Social Media and Job Hunting. It works!! Here’s my Story:

I went away on vacation, only to return last Wednesday to find out that I was unemployed. I immediately updated my profile on Facebook, Linkedin, and Twitter.  I stated that I was “Seeking Employment as a Sales Rep or a Community Manager”. Immediately I had two replies on Facebook to contact two separate companies and two retweets on twitter.I was impressed.

By 1 p.m…I had a meeting with 3 foodie friends (@TheBumpercrop, @afoodgypsy @lisataerk). They brainstormed with me and delivered a “go-Vicky-go” type of speech.

The pep talk worked!!

On Thursday, I met with @nearafar who also answered some more job hunting questions and gave me another pep talk.

On Friday, I received emails from @HorriblePeanut @FiestaCupcakes @CDNFoodieGiirl, and @Labamboche with leads. I was truly feeling supported by my twitter friends. Oh yeah – there was another friend (who sadly is not on twitter) who sent me numerous emails with ads too.

On Sunday I met with @sackman66 at 7:45 a.m for TWO hours of networking. WOW..I was on a roll. My friends were really there for me and I was ever so grateful.

On Monday morning, I had a phone call with someone from twitter who was looking for some assistance with her start up .We even met for coffee in the afternoon. Sadly it wasn’t a great fit but once again “twitter’ made the connection (thru a retweet cause I wasnt following her).

On Monday nite, I finally sent out my resume to one of the companies that contacted me thru Facebook earlier last week.

On Tuesday morning, I heard from her and at 2 p.m I was in the office…. armed with my MacBook, iPad, and iPhone….ready to work!!

Now how awesome is this story!! Whats even more awesome is I’m working with a company that I really believe in and when I walked into the office I knew FOUR people (thru twitter of course).

I have to finish this blog entry with this photo. The office has this machine in the kitchen:

 

It’s a VITA MIX and my boss was all too happy to demonstrate how it works!! This means, I was treated to this delicious bowl of hot soup that was made in less than 10 minutes.

I am now working for Shes Connected and I’m beyond thrilled to be part of this team.

Morale of the story: Use Social Media if you are job hunting and don’t be afraid to change your profile!!

 

This soup  was part of the Golden Whisk Awards 2011 as one of the top 10 best culinary creations prepared in the Star test kitchen. And guess what? I agree. I have made this soup three times in less than two weeks.

The recipe was shared by Ravi Kanagaarahah who owns RavisSoups. I’ve known Ravi since he opened RaviSoups (the perks of being a food sales rep) and his soups are beyond-amazing.

He is a talented chef and clearly understands how to use spices in his soups.

I was excited to try this recipe and positively thrilled with the results. I used organic ginger and I swear it gives the soup and extra kick. It’s worth buying.

Curried Lentil and Apricot Soup

INGREDIENTS:

2 tablespoons of vegetable oil

2 yellow onions, chopped

1/4 cup of finely chopped garlic

1/4 cup finely chopped ginger (I used organic ginger – there is a difference – I swear)

2 tablespoons mild curry powder

1 plum tomato, chopped

1 cup diced dried apricots

2 cups rinsed, drained red lentils

8 cups water

3/4 cups coconut milk

salt and pepper

garnish: plain yoghurt and cilantro

METHOD

1. In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions, and stir till golden – about 10 minutes.

2. Reduce heat to low – add garlic and ginger. Stir for 2 minutes.

3. Add curry powder. Add tomatoes, lentils, water.

4. Raise heat to high.

5. When mixture starts to boil, reduce heat to simmer. Stir occasionally and let cook till apricots are softenend.

5. Using a food processor or hand immersion blender, puree soup.

6. Return soup to pot over low heat and stir in coconut milk. Season with salt and peper.

Not only do I hope you get a chance to make this soup, but I hope you get a chance to visit RavisSoups too.

RavisSoups:

322 Adelaide St. West 647 435-8365

1128 Queen St. West 416-538-7284

Take a peek at Yelp and Urbanspoon and will find glowing reviews for RaviSoups!! (p.s for good reason too)

Let’s talk about soup. Every one loves soup right? Seriously, have you ever met someone who doesn’t like soup?

I’ve been enjoying a variety of soups from the Moosewood cookbooks for the last two decades. In particular:

• Split Pea
• Russian Cabbage Borsht
• Creamy Squash (New Recipes From Moosewood)
• Armenian Lentil
• Potato Leek (New Recipes from Moosewood)
• Minestrone

However sometimes (only sometimes) I’m short on time and want to make a soup that’s really quick. Guess what? I found a soup that takes NO TIME at all and its delicious. Once again, I found it on the internet (thanks to FoodLoversWebsite)

Here’s the recipe for Spicy Tomato Soup (which I modified a lot cause I bought the wrong can of tomatoes)

INGREDIENTS:

1 tablespoon oil

1 tablespoon butter

1 1/2 cups minced onion

3-4 cloves of garlic cloves

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp dill

lots of ground black pepper

12 oz crushed tomato concentrate (I bought canned diced tomatoes by accident)

2 cups water

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon of mayo or sourcream (I used milk)

2 medium sized tomatoes, diced

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Heat olive oil and butter in a saucepan.

2.Add onion, garlic, salt, dill, black pepper and stir till onions are translucent (about 6-8 minutes)

3. Add canned tomatoes, water and honey

4. Cover and simmer over low heat for 20-30 minutes.

Because I screwed up buying the wrong tomatoes, I then took a sieve and separated the tomato chunks from the liquid.

Then I took the solids, whizzed it in the Cuisinart while slowly adding the liquids. To make it creamy – I added a touch of milk.

I love soup. In fact my freezer is full of soups at the moment. I crave soup during the winter – don’t you? What’s your favourite soup? Would love to know.