Utah Gossip

The Alpine Loop

There’s no question that as the temps fall and the leaves turn, Utah’s gearing up for its busiest time of year: the winter! It’s when we welcome back hoards of tourists to experience the greatest snow on earth. But in the meantime, that doesn’t mean you still can’t enjoy the cool weather as you wait for the snow to fall…we want to hear your favorite autumn vacation travel ideas within the state!

Founded in 2007, Utah’s very own Women Tech Council is an organization devoted to providing leadership and advocacy for women working within technology companies and careers. The Women Tech Council recently announced the award finalists for the 2009 Annual Women Tech Awards, which spotlights women in the Utah community who are “driving innovation and leading technology companies.” Congrats to all the finalists!

Amy Rees Anderson, Mediconnect Global
Reyhan Baktur, Ph.D., Utah State University
Sheh Bertram, Zions Bancorporation
Carol J. Campbell, Ph.D., ATK Space Systems
Carine Clark, Symantec
Nicole Toomey Davis, Governor’s Office of Economic Development
Vicki E. Farrar, Esq., Catheter Connections
Cynthia Furse, Ph.D., LiveWire Test Labs and University of Utah
Carolyn B. McClain, Novell
Kelly McCrystal, SpectrumDNA
Laurie Nylund, Celio Corp
Pollyanna Pixton, Accelinnova
Cindy Sanders, Novell
Cindy L. Snow, ContentWatch
Angela Trego, Ph.D., P.E., ATK Space Systems
Suzanne Winters, Ph.D., BioInnovations Gateway

Visit the official Women Tech Council website to learn more about the organization, how to get involved, and details regarding this year’s Tech Awards.

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and thanks to our favorite Utah Caterer, Culinary Crafts, we have the most delicious Black Satin Fudge Cake recipe that is sure to knock the socks off your lover this Valentine’s Day.  This decadent flourless chocolate cake can be served with fresh berries, a dollop of real whipped cream, or drizzed with caramel – or splurge with all three for a pure romantic indulgence!  Also, visit Culinary Crafts’ blog for a chance to WIN a Black Satin Fudge Cake!

Black Satin Fudge Cake

6 large eggs
2/3 cup sugar
1 ½ cups butter
6 ½ ounces unsweetened baking chocolate
9 ½ ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
4 teaspoons coffee extract
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup white corn syrup
2 tablespoons molasses

Whisk the eggs and sugar together at medium speed until mixture begins to thicken.

Over low heat, melt the butter in a sauce pan.  Once melted, add the unsweetened chocolate and stir until melted.  Turn off the heat and add the semi-sweet chocolate chips and stir until smooth.

In a saucepan over medium-low heat, cook brown sugar, corn syrup, and molasses to soft thread (210-215 degrees)

Add the egg mixture to the soft thread syrup.  When mixed, add the chocolate mixture.

Spray a 12 inch spring form pan with baking spray, line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and spray again.  Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan.

Bake 30 minutes at 300 degrees.  Turn the oven off, but let cake remain in the oven for an additional 30 minutes.  Remove and let cool completely to room temperature.

Once cool, the cake can be frozen if desired.

Screwed over by your cell phone provider? Just had the best pastrami n’ swiss sandwich ever? Let your voice be heard and share the good (and bad) experiences you’ve had with virtually anything you’ve spent money on. Consupo is an opinion website that specializes in consumer product reviews and customer ratings. Users can make a case for or against a particular entity and give “props” for companies, products, or services that provided a positive experience and “beefs” for those that didn’t. Furthermore, you can rate companies and products, post comments, and share your experiences with other consumers. Consupo just recently launched their 2.0 version, replete with more categories, an award system for the best users and cases, simplified case entries, and a more comprehensive company list. So log on and sing your praises or air your frustrations about your favorite and least favorite Utah companies.

Yes, you heard me right. But no, I am not extremely angry, frustrated, or even amusing myself by shouting obscenities. I am actually spreading the word to all my fellow Utahns about the latest and greatest apparel to hit the Wastach Front: a Back the F:\ Up t-shirt. That’s right, one of these babies could be yours.

ijustine, courtesy of Back the F:\ Up

How, you ask? Well, the rules are simple. Just tell Mozy, Inc. what you’re willing to do to get one: “We’re open to pretty much anything, as long as it’s awesome, gives Mozy some props, and doesn’t suck.” Easy enough, right? Be forewarned though, if your idea completely blows, you’ll be subjected on the Wall of Shame. Visit Back the F:\ Up for more information and details.

Most students and alumni that are or have attended BYU learn tips, tricks, and secrets involving how to survive BYU classes. A group of BYU marketing students put together a blog for reveling these hidden gems to the general public.

Visitors can submit new secrets to help everyone from freshman to faculty in working the system at BYU. Looks like they have posts about best NCMO spots, free food, learning how to get out of a dreaded campus parking ticket, and much more.

Have a secret you’ve been dying to share? Visit the ysecrets.com blog about BYU Campus and share your knowledge to help others!

My co-workers and I have decided to start training for a half-marathon…sometime next year. But, if you are all ready to run, there are several marathons here in Utah that are coming up really quick.

On Thanksgiving morning there is a 4 mile run or a 2 mile walk where all proceeds will go to charity. They even give away turkeys and pies. Kind of a win-win situation, if you ask me.

If you are looking for a race in November of this year, click here for a list.

And to finish off the year strongly, click here for potential races to participate in.

Have fun and go run!

If I had a dollar for every billboard, flyer, or advertisement I saw for a Bridal Show, I could probably retire. These things are about as abundant in the state as new babies are. The only thing more rampant is newly engaged, fresh-faced brides-to-be who are busily planning their wedding to the stud on campus. So, here are a myriad of the resources available to all you Utah future brides:

-BrideAccess.com
-UtahWeddings.com
-Utah Wedding Photographer
-The Knot (for Utah)
-Salt Lake Bride

This doesn’t really have anything to do with Utah, but I thought it would be fun to share. We all need a little pick-me-up to help us get through the week, right?

I found a website where people have taken pictures of funny, passive aggressive notes and signs. Have a look-see. It is pretty funny.

Here is one, for example:

After a huge weekend for the Mountain West Conference, here are my top college football picks (including a few local faves) to break into a BCS bowl game.

Brigham Young (holla!)
With a 3-0 record, the Cougars have an impressive winning streak at 13, the longest in the nation. While they can’t afford a loss, BYU did beat two Pac-10 teams and completely obliterated UCLA in a stunning 59-0 win.

Utah (any fans?)
Also 3-0, Utah is benefiting from Arizona State’s loss to UNLV; however, the Utes will have to beat BYU (and vice versa) in order to advance to a BCS bowl. The annual game between the two rivals is undoubtedly one of the biggest games of the season for both teams.

East Carolina
Ok, so they’re not part of the Mountain West, but Conference USA’s ECU will likely get a profile boost since they beat Virginia Tech and West Virginia when both teams were ranked and both have the potential to be in the rankings at the end of the season. Their out-of-conference schedule has been strong thus far.