Product Review ~ Bodacious Food Company Geraldine's All-Natural Cookies

Today I would like to introduce you to the Bodacious Food Company who makes and sells a variety of great tasting snack foods. When you check out their product line up you will find cheese straws, all natural cookies, Jaxn's twiced-baked potato stix and more! Each of these snack lines have a variety of delicious flavors within it.

The generous folks at Bodacious Food Company sent me a large box of snack foods to try out and review for all of you. I will be breaking down these reviews into several smaller reviews so that I can adequately write about each one.

My Review: I received three 6 ounce packages of all-natural cookies for my product review. I received the Geraldine's Pecan Cini-minis, Geraldine's Key Lime Cookies and Geraldine's Italian Wedding Cookies for the review. Geraldine's uses only the finest all natural ingredients to make their delicious cookies. They never use high fructose corn syrup or anything artificial.

Geraldine's Italian Wedding Cookies: I have never heard of Italian Wedding Cookies until I received this package. These cookies have a hint of Amaretto and Toasty Almonds so if you love those 2 ingredients...you should love these cookies. I love just about any cookie that has been rolled into confectioner's sugar and this petite sized cookie is no exception. It has the perfect blend of Amaretto along with the Toasty Almonds to make a delicious cookie. I think these are great served at a fancy luncheon, tea party or enjoy with your coffee, hot tea or cocoa. They tasted fresh and were sweet but not overly sweet. I see why they call these "Wedding" cookies as they would be perfect served at a wedding on a beautiful serving tray.

Geraldine's Pecan Cini-minis: These mini cookies have the perfect blend of cinnamon and pecans all rolled into one bite sized cookie! Now...don't let the size fool ya...these cookies pack a powerful punch of deliciousness! If cinnamon buns could become a tasty cookie...these cookies would be it! I love that they are rolled into confectioner's sugar which gives them a sweet taste but not overly sweet. We have been enjoying these with our morning hot coffee and hot cocoa and find them to be a perfect pairing with a hot beverage. These make a great snack, after dinner treat or they would be great served at a party as an appetizer.

Geraldine's Key Lime Cookies: These mini cookies have the perfect key lime tropical taste that you would expect from a key lime flavored foodie product. Again, these are ball shaped cookies that have been rolled in confectioner's sugar. These little petite cookies are tropical goodness for sure! Out of the 3 varieties that we tried...these were my favorites although my hubby preferred the Pecan Cini-minis. I didn't think they were overly sweet but hubby said they were good but he could only eat one at a time as they were too sweet for him. Boohoo on him as I thought they were fabulous! I could see snacking on these with a margarita in the summertime or with a big glass of iced tea. These would be great served at all of your summer parties and events.

Overall Impression: We enjoyed sampling all 3 of the Geraldine's cookies and we both have different favorites (see above). I love that the cookies are made with all-natural ingredients and I love the size of them (petites) as they are perfect for single servings and pretty enough to be placed on a tray and served at a party or special event. Would I ever purchase these Geraldine's cookies? You bet I would and I plan on doing so!

Serving Size: 6 cookies equals 150 calories with approximately 60-70 calories of fat per serving. I think that is pretty good!

I would personally like to thank Bodacious Snack Foods for sending me the cookies to review. I think they are delicious, tasted fresh and my family enjoyed sampling them.

Disclaimer: Shelly Hill has personally reviewed the product(s) listed in this product review. Shelly did not receive any compensation for her review but did receive free product(s) to try out for the review. Shelly's thoughts and opinions are honest and unbiased. Your opinions may differ. Please read the Terms of Service & Disclaimer Policy for additional information.

Product Review ~ Geraldine's Chipotle Cheddar Cheese Straws

Today I would like to introduce you to the Bodacious Food Company who makes and sells a variety of great tasting snack foods. When you check out their product line up you will find cheese straws, all natural cookies, Jaxn's twiced-baked potato stix and more! Each of these snack lines have a variety of delicious flavors within it.

The generous folks at Bodacious Food Company sent me a large box of snack foods to try out and review for all of you. I will be breaking down these reviews into several reviews so that I can adequately write about each one.

My Review: I received 1 large package of Geraldine's Chipotle Cheddar Cheese Straws along with two mini 100 calorie snack bags. Since I am not a fan of anything flavored with Chipotle, I decided to let my daughter and her family try this product out. Serving size is 6 pieces, 160 calories with 100 of those calories being fat. What makes Geraldine's Cheese Straws so bodacious you might ask? Well...it's all about the cheese! The #1 ingredient in these cheese straws is....cheese! Geraldine's uses premium quality cheese and it's mixed with other all natural ingredients and then baked crisp. My daughter decided to serve these Chipotle Cheddar Cheese Straws along with their Mexican theme'd dinner the other night. She had made soft-shelled tacos and served these right along with them. She said that her and her fiance loved these cheese straws and that they were cheesy but with a smokey, spicy kick! She said they weren't to spicy that you needed to wash them down, they were on the mild spicy side. She said they tasted fresh and they were crunchy. I asked her if she would buy these in the future and she said absolutely she would but...it wouldn't be a daily snack choice for them but a special ocassion type of snack like when she was making mexican food. I then asked Mr. Fiance what he thought and he told me that he would eat these as a daily snack and to ignore my daughter LOL! So there you have it...their opinions!

Purchasing Information: You can purchase this fabulous all-natural snack directly from the Bodacious web site store and at some retailer's across the nation. You can find the complete list of retailers on their web site.

Disclaimer: Shelly Hill has personally reviewed the product(s) listed in this product review. Shelly did not receive any compensation for her review but did receive free product(s) to try out for the review. Shelly's thoughts and opinions are honest and unbiased. Your opinions may differ. Please read the Terms of Service & Disclaimer Policy for additional information.

Product Review ~ Bodacious Food Company Twice-Baked Potato Stix

Today I would like to introduce you to the Bodacious Food Company who makes and sells a variety of great tasting snack foods. When you check out their product line up you will find cheese straws, all natural cookies, Jaxn's twiced-baked potato stix and more! Each of these snack lines have a variety of delicious flavors within it.

The generous folks at Bodacious Food Company sent me a large box of snack foods to try out and review for all of you. I will be breaking down these reviews into several reviews so that I can adequately write about each one.

My Review: I received a 5 oz. bag of the Jaxn's twice-baked potato stix in the sweet potato variety. I have always loved sweet potato fries so I was excited about trying out these sweet potato stix. These twice-baked potato stix are all-natural, gluten free and they have 75% less fat than regular potato chips. This certainly makes them a healthier snack for you and your family to enjoy. This is a great snack all on it's own or you could serve it with soups, salads, sandwiches or with your favorite dips. Serving size is 1 oz. or 18 stix and each serving is only 70 calories with 25 of those calories being from fat.

I decided to serve these today to my family for lunch to go along with our soups and sandwiches. My three test subjects were myself, hubby and my mother. All 3 of us loved these stix! They were crunchy with just the right amount of salt. You could definitely taste the sweet potato and since we love sweet potatoes...we loved them! Matter of fact, we demolished the entire bag at lunch time. Once you eat one...it's hard to not eat the entire bag!

Overall Impression: As already stated, we loved these Jaxn's Twice-Baked Potato Stix in the sweet potato variety. They had a wonderful taste to them and we plan on purchasing them for future snacks. We give them 2 snacking thumbs up! Check out their web site to find locations on where you can purchase this delicious snack!

Disclaimer: Shelly Hill has personally reviewed the product(s) listed in this product review. Shelly did not receive any compensation for her review but did receive free product(s) to try out for the review. Shelly's thoughts and opinions are honest and unbiased. Your opinions may differ. Please read the Terms of Service & Disclaimer Policy for additional information.

Scrumtious Irish Creme Brownies Made With Hershey's Kisses Recipe

A few days ago I decided to bake up some brownies for my sweetheart but wanted to do something a little different with the brownie mix. Since my hubby and I love the Hershey's Irish Creme flavored Hershey Kisses, I decided to flavor my brownie mix using them.

I used a box of Duncan Hines Fudge Brownie mix and mixed it up according to the box directions. I then unwrapped 14 Hershey Kisses in the Irish Creme flavor and stirred those into my brownie batter. I poured the batter into my heart shaped cake pan and backed them according to the box directions.

Let me tell you...these brownies were banging good! Hubby totally flipped over them! So the next time you are looking for a little twist on the basic brownie mix, throw in some Hershey Kisses to your basic brownie mix!

Great Food At Chili's ~ Wild or Mild Menu Review

The great folks over at Chili's sent me a $20 gift card to take my family out to lunch. After all of this cold & snowy weather we have been having...we were all itching to get out of the house and to enjoy some great tasting food, so we headed on out to Chili's.

Once there...we were seated quickly and our objective was to try out the new Chili's Wild or Mild Menu Selections. After looking it over...we all decided to go "Mild". I was very happy that we were seated quickly, our table was super clean and our hostess was nice and friendly. I loved that they gave my little grand daughter some crayons and coloring sheets to keep her busy while we waited for our food to arrive to our table.

I selected the Big Mouth Bites Meal which came with 4 mini burgers topped with applewood smoked bacon, American cheese and sauteed onions. It came with crispy onion strings and ranch dressing. My husband selected the Big Mouth Classic Bacon Burger topped with applewood smoked bacon, Cheddar cheese, red onion and mayonnaise along with some crispy french fries. My daughter went for Chili's delicious ribs and my little 22 month old grand daughter had their yummy baked macaroni and cheese.

We didn't have to wait too long...about 20 minutes after ordering, our lunch arrived hot and ready for us to dig in! The hostess paid special attention to our little grand daughter and made her laugh which was a lot of fun to see since not all restaurants are kid friendly...but I can attest that Chili's welcomes our little ones with open arms!


My entire family enjoyed our lunch at Chili's and we look forward to going again soon! Our food was perfectly cooked, beautifully presented and more importantly...delicious!

Come on by Chili's Shout Out to Eat Out website where you can win a $20 Chili's gift card by creating and entering your own Wild or Mild avatar. Shout Out To Eat Out – Wild or Mild”: To enter, participants upload a head shot of themselves and create a wild or mild avatar on shoutouttoeatout.com. Prizes: One (1) winner will be randomly drawn every day and will receive one (1) $20 Chili’s gift card. The most voted 'Wild' avatar will win a 'Wild' trip to Las Vegas and the most voted 'Mild' avatar will win a 'Mild' trip to Disney World! Ends 4/30/2011!

You can also watch the Wild or Mild video and get a Free Appetizer of Chips and Queso by signing up for their emails. Come on by Chili's fabulous web site and check out their menu online. You will see that Chili's has something for everyone...especially for those who love to eat great food!

Disclaimer: Shelly Hill has personally reviewed the product listed above. Chris has not received any monetary compensation for her review. She did receive a free product to try out so she could evaluate and use it for her review. Her thoughts & opinions in this review are unbiased & honest and your opinions may differ.

Enclume Pot Racks ~ Premiere Metal Products For Your Kitchen

Last spring my husband and I purchased a 65 year old home that hasn't been modernized or updated in decades. With that said, we have been remodeling the entire house to bring it into the 21st century. Right now we are renting out the home so remodeling at times can be difficult.

The next major product we are undertaking is remodeling the kitchen and one of the things I would like to have for the new kitchen is an Enclume Pot Rack. I have been searching for some Enclume PotRacks and I finally found their fantasic web site!

I love their large variety of Enclume Pot Racks and all of them seem to be very affordably priced. They have hanging pot racks, wall mounted pot racks and free standing pot racks in a variety of styles, sizes and colors. They also have a 30 day no hassle return policy which I really love that!

If you are looking for a new Pot Rack, I invite you to check out the Enclume Pot Rack site!

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post written by Shelly Hill on behalf of the advertiser. I was compensated to write this post by the advertiser...however, the wording, subject matter and my opinion are all my own. Your thoughts and opinion may differ from mine. Please read the SNB Blog Terms of Service & Disclaimer Policy for additional information. We are not affiliated with this company in any way.

Delicious Tex-Mex Lasagna Dinner Recipe

When it comes to making lasagna for my family dinners...I like to look for unique and different recipes so that I am changing up one of my family's favorite style of dinners. Years ago when I was visiting some family in Arizona, My aunt gave me her recipe to make this Mexican Style Lasagna. It does take some time to make but it will be well worth your efforts!

Tex-Mex Lasagne Dinner Recipe

12 pieces Lasagne, uncooked
3 cups tomato or spaghetti sauce
1 cup water
1 15 1/2 ounce can kidney beans, drained
1 10 ounce package frozen corn, thawed
1 package chili seasoning mix
2 cups part skim ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cups reduced fat Monterey Jack cheese, grated

In a medium bowl, stir together the spaghetti sauce, water, beans, corn and chili seasoning mix. Spread 1 cup of the sauce mixture over the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch baking pan. Arrange 4 pieces of lasagne, 3 lengthwise, 1 widthwise over the sauce. Cover with 1 cup of sauce. Spread 1/2 of the ricotta on top. Arrange another 4 pieces of lasagne over the ricotta and top with another cup of sauce. Spread remaining ricotta on top. Arrange final 4 pieces of lasagne on top. Cover with remaining sauce. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours. Preheat oven to 350F. Cover lasagne with foil and bake for 45 minutes covered. Uncover lasagne, sprinkle Monterey Jack cheese on top and bake an additional 15 minutes uncovered

3 Easy To Make Jello Dessert Cake Recipes

When it comes to making and baking homemade dessert cakes I like to use recipes that are easy to prepare, bake up quickly and taste delicious. When you use gelatin in your cake batter recipes it adds a nice flavor and coloring to your dessert cakes. It will make a boxed mix taste like a homemade gourmet cake.

Each of these recipes start out with a boxed mix that you spruce up with a few additional ingredients. When the recipe calls for a box of gelatin it is for the standard (not family-sized) box. You can top these desserts with a glaze, frosting or icing of your choice or see the recipe for suggestions.

Lemon Lime Gelatin Cake

1 box lemon flavored cake mix
1 box lemon gelatin mix
1 box of lime gelatin mix
1/4 cup bottled lemon juice
1 cup confectioners sugar

Add gelatin mix to the dry cake mix. Proceed to making the cake following directions on the package. Pour the batter into a prepared baking pan that has been greased and lighly floured. Bake according to box instructions. Mix lemon juice and confectioners sugar together. When it has finished baking, prick with fork all over while it is still hot and pour lemon/sugar mixture evenly over the top. This will make a nice glaze when cooled. Store in an airtight container until serving time.

Dreamy Gelatin Cake

1 box white cake mix
1 box lime gelatin mix
1 container dream whip

Follow directions on the back of the box to mix and bake the cake. Make gelatin according to directions on the box. After cake is baked, poke holes all over it with a large fork, then pour the gelatin over the cake and into all the poked holes, using all of it. Put dream whip on as the icing. Refrigerate cake two hours and store it in the refrigerator.

Orange Creamsicle cake

1 orange cake mix
1 box of orange gelatin

Bake the cake as directed on the box. Let it cool for 1 hour before proceeding. Mix and dissolve gelatin in 1 cup of hot water, then add 1/2 cup of cold water. Poke holes in top of cooled cake with a fork and pour onto cake making sure that it runs into the poked holes. Put in refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Then mix:

1 box of vanilla instant pudding
1 cup cold milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 ounce package Cool Whip

In a medium sized mixing bowl, beat together the vanilla instant pudding, cold milk and vanilla extract. Fold in the package of Cool Whip. Frost the top with the frosting you just prepared after the cake has been completely cooled.

This article was written by Shelly Hill, copyright 2011, All Rights Reserved.

How To Roast Bell Peppers Using An Outdoor Grill

Roasting your own peppers at home using an outdoor grill is really a simple process that you can do yourself by following the steps I have outlined below.

Step 1. Wash all of your bell peppers and pat dry with a clean cotton towel or paper towel. Cut off the stem and remove it. Slice the bell pepper in half and then into quarters. Using your paring knife scrape out the membranes and seeds, toss them away.

Step 2. Preheat your gas, charcoal or electric outdoor grill until it reaches high heat. Place your quartered peppers skin side down onto the grilling rack using tongs. Grill your peppers for 12-15 minutes or until the skin blisters and chars. Using your tongs flip the pepper over and continue grilling it until that side is done. Using your tongs, remove the peppers from the grill and place them in a large bowl. Cover your bowl and let the heat and condensation loosen up the skins. Once they are cool enough to handle (about 10 minutes) peel off their skins and toss the skins away.

Step 3. Once the skins are off you can chop the peppers into thin strips, chunks or leave them in quarters. Place them into a freezer safe storage container or zipper closure bag. Label and freeze. They should keep for a few months if properly frozen.

When you are ready to use some of your roasted bell peppers remove what you need from the container and let them thaw for 15-20 minutes before tossing into your favorite recipe.

Homemade Scotch Scones Recipe

Today I am sharing with you a vintage recipe from the late 1960's that was given to me by my great aunt. She used to make these Scotch Scones all of the time for us kids when we were little. They are super easy to make and taste delicious. This recipe will make 10-12 scones.

Scotch Scones Recipe

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. granulated sugar
3 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
1 egg yolk
1/3 cup light cream
1 egg white

Sift together the flour, 1 tbsp. sugar, baking powder and the salt. Cut in the vegetable shortening with a pastry blender. Beat the egg yolk, add in the light cream and then mix that into your dry ingredients until well blended. Roll out the dough onto a lightly floured dough board. Cut dough in 2" triangles and place them onto a nonstick baking sheet or silicone lined baking sheet. Beat the egg white slightly with a wire wisk and then brush the egg white on top of the dough triangle, sprinkle the remaining sugar on top. Bake in a prepheated 375 degree oven for 10-14 minutes or until golden. Serve them warm.

Delicious Grilled London Broil Teriyaki Recipe

One of my husbands favorite meals is this delicious London Broil Teriyaki Recipe that I got from my sister in law a few years ago. If you are doing some entertaining out in the backyard and using your grill...you will appreciate this easy to make recipe.

Grilled London Broil Teriyaki Recipe

1 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup apricot jam
4 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 lbs. top round beef
12 mushroom caps
24 cherry tomatoes

Preheat the grill. Make the teriyaki sauce in a small saucepan, combine the soy sauce, olive oil, apricot jam, cornstarch, ground black pepper and minced garlic. Stir to blend the ingredients and then bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

Brush the sauce over the beef steak. Grill the steak over medium to high heat, turning once & brushing the second side with the sauce. We like to grill ours for 8-10 minutes on each side.

Divide the mushroom caps and tomatoes...thread them onto metal or wooden skewers. Brush them with the teriyaki sauce and grill them for 2-4 minutes or until done. Cut the steak across the grain & on the diagonal into thin slices. Serve the steaks with the skewered veggies.

Cherry Chocolate Brownies Recipe

I love chocolate brownies and my husband loves any bake good item that has cherries in it so this recipe is the perfect combination of both things that we love! These brownies are decadent and super delicious. When I make them for our church bake sales...they sell out within 30 minutes!

Cherry Chocolate Brownies Recipe

1/3 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup chopped, well drained maraschino cherries
1/3 cup chopped slivered almonds

Cream butter, sugar and eggs in a bowl. Blend in corn syrup, almond extract and vanilla. In a separate bowl combine flour, cocoa, salt and baking powder. Gradually add flour mixture to creamed mixture, blend well. Stir in chopped cherries and almond slivers. Spread into a greased and floured 8" square baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until brownies are done.

Love To Shop? Check out ShopWiki.com

I love to shop and I especially love to shop online and one of the sites I like to check out is ShopWiki.com which is a great shopping resource! When you are looking to buy anything and I mean anything online...this is the site you need to use! ShopWiki.com has every site in their data base that offers something for sale online so you can find things from a new toaster to new bedroom slippers in one click of your mouse.

My husband and I are both huge coffee drinkers and we love to give coffee gift sets as gifts to his co-workers throughout the year. ShopWiki.com helps you find a slew of gifts for coffee lovers from the expensive to the affordable price ranges. If you are looking for coffee speciality blends, ShopWiki.com will show you every online store that sells them! If you want to read up about the Art of Coffee and learn more about how coffee is made...you can do a search for that too over at ShopWiki.com

I know when I want to shop online...ShopWiki.com is the place I head to first! Happy Shopping!



Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post written on behalf of the advertiser. I was compensated to write this post on behalf of them. However, my words, thoughts, ideas and opinions about the products I am discussing are honest, unbiased and of my own. Please read the Terms of Service and Disclaimer Policy of the Shakin 'N Bakin Blog for additional information.

Mexican Turkey Meatballs With Salsa Recipe

Love the taste of Mexican food? Looking for a recipe that uses lean ground turkey instead of ground beef? If so...I have a great recipe to share with you! I got this recipe about 10 years ago from my aunt and ever since then...I love making this appetizer for my family weekend get togethers.

Mexican Turkey Meatballs with Salsa

1 lb. lean ground turkey
1 egg, beaten
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
4 ozs. tortilla chips, finely crushed
vegetable cooking spray
3/4 cup non-fat sour cream
1/2 cup mild or spicy salsa

In a large mixing bowl combine together the ground turkey, egg, garlic, onion, bread crumbs, chili powder and cumin until all ingredients are well combined. Shape mixture into 1" round balls.

Place crushed tortilla chips on a dinner plate. Roll each meatball into the crushed tortilla chips, coating thoroughly. Lightly coat baking dish with vegetable cooking spray and arrange meatballs in dish. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20 minutes or until meat is no longer pink in the center. In small mixing bowl, combine the sour cream and salsa. Use this dip for dunking your meatballs in or pour a small amount of dip over the meatballs for serving.

Easy To Make Honey Walnut Brownies Recipe

If you are looking for something a little different when it comes to chocolate brownie recipes then I think you will appreciate this one. With the addition of honey to this recipe your brownies come out sweet and moist (but not overly sweet). You can substitute the chopped walnuts with your favorite type of nut or omit them completely.

If you have to do baking for your church or kid's school bake sales...this is a nice brownie recipe to use for that.

Honey Nut Brownies Recipe

1/3 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup honey
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped walnuts

Cream butter and sugar in a bowl. Blend in honey and vanilla. Add eggs and beat well. In a separate bowl combine flour, cocoa and salt. Gradually add to creamed mixture. Stir in nuts. Spread in greased 9" square baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes until done.

Cruising Down The Country Roads In My Hot New Car For A Romantic Picnic Lunch

I love to spend one on one time with my husband of 25 years and one of the activities I like to plan for the two of us is a romantic picnic in the countryside. I love to prepare a few sandwiches, some fruit with dip, a couple of cupcakes, a few snacks and pack a bottle of chilled wine into my wicker picnic baskets and then we head on out for a picnic for two. I always take along a beautiful rag style blanket quilt that I made 25 years ago when our daughter was little.

One of these days I would like to purchase or rent a BMW 6 Series Convertible, Chevrolet Colorado, a Ferrari or even a Infiniti M37 Awd just so we can cruise down the country road in style. Wow...just thinking about that makes me want spring and summer to get here even sooner! I can see the two of us in that BMW 6 Series Convertible with the wind blowing our hair all around, the stereo cranked up and cruising down the road. (nice to dream heh?)

Do any of my blog readers enjoy going out for romantic picnics with their loved one? Got a favorite spot? In our hustle and bustle lives...it is always important to remember to take time out for one another and romantic picnics together is a great way to spend one on one time with each other.


Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. I was paid by the advertiser to write a blog post on their behalf. The wording, My Thoughts and My Topic are strictly mine. My opinion about the subject matter is honest and unbiased...your opinion may differ from my own. Please read my Terms of Service & Disclaimer Policy for additional information.

Product Review ~ General Mills Gluten Free Honey Nut Chex Cereal

I am so fortunate to be a member of the General Mills Pssst Club because I love trying out new food products that I have never tried before and I love to share those thoughts with my friends, family and of course...my foodie blog readers.

General Mills sent me a full size box of their Gluten Free Honey Nut Chex Cereal to try out. Here at our home...we love cereal and will eat it for a quick breakfast or even for a snack.

General Mills has 5 Gluten Free Chex Cereal Flavors: Honey Nut Chex, Chocolate Chex, Cinnamon Chex, Rice Chex and Corn Chex. These Gluten Free varieties offer 12 essential vitamins and minerals and they are a good source of calcium and vitamin D. Each has a least 8 grams of whole grain per serving...wow! Did you know that it is recommended that we ingest 48 grams of whole grains a day? I didn't know that but I can see how Chex Cereal could help you obtain what you need to maintain digestive health!

A few days ago hubby and I decided to try out our Honey Nut Chex Cereal and we had it for breakfast. We use 2% milk in our house so that is how we enjoyed our bowl of cereal. The cereal tasted delicious and had just the perfect sweetness with that added honey taste. I loved that it had a crunch to it and that it wasn't soggy within 2 minutes as I am not fond of soggy cereal. Hubby enjoyed the cereal just as much as I did. When I use cereal as a snack...sometimes I eat it with milk and sometimes I just enjoy it dry and this is one cereal that tastes fabulous dry so we are also using it as a little snack.

If you have never tried the General Mills Gluten Free Chex Cereals...you should pick up a box the next time you are at the store. I know that now that I tried a box...I am going to pick up a box of the Chocolate flavor the next time I am out!

Disclaimer: I was not compensated for this review, however, I did receive a FREE box of Chex Cereal to try out so that I could offer my honest and unbiased opinion about it. I also received several coupons which I handed out to my friends and family so that they could try out the cereal too. Please read my Terms of Service & Disclaimer Policy for additional information.

Easy To Make Garlic Onion Chip Dip Recipe

Looking for an easy chip dip recipe that only requires a handfull of ingredients and is super easy to prepare? If so, I suggest you try out my mother's Garlic Onion Chip Dip Recipe. I find it best to make it up and to refrigerate it for a few hours so that all of the flavors infuse together before serving it.

Garlic Onion Chip Dip Recipe

2 c. salad dressing
1 1/2 c. sour cream
1/2 tsp. onion salt
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1 1/2 tsp. parsley flakes
1 tsp. Accent

Mix all of the above ingredients together and chill before serving.

Chiquita Banana No Bake Cookies Recipe

I love anything banana flavored and I love anything that has chocolate so when I saw the Chiquita Banana recipe for their No Bake Cookies...I knew I just had to try it! When I made the recipe I omitted the walnuts as I am allergic to walnuts but I am fine with peanut butter. Mine are not too pretty but let me tell you...they are delicious!

Tip: I found it best to measure out all of my ingredients because the cookie batter starts firming up right away...so I had my oatmeal, peanut butter, salt, cocoa and vanilla pre-measured out.

Chiquita Banana No Bake Cookies Recipe

3 Chiquita Bananas, with brown spots (you want them ripe)
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup 2% milk
3 cups quick cooking oatmeal (I used Quaker)
2 cups chopped walnuts (I omitted)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup cocoa powder (optional) I definitely used it and I used Hershey's

Combine the first four ingredients together in a large sauce pan and bring mixture to a boil. Stir frequently until mixture has a smooth consistency. (I cooked mine for about 5 minutes).
Remove from stove and stir in the remaining ingredients.
Divide batter into 24 cookies, place on wax paper and let cool completely, then refrigerate for 1 hour. Store in an air-tight container.
These cookies are a HUGE hit in my house! I made them this afternoon and they are over half gone already! Everyone loves them!

Hershey's Irish Creme Brownie Cookies Recipe

I purchased a bag of Hershey's Irish Creme Kisses and on the back of the bag was this fantastic recipe to make Hershey's Irish Creme Brownie Cookies! Here is what you will need to make them.

Hershey's Irish Creme Brownie Cookies Recipe

48 Hershey's Kisses filled with Irish Creme
1 family size pkg. original supreme brownie mix with Hershey's Syrup
1/4 cup Hershey's Cocoa Powder
2 eggs
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tbsp. water
powdered sugar

Remove wrappers from chocolate, place in freezer for several hours or overnight. Beat brownie mix, pouch of syrup, cocoa powder, eggs, oil & water in a medium sized bowl until well blended. Cover & refrigerate for several hours or until chilled.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease. Shape dough into 1" balls. Roll the balls in powdered sugar and place onto the prepared cookie sheet. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until set. Cool for 2 minutes and then press frozen chocolate kisses into center of each cookie. Let cookies cool completely before storing them in an air tight container.

This recipe will make approximately 4 dozen cookies.

Romance Is In The Air ~ Check Out The Hilton in Branson MO

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

Are you looking to get away? Need a little romantic break from the hustle and bustle of daily life and need some one on one romantic time with your special someone? Do you enjoy traveling to new and fun places that have great entertainment and fabulous tasting food? If so, check out Branson, Missouri!

I have a special 25th Wedding Anniversary coming up in April 2011 and I know I would love to travel and stay at the Hilton Promenade at Branson Landing or the Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel.

They have special romantic getaway packages at a special price for the entire month of February! You will be treated to an early check-in, in-room sparkling wine, access to the hotel health club and spa (where available), in-room full American breakfast for two (totally romantic) with late check out available upon request!

Just check out this Valentine's Day Duo Menu! That chocolate butter cake dessert sounds amazing! I know both my husband and I would enjoy that lemon sorbet too!

I think a romantic trip for 2 to Branson Missouri to celebrate our upcoming Wedding Anniversary (a little early) and Valentine's Day sounds fantastic! While we are there we could dine in fine style and take in a few of Branson's famous shows!

I invite you to check out the Hilton and all of the romantic special deals they have going on right now for a Valentine's Day Romantic Trip for 2!



Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post written on behalf of the advertiser. I was compensated to write this post on behalf of them. However, my words, thoughts, ideas and opinions about the products I am discussing are honest, unbiased and of my own. Please read the Terms of Service and Disclaimer Policy of the Shakin 'N Bakin Blog for additional information.

Delicious Banana Ricotta Chimichangas Recipe

I love bananas and eat a banana just about every day. One of the yummy banana desserts that we love to make are homemade Banana Ricotta Chimichangas! This dessert is a huge hit during our family game nights or family get togethers. Bananas are a healthy fruit and we just love them!

Banana Chimichangas Recipe

2 very ripe bananas, peeled & diced
8 ounce pkg. of Ricotta Cheese
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup granulated sugar
8 flour tortillas
1/2 cup chocolate sauce
1/2 pint of Vanilla Ice Cream
Cinnamon Sugar to Sprinkle on top!

Mix together bananas, ricotta cheese, raisins and sugar. Lay out tortillas and spread out mixture evenly in center of each. Roll up each one like an egg roll. Use a wooden skewer to hold together. Deep fry until golden brown.

Serve 2 to a plate with chocolate sauce drizzled on top, sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar and a scoop of vanilla ice cream on each one. Serve at once. Serves 4.

Easy To Make Spinach Dip Recipe

My family loves it when I make homemade dips to go along with their favorite snacks like potato chips, pretzels, crackers, veggie sticks, etc. and one of their favorite dips happens to be this very easy to make spinach dip.

Easy To Make Homemade Spinach Dip

1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch Salad Dressing Mix
1 (8 ounce) container Sour Cream
1 small box frozen chopped spinach
3 Tablespoons finely chopped onion

I use my food processor to finely chop my onion so that I have 3 tablespoons. In a small mixing bowl, combine together the chopped onion, 1 packet of Hidden Valley Ranch Salad Dressing and 1 container of sour cream. Blend until all ingredients are well combined. Thaw out your chopped spinach and drain away the water. Stir the chopped spinach into the other ingredients. Chill dip for about 1 hour before serving.

VoTrust.com Trade The Items You No Longer Need for New Items You Want!

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

I have a really cool online web site to tell you about today called VoTrust.com where you can trade items that you no longer need for items that you need and want. What is really cool about this site is that it is NOT an online auction site at all so you are saving your money by just simply trading items that you no longer use for items that you need.

I love to cook and bake and I am constantly buying new cookware items, bakeware items, kitchen appliances and gadgets to the point that I end up with more than I need. If you are like me, I am sure you could use VoTrust.com to just rade those unwanted kitchen items for new kitchen items that you do want!

How to use VoTrust.com: You will need to open up and set up your VoTrust.com account. The next step is to find a few items that you no longer want and use their values calculator to get an idea of how much your item is worth; this step is #2 and is known as Value Your Item. The #3 step is to search their large data base to look for items that you want or need that are in line with the value of the item you want to trade. The #4 and #5 steps are to make offers to others for the items you want and/or to receive offers from others who want the item you want to trade. How fun is that? Fun! You can accept or deny any trade proposal as you see fit! You are in total control here! Remember, this is a trading site, not a selling site so no auction and no getting out bidded on an item you want!

Step #6 is where you decide if you want to accept one of the trade offers that you received. Finally with Step #7 is where you set up and arrange delivery of the items you are trading. Once your trade has been completed, you will want to leave feedback about the trade so that other's can read about it.

About us(VoTrust.com) You can send them an email to learn more or to obtain the free listing offers. They will let you list 2 items for free! I think this is a much better set up than an online auction because I can unload my unwanted items for new items and not have to spend a lot of money or time like you do on traditional auction sites. I invite you to check out VoTrust.com today!

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post written on behalf of the advertiser. I was compensated to write this post on behalf of them. However, my words, thoughts, ideas and opinions about the products I am discussing are honest, unbiased and of my own. Please read the Terms of Service and Disclaimer Policy of the Shakin 'N Bakin Blog for additional information.

Gorton's Grilled Salmon Wrap with Fat-Free Tzatziki Sauce Recipe

I got this recipe last week from Gorton's and just had to make it for my family. It requires you to purchase 2 boxes of Gorton's frozen Grilled Salmon Fillets along with some other ingredients to make it. It took me less than 30 minutes to make and it fed all 4 of us...super delicious!

Tzatziki Sauce Ingredients & Directions:

3 cups fat-free Greek plain yogurt
1 English hothouse cucumber, diced
2 Tbsp. fresh dill, chopped
1 Tbsp. lemon juice (used fresh lemon juice)
2 garlic cloves, minced
salt and pepper to taste

In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients for Tzatziki sauce until thoroughly combined. Cover and refrigerate sauce for up to 2 hours before serving.

Grilled Salmon Wrap Ingredients & Directions:

2 (6.3 ounce) pkg. Gorton's Classic Grilled Salmon Fillets
4 (6 inch) whole wheat pitas
2 cups romaine lettuce, chopped (I used iceberg lettuce)
1 medium tomato, chopped
1/2 cup red onion, chopped
1/4 cup crumbled Feta cheese (I used an Italian cheese blend)
8 kalamata (olives), pitted and sliced (I omitted them)

Cook Gorton's Grilled Salmon Fillets according to package instructions. (I did them in the microwave). Slice cooked fish into bite size pieces and set aside. Warm pitas in microwave oven. Place one pita on a plate and spread 1/2 cup of the lettuce and slice salmon on top. Sprinkle a little chopped tomato, onion, Feta cheese and kalamata's on top. Spoon about 3 tablespoons of the Tzatziki sauce on top and fold in edges of the pita.

Great Valentine's Day Gifts For The Cook In Your Life! ~ Flirty Aprons ~

Aprons always make the perfect gift any time of the year. I like to give them for bridal shower, wedding gifts, birthday gifts and just because gifts! When it comes to purchasing aprons...I like to buy mine from Flirty Aprons!

When you shop the Flirty Aprons online store, you will find gorgeous kitchen aprons for women, men and children. I love all of the colors that these aprons come in and all of the fabrics that they use are high quality! The prints and combinations of colors is just magnificient! They are 'almost' too pretty to wear for cooking!

I have two everyday aprons that I purchased and then I have a festive holiday apron and I always feel spoiled and special when I wear them. Everyone who I have given an apron to tells me that they absolutely love their Flirty Aprons!

Flirty Aprons has over 50 fashionable styles to choose from and all purchases ship out in 1 business day. They have a fabulous 30 day money back guarantee to ensure your complete satisfaction with your purchase.

The next time you need a new apron or you wish to purchase a fancy dancy Flirty Apron, make sure you check out all of the wonderful aprons that Flirty Aprons has to offer.

Happy Shopping!

Disclaimer: The Shakin 'N Bakin Blog is an affiliate of the company listed in this blog post. The owner of the blog does make a certain percentage of each sale that occurs through her posted affiliate link contained in this blog post. I was not paid to write this post and all thoughts, opinions & ideas in this post are my own words. Please read the Terms of Service & Disclaimer Policy for this blog. All information contained on this web site is copyrighted by the Shakin 'N Bakin Blog, All Rights Reserved.