Dec6

Mindful Giving Gift Guide For The Foodie

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Mindful Giving Gift Guide For The Foodie

I believe that the best gifts are those that are meaningful.  By that I mean either globally in the form of a gift that gives back, personally in the form of sentiment, or thoughtfully supporting something the receiver is passionate about. I know I’m not the only one out there passionate about food, so here are a few suggestions for the epicurean in your life.

EAT:

Gifts For The Foodie:

1. Jerusalem the cookbook: If Cous Cous could bring peace, then this book is needed more than ever right now. It is a gorgeous cookbook filled with delicious recipes by two chefs who both grew up in Jerusalem. One a Muslim, one a Jew who met in London as chefs and became friends and collaborators. They have worked  together to create what they have admitted to be a self-indulgent, nostalgic trip to their past in this guide to the flavors of their youth.  This is more than just a cookbook, filled with beautiful photography and regional history it delivers more than just rich flavors of food, but culture as well.

2. Have you noticed the foodie trend this year seems to be flavored sea salt? I think a set of samples would make a great gift to a hostess or for the holidays!

 

 

 

 

3.Combine a gift set of various flavored sea salts with a few flavored olive oils and I think you’ve got the foodie on your list covered!

 

 

4. Throw in some exotic gourmet chocolate from Vosges if you really want to put them over the top!

 

 

 

5. The Dean & Deluca Limited Edition Pantry Feed Bag is a way to feed hungry children along with the food lover in your life. The FEED bag comes filled with pantry staples from Dean & Deluca.

 

 

6. The OXO Be A Good Cookie Spatula 50% of the proceeds of each cookie spatula will go to pediatric cancer research. Not only is this Spatula a great cooking tool, but also a constant reminder to “Be a Good Cookie.”

Dec3

Sea Of Glass

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Sea Of Glass

When our boys were toddlers my friend Michelle and I used to let them walk along side us on the beach while we combed the sand to find beautiful treasures of sea glass. Two states and six years later, when Michelle decided to start a business creating jewelry made from sea glass, she ran into an interesting problem.  The now common practice of recycling has made Sea Glass increasingly more difficult to find.  Part of her desire was to create jewelry using environmentally friendly recycled materials.  When researching alternatives to sea glass she came across recycled glass beads made in Ghana.  She fell in love, and her Lollie Beads creations were born.

African glass beads have been made by tribes for centuries in areas such as Kenya and Ghana, but have seen a recent resurgence in popularity due to the global heightened desire for environmentally friendly products.  The glass beads have a similar texture and translucent look that is reminiscent to that of sea glass.  I love the fact that she only sources her beads from Fair Trade suppliers to ensure that the artists who make the beads benefit directly.  Fair Trade partnerships were created, and strive to ensure that the trade and retail of handmade creative products are produced in safe and fair practices.  Their goal is to continue to improve the working conditions of those in developing countries, to ensure fair trading partnerships between organizations and producers, and to sustain the economic growth of developing countries by linking producers to new trading avenues.

I had first seen Ghana glass beads when through social media I followed my sister-in-law on the ONEMoms trip to Ghana last spring. There ONEMoms helped to  usher in the inaugural vaccine program with the GAVI Alliance.  The ONEMoms team also visited a glass bead factory  on their trip  where they observed how they were made, and posted photos of the resulting gorgeous glass beads that I had never seen anything like before.

 I suppose part of my close bond with my sister-in-law and my friend Michelle comes from sharing the values of caring for the environment, and the desire to give back. It still felt like some amazing full circle somehow when within 6 month they both introduced me to these stunning beads, that had been around far before any of us, but that I had never seen before last spring.  I fell in love with the African continent when I spent six months traveling through it in my twenties. Ghana was one of the countries I did not get to go to, but I tend to gravitate towards anything made in that region, and love to support tradespeople there.  With the holidays approaching I scooped up a bunch Lollie Beads Bracelets to give as gifts, and of course a few for myself to wear too!  Michelle is now selling Lollie Beads at craft shows, a few boutiques, and they can be purchased at www.lolliebeads.etsy.com.  Sea Glass lovers rejoice!

Nov27

Today Is #Giving Tuesday!

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Today Is #Giving Tuesday!

“On Tuesday, November 27, 2012, the collective power of charities, families, businesses and individuals will transform how people think about, talk about and participate in the giving season. #GivingTuesday will create a national movement around the holidays dedicated to giving, similar to how Black Friday and Cyber Monday have become days that are, today, synonymous with holiday shopping.”-www.givingtuesday.org

The day is finally here to let the movement begin! Although many of us give back throughout the year in different ways, today we can harness the joy of giving, and as a nation awaken our collective consciousness toward those in need. Giving comes in many forms, all are precious. Time, Knowledge, Money, Goods, or Your Voice.  If you are looking for a place to start check, these are a few of my favorites:  www.one.org,  The World Food programme, Water.org, Shot@Life, Every Mother Counts or download the Charity Miles app if you are going for a run. Happy Giving!

Nov23

Inspiring Women: Robin Kall Turned Her Passion Into Her Profession

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Inspiring Women: Robin Kall Turned Her Passion Into Her Profession

Robin Kall Celebrates 10 Years of Reading With Robin

I always love hearing stories of women who have managed to turn a passion of theirs into their profession. This seems to be an ideal that many of us only dream about, but is exactly what Robin Kall has achieved.  As a lover of books I have been fascinated by Robin since I moved to RI, and first heard of her radio show Reading With Robin. I love to discuss books and to hear author’s speak about their work, so of course I thought it was brilliant to have an entire radio show of author interviews, and book discussions.  It is exciting for me to live in a state that always seems to have such great literary events going on, and I know that Robin plays a large part in drawing both new and  big name authors alike to our tiny state.  This Saturday November 24th marks the celebration of the 10 year Anniversary of Reading with Robin, and I finally had the chance to ask her how she turned her love of reading into a career, and what advice she would give others starting out.

 

How did you get started?

RK: I would listen to the John DePetro show and call in with my comments…I became a regular -‘Robin from Providence’ and then eventually I would come into the studio to play RI jeopardy on-air with John and the callers…that sort of thing.  I so enjoyed being on-air and writing my own material that I pitched the idea to do a show. Being such a book enthusiast I thought that doing a show about a subject I am so passionate about would make for fun radio.

What advice would you give to other women about turning your passion into your profession?

RK: As far as turning your passion into a profession -I’d say never take anything out of the realm of possibilities.  Brainstorm-write every idea down..you can always get rid of the ones that really don’t make sense. It’s amazing some of the ideas I’ve found from old notes I had written and put away. Thinking outside of the box is so cliche, but the way things are done now looks almost nothing like the way they were done even 5-10 years ago.  You need to be very creative and very persistent. When I first suggested the show idea I was greeted enthusiastically with my idea of being on-air, but not necessarily about books…but I kept at it, and here I am today..10 years and hundreds of books later!!

To celebrate those ten years on the show this upcoming Saturday morning, November 24th
from 7-8am there will be a special 10 Year Anniversary Celebration Show! The show will be streaming live at www.920whjj.com and Robin is joined by special co-host, NYTimes Bestselling author, Ann Hood!  They will be hearing from some of our favorite authors:
Susan Jane Gilman (Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven) Caroline Leavitt (Girls in Trouble), Jane Green (Another Piece of My Heart), Claire Cook (Wallflower in Bloom) and Adriana Trigiani (The Shoemaker’s Wife)
Plus a few more if there is time!  There will be special anniversary show giveaways throughout the show and also on the Reading With Robin Facebook page! (please ‘like’ it!)

Lots has changed in the ten years since the show first began but one thing that will never change is the love of a great book!!!
www.readingwithrobin.com for more information!!

 

 

Nov14

Fruit Turkey Recipe

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Fruit Turkey Recipe

I have brought this Fruit Turkey that I saw years ago in Family Fun Magazine into my kids classroom celebrations for Thanksgiving and it is always a huge hit!

You Need:

A melon with the bottom sliced off so it sits flat

A red pepper for the feet, feathers, and snood (the thing that hangs over the turkey’s beak)

A Bartlett Pear for the head

Craisins or Raisins for the eyes

Chunks of melon and red grapes for the tail feather  fruit kabobs

Wood skewers for the Kabobs and toothpicks to attach all else.

Gobble, Gobble!