Typical Day in the Life of Peas, Part 2: Music at HQ

Two weeks ago Tina, our Sales and Marketing Assistant, wrote a great blog about a typical Monday for her, and the music that keeps her going not matter what may land on her desk or in her inbox.

Now it's MY turn to share what music helps me tackle my days. Hopefully this blog entry won't scare anyone off :) While Monday's are exceptionally crazy around here, as the CEO of Peas, most of my days are jam packed regardless of the day of the week. I think I have about 30 radio stations programmed into my Pandora. Here are a few of my favorites to share:

I do most of the design work for Peas of Mind and love it! Whether I am working on our website or packaging or designing a sale presentation, I always end up turn to my Architecture In Helsinki radio station . The upbeat melodies keep my creativity flowing. If you haven't heard of them, check them out!

I have an undergraduate degree in Mathematics and actually enjoy number crunching and bookkeeping. I know that sounds crazy! To concentrate I listen to slower background type music. Since classical puts me to sleep, my version of classical music is my Milosh radio station. I recently discovered him and I just can't get enough!

For days that seem to drag on, I make myself some green tea and throw on my headphones to listen to show tunes! Headphones are a must, as I learned my lesson when my Mary Poppins radio station was blasting out of my computer one day. The looks I got were pretty strange.

I grew up on classic rock and seem to gravitate towards it when I'm feeling stressed. May be because it reminds me of my family and life as a kid, regardless my Crosby, Stills & Nash radio station gets a lot of play time during the weeks.

I would love to know the soundtrack of your life! Please post them!

*if for some reason the links are not working, just type in the name of the band in your Pandora account.

A Lemon and Five Senses

We thought it'd be fun to see how a single ingredient can affect each of the five senses; hearing, smell, sight, touch and taste. 

Let's look at the lemon. Here are some ways that we experience lemons, both directly (when we recognize the lemon's presence) and indirectly (when lemons can change the color or flavor of another food in a covert way that doesn't scream "lemon!")

Lemon and Five Senses

Hear

Using a vegetable peeler, remove a wide strip of peel the length of the lemon. Over a lit candle, twist the strip of peel with the yellow side facing the flame. Listen as the oils from the peel crackle and sparkle over the open flame and hear your child squeal with delight as though you just performed a magic trick in the kitchen!

Smell

As you peel and twist strips of lemon rind, it smells lemony, yes, but also piney and herbaceous. Meyer lemons have an especially savory aroma of thyme and spice. 

Here's a neat trick. Should you happen to bring home fish from the market that smells a little bit fishy, using lemon juice will cut the fishiness in two ways. First, it will encourage free (unpleasant) aromas to react with water in the fish and then, second, the acid in the lemon juice will work on a chemical level to keep those fishy aromas tied down to the surface of the fish so you won't have to smell them anymore!

See

Beyond the color of the lemon itself, lemons can dictate the color (or discolor) of many other foods. Squeeze lemon juice on cut pieces of apple and the apple will not brown. Squeeze lemon juice on sauteed asparagus, store the leftovers in the fridge overnight and you'll find that the lemon juice turned your asparagus brown. Make a smoothie with mixed berries and milk and it will be purple, but add lemon juice and watch the color of the smoothie shift from blue-purple to red-purple.

Touch

Here's a great trick for getting the most juice out of a lemon. Roll the lemon on the counter, really using your body weight to apply lots of pressure. Feel the juice pockets bursting inside as you liberate the juice within the lemon.

Taste

Sour and pallet cleansing, yes, but lemons can also enhance the flavor of other foods without making them taste lemony. Like salt, lemon juice is a natural flavor enhancer; adding lemon to nearly any food will intensify the other flavors in that food. Next time you make a dish that seems to be missing that certain 'something' that you just can't identify, try adding a little lemon juice. This tip is most impactful in dishes that are cooked for a long time, like soups and stews. The acidity brings brightness back to a dish where most of the freshness had boiled away.

What are some of your own clever uses for lemons?

Typical Day in the Life of Peas, Part 1: Music at HQ

We wanted to really mix it up this week by sharing some of the inner workings here at Peas HQ with you.

We’re fortunate enough to listen to music during the workday. Sometimes, one person will D.J. with universal favorites like the soundtracks for  The Darjeeling Limited, Twilight 1 or 2, etc, but we tend to ‘tune out’ here and there throughout the day based on the task at hand.

Here’s a rundown of the music that keeps me, the sales and marketing assistant, going on a typical Monday, no matter what may land on my desk or in my inbox:

• Tuning in to Morning Edition on NPR on my commute brings me up to speed on current events and sets the stage for a thoughtful day.
• Mondays are always busy at Peas. After a quick morning meeting, I tackle my inbox and to-do list with a bowl of cereal, hot tea, and some indie pop like Phoenix. (I know. What can I say? It’s catchy!) 
• I’ll blast out a bunch of emails, process orders, follow-up on long-term projects, etc., with something more intense like my current favorite Pandora station, Panic Switch radio station.
• If it’s a really crazy day, nothing gets me crankin’ like an hour of techno. 
• We all wear a variety of 'hats' here at Peas. Lately, I’ve been tapping into my food science background, helping out with R&D projects, formulations, nutritional calculations, etc. For some serious number crunching or other tasks that require my complete focus, I grove to old school reggae like Toots and The Maytals. Something about the beat really clears my mind.
• Later in the afternoon, I’ll indulge in some Nat King Cole while I tie up loose ends and re-prioritize for the rest of the week. Ending my workday with music from the 40’s, I leave the studio relaxed, renewed and ready for the evening ahead: Salvadorian food or Burmese? Indoor rock climbing or ashtanga yoga? Thai chili lime ice cream or salted caramel? San Francisco, how you spoil me.

 

Juice Box Alternative

Kids love their juice boxes... but how much sugar do those little things have? Here is a great alternative to serve up, and you can control the amount of sugar added!

Late summer and early fall is when you will find the sweetest melons of the year. Make this delicious drink as a tasty alternative to soda, sports drinks or juice boxes. It's a great way to rehydrate with far less sugar and fewer calories, not to mention loads of vitamins A and C, potassium and more. The kids will love to find a pitcher of this waiting for them in the fridge when they get home from school!

• 1 large cantaloupe, musk melon, or other melon, about 5lbs
• Juice of 1 lemon or lime
• 1 to 2 Tbl of sugar or agave syrup
• Ice; 2 trays

Peel, seed, and cut the melon into 1" cubes.
Fill a blender or food processor with cubes of melon. (You may have to do this in batches). Add enough cold water to come halfway up the sides of blender/processor with the melon inside (about 2 cups of water). Pulse the mixture to achieve very small pieces of melon (a little smaller than the size of peas) but be sure NOT to blend it smooth. Pour your first batch into a large bowl and repeat these steps with more melon and cold water.
Let rest for 10 minutes to infuse.
Strain to remove the pulp. Add 1 tablespoon of sugar/agave and 1/2 the juice of a lemon (or lime), mix well and taste.
You may want to add the remaining sugar and citrus juice if needed. Conversely, if the mixture is too sweet or sour, simply dilute with more water as needed. Chill in the fridge and serve over ice, enjoy!

Project: Homemade Granola Bars

We created this reci-pea with the spirit of "back-to-school" in mind, but thought it would make a great project to complete over the long weekend!

Suitable for breakfast on the go, a treat in the lunch box or an after school snack, these bars are an ultra-convenient pick-me-up at any time of day for the whole family. Oats, nuts and dried fruit offer a great balance of protein, heart-healthy unsaturated fat, B vitamins, Vitamin E, and minerals like iron, magnesium, potassium, zinc and more!

Lunchbox Granola Bars

• 2 cups oats
• 1 cup nuts, chopped (any kind)
• 3/4 cup sunflower seeds
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup honey
• 2 TBL vegetable oil
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 8 oz. dried fruit, chopped into small pieces

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Toast the oats, nuts, sunflower seeds on a sheet pan in the oven for 10-12 mins, stirring every few minutes so they don't burn. Meanwhile, line a baking dish/pan with waxed paper and then lightly spray the waxed paper with non-stick spray.
Put the brown sugar, honey, oil, cinnamon and salt into a saucepan and bring to a simmer, swirling occassionally. Turn off the heat, add the vanilla and swirl to combine. Set aside.
When the oat mixture is done toasting, transfer to a large bowl. Add the dried fruit and stir to break up any clumps. Pour in the honey mixture and mix really well to coat everything evenly. Transfer into prepared baking sheet and spread out evenly.
Wait 1 hour or until the granola has totally cooled. Peel off the waxed paper and cut the bars into 1 1/2 inch strips about 4 inches long. Wrap in wax paper and store in an airtight container at room temperature for a couple days or in the freezer for up to a month.