Cheerwine used was cane sugar version (in 12oz glass bottles). I used 3 TB of Droste cocoa powder but recommend 2, as the chocolate flavor overpowered the Cheerwine and made it hard to detect. The cakes turned out really moist, which was fabulous, but the frosting was a little runny. I recommend using 3 egg whites. The recipes have been modified to reflect my recommendations.
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups white all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 1/2 sticks butter, softened at room temperature
12 ounces Cheerwine
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease muffin tin and set aside.
Combine first 5 ingredients in large bowl. Add vanilla, vinegar, and butter; combine well. Slowly stir in Cheerwine; beat until smooth.
Pour into muffin tin and bake for 15-17 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Finish cooling on wire rack.
Frosting
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 egg whites
12 ounces Cheerwine
1/2 teaspoon almond flavoring
Combine sugar and egg whites in top of double boiler. Add Cheerwine and beat on low speed until blended.
Place over boiling water. Beat constantly on high speed until stiff peaks form. Remove from heat. Add flavoring and beat until frosting is thick enough to spread.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Friday, September 16, 2011
Oatmeal Creme Pies
All of the following ingredients are organic. I purchased all my supplies from Weaver Street Market in Hillsborough.
Cookie dough:
3/4 cup butter, softened at room temperature
2 cups brown sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 cups white whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 1/2 cups oven-toasted oats (I used Country Choice)
2 teaspoons baking soda
3 tablespoons boiling water (nuked in a measuring glass in the microwave)
Creme:
1 tablespoon unflavored pectin
1/3 cup water
3/4 cup cane sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup water (do not combine with the 1/3 cup above)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar
8 ounces vegetable shortening
_______________________________________________________________________________
Preheat oven to 425 F. Lightly grease baking sheet and set aside.
COOKIES:
Cream butter, sugar, and eggs in large bowl. In separate bowl, sift together salt, flour, and baking powder. Add to creamed mixture. Add cinnamon and oats. Mix well. In small dish, add baking soda to boiling water, then stir the mixture into the batter. Drop by ping-pong ball size (1 1/2 TB?) onto baking sheets, keeping them about 2 inches apart. Bake about 8-10 minutes. Let cookies cool completely on a wire rack.
CREME:
In small measuring cup, combine pectin with 1/3 cup cold water. Let stand, stirring once. In saucepan over medium-high heat, stir together cane sugar, corn syrup, and 1/4 cup water until blended. Continuing to stir, raise heat to high and bring to full boil. Continue boiling for 15 seconds. Immediately remove from heat and stir in pectin mixture until well blended. Transfer all contents to large bowl. Add vanilla. With mixer on medium, beat for about 20 seconds. Gradually raise speed to high and beat until mixture is cooled to barely warm, about 5-7 minutes. Reduce mixer speed to low and slowly add powdered sugar. Add shortening and beat until completely smooth.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Hong Kong: Part 1
a journey born from emotion
Today's trip to Hong Kong I will remember as a collection of emotional experiences joining together rather than simply a day I took a long plane ride to China. It started out as a day of rebirth, one where the open windows and slices of sunshine framed by the new Beastie Boys left me feelng empowered as I drove to the airport. The smell of fresh tar mixed with magnolias. After checking in and sitting down at the gate, three peeps from the San Diego Surfrider Foundation sat down next to me and started chatting about their projects amongst themselves. Fueled by their passion and my recent donation to the Cape Fear chapter, daydreams of early mornings bathed in cresting waves of saltwater filled by head. I caught myself smiling with tears dancing in my eyes. I belonged there. As we all were landing at Chicago, the familiar surroundings left me wistful. Yes, I've been here dozens of times before. Yes, this used to be my home. I used to fly out of here all the time. But it's not my home anymore. It feels strange and detached. I used to be a part of this place, but I left and have no desire to return. What fantastic memories I harbor from my days growing up here, but they'll always be just memories.
I'm convinced anyone who watched me for the next 16 hours as I flew from ORD to HKG will believe I'm a basketcase. I finished Garth Stein's "The Art of Racing in the Rain" by the time we reached Alaska, and I cried no less than three times. Not only because the scribblings from the pen were brilliant and such a familiar style to my own, but also because the philosophical discussions were aligned with so many of thoughts with which I have wrestled, viewpoints so close to my own. I finished the book with such a wide smile on my face only to distract myself with watching an uber-silly rom-com with Owen Wilson and Reese Witherspoon to cry at the Play-Doh scene. Dammit. To then listen to music via my iPod I hadn't listened to before brought upon another moment of waterworks. I'm telling you. I was unstoppable today. Emo central.
As I was getting off the plane a little Indian toddler who had been throwing glances my way the entire trip locked eyes with me. I smiled warmly at him, returning his gaze. Never breaking eye contact, he gave me the widest smile he could muster before he turned around to hug his dad's leg.
Crawled through immigration, picked up my bag, and hopped the 30 min cab ride to the hotel. Along the way I was met by a smattering of ships, the machination of steel, concrete, and glass as they reached toward the sky arms outstretched to grasp a magnificent rainbow. Mountains of green danced before my eyes, and I felt myself memorizing the lines that bobbled about like an irregular heartbeat before diving below sight's horizon. I wondered how I'd feel today had RMJM hired me as their CFO many moons ago to manage the finances of their architectural design firm.
Handing/receiving with two hands returned automatically, without realizing what I had done until after the event.
Upon checking in at the hotel a shower hadn't felt as refreshing in months. A catharsis of sorts of the day's events and thoughts swirling about my head. Felt energized to slip alongside my OneMBA global cohorts at the Sha Tin bar to catch up and mingle over mojitos as a lounge singer crooned Sting's "Fields of Gold." Today I left myself wide open to emotion, and events came together in a framework as such. I'm not just running this path; I AM this path
We kick off at 9:30am tomorrow morning! Can't wait to see the entire OneMBA faculty!
.
Today's trip to Hong Kong I will remember as a collection of emotional experiences joining together rather than simply a day I took a long plane ride to China. It started out as a day of rebirth, one where the open windows and slices of sunshine framed by the new Beastie Boys left me feelng empowered as I drove to the airport. The smell of fresh tar mixed with magnolias. After checking in and sitting down at the gate, three peeps from the San Diego Surfrider Foundation sat down next to me and started chatting about their projects amongst themselves. Fueled by their passion and my recent donation to the Cape Fear chapter, daydreams of early mornings bathed in cresting waves of saltwater filled by head. I caught myself smiling with tears dancing in my eyes. I belonged there. As we all were landing at Chicago, the familiar surroundings left me wistful. Yes, I've been here dozens of times before. Yes, this used to be my home. I used to fly out of here all the time. But it's not my home anymore. It feels strange and detached. I used to be a part of this place, but I left and have no desire to return. What fantastic memories I harbor from my days growing up here, but they'll always be just memories.
I'm convinced anyone who watched me for the next 16 hours as I flew from ORD to HKG will believe I'm a basketcase. I finished Garth Stein's "The Art of Racing in the Rain" by the time we reached Alaska, and I cried no less than three times. Not only because the scribblings from the pen were brilliant and such a familiar style to my own, but also because the philosophical discussions were aligned with so many of thoughts with which I have wrestled, viewpoints so close to my own. I finished the book with such a wide smile on my face only to distract myself with watching an uber-silly rom-com with Owen Wilson and Reese Witherspoon to cry at the Play-Doh scene. Dammit. To then listen to music via my iPod I hadn't listened to before brought upon another moment of waterworks. I'm telling you. I was unstoppable today. Emo central.
As I was getting off the plane a little Indian toddler who had been throwing glances my way the entire trip locked eyes with me. I smiled warmly at him, returning his gaze. Never breaking eye contact, he gave me the widest smile he could muster before he turned around to hug his dad's leg.
Crawled through immigration, picked up my bag, and hopped the 30 min cab ride to the hotel. Along the way I was met by a smattering of ships, the machination of steel, concrete, and glass as they reached toward the sky arms outstretched to grasp a magnificent rainbow. Mountains of green danced before my eyes, and I felt myself memorizing the lines that bobbled about like an irregular heartbeat before diving below sight's horizon. I wondered how I'd feel today had RMJM hired me as their CFO many moons ago to manage the finances of their architectural design firm.
Handing/receiving with two hands returned automatically, without realizing what I had done until after the event.
Upon checking in at the hotel a shower hadn't felt as refreshing in months. A catharsis of sorts of the day's events and thoughts swirling about my head. Felt energized to slip alongside my OneMBA global cohorts at the Sha Tin bar to catch up and mingle over mojitos as a lounge singer crooned Sting's "Fields of Gold." Today I left myself wide open to emotion, and events came together in a framework as such. I'm not just running this path; I AM this path
We kick off at 9:30am tomorrow morning! Can't wait to see the entire OneMBA faculty!
.
Friday, July 9, 2010
To land that dream job, offer a peek into your soul
Want to work for a small company or an entity that is anything but corporate? So how do you stand out in an age where you just click "attach" and "send"? How do you make it past the first gate? Video resumes and clever digital portfolios may work if you're vying for a seat at a creative company, but what if you're not pursuing an opportunity in the arts or social media?
I don't believe the resume matters nearly as much as most people think it should. Most competing for a position will possess roughly the same qualifications despite different backgrounds. Overall I find the playing field fairly level. A computer program scans your submitted resume for specific key words, or a busy human in HR spends little more than 30-60 seconds ingesting your geek cred. So is the key to shorten and sweeten, to load that resume full of key words you know HR will seek? I say NO. If it would be that easy, don't you think everyone else would be doing the exact same thing? So then how would you be different from all the other candidates? I say quit focusing on the resume so much.
As corny and perhaps strange as it may sound, I'm convinced an unconventional cover letter is the golden ticket. You read that right: unconventional. I'm not talking about that formal, standardized, snoozy-worthy cover letter whose cookie cutter format may be grammatically correct and may even summarize your accomplishments succinctly. I know we've all read those and likely have written quite a few of them ourselves. No doubt that at some point during our days of youth an academic of higher authority drilled some kind of formula into our noggins for that "perfect" cover letter. And perhaps that may have worked two decades ago.
But in today's electronic age, no one has a chance to analyze penmanship or critique choice of paper stock. The human touch has been lost in a sea of 0s and 1s. While we seek outlets to personalize experiences within digital spaces in social media, our cover letters attached to our resumes still often read robotic, devoid of spirit, of human emotion...that is, if we submit a cover letter at all. I say: offer a peek into your soul. Write a letter that truly reflects who you are. Forget the rules, write from the heart, and see where it goes. You may be surprised.
You see, when I was seeking a change in career from accounting and finance several years ago in favor of CRM as an account director, I knew the odds were stacked tall against me. My background, save for five years very early in my career, screams entirely accounting, auditing, finance, and project management. And you know how extroverted and charismatic many of us accountants are! Wooo...give us some rum punch, and we're all but busting out our calculators to figure out which asset gives us the greatest return. An HR director at an advertising agency would take one look at my resume, scratch his/her head wondering if I had applied to the wrong position at the wrong company, then click "delete". That's what I would EXPECT. Wouldn't you? So I decided to offer up something unexpected, at least from an accountant. No, I didn't rewrite my resume and weight it with all the marketing-related work I had done in my finance positions. I wrote an unconventional cover letter.
And it got me not only an interview, but two other interviews afterwards. I didn't end up taking the job, but I did get to meet five people in an industry I was trying to get into. About a year later, when I was applying for a Marketing Director role, I tweaked my letter a bit further (it's the letter that follows this post). Not only did I land the interview, I was called back for a second round and then offered the position. I'm convinced my resume was a minor player in these two instances, as my professional background was not what had been listed in the job description. In fact, I was told my compelling cover letter was why they called in the first place.
But writing an unconventional cover letter isn't necessarily just for marketing and sales careers. I tailored that same cover letter I had penned for the advertising agency to the craft beer industry, and I'm convinced it played a key role in my beating out 203 other candidates for a senior accounting gig at a popular craft brewer. Unconventional cover letter + accounting? Is that not worth a second look?
Look, I'm not completely off my rocker with idealism. There will be companies who will never read your quirky cover letter or may pass it off as unprofessional or as ill fit to the corporate culture. Fine. They did you a favor. Would you want to work at a place where you'll be ignored or seen as weird anyway?
Likewise, if you can't see yourself taking the time and going through the pains of writing a thought-out, personal cover letter for a company, you probably don't really want to work there anyway.
And that's how I see it.
My cover letter for the Marketing Director role:
Passion. That is the only way I can describe what I feel for the type of work you do at XXXXXXXXX. I possess a marketer's heart and creativity, as well as a financial accountant's brain and tenacity. Needless to say, the juxtaposition of the two facets certainly keeps things interesting inside my head. As a dedicated and analytically-minded professional with a successful career in financial management, I have built a solid foundation using my left brain, the brain that grew up concocting chemistry experiments in her parents' garage during her days of youth; the brain that entered every grade school mathematics competition she could get her hands on; the brain that pursued truth through weaving a fabric of scientific formulas with the thread of meticulous detail.
But something was....and is...still missing. The thirst for artistic creation still lingers in the recesses of my throat. My entrepreneurial zeal is begging for release.
The Director of Marketing opportunity would be a mutually fantastic fit. As I come from a financial background, I know and understand your target market well and have numerous established connections throughout the globe. I have already completed much of the research by having taken the lead with financial software implementation solutions for several entities, including the American Marketing Association’s Triangle Chapter. I speak the XXXXXXXX language in a way your target market will understand and appreciate. Likewise, this position would allow me to complete my transition from finance to marketing full circle. As I mention in my article “From Beans to Brands” (http://embatalk.com/index.php/homepage/posts?post=beans-to-brands), I’ve been trying to change the course of a ship with all the rope I can muster. I am currently taking MBA classes to complete a second top-tier focus in marketing (I already earned my MBA in 2008 with Global Business Administration as my focus) and have earned high marks in Pricing this spring of 2009. Strategic Brand Management is next on the docket. I would love the opportunity to apply my lessons to a technology and solutions package that runs in my blood. I have the tools. I’m ready to use them.
I write to you today to engage in further conversation. To give you an idea of some of my capabilities, I have attached my resumé for your review. Highlights of my credentials and aspects of my background pertaining directly to this position include:
• Managing budgeting, accounting and finance functions, and contributing vitally to the business plans and growth strategy of rapidly growing small business entities.
• Playing a key part in implementing project-management-based software, as well as training and coaching staff members on its use.
• Five years of retail management and banquet facility sales with a laser focus on measuring merchandising effectiveness, sales of high-ticket items, and market penetration.
• Revising accounting systems to streamline operations, promote cost efficiency and bolster cash flow management practices.
• Graduating from the OneMBA program at Kenan-Flagler Business School (UNC-CH) with Beta Gamma Sigma honors. Top grade of the class in statistics and microeconomics.
• Earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Accounting and Business Management with academic distinction (3.93/4.00 GPA) in just three and a half years.
• Earning highly esteemed Brand Advocate status in manufacturing and a highly coveted spot on the Executive Leadership team for the American Marketing Association Triangle Chapter.
While I am confident I would add to the competency and knowledge base of your team, I also feel I could further develop both my left and right brains to their fullest potential. A versatile, diligent and creative individual, I am eager to explore opportunities for supporting brand management development and execution. Nothing excites me more than a fast-paced entrepreneurial environment!
Please consider the value that I would bring to XXXXXXXX, and be sure to visit my profile on LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin.com/in/agm1127 for my recommendations. Feel free to contact me with any questions you may have. I certainly hope to have the opportunity to discuss my qualifications, dreams, and innovative ideas in the near future. Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Audra G. Marotta
I don't believe the resume matters nearly as much as most people think it should. Most competing for a position will possess roughly the same qualifications despite different backgrounds. Overall I find the playing field fairly level. A computer program scans your submitted resume for specific key words, or a busy human in HR spends little more than 30-60 seconds ingesting your geek cred. So is the key to shorten and sweeten, to load that resume full of key words you know HR will seek? I say NO. If it would be that easy, don't you think everyone else would be doing the exact same thing? So then how would you be different from all the other candidates? I say quit focusing on the resume so much.
As corny and perhaps strange as it may sound, I'm convinced an unconventional cover letter is the golden ticket. You read that right: unconventional. I'm not talking about that formal, standardized, snoozy-worthy cover letter whose cookie cutter format may be grammatically correct and may even summarize your accomplishments succinctly. I know we've all read those and likely have written quite a few of them ourselves. No doubt that at some point during our days of youth an academic of higher authority drilled some kind of formula into our noggins for that "perfect" cover letter. And perhaps that may have worked two decades ago.
But in today's electronic age, no one has a chance to analyze penmanship or critique choice of paper stock. The human touch has been lost in a sea of 0s and 1s. While we seek outlets to personalize experiences within digital spaces in social media, our cover letters attached to our resumes still often read robotic, devoid of spirit, of human emotion...that is, if we submit a cover letter at all. I say: offer a peek into your soul. Write a letter that truly reflects who you are. Forget the rules, write from the heart, and see where it goes. You may be surprised.
You see, when I was seeking a change in career from accounting and finance several years ago in favor of CRM as an account director, I knew the odds were stacked tall against me. My background, save for five years very early in my career, screams entirely accounting, auditing, finance, and project management. And you know how extroverted and charismatic many of us accountants are! Wooo...give us some rum punch, and we're all but busting out our calculators to figure out which asset gives us the greatest return. An HR director at an advertising agency would take one look at my resume, scratch his/her head wondering if I had applied to the wrong position at the wrong company, then click "delete". That's what I would EXPECT. Wouldn't you? So I decided to offer up something unexpected, at least from an accountant. No, I didn't rewrite my resume and weight it with all the marketing-related work I had done in my finance positions. I wrote an unconventional cover letter.
And it got me not only an interview, but two other interviews afterwards. I didn't end up taking the job, but I did get to meet five people in an industry I was trying to get into. About a year later, when I was applying for a Marketing Director role, I tweaked my letter a bit further (it's the letter that follows this post). Not only did I land the interview, I was called back for a second round and then offered the position. I'm convinced my resume was a minor player in these two instances, as my professional background was not what had been listed in the job description. In fact, I was told my compelling cover letter was why they called in the first place.
But writing an unconventional cover letter isn't necessarily just for marketing and sales careers. I tailored that same cover letter I had penned for the advertising agency to the craft beer industry, and I'm convinced it played a key role in my beating out 203 other candidates for a senior accounting gig at a popular craft brewer. Unconventional cover letter + accounting? Is that not worth a second look?
Look, I'm not completely off my rocker with idealism. There will be companies who will never read your quirky cover letter or may pass it off as unprofessional or as ill fit to the corporate culture. Fine. They did you a favor. Would you want to work at a place where you'll be ignored or seen as weird anyway?
Likewise, if you can't see yourself taking the time and going through the pains of writing a thought-out, personal cover letter for a company, you probably don't really want to work there anyway.
And that's how I see it.
My cover letter for the Marketing Director role:
Passion. That is the only way I can describe what I feel for the type of work you do at XXXXXXXXX. I possess a marketer's heart and creativity, as well as a financial accountant's brain and tenacity. Needless to say, the juxtaposition of the two facets certainly keeps things interesting inside my head. As a dedicated and analytically-minded professional with a successful career in financial management, I have built a solid foundation using my left brain, the brain that grew up concocting chemistry experiments in her parents' garage during her days of youth; the brain that entered every grade school mathematics competition she could get her hands on; the brain that pursued truth through weaving a fabric of scientific formulas with the thread of meticulous detail.
But something was....and is...still missing. The thirst for artistic creation still lingers in the recesses of my throat. My entrepreneurial zeal is begging for release.
The Director of Marketing opportunity would be a mutually fantastic fit. As I come from a financial background, I know and understand your target market well and have numerous established connections throughout the globe. I have already completed much of the research by having taken the lead with financial software implementation solutions for several entities, including the American Marketing Association’s Triangle Chapter. I speak the XXXXXXXX language in a way your target market will understand and appreciate. Likewise, this position would allow me to complete my transition from finance to marketing full circle. As I mention in my article “From Beans to Brands” (http://embatalk.com/index.php/homepage/posts?post=beans-to-brands), I’ve been trying to change the course of a ship with all the rope I can muster. I am currently taking MBA classes to complete a second top-tier focus in marketing (I already earned my MBA in 2008 with Global Business Administration as my focus) and have earned high marks in Pricing this spring of 2009. Strategic Brand Management is next on the docket. I would love the opportunity to apply my lessons to a technology and solutions package that runs in my blood. I have the tools. I’m ready to use them.
I write to you today to engage in further conversation. To give you an idea of some of my capabilities, I have attached my resumé for your review. Highlights of my credentials and aspects of my background pertaining directly to this position include:
• Managing budgeting, accounting and finance functions, and contributing vitally to the business plans and growth strategy of rapidly growing small business entities.
• Playing a key part in implementing project-management-based software, as well as training and coaching staff members on its use.
• Five years of retail management and banquet facility sales with a laser focus on measuring merchandising effectiveness, sales of high-ticket items, and market penetration.
• Revising accounting systems to streamline operations, promote cost efficiency and bolster cash flow management practices.
• Graduating from the OneMBA program at Kenan-Flagler Business School (UNC-CH) with Beta Gamma Sigma honors. Top grade of the class in statistics and microeconomics.
• Earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Accounting and Business Management with academic distinction (3.93/4.00 GPA) in just three and a half years.
• Earning highly esteemed Brand Advocate status in manufacturing and a highly coveted spot on the Executive Leadership team for the American Marketing Association Triangle Chapter.
While I am confident I would add to the competency and knowledge base of your team, I also feel I could further develop both my left and right brains to their fullest potential. A versatile, diligent and creative individual, I am eager to explore opportunities for supporting brand management development and execution. Nothing excites me more than a fast-paced entrepreneurial environment!
Please consider the value that I would bring to XXXXXXXX, and be sure to visit my profile on LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin.com/in/agm1127 for my recommendations. Feel free to contact me with any questions you may have. I certainly hope to have the opportunity to discuss my qualifications, dreams, and innovative ideas in the near future. Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Audra G. Marotta
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Win a seat to the Triangle AMA May Luncheon - 2010: The Year of Mobile Marketing!
Still pumped about the conversations resulting from her Ignite Sussex presentation "A QWERTY Love Letter to Rehoboth", your trusty Triangle AMA Treasurer was more than a little excited to purchase a seat to the upcoming May 20th AMA luncheon at Brier Creek entitled "2010: The Year of Mobile Marketing".
But alas, she will be out of town during the event. Rather than cancel her reservation, she decided to donate it to one lucky Triangle area marketer. Who will that marketer be? Will it be you?
In 50 words or less email your best mobile marketing tip to audra@violent-orchid.com. Deadline for submissions is 5:00pm on Monday, May 10th. The winner will be selected by the luncheon mobile marketing panelists and moderator. The winner will be announced on Wednesday, May 12th and recognized at the May 20th luncheon.
The complete list of eligible entries will be provided as a link on the Triangle AMA website. The link will be shared at the May 20th luncheon and available for viewing during and after the luncheon. If you have any questions, please feel free to email audra@violent-orchid.com
Good luck! Looking forward to your entries!
But alas, she will be out of town during the event. Rather than cancel her reservation, she decided to donate it to one lucky Triangle area marketer. Who will that marketer be? Will it be you?
In 50 words or less email your best mobile marketing tip to audra@violent-orchid.com. Deadline for submissions is 5:00pm on Monday, May 10th. The winner will be selected by the luncheon mobile marketing panelists and moderator. The winner will be announced on Wednesday, May 12th and recognized at the May 20th luncheon.
The complete list of eligible entries will be provided as a link on the Triangle AMA website. The link will be shared at the May 20th luncheon and available for viewing during and after the luncheon. If you have any questions, please feel free to email audra@violent-orchid.com
Good luck! Looking forward to your entries!
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Cicerone Beer Off-Flavors Tasting Class Friday, July 23rd (2pm) at Fullsteam Brewery!
I am organizing a Cicerone beer education seminar to be held at Fullsteam Brewery (726 Rigsbee in Durham) on Friday, July 23rd at 2pm. A description of the course per the cicerone.org website follows:
"A new online learning program that teaches you to recognize common beer off-flavors. This class takes a novel approach to online learning by linking standardized tasting materials shipped to you in advance of the class with an online lecture to help you learn. When you register for this course, you will receive calibrated tasting spikes that you add to beer to quickly and easily create off-flavor samples for the tutored tasting session.
The 75-minute class will cover:
Tasting technique
Flavor variations: fruity flavor
Discussion and tasting of 5 key off-flavors:
DMS
Diacetyl
Oxidized
Acetlaldehyde
Infection "
The cost of the course is $35.00 and will cover supplies and beer, as well as the following:
A PDF copy of the lecture slides
Online lecture with tasting (approximately 75 minutes)
Recommended additional tasting exercises
Access to the recorded lecture for review
All you need to do is show up and be ready to learn!
Since I have to order seats ahead of time in six-person chunks, deadline for registration is JULY 8TH. Payment may be Paypaled to me at audra_gaizak@yahoo.com, or I will gladly accept cash at the time you make your reservation.
The gang at Fullsteam and I are looking forward to hosting you! Feel free to email me any questions at audragmarotta at yahoo dot com or call me at 919-538-4404. Cheers!
"A new online learning program that teaches you to recognize common beer off-flavors. This class takes a novel approach to online learning by linking standardized tasting materials shipped to you in advance of the class with an online lecture to help you learn. When you register for this course, you will receive calibrated tasting spikes that you add to beer to quickly and easily create off-flavor samples for the tutored tasting session.
The 75-minute class will cover:
Tasting technique
Flavor variations: fruity flavor
Discussion and tasting of 5 key off-flavors:
DMS
Diacetyl
Oxidized
Acetlaldehyde
Infection "
The cost of the course is $35.00 and will cover supplies and beer, as well as the following:
A PDF copy of the lecture slides
Online lecture with tasting (approximately 75 minutes)
Recommended additional tasting exercises
Access to the recorded lecture for review
All you need to do is show up and be ready to learn!
Since I have to order seats ahead of time in six-person chunks, deadline for registration is JULY 8TH. Payment may be Paypaled to me at audra_gaizak@yahoo.com, or I will gladly accept cash at the time you make your reservation.
The gang at Fullsteam and I are looking forward to hosting you! Feel free to email me any questions at audragmarotta at yahoo dot com or call me at 919-538-4404. Cheers!
Monday, November 30, 2009
Audra's Ode to Dogfish, Woody Guthrie style....
Back in October, there was a lil' songwriting contest we had here at Dogfish. Here was the narrative behind the diddy, in our fabulous brewceptionist Nora's words:
I decided to enter, especially since it had been a while since I let my creative juices flow.....
Lo and behold, guess who won? YES!! I was so excited Mr. Sam Calagione himself chose my bitty words of songdom. Good thing I didn't have to sing them...let's just say my mom's superior vocal genes weren't passed on to me. How was it exactly my husband described my singing....oh, right! LIKE A CAT DYING.
Anyhoo, I wanted to share!
1. Sam's comment on my lyrics: "Very original--Woodesque without covering his song--like slap the booty part."
2. My contest winning "Ode to Dogfish". Enjoy! Would love to hear your feedback!
Ode to Dogfish by Audra
Gather round the fire, y’all
For this song of lore
‘Bout a group of rebel misfits
On the Del’ware shore.
We brew to the extreme, man
Make no apologies.
Off-centered’s where it’s at, man
At 65 degrees.
Chorus:
We got big balls of bocce,
We mash it in the tun.
We rock sofa king hoppy,
And when the day is done
We Randall us some Chic’ry
N’ sport some Palo wood
We blame it on the 60,
Sh*t, life is pretty good!
The brewers work their magic
With coffee, grapes, and beets,
Raspberries and peaches
Cocoa, cloves, and wheat
And Dogfish would be nowhere
Without our cellar crew,
packaging and warehouse,
Maint’nence, QC too.
Chorus:
We got big balls of bocce,
We mash it in the tun.
We rock sofa king hoppy,
And when the day is done
We Randall us some Chic’ry
N’ sport some Palo wood
We blame it on the 60,
Sh*t, life is pretty good!
Sah’tea, Squall N’ Theo
Burton, Black N’ Blue,
Pangaea, Olde School Barley
Immort, World Wide too.
We spit into your Chicha
And Fort into your glass
Our ninety minute IPA
Can eas’ly kick your….(nothing sung, you slap your own booty)
Chorus:
We got big balls of bocce,
We mash it in the tun.
We rock sofa king hoppy,
And when the day is done
We Randall us some Chic’ry
N’ sport some Palo wood
We blame it on the 60,
Sh*t, life is pretty good!
Yeah, life is pretty good!
Attention Dogfish Head Closet Songwriters: Time To Get Your Woody On!!
You’ve seen Woody’s likeness on our labels, posters, etc., and you’ve sang This Land is Your Land a hundred gazillion times but did you know…
HE WAS A HOMEBREWER?
According to Sam, Woody was not just the Father of the American Protest Song, he was the Father of Extreme Home brewing!
So here’s the deal…
Write a song Woody style about Dogfish! It can be about the brewery, the pub, brewing, anything that reflects this awesome organization! Submit your songs to me on or before November 13, 2009. Qualified participants will each receive a prize. One Grand Prize Winner will be selected by Sam the Man himself!
I decided to enter, especially since it had been a while since I let my creative juices flow.....
Lo and behold, guess who won? YES!! I was so excited Mr. Sam Calagione himself chose my bitty words of songdom. Good thing I didn't have to sing them...let's just say my mom's superior vocal genes weren't passed on to me. How was it exactly my husband described my singing....oh, right! LIKE A CAT DYING.
Anyhoo, I wanted to share!
1. Sam's comment on my lyrics: "Very original--Woodesque without covering his song--like slap the booty part."
2. My contest winning "Ode to Dogfish". Enjoy! Would love to hear your feedback!
Ode to Dogfish by Audra
Gather round the fire, y’all
For this song of lore
‘Bout a group of rebel misfits
On the Del’ware shore.
We brew to the extreme, man
Make no apologies.
Off-centered’s where it’s at, man
At 65 degrees.
Chorus:
We got big balls of bocce,
We mash it in the tun.
We rock sofa king hoppy,
And when the day is done
We Randall us some Chic’ry
N’ sport some Palo wood
We blame it on the 60,
Sh*t, life is pretty good!
The brewers work their magic
With coffee, grapes, and beets,
Raspberries and peaches
Cocoa, cloves, and wheat
And Dogfish would be nowhere
Without our cellar crew,
packaging and warehouse,
Maint’nence, QC too.
Chorus:
We got big balls of bocce,
We mash it in the tun.
We rock sofa king hoppy,
And when the day is done
We Randall us some Chic’ry
N’ sport some Palo wood
We blame it on the 60,
Sh*t, life is pretty good!
Sah’tea, Squall N’ Theo
Burton, Black N’ Blue,
Pangaea, Olde School Barley
Immort, World Wide too.
We spit into your Chicha
And Fort into your glass
Our ninety minute IPA
Can eas’ly kick your….(nothing sung, you slap your own booty)
Chorus:
We got big balls of bocce,
We mash it in the tun.
We rock sofa king hoppy,
And when the day is done
We Randall us some Chic’ry
N’ sport some Palo wood
We blame it on the 60,
Sh*t, life is pretty good!
Yeah, life is pretty good!
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