January 2012 – Makin' it Mo'Betta

Giveaway from Shabby Apple!

Kim

Are you familiar with ? I’ve seen their products all over the web, and was so excited when I was given the opportunity to offer y’all a giveaway! I was familiar with the cute line of , but they also have the most adorable !

SO.CUTE!!

And, since it seems like half of the bloggers out there are preggars, they have super cute too!

Show off that baby bump this Valentine’s Day 😉

Not only do they offer clothing, but and other cool accessories too.

So….what am I giving away today?

‘‘

You will feel like royalty when wearing this vintage style black cameo necklace with a gold metal setting! (It is suspended from a 24” long chain. A $52 value!)

How can this be yours?! Two ways – enter my giveaway, or order NOW 🙂 Shabby Apple is graciously offering a 10% off coupon code to all Mo’Betta readers. Just use the code “lightofmine10off” before February 9, 2012!

To enter the giveaway for the pictured cameo-

*MANDATORY* as in, you have to do it to qualify 🙂

“Like” AND on FACEBOOK. Come back here and leave a comment that you did both. (leave a comment on either/both walls for extra entries!)

For extra entries – the more you do, the better your chances!

*Follow Mo’Betta via email, Twitter, Pinterest, GFC, Networked Blogs (all buttons in right side bar) – extra entry for each

*Like Shabby Apple on

*Spread the word about the giveaway on Facebook, Twitter, StumbleUpon, Google+, Blog (2 extra entries for each way!)

The fine print –

Contest winners must have a US shipping address. No exchanges on winning piece of jewelry.

GIVEAWAY ENDS FEB.14, 2012 at midnight (EST)

Semi Homemade Chocolate Frosting!

Kim

I made homemade frosting for the first time last year. It was delish and I decided I would never use canned frosting again. Well. I was wrong. Sometimes frosting from the can is a quickie way to ‘get er done’, as was the case not too long ago. So, after doing a little research, I found a way to “spruce up” your traditional canned frosting to make it a little…..mo’betta 😉

* add 1/2 t. instant coffee granules (or more if you want to taste the coffee) to 1 t. hot water. Let cool.

*Put can of chocolate frosting in a mixing bowl

*Add 1 T. dark chocolate syrup

*Add cooled coffee to frosting & syrup

*Mix with electric mixer until mixed together, light and fluffy

Voila! Semi-homemade chocolate frosting, and no one will be the wiser.

I’m linking this post with for Ingredient Spotlight: coffee

Friday Fun Finds

Kim

As a member of , I occasionally get sent cool products to try and review. These goodies were from the . I love Larabar and buy them on a regular basis. Same with the Mentos gum. I like the Coconut Scrub Softsoap, and the NYC Liquid Lip Shine, but the product that really surprised me was the imPRESS Press On Manicure! These nails go on in a matter of minutes, and actually STAY ON. For like DAYS. I had mine on for 5 days before I took them off (b/c I’m not used to having any length on my nails!). I didn’t have to reapply them at all. I was amazed that a press on nail would have that kind of staying power. Especially since I was in and out of boxes, packing up Christmas, etc. I was not gentle on them! I wasn’t crazy about the particular design I received, but they have lots to choose from, so the next time I need a quickie mani – for a party, wedding, whatever…I’m going to get some more of these nails!

Another great find for the kids (and me!)

I’m usually not a fan of fruit snacks, but these are awesome. They have a great soft texture, not plastic-y like some others. The kids and I really liked them. Unfortunately, I haven’t found them in my local grocery stores yet. I was able to try them as a member of (a General Mills Network) where I occasionally receive information and free products from General Mills.

And while we’re on the subject of food (when am I not on that subject!)

I found this at Target. My kids loved it.

Nutritional stats – no saturated fat, 3 g of fiber, 8 g of sugar

stats from our beloved Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

and this little gadget. How cool is that? Now I can make my own ‘Uncrustables’ (that Miss Two loves so much), but make them on whole wheat bread with low sugar jelly and natural peanut butter with no hydrogenated oils 🙂

I love trying new stuff! Hope everyone has a great weekend!

More giveaways coming up next week …. the winner of the Purex & Jockey giveaway was Laurie from

Meyer Lemon Sugar Cookies

Kim

Meyer Lemon Sugar Cookies from

1 cup sugar, divided
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 tbsp. grated lemon peel
1/4 cup freshly squeeze lemon juice
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar *I didn’t have any so I omitted

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine 3/4 cup sugar and all the remaining ingredients until combine. If dough is not firm enough, chill 1 hour.

2. Place the 1/4 cup remaining sugar on a plate and set aside. Form the cookies into 1 inch balls, roll each in sugar and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

3. Bake at 325 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Cool 2 minutes and remove from cookie sheet.

Makes approximately 40 cookies, 1 points+ each (per original website)

Verdict? These had a great lemon flavor! I am in love with Meyer lemons right now. However, my cookies didn’t turn out like the ones in the original post (in appearance), and mine were a little dry. I’m not sure if it was because I used Smart Balance and not real butter or what. However, it didn’t stop me from eating them. ALL. The past 2 days have held cooking successes so I’ll be sharing those ASAP 😀

By the way, Stephanie from was the winner of the General Mills Cereal Prize Pack. Thanks to everyone who entered! More giveaways coming up very soon!

Wordless Wednesday – I wanna be a super model

Kim

Now, whenever a camera is around (which is ALL the time), my 3 year old strikes a pose….like he’s been a super model all his life. It’s a trip…

Easy Caramel Sticky Buns

Kim

My middle daughter got to have her sleepover this past weekend, after we had to cancel it last weekend due to my kidney stone drama. My daughter was a little upset with me when I sat out carrots and celery sticks with dip, instead of potato chips. (However, the girls ate an entire bowl of carrot sticks!) So, I figured I would redeem myself by serving these the next morning…

They look pretty impressive right?!

Oh.so.easy! I bought the reduced-fat cinnamon buns and then sorta followed directions from Pillsbury. I say sort of, b/c I emailed the recipe to myself, it went to my spam folder so I couldn’t find it, so then I had to do it from memory b/c I was too lazy to look it up again. I got the butter and brown sugar quantities right, but not the corn syrup. Oh well, they didn’t need all that corn syrup anyway! I used 2 t. instead of 2 T. They still tasted completely ~~fattening~~ yummers. They were super sweet, buttery and delicious. Thank goodness they were divided among 5 people. I also had mandarin oranges to go with it, so I could feel like I was at least giving them a little something healthy to go along with their sugar buzz. I’m sure their parents were wondering why they couldn’t sit still during church. oopsies.

Easy Caramel Sticky Buns adapted from , inspired by

1/4

cup butter or margarine

1/4

cup packed brown sugar

tablespoons light corn syrup

1/4

cup chopped pecans *I omitted b/c the girls didn’t want them. Would be awesome with pecans or walnuts!

1 can reduced-fat cinnamon rolls

DIRECTIONS

Heat oven to 375°F. In ungreased 8-inch round pan, place 1/4 cup butter; heat in oven 3 to 4 minutes or until butter is melted. Stir in brown sugar and corn syrup until well blended. ~~Sprinkle with pecans.~~Arrange cinnamon rolls, sides touching, over topping in pan.Bake as directed on roll package or until golden brown. Cool 2 minutes; turn upside down onto heatproof serving plate. Let pan remain 1 minute so caramel can drizzle over rolls. Serve warm. *Optional – drizzle icing from cinnamon roll package over rolls before serving.I’m linking up today with , , , , , , , – ingredient spotlight canned biscuits/rolls/etc

Bubble Up Pizza

Kim

If you are popping over from Pinterest, Welcome to Makin’ it Mo’Betta! This is a popular recipe for good reason…it’s so easy to make, and kids love it! (At least mine do) Feel free to look around, and consider following me on any of my social media outlets for more easy recipes.

You’ve probably seen these casseroles floating around for a while – Bubble Up Pizza, Bubble Up Enchiladas, etc. I decided to give it a try since it was so simple to throw together, and totally kid-friendly! With the girls involved in so many activities in the evenings, I need meals that are quick and easy to get on the table. This is one we had when the hubs wasn’t home, since this is definitely not a low carb meal. (for a low carb pizza casserole, you could try this one)

(my original picture, I’ve added some newer ones!)

Bubble Up Pizza

2 cans (12oz) golden layer buttermilk biscuits (Pillsbury Grands! Jr)
1 jar (15oz) pizza sauce *I used this easy homemade sauce
2 cups mozzarella cheese
your favorite pizza toppings – cooked sausage, turkey pepperoni, peppers, mushrooms *we had mini turkey pepperoni and Canadian bacon
cooking spray

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut biscuits into quarters and place in medium bowl. Toss biscuits with pizza sauce. Add pizza topping and half of the cheese. Toss until well blended. Spray a 9×13 pan with cooking spray. Pour biscuit mixture into pan and top with remaining cheese. Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes, or until biscuits are done.

Recipe Source:

Verdict? The kids loved this! I thought it was pretty good too, just not very calorie friendly. I think I’m going to try it with rolls (like frozen Rhodes rolls) next time and see how that goes. It would be less fat than the biscuits. I’ll let ya know! I mixed everything up before basketball practice, then baked it when we got home, so I had a hot meal on the table in about 30 minutes! We had a salad to go with it. Quick and easy!

I’m linking up today with , , , , , , , , – ingredient spotlight, canned biscuits/rolls/etc,

Doctor’s Orders

Kim

The doctor said I was to push fluids….

Uhmmm…..okay. I’m on it.

Have a great weekend! Here’s to this one being better than the last one!

Perfectly Chocolate Birthday Cake

Kim

CAKE! You knew it was coming. Resolutions my a*s. Miss Two turned NINE!! I can’t believe it. And bless her heart, her party was scheduled on the day I had the lovely kidney stone debacle. Even though her party has been rescheduled for this weekend, we still had her cake (I couldn’t bear to cancel her party and stick her cake in the freezer!) So, now she gets to pick out cupcakes or something too. Anyway – I went with the .

She wanted a snowman cake!

Ingredients

2 cups white sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup HERSHEY®’S Cocoa Powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water with a heaping teaspoon of instant coffee added

Heat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.
Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water/coffee (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.
Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.

There is also a ‘Perfectly Chocolate’ Frosting, but she wanted white icing – so I just went with the canned stuff (I had been suffering you know. I needed all the shortcuts I could get!) The girls decorated the cake all by themselves! My only complaint was the cake was so moist, it almost fell apart coming out of the pan, and when I put icing on it. Otherwise, the taste is yummy and my birthday girl was very happy with it.

Wordless Wednesday – How I handle stress

Kim

My kids know me so well. They brought me this after my kidney stone attack.

TJ Maxx – gotta love it

Justice jackets (for my girls) = 10 bucks

K-cups = 8 bucks

Vera Bradley purse = 17 bucks

stress relief and euphoria felt after finding great bargains = priceless!