Thursday, February 27, 2014

Scooter the Puppet Cooks with Chris Kobler and on his Own


        
Chris Kobler's    
Cheeseburger Pizza


Make this recipe as simple or complicated as you like. Use fresh or store bought ingredients. We’ve made this easy so that your child can make it after school or for a party.


Pizza Crust                  Premade or from scratch
Tomato Sauce             Premade or from scratch
Pizza Cheese               Mozzarella, cheddar, parmesan, feta or combination
Toppings                     In this case, ground beef shaped like small patties
                                    Any topping and any amount is fine: Meats, vegetables, fruits
Seasonings                  We always add extra oregano to the sauce

1.     Preheat oven to 425-450 degrees (according to crust package instructions
2.     Lightly grease a large cookie sheet or pizza stone. (If using a pizza stone, heat first, cover with foil and then lightly grease with oil.
3.     Spread the crust over pan (or place a pre-made one on the pan.)
4.     Slather on sauce. One cup is recommended.
5.     Sprinkle with seasonings.
6.     Add cheese to your liking. And, more seasonings if you like.
7.     Cook according to crust package instructions. Usually 15-17 minutes. Usually 25-30 minutes for homemade crust.

If you want small cheeseburgers on top of your pizza:  Cook patties slightly beforehand and add to pizza for last 10 minutes of cooking time with a small slice of cheese on top. This will cook meat to desired doneness and melt the cheese on top.


Save leftover sauce for next Recipe!




Spaghetti and Sauce


Pasta: Choose any kind you like
Sauce: Tomato sauce or any kid bottled. Or make your own
Leftovers: Cooked hamburger, chicken or seafood
Seasonings: Oregano or whatever you like
Cheese: Grated. Parmesan or whatever you like.



    1.     Cook Pasta according to package directions
    2.     Heat sauce, adding any leftovers you might
          have on hand    
    3.     Season with your favorite seasonings or
          blend.  
    4.     Put sauce on pasta
    5.     Sprinkle grated cheese on top.

Special thanks to Chris Kobler and his pal Scooter!




Scooter Cooks at Cecilia's Kitchen


Cecilia Marchesini’s
Beef Empanadas




Flaky dough (Homemade or store bought)
Onion
Olive Oil
Filling of choice: hamburger, chicken, vegetables
May add hardboiled eggs, chopped olives, etc.
Salt, Pepper or any other spices you like

Scooter loves cheeseburgers, so this one will be for a cheeseburger empanada

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Chop onion very small and add hamburger. Cook until hamburger is done and crumbled. Add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Cut dough into 5” rounds
4. Place chopped hardboiled egg, a few slices of green olives and the meat mixture on dough.
5. Dampen fingers with water and run around edge of dough. Fold and crimp edges.
6. Bake on cookie sheet at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Save leftover fillings for the next recipes!

Crepes:  Savory or Dessert  



       1 cup            buckwheat flour
       1 cup            water
 1                           egg     
       Olive Oil           

You may use any filling you like, leftovers or fresh such as berries and/or chocolate.

1.     For batter, mix buckwheat flour, water and egg. Beat together by hand to make batter.
2.     Grease a hot skillet with a little olive oil.
3.     Spread 3/4 ounce of batter in pan and cook to make crepe.
4.     Use any filling you like, fold like an envelope and slide onto a plate.

Optional:  A touch of whipped cream is a nice 
finishing touch for any dessert crepe.

Special thanks to Cecilia Marchesini
Cecilia’s Kitchen in Asheville,            

Scooter Cooks with Laurey Masterton


Scooter Cooks with Laurey Masterton


Laurey Masterton’s
Beef Ribs with Honey


1 cup                  tamari
1/2 cup                honey (sage, if available)
4                         garlic cloves
2 lbs                        beef ribs
1 lemon            Small (Meyer lemon if available)

1.     Preheat oven to 325 degrees
2.     Combine tamari, honey and garlic in a saucepan. Bring to boil and turn to dimmer. Cook 5 minutes on low. Watch to make sure sauce doesn’t burn. Remove from stove and let it cool to room temperature.
3.     Meanwhile, place ribs in a deep baking pan. Add 1cup water or just enough to cover bottom of pan. Cover pan with foil and bake ribs for 45 minutes.
4.     Drain water from pan and brush marinade on the ribs. Baste frequently. Bake for 30 minutes uncovered or longer until cooked.
5.     Squeeze lemon over ribs just before serving.



Save leftovers for next recipe!


Beef Sliders

1.     Take leftover ribs from refrigerator and cut meat from bones.
2.     Drip pan juices on small slider buns.
3.     Place chopped beef on bun.



Recipes from Laurey Masterton
The Fresh Honey CookbookI            ©2013 by Laurey Masterton
Laurey’s Comfort Food and Catering in Asheville, NC
Special thanks to Lisa Ekus, Heather and Lucinda Masterton


Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Going Public: BrokenHeart Pets Launch New Site



Going Public: How to Launch a Fan Following 
on Social Media

Part 3 of a Series from Daryl Slaton + Louse Glickman


As word of this blog series gets around town and licensing circles, everyone asks “WHY” do you need Social Media?  Isn’t it a lot of BLAH BLAH? If you are above a certain age, much of it sounds like streams of consciousness or simply a time suck.

Here's our new masthead at
https://www.facebook.com/brokenheartpets

The truth is, I did plenty of investigation before I grew into a content provider. J’Net Smith, at the time our art licensing coach but now our children’s book publishing agent for the BrokenHeart Pets series, reminded us that building a fan following would catch the eyes of publishers as they determined if they would contract for one-book or (our dream) a multi-book series. Find J’Net at http://allartlicensing.com/


Justin Belleme consults with Scooter on
social media marketing.
After a few feeble attempts at setting up FaceBook and Linked In, I contacted Justin Belleme at JB Media that suggests in their branding, “We understand the Internet so you don’t have to.”  He developed a comprehensive Social Media plan for Tails of Whimsy, our art licensing company that handles many properties (or stories with characters), a roadmap to get us started. It laid out the whys and wherefores as well as defined audiences and platforms that should be considered. Justin suggested that our social media climb would be difficult because 1) We are B2B and don’t sell retail 2) We have many characters to sell, each with a different “story.” As each story relates to a different target audience, our efforts would be scattered. For JB Media go to http://www.jbmediagroupllc.com/

Great book on Social Media
Never taking such challenges lightly, I read and reread books and blogs on social media. I gathered lists of contacts from trade shows and exhibitions. We went to the Atlanta Gift Show in January 2013 and carefully targeted about thirty companies that we felt would respond well to Tails of Whimsy characters on their products. I checked online to see what social media they used. Ditto: Used the same process for a media list I had developed from trade shows. And, I started setting up accounts for Tails of Whimsy online. 


Tina Wolfe got Scooter + Boots
off to a great start online.
Next, we contracted with Tina Wolfe of Wolfe Media who manages marketing services for clients on a project-by-project basis. For the final five months of 2013, we worked together to get the word out about Tails of Whimsy on FaceBook, YouTube, Twitter and Linked In. Tina employed diverse strategies but, as Justin had suggested, we slogged along with determination to get 400 + followers who “LIKED” our page. We all agreed that it was now time to take one property and pursue a fan base with creativity and vigor.

  
This week, the BrokenHearts Pets launch their own FAN PAGE at https://www.facebook.com/brokenheartpets Here you can follow the humorous and touching escapades of homeless dog Scooter and cat Boots as they try to bring joy to their hardscrabble lives. Both book and animated series focus on their goals to find food, shelter and someone to love them. Their humor is gentle, along the lines of Charlie Brown and Snoopy. Their world in "real" life is a park with their animal pals. But they dream of a BrokenHeart Pets Hotel where they humorously interact with staff and guests. Think “Pee-Wee’s Playhouse” for animals. Dreams throughout all stories focus on what Scooter and Boots could be or do to get adopted by a warm and loving forever family.

So, what’s in store? LIKE US, Comment and Share with friends as we build a fan club for the BrokenHeart Pets. We’ll lead you to our videos on YouTube, designed to show what local chefs might make with leftovers from Scooter’s “Doggie Bag.” You’ll be able to access our web site for recipes, too! Scooter, now made into a puppet, will be seen around town doing “interviews” for posts on our social media platforms. The BrokenHeart Pets will partner with the Asheville Humane Society on several programs and events to foster animal care and adoption. And more!

Get ready for the FUN of following Scooter and Boots. Join our fan club early as we target a climb to 2500 followers by mid-June, just in time for Licensing Expo. The BrokenHeart Pets will be there too, to extend our brand and fan club to an international audience.

Follow the BrokenHeart Pets at https://www.facebook.com/brokenheartpets