Below you will find the list of categories and nominees. Leave your guesses in the comments section before noon on Sunday February 26th to be eligible. Tell all of your friends and good luck!

Best Picture:

1. The Artist
2. The Descendants
3. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
4. The Help
5. Hugo
6. Midnight in Paris
7. Moneyball
8. The Tree of Life
9. War Horse

Actor in a Leading Role:

1. Demian Bichir, A Better Life
2. George Clooney, The Descendants
3. Jean Dujardin, The Artist
4. Gary Oldman, Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy
5. Brad Pitt, Moneyball

Actress in a Leading Role:

1. Glenn Glose, Albert Nobbs
2. Viola Davis, The Help
3. Rooney Mara, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
4. Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
5. Michelle Williams, My Week with Marilyn

Actor in a Supporting Role:

1. Kenneth Branagh, My Week with Marilyn
2. Jonah Hill, Moneyball
3. Nick Nolte, Warrior
4. Christopher Plummer, Beginners
5. Max von Sydow, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Actress in a Supporting Role:

1. Berenice Bejo, The Artist
2. Jessica Chastain, The Help
3. Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids
4. Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs
5. Octavia Spencer, The Help

Directing:

1. The Artist, Michel Hazanavicius
2. The Descendant, Alexander Payne
3. Hugo, Martin Scorsese
4. Midnight in Paris, Wood Allen
5. The Tree of Life, Terrence Malik

In celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., New Trier High School and the Kindness Connection worked together today at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service.  The day was filled with family-based volunteer projects, all to benefit the elderly, sick patients in hospitals, veterans, children in need and homeless.

Kim & Scott’s donated pretzels and helped to raise money for the good work they did today.  We can’t think of a better way to commemorate Dr. King.  This is certainly Pretzels with a Purpose in action!

Pretzel lovers from today's event!

Slow Cooker Spicy Black-Eyed Peas

Ingredients
6 cups water
1 cube chicken bouillon
1 pound dried black-eyed peas, sorted and rinsed
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and diced
1 jalapeno chile, seeded and minced
8 ounces diced ham
4 slices bacon, chopped
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
salt, to taste
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions
Pour the water into a slow cooker, add the bouillon cube, and stir to dissolve. Combine the black-eyed peas, onion, garlic, bell pepper, jalapeno pepper, ham, bacon, cayenne pepper, cumin, salt, and pepper; stir to blend. Cover the slow cooker and cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours until the beans are tender.

Recipe and photo courtesy of allrecipes.com

Enjoy a traditional bavarian soft pretzel on the side while you’re watching the football games or hanging out with family and friends.

We are so excited for 2012. As we continue our pretzel journey, we set out to continue our mission of “Pretzels with a Purpose.” We are focussing on continuing to “empower” our pretzels, with options for making an organic line, more gluten free options, and “empowered” pretzels for kids lunches…powered with protein, omegas and more.
We also continue to look for ways to empower others. We are looking for opportunities to help schools have healthier lunches, and to teach kids about healthy lifestyles. If you have programs or ideas that we can get involved in, please reach out to us.

Wishing you a healthy, joyful, adventurous 2012!
Kim and Scott

Hanukah is a holiday that can be celebrated by everyone…it’s really an eight day festival of lights that brings light into your life at the darkest time of the year. It’s also a celebration of miracles, from back when the oil left in the light of the temple lasted eight days instead of just one. It reminds us of all the miracles around us.

At this season of celebrating lights, we wish you all much light in the coming year.

Kim

Santa has a savory craving often, and cheddar jalapeno, grilled cheese, or pizza stuffed soft pretzels could be that treat that gives him the energy to keep going.

No big cookie preparation…just pop in the oven and warm until toasty on the outside. Santa will love them!

Write if you try a twisted treat this year…you can still order from our website and receive in time for Christmas – until noon on Tuesday, December 20th! We also have a great holiday gift sampler that includes a variety of savories and sweets.

Thanks to all of you for your incredible support on our twisted journey. Wishing you a happy holiday season and all the best in 2012!!
With much gratitude,
Kim

Our pretzel cart at Wonder!

One of my obsessions has been to get little pretzel carts and set them up on location to take us out into the action! Recently, we have been setting up carts at events, stores, schools for fundraisers, bar/bat mitzvahs, weddings, company parties, and more. Our latest pretzel cart, led by Pretzel Professor Stephen, just set up today at WONDER in Deerfield, an incredible, huge store/playground/activity center for families in Deerbrook Mall. He will be selling our all-natural, nut-free soft pretzels and drinks today and tomorrow. More on WONDER…If you are in the Chicago area, you should check this place out! Located at 250 S. Waukegan Road in Deerfield, IL. It’s loaded with everything you need for kids 0-9, plus they do lots of fun activities. Check out wonder.com for more details. If you have an event and want a unique twisted and delicious option, contact us about our cart program. It will be a big hit! We also do pretzel twisting carts! Happy Saturday! Kim

Since its start in 2006, the group has grown a grassroots network of nearly 800 parents from across the metropolitan Chicago area that have been tackling issues like the need for paid sick days and better school schedules. Most notable has been its pioneering campaign for a more “family-friendly” calendar in Evanston-Skokie School District 65, which led to a reduction in the number of days students are off or released early and helped demonstrate how parents can be a powerful catalyst for positive change.

To celebrate these accomplishments and its 5th birthday, ParentsWork will be hosting an open house gathering on Saturday, December 3rd from 4-7 PM at Café Twist. Click here for more information and to register.

Our 8 - 2-pack sampler

You can also send 8-2packs of your favorite flavor, like Chicago style mozzarella pizza for pizza fans, or Cheddar Jalapeno along with a microbrew for a great beer/pretzel gift idea….

And remember, all our soft pretzels are nut-free and all-natural, made with premium ingredients for an easy anytime snack or meal.

Go to kimandscotts.com to order online. Call 1-800-57-TWIST if you have any questions.

Are you done with the expected nuts or popcorn? Your family and friends will love this unique twist! Let us know what you think….
Happy Monday!
Kim

Kids of ALL ages (3-99) love the satisfaction of playing with the dough, and twisting their own treats. The experience brings back the magic of where it all started for the pretzel….over 1400 years ago when an Italian monk invented the pretzel as a gift for children after prayer.

We’ve been doing some fun special twists, like a rainbow twist with painting of rainbow colors and fun nut-free toppings, and we also have pizza twists and s’more twists.

Pretzel twisting birthday parties at the café have been a huge hit with the kids! You can take over the whole café and enjoy a private party, with goody bags, pretzel twisting, lunch or snack, and cupcakes. We make it easy for parents, and fun for kids.

Teachers are bringing their classes, and pretzel twisting is fun for scouts, community organizations, team building and more. If you are looking for something different to do for your holiday party, we also offer Travelling Twisting Parties!

And if you’re not in the Chicago area, we’re working on a pretzel twisting party kit! I’d love to hear your thoughts and ideas on the kit. We’re thinking about making it for 15 kids, complete with aprons, hats, coloring books and more. Let me know what you think!

Happy twisting!
Kim