Weight Watchers New Cheese Products: A “Cheesy” Love Story

“The rat takes the cheese…”

In celebration of Weight Watchers new cheese product line, I was asked to share my “cheesiest” love story with all you guys. Ummm, seeing how I am not really a romatical type (and tend to frown upon such “willy-nilly” gestures from boyfriends), I had to rack my brain to think of a time where I actually enjoyed such behavior. Now just to clarify, I’m definitely not any sort of curmudgeon, I’m just really practical when it comes this sort of stuff (afterall, I do work in finance).

Twilight Eclipse's Michael Welch Spills Secrets And More - An Exclusive Q&A!

by: Anne M. Raso

Michael Welch plays the endearing annoying high school kid Mike Newton in the Twilight movie series, and while he has given up on finding love with Bella (since she has two more endearing suitors, namely Edward and Jacob), he also has other movies in line for release, including Unrequited which hits theaters on July 27th. In Unrequited, he plays the rather disturbed Ben Jacobs, an 18-year-old just released from a home for troubled teens and upset that his former gal-pal has moved on to a college guy.

Affable Mike will also be on the Twilight Fan Cruise to Alaska leaving from Seattle coming up August 8th to 15th. We got the 23-year-old "thesp" to spill secrets on the making of Eclipse and what the shoot in Vancouver was really like. He's got a good head on his shoulders when it comes to success. He is one of the supporting players who helps make this the most profitable movie series in the history of film! (And no matter what you think, it's not just teens who love it)!

Libation Elimination @ The W Hotel [Boston]

“One last call for alcohol…”

Six Bartenders. Six Liquors. Six Cocktails. One Winner. You be the judge. On Monday night, the W Hotel Boston hosted a Libation Elimination party where six of Boston’s top mixologist competed in a Top Chef like competition to see who had the best cocktail. The party guests voted, can you guess who won?

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Was it Woodward at the Ames Hotel’s seriously spicy strawberry infused Espolon Tequila cocktail with smoked chipotle chili honey foam?  NOPE!

(Re)-Visit: Stoddard’s Fine Food and Ale in Boston

By: Finance Foodie

As you may recall, the first time I visited Stoddard’s Fine Food and Ale, I left with mixed feelings. The cocktails failed to impress (not only me, but also the far more discerning cocktail-specialist writers in my party) and food was not incredibly memorable. However, Stoddard’s is a fairly small establishment and we were a rather large and rowdy group, so I thought it was unfair to judge the restaurant from one less-than-standard dining experience. Therefore, I decided to give Stoddard’s a second chance – afterall, as the old saying goes - fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. 

I headed to Stoddard’s after work one evening and arrived to a bustling scene – the house was packed for a random Thursday night (which I took to be a good sign). I started out with a Moscow Mule (vodka, ginger beer, lime) served in a traditional copper mug. I was pleased with this nice and refreshing concoction – the light crisp drink was quite a refreshing respite from the hot humid summer day. A good start to the night.

Summer Restaurant Week Review: Butter New York

by: Wela Quan

Summer has come to New York in full force and for foodies nothing says summertime better than a cold drink in one of the city’s hottest restaurants during NYC’s Summer Restaurant Week. While browsing through the extensive list of eateries at Opentable.com, I was at a bit of a loss as to where I wanted to eat first. So much good food, so little time. My indecision was however quickly thwarted when I mentioned to Ethan that Butter was one of the restaurants also participating in Restaurant Week. “We’re going there” he said. We both have heard great things about Butter from different friends so we were both very excited.

Our reservation was at 10:30PM on Tuesday so the restaurant was not nearly as packed as I imagine it would normally be. When we got there, we were both famished since we had spent the previous 6 hours in Central Park. While we knew that our ears were in for a feast at the New York Philharmonic Concerts in the Park we had no idea that this was also a gastronomic extravaganza for the seasoned concert goer. Having only packed two sandwiches, Ethan and I could only drool as others ate buckets of KFC chicken; wine, cheese, fruits from Whole Foods and even professionally catered food. I was ecstatic at finally seeing Lang Lang play the piano for the first time but I was definitely ready to eat after feeling like Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s Ancient Mariner.

From the moment the waiter served us the bread (whole wheat and cornbread), I knew this dinner was going to be just perfect. My hint? the herbed chive butter that came with the bread. I always love to get something slightly different from the ordinary and this fancy butter was just the start.

Fancy Butter at...Butter!

Fancy Food Show 2010 [New York]

“So hot we'll melt your popsicle…”

I look forward to the Fancy Food Show every year – cause it's basically my excuse for three days of pure gluttony in the name of ermm….food research! Held at the Javitis Center, the event showcases 180,000 gourmet products including confections, chocolates, cheeses, cookies, teas, spices, ice cream – you name it and it’s probably there.

Easy,Breezy, Beautiful: CoverGirl Smoky Eye Kit

Welcome to Finance Foodie Presents: Pioneering Products. These series brings you the exclusive 411 on all the cool products that have recently come into the marketplace! 

“G.L.A.M.O.U.R.O.U.S… flossy flossy”

I’ve always been a huge fan of makeup products – the amount of time I spend browsing the makeup aisle in a Walmart is rivaled by only the amount of time I spend in the ice cream novelties section. Although the colors and different types of products are fascinating, it can get overwhelming – all the possible combination send me in a tizzy!

Not wanting to be the "Hot Mess" of the group when I go out on the town, I was uber glad that CoverGirl sent me three of their new Smoky Eye kits to test drive. Each of these fantastic kits include a CoverGirl SmokyShadowBlast eyeshadow stick, LineExact Liquid Liner, and LashBlast Volume-Blasting Mascara and come in three “looks” – Glamorous, Natural, and Bold.

Pharrell Williams Goes Hollywood: Q&A about Scoring the Despicable Me Movie!

by: Anne M. Raso

Creating the original songs and themes for the animated family film Despicable Me (being released on Friday July 7th 2010) is Grammy Award-winning artist and blockbuster music producer Pharrell Williams, who composed the score with Heitor Pereira (of It’s Complicated and Beverly Hills Chihuahua).  We caught up with Pharrell by phone a few days ago, and we have to say that he seems more enthused about scoring a major motion picture that producing a #1 hit for a major recording artist. Apparently, scoring a film is something he has been dreaming about for at least 10 years now!

Pharrell and Heitor (L-R) discussing music

Taste of Cambridge 2010

by: Jessica Cickay

I’ve never really been much of a “taster” when it comes to eating—I’m more of a grab-it-by-your-hands, shove-it-in-your-mouth, no-evidence-left-behind kind of girl. But last Tuesday, my habits had to be honed as I had the pleasure of attending the 8th Annual Taste of Cambridge at The Charles Hotel, and taste did I ever! I celebrated the culinary crafts of the city by taking myself on a three hour tasting street tour of over 50 restaurants along the intersection of savory and sweet.

Johnsonville Sausage Online Video Contest

Welcome to Finance Foodie’s new series: Fiscally Fun Freebies. Working in the finance field has taught me a lot about hardwork, the value of a dollar, and the importance of saving for a rainy day. This series will bring you the scoop on all the free food and product offerings from around the nation – because who doesn’t love a truly free lunch!

Johnsonville Sausage recently announced the commencement of a new online video contest where you have the chance to win over $3,000 worth of cash and prizes - including grilling and camping gear from Coleman, gift cards from Gander Mountain, a collection of products from Hefty, and coupons for free Johnsonville products. To participate, all you need to do is take a video showing how you enjoy Johnsonville Sausage and upload it to www.ShareYourVille.com. There are four categories for people to enter their videos in the contest, and a winner will be chosen in each category.

(re)-Opening Party: Red Egg [New York]

by: Anne M. Raso

I was lucky enough to get invited to the grand re-opening night party for the Chino-Peru minimalist eatery Red Egg on the borderline of Chinatown and Little Italy (an area whose ethnic flavor is getting blurred). As you may recall, Red Egg was originally opened in 2008, but was shut down for renovations in early 2010. When I walked in, I noticed that "The Egg" looked more like a Monaco disco than the traditional Chinese teahouse that was once housed in this spot. The place was packed with beautiful foodies, natch, as the party was thrown by New York and Hamptons publicity legend (and former National Enquirer columnist) R. Couri Hay.

Father and Son Restaurateurs: David and Darren Wan (L-R)

Chef in Shorts [Boston]

“Who wears short shorts…”

The theme of dinner last Friday was shrimp. This little crustacean (along with Mr. Lamb) was the dominant protein at the 13th Annual Chef in Shorts Party benefiting the Greater Boston Food Bank (see end of post for more info on this awesome organization). Held at the Seaport Boston Hotel, over a dozen chefs (whose thankfully, kept it professional and shielded their hairy legs in chef PANTS) fired up their grills for a fun filled and laid back party to celebrate the beginning of summer.