Blake Makes

Hello Blake Makers and Sooper Heroes. I wanted to do a quick post and let you know who I’ve got down as a Sooper Hero. The free bottles of dulce de leche are going to be posted next Tuesday, February 19, 2008 at 8pm CST.

If you haven’t signed up with Soopz, you might want to before next Tuesday. If the last giveaway is any indication, these jars will go fast.

Why sign-up for Soopz?

1. I’ll have your e-mail and can alert (remind) you of the giveaway.
2. Sooper Heroes get first dibs.
3. Sooper Heroes get secret messages. (????)
4. Sign up for Soopz now.

Here’s who I have already:

Shannon, Brilynn, Cricket, Adam, Laurie, Staci, Erica, Chicken Fried, Sheron, Rachel, Peabody, Carly, Danielle, Liz, Jennifer, Nikki, Dolores, Janis, blair, Erin, Caitlin, Heather, lisa valentine, Karyn, Shawnda, cindy, Miss Bekah, Amanda, Kelly, Jerry, Jason, Natalie, Eric, Ashley, Kim.E, Amy, Becca

How it’s going to go down next Tuesday:

1. Alert (e-mail and Blake Makes post) on Monday announcing Tuesday’s post
2. Post free jars Tuesday night (2/19/2008) at 8 pm CST
   1. I’ll post the number of jars available
   2. You will comment on the post to claim your free jar
      1. Max 2 jars per person (for now)
      2. Jars are first come, first served
3. Round 2 jars will be mailed out either Wednesday or Thursday.

Comment on this post with any questions. Have a great weekend!

This is a very public display of my love and affection for Bridget (my Beez). I whispered my sentiments in her ear this morning when we woke up, but I’m happy to share with all of you that this is our 10th V-Day together.

That’s right, we’ve been together for a decade, and we’re only 26. Bridget is my love and my life. She’s my salvation. I am the person I am today because of her.

My mind is a whirlwind of creativity and chaos, but Bridget always calms me and tells me everything is going to be all right.

It is going to be all right. In fact, it’s going to be better than that. It’s been heaven. It’s been bliss.

To my Beez: The last ten years have been spectacular. Here’s to another 80 or so! (We’re going to Cochon for dinner)

I love sending Bridget flowers, but the flower shop never gets it right. So, for the last few years I’ve been making her flowers myself. I’m not sure why more people don’t do it themselves. Go to Whole Foods, trim the stems, and put them in a vase. Easy! Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

Hello Blake Makers (and Sooper Heroes). A lot’s been happening on Blake Makes lately, and it all started with the Peanut Butter Dulce de Leche - it’s amazing what a little jar of caramel can ignite. We’re preparing for Round 2 (which is going to take place next week), but there are some things I wanted to mention and clarify before I post the sweet stuff and you all go crazy over it. (Make sure to read all the way to the end.)

1. How Round 2 Is Going To Work

Last time, I posted 6 jars of dulce with little warning, and it was all claimed in about 60 seconds. This left a lot my readers without dulce. Sad.

This time, I am going to write a post (and send out an e-mail) announcing when I am going to post about the the dulce. It will be something like this:

“Hello all. If you want a jar of peanut butter dulce de leche, I am going to make them available on BlakeMakes.com at 8pm CST on Tuesday, February 19. The jars are free, but are first come, first served. If you want a jar of the good stuff, make sure to be on BlakeMakes.com…”

I would also recommend using Twitter to be notified of when the good stuff goes live. Twitter will enable you to get an e-mail, text message to your phone or instant message when I “tweet.” Find & Follow: blakemakes

2. The Jars Are Different (Smaller)

Last time, I used square jars that were 4.5 ounces. They were great, and I may end up going back to them, but they are expensive to ship (about $5). Since I am still tweaking the recipe; and I just want to give people a taste (so they can write about it on their blogs); and smaller jars cost less to ship, I’m using 1.25 ounce jars (think baby food jars) this time.

I’m willing to send multiple jars (I can fit 2 in each box) for those of you that want to cook something with it, and need (want) more than an ounce. The new, smaller jars cost me about $2.50 to ship (half the price).

3. “Blake, why don’t you just charge for it?”

I’ve gotten this question a lot. I started this little project to have some fun, and I’m happy to report that I’m still having a blast! My wife, Bridget, is an attorney, and she’s advised me to be careful about moving forward without much protection against liability.

Right now, I’m considering everyone who receives a jar of dulce my friend - after all, I would think nothing of giving you a jar for your birthday. However, I want everyone to have an understanding (which I know you all do) that this stuff is made in my (impeccably clean) kitchen (with my own impeccably clean hands).

As we move forward (if we reach a tipping point), I’ll have the jars mass produced in a commercial facility. For now, we’re going to keep things casual. I think it’s actually really exciting that we’re at the point where we’re thinking of mass producing dulce de leche. Is this where big ideas start? Maybe.

This is why I’m not charging (and I can’t charge) for the jars, but that leads me to #4.

4. ChipIn Widget

If you look just to the right, you’ll see a small rectangle that says “PBDDL Support“. If you click the little button that says “ChipIn!” you’ll be directed to a PayPal page where you can donate money to BlakeMakes.com.

It isn’t required (in fact, I feel a little weird about it), but it’s just a way for readers to support the site (and help recoup expenses like ingredients, jars, labels, boxes and [most of all] shipping). A lot of you (I’d say 60-70%) have offered to help me with shipping costs, this is a way to do that if you wish. Again, it’s not required or expected.

The more love and support I get from all of you, the more dulce I get to make. The more dulce I make, the more dulce you get, and the happier we all are!

Up Next (just before the Round 2 posts): Sooper Hero Roll Call

They’re almost ready….

What’s in that food processor? from Blake Killian on Vimeo.

Update 2/10/2008: MAKE SURE TO READ THE COMMENT ON THIS POST WHERE I EXPLAIN A LITTLE MORE ABOUT SOOPZ, BLAKEVILLE AND THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO.

I’ll keep this short and sweet (because I’m working on this at 8pm on a Saturday night). We’re taking steps to make Soopz more official, and to organize the community (family) that’s forming around the brand.

If you’re interested in becoming a Sooper Hero, please click here.

Even if you’ve already sent me your information, please go ahead and fill out the form so that I can keep you all together.

Thanks! bk

Hello Blake Makers and Sooper Heroes. We just got back from our long weekend back home, and when we arrived, a large brown box was waiting to greet us at the front door.

Obviously, inside the box we found about 200 1.5 oz. jars. They are smaller than the first dulce jars, but these are much cuter.

For round two, we’re making another batch of Blake Makes Peanut Butter Dulce de Leche (with a revised recipe), but I’m also going to make something else.

I think I already spilled the beans in a comment, but here are some clues to tempt you:

1. Give me more.
2. Campfire.
3. Layers.

I’m calling my new concoction “Mini Moments.” Give me about a week. bk

Hello, Blake Makers (and Sooper Heroes). Ok, now we’re getting some results from the dulce mail out. My friend, Dave Coustan, received his jar and blogged about it. He takes us through, pic by pic, his experiencing Blake Makes Dulce de Leche for the first time. Go check it out.

I don’t know gang, are you thinking what I’m thinking? It’s time for another round of dulce. Who wants some?

Click the image to go to Dave’s site.

Oh, and, thanks Dave. You’re a blogging rock star! See you on twitter.

Hello, Blake Makers. Well, it’s been an exciting week on Blake Makes. The dulce post went well (actually better than I had anticipated), so I guess my readers were hungrier than I thought. Well, fasten your seat belts because we’re about to take a giant step forward. Here comes Soopz (and more secrets, “Blakeville”).

I’ve been working on an idea for a few months, and it’s just about done (I can smell it in the oven, and the aroma is heavenly). With help from my business counselor (I couldn’t live/work without Joan), I’ve put together a business plan for Soopz (this is a working title).

What is Soopz?

Soopz is basically another name for the Blake Makes family. It’s a network of bloggers (mostly food bloggers) that read this blog and like to blog themselves (again, mostly about food).

The idea is that Blake Makes (eventually Soopz.com) will feature food products (both made in Blakeville -another secret- and from outside food companies), and Soopz members (we’re calling them Sooper Heroes) will receive free food to blog about.

The dulce post was just a peek at what’s to come. We’re already working with food companies (Sooper Companies) to start distributing free food to the Soopz network. So, if you want some free food, keep reading.

I want to be a Sooper Hero!

The formal site and system is underway, but for now, we’re going to take a hands-on, home grown approach. If you’re interested in becoming a Sooper Hero, comment on this post and I’ll add you to the list. You can also e-mail me at blakekillian [at] yahoo [dot] com, twitter me (@beekiller), or IM (Yahoo: blakekillian; AIM: TrkyDnr).

I want to be a Sooper Company!

If you’re a food company and would like to share your product with an amazing group of food bloggers, e-mail me at blake [at] killianinteractive [dot] com.

Just to recap:

• Soopz is coming (but you can join now)
• Products fresh from “Blakeville” are in production
• “Mini Moments” are going to blow your mind

Hello, Blake Makers. I feel that I owe you an explanation for my lack of posts over the last month. First I’d like to apologize for no word until now. The holidays were busy, but they’re busy for us all. I think the real culprits for my absence are:

1. My Business
2. My Waistline

As you may know, I started my own company back in August. Since then, it has continued to grow, and although I thought the holidays would be slow, I was busier than I’ve ever been. I’ve always kept a lot of plates spinning at one time, and I’ll get this one back in the air - it just takes some planning.

Another unanticipated consequence of all this food blogging and writing has been the weight I’ve put on. I’ve gained 20 pounds since I started the blog, and that’s something I’m going to have to address. I’ve already started my slim down routine, but Blake Makes is going to have to change.

Blake Makes will still feature yummy, amazing, beautiful food, but it’s going to have to be healthy. The butter is what got me. Everything I made seemed to have butter…and sugar…and cream. I refuse to stop shopping at Whole Foods. I refuse to stop creating amazing food. I refuse to stop blogging on Blake Makes.

Again, sorry I’ve been away, but I’m coming back. This weekend we’re making a menu for next week then I’ll be back.

For those of you still hanging in there, thanks. I love you! And if you’re still reading, I’ve got a few surprises in-store. bk

Hello, Blake Makers. Sorry it’s been a bit since I last posted, but things have been busy in Blakeville. As you may know, I started Killian Interactive a few months ago, and that’s what’s been keeping me most engaged. I’ve got several new clients, and that work alone keeps me occupied for most of the daylight hours on any given week. But something exciting happened last week.

Adam Kuban contacted me last week and asked if I would like to become the New Orleans correspondent for SeriousEats.com. (I had no idea I could do a backflip)

I am entirely honored that they are giving me this chance. This is just the latest affirmation for the direction I’m taking my business (and my life). I started Blake Makes months ago, but since the beginning I have loved it. I almost tear-up sometimes when I talk about it.

If I’m going to do this (as in, have my own business, follow my dreams, and make a living at it), then I am going to do it on my terms and doing something I love. This is what I love. Although I’m keeping quite busy at Killian Interactive with my new media marketing work, I’m steering the ship towards doing more food related work.

Things are starting to happen. Food things are starting to happen, and I couldn’t be happier. Serious Eats will not only give me the opportunity to share the splendor of New Orleans food with the world, it will also open doors for me that I wouldn’t have otherwise encountered.