Shortly after the reception, we attended the Pirate Themed party, the Swashbuckler Soiree and Family Dinner by Disney Junior.  Held on the beach, with a tasty buffet, it was a lovely way to spend time with our families and other bloggers. The entertainment included a band of pirates (get it?), Disney characters (Smee, Captain Hook and Jake from the Neverland Pirates) for fun photo opps, splashing in the water and hunting for treasure.

The food choices were overwhelming, so I took a little of everything to taste. Then I’d go back for more of what I really like – barbeque ribs, mahi mahi, roasted potatoes and Bananas Foster. The children’s buffet had burgers, hot dogs, fresh fruit, mac and cheese and other goodies.

Disney always knows how to make families happy. The adults had time to kick off our shoes, eat dinner and dessert (maybe a few helpings of both), laugh at the corny jokes from the band and make friends with others at our table or across the beach. Children of all ages grabbed some food then ran off. They dug in the sand, found a friend or three,  played games with Radio Disney cast members, danced and some ended up with more than their toes in the water. As the sun set and our bellies were filled, my family and I found ourselves with big smiles, relaxed and looking forward to more adventures during the Disney Social Media Moms event.

Important Info: I must say thank you to the amazing women who worked behind the scenes to make this entire event as special anyone could imagine – the @DisneySMMoms team. When I checked in to get my paperwork, tickets and swag, they remembered me by name! When I apologized for the emails I sent about special requests, they were so kind. I’m kicking myself for not taking a photo of them and their contagious smiles, but I sure do remember them all.

My Flickr folder contains more photos of the Pirate Dinner. Take a look!

Stay tuned for more Disney Social Media Moms posts.

I paid to attend the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration. In exchange for my registration fee, I received deeply discounted rates on hotel, park tickets, free events, meals, and swag. I am not required nor was I asked to write about the events by Disney or any other brands, celebrities, or speakers affiliated with the event. All opinions are my own. Affiliate links are used on this blog.

The Partners of the Bake Sale

Bloggers without Borders are partnering with Share Our Strength’s Great American Bake Sale & Gaby Dalkin on this year’s Food Blogger Bake Sale. The statistics about childhood hunger are staggering: nearly 1 in 5 kids in America struggling with hunger (16 million), less than half of eligible children get free or reduced school breakfast, over 20 million children get a free or reduced-price school lunch on an average school day, and 18.6 million children benefit from SNAP (food stamps). Now is the time to help! For the last two years, this blogging community has shown its support for Share Our Strength, always raising more money than the year before.

With just $1 connecting a child to 10 meals, you can help Share Our Strength ensure that the more than 16 million kids facing hunger today never go hungry again.

How to Help the Bake Sale

Here’s a list of bake sales that are already taking place. If you’re interested in participating in a bake sale, please reach out to the host. If there isn’t a bake sale taking place in your area, maybe you’d like to host one. I hope you do. Here’s how:

1. Register at www.GreatAmericanBakeSale.org/signup. Registering will get you access to online fundraising tools. Additional tools and resources can be found in The Bake Sale Resources Center. Don’t forget to check out the top 10 tips for your bake sale, flyers, stickers, pricing tips and much more.
2. Send an e-mail to Gaby Dalkin (whatsgabycooking@gmail.com) & Sarah Peppel (sarah@peppel.com) – on behalf of Share Our Strength) with the following information:

Name
City/State
Blog
Preferred Email address

Questions about the Bake Sale?

General questions about Food Bloggers Bake Sale can be answered through the FAQs section of Share Our Strength.

Happy Baking and eating!

Simply potatoes take away the work off peeling, cutting, cooking, etc. Plus, there are so many recipes that you can create with them. You can find recipes on the web site or make your own. They are also tasty just as they are. Simply potatoes are made mainly with fresh ingredients, except for those that are preservatives, maintain color, inhibit yeast and mold, etc.

Cheesy Simply Potatoes

Using Simply Potatoes Shredded Hash Browns, I made Cheesy Potatoes. My family and I ate them as side dish with dinner. I’m not a good cook, but this recipe was easy to follow and turned out just great! The texture was not like crispy hash browns, they were like a creamy casserole. I chose not to add the onions and garlic, because my family doesn’t like them. I did add garlic powder though, which added just the right amount of flavor for my family.

My Review

Simply Potatoes can be the best friend of the person who makes dinner every night. It saves time and tastes delicious. It can also be used for breakfast and lunch. You can even make an entire meal around Simply Potatoes.

Giveaway

Win one coupon for your choice of Simply Potatoes by using Rafflecopter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I was given two coupons for Simply Potatoes and one will be provided to the winner. All opinions are my own.

My daughter, Sammi is no longer a picky eater so taking her out to lunch is a pleasure. Plus the conversation and laughs do good for my mood. I asked her where she wanted to eat. First she chose a local diner, but my mother eats there often. When I suggested Ruby Tuesday, they both were thrilled.

Shrimp, Mashed Potatoes and Zucchini from Ruby Tuesday

Lunch at Ruby Tuesday can be a bit costly, but it’s worth it. Both Sammi and my mother had food to take home for another meal. I surprised myself and ate my whole meal (my appetite has been awful lately). I had the Jumbo Skewered Shrimp with cheddar mashed potatoes and grilled zucchini. My mom had the Parmesan Shrimp Pasta with the Garden Salad and Sammi had the Grilled Salmon with cheddar mashed potatoes and french fries (I know, weird) from the dinner menu. She has expensive taste.

The service was friendly and quick. The food delicious. The company the best.

Ruby Tuesday, thanks for a great meal. But, can you do something about the salad bar? It’s getting boring. And I miss the mozzarella with tomatoes. And for those of you who eat lunch there, even though the lunch menu says Broccoli as your vegetable you can get any side.

This is not a compensated post. Just my take on family fun at a good restaurant.

The basics: I am a 29- year- old wife to my wonderful husband (aka the hubs) and mother to my three amazing children: J, M and S.
Who I am: Well I’m a simple kind of girl. I enjoy cooking (especially with the kids) and photography is a major passion of mine. I am no professional but I do get some great shots every once in a while. My kids are my pride and joy, and my life revolves around them. I have a great sense of humor — well at least I think I do. It’s kind of dry, kind of dorky, and everything in between. 

Welcome, Shana.
———–
It is almost a weekly occurrence that I sit down and wonder,  ”What am I going to make for dinner and will the kids like it?” I got lucky that two of my kids are relatively easy and not picky eaters. My oldest is another story and if he could live off of cheeseburgers and jelly sandwiches, he would. So lately, I have been trying to come up with kid- friendly dishes that not only are easy to make, but dishes the kids will enjoy eating.

Here is what I have so far:

Tostadas

These have always been a favorite of mine because there are so many possibilities on how to make them. I grew up eating them and now I make them for my kids.

The basics:
Heat corn tortillas in the oven at 400 degrees for 4 minutes on each side until you reach your preferred crispness.

I go the simple route and use pre- shredded chicken. Just pop it into a pan with a little bit of olive oil and seasonings and that’s it.

Beans are another easy item since you can buy refried beans.

Now toppings are my kids favorite part. I usually dice up some onions, tomatoes, black olives, jalapeños, lettuce, shredded cheese, salsa and sour cream. If you can find ripe avocados guacamole goes great with these. The best part is you can let your kids create their own!

Breakfast

A  lot of people knock having breakfast for dinner, but I think it’s fun on occasion. You can keep it simple with eggs, turkey bacon and an english muffin or you can go all out and make the above mentioned items plus hash browns and cinnamon rolls or do a breakfast sandwich or breakfast burritos. To keep your kids involved, have them pick toppings if they want an omelette. You can also have them stir the eggs for you. If you are like me and try not to bake to much so you buy the refrigerated cinnamon rolls instead of making it all from scratch the kids can help by squirting the icing on top. If they are old enough they can also help by shredding the potatoes for the hash browns. When making your hash browns try to remember to squeeze as much water out of the potatoes as you can so they will hold together better.

Mini-Quiches

You can also make a frittatta or quiche is you prefer crust. Again, super simple and a great way to make it fun for the kids is to make it in a mini cupcake pan.

 

Chicken fingers

Home made chicken fingers are always a win. You can bread them with breadcrumbs, panko crumbs, ritz crackers, matzo and more I am probably forgetting. If it’s something that needs to be crumbled ask the kids if they want to do it. My kids get a kick out of being able to smash food and not get in trouble for doing it. Another thing that’s fun about chicken fingers is letting the kids choose a dip they want. There’s your standards like ketchup, ranch,and blue cheese, or you can also make your own honey mustard.

Chicken & Cheese

My mom used to make this for us growing up. It was one of those dishes she only made a few times a year because while it was sooooo good it was not really the healthiest thing that you could eat once a month. I don’t have the exact recipe but it’s pretty simple to replicate. You slice your chicken into strips, dip into bread crimps and fry for a few minutes on each side just so they are browned a bit. Since they are small it won’t take long for them to cook. While those are cooking turn oven on to 350. When all your chicken is browned place in a pyrex dish. Dump a bunch of sliced mushrooms and then jack cheese. And when I say add cheese I mean a lot of cheese. Cover it! Cook in the oven until the cheese is all bubbly and there you have it– Chicken & Cheese!

 

Fish tacos

We started giving our kids fish at a young(ish) age hoping they would grow to like it. For the most part they don’t seem to mind it, but every once in a while they just won’t touch it. One fish recipe I have found that they will eat is fish tacos. Part of the draw being the same as the tostadas, they can build their own. I season the fish (mahi mahi) with cumin, onion powder, garlic salt and cayenne pepper. Easiest way to do this is mix your seasonings together a then sprinkle it on the fish (I like doing this because if I have extra I save it for the next time). Cook in some olive oil until fully cooked. For toppings, I use shredded cabbage, diced onions and sour cream mixed with salsa verde and lime juice. Warm some fresh corn tortillas, then put a piece of fish on and top with the toppings of your liking. Serve with some beans and Spanish rice and you have a quick and easy good meal. 

If your kids are interested in cooking and/or helping you, take advantage of it! Not only will the kids get the satisfaction of helping Mommy, but they get to see the start to finish and now that they helped you make that meal that everyone is eating.

Also, one trick I have found helpful for getting the kids to eat their veggies is to squirt lemon juice on the vegetables. No salt, no butter just lemon juice. It’s a win- win.  Still healthy and they eat them!

Do you have any tips or tricks that have worked for your family? We’d love to hear them!

I received the following Giada De Laurnettis cookware:

• Giada De Laurentiis for Target 2-Quart Ceramic Oval Baker, $19.99
• Giada De Laurentiis for Target 9” Ceramic Pie Pan, $16.99
• Giada De Laurentiis for Target Silicone Spoonula with Stainless Steel Handle, $9.99
• Giada De Laurentiis for Target 3-Piece Plastic Bowl Set with Pour Spout, $19.99
• Giada De Laurentiis for Target Stainless Steel Balloon Whisk, $7.99
• Giada De Laurentiis for Target Stainless Steel Measuring Cups, $15.99

I was awed by the quality of each item. And each piece is useful with something specific to make it helpful. For example, the bowls’ spouts make pouring easy and a lot less messy.

I also received the following Giada foods:

• Giada De Laurentiis for Target Giada Blend Coffee, $6.99
• Giada De Laurentiis for Target Black Olive Tapenade, $2.99
• Giada De Laurentiis for Target Marinated Sun Dried Tomatoes, $3.49
• Giada De Laurentiis for Target Marinated Roasted Red Peppers, $3.49
• Giada De Laurentiis for Target Marinated Mushrooms, $3.49
• Giada De Laurentiis for Target Genovese Basil Pesto, $3.49
• Giada De Laurentiis for Target Eggplant & Pepper Pesto, $2.99

These make for easy appetizers (except for the coffee). You can toast up some bread and spread the tapenade and pestos. Add some sliced cheeses, lunch meat and the mushrooms, roasted peppers and create an antipasto.

Giada has some of own recipes included with her items on Target. Here’s one that we tried:

Spiced Coffee with Cinnamon Whipped Cream
Recipe Courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis

•    1 cup granulated sugar
•    ¼ tsp ground allspice
•    ¼ tsp of ground cinnamon, plus more for dusting
•    ¼ tsp ground ginger
•    1 cup boiling water
•    1 cup brewed Giada De Laurentiis for Target Giada Blend Coffee
•    1 cup heavy cream
•    2 tbsp confectioners’ sugar

1.    In a small sauce pan combine the granulated sugar and ½ cup of water. Bring to a boil over medium heat and reduce heat to low.
2.    Add allspice, cinnamon and ginger. Simmer for 5 minutes or until sugar is dissolved.
3.    Take the pan off the heat and set aside.
4.    In a heat proof pitcher or measuring cup add the boiling water to the coffee /espresso. Divide it among four 6 to 8 oz cups.
5.    Add 2 tablespoons of the spiced syrup to each cup and stir to combine.
6.    Using an electric mixer with a whisk attachment beat the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add confectioners’ sugar and continue to beat until stiff.
7.    Top each with a dollop of whipped cream – dust with cinnamon and add cinnamon stick.
Yield: 4 servings/ 4 (6-8 oz) cups
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 7 minutes

Giada’s items can’t help but put you in the mood to create in the kitchen. I’ve already planned an antipasto and a pumpkin pie for Christmas. I look forward to using my Giada De Laurntiss for Target cookware and speciality groceries for holiday entertaining and for every day cooking and baking.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Giada De Laurentiis for Target and received product samples to facilitate my review.

Grill Charms

The Charming Stuffed Burger Gift Pack by Grill Charms includes a Burger Pocket Press(tm), the fastest, easiest, best way to make stuffed burgers like the pros, and Grill Charms(tm) The Charmed Life Collection. Make your favorite stuffed burger, put your Grill Charm in the burger before grilling to identify which burger is which.

On sale! Get 20% off plus FREE SHIPPING with promo code Santa20 till the end of December.

You can find other gift ideas including different designs of grill charms and the famous Shark Attack Gift Pack (from the TV show) which includes BBQ sauce, spice rub and grill charms. Remember, Grill Charms are the HOTTEST grilling gift of the season!

Men’s Grilling Aprons

Flirty Aprons has Men’s Aprons with the grilling and BBQ theme. One of my favorites is the Grill Sergeant Apron in red. It stands out and lets everyone know to back away from the grill. You can choose from BBQ King, and Turn Grills On. BBQ Kings in black is on sale for just $21 right now.

Cookbooks

Good Housekeeping Grilling Cookbook – $19.95
Retail Price: $29.95
You Save: $10.00
from: SubscriptionAgent.com – Before you light that fire, come to the trusted experts at Good Housekeeping. They’re standing by with the lowdown on grilling equipment (charcoal, gas, or electric), utensils (skewers, tongs, thermometers), grilling techniques, seasoning secrets (including the use of aromatic woods), safety procedures, and, most importantly, 111 unequaled triple-tested recipes. Looking for the perfect burger for a backyard barbecue? It’s here, with advice on keeping the meat juicy and tasty. Need an elegant dish for a formal alfresco dinner? Put Cornish Hens with Ginger-Plum Glaze on the menu or impress your guests with amazingly simple Shrimp & Scallop Kabobs. And to make everything easier and healthier, every recipe includes preparation and cooking time, calories, and nutritional breakdown.

Bobby Flay’s Grill It! for $22.2o on Amazon.com. Fire up the best backyard bashes with 150 simple and delicious recipes from grilling guru Bobby Flay in his first-ever fully illustrated, full-color grilling book. Whether you’ve picked up corn at a local farmstand or chicken breasts at the supermarket, a fantastically flavorful, ridiculously simple grilled feast is right at your fingertips with Bobby Flay’s Grill It! Packed with the innovative marinades, sauces, vinaigrettes, and rubs that have helped make Bobby a celebrity chef and leading restaurateur, this beautiful cookbook will help you transform basic ingredients into grilled masterpieces year-round.

No products or compensation was received. Affiliate links included.

More Than Sausage and Cheese

Although Hickory Farms is known for its delicious sausage and cheese, there’s other food items that you can purchase for yourself or for others. Fresh fruit, fudge, nuts, crackers, tea, condiments, cookies, dried fruit and peanut brittle are part of the Hickory Farms brand too. You can purchase baskets, boxes, tins, towers and single items. And every items has a 100% satisfaction guarantee. Below is the Orchard’s Bounty Gift Basket:

Fuji Apples, Mandarin Oranges, Red D’Anjou Crown Comice® Pears, Beef Summer Sausage, Farmhouse Cheddar and Roasted Mix Nuts

Military Holiday Gifts

When I met my husband, he was in the military and stationed out of state. During the holidays, I learned that Hickory Farms was a welcomed gift because it came with memories of home and love. Hickory Farms understands that and has a special section of military gifts. Free shipping is offered to APO and FPO addresses to help military families send a loved one that special gift. Act fast! You can still order through December 10th for military personnel who are not in combat zones. One of the military gift is the Warm and Hearty Welcome Gift Boxes (below):

Beef and turkey Summer Sausages, Farmhouse Cheddar, Mission Jack Blend, Three Cheese & Onion, Sweet Hot Mustard

$3 -  3 Day Shipping

Hickory Farms guarantees freshness. Hickory Farms gifts are hand packed and guaranteed to arrive in 3 business days or less at a flat rate of only $3 all season long. I don’t know of many mail order companies that do that, especially those that handle the number of orders that Hickory Farms handles.

As Hickory Farms celebrates its 60th Anniversary this year, it continues to work at meeting and beating customer expectations. For example, their “Signature Summer Sausage was recently rated the #1 Summer Sausage in America, winning the Masters of Taste Gold Medal for Superior Taste.” 25 more locations have opened in the US, including one in Manhattan to reach more customers in person. And their online sales have continued to grow.

Their Facebook page is just one example of their commitment to customer service. You’ll see how concerns are handled and how new items are shared. I had an issue with the Orchard’s Bounty Gift Basket I received. Instead of mixed nuts, there was a bag of trail mix, so I was sent out a brand new basket, no questions asked.

Giving Back

I’m always a  fan of companies that care and do something tangibile. Hickory Farms is doing just that by contributing $5 to Share Our Strength®, a not-for-profit organization working to end childhood hunger in North America for every Party Planner gift box purchased. Customers will also have the opportunity to include a $1 donation to the campaign with their purchase at a Hickory Farms store or at hickoryfarms.com. So far, Hickory Farms pass has raised more than $1.1M in contributions to Share Our Strength since 2008. They company wants to raise an additional $700,000 this  holiday season. Think about this when you make your purchase this year please.

Hickory Farms has been on my holiday gift list for years. What began as a tradition has continued because of the great food, fantastic selection and wonderful customer service.

I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Hickory Farms and received a product sample to facilitate my review. I also received a product directly from Hickory Farms for review. All opinions are my own.

Tasting Topsy’s Popcorn

I finally had the pleasure to taste Topsy’s Popcorn for myself and I’ve declared it a winner. This is top of the line pop corn people. I was able to review (eat) a huge tin of Caramel, Cheese and Cinnamon flavored popcorn. I had to share some with my family, because I’m a nice person. Then it was getting hard to keep it away from them. Out came the bowls and handfuls of popcorn were put in so there were no arguments.

Everyone was happily chomping away. Then I heard it…my daughter said, “ooh”. My husband, the quiet one, was telling me that the cinnamon mixed with the caramel was good. I started laughing. Topsy’s Popcorn created magic for us. This flavorful snack is almost finished, but there will be more of it in our future.

About Topsy’s

I learned that Topsy’s Popcorn began about 60 years ago in Kansas City, Missouri with just one store. Because of the public’s response to the taste, Topsy’s now has 12 stores in the Kansas City area. Topsy’s Popcorn

…achieved approximately two to three times the sales that a typical popcorn shop attains and Topsy’s ranks as one of the top two U.S. retailers in Christmas gift tin sales.

Buy A Tin and Get a Discount

You can buy Topsy’s by various size and decorated holiday tins with a mixture of flavors or just one flavor. Besides the flavors I’ve mentioned, there’s  Buttered, Caramel Peanut and Caramel Pecan. Want to get some as a holiday gift? Here’s a discount code for you - enter Topsy72 at checkout – and receive $3-off as many popcorn canisters they’d like (code valid Nov. 22 – Dec. 12).

Giveaway

See all current giveawaysI was provided with the tin of popcorn by Topsy’s Popcorn for review for the Family Review Network. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

]]> http://brainfoggles.com/2011/12/01/topsys-popcorn-holiday-gift-review-and-giveaway/feed 87 http://brainfoggles.com/2011/11/19/healthy-choice-top-chef-inspired-cafe-steamers-review http://brainfoggles.com/2011/11/19/healthy-choice-top-chef-inspired-cafe-steamers-review#comments Sun, 20 Nov 2011 02:57:51 +0000 Connie http://brainfoggles.com/?p=11506 Healthy Choice has collaborated with Bravo’s Top Chef to bring eight Top Chef Inspired Cafe Steamers. If you know anything about Top Chef, you’ll expect great ingredients and delicious meals. I tried two of their Steamers and it felt like I was at the judges table! The quality and taste of the food were better than I expected from a frozen meal.

Healthy Choice Top Chef Steamers Varieties

• Barbeque Seasoned Steak with Red Potatoes
• Chicken Fresca with Chardonnay
• Chicken Linguini with Red Pepper Alfredo
• Chicken Margherita with Balsamic
• Grilled Chicken Marinara with Parmesan
• Grilled Chicken Pesto with Vegetables
• Grilled Vegetables Mediterranean with Rice
• Roasted Chicken Marsala with Mushrooms

How to Prepare the Healthy Choice Top Chef Steamers

1. Place in microwave. Do not puncture the the plastic.
2. Microwave for the time on the package.
3. Remove from microwave.
4. Peel off plastic and remove the vented basket.
5. Pour sauce over the meal.

Keeping the sauce separate from the meat, vegetables, and pasta keeps the meat tender, the veggies crisp and the pasta just right.

My Review

The Chicken Margherita with Balsamic had tasty pieces of roasted garlic, chicken tenderloins, big chunks of tomato with angel hair pasta. The sauce was a balsamic vinaigrette that was not overpowering, like some vinaigrettes can be. I loved the combination of flavors and was sure to find each piece of garlic to eat. I had to cut up some of the larger pieces of chicken, which tasted just like chicken from a home made meal. Only 320 calories.

The Grilled Chicken Pesto with Vegetables was made up of zucchini, spinach, chicken tenderloins, rotini pasta and topped with a basil pesto sauce. I have to admit that I’m a fan of pesto and all of the ingredients. Again, this meal didn’t fail. The texture was just perfect and it was something like I’d get at a fine restaurant. I’d like a little more spinach, though. Only 310 calories.

More Info

The price range is $2.75 – $3.50 per meal. You can find them at grocery stores and some of the big box stores. Follow @Healthy_Choice for more information and coupons. The Healthy Choice Facebook page has some great discussions going on and the team from Healthy Choice take your suggestions too.

Whether you’re looking for convenience, great taste, low calories, healthy ingredients or all of the above, Healthy Choice Top Chef Inspired Cafe Steamers has you covered! Which one of the Top Chef Inspired Steamers would you like to try?

I was provided with the two Health Choice meals to review and a stipend for this post from TheMotherhood.com. My opinions were not swayed by the compensation.

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