Working in consumer PR, we tend to take a close look at holidays and “holidays" to discover if there is a unique angle to the designated day that will benefit our clients. In the past, we've celebrated gems like National Martial Arts Day, Flag Day  and National Underwear Day. And if a holiday for our particular need doesn’t exist, we're not afraid to start our own...ever heard of Jell-O Week or National Pierogy Day?

Among the national “thises “and “thats” is Thanksgiving - truly one of our favorite traditional holidays. Once the pumpkin carving masters put away their tools and the Halloween candy around the office finally disappears, it’s time to focus on the sides. Yes, sides dishes. Who wants a serving of turkey complemented with just another helping of turkey? Plus, many of the products that we get to work on provide the necessary essentials for Thanksgiving side dishes so we get to think about these delightful dishes year-round.

According to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, the U.S. is a big producer of Thanksgiving sides: 709 million pounds of cranberries, 1.8 billion pounds of sweet potatoes, and 794,777 tons of snap green beans. That’s quite a bit of green bean casserole!  And don’t even get me started about potatoes.

To celebrate the sensational sides of Thanksgiving, here are my picks for the top five most important sides for the holiday feast.

1.    Rolls: I’m a firm believer in home made rolls…made with yeast. Scary, but so worth the time investment and stress.

2.    Stuffing. Do I really have to elaborate? Here’s my favorite.

3.    Mashed potatoes & gravy: Usually the debate comes down to lumps or no lumps. I prefer whipped with homemade gravy made from the turkey drippings. Yum.

4.    Black olives: I might not eat olives any other time of the year, but when it comes to Thanksgiving, I’m like a little kid and I have to have at least 5 on my plate – one for each finger on my right hand.

5.    Green Stuff: This is one side that baffles most, but it’s a family tradition. In some circles, this dish is known as “Pistachio Fluff” (I suppose a more friendly name for the test kitchens). But, this sweet “salad” has been a staple at all major family meals since I was a wee one with the very technical name of “green stuff.” If it’s an important meal chez nous, we have home made rolls (see #1) and green stuff. You can check out the recipe here (but I would omit the nuts). Try it. You’ll like it.

Ok – now that my tastebuds are ready for the sensational sides of Thanksgiving, it’s time to do a little shopping! Happy Thanksgiving!

Donetta

  Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images North America

Many events that Hunter PR hosts on behalf of our clients are for media, whether to introduce a new product or to make a big splash about a new program.  Every once in a while, however, the opportunity arises to leverage our clients’ celebrity fans or to work with stars as spokespeople for various brands.  One such celeb-oriented occasion came about recently when a client served as one of the main bar sponsors at P. Diddy’s 40^th birthday party at the Plaza Hotel, and much to my delight, my colleague Annette and I were added to the guest list.

After passing through several security points, we entered the lavishly decorated ballroom filled with extravagant greenery that created an enchanted forest-like ambiance.  The décor wasn’t the main attraction, however – within minutes of arriving we spotted A-listers such as Jay-Z (sans wife Beyoncé), Bono, Martha Stewart, Denzel Washington and Jimmy Fallon.  The stars had come out in droves to celebrate P. Diddy’s milestone birthday!  Tequila Don Julio, my client, was featured in the Pom Blanco cocktail that was served throughout the evening and proved to be a hit with celebs such as Avril Lavigne, who sipped the drink while relaxing in the lounge area with a friend.

Soul legend Al Green served as the surprise musical guest of the evening, and after performing hits such as “Let’s Stay Together” (during which designer Zac Posen climbed up on a couch to get a better view and sing along), the crowd joined Green in singing “Happy Birthday” to the guest of honor.  Glittering confetti rained from the ceiling when the final note was uttered and bite-sized pieces of birthday cake were passed around the room. P. Diddy then took the stage to thank everyone for attending – I’m sure that most guests (like me) wouldn’t have missed it for the world!  All in all, P. Diddy’s party was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that will not soon be forgotten.

Kaitlin

About a year and a half ago, I packed two suitcases and moved from the Midwest to New York City. While it had been my dream to live in the city for years, it was a big transition. I went from a college student to an adult, an apartment in a small city to an apartment in Manhattan and a person with a huge group of friends to just a few.

Starting anew in a new city really taught me about the importance of networking. One of the ways I’ve been networking outside of work has been through participation in sports leagues. I’ve always enjoyed both playing and watching sports and in addition to the exercise, it has been a great way to meet people and try new things.

I started playing on the “Thunder From Down Hunter” kickball team with a group of coworkers last spring through the World Adult Kickball Association. We had a lot of fun playing a sport that we hadn’t played since middle school gym class.

This fall, a friend discovered the Zog Sports league, which offers a variety of different co-ed sports. We signed up to play touch football and were placed on a team. While not the best football player, I look forward to playing with my teammates every weekend. We also plan to play together in Zog’s winter football league.   

My biggest piece of advice for someone who moves to a new city is to become involved. Step outside of your comfort zone and try something new and different.

Megan

If you’re interested, here are a few co-ed sport leagues in NYC:

Zog Sports 

World Adult Kickball Association 

New York CoEd Soccer 

NYC Social Sports Club 

When I moved to New York City two years ago I was told that I would not be considered a “New Yorker” until I celebrated my fifth anniversary in the city. Fair enough. However, I felt like a “New Yorker” last week when the Yankees won the World Series. Decked out in Yankee blue, I celebrated with fans from all over Manhattan and beyond.  

With many famous fans in attendance, including Kate Hudson, Spike Lee and Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the pinstripes-clad team ended their season in the new Yankee Stadium with a bang. Marking the 27th World Series win in Yankee history, fans are already hoping for an equally impressive season in 2010.
 
Hunter PR celebrated the big win with Yankee-themed cupcakes that were distributed to the tune of “ We Are the Champions” playing in the background.

Seven tried-and-true HPR fans even ventured down to the Victory Parade on Friday morning.

Braving the cold temperatures to show their support for the new champs, “Hunters” watched as Matsui, A-rod and crew made their way up the “Canyon of Heroes.”

I may have three years to go, but even without the “New Yorker” title, I will continue to wear my Yankee blue with pride.  

Jennie

I recently visited Los Angeles and took a mini epicurean tour of some of the most buzzed about restaurants by foodies.  I made it a point to dine at Bazaar by Jose Andres in West Hollywood.  When I last visited LA back in February 2009, it had just received four stars from the LA Times food critic and I heard that it had been quite some time since the LA Times had given a restaurant such a high rating and favorable review.  It definitely did not disappoint.  From the cocktails to food--everything was very impressive.  We started the evening with the Magic Mojito and Passion Fruit Martini made with one of my clients, Zacapa 23 Rum.  The restaurant definitely had molecular gastronomy influences and the Magic Mojito cocktail was a perfect example.  They make the Moijito with actual cotton candy and pour the drink over it, which dissolves the cotton candy.  The menu was equally as impressive. It was divided into traditional tapas and modern tapas--we sampled quite a few but my favorite was the deconstructed Caprese salad stuffed Piquillo peppers with goat cheese. The peppers reminded me of my grandmother's recipe, although she stuffs them with tuna, which is the original Spanish preparation.

Next up the Roger Room, one of LA's new cocktail bars.  Bartender Jason Bran prepared us a Diablo cocktail with Don Julio (another one of my clients), classic tequila cocktail with cassis and ginger beer--it's one of my favorite tequila cocktails. 

The next day we ventured to Pizzeria Mozza to see what all the fuss was over.  Nancy Silverman, Joe Bastianich and Mario Batali own this pizza joint.  It was bustling for lunch time!  I heard the way to go was the chopped salad, meatballs and then the clam pizza.  I don't eat clams so I ordered fennel sausage, panna and red onion pizza and the goat cheese, leek, scallion and bacon pizza.  The pizza was good, but I definitely think NYC has LA beat on the pizza circuit.

Overall I was impressed with my dining experience while in LA.  As usual, I heard about a dozen more places to try that I added to my list for the next trip!

Annette