These bars give children the feeling that they are swinging through the jungle. We all have memories of kids racing across, hanging upside down, or crawling on top of them. No matter what speed our children have on these bars, they will be a perfect part of your new swing set.

#3 - Swings - This is by far the most classic item on the playground. Children of all ages love to swing. From infant and toddler swings to tire swings, your home playground will definitely need a variety of swing set accessories. Get ready to start pushing because your child will love to swing in their backyard this summer.

#4 - Teeter Totter - A favorite from our childhood playgrounds and still popular today, the see saw or teeter totter will be a must have in your backyard. Holding two to four kids at once the teeter totter is the perfect addition to a home swing set.

#5 - Clubhouse - Here’s the ‘secret’ favorite location of kids playing ‘house’, ‘school’, ‘store’, or other make believe games. The clubhouse allows them to get creative and socialize with other children. It’s a spot just for them; too small for the adults!

Some swing sets can engulf your entire backyard making it a magnet for neighborhood kids. Others can be small and simple. No matter the size, however, incorporating these five items into your new swing set will give your children the best playground experience in their own backyards.

Tips for the Upcoming Spring Cleaning Season

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The mild winter we’re enjoying this year is a hopeful reminder that spring is just around the corner. Soon the return of sunny days and warm temperatures will motivate you to tackle the annual spring cleaning season. Here are a few tips to help you prepare to dig in and clean up your outdoor lawn and garden areas while eliminating rubbish and unsightly clutter.

 

  • Organize the garage by putting frequently-used spring and summer tools in accessible locations. Install shelves on which to hang tools with handles, such as hammers, screwdrivers, and pliers. Include shelving for containers to hold smaller items, like drill bits, nails, etc. Sort everything you are storing in the garage to get rid of unused items, like the kids’ old torn wading pool or the rusty saw that a neighbor gave you.
  • Set aside the larger tools and equipment that require more space or that are used in fall or winter. Snow blowers, rakes, and shovels should be stored elsewhere to avoid taking up usable garage space.
  • Consider investing in one or more shed kits. Choose from a wide range of styles and sizes to meet your equipment needs and available space. You can buy a simple kit that you assemble yourself, or you can hire someone to put it together for you. Shed kits come with various options, such as windows, double doors (for larger lawn mowers and tractors), wooden floors, and shelving or storage lofts. You can also find kits that have no toxic plywood and are thus safe for kids and pets.
  • Go over your lawn to pick up rocks, branches, twigs, and other debris that are obstacles to mowing. Get the lawn equipment maintained and fixed up if needed, or at least check the oil and belts in motorized items. Have your mower blades sharpened and the engine checked if possible.
  • Repair lawn furniture, outdoor swing sets or playhouses, and patio decorations to extend their life and keep them fresh and clean.
  • Trim shrubs, bushes, and trees, and following planting directions for new seedlings or plants.

By the time warm weather arrives, your property will be neat and clean, waiting to begin the growing season. With your garage neatly organized and storage enhanced by one or more shed kits, you will be able to find tools, equipment, and lawn care supplies whenever you need them, with everything organized and in its place.

7 Home Improvements your Wife will want this Year

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Been putting off that honey do list for a while, have you? Well, with spring coming soon your lovely significant other is probably going to want things done around the house to improve the long ignored home. There is a wide variety of home improvement projects that will more than likely take up the majority of your free time, but with football season officially over, you’ve got nothing to do earn some brownie points.

 

  • Fixing up the Garage- Organizing all your man tools and fixing up the holes in the garage door has probably been on your list of ‘to-dos’ for awhile now. But she might be asking for more than that.  Installing a new, quiet garage door would earn double points. You can start by searching for local Repair, or Sellers in your area. (For example search:  Genie opener Seattle). Installing the garage door can be difficult to do alone, so call a buddy or hire some help!
  • Remodel your bathroom- Your bathroom is one of the most visited rooms in your home, so it should appear warm, clean and inviting. Some of the easiest ways to update your bathroom include new paint or wallpaper, a new floor, new tile on the shower walls. Now is the time to plan your bathroom remodel.
  • New window installation- Did you suffer through a drafty, breezy winter in your home. Although this may be one of the more expensive, as well as involved remodeling jobs, installing new windows in your home will save you money in the long run by reducing your home’s energy bills throughout the years to come by lessening the use of your furnace.
  • Paint your home- A fresh coat of paint will make those dirty, dingy walls look like new. If you paint your home’s rooms with lighter colors it will give the rooms the illusion of being larger than they really are. If you are going from a darker color to a lighter color, you should go over the walls with a coat of primer first.
  • Replace your furnace- This is another one of those costly improvements that will pay off in the long run. A newer, more efficient furnace will use less resources, combined with your new windows will considerably reduce your heating bill.
  • Remodel your kitchen- Like your bathroom, your kitchen is a room often frequented by many people and as such, should be warm and inviting as well. A few inexpensive fixes should do the trick. Consider new cabinets, paint or wallpaper, counters and a new back splash to brighten up your kitchen with a minimal investment.

How to Decorate a Tiny Apartment

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When it comes to decorating your home, there are so many ways to express your style, no matter the size of your living space. From painting the walls to adding furniture, the ideas are endless and allow plenty of room for creativity. Now, if you’re stuck with a tiny apartment to decorate, it doesn’t have to be a struggle to get it the way you want. Even though your space may be cramped, your options are not! Here are some tips for fitting lots of style into your tiny apartment.

Paint
In order to set a mood for each room in your apartment; it helps to paint the walls. Of course you will want to check the specific policies for this with your leasing office before you buy paint. Many allow you to choose a color of your liking so long as you paint the walls back to the original color prior to moving out. Countless studies have actually been done to show how color can impact overall mood, so keep this in mind when choosing the theme for each room. If you’d like to make your living room cozy, colors like various shades of tan and purple work great. Now, if you’d like to create an energetic kitchen, colors like yellows and earth tone greens can do the trick. Paint can really transform a room and help you customize it to your liking.

Walls
In order for your apartment to feel cozy and to have an “at home” feel, you will want to cover the walls with your favorite decorations, photos or paintings. From hanging decorative clocks, picture frames and even sconces, you can really dress up your apartment without taking up too much room. The great thing about this tip is that decorating doesn’t take up extra space in these situations since you are merely adding on to the wall.

Furniture
Since your apartment is on the smaller side, your furniture will have to be smaller as well. Find furniture sets with smaller tables and smaller loveseats so that your apartment can appear larger than it is. You can often find package deals at your local furniture store or even online in order to save on the costs and compare all the different sets that are available at the time. When it comes to decking out your kitchen, you may want to consider getting a smaller, personal sized coffee brewer, like the Keurig machine for example. This will take up less space in your kitchen while still giving you a great coffee shop inspired taste.

Storage
Though you may be crunched for space, you can set up certain areas in your home to be dedicated to storage. By utilizing your space better and staying organized, you will find that you don’t need that much space after all. For instance, you could use really nice shelving units with the baskets in them to store things or you could organize your closets to hold more by using hanging storage bins.

Stack
You may also want to stack certain things in order to save space. From stacking your washer and dryer to buying furniture that is stackable, you can create more space and avoiding wasting more space.

As you can see, there are some great tips to take into consideration when looking to decorate your apartment. Whether large or small, any space can be decorated and can be eventually turned into what you’d like.

 

Reasons to Seek Alcohol Treatment

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You don’t have to be falling down drunk all of the time in order to seek alcohol treatment at a rehab center. There are all kinds of people at different stages of addiction who realize they have a problem and ask for help before things really get out of hand. Here are a few reasons you may seek help at a treatment center.

Daily drinker

Do you absolutely need a few drinks in order to get through the day? Do you sneak a drink on lunch and count the hours until you can have your next? You don’t have to be intoxicated all the time in order to have an alcohol problem. If you feel that alcohol is slowly taking over your life, then you may way to seek treatment at a rehab center.

Party binger

Do you have to get absolutely, rip-roaring drunk whenever you drink? Sure, it may just be on the weekend and you don’t drink during the week, but the amount that you consume could indicate a drinking problem. And if your hard weekend partying starts to spill over into the week, then getting help may be the best thing.

Thinking of drinking

If you are a recovering alcoholic and are thinking about taking a drink, then spending some time in a rehab center can help. Yes, you are still sober, but if you are on the brink of drinking, then the help that you can find in a treatment center will be life-saving.

Slight slip

IF you’ve gone beyond the point of thinking about taking a drink and have, not all is lost. It doesn’t mean that you will spiral back down into active addiction. You can check yourself into a treatment center and go through the program again to help you get your sobriety back.

6 Ways Solar Energy is Being Used in Business

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Solar energy is an environmentally friendly way to power your business, but how is it being used? Solar energy not only reduces the need for other forms of power. Here are the top six ways businesses are making solar energy work for them.


1. Solar heaters
These have been used in businesses everywhere to heat water. California currently has more of them than anywhere else. These heaters are cost effective because the sun warms the water in pipes directly. This is one of the oldest forms of solar energy, and it has been becoming even more popular today.

2. Heat the buildings
Heaters powered by the sun are quickly becoming popular with businesses. Instead of burning gas or spending money on electric heaters, businesses are using solar heaters to provide their buildings with heat. This heat is also much less dangerous than gas powered heat. The reason is solar heat does not produce the dangerous gas carbon monoxide. This increases the safety and well-being for everyone working there.

3. Solar Lights
Many businesses don’t want to pay high electric bills for their lights. Some of them have invested in solar lighting. These are lights that absorb solar energy while the sun is out, then when the sun has set they use the energy provided to light up the building. This is mainly used for exterior lights and parking lots, but it is a simple solution saving money and being environmentally friendly.

4. Solar Cells
Some business completely supply all their power needs by using photovoltaic cells. These cells absorb the energy of the sun and store it like a battery. When there is a need for energy the power stored in these cells for everyday uses for a business. Many companies even invest in solar panel installer training for themselves since it is a profitable skill to learn.

5. Plug in vehicles
Businesses that need to operate some transportation on their properties are using electric vehicles that are powered by solar energy. These vehicles run much quieter than gas and diesel vehicles. They help cover the transportation needs without adding additional gas bills to the business.

6. Natural Solar Lighting
This lighting does not even seem like a use of solar energy but it is. Businesses are putting in skylights on their top floors, or even throughout retail location. The use of sky lights has cut down on the need to use electric lighting. By utilizing natural sunlight businesses have also given their location a softer more welcoming feel.

Emily is an environmental enthusiast and also a contributing writer for residentialsolarpanels.org which helps educate the public about solar panels for homeowners.

Decorating Your Apartment for the Holidays

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Home decor isn’t something that always comes naturally; most of us I’m sure have experienced that. Mixing and matching colors and styles, being trendy while staying true to yourself is no small task. Apartments take that challenge to another level. With limited space and restrictions on what you can and can’t do, can be a nightmare.

 

But with Christmas right around the corner, holiday decorating is an essential part of getting into the spirit. Whether your home is a house or apartment, holiday decorating is about being fun, festive, and unique. Because the decorations are temporary it’s okay to go all out and enjoy the season.

Christmas trees are probably the oldest and most traditional form decorating. But brining a Christmas tree into an apartment isn’t any easy thing to do. For one, getting it into the apartment, especially if you don’t live on the first floor, can pose a series of challenges; carrying it up the stairs, maneuvering through hallways, etc. If you are able to get it into the apartment the second issue becomes space. Most apartments don’t have a lot of extra room so squeezing in a Christmas tree doesn’t leave much room for living. If you can fit it in great, if not don’t despair. There lots of tree options; medium sized floor trees and small table trees just to name a couple. Either way you’ll soon be enjoying the tradition of festively decorated tree.

Christmas lights are another holiday tradition that we have embraced in more recent years. Some people are known for going all out, much like the movie Christmas Vacation , while others keep it nice and simple. Hanging lights can be a challenge in an apartment but unless you have the gorgeous winter views of one of the Montreal apartments it’s nice to have something special to look at. The balcony is the ideal place to hang Christmas lights, and if you don’t have a balcony you can still put them around the windows.

Of course you don’t want to forget to hang your stocking. Even if you don’t have a fireplace, the foot of your bed or even a doorknob can work as a great hanger. This is also the perfect time to break out the special holiday dishes and maybe even get some matching holiday napkins and coordinating center piece.

If you have kids you don’t want to leave them out of the fun. Make decorating a family event. You can even allow them to have their own small tree or string of lights in their room. A fun holiday craft that will help them get into the spirit is making a Christmas chain to help count down the days till Christmas. Not only is it super fun but also super cheap.

While you may not be able to do everything to decorate that you could with a house, there is still a lot of room to fun and creative. After all the season is about creating lasting memories for yourself and your family.

The Tools of the Trade in Home Remodeling

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Undertaking a home remodeling project is a big decision. As a homeowner, you weigh the costs versus the benefits of a potentially long and messy process. You worry about disrupting your family’s routines while construction occurs. Fortunately, you can limit home remodeling difficulties when your team includes a construction manager. Let’s review why this is important:

What does a construction manager do?

As the leader of your project, he/she verifies that all the work required to complete the job is carried out correctly and efficiently. Construction managers see the project through from start to finish. They schedule, coordinate, and hire the necessary workers for the job and make sure those workers have the appropriate skills and attitude. Your manager uses a variety of tools to confirm that your project runs smoothly, and, very importantly, stays on budget.

What happens after we hire a home remodel team?

First and foremost, a good construction manager will spend plenty of time with you to understand exactly what you want and can afford, resulting in an agreed-upon scope of work. Then, he/she will prepare the necessary documents, including plans and product specifications for new installations. The manager will make sure that any city or county construction permits required are obtained. Once the planning process is complete, remodeling can begin.

What tools does the construction manager use to track and manage my home remodeling project?

Some put together a construction manual that includes the contract, any change orders, project timeline, purchase orders and a detailed scope of work. This client-specific notebook helps the construction manager and his/her team to better assist and inform you throughout the project. The notebook typically includes all drawings and daily job tracking. It often includes budget spreadsheets so you are kept informed of ongoing costs.

But in this computer age, the tools of the trade for many construction managers utilize construction management software. Some are program-based; others are web-based or even use cloud technology. Some allow the construction team anywhere, anytime access from mobile platforms such as iPhones, iPads and Androids. Most include features such as project scheduling, project/construction management, customer and service management, project estimators, and budget tracking.

When you’re ready for a home remodel, make sure your team includes a construction manager with the right tools of the trade to get your job done on time and on budget.

Top Home Decor Trends In Delaware

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One of the most notable and interesting trends in home decorating in Delaware is the trend towards Vintage. Included can be pieces from the 1950′s, 1960′s and 1970′s. And whether leaning towards a neutral palette, or a trendier brightly colored one, vintage can be incorporated into almost any decor.
In home lighting, you can try fixtures in brass or pewter, or imported pieces from places like the Czech Republic or even Russia. The key is to make it your own unique space, and to keep things within a similar time period or Country that decorating is based on.

The latest trending paint colors selected for homes will depend on whether you want a classic color scheme, or a brighter color scheme with almost a “Latin” flare. Currently, a classic scheme would include the color of the year for 2011, called “Vintage Wine.” Vintage Wine is then combined with colors such as French gray, blues, lavender, and buff and cocoa. This creates a more neutral, classic color palette.

If you decide something brighter is more your style, try Latin flavored colors such as “Habanero Chili” combined with teals, parakeet and even sapphire. This color combination would work better with 1960′s or 1970′s furnishings. Take into consideration when decorating the vintage “time” period you are attempting to recreate, and use that as your guide when choosing furnishings and paint palette schemes.

A big trend in home lighting is to “go green.” This includes such touches as LED lighting. And for a more casual, contemporary living space, try placing things like chandeliers in unusual places, like bedrooms or even closets. You can also use currently popular “art glass” fixtures, these are a bit different from traditional “Tiffany” style lamps that were once used.

Kitchen interiors are presently trending towards open and airy kitchens. A huge trend several years ago was towards granite counter tops. Current trends are towards different materials like crushed recycled glass or quartz stone with a smooth surface placed on top of these materials.

As far as flooring goes, hardwood can take on a totally new and very interesting “feel” when hardwoods are placed in a herringbone pattern, for example. Or one can go with traditional carpeting, if that’s more your style.

The key is to incorporate your own style into whichever decorating trends you choose, and have fun with them! After all, home is where your heart is.