New Smucker’s® Natural Fruit Spreads are made from quality natural  ingredients that taste great and are full of fruit flavor. Available in a variety of four,  including strawberry, concord grape, orange marmalade and red raspberry, Smucker’s Natural Fruit Spreads are sure to make your next family meal more memorable.

Last Friday evening, I tried the Smucker’s Natural Orange Marmalade Fruit Spread and Sweet Orange Marmalade on baked tilapia fish.  And it was delicious!
I simply took about 3 tablespoons of the fruit spread, 1 tsp of the Sweet Orange Marmalade, combined them with a few drops of hot sauce (this is totally optional) to spice it up, then warmed everything up. I then just spooned the mixture over the fish (the tilapia intermingled quite nicely with my “impromptu” glaze).

On Saturday evening, I once again combined  the Orange Marmalade and the Orange Marmalade Fruit Spread, added them to a few beef strips and stir-fry mix as a sauce, then poured it over steamed rice (noodles can also be used). The results produced a wonderful sweet-and-sour effect.

Both the orange marmalades and the Smucker’s Orchard’s Finest Michigan Red Tart Cherry Preserves were used on toast as part of Sunday morning breakfast; later, the cherry preserves became a “crust” (instead of the usual ketchup) for meatloaf.

The meatloaf leftovers were converted to meatballs that were cooked with tart cherry sauce for a spaghetti dinner Monday evening (the combo of red tart cherry and the tomato sauce was quite different-and tasty!)

There’s still some orange marmalade, orange marmalade fruit spread and red tart cherry preserves left; I plan to use some on the Thanksgiving turkey and the veggie dishes (as a glaze, sauce or both).  If there’s any left (because I also plan to have more on my Sunday morning toast), the rest will be on the Christmas dinner (either roast beef or ham-and the veggies too.).
More results soon!

These new Smucker’s products are sold in 17.25 oz glass jars with the company’s  signature gingham lid, they’re currently available at select retailers nationwide; retail prices start from $2.59 to $3.89.
For more info, visit http://www.smuckers.com for a full list of fruit spread varieties, a product locator and recipes.

Pairings

Entertaining family and friends this holiday season? Playing host can be costly and time consuming, but here’s a perfect solution.  To help lessen the stress of holiday entertaining, Smucker’s® is excited to share new Pairings-a simple and exciting way to delight taste buds!
Pairings use five ingredients or less and are ready in about 15 minutes, so you’ll be out of the kitchen and at the table with family and friends in no time. By uniting unique and traditional ingredients from the pantry and adding a spoonful or two of fruit spreads, home cooks can create the ultimate wow factor this holiday season!
To help inspire experimentation, Smucker’s has developed a few combination examples suited for the holidays:

· Fresh Cranberry Orange Pecan Relish–Try out NEW Smucker’s Natural Fruit spreads by adding some seasonal flavor to your cheese board. Pair relish made with cranberries, pecans with Smucker’s Natural Orange Marmalade.
I also used the orange marmalade and orange marmalade fruit spread on sharp cheddar cheese, producing an unforgettable combo of intense “cheesiness” layered with sweet orange flavor (in other words, it was good!).

· Cherry Filled Camembert–Camembert’s rustic flavor pairs beautifully with tart cherries, creating a unique, creamy holiday appetizer spread.

· Fruit Fondue– For a decadent dessert, serve chocolate fondue infused with sweet orange marmalade or red raspberry preserves.

Within nine days during the Beatles’ first visit, Americans had bought more than 2 million Beatles records and more than $2.5 million worth of Beatle-related merchandise.

The first products out were for impersonating the group-wigs (The Lowell Toy Company churned out 15,000 a day), jackets, and Beatle boots. There were: Blue-and-white Beatles hats, Beatles T-shirts and beach shirts, tight-fitting Beatles pants, pajamas, and three-button tennis shirts, Beatles cookies and egg cups, Beatles rings, pendants, and bracelets, a pink plastic Beatles guitar with pictures of the group stamped on it, a variety of Beatles dolls, (inflatable figurines, 6-in. tall hard rubber figures, painted “bobble heads“), and a cake decoration in the form of the Beatles.

People snapped up Beatles nightshirts, countless Beatles publications, Beatles ice cream sandwiches (on the same day as the Beatles’ arrival, Baskin-Robbins put out a new flavor, “Beatle Nut“), Beatles soft drinks, AND Beatles bubble bath (encased within sturdy figures, that looked just like the group, and about the size of a ruler, more or less.)

Seltaeb (Beatles spelled backwards) was the American subsidiary of Stramsact, the British merchandising company.  Under this branch, there were even plans for a Beatles motor scooter and a Beatles car. (In Aug. 1964, the original Seltaeb-NEMS contract was renegotiated; the Beatles’ take was increased from 10 to 46 percent.)

Not all were bitten by the “bug“; some adults disapproved of the new rage. The Herald-Tribune called the Beatles “75% publicity, 20% haircut, and 5% lilting lament.” Rev. Billy Graham watched the Beatles on Ed Sullivan (breaking a personal ban on Sunday TV viewing) and said that the performance revealed “All the symptoms of the uncertainty of the times and the confusion about us.” Ray Block, Ed Sullivan’s orchestra leader, predicted that they “wouldn’t last longer than a year.” Actor Noel Coward said, “I’ve met them. Delightful lads. Absolutely no talent.”

Most of the media, however, welcomed the group and Brian Epstein. TIME-“The boys are the very spirit of good clean fun. They look like shaggy Peter Pans, with their mushroom haircuts and high white collars, and onstage they clown around endlessly.” The 1964 Yearbook of World Book Encyclopedia-“Rambunctious and irreverent sense of fun.” Yearbook of Collier’s Encyclopedia-“Little Lord Fauntleroys.” Newsweek-“A band of evangelists. And the gospel is fun.”

The Beatles scored other fantastic successes in America and England. “In His Own Write” by John Lennon was released shortly after their first tour. And “A Hard Day’s Night” was a HUGE summer hit.

In April 1964, the group held all top 5 positions on the U.S. charts, a feat that’s never been done before or since (to the best of my knowledge):

No. 1– “Can’t Buy Me Love” 2– “Twist And Shout” 3– “She Loves You” 4– “I Want To Hold Your Hand” 5– “Please Please Me” In all, there were 12 (!) chart positions during this one month alone!

Here are a few brief Beatle stats, circa 1964:

John – Hair-Brown -Eyes-Brown -Height-5′ 11” -Weight-159 -Favorite Color-Green -Favorite Food-Corn Flakes -Hobby-Writing -Favorite Group-The Shirelles -Likes-Cats -Favorite Type of Girl-His wife (The first one, Cynthia, maiden name Powell, and the mother of Julian) -Brothers & Sisters-2 Stepsisters

Paul – Hair-Dark Brown -Eyes-Brown -Height-5′ 11” -Weight-158 -Favorite Color-Blue -Favorite Food-Roast Beef -Favorite Actress-Sophia Loren -Favorite Singer-Little Richard -Likes-Sleeping -Favorite Kind of Girl-Any kind -Brothers & Sisters-1 Brother ( who was also a singer for a while)

George – Hair-Dark Brown -Eyes-Hazel -Height-5′ 11” -Weight-142 -Favorite Color-Purple -Favorite Food-Hamburgers -Favorite Music-Hillbilly -Likes-Drive-in Movies -Favorite Type of Girl-Friendly -Brothers & Sisters-2 Brothers, 1 Sister

Ringo – Hair-Dark Brown -Eyes-Blue -Height-5′ 8” -Weight-136 -Favorite Color-Red -Likes-Science Fiction -Favorite Type of Girl-All types -Brothers & Sisters-None

The two left-handers were Paul and Ringo. Legend has it that the group’s TV debut in England was on the BBC show, “Teenager’s Turn” in 1962. They performed Roy Orbison’s “Dream Baby” (Pete Best on drums).

In August, the “Fab Four” returned to the U.S. for another series of concerts, (23 cities?) starting at the Cow Palace in San Francisco and ending a month later in New York with a charity benefit. And once again, wailing, screaming, hysteria, and total pandemonium ensued.

In New York, a brisk sale was reported in canned Beatles’ breath. In Denver, their bed linen was bought by a business consortium and placed, unwashed, in a maximum security bank vault. The sheets were then cut into 3-inch squares and sold at $10 per square, each one mounted on parchment and accompanied by a legal affidavit testifying to it once having been part of a Beatles’ bed.

There were even songs recorded by others about the new phenomenon.
Bonnie Jo Mason (who was actually Cher) had the novelty song “I Love You Ringo.” The Carefrees had a Top 40 hit with “We Love You Beatles” (no. 39).

This wasn’t about the Beatles at all, but having “Ringo” for a song title (spoken word, actually, except for the chorus or backup) in 1964 certainly didn’t hurt actor Lorne Greene. It was a No. 1 smash!

Source: “The Beatles: The Biography” by Bob Spitz, 2005

Small Business Networking: Three Effective Promotion Techniques.

Word-of-mouth marketing and networking can be the cheapest and most effective way to generate business, thus enabling you to build up your business. There are formal and informal networking opportunities available to you in both offline and online communities. Here are three examples:

Start Marketing Your Business

Formal networking involves attending organizations specifically created for the purpose of networking, usually for a fee.
Make sure to join groups whose members are potential clients themselves or who serve your potential clients. For example, if you sell low-calorie fruit juice, consider a sports or health club.
Informal networking can be done everywhere, including sports events, going out to eat, social gatherings or simply being in the right place at the right time.

Network Within Your Community

Community involvement is another powerful 2-way networking technique; in addition to providing business opportunities, it also gives you the opportunities to pay back the community that provides you with 5 ways to build your business:
1. The main value of community involvement is visibility (the local media, the community itself, a particular segment of the community, and your market).

2. Whatever publicity you receive is bound to be positive.

3. Community involvement will put you in touch with the movers and shakers in your market. And this is an ideal route to meeting gatekeepers and mentors that would otherwise not be available to you ( A gatekeeper is an influential person who’s in a position to open the door to resources and contacts. A mentor is a wise and trusted counselor or influential supporter who takes a personal interest in your success. Both are usually experts in their field and know everyone who’s anyone in that field).

4. You’ll gain a reputation for your community activities, thus increasing your business credibility.

5. Community involvement is often free or doesn’t cost a lot of money. For example, consider volunteering: It’s the most rewarding form of community involvement.

Volunteer

There are a wide array of volunteer opportunities, but in order to maximize the benefits to your business, you’ll need to volunteer your efforts at a managerial and fundraising level. Why? Because this level is where you’ll have the opportunity to meet associates and network effectively.

Volunteering will also give you the chance to provide giveaways or free samples of your product or service in such a way as to show off your particular expertise and generate new business. It helps tremendously if you’re committed to the cause you’re volunteering for, not just for business reasons alone. And since you are primarily running a business, allow for no more than 2-4 hours in a block per week.

If your small business is able to afford it, you can make a cash donation to a charity or organization (But it would have to be a rather large one in order to get much recognition from it). Another way is to contribute to a smaller, less well-known organization. Or you can donate something unusual or unique that will attract media attention.

Sponsoring doesn’t need to be expensive; it’s not necessary to support an entire event. You can always sponsor just 1 runner in a charity race or a booth at the community health fair.
Bear in mind that with networking, you could land a major client first time out, or it could be months (sometimes even a few years) before your efforts pay off. But if you have a good product or service that the people you’re networking with need, time is on your side.

Source: “Making It On Your Own” by Sarah and Paul Edwards