Food Review: Stacey's "Crunch"

My friend Stacey sent me a sample of her "Crunch" that she makes out of her shop, "Truly Custom Cakery" as a gift and I had to share my wonderous experience with you!

The plain packaging impressed me the second I opened the shipping box. A simple brown box wrapped in a brown & turquoise ribbon had that simple-but-elegant look we all like. Not overdone, simple in it's presentation, yet elegant enough to hint of great things yet to come.

Two cellaphane bags of her Crunch awaited me as I opened the box. Ripping open the first bag, I popped a cluster of popcorn, carmel, pecans and chocolate into my mouth .... and like butter over flame, I just melted in ecstasy as the salty-sweet sensation flooded my taste buds, each flavor standing on its own as it melded with the others to create a one of a kind flavor combination.

I noticed Stacey had used pecans and almonds, opting for the higher end part of the nut family, and the clusters had the perfect amount of nuts ... enough to enhance the taste and flavor yet not so many that its a pile of nuts with a little chocolate on the side. I also noticed there weren't any unpopped kernels and all of the popcorn was light and fluffy. In talking with Stacey on the phone (because I just HAD to call her right then and there to tell her how great this stuff was!) she explained that she actually hand sorts the popcorn twice so that only the fluffiest popcorn pieces are used! Quality is certainly Job One in her shop!

While one does not need a special reason to order a supply of Crunch, I can see this as the perfect food item for birthday party gift bags, party or wedding favors (great wedding favors!). Order in large quantities and put a large bowl in the center of the guest tables to double as the centerpieces and favors. Its the perfect birthday or Christmas gift for the office, for neighbors and casual friends.

It was fun for me to (sparingly!) share my Crunch. My husband, whose best compliment to anything is "not bad", absolutely loved this. I shared it with a friend and I actually watched her eyes roll back into her head as she said, "oh my god this is the best stuff ever!"

Putting Stacey's Crunch on your "gifts to buy" list will make you the hero of all of your family and friends! Here's a link to her website with the story of how she created it and how to order. Just tell her Debi sent you!!

Website: http://www.trulycustomcakery.com/

Blog: http://staceyssweetshop.blogspot.com/2010/12/story-about-little-crunch.html

Guest Favors ... What is the best bang for your buck?

In my lifetime, guest favors are a relatively new expense at weddings. I’ve lived a few decades and for most of my life, I never attended a wedding where a small gift was on the table for the guests. Maybe it’s a regional thing, maybe it’s just a new “tradition” (and I use that term loosely), but it’s pretty new to me, relatively speaking.

What are couples leaving as favors? Seed packets so the guests can plant some herbs or flowers (and those guests who have no interest in gardening will throw them right in the trash), or magnetic photo frames with a picture of the bride and groom (and the casual acquaintance guests, such as your co-workers, will leave them on the table or trash them on their way out the door). I’ve seen couples give packets of personalized cocktail mixes (oh a really good gift for your non-drinking friends and relatives …. Not!) Golf tees and anything sports … half of the guys will take them but most of these will be left or trashed.

If you’re going to the extra expense of buying a favor for your guest, at least spend the money on something that’s going to be used and appreciated.

What I’ve observed over the years of doing weddings is that if you’re going to spend money on favors, get edible favors. Everyone loves cookies, candies, fortune cookies or any type of food item. I rarely see these favors left on the table or filling up a trash can.

Some cute ideas that went over very well:
· The wedding colors were pink and Granny Smith green. The bride put a Granny Smith apple, a popsicle stick and some Kraft carmels in a gift bag, tied with a pink bow and instructions on how to make a carmel apple. I heard wonderful comments about this one from many guests.

· Chinese Fortune Cookies in a Chinese food box and the “fortune” were personalized messages from the bride and groom. These can be ordered from various sources off of the internet.

· A bride sat small buckets of mixed candies done the length of the 8’ rectangle banquet table and then scattered more candies in a line down the center. She combined her favors and table decoration for a real money saver.

· Another idea to combine table décor and favors is to have a floral arrangement of cookies in the center of the table, with a cookie for each guest. These can be any number of shapes or designs. I’ve seen centerpieces with cookies shaped like stars (for “An Evening Under the Stars” theme), cookies shaped like wedding cakes, shaped like flowers (get it? A cookie floral centerpiece instead of real flowers!). When the favors and centerpieces are combined for an all-in-one design, it can be a real money saver.

· Another cookie idea was my bride who ordered cookies shaped like dog biscuits. The couple were passionate dog lovers and attached to the cookie bag was a note that a donation was made to the ASPCA in honor of their marriage. Another had the breast cancer ribbon cookie. Her mother had passed away from breast cancer and this was their way of honoring her mom, who couldn’t be with them that day.

· A bride planned her wedding in October because she was having an M&M theme. By having the wedding in October, she had easy access to the small Trick-or-Treat size bags of M&M’s that she left for each guest.

· Bags of colored popcorn are popular as a small snack and to accent the wedding colors. Flavored popcorn in a multiple of colors (blue raspberry, red cherry, etc) in a clear cellophane bag and a label with the bride/groom’s name and wedding date is always a welcome treat to your guests. (A great source for these is Snack Krackle Pop,
http://www.skp-popcorn.com/ . Tell Brian that Debi sent you. Brian can ship these across the country … he’s even shipped internationally.)

So while favors are a very nice touch, be true to your budget and be considerate of your guests. Get something that you can afford, that won’t be wasted, and most important, will be enjoyed by your guests.

Because contrary to all of the Bridezilla shows, taking care of your guests is the most important part of hosting a reception.

Debi can be reached via email at info@cateritsimple.com

www.cateritsimple.com,
www.bannascookies.com
www.flickr.com/photos/55969028@N00/