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Tony D'Amelio

By: Tony D'Amelio on June 1st, 2017

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Event planners: too busy to cook? Easy cooking tip: Instant Pot.

Productivity

This blog has nothing to do with the speaking industry – but then again, it kind of does.   The reaction was so positive for my blog about the stand-up desk a few months ago, I thought I'd share something else that's been really useful for me.
 
The events business is pretty demanding.  Event planners I know have long hours and uncertain schedules that sometimes make it hard to find the time/motivation to make dinner.
 
I like to cook.  I find the whole process – washing, chopping, sautéing, etc. – relaxing.  And the smells can be fabulous and help ease the pressures of the day.  But finding the time can be an issue. 

To make life simple, I’ve used a crock pot in the winter months to make a variety of soups and stews.  It's easy cooking and works great because I can put what I've made in Ziploc bags and freeze them in portions.  They're ready as needed,
 
I also subscribe to a great and free email series from The New York Times.  Several times each week, they send a grouping of recipes; what to cook this week, what to cook this weekend, cool salads, etc.  It was there in January that I saw this article abo
ut something called the Instant Pot.  The article said cooks just love it.  I was intrigued and as I read on, I felt compelled to buy one.  
 
 

supplemental reading: 
Event planner career choices: Could you be a speakers' bureau agent?,
Event Planner’s Worst Nightmare: Keynote Speaker
Damage Control

and 
BEFORE BOOKING EVENT SPEAKERS: READ TIPS FROM TOP EVENT PROS

 

So what is the Instant Pot?  It's a 21st Century version of an old-fashioned pressure cooker that my mom was too scared to use because she feared she might blow up the kitchen!  The new version is SO not scary - and amazing.  It makes pot roast in 40 minutes and my new favorite, Moroccan lamb, in 35 minutes (I substituted dried apricots & raisins for prunes in that recipe).
 
Instant Pots come in several sizes.  I bought a 6-quart model.  It does 7 different things – sautés, steams, crock pot, pressure cooker, and more.  So far I've made 5-6 different recipes and they all came out great.  Speaking of recipes, they’re every
where on the web – here’s the Instant Pot Facebook Recipe page.

 
I didn't know at the time I bought it, but the Instant Pot has an enormous following.   You may already know about it, but if not – and if you like to cook - give the Instant Pot a try.  After all, ya gotta eat!  It’s easy to use and makes recipes I wouldn’t ordinarily make conventionally because of the time involved.  Bottom line: it's easy cooking great meals quick in an Instant Pot.
 
I'll talk about what's new with D'Amelio Network speakers next time.  In the meantime, as my grandmother used to say, “Mangia!”

 

FOR MORE GREAT BLOGS ON SPEAKERS AND THE MEETINGS INDUSTRY CLICK HERE.

 

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About Tony D'Amelio

Tony has spent his career putting talented people and audiences together, first in the music business and later representing the world's leading speakers. After concluding 27 years as Executive Vice President of the Washington Speakers Bureau, Tony launched D'Amelio Network, a boutique firm that manages the speaking activities of a select group of experts on business, management, politics and current events. Clients include: Mike Abrashoff, Vernice "FlyGirl" Armour, Mariana Atencio, Chris Barton, Geoff Colvin, Daryl Davis, Suneel Gupta, Ron Insana, Katty Kay, Polly LaBarre, Nicole Malachowski, Ken Schmidt, Bill Walton, and Bob Woodward.

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