Free Dunkin Donuts Coffee March 21st!

Celebrate the first day of spring by making the inaugural switch from hot to cold coffee! On March 21st, the first day of spring, Dunkin' will "put winter on ice" with their first ever Free Iced Coffee Day. All day long, Dunkin' Donuts locations all over the US will be giving away free 16-ounce iced coffees.

The company reports that iced coffees are their second most popular menu item after hot coffees and that they sold over 150 million cups last year alone!

In my opinion Dunkin' Donuts coffee is far superior to Starbucks in both taste and value. Yes, you cannot sit and feel the vibe of being ultra hip sitting at a coffee house, but I still believe coffee is for drinking and not sitting.

On a complete tangent, isn't that the cutest turtle you have ever

seen : )

Suprised by Chef!

It's not everyday you are listening to a podcast about food and get a wonderful testimony! I like all things food...looking at food pictures, reading about food, watching food on TV, listening to a podcast on food, and especially eating food : )

A podcast for Hungry Magazine popped up in my window when I did a search for food pocasts a few months back. To my delight, the host is a Chicago native and captures stories of local restaurants and chefs, which are among some of the top culinary experts in the world.

You might have seen him whipping up a risotto on iron chef, launching a cookbook in your local B&N, or leading your child in the local church youth group? Rick Tramonto is among the leading chefs in the world. He started at Wendy's and worked his way up through Tavern on the Green, Charlie Trotters, Trio, and Tru.

In the egocentric world of chefs, you would expect him to tout his James Beard award, his appearance on Oprah, or his world famed restaurant Tru. Yes he does mention a few of those things, but the emphasis that comes through is his relationship with Christ.

I was impressed by the transformation his life has gone through and the direction it is going.
At the pinnacle of his culinary career, he wants to go to seminary school and be a youth pastor. From having a parent who was in prison himself, he now is very active in the Angel Tree ministry, which actively ministers to families of those in prison.

While working for Charlie Trotter, he remembers this daily statement from him--What one thing can you do better today than you did yesterday, now multiply that times the 50 employees we have working here and you have 50 things that are better than yesterday. Tramanto has carried that value into his own kitchens now and emphasis the importance of working at something with all you heart.

Ending the podcast, the interviewer asks Rick what people he would have to a dinner out of anyone in the world. Rick exclaims Jesus with a passion and remarks he would cook fish, definitely fish because Jesus ate a lot of fish.

Bon Appetit: Culinary Podcast

Thought for the day: Man should not live on bread alone, but on every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God. Duet 8:3

Do you want to be a Buff Bride?

This is actually the campaign being run at my gym right now. The phenomenon of women trying to loose weight for a wedding never crossed my mind before, but now I find myself even telling Wyatt how I plan to lose a few pounds. I get the feeling that many women look at getting married as starting off with a new slate, kind of like starting off a new year...or at least marketers believe that.

So this blog is about deals and weddings. We really don't belong to a gym, but are sampling a free membership of 21 days at a posh Gold Coast gym. I kid you not, membership here is around $120 a month ($80 with my corporate discount)! To join or not to join, that is the question.

Many gyms will give you a month trial free if you just go in and talk to them. If anything, its a nice perk to beat the winter blues and also a nice way to break a routine if you are stuck in a rut. And yes, join right before your wedding and loose those pounds! I've even found it to be a bit of a sociological experiment.

People in the city take working out very seriously. Wyatt and I get as many noodles as we can and float down the lap lane like its a lazy river. Those in speedos and swim caps find us mildly annoying and to them I say have a little fun with your workout!

Every machine in the gym has its own TV! Fahrenheit 451 here we come. I tried watching the TV one time working out without headphones and was amazed at the number of commercials! 30 minutes of news and all I learned was--Dick Chaney has a blood clot. So I've decided that the stair machine will provide a great time to catch up on podcasts. I'm listening to a fascinating series called Cults and Sects, look for a blog soon : )

The last if not largest portion of my workout consists of sitting in the hot tub, sauna, and steam room (eucalyptus steam!). I have always enjoyed the spa, but after experiencing the sento in Japan I have a deep affection for it. Wyatt and I semi-joke that we will put in a Japanese bath in our house or at least the Japanese sitting shower. I can't believe the number of women who just go the gym to run on a treadmill and pass up this glorious experience. The spa just hasn't caught on America. Its unfortunate because after watching many an average Joe train like hes in the decathlon at the Olympics, he could use a little relaxation.

In closing, pick up a noodle in the pool, play a game of horse, cha cha like there's no tomorrow and by all means have fun when you exercise!

Thought for the Day: If it weren't for the fact that the TV set and the refrigerator are so far apart, some of us wouldn't get any exercise at all.