Friday Food Fest is here!

Welcome to Team EEAT! We do a twice monthly Friday Food Fest and this Friday is it! Come party with us in Etsy Chat rooms at 8pm EST. We have special sales, giveaways, and prizes available!

Hope to see you there!

Some more info:

What are "Secrets"? Team members will hide the word "Secret" in their shop listings. Once you find the secret, you get the deal that the shop owner has offered! It's like a scavenger hunt! Please, 1 secret per person per night!

Sales will be posted as received:

Double Dipped Sweets
6 FREE chocolate dipped oreos with every purchase
2 secrets: find one and win a $5 gift credit good in my shop!

Just Bakin'
3 FREE macaroons with each order
2 secrets for a $5.00 credit each

Sweet Treat Maryann
6 FREE toffee pretzels with any purchase
2 secrets for $5 gift credit for my store

Cakes by Sugarplums
Find the SECRET and get a $5.00 gift credit for any item in the shop.

CiaoHound
$5 gift certificate for finding the "secret"
$5 gift certificate for game answer
bogo (same flavor) anything in my store for those in fff (including team members!!!)

LittleSnowflakes
3 FREE Cookie Dough Truffles with each purchase
1 secret: $5 gift credit good in my store

LuckyDogTreatCompany
Free bag of Maggies Peanut Brindle with any purchase
1 secret good for $5 gift credit to anything in my shop

TreesTreats
3 FREE Chocolate Covered Pretzels with any purchase
1 secret: $5 credit for my shop

Athyme2bcomforted
Bogo of the equal or lesser value for 30% off
2 secrets: get a $5 gift credit good in my store!

Divine Canine
buy one get one free on all bakers dozen listings
1 secret, free Divine Canine Super sampler

Au Naturale Bake Shoppe
Choice of 3 free vegan HoBos or 3 free Gluten Free Chocolate Peanut Butter Muffcakes with any purchase OR with the finding of one of 3 SECRETS in my product descriptions!

DelectableDelights
3 secrets! Get a $5 gift credit good in my store!

Recipe Series part 6 - Chicken and Broccoli Braid

This is one of my personal favorites, and would make it a lot more often if I could.

This recipe and the original picture can also be found here: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chicken-and-Broccoli-Braid/Detail.aspx (giving credit where credit is due!)

Ingredients:
* 2 cups diced, cooked chicken meat
* 1 cup fresh broccoli, chopped
* 1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped
* 1 clove crushed garlic
* 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
* 1/2 cup mayonnaise
* 2 teaspoons dried dill weed
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 2 tablespoons slivered almonds
* 1/4 cup diced onion
* 2 (8 ounce) packages refrigerated crescent rolls
* 1 egg white, beaten


DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees F).
2. In a large bowl, toss together chicken, broccoli, red bell pepper, garlic, Cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, dill weed, salt, almonds and onion.
3. Unroll crescent roll dough, and arrange flat on a medium baking sheet. Pinch together perforations to form a single sheet of dough. Using a knife or scissors, cut 1 inch wide strips in towards the center, starting on the long sides. There should be a solid strip about 3 inches wide down the center, with the cut strips forming a fringe down each side. Spread the chicken mixture along the center strip. Fold the side strips over chicken mixture, alternating strips from each side. Pinch or twist to seal.
4. Brush braided dough with the egg white. Bake in the preheated oven 25 to 28 minutes, or until golden brown.

My hubby, who hates all things with mayo and food combinations, really liked this!

Good Eating!

Merry Christmas!

Team EEAT hopes that you had a wonderful Holiday season!

We want to thank all of those who have supported our shops this past year! Thank you!

"Bare it all Wednesday" featuring Caramel Jubilee

Caramel Jubilee, formally known as Earcmra, started on Etsy in December of 2007. She specializes in... Caramels of course! From personal experience I know that they are wonderful!

We asked Caramel Jubilee some questions about her art and her life. Here is a little about her!
Is there a special story as to how you chose making your caramels rather than something else? Which is your favorite flavor?

Last spring I was looking for something I could make as a Fathers' Day gift for my dad. He loves licorice and I found an old recipe for licorice caramels so I decided to give it a try. To my surprise, they turned out fabulously well! After that I tried vanilla which didn't go so well. After some trial and error and lots of different recipes, I came up with my own caramel recipes that I now use. So, I just kind of stumbled upon caramel making. Although I like to cook/bake and do so frequently, I had never made candy prior to that day.

My favorite flavor changes weekly. I honestly love all of them! Right now, the chocolate is at the top of my list.



Is it incredibly messy when making caramels? And, is it incredibly difficult to resist sampling your own cooking?

Caramel-making actually isn't as messy as you might think. I have a good dishwasher that I am immensely grateful for and that keeps the pans and utensils sparkling clean and non-sticky. The rest of it (pots, countertops, etc.) really isn't too bad to clean off. It actually surprised me how non-messy it is to make caramels.

In the beginning it was so very difficult for me to resist eating all of my caramels! One day I ate over a pound of them! Now that I'm around them all the time they aren't much of a temptation (Christine of TheFetchingHound and I were just talking this over a few days ago). I eat one or two a week. My family and friends are a different story though! If I have leftovers in the house when they come over they are happy to devour them!



What is your favorite past-time?
My favorite past-time? Hmmmm, I can't choose just one! I love playing games like Mad Gab, Settlers of Catan, and Speed Scrabble. I also enjoy reading. I read everything I can find! I like to spend time (hiking, driving, snowshoeing) in the beautiful mountains that surround my home. I love to cook and try new recipes.

Do you have pets? Any favorite music or TV to listen to/watch while making your caramels?

I have a geriatric Australian Shepherd who is the absolute best dog I've ever met. He is perfect--really! I also have a 5 month old kitten who is a terror and a joy, often simultaneously. For future reference: sometimes the quietest most demure kitten at the humane society is actually just severely sleep deprived. I also have a 40 gallon freshwater planted aquarium with Rainbow Fish.

My favorite musical artists are M. Ward, Regina Spektor, Feist, Badly Drawn Boy, and Zooey Deschanel. I also love classical musicians such as Yo Yo Ma and Itzak Perhlman. I enjoy pretty much all types of music and love attending concerts of any variety.

When working on caramel orders I like to watch Scrubs, Pushing Daisies, The Office, and various news programs.

Get some divine caramels in Caramel Jubilee's Etsy shop today!

Recipe Series Part 5 - Thai food!

Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce

and Coconut Jasmine Rice

from: The Cook's Encyclopedia of Thai Cooking
This is one of my favorite Thai recipes. It is very easy to make and tastes better than most Thai Resturants!

Serves Four
Ingredients:4 skinless, boneless chicken breast portions (or how many you need for your family)

For the Marinade:

2 Garlic cloves, crushed (I use fresh minced)
1 inch piece of Fresh root ginger, finely grated. (You can get marinated ginger in a jar in thai section of the grocery store. It's red)
2tsp Thai Fish Sauce (add it, it's yummy!)
2TB light soy sauce1 TB clear honey

For the Satay Sauce
6 TB crunchy Peanut Butter
1 fresh red chili, seeded and finely chopped
juice of 1 lime
4 TB coconut milk
salt

Slice chicken into strips, or chunks. Put all the marinade ingredients in a large bowl, and mix well, then add the chicken and toss together until thouroughly coated. Cover and leave for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator to marinate. (The longer you marinate, the better)

Meanwhile, soak 16 wooden satay (or kabob) sticks in water, to prevent them from burning during cooking.

Make the Satay Sauce.
Put all the ingredients in a food processor or blender. Process until smooth, then check the seasoning and add more salt or lime juice (or peanut butter) if needed. Spoon the sauce into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside. (This sauce is pretty thick, but I like it better than any others I've tried!)

Preheat the grill or broiler to high. Drain the satay sticks. Drain the Chicken. Thread chicken on sticks. Grill or broil, for 3 minutes on each side, or until the chicken is golden brown and cooked through. Serve immediately with the satay sauce!

This is SUPER YUMMY with Coconut Jasmine rice, or plain Jasmine Rice.

Coconut Jasmine Rice

Serves 4-6
Ingredients
1 cup water
2 cups coconut milk
1/2 tsp salt
2 TB sugar
2 2/3 cups jasmine rice (this is usually sold in grocery stores. super yummy rice)

1. Place the measure water, coconut milk, salt, and sugar in a heavy pan.

2. Rinse the rice in several changes of cold water until it runs through. (This gets the extra starch off- I use a colander)

3. Add the Jasmine Rice to the liquid, cover tightly with a lid and brint to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer gently, without lifting the lid unnecessarilky, for 15-20 minutes, until the rice is tender and cooked through.

4. Turn off the heat and leave the rice to rest in the pain, still covered with the lid, for a further 5-10 minutes.

5. Gently fluff up the rice grains with a fork before serving.

Cook's tip from the book:For a special occasion serve in a halved p apaya and garnish with thin shreds of fresh coconut. Use a vegetable peeler to pare the coconut finely, as you would when making curls of Parmesan cheese.

Enjoy!

Bare it all Wednesday Featuring Marmalady!

Today Team EEAT would like to feature our member and friend, Marmalady. She is our "token" international member and is so wonderful! Visit Marmalady in her Etsy store!

Tell us about you:

In case you dont already know, I am from the UK -- the Peak District of Derbyshire which is about halfway up the country as you look at a map.I am 56, married for 31 years, with 2 grown-up children. Neither are married yet so no grandchildren on the horizon for quite a while!

How long have you been baking?

Baking / cooking. I have been cooking "forever". Growing up in a family of 4 kids, money was always short --so Mum always made all our own bread, cakes , jam etc -- and we were all expected to help -- the boys as well as the girls By the time i was 10 or 11 i could cook a sunday dinner for the family with very little help or supervision.Selling my baking came about when i was at home with a toddler & baby. A friend was involved with a co-operative market stall selling cakes and so i joined too. At first i only made small quantities but as the kids grew and i had more time, the amounts i was able to make for sale grew too. I continued selling through this market untill a couple of years ago when it folded and i branched out into having my own stall at various Farmers Markets -- i am out at a Market most weeks. For several years now I have also been supplying a local shop with cakes & marmalades every few weeks. So my Etsy shop is just a continuation of what i am doing most days anyway and it is easy to fit in baking my Etsy orders along with my market / shop baking.

What do you do in your spare time?

In my spare time -- what little there is - i enjoy various crafts -- and I originally joined Etsy to sell crafts ! As the baking took over my original shop and swamped the crafts i eventually opened a second shop ( http://www.marmaladytoo.etsy.com/ ). I particularly enjoy crochet tho i have never got on with knitting! and i also do some glass-painting and card-making.When I am not creating things for sale I enjoy taking part in general knowledge quizzes & chatting with friends on Paltalk.com (my nic there also is Marmlady) and alternate saturday nights will find my husband & i entering the quiz at our local pub. I also enjoy reading --particularly historical novels but i will read almost anything!

Tell us a little about food in your region

British food does tend to have a bad reputation when compared with our continental neighbours of france & italy but when made properly it can be every bit as delightfull! Apart from our traditional Sunday roast dinner, we specialise in good hearty casseroles & pies and puddings --lots of carbohydrates to fuel a working man! But as everywhere, people are eating more and more processed food & ready meals and so the art of cooking properly is fading. In these more health conscious times the old-fashioned cooked pudding served with custard is rarely found! (Let's shed a tear for the loss of that old favourite Spotted Dick!)I dont have a particular favourite meal to cook, but when we go out for a meal we alternate between our local Italian & Chinese Restaurants

Christams Giveaway Winners!

We have picked our 2 winners for the Christmas Giveaway! They have won a $10 gift certificate to participating Team EEAT shops!

The winners are.....

Opheliamcphee and BlueViolet!

The winners have been notified and have 24 hours to claim their prize.

Congratulations!

Friday Food Fest is here!

Come join us in Etsy Chat rooms at 8pm EST!

What is FFF? Fun, PRIZES, and lots of drool-worthy pictures being shown (Edibles AND non-edibles!!)

So, come join us for some FUN!

https://www.etsy.com/login.php?from_page=chat_main.php

Etsy's Edible Arts Team members offering FFF SALES and SECRETS!

Secrets: Find the word "fff" in a shops item description and you get the special offer that the seller has offered!

http://sweettreatmaryann.etsy.com/
10% off before shipping1 secret for 50% off before shipping

http://www.athyme2bcomforted.etsy.com/
Purchases of $30 or more will receive a discount on shipping, will be a flat rate of $12.95
I will have 2 Secrets in my shop, the winner will receive a $5 gift credit

http://doubledippedsweets.etsy.com/
10% off before shipping!
2 secrets, find and receive a $5 gift credit

http://www.delectabledelights.etsy.com/
20% off for everyone and 40% off to my 100th customer (All Week)
3 secrects 5 dollar gift credit

http://justbakin.etsy.com/
10% off before shipping
2 secrets for $5.00 off codes

http://www.worthafortune.etsy.com/
10% off before shipping
2 secrets,$2.00 off before shipping

http://craftygourmetlove.etsy.com/
10% off before shipping on orders over $50.00
3 secrets: $5.00 off before shipping

http://www.asugaraffair.etsy.com/
http://www.cupcakerevolution.etsy.com/
15% off before shipping

http://www.divinecanine.etsy.com/
10% off purchase of $20 or more
1 secret...$5 credit toward a purchase

Au Naturale Bake Shoppe
Since I am in a new location and awaiting sales, my specials will be as follows:Discounts are good FRIDAY, December 5th only!!!
My FIRST customer will receive 50% off one item and a coupon for free shipping for December 2008!
My SECOND customer will receive 40% off one item and a coupon for free shipping for December 2008!
My THIRD customer will receive 30% off one item and a coupon for free shipping for December 2008!
My FOURTH customer will receive 20% off one item and a coupon for free shipping for December 2008!
My FIFTH customer will receive 10% off one item and a coupon for free shipping for December 2008!
My SIXTH customer will receive free shipping on their entire order and a coupon for free shipping for December 2008!There will be 2 secrets hidden in my shop! The finders will receive free shipping on any order placed in December 2008!

To eat...or not to eat??

Since we are an Edible Team, we thought it would be fun to feature wonderful Etsy artists that make FAKE Edibles!

Our first feature is with Bugbitesplayfood!

I've chatted with her many times, and love the look and style of her play food!


I asked Rebecca to tell us a little about herself. Here is her reply!

I am an artist & a creator who can't stand idle hands. You will usually find me sketching, sculpting, sewing and dreaming away. I started sewing play food in effort to rid my children's toy box of mass-produced junk toys. While pregnant with my second baby, I decided to take matters into my own hands (literally) and create toys that are handmade, fun & safe - toys which foster the imagination, as well as teach good eating habits through play. I design my toys with the image in mind of little faces alight with the creative sparks that come with imaginative play.

Wouldn't these make great CHRISTMAS gifts for the little ones in your life?
Order now at http://bugbitesplayfood.etsy.com

Featuring SweetTreatMaryann!

Today, we would like to feature Maryann, from SweetTreatMaryann!

How did you get started with your goodies? When did you start on Etsy, and how did you find about it?

I can't remember how I found out about Etsy but I was a buyer on Etsy long before I opened my shop in April 2008. Three years ago I sent my husband in to work with my peanut butter cups, everyone raved about them and I took local orders for my treats around the holidays. Helped save my sanity considering I had been a stay at home Mom for over eight years at the time. It has evolved into something that I absolutely love to do. Food is love.

Who are your 3 favorite etsy shops? There's so many good ones out there and I love hearing about them!

This one was really hard because there are so many great shops on Etsy but I narrowed it down to these three (for this week LOL):

carrymeaway~she made a fabulous tote for my mother in law and she shares my goal in getting rid of all those nasty plastic bags

PaulZozem~if you are looking for sterling silver jewelry he's your man, I've got a beautiful wedding band on my finger that he custom made for me

sweetpicklespottery~LOVE her pottery, 'nuff said

Whats your favorite treat that you make and why?

my favorite treat is the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles, these things are truly addictive and have added a couple of inches to my waistline since I started making them Why do I like making them~cause I can eat any left overs ;O)

Maryann has an amazing etsy shop! I am excitedly awaiting Snickerdoodle truffles! Check out her etsy shop today! http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5277546
Maryann's blog: http://mymamamultitasks.blogspot.com/

Team EEAT presents a HOLIDAY GIVEAWAY!

Who wouldn't want free goodies for the holidays! Now, just in time for Christmas, Team EEAT is giving away 2 $10 gift certificates!

The giveaway starts November 17th, and runs to December 5th! The winner will be notified, and will have 5 days to pick their prize! Your goodies will arrive just in time for Christmas!

How to Play!

Each of the following team members has hidden a picture of a CANDY CANE (above) in their shop, item descriptions! Go searching, find the links to 3 hidden Candy Canes in 3 different shops, and email them to teameeat@gmail.com. The winner will be picked on DECEMBER 5TH!

Other ways to enter:
* Blog about our contest, including a link back to our site.
* Sign up for our Mailing list!

That's it! Good luck on your hunt!

Participating team shops:

Have it Confections

Vermont Maple

A Thyme To Bee Comforted

Double Dipped Sweets

Sweet Treat Maryann

ASugarAffair

Just Bakin'

Delectable Delights

CiaoHound