Product Review: Skillet Bacon Jam Review!

Today I would like to introduce you to the company called Skillet Street Food based out of Seattle, Washington. This company is owned by Chef Josh Henderson and has been in business since 2007. Out of a vintage Airstream trailer, Chef Josh Henderson created innovative lunch menus based on American-inspired food prepared with classic technique and seasonal ingredients. The reception from Seattle'ites was immediate & passionate. You can view a copy of their menu ---> HERE

What is Bacon Jam? (from company web site): we take a big bunch of really, really good bacon, and render it down...add a bunch of spices..onions, etc. and let it simmer for about 6 hours...give it a quick puree, blast chill it...and you have bacon jam.

How To Use Bacon Jam? You can use it as a condiment on burgers, hot dogs, grilled cheese sandwiches, etc. or try it as a potato topper or in your favorite salad. Bacon Jam can be used any where you would like a smokey bacon taste!

The Review The generous folks over at The Skillet sent me a jar of their Skillet Bacon Jam for my product review. I have never heard of bacon jam before nor have I ever tried a product like this...so I was excited to be trying this item out for all of you. A few evenings ago we used a little bit of Bacon Jam as a topper on our baked potatoes. We baked our potatoes for 45 minutes and then added on a dollop of butter, a dollop of sour cream and then a spoonful of bacon jam. To be honest, I didn't care for this product at all...it did nothing for me or my taste buds. However, My husband enjoyed the Skillet Bacon Jam on his baked potato. A few days after that, he decided to try some more on his Grilled Cheese Sandwich and he raved about it to me and his friends.

So.....as you have just read, I didn't care for this product at all. However, hubby enjoyed trying out the Skillet Bacon Jam on a variety of products. He said he loves the smokey bacon taste of this product and thinks it would make the perfect condiment to have on hand this summer since barbecuing is just getting back into full swing here on the East Coast.

Purchasing Info You can purchase the Skillet Bacon Jam online via their secure web site store. You will receive 3 jars of Bacon Jam for $39.50.

Disclaimer: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. Tomoson Product review & giveaway Disclosure.

How To Properly Clean and Organize Your Messy Refrigerator

How To Properly Clean and Organize Your Messy Refrigerator

One of the appliances that gets the most use in your home happens to be the refrigerator. Every day our family members get in and out of the refrigerator to grab what they need and off they go. Rarely do they take the time out to clean up any messes that occur. As the week goes on, these refrigerator messes get out of control pretty quickly. If this sounds like your refrigerator you are not alone!

Personally, I used to dislike cleaning out my refrigerator because it was so time consuming. Over the years I have learned a few tricks on how to clean it properly and how to organize my items to help prevent accidental messes.

The first thing that you want to do is to remove everything from inside your refrigerator. Fill up your sink with warm soapy water and grab a new clean sponge. Take your shelves and racks over to the sink and scrub them down with the soapy water. When you are finished scrubbing them, rinse clean with cool water and towel dry. Fill up a bucket with warm soapy water and take it over to the refrigerator so that you can wipe down the inside walls, drawers, shelves and doors that are not removable. Rinse with clean water and towel dry.

Before you place everything back inside your refrigerator, check all of the expiration dates. Anything that has expired gets immediately tossed. Use a clean damp sponge to clean any gook off of your condiment bottles and containers before placing them back inside. If organization is a problem for you, I suggest you invest in some clear containers that are stackable. I purchased 1 cup, 2 cup, 3 cup, 4 cup and 8 cup containers that are specifically made for the refrigerator and they stack on top of each other to save on space. I went with clear ones so that we can easily see the inside contents without having to label them. I also purchased slim oval shaped plastic beverage containers that take up less space than round ones and use those for all of our beverages. I decided to go with clear and opaque beverage containers so we can easily see the inside contents. Finally, I purchased some really neat slim design condiment containers at our local kitchen supply store. These containers are fantastic for holding all of your messy condiments and I find they fit inside my refrigerator door a lot easier than the regular containers that condiments come in.

Keeping your refrigerator clean and organized doesn't have to be a nightmare. I suggest giving it a good overall cleaning once a month and to invest in some great slim design containers that are specifically made for refrigerator use. When you notice spills and drips, clean them up right away instead of letting them accumulate for another day.

This article was written by Shelly Hill, copyright 2011, All Rights Reserved. Copies of this article are available for reproductions in your newsletters, on your blogs & web sites, etc. Please contact Shelly directly for her official author's resource reprint box and information by emailing her at classystaff @ yahoo dot com with subject line of SANBF Blog. Please allow 24-72 hours for a response.

2 Must Have Kitchen Items For Busy Moms Who Don't Have Time To Cook!

crock pot full of pork & sauerkraut

When it comes to being a busy mom...we often struggle with finding the time to cook

healthy home cooked meals for our family. We spend our days getting the kids to

school, working in or outside of the home, running the kids to after school activities,

running errands and then once we arrive home again, it's dinner time.

In our busy lives it is easy to fall into the trap of purchasing take out or hitting a fast food

joint and buying unhealthy food to feed to our families. As a mother you can solve this

problem by investing in two very helpful must-have kitchen appliances.

If you want to prepare healthy meals at home and do so lickety split then I suggest that you invest in two quality kitchen appliances. Let's take a look at those two appliances more in depth.
1. You should invest in a good quality crock pot. I suggest a 3 or 5 quart crock pot depending on the size of your family. The one that I own is 5 quart and made of stoneware which is super easy to clean because it can be placed into a dishwasher.

Slow Cooked Meal Suggestions: pork roast and sauerkraut, barbequed pulled-pork for sandwiches, beef stew, beef vegetable soup, chicken pot-pie, chicken corn soup, chili, short style spare ribs, chicken and pasta dishes, chicken and rice soup, chicken and dumplings and Salisbury steak and gravy are just a few delicious meals you can make in your crock pot.

2. You should invest in a high quality pressure cooker. In the old days I felt they were unsafe so I refused to use one. However...the past few years manufacturers have gotten with the program and now you can find very safe pressure cookers out in the marketplace. You can pressure cook your foods in half the time it takes to bake them and not only that...you will find that your meats will be more moist and taste delicious when pressure cooked.

Meal Suggestions: You can do roasts, beef, chicken, turkey, pork, venison and

lamb in a pressure cooker in half the time of conventional baking.

If you are looking to get into crock pot and pressure cooking I suggest that you invest in a few good cookbooks that are geared towards each of those cooking methods.

Getting dinner onto your family's table every night doesn't mean that you have to spend hours in the kitchen making it. Invest in a crock pot and a pressure cooker and you will find that you can feed your family quickly and easily the healthy meals that they deserve.

This article was written by Shelly Hill, copyright 2010, All Rights Reserved. This article can not be reprinted without my permission.

The Frugal Grocery Shopping Trip - 10 Money Saving Tips

The Frugal Grocery Shopping Trip - 10 Money Saving Tips by Tammy Embrich

Making grocery dollars stretch is a challenge for most of us, and feeding a basic family of four with today's grocery prices can easily leave you broke long before next pay day. This is true for the average person trying to just get by and keep their head above water.

However, there are certain tips and tricks to make it a bit less challenging. Have a look below at my helpful advice to aid in making your everyday shopping trip more of a frugal one, and many more to follow.

10 Helpful Money Saving Tips For Your Grocery Bill

Tip 1 - If you make two or more trips to the grocery store each week, plan ahead and start going once per week, or even once every two weeks. You will save yourself both time and money by doing so. By making numerous shopping trips, you are unnecessarily more inclined to purchase extra items on impulse.

Tip 2 - You can save a bundle by taking the time to clip coupons. There are various places to find them in addition to your local newspaper. Maybe have your kids pitch in and clip coupons for you.

grocerysmarts.com
coolsavings.com
coupons.com
hortcuts.com
smartshource.com

Tip 3 - Purchase in bulk sizes rather than single items. Both Walmart and Target offers many everyday items in bulk form. Buying meats in bulk sizes can especially save you money. Shop and Save does have meat in big quantities. If you have an extra big freezer, take advantage of this and stock up.

Tip 4 - If you do a lot of entertaining and you serve alcohol often, purchase your favorite wines online. You can save considerably if you purchase wine in cases instead of single bottles at a time. Check out wineaccess.com and klwines.com.

Tip 5 - Leave your credit cards at home when shopping. I myself have learned the hard way about shopping with credit cards. If you are an impulse shopper and repeatedly use credit cards, you may be in for some serious debt issues. If you have racked up big credit card amounts, if at all possible, pay more than the minimum payments. If you don't, you will never get your debts paid off.

Tip 6 - Often times parents give their children over-sized food portions. It's a well known fact that most parents end up pitching approximately 30% of what's on their plate. Start serving smaller portions to your kids, you can always cook more if need be.

Tip 7 - Here's a saving tip for moms with babies. Make your own baby food instead of paying the big bucks for those expensive jars of baby food. Put your blender to work. There are tons of recipes online exclusively for babies.

Tip 8 - You often hear the phrase "don't go to the grocery store hungry." Well, there is definitely some truth to that! Just once, go to the store when you are starving and notice how hard it is to resist the urge to buy on impulse. It is best to go after your morning breakfast meal. If you eat breakfast especially early, you will also find the store less crowded.

Tip 9 - Ditch the name brand items. Most often the generic form of a certain item is just as good. In most cases with name brand items, really all a person is spending more on is the "name" and not quality.

Tip 10 - Consider shopping at your local dollar store for certain cleaning products, toiletries, and paper items. Sometimes you find some really good bargains. For example, 4 items for $3.

With little effort and a little more time and strategic planning, hopefully the tips above will help you live more frugally.

Article Written By Tammy Embrich

Tammy is an Internet marketer, article marketer, and ghostwriter. You can find more grandparenting and parenting articles, tips, and personal experiences, as well as photos and recipes at Grandma's Home Blogger Place

Tammy also offers work at home articles, free job leads, work at home tips, and more at Work At Home Jobs

Article Source: WAHM Articles

How To Make Homemade Banana Pecan Bread With Recipe

When it comes to baking quick fruit breads one of my favorites to make is homemade Banana Bread. I love trying out various recipes for it so that we are eating a slightly different version of it each and every time that I make it.

Years ago I my great grandma shared with me one of her favorite Banana Bread Recipe's and this one calls for chopped pecans instead of your traditional chopped walnuts. What I love about this particular recipe is that it makes a nice big loaf that is super moist with just the amount of perfect sweetness to it.

Great Grandma's Banana Pecan Bread Recipe

Ingredients Needed To Make 1 Loaf

5 tablespoons softened butter or margarine
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 medium or large egg
2 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups very ripe mashed bananas
1 3/4 cups all-purpose white flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

* Preheat oven to 350 degrees and let oven fully heat up to the 350 degrees before placing pan into the oven. Lightly spray your loaf pan with non-stick vegetable cooking spray or lightly grease with butter.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter with an electric hand mixer at high speed until it is light and creamy smooth. Stir in the granulated sugar and the brown sugar. Using electric mixer, beat the sugars in with the butter until smooth. Add in the egg, egg whites and vanilla extract. Beat until batter is mixed together, approximately one minute. Pour in your mashed bananas and hand beat the batter until all of the ingredients are well combined. It will be a little lumpy.

In a small bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, table salt. and baking powder. Pour your flour mixture into the wet ingredients and use an electric mixer to combine all ingredients together. You will want to beat the batter for one to two minutes using an electric mixer or for three to four minutes if mixing it by hand. Stir in the finely chopped pecans.

Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan and smooth it out so that it is even. Place loaf pan into the oven that has been preheated to 350 degrees and bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until the center of the bread is done. (it is done when a knife inserted in center comes out clean). Cool your bread for 5 minutes in the pan before transferring it to a wire rack to finish the cooling process.

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

March is National Nutrition Month ~ Grab A Yoplait Yogurt!

March is National Nutrition Month and there´s no better time than now for you and your family to commit to more wholesome snacking options. I don't know about you...but Yoplait Yogurts have been a favorite here in my household for many years!

When it comes to snacking, it is very important to reach for healthier snack alternatives instead of the unhealthy snacks and that is where Yoplait comes into play. My daughter has never been a big junk food eater and I am grateful for that...but I also think that her healthy eating habits stem from the fact that my husband and I are also healthy eaters.

Explore the many nourishing options that Yoplait has to offer - with varieties like Yoplait Light, Yoplait Original, Yoplait Fiber One, Yoplait Kids and Yoplait Delight Parfaits. Each product offers different benefits, and loads of variety, to make eating well a no-brainer. Here are five great ways to `get your snack on´ with Yoplait this March!

Start spring off right with Yoplait Light´s Two Week Tune Up Plan - Replace breakfast and lunch with a cup of your favorite flavor of Yoplait Light, a whole grain and a piece of fruit and you could lose 5 pounds in two weeks. Go to Yoplait.com for full diet details.

Get more calcium with Yoplait Original style yogurt - Now with two times the calcium of the leading yogurt (50 percent of the Recommended Daily Value) in one convenient 6-ounce cup*, Yoplait Original style yogurt is committed to women´s health, offering a product that has even more of the calcium women need for strong, healthy bodies. Grab a free cup while supplies last during the Million Cup Giveaway on Yoplait on Facebook!

Try the newest flavor from Yoplait Fiber One - Yoplait Fiber One´s new Blueberry flavor yogurt is packed with filling fiber, calcium, vitamins A and D, real fruit and the great taste of blueberries. With only 50 calories, 5 grams of fiber and 0 grams of fat, this deliciously creamy yogurt won´t break your calorie bank.

Stress less over snack time with Yoplait Kids yogurt - With a wholesome and fun snack like Yoplait Kids yogurt in the fridge, you can feel good about what your children are eating at snack time. Yoplait Kids provides an excellent source of calcium and vitamin D, and has 25% less sugar than the leading kids´ yogurt**. With yummy flavors, and favorite friends like Dora and Lightning McQueen on the packages, Yoplait Kids is a hit with moms and children alike.

End the day with a Delight Parfait from Yoplait - Even with two luscious layers providing a double shot of rich and creamy yogurt, these 100 calorie indulgences from Yoplait contain only 1.5 grams of fat per serving. Now available in two new flavors, Chocolate Éclair and Cherry Cheesecake, you can enjoy a dessert that´s 100 percent guilt-free.

*Leading yogurt has less than 25% Daily Value calcium per 6 oz.

I would like to invite you to "like" Yoplait on Facebook to keep up with the latest news and great opportunities to save on your favorite products from Yoplait yogurt.

Do you like Yoplait? If so, what are some of your favorite flavors in their Yoplait Yogurts? I am a traditional girl and I like the strawberry, blueberry and peach flavors! My 22 month old grand daughter is also a big Yoplait Yogurt fan and will eat all of their yogurt flavors...matter of fact, we make sure she eats at least one Yoplait yogurt every day!

I love to grab a Yoplait yogurt in the morning to start my day off on the right foot. If I need a snack in the afternoon, I will grab another one. I love yogurt so much that in the evening if I need a snack before bed...you will find me in the refrigerator grabbing a yogurt instead of a bag of chips. Here in my home...yogurt is the snack of choice by all family members who live here!

Disclosure: By posting this information on the Shakin 'N Bakin Blog I have a chance to win a Yoplait prize pack that is being sponsored by MyBlogSpark and Yoplait. Please read the SNB Blogs Terms of Service & Disclaimer Policy for additional information on the disclosure policies of this blog. Thanks!

Product Review: Jack Stack Barbecue ~ Beef Burnt Ends Dinner Review

If you love great tasting gourmet food, you are going to love the company I am going to introduce you to today called Fiorella's Jack Stack Barbecue! I had never heard of this company until my husband found them online as he was looking for some new barbecue sauce for us to try out since grilling season is fast approaching here in Pennsylvania. Now that winter is almost over, we look forward to taking our gas grill out of storage and grilling up some great tasting food!

At Fiorella's Jack Stack Barbecue you will find delicious Kansas City BBQ at it's best! They have Prime Beef Ribs, Gourmet Lamb Ribs, Pork Spare Ribs, Tenderloin & Half Slab Ribs, Burnt Ends, Brisket, Sausage, Poultry, Sauces and Rubs! If you love good food that is easy to prepare at home...you have got to check out all of the selections that Fiorella's Jack Stack Barbecue has to offer. I am amazed at their wide variety of products that they have to offer. Your mouth just waters viewing the photo's on their web site!

Shipping: All of my goodies were shipped in a large styrofoam cooler and packed on dry ice. It took 1 1/2 days to arrive to me and everything was frozen solid! Once your goodies arrive, you can place them into your freezer or thaw in your refrigerator. I was really impressed at how well they were packaged and that they were still frozen solid.

Fiorella's Jack Stack Barbecue sent me The Freight House package to review. This package contains:

Pork Spare Ribs (one full slab)
Beef Burnt Ends (1 lb.)
Hickory Pit Beans (16 oz.)
Cheesy Corn Bake (16 oz.)
KC Original BBQ Sauce (12 oz.)
extra cost ~ add on selection ~ Pork Burnt Ends (1 lb)

Since I received such a large package of gourmet foods to try out for all of you, I am breaking down my review into 3 different postings.

My Review: For this review we made their beef burnt ends and I decided to do them in a stir fry. These beef brunt ends are completely cooked which saves busy moms like myself...a lot of time! I chopped up some onions, fresh mushrooms and fresh green peppers and fried them over low heat in a little bit of olive oil. While they were simmering, I seasoned the beef ends with some steak seasoning that my hubby likes. Once the veggies were done I stirred in the beef ends, covered the pan and left everything simmer over low heat for 15 minutes. Once done, I served the beef stir fry along side baked potatoes and corn in butter sauce. I love that from start to finish this meal took me less than 30 minutes to make. We finally sat down to have our dinner and after 2 bites hubby said to me "this has got to be Jack Stack as they are delicious". You see, I didn't tell him that I was using Jack Stack beef in our stir fry...I wanted to see if he could tell the difference and after only 2 bites...he did! After my hubby was done with plate one...he went back for 2 more! LOL! The Burnt Beef Ends are out of this world! They are extremely versatile...you can bake them, use them in some hearty beef vegetable soup, make some beef pasta soup or since we love stir frys...they are great in a stir fry! You get a 1 lb. package and let me tell you, that is a lot of beef because there is no bones and no fat...just 1 lb of pure great tasting beef!

Overall Impression: Just like the other products we tried from Jack Stack Barbecue these Beef Burnt Ends Rock!!! The beef is tender, moist and very flavorful with no fat or gristle any where! When you buy beef from Jack Stack Barbecue you are buying the very best beef out on the market and it's affordable too! Make sure you check out their web site to see the full range of delicious products they sell.

We would like to thank Fiorella's Jack Stack Barbecue for sponsoring this product review! Your products are amazing!

Disclaimer: Shelly Hill has personally reviewed the product listed above. Shelly has not received any monetary compensation for her review. Shelly 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. The Shakin N Bakin Blog is not responsible for delivery of any giveaway items won from this blog. We are not responsible for injury or mis-use of any products won from the Shakin N Bakin Blog. Please read our Terms of Service & Disclaimer Policy before entering our giveaways. Thanks!

Delicious Mexican Strata Recipe

Looking for a great Mexican casserole recipe that is delicious and easy to prepare? If so, you have got to try out this one! You will need some fresh corn tortillas to make this recipe along with some other basic ingredients.

Mexican Strata Recipe

4 (6" round) corn tortillas, halved and divided
1 cup onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup green pepper, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 cup kidney beans, drained
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cup milk (we use 2% milk)
1 large egg
1 cup mild chunky salsa

Arrange half the tortilla pieces in bottom of greased baking dish. In a large skillet, over medium heat, saute onion, green pepper, garlic, oregano, cumin in spread until tender, stir in beans. Spoon half of the mixture over tortillas. Repeat layers one time, sprinkle with cheese. In another bowl, combine milk and egg and pour over cheese. Bake at 250 degrees for 40 minutes or until puffed and golden brown. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Ace of Cakes ~ Guest Blogger Post By Laura Ryan

Thanks for the article from Laura Ryan

If you like cakes as much as I do, you should definitely check out the Food Network show, "Ace of Cakes." Starring Chef Duff Goldman, the show is in it's 10th and final season on Thursday nights at 10 P.M./9 Central. I've been watching this show for as long as I've had satellite TV, which I believe has now been close to five years.(click here for more information)

Basically, Duff really makes the show. He looks more like a tattoo artist than a chef. He does outlandish things like shaping a cake with drill saw and using blowtorches whenever possible. He seems intent on staffing his bakery with wannabe rock musicians over bakers. And yet he is som! ehow one of the most wanted decorative cake makers in the entire continent.

The show follows Duff and his team of "artists" from his bakery in Baltimore, Charm City Cakes. Each week Duff takes on the rigorous demands associated with creating roughly 20 different cakes, some of which can take upwards of 25 to 30 hours to build. My two favorite cakes of all time have to be the tilted seven tiered wedding cake and the nearly perfect replica of Wrigley Field. Watching how those cakes were built from behind the scenes was both entertaining and unexpected. I can't wait to see what else he'll cook up especially considering that this will be the final season!



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.

Have You Heard Of Joss & Main Yet? New Daily Deal Site!

Have you heard of the new daily deals web site store called Joss & Main yet? If not, I am going to tell you all about it today! Joss & Main is a daily deal site that is owned by CSN Stores and the same quality items & great customer service that you get when you shop CSN Stores is now offered through Joss & Main. I don't know about you...but I already shop CSN Stores and love their site of over 200+ stores!

Last May we purchased a 65 year old home and over the past several months we have been remodeling it. I love being able to go online, shop for what I need and have it delivered to my home quickly...so CSN Stores has been my main destination to purchase the items we need. Joss & Main is owned by CSN Stores and every day you will find new daily deals on high quality and name brand items! The savings are up to 70% off retail prices so you really need to be checking out Joss & Main for some fabulous deals!

Since I love to cook and bake I found 2 fabulous Hamilton Beach appliance deals on Joss & Main today!

Right now you can get the Stay & Go Slow Cooker regularly priced at $70.00 for only $41.95. Wow....I use a slow cooker several times a week and have been looking for a new one and this one looks fabulous!

I would love this slow cooker to make some great tasting barbecue short pork ribs, a big pot of chili or a big pot of chicken corn soup.

I also found a great deal on the Hamilton Beach Classic Stand Mixer which usually sells for $79.95 but is currently on sale at Joss & Main for only $31.95 wow! Can you believe that you can own a brand new high quality stand mixer for only $31.95? What a fabulous bargain!

I would love this stand mixer to use every day for mixing up my cake batters, doughnut dough, omelets, pie fillings, etc. I love stand mixers and this one looks like a great one!

If you are looking for some great deals on home decor, home furnishings, kitchen accessories & appliances, silver picture frames, faux fur rugs, clocks and just about any other item you would need for yourself, your home or as gifts!

Head on over to Joss & Main today and check out all of their fabulous daily deals!

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.

Easy To Make Creamy Horeseradish Dip Recipe

Usually I am not a fan of horseradish type of dips but this recipe I got from my friend is absolutely delicious when served with freshly cut veggies or on party breads. You can whip up a batch of this dip in less than 10 minutes!

Creamy Horseradish Dip Recipe

1 (8 ounce) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup low-fat mayonnaise
1/3 cup horseradish sauce
1/4 cup chopped green onion
4 Tablespoons finely chopped bacon

Combine cream cheese, mayonnaise & horseradish in a small bowl until well blended. Stir in the chopped green onion and bacon. Serve with your favorite vegetables, dips or party breads.

Remodeling The Kitchen...What A Job That Is!!!

As some of you know...my hubby and I purchased a 65 year old home last year and we purchased it from a family member. This home was never modernized over the years and needs a lot of work...however, we got it for a fabulous price so we are happy about that! Up until now, we have been doing little remodeling projects but this spring...we will be gutting and remodeling the Kitchen.

For our new kitchen we are thinking about stainless steel appliances, marble countertops, a customized bar with stools, oak kitchen cabinets and we are thinking about adding Recessed Lighting as we really like that look. The kitchen only has 2 small windows and I am all about having great lighting in the kitchen...after all, the kitchen is the 'heart of the home.'

We found some great bamboo flooring that we are thinking about using on the floor (my choice) or hubby's choice is using gray stone. Not sure what type of flooring we will go with just yet. I picked out a country theme for the kitchen consisting of red & green crocks and some country apples sprinkled in.

In a few weeks I will make another blog post about our kitchen remodeling and will show all of you a few before and after photos! Have a great week!



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.

Commercial Food Machinery ~ Commercial Kitchen Appliances & Catering Equipment

Are you looking for some high quality commercial kitchen appliances and kitchen accessories? Are you looking for commercial catering equipment? If so, I have a really cool store to tell you about today called Commercial Food Machinery.

When you shop this fabulous store, you will find Chest Freezers, Deep Fryers, Microwave Oven, Convection Oven and just about any other commercial grade kitchen and catering equipment you would ever need. I just love browsing their large selection of products! In addition to all of the big kitchen items they have small wares and kitchen accessories too! In that department you will find crockery, cutlery, glassware, chef uniforms, kitchen knives, thermometers and more!

If you are starting your own restaurant or catering business...you really need to check out the Commercial Food Machinery store! They have the name brands and high quality items that you will need and they are all at affordable prices! Happy Shopping!

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.

Product Review ~ Bodacious Food Company Geraldine's Cheese Straw Snacks

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 all-natural 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 three packages of the Geraldine's Cheese Straws for my product review. I already wrote about the Chipotle flavored cheese straws so today I will talk about the Geraldine's Tuscan Cheese Straws and the Geraldine's Aged Cheddar Cheese Straws.

Geraldine's Cheese Straws are the perfect party snack. When friends drop by, just open up one of the cheese straw packages and serve them with a great tasting beverage. The first ingredient that goes into making these cheese straws is...Cheese! All of Geraldine's items use only all-natural ingredients with no preservatives. These make great party snacks or leisure snacks. These snacks are baked and not fried which makes them a healthier alternative to fried snacks.

The Tuscan Cheese Straws have the perfect blend of Parmesan Cheese and Rosemary. The Aged Cheddar Cheese Straws are just perfect if you like great tasting cheese straws without all of the 'extras'. Cheese Straws are great served as a snack, with soup, salads or with sandwiches.

A few days ago we tried out the Aged Cheddar Cheese Straws with our tomato soup that we had for lunch. They were absolutely delicious served alongside our soup! Yesterday we had the Tuscan Cheese Straws served alongside our Italian salads that we had for lunch and they were equally delicious. Both varieties had a very nice but yet different taste to them. My favorites were the Aged Cheddar variety but hubby's favorite was the Tuscan Cheese. However...we both agreed that both varieties were yummy!

Overall Impression: Hubby and I really enjoyed these cheese straws! They had a delicious taste, were very fresh and they make a quick and easy snack. We look forward to purchasing a few packages of them to take along camping with us later this spring. We highly recommend that you try Geraldine's Cheese Straws the next time you need a great tasty snack.

We would like to thank the Bodacious Food Company for sending us several snack goodies to try out for our product review. It has been fun reviewing several of their products the past couple of weeks.

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: Jack Stack Barbecue ~ Pork Spare Ribs & Cheesy Corn Bake

If you love great tasting gourmet food, you are going to love the company I am going to introduce you to today called Fiorella's Jack Stack Barbecue! I had never heard of this company until my husband found them online as he was looking for some new barbecue sauce for us to try out since grilling season is fast approaching here in Pennsylvania. Now that winter is almost over, we look forward to taking our gas grill out of storage and grilling up some great tasting food!

At Fiorella's Jack Stack Barbecue you will find delicious Kansas City BBQ at it's best! They have Prime Beef Ribs, Gourmet Lamb Ribs, Pork Spare Ribs, Tenderloin & Half Slab Ribs, Burnt Ends, Brisket, Sausage, Poultry, Sauces and Rubs! If you love good food that is easy to prepare at home...you have got to check out all of the selections that Fiorella's Jack Stack Barbecue has to offer. I am amazed at their wide variety of products that they have to offer. Your mouth just waters viewing the photo's on their web site!

Shipping: All of my goodies were shipped in a large styrofoam cooler and packed on dry ice. It took 1 1/2 days to arrive to me and everything was frozen solid! Once your goodies arrive, you can place them into your freezer or thaw in your refrigerator. I was really impressed at how well they were packaged and that they were still frozen solid.

Fiorella's Jack Stack Barbecue sent me The Freight House package to review. This package contains:

Pork Spare Ribs (one full slab)
Beef Burnt Ends (1 lb.)
Hickory Pit Beans (16 oz.)
Cheesy Corn Bake (16 oz.)
KC Original BBQ Sauce (12 oz.)
extra cost ~ add on selection ~ Pork Burnt Ends (1 lb)

Since I received such a large package of gourmet foods to try out for all of you, I am breaking down my review into 3 different postings.

My Review: For this review we made their pork spare ribs and their cheesy corn bake and both items are fully cooked so you just have to reheat them. I decided to make pulled bbq pork sandwiches for dinner so I placed the slab of ribs into my slow cooker and set the temperature to low. I did add just a little bit of water as I wanted them to slow cook off the bone. About 2 hours later, I spooned out the bones and poured in 1/2 a bottle of their KC Original BBQ Sauce and left them slow cook for another 30 minutes. Once done I served our pork bbq on fresh rolls I purchased at the bakery. For the Cheesy Corn Bake I simply reheated that in my microwave oven according to the package directions. Regarding the ribs....there was absolutely no fat any where on these ribs! There was a lot more meat than bone which to me...is very impressive! The meat had a wonderful moist grilled seasoned taste to it and once we added their bbq sauce to the pork meat...it was absolutely delicious! I had 3 adults and 1 child over for dinner and everyone just raved about this meat! The Cheesy Corn Bake reminds me of creamy corn pudding but better! This was cheesy, creamy and had bits of pork in it which added a fabulous smokey like flavor to it. I sure do wish I had that recipe as it was a hit with my dinner guests!
Overall Impression: This is part 2 of my review for this company and seriously...I can't find anything negative to say! The BBQ Pork Spare Ribs and the Cheesy Corn Bake were huge hits with our dinner guests and they couldn't believe that this food came already cooked from the South. I of course...the good hostess that I am, told them all where they can purchase this delicious food. Everything was fully cooked, moist, fresh and delicious! I know I will certainly be purchasing products from this company when I am entertaining guests this summer. I highly recommend that you check out Fiorella's Jack Stack Barbecue because in my personal opinion, they have the best fully-cooked spare ribs on the planet!

We would like to thank Fiorella's Jack Stack Barbecue for sponsoring this product review! Your products are amazing!

Disclaimer: Shelly Hill has personally reviewed the product listed above. Shelly has not received any monetary compensation for her review. Shelly 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. The Shakin N Bakin Blog is not responsible for delivery of any giveaway items won from this blog. We are not responsible for injury or mis-use of any products won from the Shakin N Bakin Blog. Please read our Terms of Service & Disclaimer Policy before entering our giveaways. Thanks!

Review: Delicious Gourmet Food From Fiorella's Jack Stack Barbecue!

I originally posted my product review on the Fiorella's Jack Stack Barbecue over on my other blog called Two Classy Chics! Since this is a foodie review, I wanted to post it here too!

If you love great tasting gourmet food, you are going to love the company I am going to introduce you to today called Fiorella's Jack Stack Barbecue! I had never heard of this company until my husband found them online as he was looking for some new barbecue sauce for us to try out since grilling season is fast approaching here in Pennsylvania. Now that winter is almost over, we look forward to taking our gas grill out of storage and grilling up some great tasting food!

At Fiorella's Jack Stack Barbecue you will find delicious Kansas City BBQ at it's best! They have Prime Beef Ribs, Gourmet Lamb Ribs, Pork Spare Ribs, Tenderloin & Half Slab Ribs, Burnt Ends, Brisket, Sausage, Poultry, Sauces and Rubs! If you love good food that is easy to prepare at home...you have got to check out all of the selections that Fiorella's Jack Stack Barbecue has to offer. I am amazed at their wide variety of products that they have to offer. Your mouth just waters viewing the photo's on their web site!

Shipping: All of my goodies were shipped in a large styrofoam cooler and packed on dry ice. It took 1 1/2 days to arrive to me and everything was frozen solid! Once your goodies arrive, you can place them into your freezer or thaw in your refrigerator. I was really impressed at how well they were packaged and that they were still frozen solid.

Fiorella's Jack Stack Barbecue sent me The Freight House package to review. This package contains:

Pork Spare Ribs (one full slab)
Beef Burnt Ends (1 lb.)
Hickory Pit Beans (16 oz.)
Cheesy Corn Bake (16 oz.)
KC Original BBQ Sauce (12 oz.)
extra cost ~ add on selection ~ Pork Burnt Ends (1 lb)

Since I received such a large package of gourmet foods to try out for all of you, I am breaking down my review into 3 different postings. The first posting is on their delicious 1 lb. Pork Burnt Ends and their 16 oz. container of Hickory Pit Beans.

My Review: We decided to make the Pork Burnt Ends along with their Hickory Pit Beans for dinner on Thursday night. The Pork Burnt Ends are fully cooked, I placed them into my glass baking dish and baked them at 350 degrees according to package directions for about 20 minutes. I then removed them from the oven and poured on a small amount of their KC Original BBQ Sauce and placed them back into the oven to bake for another 15 minutes. While they were finishing up baking, I put the Hickory Pit Beans into a microwave safe baking dish and microwaved them on high for 4 minutes. Once everything was done, Hubby and I sat down for a quiet dinner together. The Pork Burnt Ends were amazing!!! The meat had a wonderful flamed grilled seasoned taste to them and it was moist...not all dried out like leather...but moist and tasty! The meat just fell apart as you tried to pick it up with your fork. This is how we LOVE our pork! The Hickory Pit Beans were out of this world! Matter of fact, hubby and I both agree that these were the best tasting baked beans we have ever had! (no kidding, the absolute best!). The had a wonderful smokey hickory taste to them. You couldn't just eat one spoonful...we ate the entire container along with our Pork Ends...nothing was even left for left-overs the next day. This food tastes better than homemade and is better than anything we have had at our local restaurants.

Overall Impression: I am going to admit...these were the best Burnt Pork Ends and the best Hickory Baked Beans we have ever had! Actually, even though our belly's were stuffed, we would of eaten more if there was more! LOL This is fabulous food for family dinner's, family get-togethers and backyard barbecues. We have tried other "BBQ Company's" products before (not this company but 2 other companies) and by far....Fiorella's Jack Stack Barbecue is our favorite! The products arrived frozen and were well packaged along with instructions for reheating them for meals. The food tasted fresh and hubby could of sworn I had slaved all day long making him his dinner. (Gotta Love That!). We highly recommend that you check out Fiorella's Jack Stack Barbecue as we don't think you could ever find better! We give this company and these products a 10 out of 10 stars!!!

Our next review that we will be posting will be on Fiorella's Pork Spare Ribs and Cheesy Corn Bake so look for that review in a few days! We would like to thank Fiorella's Jack Stack Barbecue for sponsoring this product review!

Disclaimer: Shelly Hill has personally reviewed the product listed above. Shelly has not received any monetary compensation for her review. Shelly 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. The Shakin N Bakin Blog is not responsible for delivery of any giveaway items won from this blog. We are not responsible for injury or mis-use of any products won from the Shakin N Bakin Blog. Please read our Terms of Service & Disclaimer Policy before entering our giveaways. Thanks!

Product Review ~ Bodacious Food Company Jaxn's Twiced-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: For this review I received a 6 oz. bag of Jaxn's Twice-Baked Potato Stix in the Sea Salt & Cracked Pepper flavor. This is an all-natural, gluten-free snack that has been baked and not fried! The Jaxn's potato stix are great served with soups, salads, sandwiches or dunked into your favorite dip for a tasty snack. When we opened this bag I wasn't sure if I would like them since they have cracked pepper seasoning and I am not a fan of pepper. Sure enough...I didn't care for these at all. I do love sea salt on my snack foods so I probably would of liked these if they didn't have the cracked pepper. With that said, my hubby had a few friends over to play video games a few nights ago so I placed these in a bowl and gave them to the guys to snack on while they drank their beer. About 15 minutes later I was asked if I had more! geesh! I asked the guys what they liked about these potato stix and they said they liked the flavoring and that they were crunchy but not hard that would crack your teeth. They said they had a nice peppery & salty taste to them which for them...was the perfect blend of seasoning. I told the guys that these were all-natural and gluten-free and they were totally surprised because they thought that all-natural snack foods would taste bland. With this particular snack...that is definitely not the case!

Overall Impression: Personally, I didn't care for these but if you read above...you will see that hubby and his 2 friends totally chowed down on these potato stix in a matter of minutes! They liked them so much that they asked me for more! I personally give them a thumbs down...but the guys give them a thumbs up! So there you have it...a mixed review. Please keep in mind that everyone has different taste buds...just because I didn't care for them, doesn't mean you won't and just because the guy's loved them...doesn't mean you will. That is what makes us all unique individuals.

I would like to thank the Bodacious Snack Foods Company for sending me a variety of snacks to try out with my family. We have been enjoying our taste testing of the products you sent to us to review.

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.

Temptation Bars Recipe by Tupperware

Here is another great recipe by the folks over at Tupperware (tm). This is from their Deccadent Desserts recipe collection and it's super delicious!!! Even though the recipe uses the Tupperware Oval Microwave Cooker to melt the chocolate you can melt your chocolate in the microwave using a glass measuring cup or glass bowl too!

Tupperware Temptation Bars Recipe

14 whole graham crackers
1 (12 ounce) jar caramel sauce
1 (7 ounce) jar marshmallow creme
2 (12 ounce) pkgs. milk chocolate chips
1 cup nuts, finely chopped

Melt 1 package of chocolate chips in the base of the oval microwave cooker for 1 1/2 minutes. Stir and melt for an additional 30 seconds. On a 12 1/2" by 10 1/2" jelly roll pan that has been lightly sprayed with nonstick spray, evenly spread the melted chocolate. Lay side-by-side the graham crackers over the melted chocolate. Melt the marshmallow creme for 30 seconds, spread over the graham crackers. Add the chopped nuts. Pour caramel sauce over graham crackers, smooth it out with a rubber or silicone spatula. Melt second package of chocolate chips and then grently spread the melted chocolate over the caramel sauce.

Place jelly roll pan into the refrigerator and chill for 15-20 minutes. Cut or break into bars. Place into an airtight container and store your bars in the refrigerator.

Keebler's Graham & Peanut Butter Bon Bons Recipe

A few weeks ago I purchased a box of Keebler's Graham Cracker Crumbs and on the back of the box was this recipe for their Graham & Peanut Butter Bon Bons. A few days later I decided to make the recipe for my family who gave it a big two thumbs up!

This recipe will make approximately 44 pieces.

Keebler's Graham & Peanut Butter Bon Bons Recipe

1 1/2 c. Kellogg's Rice Krispies Cereal
1 1/4 c. crunchy peanut butter
1 c. Keebler's Graham Cracker Crumbs
1/2 c. powdered sugar
12 oz. white or dark chocolate confectioner's coating

In a large bowl, stir together the cereal, peanut butter, graham cracker crumbs & the powdered sugar. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Shape crumb mixture into balls, using one level tablespoon for each.

In a small saucepan melt the confectioner's coating over low heat. Dip each ball into the coating, letting excess drip off. Place balls onto waxed paper. Refrigerate for 20-30 minutes or until set. Store bon bons in an airtight container.