Monthly Archives: January 2012

Peppermint Marshmallows

Posted on January 26, 2012 by Erica Wodzak| 2 Comments

Unless you’ve read this, I can imagine what you might be thinking right now: marshmallows? You made marshmallows? You can make marshmallows? I know, it’s a lot to digest. As I pranced around Vancouver and Whistler last weekend, these questions were on repeat as I offered up my sugary goodies to friends and co-workers alike.

I actually don’t even like marshmallows, not in the slightest. Unless they’re packed between chocolate and graham crackers and there’s a fire pit involved, I’d really rather eat vegetables. But when I saw how easy they were to whip up, and knowing how much the rest of the world seems to enjoy them, I just had to give it a try. I like to call it “the-super-easy-way-to-make-everyone-like-me” (pah! as if they don’t already? err…). And besides, it had to be easier than the fudge, right?

I can honestly tell you from the feedback I received that these little guys were a massive hit. In fact, everyone agreed that they were soo much tastier than the store-bought version, although what homemade treat isn’t? Either way, I’m already dreaming of the peppermint s’mores I’ll be consuming this summer, as I definitely plan to make these again.

Ingredients:

  • Nonstick cooking spray
  • 3 (1/4-ounce) packages unflavored gelatin
  • 1/2 cup cold water
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 2/3 cup agave nectar (or corn syrup)
  • 1/4 tsp coarse salt
  • 1/4 tsp pure peppermint extract
  • Confectioners’ sugar, sifted, for coating
  • Food colouring, if desired

Directions:

  1. Lightly spray a 9-by-9 inch baking pan with cooking spray. Line the pan with plastic wrap, leaving a 2-inch overhang on all sides. Set aside.
  2. Fit an electric mixer with a whisk attachment (or do some serious wrist exercises to prepare of the upcoming workout). Sprinkle gelatin over 1/2 cup cold water (in the mixer bowl), and let stand for 10 minutes.
  3. In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, agave, and 1/4 cup water. Place saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Boil rapidly for 1 minute. Remove from heat and, with the mixer on high, slowly pour the boiling syrup down the side of the mixer bowl into the gelatin mixture. Add salt and continue mixing for 12 minutes. The marshmallow fluff will expand a bit, so don’t be alarmed!
  4. Add peppermint extract and mix until well combined. Spray a rubber spatula (or your hands) with cooking spray. Spread marshmallow mixture evenly into the pan using the spatula/your hands.  If you want to add a bit of colour, let the marshmallow stand for a bit before you add a few drops into the pan (otherwise the colour will just sink to the bottom and create a gel-y mess). Use a toothpick to drag and swirl the colours around. Be creative!
  5. Spray a sheet of plastic wrap with cooking spray and place spray-side-down on top of the marshmallow. Let stand for 2 hours.
  6. Carefully remove marshmallows from pan. Remove all wrap and discard. Cut marshmallow into squares using a sprayed sharp knife.
  7. Place confectioners’ sugar in a large bowl. Working in batches, add marshmallows to bowl and toss to coat. Marshmallows can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days (if they last that long!).

This recipe is taken from the lovely Martha Stewart, and totally made me feel like a little domestic homemaker. Except, you know, the kind that has plans for industry domination and the top of the Fortune 500 list, and doses her coworkers with sugar along the way. Those exist, right?

Filed under Home Life, Recipes

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Taking the Reins of Social Media: LinkedIn

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Erica Wodzak| Leave a comment

Oh Wednesday, you so don’t deserve the bad rap that you get. I love Wednesday because it means I’ve tackled the most important to-dos for the week, and what’s left are the smaller, more fun tasks on my list. Now that my massive load of laundry is done, and my lunches are made for the week (hello, crockpot!), I can focus on my online life a bit more. Aside from the obvious blogging that I do, I’ve got a lot of other social media to keep up with, and you’ll never guess what my current favourite is… LinkedIn.

I know what you may be thinking. LinkedIn is lame. It’s for boring people, like lawyers and engineers (hey!). It’s plain and generic-looking and so blahblahblah. Ah, no! Cast aside these dreadful thoughts! I promise you, LinkedIn may in fact be great for us geeky/techy/corporate types, but it’s also for you, I promise. If you’re familiar with LinkedIn, you’re certainly aware that it’s equal parts online resume showcase, network-builder, and purveyor of industry information. But are you using it to your benefit, or are you leaving your profile to sit dormant? Do you even have a profile?

{LinkedIn at a glance}

Let’s face it, the resume as our parents knew it… it’s dying a slow and painful death. In its place, potential (and current) employers are looking online for talent–it’s cheaper, it’s faster, and it’s far more comprehensive than those ol’ 2-pagers ever could’ve been. For us creative types who live to share information via the web (using twitter, pinterest, blogs, online portfolios, etc), those can be linked up to your account as you see relevant (at your discretion, of course). And if your goal is to be a marketing mogul, creative journalist, or world dominator, what better way to link together your past successes and work samples, all in one place?

Alright, well what if you’re an entrepreneur, and want to start/have started your own business? There’s an app a group for that. Get industry updates, ask questions of more experienced professionals, increase your company’s profile, and build your brand as an expert in your field. All of these things can help catch the eye of future partners, clients, or mentors, and reinforce their belief in your capabilities and online ingenuity. Even the most creative-minded and out-of-the-box thinkers need a medium through which to convey their prowess, so why not one with over 100 million existing members?

{join groups to connect with like-minded people}

{use LinkedIn to leverage your company awareness}

And if you’re like me, a young professional without 10+ years of industry experience, you can use the site to pose questions to individuals with heaps of experience, or find out what it’d be like to work  in a different department, field, or country. It still blows me away how much people whom I’ve never met are keen to help me out, and provide a bit of insight and advice. Gosh the online world is friendly!

As someone who’s only recently been turned on to the deeper side of LinkedIn, I’m finding it to be such a useful tool, and can’t imagine where I’d be finding all of this information otherwise. And the fact of the matter is that with so much online activity in our generation, we’re now judged on our ability to adapt–if your online brand is non-existant, that can be just as detrimental as one that paints you as a 24/7 party animal. Sure, we all have our personal facebook pages that we like to keep off limits. But when a potential employer is trying to get a better sense of who I am , and decides to google my name, they’ll be far less concerned with my locked profile if they can come up with a surfeit of other media from which they can judge my personal brand.

{add memorability to your profile with customization & links}

{optimize your online visibility}

So okay, I’ll get real for a minute. I know that I work in a field where blogging and tweeting and pinning are not the most effective means for communicating my skills (well, the ones that pertain to my profession). So in the same way, perhaps LinkedIn isn’t the most optimal for you. But I blog and tweet and pin because I like it, first and foremost, and also because it’s just one more thing I can do to convey my personality to anyone who might be interested.

If you’re still not sold, check out some more tips and uses for LinkedIn here and here (and more great infographic stats here). And let me know–do you use LinkedIn? Or do you have something else that better allows you to display your professional skills? It’s undeniable that the internet is taking over a lot of things, and it’s not surprising that this includes hiring and recruitment. And since we’ve all got to work for a living, it’s my personal opinion that the more you can get your name out there, the better. What’s your take on it?

images via 1, 2-6, 7

Filed under Career Tips + Advice, Work Life

Did Somebody Say ‘Flood’?

Posted on January 24, 2012 by Erica Wodzak| 5 Comments

Like so many who grew up in the 90′s, my love for cropped pants blossomed from a very early age. More commonly referred to back then as ‘capris’, I think I had a pair in every sort of loud print there is: neon floral, pastel plaid, paisley, and more. I also probably matched them with equally loud and printed t-shirts, but when you’re eight years old, that’s far more socially acceptable that twenty-four… aw, dang.

I know it’s still winter, and although I’m in Vancouver and enjoy some of the mildest winter temperatures that Canada has to offer, I must admit that I still wear my cropped pants on the regular. I may awkwardly shove my bare legs into my wellies to protect myself from the elements (read: rain!), but it’s worth it when I get to the office and have a space heater to make me feel like it’s July. Cheating? Maybe. But fun? Definitely.

Even though I still get the odd “did somebody report a flood, or did your dad put your pants in the dryer again?”, my love for the pants reigns on–no embarrassment or soak-’n-stretch to follow. Lucky for me, cropped pants are made in a much more subdued colour palette these days, which means I have every reason to wear them to work, out to dinner, and well, wherever my cropped pants may take me. Thank goodness, because I just can’t resist pairing them with my favourite tops from Banana during the work-week (like this one), and oversized sweaters (a là Blair) on the weekend. I just have to remind myself every once in a while that two crops don’t make a right: I’ve also got a cropped blazer that’s my go-to for professionalizing my outfits, but when I pair it with these I look like I’ve robbed a leprechaun. What can I say? Those wee lads know how to dress.

images via 1, 2, 3, 4

Filed under Work Life