Shakin & Bakin Foodie Blog

Delicious Cheesy Corn Bread Recipe

2012-01-30T08:00:00.000-05:00

If you love traditional styled corn bread I think you will really enjoy this twist to the classic corn bread recipe. My daughter was never a fan of corn bread until I started making this Cheesy Corn Bread Recipe about 15 years ago and now it has become one of our favorite types of homemade bread.

This Cheesy Corn Bread goes great with any of your pasta meals or tex-mex meals.

Cheesy Corn Bread Recipe

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
1 large egg
2 1/2 cups cooked or canned whole kernel corn
1/2 cup grated American cheese
1/4 cup salad oil

Sift together the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Beat in the large egg, stir in the corn and the American cheese. Stir in the salad oil. Pour mixture into a lightly greased baking pan (8" square pan works well) and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes.

Delicious Gourmet Soups from Kettle Cuisine | Review and Giveaway

2012-01-29T12:06:00.001-05:00

Today I would like to introduce you to the company called Kettle Cuisine who makes a variety of all-natural soups. What I love about this line of soups is that they are frozen and not canned! The Kettle Cuisine line of soups are restaurant quality and were chef inspired! You will find hearty chilis, rich chowders and savory soups. There are organic, vegetarian, dairy-free and low-fat varieties. These all-natural, gluten-free frozen soups are convenient and can be made in the microwave oven or stovetop.

My Review: The great folks over at Kettle Cuisine sent me 6 of their frozen gourmet soups to try out for all of you. First up is the Angus Beef Steak Chili with Beans which is the first one my husband went for when they arrived! This soup is made with Angus beef, Southwestern spices, red beans, ripe tomatoes, chopped peppers & spicy chilies. Since he was having it for lunch he decided to microwave it and it only took 3 1/2 minutes until it was done. About 10 minutes later I asked him about his chili and he said it was delicious & tasted just like homemade. He said it was a "tad" on the spicy side so if you like "spicy" chili...this one would be for you.

I decided to try out their Chicken Chili with White Beans for lunch that same day. This soup has their all-natural chicken stock, pieces of natural chicken, white beans, sour cream and it's finished off with some cilantro. It took me 3 1/2 minutes to make it in the microwave and then I sat down to eat it. I must say...I am impressed as I am not usually a fan of chicken chili type of soups but this one changed my mind on that! It had a wonderful flavor and I agree with my hubby...tasted just like a homemade freshly made soup!

The following day I decided to make the New England Clam Chowder for lunch which features hand-shucked clams, sauteed onions & potatoes in a nice creamy base. Again...took only 3 1/2 minutes to make in my microwave and wow...this is one good soup! It is a lot better than those clam chowder soups you find in the canned food aisle.

Since I am not a fan of Thai food I left my hubby enjoy the Thai Curry Chicken Soup which is gluten-free & dairy free. It features chicken, bamboo shoots, mushrooms, bell peppers, brown rice, green curry, lemongrass and coconut milk. This one only took 3 minutes to make in our microwave. He ate it right up and told me that it tasted like authentic Asian food.

I decided to have the Tomato Soup with Garden Vegetables which features tomatoes, squash, carrots, celery, green beans & their blend of Italian seasonings. I love hearty tomato based soups with a lot of veggies and this soup is definitely that! It made for a very satisfying lunch!

Finally...the Three Bean Chili which features pinto beans, black beans, chili beans with onions, tomatoes, bell peppers, green chilies and some southwestern spices. Since my mother was here one day for lunch I left her enjoy this one. She said it was very good but had a tad too much spiciness for her...she likes her chilis on the mild side.

Giveaway: One winner will get 3- free product coupons, 3- 50 cent off coupons plus 3- $1.00 off coupons along with a cute Kettle Cuisine cooler bag!

Giveaway Details: This giveaway is open to residents of the USA ONLY who are age 18 and over. Please read the Terms of Service and Disclaimer Policy before entering. You must be a PUBLIC FOLLOWER of this Blog to have your entries count in my giveaways. (Follow via Google Friend Connect) All non-blog followers will have their entries disqualified after the giveaway closes. This giveaway will close on February 15th, 2012 at midnight EST time.

Mandatory Entry: Please visit the Kettle Cuisine web site and take a look around. Come back here and tell me the name of two soups you would love to try!

Bonus Entries: You may complete these after fulfilling the mandatory entry above. Please leave a separate comment for each one that you complete.

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Copy & Paste Tweet:

Win a Prize Pkg. of Delicious Tasting Gourmet Soups from @KettleCuisine on the SNB Foodie Blog! http://bit.ly/wqYQbn Ends 2-15 #Giveaways

I would like to thank Kettle Cuisine for participating in a product review here on the Shakin 'N Bakin Foodie Blog and for sponsoring a giveaway for my readers. We appreciate your generosity and we love your products!

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/shipping of giveaway items won from this blog nor are we responsible for mis-use or injury caused by items won from this Blog. Content on this blog is copyrighted, all rights reserved.

Wine Gift Baskets Make Perfect Valentine's Day Gifts

2012-01-29T09:08:00.002-05:00

Valentine's Day is coming up so I have been on the hunt for the perfect gift for my hubby this Valentine's Day. As I was browsing some online stores that feature Valentine's Day Gifts I came across several nice wine gift baskets and decided that one of those would be perfect for my husband who enjoys fine wine.

While I was browsing online I came across this really cool infographic about the history and facts of wine so I thought I would share it with all of my Shakin and Bakin Foodie Blog readers today. Enjoy!

Brought To By Wine.com, Purveyors of Fine Wine and Champagne

Molten Merlot Cakes with Berry Merlot Sauce Recipe by Voga Italia

2012-01-26T14:47:00.001-05:00

This Valentine’s Day treat yourself, or a loved one, to delicious food made with wine! Whether you’re celebrating with your partner, best friend, solo or with a group of pals, here are some recipes from VOGA Italia Wine (http://www.vogaitalia.com/) that are sure to fill your night with LOVE. Of course, don’t forget to save some of your favorite VOGA wine to toast to St. Valentine with!

For the steamy date night: Spices, warm chocolate and wine. Can you think of anything hotter for your steamy date night? Try these Molten Merlot Cakes to top off your fabulous evening:

Molten Merlot Cakes Recipe

4 ounces semi-sweet baking chocolate
1 stick of butter
1 TBS VOGA Merlot
1 TBS Vanilla Extract
1 cup confectioners sugar
1 eggs
1 egg yolk
6 TBS flour
¼ tsp Cinnamon
¼ tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground cloves

Preheat oven to 425°F. Butter four 6 ounce custard cups and place them on a baking sheet.

Microwave chocolate and butter in large microwavable bowl on high for 1 minute or until butter is melted. Stir with whisk until chocolate is completely melted. Stir in wine, vanilla and confectioners sugar. Stir in eggs and yolk, followed by flour, cinnamon, ginger and cloves. Pour batter evenly into the custard cups.

Bake the cakes for 15 minutes or until sides are firm but centers are soft. Let stand 1 minute. Carefully loosen the edges of the cakes with a small knife, place on a serving platter and decorate with confectioners sugar. Enjoy immediately!

Berry Merlot Sauce Recipe

¼ cup VOGA Italia Merlot
1 pint blueberries, blackberries or combination
¼ cup sugar
2 TBS water

Place VOGA Italia Merlot, berries, sugar and water in a small saucepan and cook on medium heat until the liquids thicken. Remove from heat and let cool for about 2 minutes. Pour berry mixture into a blender and puree. Drizzle over your favorite dessert and enjoy!

For more Valentine’s Day recipes using wine or information on VOGA Italia Wine visit Voga Italia today.

Delicious Gourmet Granola by Nuts About Granola | Product Review

2012-01-24T19:03:00.001-05:00

Today I would like to introduce you to the company called "Nuts About Granola" who is based out of my home state of Pennsylvania. This company is famous around here for making and selling some of the best gourmet granola in the world! Matter of fact, "Nuts About Granola" was featured on the Rachel Ray show as the "snack of the day" so you know it has got to be good!

My Review: The generous folks over at "Nuts About Granola" sent me a bag of their Peanut Butter & Jelly Granola to review for all of you. This delicious gourmet granola is the perfect blend of peanuts, oats and dried cranberries and is all-natural so it makes for a healthy snack at any time of the day or night! Hubby and I love putting fresh granola in our cereals, oatmeals, omelets and even in our meatloaf recipes. It is a great way to "spice" up those boring old dull dishes and turn them into something more flavorful.

We decided to use 1/2 of our new Peanut Butter & Jelly Granola in our breakfast oatmeal one morning and it was absolutely delicious. It added a wonderful flavorful taste to our boring old oatmeal and we enjoyed the crunch that it also added. We decided to use the other 1/2 of the bag just as a plain healthy snack and within a few seconds..it was gone! The granola had a nice texture to it, was very flavorful and tasted fresh as it it was made yesterday. We loved it! The only thing we would improve would be for more dried cranberries in it and perhaps bigger cranberries (in regard to the cranberry size)...other than that...perfect!

Here at our home we love snacking on granola and we were very impressed with the granola sample that was provided to us by the generous folks over at Nuts About Granola. We are giving this granola 8 out of 10 stars on our rating chart and highly recommend it to you! We would like to thank Nuts About Granola for participating in this product review here on the Shakin and Bakin Foodie Blog!

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/shipping of giveaway items won from this blog nor are we responsible for mis-use or injury caused by items won from this Blog. Content on this blog is copyrighted, all rights reserved.

Clever Cookie has the Perfect Valentine's Day Gifts!

2012-01-24T12:35:00.001-05:00

Are you looking for special and unique Valentine's Day Gifts? Are you tired of sending your loved ones flowers for Valentine's Day? If so, you should check out Clever Cookie!

Clever Cookie has wonderful cookie arrangements, cookie gift baskets and more! I love sending my loved ones edible gifts and they are always appreciated by the person who receives them. Last year I sent my hubby a cookie bouquet to his workplace and all of his "guy" friends were totally jealous. However...he was nice enough to share a few cookies with them so they got over that jealousy pretty quickly!

Cookie gifts are perfect all year long! Great for Valentine's Day Gifts, Birthday Gifts, Anniversary Gifts, Mother's Day Gifts, Father's Day Gifts and "Just Because Gifts". If you are looking to make a nice statement this year...consider sending a cookie gift this Valentine's Day!

Disclaimer: This is an affiliate post and the Shakin and Bakin blog is an affiliate of the company mentioned in this blog post. If you make a purchase from the company mentioned in this post the owner of this blog will make a small commission off of your purchase. The Shakin and Bakin blog is not responsible for the products, services, purchases or shipping involved with any purchases you may or many not make from the company mentioned in this post. All information contained on this blog is copyright 2012, All Rights Reserved.

Great Tips on How to Save Money on Super Bowl Snacks

2012-01-24T08:00:00.003-05:00

With Super Bowl XLVI just two weeks away, fans are starting to make plans for one of the best parties of the year. Anticipation for the big game doesn't only surround the battle for supremacy between the NFC and AFC, but also the chance to consume large quantities of French onion dip and other salty snacks. This privilege is afforded just a few times a year, so it's worth making the most of it.

Football fans -- both fanatic and fair-weather -- aren't the only ones gearing up for Super Bowl Sunday. Grocery stores in particular view the event as an opportunity to mark up party must-haves, and with at-home food prices on the rise, it's especially important to shop smart. To keep your pigskin party from breaking the budget, try these six strategies for saving on a winning Super Bowl spread.

1. Chips
White or yellow corn? Original or wavy? Kettle or baked? There are more tortilla and potato-chip options than there are teams in the whole NFL. Even die-hard Tostitos fans should give store-brand options a try. These generic chips are often taste just as good and are quite a bit cheaper. At the very least, compare prices of competing brands before reaching for your go-to.

2. Chicken Wings
It shouldn't be surprising that the price of chicken wings tends to skyrocket around the Super Bowl. No party is complete without this sports-viewing staple. Avoid paying through the teeth by stocking up on frozen wings weeks in advance. Costs can be further reduced if you buy gift cards for your local supermarket at a discount from sites like GiftCardGranny. Shopping for party supplies this way will save as much as 35 percent over cash or credit.

3. Taters
What are wings without french fries to sop up excess hot sauce and Ranch dip? While frozen frites are the easy way to go, both your budget and taste buds will benefit from homemade potato skins. It doesn't get much cheaper than a big bag of potatoes, and toppings can be as simple as cheese and salsa.

4. Veggies
Avoid the temptation to buy a prepackaged tray of veggies; you're only paying for convenience and presentation. Those two features are easily attainable with a sharp knife and a big plate. Pick up a few fresh items that are easy to prepare such as carrots, peppers, celery and snap peas, and arrange them around a sumptuous bowl of dip. Since you choose what stays and what goes you'll never get stuck with a pile of leftover cauliflower.

5. Dips
Just like veggies, you can get more bang for your dipping buck by going the homemade route. Ranch and French dips require no more than a package of seasoning and some sour cream. Guacamole is as simple as coarsely chopped avocado with garlic salt and lemon juice. If you consider yourself a true dip aficionado and are looking for something more advanced, check out these tasty recipes from The Huffington Post.

6. Drinks
Liquor stores are a madhouse during the days leading up to the game, so consider stocking up on your favorite liquid provisions a week out. Hit up Costco and Sam's Club for up to 30-percent off grocery store prices. Keg beer is another money-saving staple for big parties. Better yet, make it a BYOB event.

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Andrea Woroch is a consumer and money-saving expert for Kinoli Inc., and has been featured among such top media outlets as Good Morning America, NBC's Today, MSNBC, New York Times, Kiplinger Personal Finance, CNNMoney and many more. She is available for in-studio, satellite or skype interviews and to write guest posts or articles.

Quick and Easy Homemade Sticky Buns Recipe

2012-01-23T14:00:00.000-05:00

Some days I just don't have a lot of time to be slaving away in the kitchen all day long baking and on those does I turn to my handy dandy quick & easy baking recipes. I got this recipe several years ago from my cousin and once I made the sticky buns my family kept requesting that I make them again. I now know the recipe by heart! I think you all will enjoy it too!

Quick and Easy Sticky Buns Recipe

3 tbsp. butter, softened
1/4 cup Karo Syrup
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped nuts
1/4 cup plump & juicy raisins
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
10 refrigerator dough biscuits

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a round baking pan, melt butter in oven. Remove; stir in the next 5 ingredients. Arrange biscuits in syrup mixture. Bake 15 minutes or until biscuits are well browned. Let stand in pan for 5 minutes. Invert onto a serving plate.

Changes in the Kitchen

2012-01-23T10:43:00.001-05:00

Thanks to Erasmo Cortez

Ever since we upgraded our television package by logging onto DirectStarTV.com, I have been watching all of the home improvement shows. My favorites are the ones that have to do with all things kitchen. We built our house twenty five years ago. Everything is starting to become outdated, especially my kitchen. One of the ovens broke about five years ago and I have been using it as a storage bin for my pots and pans. I have been begging my husband to let me do some remodeling in the house. He hates to spend money, so of course, we haven’t started yet. Whenever he gives me the go head though, I will certainly be ready. I have already picked out all of my new appliances. I love the GE signature café line. They are not as expensive as some of those French ovens and stoves, but I think that they will cook just as well and certainly be less expensive to repair incase something ever does happen. I am also going to take the island in the center of the kitchen out. It eats up space and drives me nuts!

Naturally Nora All-Natural Baking Mixes | Product Review

2012-01-21T14:45:00.010-05:00

Today I would like to introduce you to a company called Naturally Nora who I stumbled upon a few weeks ago when I was searching for all-natural baking mixes online. This company sells a large variety of all-natural cake mixes, frosting mixes, brownie mixes and cookie mixes. The Naturally Nora baking mixes are all kosher and most don't contain dairy or soy products.

My Review: I was sent several products to review for all of you and my mouth was watering as soon as I opened up the package and took a look inside! First up was the Fantastic Fudgy Brownies. These brownies are made with all-natural imported cocoa with a delicious unbleached wheat flour. We mixed up our brownie batter according to the package directions and baked them until done. Once done...they became our dessert after dinner along with a heaping of vanilla ice cream. We love fudgy brownies and prefer that type of brownie over cake-like brownies and wow...these brownies are the best brownies I have ever made from a box mix! We loved them!

Next up...the Spectacular Sugar Cookies and the Marvelous Chocolate Chunk Cookies. We couldn't decide which one to bake first so we baked them both! These mixes are made up of a special blend of sugars, unbleached wheat flour along with a natural vanilla flavor. We followed the package directions and had the cookie batter mixed up & ready for baking in less than 3 minutes. Once done we left them cool down for a bit and dug in for our cookie eating feast! They were soft, chewy, moist and had a wonderful deccadent flavor to them. The cookies didn't last long and within 2 days, the family had them gone!

I am so excited to have found this company because now...we are going to be customers! We loved EVERY baking mix that we got to try out and I am going to be purchasing additional ones & giving those a try next! I am usually not a fan of boxed baking mixes but this brand and this company have now converted me!!!

Seriously folks...if you have not tried any of the Naturally Nora all-natural baking mixes I highly suggest that you do!

I would personally like to thank Naturally Nora for participating in this product review here on the Shakin and Bakin Foodie Blog! We appreciate you!!!

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/shipping of giveaway items won from this blog nor are we responsible for mis-use or injury caused by items won from this Blog. Content on this blog is copyrighted, all rights reserved.

Spicy Crab Fondue Recipe by Voga Italia

2012-01-20T15:01:00.001-05:00

I Love My KitchenAid Appliances!

2012-01-20T12:44:00.004-05:00

Today I thought I would make a blog post about some of my favorite appliances that I own from the great company called KitchenAid. Before I get started on my favorites I wanted to tell you that you can find discounts from kitchenaid by looking for coupon codes online.

Okay...let's get started. About 10 years ago I invested in one of my favorite kitchen appliances and that is my heavy duty stand mixer from KitchenAid. Yes...stand mixers are expensive but if you buy a good quality one like any of those sold by KitchenAid it will last for years. For the past 10 years I have left mine sit out on my one kitchen counter and I use it almost every day! Since I absolutely love to cook and bake...this is my "must have" kitchen appliance!!!

Last year for my birthday my darling husband of 27 years got me a brand new slow cooker from KitchenAid. I love this slow cooker as it has a large 6 quart capacity and I use it 2-3 times every week to make family dinners like pork roast & sauerkraut, beef roast & potatoes, chinese spare ribs in barbecue sauce, etc. I also use it to make desserts on the weekends...we love slow cooker cherry cobbler and I try to make that for the family once a month.

Another product that I own and love from the great folks over at KitchenAid is my 5 speed blender! Mine is actually in the popular "red" color that they sell and I use that thing almost every day! It is the best blender that I have ever owned and it makes the most fantastic milkshakes and fruit smoothies! During canning season I like to use it for processing my tomatoes for when I am making and canning homemade tomato sauce. It does a fantastic job at turning my tomatoes into tomato puree.

Now that my 28th wedding anniversary is rapidly approaching (April 2012) I have asked hubby to buy me a new KitchenAid countertop oven! I have had my eye on that 12" countertop oven for the past year and this year...I definitely want it! I think it would be fabulous to make our hot sandwiches in for lunchtime and I think it would come in very handy during the hot and steamy summer months when I don't want to use my conventional oven because it would heat up our home way too much! Yes folks...I want that KitchenAid countertop oven badly!

I am a huge KitchenAid fan and hopefully I can keep adding to my KitchenAid appliance collection. I know people often tell me that KitchenAid products are too expensive but in my personal opinion...you get what you pay for and when you purchase KitchenAid brand appliances you know they are built to last!

Thanks for reading my blog post today!

Shelly

Delicious Orange Coffee Cake with Nut Topping Recipe

2012-01-18T16:05:00.001-05:00

This is a delicious vintage recipe for an Orange Coffee Cake with Nut Topping that you and your family are going to love! It does take a little time to make but it will be well-worth your efforts! This recipe was given to me years ago by my great aunt so it's at least 40 years old and a family favorite!

Orange Coffee Cake with Nut Topping Recipe

To Make the Cake:

1 large egg
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. grated orange peel
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup melted shortening
1/2 cup orange juice
3 tsp. baking powder

Beat the large egg, add in the milk, sugar, salt and the grated orange rind. Add in 1/2 cup of the flour and the melted shortening. Stir in the orange juice. Sift together the remaining flour and baking powder and then add it into the first mixture. Pour the batter into a well-greased 10" diameter baking dish or cake pan. Prepare the topping below & sprinkle on top. Place the pan into a preheated 350 degree oven and bake for 20-30 minutes or until done.

Nut Topping Recipe

2 tbsp. butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup finely chopped nuts
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg

Cream the butter until smooth, stir in the brown sugar, cream again with an electric mixer. Stir in the chopped nuts, cinnamon and nutmeg until all ingredients are well combined. Sprinkle the topping on top of the cake before baking. (see above).

Show Your Support for Walgreens!

2012-01-18T16:01:00.002-05:00

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

Are you an Express Scripts client? Do you get your prescriptions filled at Walgreens? If so, I have some information that I would like to share with you today that you need to know!

For the past year, Walgreens has been working with Express Scripts for a new contract to continue to be a provider in their pharmacy network. Those negotiations were unsuccessful and the contract with Express Scrips expired on Dec. 31, 2011. How does this effect you? Well, if you are a client of Express Scripts you can no longer get your prescriptions filled at Walgreens or Duane Reade Pharmacies. This means you have to go elsewhere to get your prescriptions filled which often times means a commute across town to a pharmacy you are not familiar with.

Walgreens is fighting back and they have come up with a way to help all of you who have Express Scripts and they now over you the Prescription Savings Club at Walgreens. I think that is absolutely wonderful! That shows you that Walgreens really cares about it customers! Right now you can get a special discount on the annual membership fees costing a family only $10.00 for a year or an individual can join for only $5.00 for a year. Wow, what a great savings!

This Prescription Savings Club at Walgreens is a prescription discount club and you can still stay with your favorite pharmacy Walgreens and get a discount on the medications that you and your family needs. That is pretty awesome Walgreens! You will get savings on over 8,000 brand name and generic name drugs plus get discounts on flu shots, pet medications, diabetic supplies and more!

I would like to invite you to follow Walgreens on Facebook and/or Walgreens on Twitter so that you can show your support to Walgreens and so that you can stay up-to-date on Walgreens news & happenings!

8 Shopping Tips for Dining At Home in a Dine-out World

2012-01-14T20:41:00.000-05:00

Remember all those tips saying you should cook rather than eat out? Well the USDA says we might just be wrong about that in the near future. A recent study by the government agency estimated the price gap between eating at home and dining out will narrow even further in 2012. Grocery prices are expected to rise 3 percent to 4 percent, while menu prices will likely go up 2 percent to 3 percent.

That doesn't mean you have to resort to the McDonald's Dollar Menu, however. It's still cheaper to eat at home, but amateur chefs will have to cut even more corners this year. Here are a few tips on dining at home frugally in a dine-out world.

1. Shop on Tuesdays
Wednesdays are the heaviest shopping day for supermarkets as that's when they publish their weekly newspaper ads. (Manufacturer ads are usually distributed with the Sunday paper.) That means grocery stores are interested in ditching last week's produce and meats on Tuesday night. Talk to the butcher and produce clerks about slapping a better price on those products they're about to toss.

2. Use Mobile Coupons
Shopping on Tuesday means you can't take advantage of Wednesday coupons. Happily, you can access mobile coupons right there in the store from the Coupon Sherpa app. This fab app allows you to search for your favorite local store, access desirable coupons, then download them to your store loyalty card.

3. Plan Your Meals Around Ads
If you plan on shopping after newspaper inserts are printed, plan your menu around featured items and build a list before you hit the store. You can use apps like Grocery Gadget (Apple) and Grocery IQ (Android) to create lists based on your supermarket's layout.

4. Shop Stores That Double Coupons
Not all supermarkets are willing to double-up on coupons, and not all maintain such a policy continuously. The acceptance rate has gone down since the advent of "Extreme Couponers," so check before you start clipping. This practice is usually limited to specific days and allows you to double the face value of a coupon, up to a certain amount.

5. Don't Overbuy Bulk
It may be tempting to buy the super-sized box of Cheerios, but you have to consider whether you'll actually eat all those little oat donuts before they turn into rocks. Buy just enough to last until the next sale.

6. Limit Produce Purchases
Americans throw away roughly one quarter of the food we buy. For a family of four, that figures out to $2,200 a year in food, according to "American Wasteland" author Jonathan Bloom. Rather than grab fruits and vegetables that look appealing, stick to your list and avoid spoilage. You're also more likely to use produce if you don't hide it away in your refrigerator's bins. Keep it in plain site or make a list of contents that you stick on the fridge drawer as a reminder.

7. Avoid Temptation
King Soopers (owned by Krogers) has launched new "Marketplace" stores in the west, with layouts similar to Whole Foods. Walk in the door and you're immediately assaulted by the smell of stunning flower arrangements, fresh deli items, and beautifully arranged produce. It's tempting to fill your cart in this section, so be on your guard. Also beware of the non-food items for sale, including everything from furniture to high-end jewelry.

8. Don't Use a Cart
Ditch the carry-all cart and carry a basket for quick trips. The less room you have to fill, the less likely you are to make impulse purchases.

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Andrea Woroch is a consumer and money-saving expert for Kinoli Inc., and has been featured among top news outlets such as Good Morning America, NBC's Today, MSNBC, New York Times, Kiplinger Personal Finance, CNNMoney and many more.

Chocolate Fundraisers are a Great Way For Groups to Raise Money

2012-01-14T15:34:00.003-05:00

Are you looking to raise money for your group or charity? If so, I would like to suggest that you check into chocolate fundraisers as they have always done really well with the groups I have participated with in the past.

Now...I am no expert in the fundraising department but I did help several groups in the past with fundraisers and many of them did extremely well when they hosted chocolate fundraisers. For example: My daughter participated in professional and school cheerleading for 11 years and every year they did at least one fundraiser that dealt with chocolate products and those fundraisers always out-sold the other fundraisers by 2-to-1 in sales!

Her cheerleading squad tried candles, gift wrap, kitchenware products, subs and even those horrible magazine subscriptions and let me tell you...the chocolate candy ones always did much better than the others! Out of all of the ones I just mentioned...magazine subscriptions did the worse!

I think it's important to have a variety of chocolate candy represented when you select a chocolate fundraising company (example: milk chocolate, dark chocolate and white chocolate) that way you have a type of chocolate for just about everyone that you would market the fundraiser too. Let's face it...most of us love chocolate and we all love supporting a good cause. I think this is one of the reasons why chocolate fundraisers do so well!

If your group is needing to raise some funds...I would like to suggest that you check out a variety of chocolate fundraisers and consider one of those as they always did well for us in the past when we were fundraising for my daughter's cheerleading squad.

Good Luck with all of your fundraising!

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post and I was compensated by the advertiser to write this post. I was provided with the subject matter to write about but our thoughts, opinions and words are 100% mine. All information contained on this blog is copyright 2011, All Rights Reserved.

Vintage Sweet Potato Muffins Recipe

2012-01-13T08:00:00.002-05:00

Today I am sharing with all of you another great vintage recipe that was given to me over 25 years ago by my great aunt. She had been making this recipe for years before she even gave it to me! This is a great Sweet Potato Muffins recipe that goes well with your fall & winter holiday meals but if you are like me and just love muffins...you can make this recipe year round. It will make 13-15 muffins.

Sweet Potato Muffins Recipe

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. granulated sugar
5 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 large eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup canned sweet potatoes puree
1/2 cup melted shortening

Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Beat in the eggs; add the milk. Stir in the sweet potato puree, beat mixture until smooth. Fold in the melted shortening and stir everything together until well combined. Lightly grease your muffin tin or line with paper baking cups. Fill the cups 2/3 of the way full and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until done. Serve with butter or honey butter.

Chocolate Makes A Great Gift All Year Long!

2012-01-13T07:44:00.003-05:00

My husband is a manager for a nice sized company here in Pennsylvania and is always looking for nice gifts to give to his office staff and/or his service staff at work. We were sitting around just yesterday trying to figure out something nice to send to the 5 leasing girls who work in his office this year for Valentine's Day and we decided to just send each of the girls a box of fine chocolates.

Normally most folks wouldn't think of sending chocolate business gifts but we think it's a fabulous idea...especially if you are sending the chocolate gifts to an office full of girls! When you are considering sending chocolates you don't have to spend a fortune on them...you can find some really nice online chocolate gift stores that have a wide variety of chocolates at various price points so they can be really affordable to send.

If you are not sure what kind of chocolates your gift receiver would like then its probally best to send them a box of "mixed chocolates" which means your box should include a mixture of milk chocolate, dark chocolate and perhaps even white chocolate if available. That way you are ensuring that the person receiving the gift will surely like one of the inside chocolate confections.

So this year when you need to send a few business gifts...think chocolate...always appropriate in my book!

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post and I was compensated by the advertiser to write this post. I was provided with the subject matter to write about but our thoughts, opinions and words are 100% mine. All information contained on this blog is copyright 2011, All Rights Reserved.

Delicious Homemade Doughnut Muffins Recipe

2012-01-10T08:00:00.004-05:00

I love making a variety of muffin recipes for my family to enjoy and this vintage homemade doughnut muffins recipe is one of our absolute favorites! My family would eat these every week if I would bake them that often!

Homemade Doughnut Muffins Recipe

1 1/2 tbsp. shortening
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 cup milk
melted butter
3 tablespoons of granulated sugar + 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (mixed together)

In a large mixing bowl cream together the shortening and granulated sugar. Add the large egg; beat well. In another bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and ground nutmeg; add alternately with milk to the creamed mixture in the first bowl.

Fill lightly greased (or lined) muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven for 20-23 minutes or until done. Remove and let them cool for 10 minutes. While they are still warm you want to dip the tops of the muffins into melted butter and then roll the muffin tops into your cinnamon sugar mixture. These are delicious served warm! Enjoy your Donut Muffins!

Vintage Scalloped Tomatoes and Cucumber Recipe

2012-01-07T08:08:00.004-05:00

Today I am sharing with all of you another vintage recipe that was given to me by my great grandmother. This recipe is from the late 1940's and even though it is vintage...it is still a family favorite!

Scalloped Tomatoes and Cucumber Recipe

2 1/2 cups of canned tomatoes
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 large cucumber
2 cups soft bread crumbs
3/4 cup shredded American cheese

In a large bowl combine together the tomatoes, salt and Worcestershire sauce; set aside. Chop up your onion and slice down your cucumber. Add the chopped onion to the bowl and stir until everything is well combined. In a medium-sized baking dish pour the tomato mixture onto the bottom of the dish in a layer. Then place the slices of cucumber on top and then the soft bread crumbs on top of the cucumber slices. Place dish in a preheated 350 degree oven and bake for 20 minutes. Remove and sprinkle the shredded cheese on top and place dish back into the oven to bake for an additional 10-15 minutes. Serve warm.

Creamy Chocolate Fudge Cake and Cupcake Frosting Recipe

2012-01-05T08:00:00.004-05:00

Today's recipe is another great vintage recipe from the late 1960's that was given to me by my great aunt. This chocolate fudge frosting is really great for cakes and cupcakes or if you are a brownie lover and like frosted brownies you can use it as a brownie frosting.

Chocolate Fudge Cake and Cupcake Frosting Recipe

4 1/2 squares unsweetened chocolate
1/4 cup hot water
2 1/4 cups confectioner's sugar (powdered sugar)
4 egg yolks
4 tbsp. butter or margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Melt the chocolate squares over hot water in a double boiler pan. Remove pan from heat and stir in the water and confectioner's sugar. Add in the egg yolks, one at a time, beating after each addition. Add in the butter or margarine, one tablespoon at a time. Stir in the vanilla extract. Stir the mixture until it is creamy and smooth.

This frosting will cover two 9" layer cakes or 18-20 cupcakes.

Homemade Bleu Cheese Salad Dressing Recipe

2012-01-03T18:34:00.005-05:00

We love salads here in our home and eat them almost every day. With that said, I rarely purchase bottled salad dressings because we prefer the fresh taste of homemade salad dressings and this recipe is one of our favorites! It is really easy to make and I think you will enjoy having it with your next salad.

Bleu Cheese Salad Dressing Recipe

1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup sour cream
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup Bleu Cheese, crumbled
1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl except for the Blue Cheese...whisk together and then fold in the Bleu Cheese. Use this homemade dressing on your favorite garden or chicken salad.

Shopping for a New Kitchen Spice Rack

2012-01-03T12:16:00.003-05:00

For the past 2 1/2 months we have been really busy around here trying to get a few of our remodeling projects finished and our new kitchen is just about done! For the past few days I have been shopping trying to find the perfect spice rack and I think I have finally found one!

I think the one that I will be ordering will be a nifty wall spice rack that I found online at a very cool online spice rack store. Since countertop space is still very limited in my newly remodeled kitchen I wanted one that would hang on the wall but yet still look very modern and attractive. In addition to holding all of my spice jars it will even hold a few of my cook books and the installation of it is something that my husband can easily handle! yeah!

I haven't shopped for new spice racks in over 25 years so I was really surprised at how many styles, shapes, colors and sizes that spice racks now come in! Guess you can tell, I have been married for a very long time so my 25 year old spice rack definitely needed replaced!

Since I am an avid cook and baker...having a good functional spice rack is very important to me and I am really pleased with my decision to go with a wall-mountable spice rack. What kind of rack do you have in your own kitchen? How long has it been since you purchased a new one? I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas on this topic...so please feel free to leave me a few comments here on my blog.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post and I was compensated by the advertiser to write this post. I was provided with the subject matter to write about but our thoughts, opinions and words are 100% mine. All information contained on this blog is copyright 2011, All Rights Reserved.

I Love The Look of Stone Vessel Sinks

2012-01-03T11:14:00.002-05:00

For the past few months I have been telling you about the various remodeling projects going on in our home and today I thought I would give you all a few updates. If you recall...my husband and I purchased a 60 year old home back in May 2010 and since that time we have been gutting it, remodeling it and turning it into a real show piece!

We have been wanting to update the master bathroom sink and the kitchen sink and we finally found what we have been looking for! We decided to go with a stone vessel sink in our master bathroom along with a vessel faucet. After seeing a few of these in person we just fell in love with the modern and elegant look to them. We were also pleasantly surprised at how affordable they are.

For our large kitchen we decided to go with a hammered antique copper kitchen sink as we feel that would look nice with our copper kitchen accents and with our dark walnut kitchen cabinets. We wanted a modern but yet country style kitchen and we feel that the copper works well with that type of decor. All I need to do is find a nice hanging copper pot rack and we will be pretty much finished with the kitchen.

I am really happy that I was able to find several nice vessel sinks that would work in our home and I am now considering getting 2 additional ones to go in our other bathrooms. If everything goes well with the installation...perhaps I will get 2 more for our vacation home next summer as both of those bathrooms need remodeled too!

Anyway...that is the update for this month on what we have completed so far with our house renovation. Do any of you have any remodeling projects on tap for this year?

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post and I was compensated by the advertiser to write this post. I was provided with the subject matter to write about but our thoughts, opinions and words are 100% mine. All information contained on this blog is copyright 2011, All Rights Reserved.

Grandma's Delicious Spiced Loaf Cake Recipe

2012-01-01T08:12:00.001-05:00

When I was a little girl my grandmother would make this delicious spiced loaf cake for my granfather almost every 2-3 months as it was one of his favorite cake recipes. This recipe is a vintage one from the late 1960's and to this day, it is still a prized recipe in our family.

Grandma's Delicious Spiced Loaf Cake Recipe

1/2 cup shortening
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2/3 cup milk

In a large mixing bowl cream together the shortening & sugar. Stir in the large eggs and then beat with an electric mixer. In another bowl sift together the flour, salt, soda, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Pour the flour mixture a little bit at a time into the cream mixture alternating with a little bit of milk. Stir the batter until all ingredients are well combined. Pour batter into a well greased 8" by 8" square baking pan and bake in a preheated 325 degree oven for 1 hour.

Quick and Easy Gingerbread Cookies Recipe

2011-12-28T07:19:00.004-05:00

This is what I like to call a "cheater" recipe because it utilizes a boxed mix but it does save you a lot of time and effort. This is a great cheater recipe for those of you who are too busy to spend hours upon hours in your kitchen baking.

Quick and Easy Gingerbread Cookies Recipe

1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 box (any brand) Gingerbread Mix

In a large mixing bowl add the milk and vegetable oil to the ingredients from the boxed gingerbread mix. Stir the batter well, it will be thick! Cover the bowl and place into the refrigerator for 2 hours. Remove bowl and roll out the gingerbread dough onto a lightly floured surface and cut out your cookies using a 2" round cookie cutter. (you can also just drop them onto a lightly greased cookie sheet by using a tablespoon and making drop cookies).

Bake your cookies in a preheated 350 degree oven for approximately 10 minutes. Remove and let them cool on a wire rack. The recipe will make about 34 cookies.

Holiday Sangria Cocktail Recipe from Voga Italia

2011-12-26T20:03:00.001-05:00

Oh...I love a good Sangria from time to time and this recipe from Voga Italia looks delicious! I will have to try making a few for New Year's Eve this year!

Holiday Sangria Cocktail Recipe

•2 (750-milliliter) bottles VOGA Merlot
•1 cup pomegranate juice
•1/3 cup Triple Sec (orange-flavored liqueur)
•1 orange (cut into sections)
•1 apple (cut into sections)
•1 cup of cherries
•1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
•1/4 cup sugar
•2 whole cloves
•1 cinnamon stick

Combine all ingredients in a pitcher, stirring until sugar dissolves. Cover and refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. Garnish with cherries or cinnamon sticks.

Get Ready for Gift Card Weekend! Win $10 Gift Cards from Subway!

2011-12-26T20:01:00.002-05:00

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

Have you heard of Gift Card Weekend? It is a once-a-year event where participating retail stores and online retailers give featured offers for gift cards purchased during the Holiday season and redeemed from January 6 - January 8, 2012. I know I always get a lot of gift cards given to me during the holiday season so I am personally really looking forward to this event! yeah!

In anticipation of this fabulous event, you can enter to win some amazing gift cards yourself! "Gilbert the Gift Card Machine" is giving away more than 100 gift cards a week leading up to Gift Card Weekend! All you have to do to be entered is like Gift Card Weekend on Facebook and share it with friends. For every friend that you influence to come over and like the page and enter too, you get an extra entry! How easy is that? Super easy I tell you and I love super easy giveaways like this!

And the $10 Subway gift card I mentioned? You can look for those to be given away daily to Facebook fans from December 23rd - 31st. There are tons of giveaways all month long! So check the page and your emails several times a day to see if you have won. I know I will be checking my email often too!

Remember to redeem your gift cards from your Holiday Gift Giving on Jan 6-8th on the Gift Card Weekend Site and join the fabulous sponsors for extra bonuses and fun!. Here are a few that are participating...

-JCPenny
-Regal Cinema
-Subway
-Sephora
-Applebee's
-Bass Pro Shops
-Adidas
-Buca di Beppo
-Lowe's
-Spa Finder
-Marriot
-Giant Eagle

Wow, what fantastic sponsors they have this year! I know I will be entering and playing along and I hope you will take a few minutes out of your busy day to enter too! So what are you waiting for? Head on over there right now to enter today!

Ho-Ho-Ho ~ Happy Holidays Everyone!

Homemade Toasted Coconut Fudge Recipe

2011-12-24T00:02:00.002-05:00

If you enjoy fudge but would like to try something other than the classic vanilla fudge recipe then I think you will enjoy this toasted coconut fudge recipe that I got from my mother a few years ago. I do recommend that you use a candy thermometer to ensure your fudge making success. You can toast your coconut flakes in your home oven for 1-2 minutes at 350 degrees.

Homemade Toasted Coconut Fudge Recipe

2 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup milk
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup toasted coconut flakes (shredded coconut)

In a large saucepan combine together the sugar, cream, milk, corn syrup and salt. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly until the mixture boils. You want to continue stirring and boiling it until a candy thermometer reaches 234 degrees F. Remove from the heat. Cool fudge in the saucepan until it reaches 110 degrees F and then stir in the vanilla extract. Beat with an electric mixer until the fudge starts to thicken and then pour into a greased 8" by 8" glass baking dish. Sprinkle the toasted coconut flakes on top. As it cools it will harden even more. After 2 hours...your fudge is ready for eating!

Oven Roasted Chicken with Fresh Thyme and Honey Butter Recipe by Dan Lorig

2011-12-22T07:53:00.005-05:00

With the holidays less than a week away, it’s time to start planning the menu for your holiday gathering! This year, try something healthy and sweet for your friends and family – Festive Holiday Recipes Sweetened with Honey.

Honeydrop Beverages, the all natural line of teas and juices sweetened with a tablespoon of pure honey, together with Dan Lorig, Honeydrop COO, former Teaching Kitchen Manager of The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone and Certified Chef de Cuisine, have created two honey-centric recipes perfect for all of your holiday celebrations.

Why honey? Honey is not only a delicious way to sweeten dishes while avoiding refined sugars, it contains natural antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals that are proven to sooth sore throats and coughs, boost energy and relive tired muscles. Honey is also known to relax the digestive tract – perfect for overindulgent holiday eating!

The below recipe from Honeydrop and Dan Lorig will be the perfect additions to your holiday meal. You can check out Honeydrop Beverages over on Facebook too!

Oven Roasted Chicken with Fresh Thyme and Honey Butter Recipe

Ingredients:

One Small Chicken 2.5-3.5 lbs

Fresh Thyme and Honey Butter:

4 oz soft (room temperature) butter
1.5 Tbsp Honey
2 -3 Sprigs of Fresh thyme, picked from stem and chopped
1 Tbsp Fresh Parsley, chopped
1 tsp smoked paprika (optional)
Zest of 1 lemon (optional)
2 tsp Salt
1 tsp cracked pepper

Method:

Rinse the chicken and pat dry, inside and out, with paper towels. Remove any loose fat and be sure inner cavity is completely dry.

For the butter mix all of the ingredients in a small mixing bowl or food processor. The butter should be soft, not melted. Also, avoid any bits of stem from the thyme, use only the leaves. Set aside once complete.

With the cavity of the chicken facing you slide a finger under the skin. Starting with the breasts, gently create a pocket under the skin, taking care not to tear the skin. Next, separate the skin from the thighs with the tip of your finger.

With the cavity still facing you, use your fingers to spread the thyme honey butter under the skin in the pocket you have just created. Push the butter into the thighs and liberally across the breast; be gentle throughout this process.

Season the outside of the chicken and the inner cavity with salt and pepper. Tuck the wing tips behind themselves. Cover loosely with a paper towel and refrigerate.

To Roast the Chicken:

Preheat the oven to 475°

In a shallow roasting pan, place the chicken breast side up in the center of the oven. After about 30 minutes, baste the chicken with any pan dripping that have accumulated in the bottom of the roasting pan and turn the chicken over. Reduce the temperature to 450°. Roast for another 10 -20 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken, then turn the bird over again and roast another 5-10 minutes. Overall cooking time should be 45-60 minutes. The skin should be crispy, golden brown and any juices running from the bird should be clear.

Carefully remove the chicken from the oven and allow it to rest 5 minutes. Lift the chicken from the pan and place on the center of a plate pour any pan dripping back over the chicken.

Serve while hot with oven roast potatoes and green beans for a delicious meal.

ABOUT HONEYDROP BEVERAGES

Honeydrop Beverages is a healthy line of teas and juices powered by honey. Each bottle of Honeydrop is made with a spoonful of pure honey, is void of all refined or artificial sweeteners and contains only 70 to 90 calories. In 2011, Honeydrop announced its “Buy a Bottle – Save a Bee” initiative where a percentage of the profits from each bottle sold are donated to local beekeepers throughout the country to help battle Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), an epidemic threatening the global bee population.

The VOGA Sparkler Cocktail Drink Recipe

2011-12-20T08:00:00.000-05:00

If you love the taste of raspberry or fruity cocktail drinks you will certainly appreciate this cocktail drink recipe from our great friends over at Voga Italia! Check out their web site to learn more about them & their fabulous products!

The VOGA Sparkler Cocktail Drink Recipe

2 oz. VOGA Sparkling
.5 oz. vodka
.5 oz. Raspberry Liqueur
.5 oz. Soho Lychee Liqueur

Combine vodka, raspberry liqueur and soho lychee liqueur in the bottom of a champagne flute. Top with VOGA Sparkling Pinot Grigio.

Delicious Magic Meringue Cake Vintage Recipe

2011-12-18T08:03:00.004-05:00

Another great vintage recipe from the late 1960's that was given to me years ago by my great aunt who had a massive collection of vintage recipes that I have been trying to preserve by posting many of them here on my SNB Foodie Blog. This one makes a very delicious moist meringue cake which is perfect to serve at tea parties or for family desserts.

Magic Meringue Cake Recipe

1/4 cup shortening
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
shredded coconut

In a large mixing bowl cream together the shortening with the sugar. Stir in the egg yolks, beat well with an electric mixer. In another bowl sift together the flour, baking powder and salt; add alternately with the milk to the creamed mixture. Add the vanilla extract. Pour the batter into a greased baking pan and sprinkle the shredded coconut on top. Then spread the meringue mixture (see below) on top of that. Bake in a preheated 325 degree oven for 30-35 minutes or until done.

Meringue Mixture Recipe

2 large egg whites
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 cup currant jelly

In a medium sized bowl beat the egg whites until stiff and then stir in the granulated sugar. Fold in the currant jelly and spread on the cake above before placing the cake into the oven.

Product Review | Unique Pyramid Shaped Fruit Holder

2011-12-17T17:02:00.004-05:00

Today I am reviewing an item that is pretty to look at but also very functional and if you are a fresh fruit eater like myself...I think you will love this product! The product is made by a company called Design + Home and once you check out their store you will see some really cool products like fruit holders, wine bottle holders and butter bell crocks. I love how classy their products look!

My Review: The Pyramid Fruit Holder arrives to your door and guess what? It is completely assembled so all I had to do was take it out of the box! You can hang up the fruit holder as there is a hanging loop at the top or you can sit it on your countertop. For now, mine is on my countertop but I am going to have hubby hang it under one of my large kitchen cabinets so I can save on countertop space. Regardless, it looks pretty either way.

It is made out of chrome plated heavy-duty wire so it is built to last a very long time and I love the chrome as that goes with any kitchen-style. If you wanted to...you could fill it up with fruit and use it as a table centerpiece too. This nifty holder will hold up to 18 pieces of fruit! I have mine filled with red apples, green apples and oranges and doesn't it look pretty? I love this thing and it is so much better than putting fruit in a fruit bowl. Everyone who sees my new fruit holder has asked me about it and I have told them all to go check out Design + Home.

You can purchase one of these Pyramid Shaped Fruit Holders from them for only $30.00 and I think that is a super affordable price! It would make a fabulous gift for someone too so why not pick up a few of them while you are over there.

I love my new fruit holder and I think you all would love it too so I highly recommend this product and this company to all of you! Thank you Design + Home for sponsoring this product review here on the Shakin and Bakin Foodie Blog.

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.

Miracle on Bourbon St. Cocktail Recipe by Voga Italia

2011-12-16T13:11:00.002-05:00

The great folks over at Voga Italia are sharing another great cocktail recipe today with all of my Shakin and Baking Foodie Blog readers and with the holidays almost here...what a perfect drink to go along with your holiday meals or make & serve at your holiday parties.

Miracle on Bourbon St. Cocktail Beverage Recipe

1 cube of sugar
4 dashes of angostura aromatic bitters
1/2 shot of bourbon whisky
Top up with VOGA Premium Sparkling Pinot Grigio

Coat the sugar cube with bitters and drop in to the glass. Pour bourbon whisky into chilled glass and top with VOGA Premium Sparkling Pinot Grigio.

Skimming at Lucky Supermarkets Highlights Importance of Shopping Safety

2011-12-15T07:15:00.003-05:00

After more than 500 California customers of Lucky Supermarkets called last week to complain they'd been victims of fraud, parent company Save Mart issued a warning. High-tech thieves had altered self-checkout machines at nearly two dozen San Francisco Bay Area stores with data-skimming devices that wirelessly captured customers' credit and debit card statistics.

ABC News aired a report Friday with advice on avoiding such in-store thefts, but consumers also need to consider security when shopping online. As Christmas shipping deadlines approach, more of us will cruise the Internet to find last-minute deals. Here are five tips to avoid falling prey to online thieves.

1. Use One-time Use Credit Cards
Companies like Citibank, Discover and Bank of America can issue card numbers for one-time use so thieves can't piggy back on your purchase. According to an article in TIME Techland, these cards typically have a 12-month lifespan and are not available from all banks and card companies, but still represent one of the best methods to avoid online fraud.

2. Only Use Credit Cards
Debit card holders often have a very small window during which they can contest charges, whereas credit card carriers have between 30 and 90 days. Federal law dictates that cardholders are responsible for $50 of fraudulent charges to their credit cards before reporting the theft, whereas debit cardholders are liable for up to $500 if they fail to report the theft within two days. Bottom line: save debit cards for in-store purchases.

3. Shop With Gift Cards
Discount gift cards from websites like GiftCardGranny.com both save you money off a card's face value while ensuring online thieves can't dig deeper into your pocket. You don't have to wait around until you receive one as a gift, either - there's no law against purchasing gift cards for your own use, especially when you can take advantage of instant savings.

4. Review Statements Regularly
Check your credit card and bank statements regularly while charges are fresh in your mind. Paper statements are almost passé these days, so bring a printout of any suspicious activity to show your bank. You'll likely need to include it within the paperwork required to contest the charges, anyway.

5. Secure Your Network
Turn off "Share Files," printer access, and "Allow Remote Log-in" on your computer. Use a firewall and make sure it's updated. And make sure a url's "http" address changes to "https" when you start the checkout process. Read this Lifehacker.com blogpost for how-to details.

###

Andrea Woroch is a consumer and money-saving expert who has been featured among top news outlets such as Good Morning America, NBC's Today, MSNBC, New York Times, Kiplinger Personal Finance, CNNMoney and many more. She is available for in-studio, satellite or skype interviews and to write guest posts or articles.For all media inquiries, please contact Andrea Woroch at 970-672-6085 or email andrea@kinoliinc.com.

Frozen Creamy Dreamy Pumpkin Pie Dessert Recipe

2011-12-13T11:00:00.001-05:00

Today I am sharing with you a fabulous recipe that I got from my nurse friend Jordan who works at one of our local hospitals here in Pennsylvania. This is her own recipe and trust me, it is delicious! This girl can cook! The approximate prep time is 20 minutes. A nice deccadent dessert to go along with your Thanksgiving and Christmas Holiday meals!

Frozen Creamy Dreamy Pumpkin Pie Dessert Recipe

Emerald Glazed Pecans (used for topping)
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
8 oz. Honey Nut Flavored Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened
15 oz. can pumpkin puree
1 tub Cinnamon Cool Whip + 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 Graham Cracker Pie Crust
1 Jar Caramel Sauce (for garnish)

Directions: With an electric mixer combine the brown sugar, canned pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice and softened cream cheese until smooth. Fold in the Cool Whip and ground cinnamon. Sprinkle 1/2 of the package of glazed pecans over the graham cracker crust and then cover the crust with the pie filling that you just prepared. Drizzle the caramel sauce over top (however much you would like) and place the remaining 1/2 bag of glazed pecans on top.

Store pie in the refrigerator or freeze. If freezing, remove it from freezer 40 minutes before serving.

Baileys Peppermint Cream Cocktail Beverage Recipe

2011-12-11T11:28:00.000-05:00

There is a lot of holiday parties to attend and to host this holiday season so today I thought I would share with you a recipe that was given to me that is super delicious! Of course...you have to be 21 years of age or older to consume alcohol so please drink responsibly this holiday season!

Baileys Peppermint Cream Cocktail Beverage Recipe

2 ounces Baileys with a Hint of Mint Chocolate
4 ounces Hot Chocolate
Fresh Whipped Cream
Candy Cane
Mint Leaf

Preparation:
1. Crush candy cane with the back of a spoon.
2. Combine hot chocolate and Baileys by pouring into a coffee mug.
3. Top with a dollop of whipped cream and sprinkle crushed candy cane on top.
4. Garnish with mint leaf.

Losing Weight with SlimFast 3-2-1 Plan

2011-12-11T04:01:00.002-05:00

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

After being in the hospital this month and gaining some weight from that, I am determined to get it off. My hubby could also lose a few pounds, so I have been researching new weight loss ideas because I was thinking that if I lost some weight now before the holidays, maybe I wouldn't indulge so much during the holiday and make it worse. I have successfully dieted during the holidays before and it was nice to be in control!

One of the systems I was looking at is Slim-Fast and their new 3-2-1 plan. I have used their product off and on through my life and it has been getting better and better tasting as they improve the formula. I got to try some the other day and I must say it is tasting pretty good. A nice change from the old formula.

The 3-2-1 plan is 3 snacks, 2 meal replacements and 1 balanced meal per day. I was thinking that by incorporating a shake for breakfast and a shake in the afternoon would really help me reduce some weight. They have 5 great flavors now and some snack items which look pretty good. The flavors are:

• Creamy Milk Chocolate
• French Vanilla
• Rich Chocolate Royale
• Cappuccino Delight
• Strawberries N’ Cream

The snack bars are 100 calorie each and if you don't want the shakes, you can get the new SlimFast meal replacement bars. These would be great to toss in your purse so you always have something healthy. What I like is that it is affordable. I cannot afford plans that cost a hundred dollars a week or so. You can find SlimFast products at major retailers like Target, Wal-Mart. Safeway, Kroger and online at Amazon.

Stop by the Slim-Fast Facebook.page and see all of the new items and see what has changed with SlimFast today. You may want to be joining me on my new weight loss quest before the holiday feasting begins and then really hit it after the New Year starts. That is what I am doing!

Otahuna Lodge Exec Chef Jimmy McIntyre’s Tips for a Stress Free Dinner Party

2011-12-09T15:39:00.000-05:00

Follow Chef Jimmy’s tips for a stress free dinner party and guests are guaranteed to be raving.

Prepare in advance. Complete as much as possible in advance of guests’ arrival. This helps to eliminate last minute mistakes and allows the host to spend more time with guests.

Always offer hors d’oeuvres. Upon guests’ arrival, make sure to offer canapés, as well as a drink. This helps to dispel guests from becoming irritable and hungry.

Keep it simple! A simple dish done well is always impressive, less stressful and less likely to fail. A soup course is fast and easy. If there won’t be more than four courses, serve bread.

Make it fun. “Pot Luck” dinners are the least stressful. Every couple is asked to bring a course – the host normally prepares the main dish. Request that guests stick to one theme. A subterranean themed party is easy since it refers to anything that is from under the ground (i.e. potatoes, yam, rabbit, truffle, etc.)

Add an extra course. To make the menu seem longer, add a simple component such as a cheese or sorbet course. This will ensure that guests are satiated at the conclusion of the meal.

Consider everyone. A non-alcoholic punch is refreshing and is a perfect option for those who don’t drink alcohol, as well as for those who are driving.

About Otahuna Lodge

Otahuna Lodge evokes a romantic British Colonial sensibility through its historic Queen Anne architecture and intimate size. The 30-acre estate provides guests with the quintessential New Zealand lodge experience featuring exceptional amenities, personalized service and uniquely memorable surroundings. Translated from the Maori language, Otahuna is a “little hill among the hills.” The seven-suite Lodge sits on a hill between the rocky outcrops of the Banks Peninsula , providing commanding views of the Southern Alps and the Canterbury Plains.

Originally built in 1895, Otahuna Lodge served as the primary residence of politician Sir Heaton Rhodes for over 60 years. The property holds a Category 1 Listing from New Zealand ’s National Historic Places Trust and is acclaimed as the best example of Queen Anne architecture in Australasia. Americans Hall Cannon and Miles Refo purchased Otahuna in August 2006. The Lodge opened in 2007 following an extensive renovation. Otahuna Lodge is a Relais & Châteaux property and a Virtuoso member.

Delicious Pumpkin Smoothie Recipe | Great for Fall and Winter!

2011-12-07T08:00:00.004-05:00

I love smoothies and I drink them all year round...however, I do get tired of drinking the same old flavors over and over so as the seasons change I like to change up the flavors of the Smoothies I am drinking. If you love smoothies and love pumpkins then this smoothie recipe is for you! It is delicious & easy to make!

Pumpkin Smoothie Recipe

3/4 cup canned Pumpkin
3 scoops vanilla ice cream
1/2 cup crushed ice
1/3 cup milk
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
sprinkle of ground cloves
sprinkle of ground allspice

Place pumpkin, ice cream, ice, milk, maple syrup, cinnamon, cloves and allspice in blender; cover. Blend until smooth. Add additional milk if needed for ease of blending. Add additional maple syrup, if desired.

Gourmet Buffalo Bleu Cheese Dip by Robert Rothschild Farm | Review and Giveaway

2011-12-06T16:59:00.002-05:00

Today I would like to introduce you the company called Robert Rothschild Farm. This company began as a family found business in Urbana, Ohio over thirty years ago and they are known for making delicious gourmet food products like dips, preserves, mustards, sauces, salsas, sweet toppings, delicious mustards and gourmet condiments.

You can purchase their gourmet products directly from their web site store and in retail establishments across the nation. You can find entertaining ideas and delicious easy to prepare recipes directly on their web site.

My Review: Today I am reviewing the Buffalo Bleu Cheese Dip from Robert Rothschild Farm for all of you. This gourmet dip comes packaged in a 11.2 oz. sized jar and is really easy to use. This dip is the perfect blend of delicious buffalo sauce with sharp Bleu cheese combined together to make a delectable creamy dip and it is Gluten Free!

You can serve this Buffalo Bleu Cheese Dip with your favorite Buffalo Wings as a dipping sauce or serve it with chips, tortilla chips, freshly cut veggie sticks or even use it as a dip with bread dippers. We used our sample jar of Bleu Cheese Dip as a dipping sauce with buffalo wings and even had a little left over for dipping some fresh vegetable sticks in the following day and it was absolutely delicious! It tasted fresh and better than homemade and I didn't have to slave in my kitchen to make it! Love that! For only $9.49 a jar you should purchase a few of them and keep them on hand for your family! Totally affordable!

Giveaway: Two lucky winners are each going to receive one jar of this delicious Buffalo Bleu Cheese Dip from Robert Rothschild Farm! It will come beautifully gift boxed along with 2 tasty recipe cards!

CLOSED

Giveaway Details: This giveaway is open to residents of the USA ONLY who are age 18 and over. Please read the Terms of Service and Disclaimer Policy before entering. You must be a PUBLIC FOLLOWER of this Blog to have your entries count in my giveaways. (Follow via Google Friend Connect) All non-blog followers will have their entries disqualified after the giveaway closes. This giveaway will close on December 14th, 2011 at midnight EST time.

Mandatory Entry: Please visit the Robert Rothschild Farms web site and take a look around. Come back here and tell me another product you would love to try besides the item I reviewed.

Bonus Entries: You may complete these after fulfilling the mandatory entry above. Please leave a separate comment for each one that you complete.

Earns 2 Entries: Follow Robert Rothschild Farm over on Facebook.
Earns 2 Entries: Visit their site & take a look at their recipe section and come back and tell me which recipe you would like to try out some day in your own home.
Earns 2 Entries: Fan/Like Shelly over on Facebook.
Earns 2 Entries: Follow Shelly over on Twitter.
Earns 5 Entries: Place my foodie blog button on your blog or web site. Please leave link so I can visit you!
Earns 2 Entries: Enter another giveaway here on this blog or on our sister Two Classy Chics Blog. (leave a separate comment for each)
Earns 5 Entries: Write up your own post about this giveaway along with live links, post it on your blog (leave link).
Earns 1 Entry Daily: You can copy and paste the following Tweet over on Twitter once per day. (leave status link)

Copy & Paste Tweet:

Win a Jar of Gourmet Buffalo Bleu Cheese Dip by Rothchild Farms on the SNB Blog http://bit.ly/tHu6HB Ends 12/14 @Ravish30

I would like to thank Robert Rothschild for participating in a product review here on the Shakin 'N Bakin Foodie Blog and for sponsoring a giveaway for my readers. We appreciate your generosity and we love your products!

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/shipping of giveaway items won from this blog nor are we responsible for mis-use or injury caused by items won from this Blog. Content on this blog is copyrighted, all rights reserved. We reserve the right to legally pursue anyone who violates our rights and/or steals our copyrighted material.

Winners | Robert Rothschild Blue Cheese Dijon Mustard Giveaway

2011-12-06T16:06:00.002-05:00

Good Afternoon Everyone! I first want to apologize for getting the winners posted late. I was in the hospital and my helper dropped the ball on getting this giveaway closed out for me. Without further wait...here are our 2 winners (chosen at random) for the Robert Rothschild Farm Blue Cheese Dijon Mustard Giveaway.

Winner #1: Jackie said...
I'd like to try the recipe for Bacon & Blue Cheese Quiche #2
jackievillano at gmail dot com
November 14, 2011 6:33 AM

Winner #2: baazinga9 said...
The recipe I would like to try is the Buffalo Chicken Dip
baazinga9 at yahoo dot com
November 20, 2011 8:50 PM

Both winners have been emailed and will have 48 hours to claim their prizes before new winners are chosen. Thanks everyone! New giveaways being posted later this week!

Party Appetizer - Cheese and Olives on Rye Bread Recipe

2011-12-05T01:15:00.000-05:00

If you are looking for a simple appetizer to make and serve at your next party or family get-togther then you need to try out this yummy recipe! You will only need 4 ingredients plus the Rye bread.

Cheese & Olives on Rye Bread Recipe

1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
1 cup ripe olives, chopped
1 cup dried beef, chopped
1 cup low-fat mayonnaise
Rye Party Bread

Mix together the grated cheddar cheese, chopped olives, dried beef and mayonnaise. Refrigerate until ready. Spread this mixture onto slices of Rye Bread and place under your broiler until bubbly and hot (about 3 minutes). You will want to serve them immediately.

A Great Idea for Expanding My Pantry

2011-12-04T19:43:00.002-05:00

I got a great idea the other day. I need to expand my pantry so badly since I love to cook so much. You know what cooks need to keep out kitchens flowing correctly. Specialty pots and pans, baking items, mixers, food processors, specialty food items and the list goes on. I have paired my goods down to what I use the most, but I still run out of room.

So I am looking at setting up an expanded pantry in my garage with some gorgeous Garage Cabinets that we can set up to house the big roasters and stockpots and excess food items. These Garage Storage Cabinets can be set up in any way we choose and they come in many different sizes.

I was looking online at these cabinet configurations and saw some beautiful Steel Storage Cabinets that would look wonderful in my garage. I can use this for organizing all types of items in my garage as well. I think two large cabinets would be great for holding my pantry items and I can even store additional food for emergencies a lot better. I have been lax on that part due to space!

I am going to have my hubby do some measuring this week so we can start configuring out how we want the garage to look. I cannot wait to get my Arrow Spacemaker Storage Cabinets in so I can start freeing up some space in my kitchen!

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post and I was compensated by the advertiser to write this post. I was provided with the subject matter to write about but our thoughts, opinions and words are 100% mine. All information contained on this blog is copyright 2011, All Rights Reserved.

Mrs. Cubbison's Multi-Grain Stuffing Mix Product Review

2011-12-03T17:38:00.005-05:00

Today's foodie product review is being brought to us by the folks over at Tomoson.com and it is being sponsored by Mrs. Cubbinson's and features their Multi-Grain Stuffing Mix with Cranberries and their Crispy Onions food products.

First up...the Mrs. Cubbinson's Multi-Grain Stuffing Mix with Cranberries. This stuffing mix can be made quickly and easily by following the preparation instructions printed right on the package. Since my hubby was doing the cooking he prepared the stuffing via the stove-top method which only took a few minutes from start to finish. He then served this stuffing to our family during our Thanksgiving meal and waited to hear their thoughts on it. We had mixed reviews with this one. About 1/2 of our guests that the stuff was bland in taste and texture and didn't care for it much at all. The other 1/2 of our guests liked it and would purchase it for their holiday and family meals. So overall...mixed reviews here in the Hill household.
The Crispy Onions were used as a topping on my mother's famous Green Bean Casserole. Since I dislike her casserole I didn't try any of it. However...everyone who had dinner at our home did try her casserole and everyone gave the casserole along with the Crispy Onions a big two thumbs up! As you can see...our guests much preferred this product over the first one that we tried.

You can find a lot of great looking recipes over on the Mrs. Cubbinson's web site and make sure you check out all of their tasty, easy to make food products that they have to offer while you are over there visiting their web site. We would also like to invite you to check out their fabulous Thanksgiving Tips too!

We would like to thank Tomoson and Mrs. Cubbinson's for the opportunity to try out and sample their products and we look forward to trying out a few more in the near future.

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.

Holiday Cocktail Recipes from the Mixologists of William Grant & Sons

2011-12-03T14:54:00.002-05:00

With the holidays quickly approaching, I wanted to share some spirited cocktail recipes with you from the mixologists of William Grant & Sons. Sure to make any celebration unforgettable, these delicious recipes are a great option for your readers as they plan their holiday festivities.

What better way to celebrate the season with friends and family that with a delightful punch? Easy to prepare and even easier to enjoy, the Hendrick’s Hot Gin Punch is sure to be a warming welcome for any guest. Craving a decadent holiday treat? Made with chocolate and whipped cream, Milagro’s Oaxaca Chakas is the perfect little indulgence.

With homemade cinnamon ginger syrup, Sailor Jerry spiced rum and fresh lime, the Horis’ Juice is a refreshing cure for the winter blues and will be remembered long after the last gift is opened.
Horis’ Juice Cocktail Recipe

2 part Sailor Jerry Rum
.25 part fresh lemon juice
.25 part fresh lime juice
.5 part homemade cinnamon ginger syrup (1:1:1) ratio
4 part hot black tea
dash of walnut bitters

Boil tea. Add rum, juices, syrup into empty mixing glass. Slowly add tea. Stir. Add dash of bitters. Stir and sip at desired warm temperature

Elk’s Toddy Cocktail Recipe

1 part Hudson Manhattan Rye
1 part Port
.5 part simple syrup
.25 part fresh lemon
2 parts hot water

Combine all ingredients in a warm mug - Stir and finish with a spritzed orange peel and delicate dusting of fresh nutmeg

Oaxaca Chakas Cocktail Recipe

2 parts Milagro SBR Anejo
.75 parts Agave nectar
1 parts Heavy whipping cream
2 parts Milk
1 scoop Oaxacan chocolate powder
1 scoop freshly whipped cream (Optional)

Mix all ingredients in a pot and heat until boiling. Serve in a coffee cup and top with freshly whipped cream. Boil tea. Add rum, juices, syrup into empty mixing glass. Slowly add tea. Stir. Add dash of bitters. Stir and sip at desired warm temperature

Disclosure: You must be age 21 years of age or older to consume alcoholic beverages in the United States. Please drink responsibibly!

Delicious Chile Con Carne Recipe

2011-12-02T13:04:00.002-05:00

This is another great recipe from Robert Rothschild Farm that I get to share with all of you today! This recipe is their Chile Con Carne recipe and you will need their bottle of Anna Mae's Smoky Sweet Sauce to make it.

Chile Con Carne Recipe

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef (we use lean ground beef)
1 cup onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 cans kidney beans, unstrained (15 1/2 oz. cans)
1 bottle Robert Rothschild Farm Anna Mae's Smoky Sweet Sauce
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 (16 oz) can diced tomatoes

in a large pan, brown the ground beef until done. Stir in the chopped onions & chopped garlic. Pour off excess grease. Add remaining ingredients and stir well. Heat to a boiling, reduce heat, cover and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally. Serve over rice with a tossed salad.

Bring out the Flavor in Your Holiday Meals with GravyMaster

2011-11-30T17:00:00.002-05:00

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

Holidays always means our favorite foods are on the table. As we go house to house, visiting with friends and relatives, food becomes a priority. We are either making ti to takes with us, making it to share with others or even making food to give as gifts. I for one want to make sure that what I am serving tastes delicious.

One of the staples that a cook needs in his or her kitchen is a flavor enhancer like GravyMaster. While it sounds like it is just for making and flavoring gravy, this product brings delicious flavor to your meat, vegetables and fish dishes. I have used Gravy Master while making meals and I love using some in my stew and when I am crock pot cooking my roasts. The flavor is delicious and really brings out the best in the meal. I guess you can say it helps to Master the meal

If you don't know what to cook for your next dinner meal this holiday season\t, grab a bottle of GravyMaster and check out their recipes on their site. I am sure you can find something that you and your holiday guests will love! You are going to love the flavor and your guests will think you worked all day! What is your favorite recipe?

Anna Mae's Pulled Pork Recipe by Robert Rothschild Farm

2011-11-30T07:57:00.003-05:00

I have been very fortunate for the past few months to be participating in the Robert Rothschild Farm blogger program and sampling a lot of their delicious gourmet food products for all of you and offering my opinion on them here on the SNB Foodie Blog. Today's recipe is their Anna Mae's Pulled Pork recipe and it is absolutely delicious and super easy to make!

Anna Mae's Pulled Pork Recipe

1 center cut pork roast (2-2 1/2 lbs), trimmed as desired
3 Tbsp. Robert Rothschild Farm Chop House Steak & Beef Rub
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 bottle Robert Rothschild Farm Anna Mae's Smoky Sweet Sauce

Coat your pork roast with the Chop House Steak & Beef Rub, covering all sides. Placed sliced onions on the bottom of slow cooker that has been coated with non-stick spray. Top with pork. Cook on low for 6 hours or until it pulls apart easily when tested with a fork. Remove roast to a cutting board and shred with two forks. Return the meat to the crock pot and stir into the onions. Add Anna Mae's Smoky Sweet Sauce and stir again to combine. YUMMY!!!

This is great served with Chardonnay or Malbec wines, rye beer or Roggenbier and fabulous served with goat cheese, Feta or Provolone.

Thank you Robert Rothschild Farm for another fabulous sauce and recipe!

Couponing 101-Organizing Your Coupons

2011-11-27T08:00:00.001-05:00

Couponing 101-Organizing Your Coupons by Angie Wenke

Coupon Organizer Creation

Now that you have your Sunday Coupons comes the hard part! Which organizing system will you use? The good thing is there are so many great organizing options out there to match anyone’s busy lifestyle. Today I am going to talk a little bit about some of the most popular methods right now.

#1 Using an Accordion File or Wallet:

When I first started out composing I started out with a simple small accordion file system. You can find these at your local pharmacy or grocery store in the paper product aisle. You can choose to have a small portable file system or a larger one to keep carrying with you. As a recommendation I would recommend that you purchase a plastic one not the paper ones as they much more durable and especially if you are a busy mom this will come in handy for you.

Use each pocket to store your coupons and divide them up into categories such as:

Dairy

Breakfast

Pets

Health and Beauty

Baby Products

Beverages

Baking needs

Snacks

Cleaning Aides

Frozen Foods

Meals

Household

Restraints

Vegetables

Desserts

Meat

Soup

Salad

Pasta

Appetizers

Paper Products etc

Now on the top of each tab mark your categories in DARK easy to read font so when you are in a hurry in the grocery store you will know exactly what each category says and you are ready to start shopping. I also tend to keep the front pocket free to store my scissors for cutting coupons, also keep my shopping lists and highlighters in there to mark off what I have already purchased.

#2 Envelope Method

A lot of ladies in my area use this system. To organize your coupons simply take as many envelopes as you need for the categories you want. On the front of the envelope in black bold marker you mark the category that envelope is to be used for.

Then store your coupons inside the envelopes in the proper categories. These then can be easily stored in an old shoe box, a Rubbermaid tub or in an accordion file folder. The one downfall I have personally run into it is easy to accidentally misplace an envelope and then you are out all those wonderful coupons you clipped.

#3 Binder Method:

This is my preferred choice for organizing and storing coupons. I go to the office supply store and I purchased a $2 binder that was 1 ½ inches wide. Then I purchased the plastic baseball card holders. You can buy these in packages for like $6. Then I purchased a kids pencil holder the ones that are like a fabric folder with a zipper. I put this at the front of my binder and add scissors, pens, highlighters, calculator and my rebate forms inside for easy location.

You may also want to purchase a zipper binder like a trapper keeper to help make sure you don’t lose anything! One of the other things I purchased was the plastic divider pages for the binder and that is how I marked off my baseball pages. Simply mark on each tab for each category you need then allow yourself a page or two per category! Now what I do is write on each section of the baseball card pages a letter like A-C or D-G so that I am marking off my pages by the alphabet.

So when I need to find a coupon for Dawn detergent I would go to the my Cleaning Supplies tab and look under the D-G tab for my Dawn detergent coupon. Another popular way of sorting your pages rather than alphabetic is by expiration date.

#4 Recipe Box

This is a good standard way of organizing your coupons! Use a simple plastic recipe card file box or even a small shoe box, and then the tabbed dividers. On the tabbed dividers mark bold and clearly your categories and then just sort that way! I usually buy a large enough one to store my scissors and pens and calculator.

Angie Wenke is a WAHM who is the proud owner of Resale Clipart Angie is a Married mother of two who lives near St Louis, MO and loves writing new articles and helping her fellow WAHM's on their dreams to own a successful WAHM business.

Article Source: WAHM Articles

Delicious Peach Bread Pudding Recipe For A Tasty Dessert!

2011-11-25T07:49:00.003-05:00

I love peaches and I love bread pudding so why not combine the two and have yourself a delicious peach bread pudding for dessert! This recipe is super easy to make but it does require a little effort and baking time. However, you will LOVE this bread pudding once you taste it!

Delicious Peach Bread Pudding Recipe

12 slices of bread (we use diet white bread)
1 cup sliced canned peaches
2 cups milk (we use 2% milk)
4 large eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Spray a baking dish with nonstick spray. Slice your bread into cubes until you have 5 cups of cubed bread. Toss the bread cubes and sliced peaches into your baking dish. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the milk, 4 eggs, granulated sugar and ground cinnamon until all ingredients are well combined and then pour this mixture over top of your peaches and bread cubes.

Bake for 50-60 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven until done. (center will be semi-firm and bounce back when touched). Cool slightly to serve warm. My daughter likes her served with a dollop of vanilla whipped cream but I like mine plain or sometimes with a little milk on top.

Keeping Packed Lunched Cold Used to be a Problem

2011-11-24T03:01:00.002-05:00

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

Packing lunches is a great way to save money for adults and the kids The amount of money that is saved every week can really add up! If you have kids that are picky eaters, they can cost you a bundle of money in wasted food that is thrown away at school. One problem with packing lunches is keeping the food cold for the 5-6 hours needed before lunchtime. Ice packs work for a bit, but not long enough usually.

Well all of these problems have just been solved. Now there is the PackIt lunch boxes. These are a very cool invention by some moms that know how frustrating it is to keep lunches cold and safe. The Packit lunch bag is the ice pack. All you have to do is freeze the whole bag before using and it stays cold for up to 10 hours! Pack your food in it and off you go. It folds up after you are done eating for easy storage. How awesome is that?

But this isn't just for lunches! It is a great item that can be used for so many different things such as carrying baby bottles and medications. You can take with you to sporting events and more. How would you use it?

Right now there is a special promo going on for the Packit lunch boxes. You can buy one and get one for Free! Just pay shipping. That is a hot price! Swing by and grab your sweet deal today before the deal expires and feel safe with packed lunches again.

Check out their video for more info.

BBQ Chicken Breast with Aceto Balsamico di Modena Caramelized Red Onions Recipe

2011-11-22T14:31:00.006-05:00

BBQ chicken topped with caramelized red onions made with The Artisanal Kitchen Aceto Balsamico di Modena.

BBQ Chicken Breast with Aceto Balsamico di Modena Caramelized Red Onions Recipe

Ingredients:

4 medium-size chicken breasts
4 tablespoons Aceto Balsamico di Modena (purple label) by The Artisanal Kitchen
2 red onions, sliced thin
2 tablespoons of Three Olives Olive Oil by The Artisanal Kitchen
Pinch French Fleur de Sel.
Garnish: parsley

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put the olive oil and salt in a medium-size frying pan and heat on low. When oil is heated, add sliced red onion to the pan and cook over a low flame for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions are caramelized. Next, add The Artisanal Kitchen Balsamico di Modena to the onions and continue to cook on a very low flame, stirring frequently, until the onions have turned a dark brown color. Scrape the balsamic residue off the bottom of the pan, mix with the onions and cook for a few more minutes to allow the remaining balsamic to be absorbed into the onion mixture.

Cook chicken breast on the barbeque and, once done, lightly salt and drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar over the top. Place a few tablespoons of onion mixture on each chicken breast, garnish with a parsley leaf and serve.

For more information, visit www.theartisanalkitchen.com

Delicious Peach Mango and Habanero Glazed Ham Recipe

2011-11-19T08:00:00.004-05:00

Today I am sharing a recipe with all of you for this delicious ham which makes a great ham for family meals and for holiday meals. This recipe is by Robert Rothschild Farm and you will need a bottle of their Peach Mango Habanero Sauce to make it. (you can purchase it from their web site). This is a very sweet tasting ham with just a mild kick to it thanks to the Habanero peppers.

Peach Mango and Habanero Glazed Ham Recipe

1 pre-cooked, bone-in ham (about 10 lbs), trimmed off access skin & all but a 1/4" layer of fat
40 whole cloves
1 cup dry white wine
1 bottle Robert Rothschild Farm Peach Mango Habanero Sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Score ham with sharp knife in a diamond pattern. Press a clove into the center of each diamon. Place ham, cut side down into a roasting pan; drizzle white wine over the top. Coat ham with half of the Peach Mango Habanero Sauce. Cover with parchment, then foil and bake in a preheated oven for 1 hour.

Remove from oven, increase oven temperature to 425 degrees. Uncover ham, coat with remaining sauce. Bake, uncovered basting ocassionally until browned, 40-45 minutes. Transfer the ham to a cutting board, tent loosely with foil; let rest for 30 minutes before carving. Serve the ham with some of your pan drippings.

Winner! Stanley Home All Purpose Body Creme

2011-11-15T12:31:00.001-05:00

We have a winner to announce! Our wonderful giveawy for the Stanley Home Products closed and our lucky winner is:
♡♥♬ Raven In A Blue Room ♬♥♡ said...
Google Friends Connect - following you publicly as (Louis)
November 11, 2011 6:46 AM

Congrats! Please reply wihtin 48 hours to claim your prize! Thanks for participating!

Yummy Chocolate Butter Cream Cupcake and Cake Frosting Recipe

2011-11-15T07:24:00.005-05:00

This is a vintage recipe that I got from my aunt about 20 years ago and you can use this butter cream frosting on cakes or cupcakes.

French Butter Cream Frosting Recipe

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels
1/4 cup instant or regular coffee
1/4 cup confectioners sugar
4 medium egg yolks
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Place chocolate morsels, and liquid coffee into a blender container, cover and process until smooth. Pour the sugar, egg yolks, butter and vanilla extract into the container and blend again until smooth. Chill the container until it is of spreading consistency and use the frosting on cupcakes, cakes and/or brownies.

Count on See's for Delicious Lollipops and Candy for the Holiday Season

2011-11-14T15:19:00.000-05:00

I don't think there are many people that I know that don't enjoy lollipops from time to time. Even adults love a sweet treat from time to time.

My favorite place to buy my lollipops and other sweet chocolate goodies are from my local See's Candy store and their huge online store too. I can get so many people on my holiday list covered just by stopping in to See's and they are perfect for grabbing small gifts to keep around during the holidays.

I like having small gifts available that I can bring to friend's homes when I visit and the kids go crazy for the lollipops and other fun sweet treats that See's carries. I even spied some new lollipop flavors in for Thanksgiving and Christmas in their shop. I know that my friends and loved ones love candy and so I can never go wrong when I have things like that on hand.

The holidays just wouldn't be the same without some traditional chocolate and candy treats. I know that I can never go wrong when I add See’s to my shopping list this holiday. It is a gift that is loved and coveted by many. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post and I was compensated by the advertiser to write this post. I was provided with the subject matter to write about but our thoughts, opinions and words are 100% mine. All information contained on this blog is copyright 2011, All Rights Reserved.

Delicious Blue Cheese Dijon Mustard by Robert Rothschild Farm | Review and Giveaway

2011-11-13T13:40:00.003-05:00

Today I would like to introduce you the company called Robert Rothschild Farm. This company began as a family found business in Urbana, Ohio over thirty years ago and they are known for making delicious gourmet food products like dips, preserves, mustards, sauces, salsas, sweet toppings, delicious mustards and gourmet condiments.

You can purchase their gourmet products directly from their web site store and in retail establishments across the nation. You can find entertaining ideas and delicious easy to prepare recipes directly on their web site.

My Review: Today I am reviewing the Blue Cheese Dijon Mustard from Robert Rothschild Farm for all of you. This gourmet mustard comes packaged in a 9.6 oz. sized jar and is really easy to use in a variety of tasty dishes. It can be served as a traditional gourmet mustard topping on sandwiches or use it in any recipe that calls for dijon mustard. It is kosher and gluten-free and sells for $7.99 per jar. This gourmet mustard is the perfect blend of blue cheese, honey, mustard and spices...you will love it! Check out their recipe for Beef with Blue Cheese Mustard Sauce on their site...looks delish!

Since we love homemade deviled eggs I decided to use 2 tablespoons of this Blue Cheese Dijon Mustard in my normal recipe instead of regular yellow mustard and wow...let me tell you, the deviled eggs were absolutely fabulous! I will never use regular yellow mustard in that recipe again! I also used this Blue Cheese Dijon Mustard as a dipping sauce for my soft pretzels as my family and I love our soft pretzels dipped into mustard and again...loved it! Besides using it as stated above...we have also been using it on our lunch meat sandwiches and as a mustard topping on our cheeseburgers! This gourmet mustard is absolutely fantastic!!!

Giveaway: Two lucky winners are each going to receive one jar of this delicious gourmet Blue Cheese Dijon Mustard from Robert Rothschild Farm! It will come beautifully gift boxed along with 2 tasty recipe cards!

Giveaway Details: This giveaway is open to residents of the USA ONLY who are age 18 and over. Please read the Terms of Service and Disclaimer Policy before entering. You must be a PUBLIC FOLLOWER of this Blog to have your entries count in my giveaways. (Follow via Google Friend Connect) All non-blog followers will have their entries disqualified after the giveaway closes. This giveaway will close on November 30th, 2011 at midnight EST time.

Mandatory Entry: Please visit the Robert Rothschild Farms web site and take a look around. Come back here and tell me another product you would love to try besides the item I reviewed.

Bonus Entries: You may complete these after fulfilling the mandatory entry above. Please leave a separate comment for each one that you complete.

Earns 2 Entries: Follow Robert Rothschild Farm over on Facebook.
Earns 2 Entries: Visit their site & take a look at their recipe section and come back and tell me which recipe you would like to try out some day in your own home.
Earns 2 Entries: Fan/Like Shelly over on Facebook.
Earns 2 Entries: Follow Shelly over on Twitter.
Earns 5 Entries: Place my foodie blog button on your blog or web site. Please leave link so I can visit you!
Earns 2 Entries: Enter another giveaway here on this blog or on our sister Two Classy Chics Blog. (leave a separate comment for each)
Earns 5 Entries: Write up your own post about this giveaway along with live links, post it on your blog (leave link).
Earns 1 Entry Daily: You can copy and paste the following Tweet over on Twitter once per day. (leave status link)

Copy & Paste Tweet:

Win a Jar of Delic Blue Cheese Dijon Mustard by Rothchild Farms on the SNB Blog http://bit.ly/s9Bi0G Ends 11/30 @Ravish30

I would like to thank Robert Rothschild for participating in a product review here on the Shakin 'N Bakin Foodie Blog and for sponsoring a giveaway for my readers. We appreciate your generosity and we love your products!

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/shipping of giveaway items won from this blog nor are we responsible for mis-use or injury caused by items won from this Blog. Content on this blog is copyrighted, all rights reserved. We reserve the right to legally pursue anyone who violates our rights and/or steals our copyrighted material.

Easy To Make Classic Pumpkin Pie Recipe

2011-11-12T08:00:00.004-05:00

'Tis that time of year when everyone is looking for the classic pumpkin pie recipe for their upcoming Thanksgiving dinner so today I thought I would post for all of you my aunt's recipe for her delicious creamy pumpkin pie! This recipe is really easy to make because you make it in one bowl only and you use a store bought pastry pie crust.

Classic Pumpkin Pie Recipe

1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
1/2 cup milk
1/2 can evaporated milk
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 large eggs, well beaten
1 teaspoon butter, softened
2 unbaked store bought pie crusts

In a large mixing bowl combine together the dry ingredients first and then add in the moist ingredients one at a time, mixing after each addition with an electric mixer. Mix until the batter is creamy and smooth. Pour batter into 2 unbaked pie crusts. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and place your pie pans onto a baking sheet and then slide them into your oven. Bake for 25-27 minutes or until the center of each pie is done. Remove and let cool before serving.

You can serve it plain or top with your favorite vanilla whipped topping, vanilla ice cream or vanilla yogurt.

Gorgeous Amish Wood Tableboard by Spinelli Review and a Wood Utility Cutting Board Giveaway

2011-11-11T16:31:00.002-05:00

Guest Post By Chris:

This is a guest posting of a review to tell you about an amazing company that offers beautiful Amish wooden cutting boards for all differnt uses. Read on and then come by to enter to win one on the Two Classy Chics!
-----------
Family dinner time is an important time in our home. As crazy as life gets, there are few times when we can spend quality time with each other. And at my house, there is always an extra kid or two around my table.

Family style dinner is the normal mode of meal time here in my household and I have a fabulous product that you are going to want to incorporate into your home. It is so perfect for family meal time you are going to wonder how you have lived without it!

Tableboards by Spinella are an amazing handcrafted wood board that has attached feet and it graces your table to make serving a bit easier. It's a giant cutting board, serving tray, trivet and beautiful display piece all rolled into one. Each one is lovingly handcrafted by Amish craftsmen in Iowa.

I was sent the Large Tableboard® with Cherry Accent and I immediately fell in love. The board is 40" long and is perfect for my 6 foot table. Following the directions, I used a mineral oil to coat the board and placed it on my table. It is smooth and simple and Stunning! It is very easy to care for by wiping it clean with a damp cloth.

Since receiving the tableboard it has become a serving tray and a amazing cutting board that has never left my table. I have served pizza on it, sliced french bread and placed my hot serving bowls on it. It has become an integral part of my table and our mealtimes. I absolutely love it! I love how thick it is especially. It certainly makes a table look beautiful! It wil be holding our beautiful Holiday meals and family meals for a long time to come. A true family Heirloom!

What a fabulous gift this would make for the cook or baker in your family! Can you even imagine what they would think? There is a special discount code for our readers only... see below for more info.

Tableboards by Spinella also offer other types of kitchen products and cutting boards such as the Pastry and Bread Board for the baker in you; a gorgeous Cheese Board and their lovely Utility Boards that are anything but utilitarian! Each are made of super strong maple and most offer an option of a cherry or walnut accent.

DISCOUNT COUPON:
30% discount on the line of Tableboards. At check out use this code: TB3030, for a 30% discount on our Tableboards Plus FREE SHIPPING!

The Two Classy Chics are holding a Giveaway of this Beautiful Utility Wood Cutting Board on their site until 11/30. Come by and enter to win!

See you There!

Winners!

2011-11-11T12:37:00.000-05:00

We have a bunch of winners to post for you today! Sorry for the delay! Yikes time has gotten away! I use random.org for my drawings.

The first one if for the Finlandia Cheese coupons. We have 2 winners for that. #5 and 121

Eliza Klinger said...
I entered the TCC Angelina Ballerina DVD giveaway #2
October 17, 2011 12:55 PM

Lynda Del. said...
I'd love to try the Monterey Jack/Colby Jack cheese combo pack.

The Next giveaway that closed is for the Stanley Home Products foot lotion
That lucky winner is #9:
Eliza Klinger said...
I entered the Wholly Guacamole giveaway #1
October 17, 2011 12:26 PM

Farm Rich Frozen Foods is offering 3 winners a coupon for free product and those winners are: #10 #123 and #166
Chris said...
Entered the Wholly Guac
October 19, 2011 7:06 PM

Kristen said...
I mix salsa, hot sauce and sour cream together and dip my quesadillas in that (and guac if I have any)(2)
October 30, 2011 5:51 PM

Eliza Klinger said...
I entered the TCC Blaze Lacquer giveaway #1
ecaklinger@gmail.com
November 7, 2011 6:53 PM

And Last but not least! The Cool Gentlemens Cooking recipe Book
That winner is #48
Nickolay said...
#3

Follow Sean Kanan over on Facebook.
Jason Nickolay
November 9, 2011 12:39 PM

Congrats to you all! Please reply within 48 hrs to claim your prize. Enjoy and many thanks for participating to all!

Refreshing Homemade Peach Milkshakes Recipe

2011-11-10T07:33:00.001-05:00

I love peaches and when I go to the farmer's market I like to buy them by the bushel and some I use right away and others I will freeze for later use. One of the recipes we like to make that utilizes fresh peaches is a homemade peach milkshake recipe that was given to me by my aunt.

Homemade Peach Milkshakes Recipe

1 cup whole milk (or reduced fat milk)
1 cup of freshly sliced peaches
1 drop of almond extract or vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups of vanilla ice cream (softened)

Place the milk, sliced peaches and desired extract into your blender's container and process until ingredients are smooth. Then spoon in the softened vanilla ice cream, cover and process for 15-25 seconds or until it's the consistency that you like.

Makeover Streusel-Topped Sweet Potatoes Recipe

2011-11-07T08:08:00.004-05:00

Today we are posting for all of you a great recipe that was sent over to us by the great folks over at Taste of Home. If you are looking for more great recipes make sure you check out their site!

Makeover Streusel-Topped Sweet Potatoes Recipe

•6 medium sweet potatoes
•1/2 cup reduced-fat butter, melted
•3 eggs, lightly beaten
•1/4 cup unsweetened apple juice
•1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Topping:

•3/4 cup packed brown sugar
•1/2 cup flaked coconut
•1/2 cup chopped pecans
•1/4 cup reduced-fat butter, melted

Scrub and pierce sweet potatoes; place on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave, uncovered, on high for 15-18 minutes or until tender, turning once. When cool enough to handle, cut each potato in half lengthwise. Scoop out the pulp, leaving thin shells. In a large bowl, mash the pulp with butter and eggs. Stir in juice and vanilla. Spoon into potato shells. Divide between two 13-in. x 9-in. baking dishes coated with cooking spray. Combine the topping ingredients; spoon over top. Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes or until a thermometer reads 160°. Yield: 12 servings.

Editor's Note: This recipe was tested with Land O'Lakes light stick butter in a 1,100-watt microwave.

Disclosure: This recipe was given to us by the PR firm that handles PR work for Taste of Home. You can find additional recipes by visiting the Taste of Home web site. Thank you for your recipe contribution!

Schar Gluten Free Gourmet Food Items and Sample Offer

2011-11-06T19:01:00.002-05:00

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

Today I would like to talk to you about the company called Schar who is a leader in the gluten-free foods industry and this company makes and sells delicious food items like gluten-free baguettes, gluten-free rolls and various other gluten-free bakery products. If you suffer with Celiac problems or are gluten intolerant then this is a company you want to check out!

The Schar club is really cool and you should check it out and sign up if it's for you. The club has unlimited benefits like free samples and free advice on how to live a gluten-free lifestyle. For a limited time Schar is offering FREE samples to the first 2,000 club members who request them. I know I would love to try their baguettes with some nice bread dipping oils since I love gluten-free bakery products!

I think signing up for their club is the way to go and I encourage you to check it out and sign up too! (plus you can request that limited-time free sample of the Ciabatta rolls!). In addition, as a club member you will get access to new promotions, coupons, free sample offers, recipes and so much more! This is a club with benefits galore!

Besides their baguettes I would love to try some of their yummy looking sub sandwich rolls which are gluten-free and low in fat since hubby and I are both watching our weight and trying to drop a few pounds, these sub rolls look perfect for us! Those Ciabatta rolls look delicious too and I love that they are also gluten-free and you simply heat them up and serve them to your family (or dinner guests). They look so light and fluffy that it's hard to imagine that they are gluten-free!

I hope you hop on over to the Schar web site and join their club to request your free sample today! I would love for you to leave me a blog comment on which item of theirs would you like to try?

Healthy Breakfasts | Delicious Zucchini Pancakes Recipe

2011-11-05T08:02:00.004-04:00

Every summer we plant a garden and that garden always includes planting a few zucchini plants and once we harvest the zucchini I like to freeze them to use throughout the winter. You can easily freeze zucchini by shredding it and freezing it in zipper close freezer bags. When you want to use it...thaw at room temperature for about 30-45 minutes or thaw in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours.

Zucchini Pancakes Recipe

2-1/2 cups grated zucchini, uncooked
1 large egg, beaten
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Salt and pepper to taste
4 tablespoons vegetable oil or non-stick vegetable spray
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Tightly wrap lightly salted grated zucchini in cheesecloth or kitchen towel and squeeze out excess liquid (salt will reduce bitterness). Remove zucchini to large mixing bowl. Add beaten egg, onion, baking powder and pepper. Mix thoroughly and let stand for at least 15 minutes. Heat oil or spray in a non-stick frying pan to medium or medium-high heat. Right before frying, whisk in the 2 tablespoons of flour to bind mixture. Drop mixture into hot oil and form into small cakes (3 inches in diameter). Cook until lightly browned on each side; avoid burning edges.

Shopping for New Kitchen Goods With my Daughter

2011-11-03T23:35:00.003-04:00

I am so excited for my daughter. She has been looking and looking for a new apartment since hers does not have the greatest surroundings. So finally she found one that will be perfect for her and her daughter. Now the problem is furnishing it...well, it could be fun depending on your view.

One thing that she does not have enough of is kitchen items so we went on the hunt for some cheap dinner plates and other items to complete her kitchen. We found a place that had lots of cheap bakers racks so she could display some bowls and fun things on it.

We also were looking for something like cheap buffet tables or something smaller like that as her kitchen doesn't have enough room for an actual kitchen size table. We found a perfect one that will work great. We added a few chair’s that will work with it and it looks super!

Shopping together was fun. We haven't done that in a long time as our tastes are pretty different. But we were able to find her plenty of great inexpensive items as well as those very important discount dinner plates so when they get moved in they are ready to cook a meal right away.

I know my daughter is going to love her new place. Now that we spent some time decorating it, it is quickly becoming a home.

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.

Makeover Sausage Pecan Stuffing Recipe

2011-11-03T08:04:00.003-04:00

Here is another great recipe that was sent over to us from the great folks at Taste of Home. This looks like the perfect Stuffing recipe to go along with Thanksgiving dinner!

Makeover Sausage Pecan Stuffing Recipe

•1 pound lean ground turkey
•2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
•2 celery ribs, chopped
•1 medium onion, chopped
•1 teaspoon fennel seed
•1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
•1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
•3 garlic cloves, minced
•1 loaf (16 ounces) day-old white bread, cubed
•1 large tart apple, chopped
•2 teaspoons rubbed sage
•1-1/2 teaspoons salt
•1-1/2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
•1/2 teaspoon pepper
•2 eggs
•1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
•1/2 cup chopped pecans

In a Dutch oven, cook the turkey, mushrooms, celery, onion, fennel seed, cayenne and nutmeg over medium heat until turkey is no longer pink. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Drain.
Transfer to a large bowl. Add the bread, apple, sage, salt, poultry seasoning and pepper. Whisk eggs and broth; pour over bread mixture and toss to coat. Transfer to a 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with pecans. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until top is lightly browned and a thermometer reads 160°. Yield: 12 servings.

Disclosure: This recipe was given to us by the PR firm that handles PR work for Taste of Home. You can find additional recipes by visiting the Taste of Home web site. Thank you for your recipe contribution!

Winners! Whoilly Guacamole and Rothchild Farms

2011-11-01T22:48:00.003-04:00

I got a bit behind but we have some winners to annouce today for you! I Use Random.org to select winners.

We have 4 winners for the Wholly Gaucamole. The first one is for the cooler prize and that winner is:
Chris said...
Entered The Farm Rich

Then we have 3 Coupons winners and they are:
Eliza Klinger said...
I would like to try the Chicken Peloponnese recipe. It sounds delicious and would be a new meal for my family! #2

cloud10277 said...
Entry #1
I follow with GFC
Tracy P

Lynda Del. said...
#2 - GFC follower. ID: Lynda Del
lyndadawinda1074 at yahoo dot com

Our second contests is for the Rothchild Lemon Sauce. We have 2 winners:
Our winner is Eliza! #78

Eliza Klinger said...
I entered the Stanley All Purpose Creme giveaway #1

and our second winner is:
cloud10277 said...
Tweet
http://twitter.com/#!/cloud10277/status/130710974444478464

Congrats to you all!
YOU have 48 hrs to reply. Enjoy

3 Delicious Left-Over Thanksgiving Turkey Recipes

2011-11-01T07:33:00.004-04:00

For the majority of Americans, it is a tradition to serve a roasted turkey dinner for the Thanksgiving holiday...however, once the dinner is over, we are faced with a lot of turkey left-overs.

I like to freeze my left over turkey in freezer-safe 2-3 cup plastic containers. During the next few weeks, I can defrost my turkey in the microwave and make some delicious dinner recipes for my family.

Tip: You will want to remove the skin and bones from your turkey before placing it into the freezer.

The following recipes are the ones that my family enjoys the most after the Thanksgiving holiday is over.

Stir-Fry Turkey with Cranberry Glaze

1 fully cooked turkey breast, cut into strips
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons ginger
1/2 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
4 tablespoons cranberry sauce
3 tablespoons soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Remove any skin from the turkey breast and thinly slice the turkey breast into strips. Heat the oil in a large preheated wok. Add the turkey strips and stir-fry for 5 minutes or until cooked through. Stir the ginger and cranberries into the wok and stir-fry for another 3 minutes or until the cranberries are soft. Add the cranberry sauce, soy sauce and season to taste with the salt and pepper, simmer the mixture for 3-5 minutes or until hot.

Turkey Salad Sandwiches

4 slices sandwich bread
1 cup cooked and diced turkey meat
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup green grapes, sliced in half
1 tablespoon low fat mayonnaise
1/4 raisins

This recipe will feed 2 people. In a large bowl, combined the diced turkey, celery, grapes, mayonnaise and raisins. Stir until all ingredients are combined. Spread salad onto your favorite style of bread. If desired, you can add slices of tomatoes and a few lettuce leaves.

Turkey Stuffed Crescent Rolls

3 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons butter
2 1/4 cups cooked and shredded turkey
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons cold milk
1 tablespoon green minced onion
1 tablespoon pimento, finely chopped
8 ounce can crescent rolls
dry bread crumbs

In a large bowl, blend together the softened cream cheese and butter. Stir in the shredded turkey, salt, pepper, onion and chopped pimento. Open the can of crescent rolls and separate the rolls into 4 rectangular pieces, sealing the perforations. Spoon the prepared mixture into the center of each rectangle and then pull the corners together and seal the edges. Brush the dough with some melted butter and sprinkle bread crumbs on top. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

This article was written by Shelly Hill, copyright 2009, All Rights Reserved.

Easy To Make 24 Hour Omelet Breakfast or Brunch Recipe

2011-10-30T07:14:00.001-04:00

This is a great recipe to make for breakfast or for brunch and makes for a hearty meal to begin your busy day with. In our family this is a favorite recipe with both the kids and adults.

24 hour Omelet Recipe

9 slices of bread, cubed
1 lb. sausage, browned and drained
1 1/2 cups sharp cheese, shredded
9 eggs beaten
3 cups whole milk
1 can cream of mushroom soup

Layer ingredients into a sprayed baking pan. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Bake, uncovered for 1 1/2 hours in 325 degree oven. Serves 12.

My Crazy Baking Day

2011-10-30T05:00:00.003-04:00

Guest post by Chris

With the holidays sneaking up on us like they are I thought this weekend out be a great time to start getting some of my holiday baking done for Thanksgiving. We usually have a lot of guests and family that we see over the holiday and I like to make sure I have plenty of homemade goodies to offer.

So I get everything out and ready for my banana bread recipe that everyone loves and I have my kitchenaid food processor ready to roll and I cannot find my blade anywhere. I know I put it away the lst time I used it so I was becoming really annoyed. I tore the kitchen apart and could not find it anywhere. Now what?

Well I started searching the internet for kitchenaid food processor parts because I certainly was not going to be without blades for my food processor for the whole holiday season! Not with all of the cooking and baking I have planned! Well I found a great site that carries tons of parts of all types of kitchen small appliances and what life saver!

I was able to find my blades for a great price for my kitchenaid and it is on the way already! Thank goodness! My banana bread come out great even though I had to work a bit harder! But next week I can finish the rest of my baking with ease.

Disclaimer: I was compensated on behalf of the advertiser to write this post and talk about their products/services. The post was written in my own words and conveys my own personal experience with the product. Please read my Terms of Service and Disclaimer Policy for additional information.

Super Easy To Make - Banana Cream Pie Recipe

2011-10-28T08:07:00.004-04:00

About 10 years ago I started making this delicious Banana Cream Pie recipe for my family and they absolutely love it and I love that it is super easy to make! We especially like this pie during the spring, summer and fall but you can certainly make it year round.

Banana Cream Pie Recipe

1 9" graham cracker crust
2 fresh bananas
1 8-ounce pkg. softened cream cheese
2 cups milk
1 3-ounce pkg. instant vanilla pudding mix
toasted coconut

Slice the fresh bananas into the bottom of your graham cracker crust. Gradually add 1/2 cup cold milk to the softened cream cheese. Mix it for 3 minutes or until well blended. Add the instant pudding and stir in the remaining cold milk. Beat slowly for 1 minute with an electric mixer. Pour mixture into the graham cracker crust. Chill the pie for 3 hours in the refrigerator before serving. Right before serving time garnish the top with toasted coconut flakes.

Essentials by Stanley Home Products All Purpose Creme | Review and Giveaway

2011-10-27T15:39:00.002-04:00

Today I would like to introduce you to the direct sales company called Stanley Home Products which sells a large variety of products for cleaning inside & outside your home as well as personal care products for you and your family. You will find kitchen cleaning products, bathroom cleaning products, carpet & upholstery cleaning products, laundry cleaning products and so much more! They are a Direct Sales Company so if you are looking to make some extra income working from home...check out their home business opportunity information on their web site.

My Review: Today I am reviewing for all of you the Essentials ~ All Purpose Creme with beeswax from Stanley Home Products. This creme comes in a 7 oz. sized jar and sells for $12.99. The Essentials All Purpose Creme is a rich blend of emollients specially designed for dry skin. The formula contains precious beeswax and moisturizers that soften and maintain suppleness and retain moisture to protect your skin. Enjoy the maximum benefits as it softens and seals in moisture on tough, callused patches.

I just returned from vacation and from being on the beach and going barefoot my feet and ankles got really dry so I decied to use this all-purpose creme specifically on those areas to see if it would clear it up. The creme is white and creamy...not as thick as a body butter but thicker than a body lotion. It really has a nice consistency and it absorbed quickly into my skin with no stickiness or greasiness. I like that it was not scented like flowers or food items...not really a scent at all so you can wear this creme with your regular scented products without it interfering with those scents.

I applied it twice a day (morning and night) for the past 4 days and I am already seeing a HUGE difference in my skin. The patches of dry skin along with the redness are almost completely gone after just 4 days of use! wow! I really love that it is unscented and I love the consistency as it just glides onto your skin. I am going to try it on my elbows and hands next!

Purchasing Info: You can purchase this product directly from Stanley Home Products for only $12.99 which is a fabulous price for such a quality product!

Giveaway: One lucky winner is going to win a jar of this fantastic Essentials ~ All Purpose Creme from Stanley Home Products!!! ($12.99 Value).

Giveaway Details: This giveaway is open to residents of the US Only age 18 and over. Please read our Terms of Service & Disclaimer Policy before entering. This giveaway will close on November 12th, 2011.

Mandatory Entry - Earns 2 Entries: Follow this blog via Google Friend Connect as a public follower.

Mandatory Entry - Earns 2 Entries: Visit Stanley Home Products and take a look around. Come back here and tell me the name of another product that you would love to try besides the item I reviewed for you. (specific name of a product).

Bonus Entries: You may complete these after fulfilling the mandatory entry above. Please leave a separate comment for each one that you complete. These entries will be verified.

Earns 2 Entries: Follow Stanley Home Products over on Facebook. (leave name)
Earns 2 Entries: Follow Stanely Home Products over on Twitter. (leave name)
Earns 2 Entries: After spending time cooking & baking for your family what is one thing that you like to do to pamper yourself after spending all of that time in the kitchen?
Earns 2 Entries: Fan/Like Shelly over on Facebook.
Earns 2 Entries: Follow Shelly over on Twitter.
Earns 5 Entries: Place my foodie blog button on your blog or web site. Please leave link so I can visit you!
Earns 2 Entries: Enter another giveaway here on this blog or on our sister Two Classy Chics Blog. (leave a separate comment for each)
Earns 5 Entries: Write up your own post about this giveaway along with live links, post it on your blog (leave link).
Earns 1 Entry Daily: You can copy and paste the following Tweet over on Twitter once per day. (leave status link)

Copy & Paste Tweet:

Win a Big Jar of All Purpose Body Creme by Stanley Home Products on SNB Blog at http://bit.ly/uwtLQd Ends 11-12 #Giveaways

I would like to thank Stanley Home Products for sending me the wonderful product(s) to review for all of you. We highly recommend this company and their wonderful products to you and your family!

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/shipping of giveaway items won from this blog nor are we responsible for mis-use or injury caused by items won from this Blog. Content on this blog is copyrighted, all rights reserved. We reserve the right to legally pursue anyone who violates our rights and/or steals our copyrighted material.

BBQ Grill Cover from Empire Patio Covers | Product Review

2011-10-27T08:13:00.001-04:00

Guest Post by Chris

Living in California we tend to do a lot of cooking outdoors. We cook outside in the rain, wind and heat, especially in my house. When I heat the oven and stove, it heats my kitchen terribly plus with grilling, there is little clean up. Love that.

We have 2 grills that we use. One is the main one a triple beast with a gas grill, a charcoal grill and a smoker all in one piece. The second is my favorite Weber gas grill we have had for many years. This one has been put aside but I still use it occasionally. I love the way it cooks. So I was looking for some great grill covers to protect it from the elements. I found it at Empire Patio Covers.

The folks at Empire Patio Covers know all about covers. They have covers for pretty much anything you can think of that you want to protect… grills; furniture; fountains; firepits; the selection is pretty huge.

I received a great BBQ cover that works well over my lovely gas grill. It is one of their Signature pieces that has all of these great attributes:

• Strong, Heavy Duty 600 Denier Polyester
• Eco-Friendly Water Resistant Coating, Better Than Vinyl
• Vented to Prevent Mold Growth
• Tie-down Straps and Adjustable Straps w/ Buckles to Secure to Grill or BBQ
• 2-Year Limited Manufacturer's Warranty
• Brown and Cream Colors; Two-Toned Tropical Print Front Panel; Solid Brown on Sides and Back

The cover is excellent quality and I like that the straps are included so you have to worry about it blowing off in a storm. The vents are a super addition so I don’t have to worry about mold and moisture while it is being stored. Nothing is worse that removing a tarp or cover and having to wipe off the mold and nasty stuff.

I love the color and design. It is the Metro Brown Collection and it will look fabulous in my back yard. I am going to getting a few more pieces too so I can protect my cushions and chairs.

With winter sneaking up on us, now would be the perfect time to grab a few of these covers and get your backyard and patio items covered and protected for the season. With the prices at Empire Patio Covers, you can afford to keep your back yard looking stylish and clean at the same time.

Disclaimer: Chris Carroll has personally reviewed the product listed above. Shelly 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. Copyright 2010-2011, All Rights Reserved.

Makeover Pecan Corn Pudding Recipe

2011-10-26T08:01:00.002-04:00

Here is another great recipe sent over to us from the great folks at Taste of Home. This looks like the perfect recipe to make to go along with your Thanksgiving dinner! If you make the recipe come back & let us know how you liked it!

Makeover Pecan Corn Pudding Recipe

•1 cup yellow cornmeal
•3/4 teaspoon baking soda
•3 eggs
•1-1/4 cups buttermilk
•3/4 cup reduced-fat butter, melted
•2 cans (one 14-3/4 ounces, one 8-1/4 ounces) cream-style corn
•2 cups frozen corn
•2 medium onions, chopped
•1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded sharp reduced-fat cheddar cheese
•4 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
•1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted

In a large bowl, combine cornmeal and baking soda. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs, buttermilk and butter. Add cream-style corn, corn and onions. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Pour half the mixture into a 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with cheese and jalapenos. Top with remaining batter; sprinkle with pecans. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 45-50 minutes or until a thermometer reads 160°. Serve warm. Yield: 12 servings.

Editor's Note: This recipe was tested with Land O'Lakes light stick butter. We recommend wearing disposable gloves when cutting hot peppers. Avoid touching your face.

Disclosure: This recipe was given to us by the PR firm that handles PR work for Taste of Home. You can find additional recipes by visiting the Taste of Home web site. Thank you for your recipe contribution!

Delicious Tasting Snacks from Frito-Lay | Product Review

2011-10-25T13:34:00.000-04:00

We have been huge fans of the snack foods made by Frito-Lay here in our household so when I was sent this snack pack of goodies to review for all of you we were super excited here in the Hill household to receive them! Over the years we have tried many of the Frito-Lay products but I have to admit...we haven't tried them all!

Today I have some great info to share with you all about Frito-Lay’s sustainability efforts. Frito-Lay Casa Grande plant is a great example of how Frito-Lay is working to minimize its impact on the environment. They want their fans to be in-the-know about some of the groundbreaking company-wide sustainability efforts that they currently have going on.

•At the Casa Grande plant, they've implemented technologies to recycle water, generate electricity and steam from renewable energy sources, achieved LEED certification and succeeded in sending nearly zero waste to the landfill.
•At all of their facilities, they reuse their shipping cartons up to six times before recycling them to help reduce waste. All Frito-Lay manufacturing plants are striving to divert at least 99% of waste from landfills.
•Frito-Lay added 1,200+ fuel-efficient Sprinter vehicles to its fleet along with converting 650 sales cars to hybrid vehicles to help reduce emissions. Now, they're even using all electric route delivery trucks in some of their metropolitan markets.
· For more than a decade, Frito-Lay North America has been committed to reducing the use of key major resources & the company’s overall environmental footprint, with the goal of: reducing water use by 75%; natural gas by 50%; electricity by 45% and fuel by 50% - all by 2020.
· Through the “Near Net Zero” project, Frito-Lay has gone further than any other U.S. food manufacturer in taking a production facility nearly “off the grid”.

Wow...that is really impressive and I am really happy to see that happening from one of my family's favorite snack food companies!

Our Review: The generous folks over at Frito-Lay sent us a reusable shopping tote filled with 4 big bags of snack products to review for all of you. We received the Lay's Classic Potato Chips that are made with all natural ingredients with no MSG, no Preservatives and no Artificial Flavors. They have 0 grams of Trans Fat. We have had these potato chips many, many times! We love them and they are our favorite brand of chips! We love dunking them into some good french onion dip! These chips never last long here in our household!

We also received a bag of Tostitos in the Hint of Lime flavor which we have never had the Hint of Lime Flavor until now. (we have always had the regular). I opened the bag and served them to my family during movie night with a big bowl of Peach Mango Salsa and let me tell you...in about an hours time...they were gone! These Tostitos are made with all natural ingredients, no artificial flavors, no MSG and no Preservatives. The Hint of Lime flavor has just that...a hint of juicy lime taste to them which I think makes them perfect to dunk into a fruit based salsa! The perfect crunchy, salty...sweet snacky type of chip!

The following night we broke open both bags of Sun Chips that we received for the review since we had a few friends over to watch a football game. We served them the Harvest Cheddar and the Garden Salsa varieties. Both are made with all natural ingredients, no artificial flavors, no MSG and with no perservatives. I cut up 3 different types of cheese and served the cheese right along with these Sun Chips and by the time the football game was over...all of the snacks were gone. We have never had any of the Sun Chips line of products before and I will admit...we loved them and will be purchasing more! Our favorite out of these two varieties was the Harvest Cheddar! Oh my...we loved the crunchy, cheesy taste with these chips! I love that they have 18 g. of whole grain goodness per 1 oz. serving and we all need to consume more whole grains!

Overall Impression: We loved all of the products we received from Frito-Lay and we will be purchasing more! As I first stated in my review...we are big fans of Frito-Lay but had never tried 3 out of the 4 products we received but boy...I am so glad that they sent us 3 products that we never had before because we now have some new favorite snack foods! yeah!!! We would like to thank Frito-Lay for sending us the snack pack to review for all of you! Frito-Lay and their snacks ROCK and the Hill household loves them!!!

You can follow Frito-Lay over on Facebook and over on Twitter so that you can interact with fans and keep up-to-date on product news!

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/shipping of giveaway items won from this blog nor are we responsible for mis-use or injury caused by items won from this Blog. Content on this blog is copyrighted, all rights reserved. We reserve the right to legally pursue anyone who violates our rights and/or steals our copyrighted material.

Winner | Dublin Jerky Giveaway!

2011-10-25T12:20:00.000-04:00

Last night our fantastic review/giveaway closed that was sponsored by the great folks over at Dublin Jerky! We love the Dublin Jerky line of products and you will love their jerky too! Thank you Dublin Jerky for sponsoring this fabulous giveaway!

After validating entries we do have ourselves a winner!!!

Eliza Klinger said...
I have your Shakin & Bakin button on my blog #4
http://chadley4ever.blogspot.com
ecaklinger@gmail.com
October 11, 2011 11:22 AM

Congrats to Eliza! Email coming your way so that you can claim your prize!

Celebrate Food Day With These 5 Budget-friendly Tips

2011-10-25T00:18:00.003-04:00

Confusing food labeling, poor nutrition and unsafe food are primary targets of the Center for Science in the Public Interest. To bring visibility to the importance of these issues, the nonprofit watchdog group named today Food Day.

The organization is helping sponsor thousands of events on Oct. 24 in homes, churches, schools, farmers markets, state capitals and city halls from Alaska to Hawaii.

Here are five frugal shopping tips to help you join in on this effort.

1. Understand Shipment Cycles
Get the freshest food for your dollar by asking about shipment arrival dates at your favorite grocery stores, then shop on the days when new produce is available. The longer food sits around, the more nutrients it loses and the less appetizing it becomes.

2. Spice Up Your Diet
Did you know some herbs and spices can boost your metabolism without caffeine or sugar? These include cayenne pepper, cumin, cinnamon and others found in this LiveStrong.com post. Buy fresh spices in bulk from ethnic food stores or your local coop for 95-percent off the pre-packaged price, but store them in airtight containers.

3. Use Gift Cards
You might think it strange to use discount gift cards for food, but you can actually purchase gift cards for grocery stores for dollars off the card's face value from sites like GiftCardGranny. These cards will cut the price of buying health foods and allow you to shop your favorite stores.

4. Coupon It Up
Thanks to the health food craze, natural and organic coupons have gone big time. Organic Valley, Silk Milks and Earth's Best are just three major manufacturers offering both print and online coupons. Supermarkets also frequently publish coupons for dairy, bakery and fresh-produce products.

5. Try Organic Store Brands
Think generic and you likely think multi-syllabic ingredients, but many major food chains now offer store brands that are both healthy and up to 30-percent less than name brands.

Andrea Woroch is a consumer and money-saving expert for Kinoli Inc. She is available for in-studio, satellite or skype interviews and to write guest posts or articles.

The Modern Gentleman - Cooking & Entertaining with Sean Kanan Cook Book Giveaway

2011-10-24T18:23:00.001-04:00

Today I am reviewing for all of you a new cooking and entertaining book out in the marketplace called "The Modern Gentleman ~ Cooking and Entertaining with Sean Kanan" by Sean Kanan published by Dunham Books. If you are not familiar with who Sean Kanan is...he is the actor who plays Deacon Sharpe on "The Young and the Restless" and "The Bold and the Beautiful".

Synopsis: In The Modern Gentleman: Cooking and Entertaining with Sean Kanan, author, actor, producer & self-taught chef Sean Kanan offers expert field-tested instruction on how any guy can become a refined, knowledgeable chef. The Modern Gentleman breaks down what every guy should know when it comes to cooking, entertaining, and dating, including:

* How to assemble all the elements to create a home bar that will make her want to stay in.
* How to set up your kitchen on any budget.
* How to fine-tune your dating jujitsu so you don't have to tap out because you have been "slammed" in the friend box.
* How to connect with her with honesty and integrity without being dismissed as the "nice guy."
* How to choose the right wine and spirits for any meal.
* Learn how to "trick out" your living space creating ambiance that appeals to all five senses.
* How to make your life sexier using the culinary theater as your stage.
* How to understand and use food as a metaphor for connecting.

My Review: This is a soft-cover book containing 194 pages laid out in a very easy-to-read format with 16 chapters. The book starts out with the basics like what different spices are and how to use them along with the basics of cooking and baking. As you read through the book it will build upon your knowledge and I love that on page 33 there is a section which features Sean's favorite "bubblies" to serve along with your meal. Pages 44-48 you will find some of Sean's favorite cocktail and beverage recipes. After you get through that section you will find several chapters that feature some of his favorite recipes like Fusilli with Tomatoes & Mozzarella, Tuna Puttanesca, Pesto Sauce, Chilled Cucumber Soup, Mashed Potatoes, Corn Chowder, Honey Roasted Lamb, etc. There are a lot of great tasty looking recipes inside this book! One of my favorite chapters is the one that he talks about how to make Fondue and what to serve along with the Fondue!

I love looking at the photographs of his completed dishes because they look like photos that I take of meals or dishes here in my own home...they are not all doctored up photos! The recipes in the book are all really easy to read, understand and follow along...so even a beginner cook would love this book! At the very back of the book is a nice glossary and index which comes in handy when you need it. Overall...this is a fabulous cook book and I am very happy to have it in my cook book collection!

Purchasing Info: The book is available for $19.99 at Amazon.com.

Giveaway: One lucky winner is going to win "The Modern Gentleman ~ Cooking and Entertaining with Sean Kanan Softcover Book that retails for $19.99. This book will be postal mailed to the winner after the giveaway closes.

Giveaway Details: This giveaway is open to residents of the US Only age 18 and over. Please read our Terms of Service & Disclaimer Policy before entering. This giveaway will close on November 10th, 2011 at 11:59 pm EST time.

Mandatory Entry - Earns 2 Entries: Follow this blog via Google Friend Connect as a public follower.

Mandatory Entry - Earns 2 Entries: When it comes to cooking and/or baking what are some of your favorite dishes to make?

Bonus Entries: You may complete these after fulfilling the mandatory entry above. Please leave a separate comment for each one that you complete. These entries will be verified.

Earns 3 Entries: Follow Sean Kanan over on Facebook. (leave name)
Earns 2 Entries: Fan/Like Shelly over on Facebook.
Earns 2 Entries: Follow Shelly over on Twitter.
Earns 5 Entries: Place my foodie blog button on your blog or web site. Please leave link so I can visit you!
Earns 2 Entries: Enter another giveaway here on this blog or on our sister Two Classy Chics Blog. (leave a separate comment for each)
Earns 5 Entries: Write up your own post about this giveaway along with live links, post it on your blog (leave link).
Earns 1 Entry Daily: You can copy and paste the following Tweet over on Twitter once per day. (leave status link)

Copy & Paste Tweet:

Win "The Modern Gentleman - Cooking & Entertaining with Sean Kanan" Book on SNB Foodie Blog! http://bit.ly/uVur2d Ends 11-10 #Giveaways

I would like to thank the PR Company I am working with for sending me the wonderful cook book to review for all of you. This book would make a fabulous addition to your cook book collection!

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/shipping of giveaway items won from this blog nor are we responsible for mis-use or injury caused by items won from this Blog. Content on this blog is copyrighted, all rights reserved. We reserve the right to legally pursue anyone who violates our rights and/or steals our copyrighted material.

Sunkist® Lemon Seafood Paella Recipe and the Sunkist Sodium Style Quiz

2011-10-24T14:01:00.003-04:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Sunkist S’alternative for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Hidden salts have become a hidden nightmare in our foods. Too much processed food lets to eating way more salt that is necessary or healthy for our bodies. Becoming aware of how much hidden salt you consume is a great way to start being aware so you can make healthy choices and change for a healty alternative.

Sunkist has created an awareness programs called Sunkist S’alternative where you can learn more about hidden salt and what foods to find it in. They also have this quick Sunkist Sodium Quiz that you can take to help you find your level of sodium.... I didn't do so well in my quiz. I am a Salt Offender... Oops. But I knew that since I am a salty snack lover... At least I know now so I can look at making some changes. My results are below...

The Sunkist S’alternative is using fresh-squeezed Sunkist® lemons as a healthy sodium-free alternative to salt. Using Sunkist lemons as an alternative to salt can help reduce sodium, increase potassium and enhance the flavor of recipes. This is a great way to start weaning off of salt and the freshness of the juice really makes a recipe pop with flavor. Here is a super recipe for you to try!

Sunkist® Lemon Seafood Paella -

Ingredients: (Makes 8 servings)
*1- 32 oz can low sodium vegetable broth
*1 cup dry white wine
*1 teaspoon saffron threads
*1lb. of firm, fresh pieces of whitefish such as tilapia, bass, halibut and swordfish, cut into 16-21 pieces
*1lb. or 16-21 mussels, cleaned and de-bearded
*1lb. or 16-21 medium sized clams, rinsed
*cup chopped fresh parsley
*3 Sunkist® lemons, zest and juice
*3 Tbsp. olive oil
*1 _ cups minced onion
*3 cloves garlic, minced
*teaspoon crushed red pepper
*3 cups uncooked short-grain rice such as Valencian, Arborio, or Calrose
*1 cup frozen green peas
*1- 8oz jar of sliced, roasted red peppers

Instructions:
• To prepare broth, combine all the ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer (do not boil). Keep warm over low heat.

• To prepare paella, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large paella pan or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add fish pieces to pan and sauté 1 minute. Remove fish from pan, reserve and keep warm. Add onion to pan and sauté 5 minutes. Add the lemon zest, garlic and crushed red pepper and cook 5 minutes. Add rice and cook 1 minute longer, stirring constantly. Stir in broth, bring to a low boil and cook 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

• Stir in the peas and red pepper slices. Add mussels and clams to pan, nestling them into rice mixture. Cook 5 minutes or until shells open; discard any unopened shells. Stir in the reserved fish and chopped parsley and cook 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in lemon juice and check for seasoning. Cover with a towel and let stand 10 minutes before stirring

Come by and take the Sunkist Sodium Quiz yourself and see where you rank. Start making fresh changes today for a healthier tomorrow. I am going to start too.

Delicious Pineapple Coconut Mango Cheeseball Recipe

2011-10-24T08:00:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago I did a product review for Robert Rothschild Farm's Pineapple Coconut Mango Tequila Sauce and I made their gourmet Tropical Cheeseball Recipe for my product testing. Today I thought I would share their wonderful recipe with all of you. It is super easy to make & totally delicious!

Pineapple Coconut Mango Cheeseball Recipe

1 1/4 cup Almonds, sliced & toasted
3/4 cup Coconut, unsweetened and toasted
16 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup Robert Rothschild Farm Pineapple Coconut Mango Tequila Sauce

In a mixing bowl, combine 1 cup sliced, toasted almonds, 1/2 cup toasted coconut, cream cheese and Pineapple Coconut Mango Tequila Sauce. Place mixture on a serving platter and sprinkle with remaining coconut and almonds. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Serve chilled with your favorite crackers or wedges of mango.

Easy To Make Peanut Butter Blossoms Cookies Recipe

2011-10-22T07:58:00.003-04:00

If you love the Hershey's Peanut Butter Blossoms Cookies here is an easier way to make them when you are pressed for time. You will need a package of Betty Crocker Peanut Butter Cookie Mix. This recipe will make about 3 dozen cookies. I love making this around the holiday time!

Easy Peanut Butter Blossoms Cookie Recipe

36 Hershey's Kisses (milk chocolate, unwrapped)
1 (17.5 ounce) pouch Betty Crocker's Peanut Butter Cookie Mix
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 Tbsp. water
1 large egg
granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Remove wrappers from candy kisses. In a large mixing bowl combine together the cookie mix, vegetable oil, water and large egg until the dough is well mixed and moistened. Shape the cookie dough into 1" diameter balls and roll them in granulated sugar. Place balls onto an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes in a preheated oven until lightly browned. Remove baking sheet from oven and immediately place a Hershey's Kiss into the center of each cookie and then remove them all from the sheet and place on a wire rack to cool. Place cookies in an airtight container for storage.

Note: During the holidays I will actually roll mine into colored granulated sugar instead of plain granulated sugar to give them that holiday touch!

Foodie Review: Organic Bistro Wild Salmon Frozen Dinner Entree

2011-10-20T13:26:00.000-04:00

Today I would like to introduce you to the foodie company called Organic Bistro who makes a variety of single-serving frozen meals and bowls that will satisfy anyone's taste buds. The Organic Bistro meals line includes 9 tasty varieties and the Organic Bistro Bowls line includes 4 delicious varieties.

My Review: Today I am reviewing the Wild Salmon frozen meal for all of you. This is an entree that includes wild-caught Alaskan Salmon in Rosemary Orange Glaze with Cranberry Pilaf & Broccoli. The entree is gluten-free and made with organic vegetables and grains. Serving size is 1 container which is 380 calories with 120 fat calories so it's a great meal for those who are watching their weight or for those who want to eat healthy delicious foods.

I made the meal using the conventional oven and when it was finished baking I sat down to eat it. The salmon with the orange glaze sauce was absolutely delicious and the broccoli was crispy but yet tender. The entire meal was very flavorful and pretty good! I am usually not a big fish eater but this salmon meal has changed my opinion about frozen fish dinners. I would certainly buy this meal again!

You can check out the Organic Bistro's web site to see all of the different entrees and bowls that they have to offer. The next time I hit the store I am going to look for the Alaskan Salmon Cake as that looks delicious!

I would like to thank Organic Bistro for participating in this product review here on the Shakin and Bakin Food Blog and I do recommend that you try out their delicious products. These products are great for those who need quick & healthy meals or for those who want to take them to work as they are certainly healthier for you than fast food. We give them a big 2 thumbs up!

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/shipping of giveaway items won from this blog nor are we responsible for mis-use or injury caused by items won from this Blog. Content on this blog is copyrighted, all rights reserved. We reserve the right to legally pursue anyone who violates our rights and/or steals our copyrighted material.

Delicious Pumpkin Pecan Dessert Cake Recipe

2011-10-19T22:04:00.000-04:00

I love baking during the fall season and around the holidays and one of the cakes that I like to bake this time of year is a moist and delicious Pumpkin Pecan Cake. I got this recipe about 15 years ago from a neighbor lady who was around 70 years old at the time. She told me that she had been making this recipe for over 20 years! It is a great cake to make for Thanksgiving dessert instead of the traditional pumpkin pie!

Pumpkin Pecan Dessert Cake Recipe

5 large eggs, well beaten
1 cup granulated sugar
1 (14 ounce) can Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 (29 ounce) can of pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Yellow or White Cake Mix
2 teaspoons butter
1/2 cup of pecans, chopped
Whipped Cream

Beat eggs, sugar, sweetened condensed milk, pumpkin, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg together until blended. Pour into a greased 9x13" baking pan. Sprinkle approximatedly 2 1/2 cups of the cake mix over the top. Sliver the butter pats thinly and place evenly on top. Sprinkle the top with the chopped pecans. Bake at 300 degrees for 60 minutes or until done. Serve with whipped cream topping.

Mini Chicken Quesdilla Slices by Farm Rich | Review and Giveaway | 3 Winners!

2011-10-19T14:10:00.009-04:00

When it comes to prepackaged food I am really particular on the brands that I will purchase. I try to find healthy foods that are quick & easy and ones that my family would enjoy eating. One of the brands that is a staple here in our home is the delicious products by the great folks over at Farm Rich.

My family loves their cheese sticks, Mozzarella bites, turkey meatballs, French toast sticks and several other Farm Rich products. With that said, there are several Farm Rich products that we have never tried so for this review I decided to pick up a product that was "new" to us.

With my coupon in hand I headed down the grocery store aisle and selected the Farm Rich Mini Quesadillas for my product review. I first want to state that I have Hispanic blood in me so I know what a good genuine Quesadilla tastes like...so I was going to put theirs through the test at my house!

The Farm Rich Mini Quesadillas are made with all white-meat chicken and smothered with a blend of Southwestern Jack and Cheddar cheeses. Each servings contains 0 grams of trans fat so you can feel good about feeding them to your family. They are a good source of calcium and protein and have a genuine tortilla crust. (that is very important to me since I love tortillas).

These Mini Quesadillas make a great snack, great appetizer, nice filly lunch or serve them for a family casual dinner. They can be made in the conventional oven, toaster oven or microwave oven. For our review, we split the bag in half and made one set in the microwave one day and then two days later used the toaster oven as I wanted to see how preparation affected the taste and texture of the product.

The first time we tried them we used the microwave as the way to prepare them and it took approximately 2 minutes until they were done & hot! On this particular day I served them alongside some peach mango salsa (we like dipping our Quesadillas into salsa) and they were delicious! I was worried that the cheese would be hard & rubbery and it wasn't! My family chowed them down in rapid fashion!

Two days later I made them again and used my toaster oven which took about 15 minutes. Once done...I served them with some Tex-Mex Salsa to my family for dipping. We all loved them again. The only difference this time was that the tortilla crust was a little more crunchier since we used the toaster oven to prepare them.

We give these Farm Rich Mini Quesadillas a huge 2 thumbs up and we will be purchasing them again & keeping them in our household as they make great snacks & lunches!

Giveaway: Three (3) lucky winners are each going to win one (1) coupon for any FREE package of Farm Rich products up to $5.99 in value! This coupon will be sent via postal mail to the three winners!

Giveaway Details: This giveaway is open to residents of the US Only age 18 and over. Please read our Terms of Service & Disclaimer Policy before entering. This giveaway will close on November 8th, 2011 at 11:59 pm EST time.

Mandatory Entry - Earns 2 Entries: Follow this blog via Google Friend Connect as a public follower.

Mandatory Entry - Earns 2 Entries: Visit the Farm Rich web site and take a look around. Come back here and tell me the name of another product that you would love to try besides the item I reviewed for you. (specific name of a product).

Bonus Entries: You may complete these after fulfilling the mandatory entry above. Please leave a separate comment for each one that you complete. These entries will be verified.

Earns 2 Entries: Follow Farm Rich over on Facebook. (leave name)
Earns 2 Entries: Follow Farm Rich over on Twitter. (leave name)
Earns 2 Entries: How do you like to eat your Quesadillas? Do you eat them plain or dunked into a dipping sauce or salsa?
Earns 2 Entries: Fan/Like Shelly over on Facebook.
Earns 2 Entries: Follow Shelly over on Twitter.
Earns 5 Entries: Place my foodie blog button on your blog or web site. Please leave link so I can visit you!
Earns 2 Entries: Enter another giveaway here on this blog or on our sister Two Classy Chics Blog. (leave a separate comment for each)
Earns 5 Entries: Write up your own post about this giveaway along with live links, post it on your blog (leave link).
Earns 1 Entry Daily: You can copy and paste the following Tweet over on Twitter once per day. (leave status link)

Copy & Paste Tweet:

Win A Coupon for a FREE @FarmRichSnacks Product of Your Choice on SNB Foodie Blog! http://bit.ly/oRFom9 Ends 11-08 #Giveaways ~ 3 Winners!

I would like to thank Farm Rich for sending me the wonderful product(s) to review for all of you. We highly recommend this company and their wonderful products to you and your family!

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/shipping of giveaway items won from this blog nor are we responsible for mis-use or injury caused by items won from this Blog. Content on this blog is copyrighted, all rights reserved. We reserve the right to legally pursue anyone who violates our rights and/or steals our copyrighted material.

Foodie Review | Anti-Aging Whole Food Bars by Regeneration USA

2011-10-19T07:45:00.007-04:00

Today I would like to introduce you to the company called Regeneration USA who makes a product called Anti-Aging Whole Food Bars in 2 delicious flavors. The bars are 100% organic, raw, vegetarian, sprouted, kosher & gluten-free. They contain no processed sugar, corn syrup, salt, preservatives or synthetic sweeteners of any kind!

The organic bars feed your body and cells the proper food needed for healthy energy and healthy aging without chemicals or food additives. The bars contain the equivalent Resveratrol per serving contained in 30 bottles of red wine. Resveratrol is the compound found inside the skin of red grapes and for the first time has been linked to longevity in humans.

The bars can be used as a meal replacement due to their protein content and low glycemic index. The bars promote healthy blood sugar, cardiovascular health and promote healthy skin, body and mind. You can find a complete list of the ingredients in the bars on their web site.

Our Review: We received 2 full-size bars for our review. Since I have a lot of dietary restrictions (ones that require me to eat a high carb diet), I decided to let my husband review this product for all of us. The first bar he tried was the Original Goji flavored bar. The bar has 210 calories with 70 fat calories. Hubby decided to eat the bar on his way to work since he was running late & didn't have time to sit down for breakfast. After he got to work he called me to tell me his opinion. He said the bar was very moist...not brittle or hard and that it had a nice texture to it. He said that it actually tasted pretty good for a "health food" bar and he said that on a scale or 1-10 on taste & texture he would give it a 7 1/2.

The following day he took the Regenerating Cocoa Brownie bar with him to work and he ate it as an afternoon snack (actually he ate it on his way home from work during his long commute). After he got home I asked him about his brownie bar and he said, "Now that is one delicious healthy food bar!" He then proceeded to tell me that he felt like he was eating a nice dessert bar that had a nice moist texture, slightly sweet but yet...very delicious! He said you would of never guessed that this bar was healthy for you. He rates this bar a 8 out of 10 on his taste and texture scale.

Purchasing Info: You can purchase the Anti-Aging Whole Food Bars directly from Regeneration USA's online web site store!

We would like to thank Regeneration USA for sending us the 2 bars to review for all of you. Please see their web site for additional information about the product. Thanks!

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/shipping of giveaway items won from this blog nor are we responsible for mis-use or injury caused by items won from this Blog. Content on this blog is copyrighted, all rights reserved. We reserve the right to legally pursue anyone who violates our rights and/or steals our copyrighted material.

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.

Easy To Make Creamy Onion Dip Recipe

2011-10-18T07:51:00.001-04:00

My family is not fond of store bought chip or veggie dips as they prefer freshly homemade dips for their snacking needs. To keep things lively around here...I am always whipping up a variety of appetizer dips for them to try out. A few weeks ago I made them some creamy onion dip which they loved with their crackers and chips.

Creamy Onion Dip Recipe

1 cup dairy sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons onion soup mix
2 tablespoons snipped parsley

Thoroughly combine sour cream, mayonaise, soup mix and parsley. Cover; chill till serving time. Serve with your choice of chips or crackers.

Lang's Chocolates Can Help With Holiday Desserts | Product Review

2011-10-17T14:56:00.000-04:00

Today I am really excited to introduce you all to a chocolate company here in my home state of Pennsylvania and that company is called Lang's Chocolates. Lang's makes some of the best gourmet chocolates that I have ever tasted! The company has a retail business, wholesale business and if your group is looking to raise some funds...they have a fundraising business too! If you are looking for corporate gifts, holiday gifts or just delicious treats for yourself...you have got to check out Lang's Chocolates!

The generous folks over at Lang's sent me some of their gourmet Chocolate Dessert Cups in both dark chocolate and milk chocolate to review for all of you. Over the next couple of weeks I am going to share with all of you how I made some tasty treats for my family using these chocolate dessert cups. They are the perfect item for desserts any time of the year but if you really want your Thanksgiving and Christmas meal to stand out this year...consider preparing a tasty dessert using the Lang's chocolate dessert cups!

Here is some information about the Lang's Chocolate Dessert Cups: They are available in dark chocolate, milk chocolate and white chocolate versions. These chocolate cordial cups can be filled up with your favorite mousse, liquor, pudding, sorbets, etc. Just about any creamy filling that you personally like can be placed into these delicious chocolate dessert cups! Each one measures 1" tall and has a 1" diameter opening. I think they look darling on a table at each guest's place setting. You can purchase a box containing 32 dessert cups for only $17.00.

Last weekend I had a few guests over to my home to celebrate my husbands 50th birthday so I wanted to keep things casual and simple. I decided to use some of my Lang's Dark Chocolate Dessert Cups to make 2 different really easy to prepare desserts. My husband loves dark chocolate and one of his favorite snack type of desserts is my homemade banana pudding. However...even though I made homemade pudding you could certainly use a box mix to save time.I made my pudding and then spooned it into the dark chocolate dessert cups. I then placed one whole almond into the center of 1/2 of the desserts cup. The other 1/2 I simply sprinkled on some ground cinnamon and a few flakes of toasted coconut. I then placed them all onto a serving tray and chilled them until party time. Once the guests arrived...they immediately went for this chocolate party tray. I had a lot of food out...but, they all went after this tray first. (sorry my photo's aren't so fabulous but I am not a foodie photographer...just a foodie lover!).Everyone loved this dessert and when I told them it only took me 15 minutes to prepare they were totally shocked! They all told me that the chocolate cups were fantastic and the girls attending the party wanted to know where I got them and I told them all about Lang's Chocolates. My hubby was on "cloud 9" because he had 2 of his favorite things to eat all packaged into this little tiny edible chocolate cup! Everyone at the party gave both versions of these a big 2 thumbs up and they want to know if I will be making it again for our annual New Year's Even party! yeah!!!

I think the white chocolate version of these dessert cups would be fabulous at baby showers, bridal showers, wedding receptions and other fancy parties and perhaps I will get some of the white chocolate dessert cups for my upcoming New Year's Eve party.

Next week I will share with you another way that I used these dessert cups so please check back next week for that idea! I think these chocolate dessert cups from Lang's Chocolate are absolutely fantastic and I would like to thank Lang's for sending them to me to review for all of you! We highly recommend them!

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/shipping of giveaway items won from this blog nor are we responsible for mis-use or injury caused by items won from this Blog. Content on this blog is copyrighted, all rights reserved. We reserve the right to legally pursue anyone who violates our rights and/or steals our copyrighted material.

Scrumptious Caramel Custard Pie Recipe

2011-10-17T07:54:00.004-04:00

Wow...just looking at that photo is enough to make my mouth water! The great folks over at Taste of Home sent over this recipe for their Caramel Custard Pie for me to share with all of my foodie blog readers. This would make a fantastic dessert pie come Thanksgiving!!!

Caramel Custard Pie Recipe

•Pastry for single-crust pie (9 inches)
•2/3 cup packed brown sugar
•4 teaspoons all-purpose flour
•3 eggs
•2 cups 2% milk
•1/4 cup sugar
•1 teaspoon vanilla extract
•1/8 teaspoon salt
•1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

•Line a 9-in. pie plate with pastry; trim and flute edges. Combine brown sugar and flour; press into pastry. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla and salt; pour over brown sugar mixture. Bake at 350° for 55-60 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Cover edges with foil during the last 15 minutes to prevent overbrowning if necessary. Cool on a wire rack; sprinkle with nutmeg. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. Yield: 8 servings.

Nutrition Facts: 1 piece equals 277 calories, 10 g fat (4 g saturated fat), 89 mg cholesterol, 201 mg sodium, 41 g carbohydrate, trace fiber, 6 g protein.

Disclosure: This recipe was given to us by the PR firm that handles PR work for Taste of Home. You can find additional recipes by visiting the Taste of Home web site. Thank you for your recipe contribution!

Finlandia Cheese - America's #1 Imported Deli Cheese | Review and Giveaway

2011-10-16T15:31:00.006-04:00

Today I would like to talk to you about Finlandia Cheese which is America's #1 imported deli cheese. The Finlandia Cheese line is all-natural and made by master cheese makers who have over 150 years in the cheese making business. When you shop for Finlandia Cheese you can find it in the deli section and purchase it sliced to order or you can purchase it in pre-packaged slices. You will find Swiss Cheese, Lite Swiss Cheese, Lacey Swiss Cheese, Muenster Cheese, Lappi Cheese, Havarti Cheese, Gouda Cheese and several other cheese varities.

My Review: I received a coupon to go pick up some Finlandia cheese and to be honest with you...I have never tried this brand of cheese until this review. I decided to pick up a bag of the Finlandia Swiss Cheese in pre-packaged slices since we love swiss cheese here in our home. Later that day my hubby decided to grill up a hamburger and he topped it with a slice of their Swiss cheese, some mushrooms and 2 slices of fried bacon. Within a few minutes the burger was gone and he decided to have a second one. He commented to me that he is loving the Finlandia Swiss Cheese because it has a true full-bodied Swiss Cheese flavor. (some cheeses just taste like rubber cheese with no flavor...but this one...a fabulous full-bodied cheese). In addition, he loves the slice size! He didn't need to throw on 2 floppy cheese slices to get the amount of cheese he wanted on his burger. These cheese slices are a little over-sized and thick! (not paper thin like other brands).
The following day we decided to grill up some Swiss Cheese, Tomato & Bacon sandwiches for lunch. We make them much like a grilled cheese sandwich but we use Swiss Cheese, a thin slice of tomato, a few chopped onions and 2 strips of cooked bacon. Fry it up like a grilled cheese sandwhich and enjoy! Again...we only had to use 1 slice of Finlandia cheese for each of our sandwiches. The cheese melted perfectly and oh my gosh...these sandwiches were better than ever because we used the Finlandia Swiss Cheese!

This Finlandia Swiss Cheese is fantastic! We have been using it on various types of sandwiches for the past few days and love it! Matter of fact, it's on my grocery list that is hanging on my refrigerator for when I hit the store on Wednesday! Yes, we are switching over to Finlandia for our Swiss Cheese!

Coupon Alert: You can sign up for their email newsletter and get (2) $1.00 off Finlandia Cheese Coupons!

Giveaway: Two lucky winners are each going to win one coupon for Finlandia Cheese! You can redeem your Finlandia coupon at your local store for whatever flavor of Finlandia Cheese that you would like up to $4.00 in value! yeah!!!

Giveaway Details: This giveaway is open to residents of the USA ONLY who are age 18 and over. Please read the Terms of Service and Disclaimer Policy before entering. You must be a PUBLIC FOLLOWER of this Blog to have your entries count in my giveaways. (Follow via Google Friend Connect) All non-blog followers will have their entries disqualified after the giveaway closes. This giveaway will close on November 1st, 2011 at midnight EST time.

Mandatory Entry: Please visit the Finlandia Cheese web site and take a look around. Come back here and tell me another product you would love to try besides the item I reviewed.

Bonus Entries: You may complete these after fulfilling the mandatory entry above. Please leave a separate comment for each one that you complete.

Earns 2 Entries: Visit their site & take a look at their recipe section and come back and tell me which recipe you would like to try out some day in your own home.
Earns 2 Entries: Sign up for the Finlandia Cheese Email Newsletter!
Earns 2 Entries: Fan/Like Shelly over on Facebook.
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Earns 5 Entries: Place my foodie blog button on your blog or web site. Please leave link so I can visit you!
Earns 2 Entries: Enter another giveaway here on this blog or on our sister Two Classy Chics Blog. (leave a separate comment for each)
Earns 5 Entries: Write up your own post about this giveaway along with live links, post it on your blog (leave link).
Earns 1 Entry Daily: You can copy and paste the following Tweet over on Twitter once per day. (leave status link)

Copy & Paste Tweet:

2 Winners Will Each Win a Coupon for a FREE pkg. of Finlandia Cheese on SNB Foodie Blog! http://bit.ly/oTUt3b Ends 11-01 #Giveaways

I would like to thank Finlandia Cheese for participating in a product review here on the Shakin 'N Bakin Foodie Blog and for sponsoring a giveaway for my readers. We appreciate your generosity and we love your products!

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/shipping of giveaway items won from this blog nor are we responsible for mis-use or injury caused by items won from this Blog. Content on this blog is copyrighted, all rights reserved. We reserve the right to legally pursue anyone who violates our rights and/or steals our copyrighted material.

Delicious Lemon Wasabi Sauce from Robert Rothschild Farm | Review and Giveaway

2011-10-16T14:27:00.003-04:00

Today I would like to introduce you the company called Robert Rothschild Farm. This company began as a family found business in Urbana, Ohio over thirty years ago and they are known for making delicious gourmet food products like dips, preserves, mustards, sauces, salsas, sweet toppings, delicious mustards and gourmet condiments.

You can purchase their gourmet products directly from their web site store and in retail establishments across the nation. You can find entertaining ideas and delicious easy to prepare recipes directly on their web site.

My Review: Today I am reviewing the Lemon Wasabi Sauce from Robert Rothschild Farm for all of you. This sauce comes packaged in a 9 oz. sized jar and is really easy to use in a variety of tasty dishes. It can be served as a traditional dipping sauce with sushi and makes for a tasty condiment with roast beef and/or turkey sandwiches. It is kosher and gluten-free.

Since we love fish and seasfood we decided to do up some fish and use it as a dipping sauce. My hubby likes his dipping sauces chilled so I chilled the Wasabi Sauce for 4 hours before serving. The sauce is a blend of wasabi, lemon and raspberry vinegar so it really makes a delicious statement as a dipping sauce with fish. Once hubby's fish was done baking he sat down to try out his fish with the Lemon Wasabi Sauce. After a few minutes he said "hmmm this is really good. I thought it would be hot and spicy but it's not. Great job honey". Since he liked it I decided to try it myself and I would have to agree with him...it is delicious!
The following day he made a bacon, swiss cheese and turkey lunchmeat sandwich and topped it off with the Lemon Wasabi Sauce instead of using mayonnaise like he normal does. Again...he raved and raved about this sauce! Serving size is 1 teaspoon which is only 20 calories so it makes for a great condiment for those who are watching their weight.

Overall Impression: We didn't think we would enjoy this Lemon Wasabi Sauce but were pleasantly surprised that we actually do! Matter of fact, hubby has requested that I now keep this sauce as a staple condiment in our home at all times! We give it a big two thumbs up!

Giveaway: Two lucky winners are each going to receive one bottle of this delicious gourmet sauce from Robert Rothschild Farm! Retail value $7.99. It will come beautifully gift boxed along with 2 tasty recipe cards!

Giveaway Details: This giveaway is open to residents of the USA ONLY who are age 18 and over. Please read the Terms of Service and Disclaimer Policy before entering. You must be a PUBLIC FOLLOWER of this Blog to have your entries count in my giveaways. (Follow via Google Friend Connect) All non-blog followers will have their entries disqualified after the giveaway closes. This giveaway will close on October 31st, 2011 at midnight EST time.

Mandatory Entry: Please visit the Robert Rothschild Farms web site and take a look around. Come back here and tell me another product you would love to try besides the item I reviewed.

Bonus Entries: You may complete these after fulfilling the mandatory entry above. Please leave a separate comment for each one that you complete.

Earns 2 Entries: Follow Robert Rothschild Farm over on Facebook.
Earns 2 Entries: Visit their site & take a look at their recipe section and come back and tell me which recipe you would like to try out some day in your own home.
Earns 2 Entries: Fan/Like Shelly over on Facebook.
Earns 2 Entries: Follow Shelly over on Twitter.
Earns 5 Entries: Place my foodie blog button on your blog or web site. Please leave link so I can visit you!
Earns 2 Entries: Enter another giveaway here on this blog or on our sister Two Classy Chics Blog. (leave a separate comment for each)
Earns 5 Entries: Write up your own post about this giveaway along with live links, post it on your blog (leave link).
Earns 1 Entry Daily: You can copy and paste the following Tweet over on Twitter once per day. (leave status link)

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Win Delicious Lemon Wasabi Sauce from Rothschild Farm on SNB Foodie Blog! http://bit.ly/nmmdRM Ends 10-31 #Giveaways * 2 Winners! *

I would like to thank Robert Rothschild for participating in a product review here on the Shakin 'N Bakin Foodie Blog and for sponsoring a giveaway for my readers. We appreciate your generosity and we love your products!

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/shipping of giveaway items won from this blog nor are we responsible for mis-use or injury caused by items won from this Blog. Content on this blog is copyrighted, all rights reserved. We reserve the right to legally pursue anyone who violates our rights and/or steals our copyrighted material.

Stanley Home Products | Essentials Feet TreatMint Foot Lotion | Review & Giveaway

2011-10-16T12:32:00.001-04:00

Today I would like to introduce you to the direct sales company called Stanley Home Products which sells a large variety of products for cleaning inside & outside your home as well as personal care products for you and your family. You will find kitchen cleaning products, bathroom cleaning products, carpet & upholstery cleaning products, laundry cleaning products and so much more! They are a Direct Sales Company so if you are looking to make some extra income working from home...check out their home business opportunity information on their web site.

My Review: The generous folks over at Stanley Home Products sent me a bottle of their Essentials Feet TreatMint Foot Lotion to review for all of you. I normally do not review body care products on my foodie blog but after spending hours in the kitchen cooking and baking for our families we deserve some pampering time for ourselves! The foot lotion comes in a nice sized 8 fl. oz. flip-top bottle so it's easy to use and easy to tote around with you. The foot lotion is a foot treatment in a bottle...it will help to soothe away the ache with natural menthol and peppermint.

The Essentials Feet TreatMint Foot Lotion is a refreshing at-home spa treatment for tired, aching feet. It soothes with a collagen-enriched formulate, deep moisturizing therapy nourishes with invigorating oils of peppermint, camphor & menthol. This is an irresistable treat for total foot relaxation.

To use the product you simply squirt a nice sized amount onto your hands and then gently massage the lotion onto your feet until it has absorbed. The lotion has a nice creamy texture to it and is mint green in color. The first thing you will notice is the scent which definitely smells like peppermint...reminds me of a candy cane to be exact! For the past few days I have been massaging the lotion onto both of my feet and let me tell you...this is definitely a spa treatment in a bottle! My feet are beginning to feel baby soft again and the fragrance is fantastic! I am not much into perfume or floral fragrances so I am totally enjoying this peppermint fragrance a lot! The product is doing a fabulous job at making my feet (and hands) feel soft, smooth and well-moisturized! I love the product and I highly recommend it to you!

Purchasing Info: You can purchase this wonderful Essentials Feet TreatMint Foot Lotion directly from Stanley Home Product's web site and get this....it only costs $7.99 for a large 8 fl. oz. bottle! I think it would make a great stocking-stuffer gift this holiday season because even the cook on your holiday list needs a little pampering too!

Giveaway: One lucky winner is going to win a bottle of this fantastic foot lotion from Stanley Home Products!!! (Value of prize $7.99)

Giveaway Details: This giveaway is open to residents of the US Only age 18 and over. Please read our Terms of Service & Disclaimer Policy before entering. This giveaway will close on November 5th, 2011 at 11:59 pm EST time.

Mandatory Entry - Earns 2 Entries: Follow this blog via Google Friend Connect as a public follower.

Mandatory Entry - Earns 2 Entries: Visit Stanley Home Products and take a look around. Come back here and tell me the name of another product that you would love to try besides the item I reviewed for you. (specific name of a product).

Bonus Entries: You may complete these after fulfilling the mandatory entry above. Please leave a separate comment for each one that you complete. These entries will be verified.

Earns 2 Entries: Follow Stanley Home Products over on Facebook. (leave name)
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Earns 2 Entries: Fan/Like Shelly over on Facebook.
Earns 2 Entries: Follow Shelly over on Twitter.
Earns 5 Entries: Place my foodie blog button on your blog or web site. Please leave link so I can visit you!
Earns 2 Entries: Enter another giveaway here on this blog or on our sister Two Classy Chics Blog. (leave a separate comment for each)
Earns 5 Entries: Write up your own post about this giveaway along with live links, post it on your blog (leave link).
Earns 1 Entry Daily: You can copy and paste the following Tweet over on Twitter once per day. (leave status link)

Copy & Paste Tweet:

Win a Bottle of Essentials Feet TreatMint Foot Lotion by Stanley Home Products at http://bit.ly/pYx9TO Ends 11-05 #Giveaways @Ravish30

I would like to thank Stanley Home Products for sending me the wonderful product(s) to review for all of you. We highly recommend this company and their wonderful products to you and your family!

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/shipping of giveaway items won from this blog nor are we responsible for mis-use or injury caused by items won from this Blog. Content on this blog is copyrighted, all rights reserved. We reserve the right to legally pursue anyone who violates our rights and/or steals our copyrighted material.

Delicious Spinach and Egg Breakfast Casserole Recipe

2011-10-15T08:08:00.004-04:00

Looking for a great recipe to make for your family breakfasts? If so, I would like to suggest my grandmother's Spinach and Egg Casserole Recipe which is below.

Spinach and Egg Casserole Recipe

1 box frozen chopped spinach (10 oz)
1 can (15 oz) cheddar cheese soup
1 tbsp. mustard
1/2 lb. deli ham, cut into cubes
4 hard boiled eggs, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large saucepan, cook spinach according to pkg. directions, drain well. Stir in soup, mustard and ham. Pour into a baking pan, top with eggs. Bake 15-10 minutes or until done.

Delicious Halloween Wine Cocktail Recipes from Voga Italia Wine

2011-10-14T13:10:00.007-04:00

Despite getting rid of our plastic pumpkin candy baskets long ago, we can all admit that outgrowing our trusty pirate costume does not mean we outgrew Halloween.

This year, get your guests back in the spirit with these frightful cocktails from VOGA Italia Wine. But, just like Halloween candy, you may want to set limits on how many you can have before bedtime…but other than that...the rest of the evening is up to you.

Bride of Frankenstein Cocktail Recipe (shown above)

4 oz VOGA Sparkling
1 oz Chambord Black Raspberry Liqueur
1 oz pineapple juice

Pour Chambord and juice into a Champagne flute. Top with VOGA Sparkling and garnish with a raspberry.
Vampire’s Kiss Cocktail Recipe

1 1/2 oz vodka
1 1/2 oz VOGA Sparkling
3/4 oz grenadine
Red sugar for rimming

Rim the glass with red sugar. Pour chilled vodka and grenadine in a martini glass. Top with VOGA Sparkling.
Bloody Red-Rum Sangria Cocktail Recipe

1 750ml bottle of spiced rum
1/2 bottle VOGA Merlot
6 oz. fresh lime juice
6 oz. triple sec liqueur
6 oz. simple syrup
2 limes sliced in thin wheels
2 red oranges sliced in thin wheels

Add all ingredients into a large punch bowl. Place in the refrigerator for at least two hours before serving. Serve over ice in a punch glass.

Disclosure: These cocktail recipes were given to me by the PR firm representing Voga Italia Wines. You must be 21 year of age or older to consume alcohol drinks so please drink responsibly and NEVER consume alcohol and then get behind the wheel of a car! Always use a designated driver!

Frugal Foodies: How to Save on Dining Out | Great Money-Saving Tips

2011-10-13T21:01:00.004-04:00

Enough with the home-cooked meals. It's time to get out of the house and let someone else prepare your food for a change.

In response to tight budgets, frugal advisers have recommended for some time now that we stay at home to save money. But such deprivation grows old fast, so maybe it's time to consider these six tips to help you spread your dining wings without crash landing your budget.

1. FourSquare Deals
Members check-in to various locations on their mobile phones using this service, but did you know you can also receive offers for freebies and discounts simply by letting FourSquare know where you are? Check out a recent segment on FOX & Friends for a "how to" on using the app for restaurant savings.

2. Track Daily Deals
Restaurants are one of the most common frequenters of daily deal offerings, so it pays to keep an eye out for vouchers that can greatly reduce the cost of dining at a new or favored eatery. Just make sure you read the small print and are aware of expiration dates and exclusions. For example, most restaurant vouchers don't include drinks.

3. Get Happy
Eating early isn't just for our elders. Happy hour ad early bird deals have become more common as restaurants try to fill in slow-traffic times. For example, Applebee's Neighborhood Grill offers full-size appetizers for under $5 before 6 p.m., plus $3 drink specials.

4. Split It Up
American restaurants usually overload our plates -- unless they're into nuvo cuisine -- so there's often enough food for two in a single order. You can cut your costs down to around $20 by simply sharing an appetizer, entree and dessert with a friend or date.

5. Gift Yourself
We tend to think of gift cards in terms of what we can offer others, but they're actually very useful for individual purchases. Sites like GiftCardGranny.com let you purchase gift cards for several restaurants at a discounted rate, yielding immediate savings of up to 50 percent.

6. MatchPin
If you live in one of nine major cities, you might download the free MatchPin app. Membership brings you offers, rewards, contests and announcements from a variety of local restaurants.

###

Andrea Woroch is a consumer and money-saving expert for Kinoli Inc. She is available for in-studio, satellite or skype interviews and to write guest posts or articles.

Crescent Rolls with Chocolate Chips Recipe by Tara Burner

2011-10-13T17:06:00.004-04:00

Today my good friend Tara Burner is sharing with all of us her recipe for Crescent Rolls with Chocolate Chips! OH MY GOSH...these look delicious and I am going to try making them this coming weekend for my family. Thanks Tara!

Crescent Rolls with Chocolate Chips Recipe

1 bag Mini Chocolate Chips
1 can/tube Crescent Rolls
Powered Sugar (Confectioner's Sugar)

Preheat the oven to: 330 degrees. Place crescent rolls on cookie sheet or baking pan, rolling them all out flat. Put some mini chocolate chips on the crescent rolls. Once you've done that, roll them up. Bake in oven for approximately 10-13 minutes (ovens will vary). Once they're slightly browned on top, remove from oven. Remove the crescent rolls from the cookie sheet. Sprinkle powered sugar over the tops of each. Enjoy!

They're best when they're still warm. Great for a quick sweet treat or breakfast.

This post was written by Guest Blogger, Tara Burner. Tara is an Author & Certified Inspiration & Health Coach who enjoys food and traveling as well! You can visit http://www.taraburner.com/ to see what else she's up to or where else she's going and been.

Wholly Guacamole and Classic Queso | Review and Giveaway | 4 Winners!

2011-10-12T12:03:00.002-04:00

I grew up eating a lot of Hispanic food and to this day...it is the #1 cuisine here in my household. I have never tried any of the Wholly Guacamole products until recently so I am really excited to share information with you today about their line of gourmet food products. If you are not familiar with this company they make America's #1 Guacamole Dip. Wholly knows their avocados and they know their dips!

Avocados are very health for you so you should be incorporating them into your diet on a daily basis. Did you know that 8 baby carrots + 3 Tbsp. of guacamole = a fabulous 95 calorie snack that is less calories than a cup of 2% milk? I didn't know that but I do now! Furthermore, the avocado is a fruit, not a vegetable!

Guacamole is a great vegetable dip for freshly sliced veggies like celery and carrot sticks. We like to hollow out a tomato, stuff it with guacamole dip and then slice it down into snack size wedges. Yes...guacamole spread on a fresh tomato wedge is delicious!

The great folks over at Whole Guacamole sent me 4 delicious products to try out for all of you. My hubby had 4 of his male friends come over to our home this past Sunday to watch NFL football with him. I decided to make the guys some fresh soft-shelled tacos, stuffed tomatoes with guacamole dip and I served them taco chips with salsa, guacamole and Queso. I also made them a tray of my guacamole deviled eggs. Those guys tore it up in just one hour!!!

Info About The Products I Served :

* Wholly Classic Queso which features creamy cheddar cheese, finely chopped veggies and tasty spices! We used the Queso on the soft-shelled tacos that I served to the guys and they loved it! This is also delicious as a hamburger topping which is one of my hubby's favorite ways to use Queso!

* Wholly Classic Guacamole contains 20 vitamins & minerals and is all-natural so you can feel good about using this guacamole! The guys of course dunked their taco chips into the guacamole but they also used it in their tacos that they made. I used 2 tablespoons of the guacamole to make my guacamole deviled eggs...which didn't last long!

* Wholly 100 Calories Snack Packs of Spicy Guacamole is so versatile! You can pack these babies in your lunch or use them at home for anytime a snack attack occurs. My hubby has been taking these snack packs of guacamole to work to use in his lunches. He loves spreading it on his sandwiches instead of using mayo/butter. He also uses it as a chip and/or vegetable dip! You can freeze these guacamole snack packs and use them to help keep your lunches cool. By the time lunch rolls around...they are thawd (but still cold) and ready for you to enjoy!

* Wholly Pico de Gallo Guacamole is a chunkier style of their guacamole and is perfect for dunking taco chips, pretzels, potato chips and freshly cut vegetables in. It is pretty mild...I would say there is a tad more kick to it than the mild/classic version so it is perfect for just about everyone. My hubby made breakfast burritos and used this as a topping. He simply fried up some scrambled eggs (with finely chopped onions) and crumbled some fried bacon and then spread the guacamole over the flour tortilla and piled in his breakfast ingredients. He loved his creation and chowed it down quickly.

<--- photo of my Guacamole Deviled Eggs. (click hyperlink for my recipe on how I made them).

Overall Impression: We loved all 4 of these products! Matter of fact...all 4 of these products are now on my grocery list that is hanging on the front of my refrigerator! I can't wait to purchase some more of these products! Since I love to cook...I am going to get more products and try them out in some recipes. I want to try the classic guacamole in my chicken salad recipe and I bet they are going to taste fabulous!

Coupon Alert: You can register with their web site and print out valuable money saving coupons for the Wholly brand of products! I highly recommend that you do!

Giveaway: The generous folks over at Wholly are sponsoring a giveaway here on the SNB Foodie Blog! One grand prize winner will win a styrofoam cooler pack with several delicious Wholly products. We will have 3 additional winners who will each win 3 free product coupons each! yeah!!! Now you can have a Wholly Guacamole party in style!!!!

CONTEST IS CLOSED

Giveaway Details: This giveaway is open to residents of the US Only age 18 and over. Please read our Terms of Service & Disclaimer Policy before entering. This giveaway will close on October 28th, 2011 at 11:59 pm EST time.

Mandatory Entry - Earns 2 Entries: Follow this blog via Google Friend Connect as a public follower.

Mandatory Entry - Earns 2 Entries: Visit Wholly and take a look around. Come back here and tell me the name of a Wholly Product that you would like to try and how you would use that foodie product.

Bonus Entries: You may complete these after fulfilling the mandatory entry above. Please leave a separate comment for each one that you complete. These entries will be verified.

Earns 2 Entries: Follow Wholly over on Facebook. (leave name)
Earns 2 Entries: Follow Wholly over on Twitter. (leave name)
Earns 2 Entries: Take a look at their recipe section on their site & tell me the name of one recipe you would like to make.
Earns 2 Entries: Fan/Like Shelly over on Facebook.
Earns 2 Entries: Follow Shelly over on Twitter.
Earns 5 Entries: Place my foodie blog button on your blog or web site. Please leave link so I can visit you!
Earns 2 Entries: Enter another giveaway here on this blog or on our sister Two Classy Chics Blog. (leave a separate comment for each)
Earns 5 Entries: Write up your own post about this giveaway along with live links, post it on your blog (leave link).
Earns 1 Entry Daily: You can copy and paste the following Tweet over on Twitter once per day. (leave status link)

Copy & Paste Tweet:

Win @EatWholly Guacamole, Queso & other Delicious Goodies on SNB Foodie Blog! http://bit.ly/r9eaOG Ends 10-28 #Giveaways * 4 Winners *

I would like to thank Wholly for sending me and my family all of the delicious foodie products to review for all of you. We highly recommend this company and their wonderful products to you and your family!

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/shipping of giveaway items won from this blog nor are we responsible for mis-use or injury caused by items won from this Blog. Content on this blog is copyrighted, all rights reserved. We reserve the right to legally pursue anyone who violates our rights and/or steals our copyrighted material.

Homemade Prune Bread Recipe

2011-10-12T11:00:00.001-04:00

When I was a little girl my grandmother and my great aunt would spend Sunday afternoons making various types of bread and this homemade prune bread was one of their favorite breads to make. This is a vintage recipe from the late 1960's and is easy to make.

Homemade Prune Bread Recipe

1/2 lb. dried prunes
3/4 cup boiling water
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
2 tablespoons melted butter

Soak prunes in cold water for 2-3 hours, drain. Pit prunes and then chop them into small pieces. Add boiling water to the bowl with the chopped prune pieces and let stand for 5 minutes. Sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. Pour this into the prune mixture and stir to combine. (batter may be thick). Beat egg in a small bowl with electric mixer and then pour into the batter bowl. Pour in the melted butter and stir until all ingredients are well combined.

Lightly grease a loaf baking pan and pour batter into the loaf pan. Bake the prune bread in a preheated 350 degree oven for 35-45 minutes or until center is done.

Winner | General Mills & Walmart GC Giveaway

2011-10-12T08:47:00.000-04:00

Last night our giveaway that was sponsored by Walmart and General Mills closed so we have a new winner to announce this morning! I would like to thank MyBlogSpark for sponsoring the giveaway opportunity!

After validating entries and using Random.org to select the winner we do have a winner!!!

Please congratulate Natalie A.

Woootwoot!!! I am sending you an email Natalie so that you can claim your prize!

Old-Fashioned Buttermilk Sally Lunn Muffins Recipe

2011-10-11T23:00:00.001-04:00

I have another fabulous vintage recipe to share with all of you today! This recipe is from the late 1960's and if you love homemade old-fashioned buttermilk muffins I think you will love this recipe! It will yield 18 nice sized muffins.

Old-Fashioned Buttermilk Sally Lunn Muffins Recipe

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Sift together the flour, sugar, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In another bowl beat together the eggs, buttermilk and vegetable oil. Beat wet mixture into dry mixture until well-blended. Pour batter into a muffin pan, filling the cups 2/3 of the way full. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 17-20 minutes or until done.