So one of our vendors recently sent the crew at North Star a few boxes of Girl Scout Cookies. (BTW- Brilliant idea, if anyone else wants to send cookies, please go right ahead, just make sure you address them directly to me…) As I was sampling a few Tagalongs and Samoas I realized - in horror - that I hadn’t had any of my favorite kind yet - the iconic Shortbreads! Since we didn’t seem to get a box of those (or someone maybe stole them!) I decided to check online to see if the Girl Scouts had a website showing where I could find their next sale.

Let’s just say I was very impressed with how plugged in, or rather, hip to the social media scene those Girl Scouts have become! Kids… just so high-tech these days!

As you can see, the site is very clean, easy to use and yet colorful/fun. What really impressed me is how they incorporated their social media sites along the top navigation. Check out the links to their MySpace page, Flickr site and Facebook application! Talk about integrated into Web 2.0!

Way to go Girl Scouts! I wonder if there is a Web 2.0 badge they can earn for this?

PS - Unfortunately, I do have sad news to report. After entering my zip code on the site, I found out that cookie sales in my area have ended!!! Please join me in a moment of silence……… Thank you.

It’s true! Now you can have your cake AND your beer… and eat them too! I found this recipe here and saw that it was adapted from Nigella Lawson’s cookbook called Feast. How appropriate.

Cake:

• 1 cup Guinness
• 1 stick, plus 1 tb, unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 2 cups dark brown sugar
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 2 eggs
• 1 tb vanilla extract
• 2 cups flour
• 2 1/2 tsp baking soda

Glaze

• 8 oz cream cheese
• 1 1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1/3 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350; butter a muffin tin.

Combine the Guinness and the butter, chopped into 1-inch chunks, in a large sauce pan, and heat to melt the butter. Remove from heat, and whisk in the cocoa and sugar. In a bowl, whisk the sour cream with the eggs and vanilla, then add to the beer mixture. Sift together the flour and baking soda, and fold into the batter. Pour into muffin molds and bake for 25 minutes, or until inserted cake tester comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes, remove from muffin tin, and cool completely on a rack.

Using a mixer, whip cream cheese until smooth, sift in sugar, and beat. Add milk, and beat until smooth. Spread glaze over cooled cupcakes.

Enjoy!

PS - Now you can cross off “incorporate more beer into my baking” from your list of things to accomplish in life.

Question: What do you get when you combine Mandy Moore + a wanna-be facebook/myspace/online community format + a HUGE website budget?

Answer: uPumpItUp.com a very slick online community that is SO sicky-sweet/cheesy I actually physically cringed. And then immediately turned my volume down and promptly visited dietcoke.com to reverse any long-term negative effects. (I think I’ll be alright.)

So I understand what Crystal Light is doing and I applaud them for trying. As many food companies know, it’s hard to keep consumers coming back to your site unless you give them a pretty compelling reason to do so. Obviously, in building this community, Crystal Light is encouraging their female consumers to visit their site on a more regular basis. Plus they are actively trying to form a relationship that goes beyond their sugar-free 5-calorie powder beverage - which is great! But why, oh why, does it have be so annoyingly cheesy!

First you have Mandy Moore (whom I normally like) and her cast of expert friends…(pulled verbatim from the site)

• Erika Lenkert is your go-to gal for all things social.
• Bobbie Thomas shares stylish ways to express your creative side.
• Mandy Ingber helps you tune out distractions and tune into yourself.
• Cynné Simpson shows you ways to explore the amazing world around you.

They all provide challenges that “inspire us to do more of the things that make us feel great, and help us share that feeling with others!” Wow. Sign me up for that.

Anyway… like I was saying, each expert provides a challenge. One of my favorites is from Mandy, the yoga teacher, who wants everyone to start forming meditation circles with their girlfriends. Um, yeah. Or from Cynee, the award-winning journalist, who wants everyone to “cross their hearts and promise to go exploring with friends.” My first question is - who says cross your heart anymore?

On a positive note, I will say the actual website is nice. It’s easy to navigate, attractive, and very interactive (if the talking people had a better script, I could like tolerate them.) But I think where Crystal Light COMPLETELY missed the boat is in deciding whom they’re actually targeting. And I honestly have no idea. Females, yes, but what age? Looking at the experts I would say mid-late twenties, but with all the “cross your heart” talk could they secretly be going after 3rd graders?

So explore, heck, sign-up for a challenge if you want. You’ll join a huge community of 59 other people who are forming meditation circles while crossing their hearts.

For some reason, call me strange, I LOVE to photograph food. When a beautifully styled plate is set before me, whether appropriate or not, I almost have to capture a few shots before I can even think of taking my first bite. I’ve even passed my camera around so that everyone at my table could photograph their meal. (Yes, they may have laughed at the time, but I think they secretly enjoyed it.)

Call it odd, call it weird and yes it might be, but now I have a way to remember all of my most memorable meals.

Like the first time I had Fish & Chips in London…

…the first time I made/tried Goat Cheese…

… and the first time I tried sushi.

So imagine my joy when I found out that OTHER people actually do this too! (Over 10,000! See I’m not crazy!) Check out this group called I Ate This in Flickr. (FYI - Flickr is an online photo album where you can upload, share and comment on photos with friends, family or complete strangers.) With photos ranging from the beautiful to the bizarre and just about everything in between, you are sure to find something interesting.

Check back often - new photos are added after every breakfast/lunch/dinner/snack…

Other interesting food related Flickr groups you can check out:

• Fruits & Veg - Nothing but fruits and vegetables, no meat allowed.
• Creative Tabletop Photography - Current challenge, in case you’re curious, is to take a picture of a potato!
• Recipes to Share - A bunch of recipes with photos.
• Starbucks - Photos from inside the store, shots of the various drinks (no pun intended) and of course a bunch of crazy looking people on caffeine highs.

Hello. My name is Kylene and I am addicted to Diet Coke.

There I said it. It’s out there.

I admit I am an addict. I used to be ashamed a few years ago. I would wait until, say, 11am for my first hit. (It was painful.) But I’ve learned to embrace the addiction. I love diet coke - so much so - that I might be drinking it as I type… as in right now… as in 8:41 in the morning. Who needs bitter coffee when you can enjoy the sweet taste of caffeine-laced diet coke in the morning? It seems like the obvious choice to me.

So visiting www.dietcoke.com today was sort of like visiting with a dear, dear friend. And even though I could be the MOST biased person to review this site EVER, I was very impressed. (Shocking, huh?)

Here are some of the highlights:

• The site has a clean look that mirrors the look of the can, with silver and red being the two primary colors used. Your eyes are not overwhelmed with too many graphics or crazy colors. It’s almost refreshing, don’t you think?
• Using their iconic red color, Diet Coke has partnered with The Heart Truth to raise money and awareness for Women’s Heart Disease. In the Red Dress Sweepstakes, Diet Coke is giving away a red dress worn by Heidi Klum at the Academy Awards. Every time someone enters to win, Diet Coke will donate a dollar to women’s heart health awareness and research. See, Diet Coke is helping people!
• There are e-cards available! Why haven’t I ever gotten one of these?! I guess I’ll just have to send one to myself. Anyway, this was a very fun, interactive section where you can create a custom e-card by choosing from different backgrounds, graphics, type and then become a mini designer. They even have an e-card that you can send to friends about the Red Dress Sweepstakes. Great idea to spread the word.
• The ads and downloads section was my favorite. I particularly liked this poster. I should frame it and hang it in my office and then point to it if anyone gives me grief.
• Did you know that there are SIX different varieties of Diet Coke? Since I stick to the original, I had no idea. But the product section, with its six rotating cans, was quick to show just how many options I could have. Caffeine-free is a complete waste in my opinion and while I applaud the idea of flavors - like lemon, lime and cherry - they do absolutely nothing for me. Hello! Why haven’t they created peach yet!?

So there you have it. Feel free to explore on your own. I have to go, my diet coke is empty.

Check out this fun article from The Wall Street Journal. Using the same type of technology that gave us the melt-in-your-mouth breath strips, now advertisers can incorporate yet another sense into their ads - TASTE!

Marketers Salivate Over Lickable Ads

Magazines Try Out A Tasty Strategy; Overcoming the ‘Ick’

By SUZANNE VRANICA February 13, 2008; Page B3

Madison Avenue thinks a tasty approach will give new life to Welch’s grape juice.

Welch’s is taking out full-page print ads in People magazine this month that give readers a chance to sample its grape juice by licking the ad. The front of the advertisement shows a huge bottle of the juice, while the back has a strip that peels up and off, with text that reads: “For a TASTY fact, remove & LICK.” (Read full article)

So I’m in Las Vegas right now for a seminar. Known for having a wide selection of gambling dining options, I’m always on the lookout for what’s new. I was recently handed an elegantly designed menu. It had beautiful photography, well-written copy and one of the dishes “Chilled Black Olive Spaghetti Salad,” really caught my attention. Listen to this description: Spaghetti tossed with a Black Olive Tapenade, topped with Olives, Capers, Basil Leaves with Earthbound Farm Romaine Hearts and a Parmesan Tuille.

Can you guess where I was?

No, I wasn’t at any 4-star restaurant at the Wynn, or Caesar’s Palace. Good guess, though. No, believe it or not, I was sitting by the window, in my coach seat #36A, on Delta flight 905.

As of November 2007, Delta has partnered with award winning Chef Todd English to give coach a little more class. Never having flown on Delta before, I’m used to the American Airlines “snack-packs” that seem more like a vending machine malfunction than a balanced meal. So I admit, I was impressed. I mean, even the lettuce was branded!

If you’re wondering how it tasted, I can’t tell ya. I don’t know. I didn’t actually order anything because I ate before boarding, thinking my odds of finding something good were better on the ground. But now I know. And on my return flight I just might enjoy the Smoked Gouda cheese plate or maybe the Cheddar, Apple and Turkey Croissant or the Grilled Mediterranean Shrimp Salad…

Branding airline food? It’s a good idea.

Hello fellow foodies! Check out our new blog Feast! Here to provide you with interesting food related tidbits, things we’re working on here at North Star, and other delicious odds and ends. Every Wednesday I (aka “kc“) plan on providing a mini review of a food related website. Now, if you know me, you realize how hard it was for me to not immediately go to dietcoke.com and start salivating. I admit I am an addict. I currently have a half-full can on my desk and 4 (yes, 4!) empties waiting for the recycle bin. I think my only cure would be checking into Diet Coke rehab and, as far as I know, that doesn’t exist yet (thank God!) But where was I? Website reviews, right - I thought it would be a better idea to share one that I’m particularly proud of right now - ticgums.com. The team at North Star recently launched this site for ingredient supplier and client, TIC Gums. We were given the task of creating a visually appealing and better functioning website. And I think we accomplished that mission. Check out the results!

Before…

After!

TA-DA! As you can see, the layout and appearance of the site has changed a great deal. The cleaner design allows for visitors to find exactly what they need quickly and easily. And if they don’t know, the search box in the center of the page is inviting and very easy to use. You’ll also notice that key elements of TIC Gums’ brand, like the green colors, Gum Guru Mascot, and photography were all incorporated into the new site. But the changes don’t stop there; beyond the appearance, TIC Gums’ new site has undergone a functional makeover as well…

Here are just a few of the upgrades:

• Search: A more robust search function was added. Beyond searching just product information, chef-tested recipe formulations are now included in the search results along with content from the website itself.
• Products: The site now clearly promotes TIC Gums’ extensive product lines with product links directly on the homepage that provide further information.
• Applications: Many times visitors to the site might not know which TIC Gums’ product they really need. To make it easier to find the right product, we’ve added an “Application Search” to the homepage. Using the drop-down menus, users can easily pick which application (from bakery to beverages and beyond) and then find a list of TIC Gums’ product solutions.
• Chefs: TIC Gums has devoted a separate online store for this emerging market. Now, when restaurant chefs visit the homepage, an icon directs them to the store where they can then order products.
• CRM Integration: Now information collected from the website flows directly into TIC Gums’ new CRM system making it faster and easier for TIC Gums’ inside sales to process sample requests and respond to customer questions.

Success! And as I always say - where there is success, there needs to be CAKE!