TS on GMA!

I received an email tonight that Tastefully Simple may very well be included in a segment on Good Morning America! about Direct Sales and Home Parties. I am going to try and watch it. The direct sales segment will air between 8:30 and 9:00 am. Be sure to watch it if you can!

In other news, the weather was spectacular today! I made pasta sauce and a mix of white penne and whole wheat penne pasta for dinner. And the big exciting part of that was that I was able to chop up zucchini very small w/my PC hand chopper and no child was the wiser. haha!

Sigh, tomorrow I am mailing off a big chunk of change for the boys school fees. Ouch. Kids are rather pricey!

I have no clue what I am going to make for dinner tomorrow, but I am very happy that we have a few days here in the 70s so cooking isn't liable to heat up the whole house.

1/2 Marathon Anyone?

Last week I ran 12 miles on Wed. 12 miles in a row. Nod, I know I can't believe it either. Only had 1 small blister. So looks like I *could* do a 1/2 marathon....

---going to do a blingo.com search and see when any 1/2 marathons are in Chicago---

Found one.
The Chicago Half Marathon, Sept 9th 7:30AM. Okay I better sign up it's 75% full already and they are capping it at 12,500 entries--can you believe there are that many crazy runners out there?

Alright I did it, I am all signed up for the big event...and now that my mind is working I am thinking that I will see if I can use my 2 night 3 day Get Away Your Way trip I earned from TS to get a hotel for me and the family for that wknd...and we could stay down there and they could watch me run and I wouldn't have to travel downtown that morning!

The night before a big race many runners load up on the carbs for quick energy the next day and what better way to carbload than a nice plate of pasta...

A recipe adapted from the Costco Connection to be healthier and include Tastefully Simple products....

Penne with Cauliflower
1/4 cup EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
1-2 tsp Garlic Garlic
2 lbs of tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped if you have fresh tomatoes from the garden or from a farmers market OR just make life easy with 4 cups canned diced tomatoes
1 head of cauliflower, broken into florets
2 tbsp salt or 2 tbsp Italian Seasoning Blend (product from TS Fall/Winter Catalog) OPTIONAL
1 pound of whole wheat penne pasta
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
Fresh Ground Pepper
Optional Grated Parm Cheese for garnish (to keep fat content down very lightly garnish or skip.

In a large saute pan heat olive oil then add garlic garlic and topmatoes and cook until tomatoes begin to break down.

Add cauliflower and stir well. Add 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup very hot water, lower heat to med. and cook for 30 min or until cauliflower is tender.

While that is cooking bring 6 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot, add the 2 tbsp salt if desired. Add penne and cook until the penne is al dente.
4. Drain pasta and add to pan w/cauliflower, stir in parsley and black pepper to taste, toss for 1 minute, plate this delicious meal w/lots of flavor and fiber and cheese fans sprinkle on a bit of Parm.

Want it Vegan? Just skip the cheese.
Want it to have more protein? add diced chicken breast.
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Once I have accomplished this 1/2 marathon goal I will begin working toward participating in the Team in Training Leukemia program to run in the Nashville Marathon on April 18th in honor of Tonya Ross, Tastefully Simple Consultant and mom of 3 little ones who passed away father's day weekend because of Luekemia. Tonya Ross was only 32.

I will be posting frequently about the training and my fundraising efforts once 2008 begins.
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Hot. Really Hot. And Sweet Potato Salad

The Bean
and Me.

Here I am at Millenium Park after a few hours at the Taste of Chicago. Good Gravy it was so hot. Did I mention it was so hot? Whew.

And amid all the heat and more heat, I managed to try a few items...

Toasted Ravioli from Tuscany, Perogies, a chopped salad that just didn't stack up to my fav chopped salad (The chopped salad crown still belongs to Portillos) and the most delicious sweet potato salad..oh that was the highlight of the whole food fest...well that and the really really good SoCo Hurricane (ie a slushie drink made w/Southern Comfort).

Okay so I must share where the Sweet Potato Salad came from..oh it was so good, chunks of sweet potatoes the perfect consistency, some chopped scallions, a little chopped red pepper, some cilantro and a really light mayo thing holding it all together. Good thing I only had the taste portion. It was simply outrageously good. And now I MUST GO to the restaurant...

Deleece
4004 N. Southport
Chicago, IL 60613

http://deleece.com/

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The day downtown was topped off w/a trip to the Signature Lounge in the Hancock Building. Where you can pay $7.50 for a beer and get the same view the observatory charges at least $8.00 sans beer. And at the Lounge they also have some great appetizers, including a cheese plate. I love a good cheese plate, only this one included figs..which it turns out I don't like and a goat cheese that was really really really too reminiscent of a trip to the Children's Zoo! Blech.


All in all a great day in a great city!

When it's in the mid to upper 90s in Chicago...

It must be time for the Taste of Chicago! Yes that is right tomorrow me and a great friend are venturing downtown for the Sweat of Chicago...I mean Taste of Chicago. It's been a few years and wisely this time we are going w/o kids or cranky hubbies that would rather not stand in line to get a taste of eli's cheesecake.

I hope it will be a tad cooler by the lake, fingers crossed for a nice lake breeze! I have already checked out the taste portions listing...at the taste you can get a few full sized items...or a bunch of different 'taste' portions...kind of like a mini tapas extravaganza...so that is what I'll be doing..I must have....the perogi taste, a chop salad taste, a pad thai taste, and a spinach pizza taste. And if I have some tickets left over...a big frozen drink?

If Tastefully Simple was at the Taste of Chicago I am sure a nice Prickly Pear Margarita would be an enormous hit!

1 1/2 Cups Prickly Pear Cooler Prepared
2 1/2 Cups of Crushed Ice
4-6 oz tequila
Blend and Serve w/some glassed rimmed w/koser salt.

Yum.

Knee high by the 4th of July

Ah the 4th of July, a great reason to have a nice serving of German Potato Salad. I have always loved German Potato Salad and that would be because my Oma used to make the best. It was not hot, it was ah, like Lukewarm, which I prefer and she didn't slice the potatoes she kind of chunked them...of course I've never seen or been able to duplicate her most fantastic and mouth watering salad.

Here is a recipe from Allrecipes...

GERMAN POTATO SALAD

INGREDIENTS
4 potatoes
4 slices bacon*
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons white sugar
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 cup chopped green onions
salt and pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes; cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Drain, cool and chop.

Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside. Reserve bacon fat.

OR JUST SKIP THE WHOLE MAKING BACON AND SUBSTITUTE 2 TBSP TO 1/4 CUP BACON BACON.
Add the flour, sugar, water and vinegar to skillet and cook in reserved bacon fat over medium heat until dressing is thick.

OR SKIP THE BOLD INGREDIENTS AND USE VIDALIA ONION DRESSING ABOUT 1/3 CUP.
Add bacon, potatoes and green onions to skillet and stir until coated. Cook until heated and season with salt and pepper. Serve warm.

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Three weeks from today I''ll be flying up for the Tastefully Simple National Conference!!!

We always have great speakers, plenty of time to meet other consultants, and the opportunity to try all the new products!

Now many people don't know that German Potato Salad is pretty low in fat all things considered and especially when compared to it's chubby Cousin American Potato Salad. And you could leave on the potato skins for a bit extra in the vitamin department.

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Red White and Blue Desserts are a favorite of mine since I love berries...one fun thing to do is to make an Absolutely Almond Pound Cake (use 1/2 butter and 1/2 applesauce to reduce the fat) and then frost it w/cool whip mixed with 2-3 tbsp dry Vanilla Bean Chiller then top w/blueberries, raspberries and/or strawberries.

Links are so much fun

I love to put links to other sites in my newsletter and was super happy to figure out how to add some links here. I think I'll change them whenever I learn about a site that one of my friends, clients or collegues has to share.

Tomorrow night the family will all be going to see the White Sox game. This time I'll be smart and feed the kids dinner before I leave for the park. That way we won't spend too much $$$ on food!

For the 4th we are going over to a great friends house for a little BBQ...I am hoping that she will be making some of her AWESOME 7 layer salad. I will be more than happy to bring any and all of her favorite Tastefully Simple products if she'll make the great salad.

I have loved 7 layer salad since I was a kid. The boys don't care for it, but Anna fortunately for me is more daring in her tastes and she likes it about as much as me.

What a beautiful day today. I participated in my first virtual personal development seminar and it was really good. I can't wait to do it again. The coach behind this virtual even was Michelle Burns and this is her website: http://www.designyourdestiny.com/. She rocks, I higly recommend her!

Now that a new TS year is here I am looking forward to growing my personal business, my team and myself this year. The beginning of a new year is always exciting for me be it, New Years, or the new Recognition year, or the beginning of the school year...

The 7 layer Salad:

8 cups chopped iceberg lettuce
3/4 cup sliced red onions (about 1 small)
2 cups frozen peas, thawed (one 10-oz. pkg.)
about 6 slices crumbed bacon 0r turkey bacon (or Bacon Bacon)

1 green pepper chopped or carrots

6-8 eggs sliced
3/4 cup KRAFT Mayo (feel free to use low fat--you gotta reduce the fat in this recipe somewhere!
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 cup KRAFT Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Layer lettuce, then green peppers or carrots, onions, peas, eggs, then bacon. Mix the mayo and the sugar. Spread on the top then sprinkle the cheese.
Refrigerate several hours or overnight.

The Recognition Year is over.

For our National Conference Recognition the calendar year is 7/1 to midnight on 6/30. So the year has just ended and I'll be recognized for my sales. My sales should be in about the top 1-2% of the company...last year I finished right just over $35,000 this year I should be finished at (my last order wasn't added in the last time I ran a total) right just at $44,000!!!!

So over last year my personal sales went up 9,000 or 25% ...I think that is fantastic. esp considering I only work about 2x a week and in some months less than that. It just goes to show that consistently putting forth the best effort you can does lead to some great results and amazing experiences. ---off hand I think that those total sales number include a good 7-9K in fundraising sales and that would mean about 15-20% of my business leads to helping other people/organizations...and that rocks!

Not Spicy Vidalia Thai Slaw
1 bag of the coleslaw blend stuff
1 chix breast chopped small
1/2 cup crushed peanuts
1/2 cup julienne red or green bell peppers
1/2 cup julienne pea pods
1/2 cup chopped cucumber
1/3 to 1/2 cup Vidalia Onion Dressing
Mix together chill and serve.
Adjust veggies as preferred.

Summer Wine Pairings and TS

Okay this is my first attempt at putting in a word document. This is too long to put in my newsletter so I am posting it here for those who want more recipes...
I cannot believe July is almost here...this time next month I will be on my way home from National Conference w/great ideas and plans to improve my business...and I'll know what new products we'll have for the Fall!!!

SUMMER WINE PAIRINGS AND TASTEFULLY SIMPLE


Some tips from the Chicago Tribune….

*How much wine do you need? If you are doing a trendy new multi-course evening, a good rule of thumb is one or two per guest. Standard wine bottles hold about 5-6 glasses (4oz) of wine.

*Chose glassware w/the occasion in mind.
*Have more than one corkscrew out for a big party.
*Keep red wine in the low 60s , Keep the whites and the roses cold –on ice.
And the best advice for the host: try the wines you will be serving before the guests arrive.
You are doing quality control ;-)


A great appetizer paired with a glass of Reisling…
Herbed Tomato Garlic Pesto SpreadSubmitted by Lara Miesle (OH)

Ingredients 2 Tbsp. Spinach & Herb Dip Mix
2 Tbsp. Dried Tomato & Garlic Pesto Mix
2 (8 oz.) pkgs. softened cream cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Crackers
Directions Combine first 4 ingredients; chill 2 hours. Serve with crackers. Makes about 3 cups spread.

A salad to be served with Gewurztraminer….

Ginger Teriyaki Curry Chicken Salad
2 cups cooked, cubed chicken breast
1 cup diced fresh mango
½ cup chopped cashews
½ cup water chestnuts, drained and chopped
¼ cup raisins
1 tsp. curry powder
1 cup Ginger Teriyaki Ranch Dressing
Lettuce Leaves
Blue Aztec Chips
Combine first 5 ingredients; toss. Add curry powder to Ginger Teriyaki Dressing; pour enough over salad ingredients to reach desired consistency. Serve salad on lettuce leaves with Blue Aztec Chips. Makes 4-5 Servings

With your favorite Chardonnay…

For a cool fall evening pair our Perfectly Potato Cheddar Soup or Creamy Wild Rice, a loaf of Bountiful beer bread and your favorite Chardonnay.

For Savignon Blanc I recommend…
Crab Cakes with Garlic Sauce
Submitted by Karen Hummel (NJ)
Ingredients 3 Tbsp. Onion Onion™, divided
3/4 cup mayonnaise, divided
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice,
divided16 oz. jumbo lump crabmeat
1 tsp. mustard2 beaten eggs
1 Tbsp. water
1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs
1/2 tsp. Spinach & Herb Dip Mix
1/2 tsp. Seasoned Salt
1 Tbsp. Garlic Garlic™

Directions Combine 2 tablespoons Onion Onion™, 1/4 cup mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, crabmeat and mustard; blend well. Shape into 8 crab cakes. Blend eggs and water together. In separate bowl, combine breadcrumbs, Spinach & Herb Dip Mix and Seasoned Salt. Dip crab cakes in egg mixture; coat with breadcrumb mixture. Place on greased baking sheet. Bake at 400° for 25-30 minutes or until cooked through. Combine remaining 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon Onion Onion™, 1 tablespoon lemon juice and Garlic Garlic™; blend well and refrigerate. Serve garlic sauce over crab cakes. Makes 8 cakes.

When opening a nice bottle of Mad Housewife Merlot pair it with…

Garlic Rosemary Chicken
Submitted by Laura Brott (MI)
Ingredients 4boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. Seasoned Salt
1 1/2 tsp. Garlic Garlic™
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. dried rosemary

Directions Place chicken breasts in a greased 8 x 8 pan; drizzle with oil. Sprinkle with seasonings. Bake at 375° for 45 minutes. Makes 4 servings.
*Note from Victoria: I think I'd use more of the seasonings than listed above, season to suit your tastes.

Slow-Cooked Chicken
Submitted by Karen Huftalin (IL)
Ingredients 2 Tbsp. Garlic Garlic™
2 Tbsp. Spinach & Herb Dip Mix
1 Tbsp. Seasoned Salt
1 whole chicken
1 quartered onion
2 diced celery stalks

Directions Combine first 3 ingredients; sprinkle over and inside chicken. Put onion and celery in bottom of slow cooker; add chicken. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours. Makes 3-4 servings.

An exciting milestone

Today for the first time in what will surely become a regular habit, I said to the children this AM, after a big mess was made w/one of those squish pillows w/a billion tiny white beads...I said:
"Go, outside in the backyard, all of you, go and play!"

And so they went outside and I managed to clean up about 99.99% of those damn little white things.

Since the weather is a bit cooler today it is a great day to make Berry Buckle Cake. I am making one to bring with to a taste-testing I am doing as part of a wine tasting on Saturday w/my great host Kelly M. She has her own wine club and I am bringing a sampling of products for the group to enjoy with their wine and for that I am putting together a summer wine pairing recipe sheet.

Here is an excerpt...

Pair a Dried Tomato and Garlic Pesto Cheese Spread and Water Crackers w/a nice Reisling
Recipe
1 brick of cream cheese softened
2 tbsps Dried Tomato and Garlic Pesto
Blend together
Shape into a ball and roll in Spinach & Herb Mix (dry) or Bread Crumbs.
Chill for 2 hours or over night and serve w/your favorite crackers.

She has to be louder than the Cicadas

Ah Sweet Anna only 3 years old and BOY IS SHE LOUD. If there are any movie producers that need to record blood curdling screams, I've got their girl.

Oh I know what you are thinking, she doesn't look like the type to scream like a banshee at the drop of a hat. But those of you that have had the misfortune of calling my house to place an order for a garlic garlic, or Bountiful Beer Bread...you may very well have gotten to hear her. Too bad there isn't really a cone of silence I could put over my head...

A couple of weeks of daycamp are left and I cannot say enough good things about the program that Palos Heights runs. I am sooooo glad I enrolled thme in it...and doubly glad that I was able to use my TS leadership cheque to pay for it..that was the best use of a bonus...ever.

So what do I do while the kids are in camp? Work on my tan? Work on my business? Work on running up my credit card bill? Nope I've been running all over the forest preserve trails. And it's been pretty good weather for the most part, and running for 1 1/2 to 2 hours gives me time to listen to booking downloaded from audible.com onto my ipod...but today...Today I forgot my ipod in Tom's car so I bought an antiquated am/fm cassette walkman thing from Walgreens. Why are they still selling a casset thing? It looked enormous and came w/the old style headband headphones w/the black foamy stuff that covers your ears. Oh brother, my ears were melting off my head. It was crazy humid today. I really didn't want to run for 8 miles and I talked myself down to 6 but then I went ahead and did 8. Just keep saying well its only a few more minutes, might as well do it...

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I have a conference call tonight at 830 PM. One of the benefits of having your own business that no one tells you is that you can do conference calls in bed while simultaneously watching TV.

I love festive holiday desserts. I think next week I'll make the Americana Trifle.

http://www.tastefullysimple.com/Cultures/en-US/Recipes/recipes.htm?rid=5715&src=s