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Breyers Smooth & Dreamy Bars and Sandwiches Review and Giveaway (CLOSED)

July 23, 2010 By Mom 205 Comments

There isn’t many things as perfect as ice cream for a summer treat.  I have been trying to be a good girl and stay away from too many treats so that I can fit in my swimsuit next week.  Breyers has made it possible not to feel guilty about eating an ice cream sandwich.  I am happy to introduce Breyers Smooth & Dreamy Bars and Sandwiches.

Breyers Smooth & Dreamy Bars and Sandwiches only have 160 calories or less in each sandwich or bar!  I can now have ice cream and not have to worry about the calories or fat grams (4-6g of fat in each snack).  What is even better is that we tried the Vanilla Fudge Brownie Sandwiches and they are delicious.  You won’t miss the fat or calories that are in typical ice cream sandwiches and bars.

Breyers is currently offering an instant win and sweepstakes promotion on their Smooth & Dreamy website.  You can instantly win several prizes including free Smooth & Dreamy products, movie tickets, maid for a day, spa day, and bookstore gift cards. You can also enter to win the sweepstakes grand prize, $10,000 cash and a day with trainer Kathy Kaehler!

Buy It:

You can purchase Bryers Smooth & Dreamy Bars in all 6 flavors at grocery stores nationwide.

Win It:

Two (2) lucky winners will each receive 2 coupons for free Breyers Smooth & Dreamy Bars and Sandwiches.

How to Enter:

Visit Breyers Smooth & Dreamy and tell me what flavor you would most like to try from the 6 varieties.

(You must complete this entry before completing any of the bonus entries)

Bonus Entries:

  • Follow me on Twitter and Tweet: Win Breyers Smooth & Dreamy Bars and Sandwiches @AMomsImpression http://wyn.cc/rhh3v (You may enter daily, just leave a comment with each Tweet’s link)
  • Like A Mom’s Impression on Facebook
  • Blog about this giveaway (Please leave a link to your post)
  • Grab my Button and post it on your blog.
  • Subscribe to A Mom’s Impression by Email (2 Entries, please leave 2 comments: Please remember to confirm your subscription)
  • Comment on any non-giveaway post on A Mom’s Impression. (just tell me what post you commented on)

Please leave a comment about each entry, include a valid email address or you may contact me directly with your contact information.
Open to US residents only. This giveaway will end at midnight on August 15. Winners will be picked from Random.org. 
Good Luck!

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Breyers and received products necessary to facilitate my review. In addition, I received a gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate.
Filed Under: Food/Snacks, Giveaways, Recipe Tagged With: Food/Snacks, Giveaway, Review

Make-Ahead Meals For Busy Moms Review & Giveaway (CLOSED)

July 8, 2010 By Mom 170 Comments

Balancing my life seems to get harder and harder as TJ gets older and older.   I keep finding myself in a rut when it comes to preparing dinners for my family.  I spend most of my time playing and cleaning up after TJ that when it comes time for dinner I keep going back to whatever is the easiest to prepare. Thus, we end up with a very similar menu every week.  I recently found a cook book that helps busy moms like me prepare family meals in advance and then pulling them out the next day during dinner time without having to prepare the meal right than.  This method of creating and cooking meals has been perfect for my current lifestyle.  During TJ’s nap I prepare the meal according the the recipe and put it in the fridge.  That night, or the next day, I pull it out and cook it.  There is less mess in the evenings to clean up (after a long exhausting day).

Make-Ahead Meals For Busy Moms is written by Jane Doiron, a busy mom who wanted to create meals that could be made ahead of time and frozen, cooked ahead of time and reheated, or assembled ahead of time.  The result is a user-friendly, mom-friendly cookbook that every mom should have in their cupboard.  Doiron gives us over 15 appetizer recipes, over 20 Breakfast and Brunch recipes, many dessert, main dishes, side dishes and soup recipes to choose from.  Take a look at some of these dishes:

Teriyaki Chicken

Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies

Quiche Lorraine

Some of our favorites include the Chicken Cannelloni, Broiled Honey Mustard Salmon (so unbelievable easy yet so yummy) and the Mini Cheesecakes (we added a little of the lemon zest as well as the lemon juice and it was delicious).  What made these recipes so wonderful is that you don’t have to be intimidate by too many ingredients.  You do a lot of the work a day ahead and so it seems to be so simple to do and such a time saver.  Make-Ahead Meals for Busy Moms is a must have for any busy working mom to have on hand.  You, and your family, will be so grateful that you have it!

Buy It:

You can purchase Make-Ahead Meals for Busy Moms for $16.15 on Amazon.

Win It:

One (1) lucky winner will receive Jane Doiron’s Make-Ahead Meals for Busy Moms cookbook!

How to Enter:

Visit Make-Ahead Meals for Busy Mom’s website and tell me what recipe you would most like to try.

(You must complete this entry before completing any of the bonus entries)

Bonus Entries:

Please leave a comment about each entry, include a valid email address or you may contact me directly with your contact information.
Open to US residents only. This giveaway will end at midnight on July 20. Winner will be picked from Random.org. 
Good Luck!

This product review was made possible by Jane Doiron. I was not compensated for this review other than a product sample. All opinions are 100% mine.
Filed Under: Food/Snacks, Giveaways, Recipe, Review Tagged With: Food/Snacks, Giveaway, Recipe, Review

Wilton Decorationg Basics Class 2

June 19, 2010 By Mom 13 Comments

As some of you might remember, I mentioned that I enrolled myself into a Wilton Cake Decorating class at my local Michael’s store.  I have admired cake decorators for a while and I was really inspired by TJ’s 1st birthday cupcakes (you can read about them here).  I loved making them and thought “why not?”  and enrolled myself.  I have my first class almost two weeks ago where our lovely teacher taught us tips and tricks in baking a great cake, how to fill and torte a cake, how to level a cake, how to make icing and how to ice a cake so that it is not crummy.

I took those tips and went home and made several batches of butter cream icing (delicious).  I didn’t use the Wilton Class Butter cream recipe but instead used this one that is very similar:

1/2 cup shorting (I used Kroger brand)

1/2 cup water

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons meringue powder (for high humidity add one more tablespoon)

2 pounds powder sugar

1 teaspoon flavor (I used 1/2 teaspoon of compliment and 1/2 teaspoon of Creme Bouquet from a local bakery supply store)

Mix meringue powder into the powdered sugar.  Put the shorting in the water, add the sale, flavoring and half the powdered sugar into a mixing bowl and beat about five minutes.  Add the rest of the powdered sugar and beat just enough to mix together.  Add additional water (or powdered sugar) if needed for the desired consistency.  Store in an air-tight containers.

We needed to bake a cake at home and level it to bring to class the next week so I baked a yellow cake, and it fell in the middle so I baked a devils food cake and it fell a little as well but it wasn’t that noticeable so my husband made me bring that cake in to class to decorate (he doesn’t understand my perfectionism some times).  I guess I will figure out the cake recipes later and focus more on the decorating of them.

I got to class and we iced our cakes and practiced using the star tip to create stars and zigzags.  We also used th #12 tip to learn out to make dots and elongated shapes.  After our icing dried a little we smoothed out the icing using parchment paper (Viva paper towels work just as well).  We then uses piping gel to transfer a cupcake pattern onto our cakes.  Using all of the skills we have learned so far we decorated our cupcakes.  Here is how mine turned out:

I piped a little bead border around the edge of my cake using the 12 tip.  I think it turned out okay.  Please keep in mind that these pictures were taken after I got home and transported the cake in a cake carrier through a very strong storm that actually caused Michael’s to lose power.  It was very hot and humid and the icing kind of melted and slid down the cake on the sides.  Oh well, it still tasted good.

Next week we are going to be learning about how to create flowers and we will be decorating cupcakes.  I will post later about how that went (by the way, I baked the cupcakes already and they didn’t fall!)

For all of you cynics out there, I was not compensated or sponsored to do this post. It is a hobby I like to write about.
Filed Under: Cake Decorating, Desserts, Recipe, Wilton Tagged With: Cake Decorating, Desserts, Recipe, Wilton

Interview With Melissa d’Arabian (Food Network’s Ten Dollar Dinners)

June 17, 2010 By Mom 4 Comments

I recently had the opportunity to ask Melissa d’Arabian (winner of last season’s The Next Food Network Star) about great grilling ideas for Father’s Day.  I was very excited and honored to be able to have Melissa take the time to answer my questions.  I am a huge Food Network fan, and I especially love The Next Food Network Star (I am engrossed in the new season currently airing).  Here is a little bit more about Melissa:

In August 2009, Melissa d’Arabian won season five of The Next Food Network Star, beating out thousands of hopefuls for the ultimate dream job: her own Food Network show. As a wife and a stay-at-home mother to her four preschool-aged daughters, Melissa embodies family home cooking at its finest. On her daytime cooking series, Ten Dollar Dinners with Melissa d’Arabian, she shares her tasty recipes and her $10 promise: four people, ten bucks, infinite possibilities.

Father’s Day is the perfect time to grill out with the family.  Melissa has wonderful tips and ideas on how to celebrate Father’s Day with food.

A Mom’s Impression (AMI): What are some ideas of great grilling recipes that kids would enjoy along with fathers?

Melissa d’Arabian (MdA): I love to take my girls to the farmer¹s market and allow each one to pick out any vegetable she wants.  I then take these vegetables home to make a fun recipe.  For Father¹s Day, why not make my Sausage and Roasted Vegetable pasta, using the grill instead of the oven to roast up those vegetables?  Each child will have a vegetable represented in the pasta – kind of an edible charm bracelet!

AMI: How do you have time to cook nutritious healthy meals and still take care of your family and have a career at the same time?

MdA: I’m like any working parent across America, just trying to my best to balance priorities.  For me, the strategy is to compartmentalize.  When I am working, I focus on my job  I lock myself in the office and do the work.  But when I’m with the girls, I am 100% all theirs  I have a no-email rule when I’m with my kids.  No checking my emails with one eye, while watching
the latest brilliant ballet move from my daughter with the other eye, giving a halfhearted yep, honey, that’s great.  I think kids see right through the feigned interest we are so quick to give as parents (especially at the end of the long day!).  But I believe in giving them my full attention and respect.   I may have to say goodbye to them sometimes when they don’t like it.I can’t very well postpone a work trip just because my four-year-old tears up.  But I can be one thousand percent present when I am home.  That’s
the strategy that works for me.  Regarding healthy meals, I’ve discovered that nutritious meals don’t take longer to prepare than unhealthy ones.   In fact, healthy meals don’t take longer to prepare than does getting drive-thru most of the time!  As for those occasional less healthy meals -and who doesn’t have one sometimes? I say everything in moderation.  I’m just doing my best like everyone else.

AMI:  How do you spend Father’s Day with your family?

MdA:  Father¹s Day means two things for my husband: sleeping in late and breakfast in bed!  And lots of kisses and giggly girls waking him up, glittery, gluey homemade cards in hand.  Nothing like a gaggle of little daughters to make a man feel manly; I think it¹s the protective caveman instinct.

AMI:  Do you have any Father’s Day traditions?

MdA:  Sleep, sleep, sleep for the dad.  I¹ll admit that the one drawback of parenting is that we have been perpetually tired for the past five years, so sleeping in until ten is just the hugest luxury.   But, having four little kids who keep us so busy is a tremendous gift, so we consider a little sleep deprivation to be a very high quality problem.

I am going to try this recipe from Melissa for Father’s Day (shhh…its a surprise for my hubby):

Ingredients

Crepes:

  • 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1/2 lemon, zested
  • Pinch kosher salt
  • 1 1/4 cups milk
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted, divided

Blueberry Filling:

  • 2/3 cup blueberry jam or preserves
  • 1/2 lemon, juiced

Custard Sauce:

  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • Pinch kosher salt
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar, for garnish

Directions:

To make the crepes: Whisk the flour, sugar, lemon zest and salt in a medium bowl. In a measuring cup, whisk together the milk, egg and 1 tablespoon of butter. Slowly whisk the egg mixture into the flour mixture until smooth.

In a heavy small saute pan or crepe pan, lightly brush the pan with a layer of melted butter and heat over medium-high heat. Working quickly, pour in about 3 tablespoons of batter and tilt the pan to coat. Cook for 1 or 2 minutes and then flip with a thin metal spatula to finish cooking the other side, another minute. Repeat with remaining batter. Keep the crepes warm while preparing the rest of the dessert.

To make the Blueberry Filling: Heat the jam in a small pan over low heat or microwave until warm and syrupy. Whisk in the lemon juice and set aside.

To make the Custard Sauce: In a small saucepan, whisk the sugar, cornstarch and salt together until well blended. Whisk in the milk and cook over low heat until almost boiling, then remove from the heat. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolk and vanilla until well blended. Add a couple of tablespoons of the hot milk from the saucepan and whisk to temper the egg. Add resulting egg mixture to the rest of the warm milk in the pan, whisking to combine. Cook over low heat until the sauce begins to thicken (do not boil). Let the sauce cool slightly while assembling the crepes.

To assemble: Spread some of the blueberry filling in a line down the center of each crepe and roll up. Spoon a few tablespoons of the custard sauce on each dessert plate and lay 2 crepes on top. Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar and serve.

Recipe courtesy of Melissa d’Arabian

New episodes of  Melissa’s show, Ten Dollar Dinners, will begin in July.  You can learn more at Foodnetwork.com. See more wonderful recipes from Melissa here.

Filed Under: Food/Snacks, Interview, Recipe Tagged With: Food/Snacks, Interview, Recipe

Uncle Ben’s Whole Grain Brown Rice

June 17, 2010 By Mom 4 Comments

My family loves rice!  We usually eat rice a couple of times a week. We recently tried the Uncle Ben’s Whole Grain Brown Rice and loved it.  What makes this rice so nice is that while it tastes great, you are still getting all the benefits of whole grains.  In fact, one serving of Uncle Ben’s Whole Grain Brown Rice fulfills your daily requirement of whole grains and helps to promote healthy heart nutrition. (Have I mentioned it is also very delicious?) Here are some great ways (from Uncle Ben’s website) to incorporate Whole Grain Brown Rice into your families diet:

Easy Ways to Incorporate Whole Grain Brown Rice

  • Substitute: Instead of pasta, add whole grain rice to soup and chili, or when making casserole dishes
  • Salad Spin: Use whole grain rice in marinated grain salads
  • Stuff Your Vegetables: Use whole grain rice as a base for stuffed vegetables such as bell peppers, zucchini, portabella mushrooms, eggplant, tomatoes and artichokes
  • Combine Food Groups: Add whole grain rice to homemade meatballs to add flavor and fiber
  • Bulk Up Breakfast: Use whole grain rice as a natural source of fiber and b-vitamins in breakfast egg casseroles
  • Vegetarian: Make your own vegetarian burgers using black beans, sautéed vegetables and whole grain rice, or add whole grain rice to a vegetarian wrap with black beans, salsa and cheese for a quick lunch meal
  • Creative Crunch: Add chopped nuts and seasonings to whole grain rice to create a pilaf
  • Whole Grain Dessert: Make creamy rice pudding with whole grain rice for a tasty dessert
  • Put It In A Bowl: This convenient one plate meal is a great way to partner rice with other healthy foods such as assorted vegetables and lean protein
  • Mix And Match: Mix brown and white rice together to introduce whole grains to kids
  • Be Fast: Choose quick and easy ready-to-eat or ready-to cook whole grain rice to compliment your lunch or dinner
  • Explore Ethnic Dishes: Use whole grain rice in sushi rolls, as a base for stir-fry, or as the filling for Thai lettuce wraps for a healthier appetizer choice
  • Lower The Fat: To make a lower fat quiche, use brown rice for the crust instead of using a regular pie crust
  • Veggie Dinner: Top black bean patties with brown rice and salsa
  • Complete Breakfast: Add cooked brown rice and chopped vegetables to eggs and scramble
  • Fiber Filled Burrito: Use brown rice and black beans as a high fiber, vegetarian burrito
    filling
  • Create A Pilaf: Cook brown rice in low-sodium broth and add toasted nuts and dried fruit
  • Try Different Recipes: Visit www.UncleBens.com for easy and quick recipes the entire family can enjoy for breakfast, lunch, dinner or dessert

We eat a lot of stir-fry in our household.  I have come up with a million different varieties.  Having Uncle Ben’s Boil in a Bag Brown Rice on hand has been very convenient.  The process only takes 10 minutes from start to finish for a wonderful tasting brown rice that I can add to my veggies and protein to make a quick and easy stir-fry.  I loved this recipe from Uncle Ben’s for a quick curry.  Doesn’t every mom need a quick dinner idea at her disposal?

Whole Grain Chicken Curry In A Hurry

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Makes: 6

Ingredients
1 cup UNCLE BEN’S® FAST & NATURAL™ Whole Grain Instant Brown Rice
11/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup onion, chopped
½ cup red pepper, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 teaspoons curry powder
½ teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1 ½ pounds chicken breast, diced
1 can (16 ounces) chick peas, undrained
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup plain, low fat yogurt
1 teaspoon corn starch
½ cup slivered almonds

Instructions

  1. Prepare the UNCLE BEN’S® FAST & NATURAL™ Whole Grain Instant Brown Rice by following the directions on the package for four servings, cooking for 12 minutes.
  2. While the rice is cooking make the curry in a skillet.
  3. Heat the oil over medium heat and add the onion, pepper and garlic. Cook for about three minutes until they begin to get tender. Add the spices and stir to coat well. Push the onions and peppers to one side of the pan and toss in the diced chicken. Brown the chicken for about 5 minutes, stirring to prevent sticking and to cook the sides of the meat.
  4. Add the undrained can of chick peas and stir to combine the ingredients. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes to continue cooking the chicken. Remove the lid and allow the liquid to evaporate for about 3 more minutes.
  5. In a small bowl, combine the corn starch and yogurt. Stir in the yogurt mixture until well combined. Allow it to thicken and combine with rice.
  6. Sprinkle the almonds over for garnish.

Tip: Try this recipe for a great tasting, heart healthy family meal.

You can buy Uncle Ben’s Whole Grain Brown Rice at grocery stores nationwide.  For more information and fantastic recipes visit Uncle Ben’s website.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Uncle Ben’s and received samples to facilitate my candid review. Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.
Filed Under: Food/Snacks, Recipe, Review Tagged With: Food/Snacks, Recipe, Review

Avocados From Mexico – Babies Love Them!

June 11, 2010 By Mom 10 Comments

I have to start this article by saying that my husband and I are huge avocado fans!  We have made our own guacamole in the past, and there are several times I have spooned out the deliciousness and ate it without any kind of recipe.  The thought never occurred to me to have TJ try avocados.  It makes sense, avocados are soft and buttery and mild tasting, but I hadn’t thought to dice some up and give it to him until Avocados From Mexico sent me a basket of avocados, some kid friendly recipes and an avocado slicer.  Isn’t is a great looking basket?

Did you know avocados are considered one of the best first solid foods for infants?

According to Avocados From Mexico’s website…

…avocado’s monounsaturated fats support healthy brain function by promoting blood flow and its antioxidant nutrients protect your child’s brain cells against destructive free radicals. B-complex vitamins in avocados support memory and brain function—helping your curious child to grow, learn and play!

One of the suggestions included with the basket was to spread the avocados on toast instead of using butter.  TJ loved this!  He ate up a lot of the toast and then I fed him little bits of avocado and he seemed to enjoy those as well.  I would have never of thought to use avocados this way, but I tried it too and I fixed myself some!  Avocados From Mexico has several kid-friendly recipes on their website.

Here are some more kid-friendly ways of incorporating avocados into your child’s diet:
Mash a ripe avocado and serve it as a dip to accompany veggies or fruits.  Add a squeeze of lemon, if desired, for kids older than one.
Combine canned tuna with avocado and use as a filling for finger sandwiches Spread avocado onto a lightly toasted bagel or toasted bread strips.
Avocado spread is a healthy alternative to butter and mayonnaise, so introduce the concept as early as you can.
Serve chunks of avocado as an anytime snack, with ranch dressing for dipping.

In addition to these wonderful tips, Avocados From Mexico also has ingenious kid-friendly recipes on their site that you have to try.  I love this one, which is bound to be popular with the new Shrek movie.  It is called Ogre Jello, and by looking at it you can see why.

1 package (3 ounces) lime-flavored gelatin
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon limejuice
2 fully ripened Avocados from Mexico halved, pitted, peeled and coarsely chopped
In bowl, prepare gelatin following package directions; stir in sugar and limejuice. Chill until mixture is the consistency of egg whites, stirring occasionally. In bowl of food processor, place avocado; add gelatin mixture; process until smooth and creamy.  Spoon mixture into six 2/3-cup molds or 1-quart serving dish; cover and chill until firm. Quickly dip molds into hot water; turn out onto serving plates. Serve with diced avocado, if desired.
YIELD: 6 portions

If you are a family without children, Avocados From Mexico hasn’t forgotten about you.  On the website they are featuring recipes from Rick Bayless, Top Chef Masters’ winner and host of the PBS show Mexico One Plate at a Time. Here is one that I will be trying very soon:

Layered Guacamole Dip with a New Twist

We just used the last two avocados tonight by making a wonderful guacamole to go with our tacos.  I can’t believe the avocados lasted a little over a week, but they stayed fresh in our refrigerator.  Yummy, yummy, yummy!

Buy It:

You can purchase Avocados From Mexico at your local grocery store, just look for the avocados with “Mexico” on the sticker.  To make sure you are picking the right ripeness of your avocado here are the characteristics to look for:

This product review was made possible by Avocados From Mexico. I was not compensated for this review other than a product sample. All opinions are 100% mine.
Filed Under: Baby, Cooking/Baking, Food/Snacks, Recipe, Review Tagged With: Baby, Cooking/Baking, Food/Snacks, Recipe, Review

Monkey Peanut Butter Cupcakes

May 22, 2010 By Mom 8 Comments

Many of you mentioned a few weeks ago that you would like my recipe for TJ’s birthday cupcakes, so better late than never here you go!

The monkey face cupcakes are peanut butter flavored cupcakes with a chocolate glaze. I found the recipe from Iheartcupcakes.com. Here is the recipe from their site:

Peanut Butter w/ Chocolate Glaze Cupcakes
Makes 12 cupcakes

INGREDIENTS

For cupcakes
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
6 tbsp (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup smooth peanut butter, room temp
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk

For chocolate glaze
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

INSTRUCTIONS

To make cupcakes
Preheat oven to 350F. Line muffin tin cups with paper cupcake liners

Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl and set aside

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter, peanut butter and brown sugar until smoothly blended and lightened in color, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed during mixing. Mix in egg. Add vanilla and beat for 1 minute or until batter smooth.

On low speed, add the flour mixture in 3 additions and the milk in 2 additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture and mixing until the flour is incorporated and the batter looks smooth.

Fill each liner with a generous 1/4 cup of batter, to about 1/3 inch below the top of the liner. Bake just until the tops feel firm and are lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 22 minutes. There will be cracks on the top. Cool cupcakes for 10 minutes in the pan on wire rack.

To make chocolate glaze
In a medium saucepan, heat the cream and butter over low heat until the cream is hot and the butter has melted. The mixture should form tiny bubbles and measure about 175F on a thermometer; do not let it boil.

Remove the pan from the heat, add the milk chocolate and let it sit in the hot cream for 30 secs to soften. Add the vanilla and whisk the glaze until it is smooth and all the chocolate has melted. (Return the glaze to low heat if necessary to melt the chocolate completely, whisking constantly.) The glaze should be thick enough to hold its shape when spread over the cupcakes. If it is too liquid to spread, let it sit at room temp for 5-15 minutes, depending on the temp of your kitchen.

Using a small spatula, spread 1 tbsp of glaze over the top of each cupcake.

The cupcakes can be covered and stored at room temp for up to 3 days.

The night before  I made the cupcakes, I made the candy monkey face decorations to place on top of the glaze.  I adapted the monkey faces from a Wilton recipe that you can find here.

I used Wilton Candy Melts in a light tan Peanut Butter flavor for the main part of the face, and dark cocoa Candy Melts for the ears.  Instead of using Candy Melts for the eyes, mouth and nose, I used Wilton icing in the small tubes (I found this much easier than trying to tint the Candy Melts. I am a true beginning baker and decorator when it comes to birthday cakes so I found this much easier for my first time).

Here is the result…. TJ’s birthday cupcake tower (Wilton has a great cupcake stand).  If you are interested in the banana cupcakes that  I also made for his birthday, check back next week.

Filed Under: Birthday, Cooking/Baking, Deserts, Recipe Tagged With: Recipe

Hormel Chili Master Chili

May 8, 2010 By Mom 7 Comments

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Hormel Foods. All opinions are 100% mine.

It has been unseasonably cold the past couple of days.  When the weather is chili it gets me in the mood to eat chili.  There is nothing better for dinner than a spicy well made bowl of chili and some nice garlic bread.  When I cook chili I usually end up getting a little help from the grocery store.  Hormel has these wonderful new Chili Master Chili products available that have made my job a lot easier.

I like to add fresh vegetables to my chili when I make it.  I start sauteing an onion, garlic (we love a lot of garlic in my family), and either a yellow or red bell pepper.  After these are ready to go I add the hormel Chili Master Chili.  I love that these new varieties have a couple of no bean options.  My husband doesn’t like to have a lot of beans in his chili so the Chili Master Chipotle Chicken without Beans was a fantastic find for us.  I added the chili, some hot sauce (we like our chili hot) and before you know it the chili was ready to be topped with cheese and sour cream and ready to eat.

Hormel is a brand that has been making chili since 1935.  It is a name you can trust to bring you quality products.  The new Hormel Chili Master Chili products come in 5 different varieties:

With all the options there is a perfect chili for your family. So, the next time there is a chilly day, grab your Hormel Chili Master Chili and create your own masterpiece.

Visit my sponsor: Hormel Chili

Filed Under: Food/Snacks, Recipe, Review Tagged With: Food/Snacks, Recipe, Review

Vegetarian Lasagna (A Blast From The Past)

April 16, 2010 By Mom 4 Comments

When I had my son last year my mother and father flew in from Idaho to help out for a week.  While they were here my mother made us a lot of casseroles to put in the freezer for after they left.  What a lifesaver.  This is the best gift to give brand new parents.  I am going to remember this for all my friends when they have babies. This lasagna is vegetarian but if you are a meat lover (like myself) you won’t miss the meat.  In fact we loved this lasagna recipe so much that I am making it again today!  My mom found this recipe on about.com you can find it here if you want to print it off.  If you would like to copy it, here it is:

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hours, 10 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 20 ounce bag frozen mixed vegetables
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 (8-ounce) cans chunky tomato sauce
  • 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon pepper
  • 12 ounce carton ricotta OR crumbled drained tofu
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1 Tbsp. dried parsley flakes
  • 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 1 cup grated provolone cheese (my mom and I used sliced provolone and it worked great)
  • 12 ounces lasagna noodles, cooked and drained
  • 24 ounce jar cheesy Alfredo Sauce
  • 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation:

Cook and drain chopped vegetables as directed on package, measure out 3 cups, set aside. Brown onion and garlic in olive oil in heavy skillet over medium heat. Stir in tomato sauce and paste, water, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper; simmer for 10 minutes.

In large bowl, mix the ricotta or tofu, eggs, parsley, mozzarella and provolone cheese.

For the freeze-oven method, line a 9×13″ baking pan with heavy duty foil, long enough to fold over the casserole. Spray the foil with cooking spray. Place a layer of tomato sauce in the bottom of the pan. Layer noodles, tomato sauce, vegetables, Alfredo sauce, ricotta mixture, and Parmesan cheese in that order, repeating to make three layers of each. Fold the foil over the lasagna and close with a double fold. Freeze until solid. Remove the foil wrapped casserole from the pan and seal it in a 2 gallon heavy duty ziplock bag. To bake, place the foil wrapped casserole in an oven dish, thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Then bake, covered at 350 degrees for 50 minutes. Then uncover and bake for 15-20 minutes longer until bubbling and heated through.

For the freezer-crockpot method, assemble the recipe in a foil-lined one gallon ice cream container. Wrap well and freeze. To cook, remove the foil from the frozen package, place it in a 5-quart crockpot and thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Cook covered one hour on high, then turn to low for 6-8 hours (automatic setting on most crockpots). If it seems a little juicy, remove the lid and turn the heat to high for the last hour. Serves 8-10

Filed Under: Recipe, Vegetarian Tagged With: Recipe, Vegetarian

Pork Tenderloin (Slow Cooker)

April 7, 2010 By Mom 7 Comments

When I go to the grocery store I rarely have a recipe in mind when I buy our weekly groceries.  I often just pick up what is on sale.  The other day the pork tenderloin was on sale and so we purchase one not knowing what we were going to do with it. Whenever I don’t have a recipe and my husband asks, “What’s for dinner?” I reply with, “Kathy surprise.”  We have had a lot of Kathy surprises in our marriage.  Some have turned out inedible, and some have been remarkably very good.  This is one of those really good hits.  My husband was very complimentary when eating his dinner, and I felt like a foodie genius (if only for a night).  Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

  • Pork Tenderloin (any size, we used a pound and a half for the two of us.  It also came pre-marrinated with garlic and onion)
  • 3 large carrots (peeled, and chopped or use a couple of handfuls of baby carrots)
  • Large Onion wedged
  • Red/Yellow Peppers ( I used 1/2 of each because they were left over from another night)
  • Grill Seasoning
  • Salt and Pepper

I cut up all the vegetables and placed them at the bottom of the slow cooker.  I seasoned the pork tenderloin with the grill seasoning and salt and pepper and placed it in the slow cooker on top of the vegetables.  Pour 1/2 cup of  water over the vegetables and set on low for 4-6 hours.

Before Cooking:

We added some rice  on the side and here is the result:

I hope you enjoy.

Filed Under: Main Dishes, Recipe Tagged With: Main Dishes, Recipe