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Five Reasons to Attend a Conference

October 9, 2017

I try to attend a food blogging conference once a year just to keep current with the on goings in this field. Last year, I missed out, but this year I decided to go to the International Food Blogger Conference (IFBC) in Sacramento. I was working a lot in California this year so it seemed like an easy fit for me to get there. I forgot how fun these events are!

If you are hesitant here are a few good reasons to attend a conference.

Meeting Other Bloggers

This is so important. Most of us work from the house or a tiny little rented space just by ourselves. Let me just say, sometimes it gets lonely. Coming from corporate America, I miss having large teams and brainstorming sessions with other people. I always bring business cards and I make 100% effort to meet everyone at every table I sit at during the sessions. I speak to them. I know in today's world that doesn't happen so much anymore. So when I say speak I mean actually talking to them, not interacting with them on some social channel.

Networking

I explore every inch of the conference. Also the pre and post conference events. I figure if I'm spending the money to be there I want to see it all. Also with most of these, the sponsors of the events are present. I maximize my time with the sponsors. Even if they are not a sponsor I could partner with, you never know who knows whom.

Learn New Skills

I plan out my sessions before I get to the event and have a backup plan incase something falls through with the original session. I make sure to attend everything I have chosen. It's always surprising to me when someone pays the money and then doesn't attend the session or get the most out of the event. And I'm also going to say, take notes! I know a lot of the sessions will send out the slides later on, but the slides won't have my notes. You never know when an idea or inspiration strikes and without the notes, you probably won't remember it a week later when you get home and get around to unpacking all your stuff.

Action Plan

At these events we hear and see a lot of great things that others are doing, or you should be doing. After each session, I make a list of items I want to implement when I get home. I also make a list of research items. Something that I heard that I might want to look into later. I then go home, sit in front of my computer and get those items on my "to-do" calendar.

Discover A New City

This is always my favorite part. I've been a heavy duty traveler most of my life. So the opportunity to visit another city is always high on my to do list. I love the pre and post conference events for this. They are usually field trips somewhere in the city focused on a specific thing that the city is known for. The price is usually reasonable, and the event is almost always worth your time.

And there you have it, five reasons to attend a conference. I'm so glad I got to see some familiar faces and meet a bunch of new friends. If you are interested in attending IFBC conference next year you can check out the information here.

This year, I got to attend as a citizen blogger. Which means that for a reduced price, I get to attend the conference and in exchange I agree to write three posts about anything I choose related to the conference. How great is that! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Accepting Applications for an Intern

May 19, 2017

It's that time of year and we are looking for an intern to come and spend three months with us. If you don't know us, we are are a creative culinary company that is passionate about baking, developing new recipes and sharing what we know. We also have this growing chocolate company that is starting to take up more and more time. This internship is a great opportunity for someone with 2+ years hands on patisserie experience. After you read what we are looking for and the skills required, if you think you fit the bill please send over your resume with three references to

info (at) Serenalissy.com

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR:

We are currently looking for a kitchen intern:

3 month duration

Hours: Flexible 20 – 40 hours per week depending on production schedule. We are a six day per week kitchen, which provides a lot of flexibility in scheduling.

WHAT YOU WILL DO:

Our internship program is suitable for those currently enrolled in a baking-pastry program but could also be suitable for graduates or experienced restaurant professionals. This is a hands-on internship in our busy kitchen. It is not an entry-level internship; we are looking for seasoned and well-trained interns who have strong familiarity with professional baking basics, methods and techniques; they should have a familiarity with kitchen operations and strong overall food and equipment knowledge.

Interns will work daily with chocolatier and editor in researching recipes, preparing mise en place, and performing cooking tests. An intern will also help out during photo shoots by prepping ingredients, making recipes and gathering equipment.

The intern will be expected to train quickly and effectively on our kitchen policies and procedures. He/she will also be responsible for kitchen tasks; including but not limited to: cleaning and organizational tasks, dishwashing, and trips to our local grocery store if necessary.

REQUIRED SKILLS:

Candidates must be analytical, accurate, flexible, efficient, and punctual
Candidates must have the ability to follow directions and work independently
Candidates must have strong communication skills
Candidates must have completed a Food Handler Training Course accredited through the American National Standards Institute or the State of Texas

ADDITIONAL EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE YOU SHOULD HAVE:

2+ years hands-on patisserie experience highly desirable.

Proof of status in current baking-pastry program (ideally this is second or third externship experience) OR paperwork indicating completion of program. Applicants without this experience will not be considered.

Homemade Strawberry Marshmallows

February 3, 2017

Homemade Strawberry Marshmallows are simple and fun to make at home. These Valentine marshmallows will be a sweet treat for your sweetheart.

Chocolate Covered Homemade Strawberry Marshmallows are perfect for Valentine's Day.

Homemade marshmallows are so yummy, and they are easier to make than you probably realize. The pillowy confections can be used in S'mores, desserts, and even hot chocolate.

Cut the marshmallows with different-shaped cookie cutters to make cute marshmallows that are perfect for any holiday. Today, we're cutting hearts to make Valentine's marshmallows.

Ingredients in Homemade Strawberry Marshmallows

Water
Unflavored gelatin
Granulated sugar
Light corn syrup
Egg whites
Cream of tartar
Freeze dried strawberries
Cornstarch for dusting
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting

I've selected free dried strawberries to add the strawberry flavor. They can be ground into a powder using a spice grinder, and they add a concentrated strawberry flavor without adding additional moisture to the marshmallows.

How to Make Marshmallows

strawberry Valentine Marshmallow Process Collage

Sprinkle gelatin over warm water and allow it to absorb water for 10 minutes.
Combine egg whites, cream of tartar, and remaining granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer.
Heat the sugar, water, and corn syrup in a pan until it reaches 311°.
Pour the melted gelatin into the hot sugar mixture and stir until combined.
Increase the mixer speed to high and slowly stream in the hot syrup and gelatin mixture.
Whip until cool, and then add in the strawberry powder.
Spread into a lined baking dish and cool for 15 minutes.
Sprinkle with cornstarch, wrap and cool overnight.
Cut into shapes and roll in powdered sugar.

Who doesn't love a darn good marshmallow? We did these cute marshmallows in two sizes: mini bite-size and a larger heart cutout size. It's a really easy recipe, and I hope you enjoy them for Valentine's or any other day of the year!

More Valentine's Day Desserts

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Strawberry Valentine Marshmallows

These easy homemade marshmallows are flavored with freeze dried strawberries.

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Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 20

Cooling Time: 12

Total Time: 12 50

Servings: Marshmallows

Calories: 113kcal

Author: Serena

Ingredients

▢ 7 tablespoons water
▢ 4 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
▢ 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
▢ 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
▢ 5 large egg whites
▢ Pinch of cream of tartar
▢ 3 ounces freeze dried strawberries ground up in a spice grinder to powder to net 5 tablespoons
▢ Cornstarch for dusting
▢ Confectioners’ sugar for dusting

Instructions

Use a damp cloth and moisten the inside of a 9 x 13 inch sheet pan with water. Line the pan with a layer of plastic wrap and use a dry cloth to press and smooth the plastic on the surface to adhere the plastic to the pan.
Pour ¼ cup of the water into a small microwavable bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over it. Let it sit for about 10 minutes to soften the gelatin and let it absorb the water.
Put one cup of the granulated sugar, the remaining 3 tablespoons of water and the corn syrup into a small saucepan. Put the pan over medium heat. Once the sugar is dissolved and the mixture begins to bubble, wash down the sides of the pan with a pastry brush dipped in cold water.
Meanwhile, combine the egg whites, cream of tartar and remaining 2 tablespoons granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Turn the mixer on low speed. Once the sugar mixture comes to a rolling boil, increase the mixer speed to medium. Continue cooking the sugar until it reaches 311° F.
Put the softened gelatin into the microwave and heat for about 20 seconds to melt the gelatin.
Remove the sugar from the heat, add the melted gelatin, and stir with a wooden spoon until completely combined. Careful here the sugar will bubble up and splash a lot.
Increase the mixer speed to high and carefully pour in the hot sugar syrup in a slow steady stream directly onto the whites between mixer bowl edge and outer reach of whisk.
Whip on high speed until the mixture is cool to the touch. About 6-8 minutes.
Reduce the mixer speed to medium and slowly sprinkle in the strawberry powder. Whip until incorporated. Remove the mixer bowl and whisk, and using a large rubber spatula spread the mixture onto the plastic lined sheet pan.
Cool for 15 minutes then dust the marshmallow with cornstarch. Place a second piece of plastic wrap on the marshmallow. Wrap tight and let cool overnight.
The next day dust a cutting board with confectioners’ sugar and remove the plastic wrap and invert the marshmallow onto the cutting board. Remove the second piece of plastic wrap. Cut the marshmallows into desired shapes and roll them through the confectioners’ sugar to eliminate the stickiness.
Leave these marshmallows as is or dip them into melted chocolate and add sprinkles.

Notes

Recipe Source: SerenaLissy.com

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database via Spoonacular API, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators. While this information can be helpful in estimating the nutritional information of a recipe, it is by no means accurate or official and is not evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.

All images and content are copyright protected. Do not use our images without prior permission.

Nutrition

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Serena Lissy Chocolates Wins Gold

July 15, 2016

We are excited to announce that the International Chocolate Salon, presented by Taste TV, has presented Serena Lissy Chocolates with a gold and two silver awards in the International Chocolate Salon Competition, Bridal Chocolate Category. The judging panel consisted of editors of national and regional magazines, newspapers and other media experts. The Bridal Salon Awards are a great achievement for us because this competition draws entries from across the U.S. from hundreds of chocolatiers.

Our two-piece bridal box took gold for Best Traditional Chocolates; we also were awarded a silver in the Best for the Bride category, as well as a silver for Best for the Wedding Reception.

The bonbons for the two-piece bridal box were a black cherry compote with almond gianduja, and a strawberry white chocolate ganache paired with a black pepper milk chocolate ganache. Both were molded in a heart shape using our custom blended dark chocolate. The decorations were hand painted (as on all our products), using colored cocoa butter to ensure the presentation is as stunning as the flavors.

“I'm beyond thrilled to place in such an important award category!” Serena Lissy said, after learning of the awards. “Being a small chocolatier in Austin allows us the luxury of really working with brides and their families to come up with truly unique chocolates. Our goal is to always create a delicious and beautiful product for brides as part of their big day.”

If you have a special event coming up feel free to contact us to discuss a unique flavor creation, or custom colors to add the ultimate touch of elegance.

S'mores Cake

May 2, 2016

This incredible S'mores Cake is inspired by the Bouchon Bakery Cookbook. Begin with the Bouchon Devil's Food Cake recipe then layer in graham cracker streusel, chocolate cream custard and a meringue topping for a campfire treat -- bakery style.

Bouchon Bakery Inspiration

I have this beautiful Bouchon Bakery Cookbook that I haven't had much time to work with. I recently visited with a friend that had made some cookies to share from one of the recipes in the book. Delish is all I'm going to say about that! Those cookies were the final straw. I decided to open my book and do a bit of experimenting. After some page-flipping the devil's food cake caught my eye, I knew it could be a great base for a Smores Cake.

I mean what's not to love about the Bouchon Bakery? I don't think I have ever had anything bad from there. Have you?

So after much drooling, the devil's food cake recipe was sounding good. But what to do with it? Don't get me wrong, sometimes a chocolate cake just for the sake of cake is pretty fantastic. So after perusing through the web for chocolate cake ideas, it was clear that S’mores have become pretty popular. After all, what's not to love about a S'more? We made some modifications to a recipe by Hint Of Vanilla and this is what we ended up with.

For this recipe we used the Bouchon Devils Food Cake recipe and went with a graham cracker streusel from the book. We then topped that with a chocolate cream custard and made a meringue for the final topping. You can see in the photograph we left the meringue as we piped it. But you could easily grab a small kitchen torch and toast the meringue a bit to get it to look like a toasted marshmallow.

Smores Cake Ingredients

This recipe has a lot of ingredients but most are pantry items you should already have.

All-purpose Flour
Dutch process cocoa
Baking powder
Baking soda
Kosher salt
Eggs
Granulated sugar
Vanilla paste
Mayonnaise
Graham cracker crumbs
Vanilla extract
Light brown sugar
Unsalted butter
Heavy whipping cream
Whole milk
Salt
Egg yolks
Dark chocolate

How to Make a S'mores Cake

This cake tasted as good as it looks. It's a very simple recipe but with quite a few steps. This is one of those desserts that you need to plan for just due to setup time in the freezer. So think about it on Thursday. Buy your ingredients on Friday, then bake the cake, make the graham cracker streusel and the chocolate cream custard. Let this sit overnight and the next morning finish it off with the meringue. Let it sit in the freezer and by Saturday date night, you have a five-star dessert to present to your loved one!

Do you love chocolate? Try these delicious chocolate based recipes.

After making this S'mores Cake recipe, the devil's food cake has quite a bit of leftover. Wrap it in plastic wrap and keep it for up to two weeks. A bite of cake a day keeps the doctor away! I wish!

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Are You A Food Blogger With Writer's Block?

April 9, 2016

Has this ever happened to you? You want to write, you are at the computer, but nothing comes; the minutes feel like hours, the hours feel like days; you start to stress because the deadline is approaching; the ideas just won't come; fear is taking over because soon enough everyone will know you are a food blogger with writer's block and you will never meet your deadlines. We did a writeup for Media Shower recently on how to overcome writer's block. It has some great tips if writer's block is something you struggle with. Since we are food focused here, I thought I'd share a few tips for food writers specifically.

Words...Where are you? They just aren't flowing.

Favorite Cooking Shows

I have a few favorite shows that hook me in. Chefs Table, The Mind of A Chef, anything Anthony Bourdain. Speaking of Anthony Bourdain, I am excited to say I have finally met that man just a few weeks ago at SXSW in Austin. I'm typing this post with the same hand that shook his! Now that's a whole other post coming soon. Ok...Focus...Back to writers block. As I'm thinking about these shows, I wonder what draws me in. For instance, Chefs Table; I love to hear the stories of the who/what/why/and how did they get to where they are. I usually find something so interesting I find myself googling parts of their discussions for references on other things related to what they are talking about. And I'm guessing, if I'm doing that others probably have the same questions or ideas. Well shoot, I may as well write a post about it.

If You Could Eat A Meal Anywhere in the World, Where Would It Be?

This is part of the appeal about the Anthony Bourdain shows. I am a traveler at heart, always have been and always will be. I could daydream for days about places that I want to travel to for dinner. My schedule doesn't permit me to hop on a plane and go to Thailand for some Gang Pa whenever I want, so I have to make it at home when the urge strikes. Shoot, I could do a full year of Travel Tuesday posts.

Food Trends

It seems like every other day there is a new food trend in the news. Recently I had a great sampling of bugs. Yes, bugs, you read that right. I'd been hearing about dried crickets and other critters for a little while. I certainly wasn't excited about the trend. Being raised in the US, eating bugs just isn't a normal thing. I had the opportunity recently try a few dishes, and I will say, I was pleasantly surprised. I can easily think of a few posts about the trend. Shoot, I could even whip up a few recipes if I was so inclined.

Cookbooks: If You Could Have Only One, Which One?

I am a collector of cookbooks. I am probably approaching 500 books now, with 400 of them being pastry or chocolate related. If I could only have one, my first response would be to cry. But if I were going to downsize the collection, I could do a weekly post on narrowing it down to the top 10. Then I could probably do another series of cook offs to get it down to the top three. Then possibly a giveaway to my readers so they could join in the fun, and we all collectively do a final cook off to get to the last remaining book. I like this idea! Not the part about getting rid of my books, but the cook off with the readers part. How fun would that be?

In Conclusion

We hope that you found these tips helpful. If so, we have a few more for food bloggers specifically below. Remember to never give up and keep trying! What are your best tips for overcoming writer's block? Tell us in the comments section below or on our social media pages-we want to hear from you! Thanks so much for reading this post hopefully it will help you make an impact with some of these tips. Now start writing and get some words on paper.

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Cutest Easter Treats

March 13, 2016

Easter time is here again along with grand amounts of chocolatey goodness and family gatherings. Here are some of our favorite super cute Easter treats we have seen online. With these Easter treats you're sure to sweeten any celebration. Click the image or the link below to be taken to the recipe.

Easter Peeps

Bunny Butt Cupcakes

Flower Bed Spring Cake Perfect for Spring Holidays

White Chocolate Easter Egg Cupcakes

Easter Cookie Cups with Coconut Buttercream Frosting

Speckled Egg Cake

Coconut Bunny Cake

Mini Egg Cake

Hot Cross Buns Cookies

Easter Egg Cupcakes

Cadbury Creme Egg Cheesecake

Easter Basket Cake

The Cutest Easter Bark

March 7, 2016

White Chocolate Easter Bark is a colorful and festive treat made with only three ingredients. Make this Easter Bark recipe in advance or as a fun way to use up leftover Easter candy.

White Chocolate Easter Bark

It's that time of year...You know what I mean. Everything becomes pinks, yellows, greens and baby blues. Cadbury creme eggs are everywhere. M&M Easter candies. Oh peeps, we can't forget the peeps. Well it's no different in our kitchen. I just love the colors of the Easter Bark and this is one of the easiest things you can make at Easter time.

Tempering Chocolate

We had some leftover chocolate from a production run, so we figured why not start with the Easter fun. Now in my kitchen, I prefer to temper chocolate. I love the snap and shine from the process. But in your kitchen, you may want an easy Easter bark and choose not to temper the chocolate. I get it. It's a difficult process to master. The ingredients won't change depending on tempering or not. So it's entirely up to you. If you want to give tempering a try, here is a quick video from America's Test Kitchen on the science of tempering and how to do it. If you don't want to bother tempering, you can just pour the chocolate into baking sheet and put it in the refrigerator to cool and set.

Now here is the difference. If you temper the chocolate, you can leave this out on the counter and it won't lose the snap and shine. If you don't temper the chocolate, you must keep it refrigerated instead. Zero difference in taste. The process is entirely up to you.

Ingredients for Easter Bark

Can it get any easier than one, two, three? You'll love this easy Easter bark recipe.

White Chocolate
Easter colored M&Ms
Easter Sprinkles

Decorative Toppings

For our decorative effects, we used Wilton sprinkles and spring color M&Ms. You can use pretty much use anything you like as long as it is Easter colored. Also for ours, I split the chocolate in half and colored some with Chef Rubber cocoa butter to make it pink. They also have blues and greens. Go with color or just keep it white chocolate.

Next, I would recommend finding the best white chocolate you can get. White chocolate can be over the top sweet. So make sure what you use is one you like. For my bark I don't use a lot of the decorative stuff. I like the flavor of my white chocolate. So we just use a little bit of the add ins to give it a cute look, but not overpower the taste of the chocolate. So my recipe gives you a guideline of the amount of sprinkles based on what we used, but use what you would like.

How To Make Easter Bark

Process of making easter bark with white chocolate and candy

If you will be tempering your chocolate, begin there. If not, hop (see what I did there) on down to step two.
Melt the chocolate in a double boiler and pour it onto a baking sheet that's been lined with parchment paper. Level it with a spatula.
Sprinkle Easter candy like M&Ms and sprinkles over the chocolate and let the chocolate harden. Place it in the fridge if you did not temper the chocolate.
Once hardened use a knife or your hand to break the chocolate into smaller pieces.

Also what is great about this white chocolate Easter bark is that it makes an awesome gift. For those of you that like to make Easter baskets, this is a great piece to put in there. You can easily wrap the bark pieces up in a clear food grade bag that you can get at any Michaels or craft store and tie it with some Easter color curling ribbon.

Looking for more Easter recipes? Check out these yummy options:

So there you go! Super simple, cute and makes a great gift. What more could you ask for from Easter bark?

The Cutest Easter Bark

This simple Easter Bunny Bark is colorful and so easy to make. Just three simple ingredients are needed to make this yummy White Chocolate Easter Bark Candy.

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Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 5

Total Time: 15

Servings: Servings

Calories: 196kcal

Author: Serena