Oct 21, 2017 |
by Molly Jo Realy @MollyJoRealy
Are you serving up your media with flavor?
I know, you’re thinking, “What the heck is that?!”
Lemme tell ya with an example.
We all (okay, not all-all, but mostly-all) like coffee. But we don’t all like it the same way.
I sometimes take my coffee flavored. I sometimes drink it black.
ELF takes his with sugar.
Gibbs takes his coffee with coffee. (He’s Gibbs. He can do whatever he wants.)
The thing is, when it comes to reaching your audience, you need to think of yourself as a barista. You can serve it up your style, but for your customers, you need to know how they take it. Right?
Coffee is the starter base for what we do. It’s what we add to it, and how we serve our guests, that determines if they come back for more. The same for social media.
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Now Serving With Flavor
There’s a lot that goes into being a social media barista. You must have a knowledge of where your customers hang, what they like to drink, and how they like to drink it. I’m not gonna tell all y’all to drink your coffee black. Neither am I gonna strip down my posts to info-only-no-personality-please. That’s equivalent to water without fruit infusion. It’s good for some peeps, but not for my crowd.
Now, if you’re Gibbs, I’m adding coffee on coffee on coffee. If you’re ELF, I’m gonna put a small coffee in a large cup and just add sugar. And if you’re me, well, I’m just gonna smile and ask what kind of mood you’re in.
My point is, wake up, smell the coffee, and serve it to your people in the style you’re all accustomed to. Ain’t nothing better than a fine cup of joe with your peeps. Unless it’s a fine cup of joe with your peeps, and pie. Am I right?
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Goes Well With Coffee
TWEET THIS: Social Media Saturday: Now Serving with Flavor @MollyJoRealy #socialmedia #coffee
With a big mug and a clean apron,
Happy serving!
~Molly Jo
And Frankly, My Dear . . . : That’s all she wrote!
Oct 20, 2017 |
by Molly Jo Realy @MollyJoRealy
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Five Things Friday
Ah, the sounds of baseball and crunchy leaves. The feel of a cool breeze and warm coffees. The taste of chestnuts, roasted apples, pumpkin anything . . . What have I missed? It’s the most wonderful time of the year, before the most wonderful time of the year. Am I right? I think I’m right.
Social media is already abuzz with changing weather, pre-holiday plans, and the color orange. I mean, who can resist? It’s like you just speak the word “autumn” and the Fall Fairies fly out and populate everything into a cozy dreamland.
One of my favorite benefits of this time of year (and I know I’m not alone, y’all) is soups. Ohsomany delicious, hearty, smooth, or chunky moments of hot bliss when the world pauses long enough for you take a sip or a spoonful of pretty much any flavor you want.
Some of my favorite restaurant soups include Olive Garden’s Gnocchi Soup, Marie Callendar’s Potato Cheese Soup, and Mamnoon’s Red Lentil Soup. But I can’t always fly to Seattle when I’m craving some warm goodness, so I turn to my own kitchen more often this time of year.
Whether it’s slow cooker style or stove top friendly, soup is both a main entree or a side dish. Don’t believe me? Try any of these for lunch, dinner, or even a late night snack. Want the recipes? Click on the title links.
- Cheesy Potato Soup. You can make this hearty dish with large or small cuts of potatoes and vegetables. It’s up to you. I like to mix up the cheeses now and then. Gruyere adds a nice flavor, smoked Parmesan too.
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Cheesy Potato Soup
- Slow Cooker Pumpkin Soup. This is a recent addition to my recipe planner. It’s easily modified for sweetness and texture, by adding more or less cream and spices, and by pureeing your vegetables before adding them into the soup.
Frankly, My Dear . . . Slow Cooker Pumpkin Soup
- Homemade Chicken Soup. This is not only a great recipe for soup, it’s also a great starter for freezer broth to add to later soups and casseroles. It’s incredibly easy, aromatic, and the health benefits are amazing. Your momma always told you to eat your chicken soup, didn’t she?
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Chicken Stock and Soup
- Chicken Soup with Rice. So, this is a little cheater recipe, using most of #3 above. But that’s the beauty of soups! Y’all can fix them to your own, uh, tastes. [See what I did there?]
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Chicken Soup With Rice
- Baked Potato Soup. This reminds me of the egg gravy recipe I’ve loved since, well, forever. Add some green onion and bacon and potato skins. Hulloh! Deliciously perfect. I mean it. Try it. It’s *awesome*.
Baked Potato Soup, from Laughter is Louder with Good Food Cookbook
I’m sure within the week I’ll have more wonderful soup recipes ready to share. How ’bout you?
TWEET THIS: Autumn means soups. What are your favorite flavors? @MollyJoRealy #foodie #flavors
With a a bowlful of warmth and a heart full of joy,
Happy eating!
~Molly Jo
And Frankly, My Dear . . . That’s all she wrote!
Oct 19, 2017 |
by Cara Pearson @ThatBedfordGal
As autumn progresses and the nights (finally!) grow chillier, I’m turning my attention to immune support and respiratory relief. I was so excited when the first chill appeared this past weekend… and then I woke the next day with barely a voice. My windows have poor insulation, so even though I sleep under several comforters, I struggle to keep away the cold air that seems to hate my throat and lungs. I’m grateful during these nights that I live in the South–where it doesn’t often dip below freezing–and not Wisconsin.
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Cardamom is the Perfect Autumn Oil
One of the top export products from Guatemala, Cardamom is actually native to Southeast Asia. Due to the warm, spicy flavor of cardamom, it is also popularly used in curry dishes, and as a companion to sauces, meats, salads, breads, pastries, sweets, tea, and–my personal favorite–coffee. It truly is a versatile and popular spice, enriching food flavor, as well as aiding digestion. Consider diluting one drop of cardamom oil in 4 ounces of liquid to relieve occasional stomach discomfort or after over-indulging at your next family dinner.
Looking for a hands-on way to experience the benefits of cardamom? If you yearn to do some (easy!) fall baking, why not try out your hand with these Hearty Cardamom Oatmeal-Molasses Rolls with doTERRA Cardamom essential oil. I’m pretty sure it will become a new fall favorite! Or, if you’re in the mood for soup, check out this awesome Roasted Butternut Squash recipe!
Because of its high 1, 8-cineole content, Cardamom provides excellent respiratory support. It isn’t the only essential oil I use for this reason–but it is my favorite and usually makes it into most blends I diffuse. An added bonus is that Cardamom is a calming oil. Try adding orange, cinnamon, and clove to cardamom for a delightful crisp autumn spice diffuser blend to help you get in the holiday spirit. Perfect for a cozy evening by the fire.
Regardless of your preferred use for cardamom oil (cooking, aromatic, or topical application), you want to make sure that you are using pure and potent oils. This is one reason why I recommend doTERRA essential oils.
Another reason why I can’t stop talking about doTERRA is their Co-Impact Sourcing®. DoTERRA ensures the quality and efficiency of the harvest and distillation processes by developing close relationships with growers in Guatemala; providing education and aiding with equipment and production processes. At one of their training centers, local families receive certifications and classes that teach job skills, agricultural practices, and more. The objective of this center is to provide locals in this area an opportunity to lift themselves out of poverty, ensuring a future for their communities. I love knowing that I am supporting a company that chooses to make a positive difference in the world.
If you’d like to learn more about doTERRA’s Co-Impact Sourcing initiative in Guatemala, visit these links:
doTERRA’s Partnership with CHOICE Humanitarian Brings Drying Facility to Guatemala
Co-Impact Sourcing Cardamom
Finding New Pathways
TWEET THIS: Tweet: Autumn’s Essential Oil: Cardamom @MollyJoRealy @ThatBedfordGal #essentialoil #cardamom
And Frankly, My Dear . . . That’s all she wrote!
Enigmatic. Fragile. Tenacious. Reader. Writer. Musician. Grace. These are all words that describe Cara. A superhero/barista by day, she makes coffee and plots epic stories in the Deep South. Evenings, she can be found on the ranch, making her own natural skin and beauty products and helping others reach wellness goals through essential oils.
