Interruptions, Immune Systems and Interviews

On Monday, I spoke with Marsha Egan. Marsha is a certified business leader, coach and CEO of the professional coaching firm-The Egan Group. Marsha checks in with us on the program every few weeks and her topic this week was "Interrupting". Since I have a tendency to do this on occasion, I wanted to get some tips on how to avoid it in the future. Marsha said it's important to let people finish their thought. If you need to, silently count to three before you begin speaking. If you are constantly interrupting others, you may be percieved as being "rude". I don't mean to be rude. I sometime get so caught up in the conversation and eager to share my thoughts, that I don't wait but I'm going to use Marsha's trick of counting to three... For more tips check out Marsha's website www.inboxdetox.com

Today I spoke with Dr. Susan Rupp of Columbus Chiropractic. During the cold and flu season our immune system can become compromised. Chiropractic care helps the spine and nervous system but can also alleviate problems with the immune system. You can also stay healthy by:

• getting enough sleep
• staying hydrated (yes, even in winter!)
• exercising
• eating healthy foods and snacks
• and washing your hands frequently

Yesterday I interviewed Allen Shawn. Mr. Shawn is a well known composer and as well as author of two other books. His newest book, "TWIN: A MEMOIR" is the compelling story of his life and that of his twin sister Mary, who was diagnosed with autism and institutionalized at the age of 8. His book delves into the science, history and heartbreaking effects that autism can have on those who have been diagnosed and also their family members.

Cherries and Chocolate

February is National Cherry Month and Chocolate Lovers month.

What is your favorite "Chocolate Combo"?

• Chocolate with peanut butter -(peanut butter cups!)


• Chocolate covered raisins? Almonds? cherries?


• Chocolate with salt-as in chocolate covered pretzels


• Chocolate with whipped cream-a steaming mug of hot cocoa swirled whith whipped cream and cinnamon on top!


• Chocolate with wine...

Maybe you just love pure, unaltered CHOCOLATE!

I like all of the above but I think my favorites are chocolate covered cherries (love the gooey, sweet goodness that drips off my fingers) and chocolate with coconut (a Mounds candy bar has just a little bit of heaven in every bite!)

I'd love to hear your favorite chocolate pairings

It is also National Cherry Month-probably because of the famous "George Washington and the Cherry Tree" myth. Here is a quick and easy cherry dessert that you might want to try:

Cherry Chocolate Pie
11 large marshmallows
1/3 c. milk
1 (3 oz.) piece milk chocolate candy bar, chopped
1 (8 oz.) container frozen whipped topping, thawed and divided
1 graham cracker crust (10”)
1 can (21 oz.) cherry pie filling
In large saucepan, combine marshmallows, milk and chocolate. Cook and stir over medium low heat until smooth. Cool completely. Fold ¾ c. whipped topping into chocolate mixture. Pour into prepared crust. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Top with pie filling & remaining whipped topping. Cover & refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight. Yield: 8 servings.

Freezers and Frozen Tundra

It's a GREAT day to be a Packer fan, Cheesehead, or lover of all that is Green and Gold! What a fantastic football game. The Green Bay Packers (in case you haven't heard) won Super Bowl XLV! Fourth Super Bowl win, 13th NFL Championship! Our team worked very hard, through much adversity to perserve and come out on top. So here's to the Frozen Tundra and the world champions-the Green Bay Packers!

And speaking of frozen....freezing... freezers...

I spent part of the weekend with my daughter, cooking in the kitchen and making meals for her freezer. She works for the American Cancer Society and has a very hectic schedule-sometimes working 10-12 hour days. She doesn't have a lot of time to prepare meals so a few times a year, we get together and stock her freezer with breakfast, lunch and dinner entrees. This time we even made a few desserts. I think we made almost 30 breakfast meals (waffles and french toast), and about 50 lunch/meal entrees, (chicken, beef, pork). We used the "Debbie Meyer Genius bags" which works great for preserving and freezing. The bags come with a hand held tool that sucks out the air and really seals in the freshness. Plus the bags lay flat and take up less space in the freezer.

Here are a few tips if you want to maximize the space in YOUR freezer:
1. Label everything. Keep a marker and freezer labels handy.You won't have to guess how long it's been in the freezer if it's labeled.
2. Wrap it up. Use durable, leak-proof containers or heavy duty plastic freezer bags. Press to remove all air and store raw meats on the bottom shelf to minimize contamination.
3. Follow the FIFO plan. (First in, first out). By using oldest foods first you will waste less.
4. Do monthly check-ups. throw out food that has been frozen too long, or use up food that you might have forgotten about.
5. Pack it flat. Always allow food to cool to room temperature before freezing; once cool, freeze immediately. Freeze in a single layer and stack them after they're frozen.
6. Make single servings. A pound of bacon or an entire batch of cookie dough can be too much to thaw at once. I purchase bacon, separate the slices; lay them between layers of wax paper on a cookie sheet; and freeze. Once frozen, I place them (still between wax paper) in a large freezer zip lock bag. This way I can cook 1-2 slices of bacon as needed. Works great!

Bikes and Blizzards

Since I began hosting "The Idea Exchange", I have read many books. (89 during my first year - 2009, and 123 during 2010. If you only read one (1) book this year, this is the one!

I was very pleased to be able to talk with Mark Scharenbroich, an emmy award winning keynote speaker and humorist about his new book, "NICE BIKE: MAKING MEANINGFUL CONNECTIONS ON THE ROAD OF LIFE". The book details 3 powerful actions that will transform your business relationships, improve your productivity, develop higher levels of customer engagement and will also help you connect in your personal relationships as well. The three basic principles are:

*Acknowledge-make the extra effort to be more aware of others.

*Honor-recognize what is important to the other person and be an active listener.

*Connect-show appreciation, say 'thank-you' and take time to connect.

Mark says he first got the idea for the book when he came to Wisconsin for a speaking engagement in Neenah. It was the week of Harley Davidson's 100th anniversary celebration and he noticed that when "bikers" greeted other bikers, they always started the conversation with "Nice Bike". He realized that by acknowledging and then recognizing what is important to others gives us a way to connect. Mark weaves many stories that showcase these concepts.

The idea is so simple...

I believe this should be required reading for every supervisor, manager and CEO as well as every employee, parent, teenager and spouse. It is going to be my "go-to" birthday gift for everyone on my list this year because it is INCREDIBLE.

~"Nice Bike, Mark Scharenbroich"~

Here in Wisconsin we are just coming out of a HUGE winter snowstorm-of blizzard proportions! We received about 11 1/2" of snow here in Beaver Dam, (many other places received more), wind gusts hit 45 miles an hour and road conditions were the worst we've seen in a decade. There were over 160 run-offs during the past 2 days in our county and some people spent Tuesday night stuck in their car! Of course, here at the radio station, we never close. I was here early on Tuesday and even earlier on Wednesday morning to field all the snow related cancellations/closings and delays. News reports say that this storm hit 30 states and affected over 1 million people! Were you one of them? Do you have a story that you'll be able to tell your grandchildren some day?

I am thankful that everyone I know stayed safe and I am very grateful to my neighbor. He used his snowblower to clear my driveway both Tuesday and Wednesday!

THANK-YOU, DENNIS MACK!

Book Nook guests this week:

Next week's guest line up:

Monday, January 24th, 10:05am

"The Kitchen classroom"-Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer

Tuesday, January 25th, 10:05am

"The Winter of our Disconnect" - Susan Maushart

Wednesday, January 26th, 10:05am

Live report from the Lake Home and Cabin Show - Steve Perkins, Show Manager

Thursday, January 26th, 10:05

"Flour" -Joanne Chang

and at 10:35

"Gluten Free Desserts by the Cake Mix Doctor" -

Salty and Sweet

You know there is much more to salt than pairing well with pepper! Besides using it as a seasoning, it also comes in handy for a wide range of other uses.
~~Salt keeps egg proteins from bonding to each other, so add 1/8 tsp. of table salt for every 2 eggs just prior to scrambling yours for breakfast.

~~Adding salt to your coffee (1/8 tsp. to the grounds for every 72 oz pot) will reduce the bitterness.
~~Add salt to your cooking water. It not only seasons your green veggies but also helps them retain their bright color. When green veggies cook in unsalted water, some of the chlorophyll molecules lose their color-enhancing magnesium atoms; this causes vegetables to turn a dull shade of olive green. Salt stabilizes the chlorophyll and helps veggies stay greener. Use 1 ½ tsp. of salt for every quart of water.

(And as I said during the show ....there is your science lesson for today!).

Here are some quick dessert tips that I shared on the show today.

· Before baking a chocolate cake from a mix, add ½ c. boysenberry jam to batter. You can also dot white frosting with the jam for a pretty effect.
· For a special ice cream sundae: blend ¼ tsp. cinnamon and ¼ tsp. ground cloves into a 12 oz. jar of hot fudge topping
· Pour thin layer of Grape Nuts cereal on bottom of dessert bowls. Slowly add your favorite prepared pudding. Top with whipped topping. In 2 hours cereal will be crunchy, 6 hours or overnight-a little softer crust.

Quick and tasty sweet treats for your family!

Weight Loss, Writing and White Chili

If one of your New Year's resolutions was about losing weight, I've got a GREAT book for you!

Today I talked with Dr. James Beckerman, a cardiologist at in Portland, Oregon. Rather than teaching just one way to lose 10, 20 or even 50 pounds, Dr. Beckerman tells how to lose a SINGLE pound...200 different ways. His new book is "THE FLEX DIET: DESIGN YOUR OWN WEIGHT LOSS PLAN" and is all about using the tool, tips and techniques that work best for you and your lifestyle. Basic, common sense ideas that you can start doing immediately. And ideas that will show results! He takes the 200 solutions and breaks them into 5 sections: Eating/Drinking/Exercise/

Activity and Lifestyle.

For instance

#31: Getting enough sleep. You might not think that this would have anthing to do with weight loss, but Dr. Beckerman tells you why it is so important.

#46: Don't eat while watching T.V. I'm at fault on this one. You'll find out why this prevents you from losing weight.

#72: Skip the diet soda. People think that "diet" foods are good, however, if you're drinking diet soda, you're more apt to order that double cheeseburger, so you really aren't saving any calories-in fact, you're gaining weight instead of losing it.

These are just a few of the many great ideas you'll find in this easy to read book. There are also great recipes, excercise plans. Check it out!

This is Universal Letter Writing Week and International Thank You Day. If you haven't sent out those notes for your Christmas gifts yet, better do it today. In this digital age, it's so nice to get a card, note and/or letter that's hand written. It's a much more personal way to stay connected, don't you think?

I've been asking for favorite soup recipes since we're into the cold winter weather...Here is a white chili recipe that you might want to try. It makes use of a rotisserie chicken (from your local grocery store deli) which saves time for you.

White Chili with a Kick

1 large onion, chopped

6 Tbsp. butter, cubed

2 Tbsp. all purpose flour

2 c. chicken broth

¾ c. half-and-half cream

1 rotisserie chicken, cut up
2 (15 oz.) cans white kidney or cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 (11 oz.) can white corn, drained

2 (4 oz.)cans chopped green chilies

2 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. chili powder

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. white pepper
½ tsp. hot pepper sauce

1 ½ c. shredded pepper jack cheese
Salsa and chopped green onions, optional
In Dutch oven, sauté onion in butter. Stir in flour until blended; cook and stir for 3 minutes or until golden brown. Gradually add broth and cream. Bring to boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Add the chicken, beans, corn, chilies, cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper and pepper sauce; heat through. Stir in cheese until melted. Garnish each serving with salsa and green onions if desired.