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Saturday, December 31, 2011

Best of 2011

The year has come to an end so it's only right to recap the best of 2011!


This site launched in July 2011. One of the best days of my life. You all have been very supportive! I truly appreciate it. I've gained new business contacts and friends along the way.


 We have only been live for almost 6 months and we  have over 10 thousand views. There is a lot in store for "Flava in ya ear" in the near future.


Viewer's Favorite  
1. Interview with Kid Chef Eliana  
This was the most popular interview of 2011 according to my viewers.I had so much fun making up these questions. I was honored when Eliana and her mother agreed to partake. Thank you!


2. July Food Truck Rally
You all loved this post! Fun right?


3. Interview with the owner of Mrs. Dorsey's Kitchen


4. Interview with the ladies of Cake N Wings 


5.Modern Toilet in Taiwan

My Favorite


1. Interview with Ronnie Johnson the owner of Mrs. Dorsey's Kitchen This was my first interview for this site. I think I did a damn good job! I didn't know Ronnie prior, so I thank him for giving me the opportunity to interview him. We support Mrs. Dorsey's Kitchen!  


2. Q &A with the ladies of Cake N Wings 
I really enjoyed this interview. It was super fun and I can tell these ladies have a great personality. I hope you get that Food Truck! I will be a prominent customer! Cake N Wings Kickstarter project!


3. Guest Post by Melanie from Chicken and Cardigans
My best friend put me on to her blog and I fell in love. I love everything about her blog! I was honored when she agreed to do a guest post for us. What is better than food and fashion besides music and food of course? ;) Thank you Melanie! 


4.  Modern Toilet in Taiwan
I was speechless when I opened up this email. I think this review was fun, interesting, cool, and amazing. Very well done! The pictures are great! Thank you Gillian!


5. Holiday Questionnaires Part 1 Part 2
These were so fun to read! My Fave! Thank you to everyone that participated. 


I hope you all continue to support "Flava in ya ear!" Feel free to  contact with questions, comments, ideas!


Preview of 2012
Interview with Mixologist Elizabeth Dodwell
Q & A with Chef Joe "JJ" Johnson winner of Rocco's dinner party on Bravo 

 Founder-Celeste

Sunday, December 25, 2011

Random Acts of Christmas

 My Boss and Family's Christmas Tree
 www.gourmetgiftbaskets.com I ordered this for the family I work. They loved it! It has lots of great gourmet goodies inside! Top rated gift baskets! 
 Close up of their tree!
 I requested letters from NYcares from children that are less fortunate to make their Christmas wishes come true. Here are some of the gifts. Toy piano and floor puzzle. 
 Another view of their (Boss) tree.
 My Parent's tree sorry for the bad shot.
 I helped the little boy I take care of make Christmas cards for his siblings. Check out the envelopes I made. Crafty!
I also brought stuff to make a Gingerbread house with him. It was more difficult than I thought. He decorated it. It looks interesting lol.

Flava Tunes: Holiday Special 4

My Fave of all time!!!!

Saturday, December 24, 2011

Holiday Questionnaire Pt. 2


1. Do you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, and/or Kwanzaa? If so, which one? I celebrate Christmas. What's better than a ninja in a red suit?
2. What is the best holiday present you have ever received? That's a hard question because my parents spoiled me when I was young, but it would have to be my old school Nintendo. I loved that 8 bit machine which sparked my enthusiasm for video games.  
3. What is your favorite holiday drink? Apple Cider would be my fav holiday drink because I don't drink alcohol. 
4. What is your favorite holiday movie? My fav holiday movie would have to be A Christmas Story. I would watch it with my grand mother( bless her soul) and the rest of my family so it holds a place in my heart.  I love when Ralph gets the BB Gun for Christmas and thought that he shot his eye out. Close second March Of The Wooden Soliders.
5. What are your family or individual holiday traditions? Only tradition we have is that you can't leave the house before everyone opens their gifts on Christmas. It's really sad because everyone is known to wake up extremely late on Christmas morning.
6. Who cooks the holiday dinner? My lovely mother and grand mother is notorious for whipping up the holiday dishes. I always have to attend both events which is well worth it. What is your favorite dish? Banana pudding because it's normally made around Christmas and Thanksgiving. 
7. What are 2 items on your holiday wish list? Only thing I want for The holidays are peace and love. 
8. Real tree or fake tree? Real or
fake tree never mattered to me because it's what's under the tree that counts lol.
9. Do you prefer giving or receiving gifts? I love to give and receive.
10. Candy Canes Yay or Nay? Yay, I love Candy Canes.

Wordspit-Rapper 
Facebook: Facebook.com/wordspitwashere
Twitter: @wordspit 
www.wordspitwashere.com


1.Do you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, and/or Kwanzaa? If so, which one?  Christmas
2. What is the best holiday present you have ever received? Ipod touch many years ago
3. What is your favorite holiday drink? Sorrel with Rum (west indian staple)
4. What is your favorite holiday movie? Friday After Next
5. What are your family or individual holiday traditions? Going to church
6. Who cooks the holiday dinner? What is your favorite dish? My mother cooks and my favorite dish is curry goat (insert Jamaican accent).
7. What are 2 items on your holiday wish list? Iphone and Macbook
8. Do you prefer giving or receiving gifts? Giving
9. Real tree or fake tree? Fake
10. Candy Canes Yay or Nay? Eh I don't really like them


Bethany-Psychology Student 
Twitter: @msbethany819


Friday, December 23, 2011

Holiday Questionnaire Pt. 1

Here are a few fun Holiday Questionnaires with a few of my fave people. Feel free to participate in the comments sections.

1. Do you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, and/or Kwanzaa? If so, which one? Christmas.
2. What is the best holiday present you have ever received? Ever?  Probably anything my little sister gave me.  She is younger than me, so I never expect anything but always get something.
3. What is your favorite holiday drink? I guess eggnog. I don't drink anything particularly on holidays simply because it's a holiday but eggnog seems cool.
4. What is your favorite holiday movie? How the Grinch stole Christmas.  The movie with Jim Carey.  I like A Christmas Carol second and third favorite is Home Alone, whichever one that was written with a plot centered around Christmas.  I think it's the second one.
5. What are your family or individual holiday traditions? We NEVER opened presents early, we always had to wait until everyone was up.  And EVERY Christmas we made hundreds of cookies "for santa" and a big glass of milk.  We still make them. 
6. Who cooks the holiday dinner? What is your favorite dish? My mother, however, this holiday we will all be helping.  Her suggestion. My favorite dish is pork chops.  But, I do not think she will make them this year, she made them Sunday.  Hopefully we will have some stewed chicken.
7. What are 2 items on your holiday wish list? A bicycle and money.
8. Real tree or fake tree? ALWAYS a fake tree, preferably white.  No sense in killing hundreds of trees.  Go green!
9. Do you prefer giving or receiving gifts? Receiving. I don't prefer giving gifts but I do because I expect them so I can imagine everyone else does.
10. Candy Canes Yay or Nay?  Yes, but only the multi-colored ones though.  The traditional ones are spicy.
 
Reese Lew, Founder and Chief Editor, of "Truth Be Told" an Urban Entertainment website.
Facebook: "Truth Be Told" fan page
Twitter: @Reeselew


1. Do you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, and/or Kwanzaa? If so, which one? Yes, Christmas.
2. What is the best holiday present you have ever received? A trip to New York City.
3. What is your favorite holiday drink? EGG NOG!
4. What is your favorite holiday movie? The first Home Alone.
5. What are your family or individual holiday traditions? We eat Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve, go to Mass before midnight, open gifts at midnight... followed by a special breakfast on Christmas Day.
6. Who cooks the holiday dinner? What is your favorite dish? My father, my mother, and me! My favorite dish: buttery garlic mashed potatoes. I have an obsession with potatoes.
7. What are 2 items on your holiday wish list? United Nude 90 degree heels and a deep fryer. Ha.
8. Real tree or fake tree? Fake. Real trees smell great, but I can honestly say I'm too lazy to clean up all the mess it leaves.
9. Do you prefer giving or receiving gifts? Both
10. Candy Canes Yay or Nay? Yay!
 
Melanie Tibayan, Fashion and Food Blogger at Chicken and Cardigans
Fashion Student at Georgia Southern University 
Twitter: @Big_Vita @ChickenCardigan 
 
Stayed tuned for more tomorrow! 
 

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Did you know?: 20 Christmas Facts

20 Interesting Christmas Facts 

1. In 1836, Alabama became the first state in the USA to declare Christmas a legal holiday. In 1907, Oklahoma became the last USA state to declare Christmas a legal holiday.

2. Candy canes began as straight white sticks of sugar candy used to decorate the Christmas trees. A choirmaster at Cologne Cathedral decided to have the ends bent to depict a shepherd's crook and he would pass them out to the children to keep them quiet during the services. It wasn't until about the 20th century that candy canes acquired their red stripes.

3. Some priests in Australia advise you to say "Happy Christmas", not "Merry Christmas", because Merry has connotations of getting drunk - which brings its own problems. One should say "Happy" instead.

4. The actual gift givers are different in various countries:
England: Father Christmas 
France: Pere Noel (Father Christmas)
Germany: Christkind (angelic messenger from Jesus), she is a beautiful fair-haired girl with a shining crown of candles.
Holland: St Nicholas.
Russia: In some parts - Babouschka (a grandmotherly figure), other parts it is Grandfather Frost.
Scandinavia: A variety of Christmas gnomes. One is called Julenisse.
Spain and South America: The Three Kings
Italy: La Befana (a kindly old witch)

5. A wreath with holly, red berries and other decorations began from at least the 17th century. Holly, with its sharply pointed leaves, symbolized the thorns in Christ's crown-of-thorns. Red berries symbolized the drops of Christ's blood. A wreath at Christmas signified a home that celebrated the birth of Christ.

6. In America, the weeks leading up to Christmas are the biggest shopping weeks of the year. Many retailers make up to 70% of their annual revenue in the month preceding Christmas.

7. Although many believe that the Friday after Thanksgiving is the busiest shopping day of the year, it is not. It is the fifth to tenth busiest day. The Friday and Saturday before Christmas are the two busiest shopping days of the year.

8. An artificial spider and web are often included in the decorations on Ukrainian Christmas trees. A spider web found on Christmas morning is believed to bring good luck.

9. Early Christmas trees were decorated with fruits, flowers and candles, which were heavy on the tree branches. In the 1800's German glass blowers began producing glass balls to replace the heavy decorations and called then bulbs.


10. Gingerbread has been a holiday tradition for thousands of years. It was originally eaten during Winter Solstice Festivals, but the tradition of the house made of Gingerbread originated in Germany.

11. The world’s biggest Christmas tree (76 m high) was put up in America in 1950.

12. In India, they decorate banana trees at Christmas time.

13. Real Christmas trees are an all-American product, grown in all 50 states, including Alaska and Hawaii.

14. Most artificial trees are manufactured in Korea, Taiwan, or Hong Kong.

15. More diamonds are purchased at Christmas-time (31 percent) than during any other holiday or occasion during the year.

16. It is estimated that 400,000 people become sick each year from eating tainted Christmas leftovers.

17. During the Christmas buying season, Visa cards alone are used an average of 5,340 times every minute in the United States.

18. An average household in America will mail out 28 Christmas cards each year and receive 28 cards in return.

19. A traditional Christmas dinner in early England was the head of a pig prepared with mustard.

20. In Sweden, a common Christmas decoration is the Julbukk, a small figurine of a goat. It is usually made of straw. Scandinavian Christmas festivities feature a variety of straw decorations in the form of stars, angels, hearts and other shapes, as well as the Julbukk. 


**STAYED TUNED A GIVEAWAY IS COMING UP THIS WEEKEND











Flava Tunes: Holiday Special 3

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Flava Tunes: Holiday Special 2

Monday, December 19, 2011

Flava Tunes: Holiday Special

One of my fave Christmas songs!! Go Mariah!

Friday, December 16, 2011

Music Review: Here and Now by Nickelback

The seventh studio album from the Canadian Rock group, Nickelback. The album was released for free stream on iTunes. It's up to par with the last two albums. Very high energy and hard riffs. If you've got the extra cash to drop on this CD, I say pick it up. Eleven tracks on the CD. The new CD has a song for every mood. You've got the drinking song: Bottoms Up. The fighting song is the first track: This Means War. The soft romantic song: Lullaby. I'm not going to go into each song, but it is well worth the price. Check it out for yourself. Take a listen. What do you think?

We Stand Together 

Bottoms Up
Lullaby 

Conducted by Ryan 

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Behind The Scenes at The Chew on ABC

Hi everyone I'm still on a brief hiatus for school, but I wanted to post this super quick fast for you guys!

Make sure you guys check out today's episode of The Chew at 1pm on ABC. My mother, my mother's friend, my friend and I went to today's taping. It was fun, but we didn't get anything to eat. How unfortunate?

Anyway, Mario Batali is making Capon (rooster w/ everything removed) A.K.A a fat chicken w/ mushroom palenta. Michael Symon is making Porchetta (Pork). Carla Hall is making Curried chicken and dumplings which looked and smelled AMAZING I might add. Check out The Chew website for the recipes. I'm going to make Carla's recipe in the near future and post it for you guys. I hope you enjoy these quick behind the scenes photos at The Chew studio. Their warm up guy (RC) is the same warm up guy for the Rachel Ray show. He's too funny! Caroline Manzo is today's guest! She is even more gorgeous in person! She is super teeny tiny! Clinton Kelly made some quick and easy ornaments from flour. He is a burst of fresh air! Love him and his plaid shirt! Dr. Oz's daughter Daphne didn't do much today, but cheer everyone else on and add a few heathy tips. She is lovely!










Sunday, December 4, 2011

Thanksgiving Food Porn

Our Thanksgiving is non-traditional buffet style. You eat when you please! We had a lot of food and I took pics of all it, but for some reason when I transfered to the computer a few of them are blank.

 Chopped up Turkey
 Cornbread
 Collard Greens
 Stuffing
 Candied Yams
 Lasagna
 Mac and Cheese
 Ham
 Ham
Potato Salad 

My mom made everything. We also had roast beef, rice and peas, homemade rolls, cranberry sauce and I'm sure I'm forgetting something. I made a Pumpkin Spiced Cake for dessert that you will see along with the recipe in a later post.

P.S Sorry for the hiatus but I'm in the last week's of school so there's a lot of studying and paper writing going on. Post will be a bit inconsistent until school is over in about a week and half. Thanks for your patience.