Lip-Sticking

Thanksgiving Musings

by Yvonne DiVita

I love Thanksgiving. It has always been a big family event, with upwards of 50-60 people in attendance, a bunch of them children. Now that we've moved to CO, it's smaller. We celebrate with good friends and family at the house of my daughter's Mother and Father-in-law. The day has been sunny, warm, and cheery these last three years of being here. Just another reason we fell in love with CO.

Now that the political scene is over (well, it's supposed to be over - yet, so many of us are stretching the anger and sense of unfairness out - and I don't blame folks for their disappointment, but I do think it's time to move on), it's time to start looking at the holidays. Thanksgiving is just the beginning.

Here are some of the things I'm thankful for:

Get your chocolate fix

By Amanda Ponzar

My boss says she can visualize me as that kid that tumbles into the chocolate river in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Yes, I have two chocolate drawers (public and private). I’ve been known to attend meetings with chocolate smears on my clothing. I’ve found chocolate chips mashed on my desk chair. And candy wrappers litter the floor around my trash can. 

So, I figured, why not share what I consider the best ways to get that chocolate fix?  

• Starbucks Java Chip frappachino (or double chocolate chip if you don’t want caffeine)
• Starbucks chocolate chip cookie
• John Kelly chocolate truffle fudge bites 
• Zettie’s Confections’ double chocolate browneez
• Godiva truffles (prefer chocolate covered chocolate; forget the fruity, nutty, gooey fillings)
• Ghirardelli 60% cacao chocolate baking chips and dark chocolate brownie mix
• Dove, Hershey Bliss or Hershey symphony (creamier)
• Trader Joe's dark chocolate peanut butter cups
• Trader Joe’s chocolate whoopee pies  
• Oversized chocolate chip cookie cakes
• Chocolate ganache filling or chocolate silk pie
• Hot chocolate made with milk not water (then stir in Hershey’s baking coca & Nesquick; or any kind of hot chocolate mix as long as it’s non-hydrogenated oil)
• Breyer’s Smooth and Dreamy chocolate chocolate chip ice-cream (Ben & Jerry’s and others have good chocolate flavors too)
• M&Ms (go with the fun size so you can pretend you’re only going to eat one mini bag)
• Homemade chocolate chip cookies (Neiman Marcus cookie recipe with blended oatmeal)

The best chocolate has chocolate/cacao as the #1 ingredient, not sugar. The fewer and simpler the ingredients (no hydrogenated oils & weird chemicals), the better. If you read labels, some “chocolate” (like many Easter bunnies) is only “chocolate-flavored”. Don’t waste your calories; it will taste like wax.

Plus, Harvard School of Public Health research finds women who drink caffeine are 20% less depressed. This would explain why frappachinos with chocolate and caffeine are a double win -- plus much cheaper than therapy.

If you happen to overdo it on the chocolate, don’t panic. Just take a walk. 

Cooking for one

Here's the thing - who really knows how to cook for one? I don't mean in the microwave. I mean, really... COOK... just for one?

I know I'm dismal at it. Having grown up in a big family, I only ever learned to cook for six or seven and then, as time went on, for twenty or thirty. Well, I never cooked for that many but we had that many and more at family gatherings. The point is, cooking for more than one is easy. Cooking for one is hard.

That's why I was all excited to receive this great new cookbook, Cooking for one by Mark Erickson and Lisa Erickson - both from The Culinary Institute of America. [affiliate link for the book...]

I absolutely love the inside blurb (my thoughts in brackets): "Do you believe any of the following?

What marketing and social media secrets can you learn from Coke?

By Amanda Ponzar

Just read a great article “Coca-Cola Marketing Shifts from Impressions to Expressions” by Joe Tripodi, CMO of Coca-Cola, in Harvard Business Review.

In marketing, it’s not just about impressions (audience size) anymore but rather about engaging consumers and tracking what they DO, how they interact with your brand. Today, people create their own content and talk about brands –- what they like and what they don’t –- very publicly on social networks. In this very blog, I’ve posted about Starbucks, Salvation Army, Microsoft and many, many more.

Of course I have opinions on brands –- don't you? I love Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. It removes all those black marks from walls without baking soda. I like driving Toyotas. I love Kashi cereal. Recently, I had trouble with a brand (their home fragrance product spilled and ate the paint off my mantel –- toxic!), but they jumped into action quickly and responded well, so I won’t be complaining about them in this blog post or on Twitter. Lucky them.

It's Thanksgiving Time - Or, I Wish It Was Thanksgiving Time!

[sponsored content & disclaimer] Thank you to Log Cabin for sponsoring my post about updated traditions in my household. To learn more about Log Cabin Syrups (which are all free of High Fructose Corn Syrup), breakfast for dinner, and other new ways to update traditions in your home, click here.I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.

I know, it's only April and we haven't even hit Easter, yet. But, we're already thinking about Thanksgiving.

Here's why: my family does it up big on Thanksgiving. All tolled, when the ENTIRE family gets together we have 5 Generations of women, over 70 people (including babies, someone always has a new baby - this year it's my daughter), and a whole lot of 'friends' who attend. And yes, everyone brings something. Can you say AMAZING FOOD???!!!???

Women mean business: this cookie isn’t crumbling

By Amanda Ponzar

What never ceases to amaze me is how unstoppable some women are. Take Kerri White. She not only works full-time, but on the side, launched her own business, Zettie’s Confections. Although she won’t share her secret recipes, I asked Kerri to share her secrets to being successful as a start-up. (She’s already shared her cookies with me, and I love them.) 

Question: You've achieved remarkable success earning local TV coverage; what is your secret?

Answer:  For me, it's about putting myself out there, taking chances, and not letting the word "no" keep me from trying to be successful. I believe in my products, and in myself, and I think that confidence is what has helped me promote Zettie's in such short time. Not to mention, tasting is believing! (My note -- Kerri brings her goodies to work, parties, events, etc. plus sends samples to media; she is a GENIUS!)

Q: What types of social marketing do you use (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn) and which has been most helpful promoting your business?

PRE Probiotic Drinks

How could I resist? I said, "Yes," to an offer to send me some beverages with Probiotics in them. Hey, I'm all for getting healthy. This is NOT a paid endorsement but I did receive product for free.

Let me go on the record: the drinks were delicious. So much so, my granddaughter even enjoyed hers!

I drink a lot of water. You, too? That's the latest and greatest health food, of the decade. Water, water, water. I don't much like flavored waters, although I've had a few that were "berry" tasting that I enjoyed. Occasionally I'll drink a soda (pop for those of you in the NE)...but I don't like carbonation, so I don't drink soda all that much.

Women & Whiskies: First of its kind social network for women who love whiskies

 By Guest Blogger, Donna DeClemente, Donna's Promo Talk

Now that the calendar has turned to December, tonight I'm attending my first of many holiday parties I've been invited to. We are given ample opportunities to eat and drink more than we normally would this time of year, which is why come January 1st we'll be seeing all the weight loss and exercise ads. But let's not think about that now. Instead let's get the parties started.

I am no lightweight when it comes to liquor, so I do partake at these parties. I love my wine and have it just about every night with dinner. I have a few beers on the weekend, a vodka martini on Saturday night and now that the temperature has turned down, I prefer scotch. Most men think it's odd when the see me ordering scotch, single malt no less. "It's not a female drink." On the contrary I tell them. You just mix it with a little water which makes it a low cal drink.

My love for scotch goes back a ways. In fact, I introduced my husband to scotch when we first started dating. We were spending the weekend together and only had enough money between the two of us to purchase one bottle. He wanted rum, and you guessed it, I won and we bought scotch. As I told him back then, all we need are a few ice cubes and we're all set.

So when one of our Lip-sticking readers recently contacted me who works with Skyy Spirits, a subsidiary of Gruppo Campari, the eighth largest spirits company in the U.S., and told me about this unique marketing program I told her I love it and would share it. Skyy Spirits Women & Whiskies is an interactive community managed by women for women which encourages them to speak up about their love for whiskies. Women and Whiskies can be found here on Facebook. To her knowledge few, if any, spirits companies are incorporating women into their whiskey outreach in this way. There are some vodka companies who are creating products specifically with the female audience in mind (namely Godiva Chocolate Vodka, Chambord Vodka, Van Gogh Blue Vodka) typical "girlly" drinks, but no other whiskey brand is talking to women in this way.

 “After nearly a decade of attending whiskey events around the country, we began to see more and more women coming to the table asking great questions. As a result, we wanted to create a community of like-minded women and empower them with knowledge to feel confident when ordering or discussing whiskies,” said Ms. Randal Stewart, PR and Events Manager specializing in whiskies.

The program launched the beginning of November with a sold-out event in New York’s trendy Chelsea neighborhood. Women gathered to sample different whiskies from Scotland, the U.S. and Japan, find out the differences among the regions and sip delicious whiskey cocktails, including the Glen Grant Zinger, The Glenrothes Rob Roy, and Hibiki Falling Leaves. They have many more events planned throughout December and will be expanding to other regions in 2011.

The Whiskies & Women Facebook page currently has 774 "Likes", one being me! For those of you celebrating the beginning of Hanukkah tonight, their most recent post includes a cocktail recipe to help mark tonight's festivities. So do check it out and pass it along to other women that you think may enjoy this. I will usually highly recommend a program marketed to women that is developed and manged by women. I ask, why aren't they all?

Happy Hanukkah and please, drink responsibly.

Thankfulness in action.

By Amanda Ponzar

This article on Yahoo News stopped me dead in my tracks. “In 17.4 million U.S. households, someone goes hungry.”

That means one out of every eight U.S. homes –- families and children –- do not have enough food to eat. Can you imagine that?

I have such an abundance of food (I wanted to count it all to show the sheer magnitude but quickly realized cataloging every can, box, frozen meal, tomato, etc. would take hours, so here are a few photos instead). My food-related complaints are more like running out of Cheez-its or being in the middle of cooking and realizing I’m short one egg. I’ve NEVER, ever gone hungry because my family couldn’t afford food. We may not have eaten filet mignon and escargot every evening, but daggone it, we had what we needed, thank God.

With Thanksgiving approaching, let’s focus on being THANKFUL. Thankful for food to eat -- even if your Thanksgiving turkey is dry or the mashed potatoes have lumps or you only have pumpkin and apple pies and you were hankering for pecan. Let’s be thankful for a place to live. For family, friends, coworkers, a job, money to pay bills, clothing, pets, beautiful fall leaves, movies, music, art, hobbies, freedom!!!!, and of course, this fabulous blog we love reading.

And then, let that thankfulness move you to action.

Find your local food bank, or contact 2-1-1 to find a homeless shelter, food pantry or other organization in your community that provides food for people who need it. Just imagine if everyone reading this gave a little something out of our checkbook or stocked cupboards. We could make a dent in those 17.4 million households right now. What are you waiting for?

 

(Photos from Amanda Ponzar's fridge, freezer & cupboards, November 2010.)

Starbucks speaks CSR to sweet tooth

by Amanda Ponzar @LivingUnited

 

Last time I checked my Starbucks gold card balance online, I was two stars away from another free drink.  Every transaction = star. 15 stars = free drink.

 

When I’m in Starbucks, I feel GOOD. Granted, it could be the frappachino talking. The venti java chip or coffee frappucchino light with chocolate drizzle to be exact. I’m cuckoo for cocoa puffs enough to pay Starbucks $5+ for a beverage, but it’s more than just the sugar rush. It’s also Starbucks’ savvy marketing and corporate responsibility.