This year has been incredible on so many levels.  We’ve experienced a great deal of growth in 2006 that required cat-like reflexes!  We learned a lot about what to do (and what not to do!).  We also experienced growing pains that somewhat smarted, but one can’t complain about growth, right?  Yay for that, we say! 

We still can’t discuss the most exciting thing to happen to us this year (soon!), but I’ll touch on some of the highlights. In 2006, we…

• … garnered a full 30-second glowing testimonial on Air America’s Majority Report from our fabulous client, David T. Harris, which totally made us make dolphin-like girl noises and clap a lot.
• … were asked to participate on a panel of esteemed judges for the Six Apart Style Contest.
• … flew to Austin, TX for SXSW Interactive 2006 and participated on a panel called “How to Make $$ with Your Blog Design Skills” (listen to our podcast!), which made the Honor Roll for best panels.
• … were interviewed and featured by the fine folks at pMachine.
• … were each interviewed by Six Apart Pro Network.
• … participated in a charity fundraiser for our client, Hot Sauce Blog, by designing a label for his signature hot sauce. $5.00 from every bottle purchased went to the American Cancer Society.
• … were featured on Designers-Who-Blog.com (thanks, Cat!)
• … supported and participated in the 2006 Boobiethon!
• … had two (not one, two!) of our Moxie Signature Cocktails featured as Drink of the Day on Extra Tasty.
• … became a registered trademark (well Moxie Design Studios℠ did! — ® status is processing).

and last, but not least…

• … welcomed a new Moxie tot — Kathy’s gorgeous (and I do mean gorgeous) son, Reilly (a.k.a. Mr. Poop, which is what I call him).  I could eat that boy with a spoon, I tell you.

Amidst all that, we also managed to accomplish quite a bit of work, completing projects for Chick Chat Radio, The Panama Gourmet, Oh! The Oxygen Network, Mommycast, Architexture Studios, Darby Creek Dog Bakery, madTV-regular Crista Flanagan, Legal Mojo, and author Paula Schmitt, just to name a few!

We are so grateful for all of our patient and wonderful clients, some of whom have been with us since the beginning, some of whom are welcome additions to our Moxie family.  We wish each of you a beautiful, healthy and happy holiday with your loved ones, whatever holiday it is that you choose to celebrate.  May 2007 bring you peace.

And lots of martinis. Merry Christmas.

Since we have our new Moxie-a-Go-Go look in place we thought we’d kick off the summer with a fun little contest giveaway!  Yay!  Free Stuff!  But hang on there, Bucko, you can’t get something for nuthin’ these days.  In this case it’s something for very little effort so that’ll just have to be good enough!    Lets cut to the prizes:

Grand Prize Winner will receive:

• A Cosmo Caddy, which includes a cocktail shaker, 4 cosmo glasses and a retro-esque carrier valued at $55.00 courtesy of LiquidPlanet.com
• A signed copy of The IT Girls Guide to Blogging with Moxie!
• A tube of Jaqua Hand Creme (flavor may vary!)

Two Runners-Up Winners will receive:

• A signed copy of The IT Girls Guide to Blogging with Moxie!
• A tube of Jaqua Hand Creme (flavor may vary!)

Here’s how to enter:

• Send us your favorite Summer cocktail recipe… your tried-and-true, your awesome party punch, your blended fruit favorites… whatever!  Send us your favorite Summer-themed cocktail recipes.  Drink recipes must include at least three (3) main ingredients (Garnish doesn’t count!  No rum and coke with limes you sneaks!) For extra credit, include a recipe for a “pairing”, or a tasty snack to go with your cocktail.  You can get even *more* extra credit by posting your entry on your blog and sending us the link.
• Then, send an email with the subject “Moxie Girls Summer Cocktail Contest!” in the subject line to .  Please include your full name (and nickname for announcement purposes if you would like to remain private) and a full address where your prizes will be sent.
• One entry per person.  You can get an extra entry into the contest if you include the aforementioned “pairing” or snack idea.  Like a 2-fer!  Make it a 3-fer by posting your recipe on your blog and linking back to our entry here. If you blog it, be sure to include the link to your entry in your submission so we know to give you an extra chance.  That’s up to three chances to win!  Winners will be drawn at random.

The winner(s) will receive full credit in our blog postings and mad kudos for their win, but any and all submissions become property of The Moxie Girls™ and we reserve the right to reprint, rename, or modify original recipes at our discretion for future use.  Trademarked and/or copywritten recipes submitted must contain the source of the recipe in order for it to be considered. Multiple entries, or entries missing information will be disqualified so make sure you include your recipe, name and address!

Contest will end at midnight EST June 6, 2008, so please have all entries in by then and we’ll announce the winners here on the blog on Monday, June 9, 2008.

A big thank-you to our friends at Jaqua Beauty and Liquid Planet who helped sponsor this contest.

Winners will be drawn at random out of a hat… or ice bucket, whichever we can find first.  The drawing will be recorded via video or webcam for authenticity.  So start mixing, and start sending those recipes!  Yum!

Helloooo!  Just popping in to post a wee reminder that The Moxie Girls Summer Cocktail Contest shindig is still going on until June 6th.  If you haven’t already, send us your favorite summer cocktail recipes to enter to win one of theeeese fabulous prizes:

Grand Prize Winner will receive:

• A Cosmo Caddy, which includes a cocktail shaker, 4 cosmo glasses and a retro-esque carrier valued at $55.00 courtesy of LiquidPlanet.com
• A signed copy of The IT Girls Guide to Blogging with Moxie!
• A tube of Jaqua Hand Creme (flavor may vary!)

Two Runners-Up Winners will receive:

• A signed copy of The IT Girls Guide to Blogging with Moxie!
• A tube of Jaqua Hand Creme (flavor may vary!)

Rules here… hop to it kids! Time’s a runnin’ out and these Jaqua hand creme’s a burning a hole in my pocket.  Ok, they’re not actually IN my pocket, more like in a bag on my desk… but they’re taking up space!

We’ve gotten quite a few fabulous entries, but we’d love some more!  Hit us up with your favorite summer cocktails!  You can read all about the rules and prizes here.

And don’t forget! There’s extra entries in it for you if you blog it (and send us the link) and/or include a “pairing” or a snack or amuse-bouche (aren’t I fancy?) that would go well with your cocktail.

We’re looking forward to drawing a winner and are loving all these delicious-sounding drinks. Keep ‘em coming!  Contest ends at midnight EST, Friday, June 6th.

The Cocktail Contest ends in just under 4 hours, at midnight EST.  We’ve gotten a bunch of lovely submissions and we’re excited to draw our winner on Monday.  I’m not 100% certain what time on Monday we’ll be doing the drawing.  Most likely after Kathy’s bambino is tucked in and we can open the bubbly!

If you’re still interested in submitting your entries, you better get on it. Scoot!  Here are the prizes, in case you forgot. It’s a lot of good schwag, so bring on the recipes!

Well, the results are in!  Out of all the totally fabulous cocktail recipes we received, we have drawn our 3 winners.

First, the grand prize winner is Katrina W. with her oh-so-delectable Strawberry Pina Colada Daquiri. My blender thanks you.

Strawberry Pina Colada Daquiri

• 4 oz pina colada mix
• 2.5 oz strawberry schnapps
• 1 oz lime juice
• 1 oz Bacardi rum
• 2 oz frozen strawberries
• 1 teaspoon of sugar
• Filled glass of cracked ice

I’m a little unclear on if this is shaken and strained up in a martini glass or if you just throw it all in a blender.  If it’s the latter, I’d stick in a straw, maybe on of those umbrellas and I’m all set.  Use a glass if you must.  Festive daquiri glasses or margarita glasses work great, but any ol’ pint glass will do in a pinch.

Katrina will receive a signed copy of our book, The IT Girl’s Guide to Blogging with Moxie as well as an 8oz. tube of our current desktop favorite, Jaqua Hand Creme with Meadowfoam Seed Oil (though I’m not positive which fragrance you’ll get.  That’s Kathy’s department!) along with a too-good-to-be-true retro cocktail caddy. Oooo ahhh… perfect for trying out some other new drinks, eh?

Next up are our two 2nd place winners:  Chari (or “CLD”, as she’s often known) and Heather H.!!!  Congratulations! Those extra credit entries paid off, ladies! 

Chari sent us an antioxidant-rich recipe (let me pretend, ok?) for something she calls a “Healthy” Cosmo, which she also re-posted on her blog:

“Healthy" Cosmo

1/2 oz. Key Lime Juice
1/2 oz. Licor 43
2 oz. Rain Vodka
3 oz. Pure, REAL Pomegranate Juice
1 Lime Wedge
1 Mint Sprig

Pour all ingredients into a shaker with ice, shake mightily. Strain into a chilled [preferably frozen] martini glass. Garnish with lime wedge and mint sprig. Sit out on the lanai, prop up your earth shoe-clad feeties on an ottoman and enjoy. Feel proud of yourself for managing to up your antioxidants and get a buzz at the same time!

Heather decided to go all Italian on us with a delicious mix of light, sweet limoncello, tart cran and our ol’ girl the Goose!  She also smartly paired it with a white pizza which if I had my way, I’d have in front of me right now. Mmm mmm… And to make it even better, the white pizza is figure-friendly at only 4 Weight Watcher’s Points® a slice.  That leaves room for another limontini!  Let me have my math.

Limon-tini

• 3oz Grey Goose
• 2oz Caravella Limoncello
• 1oz cranberry juice

Pour over ice, shake, and strain into glass.  Enjoy!

White Pizza

22 min | 10 min prep | SERVES 4

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1/2 vidalia onions or other sweet onion, coarsely chopped (about 1 cup)
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped spinach or arugula leaves


• 1/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
• 4 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil or 2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1 (8-inch) prebaked pizza crusts (such as boboli)

1. Spray grill rack with nonstick spray and prepare grill for medium-hot fire.
2. Heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, sugar, and 1/4 tsp of the salt.
3. Cook, stirring until onion is a rich golden brown, about 8 minutes.
4. Stir together the spinach or arugula, ricotta, 2 tbsp of the parmesan, the basil, and the remaining 1/4 tsp salt in a small bowl.
5. Place the crust on a pizza paddle or rimless baking sheet and spread the spinach mixture over it to cover entirely.
6. Top with the onion and sprinkle with the remaining 2 tbsp paremesan.
7. Using the paddle or baking sheet, slide the pizza on the grill, away from the heat source.
8. Cover and cook, rotating the pizza a half turn every 5 minutes, until the pizza is hot and the cheese is fully melted, about 8 minutes.

4 WW Points per serving (1/4 pizza).

Reposted from Weight Watchers.com

Chari and Heather will also each receive a signed copy of our book, The IT Girl’s Guide to Blogging with Moxie as well as an 8oz. tube of our current desktop favorite, Jaqua Hand Creme with Meadowfoam Seed Oil.

We’ll be reporting back about these recipes, along with others that weren’t drawn, in the coming weeks. Plus, stay tuned for the launch of our new website, TheMoxieGirls.com where we’ll be covering cocktails, entertaining, beauty and lifestyle.

Thanks for all of your awesome entries! 

Kathy is coming to visit me in San Diego this August and we’d love to create an opportunity to meet some of you lovely peeps!  We’re working on putting together a little soirée at one of my favorite lounges for a few hours one evening.  But, in order to best gauge attendance, we’d love to get your feedback on if this is something you’d like to attend. 

To give you a little sneak peek into what we have in mind, while it will be a cash bar for adults 21 and up, there will hopefully be some fun door prizes, as well as a signature cocktail special and some delicious (and I do mean delicious) noshes. I’ll be meeting with the folks at said venue about the details as soon as we can a rough headcount.  We’ll be there for general merriment, meet n’ greet, book signing and blog talk.  Most importantly, we’re there for fun, so bring a friend!

Check out the poll on the sidebar of our blog to vote!

I just wanted to pop in to address the curiosity surrounding Femmeplates™ and their pending arrival.  We know you ladies are waiting patiently and are super excited about it, evident by the slew of email we’re getting asking “When? When? When? Are we there yet? Huh? Huh?” We know waiting is torture!  We’re really excited to unleash them and we’ve got a nice selection coming together that we’re sure will tickle your feminine blog fancy in one way or another.  We wanted to give you ladies a date to mark on your calendar.  We’ll be unleashing Femmeplates™ on August 11th this summer so you’ll have time to scoop them up and get your sites ready for action. 

We’ll notify everyone who is on the mailing list first so if you’ve not signed up, go ahead and do that so you’ll be first in line to take your pick.  There won’t be a zillion so you’ll want to be in the front of the line to peruse the selection.  Boding Femmeplates™ success we’ll continue to feed the beast with new and fresh designs as the year goes on.  Including seasonal and holiday designs as well as we get closer to that time.  Can you believe I just mentioned holidays?  I think I just had an embolism just thinking about that.

Anyway, there you have it girls.  August 11th is the date for Femmeplates™ so be on the lookout. Also, if you are in the San Diego area the weekend of August 23-24 and want to meet up with us for the The Moxie Girls™ Mixer (… it’ll be a cocktailin’ good time) make sure to let us know over there on the right in that nifty poll.  We hope you’ll join us for some fun… who knows maybe you’ll get some freebies out of it. 

I got this recipe in my inbox this morning from one of my favorite sites, CocktailTimes.com.  This looks so light and refreshing… the perfect alternative to the usual beer for 4th of July weekend.  I would mix it up and serve them with unusual grilled sausages instead of the expected hot dogs? Or with grilled shrimp skewers?

Ok, so it’s not totally All-American, but that cucumber-blackberry combo sounds the perfect cure for a long, hot summer.

Mint Summer Nightini

Ingredients:
- 2 parts Stoli Blackberi, blackberry flavored vodka
- 1 part fresh cucumber juice
- Splash of simple syrup
- Mint leaves
Garnish: mint leaves and thin slices of cucumber

Muddle mint leaves and shake all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with sprig of mint and thin slices of cucumber.

We’ll be out of the office tomorrow enjoying our Independence.  Here’s hoping you have some fun in the sun planned.  Happy 4th of July!  Stay cool.  

Well, we finally figured things out regarding our little get-together in August. So here’s the scoop!

Kathy and I talked it over and instead of creating extraneous hoopla and stress, we decided to keep it relaaaaaaxed and caaaaaasual.    We’ve reserved a cabana and a few tables for spill-over on the patio at the Lei Lounge on Park Blvd. in the University Heights neighborhood of San Diego from 5pm to 7pm.  Lei Lounge runs their Saturday Happy Hour during this time, so it’s half price signature cocktails (only $4!) and I believe their are some food specials, as well. (And let me tell you, their crab empanadas are to die for...)

So, in a nutshell:

What: Drinks with Kathy and Joelle

Where: Lei Lounge (map)

When: Saturday, August 23rd from 5pm to 7pm

Why: Because we’re awesome, that’s why! 

Kathy and I both will be there, cocktail in hand, ready to chat it up!  We’ll have some pens on hand, too, if you decide you’d like to bring your book for us to sign.  If you plan on being there (and if you plan on bringing a guest or two), please leave a comment here so I can get a rough headcount. We might need another cabana!

Looking forward to seeing you there…