Sylvia's Scenario

Last night we hosted some of Bruce's work associates who were in town for the International Speciality Coffee Expo - one of our favorite conventions of the year.  I've blogged about it twice before,  here  and  here .  For dinner, I planned a similar dinner menu that I learned worked real well last year; I kept the carbs low in the meal (no potatoes and no bread or rolls) so everyone would enjoy the dessert more. Lower carbs in a meal means a less full, bloated feeling after eating. In other words, a feeling that you can still eat more...(and since I like to plan my meal around the dessert, this is a good thing.)  This year, I made my  Chocolate-Raspberry Cake  and like last year, it was the star of the show.   Last year, I made our favorite  Lemon Curd and White Chocolate Truffle Cake  that ended up being in my top three most popular recipes of 2017.  This recipe is just as good in my opinion.  I'd f...

This is a big weekend in Seattle for the coffee business.   It's the weekend of the Coffee Convention - at least that's what I call it.  It's officially called the Global Specialty Coffee Expo.  I love this weekend during the Expo because:     #1 - I love coffee.  #2 - People from all over the world are here.  #3 - Free samples.  Need I say more?   Bruce's business has a exhibit at the Expo, although he was not actually working at it but he knows everyone working and he spent a lot of time there networking with co-workers and potential customers. We had everyone affiliated with the Bratney Companies over for dinner last night and they loved getting out in the fresh air and enjoying the views after a long day at the Expo. It was fun entertaining them and providing them with a evening where they could kick back and relax and enjoy a good meal. Bruce barbecued our family's favorite  Herbes de Provence Cru...

I attended an international coffee convention over the weekend in Seattle where you could learn anything you ever wanted know about coffee. Bruce was there to promote his line of equipment that the Bratney Companies sells.  They've already put equipment in all the Starbuck's processing plants around the country.  They travel to many trade shows promoting their equipment which, aside from sorting out coffee beans, is also good for sorting all kinds of nuts and grains.  Bruce was there with a few of the other guys involved with this particular piece of equipment. Of course, Starbucks was there and Bruce's booth was conveniently located just down the aisle from them. They had one of the largest booths which is only fitting since they originated in Seattle. Today, they were letting us sample one of their Starbucks Reserve coffees. There were hundreds of vendors there demonstrating all different ways to brew coffee....