The Successful Dessert Party

 by: Kim Labarbera

What's wrong with this picture?

I used to serve delicious dinners with wonderful desserts (yes, I've checked around and they were wonderful) but, I knew that there was something missing. After working in the Food Service Industry, I learned that the little things complete the big picture.

It's not so hard

?For instance, the use of doilies placed on a dessert plate when serving a fine piece of cake. A nice espresso goes extra well with pastries (use espresso cups and saucers.)

?You can use wine or champagne glasses to serve desserts a la? mode. Chill your glasses before your guests arrive, then add some flavorful pound cake and ice cream. Try to have at least two flavors of ice cream to choose from.

Dessert ideas!

?Serve flavored coffee and fresh fruit. It can pass as dessert all by itself, if necessary. Don?t forget the Decaf.

?Keep frozen desserts, around. They are perfect for the unexpected get-together. Most of the fancier desserts can be frozen. Give it about a half an hour to thaw in warm weather. This works perfectly for a late night dessert party.

?Keep some butterscotch, chocolate sauce or caramel on hand for cake decoration. Nice thin swirls across the dessert plate work especially well with, Torte or Cheesecake. Mini chocolate chips are always great for Chocolate Cake, coupled with fresh raspberries.

A seasonal dessert that makes a great impression.

?Begin with a carton of large ripe strawberries. Clean them but leave on the stems. Melt about 2 to 3 large dark chocolate bars, per carton in the microwave, in a pyrex measuring cup. Be very careful not to burn the chocolate. Hold strawberries by the stem, dipping them one by one into the cup. Place them on a large plate with wax paper. Try to dip just over half of the strawberry. Chill for about 45 minutes. Serve with Columbian coffee or even cappuccino if desired.

Other tips

?When hosting a dessert party, try not to serve pies. Fruit pies in particular are too informal. They interfere with the mystique of the affair.

?Always pre-slice your cake, but serve it to guests, one at a time. Do not have the cake already on the plate, unless your dessert is following dinner.

?Dessert parties are becoming more popular and a little more sophisticated, so use soft lighting and candles.

Best Cookies: No Bake Rocky Road Chocolate Bars

Best Cookies: No Bake Rocky Road Chocolate Bars

 by: Donna Monday

Here?s a rocky road that you?ll be more than happy to travel on. You?ll love how quick and easy they are to make, but I bet they won?t last long.

No Bake Rocky Road Chocolate Bars

• ? cup butter

• 1 (12 oz.) package semi-sweet chocolate chips

• 1 cup butterscotch-flavored chips

• 1 cup peanut butter

• 4 cups crisp rice cereal

• 3 cups miniature marshmallows

Directions

Combine butter, chocolate chips and butterscotch chips in 4-quart saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until melted (4 to 6 minutes). Stir in peanut butter until well mixed.

Remove from heat. Add cereal and marshmallows; toss until well coated.

Press mixture onto bottom of buttered 13x9-inch baking pan. Refrigerate until firm (about 30 minutes). Cut into bars. Store refrigerated.

Yoga is a Safe Solution to Weight Control

Yoga is a Safe Solution to Weight Control

 by: Paul M. Jerard Jr.

One more study tells the world, that Yoga can help with weight control and weight loss. The latest study was held by the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, Washington.

The study involved 15,500 healthy, middle-aged, men and women. This is a group that typically has difficulty with weight loss, since the number of calories needed declines, and the energy levels needed to burn calories, is not what it used to be.

Unfortunately, this is a fact that I have become painfully aware of during the past few years, and cutting back on food was my unwanted last option. Although, I cross train almost daily, it took me one year to lose 16 pounds of extra weight.

Back to the study: Yoga practice was defined as practicing at least 30 minutes once a week for four or more years. Comparatively speaking, this is truly ?bare minimum,? and many Yoga teachers used to say that...

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Google Adwords Failure is Not Always a Marketing Failure

 by: John Robb

When is a failure not a failure?
When it's market research.
If you are conducting a marketing campaign of some description and it doesn't generate the results you are expecting then to most people this would be considered a failure.
This is why large companies often conduct trials, focus groups or some other type of market research.
Large companies what to have small failures and large successes.
This type of research can be an expensive process that requires specialized skills but there is an alternative - Google Adwords.

Google Adwords is a popular advertising medium that displays ads based on what someone enters in to the Google search engine.
These ads are contextually aware.
That means if you are searching for 'milk chocolate' you will likely see ads for companies selling something milk chocolate related....

Qualifying vs. Closing the Sale

Qualifying vs. Closing the Sale

 by: Teri Samuels

The Art of effective question asking (qualifying) determines the effectiveness and the success of the "close".

EXAMPLE: Let's assume you're a candy sales rep. You sell both chocolate and non-chocolate candy. I'm your potential customer. You know nothing about me but you're trying to sell me chocolate candy. You proceed to tell me how great the candy tastes, how exquisite the texture is, how incredible the quality of the chocolate is, and, by the way, how affordable this candy is because your company is doing a promotion on this outstanding chocolate candy. However, you don't sell me a single piece of chocolate candy.

WHY?

You assumed I liked chocolate candy and I would buy it based on the information you provided. But the most important thing you forgot to identify or ask me is "do you like chocolate candy?".

The answser is "no, I hate chocolate candy?". But since you never...

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How To Save Money By Properly Maintaining Your Car

 by: Dr. Drew Henry

Did you know that you can substantially save a lot of money simply by doing a quick 10-20 minute checkup on your car each week? In this article, I will give you the information you need properly maintain your car and saving money that would otherwise be spent on expensive repairs.

My first advice to you is that you need to read and understand your Owner?s Manual for each car that you...

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10 Steps to Creating Your Smalll Business Disaster Plan

 by: Donna Gunter

I'm a recent Hurricane Rita evacuee and survived the evacuation and the ensuing hurricane. Running from a hurricane isn't something I've ever had to do before, nor is it something I'd ever like to do again. However, as a solo business owner, I'm quite thankful that I have a virtual business. The fact that I'm virtual and can operate from anywhere that there's electricity and phone service...

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Search Engine Marketing & Keyword Consulting

Search Engine Marketing & Keyword Consulting

 by: Lee Rummage

Search engines seem to be all the rage these days. Internet users want easy accessibility to various sites for shopping, entertainment, business, etc. And the best way to do this is with the help of search engines like Google, Yahoo, or Overture.

So, how do advertisers get their listings on these ever-popular sites? Google and Overture, the two major players in search engine marketing, offer...