[ice cream week] no churn mississippi mud ice cream + a giveaway

what says summer better than ice cream? unfortunately, ice cream can be tricky and time consuming to make. the thought of whipping some up pretty much never crossed my mind.

i discovered no churn ice cream thanks to beth a few weeks ago, and i gotta say, there is no better way to make some ice cream quickly. it's rich, creamy, tastes amazing and is the easiest thing ever! you can customize it any way you want, from simple vanilla, to fruit, to richer flavors like chocolate, peanut butter or caramel. it's a total blank slate. keep the base - whipped cream and sweetened condensed milk - the same, and add any flavor combination you please.

i've got some great memories of having mississippi mud cake at mary ann's in fairhope, sans pecans. it's a super rich, moist chocolate cake with marshmallows galore, and i knew it would transfer to ice cream seamlessly. needless to say, my friends and roommate devoured this stuff.

 

no churn mississippi mud ice cream

1 14 ounce can condensed sweetened milk
2 cups heavy whipping cream
3 tablespoons hershey's special dark cocoa
1 cup mini marshmallows
1/4 cup chopped pecans (optional)

in a large bowl, beat heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes. fold in condensed sweetened milk, cocoa, marshmallows and chopped pecans. once combined, put into freezer safe container. top with additional marshmallows and pecans. freeze for 6 hours or overnight.

i teamed up with 18 other bloggers to share innovative ice cream recipes with you and to bring you a delectable ice cream making giveaway. we're using the hashtag #weekofsundaes on social media this week. check out our blogs to see all of our innovative ice cream recipes throughout the week: ashley at spoonful of flavor // ashley at cookie monster cooking // madison at wetherills say i do // erin at the speckled palate // julia at tag & tibby // leandra at love & flour // molly at hey there sunshine // nick at macheesmo // meredith at meredith noelle // heather at sugar dish me // linda at brunch with joy // katie at twin stripe // erica at crumby cupcake // beth at bethcakes // meghan at cake ‘n knife // dan at the food in my beard // bethany at bethany grow // cate at chez cateylou // susannah at feast + west

one lucky winner will get this big ice cream making prize pack that's worth more than $265! see the rafflecopter below to enter to win this amazing set. the prize pack includes:

• a cuisinart pure indulgence 2-quart automatic frozen yogurt, sorbet, and ice cream maker with double-insulated 2-quart freezer bowl // $165 value
• a chef's choice waffle cone express ice cream cone maker // $70 value
• set of four 6-ounce tovolo mini sweet treats tubs // $13 value
• a zeroll original ice cream scoop // $19.95 value

giveaway rules:

1. enter the giveaway through the rafflecopter widget below. everyone gets a free entry! you can enter multiple times, up to 20 additional entries by following the ice cream week contributors on social media. (if you’ve followed in the past, that counts! just enter the info as prompted.) all entries will be verified. no purchase is necessary to win.
2. the giveaway is open until monday, sept. 7, 2015 at 10 a.m. est. one winner will be chosen at random and emailed within 48 hours. winners must claim prize within 48 hours of initial contact. the retail value of the prize is $265. prizes shown in the graphic are the only ones available.
3. open to u.s. residents with a valid shipping address only. must be 18 years of age as of aug. 17, 2015.

a rafflecopter giveaway

3 ways a blogging community changes how you blog

being a blogger has always been considered a "solo" activity. you're writing posts alone. you're sitting in your living room trying to find the angle that doesn't reflect that weird blip of light on the tube of lipstick you're photographing. i mean, i've had "blogging parties" where a bunch of bloggers come over, write posts together, set up shots for food/makeup and go to town. i'm kind of sure this isn't the norm, though.

as most readers of my blog know, beth, molly and i started birmingham bloggers back in april of 2014. it changed my entire blogging landscape. i've written a little bit about how blogging, in general, has changed my social life. but there's a bigger conversation at hand about how a unified, organized community of bloggers can transform the way you blog.

it provides never-ending inspiration and ideas.

when you're connected to a local group of bloggers, you're constantly provided with inspiration and ideas. if you're all mingling at the local farmers market, maybe your local blogging friend comes up with an idea to interview local farms and blog farm-to-table recipes. this neat idea is directly correlated with your local blogging landscape. if you aren't connected to the local blogging scene, you're missing awesome stuff like this!

sometimes, the best ways to get connected are right in front of you. what would happen if you added a unique local slant to your blog? what would happen if you and local bloggers discovered some hidden gems in your community, and used that as inspiration for a new series of posts?

it motivates you & keeps you in check.

we all get lazy. sometimes the best motivators are the ones you can see face-to-face. a local blogging group can hold monthly goal setting sessions where you get together and chat all things blog, then set your goals for the month. your real-life blogging friends will be there to keep you motivated! as a united blogging community, you can even come up with challenges, goals and contest to keep one another writing.

it gives you fantastic friends with a common interest.

i cannot even begin to count how many lovely people i hang out with because of birmingham bloggers. sure, maybe i'd have found them otherwise, but honestly? i don't think i would have. i've met women who inspire me and are just as passionate about birmingham as i am. i've met friends who i have ridiculous, never-ending group texts going with and friends who i drink martinis with on "'tini tuesday". i met them because they joined birmingham bloggers. how awesome is that?!

if you don't have a blogging community in you area, start one! sound daunting? no worries - check out my first e-book, 'building your blog community: gather, connect & get local', out august 31st. i pretty much spill everything i've got on how beth, molly and i run birmingham bloggers! i've got insider tips, how to approach a business to work with your community, how to keep track of everyone, event ideas and so much more. i've really put my heart and soul into this one!

if you'd like a special discount, subscribe to my newsletter. you'll get an email when the book is available, AND you'll get a discount code for 20% off on the day of launch. enjoy!

how to get a better night's sleep

hey y'all! i am currently in san francisco on vacation, so i figured i'd use this week to introduce you to some other fabulous bloggers. today's post is brought to you by natalie of thirty-seventh avenue, a fellow birmingham blogger. natalie's blog features interior design, general well-being/lifestlye tips, recipes and much, much more. natalie is a pro on routine and being your best self, so i'm happy to pass along her tips on getting your best sleep. give natalie a follow on twitter and instagram!

hi! i’m natalie over at thirty-seventh avenue. meredith so kindly asked me to share with you all a little more in depth about the topic of establishing a morning routine. i recently shared with my readers about my personal morning routine and what works for me, and i got a lot of positive feedback. to keep from sounding redundant, i wanted to talk about what actually makes my morning routine work. it’s actually something that happens the night before.

for most of us, getting enough sleep at night is a constant struggle. there's always something else that needs to be done before we can hit the sheets. by the time you've done your afternoon routine of cooking, cleaning, folding, washing, etc. going to bed can seem like a hassle in its own. and the worst part is the alarm that goes off in the morning reminding us we didn’t get enough. it happens far too often.

humor me: from the moment we start kindergarten, we're trained by the sound of an alarm. there's a need of certainty, a call to do something when we hear one. a wake-up alarm, a reminder ding on your phone, a smoke detector, a police siren, a timer on the stove, they all have one thing in common: they make us react to something. what i’m getting at is, if we rely so heavily on the alarm to wake up every morning, how come we don’t use one to go to sleep each night?

so i tried it. i started setting an alarm for 9:30 pm. when it goes off, i force myself to stop whatever i'm doing and get ready for bed. i give myself thirty minutes to do whatever i need to do to get read (brush my teeth, wash my face, etc), but when that thirty minutes is up i need to be in the bed, phone on the charger (not in my hands!), and lights off. whether i fall asleep right that second or not, i do nothing else.

since i've started setting an alarm for bedtime, i have noticed:

• i'm more productive throughout the work day. 
• i don't get the 2:00 yawns, which means i'm more alert. 
• i eat around 350 less calories a day. 
• my stress level has dropped - which solves 90% of life's problems. 
• my immune system is working better than before. 
• i'm able to work out longer. 
• my skin feels relaxed instead of tight. 
• i'm not breaking out as much. 

i tend to thrive on routine, so if you don’t this may not be for you. even on the evenings that i’m not able to jump up and get ready to go to bed at 9:30 pm i’m far more conscious of that time passing and if the task that i'm doing is a good enough tradeoff. opportunity costs, people. on the odd week night i am doing something fun instead of going to bed, which happens because it’s summertime, it feels like a treat. ever other typical night, the alarm reminds me that the next day will be better if i let it send me to bed.

the bottom line: make sleep a priority. you must schedule sleep like any other daily activity, so put it on your "to-do list" and cross it off every night. but don’t make it the thing you do only after everything else is done – stop doing other things so you get the sleep you need.

have you ever tried setting an alarm for bed?

creating community with phlbloggers

hey y'all! i am currently in san francisco on vacation, so i figured i'd use this week to introduce you to some other fabulous bloggers. today's post is brought to you by chrystina of chrystina noel. chrystina and i "met" during the #nectarchat twitter chat and immediately got to talking about our shared experiences running local blogging communities. i wanted her to share her journey running phlbloggers in philidelphia, and discuss what it really means to cultivate a true community. enjoy!

since i was in middle school i’ve been bringing people together. i threw my first party in sixth grade and from there i was hooked. once i got to college i found out there was a name for people like me, resident assistants. i was an ra for three years and got the chance to plan a bunch of events for my little community of residents. i loved being there for them – and having somebody to bake dessert for all the time.

once i graduated from college i started my day job. that was around the same time that i started my blog. i spent all day with people who didn’t understand search engine optimization, lead magnets, or twitter. and for an extrovert like me, someone who gets energy from being around other people, i started to feel pretty lonely. i realized i needed to find a community with people who really understood me that i could bounce ideas off of and who wouldn’t look at me like i had three heads when took a picture of my lunch before i ate it.

i went to a blogging conference in philadelphia in search of my people in 2012, but i didn’t find anybody that i was really able to click with. in 2013 i went to a conference in austin, tx. i had done it, i had found my people. the only problem is they were 1,600 miles too far southwest. i had to find my people closer to home. in september 2014, i figured if i hadn’t found the community i was looking for yet it was about time to create it.

i’ve written a post about this before: how to start a blogger meet-up group in your city. what i haven’t written about yet is what it takes to create a community:

find the right people

there are certain people who are your people. you share the same things in common, you understand where each other are coming from, and because you feel emotionally attached to each other, you watch each other’s backs a little bit harder. how do you do this? create the group that you would want to be a part of. create the group that focuses on things you are already interested in. and this isn’t to say that you should be rejecting people if you don’t think they’re your people. if they’re sticking around for the events and good conversation, they might be more your people than you know.

help people get to know each other

one key to creating community as helping people actually get to know each other. make sure that everyone introduces themselves at the beginning of an event. always reach out to the new person at the event and say hello. ask real questions to get real answers (instead of “how are you” try “what are you working on right now”).

make people feel comfortable from the beginning

send people who are interested in the group the most recent communication you’ve sent out right at the beginning. add them to the group lists and forums. say hello to them when they come into an event and make sure you introduce yourself. talk about what it was like when you started out in the group. make sure to share all of the details of an event before the event so there are no logistical concerns about where to find the group or what to do when you get there. there was a group i applied to be a part of where i had to put down all of my blog stats right from the beginning, which made me feel incredibly intimidated. (of course, after the fact, i realized these are very useful numbers to have because it helps when you want to reach out to brands to work with, but i still don’t think i will ever ask people for these numbers right off the bat.)

create a space for people to ask questions

phlbloggers has a google plus group that is set up to ask questions, post event information, and introduce new members. i know that bham bloggers has a facebook group. i read recently that slack is pretty good as well for this. this has been a great resource for the phlbloggers to share their successes, organize link-ups, share sponsorship opportunities, and ask tech questions to people who have been there before.

i’m so incredibly glad that i started this group. i can honestly say that the people in this group are some of my favorite people to hang out with in the city these days. i have found a new group of friends, a group of people who understands how i spend the majority of my mental energy, and a group of people that i am constantly feeling inspired by.

if you haven’t found a community for yourself to be a part of yet, i absolutely recommend going in search of one – whether that’s in real life or on the interwebs. and if you can’t find one that looks like the group you’re trying to find, start one. it’s been a game changer in my life and hopefully it will inspire you as well.


chrystina blogs at chrystina noel and writes about greeting cards, wine & cheese, hosting parties, and all of life's random thoughts in between. you can find her on twitter, instagram, pinterest or helping people stay in touch on her newest site, notes by chrystina. you can also learn more about phlbloggers and past events here.

3 ways businesses can work with local bloggers

my experiences with birmingham bloggers have taught me a lot about working with local businesses. fortunately, birmingham is home to up and coming, start-up, media friendly businesses with open minds and flexible marketing agendas. however, not all local spots are keen on what bloggers can do for them, as well as just how easy working with bloggers can be.

in my new e-book, which debuts on august 31st, i detail working with local businesses as a blogging community, and how a community can serve as the "middle man" to connect creatives with local businesses. if you start a blogging group or community in your area, get ready to work with restaurants, bars, boutiques, even gyms and spas - because so many have finally caught on to the value of a trusted local blogger. if you're running a community, you may find yourself acting as a liaison for your members and a business looking for press.

but what if you've got a local spot that isn't sure how to utilize your blogging group? here are three ways businesses can benefit from bloggers and capitalize on a local blogging community.

using local bloggers to announce their businesses

if you've got a local product or business and want to announce it to the world, incorporate bloggers into your marketing strategy. everybody wins! a blogger gets content, a fun event/new place to try out, monetary compensation, etc. and you get promotion out to the folks you really want to connect with.

there are so many bloggers who write on a super specific niche! for example, take a look at the special interest bloggers on the birmingham bloggers site - we've got gardening bloggers, diy/craft bloggers and so much more. working with bloggers isn't just for restaurants and clothing stores. there's room for collaboration with everyone.

 

using local bloggers to interact with customers

call this a "brand ambassador", if you will. if there's a blogger that's passionate about a product, they will talk endlessly about it. if a business/brand can find an eager blogger who will answer questions, talk about their experiences and give genuine endorsements organically on social media, you're on your way to building a great relationship.

even better? an entire group of bloggers chatting about a product on business. this is why having a local, united community of bloggers in your area is so important! 

 

by sponsoring local blogging events and workshops

a business can work one-on-one with a blogging community by sponsoring one of their events or workshops. this introduces the event attendees to a business (even more so if a small goodie or discount is given to bloggers who attend!) and helps promote all things local by giving regional bloggers a benefit.

if you want to learn how to start a blogging community in your area, keep it up and running, work with local businesses and generate neat opportunities for your membership base, grab my e-book 'building your blog community: gather, connect & get local', out august 31st! newsletter subscribers get a special discount (+ my free mini e-book all about collaborating with other bloggers) - simply click here to subscribe!

do you have a blog community in your area? if so, do y'all work with local businesses? could any businesses you know of benefit from working with bloggers?