Monthly Archives: January 2014

Super Bowl Sunday Appetizer Idea & Recipe: Pickle Wraps

Come Super Bowl time every year, I look for easy-to-make appetizers that can be prepared ahead of time and can be serves to the masses.   Pickle wraps always make the list!  Pickle wraps have been one of my favorites since I was a child.  They are a staple for any and all of our family functions.

Super Bowl Sunday Appetizer Idea & Recipe: Pickle Wraps

Ingredients: 

  • 1 jar kosher pickle spears
  • 1/2 pound deli ham – sliced for sandwiches
  • 1 8 oz whipped cream cheese

Directions:

  • Drain juice from jar of pickles
  • Fold 2 paper towels together and set on the counter
  • Lay pickles out to dry on the paper towels for about 30 minutes
  • Place 1 slice of ham on a cutting board
  • Spread enough cream cheese on the ham to cover the slice
  • Set a pickle on one side of  ham and then wrap the pickle in the ham
  • When you get all the pickles wrapped in the ham slices, place on a plate and put in the fridge for about an house to nice and cold
  • Remove the pickles from the fridge and cut each pickle wrap into about 4 pieces.

Serve and enjoy, 

Kim

Super Bowl Sunday Appetizer Idea & Recipe – Buffalo Chicken Dip

Buffalo Chicken Dip is always a crowd pleaser!  Anytime we have people over for a football game my husband asks me to make this delicious spicy Buffalo Chicken Dip dish.  Suffice it to say, it disappears fast no matter how much I make!

Buffalo Chicken Dip recipe

Ingredients:

  • 3-4 cups cooked, shredded chicken
  • 1/2 of a  6 oz.  bottle  hot sauce
  • 8 oz softened cream cheese
  • 1 envelope dry ranch dressing mix
  • 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

  • Preheat oven to 350°
  • Mix chicken and hot sauce, place in greased 8 x 10 baking dish
  • Mix ranch dressing mix and cream cheese together
  • Spread mixture over chicken
  • Sprinkle shredded cheese over the top
  • Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until bubbly
  • Serve with tortilla chips

Enjoy!

Monitor the health of your car with Zubie! @GoZubie

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

From wiper blades and oil changes to new tires and brake pads, my husband always forgets to do these regular maintenance items on his vehicle.  Ultimately, it costs us a fortune in the long run because it ends up causing other costly issues. You know how stressful it can be when you are on a strict budget and have unplanned car repairs to deal with.  This year we’ve made a resolution to be better about getting our vehicle maitenance done on time.  Is that one of your New Year’s resolutions?

I came across Zubiean amazing new tech product, the other day and I am buying this for both of our vehicles to help monitor their health.  Zubie is a wireless service that helps you track and improve your driving behavior, monitor the health of your car of your vehicle and save money on repair and maintenance.  Zubie is a great idea for families like mine with a soon-to-be-driving teenager.

What Zubie does:

  • The Zubie service allows you to track and improve driving behavior and also provides you real- time information on the heath of your cars systems and condition all with the easy-to-install Zubie Key and mobile app!
  • Monitors and tracks speeding, sudden acceleration, hard braking, vehicle location and more
  • Great for families with teen drivers!
  • Save money on car repairs and prevent breakdowns including low-battery alert and simple translations of engine codes.
  • No more Where R U? texts. Stay in touch with your family and friends with our secure location sharing and trip coordination features.
  • Zubie is a service – not an Accessory – that uses a cellular connection to keep you, your car and it’s on-board systems always in communication.
  • Share-worthy driving scores and badges make safe driving more fun!
  • Zubie always-connected service works with our free Zubie app for iOS 4+ and Android 2.3etive

If you’re a competitive person, you’ll appreciate share-worthy driving scores and badges which will motivate you (or your husband) to drive safe. The Zubie app is compatable with iOS 4+ and Android 2.3+.

Zubie Discount Code:
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Visit Sponsor's Site

TASSIMO T55 Review + A Quick Giveaway! {Enter through 12am Jan. 15}

tassimo

TASSIMO T55

My husband, the kids and I love hot chocolate and I love a good cup of coffee that tastes like hot chocolate. 🙂  I was excited to be given the opportunity to try out a single cup coffee brewer by TASSIMO when they invited me to ‘Unlock a Perfect Cup this Holiday Season’ by sending me one of their new T55 brewers and a selection of T-disc’s to try out with it.  I tried so many kinds of coffee in a span of a few hours that I was ready to conquer the world.  (Don’t worry, I took sips of the different flavors and shared with my husband. I didn’t drink like 9 cups of coffee.) Then the kids got home from school and I was conquered.

The Tassimo T55: Easy High-End Brewing at a Mid-Range Price

While there are many high-end, feature-rich coffee makers available on the market, most tend to be extremely pricey for the average consumer. What’s more, many tend to be highly specialized and really excel at only one or two tasks. In truth, the vast majority of hot beverage fans are looking for a machine that’s a bit more flexible and middle-of-the-road. If you find yourself in that camp, the Bosch Tassimo T55 is more than worthy of your consideration.

Main Features & Functionality
For such a versatile appliance, the Tassimo T55 is surprisingly compact at just 8.7 inches deep, 11.26 inches wide and 11.14 inches high. Like its competitors from the likes of Keurig, the T55 boasts instant heat-up and zero power consumption on standby. It also features a removable 68-oz. reservoir fitted with a Mavea Maxtra filter for the purest water possible. In addition, it has a height-adjustable drip tray. Operating at 1300 watts, it can heat beverages to 185 degrees Fahrenheit.

TASSIMO T55 coffee
The Tassimo T55 In Action

The real magic of the Tassimo T55 lies in its propriety T-Disc pods. To make the perfect chai latte, hot chocolate or cappuccino, just insert the appropriate T-Disc and press a button. The T55 will read the barcode on the T-Disc and adjust water quantity and temperature to ensure a perfect brew. A simple +/- button allows users to make their beverages stronger or weaker as they may prefer.  I prefer a weaker coffee so I’m not found cleaning the carpet and painting the walls while my husband likes a stronger taste.

Overall Quality and Value

In terms of build quality, the T55 is a particularly rugged machine.  Its attractive exterior is rather minimalist but sports chrome elements that make it look more expensive than it actually is.  As a whole, this machine just feels incredibly solid and put up with quite a bit of use in a short period of time even at the hands of my 14 year old.  I heard no complaints from the T55 so all is good!  In the bargain department, the T55 is fairly competitive with other single serving coffee makers currently available. While the T-Discs are a bit expensive, they save quite a bit of time when you’re in a rush.

The Verdict

If you’re looking for a brewing powerhouse that can quickly churn out a variety of hot drinks that every member of the family can enjoy, the Tassimo T55 is a safe bet. Besides a high degree of versatility, the T55 boasts convenience and value as additional bona fides. Few coffee makers out there can match its combination of value and beverage quality. Pound for pound, it’s one of the best single serving machines you can buy.

For such a versatile appliance, the Tassimo T55 is surprisingly compact at just 8.7 inches deep, 11.26 inches wide and 11.14 inches high. Like its competitors from the likes of Keurig, the T55 boasts instant heat-up and zero power consumption on standby. It also features a removable 68-oz. reservoir fitted with a Mavea Maxtra filter for the purest water possible. In addition, it has a height-adjustable drip tray. Operating at 1300 watts, it can heat beverages to 185 degrees Fahrenheit.

Where to buy the TASSIMO T55

You can purchase the TASSIMO T55 on the TASSIMO website here or on Amazon.com here.  Amazon.com offers prime shipping on the TASSIMO T55 through the link provided!

TASSIMO T55 Giveaway

TASSIMO T55 Giveaway!

Thanks to TASSIMO, we are giving a lucky readers a TASSIMO T55!

This is a quick contest so enter today!

Follow the instructions in the form below to enter. Entries accepted through 12am January 15th.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Moleskine Mickey Mouse Notebook

Moleskine Mickey Mouse NotebookIt’s hard to believe but Spring Break is coming up in less than 3 months and school will be out in about 5 months. With school breaks comes vacation and many, many families travel to Disney World and Disney Land during school breaks each year.

When planning your trip to Disney, keep track of your Disney to-do list in a limited edition Mickey Mouse notebook from Moleskine!  Available in 3.5×5 inches and 5×8.25 inches, these notebooks are the perfect size for carrying in your handbag, diaper bag, or backpack during your Disney vacation.

Here are a few ideas on ways to use your Mickey Mouse notebook:

  • Most importantly, write your Disney packing list
  • Make a list of what each of your children are most looking forward to doing at Disney (use these stick notes to clearly mark each child’s list page)
  • Write down everyone’s dining preferences
  • Write down all important addresses (hotel) and phone number you’ll need during your trip
  • After your trip, stick a few photos of your Disney trip inside the notebook

Keep the notebook in a safe place after your trip to Disney and pull it out every few years or add it to next time you visit.  I guarantee it will be fun to take a look at every so often.

Moleskine, a classic in its own right, meets Disney’s best-loved character, Mickey Mouse. A favorite of all ages, the famed mouse is right at home on a Moleskine notebook, depicted playing and creating with reading and writing tools. Decorated inside and out with Mickey’s iconic image, this notebook includes a drawing guide so you can create your own Mickey Mouse. Black cover with themed debossing; themed flyleaves; inner pocket in black fabric, same color for elastic closure; bookmark ribbon.

If jotting down notes about your upcoming trip to Disney isn’t enough, use the included Mickey Mouse drawing guide to create your own art!

Moleskine Limited Edition Mickey Mouse notebook