What do Fabio, Rohan Marley and Roba Dolce have in common?

Click here to find out :-)

http://robadolce.blogspot.com/2011/03/what-do-fabio-rahan-marley-and-roba.html

Shayna scores big for Special Olympics!!

Check out photos from our Boston College game giveaway last Sunday!

Our favorite Roba girl, Shayna raised over $1000 towards the Special Olympics

by shooting 12 for 15 free throws!!

Please visit the Roba Dolce blog here and give Shayna a high five in the comments section.

Bravery on the High Seas

For another act of bravery and kindness, click here...

http://robadolce.blogspot.com/2011/03/kindness-in-face-of-danger.html

Having something GOOD to say...

 I don't watch the news much anymore - it's depressing to say the least. I catch the important facts, and leave the rest alone. I debated starting a newspaper or even just a blog that highligted GOOD NEWS ONLY around the country and perhaps extending to the world!... I'm still tossing that around. But for now.. there's THIS...

   Mike and Matt heard me chattering on about this very concept and at the same time they've been looking at ways to spread Roba Dolce's philanthropic wings. The Special Olympics is near to their heart, but they want to do more as the company grows.

 Hence, the birth of this blog, click below.  Please take a minute to introduce yourself to it's content, and feel free to join our mission to spread some joy, reward acts of kindness, volunteerism, thoughtfulness.

  There is so much good news out there that we never hear about... 

 Let's help Roba Dolce spread the word.
To all my blog buddies - help ME and post about this on YOUR blog!
No pressure :-)

http://robadolce.blogspot.com/

Winners of Roba Dolce Flavor Contest!

 First I should tell you that MANY of your flavor ideas were winners. We received 78 in total.  The guys at Roba Dolce had a hard time narrowing it down to just ONE - so they picked THREE!!   Some of the recommended flavors are already in the works, and they are keeping the list of all flavors for future reference. Roba Dolce thanks every one of you for participating.  The boxes go out on Friday to those of you who entered your blog for blog button and review of product.  

 Now for the winners - (if you've entered your blog and your flavor won too, you're getting a double dose)  If you've given me your shipping address already, terrific. I'll send you a shout out this morning.

http://www.deannario.com/  and Lynn R. of my home town - for STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE GELATO

Patricia of http://butteryum.blogspot.com/ - for COFFEE TOFFEE MOCHA CRUNCH GELATO

http://frombeyondmykitchenwindow.blogspot.com/   - for KEY LIME PIE GELATO

 We look forward to your reviews!

Roba Dolce thanks you ..and an easy super bowl recipe!

 Your flavor ideas were fantastic! Thank you all for participating. The "list" is now before the guys at Roba Dolce and I will announce a winner here shortly.  Also, to all those who participated in the blog button and review, your samples will be going out to you later this week -be on the lookout for a big white box with dry ice, be careful when unpackaging your gelato and sorbetto.  Let the product temper, meaning soften a bit before sampling.  Then let us know what you think, and if you post a review on your blog, send me a note so that we can make note of the review!   Roba Dolce would also love photos of you or family members enjoying the gelato/sorbetto - feel free to post them on their facebook page or send to me at karenthisoldhouse@hotmail.com and I can forward it.  We might ask you for permission to use that photo on our newly improved website, which is currently getting an overhaul - so you can be creative with that as well!  We want pictures of anyone from the very young to the very old -  There is now a store locater on the site that will tell you where you can find the gelato and sorbetto near you.

Now... for a great super bowl treat -

Pimento Cheese and Bacon Crostini

We had good friends over for game night on Sunday - Apples to Apples, Pictionary (girls won!) and PATRIOTS..who lost. These were an easy and really tasty appetizer I found on the Food & Wine site - a great edition to any super bowl celebration.

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups finely shredded extra-sharp white cheddar cheese
2 1/2 cups finely shredded extra-sharp orange cheddar cheese
One 7-ounce jar pimientos, drained and finely chopped
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Cayenne pepper  ( I left this out)
40 slices baguette, toasted
4 strips cooked bacon, crumbled

Directions

1.In a big bowl, combine the white and orange cheddar cheeses. Add the chopped pimentos, mayonnaise, black pepper and garlic powder; blend at low speed with mixer. Season the pimento cheese with cayenne pepper to taste. (I didn't)   Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.

2.Preheat the oven to 400° Spread the pimento cheese on the toasts, top with the bacon and bake until the cheese is melted and browned, about 2 minutes. Serve.

Makes 3 cups or 40 crostini.

Everybody needs a little Love

This is Roba Dolce's best girl, Shayna at the Patriots stadium gelato give-away this past fall. Shayna is an athlete and has participated in Special Olympics with great success. Roba Dolce is a proud supporter of the Special Olympics. The Jingle you will hear on the video was written and is sung by Shayna's brother James and the cast of this video is the entire Olerio family - founders of Roba Dolce. I thought you'de like to know who you're rooting for. My husband and I are thrilled to be along for the journey and we're grateful that you've joined in.

Thank you to all you bloggers out there who are helping us to spread the word - it means the world to us. There's still time to name that flavor and sign up for a gelato and sorbetto sampling delivered to your house. Read previous post for details!

Hey facebookers!..we've got a face too! Become a fan at http://www.facebook.com/#!/robadolcegelato

  Recent taste test winner  Paula S. of California receives her gelato and sorbetto

 just in time for a reprieve from a heat wave -

It just keeps getting better

  The guys over at Roba Dolce headquarters are getting a kick out of your flavor ideas.  They also said "WOW, blogs are pretty cool!"   And then they asked me to throw this out to you  too -  Not only are they going to pick a winning flavor and ship one of you a case of their sorbetto and gelato - Whoever posts the Roba Dolce button I have over there on the right (you can grab the code below it) on their blog sidebar for a period of a month  (or more! Hey it's Ok with us!)  will ALSO get a gelato and sorbetto delivery.  After you've received the product and sampled it - if you enjoyed it - a brief post on how much you liked it would be appreciated.  If you want to participate in helping us get the word out, simply e-mail me with your blog address and delivery address at karenthisoldhouse@hotmail.com.

 We're still looking for flavor ideas too, so don't be bashful. Let us know what your favorite flavors are and what combos you might like to see. Be creative!   Personally I'de love to see a rootbeer float gelato!...

Name That Flavor Give-Away

 OK folks - you know I've talked a little about Mike's new venture with the Gelato company, Roba Dolce.  See Button that The Blue Ridge Gal helped me make, click for website on right  -    I am happy to report Roba Dolce is growing in leaps and bounds.  They have just enhanced their line of flavors and many new stores nationally and internationally are signing on to carry their gelato and sorbetto.  A revamp of the website is scheduled for some time this month and the Patriots Stadium contract is in full swing.  Below is the new mascot costume which will make its debut in the bleachers soon - check Matt out, he 's made for this work, don't ya think?  He's also Mike's other wife, the two are attached at the cellphone, 24-7.  I won't complain though - Matt is the reason we can now say we make a killer sauce.

So here's the deal on the give- away.  They are looking for new flavors and they'd really like to know what consumers want to see in the stores . The website tells you what they already have.   In my comments section, give us any new flavors you'd recommend for a gelato or a sorbetto. Be sure to be specific which one it should be... for instance, lemon and blood orange are sorbettos because their flavor lends it self to an icier texture,  whereas pistachio and raspberry chocolate almond are flavors that call for a creamier texture.  Anonymous commenters will have to either e-mail me (see sidebar) with your e-mail contact info or leave an e-mail address with their comment because I have to know how to contact you to give you your free gelato and sorbetto if your flavor is chosen.  Whoever comes up with the flavor combos Roba Dolce decides to use will win a case of gelato and sorbetto shipped directly to your house. I'll leave this post up for a few days, spread the word and lets see what we can come up with! ....

 

 This is the newly enhanced Raspberry Chocolate Almond - my favorite!

I was longing for a raspberry chocolate flavor and Matt threw in the almonds.
He got it going, and it was a hit!

  Some stores, like Krogers, carry us under their  brand name -

In Stop & Shop we are Simply Enjoy...

 So.. let's  hear it!

Everybody needs alittle...

  That's the slogan and I have a funny story.  Obviously, slogans are meant to be catchy..something to remember, perhaps even raise an eyebrow.   Coke is "the real thing", Pepsi -"You've got alot to live and Pepsi's got alot to give".  The old Chesterfield cigarettes "Blow some my way",  A T & T "Reach out and touch someone".  Motel 6 "We'll leave the Light On".  Nike - "Just Do It" .

 Roba Dolce says....

...and that's a simple enough statement. I like it, it's catchy and it's true.   But it's a statement of a dangerous flavor when the containers are mistakenly filled by a machine to produce a  set of boobs effect. We opened a container from our local Stop & shop recently and what stared out at us was a choclate set of plump breast-like gelato, nipples and all. (you can imagine this in PINK) The  factory was called and the equipment was revised..it was merely a glitch in the system, but oh did I laugh. That's a little too much subliminal advertising.

 To answer a few questions...

My two favorite flavors - Raspberry chocolate Almond and Dark Chocolate Chunk

Pistachio... it doesn't get any better

The best way to eat this stuff is slightly thawed out of the freezer. I pop it in the microwave for 15 seconds.  I also like to wedge the raspberry chocolate almond between two chocolate cookies for a sandwich.

I left out a few bits of information...

Current flavors with more to come
Coconut Gelat
Dark Chocolate Chunk Gelato - for Chocolate lovers, it's the bomb.
Raspberry Chocolate Almond Gelato - My absolute favorite
Pistachio Gelato- dreamy creamy
Wildberry Gelato
Blood Orange Sorbetto
Lemon Sorbetto
Mango Sorbetto
Raspberry Sorbetto

 The gelato and sorbetto can also be found at the following stores - I ommitted these in yesterday's post:
(if you don't see the Roba Dolce brand label in these stores, it means the product is under their private label)

Winn Dixie
Shop Rite
Harmons
Giant
Shaws
Frys
Kings
Negotiations are in the works with Target, but it's not a done deal yet. Fingers crossed!

OK, getting off my gelato soap box now.