Can Roasted Garlic Bread Help my Home Business?

Can Roasted Garlic Bread Help my Home Business…real or manufactured marketing plans?

As you know, or may not, I am considered a gourmet chef by many. Last night, after nearly 40 years of cooking, I tried something I haven’t tried before.
Who doesn’t love garlic bread to accompany a broiled steak, whiskey cream mushrooms, baked potatoes, and a fresh green Mediterranean salad?
Previously, garlic bread had been buttered and rubbed with a clove of garlic or slathered with a “manufactured” spread (convenience, right?)

Yesterday, however, I decided to make a roasted garlic puree to spread on thick slices of sourdough bread…about two generous tablespoons on each slice. Then the bread was broiled to a toasty crusty brown topping.
Well, my guests and I had NEVER tasted anything quite so delicious…warm, crispy, non-oily, pungent with a mild buttery garlic flavour…it was amazing. You have to try it to believe it yourself. The recipe is shared with you at the end of this blog.

The next morning, I checked the label on the bottle of the manufactured “concentrated” garlic spread. Here are the ingredients in the order of ingredients: partially hydrogenated
soybean and cottonseed oils, water, high fructose corn syrup, garlic powder, salt, soy lecithin, mono and diglycerides, carrot oil (for color), citric acid, potassium sorbate (a preservative)and last and least of all, GARLIC OIL. Unbelievable! Is this even unhealthy or what ? You can probably hear how I hooted and how fast I booted that concoction into the waste bin.

Umm…so, as usual, I started to think about my home based business based on the network marketing model. On one hand, my marketing plan is as simple to deliver as possible..three steps and no other materials are primarily necessary. No expertise ingredients.
Everybody can do it...it’s naturally sharing information and caring about results.

In a similar way, you don’t have to be an excellent cook to make extraordinary real garlic spread brimming with goodness. Everyone can take a few garlic heads, roast and puree them into a most delicious and healthy garlic toast spread. There are no excuses for failure (unless you don’t follow the three steps and burn the garlic by too much cooking time.)

On the other hand, there are other marketing plans that are very difficult to follow.
They can be time consuming, include complex, multiple-step strategies online, and unfamiliar actions that need training modules. Examples include writing articles, blogging, magnetic lead attraction, social media interactions, leadership quotient. The focus seems to be on becoming a master manufacturer and then creating other master manufacturers. Some will but the majority will not. It is too complicated for the average “cook” to make much less show others the recipe.

Network marketing is a unique home business model based on simple marketing plans that do not depend on who is using them but still have all the critical elements in place.

What is more simple than a 3 steps marketing plan?
What is more delicious than garlic heads, olive oil, salt and lemon?

PS.that every guest can do as well

Roasted Garlic Puree.

4 large heads garlic

1/4 cup olive oil

1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Chop off top of garlic head, and separate whole cloves, leaving tight outer covering intact.

Place cloves in a shallow 8-inch square baking dish, and drizzle with olive oil.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 to 40 minutes.

Cool and drain; remove skins.

Separate the head into individual cloves.

Squeeze out the cloves and add to food processor bowl (smoother texture)..or just mash with a fork. Add salt, pepper and lemon juice. Process 30 seconds or until almost smooth, scraping sides occasionally.

Now liberally spread on slices of favourite bread.

Broil till toasty brown.

Enjoy each mouth-watering bite.

If you have leftovers, squeeze out the pulp into a small dish, cover with olive oil, and store, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

How Spicy GOULASH can teach a valuable lesson about a profitable home business

How Hot and Spicy GOULASH can teach you a valuable lesson
about a profitable home business.

This blog is for fun but it teaches a valuable lesson about realizing a profitable home business. You can take one word, one set of instructions and it can end up with multiple meanings and results to many different individuals.

Last weekend I made an early Christmas dinner party for friends and decided to make Hungarian goulash in honor of the native background of some of the guests. It had to be authentically traditional. So I searched about 40 recipes with various alternatives, regional derivatives, ingredients, recommendations and so on. I finally decided on an 1876 recipe brought from Hungary and passed down through generations. It was also the simplest to prepare.

It turned out marvelous with many compliments by people who had actually enjoyed real goulash in Hungary!

Now, let’s make this home business comparison… let’s relate a home business to a great goulash…(stay with me on this…stretch your thinking outside the box on this one)

First, we look for the right recipe or business plan…proven authenticity is the best.

Second, we follow the recipe or plan and carefully set it up for best results.

Third, we receive compliments on a successful endeavor and others may even request the recipe (or plan).

The point is everyone can start a home business and have good personal results. What’s absolutely fascinating is to see all the different viewpoints that one recipe (or plan) can produce. You will be amazed at the different comments at the end of this blog, many as different as night and day about the same goulash recipe!

The valuable lesson here is that every person will offer their experiences, emotions and abilities to any venture, including their vision of and application to a home business enterprise. One conclusion may even be that personal attributes play the key role in home business success. I would agree, how about you?

I would also conclude that the home business plan (or recipe) must be as simple as possible to follow for given results by the most people. It’s OK to have a variety of responses to accommodate various “tastes” but the same “ingredients” must be shared whether across the street or across the country.

The more complex the recipe, the less people will try it or achieve the results they want.

The more cooks there are, the more chances to spoil the broth.


As a teacher, I value creative thinking and enjoyed these different comments about the same goulash recipe! The point is that everyone can do this recipe just as everyone can do a simple 3-step home business plan. Everyone makes their own unique spin, and for home business success based on the network marketing model, the plan (or recipe) must be the same for everyone.


I gave this recipe (or rather my version of it) 5 stars - my husband and I loved it and will definitely be making this again soon. We are not eating red meat at this time so I subbed ground turkey for the beef, I also subbed parsnips for the potatoes which I think gave it a rich sweetness it wouldn't have otherwise had, and left out the caraway. I also used chicken stock and more than the recipe called for to make more of a stew. Try it, you'll like it!

First I have to say I didn't have any caraway seeds or marjoram. I thought I did when I started this recipe but found I didn't. Instead I added a hearty helping of Mrs. Dash. I cut the meat into bite size pieces and it cooked faster that way. I had to watch because I did need to add more water as it cooked. I have a family of 8. Some liked it just the way it was, some added a dallop of sour cream to theirs, and one, my youngest added sour cream and salsa and declared it a keeper! Strange child

…not bad recipe, though a little short in information and sorry, but I have to say, it's far away from authentic :) here in hungary we call this kind of meal "pörkölt" which means "made by stewing" and goulash or "gulyás" is a rich soup or stew with potatoes, different vegetables paprika, and beef.

This wasn't bad, but a bit bland for our tastes. I added a tomato and a hot chili pepper to give it a bit of kick.

It was awesome, I did tweak it based off what I had. I omitted the caraway seed, upped the heat to medium, added the potatoes sooner, and cooked it all in all nearly 2 hours. I used cheap meat too, but it still turned out great.

This recipe was good, nothing spectacular though. I prepared it almost exactly as the recipe called for except I added allspice corns and a little extra paprika and marjoram. I also served it with a dollop of sour cream (it's just not authentic without!). If I had more time I also would have prepared some Hungarian potato pancakes for a truly authentic dish. If you can bear, let it stand a day in the fridge, as with all stews, it is much better

I made a vegetarian version of this using a meat substitute, and my family enjoyed it very much. It has a mild (but not bland) flavor that appealed to all my picky eaters. I am glad I stumbled across this recipe; I'll certainly be making it again and again.
I had a real good recipe for Hungarian goulash but lost it. When I saw this recipe it was as close as I could remember. Instead of using water, I added a can of diced tomatoes, a Bayleaf and would have added a cup of wine, but not have any..

This is a delicious and quick recipe. The only thing I could suggest is to use more fresh ingredients. Perhaps red bell peppers. All in all however it's a bachelor's boon

Really not much to this. It takes entirely too long to cook for the results it gives.

It's pretty boring I couldn't eat this. But, my husband had three servings. I will leave it up to him to write his own 5 star review. I thought it had too much paprika and needed something more to make that balance. Since he liked it I would try it again with a better quality and less amount of paprika. I would also make it with a less expensive cut of meat. Stewing for close to three hours would justify a chuck or other stew meat.



If you would like a copy of this recipe (or plan) let me know and I’ll gladly share.
AnneMarie

Four Words Every Home Business Owner Must Say...PART 3

I CAN DO IT

So far, in Part 1, we saw how self-concept determines your destination and both are relative to a successful marketing plan. In Part 2, we saw how a simple “song” or marketing plan is easier to deliver and fun.

Now, another analogy just hit me last night. It all began with a small cluster of unexpected events…my brother and family (5 members) dropped in from their Kelowna trip. And I offered to make supper, of course, and they gladly accepted, of course, and I didn’t have enough of anything prepared to do company’s justice. In my fridge, there was a small hamburger package (enough for two people) and mozzarella cheese. Sometimes in emergencies like this I draw out an old traditional family recipe. It’s simple 5-ingredient sour cream dough that is rolled out into thin 8 inch circles topped with a filling, braided shut, rolled thin and fried in olive oil. Serve with sour cream and salsa, green onions and carrot sticks. The surprise supper was great with what was described as a gourmet treat.

I love analogies because they can take a highly complex subject and compare it to something easier to understand. In this example I was successful in preparing a good supper for several people because I had a recipe to follow and could not fail.

A recipe made me think of any list of specific instructions with an end result in mind.
You take raw elements like egg, flour, salt, and create a composite wholly unlike to the elements. In the similar way, you can take a marketing plan to grow your home business and realize a dream lifestyle way beyond the words on a page.

A map is a pictorial overview of an actual landscape using labeled keys or code. You can see where you are now and where you want to be. With a business plan, you must be able to see the rules to win by, offensive driving and defensive driving.

A business plan is essential to starting a business, including home-based. You need check out market research, consultants, cash-flow projections, investment ratios, rental fees, shipping, competitors, production, sales and marketing…just to name a few.

A network marketing home business plan has the basic advantage of plugging into an established, successful company, help market their products and earn commissions multiple times. Get paid for monthly consumption of products you would buy anyway. This sounds great in theory.
Here are your ingredients:
BOTTOM LAYER (foundation): company, top management, manufacturing, valuable products, cutting edge advertising, shipping, accounting, service department and more.
MIDDLE LAYER (filling): personal sponsor, team training, support, marketing plan
TOP LAYER: success and financial freedom

But in reality this fails for 95% of people who try it! The top layer, the sweet, care-free, delicious topping is enjoyed by only a handful of people EVEN when the basic recipe is the same. Why? This question has bothered me for years. The company’s foundation is a prepackaged delivery. There is no need for changes here. The real variation in this recipe is the middle layer, the filling…and you can’t apply the topping if you have no filling.

So what’s wrong with the filling? It’s a $64,000 question. Here is where you find all kinds of cooks, or team leaders, using their own special flavors or strategies (sometimes tied into buying their own particular brands). Here is where you find the top “guru” chefs with experience, multi-tasking skills, and credibility in performing complicated procedures. I can’t pretend to cook like a Julia Child, Emile Lagasee or any Iron Chef. I can only marvel at their creations of Stuffed Snapper with Orange and Lime and Manhattan Cheesecake with Flaming Apricots.
Again, I have no desire to be the expert.
I may not even know how to fry an egg (I’m new to home business) but all of the sudden I need to be able to keep up with the expert marketers! Even worse, because of the nature of duplication in this business model, I also need to go out and teach this recipe to others and then they need to do the same! It doesn’t work. Average “cooks” can’t copy and promote complicated recipes. Nor should they need to spend countless hours training.

Show me a simple, straight forward marketing plan …a recipe with 3 or 4 ingredients for the filling:
1. Phone number for an overview. Are you interested? Yes or No
2. Company’s website for more information with a 1 page overview
3. 1 – 2 – 3 Step Marketing Plan to read-and-share that covers the basics: Trends, Marketing, Action…about 30 minutes to set
4. If people want a serving of Excuses…share more educational resources

I CAN DO IT!

More importantly, I can pass on this recipe to as many people as I wish and they can duplicate the steps. Most importantly, I can celebrate the fact that I may not be a “guru chef” with years of mastery, but I can plug into the same networking company, expand my time and knowledge by passing on a simple “recipe” and start earning multiple commissions over and over based on initial effort. My home business will show a great income stream!
Then I’d be able to treat my friends to a real gourmet lunch courtesy of these masters.

I’d love to hear your ideas or questions. If you wish to try the Everday Pyrahi recipe from above…send me a note.

Sincerely,
AnneMarie
amarie10@gmail.com

PS. As an interesting note...the comparison is often made that fast food franchise can be operated by a staff of teenagers because they follow a cookie cutter system. The food may not always be “the best” but you know Hamburger XYZ in California will be exactly the same Hamburger XYZ in Toronto, Canada.