tumblr visitor stats

Surrounded by Doughnuts at the Krispy Kreme Blogger Summit!

Last week I spent a delicious couple of days with Krispy Kreme in Winston-Salem, North Carolina for the VIB Blogger Summit.

Krispy-Kreme-logo

Krispy-Kreme-doughnut-sculpture

The first day we donned our protective gear and took a tour of the facility. Here’s me and my pal Louise, from MomStart.

me and Louise - Krispy Kreme

I was really impressed with how carefully they select and test the ingredients, and every single batch of dough goes through a myriad of tests before it’s approved for the assembly line. Then they come out hot and deeeeeelicious!

Have you ever had a hot Krispy Kreme doughnut? They practically melt in your mouth with their warmy goodness.

Krispy-Kreme-doughnut-assembly-line

We even got to peek at where they keep the original recipe for Krispy Kreme doughnuts in the safe.

krispy-kreme-secret-recipe

The next day we enjoyed a coffee and doughnut pairing experience. If you follow me on Twitter, you probably saw the suggestions I tweeted out that day. :) And if you sat next to me, you saw me doing a lot of this:

me eating Krispy Kreme

The raspberry filled doughnuts are amazing.

We also met Jim Morgan, the CEO of Krispy Kreme and Ken May, the President. Both of them were so down to earth and cool. Actually everyone we met was super warm and friendly.

Jim Morgan CEO Krispy Kreme

Jim Morgan, CEO

Ken May President Krispy Kreme

Ken May, President

Then we went through some basic sensory and flavor profile training: taste, texture, and aroma. That was so much fun!

We also created our own beverages and doughnuts! We had all kinds of goodies available for our masterpieces.

doughnut making

Here’s some of what we came up with. (No laughing.)

doughnuts

It was a great experience, and I came away with a new appreciation and respect for how a Krispy Kreme doughnut is made. From concept to creation, there’s so much more involved than I ever realized, and it was a blast to see everything from start to finish.

And the constant tasting along the way? No complaints about that either. ;)

Krispy-Kreme-summit-group-pic

Valentine’s Day Special at Krispy Kreme!

Beginning January 30th, get twelve FREE Valentine Cards when you purchase a dozen doughnuts. Each Valentine card is good for a FREE doughnut of choice for you or for your Valentine. Offer good for one set of twelve cards per dozen purchased while supplies last.
Krispy-Kreme-Valentine-doughnuts

A big thank you to Krispy Kreme who covered my travel and expenses for the trip.

Do I Look Concerned? – WW

hair-color

In response to: “Let’s try a new color technique today, Liz.”  

[Continue reading...]

P.F. Chang’s Celebrates the Year of the Dragon + Giveaway

PFChangs-ChineseNewYear

The Chinese New Year festival runs from January 23 – February 6, and this is the Year of the Dragon! On the eve of Chinese New Year, families often get together for a feast, and so I thought I would have a feast as well. I cooked up two of P.F. Chang’s Home Menu Noodle [...]

[Continue reading...]

Pineapple Pork Puffs

Pineapple Pork Puffs

Ingredients 1 lb pork sirloin tip roast 1 pkg Pillsbury Big & Flaky Crescent Rolls Ground cinnamon Ground cloves Salt Pepper Sm. can crushed pineapple, drained with moisture pressed out 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese Optional: BBQ sauce for dipping Directions 1. Lightly coat a 1-lb pork roast with a sprinkling of cinnamon, ground [...]

[Continue reading...]

To Kill A Mockingbird 25th Anniversary Giveaway (US/CAN)

To Kill A Mockingbird

Happy 50th Anniversary to one of my favorite films of all time, To Kill A Mockingbird! If you’ve never seen the beloved and critically acclaimed film, you absolutely must watch it! It’s a powerful and poignant adaptation of Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, and it’s a masterpiece. Atticus Finch was a single father in the [...]

[Continue reading...]

Remember All the Hullabaloo?

y2k-bug

I’m a hardcore pessimist, but I stumbled, tripped and fell flat on my face over the propaganda of Y2K. I was fairly well convinced that I’d be living most of the year 2000 in relative darkness and obscurity. So I bought a comically large number of water bottles, and began to collect food and paraphernalia [...]

[Continue reading...]

Coca-Cola Arctic Home Polar Pack Giveaway (ARV $100)

coca-cola-polar-bear-pack

If you don’t know what these limited edition Coca-Cola cans are all about, then clearly you haven’t been reading my blog enough. Shame, shame, shame. Coca-Cola and the World Wildlife Federation have joined together in the Arctic Home project to help save the polar bears’ icy homes. Coke has already donated $2 million dollars, and [...]

[Continue reading...]

Saturday Giveaway Parade 1/22

giveaway_parade_thumb

If you’re hosting a giveaway, link it up on the linky to share with everyone. Links must be directly to individual giveaways, not to your home page or giveaway category. Try to remember to put an end date! No Affiliate Links.

[Continue reading...]

Mom, Do We Have Any More Toothpaste? – WW

toothpaste-drawer

When I was packing things up to move here, I opened the kids’ toothpaste drawer. Really?

[Continue reading...]

Big Miracle in Theaters February 3, 2012 + $25 Fandango Prize Pack Giveaway

Big-Miracle-movie-poster

Big Miracle is rated PG! I just had to say that right away because as a parent, I am always happy to see a film come out that is appropriate for the whole family! Set in a small Alaskan town, a local news reporter (John Krasinski) enlists the help of his ex-girlfriend (Drew Barrymore), a [...]

[Continue reading...]