Using Edible Holiday Centerpieces to Spice Up Your Decor

When the holiday season rolls around again, many people are at their wits end to try and figure how to create the perfect atmosphere for holidays like Christmas. Fortunately, there really can be an easy solution. Fruit arrangements can make a fantastic edible holiday centerpiece, and can be made to represent any type of holiday theme you wish to create. By adding a touch of holiday décor to these fruit arrangements and centerpieces, you can allow it to become a focal point for your holiday decorations, and yet can still enjoy the perfect marriage of functionality and beauty.

 

The advantages of edible fruit centerpieces are that you can branch out and stop decorating in the usual ho-hum fashion for the holidays. Instead, you can explore the world of fruit arrangements as the healthiest and most intriguing way to fill your home with holiday cheer. Rather than stick to the very dull and predictable

centerpieces that simply do not stand out, you can instead choose a centerpiece that features bursts of color, sensual tasting fruits and stylish accents. When it comes to creating an atmosphere of holiday cheer, the small details can make or break the illusion, so it is important to only use high quality edible centerpieces.

Centerpieces are a central part of decorating, and although most people may choose to use candles, wreaths or traditional trappings for their holiday centerpiece, you can also choose to break away from humdrum by using a holiday fruit arrangement for your centerpiece. Not only is this a highly decorative use for fruit, but it is also practical, since you can enjoy eating the fruit and will not have extra centerpiece items to throw away once the celebrations are over. Whether it is Yuletide celebrations, Thanksgiving, Valentine's Day or even just a birthday celebration, the edible fruit basket, arrangement or centerpiece can be an elegant touch.

Holiday decorating traditions are part of American culture, and whether you go all out and decorate your entire home for Christmas or simply wish to decorate a side table with centerpieces, you can change the whole feel and look of a home in time for the holiday that you are celebrating. Fruit arrangements are absolutely beautiful to look at, and you can easily create or buy those that match your holiday décor or that contain your favorite fruits.

An Apple A Day Helps the Pounds Drop Away? by Nancy Schramm

Remember that old saying, "an apple a day keeps the doctor away"? Recent research appears to be supporting the idea that eating apples can help you lose weight.

So, they not only taste good, make a great cobbler or pie, can be center stage at Halloween parties either covered in caramel or floating in a bucket of water, and are a staple in the Flowers to Eat Strawberry Apple Banana Bliss™ bouquet, but they could help me lose weight?

How you ask?

Well, the fiber pectin in them does help you feel fuller, as well as the other benefits of having a sufficient amount of fiber in your diet. But there's more.

There is a chemical that occurs naturally in apples, ursolic acid, that has been linked to maintaining muscle mass. In one experiment with mice, the mice that were fed chow to which ursolic acid from apples was added:

• Gained 33% less belly fat
• Had an 11% higher metabolic rate
• Ran 38% longer on a treadmill exercise
• Stored 24% less fat in the liver

More research needs to be done with humans, but what a great way to preserve  muscle mass, which is important for maintaining a  metabolic rate that is sufficiently high enough to lose weight.

Read more about it on the Dole newsletter blog: http://newsletter.dole.com/2012/anti-obesity-apple/

Summer is Here and Fresh Mangos are Plentiful by Nancy

When it comes to fruit, I grew up with a pretty sheltered life. Oranges, apples, most kinds of berries, but my mother never bought or brought home a mango. I had no idea what I was missing until I tasted one at a friend's house as an adult. YUM! How sweet and delicious it was.

When I went to the grocery store to buy one for myself, I realized I had no idea how to pick a ripe one. There were Mangoes that were all green, some that were green and yellow, and some that had red for some of their skin. Thinking that the red ones must be the most ripe, I picked a firm, green and red mango and headed home to taste it.

I was wrong, color has little to do with how ripe a mango is. I have since learned that you pick a mango by touch......if it is slightly soft when you gently squeeze it it will probably be ripe. I'm now much better at choosing one that my family will like.

Here's a fun fact about mangos......they are related to cashews and pistachios!

Dole Nutrition News recently published a blog about mangoes helping mice lose weight and lower their cholesterol. To read more about this, go to the Dole blog site: http://newsletter.dole.com/2012/minimize-with-mango/

One of my favorite recipes for mangoes is as a smoothie. This one is good for people on a dairy-free diet.

Mango Mania

1 medium mango
1 1/4c of soya milk
1 lime, juiced
zest of 1 lime
2 Tbs. honey

Peel the mango and cut the flesh off of the stone.
Place in blender with the soya milk, lime juice, zest and honey.
Blend until smooth and frothy.
Pour over crushed ice and enjoy!









http://newsletter.dole.com/2012/minimize-with-mango/

Top 10 Reasons to Buy a Bouquet from Flowers to Eat™

10. To say: Happy Birthday or Happy Anniversary!

9. To say: Congratulations or Well Done!

8. To say: I Love You!

7. To say: I'm Sorry!

6. To say: Thank You!

5. Because you or they have had a bad day.

4 Because you Know they Love dark chocolate and fruit.

3. Because a Flowers to Eat™ bouquet LOOKS so good!

2. Because a Flowers to Eat™ bouquet TASTES so good!

1. Because no one else makes those "Melt In Your Mouth Banana Bites™!

We look forward to helping you make someone's day very special.

National Gardening Exercise Day by Nancy Schramm

The post card says "Celebrate National Gardening Exercise Day" on June 6th.
The back of the postcard says that lunch at Sweet Tomatoes is just $5.00 on June 6th.

And there is a video that you can watch poor Aaron and two ladies 'exercising' in a garden with simulated gardening tasks. Aaron looks like he could use a little more frequent exposure to the sun, if he was a plant, I don't think there would be a lot of photosynthesis going on. But it is all in good humor. If you have a chance, watch them at the link below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDEwFo6kM_E&feature=youtu.be

Ok, it's a cute idea, creative marketing in an industry that has seen fewer people eating out or eating out as often in the last year or two. There are lots of healthy fruits and vegetables at Sweet Tomatoes that you can choose for your buffet lunch or dinner, but then there are the blueberry muffins and the chocolate brownie muffins. Yum! Why do carbs have to taste so good?

A Picnic Favorite! by Nancy Schramm

Not fried chicken, potato salad, hot dogs or hamburgers, this picnic favorite hits your sweet tooth. Cold and juicy, green and red, it's the Watermelon that I am talking about.

Watermelon season is here once again and my family loves it. Yes, there are the seed spitting contests, which I haven't won in years. There are the decoratively cut watermelon flowers and melons themselves (my favorite is one carved like a shark's head complete with watermelon rind teeth). And, there are the beautiful and delicious fruit arrangements that Flowers to Eat makes that include this yummy melon.

Watermelon is actually healthy for you. It has high levels of vitamins A and C, and a good level of vitamin B6. The Doctor's Book of Healing Foods says that eating just one serving of watermelon a day can reduce a man's risk of developing prostate cancer by 82%! For those of us fighting the battle of the bulge, 2 cups of watermelon chunks contain only 80 tasty calories.

Watermelon.org suggests that you 'spoil your appetite' by having a slice of watermelon before your meal. Being 92% water, it will help curb your hunger while satisfying your tastebuds.

When you have a chance, please go to our website, www.flowerstoeat.com, and under the 'arrangement' tab, see the nice selection of bouquets that feature watermelon as a key ingredient. We love that sweet, juicy watermelon is again available.

Flowers to Eat website

RNC Small Business Directory Interview by Nancy Schramm

August will be a very hectic and exciting month for businesses, large and small, in Tampa, Fl. In case you have been media deprived over the last few months and did not know it, the Republican National Convention will be held here. Like most small businesses, we at Flowers to Eat are looking forward to putting our community's best foot forward welcoming all the visitors who may be making their first trip to the Tampa Bay Area.

Recently the Host Committee published their Small Business Directory. Over 500 small businesses of all types are included in the directory, making it an excellent resource for event planners, hosting hotels, restaurants, committee members, delegates, the media and everyone else associated with this major event.

Bay News 9 interviewed Flowers to Eat on the day that the availability of the Small Business Directory was announced. When you have a chance, please click on this link to watch the interview. Thank you Bay News 9.

http://baynews9.com/content/news/baynews9/video.html?clip=http://static.baynews9.com/newsvideo/bn9/arc/RNC_Small_Business_Directory.f4v

Do You Know a Leaper?

No, not a Leper, although there are fewer and fewer people termed 'leper' with the availability of today's medical treatments. A Leaper is a person born on February 29th.

Today's local paper had a feature story on a woman who will be having a baby, by C-section. She has chosen to have the birth take place tomorrow, Leap Day. I guess that means that once every 4 years her child with have a very large birthday party. Most Leapers celebrate their other birthdays on February 28th.

Interesting facts for individuals born on February 29th.
1) Most life insurance companies computers cannot accept a birthdate of February 29th. Leapers have to put their application birthdate as March 1st.

2) There is no excuse for not knowing when a U.S. Presidential election is to be held because they are always held in Leap Years.

3) Signing a one year contract on February 29th means that it expires when, February 28th or March 1st of the following year?

4) There is an Irish tradition that says if a man receives a proposal of marriage on February 29th, he must accept it.

I titled this blog entry, Do You Know a Leaper. While I have 6 close family members with February birthdays, I personally do not know a Leaper. Here are a few famous people who were born on February 29th.

• 1468 – Pope Paul III (d. 1549)
• 1792 – Gioacchino Rossini, Italian composer (William Tell, The Barber of Seville) (d. 1868)
• 1896 – Morarji Desai, former Indian prime minister (d. 1995)
• 1916 – Dinah Shore, American singer (d. 1994)
• 1924 – Al Rosen, American baseball player
• 1924 – Carlos Humberto Romero, former president of El Salvador
• 1960 – Anthony (Tony) Robbins, American motivational speaker

If you are lucky enough, or unlucky enough as is thought in Scotland, to be born on February 29th, I hope you have a very Happy Birthday tomorrow.

So good, I had to repeat it!

We are at the height of Strawberry Season here in Florida. The Plant City Strawberry Festival will be starting in just a few weeks, and Strawberry Shortcake is on the dessert menu of nearly every restaurant in town.

I put this Strawberry Tart recipe on our blog last year but it is so good, it is worth reposting it.

I hope you enjoy the quick, easy and delicious results!

Easy Strawberry Tarts

Use your favorite pastry recipe for the tart shells or buy frozen tart shells at the grocery store.

Ingredients:

1 small package of French Vanilla Instant Pudding

1 ½ c. whole milk

1 c. whipping or heavy cream

¼ c. confectioners sugar

1 pt. of strawberries

Wash, hull, and slice strawberries in half.

Follow directions on pudding package to make the French Vanilla Instant pudding using 1 ½ c. of whole milk instead of 2 cups.

In separate bowl, beat the whipping cream until light and fluffy. Add ¼.c of confectioners sugar slowly, and continue beating until it holds soft peaks.

Fold ½ of the whipped cream into the pudding mixture, and divide between 4 – 6 tart shells (depending on the size of each tart). Top each tart with several sliced strawberries arranged decoratively. Add a dollop of whipped cream to each.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve

Valentine's Day Thanks to Driscoll's

Our strawberry supplier, Driscoll's has once again provided Flowers to Eat with the freshest, sweetest strawberries for the busiest single day of the year. While our undipped fruit bouquets are very popular on this day, we create almost twice as many chocolate covered strawberry arrangements for Valentine's Day.

Valentine's Day is hands down the single busiest day of the year for fruit arrangement companies. We need our fruit and chocolate suppliers to be flexible and reliable in meeting last minute additions to our usual orders. Thanks to our suppliers and our terrific in-store team, Flowers to Eat was able to dip, decorate, assemble, and deliver 100% of our customers' orders on time, on this super-busy day.

Driscoll's has been the primary supplier of the berries that enable our customers to 'See and Taste the Difference' in the Flowers to Eat product line. And we want to publicly thank them for the excellent product and service that we have received from them over the years.

Thank You Driscoll's!

Pomegranate Juice

Many magazine articles and health journals have expounded upon the benefits of drinking Pomegranate juice. Not only does it taste good, but it is so good for you! An older article, published in a 2004 issue of Clinical Nuitrition, has associated drinking just 50 ml. of Pomegranate juice each day with some fantastic results.

We have heard about all the benefits that the anti-oxidants in deep dark chocolate and red wine can provide, well, it appears that drinking Pomegranate juice has many of the same positive effects. This particular study showed that drinking just 50 ml. per day of Pomegranate produced a very significant decline in the test subjects' bad LDL cholesterol levels. Could just adding a glass a day of this delicious juice make a measurable and sustainable difference to the heart health of a person? More clinical trials need to be completed, but the results of this research are very promising.

Now, if you would like to add the Pomegranate juice to your evening entertainment, here is a recipe for Pomegranate Mimosas.

Pomegranate Mimosas
Combine 1 cup Pomegranate juice with 1 cup Orange Juice.
Add 2 Tablespoons of orange liquour
Shake well
Fill your favorite champagne glass half way with champagne and top it off with the
Pomegranate juice/orange juice mixture.