Jeanie's Wienies

Here is my family's faaavorite appetizer! Our family friend Jeanie brought it to a party a few years ago, so we named them after her and have been bringing them to every get-together since! They're basically just little smokies wrapped in bacon and coated with brown sugar. Clearly they don't sound very healthy, but they do taste very delicious! I promise that if you try them just once you'll be making them for every occasion after and they will be the first thing gone on the table!

I made a video showing how to make them:



They're super easy and only need a few ingredients! Enjoy!

ADV400 Twitter Project

So this isn't food related but I had to do a Twitter project for my ADV400 course & here it is:
Oh and follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/MeghanClinnin !

1. Tweet from a third party application:
About to hop into bed! Another night of staying in, but I'll totally take a good nights sleep over anything right now =) about 17 hours ago from Twitterrific

2. Participate in three or more trending topics:
#nowplaying totally want to see 'dear john' but thinking i should wait til it's out on DVD so i can watch at home with a box of kleenex! about 17 hours ago from web

can't wait for the Super Bowl on Sunday! looove having people over at the house... hopefully we don't have a fire on the porch this year! about 1 hour ago from web

#itkillsme that this stupid snow might keep me in the house yet anooother night! i hate winter =( 3 minutes ago from web

3. Analyze the content of any 5 of the top 100 Twitter accounts:

Kim Kardashian (ranked #9) | http://twitter.com/KimKardashian

Kim Kardashian is a famous socialite turned model and actress, and member of the fun-to-follow reality show family on E!’s Keeping Up With the Kardashians. She has over 2.9 million followers, and for the ten and a half months that she’s been on Twitter, Kim has updated her Twitter over 3,000 times. That means that she tweets about 10 times a day, which is really no surprise when you factor in the $10,000 she gets paid for each tweet about a product she endorses! FOX looked at all her tweets last week and found that she had tweets endorsing eight different brands (http://entertainment.blogs.foxnews.com/2010/02/01/if-kim-kardashian-gets-10000-a-tweet-last-week-she-made/ ). I personally think that her Twitter is a little too full of endorsements and could use some more of her own personality, but she’s obviously doing something right! Kim replies to her fans’ tweets, which I think gives her a ton of credibility and explains her large number of followers!

CNN Breaking News (ranked #10) | http://twitter.com/cnnbrk

CNN has a Twitter account to post breaking news for its followers. The tweets are very short messages about their breaking news stories plus a link to the full article on cnn.com. It’s a great way for Twitter followers to stay in the know and get news right on their Twitter home page without having to constantly check the CNN website. I personally think it’s the perfect solution to keeping up with the news because I can quickly get the important information and read the full article when I want to learn more. I don’t like having to browse through news websites for stories I missed throughout the day, so I find it much more convenient to catch the news right on Twitter!

People Magazine (ranked #36) | http://twitter.com/peoplemag

People Magazine also has a Twitter to post their breaking celebrity news stories. Similar to CNN Breaking News, People will tweet a quick headline and post a link to the full article on their website. I like following People on Twitter because it’s my favorite magazine but I don’t buy the print copy every week. By following People on Twitter I can still see what they’re reporting and read the stories I’m particularly interested in for no cost at all! I think People Magazine has a successful Twitter because of the fact that they tweet about celebrity gossip, which is half the reason why people (like me) created their Twitter in the first place.

Dr. Drew (ranked #38) | http://twitter.com/drdrew

Dr. Drew Pinsky is a board-certified addiction medicine specialist best known for the VH1 show he hosts and produces- Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew. On the show Dr. Drew serves as the resident medical expert at Pasadena Recovery Center for a group of celebrities going through rehab for drug and alcohol addictions. Dr. Drew has been featured on various radio shows, talk shows and other reality shows to offer his expert advice on relationships, sex and addiction. Dr. Drew uses his Twitter to promote the different shows he’s on. What I like best about Dr. Drew’s Twitter is that he posts inspiring quotes and also gives feedback to followers, so it’s evident that he’s truly passionate about what he does and lives up to the personality we see on TV.

Katy Perry (ranked #50) | http://twitter.com/katyperry

Katy Perry is a famous singer-songwriter who made it big with her first single in 2008. She has a unique style and personality, which makes her so fun to follow on Twitter. Unlike a lot of other celebrities, Katy will tweet about anything random going on in her day so her followers can get real insights into her everyday life and personality. The other thing I like about Katy Perry’s Twitter is that she posts a lot of twitpics, and she’s friends with a lot of other celebrities who are often in her pictures as well! Her Twitter page definitely makes her seem like one of the most down-to-earth celebrities out there.

4. Integrate a Twitter widget into your blog:

Check it out on the left!

5. Identify a current marketing campaign utilizing Twitter as its primary channel:

Pepsi Refresh Project | http://twitter.com/pepsi

Pepsi is introducing its new Pepsi Refresh Project in which it pledges $20 million for projects that consumers choose to “refresh” their communities. In keeping with their “refresh” theme, Pepsi has chosen not to run a 30-second spot in this year’s Super Bowl because “the company is concerned that putting a lot of ad dollars behind the brand in the Super Bowl would not be in keeping with a marketing message that portrays Pepsi as socially responsible” (http://adage.com/superbowl10/article?article_id=141063). Instead PepsiCo might use the Super Bowl to promote their other products, Doritos and Gatorade, and has chosen to spend its ad money on digital and social media to promote the Refresh campaign. Pepsi plans on increasing digital spending by 60% in 2010 (http://econsultancy.com/blog/5391-pepsi-refresh-will-the-halo-extend-to-soda ). Pepsi is using their Twitter to completely promote the project. Every single tweet is related to the campaign in terms of promoting events, getting followers to vote, or re-tweeting people’s posts regarding Pepsi giving back to the community.

Chicken Chili

I haven't cooked a real meal in about two weeks since before I was sick, but I wanted to share a recipe for my first post! Over winter break my little sister had to cook a meal as extra credit for her Home Ec class, so I figured chili was just about the easiest dinner she could cook. Throughout the winter I make chili two or three times, and every time I toss in different things to try and find what tastes best. And over break while cooking with my sister, I think I finally perfected my favorite chili recipe! (The secret that adds all the best flavor is the chipotle peppers in adobo sauce.) You can make this over the stove or throw it all in the crock pot for a few hours. Either way this chili is guaranteed to be comforting on a cold winter night! Enjoy =)

Chicken Chili

Serves 6 | ~30 minute total cook time

Ingredients:

1 large yellow onion, chopped

1 yellow bell pepper, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 lb. ground chicken

1 small can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

1 14 0z. can sweet corn

1 14 oz. can black beans

1 14 oz. can kidney beans

2 14 oz. cans fire roasted tomatoes

1 14 oz. can chicken broth

~ 3 Tablespoons hot sauce

~ 1 Tablespoon chili powder

~ 1 teaspoon garlic powder

~ 2 teaspoon ground cumin

dash of salt

dash of pepper

olive oil, for pan frying

Fixin’s:

1/2 lb. macaroni pasta

sour cream

shredded cheddar cheese

oyster crackers

green onions

Instructions:

1. Heat oil in a large (8 quart) pot over medium heat. Put onions in the pot and cook until translucent. Meanwhile, brown the chicken in a separate pan.
2. Put bell peppers in pot with the onions and cook until softened. Add chicken to the pot once fully browned, and stir everything together.
3. Chop up the chipotle peppers and add them plus their sauce to the pot. Drain the cans of corn and beans and add to the pot. Add both cans of fire roasted tomatoes as well.
4. Stir everything together for about 3 minutes. (If using macaroni, start boiling water). Then add the can of chicken broth.
5. Put in about 1.5 Tablespoons of hot sauce and a dash each of salt and pepper. Increase heat to medium high and cover for about 10 minutes, stirring every few minutes. (Cook the macaroni).
6. Uncover the chili and reduce heat to medium low. Add remaining 1.5 Tablespoons of hot sauce, chili powder, garlic powder, and ground cumin. Stir together and simmer for about 5 more minutes, or until serving. (Drain the macaroni).
7. To serve: Place about 3/4 a cup of macaroni at the bottom of each bowl and serve a couple ladles of chili on top. Top with oyster crackers, sour cream, cheese and onions, and stir everything together.