April 2012 – Makin' it Mo'Betta

My new favorite salad dressing

Kim

I am pretty picky when it comes to salad dressing. For years I would eat my salads plain – not even ranch! Of course, my salads also consisted of iceberg lettuce and carrots. Thankfully I have evolved somewhat and like lots of different things in and on my salad. However, I still avoid French, Catalina, Thousand Island, just to name a few. But I am here to tell ya…. salad dressing by Moni’s Natural Dressings & Sauces is THE.BOMB.COM. It has such a fresh, natural taste to it, with the perfect amount of spice to give it nice flavor, but not be overwhelming. It enhances your salad, instead of completely changing the taste and texture. AND the has only 20 calories and 0.5 gm of fat per serving! Awesome.

I’m a fan.

Not only was this dressing very good, but I was also impressed with their sauces.

I had the opportunity to try the and the (Arrabiata Sauce). Spicy means SPICY. I have bought supposedly spicy pasta sauces before, and they were not the least bit hot. This one lives up to it’s name! I like spicy hot…but it was almost too hot for me, as their website says “It’s not for the faint of heart!”. I preferred to mix it with the Garlic and Basil Sauce, which is probably the best jarred sauce I’ve had, and together they were twice as fabulous! Again, like the salad dressing, it has such a fresh flavor – not boring, bland, can’t-really-tell-what-it-is-made-of. The main ingredients are (from site)

Fresh California Tomatoes
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Fresh Picked Basil Leaves
Italian Herbs & Spices

I enjoyed my salad along with this pasta dish of whole wheat pasta, turkey Italian sausage, Moni’s sauce, Parmesan and fresh basil. Along with bread and a little

vino

So.Good.

If you are in the Texas area, you may have already had the salad dressing as it has been the house dressing available in many restaurants in that area for years. If you are interested in seeing the supermarkets and restaurants where Moni’s is available, check out their website . Unfortunately, they are not available in my area 🙁 I foresee a road trip to a Whole Foods in the near future!

If you see the products in your local supermarket, I highly recommend checking it out. Or you can ! I was also pleased that “The entire Moni’s line is made with all natural ingredients and no preservatives. Additionally, all of the products are naturally gluten free and produced in a Gluten Free Certified Facility.” (from a Moni’s Natural representative)

I really want to replace my Tomato & Oil Vinaigrette (because, yes, I finished that bottle faster than any salad dressing ever!), but I would also like to try their . I do love balsamic!

Let me know if you try or have tried these products!

I received products to facilitate my review and will be receiving compensation for this post. However, in no way does that influence my opinion of the products and I was under no obligation to write a review, positive or otherwise.

Chili’s New #CoronaRita = Good Times!

Kim

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of for . All opinions are 100% mine.

It’s almost Cinco de Mayo, and I am THRILLED to find out that one of my favorite “adult beverages” is now available at Chili’s. Yes, the has made me a happy girl, and just in time for Cinco de Mayo! Not that I need an excuse really….date night, family night, girls night….whatev. Chili’s is a fun place to get a great meal, and of course, a great drink 😉

How’s that for a little mouth watering enticement?! Or what about ……

(Photo from )

The Fajita Trio...just in case you are like me and can’t make up your mind if you want steak, chicken or shrimp! I believe that would go great with a CoronaRita!

Of course, I also love these…

Sliders and fries! (They would also go well with a CoronaRita. Just sayin’.)

*Just in case you are wondering what this drink is that I’m so excited about…it’s a Margarita made with Jose Cuervo Especial Tequila and a Coronita. Yummers! I’ve always called them beer margaritas, but CoronaRita is a cool name for it!

And of course, I can’t forget dessert…

My girls and I like to split this ‘Chocolate Chip Paradise Pie’. Of course, I would like to eat the entire thing by myself. But I refrain. Most of the time.

I like Chili’s because it’s a fun place to take the kids, and my local Chili’s has their allergen information posted on the website, so it makes it a much less stressful place to take my little allergy boy. But not only is it kid-friendly, it’s also a fun place to go for a ‘date night’. Not that I’ve been able to have one of those in a while ;(

So what about you? Do you have a Chili’s nearby? What is your favorite entree and drink? I have a tendency to always order the same things (chicken or burgers), so I would love to get some feedback. I need to broaden my tastebud horizons. And I can always wash it all down with a CoronaRita 🙂 Yes, I sort of have that on the brain now. Must.Go.To.Chili’s! Who wants to join me?!

You must be 21 years of age or older to drink alcoholic beverages, and as always, drink responsibly!

Chocolate, Chocolate and more Chocolate!

Kim

We’ve had lots of birthdays around here, as soon as we get Christmas over and done….the birthdays start –

Miss Two had hers in January and we had

Hershey’s Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate (snowman) Cake

Number One wanted ‘Angry Birds’ in March. Her cupcakes were

the fabulous Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough cupcakes.

And now, in April, Mr. Three. His birthday fell on Easter this year, so I never got around to posting his cake. I’ll bet you will never guess what flavor cake he wanted? Did you say chocolate? How’d you guess?! Yes, all of my kids are following in their choco-holic mom’s footsteps. Poor kids.

He requested chocolate cake with chocolate icing. And I decided to amp it up a little with added dark chocolate chips to 2 layers, and a mousse like filling between what accidently ended up being a four layer cake!

The cake was so tall that he had to stand up to blow out his candles!

And yes, that is Spiderman on his cake.

I couldn’t get a good picture of all the layers when the cake was cut b/c the middle layers were very crumbly. I had to make an egg free cake, and the first cake didn’t turn out well (I used the Cherry Coke Zero and cake mix thing, which usually works well – but I think I overmixed it and they layers were very flat and crumbly.) Since I didn’t want a 2″ cake, I made another cake to ‘add to it’. I used the egg free cake from last year, and it turned out great. Wasn’t too crumbly and rose well. Only problem was…then I ended up with this ginormous cake!

The filling consisted of a package of sugar free/fat free instant chocolate pudding mix (large box) and 1 cup milk. Mix together and when it starts to thicken, add in a container of Cool Whip (I used either light or fat free – smaller container). Once it is all mixed, you get a light, fluffy, ‘frosting’. (I got the idea from and here.)

I then frosted the entire cake with my “semi homemade” chocolate fudge frosting. I have to say, other than my layers not being exactly the same size and therefore the caked looked a little ‘lumpy’ on the sides, it was a darn good cake!

You’ll have to excuse the big holes and finger swipes all over the cake. My now 4 year old was pretty happy with his super duper chocolate-y cake! Every time I looked over, he had his fingers in it!

I have 2 giveaways going on right now! General Mills Cereal and Print Runner! Check them out and enter with Rafflecopter ASAP 🙂

I’m linking this recipe up with , , Mouthwatering Monday @ , , Just Something I Whipped Up @ , at It’s a Blog Party, at All the Small Stuff, @ 33 Shades of Green, @ For The Love Of Blogs,,Wow Me Wednesday at , , , , , , , , , s, , , , , for Savory Sunday

Wordless Wednesday – Field Day

Kim

Giveaway from General Mills

Kim

If your kids are anything like mine, they love a straw. Especially the big, curvy, crazy straws. So, it was no surprise to me that when they saw this package arrive – they were excited!

Why is putting crazy straws in a box of cereal a good idea?

To prevent all that milk from being left in the bottom of the bowl!

My children don’t even realize they are drinking the rest of their milk while they are ‘playing’ with the straws. (I also like the bowls you can buy with the built in straws for this purpose.) It’s becoming more and more of a challenge to get my older kids to drink milk. My youngest still loves it, but the girls have to be ‘urged’ to drink it. Chocolate milk usually works, but I was pleased that by using the crazy straws, they finished their milk and it was “hassle free”! Anything that makes my kids do like I want without a bunch of fussing is good to me! Kids of all ages can collect and connect the different straws (available in specially marked packages of General Mills cereal) and while they are having fun, they are also increasing their calcium intake! As you know, calcium is very important for strong teeth and bones.

General Mills and MyBlogSpark have teamed up once again to offer a generous and fun giveaway. The prize package will include everything you see in the above photo (the participating cereals may vary, my package included Honey Nut Cheerios). The participating cereals are Cinnamon Toast Crunch® (17 oz.), Lucky Charms®(16 oz.), Reese´s® Puffs (18 oz.), Honey Nut Cheerios® (17 oz.), Trix®(14.8 oz) and Cocoa Puffs® (16.5 oz).

Giveaway package includes:

1 box of a participating Big G cereal
1 Curvy Straw
1 `spilt´ milk bowl
2 glow cups
2 tangle toys

Don’t want to wait for the giveaway? Save $1.25 with the purchase of two participating General Mills cereal boxes. Just click ! Interested in learning more about Big G cereals? Check out the website.

The ‘glow cups’ were a HUGE hit with my 4 year old! Just check out this video clip…

[googlevideo=http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?videoUrl=http://v10.nonxt5.googlevideo.com/videoplayback?id%3D0213382f0ab5aafe%26itag%3D5%26source%3Dpicasa%26ip%3D0.0.0.0%26ipbits%3D0%26expire%3D1335301041%26sparams%3Did,itag,source,ip,ipbits,expire%26signature%3DA57A011CEECF6D0B065A4CC68941E2C5980368E9.3CF7AF46101EC0233300B6E9BCE16E8384EC6CB%26key%3Dlh1]

What a little nut! And yes, the video clip is sideways. I’ll learn how to use all my technology one day. Maybe.

To enter the giveaway, just follow the instructions in Rafflecopter. You can do as many or as few of the options as you would like.

Disclosure: The prize pack, information, and giveaway have been provided by General Mills through MyBlogSpark.

Chai Latte Scones

Kim

Yes, now you can drink your chai and eat it too! The spices in a chai latte just conjure up feelings of peace and relaxation. (For me anyway! Don’t ask me why, it’s just one of those things.) So, when I saw this coffee creamer ….

I immediately wanted to give it a try. I also could not get the idea of cooking with it out of my head. I decided to try it in scones.

Chai Latte Scones with a ‘Dirty Chai’ glaze

2 cups flour (I used a combination of whole wheat and cake flour)

2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. cinnamon

1/2 t. nutmeg

1/4 t. cloves

1/4 t. ginger

1/4 t. sea salt

1-2 Chai Tea bags

4 T. butter (cold, cut into small chunks)

1/2 c. plain yogurt

1/2 c. chai latte creamer

3 T. brown sugar

1 t.vanilla

Glaze: chai latte creamer, instant coffee or espresso powder, confectioners sugar

Directions –

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Mix together flour, baking powder, spices, salt and tea (removed from tea bags).

Cut in cold butter. (it will be a dry and crumbly mixture).

In separate bowl, combine plain yogurt, creamer, brown sugar and vanilla.

Add yogurt mixture into flour mixture and gently mix until just combined.

Place dough on floured surface and shape into a circle.

My dough was super sticky, but I didn’t want to keep adding flour and kneading it in. So, I patted out my circle of dough, about an inch thick, and placed it on my baking sheet (with a silicone mat). I made cut marks in my dough, but didn’t separate it. After baking, I cut it into triangles. This worked fine.

My glaze was an experiment, so I didn’t even write down measurements. I added about a cup of confectioners sugar into a small bowl, added in a couple tablespoons of creamer (start with one and add until you get desired consistency) and a couple teaspoons of coffee. You should dissolve coffee in a small (maybe a teaspoon) of warm water before adding it to the other ingredients. I forgot to do this, and it took forever to mix in smoothly. If the mixture is too thin, add more powdered sugar – if too thick, add more creamer. (FYI – if you are not familiar with a Dirty Chai – check it out !) You could also add coffee into the scones themselves, or leave it out all together.

Verdict? YUM! Perfect with a cup of coffee (or chai tea!)

I’m linking this recipe up with , Mouthwatering Monday @ , , Just Something I Whipped Up @ , at All the Small Stuff, @ 33 Shades of Green, @ For The Love Of Blogs,,Wow Me Wednesday at , , , , , , , , , , , , for Savory Sunday; and for ingredient spotlight – sour cream & yogurt AND

PrintRunner Giveaway!

Kim

If you have been reading my blog for a while, you know that my 4 year old son has multiple food allergies. It has changed the way I prepare, buy and even think about food. It also is a constant concern as my son gets older and is more involved in activities outside the home. Preschool, church, friends’ houses, going out to eat, even going to a relative’s house is always overshadowed by his food allergies. You have to educate others, constantly monitor what is being eaten, and be prepared for emergencies. My post here gives an example of why I always have to be diligent and how quickly things can go wrong.

So…where am I going with this? Well, it occurred to me that it would be very beneficial as my little boy goes ‘out into the world’ if I had a way to constantly remind people, or make new people aware, of his food allergies. Soon after, I was contacted by a sponsor at about hosting a giveaway. PrintRunner can handle all your needs, with tons of options available (calendars, bumper stickers, postcards, stickers, etc). They gave me the option of giving away stickers or postcards. I thought STICKERS! That’s the perfect solution! that warn of my son’s food allergies! Easy to see, stick on, remove….perfect!
I was thinking of something like this.

The winner of this giveaway will get to design their very own stickers too. Do you want to promote your business? Blog? Label crafts? Labels for your children? The possibilities are endless, and this giveaway includes a whopping 250 stickers!

Details of the giveaway prize: Stickers
            Sticker Shape        : Standard Stickers
            Flat Width        : 2″
            Flat Height        : 3.5″
            Quantity        : 250
            Paper            : Premium Sticker Stock
            Colors            : Full Color ( 4 Color Process), Black and White
            Proof            : NONE
            Ready to Ship In    : 3 Business Days

To enter giveaway: Enter with Rafflecopter!

Disclaimer – I will be receiving a set of stickers for hosting this giveaway.

Margarita Cake

Kim

I’ve mentioned that I made a Margarita Cake for Easter, and wanted to share the recipe. It was really good, and it starts with a cake mix!

Margarita Cake –

slightly adapted from the

Cake:
Cooking spray, for misting the pan
Flour, for dusting the pan
1 package (18.25 ounces) plain yellow or lemon cake mix (I used lemon)
4 tablespoons vanilla instant pudding mix (I used fat free, sugar free instant pudding)
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup water
½ cup vegetable olive oil
1/3 cup fresh lime or Key lime juice
¼ cup tequila
2 tablespoons triple sec orange liqueur
1 teaspoon tablespoon grated lime zest
4 large eggs

Glaze:
1 ¼ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon tequila
1 tablespoon triple sec orange liqueur
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice or Key lime juice
3-4 drops (optional)
2-3 drops of (optional)
1 lime, cut into thin slices (I omitted)
1 to 2 teaspoons coarse sugar (I omitted)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly mist a 12-cup Bundt pan with cooking spray, then dust with flour. Shake out the excess flour and set the pan aside.

In a large mixing bowl, mix the cake mix, pudding mix, sugar, water, oil, 1/3 cup lime juice, ¼ cup tequila, 2 tablespoons orange liqueur, lime zest and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until the ingredients are combined, abt 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula and mix on medium speed for 1½ minutes longer, scraping down the side of the bowl again if needed. The batter should look smooth and thick. Pour the batter into the prepared Bundt pan, smoothing the top with the rubber spatula, and place the pan in the oven.
Bake the cake until the top springs back when lightly pressed with a finger, 42 to 47 minutes. Transfer the Bundt pan to a wire rack and let the cake cool for 10 to 15 minutes. Run a long, sharp knife around the edges of the cake, shake the pan gently, and invert the cake onto a wire rack. Let the cake cool completely, about 25 minutes longer. (My cake pulled away from the sides as it cooled and I didn’t need to run a knife along the sides of the pan. It came out easily, unlike this one! My cake also fell some. ALL my cakes fall…I don’t know what I’m doing wrong!)
Meanwhile, make the glaze: Place the confectioners’ sugar, 1 tablespoon tequila, 1 tablespoon orange liqueur, 1 tablespoon lime juice, and the lemon and orange Stevia drops in a small bowl and whisk until smooth. Slide the cake onto a serving plate. Using a long wooden skewer poke 12 to 16 holes in the top of the cake. Spoon the glaze over the top of the cake, letting it drip down the sides. Garnish the cake with the lime slices and a sprinkling of coarse sugar. Let the glaze set for 10 minutes, then slice and serve the cake.

Verdict – This cake was all I hoped it would be….dense and moist like a pound cake, with a nice citrus flavor. The glaze was delicious and really complimented and added to the flavor of the cake. The new flavored stevia extracts from NuNaturals are amazing! Very intense flavor. I can’t wait to try them in different recipes. (Review & Giveaway coming!) I only tasted a hint of Tequila in the glaze, and I think that is just because I knew it was there. It could be left out if you prefer, or increased if you want to intensify the flavor. (If you add more liquid, you may need to add more confectioner’s sugar,depending on the consistency of the glaze.) Overall, this is a perfect dessert for spring/summer and is going in the ‘keeper file’!

I’m linking this recipe up with , , , , , All the Small Stuff, , @ For The Love Of Blogs,,, , , , , , , , , , , for Savory Sunday; (Ingredient Spotlight: Citrus)

{semi} Wordless Wednesday – Easter Edition

Kim

Hope y’all had a great weekend, and some of you are enjoying Spring Break this week. My kids were out last week….so it’s ‘back to normal’ for us. Normal being relative. Some pics from Easter…

Hot Cross Buns

Cadbury Caramel ‘Deviled’ Eggs

awesome cake – recipe soon!

tree climbing

egg hunting

chillaxin’ with the cutest puppy ever

Meatball Sub Casserole

Kim

I don’t know about y’all, but I love a casserole. I don’t know if it’s a Southern thang or what…but chicken casseroles, pork chop casserole, you name it. So, when I saw this on , I was ready to give it a try. Especially since it had a nice, cheesy picture to go with it. (There is one problem however. I don’t even like meatball subs. But….I made it anyway. Because I’m weird like that.) I figured, how can you go wrong with bread, cheese and pasta sauce. Plus it was super easy to throw together.

It doesn’t plate all that pretty, but like I said, bread, cheese, sauce….what’s not to like?!

Meatball Sub Casserole adapted from

Meatballs* (I used frozen turkey meatballs)

1 loaf (1 pound) Italian bread, cut into 1 1/2 inch slices*

1 package (8 ounces) reduced fat cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup fat free mayonnaise

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

1/4 tsp. pepper

2 cups shredded Italian blend cheeses

1 jar (28 ounce) spaghetti or marinara sauce

1 cup water (I didn’t use)

2 garlic cloves, minced (I omitted)

*See original recipe for homemade meatball recipe

*Since other reviews mentioned the bread being soggy, I sprayed my bread with olive oil & garlic powder and broiled to get it crisp and toasted before adding it to my casserole.

Arrange bread in a single layer in an ungreased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish (all of the bread might not be used). Combine the cream cheese, mayonnaise, Italian seasoning and pepper; spread over the bread. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup cheese. (I cut the recipe in half and used an 8×8 pan)

Combine the spaghetti sauce, ~~water and garlic~~; add meatballs. Pour over cheese mixture; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 30 minutes or until heated through. I did not completely thaw my meatballs before adding to casserole. I just had them sitting out while I got everything else ready.

Since I used frozen turkey meatballs, jarred sauce, and store bought bread, this came together in a snap and was super easy for a weeknight meal. Unfortunately, I have crazy children who wouldn’t eat it. This whole I don’t like sauce is getting old. Just eat it already! I thought it was pretty good, considering I don’t really like meatballs. I think next time I’ll make it with turkey italian sausage. Yum! It definitely tastes like a meatball sub, so if you like those, you should love this!

A few notes: toasting the bread and having nice thick slices helps ensure the bread doesn’t get too soggy. I also didn’t add the water…which would have made a lot more sauce, but the bread would definitely get soft I think. It depends on what you like. (I personally hate soggy bread) Making simple ingredient substitutions, like the turkey meatballs, reduced fat cream cheese and fat free mayo makes this a much more figure friendly dish than it would be otherwise. Also, you could use a whole wheat bread loaf.

Since the weekend was filled with a birthday party and Easter, I have more sweet treats to share!

Don’t forget to enter my giveaway for a $25 giftcard to sneakpeeq.com!

http://makinitmobetta.com/2012/04/sneak-peek-at-sneakpeeq-giveaway/

Linking up with