GOSSIP FROM THE GIRLFRIEND GATHERINGS

Learning from YOU to empower ME !

NaBloPoMo #1 – Nourish – How Do I Eat My Daily Meals?

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Food is my nemesis.   It is difficult to live with it and impossible to live without it.  Living in Houston where there are great restaurants around every corner makes it very difficult to prepare food at home and then there are those Texas-sized portions.    You can feed 2 ½ persons from 1 restaurant entrée in Texas.   Recently, a colleague was here from Budapest for a month on expense account and he told me even though he was working out every day at the hotel he still gained 6 kilos! (I still need to convert that to pounds in my mind.)

How do I eat my daily meals?   Normally, I eat three meals a day with an afternoon snack – during that 3pm lull.   I sit down to eat lunch, dinner, and breakfast on the weekend but breakfast during the work week is eaten in the car driving to work or in the office while checking email.    I know this is a bad habit but it seems so hard to break because I am always crunched for time in the work week mornings.   Writing this blog post has helped me to see that I really need to make this change.

Making History – Doing Her Own Thing – Jackye Carr Figg

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Today, I want to introduce one of the women in my inner circle who is making some  history in her own life.     She has embraced her entrepreneurial spirit and started her own business “Just Between Friends Gourmet Desserts”.   I sent Jackye a list of questions to answer about her journey for this blog post and below is her response.

DOING MY OWN THING – “I Finally See Me”

Just Between Friends Gourmet Desserts

Jacqueline Figg (aka: JRenee)

I am J Renee owner of Just Between Friends Homemade Gourmet Desserts (JBF) where the care that goes into producing our products yields the quality that our clients continually experience.

We specialize in a variety of gourmet desserts which includes, but are not limited to the Cocoa-Mocha Bar, the Brownie Fusion, Hallelujah Cake balls (one variety) and Apricot Nectar and Citron Torte Bars.  Of course your all time favorites… the lemony 7-Up Cake, the succulent Italian Cream Cake, and the delectable German Chocolate Cake remain best sellers.

In addition, JBF has put our own spin on things and have introduced a different perspective with our products…JBF Dessert Gifts.  Our Dessert Gifts (cake ball trees, cake ball bouquets, cookie bouquets, etc.) are specifically and professionally packaged as “gift giving” ideas and present very well as gifts.  These products preserve well and because they are baked fresh for each occasion they are ready to be consumed upon delivery.

I was motivated to birth this business after my mom passed in 2002 because I wanted to keep a part of her with me.  When we would travel, one of our favorite things to do was to thumb thru magazines and collect recipes.  One of the favorite family recipes is the Mocha Bars which is the recipe that has inspired me to bake and share with others.  When I am cutting the bars I feel that she is a part of the process.  We always enjoyed the response from people once they tasted them and I still get a “big kick” out of that as well as seeing the expression on  faces when the person try to identify the bars with something that they are familiar with.  It’s hilarious!

Strictly self-taught and with out any formal education in baking, I have mastered other techniques and developed flavors that have been instrumental in building our dessert menu.  Our packaging is impeccable and thus far all of our clients have been satisfied.

There are two things I love most about this business…”I Finally See Me” (i.e., independent of others who I thought I had to have in my life to see the success in me) and, secondly, to see the smile on the faces of everyone once they bite into our products…whatever product they order.  I would say to anyone who wants to develop an idea to pray about it first, listen for guidance, develop your passion and be open to change for growth. In this society, remaining the same does not always grow you or your business. However, remaining open not only allows a view from a difference perspective but allows you to glean from other’s knowledge and wisdom.  An example of that is when we entertained the idea of shipping our products to another state.  When we opened our eyes to the fact that shipping nationally was not an unattainable goal, not only do we now deliver locally but we have national recognition and have shipped our products to eight different states as well as international.  That is JBF in a nutshell and we would be please is you would peruse our social media sites and order for your next event.

You can find us at:  www.justbfriends1.com and/or www.Facebook.com/JustBetweenFriendsGourmetDesserts.

Let us “WOW” you with our exhilarating desserts!

Girlfriend on the Road – Dallying in Big “D”

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Recently, I was dallying in Big “D” (that’s Dallas in Texan) for a change of scenery and to spend some “girlfriend” time with my cousin. We started the weekend off with brunch at the Grand Luxe Café (http://www.grandluxcafe.com) munching on those delectable red velvet pancakes and dropped in at the Grand Spa (http://www.grandspa.com) for some pampering and a facial that made my face feel like a baby’s bottom. We viewed and critiqued Whitney Houston’s last movie, “Sparkle” and tried out a new restaurant I heard about which proved to be the greatest adventure of the weekend.
The name of the restaurant had piqued my interest – Twisted Root Burger Company (http://www.twistedrootburgerco.com) – since I absolutely love a big, juicy, Texas-size burger. So, with my eating management plan abandoned for the holiday weekend, my cousin and I decided to visit the restaurant in Arlington, TX near the movie theatre.
The first thing that caught my attention upon entering the restaurant was the rustic and festive atmosphere. There were families and singles sitting at wooden tables, large rolls of paper towels, and squeezable bottles of condiments. In the center of the restaurant was a large white RV decorated with colorful Christmas lights.
We grabbed a menu and got in the line to order our burgers. The offerings were amazing with hamburger names like “The Spicy Goat”, “The Big German”, and “Frito Bandito”. My dilemma at that point was whether I should be adventurous or safe. Then I flipped the menu over and saw the “Build Your Own Burger” option and created my own burger (with bacon, pepper jack cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, onions and pickles) and added an order of straight cut fries. The other great offering at the restaurant are the drinks. You have choices of custard shakes, root beer floats and unique flavors of root beer. The flavor-of-the-day was caramel root beer when I visited but I decided to have the regular root beer.
Instead of giving me an order number, I received a card that named me as Little Red Riding Hood. I heard other famous personas like Jimmy Neutron, Jimmie Hendrix, and Jughead being called to receive their orders as well. It was a hoot and a unique way to identify orders.
The beef and burger size was Texas quality. It was cooked to my specification, the bread and vegetables were fresh…..definitely a homemade burger. The thick cut fries were scrumptious and my cousin loved her fried green tomatoes. I was very satisfied when we finished and will definitely visit again when I am in the Dallas area.
If you are a hamburger lover and are in the Dallas area, you should definitely stop in for a treat.

QUESTION:
Are you a burger lover?
If so, are you adventurous in your burger selections?
If you discovered a unique burger, would you forego your “eating management plan” to try it?