Magenta: The Color Of Power?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/krossbow/ / CC BY 2.0

I'm so glad that I named my blog the way that I did, because my topics are all over the place. Food, music, art. You name it. But I can't help it. So many things fascinate me!

Recently I've focused on color (silver and purple) by curating flickr galleries. I just curated another color flickr gallery called Magenta.

Normally I would never use the word magenta, because purple or pinkish purple is a good enough description for me. But I read this article on USA Today called Favorite colors test shows CEOs are different.

The article says that when taking an online personality color test, CEOs were 3.5 times more likely to favor magenta than the public at large. Well, that's rather interesting. Here's an excerpt from the article.

They are often wired in counterintuitive ways. For example, the color test shows that the typical CEO is more sensitive and private than the typical person and is less likely to be a perfectionist or to be dominant and more likely to be emotionally unstable. CEOs, it turns out, are not as self-assured as the public at large, and they are more cooperative and less forceful than the typical person[.] ...


Unsurprisingly, the CEOs as a group were suited for jobs in upper management, but they also were better suited than the average person to be social workers, artists and teachers. Lange said that made sense because the ability to motivate is important to both teaching and running a corporation.


"CEOs see the big, bold and colorful picture and help others see the vision as well," said test-taker Edward Jennings, CEO of Copanion, which provides tax professionals with Web-based applications. "Leaders are storytellers, teachers and investors."

Last week, I attended a panel discussion on Executive Leadership with CEOs from several companies. It was very interesting hearing them speak and I'll be writing up a post soon. Maybe because of this panel discussion, I was thinking about CEOs. Now I'm trying to remember if any of them were wearing magenta! I did take a picture. I'll have to look!

What colors do you favor? You can take the test here and find out.

*Updated 2/9/10* I just took the test and the results are pretty cool and I would say spot on! I'm a CREATOR/SOCIAL MANAGER.

Here are my suggested careers: Advertising Executive, Architect, Web Designer, Creative Director, Public Relations, Fine or Commercial Artist, Interior Decorator, Lawyer, Librarian, Musician, Reporter, Art Teacher, Broadcaster, Technical Writer, English Teacher, Architect, Photographer, Medical Illustrator, Corporate Trainer, Author, Editor, Landscape Architect, Exhibit Builder, and Package Designer.


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More Than A Baker's Dozen - A Giveaway For Bakers

The term "a baker's dozen" has always intrigued me. A baker's dozen is 13 instead of 12.

It appears that the term goes back to the 13th century and comes from an English statute from the time of Henry III (1216-1272) called the Assize of Bread and Ale.

A baker who was found to have given customers less than a dozen could be severely punished. Possibly losing a hand to an axe. So to be extra careful, bakers gave one more item than necessary. Just in case.

Why have I been thinking about dozens and baking? Because I have a giveaway for you! Dozens and dozens of Eggland's Best eggs and more!

You don't really have to be a baker to win. To find out more, click over here!


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Happy World Nutella Day!

This year I couldn't get it together to create a new Nutella recipe. You can still try my Nutella cookie recipe though.

But as you can see from the post below, I've been feeling rather poetic. And the rules on how to particpate in World Nutella Day include poetry. So, I created a Nutella inspired found poem. The poem was found in the blog post Two Drops of Oil on Paulo Coelho's blog.

A Nutella Found Poem

A table laden with the most delectable dishes.
It was time.
His eyes fixed on the spoon.
Did you notice the taste that I entrusted you?
Looking down at the spoon,
the young man realized
the secret of happiness.

Most definitely that spoon had just been dipped in a jar of Nutella! And the taste? Chocolate and hazelnut!

To fully enjoy the day, please stop by the World Nutella Day site. And thank you Sara from Ms. Adventures in Italy and Michelle from Bleeding Espresso for creating this tasty and fun event!

*Updated 2/9/10* See the Roundups for World Nutella Day 2010. See Part 1 + Part 2.

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A Found Food Poem

Ever since I first learned about found poetry, I've been fascinated with them.

For some odd reason, I was inspired to try one today after picking up the current issue of Hannaford Supermarket's fresh magazine.

Words jumped out at me as I was reading A Pocketful of Flavor, by Keri Fisher. I'm not sure that this poem is any good. But it was fun finding it.

A Found Food Poem

Foods surprise.

Crowd-pleasers,
pastries,
filling.

Basics inspire combinations.

Recipes easy--
freeze set dough.

Olive oil stars instead of butter.
Savory...

Enjoy.


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Happy Groundhog Day!

1. DSC_0866_edited, 2. 33/365 Happy Groundhog Day, 3. groundhog, 4. little groundhog


Did you see your shadow today? :)


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When Race, Culture, & Food Clash

I thought this exchange on the Myers + Chang website was very interesting.

Since I have some very smart and thoughtful readers, I was wondering about your take on it. The parties are a restaurant owner, Joanne Chang-Myers, and a commenter on Yelp. Here's an excerpt:

"I get it, do over-priced Asian fusion food, but why do it in a way that’s offensive? Not only is the “ancient chinese secret” thing messed up, but I also heard about the messed up commercials/ads for this place saying junk like “Confucius say ‘When man go through turnstile sideways, Bangkok!’” or something to that effect. Dude, how is that cool to make a joke out of Asian cultures when you call yourself Asian fusion? Also, shame on the Boston media for calling this a Chinese joint. Messed up!”

“I’m really sorry to read that you were offended by us! As a Taiwainese-American chef, I made my goal at M+C to create a fun restaurant of the calibar I was used to working at (I am a pastry chef by training having worked at several 4 star restaurants in Boston and NYC) that offered Taiwanese, Southeast Asian, and other Asian foods. In Boston if you want Chinese or other Asian food you’re almost exclusively limited to Chinatown.

The ads were meant to be tongue in cheek (and in fact my conservative parents find them hysterical) and the Ancient Chinese Secret mousse was our way of getting around calling it Chocolate Tofu Mousse (see? doesn’t really sound so good that way!)."

(via Universal Hub)

First, I know that I am biased towards Joanne Chang-Myers. I'm a huge fan of Flour Bakery + Cafe. I'm looking forward to her cookbook. And from what I've read about her in general and my interview with her, I think she's pretty cool.

However, I get that these four women were offended too. Each person deals with stereotypes about their own race or culture in a different way. These women may have been thinking, "Oh great. More perpetuation of the stereotype to deal with." But Joanne seems to have a different take and likes joking around more.

As an African-American woman, I've sometimes taken offense the way that other black women dealt with stereotypes about us. Some want to put it all out there all the time and joke around about it. Me? Well, not so much. For those who do,I guess we have to agree to disagree. This seems to happen a lot in life. Sometimes you just cannot agree with their postion, but you still have to try to respect them as a person.

I think that Joanne handled this situation well. She adressed it and explained her position. I don't think she can do much more than that. What do you think?


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Apple Banana Yogurt Cake

This cake resulted from an accident. An apple accident to be precise. A Braeburn apple was left in the freezer overnight. It did not defrost well.

As usual, I also had some bananas that were past their prime. I decided to take a new look at a recipe that I made before, but with a healthier spin.

Remember the OIKOS Organic Greek Yogurt Cake? It's a good cake. Quick to make and tasty.

This time I eliminated the vegetable oil and instead mashed together the banana and the skinned defrosted apple. It added the right amount of moisture and eliminated some fat. This new cake tastes even better and is more moist than the original.

I didn't have any honey whiskey, so I used 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract. I reduced the baking powder by 1/2 teaspoon and substituted 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour for the all-purpose flour.

Also, the last time that I was in the store, I didn't seen any OIKOS Organic Greek Yogurt, so I tried the Greek Gods honey flavored Greek yogurt. It's quite good too, but not as creamy as OIKOS.

For a comparison of Greek yogurts, check out this post on the blog Cooking with Amy.

Oh, and I reduced the amount of sugar by 1/4 cup to 3/4 of a cup. Hmmm. I made more changes to the original recipe than I thought. I guess I will write up this new recipe after all.

Apple Banana Yogurt Cake

1 cup honey flavored Greek Yogurt
2 eggs
1 ripe banana (mashed)
1 Braeburn apple (mashed)
3/4 cup sugar
1 T vanilla extract
pinch of sea salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour

Oil and flour a round cake pan. Set oven to 350 degrees.

Combine ingredients in a medium bowl. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 35 minutes. Enjoy this cake with a nice cup of coffee or tea. Yum!


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Free Yoga Class - San Francisco

Free yoga classes are one of my favorite things to write about. Before, I've written mostly about classes in the local Boston area.

Well, I learned that there is a free yoga class tomorrow afternoon, January 30, 2010, as part of Yoga Journal's San Francisco Conference.

I know that I've written a lot about Yoga Journal lately, so in case there is any question, I'm not getting paid by them or getting anything free. I just like the publication. I always disclose!

Anyway, as part of the conference, there is a free community class open to the public from 1:00pm - 2:00 pm at the Hyatt Regency, sponsored by Zobha. They have some very cute clothes on their website! But I digress. Nikki Estrada is teaching the class.

Hopefully some of you can take advantage of the free class and go. Namaste.


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Online Bake Sale For Haiti

*Updated 1/29/10* - The online bake sale raised $2,250.32! Thank you to everyone who participated. I really appreciate the support. Sanjay made the winning bid and he'll be receiving some sweets soon!

* * * *

Today is the day! Diana's blog, The Chic Life is hosting an online bake sale to raise funds for donation to the American Red Cross Haiti Relief and Development Fund.

You can bid now on her blog. Below are some of the bidding details.

Bids start at $10.00

Please be sure your baker ships to your country – some ship to US only, etc.

By bidding, you are saying you are interested in making a donation to the Red Cross in exchange for a baked good donated by one of our fabulous bakers, most of whom are baking your treats from their homes. This is like a traditional bake sale, but instead of picking out baked goodies at your work or church, you’re picking them out online and the bakers are shipping you your treats.

Bidding will go on almost all day Wednesday, January 27th, 2010 – check the auctions for end times. The end times vary. All auctions will be closed at 10pm.

All money raised from the bake sale will be donated to the American Red Cross Haiti Relief and Development Fund.

Please click here for more details and to place a bid.

My donation to the bake sale is your choice of two: gingerbread, scones, and biscotti. You can customize your order based on certain likes or dislikes. If you don't like chocolate, nuts, etc., and I will ship to anywhere in the United States and Canada.

All bids are appreciated! Please spread the word and hopefully we can raise some big bucks!

And thank you to Stonyfield who is giving goodie bags to the bakers who get the top five highest bids!

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DIY: Gifts For You

I ripped out a page from Yoga Journal, page 68 to be exact, and it's been sitting on my desk with other papers that need to be weeded through.

The magazine gives a website link with cool gifts that you can make for other people. This was the holiday issue after all.

Since the holidays are over, you could make any of these for yourself or just a random fun gift for someone. Valentine's Day is coming up too.

Here are the links. Let me know if you try any of them!

Meditation Shawl
Chai Tea
Yoga Mat Bag
Easy Eye Pillow
Energizing Gel


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