Specifically, we were discussing the fact that everything at Fudgey Nut is decadent and how we might have some barriers to cross as a company due to the rise in “health conscious” gift giving and alternatives to food gifts in corporate culture.

My point of view on these matters is simple: I give like I live. My spouse has a much more practical approach to things and takes into consideration the fact that some people can’t eat sugars, some are watching their weight, etc. But I want the gifts I give to be extravagant.

For those of you new to Fudgey Nut, and me specifically, you will need to know a few things.

#1 I live life to the fullest at all points and times.

If I “check out” tomorrow, I want to be the kind of person that my friends and loved ones will remember as a force of change. I want to be remembered as a person that helped a lot of people and had a lot of fun doing it. In short, I want to be remembered.

#2 I am kind of over the top.

This is something my spouse and I have in common, which is one of the other reasons why we work. It comes with the territory of wanting to be remembered and wanting to make a lasting impression on everyone, every way I can. When I do something, I REALLY do it. I am the kind of person who doesn’t throw just a party. All my dinner parties and house parties have themes and flare. It helps people remember the place they are at, the people they are with, and most importantly the fact that I threw it.

#3 I love to cook.

With the exception of song writing and spending time with my loved ones, there is nothing more fun for me than to play in one of my store’s kitchens or my home kitchen. I like to make a mess. I like to take ingredients and create dishes like a mad scientist. I like to see what an additional table spoon of pure Madagascar Vanilla will do to my baked from scratch Caramel Cake batter. I enjoy seeing all my friends and loved ones sharing stories, laughing, and indulging in one of my creations. I want people to know that I care enough to go the extra mile and share something that tastes delicious, and for a minute, forget what diet they were on!

That’s the way I give gifts. I remember the first Christmas with my spouse. I went over the top budget wise. I went absolutely insane with the magnitude of the gifts I was giving. I wanted the experience to be unforgettable. Giving gifts like this makes a sender feel just as good as the recipient. My excitement levels were so high that I couldn’t wait until Christmas morning to share the gifts. The night before, I cooked one of my favorite dishes and forced the gift exchange to occur. When the smoke cleared and the wrapping paper was all over the floor of the living room, the only words spoke were, “No one has ever done anything like this for me before.” And that’s exactly what I wanted.

That’s also the way I want to do business. I want to provide an experience that is all the things I have talked about in this post. As a gift sender, I want you to be viewed as someone who went over the top by purchasing your recipient a gift that looks like something you can’t find just anywhere. I want all my gift baskets to be filled with gourmet items that were created with flare and fun by people who love to cook. I want your recipient to completely indulge and lose themselves in the rich flavors and interesting textures of my products. Most importantly, I want the recipient to know that they are valued and that you cared enough to give them the chance to lose themselves and feel good. I want you to be remembered.

And that folks, is my take on life and is a gift defined.

Welcome to something I like to call “Brownie 2.0!”  What you will find in these pages are my thoughts on life, love, and the pursuit of chocolate happiness! I plan on making this part of the company website fun and interactive for you and me. As we progress with the website renovations, I want to incorporate things like special recipes, our involvement with local charities, and a chance to for you to ask our me questions and get answers on most anything all right here in a blog of my very own!

Be on the look out for some fun and exciting stuff. Oh, and join us in our addiction to Twitter too! (www.twitter.com)

- Anthony

Ingredients:

• 6 almond butter brownies*
• 1 small jar of seedless raspberry jam (or apricot, or whatever you fancy)
• 1 sak of sugared roasted pecans*
• 4 oz good chocolate (I prefer bittersweet or dark for this)
• 1/4 c cream
• 1t butter
• 1t raspberry liqueur (optional)

Preheat your oven to 325. Spray or coat the mini muffin pans with either Pam or butter. Cut each brownie into 4 equal parts. Press one of these parts into each of the mini muffin wells and, using your finger, press up the walls a bit, leaving just a nice dent in the middle. Fill dent with about 1/2 teaspoon of raspberry jam. Bake for 10 mins.

Place 1/2 of the pecans into a zip top bag. Crush lightly. Sprinkle crushed nuts over the jam topped brownies as they come out of the oven. Let mini tarts cool and remove from pan.

Heat cream almost until boiling. Remove from heat and add chocolate, butter and liqueur. Stir until chocolate is melted and is creamy. Let cool slightly and place into another zip top bag. Cut small hole in corner of zip top bag and use it like a pastry bag to drizzle chocolate over the mini tarts, Don’t squeeze too hard or the bag will burst like mine did

*available at Fudgey Nut