Angel Food Cake with Strawberry Mousse

1 package Angel Food Cake Mix
2 packages Strawberry Mousse Mix or Chocolate Mousse
1 cup sliced fresh strawberries
Optional - Daisy Confection Candies or candies of your choice
Fresh Strawberries or fruit of your choice for garnish if desired

Prepare and bake Angel Food Cake according to package directions, using a10 inch tube pan.
Remove from oven when baked and invert onto wire rack to cool completely, about 1 hour.
With a serrated knife, about 2 inches down from top, gently cut top with knife and turn cake as you cut through. Carefully scoop out insides of cake carefully, put scooped out cake insides in medium sized bowl. Leave about 1/4 inch on bottom and sides to hold the strawberry mousse.
Prepare Strawberry Mousse . Mix together approx. half of mixture and 1 cup sliced strawberries in bowl, folding gently to mix. Pour into hollowed out cake. Cover with Top of cake that was set aside. With remaining Strawberry Mousse frost your cake using a large spatula. Place cake in refrigerator until set about 1 - 2 hours.

To garnish - Place Sugar Candy Daisies, Candy Hearts or Chocolate Candies like Smarties or Gummy Worms randomly on cake, covering top and sides.
Optional - Place fresh whole strawberries, raspberries or blueberries randomly on top of cake for a nice added touch.

Cooking Tips:A Fabulous Dessert in Jello Recipes:
With leftover cake pieces that you scooped out makes one great favorite in Jello Recipes.Pick a Jello flavor of your choice and make according to package directions. Place in refrigerator to partially set. Fold in Whipped Cream that has been whipped and mix gently until well combined. Fold in Cake pieces until covered. Add fresh fruit if desired, strawberries or blueberries are great. Place in refrigerator and let set for at least 1 hour. Serve this dessert recipe for a midnight snack or a delightful dessert for your table!

recipe found here

Red Gold Tomato

Red Gold Tomato printable coupon for .50 off 2 cans. Simply follow this link register and print

Free Sample Ritz Cheddar Cheese & Bacon Flavored Crackerfuls

Hurry for your free sample of the new RITZ cheddar cheese & bacon flavored crackerfuls. Simply like ritz on facebook to take advantage of this great giveaway

Pickle Red Onions

This is another garden recipe that you may want to try. It is a bit different than what I am used to and that is exactly what I like. I found this recipe here while browsing the web.

Pickled Red Onions

3/4 cup (180ml) white vinegar
3 tablespoons (50gr) sugar
pinch of salt
1 bay leaf
5 allspice berries
5 whole cloves
a small, dried chile pepper
1 large red onion, peeled, and thinly sliced into rings

In a small, non-reactive saucepan, heat the vinegar, sugar, salt, seasonings and chile until boiling. Add the onion slices and lower heat, then simmer gently for 30 seconds. Remove from heat and let cool completely. Transfer the onions and the liquid into a jar then refrigerate until ready to use.
Storage: The onions will keep for several months, but I find they're best the week they're made

Uncle Ben's Whole Grain Rice Review

As a mom of teens I face a daily challenge of getting my teens to eat nutritiously. When they were little I had so many great tricks and little do the little ones in the family know but I can still trick the sliest of them. Teens on the other hand have the mindset to decide what they will or won't eat. So when I was given the opportunity by Mom Central to review Uncle Ben's whole grain rice I thought great I thought it was a great opportunity. There are many whole grain products on the market that try to camouflage the fact that they are whole grain. Some work and some don't. I am happy to say that we tried Uncle Ben's whole grain rice a couple of different ways and it was great. First I tried it for breakfast with a bit of cream and sugar. I tried it myself thinking that it would be a bit gritty or have a different taste I was very surprised to see that it did not. Then I let my teens go on it knowing that their picky palates are even a bit more delicate than mine. I am happy to say that Uncle Ben's whole grain rice passed with flying colors. Second I tried this recipe.

Hamburger Rice and Cheese

1lb ground hamburger
4 cups cooked rice
1 jar cheese

Cook the hamburger and then drain set aside. Layer casserole dish starting with rice, then hamburger and last jar of cheese Preheat oven to 400 degrees cook for 30 minutes and eat

Once again everyone loved the casserole and no one noticed that I was using Uncle Ben's whole grain rice. If you are looking for a great way to put more whole grain into your diet you should try the Uncle Ben's whole grain rice. Currently there is a .75/2 coupon on the Uncle Ben's website that you can print. This would be a great chance to save a little money and try the Uncle Ben's whole grain rice. There are also several great recipes on the Uncle Ben's website located at http://www.unclebens.com/

wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Uncle Ben’s and received samples to facilitate my candid review. Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Winners

For a long period of time my practice has been to not list winners on my blog. However, this has been brought up and I do believe this is a good idea. So starting with the latest giveaways I will be listing. Thanks for all the emails etc... I really enjoy hearing what my readers think

Sam's Special

Not for sure why this recipe is called Sam's Special that is the way I found it in the cookbook.

Sam's Special

1 lb ground round ($2)

1 T steak sauce (in pantry)

1 can cream of mushroom sauce (.59)

Brown meat in skillet. Drain grease, if any Crumble meat Add steak sauce and soup Simmer 5 minutes Serve on toast

shared at the $5 dinner challenge

Beef In Foil Dinner

Beef In Foil Dinner

lb ground beef

4 potatoes, sliced

4 onions, sliced

4 carrots, sliced

1 can peas, drained

4 T butter

salt

pepper

Cut 4 large pieces of foil. Divide meat into four patties and place on foil, off center. Place potatoes, onions and carrots on each patty Pour peas over each patty Dot with butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper Fold foil over each dinner and seal edges well so juices will not leak out. Place on a cookie sheet Bake at 350 degrees 1 hour Remove from foil and serve

find more delicious recipes at the blog A Southern FairyTale

Peanut Butter Truffle Brownies

These looked delicious so I thought I would share the recipe I found here.

1 box (1 lb 6.5 oz) Betty Crocker® Original Supreme brownie mix
Water, vegetable oil and eggs called for on brownie mix box
Filling
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
2 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons milk
Topping
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup butter

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease bottom only of 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray or shortening. (For easier cutting, line pan with foil, then grease foil on bottom only of pan.) In medium bowl, stir brownie mix, pouch of chocolate syrup, water, oil and eggs until well blended. Spread in pan. Bake 28 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted 2 inches from side of pan comes out almost clean. Cool completely, about 1 hour. In medium bowl, beat filling ingredients with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Spread mixture evenly over brownie base. In small microwavable bowl, microwave topping ingredients uncovered on High 30 to 60 seconds; stir until smooth. Cool 10 minutes; spread over filling. Refrigerate about 30 minutes or until set. For brownies, cut into 9 rows by 4 rows. Store covered in refrigerator.

George

Here is a picture of my little buddy George. He is so cute in this picture with his yellow and white striped shirt. Look closely you will be able to see the yellow stripes in the shirt

Remembering Olden Days Gone By

During our recent visit to the local museum I was able to take a picture of this railroad tool that many are very familiar with. Over a decade ago railroad tracks were stripped from the surrounding area because faster routes were found Up until that time trains were a familiar sound in this area and many older residents can share many a story of the railroad

Pulled Chicken Sandwich

I love chicken barbq try this recipe I found on My Recipes and you may as well.





Chicken:
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon chili powder
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle chile pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs
Cooking spray

Sauce:
2 teaspoons canola oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon molasses

Remaining ingredients:
8 (2-ounce) sandwich rolls, toasted
16 hamburger dill chips

To prepare chicken, combine first 7 ingredients in a small bowl. Rub spice mixture evenly over chicken. Place chicken on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; cover and grill 20 minutes or until a thermometer registers 180°, turning occasionally. Let stand for 5 minutes. Shred with 2 forks.

To prepare sauce, heat canola oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion; cook for 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in 2 tablespoons sugar and next 5 ingredients (through pepper); cook 30 seconds. Stir in ketchup, vinegar, and molasses; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally. Stir in chicken; cook 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Place about 1/3 cup chicken mixture on bottom halves of sandwich rolls; top each serving with 2

Penny has many more uses than a cents worth

You may be suprised like I was to read all the great things that an ordinary copper abe lincoln headed penny can do:

• Curtain Straightener
  Make an opening in the bottom hem, slide in a penny or two, and sew the hem back up to keep curtains hanging level and stick-straight.
• Tread Checker
  Insert a penny into a groove of a tire with Lincoln’s head pointing into the tire. If the groove covers part of his head, you’re safe to drive; if the head is in full view, it’s time for new wheels. (The distance between the rim of a penny and Lincoln’s head is 1/16 of an inch―the minimum suggested tread depth.)
• Table Anchor
  If you dine out and the table is unsteady, put a coin under the leg to restore balance.
• Game Token
  Misplaced the thimble? No problem. Sub in a cent.
• Reader Tip: Makeshift Screwdriver
  Use a penny to screw open a toy’s battery pack.
  Caroline Brant, Collegeville, Pennsylvania
• Icebreaker
  Hand out pennies at your next gathering and ask each guest to share a story that happened during the year his or her penny was minted. If the coin predates a friend, let the person improvise.
• Reader Tip: Birdbath Cleaner
  To ward off algae, toss in a few pre-1982 coins; the high copper content retards growth.
  

Source: Real Simple

Out the Window

I took this picture while in the top floor of the old town museum. This is a picture of my hubby in the blue shirt and daughters boyfriend. Looks like a good friendly conversation going on.

Peanut Butter with butterscotch morsels bits

Here is a great recipe to prepare for sack lunches, afternoon snacks or when ever you need a treat.

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups chunky peanut butter (not "all natural")
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 11-oz. package butterscotch morsels

In a large bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt. Beat butter and peanut butter until smooth. Gradually add sugar, beating to blend. Beat in egg and vanilla. Stir in flour mixture and butterscotch morsels. Form into a large disk and wrap in plastic. Chill for 2 hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 375°F; line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Use hands to form dough into 1 1/2-inch balls. Place balls about 2 inches apart on cookie sheets. Using a fork, press balls flat, then press again to form a crisscross pattern. Bake cookies until lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Cool on sheets for 10 minutes, then transfer to racks to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough

Source : My Recipes

Menu Plan Monday

This week is the last full week of the month so with that in mind we know it will be clean out freezer week. Here are the meals I have planned:

• cheeseburgers, tomato mac,


• sub sandwiches, chips


• beef and noodle, rolls


• cheeseburger mac


• polish sausage, peppers, onions


• not sure something with hamburger


• we will eat at church

What will you be eating? Share it here

There will Be A Lot of Snacking Going on This Summer

Summer is a time to relax and have fun but sometimes it is also for snacking. As mom of six I know about snacking. I have 3 boys and 3 girls and must say I have a hard time telling you who snacks more. Now if we are talking about who likes the bigger steak or who will fill plate fuller at meals that would be the boys but snacks are something else all together. All of them love to snack and as mom it is my responsibility to make sure they snack healthy. Here are a few ideas you can try the next time your bunch wants to snack:

Strawberry smoothie:

Add 1 handful of fresh or frozen strawberries, 1 fresh or frozen banana (peeled and broken into chunks), and 1 cup of low-fat yogurt (any flavor you like) to a blender. Blend until smooth.

Yogurt Parfait:

In a tall glass or sundae cup, spoon alternating layers of low-fat yogurt, granola and sliced fruit of your choice.

Nachos:

Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray and preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Spread out a handful of low-fat or baked tortilla chips onto pan. Top with salsa, black beans (canned and rinsed), and a small amount of shredded cheese. Bake for 15 minutes or until cheese on top is melted. Can also be microwaved for about a minute rather than baking

Peanut Butter Dip:

Using peanut butter for dipping fruit and veggies Cut up carrots, celery, cucumbers, apples, bananas or other fresh product into spears and dip into the nut butter. We have also been known to add just a bit of honey to the butter to make it easier for dipping

Quick and Easy Barbq Pizza for one

Quick and Easy Barbq Pizza


1 small onion, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 (10-ounce) can refrigerated pizza crust
1/2 cup hickory smoke barbecue sauce
2 (6-ounce) packages grilled boneless, skinless chicken breast strips
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese with peppers
Garnish: chopped fresh parsley
Hickory smoke barbecue sauce

Sauté first 4 ingredients in hot oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat 8 to 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Drain well. Unroll pizza crust; press or pat into a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch pan. Bake crust at 400° for 12 to 14 minutes. Spread 1/2 cup barbecue sauce evenly over top of pizza crust in pan. Arrange chicken strips evenly over barbecue sauce, top with onion mixture, and sprinkle evenly with cheese. Bake at 400° for 8 to 10 minutes or until cheese melts. Garnish, if desired. Serve with extra sauce for dipping.

Source: My Recipes

Thai Chicken Roll Ups

If you are looking for a different taste that is both good and quick you may want to check out this recipe I found here



1 cup Oriental dressing
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch strips
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped gingerroot
3 cups coleslaw mix (8 ounces)
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
2 tablespoons chopped peanuts
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
6 flour tortillas (8 to 10 inches in diameter)


Mix dressing, peanut butter and red pepper until smooth. Set aside half of mixture to serve with wraps. Spray 10-inch nonstick skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium-high heat. Cook chicken and gingerroot in skillet, stirring occasionally, until chicken is brown. Reserve about 1/4 cup of remaining dressing mixture. Stir remaining dressing mixture into chicken. Cover and cook over medium-low heat 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until chicken is no longer pink in center. Remove chicken from skillet. Add reserved 1/4 cup dressing mixture, the coleslaw mix, bell pepper, peanuts and cilantro to skillet. Toss to coat mixture well. Spread about 1/3 cup each coleslaw mixture and chicken down center of each tortilla; roll up. Serve with remaining dressing mixture.

Getting to Know you meme

1. Do you have a fetish?

not that I can think of

2. Do you sing in the shower?

yes I do and the kids always complain

3. Who was your first crush?

his name was Bosco and we were in my aunts wedding when we were 6

4. What do you think is the best manly trait a guy could have?

muscles and a demeanor to treat a woman right

5. Do you sleep naked?

nope have to wear a tee

6. What do you do when (you think) no one is looking?

anything I want to

7. What's the first thing you do when you go online?

check email

8. Summer is.....?

a season that I have a love/hate relationship with, love all the fresh fruit and veggies, hate the high temps

you can play along here

Sunday Stealing: Voice Post

1) What's your middle name?

k

2) How old are you?

39
3) Where are you from? Are you living there right now?

Illinois still living there just different part of state now

4) Is it cold where you are?

no rather warm this morning

5) What's the time?

7:45 a.m

6) What are you wearing?

Sunday best

7) What was the last thing you listened to?

listening to some odd t.v show now

8) What was the last thing you ate?

goulash, meatballs for supper

9) What was the last thing you watched on TV?

how'd you get so rich

10) What's your favorite tv show? Why?

I love the view and hearing all their opinions whether I agree or disagree with them

11) Quick! Find a book, or something with text on it! Flip to a random page and post the second paragraph's first sentence.

Costas was a new york guy born in queens

12) What was the last movie you saw? How was it?

To take a Stand it was great

13) Do YOU think you have an accent? Where do people in your country do people speak with strong accents?

maybe a slight one, southern, eastern, western, nearly every where has own accent.

Today summed up in 6 words

Looking outside my window about ready to get off this computer and go outside. The sun is shining, the teens are all sitting out there having fun, and it just looks like a beautiful day.

What a Beautiful Day Today Is

Black Bottom Vanilla Cream Pie

Here is a great recipe for family reunion, church picnics or any time you are looking for something great to serve up.

Black Bottom Vanilla Cream Pie


9-inch baked gingersnap Cookie Crumb Crust
3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups milk
1 large egg
2 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar

Prepare crumb crust. Then combine first 6 ingredients in a medium saucepan, whisking well to blend. Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly, for about 8 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the butter and vanilla.
Place chopped chocolate in a small microwavable bowl. Microwave at medium power for 1 minute. Stir and repeat. Stir and cook the chocolate 30 seconds more if necessary, or until smooth.
Remove 1 cup of custard from saucepan and stir into melted chocolate. Spread chocolate custard evenly in bottom of pie shell. Spoon remaining vanilla custard on top. Cover top of tart with a sheet of wax paper to prevent skin from forming. Chill vanilla cream pie at least 3 hours or overnight.
To serve, whip cream and confectioners' sugar until stiff. Spoon or decoratively pipe whipped cream on top of tart.

Small Talk 6

The topic this week at Small Talk 6 located at MomDot.com is 6 most useful websites and mine would be:

1. mapquest I use alot to get to where I need to go
2. amazon.com a place I am slowly starting to fall in love with
3. dailyregister.com - hometown newspaper
4. craigs list where I have found great buys before
5. facebook where I keep up to date with all my friends

Then Sings My Soul Saturday:

I hope you enjoy this video as much as I did

Oatmeal Crusted Chicken Tenders

1 cup regular oats
3/4 cup (3 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound chicken breast tenders
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 450°. Place oats in a food processor, and process for 20 seconds or until coarsely ground. Add cheese, thyme, salt, and pepper. Pulse to combine, and place in a shallow bowl. Place each chicken breast tender between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound to 1/4-inch thickness using a meat mallet or small heavy skillet. Coat both sides of tenders with cooking spray; dredge tenders in oat mixture. Place tenders on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 450° for 15 minutes or until browned

Source My Recipes

The Giving Tree

We recently found a copy of the book The Giving Tree for Princess. One of our favorite books The Giving Tree tells the story of life. I read this book to my children when they were little, my kid brother and I shared it as well. Now that life has changed for me and those I read it to I am so glad that my daughter can now read it to her daughter. The Giving Tree is a great book to share. It is a tale about the relationship between a young boy and a tree in the forest. While the boy is young the giving tree provides the boy with what ever he wants and needs from branches to swing on to apples to eat the Giving Tree gives all it can. The tree even allows the boy to cut him down and make a boat out of it. Leaving the tree to be just a stump and the boy leaves for many years but returns when an old man to which the tree still gives what the boy needs a place to rest. If you are looking for a great book to read to your children check out the book The Giving Tree.

This post was shared on the blog The Adventures of Motherhood and Feed Me Books Friday

Food Trip Friday : hamburger and horseshoe sandwich

While the hamburger and fries look delicious and oooohh so good. Here in Illinois the delicious horseshoe sandwich is a treat.

The horseshoe sandwich is created with a piece of toast on a plate with a hearty hamburger patty resting on top and covering all of this is delicious french fries. Pour cheese sauce over the top of all this and you have a horseshoe

Garden Pasta Salad

My frugal tip today is to eat out of your garden. We did this as a child and still do this even today with my own family. From corn on the cob to leaf lettuce you can eat something out of the garden every day. Here is a great recipe to get you started.

Garden Pasta Salad

1 1/2 cup elbow or small shell macaroni
1 large tomato, diced
1 cup zucchini, chopped
1/3 cup bottled Italian dressing
2 tsp parsley, chopped
1/8 tsp black pepper

Boil water with a small amount of salt in a large pan. Cook pasta until tender, stirring occasionally. Drain pasta and allow to cool slightly. Place pasta, diced tomatoes, and chopped zucchini in a large serving bowl. Add dressing to moisten. Toss lightly. Add parsley and black pepper, toss lightly. Serve warm or cold.

Growing Up

This week I have watched my children graduate from highschool, prepare for college and mature a bit more as well. I am delighted that they are finding their way through life. I am still there if they need me but they can also do it by their selves. I am watching my son as he prepares for his mission trip, making decisions without me is very special to me. I loved being involved but I also love watching from the side line as well. I watch as my oldest son prepares to go to the university. I am there for support but he takes the reins and leads the way as he prepares to change his life he changes the way I see him a bit as well. I watch my daughter as she realizes that she has made mistakes and decides how to fix the mistakes. Once again I am there for support and to catch her if she falls but she claws her way back to where she needs to be in life, fighting all the way in the spirit I watched as she grew up is once again there. For all these things and the ways my children are changing I salute these as my finer things in life this week.

Friday Photo Flashback

One of my favorite pictures. My little princess and her uncle (my son). How sweet this picture is the background is great looks like it is about dusk when this picture was taken and both of them looking straight at the camera. One of my favorite pictures from last spring

Aloha Friday : weather

Aloha Friday, a meme that is hosted by the blog An Island Life and is set up where bloggers ask easy questions to each other. The reason behind Aloha Friday is the fact that Friday is a day of rest in Hawaii where you take it easy and prepare for the weekend.

Here we go the weatherman is starting to talk about warm weather near the 90s. Temps here have been in the 5os and 60s range and now in just a few days will be muggy in the 90s. Sounds like summer is approaching quickly. So with this in mind I was wondering what the weather was like where you are located so for

Aloha Friday question:

What is weather like where you are located?

Pillsbury Banana Cream Toffee Shortcakes

Banana Cream Toffee Shortcakes

2 Pillsbury® Grands!® frozen buttermilk or southern style biscuits (from 25-oz bag)
1/2 teaspoon butter or margarine, melted
2 teaspoons toffee bits (not chocolate covered)
1 snack-size container (4 oz) vanilla pudding
1/4 cup frozen (thawed) whipped topping
1/2 small banana, sliced
Caramel topping, if desired

Heat oven to 375°F. Bake biscuits as directed on bag; place on cooling rack. Brush tops with melted butter; sprinkle with toffee bits, pressing down slightly. Place pudding in small bowl; gently fold in whipped topping. Carefully split warm biscuits on serving plates; fill with pudding mixture and banana slices. Drizzle with topping; sprinkle with additional toffee bits if desired

Source where you can find this and other great recipes at Pillsbury here

Brownie Recipe for when its Too Hot To Bake

Microwave Brownies

1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
Preparation
Mist an 8-inch, square microwave-safe baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Place butter and cocoa powder in a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high until butter is melted, 30 to 90 seconds, depending on power and size of your oven (check it every 15 seconds). Add sugar and whisk to combine. Let mixture cool slightly, then whisk in eggs and vanilla. Stir in flour. Scrape batter into prepared baking dish.

Microwave on high until brownies are just set in center, 4 to 7 minutes, depending on power and size of your oven (after 4 minutes, check batter every 15 seconds). Let brownies cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Cut brownies into 8 squares and serve.

Source: My Recipes

All Day Breakfast Salad

All Day Breakfast Salad

4 slices Canadian bacon (4 ounces)
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
8 ounces baby spinach leaves (about 8 cups lightly packed)
2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half
4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

Cook the Canadian bacon in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat until golden brown, about 5 minutes, turning once. Remove from the skillet and cut into 1/2-inch strips. Set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, and mustard. Season with salt and pepper.
Place the spinach in a large serving bowl. Add the dressing and toss to coat evenly. Top with the tomatoes, eggs, Canadian bacon, and parsley, and serve.

Free Sample South Beach Living Fiber Fit S'mores bar

Get a Free Sample of South Beach Living™ Fiber Fit S'mores bar by going here

Chocolate Coffee Fondue

Chocolate Coffee Fondue

- 6 ounces semi-sweet dark chocolate - chopped
- 2 ounces unsweetnened chocolate - chopped
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- teaspoon instant espresso or coffee granules
- 2 tablespoons liqueur (Kahlua or your choice)
- 1/2 cup chopped nuts, if desired, for dipping
may use all semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate if desired
fresh fruit, whole strawberries, large chunks of fruit: apples, pears, bananas, kiwi, etc

Chop chocolate with a sharp knife into small pieces.
Prepare double boiler over low heat. Add chocolate, cream, and coffee into top of double boiler, stir frequently until well blended and chocolate pieces are completely melted.
Remove from heat and stir in liqueur.
Light the container under fondue pot. Pour chocolate into fondue pot and have fondue forks available to dip fruits of your choice into the chocolate

Baby Banz review and giveaway

I love my perfect little Princess and want to protect her in every way. Her favorite place to be is outside. But the sun UV rays are very dangerous making her favorite place a bit dangerous as well. That is why I love Baby Banz.

Baby Banz were first sold in Australia in 2001. An Australian mom was unable to find a proper pair of baby sunglasses for her infant son and this led her to take action. The action led her to starting a company known as Baby Banz. In 2002 Baby Banz was introduced in America. Now, Baby Banz offers baby and children's sunglasses and UV protection world wide. The Baby Banz line of products includes adjustable baby and toddler sun hats, UPF 50 swimwear and flap hats, cool looking retro banz and in the winter Baby Banz offers ski Banz. The goal of Baby Banz is to preserve the sensitive eyes and precious skin of little ones everywhere. Baby Banz will continue to develop UV protection gear such as sunglasses, hats, swimwear and accessories that not only protect little ones from the suns UV rays but also are comfortable, fun to wear and strong enough to last.

I was impressed with the selection of products available at Baby Banz. The great color assortment as well as product line. Both boys and girls will find the perfect products to help them stay safe from the sun UV rays. When allowed to choose an item to review from the Baby Banz line of products I thought of what my mother and grandmother always said about protecting our eyes and heads from the terrible effects of the sun.

Baby Banz has the perfect thing to protect those little eyes and heads from the dangerous UV rays. The great thing is one of Annies Home readers will be able to win the same great set that I reviewed.

Buy: you can purchase any of the great Baby Banz products from their website located at
http://usa.babybanz.com/

Giveaway to enter the giveaway visit the Baby Banz website and let me know another product that you like

Extra Entries:

• follow my blog


• follow baby banz on twitter


• follow my blog on twitter


• look through the website and let me know a safety tip that baby banz shares on their website.


• tweet about the giveaway (1 entry per tweet)


• comment on another post on my blog (1 entry per comment)

Giveaway starts now and will run through June 3, 2010. Good Luck Email must be on comment or on blog profile or entry will not count.

Thankful Thursday

hosted by Women Taking A Stand

Today I am thankful for so many things. I am thankful for the things in life that we have come to count on. I am thankful that when we get sick we can go to the doctor, when we need groceries we are able to go to the store, when we need to be with friends we reach out and can gather wherever we please with little restriction. Many of these are things that we take for granted that others can not. I was watching the news this morning and there were many stories on that were about individuals who do not have it as well as we do. Others do not have the rights that we do. Others do not have as much as we do. So today I am thankful for what I can do and what I have and feel blessed by God.

Salada Search for Spokesperson Contest + giveaway for Year Supply of tea

Salada Tea you may recall is the company that is on a campaign to change people mind they drink tea. They want tea drinkers to switch from the bottled tea that they use to freshly brewed tea made with tea bags. Fresh brewed tea offers many advantages ranging from health to environmental issues not to mention the price difference. Now Salada has launched a nationwide search for their first ever consumer spokesperson. They are looking for a spokesperson who will help educate Americans on easy ways to live a healthy lifestyle using green tea while continuing to spread the company's "Unbottle Your Tea" message. The lucky individual chosen as their spokesperson will earn $10,000.


The search for the spokesperson contest began on May 3 and will continue through June 13, 2010. Individuals who enjoy Salada tea are thought to live healthy and environmentally friendly lifestyle and are living with the need to teach others how to have the same lifestyle. If this is you then you have the opportunity to tell Salada why you should be the official Salada Spokesperson by following this link www.unbottleyourtea.com/spokesperson

Eligible Applicants must:

• Be willing to provide tips and suggestions to others for living a healthy lifestyle, attend health and environmentally focused events across the country, blog, tweet and continuously help spread the “Unbottle Your Tea” message
• Complete an online registration form
• Submit a video entry no longer than 30 seconds at www.UnbottleYourTea.com/Spokesperson describing why he or she is the perfect choice for the role of Salada’s spokesperson
  
  

Salada Tea will evaluate all submissions and the top 10 finalists will be announced June 28. The video submissions of the finalists will be posted on Salada's YouTube channel where they will be voted on by all of America. Public voting will run from June 28 through August 11 at ww.YouTube.com/SaladaTea. Salada Tea will then announce the winner of the spokesperson search and the $10,000 brand representative contract in August 2010.

All information including registration, instructions, and official rules can be found at www.UnbottleYourTea.com/Spokesperson. The contest is open to legal residents of the fifty (50) United States and the District of Columbia who are eighteen (18) years of age or older

Salada Tea started the "Unbottle Your Tea" campaign in September 2008 to encourage Americans to choose freshly brewed tea. Freshly brewed tea contains 95 percent more healthy antioxidants, is less expensive and can help reduce the millions of beverage containers wasted each year. For more information on this campaign visit this website www.unbottleyourtea.com. Salada Tea is manufactured by Redco Foods Inc. in Little Falls, N.Y. Salada produces 16 different flavors of green and white tea and is available at supermarkets nationwide. Salada is the leading tea company in sales and sells more than one hundred million tea bags a year. Last fall saw the release of four new flavored green teas by Salada. These flavors included pomegranate berry, strawberry, soothing mint, and classic lemon.

Giveaway: One of Annie's Home readers will win a years supply of tea.

Enter this giveaway by telling me what your favorite Salada tea is or one that you would like to try

Extra Entries:

• follow my blog
• subscribe to my blog
• follow Salada Tea on twitter
• fan Salada on facebook
• follow my blog on twitter (1 entry per tweet)
• tweet about the giveaway
• share the giveaway on your blog, another giveaway site, facebook etc... (5 entries per item done links in comment please)
• comment on any post on my blog (2 entries each)

Giveaway starts now and will end on June 2, 2010. Good Luck Email must be on blog or in comment or entry will not count.

READEO review and giveaway (5 winners)

I do not live in the same town as my little Princess and many times I do not get to see her for weeks sometimes months. That sometimes makes me sad and always makes me look for things to keep us connected. That's why when I was contacted about reviewing readeo I jumped at the chance. Readeo was founded in 2009 by CEO Coby Neuenschwander. Coby saw the distance between his own son and his grandparents hindering their relationship. Visits were few and far in between, phone calls did not create a great visit, and all though video chat was available this did not hold his sons attention for long. Reading would be the means of strengthening the relationship between grandparent and grandchild.

What is Readeo? (as explained by website)

Readeo is a patent-pending product that combines the best children’s books with high-quality video chat to create a shared reading experience called BookChatTM where people can see, hear, read and interact with grandchildren, nephews, nieces, and others—just as you would if you were in the same room. Readeo allows families to connect and interact in a meaningful way—even when they may be far apart.

Readeo allows guest to sign up for a 7 day trial period. This is a great way to try Readeo. Five of Annies Home readers will receive a free one year subscription to Readeo. This is a $99.95 value and would be so nice to have to stay connected to your little ones. What a great gift this would make for grandparents, aunts, uncles and parents that are away from their little ones.

Buy: You can purchase a month of Readeo for $9.95 or for $99.95 you can purchase a full year of Readeo.

Giveaway: to be one of five winners to win a year of Readeo visit the Readeo website and come back and tell me a book that you would love to read and what special little one you would share it with.

Extra entries:

• follow my blog
• subscribe to my blog
• subscribe to Readeo newsletter (at bottom of page)
• follow Readeo on twitter
• follow Readeo on facebook
• follow my blog on twitter
• tweet about this giveaway

Giveaway starts now and ends June 3, 2010. Good Luck open to U.S. and Canadian residents. Email must be in comment or on blog profile for entries to count.

We recieved a membership to Readeo for review purposes. The thoughts and comments in this post are mine alone.