Dean's Tru Moo Vanilla Milk

Hey everybody! Sorry it's been so long since my last post. I've been a busy, busy lady.

I recently signed up at a website called BzzAgent. It's similar to Influenster because they send you products or coupons to test, and then you give feedback and review those products. So far, I'm really liking it. 

I was chosen for the TruMoo Halloween BzzCampaign.




Upon checking my mail today, I received ten (10) 75 cents off coupons for TruMoo products, and another coupon for a free TruMoo product. They recommended the TruMoo Vanilla Halloween milk, which is vanilla-flavored milk but it's Orange (because it's for Halloween, duh). I was soooo excited when I got my package in the mail. I love free stuff!! 

So I went to Kroger tonight, used my coupon, and got my half gallon of Halloween TruMoo. As soon as I got home, my daughter and I tried it. 

It's pretty good. It is a little bit watered down, similar to skim milk but not quite that watery. The vanilla flavor is good, but isn't strong enough. My daughter liked it, and had no complaints. I really like the color because it makes it more fun to drink. I had a couple glasses of the milk, paired with my favorite Oreos (the Halloween ones, of course!), and the combination tasted amazing! 

Overall, I'd probably buy the milk again. Especially because my daughter enjoyed it so much. The only thing I'd change about it is the strength of the flavor. Just needs to be a little more concentrated. Other than that, it tastes just like a vanilla milkshake.

Eat up, y'all!

Betty Crocker Hershey's S'mores Cupcakes.

As you all know, I got my baking kit from International Delight yesterday. I wanted to use my mixer immediately, so I went out to the store last night to find something to 'christen' it. I went to the baking aisle, searching through muffin mixes, cookie mixes, cake mixes. Couldn't find anything I really wanted. Then something amazing caught my eye. Had to do a double take, and pull my cart backwards with me.

It was Betty Crocker Hershey S'mores Cupcakes. I picked it up, decided I NEEDED to try it, and put it in my cart. There was also a matching frosting to put on them, so I got that too.

After dinner, I got the box out and started prepping everything. It came with three separate packages: The graham cracker base, the cake mix, and the marshmallow filling. You're supposed to melt 2 tbsp of butter, and add the graham cracker crumbs to that, then press it into your baking cups/cupcake liners, then pour in the batter 1/3 of the way up. Then, you open the marshmallow filling, and squeeze a drop in the center of the batter of each cupcake. I had some leftover, but didn't really need it for anything so I tossed it. Then, you pour the remaining batter on top of the marshmallow dollop, and bake.

That's not what I did. I have a problem with directions, obviously, and did not properly execute the recipe.

I poured the batter in FIRST. Then realized, "Hey, you're supposed to put the goddamn crust down first." SO. I continued to pour the batter, then do the marshmallow drop in the center. Then I went ahead and sprinkled the graham cracker crumbs on TOP of that, then topped it with the remaining batter. I figured even if they turned out ugly, they'd still be edible. Plus, you can fix pretty much anything with frosting.

I baked them accordingly, and let them cool when they were done. They weren't ugly. They looked like normal cupcakes. Not to mention my apartment smelled like a chocolatey wonderland. After they cooled, I proceeded with frosting them. The frosting lid had graham cracker crumbs in it (you guys know what I'm talking about. Sometimes the lid has sprinkles, colored sugar, etc.) to sprinkle on when you've frosted them. So, I frosted the cupcakes using a butter knife (my boyfriend later said that it looked EXTREMELY professional and did not understand how I did it with just a butter knife), and sprinkled the graham cracker crumbs on top when I was done. This is what they looked like.

First off, I just wanna say that I've never taken ecstasy, but I imagine the effects of it would be similar to eating one of these cupcakes. 

They were AMAZING. The cake part itself was super moist. The marshmallowy center was still warm and gooey. It didn't have the stretchy, instantly stiff texture of an actual s'more marshmallow, which I liked. The frosting was the best part. It was really creamy, and indeed tasted like a hershey bar. The graham cracker topping was really crunchy, not really like a traditional graham cracker. It was not quite pop-rocks texture, but close. 

I savored each toe-curling bite with my eyes closed, and followed up with a glass of milk. 

They are simply sinful. I've never eaten a cupcake that tasted THIS good. AND I botched them since I failed to put the graham crackers down first. I've only had two of these scrumptious gems, and am trying my hardest not to have any more than that. I've been trying to pawn them off on the kids and the boyfriend because if I don't, I'll eat the whole damn batch by myself.

Someone, please come eat these. Lol. 

Eat up, y'all!

My stainless steel cup runneth over.

Back in May, International Delight had a sweepstakes and an instant win game going on at the same time. It was the "Hey America! What's your I.D.?" promotion. At the time, all I saw was an opportunity to get a coupon for a completely free bottle of creamer. All you had to do was visit the app thingy on their facebook page, post your city and your favorite creamer flavor, and you got a coupon. I JUMPED on that shit! I signed up, posted my favorite creamer flavor to their map, and anxiously awaited my creamer coupon.

It came via snail mail, and I was 'delighted' to redeem my coupon at Walmart for a free Cinnabon coffee creamer. Little did I know, by pinning my favorite flavor to the map, I also entered into the sweepstakes.

On May 13th, I got an email saying that I was a potential winner of a Baking Kit in their sweepstakes, and to respond ASAP to confirm my email address and fill out a form. I honestly thought it was a scam at first. But, said baking kit included an International Delight Iced Coffee Apron, 5 coupons for free coffee creamer, and a Kitchen-Aid mixer. Yes, I said that right. A Kitchen-Aid mixer.

I went ahead and clicked the link in the email, and filled out the form because I figured, what the hell do I have to lose by doing this? Within 5 minutes, I got another email from them. Here..I'll just let you guys read it.

My stomach started to flutter, my heart started beating fast. It was like I was falling in love. Did this just happen to me? Am I reading this right? Please lord tell me this is for real.

Oh, it was real alright.

I was picked as a winner, winner, chicken mothatfuckin' dinner! I laughed, I cried, I screamed. Nothing like this had ever happened to me before. I have been lusting over a Kitchen-Aid mixer since I was 19 years old, which was when I started Culinary school, and I was FINALLY going to get one. For free! 

So here I've waited for 8 LONG weeks (in addition to the 10 years), counting them down, checking in every so often with International Delight, waiting for the winners list to be posted (which still hasn't been), and drinkin' the hell out of some coffee. Could time GO any slower?!

This past Saturday (the 7th), I got an email saying that my package had been shipped and would be at my apartment by the end of the day Tuesday (today, the 10th). So you KNOW I've been tracking the damn thing since then. Lol. 

Well, here it is. It is all in my possession. The mixer is on my kitchen counter, sparkling. And for some reason there's ethereal music coming from that direction. Ok, I'm kidding. There's no music from the heavens. But I do have my 'Good Beats' playlist BLASTING on shuffle on my iPod to celebrate. It is a joyous occasion for sure. I plan to use my apron while I'm making Brinner later, and will be using a coupon to get myself some more Cinnabon, because I used the last bit in this mornings coffee. 

Happy tears, y'all. I'm gonna leave you fine folks with some photos of my winnings. Enjoy! 

I am one happy lady right now! That being said, I'm OUT!

Eat up, y'all! 

Influenster Sargento Cheese Voxbox. #ChooseSargentoCheese

Woot woot!! It finally came today! My Sargento Cheese Voxbox from Influenster came today! Of course, I had to wait until the kids were settled down for the night to make a video of the unboxing, physically redeeming my voucher, and testing the product. But, all went well!


In my VoxBox, there were two coupons, and a small insulated string cheese carrying case/cooler. One of the coupons was a voucher for a free Sargento Cheese product, and the other coupon is $1 off any ONE Sargento natural cheese snack. How awesome is this?! So, I made a Youtube Video of the unboxing of the VoxBox. I had already redeemed the voucher, so I wasn't able to get it in the video (hope that's ok!), but I did get a shot of the dollar-off coupon, and the insulated cheese carrier.

I've been a fan of Sargento for a while now. The cheese has a good flavor, and it's got a great protein content. It really kind of tastes like one of those fancy, overpriced foreign cheeses, except it's cheaper and it actually tastes good. I mostly like to eat cheese for breakfast with other high protein items, and I can't wait to have this for the rest of the week. Plus some mid-day snackin'. Or..you know. Wheneeever. 

The insulated carrier is ADORABLE!! I plan to use this ALL the freakin time now! 

*I received this product complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes*

Busy little bee.

For me, everything happens all at once. Appointments, PTA stuff, important packages, social events, new furniture (which means unpacking more boxes) and of course laundry day every Friday. It seems like I've got less and less time to blog, and I don't like that. Not one bit. So, I apologize for not being more attentive here. I've got some really good recipes coming though, so don't fret.

Saturday, I cooked out. It may not sound like a big deal to you, but it was my first time by myself, with my own grill, at my own place. It was a big deal to me. And by myself means that no one helped me. Well, except my daughter. She handed me stuff and helped with picking up trash from food packages. She's awful sweet. But there were no other adults involved, so I cooked alone. No coaching. No one to tell me how to do things. I felt like a big-time grown up! Lol.

We had burgers, and hot dogs, plus some spruced up boxed pasta salad I made. It was the Hidden Valley Southwest Ranch Pasta Salad. I've had it before, but just not nearly this delicious. I made it a day in advance so it'd taste better. It's like chili, or soup, or spaghetti. Always tastes better the second day. I prepared it according to the box, but I added home grown tomatoes (my mom and I grew them), diced organic mushrooms, large dice cucumbers, and home grown basil. I made the cucumbers a bit fancy. I like to take my zester and run it down the cucumber on opposite sides of it until it's all been 'striped'. It looks like this.

Then, when you slice it/dice it whatever, it looks really fancy. So my pasta salad ended up with good flavor, and good presentation. The tomatoes were grown in my kitchen during the spring, then when they got too big for the pots I planted them in my moms garden. So we both grew them. The Basil is all me. I started growing it in early April, and had no idea that I'd produce so much of it. So I use it every chance I get. It's really quite delicious. The mushrooms came from Kroger. This is MY photo of how it turned out. I didn't get a chance to take a photo in a fancy bowl. This was the leftovers. It was delicious!

Anyhoo, my mom and sister came over for the cookout and loved the food. I was pretty worried about it, being my first time grilling out by myself and all. But everything turned out really delicious, and I'm quite proud. Heh. 

Now that we have a grill, I'll probably do this every weekend with other meats. I've wanted to grill a pizza for a while now. Probably wait til the dead of winter to do that. Hahahaha.. 

So I'll go through my recipe books and pick a good'n for you guys. Til then..

Eat up, y'all!

It's my birthday.

Yep. The big 2-9. I don't feel any different. But I am starting to see that I can't still do the same things I could when I was, say...23. I have to take ibuprofen daily if I don't want body aches. My stomach is no longer a garbage disposal, and I actually have to be careful of what I eat. Otherwise, there I am taking more ibuprofen. I should probably start taking something to promote digestive health or something like that.

I couldn't imagine having a baby at 29. My last one was born when I was 27, and that nearly killed me. My mom was 41 when she gave birth to my younger sister. I have no idea how she pulled that one off. I think 29 is the new 40..cuz that's exactly how old I feel.

Anyway, this isn't a post feelin' sorry for myself, I promise. I'm gonna make the most of this year. It's the last year I'll have in my 20's. Next year, I'll be freakin' 30. THIRTY, people! That's when I'll gripe and bitch the most. Lol.

Or..I could just pretend to be 29 for a few more years. Hehe.

Eat up, y'all!

Sea Veggies

Sushi is my favorite food. I mean, above all else, I'll eat sushi for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I never get tired of it. If I could become a sushi, I would. The Rebecca Roll. Lol. I'm absurd..

A few months ago I saw a product at the Kroger here in Shepherdsville called 'Sea Veggies'. It's a healthy seaweed snack made by YangBan, and the package contains 12 sheets of dry seaweed. I figured I'd try it, and if I didn't litke it, hell they're $1.39, so it wouldn't be a total loss. Turns out, I DID like them.

They're really crunchy and salty when you first put them into your mouth, and you get that familiar sushi taste because hey, it's seaweed. After a couple seconds the sheet starts to soften up in your mouth, and becomes chewy. I am SO in love with these things, and I wish I could buy them in bulk. 12 little sheets is not enough! 

My favorite flavor so far is the Sea Salt. They only have one other flavor, and it's Hot Chili. I don't care much for that one, because it's quite hot, and they've made me choke/cough a few times while eating them. Just too much spice. 

If you're a sushi lover, check 'em out. I know they're sold at Kroger stores for $1.39, sometimes cheaper if they're on sale. I can't seem to find the YangBan brand of them at Walmart, and I haven't searched anywhere else for them.  

Influenster Sargento Voxbox

Can I just say WOO FREAKIN' HOO!?

Big news!! I have qualified for Influenster's Sargento Cheese Voxbox. I could not be more excited about this! I recently joined influenster about a month ago, and I've already been chosen for something!

They are sending me a VoxBox containing a voucher redeemable for FREE Sargento Natural Cheese, a coupon for $1-off, and a surprise cheese accesory!! This is SO fun!

All I have to do once I get it is make a video of the unboxing, redeem my coupon, check the product in on Influenster, and write a review on all of my connected social networking sites--including this one! So, hopefully it comes in the mail soon because I am like a kid in a candy store for this type of stuff.

Also, within the next couple of weeks I should be getting the baking kit I won from Internationl Delight's "What's your ID?" contest. Back in May I was notified that I was a sweepstakes winner for the baking kit, which includes a Kitchenaid Mixer, coupons for free creamer, and an International Delight apron. I should have it by the 20th. :)

So many good things this month!!

Plus my birthday is in two days. The big 2-9. Not so much w00t..but I think I could pull offbeing 28 a few more years. Lol.

Eat up y'all!

Crack Dip. (A.K.A. Bacon Cheddar Dip)

Yes, the title is correct. This is called "Crack Dip". Why? Because it's just that addicting. Do not make this unless you're ok with not having leftovers. My brother and his family absolutely love this stuff, so I try to make it for them every chance I get. It's really quite easy to make, and very little cooking involved. Unfortunately, I do not have a photo of my own crack dip to share with you guys because it's never lasted long enough for me to snap a pic. Nonetheless, I'll find one from google. :)

Ingredients

16 oz sour cream (2 cups)
1 packet Ranch Dressing dip mix
3 oz Bacon Bits (in the bag) or Several (more than 7) strips of cooked bacon
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

~~~~Lets stop right there~~~
I do not condone nor endorse the use of bacon bits in this recipe. In my opinion, there is no such substitute for real bacon found on this planet. I guess if you wanted to use turkey bacon, that would be ok. But bacon bits are not the real deal in my opinion. Carry on.

Preparation

Mix together, and refrigerate 24 hours.

Feel free to add or take away from this recipe. It wont *ruin* the dip. Plus, you can ALWAYS double it depending how many people are eating it. And, as always I recommend Tostitos Scoops to dip with. It looks like they're using regular tortilla chips in the photo, but I'm willing to bet it'd be REALLY tasty with some Cool Ranch Doritos. If any of you decide to do this, please let me know in the comments how it turned out. Thanks!

Eat up, y'all!

Bacon Cheeseburger Dip

My specialty is dips. Expect to see many, many posts about dips. It's something EVERYONE enjoys, and there's usually not any leftovers (if you make them right). So anyway, here's a recipe I originally found on pinterest. It's pretty good. When I made it, I added way too much hamburger, so it didn't turn out the way I'd have liked it to, but it was still delicious. Unfortunately, the photo I'm posting isn't my own, but the next time I make it I'll be sure to take a photo for y'all. :)

Bacon Cheeseburger Dip

Servings: 4

Before you do ANYTHING, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. That way you don't have to wait on it after you've prepared all your ingredients.

Ingredients

4oz cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 lb ground beef
6 strips of bacon cut into 1" pieces (or you could use an entire package, lol)
1 small onion, diced
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayo
1/2 cup mozzarella, shredded
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp ketchup

Preparation

1. Brown ground beef, drain, set aside.
2. Cook bacon until crispy, 6-10 minutes (or microwave it for however long you usually cook it), set aside, drain all but 1 tbsp of grease.
3. Add onion & saute until translucent.
4. Add garlic & saute about 4 minutes.
5. In a large bowl, mix ground beef, bacon, onions, garlic, cream cheese, sour cream, mayo, cheeses, worcestershire, and ketchup. Pour into baking dish.
6. Bake 20-30 minutes.

Garnish with diced tomato, bacon, & crispy onions. Or whatever you wanna garnish with. Also, the garnish is totally optional.

Remember, you can ALWAYS alter this recipe for your tastes, and it wont *ruin* the dip. Add more or less of this or that, and feel free to double it depending on how many people you want to feed. Go crazy! And as usual, it is best served with Tostitos Scoops. It's what I ALWAYS use, and they're perfect.

Eat up, y'all!