Indulge in Love: Strawberry Fruit Parfaits for Two!

Looking for a sweet and healthy treat to share with your Valentine? Look no further than these delightful Strawberry Fruit Parfaits! Made with love and bursting with flavor, these parfaits are sure to impress your sweetheart. Let's dive into the recipe!

Strawberry Fruit Parfaits (serves 2)

  • 4 oz plain yogurt

  • 1-2 tsp honey or sugar

  • 1 cup of diced, sliced, or quartered strawberries (or other seasonal fruit)

  • 1/2 - 1 tbsp Enfuso Lemon or Blood Orange Olive Oil

  • 1/2 cup of your favorite granola

  • Enfuso Mango, Strawberry, Pomegranate Balsamic Vinegar for drizzling (to taste)

Directions:

  1. Prepare the Yogurt: Mix honey or sugar into the plain yogurt, creating a creamy and slightly sweetened base. Refrigerate until you're ready to assemble the parfaits.

  2. Prep the Fruit: Gently toss your chosen fruit with the flavored olive oil. This step adds a burst of citrus flavor and enhances the freshness of the fruit. Refrigerate the fruit mixture until serving time, ensuring it stays crisp and delicious.

  3. Assemble the Parfaits: Start by placing a generous portion of the prepared fruit in a bowl or glass. Top it with a dollop of the honey-sweetened yogurt, creating layers of creamy goodness. Sprinkle your favorite granola on top for a satisfying crunch.

  4. Drizzle with Love: To elevate these parfaits to Valentine's Day perfection, drizzle them with Enfuso Mango, Strawberry, or Pomegranate Balsamic Vinegar. This adds a touch of sweetness and tanginess that perfectly complements the fruit and yogurt layers.

  5. Enjoy the Love: Grab a spoon, share with your sweetheart, and enjoy every delicious bite of these Strawberry Fruit Parfaits.

With these Strawberry Fruit Parfaits, Valentine's Day just got a whole lot sweeter! Whip up a batch of these delightful treats to share with your special someone, and watch as they fall in love with every spoonful. Happy Valentine's Day!

Stay tuned for more delightful recipes and culinary adventures from our kitchen at PREP Cooking Classes in Seal Beach. Until then, happy cooking, and may your Valentines be filled with joy and flavor!

Holiday Bliss in Every Bite - Yorkshire Pudding!

Add a touch of magic to your holiday feast with Yorkshire Pudding—a culinary gem that effortlessly combines simplicity and sophistication. Using simple ingredients, you'll create golden-brown, airy delights that are perfect for any festive spread. Dazzle your guests with this easy-to-master recipe and bring joy to every bite!

Yorkshire Pudding (makes 12-24 depending on pan size)

  • 4 eggs

  • 1 ½ cups whole milk

  • 1 ¼ cups flour

  • ½ tsp salt

  • 4 tbsp melted butter or fat from the roast

Directions:

  1. Prepare the Batter: Place eggs, milk, flour, and salt in a blender; blend until smooth.

  2. Let it Rest: Allow the batter to rest overnight in the refrigerator or at room temperature for an hour.

  3. Bake to Perfection: When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 425°F. Heat the popover pan or muffin tin until hot. Remove, add ½-1 tsp butter or fat to each well, pour the batter to reach ¾ of the way up. Bake for 15-20 minutes (muffin tins) or 25-30 minutes (popover pans). Look for a puffed and golden-brown exterior while maintaining a tender interior. Avoid opening the oven to prevent sinking.

And there you have it, a foolproof guide to crafting Yorkshire Pudding magic for your holiday table.

Stay tuned for more delightful recipes and culinary adventures from our kitchen at PREP Cooking Classes in Seal Beach. Until then, happy cooking, and may your holiday table be filled with joy and flavor!

Fall Magic in a Bowl: Sausage, Veggie, and Bean Soup

Welcome, food enthusiasts! As the leaves turn golden and the air gets a little crisper, it's the perfect time to cozy up with a bowl of our Sausage, Veggie, and Bean Soup. This dish isn't just a recipe; it's a taste of fall magic in every spoonful.

Sausage, Veggie and Bean Soup (serves 6-10)

  • 1 lb Italian or other Sausage, casings removed

  • 1 celery stalk, sliced

  • 1 onion, diced or sliced

  • 1 carrot, peeled, halved, and sliced

  • ½ cup flour (optional)

  • 3 garlic cloves, sliced minced

  • 1 sprig oregano or thyme (or ¼ tsp dried)

  • Bay leaf

  • 3 cups diced butternut or other squash

  • 1 15 oz can diced tomatoes

  • 6 cups chicken or vegetable stock or water

  • 1 15 oz can white beans, not drained

  • Enfuso Traditional Balsamic vinegar

  • 2 tbsp Enfuso Garlic/Tuscan or other Oil

  • Salt and pepper

Directions:

  1. Heat a large pot or Dutch oven (7-9 quarts), and add sausage into the pot a few pieces at a time. Let brown, and when golden, move sausage to the side of the pan and add celery, onion, carrot, salt, and pepper.

  2. Sauté on high heat until just golden brown, stirring when necessary so nothing burns. Add flour if using, and toss vegetables in flour until it disappears. Add garlic, herbs, bay leaf, squash, tomatoes, salt and pepper, and chicken stock. Bring to a boil on high heat. Add more water if desired.

  3. Once boiling, reduce heat to a simmer and let cook until vegetables are tender, about 25-35 minutes. Add beans and cook another 10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning, top with nice oil and balsamic, and serve.

There you have it, our Sausage, Veggie, and Bean Soup - a taste of fall magic that's as warm and inviting as your favorite fall sweater. It's the kind of dish that makes you want to gather your loved ones, set a rustic table, and savor every spoonful.

Stay tuned for more delightful recipes and culinary journeys from our kitchen at PREP Cooking Classes in Seal Beach. Until then, happy cooking, and savor the flavors of autumn!

Kids Creole Cooking

Creole cuisine is a style of cooking that originated in Louisiana and is best known for its emphasis on blending the culinary influences of African, French, Spanish, American Indian, German and Italian cuisines. While this type of food is enjoyed by adults all over the world, it's also a great way to sneak in some extra vegetables for picky kids.

If you're looking for fun cooking activities that your kids will enjoy, give them a taste of healthy soul food here at Prep Kitchen Essentials. Some of our most popular cooking classes give kids a glimpse into a different culture by teaching them how to make Creole cuisine. While the list of recipes that made Louisiana cuisine famous in its own right is endless, there are some fan favorites that we focus on when teaching kids how to make precious cuisines.

Kids Creole Cooking - Let's Make Creole Food!

The Creole culture is known for its resourceful people - and you'd be surprised what a population of people used to working with very little can create using just a few ingredients. Traditional recipes including ingredients like onion, garlic, shrimp, and green beans can be used to create delicious cuisine that the entire family is sure to enjoy. Foods like popcorn shrimp, gulf shrimp etouffee , and spicy red beans and rice are Creole favorites

What Is Creole Food?

What is Creole cooking? Louisiana Creole cuisine is a hybrid style of cooking originating in southern Louisiana, United States, that combines French, West African, Spanish, Indian, and other regional influences, along with influences from the wider regional cuisine of the Southwestern United States. It differs from its traditional cousin Cajun cooking in the sense that it incorporates a greater number of regional flavors and influences, frequently by substituting more "French-style" ingredients for "American" ones.

Today there is a relatively wide variation in recipes among the different regions of the United States, where the demand for Creole meals is high. In addition to New Orleans, many cities like Austin, Houston, Atlanta, Memphis, and St. Louis (St. Louis style) have also become major markets for Creole food. Many restaurants in these cities have emerged which specialize in this style of cuisine. However, it is now slowly making its way inland to areas in the northeast where availability and affordable ingredients are better. As a result, there is now a new focus on regional cooking, with restaurants specializing in a particular region creating unique dishes.

How Is Creole Food Different From Cajun Food?

Creole recipes are characterized by their heavy usage of cream, butter, eggs, spices, green bell pepper, onion, and carrots; they are typically rich in vegetables, meats, and seafood. Though the term is sometimes used to describe any kind of food prepared in the manner described above (sometimes even containing white rice instead of white flour or pasta), this term is most commonly used to refer to certain special dishes. For example, one of the biggest differences between Cajun and Creole cooking is the heavy use of cream in their recipes; this is both a result of different regional styles and an attempt to preserve the traditional ways in which these regions began their diets. Creole recipes tend to be higher in fat and lower in carbohydrates than those of Cajun cuisine.

Red Beans and Rice

From saveur.com

Ingredients:

  • 1⁄4 cup canola oil

  • 8 cloves garlic, finely chopped

  • 6 ribs celery, finely chopped

  • 2 large yellow onions, finely chopped

  • 2 green bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped

  • Kosher salt, to taste

  • 1 tbsp. ground white pepper

  • 1 tbsp. dried thyme

  • 2 tsp. dried oregano

  • 1 1⁄2 tsp. cayenne

  • 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

  • 1 lb. dried kidney beans, soaked overnight

  • 4 bay leaves

  • 2 smoked ham hocks

  • 1 tbsp. hot sauce, such as Tabasco

  • Cooked white rice, for serving

  • Thinly sliced scallions, to garnish

Instructions

Heat oil in an 8-qt. Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add garlic, celery, onions, and peppers, season with salt, and cook, stirring, until soft, about 12 minutes. Add white pepper, thyme, oregano, cayenne, and black pepper, and stir until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add beans, bay leaves, ham hocks, and 6 cups water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook, covered, until beans and ham hock are tender, about 2 hours. Remove hocks from pot, remove and discard bones and skin, and finely chop meat; return to pot along with hot sauce, and stir until combined. Serve over rice in bowls and sprinkle with scallions.

Buttermilk Beignets

via epicurious.com

YIELD Makes about 4 dozen beignets

INGREDIENTS:

  • 3/4 cup whole milk

  • 1 1/2 cups buttermilk

  • 4 teaspoons active dry yeast

  • 2 1/2 tablespoons sugar

  • 3 1/2 cups bread flour plus extra for flouring work surface

  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

  • Peanut oil for frying

  • Confectioners' sugar for serving, as much as you think you'll need—then double that!

PREPARATION

Heat the milk in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until small bubbles form at the surface. Remove from the heat, add the buttermilk, and then pour into a stand mixer bowl. Whisk in the yeast and the sugar and set aside for 5 minutes. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt, and mix on low speed, using a dough hook, until the dry ingredients are moistened, 3 to 4 minutes. Increase the mixer speed to medium and continue mixing until the dough forms a loose ball and is still quite wet and tacky, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set the dough aside in a draft-free spot for 1 hour.

Pour enough peanut oil into a large pot to fill it to a depth of 3 inches and bring to a temperature of 375°F over medium heat (this will take about 20 minutes). Line a plate with paper towels and set aside.

Lightly flour your work surface and turn the dough out on it. Sprinkle the top of the dough with flour, gently press to flatten, fold it in half, and gently tuck the ends under to create a rough-shaped round. Dust again and roll the dough out into a ½-inch- to ¹/³ -inch-thick circle. Let the dough rest for 1 minute before using a chef's knife, a bench knife, or a pizza wheel to cut the dough into 1 1/2-inch squares (you should get about 48).

Gently stretch a beignet lengthwise and carefully drop it into the oil. Add a few beignets (don't overcrowd them, otherwise the oil will cool down and the beignets will soak up oil and be greasy) and fry until puffed and golden brown, turning them often with a slotted spoon, for 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to the prepared plate to drain while you cook the rest. Serve while still warm, buried under a mound of confectioners' sugar, with hot coffee on the side.

Make ahead:

The beignet dough can be made up to 8 hours in advance of frying. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray it with nonstick cooking spray. After cutting the dough, place the beignets on the paper and place another greased sheet of parchment paper, sprayed-side down, on top. Wrap the entire baking sheet with plastic wrap and refrigerate. The beignets can be fried straight from the refrigerator.

The "Holy Trinity": A Creole Version Of A French Mirepoix

via louisianatravel.com

Ingredients:

  • approximately 2-3 tbsp. pan drippings, butter or vegetable cooking oil (adjust amount as needed to ensure veggies do not stick)

  • green bell pepper

  • onion

  • celery

Method of Preparation:

Using the same pan drippings from the meat you may have just browned for your dish — or starting with a healthy splash of oil, butter or (gasp!) bacon grease, if you don’t have pan drippings — heat the fat in a skillet over medium heat.

Add finely chopped green bell pepper, celery and onion to your pan in a 1:1:1 ratio, or use the amounts favored by many local chefs of 2 cups onion to 1 ½ cup celery to 1 ¼ cup green pepper.

Sauté the mixture, stirring just enough to prevent burning, until the vegetables start to soften and release their moisture, forming a glaze-like liquid in the pan. Reduce heat to low and continue cooking slowly, stirring often, until the vegetables are fully caramelized and darker in color.

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Virtual Team Building Activities During Quarantine 

Your team may have always been virtual or your at-home transition might be due to quarantine. No matter the reason, virtual team building activities during quarantine can provide your team with improved productivity, help establish and reach goals, and foster much-needed connection between team members. When you put value and focus on the relationships within your team and intentionally work to build communication skills, you can expect your virtual team to work better together than ever before.  

Virtual Team Building Activities

Virtual team building activities can come in many forms. While your team might be apart due to quarantine, this list of activities can bring your team members together through bonding experiences, goal setting, and building deeper connections. 

Hold a Virtual Retreat

When in-person environments were available, team building retreats were a wonderful way to grow relationships, relax as a group, and work on teamwork skills. While it won’t be at a new trip destination, hold a virtual retreat for your team. 

As a leader, you can incorporate many of the key aspects a team-building retreat would provide. Give your team a glimpse of retreat serenity right at home. Have a group meditation zoom call where each team member can release any stresses they hold and look to the future they want for their team. 

Look for a yoga instructor who holds virtual classes to host a group yoga class. If everyone enjoys the virtual retreat experience, hold a class once a week or month to keep your team relaxed and motivated. 

At the end of your virtual retreat, hold a virtual happy hour to go over experiences during the retreat that each member enjoyed and to share goals and visions for the future of the team.   

Virtual Show and Tell

For many, working from home during quarantine is a brand new experience. Unlike a regular workplace, virtual meetings can come with surprise intrusions from a curious pet or background noise from a cranky toddler. Transition these new distractions from a negative to a bonding experience. Hold a virtual show and tell where each team member can tell the group who they are spending their quarantine with, be it a family member, a pet, or maybe just a new plant they’re growing. This show and tell provides your team with a glimpse into the lives of their coworkers and can make each member more comfortable when hiccups or interruptions happen in the future.  

Virtual Book Club

Work might be the center of each conversation during the day, but deeper relationships are formed when bonding experiences are created outside the virtual office. To create some after-hours bonding time, hold a virtual book club for the team members who want to join in. Have your team create a list of books they love, books they want to read, and best-selling books. When a book has been chosen for the group, set reading goals for each meeting. Team members will grow closer over reading chats, creating a more connected environment when work starts up again. 

For a more personal option, have each book club member choose a book they loved for another coworker. Hold one-on-one meetings for each member to chat with their new book buddy as they read the book they suggested. 

Virtual Game Night

For more after-hours fun, hold a team virtual game night. Use online programs or game applications to connect each team member for a night of fun and value. While games and activities keep the energy high, your team will also be improving communication skills, fostering valuable relationships, and taking advantage of a chance to connect in a disconnected time. 

Coffee Roulette

Most team members know those in their department really well. They may know others through quick chats or emails, but most companies struggle to get teams connected as a whole. To help team members get to know those within the team or company they may not know as well, hold virtual coffee roulette. Use your communication platform if they have it available, or just choose names at random and set up one-on-one coffee dates for team members. These more intimate and non-work-related chats will add value to your team by helping members broaden their look on neighboring departments and will create new connections throughout your company. This can improve communication and productivity within teams and within your entire company.    

How to Liven Up Video Calls

Video calls and virtual meetings have become an essential part of the business world today. Even before quarantine transitioned most companies into the virtual forum, many utilized video calls for cross-country or even cross-national relations. Now that virtual meetings have become the norm for most teams, many are finding it difficult to expect enthusiasm and maintain focus from their home-bound team. Since virtual meetings aren’t going anywhere, leaders must find new ways to hold their team’s attention and create value in a virtual setting. 

Start each meeting with an ice-breaker activity or goal casting session. This gets team members engaged from the start and gets them in a mindset to remain connected throughout the meeting.

Create another opportunity for engagement in the middle of your virtual meeting. Ask each team member to add value with a point they feel strongly about or an update on a project. This regains investment in the virtual meeting and holds attention for the duration to follow.

End your virtual meeting with a feedback session. Asking for any feedback on any work topic gives team members the feeling that they are heard and valued and helps leaders know what to expect for future goals and meetings. 

Most importantly, make it fun! Create a list of topics to go over so your team can know what to expect from your virtual meeting. Ask questions and allow your team to participate. If your team struggles to stay engaged for long periods of time, break up your meeting into sections with a quick activity or game in between. Keep your team interested.  

Benefits of Virtual Team Building 

The value and benefits of virtual team building activities are endless for your company. When your team transitioned to a virtual workplace, many team members probably felt disconnected. These activities allow your team to grow meaningful relationships, increase team morale in a difficult quarantine time, and work on valuable team skills. Your team can expect increased productivity, improved communication, and overall virtual satisfaction when you invest in team building activities for your virtual team. 

Quick Team Building Activities

Whether your team is fully remote or in the office, a great way to bring your team members together, promote deeper employee relationships, and increase productivity is through quick team building activities. Not all team building techniques require a weekend away or hours in a seminar. Instead, invest in your team members with quick, effective team building activities right in the office or online. It's no secret that teams who work well together, stay together. As your team’s leader, it's up to you to facilitate a healthy work environment and foster meaningful relationships with your team members.  

Remote Team Building Activities

For remote teams, it can be difficult to feel connected. Physical distance can often translate into emotional distance, leading to communication struggles and loss of coordinated productivity. Even apart, you can implement quick team building activities that foster cooperation and create a space for team relationships to grow. 

Victory/Struggle Activity

At the beginning of a work day or right before your team signs off for the evening, have your remote team come together and share the pros and cons of their day. Have each team member go around and share one win they experienced that day and one struggle they encountered. 

This allows remote teams the opportunity to cheer on their fellow team member’s successes and offer support for tough issues. Through the positives, each remote team member will have the opportunity to acknowledge the victories they are accomplishing as a team and experience a reward for their own successes. Through the negatives, team members may foster support through finding others with similar struggles or finding solutions through team problem solving.

Get to Know You Activity

It’s easy to get to know a team member’s work style or what they each for lunch break, but how well do the remote members of your team really know each other? Take slips of paper and write simple questions on each one, like ‘What’s your favorite food?’ or ‘What was your best childhood birthday present?’. Choose a slip of paper for each team member and have them answer the question. 

This team building activity is quick, but it provides the opportunity to get to know more about each member in a fun and light hearted way. Some might find they have a lot in common with their team and others might discover many unique qualities about those they work with.  

Remote Competition Activity

Get your remote team out of their desk chairs with exciting competitions and team building tasks. These competitions can come in many forms, so get creative. For example, have each team member grab a package of toilet paper rolls from their home. Have the host time a toilet paper stacking competition where everyone can race to create the tallest tower before time runs out. Enjoy some laughs and maybe a prize for the winner. 

If interactive competitions won’t work for your team, find a remote team building game website. Many sites offer games and challenges where your team can log on together and compete. 

In-Office Team Building Activities 

Even when teams can come together in the office, communication and cooperation still take work. Dedicating some time to team building activities can create a lasting impact for your team productivity and workplace environment. 

Describe and Guess Activity

Effective communication is one of the most important aspects of a healthy team. Create quick opportunities for your team members to work on how they communicate with one another. Write random nouns, on slips of paper. They can be office related, funny, or themed to add some excitement to the game. Have your team split up into two competing teams. Each team member will have 30 seconds to try and describe the noun on a slip of paper without saying the word. Their team will try and guess off of their description. The team who guesses the most words, and communicates the most effectively, will win!

This team building activity can emphasize the personal dynamic between team members and highlight areas of communication that can be improved. In addition, your team will have fun!

Team Scavenger Hunt

While it may take a little more time and effort, sending your team on a scavenger hunt around the office, or even around town, can provide a range of positive benefits. Let your team work as a whole or have each member team up with a partner. Create your own riddles to find clues or find an online company that can create scavenger hunt steps for you to enjoy. 

This type of team building activity allows team members to work on key problem solving skills, foster cooperative and engaging relationships with coworkers, and communicate effectively as a team. 

Human Knot Activity

Connect with coworkers while communicating and working together. Have each member of your team stand shoulder-to-shoulder in a circle. Each member will reach out their right hand and take the hand of anyone across the circle. They will do the same, grabbing a different hand, with their left hand. Set a timer and have the team work together to untangle their knot without releasing their hands. 

This team building activity will create laughs, team work, and communication between team members. Beyond the productivity improvements, this task can also help identify leaders by who takes charge of the tangled mess. 
Quick team building activities incorporated into your in-person or remote workplace can help improve productivity, foster meaningful relationships, and promote connectivity for your team members. Don’t spend hours listening to an un-engaging speaker or take a budget breaking trip for your team. Instead, invest in team building right from the office in ways that make a big impact in little time.

The Benefits of Cooking with Kids

When you have children, one of the most important times you can have with them is known as bonding time. Cooking is just one of the many ways you can achieve this bonding time with your children, but it is also one of the best ways to teach them some life skills that can’t really be learned anywhere else. Children of all ages can benefit from some bonding – and cooking – time with their parents, siblings, or guardians. It teaches them to explore their senses in a new fashion while also engraining life skills. By educating your children about the wonders of cuisine in the best way possible, cooking with your kids can bring about some lifelong memories and fun times. Here are just a few of the benefits inherent in cooking with your children.

1.      Cooking Encourages Learning!

Cooking is an opportunity to teach your kids loads of important life skills, but chief among them is the discernment to make healthier eating choices. When experimenting in the kitchen with you, your kids learn what is and isn’t good to routinely fuel their growing bodies with. Fast food and junk food (always processed and bagged items) are contributing to the rise of child obesity throughout the world.

Having your children learn to make healthier eating choices by making their own food helps them to enjoy a wider variety of more nutritious foods, because there’s nothing like home cooking. In addition, introducing your children to the culinary process can show them delicious ways to enjoy veggies, fruits, and nutritious meats. Picky eaters – especially children – are more apt to try the foods they’ve prepared with you than anywhere else.

Reading recipes with your children also encourages their continued reading in general, in addition to problem-solving and directional comprehension. Modeling your own cooking skills while actively working with your children to have them participate provides them with a positive example of healthy eating (and, in some cases, a delicious dessert). You can even find ways to incorporate school subjects into your cooking time with the kids by tying in basic spelling words and arithmetic when planning your recipes!

2.      Cooking Creates Healthy Kitchen Habits.

Beyond making healthier nutritional choices, cooking also encourages healthy food hygiene and safety in the kitchen. Cooking with your children educates them about proper cooking tools, the right temperatures at which foods should be cooked and prepared, and the importance of maintaining a clean kitchen.

Kids who learn the benefits of food safety at a young age are more conscious of the fact that spoiled, expired, or incorrectly prepared foods can make their friends and family sick. They also learn that washing their hands before preparing a delicious meal is especially important in maintaining correct cooking hygiene.

They also learn that they must thoroughly wash cooking implements, fruits, and vegetables to remove any viral contamination, bacteria or germs that may be present. Finally, children learn that food is not infinitely sustainable – they figure out that milk can spoil, in addition to discovering that commonly refrigerated foods can go bad if not properly stored.

3.      Cooking Encourages Physical Safety!

Beyond the scope of cooking a delicious meal, children who cook with their parents also learn about the hazards present in any well-stocked kitchen. These hazards can come in many forms, but the most common among them are cooking tools and implements. Sharp knives, large two-pronged forks, and other sharp tools are chief among the instruments that children learn to use properly and safely when cooking under the supervision of a parent.

In addition, children learn about the dangers of literally playing with fire – working with hot items is a skill that must be learned. Making sure your kids know how to properly utilize a microwave oven or stove will become important for them down the road. Teaching your children important life skills such as these will ensure that they know how to provide their own meals when they become a little bit older.

4.      Cooking Provides an Outlet for Bonding Time.

Children who cook with their parents develop a stronger bond with their parents – it’s that simple. Cooking is one of the most common practices that we take part in, and it’s no surprise that children who learn how to cook with their parents report a stronger connection with them down the line. Fun memories, delicious meals, and spending quality time together create the perfect storm in the process of developing a stronger bond between you and your kids.

While cooking, children benefit from one-on-one time with a parent – and they also feel as though they are contributing to something that is larger than themselves. They also enjoy the opportunity to create fun and loving memories with their parents. In addition, it’s proven that cooking with your children can actually further develop their self-esteem! This development in personal growth comes from a child’s ability to recognize when they have accomplished something of value – the value being the delicious meal you will both enjoy after completing the culinary process.

Final Thoughts

No matter when you decide to cook with your children, they will appreciate the quality time spent together. Whether your child is 5 or 15, there is much to be learned in the kitchen! Kids who cook with their parents develop a variety of life skills and personal qualities that remain absent for a lot of other families. Cooking creates the perfect bonding experience between you and your child because of the accomplishment found in creating something from scratch.

Cooking with your children is a fun pastime, and it can make the hours go by like minutes. With the development of COVID-19, teaching your children all about food safety and the importance of washing their hands before and after meals comes in handy. And finally, cooking is an enjoyable experience. The culinary process certainly has something to offer us all, if we just give it a chance!

Take some time to make a meal with your kids today – chances are, you’ll both appreciate it!

Best Virtual Team Building

Best Virtual Team Building: Help Your Team

Whether you regularly operate on a virtual platform or online team connectivity is new for your business, your productivity and work environment will depend on your investment in the best virtual team building activities. Remote communication doesn’t have to feel disconnected. Virtual team building activities can help your team grow personal relationships with co-workers, raise remote productivity, and bring your team together, while staying apart. 

Remote Teams

Large or small, your virtual team needs just as much bonding and connectivity as an office environment could provide. While not physically together, virtual teams work best in a culture of collaboration and support. Team building activities can provide the perfect avenue to promote bonding between team members and grow internal culture remotely. 

Virtual Team Building Activities

Virtual team building activities can work just like team building exercises in person. Instead of physical challenges, team members can embark on personal relationship building and distanced cooperation tasks. Have each team member create one piece of a puzzle or present a task that must be completed as a team. These activities will foster communication skills without relying on in-person contact. This will help your team develop problem solving skills and learn to trust and rely on other members of your team to reach a goal.

Benefits for Your Team

Beyond simple skills, virtual team building can raise your team to the next level in culture and productivity. Having a remote team means you have the freedom to let creativity flow and reach goals set for your business.

Team Morale 

One of the most impactful benefits of virtual team building comes with the ability to create a culture within your remote teams. Instill the values you hold for your business and allow your team members to become a passionate part of your mission. When team members have a purpose, they have higher work satisfaction and greater drive to grow your business. 

Productivity

It will come as no surprise that virtual team building activities lead to increased productivity for your remote teams. Many activities are aimed at fostering communication skills and promoting problem solving in a virtual platform. These skills lend themselves to major leaps towards more efficient workstyles and effective communication between team members. For your business, this means productivity goes through the roof.                  

Engagement

A typical side effect of a remote workplace is lack of consistent engagement. When the couch is only steps away and there’s leftovers in the fridge, team members can easily become distracted in ways they wouldn’t be in an office setting. A dose of attention team building activities and deeper connection to co-workers can make a big difference in keeping team member’s minds on projects.  When team members feel more personally connected to their remote team, they become more committed to reaching goals and working together. 


Remote doesn’t mean disconnected. Invest in the culture and productivity of your remote team with virtual team building activities.

Why Team Building is Important

The perfect recipe is never complete without each ingredient needed to make it work. The ingredients in your business are the hardworking and dedicated members that make up your team. Whether you’re a growing group of just a few or a large corporation with a wide pool of employees, team building is an important step in helping your team be productive, communicate effectively, and maintain workplace satisfaction. Foster the relationships between employees, create paths of connection for team members at all levels, and lay a foundation for a healthy work environment. Find out why team building is important for the growth, function, and productivity of your business. 

Team Building

Team building is creating an environment, engaging in activities, and performing intentional actions that foster bonding and relationship growth between members of a team. Whether it's a weekend away or just an hour outside the office, team building can have a lasting impact on the members of your organization.  

Team Building Exercises

One of the most effective ways to foster team member cooperation and a group working environment is through team building exercises. Exercises come in many forms, from competitive team games to scavenger hunts and team tasks. When put in a position to work together for a common goal, team members experience a feeling of comradery with those they’re working alongside and gain valuable experience in effective communication and coordination with others. Through these exercises, teams build skills that can translate into the workplace.

Team Bonding

Similar to team building exercises, team bonding shifts the focus to a deeper level. Instead of building skills or working on group tasks, team bonding puts an emphasis on emotional growth and fostering deeper relationships between team members. Team bonding activities will be aimed at getting to know team members on a more personal level, encouraging connection and communication. 

Team Building Impact

Team building is important to your business in many ways. When you put a focus on the cohesion and function of your team, you see tangible impacts and improvements. 

Communication and Productivity

One of the largest impacts team building has on a group comes in the dynamic it helps create. Team building exercises and team bonding experiences aim at bringing a team closer. This results in improvements in effective communication between team members as they get to know each other on a deeper level and learn each member communicates in their own way. Team building exercises also create specific and unique situations for members to work alongside others to complete tasks. These activities greatly improve team members ability to work in a cohesive way in the workplace. With better communication and understanding of each other, teams become more productive in all areas of the workplace. 

Leadership Identification

For a business owner, team building exercises can also provide a prime opportunity to identify which members of a team show leadership qualities. During team building exercises, some members may show more initiative or naturally fall into a lead role. In addition, these activities show if other members are willing to follow the one in a leadership role and if trust is formed. These evaluations can be valuable when structuring a team and making promotional decisions. 

Boosts Morale

On a motivational level, team building can get a team suffering from burnout, lack of motivation, or interpersonal issues back on track to achieve goals. Fostering meaningful relationships with coworkers gives team members a feeling of support from the workplace. Where they may have felt frustrated with others or disconnected, engaging in bonding experiences creates connection within a team. Better relationships tend to lead to better morale for a workplace. When teams are happy to come to work and feel personally invested in their team, businesses see a major boost in workplace satisfaction. 

Health Benefits

All kinds of jobs come with challenges. Working every day can become grueling for an employee, no matter their level of commitment. On an individual level, taking time for team building activities gives members a much needed break from the daily grind. Physically, teams get out from behind a desk and get moving with engaging exercises and activities. Mentally, teams get a breather from everyday tasks and the stresses that can come with work. Bonding experiences can drain mental stress by allowing emotions to release and creating a support system within a group. 

Show of Support

A team will struggle to function at its highest potential if it doesn’t feel supported by its leadership. Investing in team building exercises and bonding activities shows a team that it is valued.  More important than the data and numbers, the people who make up a team are the core of a company. Creating time to leave work behind and focus on the humans behind human resources shows team members they matter and are cared for. 

Look into why team building is important for any workplace group. Foster meaningful relationships between coworkers, encourage effective communication, and improve team member wellbeing when you invest in team building for your company.

Things To Do in East Long Beach

Containing approximately 500,000 people, Long Beach is a city located in California. Long Beach hosts fun things to do in the East Village Art District, around the Long Beach Harbor, at the Long Beach Convention Center, and in the street. Numerous fairs and carnivals mark the city of Long Beach as one of diversity and excitement, and Long Beach also has the second busiest container port in the US. Because of Long Beach’s dynamic nature, it is popular with people from all over the world. If you’re looking online for the top things to do in Long Beach, look no further.

1. Relax At Bluff Park.

One of the most fun things to do in Long Beach is relax at Bluff Park. Spanning 12 acres of land and sitting on the edge of the ritzy Bluff neighborhood, the park is said to emanate “good energy” from frequent visitors. It is favored by walkers, joggers, and many other groups of people wishing to enjoy the outdoors. Long Beach has free daily yoga classes, jogging paths, and even telescopes in Bluff Park. The final attraction in Long Beach’s best park is The Lone Sailor, a bronzed statue paying tribute to the US Navy – it overlooks the Pacific Ocean via Bluff Park.

2. Visit the Long Beach Museum of Art.

Fun things to do in Long Beach also include taking a trip to the Long Beach Museum of Art. Otherwise known as the Pacific Island Ethnic Art Museum, their mission is to incorporate the diversity of Pacific culture into a permanent collection of rotating exhibits and live art. Find out about the symbolism of islanders’ native tattoos and learn of their preferred clothing in an exciting way by visiting the Long Beach Museum of Art. At $5 per admission, it’s a steal – and with child-friendly activities and craft-making sessions being offered during tours, they even offer free parking down the street.

3. Observe Life Under The Sea – Check Out Aquarium of The Pacific.

If you’re looking for a close up view of the numerous aquatic creatures of the Pacific, you should check out Long Beach’s Aquarium of the Pacific. With more than 11,000 exhibits to choose from, spending a day at Long Beach’s top aquarium holds many things to see and discover. Spend time on their most popular exhibit – the Shark Lagoon.

Housing over 150 sharks and rays, the Shark Lagoon is sure to have your interests piqued. You can also observe the Lorikeet Forest, which is the city’s best walk-through aviary. People can feed the colorful birds and wildlife they see flying around. In addition, Long Beach’s top aquarium admission can be combined with other thrills, like their whale watching boat cruise or their touch pools – have you ever wanted to graze the skin of a wild shark? Now you can.

The Aquarium of the Pacific is Long Beach’s best aquarium.

4. Boat It On Over To Catalina Island.

Just a quick hour-long ferry ride away from the city of Long Beach, this attraction holds tons of California’s history within its confines. William Wrigley Jr., the former owner of the island, popularized Long Beach’s sister island with Hollywood superstars and the wealthiest of the rich. Having been a trendy resort island since the 1920’s, it’s no surprise that a working ranch, golf courses, and resort hotels are still occupying the island today.

The Chicago Cubs, also notably owned by Wrigley, held their spring training on Catalina Island for 30 years. In addition to hosting a number of fun events throughout the year, such as wine mixers and film festivals, Long Beach’s Catalina Island is known for its unmatched hotels and expensively decadent attractions.

5. Visit Mini-Naples: Have A Taste of Italy.

Set on three separate islands in the city of Long Beach, the United States neighborhood of Naples mimics another familiar name: Naples, Italy. Pretend you’re in the city of Naples by coming to Long Beach’s hottest take on Venice. Like the city of beautiful architecture, Long Beach’s version of Naples contains numerous canals, arched bridges, and Italian-inspired street names. Further taking its influence from the city of Naples, Italy is Long Beach’s Bella Flora Park. Boasting an elegantly designed three-tiered fountain in its central spot, this display of Italian artwork shouldn’t be missed.

Naples also offers more conventional, modern day things to do in Long Beach. If you’re looking for a more active outing, hydro bikes, paddle-boards, and even kayaks are available to rent and paddle throughout the gorgeous Long Beach city.

6. Dine With Elegance At Long Beach Waterfront.

Serving as the hub for a handful of Long Beach’s hottest tourist attractions, the best things to do in Long Beach can be found at the Waterfront. Visiting the Long Beach Waterfront is a great way to absorb the radiantly inviting vibe of the city.

Pre-routed, free bike and jogging paths give Long Beach’s top chateau the opportunity for physical activity. Gazing out onto the water on your bike or midway through your run will find you observing seals and dolphins galore. Located in downtown Long Beach, the Waterfront also has numerous boutique shops and tourist hotspots, making it the ideal place to shop in the city.

Finally, if you’re looking for a bite to eat in Long Beach, some of the city’s most iconic restaurants can be found here. Offering a fantastic view of the shoreline, Parker’s Lighthouse is just one of the many upscale, romance-oriented eateries you’ll find in downtown Long Beach.

Looking for Long Beach’s Hottest Attractions? We Can Help.

Here at Prep Kitchen Essentials, we offer a variety of events and hosted activities in the Eastern Long Beach area. Some of the things to do in Long Beach are organized by our team of staff members and applied to a workforce environment in order to bring about a boost in morale and productivity. Fun times equal more productive working hours – and if you’re looking for fun times, give us a call or reach out today!

Seal Beach Municipal Pier: An Adventure for the Whole Family

Seal Beach Municipal Pier

Serving as the main attraction of the Orange County town known as Seal Beach, Seal Beach Municipal Pier is a hot spot for locals and tourists alike. Surfers come daily to ride the waves, while tourists come to walk along the pier and enjoy the stellar sights. As one of the longest public piers in California, the pier ends square in the middle of the water that makes up Seal Beach.

History of Seal Beach Municipal Pier

Though a consistently popular focal point of Orange County today, Seal Beach Municipal Pier has experienced a number of setbacks and disasters over the course of a century.

In 1939, during its infancy, the pier was rocked by a hurricane. The vicious winds and huge swelling waves cut the pier clean in half. The pier again succumbed to a massive storm in 1983.

The crest of the incredible waves caused by the gale lifted the pier 1,1140 off its foundation pilings.

Considered an integral part of the identity of Orange County and Seal Beach itself, locals took action. Through private donations, the pier was restored to its full wooden glory. After the major renovations, however, disaster struck again twice in 1992 and again in 1994 by way of fire.

Each time, locals fund raised to save and restore the pier. Fully intact, the pier stands today as a beacon of Orange County Pride.

Things to Do When Visiting the Pier

Whether you are just visiting or are a local, there is something for everyone to do when visiting Seal Beach Municipal Pier.

Seal Beach Municipal Pier Playground

Along the beach and just below the pier, you and your family can enjoy the seal-themed

playground. Adults and children alike can build sand sculptures from the mounds of sand or play on the quirky slides and swings. At the base of the pier just beyond the playground, a statue of the Seal Beach mascot, Slick the Seal, can be found. Slick is a fantastic photo-op and a delight for all ages.

Fishing on the Seal Beach Municipal Pier

Seal Beach Municipal Pier is one of the most popular piers for fishing. Because this is a public pier, a fishing license isn’t required, but there are regulations on the size and type of fish you may keep.

While you cannot purchase bait and tackle from a shop on the pier, there are several places

nearby where you can buy the bait you need. Across the street, Seal Beach Liquor Store sells bait. If you are in need of more supplies, there is a fishing store a mile out on the Pacific Coast Highway that sells fishing gear like rods, tackle gear, reels, and bait.

On the Seal Beach Pier, you can expect to catch stingrays, small sharks, halibut, corbinia, and a variety of seasonal fish.

For those interested, a yearly children’s fishing derby is hosted on the Seal Beach Pier. The kids are taught the basics of fishing: baiting their lines, casting a line from the pier, and the mechanics of catching and reeling in a fish.

Dining on the Seal Beach Municipal Pier

Though the Ruby’s Diner that once stood at the end of the pier is no longer, the surrounding town of Seal Beach offers a wide variety of dining opportunities. The most notable restaurant to visit is the award-winning Walt’s Wharf. If you are looking for just a quick bit or are in the mood for other options, however, do not fret. There are several restaurants in the surrounding area that will do the trick.

Alamitos Bay Marina: The Pride of Long Beach

Alamitos Bay Marina

Long Beach Marina has been long considered to be one of the greatest marinas in California, if not the entire country. Breaking ground in the 1950’s the Alamitos Bay Marina was the very first marina in Long Beach. Having close to 2,000 slips, it is the biggest of the three city owned marinas in Long Beach. In fact, it is so massive, it harbors another smaller marina---Crissman’s Marina---inside of it. The Alamitos Bay Marina serves as host to the Alamitos Bay Yacht Club, a shipyard, a farmer’s market, and a crafts fair.

Slip Rates

Purchase of an annual slip at this Long Beach marina includes:

● All amenities

● Free Wi-fi

● Secure parking lot

● 24-hour surveillance

● Pool access/gym access

● Shower and laundry facilities

Wooden fixed pier slip rate: $80 per foot annually

Dockage spaces have enough room to house over 300 boats up to 100 foot long. The fueling dock can be used to safely fuel jet skis and smaller watercraft. Provides refueling service for both gas and diesel powered boats and craft.

Alamitos Bay Yacht Club

Noted around the world for training fantastic racers and hosting great races, The Alamitos Bay Yacht Club is home to generations of sailing families. In 1924, the ABYC was founded by a group of twelve local sailors and boat makers.

This prestigious club was the first of its kind in the US to earn the coveted St. Petersburg Yacht

Club Trophy. Due to their hosting of the 1968 Snipe Nations and the 1981 Snipe Worlds, they were the first club to receive the award a second time.

The ABYC hosted the Clifford Day Mallory Cup in 1976 and the Snip Western Hemisphere and Orient Championship in 2002. Aside from these big name championships, the ABYC also hosted several world championships.

These names include:

● The Tornado World Championships (1977 and 1993)

● Snipe Worlds Championship (1981)

● ISAF World Women’s Sailing Championship (1991)

● The Finn Gold Cup (1974)

● The International A-class catamaran World Championship (1997)

● The International 14 Fleet Racing World Championships (1979 and 2006)

● Melges 24 World Championships in (1999)

Marina Farmer’s Market

If you are interested in organic produce fresh from the source, you are in luck. Long Beach is stuffed with a number of fantastic farmers markets where you can find everything you need for the week ahead.

Nestled in the Alamitos Bay Marina parking lot, this farmers market is hosted weekly, and is a fantastic way to spend a Sunday. This market offers a large variety of produce grown from local vendors. You can also find fresh herbs, fruit, bakery items, flowers, cheese and honey from the best vendors in Long Beach. Despite current rumors, it is still operational.

This market opens each Sunday 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM.

Arts and Crafts Fair

Once you are done shopping for goods at the Farmers Market, head down to the Arts and

Crafts Fair. With the same opening hours and an adjacent location, The Alamitos Bay Marina Arts and Crafts Fair has been a weekly event for years. As you shop, you will notice multiple booths with art, high end crafts and unique specialty items.

If you are interested in becoming a vendor, you are in luck. The Marina Arts and Crafts Fair is looking for artists and vendors that specialize in higher end and unique items. This community show is considered to have an eclectic beach theme, so if your work fits this description, consider applying. On their website that can be found here , a vendor application can be printed and filled out.

Seal Beach: A Hidden Oceanside Gem

Seal Beach, CA

A small beachside town between the more populated cities of Long Beach and Huntington Beach, the city of Seal Beach is a charming getaway for locals and tourists alike. This sleepy hamlet was once known as “Bay City”, but its name was later changed due a city in Northern California already owning the title. The town instead earned the name Seal Beach after the seals that once roamed the beach. Though once known as “Sin City”, today, people come to visit or call it home for the wholesome, family friendly appeal.

 

 

Popular Attractions in Seal Beach

 

Serving as the main attraction, the Seal Beach Pier is a definite must see. Embracing the seal theme after which it is named, the walk to the pier is a delight to see.

 

 As you explore the beach, you will see street signs and trash cans decorated with seals, and the playground underneath the pier has seal themed rides for the children.

 

At the entrance to Seal Beach Pier, you will find a statue of the town mascot: a friendly seal named Slick. Many tourists and locals enjoy taking photos with Slick as they enter the pier, but the true highlight to Seal Beach Pier are the sunsets. During the holidays, all walks of life come to the pier to enjoy the warm nights and the beautiful glow of the sunsets.

 

This public pier also offers free fishing experiences for tourists and locals. Dozens of anglers fish are caught from the pier daily, a fun family activity for all ages.

 

 

 

Dining in Seal Beach

 

Along with scenic views and family fun, Seal Beach also offers a number of options in the way of cuisine.

 

Though long closed, The Parasol Restaurant deserves a place on the list simply due to historical value. The Parasol Restaurant served as one of the last examples of programmatic architecture, a theme for roadside diners in the space age era.

The restaurant first opened in 1967, and later was made famous in 1973 after being featured in the film American Graffiti. Before it’s demise, the pink and white parasol structure of the diner was a local icon.

While The Parasol is a part of history now, there are many other options for a variety of tastes if you are in the mood for a meal.

If you are a fan of seafood, the award-winning Walt’s Wharf is a popular option. Walt’s Wharf touts themselves as the local favorite for fresh seafood and fish. Offering a comfortable atmosphere and intriguing dishes such as the “world famous” oak grilled artichokes, Walt’s Wharf is worth featuring as a must if you are looking to dine in Seal Beach.

If you are not in the mood for seafood or perhaps you’d like to choose from a variety of dining experiences, below you will find a list of local eateries in Seal Beach that may peak your interest.

Fine Dining:

●       Spaghettini Italian Grill and Lounge: Italian, American (Vegetarian friendly)

●      Michael's on Naples: Italian (Vegetarian and Vegan friendly)

●      Patty's Place: American (Vegetarian friendly)

 

Local Cuisine:

 

●      Blackboard Bistro: American, Cafe (Vegetarian friendly)

●      The Hangout Restaurant & Beach Bar: American, seafood (Vegetarian friendly)

●      The Crema Cafe: American, Cafe (Vegetarian friendly)

 

Budget Friendly:

 

●      Taco Surf: Mexican (Vegetarian friendly)

●      Old Town Cafe: American, Cafe (Vegetarian friendly)

●      Athens West: Greek, Mediterranean (Vegetarian friendly)

 

 

No matter what you decide to do during your visit to Seal Beach, whether you stroll along the beach or fish at the pier, you are guaranteed a fun filled experience. So, grab your family, your camera, and some sunscreen, and take a picture with Slick for me!