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Skulls on the Rocks Cookies by Jesse Bluma



Skulls on the Rocks Cookies





Enjoy these zesty sugar cookies decorated with popping candy, topped with mini skull coated candies. An excellent treat for Día de Muertos, Halloween, or pirate parties.  A few dozen of these treats make a nice tablescape and will scare up big smiles from your guests.  






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Jack-o'-lantern Sugar Cookies by Jesse Bluma



Jack-o'-lantern Sugar Cookies




Conquer your Halloween or spooky party fears with these cookies.  Delicious citrus sugar cookies decorated with sanding sugar and candied jack-o'-lantern faces.  Share with your friends as you tell tales of the devilish Jack from Ireland.






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Rainbow Sandwich Cookie Pops by Jesse Bluma



Rainbow Sandwich Cookie Pops 



Sugar cookies brightened with citrus zest and with a buttery molasses filling.  Topped with rainbow nonpareils.  A few dozen of these fun treats make a nice tablescape for birthdays, circus themed parties, and events. 













Gourmet treats by Jesse Bluma at PointeViven
using organic ingredients and inspiration
from California, Central, and South America.

Order online or contact me for catering.

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Cráneos-Skull Cupcakes by Jesse Bluma at Pointe Viven



Cráneos-Skull Cupcakes





Enjoy these delicious pumpkin cupcakes, decorated with a swirl of natural orange colorant and white frosting, and topped with mini skulls coated candies. An excellent treat for Día de Muertos, Halloween, or pirate parties. 

These cupcakes were favorited by Gordon Ramsay's MasterChef Junior Logan Guleff.






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Citrus Sugar Cookies by Jesse Bluma



Citrus Sugar Cookies



This classic sugar cookie is highlighted with citrus oils and zest. Crisp on the outside, chewy on the inside, topped with a sprinkling of sanding sugar, these fineries make for a compulsive habit. Order a few dozen of these elegant treats to make a delicious tablescape for your next party or event. 












Gourmet treats by Jesse Bluma at PointeViven
using organic ingredients and inspiration
from California, Central, and South America.

Order online or contact me for catering.

Join the Pointe Viven circle

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Teacher Show and Tell Saturdays: #TeacherShowandTellSaturdays



Teacher Show and Tell Saturdays 



About the Initiative

Teacher Show and Tell Saturdays originated from the desire to celebrate and honor excellent teaching and learning that takes place every day.  Learning and growth ignites through great teacher-student relationships founded upon respect for each other, mutual curiosity about learning, and great effort on both parts.  The other significant key is the school-parent connection.  The more we share and promote the excitement of learning, the payoff of hard work, and the value of strong parent partnerships, the more we celebrate and bring to the forefront the tasks teachers do each day in classrooms.  The more we then know about the effective and masterful individuals we call teachers.  

An effective teacher is one that recognizes, applies, and role models a good attitude.  A good attitude is essential to growing and learning.  Masterful teachers have in place procedures before the first day of school to create a climate students want to learn in and one students understand how works.  Dr. Harry Wong explained it well in The First Days of School, "Teachers who know how to achieve student success employ effective practices. These teachers know how to manage their classroom, they teach for mastery."  Teacher Show and Tell Saturdays is an opportunity to share great ideas, your achievements, and demonstrates the fallacy that edu-celebrities, politicians, and edu-corporations know best.


How It Works

Teacher Show and Tell Saturdays is for all teachers, all grade levels, college, trade schools, military academies, home schools, and Sunday schools.

1.  Mark your calendar on each Saturday with a reminder.

2.  Snap a photo of a student project, a lesson plan, classroom bulletin board, craft, diorama, stack of papers that need correcting, enrichment activity, progress chart,  etc.

3.  Each Saturday post a photo of your work with a caption on all your social media sites.  This is a positive celebration and sharing of all the great things going on in your classroom.  Keep the caption short and sweet.   Use the hashtag #TeacherShowandTellSaturdays.

For example

"#TeacherShowandTellSaturdays:  We enjoyed this science activity."

4.  Encourage your colleagues to share too.


The Legals

1.  Follow the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and/or other laws and regulations in your community, school district, school, and contract.

2.  Images are to depict your work or the great work of a teacher you know.  Do not include the faces of minors or others that do not want to be photographed.

3.  Follow all copyright, patent, and trademark laws and regulations.

4.  You may wish to watermark or copyright your images to protect them as yours.


Thank you for participating,

Jesse Bluma













Gourmet treats by Jesse Bluma at PointeViven
using organic ingredients and inspiration
from California, Central, and South America.

Order online or contact me for catering.

Join the Pointe Viven circle

Sign-up for email updates.



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Popping Pumpkin Cookies by Jesse Bluma



Popping Pumpkin Cookies





Pop! Pop! Pop! 

Serve these exciting cookies after a day of fun running through autumn leaves strewn on the ground.  These sugar cookies are enlivened with a zest of citrus, decorated with popping candy, and topped with gummi pumpkins.





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Skull and Crossbones Chocolate Ganache Cupcakes by Jesse Bluma




Skull and Crossbones Chocolate Ganache Cupcakes




A devilish treat for Día de Muertos, Halloween, and pirate parties.  Rich in flavor, light in texture, an elegant way to scare up smiles from your guests.  A delicious chocolate cupcake, topped with ganache, black sugar sprinkles, and a skull and crossbones party pick.


Order online or contact me for catering.





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Pumpkin Cupcakes with Swirled Frosting by Jesse Bluma



Pumpkin Cupcakes with Swirled Frosting



Autumn is fully charged with orange, red, and golden light.  Enjoy these delicious pumpkin cupcakes with a swirl of natural orange colorant and white frosting, topped with a Jelly Belly Gummi Sour Pumpkin.  An excellent Halloween party or Thanksgiving treat.






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Halloween Sandwich Cookie Pops



Halloween Sandwich Cookie Pops





Better than black roses, a box of spiders, or a scream, your loved ones will appreciate a dozen or two or three of these fineries.  These sugar cookies are crisp on the outside, chewy on the inside, brightened with citrus zest, decorated with sparkling sugar, sandwiched between molasses filling, atop a spooky straw.  A few dozen of these elegant treats make a nice tablescape in vases for holiday parties.





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Space Alien Cupcakes by Jesse Bluma



Space Alien Cupcakes



Swirling space ships from the depths of outer space, eery dark planets, and creepy creatures.  These vanilla cupcakes are a perfect treat for those frightening nights gazing at the sky.  Topped with natural purple colorant frosting, candy bloodshot eyeballs, and licorice lace arms.






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Jack-o'-lantern Cupcakes by Jesse Bluma



 Jack-o'-lantern Cupcakes





Enliven your Halloween or spooky party with these cupcakes.  A delicious pumpkin cupcake topped with natural orange colorant frosting and candied jack-o'-lantern face.  Share with your friends as you tell tales of the devilish Jack from Ireland.





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Patriotic Sandwich Cookie Pops by Jesse Bluma



Patriotic Sandwich Cookie Pops
Pointe Viven - Jesse Bluma. All rights reserved.



These rich sandwich cookies have a perfect, thin buttery molasses filling.  Topped with red, white, and blue sprinkles.  Enjoy your Independence Day, Flag Day, or any other patriotic celebration with these treats. 









Gourmet treats by Jesse Bluma at PointeViven
using organic ingredients and inspiration
from California, Central, and South America.

Order online or contact me for catering.

Join the Pointe Viven circle

Sign-up for email updates.

Drug Facts Partner Quiz Game



Drug Facts Partner Quiz Game





Our own bad habits, mental and physical health conditions, childhoods, and images we see in media have an impact on our lives.  When we see singers, actors, commercials, movies, athletes, and other media they often drown us in ideas we may not stop to question and contemplate.  Eating poorly, drugs, certain relationships, overspending, et cetera are a few of these messages we receive each day.

Each of these has opportunity costs.  That brings us to the big question.  Why do we do it?  Why do we do the things that we know do not elevate our lives and the lives of others.  If you do not exercise, if you sabotage your diet with soda, lots of processed foods, drugs, alcohol, and emotionally bad habits, then there are many immediate and late term consequences.  Most of us know that and for some of us there are strong powerful forces at work that draw us in to bad thinking and activities.  

We need to know a lot of information to filter out the negative messages and choose positive ways to spend our time and energy.  Do activities you enjoy and make them as enjoyable as possible.  Do not fool yourself or allow others to fool you.  "Bread and circuses" is an old trick used by politicians and wealthy vultures to distract us from the harsh realities of our culture, throw the people a few gladiator games and they won't notice Rome is falling.  Throw the people some drugs and they will not notice their country is the next Rome.  

We all know drug use is not liberating, it is not an expression of freedom, it is not living.  Taking drugs damages your physical, mental, and social health.  Most drugs stimulate the brain’s pleasure and reward system.  This fools the brain into thinking it is a good thing.  Marijuana damages the lungs, affects brain function, causes depression, and affects reaction time when driving.  There is also an opportunity cost to drugs, spending money on drugs means that you are not spending money better on yourself or helping others.  

 “Have ye not known that your body is a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit in you, which ye have from God? and ye are not your own, for ye were bought with a price; glorify, then, God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20, Young's Literal Translation)

Drugs fool the brain and are a big business opportunity, as some companies, celebrities, and others want to legalize them and make money from selling drugs.  It is a multi-billion dollar industry.  You may know or have seen many smart, intelligent people promoting drug use.  As we all know the appearance of intelligence does not equate to always being correct or being honest.  The same goes for countries that have legalized certain drugs.

Jumping on the bandwagon because everyone else is doing it is no justification for following along.  The drug legalization lobby is not logical nor angelic in their promotion of drugs, as “the relationship between legalization and increased use becomes evident when you consider two current ‘legal drugs,’ tobacco and alcohol. The number of users of these ‘legal drugs’ is far greater than the number of users of illegal drugs. (www.justice.gov)

Feel free to use my Drug Facts Partner Quiz at the dinner table with your family, perhaps in your classroom, group, or organization.  Also, please share your experience and suggestions for what works best to learn about drugs and living the best possible life.






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Who does the Culinary World Follow?


Who does the Culinary World Follow?




The culinary world is an incestuous field composed of its own heroes, villains, newbies, elders, and hidden talents.  In all fields there are certain individuals and companies that climb their way to the top or are pulled to the top.  Peering into the hub of the culinary world we learn a lot about each of these figures and companies and how their branches of relationships are influential.  These dominant figures may at times be in competition for book sales, customers, and readers, yet their entangled business and social lives reveal a respect for other professionals and elites within the field.  If you are looking to improve your skills in the kitchen, enter the culinary field yourself, or are generally more interested in learning about food and cooking, then the following twitter connections are worth checking out.  After each key figure below is a list of ten twitter accounts they follow that you may find useful.




1.  Thomas Keller (@Chef_Keller.  Chef/Owner of The French Laundry, Per Se, Bouchon, Bouchon Bakery and Ad Hoc. Publisher of Finesse Magazine.)

Keller follows an array of celebrity and staple culinary figures.

@inagarten:  Ina Garten is the author of the Barefoot Contessa cookbooks and host of Barefoot Contessa on Food Network.
@Mariobatali:  Mario Batali believes that food, like most things, is best when left to its own simple beauty.
@momofuku:  Momofuku means lucky peach.  Momofuku has restaurants in NYC, Sydney, and Toronto.
@Emeril:  Chef, Restaurateur, Entertainer, Family Man.
@GaelGreene:  NYC restaurant critic for 46 years, sybarite, author of 7 books (two best-selling novels and memoir Insatiable), co-founded Citymeals-on-Wheels with James Beard.
@Opentable:  Restaurant news, tips + more.
@beardfoundation:  The foundation's site allows foodies to keep up with the latest food trends and their favorite chefs across America.
@StateDept:  Tweets from the Secretary of State.
@CityofBevHills:  The official Twitter page for the City of Beverly Hills.
@ekaimeh:  The latest from Eli Kaimeh. Chef de Cuisine of Per Se. New York, NY.




2.  Martha Stewart (@MarthaStewart.  Founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia.)

Martha does not follow a tremendous amount of well known celebrity chefs, companies, celebrities, politicians, or newsmakers.  A curiosity, although Martha’s company has several twitter accounts that collectively follow a range of individuals and companies.

@jamieoliver:  He is one of the world's best-loved television personalities and one of Britain's most famous exports.
@nachofigueras:  Polo player, Ralph Lauren spokesman, and family man.
@Foodimentary:  Guaranteed to pepper your day with fun food facts!
@paulbarron:  Restaurant industry guru, CEO @Foodable Network, speaker, social media mentor for restaurants.
@greenwaybarista:  David Buehrer.  Blacksmith & Greenway Coffee Company.
@gvmcmillan:  Grant McMillan.  University Registrar. Professional wood sculptor. Fly fishing fanatic. Canoe maker & paddler.
@primetimeJoey:  Joe Fusco.  Emmy winning TV producer/writer and web content provider.
@KingArthurFlour:  Offering top-quality baking recipes, flours, tools, and specialty ingredients to American bakers.
@FarmForward:  Ben Goldsmith.  Farm Forward works to promote conscientious food choices, reduce farm animal suffering, and advance sustainable agriculture.
@CherylForbergRD:  Nutritionist and James Beard award-winning Chef for The Biggest Loser, NYT bestselling author, HuffPo blogger and Urban Farmer.




3.  Rocco DiSpirito (@roccodispirito:  Chef and life long student of cuisine.)

An analysis of Rocco’s connections reveals that he follows several well known culinary figures, celebrities, athletes, and others.

@pointeviven:  Jesse Bluma.  liberating taste: Pointe Viven embodies an elevated approach to food, information, and inspiration.
@GramercyTavern:  A revival and renewal of the classic American tavern, Gramercy Tavern offers refined, seasonal cuisine from Chef Michael Anthony.
@OKMagazine:  The home of the world's leading celebrity magazine.
@Indiegogo:  The largest global crowdfunding platform. We empower people to fund what matters to them.
@RobertIrvine:  Food Network's Host of Dinner Impossible, Worst Cooks in America, and the hit show Restaurant Impossible. Owner of @RIrvinesNosh.
@EarthCam:  Webcam Technology Experts, Construction Cameras, Jobsite Monitoring & Time-Lapse Movies, Tourism Promotion, Marketing & Social Media, Live Video, Photography.
@chef_morimoto:  Chef Masaharu Morimoto—known to millions as the star of Iron Chef and Iron Chef America—has garnered critical and popular acclaim for his seamless integration of Western and Japanese ingredients.
@netanyahu:  Updates from the Likud Office of Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel.
@mcuban:  Entrepreneur.
@DrWeil:  Daily information on integrative medicine, nutrition, natural health and wellbeing.




4.  Sergio Lujan Perera (@1977gastro:  Head chef at Restaurant Amalur and partner of the Amalurgroup.)

Aspiring home cooks and those interested in the artistry of food will find these connections of great use.

@MADSymposium:  A community of chefs, cooks and farmers with an appetite for knowledge.
@NordicFoodLab:  From a houseboat in Copenhagen harbour, we investigate old and new raw materials and techniques, developing knowledge and ideas for the Nordic region and the world.
@RundownLA:  The best of what's going on around L.A.
@eaterla:  The Los Angeles Restaurant, Bar and Nightlife Blog.
@Berasategui:  Spanish chef.
@CoiRestaurant:  373 Broadway, San Francisco
@STPBand:  Stone Temple Pilots
@elBulli_oficial:  A culinary foundation promoting artistry. 
@chrifrapug:  Chef and owner of Relæ in Copenhagen, Denmark.
@ReneRedzepiNoma:  Danish chef and restaurateur in Copenhagen, Denmark.




5.  Michael Chernow (@MichaelChernow:  Co-Owner of The Meatball Shop and Co author of The Meatball Shop cookbook.)

Michael may have some of the most diverse twitter resources and accounts.  Food.  Fashion.  Fun.

@MyriadRestGroup:  Own @TribecaGrill | @NobuNYC | @NobuFiftySeven1 | @NobuOldParkLane| @CrushWineCo.
@LAMagFood:  L.A. food + dining coverage.
@IsaWythe:  Restaurant at 348 Wythe Avenue, Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
@MarcJacobsIntl:  Clothing.
@facebook:  Giving people the power to share and make the world more open and connected.
@jcrew:  Clothing store.
@PlanchaTacos:  8250 W 3rd Street, Los Angeles.
@Cosmopolitan_LV:  The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, a unique luxury resort overlooking the heart of The Strip.
@wholefoodsnyc:  Food markets.
@Nigella_Lawson:  Cook and author from the United Kingdom.




6.  Whole Foods Market  (@WholeFoods:  A natural foods chain supermarket.)

Whole Foods follows tend to be health, gourmet, and celebrity chef related.  Additionally, the twitter master at Whole Foods does a good job following many customers.  A lesson many companies and high stature figures on twitter should copy to better public relations.

@Lizzyfit:  Health & Medical reporter.
@SAVEURMAG:  Savoring a world of authentic cuisine.
@AMNH:  The American Museum of Natural History.
@fandw:  On a mission to find the most exciting places, new experiences, emerging trends and sensations.
@GoneCrackers:  Committed to making the best tasting wheat-free and gluten-free baked goods.
@Raytheon:  Raytheon is an international defense tech company.
@amandafreitag:  Chef extraordinaire and TV personality.
@Chop_Butchery:  A small neighborhood butcher shop and a USDA facility to make salami in the city of Portland.
@BobsRedMill:  Employee-owned, stone milling manufacturer of whole grain and gluten free flours, cereals and baking mixes.
@offalchris:  Celebrity chef and likes to cook and eat pig.




7.  Lucky Supermarkets (@Lucky:  A family-owned, full service grocery chain.)

Lucky has some of the best twitter posts.  Much of their content is useful and interactive.  Their twitter follows are pretty basic, sticking mostly to the products in their stores.

@Sprite:  Soda drink.
@Limoneira:  Agribusiness Company.
@RCR31JeffBurton:  Jeff Burton.  Race car driver.
@austindillon3:  NASCAR driver.
@Spices4Health:  McCormick spices
@American_Heart:  American Heart Association
@OrganicValley:  A cooperative of over 1,800 organic family farms, doing real good, from the ground up.
@Crest:  Tooth and oral care products.
@SaveMart:  Own Save Mart, S-Mart Foods, Lucky, and FoodMaxx supermarkets.
@WineBrindis:  Import wines from wineries hidden away within the rustic surroundings of Argentina’s beautiful old world style agriculture and towering Andes mountains.




8.  Erik Lorincz (@ErikLorincz:  World champion mixologist.)

If you are looking for the best in mixology, new ideas, and inspiration, then you may wish to follow some of these resources.

@SimonJFord:  Co-Founder of The 86 Co, maker of Fords Gin, spirits educator.
@maxologist:  Massimo La Rocca.  SPIRIT World Class Ambassador for Western Europe, Masterclasses, Guest Bartending.
@LuisUrreaG:  Resident award winning cigar sommelier for the exclusive evenings at The Cigar Room.
@ZdenekKastanek:  Bartender.
@Mixology:  Mixology is a trade magazine for the bar and beverage industry based in Berlin, Germany.
@ULuvkaVodka:  Winner of over 47 International Gold Medals, recreated from a legendary alchemical vodka produced for the 16th century Polish Royal Court.
@addiechinn:  Addie Chinn.  Captain of The Boilermaker. Writer, photographer, and all-round drinkophile.
@Archangelsshare:  Alexandre Vingtier.  The spirit specialist in France : whisky, cognac, calvados, rhum... Consultant, expert taster, author and journalist.




9.  VeeV Spirits (@VEEV:  VeeV® is the world's 1st carbon neutral spirit.)

VeeV began in 2007 by the Reum brothers, based on the acai berry.  Their brand of organic and social conscious products has enjoyed much success.  The word VeeV is a Latin reference to living life.  Hmm...sounds familiar.  In fact, our kindred names may be one reason they follow me on twitter.


@pointeviven:  Jesse Bluma.  liberating taste: Pointe Viven embodies an elevated approach to food, information, and inspiration.
@latimesfood:  News, recipes, and reviews.
@ferrariwine:  Green Design & Wine Lifestyle.
@CSchicagosocial:  The news, tips and secrets to luxury living in Chicago.
@klout:  Measures social media influence.
@Audi: Luxery brand automobiles.
@curtis_stone:  Chef and cookbook author from Melbourne, Australia.
@hootsuite:  Social media management tool.
@LAist:  Los Angeles Blog.
@ChefChiarello:  Chef, restaurateur, winemaker, husband, father, and tastemaker
in St. Helena, CA.




 10.  All-Clad (@AllClad:  Metalcrafters for kitchenwares.)

All-Clad follows an impressive list of twitter accounts for home cooks and chefs of all talent and skills ranges.  You may wish to follow some of them yourself.

@roccodispirito:  Chef and life long student of cuisine.
@jacquestorres:  MrChocolate, Master Pastry Chef, Meilleurs Ouvrier de France (MOF), Dean of Pastry Arts at The International Culinary Center, Chocolatier Owner @JacquesTorresNY.
@CaWalnuts:  Updates about the health and benefits of walnuts.
@chefanneburrell:  Chef - Food Network personality.
@grlldcheesetruk:   Chef driven grilled cheese.
@DanielBoulud:  Born in Lyon, cooks in NYC @Daniel_E65thNYC, @CafeBouludNY,@BarBouludNY, @BouludSud, @dbBistroNYC, @DBGBKitchenBar.
@WSnatick:  Williams-Sonoma cookware store in Natick Mall.
@TestKitchen:  America’s Test Kitchen develops foolproof recipes that work every time.
@TheChefFabio:  Fabio Capparelli.  Accomplished chef, trained at CIA and worked under Roy Yamaguchi and Laurent Tourondel. Currently, Executive Chef at cityhouse New York.
@chefmikeanthony:  Executive Chef-Partner of Gramercy Tavern.






Gourmet treats by Jesse Bluma at PointeViven
using organic ingredients and inspiration
from California, Central, and South America.

Order online or contact me for catering.

Join the Pointe Viven circle

sign-up for email updates.      

Credit: twitter.com

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taste in cookery, culture, and
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made with organic ingredients, inspired
by the culinary worlds of California,
Central, and South America, and
engages in a community of customers
and readers with lifestyle content,
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Jesse Bluma at Point Viven liberates taste in cookery, culture, and community, provides gourmet goods made with organic ingredients, inspired by the culinary worlds of California, Central, and South America, and engages in a community of customers and readers with lifestyle content, reviews, and expertise. Use and redistribution of original content allowed only with explicit permission of site owner and author.