MÄNI'S BAKERY CAFÉ

09.30.09

Cake Prices Reduced!

Joy! Our famously delicious cakes are now more affordable! Additionally, if you have purchased a cake within the last three months, WE WANT TO GIVE YOU BACK THE DIFFERENCE!
These have been hard economic times for us all, and everyone deserves to have their cake and eat it too! We will reimburse the difference on a Mäni’s gift card, good for any future purchase! See below for details!

Our 6” cake is now $35
Our 9” cake is now $55
Our 10” cake is now $65
Our 12” cake is now $90

Fantastic savings on fantastic yumminess, from us to you!

If you have purchased a cake within the last three months, we’d like to pay you the difference between the old price and the new.

Here’s how to receive your refund of the difference:

Email Larry @ .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) with the subject line “CAKE REFUND”. Include the following information:

1) Date of purchase (approximate date is ok within 3 days)
2) Last 4 digits of credit card number. If you paid cash, just make a note of it.
3) The type of cake you ordered and paid for
4) Your snail mail address

The difference between the price you paid and the new, lowered price will be programmed on to a Mäni’s card and sent to you in the mail!

09.30.09

October Soup Menu

There are two fantastic new fall soups on this month’s menu, both vegan and gluten-free! Try the Caribbean Pumpkin & Black Bean soup on Tuesday, and the Butternut Squash & Apple Corn Chowder on Wednesday!

09.29.09

Cookies Hot Out Of The Oven

You can imagine spending 20 years here at Mäni’s.  Testing recipes, and tasting new products.  I have to admit I’ve become quite spoiled.  Hot cookies, pies, everything.  Right out of the oven!

Then I thought, “How could I share these treats with you?” If there was a way to have customers enjoy them just out of the oven, would you come to Mäni’s while the cookies are still warm?

That’s the question we need answered.  Because if you are interested in this potentially great idea (with no extra charge to the cookie!), just tell us now.  Use the comment section below and just tell me, would you come?  There is a way of doing this, fairly easily, but I need to get an idea of how many customers would be interested.  THANKS!!!

Maybe you’ll get spoiled like me!

09.25.09

Celebrate Mäni’s 20th Anniversary with a Vintage Make-at-Home Recipe!

Can you believe it?! Mäni’s is turning 20 this year! We’ll be doing some anniversary reflecting all year, posting about our earliest days, so share your memories of Mäni’s with us!

In September of 1989, we were busy building our business in a small wholesale space in Culver City. Although we were pretty teeny, we still managed to turn out our fruit juice-sweetened desserts, to rave reviews. We sold our desserts to local establishments like Mrs. Gooch’s (later absorbed by Whole Foods), and were just starting to think that we might need a bigger space…maybe even a retail space…

We’ve seen good times and bad times, but looking back upon the last 20 years, we feel pretty dang lucky to have customers like you! So, in honor of our 20th anniversary, we’d like to share a recipe that helped build Mäni’s in its first days: the Apple-Pecan Praline Tart. This one’s an oldie but a goodie, so try it at home!

From all of us here at Mäni’s, thank you for a fabulous and wonderful 20 years! Check back often for more tales recounting our 20 great years of business, and comment or email to let us know what you remember!

Apple-Pecan Praline Tart
Makes 6 to 8 servings

New-Fashioned Pie Dough (make ahead of time)
3/4 cup unbleached soft white pastry flour
3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
Scant 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter or margarine, chilled, cut into bits
6 tablespoons ice water
1/4 teaspoon cider vinegar

1. In a medium bowl, whisk the unbleached and whole wheat pastry flours, salt and baking powder to mix.

2. Add the butter. Using a pastry blender or 2 forks, cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles course crumbs.

3. In a small bowl, combine the ice water and vinegar. Stirring with a fork, gradually add the ice water mixture to the flour mixture, until the dough is moist enough to hold together when pinched between your thumb and forefinger. You may need more ice water to moisten the dough, and the dough need not form into a ball.

4. Gather up the dough, flatten into a disk and wrap in wax paper. Refrigerate until just chilled, 20 to 30 minutes. This dough may be prepared up to 2 days ahead. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let stand at room temperature until soft enough to roll without cracking, about 10 minutes.

Apple Filling
3 medium-size tart apples, such as Granny Smith, peeled, cored & cut lengthwise into 1/2” thick slices
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup liquid fruit juice concentrate or fruit juice reduction
2 tablespoons unbleached or all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons arrowroot
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

Pecan Praline
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup liquid fruit juice concentrate or fruit juice reduction
3/4 cup pecan halves

1. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough into a circle about 12” in diameter and 1/8” thick. Transfer the dough to a 9” tart pan, carefully pressing in the dough to create a right angle where the sides of the pan meet the bottom. Using scissors or a sharp knife, trim the overhanging dough to make a 1” border around the edges of the pan. Fold the dough over inside the pan and press firmly to make a double thickness of dough on the sides. The dough should rise about 1/8” over the top of the pan. Prick the tart shell a few times with a fork. Place on a baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to bake, at least 20 minutes or up to 1 day.

2. Make the filling. In a medium bowl, toss the apples with the lemon juice. Cover tightly and refrigerate until ready to bake, up to 4 hours. In a medium bowl, whisk the fruit juice concentrate, flour, arrowroot, and cinnamon. Set aside at room temperature until ready to bake, up to 4 hours.

3. Position a rack in the top third of the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

4. Unwrap the tart shell. Pour the fruit juice/flour mixture into the bottom of the shell. Closely arrange the apples in concentric circles and brush with the melted butter.

5. Bake for 12 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and continue to bake until the apples are barely tender when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife, about 30 minutes. Remove the tart from the oven.

6. Make the pecan praline. About 5 minutes before the apples should be done, start this process. In a small, non-reactive saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the fruit juice concentrate and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Continue boiling until the mixture is slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the pecans, and stir until the pecans are well-coated. Use 2 forks to arrange the pecans around the edge of the tart.

7. Return the tart to the oven and continue to bake until the apples are completely tender and the pecans are crisp, about 8 to 12 minutes. Cool the tart on a wire cake rack for 20 minutes and serve warm. If necessary, reduce the oven to its lowest temperature and keep the tart warm in the oven with the door ajar until ready to serve. Remove the sides of the pan before serving.

09.18.09

Great American Dine Out: Mäni’s Contributes to End Childhood Hunger

We are excited to announce that Mäni’s will contribute to Share Our Strength’s Great American Dine Out, taking place September 20-26.

As members of our community here in Los Angeles, we feel particularly touched by this cause and encourage our customers to help us raise funds to support this effort to end childhood hunger. Please come in next week and order your favorite cookies, cakes, sandwiches, salads, etc.; a portion of our sales will be donated to Share Our Strength! For more information on how Share Our Strength is working to eliminate hunger in America, please read on. Come in to Mäni’s between Sept. 20-26 to help us contribute to this worthy cause!

From Share Our Strength’s website (http://www.strength.org): “In 2004, Share Our Strength launched its national strategy and 10-point plan to end childhood hunger in America. The strategy focuses on long-term solutions that support access to nutritious food and healthy food choices, and bridge the gaps between existing effective programs and families who need them.”

Following is an outline of their 10-point plan to end childhood hunger, along with some information we hope will motivate you to help us at Mäni’s contribute to this worthy cause:

1) Provide all children with a healthy breakfast. On a typical school day, 55.4% of America’s schoolchildren who are eligible for a healthy free or reduced-price school breakfast don’t get one. Our goal is to make sure every kid who can receive such a healthy start to his/her day does.

2) Encourage healthy food choices. Courses that teach practical nutrition information, cooking skills and food budgeting help families learn how to get more healthy meals out of tight budgets. Our plan supports such nutrition education programs — including Share Our Strength’s Operation Frontline — as ways to address childhood hunger, obesity and other diet-related diseases.

3) Help eligible families meet needs at home with access to food stamps. Nationally, only 60% of those eligible for the federal Food Stamp program receive benefits. Half of those recipients are children. Share Our Strength’s plan supports work to make food stamps more accessible to everyone who is eligible.

4) Improve the economic security of working families. Share Our Strength’s plan helps families achieve economic stability by supporting organizations that help families take advantage of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) for working families and the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) programs. In 2003, the EITC lifted 4.4 million people out of poverty, including 2.4 million children.

5) Increase families’ access to fresh, affordable produce in their own neighborhoods. For families living in America’s poor and working-class neighborhoods, fresh produce is both hard to find and expensive. Our plan supports efforts that bring solutions such as full-service supermarkets, farmers markets that accept food stamps and community gardens to these neighborhoods.

6) Help afterschool programs provide healthy meals and snacks. You’ve heard all the news about what kids are eating in school. Share Our Strength is also concerned about what they’re eating (or not) after school. Our goal is to encourage healthy snacking habits that kids will take into the future.

7) Expand the reach of summer meals programs. For too many kids, school vacations can be hungry times. Less than 10% of children eligible for summer food programs participate, leaving more than 16 million kids who don’t. Our plan supports efforts to make these programs accessible to more kids who need them and to make sure that the foods they eat are healthy.

8) Ensure access to balanced, nutritious diets for all pregnant women and preschool children. Good childhood health starts with good prenatal nutrition that continues through the preschool years. Yet too few eligible moms take advantage of the federal WIC program that provides nutrition education and supplemental food for qualifying families. Our plan supports efforts to enroll more eligible moms in these programs and others like them.

9) Ensure access to nutritious food in shelters and food pantries. Food banks, pantries, shelters and other emergency food providers need more food, especially healthy food. Fresh protein, produce and dairy products rank at the top of the list of the foods that pantries and shelters need most. Our plan supports efforts to help these providers offer a steady supply of healthier options.

10) Provide comprehensive public education about available resources and assistance. Families at risk of hunger need more and better information about the programs that will help their kids eat healthy meals no matter how tough things get financially. This is why education is a steady theme in our plan and why we support those who provide such education and outreach as well as those who advocate for it.

Come to Mäni’s between September 20-26 to help us contribute to Share Our Strength.

You can also visit their website, http://www.strength.org, to find more ways to get involved!

09.17.09

New Biodegradable To-Go Packaging!

“Good & Good For You” now applies to Mäni’s packaging! Many of you have seen our made-of-corn biodegradable cups; we’ve extended that eco-friendly purchasing attitude to all of our to-go coffee cups, soup containers, salad/sandwich/burger boxes, straws, etc.

Although the city of Santa Monica has legally bid adieu to all Styrofoam and non-biodegradable packaging, the city of Los Angeles has yet to make any city-wide regulation official (though they have taken a step in the right direction by banning the future use of plastic bags, and of polystyrene in city buildings).

Mäni’s is taking a stand in the anti-Styrofoam movement by committing to our new biodegradable packaging! What makes them eco-friendly, you ask? Read on to find ways to get involved, and for a description of PLA, the biodegradable material that makes it all possible!

Polylactic acid or polylactide (PLA) is a biodegradable, thermoplastic, aliphatic polyester derived from renewable resources, such as corn, wheat or rice (in the U.S.) or sugarcanes (rest of world). Although PLA has been known for more than a century, it has only been of commercial interest in recent years, in light of its biodegradability. When the resource is harvested, it is made into bio-based resin pellets through a polymerization process.

Manufacturers then take the resin and convert it to a useful & sanitary single-use foodservice item. After the product is used, it is ideal for it to be returned to a compost facility where it can turn into rich compost within 60-180 days. However, PLA materials will also biodegrade in a standard landfill (but at a longer rate of time). All PLA products must meet standards for compostability and carry the stamp of approval from an official US-based organization.

For more information on Santa Monica’s ban of polystyrene, see this blog entry from the Times:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/emeraldc ity/2008/02/santa-monica-sa.html

For a complete list of local ordinances, and ways to get involved, see Californians Against Waste’s website:
http://www.cawrecycles.org/issues/plasti c_campaign/polystyrene/local
http://www.cawrecycles.org/take_action

09.16.09

Thanks For The Kind Words!

I don’t usually brag about our reviews, but this one was so kind I just couldn’t pass it up:

Click here to read a recent comment on yelp.com

09.11.09

Soup Menu September

Here’s our monthly soup menu.

09.10.09

Mäni’s Gift Baskets: Send Delicious Goodies for any Special Occasion!

Celebrating the autumnal equinox with some baked goods? Need to congratulate a vegan or diabetic friend? Or do you simply wish to say “hello” or “thank you” to your favorite sweet-tooth? Consider a gift basket from Mäni’s! We can arrange a variety of our famous baked goods and organic teas to meet your specifications and budget, in many different combinations and denominations. We can even arrange a messenger to deliver it to that certain someone’s doorstep!

Today we sent out a fabulous, fall-colored basket of cookies and muffins. They received our famous Chocolate Chip & Chocolate Chip Pecan cookies, Almond Shortbread, Peanut Butter Bites, Chocolate Chip Pecan Truffle Sandwiches, Morning Glory Muffins, and a bunch more! The whole lot was vegan, as specified by the customer. What a lucky recipient!

To coordinate a gift basket, get in touch with Meredith! Call 323.964.0840, ext. 11, or email to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)!

09.03.09

Meredith

Recently Denise Wakeman posted a comment on a story. Who’s Meredith? she asked.  Well, Meredith is one of the best things about Mäni’s. If you have a request, comment, suggestion, feel free to contact either one of us anytime.

Meredith has a passion for nutrition, a gusto for nearly all foods. 

Meredith comes to Mäni’s from Chicago, where she was raised by a serious vegetable-lover. Though as a child she was shunned by her broccoli-scorning peers, Meredith pursued a life surrounded by the good love of vegetables and fortifying, wholesome foods.

The siren song of Los Angeles, singing the praises of a progressive, innovative and diverse culinary landscape, became irresistible and captured Meredith in the winter of 2007. Upon arrival, Meredith was drawn to Mäni’s by their healthful, organic ingredients and vegan options.

While attending culinary school, as fate would have it, Meredith was lucky to be invited into the bakery and kitchen, working with Mäni’s famous pastries, alternative sweeteners, and fresh & organic ingredients. She truly enjoys waking up every day, knowing that she will get the chance to extend good health and delicious eats to Mäni’s patrons!

09.02.09

Regarding ‘Sweeteners’

Perhaps you saw the article in the LA Times article on Sweeteners on Monday (Aug 31, 09) about sweeteners.  It featured several popular sweeteners however all were discussed in a negative manner.  Seems like nothing is really good as a sweetener, although not much about artificial sweeteners was mentioned.  Was the story meant to shine a light on splenda, saccharin or other factory produced sweeteners?  I hope not.

So why then all the negativity about less refined sweeteners? 

According to the article, there’s just not much good to say about sweeteners.

That’s not my philosophy.  There’s one big item that was left out of this piece, in my opinion.  In a single word….moderation!

What keeps us healthy and not obese is simply moderation.  We don’t gorge ourselves on fruit juice sweetened cake or barley malt sweetened cookies or maple sweetened macaroons.  We eat them with moderation. AND we excercise!

In the very last paragraph of this two page story, the truth does come out when the author quotes a registered dietitian, Suzanne Murphy, “The best advice we can give to consumers is just cut down on sugars - sugars of all kinds.”  Obviously we at Mäni’s and I’m sure a huge portion of our customers over the last 20 years, would disagree.

I’ll stick to my fruit juice sweetened and barley malt sweetened chocolate chip cookie instead of a factory manufactured sugar product anyday… as long as I continue to exercise regularly.

Anyway if I missed the point of this article, please let me know!

And btw, if you have any comments on the other article on ‘sugar substitutes’ in the same section that day: Brain may read sugar substitutes please post them here.

09.01.09

Mäni’s High Protein Muffin Makes News Again

In case you missed it the first time in the LA Times recently, click here to read again, and get the actual recipe.