So, I can’t seem to get over cupcakes, feel free to suggest different varieties of desert experiments. Cupcakes are just terribly convenient- and tasty!

For now, you’ll just have to suffer through another cupcake recipe. I hope you’re detecting the sarcasm, because these cupcakes are delectable. I just may have licked the bowel clean… but really, there is no way of telling. I mean honestly, who could resist this?

So here you are my friends:

Mocha Cupcakes:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/4 cup granulated white sugar

3 large eggs

1 ½ tablespoons of Fabbri Moka delipaste

1 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 cups cake flour

¼ cup Ghirardelli Sunrise unsweetened cocoa

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

¼ cup milk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and lightly butter or line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.

2. Beat sugar and butter together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and Moka delipaste.
In a separate bowl Sift together the flour, unsweetened cocoa, baking powder and salt.

3. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and milk, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

4. Evenly fill the muffin cups with the batter and bake for about 18-20 minutes or until nicely browned and a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Once the cupcakes have completely cooled, frost with icing.

-Makes 12 cupcakes

Mocha Butter Cream:

Ingredients:

2 cups powdered sugar

½ cup butter, room temperature

2 tablespoons milk

2 tablespoons Ghirardelli sunrise unsweetened cocoa

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon finely ground coffee beans*

Directions:

1. Cream together butter, vanilla, half of the required powdered sugar and half of the milk. Once this is blended well, add the second half of powdered sugar and milk.

2. Secondly, add in Ghirardelli cocoa until blended.

3. Finally, add in ground coffee beans. Start with a tablespoon, and then increase to taste.

* Use espresso beans or a darker roast for a more authentic “Mocha” flavor.

UMG is now making our own gourmet scone mix. You can make delicious scones in as little as 15 minutes from the bowl to you display case. They smell amazing as they’re baking and taste even better. How’d you like to save $1000′s of dollars every year and double your bakery business? We know your sales will increase with the very first case you buy. If you’re paying .75-$1.00 (or more) a scone now you’ll save over $1000 dollars, enough to buy a Cadco counter-top convection oven with just 3 cases of scone mix and after that, the $1000 goes into your pocket every 3 cases. You control the flavors, you control the quality of ingredients. It’s so easy you can teach any employee to make them. Never again will you run out of scones at noon and turn away customers for the rest of the day. You’ll just bake more in 15 minutes!!! The smell will cause more sales and customers will drool as they watch you pull the fresh pans out of the oven. Don’t over order from your supplier because you might run out and then have to sell day old at half price. Don’t sell day old delivered product as fresh either. Bake bake bake, did we mention it was easy? Call us now for more info on the great mix and Cadco’s great new counter-top oven. Stop by the showroom and we’ll bake a batch for you to try. You will never regret baking your own. Stop by our booth at the Milwaukee restaurant show March 8th-10th and try them there too. I’m going to go eat another, darn they’re good.

Cheers, David

Newco is one of only two companies making home brewers that are certified by the Specialty Coffee Association of America to brew at the correct temperatures. The OSC 8 & 12 are both now back in stock after selling out quickly on their original USA production run. If you’ve been wanting to make coffee at home that tastes as good as it does on the $1000 commercial machines at your favorite coffee shop, then these are just the ticket for you. The 8 and 12 cup brewer specifications are both listed below.

Newco OCS-8 Coffee Maker

* The quality and durability of a commercial machine in a home model.
* 8 cup thermos carafe with patented brew through pour lid.
* High quality polycarbonate construction.
* Easy pour over feature for brewing coffee.
* Pour and serve allows you to get a cup of coffee while brewing.
* No temperature or water volume adjustments.
* Markings indicate water needed to make corresponding number cups of coffee.
* Filter basket swings open for easy insertion of filter.
* Audible beep and automatic shut off after brew cycle is completed.
* 1500 watt heating element for fast brewing.
* Lead free construction.
* Color is black.
* 7 1/2″W x 10″D x 15 1/2″H.
* Bunn Filters sold separately.
* Sold As: 1 ea.

Newco Warranty:

* 1 year limited.
* Lifetime technical support.

The Newco OCS-8 carafe holds temperature for 4-6 hours. The patented self sealing, dual action brew through and pour out lid is an industry standard. The OCS Brewer uses a high wattage heating element for fast brewing up to ten pots per hour. The near boiling temperature is ideal for hot tea or specialty coffee.

Newco OCS-12 Coffee Maker

* The quality and durability of a commercial machine in a home model.
* 12 cup stainless steel thermos carafe with patented brew through pour lid.
* High quality polycarbonate construction.
* Easy pour over feature for brewing coffee.
* Pour and serve allows you to get a cup of coffee while brewing.
* No temperature or water volume adjustments.
* Markings indicate water needed to make corresponding number cups of coffee.
* Filter basket swings open for easy insertion of filter.
* Audible beep and automatic shut off after brew cycle is completed.
* 1500 watt heating element for fast brewing.
* Lead free construction.
* Color is black.
* 7 1/2″W x 10″D x 15 1/2″H.
* Bunn Filters sold separately.
* Sold As: 1 ea.

Newco Warranty:

* 1 year limited.
* Lifetime technical support.

The Newco OCS-12 carafe holds temperature for 4-6 hours. The patented self sealing, dual action brew through and pour out lid is an industry standard. The OCS Brewer uses a high wattage heating element for fast brewing up to ten pots per hour. The near boiling temperature is ideal for hot tea or specialty coffee.

(For pricing or additional product information, please Contact Us. Thank you.)

It’s that time of year again where we need to closeout our existing gelato equipment inventory. We have 1 countertop hot process Bravo Batch freezer; 1 – 12 pan Oscartielle Display Case; 1 – 4 pan ISA display case; 2 – 12 pan Sevel Display cases; 1 countertop shock freezer. Best prices of the year, call David today and get a great deal on gelato equipment.

We now have Press pots in 2, 3, 6 and 8 cup sizes.  French press is a great way to brew at home. Home coffee pots may not be able to reach ideal temperatures, but with a press pot you use boiled water that will extract all the flavor from your coffee or tea.  Consider using these at your own homes or stocking them in the retail section of your store. The holidays are fast approaching and gifts like these won’t stay on your shelves! Contact us today to get your own French press.

612-728-7208

orders@uppermidwestgourmet.com

Looking for more Gluten free menu items? Don’t forget all of our Deep River Chips and Fries are all Gluten free. A bag of Deep River Snacks along with a bowl of soup or chili is a great lunch or dinner that can attract new customers to your shop. Gluten free is just another benefit of Deep River Snacks, but believe it or not, they taste better than ever other brand of chips and that’s why we stock them….the Gluten free part is just a bonus.

And now we mix cases!  Try any of the following in a mixed case:

Mesquite BBQ, Rosemary Olive Oil, Asian Sweet N Spicy, Salt N Cracked Pepper, Sweet Maui Onion (Fries N Chips),  Salt and Vinegar, Original Salted, and Cheddar Jalapeno Fries

Cheers, David

Hi Everyone.

It is part of my daily mission at Upper Midwest Gourmet to find ways to:

a: Be a greener company (improve our environmental impact on the earth)

b: Lower operating costs to help offset price increases

c: Improve quality of life for staff

I came across an article in this weekends Minneapolis Star and Tribune that addresses all of these issues through the conversion to a 4 day work week.  If you paste the following link into your browser you can read about how this change can work to benefit a company like ours and in turn help us to benefit your company as well.  The link:

http://www.startribune.com/local/28333109.html

I’m looking for feedback from all our customers as to what you would think of this change?  We would adjust our hours to be open Monday – Thursday from 7:30 am to 5 pm (currently M-F 9am-4pm).  We would be consolidating the Tuesday and Friday Van routes to both take place on Tuesday.  This should save us money on: fuel, labor and utilities while giving our staff the ability to enjoy more time with their families on the weekend.  While price increases are still unavoidable, this may be able to help offset the significance of some of the increases we’re seeing on the horizon.

If there is no uproar from our customers I’d consider implementing this change, on a trial basis, some time in October?  If it turned out that it was causing customers problems and we did not see any benefits to the change we could always change back to our traditional 5 day work week.

I’d really appreciate any feedback you may have so I have set up an online poll.  Please take a moment to check whether you’d be for or against this change.

Thanks in advance for your business, all of us here at Upper Midwest Gourmet appreciate it very much.

Cheers,

David Chall

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35Dub.

Congratulations Minnesota on a project quickly completed.

Well, my friends, it is time for me to say good-bye. Some of you know this already but for those of you that don’t, I am moving to Urbana, Illinois on Saturday, August 30. That means that my last day hear at Upper Midwest Gourmet is this Friday, August 29. I am moving to Urbana to attend the School for Designing a Society. SDaS was started by a group of people, including Patch Adams (remember that movie about the crazy doctor played by Robin Williams? well it’s based on a true story), that believe that we really can change the world. So this fall I will be with between 15-20 other people discussing where society is at, where we see it going, where we want it to go, and how we are going to get it there. We will all be working on projects (individual and/or group) that actually implement the things that we will be discussing. I am extremely excited to be involved in SDaS. I think it is going to be a fantastic experience. It does, however, make working in Minnesota a bit difficult. It would be a rather nasty commute, don’t you think?

 I want to tell you all that you have been absolutely lovely. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with all of you. You have made me laugh and made me cry (well, almost). It has been my pleasure to have had the priveledge of working with all of you. You guys rock! Thank you for all the memories; shows, barista jams, gelato, coffee (which, much to the dismay of the guys at UMG, I still do not drink), mispronouncing words, silly sayings, and just laughing in general. I’ve really loved it here. Thank you so much for everything.

Every time I hear a phone ring I will look around like a crazy person needing to answer it. And then I’ll remember that it is no longer for me and I’ll laugh at my silliness. Thank you again for everything. Don’t forget to work hard AND play hard! You are all wonderful.

“It’s a beautiful day at Upper Midwest Gourmet. This is Kelsey.” I’m going to miss helping you.

As most of you saw or heard on the news recently, the 35W bridge over the Mississippi River collapsed yesterday.”  Fortunately our office was already closed by then and everyone from here had already left and crossed the river.”  Many of you know that our exit off the highway is at the end of this bridge and we use it everyday, many times a day.”  We are very grateful that all our families are safe and we feel the sorrow of our fellow Minnesotans who had family members on the bridge during the disaster.”  Thanks to all of you who’ve emailed and called to check on us today.”  Your concern for us and well wishing was very much appreciated.”  We will do everything possible to keep this tragedy from affecting our service but hope everyone will understand any delays in shipping that may have occurred.”  We don’t believe there were any problems but we won’t know until Monday if anything occurred beyond our doors.”  We are sending much of our staff home early for the rest of this week” and next week while” they try and find ways to reroute the nearly 200,000 vehicles that crossed that bridge daily.”  Again, the inconvenience we’ll suffer is nothing compared to the loss others are experiencing and we all feel very lucky today.

David and the entire Beanhead staff

Can’t Live Without Chocolate?
No problem. Scientists may one day claim you need the stuff to be at
your healthiest.

It’s a theory growing from a study of the diets of a small Indian
tribe in the Panamanian islands. High blood pressure is virtually
unheard of within the group. And tribe members drink three or four 10-
ounce servings of cocoa per day. Coincidence?

Killer Compounds
The Panamanian tribe doesn’t drink run-of-the-mill cocoa. Because of
the gentle way they process their cocoa beans, their cocoa is chock-
full of epicatechin, a flavonoid that helps widen and relax blood
vessels. If the tribe’s lack of high blood pressure (as well as other
diseases like heart disease, diabetes, and cancer) does turn out to be
because of epicatechin, researchers speculate that the flavonoid could
one day be given vitamin status.

Other Potential Reasons

But before you buy stock in Hershey’s, there’s still research to be
done. The tribe members also eat lots of fish and fruit, and their
diet or their lifestyle — or both — may be part of the lack-of-
disease equation. So far, researchers have ruled out genetics.

Bottom Line
What remains true: Flavonoids are good for your heart; lots of
research points to this. But dark chocolate is just about your only
hope for chocolate that hasn’t had its flavonoids completely destroyed
by processing. And if you need to cut calories to lose weight, a
little bit of chocolate goes a long way.

But this sweet treat has chocolate’s health-boosting compounds without
the fat.
RealAge Benefit: Getting 31 milligrams of flavonoids — cocoa beans
are naturally rich in them — a day can make your RealAge 3.2 years
younger.

Try out this tip: Enjoy a cup of heart-friendly cocoa made from
organic Central American cacao beans.

The following is an exeprt copied on-line from New Energy future announcing the latest Starbucks price increase and some of the reasons for it.”  As you know, many of your vendors have had price increases recently. Now is the time to raise your prices again too. Your customers are expecting it. Don’t announce it, don’t make excuses, just do it and protect your margins. Hopefully there will be a correction in the milk market soon and maybe we’ll be lucky enough to see some prices come back down.

Cheers,”  David

New Energy Future – July 25th 2007

Corn Ethanol Behind Starbucks Price Spike

July 25th, 2007 by Dan
–>Record Corn Prices Driving Up Milk Cost For All Those Pricey Lattes

The corn growing bonanza driven by government subsidies for the alternative fuel ethanol has tipped yet another domino in the economic food chain: Starbucks coffees.

At least, it’s part of the reason Starbucks is raising its prices, on average, 9 cents per drink.

American farmers planted more corn this year than at any time in more than a half century, yet cattle ranchers, dairy farmers and other food producers are finding the supply tight. That’s because so many corn farmers are growing their crop for fuel, not food. The rise in corn prices is one reason for the rise in milk prices, which is one reason for the rise in the cost of a latte…..

You’ve been asking for new flavors so here you go: Big Train has some new products in the works and the first five have been released and are now available in our warehouse. Green Apple Fruit Tea Blast with a pound of fresh fruit in every bottle, Organic Serano Chai Tea, Pralines N Cream Ice Rage and Peaches N Cream Ice Rage. The Green Apple Blast will be a great addition to the Tea Blast line and a perfect addition to the hot summer season. Organic Chai requests are definitely on the up-rise so BT decided to replace it’s Eastern Chai with an Organic version in a more convenient tetra package. To the Ice Rage line they’ve added Pralines N Cream and Peaches N Cream. Finally, the popular 20 Below Frozen Hot Chocolate now has a new cousin, 20 Below Frozen WHITE Hot Chocolate. Can you say Yummy? Go ahead, say it, Y U M M Y. All are in stock in our warehouse and ready for your orders. We hope to have sample packs by the first of August, but if these are anything like the rest of the Big Train line, then you know you wont need a sample to know they’re great. We expect to see a 2nd new Tea Blast by August 1st and maybe some other new flavors too. What are you waiting for, click the ‘order form’ button on the left side right now!

We had a great time at the UP Show in Minneapolis last week. We want to thank all the folks who stopped by our booth and tried all our new products. We had 3 gelato demonstrations on the show stage and made all the gelato for our booth as well as TSBL’s booth and the feedback was fantastic. Our newest products from Sambazon Acai, Xpress Nap and Castellino we’re huge hits too and people were ordering them right out of our booth. We have 1 Vita Mix Bar Boss Advance that we displayed in the Vita Mix booth that is an open box unit that we’re selling at a discount and 2 Gelato Batch freezers from the demo stage as well that we’ll offer great deals on. All the other show equipment has been picked up and is happily making product in there new homes.

We didn’t get long to rest. One day back in the shop then Michael and Kevin loaded up the Van and headed off to setup Coffeefest Chicago. Day 1 of the show has completed and the phone calls we’ve received so far say our booth was the biggest hit at the show. If you’re going to Coffeefest today or tomorrow stop by and say hi to them and don’t miss out on the Acai gelato.

Bethany and I are hoping a flight to Columbus Ohio in about 45 minutes to set up another booth at the NAPIC show. We’ll be dishing out over 20 different gelato flavors and some fun alternative gelato treats so come on by and see us also.

If you come to the shows or order any gelato equipment by the end of the month and mention this blog post I’ll take another $500 off your gelato package. Deposits must be received by the end of February.

Don’t forget, if you can’t make one of these shows, we’ve got another coming up in 2 weeks in Milwaukee.

Look for some cool pictures of the show here soon. Hoping to see and hear from you all soon.

Cheers, David….Token Beanhead