Dessert today thanks to the lovely ladies at Cake In A Cup. Check them out at Cake In A Cup. Spencer even got a mini cupcake because he knew the name of his dinosaur!

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Today is Groundhog Day! Wow, it seems like Christmas was just yesterday and Valentine’s day is right around the corner. In celebration of Valentine’s Day, Sweety High is offering special baking prize packs!  Sweety High members are also competing for a grand prize baking kit with more than 20 pieces by submitting pictures of their very best baking creations.

What is Sweety High you may be wondering? Sweety High is a new social networking site for young ladies! It was designed for self expression for girls ages 9 to 14 and combines your online and offline life into a single gaming experience. Whether it’s earning virtual currency, meeting your heroes, or becoming a Sweety celebrity, the possibilities are as limitless as your imagination.

It represents the ultimate in wish fulfillment for tween and teen girls. It carefully combines all the most important aspects of the world they love – arts and entertainment, music, fashion, celebrity, sports, community – online in an environment that fosters their creative participation.

Whether it’s shooting original shows, publishing scrapbooks, or writing about your life, the entire experience rewards expression. You can become a star in your community, site-wide, or advance to become a part of the entertainment industry with our help.

This is a pretty original website in my opinion. I don’t have daughters so I wouldn’t be searching for such a site but, I will say I have never heard of come across one like it.  Gamers can win everything from iPods to backstage passes. They offer a calendar of events nationwide that gives members the opportunity to connect with each other and their favorite celebrities.

The site is FREE, unless you want to become a premium member. Then the cost is $4.99/month but they offer discounts if you purchase for 6 or 12 months at a time.  A premium membership gets you access to exclusive content from our webseries’, ability to become friends with all the cast members in their SH lockers, 1000 hearts per month to use in the store, access to special items in the store, a Sweety Society badge, inclusion in all our contests, the SH newsletter, and a handful of other things.

To see all of Sweety High’s original programming, please visit them on YouTube.

Enter to win a Valentine’s Day Prize Pack!

2 Heart Shaped Plates
1 Petite Pie Mold with Heart-shaped cut-out
1 Set of Valentine’s themed confections
1 Heart-shaped cookie cutter
2 Heart embroidered kitchen towels
1 Spatula

a Rafflecopter giveaway

To help you spice-up your dinner routine, Hellmann’s and Best Foods mayonnaise are launching the first-ever Chicken Challenge! This is a series of head-to-head chicken dish challenges that will help moms diversify their weekly recipe repertoire. Each week on Hellmanns.com, two chicken dish “challenger” recipes from Chipotle Lime Crusted Chicken to Baked Buffalo Chicken will go up against one of the most popular recipes on Hellmanns.com, Parmesan Crusted Chicken. Try one of the featured Hellmann’s chicken recipes each week and cast your vote for your favorite!

On Hellmanns.com, you can also enter into a weekly sweepstakes for a chance to win one of four $250 grocery gift cards.What could be better

than that? If Hellmann’s receives more than 10,000 entries, the value of the grocery gift cards will double to $500!

Hellmann’s transforms chicken into a juicier, crispier, more delicious meal. With so many delicious recipes to try out at Hellmanns.com, you’re sure to find dishes the whole family will love. I recommend giving the Parmesan Crusted Chicken a try!

One Lucky Reader will win a $25 Visa gift card! Use it to purchase items to make one of Hellman’s great Chicken Challenge recipes!

Mandatory Entry: Share your favorite chicken recipe!  (1 entry) EDITED: You may not pick the Parm Chicken I mentioned above. Thanks

Bonus Entries: A lot of additional ways to enter! Leave a separate comment for each one!

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Giveaway is open to US residents who are 18 years of age or older. I reserve the right to remove any entry from this giveaway. This giveaway is sponsored by the representing PR firm. This giveaway ends 10/13/2011 at 11:59pm EST. If you are currently or have previously reviewed this product or participated in this campaign, you are ineligible to enter/win.

Disclosure: I was entered for a chance to win a Hellmann’s® prize package in exchange for this post. The views and opinions expressed in this blogs content are solely my own. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product should be verified by the above mentioned manufacturer, PR Agency or product designer. This post is not endorsed, sponsored or has any connection to twitter, facebook or any other network. This post is solely the property of MAK Media, LLC and/or its above sponsor. The product itself did not persuade my personal beliefs or views. I was under no obligation to write a positive review. You can read more about our Policy Disclosure here.

This is something that I normally eat when we go to our local Chinese buffet. Of course, it didn’t taste like it did at the restaurant… It was better! Please keep in mind when making this that it is a little spicy. I don’t like my food very spicy and this was just about my limit. Royal (9) was his usualy dramatic self stating that his mouth was on fire with each bite lol but Spencer (4) ate it right on down without one complaint. One drank milk and the other had water and there was no gulping it down because the chicken was to spicy.

For this recipe I actually used 2 packets of the Sun Bird General Tso’s Chicken Spice mix and doubled everything. One pound of chicken wouldn’t have been enough for us. The package I has was 2.7 pounds and this was still plenty of sauce for that! I also added a bit more water. Below are the package instructions and then how I made it.

You can buy this at just about any major food retailer in the Asian food section. All of my local stores carry it.

Ingredients (Package Directions))

• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 3/4 cup water
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 packet Sun Bird General Tso’s Chicken Mic

(This was how I made it)

• 1/2 cup and 1/8 cup flour
• 2.5 – 3lbs boneless skinless chicken breast
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 5 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 3/4 cup water
• 5 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
• 2 packets Sun Bird General Tso’s Chicken Mix

It’s easy to prepare General Tso’s Chicken with Sun-Bird seasonings. The spice and seasonings in the sauce will turn out perfectly every time. (Official Instructions are below the pictures) You can serve this with white rice. Since the boys aren’t big fans (and honestly I was out and didn’t realize it!) I made Chicken Rice-A-Roni with it and it went well together.

Directions:

• Add flour to resealable plastic food bag.
• Add chicken chunks and seal.
• Shake bag to coat chicken evenly.
• Combine seasoning, sugar, soy sauce and water; blend and set aside.
• Heat oil in large skillet over medium high heat until hot.
• Add flour-coated chicken and cook until evenly browned. (Do not dump the bag in, you will end up with clumps of flour. Use a slotted spoon or tongs.)
• Stir sauce mixture and add to skillet with chicken.
• Bring sauce to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until desired consistency.

I am always looking for a little something extra to spice up my desserts. Have you ever heard of Angostura Bitters? Nope me either!  They are a highly concentrated food and beverage flavoring. Made from a secret formula, (dunt dunt dunt dunnnnn) it is a unique blend of natural herbs and spices which is used to flavor foods and drinks. Distilled in Trinidad, using the secret recipe from 1824, and the same natural blend of herbs and spices, Angostura® aromatic bitters is versatile beyond belief. It has retained its original formulation, one of the few remaining true trade secrets, an international brand that over the centuries has continued to flavour the world. Read the label, which is itself perfect. It will give you an insight to the product, with suggestions from savoury sauces to cakes, through crispy vegetables, meats and cocktails.

Strawberry and Mascarpone Tart

(4 oz) butter
(8 oz) flour, sifted
Pinch of salt

To finish:
(8 oz) strawberries, hulled
(2 oz) granulated sugar
(1 tbsp) Angostura® aromatic bitters
(9 oz) mascarpone cheese
Preheat oven to 400¾F. (400 and 3/4?)

Rub butter into flour and salt until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Mix into a firm dough with 3 – 4 tbsp cold water. Use to line an 20cm (8″) fluted flan tin. Line with greaseproof paper. Bake blind for 20 minutes, removing the paper and beans for the final 5 minutes. Leave to cool.

Halve strawberries and toss together with the granulated sugar and Angostura® aromatic bitters. Chill for 20 minutes. Spoon the cheese into the pastry case and smooth the top. Arrange the marinated strawberries on top. Serve slices decorated with whole strawberries.

Disclosure: I’m a Angostura Blogger Advocate and this is a sponsored post. Any views and opinions expressed on this blog are solely my own. This post is solely the property of MAK Media, LLC and/or its above sponsor. The product itself did not persuade my personal beliefs or views. I was under no obligation to write a positive post. You can read more about our Policy Disclosure here.

I knew that I wanted to grill this summer so I started looking for a grill in March. It took me a while to find one that wasn’t a million bucks or tiny. Thanks to a friend, I got one! Thanks to another friend I got a band new tank, so, I was ready to go and excited to find new things to cook. There were several benefits to my wanting to grill more. First was of course that it  was healthier and second to keep the electric bill down any amount possible. Since trying to eat healthier the past year. We are big chicken eaters in my home and nothing beats grilled chicken. I came across this recipe and it looked so yummy. Sweet and juicy grilled pineapple and onions are delicious with this the World Harbors Caribbean sauce making a mildly spicy jerk chicken. YUM!

INGREDIENTS
1 large orange
1/3 cup World Harbors Caribbean Jerk Sauce and Marinade
6 large garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp. finely grated ginger
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
3/4 tsp. salt ( I used sea salt)
1/2 tsp. pepper (I used white pepper)
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1-1/2 lbs. chicken tenders (I used cut up Chicken breast and it was fine)
1 small pineapple
2 medium red onions

DIRECTIONS
Finely grate orange zest; juice the orange. In a small bowl, mix together the zest, juice, Jerk Sauce, garlic, ginger, pie spice, salt, and pepper; whisk in the oil. Cut chicken tenders in half, crosswise. In a non-reactive dish; pour marinade over chicken, turning to coat. Cover and refrigerate 8 to 12 hours.

Peel and core pineapple; cut into large bite-sized pieces. Cut each onion into 8 wedges. Alternate chicken, pineapple and onion wedges on skewers. Brush with marinade; discard marinade. Grill over medium high heat, turning as needed, 10 to 12 minutes.

If you are using wooden skewers, be sure to soak them in water at least 1/2 hour before cooking so they don’t burn.

Disclosure: I’m a Mizkan Blogger Advocate and this is a sponsored post.  Any views and opinions expressed on this blog are solely my own. This post is solely the property of MAK Media, LLC and/or its above sponsor. The product itself did not persuade my personal beliefs or views. I was under no obligation to write a positive post. You can read more about our Policy Disclosure here.

Give me chicken and I can do just about anything with it. I could eat chicken everyday if the rest of the family would go with me on it! Many years ago I made a chicken dish for an ex of mine and he said it was the best chicken he had eaten in his life. Problem was I had no idea what I did! I never used to be a recipe cook. I just knew what went well together and did it. That is how my Nana taught me to cook. I spent the next 8 years trying to measure up to that chicken! I don’t think it ever happened.

I was thrilled to find the Holland House line of cooking wines. Holland House Everyday Cooking is about being fun, fun with these cooking wines in your everyday meals (whether that be stirring it into gravy or sauces, etc.). I spotted this Chicken Marsala recipe on the back of the bottle and wanted to try it. You can also use Veal but I don’t buy, cook or eat veal.

I am also not a big fan of mushrooms (I know, I am impossible with food!) so I added them for the flavor but removed them t the end. Also check out these Mizkan quick and easy tips!

INGREDIENTS
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 Tbsp. flour
4 Tbsp. butter, divided
2 cups mushrooms, sliced
3/4 cup Holland House Marsala Cooking Wine
1/4 cup water (optional)
2 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 tsp. rosemary (optional)

DIRECTIONS
Pound chicken until thin. Dredge lightly on both sides with flour. In large skillet, melt 2 Tbsp. butter and sauté mushrooms over medium heat until browned, about 10 minutes. Remove mushrooms and set aside.Melt remaining 2 Tbsp. butter in skillet. Add chicken and cook through, 4 minutes on each side. Remove to serving platter. Return mushrooms to pan, stir in cooking wine, water, parsley and rosemary. Heat and pour over chicken.

Recipe Nutrition Info: Per serving, with chicken: 330 calories, 28g protein, 10g carb, 15g fat (8g sat. fat), 105mg chol, 430mg sodium, 0g fiber

Disclosure: I’m a Mizkan Blogger Advocate and this is a sponsored post. Any views and opinions expressed on this blog are solely my own. This post is solely the property of MAK Media, LLC and/or its above sponsor. The product itself did not persuade my personal beliefs or views. I was under no obligation to write a positive post. You can read more about our Policy Disclosure here.

At the start of the year many people are likely thinking about ways to improve their health, as well as their family’s health.  Breakfast, being the most important meal of the day, is a great place to start…but mornings are tough! Mom’s know that herself and an entire family ready for the day is no easy task! Luckily, there is no reason you can’t eat a healthy breakfast.

Nutritionist, Keri Glassman, author of the O2 Diet and Thomas’ Bagel Thins are teaming up to give you the opportunity to learn a new way of thinking about breakfast foods, by giving you some fabulous morning tips and recipes to start 2011 off on the right foot. These helpful tips are simple ways of starting your day off the right way and the recipes provide great alternatives to the regular breakfast routine. They are simple ways of making breakfast fun and nutritious and you can even get the kids to help!

Thomas’ Bagel Thins Bagels Morning Tips

Don’t skimp on sleep: It’s important to get a good night’s sleep to feel well-rested – ready to take on the day! Most adults need about seven to eight hours of sleep each night, and studies have shown that those who get less have impaired memory and physical performance. Not getting enough sleep can also make concentration difficult, and leave you feeling drowsy all day. So aim to get enough sleep each night.  It’ll boost your immune system, help your nervous system work properly, and leave you feeling energized all day! Experts estimate that compared to getting 7 to 8 hours per night, the risk of developing obesity rises 23 percent with just 6 hours of sleep per night, 50 percent with only 5 hours per night, and 73 percent with 4 hours per night!

Have a healthy breakfast: While sleeping each night, your body is in a fasting mode, so within an hour of rising, you need to break that fast by eating a healthy breakfast. It gives your body the fuel it needs to meet your busy schedule and skipping breakfast decreases your metabolism, and increases your cravings throughout the day! Studies have also shown consuming breakfast improves cognition and memory in children and adolescents making them able to concentrate and be more attentive in school. We all have some kid in us, so use this tip to your advantage!

Eat empowered: Every morning when you sit down to breakfast (and every meal!), remember that each meal is an opportunity to get back in the game and stay on course. You should feel empowered by making the right choices. There are always healthier alternatives to the high-fat, high-calorie, nutrient-less options that we all tend to go for, and I always keep a healthy staple product on-hand to help me quickly make a delicious and nutritious meal. Thomas’® Bagel Thins™ bagel is one of those better-for-you options – they’re 110 calories each, low in fat and every flavor is at least a good source of fiber. It’s not “I can’t eat that heavy bagel” – it IS – “I can eat the Thomas’ Bagel Thins™ bagel!

Start with a glass of lemon water: Drinking enough h2o throughout the day helps with weight loss in several ways. First, there’s an emotional component; it will make you feel empowered and will help spur you to make good choices for the rest of the day. Second, researchers have long known that dieters who replace sweetened drinks with water lose weight more quickly that those who don’t. Finally, many people overeat because they are actually thirsty and just can’t tell the difference between thirst and hunger. Also, when you’re adequately hydrated, your metabolism functions at its best.

Exercise steady: Aside from burning calories, exercise is important because it causes your body to release endorphins, making you feel good, and motivating you to eat well, do your job well, and simply be happy! I love exercising in the early am, and eating breakfast when I’m done, and typically, people who work out in the morning are more likely to stick to their routine, than those who squeeze it in later. If you’re averse to starting your day with more rigorous exercises like running, try a lower-impact activity like yoga. Just do something!

Easy Cheesy Eggwich

Ingredients:

1 Everything Thomas’® Bagel Thins™ bagel
1 hard boiled omega-3 fortified egg
2 slices reduced fat cheddar cheese
1/4 teaspoon dried basil

Directions:

1.       Toast the Bagel Thins™ bagel.
2.       Peel and slice egg.
3.       Layer cheese slices and egg, then sprinkle with basil.

I have been trying out A LOT of new recipes lately. I am going to share ones that I think are very simple and delicious with you! I made this one the other night and the boys, normally picky like their mother, LOVED IT! I consider it a score for me! I am a big chicken eater and this is definitely on my top 5 chicken recipes. If you try this one, please come back and tell me what you thought!

Ingredients:

8 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
8 slices Swiss Cheese
1 (10.5 oz) can Cream of Chicken Soup
1/2 cup Dry White Wine
1 cup dry, seasoned stuffing mix or croutons, crushed
4 tbsp Butter, melted

Directions: Preheat oven 350 and Grease a 9×13 casserole dish.

1. Place chicken in prepared dish and cover with cheese. I just sliced the cheese in half and used an entire slice on each piece of chicken. I also only made 6 pieces since there is only 3 of us. Recipe was still fine.

2. Mix the soup and wine until well blended

3. Spoon wine and soup mixture over chicken

4. Sprinkle the top of the chicken with stuffing mix.

5. Drizzle the top with the melted butter

6.  Bake for 45 minutes or until brown and bubbly

Disclosure: No one asked me to write this post, no one paid me to write this post and no products were given to me in exchange for writing this post. All products were purchased by me for my own personal use. So stupid that I even have to write that! But, I still love my Kitchen Aid Mixer and all of my Wilton Bakeware!

This whole thing started with an old friend from High School, Val.  She gave a Banana Bread recipe to a mutual friend, John. He mentioned it to me and I asked him for it. While talking to my friend Charyl about my new recipe, she gets excited and starts telling me that she is ALSO making Banana Bread today! All of a sudden she is going on about having a Banana Bread Throwdown….. (Oh Bobby Baby!!) I am a cook! I am not a baker! That and I have never tried this recipe before. Maybe Val doesn’t know what good BB taste like! Charyl was so excited that I agreed. I will admit that at first I was not to excited about it because I had a million things going on but it became really fun. We talked trash on Twitter and Facebook a little bit. All of our kids got involved and we had a great time. I went over later to try hers and bring her family some of mine. I don’t think either was better than the other in my opinion. Both were equally good in different ways. (Oh come on! Mine was clearly the best!)

So here goes mine… Hop on over to Creepy with Their Cookies to check out Charyl’s Bread!

5-6 really ripe bananas
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs, room temp.
1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 cup Flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 cup chocolate chips (I didn’t put these in and recipe still worked great.)
———————————–

EDITED: Wilton has graciously offered (2) of the 4 Cavity Mini Loaf Pans I used in this post for a giveaway!! (2 Winners will each win 1 pan)

RULES: For Bonus Entries, if you do not leave the link to your Facebook profile so I can verify you “liked” I will not count your entry. Twitter entries must include a link to your Tweet. Tweets must be spaced no less than 60 mins apart. RTs of old posts are only good PER giveaway. You can’t use the same tweet for multiple giveaways. Same goes for post commenting. I need to be able to verify all entries! When blogging, giveaway must be listed in a NEW blog post for the day of your entry, not added to an old one.

Mandatory Entry: Visit Wilton.com and tell me your FAVORITE Bakeware product! (other than the one mentioned above!) (1 entry)

Bonus Entries: A lot of additional ways to enter! Leave a separate comment for each one!

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Giveaway is open to US residents who are 18 years of age or older. I reserve the right to remove any entry from this giveaway. This giveaway is sponsored by Wilton. This giveaway ends 02/11/2011 at 11:59pm EST. If you are currently or have previously reviewed this product or participated in this campaign, you are ineligible to enter/win.