Contest winner

Congratulations to Jessica, the winner of the Tupperware Hamburger Press Set.

Jessica said...

I could use the microfiber window cleaning cloth!

November 26, 2008 6:03 PM

Thanks to all who entered.

Blogging

It is really hard to blog every single day. I know I have been slacking lately but I am going to slack for a few more days and hope that my eagerness to blog every day returns. Thanks for understanding!!!! :)

Day off

I only have a little bit to say. The woot-off just ended yesterday afternoon. Unfortunately, I didn't get a bag of crap. Hopefully one day......

Contest to enter

These are the last few days to enter to win a Tupperware Hamburger Press set. Please scroll back a few entries to find out what to do. Good luck!

Recipe

I am too tired to go looking for a recipe...sorry!!!!

woot.com

Since there is a woot-off right now, I thought I would highlight woot.com

Woot sells all kinds of stuff for cheap. They also have t-shirts, wine, and "sell-out".

So far I have only bought 2 t-shirts but they are both hilarious!

If you have been there, go check it out and try to score a "bag of crap" (which is just a grab bag type thing).

Babysitting

My sister used to babysit these two kids we know. For the past few years tho, we have been taking them out to lunch/dinner sometimes just to play.

Yesterday they came over and the older boy (he is 8) played Guitar Hero. It was so cute! He could only play on the beginner level where you only strum, but he loved it. And he knew some of the songs. He and his 5 year old sister got really excited about "One Way or Another" by Blondie. They both started singing it before he even played it.

Too cute!

Fakery Bakery 2

I recently came across an etsy shop named "The Fakery Bakery 2."

They have the cutest jewelry in the shape of food.

I really like the "Death by Chocolate Cake" earrings which you can see here and the "Chocolate Donut" necklace which you can see here.

To check out everything for sale, click here.

Wii Fit

Even tho I haven't been on my Wii Fit for a while, it's awesome! I spent weeks (if not months) trying to get one, but it was well worth it.

The Wii Fit has tons of fun exercises, that's a given. But it also keeps track of your weight, BMI and tons of other stuff.

It also helps to improve things like your balance and posture.

If you are looking for a way to change up your workout routine, look no further than the Wii Fit.

Contest to enter

I am still running a contest on my blog. Scroll down for your chance to win a Tupperware Hamburger Press set. We have one in my house and use it all the time!!!!!

Oops..I got my days confused. So today I will blog about a website I like. As you can probably tell, I love getting stuff for free.

Wal-mart has a page of just freebies that you can order over the internet. I have gotten so many great samples of great products from there. And I love getting to try stuff out before buying the full-size product.

To check out Wal-mart's freebie page, click here.

Toffee Miniature Bundt Pound Cakes

I love how many recipes get delivered to my inbox every year at this time. Cooking.com sent me this wonderful recipe for Toffee Miniature Bundt Pound Cakes. They sound delicious and don't look too tricky to make! If anyone makes them before I do, let me know how they turn out!

RECIPE INGREDIENTS For the Miniature Bundt Pound Cakes: 2 1/2 cups cake flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature 2 1/2 cups sugar 6 large eggs 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 1 cup heavy whipping cream 3/4 cup toffee bits For the Brown Sugar Glaze: 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar 1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter

DIRECTIONS FOR THE POUND CAKES: Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. Generously butter and flour 10 miniature bundt cake pans (about 1 cup capacity each). Sift flour and salt into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until fluffy. Gradually add sugar and beat until well blended, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating until well blended after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Beat in flour mixture alternately with whipping cream in 3 additions each until blended. Stir toffee bits into Bundt cake batter. Divide mixture among prepared bundt pans (about scant 3/4 cup batter for each). Bake until tester inserted near center comes out clean, about 38 to 40 minutes. Cool on rack in pans 15 minutes. Cut around sides of pan to loosen cakes. Turn out onto rack and cool completely. FOR THE BROWN SUGAR GLAZE: Sift powdered sugar into medium bowl. Stir sugar, cream and butter in medium saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves and butter melts. Increase heat and bring to boil. Boil 3 minutes, stirring occasionally (mixture will bubble vigorously). Pour mixture over powdered sugar. Whisk until icing is smooth, about 1 minute. Cool until lukewarm and icing falls in heavy ribbons from spoon, about 20 minutes. Makes about 1 3/4 cups. Drizzle icing generously over mini Bundt cakes. Let stand until icing is set. Store in airtight container at room temperature up to 1 day.

Yield: Makes about 10

All about Black Friday

A few years ago, I discovered the wonderful day after Thanksgiving called "Black Friday". What could be better than waking up in the middle of the night to battle huge crowds and wait in endless lines just to get a good deal?

This year it was my dad's turn to accompany me. He got a break since I didn't want to go to any of the stores that opened at 4 or 5 am. So at a little before 6 am, we departed for Target. Target had Guitar Hero World Tour with a guitar for the Wii for only 59.00. We got there right before they opened and didn't want to attempt to find the end of the line, so we waited with the small crowd who also didn't want to wait in the big line. Well, a lovely woman in the big line got very angry that we weren't in a line (but by no means were any of us trying to cut) so the employee made us form a new (secondary) line. By the time we got in, I swear hundreds of people had gone in before us. I was convinced they would be out. As we walked over to the electronics department (they had maps of the store printed), I heard a lady say something about "wii" and "out of stock" so I was even more convinced they were out. When we got to the department it was a crazy mob scene. The shelf was empty of Guitar Hero. I turned the corner down (where there was room) and saw employees handing out Guitar Heros from the back room. Success! I shoved my dad up to the front of that and he got one. Woohoo!!!!!!!

I also bought some rings from Claire's, books and movies from various stores, and half-priced jeans at Old Navy. By the time we got home around noon I was super tired!

But then I went and got a haircut (she cut 6 inches and no one can tell). Later we went for Chinese buffet but it wasn't anything magnificent.

Wow..what a day!!!

aPassionForFashion Etsy Shop

I recently won a fabulous gift certificate to Jennifer Meyers' etsy shop (aPassionForFashion).

She has so many great items for sale, it was really hard to choose what I wanted. I finally decided on a really cool red etched butterfly pendant. It is just so pretty!!!!

Jennifer also has earrings, bracelets, wallets, and more.

To see her great shop, click here.

Thursday Contest

Normally I post a contest on Thursday, but I just posted a contest I am doing yesterday and I am getting ready to go to my Aunt's house for Thanksgiving.

So if you want more contests, check out my other blog Becca's Contest List.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Tupperware Hamburger Press Freezer Set giveaway

Audrey from MyDirectSales.com is sponsoring a giveaway of a Tupperware Hamburger Press Freezer Set. This gadget helps you make the perfect burgers, every time!

For your first (and mandatory) entry into this contest, go to Audrey's Tupperware page and come back and comment with your favorite "New This Month" item. Please make sure to leave your email address if it isn't visible on your blogger profile.

To earn extra entries you can (please leave a comment for each additional entry):

1) Become a follower of my blog (please don't do anonymous, i have to be able to see you)
2) Leave a RELEVANT comment on any of my old blog posts
3) Blog about this contest (and comment with the url)
4) Make a purchase from Audrey's site (not mandatory but worth 5 extra entries!)

This contest is open to anyone with a US mailing address. Contest ends Sunday, December 14th at midnight PST. Winner will be picked and notified by email on December 15th.

Broccoli Fish Bake

Can you see that I like broccoli? The other night for dinner, we tried a Broccoli Fish Bake. It was really tasty! The recipe is below.

Ingredients:

1 pkg. (about 10 oz.) frozen broccoli spears, cooked and drained OR 1 lb. fresh broccoli, cut into spears, cooked and drained

1 lb. fresh or thawed frozen firm white fish fillet (cod, haddock or halibut)

1 can (10 3/4 oz.) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Broccoli Soup (Regular or 98% Fat Free)

1/3 cup milk

1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

2 tbsp. dry bread crumbs

1 tsp. butter, melted

1/8 tsp. paprika

Directions:

ARRANGE broccoli in 2-qt. shallow baking dish. Top with fish. Mix soup and milk and pour over fish. Sprinkle with cheese.

MIX bread crumbs, butter and paprika and sprinkle on top. Bake at 450°F. for 20 min. or until fish is done.

Serves 4.

TheBlackFriday.com

I was browsing the web and found a link to TheBlackFriday.com

This site has a ton of ads up or lists of products if they don't have scans of the ad.

I am so excited to have an idea of where I want to go before super early Friday morning.

To check out the site, click here.

Good things are coming...

Since nothing overly exciting has happened recently, I am going to write about what's coming up.

An online friend whom I have never met or spoken to off the computer is supposed to be in town today. We are hopefully going out to lunch or dinner. I am so excited to finally meet him!!!

After today and tomorrow, I am off of work until next Monday...woohoo!!!!

Black Friday will hopefully be amazing. The thing I really want is Guitar Hero World Tour for the Wii. Wish me luck!

JesseJanes's Etsy Shop

A few weeks ago I was browsing j j's etsy shop and realized I had to buy some Scrabble tile pendants from her! She has so many great pendants (and not just Scrabble tiles..she has bamboo too!!)! I ended up getting one for my mom for a holiday gift, a purple and white owl design and a night scene of the moon coming up. They are all gorgeous! She also has items like magnets, tins and necklace chains.

To check out her shop, click here.

Below are some examples of her work....

Fresco Restaurant

When I worked at Blockbuster, I worked next door to a great restaurant called Fresco. I ate there almost every day!

About 6 months ago they opened a new location much closer to my house. I was hesitant to go there but thrilled to discover I already knew the owner. I have to say...this location is just as good as the other one! The food is almost exactly the same and the employees are really friendly.

It's so nice when multiple locations of the same restaurant are all great!

Day off

I don't have to blog today LOL My real life day isn't going to be the most exciting ever. I am babysitting for 4 hours this morning and then I have an hour long meeting at work. Then I plan to come home and enter contests so that I can win more fun prizes!

One Norton PC Tune-up service valued at $69.99

The Computer Lady, Sweetie's Sweeps and Shopping Gems are all giving away One Norton PC Tune-up service valued at $69.99.

On each site you leave a comment for your first entry. You can earn up to 8 or 9 extra entries on each site by following the directions for earning extra entries.

To enter at The Computer Lady, click here.
To enter at Sweetie's Sweeps, click here.
To enter at Shopping Gems, click here.

Each contest ends Monday, November 24th at 11:50 pm EST.

Artichoke Spinach Lasagna

I found this great recipe on Betty Crocker's website and it is delicious!

1	medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
4	cloves garlic, finely chopped
1	can (14 oz) vegetable broth
1	tablespoon chopped fresh or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves
1	can (14 oz) artichoke hearts, drained, coarsely chopped
1	box (9 oz) Green Giant® frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed to drain
1	jar (15 to 17 oz) roasted garlic Parmesan or Alfredo pasta sauce
9	uncooked lasagna noodles
3	cups shredded mozzarella cheese (12 oz)
1	package (4 oz) crumbled herb-and-garlic feta cheese (1 cup)
	Rosemary sprigs, if desired
	Lemon wedges, if desired

1.	Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray.
2.	Spray 12-inch skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; cook about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onion is crisp-tender. Stir in broth and rosemary. Heat to boiling. Stir in artichokes and spinach; reduce heat. Cover; simmer 5 minutes. Stir in pasta sauce.
3.	Spread 1/4 of the artichoke mixture in bottom of baking dish; top with 3 noodles. Sprinkle with 3/4 cup of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers twice. Spread with remaining artichoke mixture; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle with feta cheese.
4.	Cover and bake 40 minutes. Uncover and bake about 15 minutes longer or until noodles are tender and lasagna is bubbly. Let stand 10 to 15 minutes before cutting. Garnish with rosemary sprigs and lemon wedges.
High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): Heat oven to 375°F. Cover; bake 45 minutes. Uncover; bake about 15 minutes longer.

Snopes.com

Have you ever heard a rumor and not known whether to believe it? Snopes.com is the website to confirm or deny these rumors.

For example, do you keep hearing rumors about stores going bankrupt, closing all their stores etc? Click here to read the true facts that snopes has accumulated.

If you ever have a question about something you hear, make snopes.com the first website you check with!

Jewelry Making Class

This semester, my mom and I wanted to do beading at Adult Ed. Unfortunately, the class is Wednesday night, which is the only night I work. So instead, we did jewelry making. This jewelry making class is one of the hardest things I have ever done. After about 12 weeks, I have made a plain silver band, a copper keychain, and I am finishing a silver pendant with a stone tonight. My feeling of accomplishment at the end of the projects is amazing, but the process is painful!

Mattieleas Etsy Shop

I recently won 4 monster magnets from the Mattieleas Etsy Shop. I love them! They are super cute and have been on my fridge since I received them.

She also has tons of cute jewelry like necklaces, bracelets, rings and earrings.

To check out her shop, click here.

Kate Voegele - Don't Look Away

Today is my day to do a product review...so I'm hoping talking about a CD counts. I was watching "One Tree Hill" this week and Kate Voegele (Mia) sang. I was reminded of how amazing her voice is. I went out and bought her CD the very next day. Every song she sings is as good as the next. I don't often spend money on CDs but I am really glad I bought this one!

New Blog of contests

Instead of posting just one contest, I am going to suggest everyone go check out my new blog, Becca's Contest List. Right now I am only posting contests that let you blog for an extra entry.

Click here to go see it.

Chicken Enchiladas

My Auntie Karen has the best chicken enchilada recipe I have ever tasted! It is below...

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

3 cans cream of chicken soup
1 4-ounce can diced green Ortega chiles
1 cup sour cream
1 soup can of milk
diced cooked chicken
2 dozen tortillas
Monterey Jack or longhorn cheese, grated

Mix soup, chiles, sour cream, and milk together in a large skillet. Heat until it bubbles. Remove from heat and dip tortillas into mixtures one at a time. Place chicken onto tortillas and roll, then place into a baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Cover with foil. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, sprinkle with grated cheese, and serve with additional sour cream and guacamole, if desired.

Mytopia.com

I love online games at sites like pogo.com and games.yahoo.com so when my grandma saw an ad for a new gaming site, she immediately thought of me. She said I HAD to go try it out so I did just to make her happy.

The site is sooooo cute! It is really new still but what's there is great. I tried out a few of the games and liked them all. I've been trying to convince people I know to sign up but haven't had any luck yet. Maybe some of you could sign up and we could play games against each other!

To check out mytopia.com, click here.

The Changeling

The other night I went to "The Changeling" with a friend. It was between that and "High School Musical 3" lol.

Wow, I am so glad we picked "The Changeling". It was an amazing movie. Yet again, Angelina Jolie was brilliant. I have never seen her not do a FANTASTIC job.

It was a little bit long but I didn't even notice until the movie was over and I checked the time.

If you are going to see a movie anytime soon, consider this one!

DasheDesigns' Etsy Shop

I recently entered a contest to win a piece of jewelry from Funda's Etsy shop called DasheDesigns.

She just opened her Etsy shop in April of this year and the pieces are fantastic! Her pieces are slightly more expensive than most of the shops I go to but this is because they are way more intricate and made of higher quality materials.

A few pieces I love are the Antalya bracelet, The Miami necklace, the Prague earrings in shaded grey and the Virginia Beach earrings in Blue III.

To check out her shop, click here.

Lindt Truffles

A few months ago, I read a blog post about Lindt Peanut Butter truffles. I love their other flavors of truffles but had never heard of peanut butter ones. I looked all over for them and couldn't find them.

About a week ago I finally found them and was so excited! I bought them even though I still have a ton of Halloween candy left over.

THEY ARE SO AMAZING! I love peanut butter and I love chocolate...and I love these new truffles. If you haven't tried them, you need to.

To check out their website, click here.

Day off

Today is my day off but I would love for everyone to start following my new blog at http://www.beccascontestlist.blogspot.com

I am going to list cool contests there.

Thanks!

Win a Trip to Italy

Better Homes and Gardens is giving away a trip for two to Italy in the form of a $5,000 check. Second prize is a Better Homes and Gardens cookbook (which is also an awesome prize.

As someone who loves to travel and to cook, I would be so excited to win either of these things.

To enter the contest, click here.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

One of my favorite foods ever is broccoli cheese soup. Below is a great recipe to make this soup for yourself. Go check out Audrey's Recipe Barn for more great recipes!

1 small onion, diced
1 - 10 ounce package of frozen chopped broccoli
2 cups of milk
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup shredded cheddar or monterey jack cheese
2 chicken bouillon cubes
3 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

In a large saucepan, cook the onion in butter until tender. Stir in flour, salt, and pepper until blended. Add milk. Cook until thickened, about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add cheese and stir until melted. Remove from heat. In medium saucepan, dissolve bouillon cubes in water. Bring to a boil, add broccoli, and cook till broccoli is tender. Do not drain. Add broccoli and the cooking liquid to the cheese mixture, and stir until blended.

Momgiveaways.com

Even though I am not a mom yet, my mom introduced me to a great site for contests.

Courtney at www.momgiveaways.com has a whole group of volunteers posting contests all day every day! There are contests in every category you could imagine.

I am on this site almost every day and I love it!!

To check out Courtney's site, click here.

Bloggy Carnival - A Winner is Chosen

Thank you to all 1086 of you who entered for the $20 Starbucks giftcard. The winner is....

Lisa @ Little Slice of Life

Bloggy Carnival Giveaway - $20 Starbucks Gift Card

As part of the Bloggy Carnival giveaway, I am giving away a $20 Starbucks gift card to one lucky reader.

To enter, leave a comment with your favorite Starbucks drink or treat. For a second entry, subscribe to my blog and leave a separate comment saying you subscribed.

Open to U.S. only. Entrants must be 18 or older. Contest ends Friday, October 31, 2008 at 11:59 pm PST.

More giveaways at the Bloggy Giveaways Quarterly Carnival!

Sorry for not posting

Life has been super busy lately.

I am going to wait to post again until Monday morning when I will be putting up my bloggy carnival contests.

To see what the bloggy carnival is all about, click here.

Puppy Chow - for humans

Sorry for slacking, I recently had a friend move in and things have been really busy!!!!

A few years ago a friend brought a dessert called "puppy chow" to work. It is amazing and addicting!!!!! If you love chocolate and/or peanut butter, you HAVE to try this.

CHEX MIX PUPPY CHOW

9 cup Chex
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup butter
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Put cereal in large bowl. Melt chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour over Chex cereal, put into a large plastic bag with powdered sugar and shake well to coat. Spread mixture evenly on wax paper and allow to cool.

Sunday's Etsy Shop Review - Mood Wax

I love delicious smelling candles. They are a million times better than cans of air freshener spray.

Mood Wax Candle etsy shop has amazing scents on their candles. A few examples are Lemon Poundcake and Pumpkin Spice Latte.

To check out the shop, click here.

Olay In-Shower Body Lotion

I have really dry skin, but I hate the feel of lotion on my skin. A while back, I received a sample of Olay in-shower body lotion.

IT IS AMAZING!!!!!!

It works almost as well as regular lotion but it doesn't have the slimy residue on my hands as well as wherever I put on the lotion.

I use it every day and it is worth every penny!

To read a bit more about it, click here.

Win an Oreck XL Gold

5minutesformom.com is giving away a pink special edition vacuum cleaner. I have a VERY fluffy dog who sheds a ton so I always love new vacuum cleaners.

To enter this great contest, click here.

Falafel

I just missed posting on Wednesday, but since I think the day doesn't change until you wake up, it's still Wednesday in my book.

I was just talking about falafel with a friend so I decided to post a recipe for it for today. I've never tried it so if you do try it, let me know how it is. Many comments said to add a bit more flour.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hours, 45 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dried chickpeas or 16 oz. can of chickpeas or garbanzo beans.
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 3 tablespoons of fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 2 tablespoons flour
• Salt
• Pepper
• Oil for frying

Preparation:

Place dried chickpeas in a bowl, covering with cold water. Allow to soak overnight. Omit this step if using canned beans.

Drain chickpeas, and place in pan with fresh water, and bring to a boil.

Allow to boil for 5 minutes, then let simmer on low for about an hour.

Drain and allow to cool for 15 minutes.

Combine chickpeas, garlic, onion, coriander, cumin, salt and pepper (to taste) in medium bowl. Add flour.

Mash chickpeas, ensuring to mix ingredients together. You can also combine ingredients in a food processor. You want the result to be a thick paste.

Form the mixture into small balls, about the size of a ping pong ball. Slightly flatten.

Fry in 2 inches of oil at 350 degrees until golden brown (5-7 minutes).

Serve hot.

Serving Suggestion
Falafel can be served as an appetizer with hummus and tahini, or as a main course. Stuff pita bread with falafel, lettuce, tomatoes, tahini, salt and pepper. As an alternative, falafel can be formed into patties and served like a burger.

Serves 4.

Pogo.com

A few years ago, a friend convinced me to buy a club pogo membership. It is a bit expensive (30 or 40 a year) but that comes down to only a few dollars a month and it is really fun. They have tons of games only available to club pogo members and the games are all pretty fun.

I don't get a referral bonus or anything but to check them out click here.

I don't want any sympathy....

I don't want any sympathy....I just want to tell everyone about the craziness of the last week.

Wednesday morning we went to my grandparents' house in Los Angeles for Yom Kippur.

On Thursday, my aunt told us they were rushing out to California (from Denver) to try to see her father-in-law before he died. The father-in-law died on their drive out here.

My mom and I decided to go down for the funeral which was scheduled for Sunday. My grandparents live in Los Angeles so we headed down Saturday morning to spend some time with them.

Saturday afternoon, my grandpa was feeling so sick he went to the emergency clinic. They sent him to the ER. After about 6 hours in ER, he was admitted as a patient and given a room in the real hospital. Once he finally got a room, my grandma and I went home so I could get some sleep before the funeral the next morning.

Sunday morning around 4:30 am, I woke up with food poisoning. I tried to ignore it and went back to sleep for about an hour. But then I couldn't take it anymore. But...I still went to the funeral because I wanted to be there for my aunt and my family.

Now my grandpa may or may not be needing surgery so we may be going back down to LA tomorrow.

SweetSpice's Etsy Shop

I recently entered a contest where the prize came from SweetSpice's Etsy Shop.

They have tons of awesome products like soaps, lotions, body frostings and more.

Their products are way cheaper than the corporate stores.

All of the products come in amazing scents.

To check out their store, click here.

Saturday's Product Review - HP Laptops

Sorry for not blogging yesterday...I had a bit of a family emergency.

About a year ago, my sister and I both bought brand new HP laptops. We have had nothing but trouble!

Her biggest problem was a faulty hard drive...she lost everything! The only good thing was that her replacement hard drive came quickly.

My biggest problem was a faulty battery, it wouldn't recharge. It took months for them to send a replacement, thankfully the replacement works. Smaller problems are the mouse click buttons peeling away and they keyboard keys peeling away.

We both have a big overheating problem also. I recently had to buy a cooling fan because it was shutting off every time I used it for more than an hour.

People go back and forth about which laptop is the best, will last the longest, etc. I have to say I don't think I will buy a HP laptop ever again.

Day off

Today is my day off but I just wanted to say hi LOL

Old Navy Contest

I love Old Navy so the contest I am posting today is for Old Navy giftcards. The grand prize winner will get a $2500 giftcard and each daily winner will get a $200 giftcard.

To enter the contest, click here.

The Merlin Menu - Blog and recipes

I have recently found a blog with amazing recipes. I can't wait to try most of the recipes on his blog. I am going to share the Peanut Butter Swirl brownies recipe. I love peanut butter brownies and I love cream cheese swirl brownies so I am really excited to try the two combined.

Chocolate:

1/2 cup butter
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tsp espresso powder (my addition)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla

Peanut Butter:

1 8-oz package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk (I used cream)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8x8-inch pan.

To make the chocolate portion, melt the butter and chocolate together in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time. Melting chocolate in the microwave is the way to go but it's easy to burn it, so watch it carefully. Let cool slightly.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt and espresso powder and set aside.

Whisk the sugar into chocolate mixture. Add the eggs, and whisk until the mixture is smooth. Stir in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture and stir until well incorporated. Pour into prepared pan.

For the peanut butter part, beat together all the ingredients until smooth and creamy. Now in the original recipe from Southern Grace she layered the peanut butter on top of the brownie layer and I decided to swirl it together instead. Although mine came out great, the peanut butter mixture is a bit thin, even after baking, so NEXT time I make these, I'm going to put part of the brownie mix in the dish, part of the peanut butter, swirl it around and then repeat the process on top of that first swirled layer. Just my preference after trying them simply swirled.

Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. (I found they needed to be baked close to an hour for my preference for doneness) Cool completely before cutting. Cut in squares and serve. Enjoy, and thanks to Southern Grace for this great recipe.

A great crockpotting blog

A friend introduced me to a great blog a few months ago. Stephanie, the blog owner, is using her crockpot every day for an entire year.

She has put up tons of great recipes. She has made whole meals at one time, entrees, side dishes, desserts, play dough...just about everything you can think of!

If you need some inspiration to use your crockpot, just go check out her blog.

Click here to go to her blog.

Dogs and Skunks = BAD

I housesit for two adorable dogs. They have a dog door so I don't notice too much when they are in or out. Last night I was eating dinner when I noticed the one dog "Latke" had been outside for a long time. All of a sudden my dad and I smelled the awful smell of skunk. I called Latke in right away and while he didn't smell like roadkill skunk, he smelled gross.

I called their owner and asked what to do. He gave me the name of his groomer. I called today and gee, they are closed on Monday. I have to live with a stinky dog for another day. Hopefully I can drop off Latke first thing tomorrow morning. I feel sorry for the little guy!

HomeStudio's etsy shop

I recently entered a contest for a Scrabble Tile Pendant from Mark and Stefani's etsy shop.

They have tons of awesome pendants including ones for Halloween and ones from the "Twilight" series.

They are having a free shipping sale right now but I don't know how long it will last.

To check out their shop, click here.

Tupperware Vent N Serve containers

I LOVE Tupperware's vent n serve (formerly heat n serve) containers. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes so there is a container for your every cooking/storing need.

They are microwave safe so they don't get ruined (LOOK GROSS) after using them multiple times. They also have neat little red things (vents?) that you can pull out so the closed container doesn't "explode" like it does with cheap imitation Tupperware.

To view this product and other Tupperware products, check out Audrey's Tupperware site by clicking here.

Dirty Sexy Money contest

Since I ran out of time to blog yesterday and today is normally a day off, I will do yesterday's blog post today...

I love the TV show "Dirty Sexy Money". The premiere of season 2 on Wednesday night was really good!!!! If anyone hasn't seen it, TheHDRoom is giving away the box set of season 1. You can enter every day just by filling out the form on the website.

Click here to go to the contest entry page.

Crescent roll churros

I actually found this recipe on startsampling.com. I made and it my family and I really enjoyed it.

Just four ingredients in a speedy version of the crispy Mexican classic, cinnamon sugar-sprinkled churros.

Prep Time: 15 min
Start to Finish: 30 min
Makes: 12 churros

Ingredients

2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted


Directions

Heat oven to 375F. In small bowl, mix sugar and cinnamon; set aside. Unroll dough; separate into 4 rectangles. Press each to 6x4-inch rectangle, pressing perforations to seal.

Brush tops of 2 rectangles with melted butter; sprinkle with about half of the sugar mixture. Top each with remaining rectangle; press edges lightly. Brush tops with melted butter.

With sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut each rectangle stack lengthwise into 6 strips. Twist each strip 3 times; place on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown and crisp. Brush tops with any remaining melted butter; sprinkle with remaining sugar mixture.

High Altitude (3500-6500 ft):No change.

Source: Pillsbury

Click here to go to the page with the recipe.

Startsampling.com

I have been visiting startsampling.com for years now. They have contests, samples, coupons, recipes, household tips and more.

I have tried a few of their recipes and they have all been great. I have received multiple samples from them..and the samples always come!

Go check them out by clicking here.

Diet

I'm having a hard time keeping to a healthy diet lately, so I decided to try something new. I am only going to eat dessert every other day. I love sugar, but I eat way too much of it. So far I have only done sugar-free days twice, but it actually wasn't that hard. I craved sugar less when I hadn't had any all day.

Does anyone have any other "easy" ideas?

Etsy shop owned by anniepoo

I recently entered a contest where the prize was soap from the etsy shop owned by anniepoo. She makes tons of cute soap in many different shapes. Some of my favorites are the 4th of July soapsicles, Fleur de Lis in black tea, pumpkin soap and maple leaf soaps. The soaps are all very reasonably priced.

To visit her shop, click here.

Campbell's Microwavable Soups

I love Campbell's new microwavable soups. I have tried the "chicken noodle" and "homestyle chicken noodle" flavors. Both are delicious!

I love how easy they are to make. You don't have to add any water. You just pull out the metal thingie and microwave it.

I have to admit though, since I try to buy everything on sale, I only buy these when they are on sale for $1 each.

To see all the varieties, go to Campbell's website by clicking here.

Day off

I'm out of ideas for my blog. I want to have a theme each day and I can't think of one for today so I am taking a "day off". Please leave comments with ideas!

Cool contest - win a webkinz pug

I entered a cool contest today to win a webkinz pug stuffed animal. I love stuffed animals and pugs so I would love to win this, but I also want to tell people about it. To enter, go to http://www.halloween-coloring.com/contest/ and fill out the form.

Good luck!

Hash Brown Casserole

One of my favorite things to make and eat is hash brown casserole. It is basically cheesy potato goodness. Everyone who tries it loves it. The recipe is:

2 pound bag of frozen hash brown potatoes
2 tablespoons minced onion
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 pint sour cream
2 cups shredded cheese
1 stick of butter, melted
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Pour into a 9x12 baking dish. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until tender and golden brown.

Note: substitute cream of broccoli soup for the mushroom soup for a different flavor

Note 2: substitute low/non fat sour cream and/or cheese for a healthier version

Online-sweepstakes.com

A few years ago, someone told me about a website with contests to enter. I checked it out and started entering contests sometimes.

A few months ago, someone told me you could buy a paid membership on this site to get more contest listings. By this time I was entering contests every day. I decided that I would try it for one year and figured that the worst that could happen would be "throwing away" $30.

It turned out to be a great investment. My best prize from a premium contest was a trip to New Orleans. They paid our airfare, hotel, one dinner out, concert tickets, facials and massages, and our transportation to and from the airport. I have also won movie posters, shirts and more.

If you ever want to enter some contest, go to www.online-sweepstakes.com and look around.

Exercising

As some of you know, I have been exercising and trying to eat healthy (which is harder than exercising). I have lost weight which is good, but I have more to go. Our exercise routine has gotten really boring, as we do a day of machines, a day of cardio, and then back to machines.

I have done three things to change things up:

1) I have switched my cardio from the elliptical to this machine that is a treadmill with two sides that both move separately. It burns more calories and it's nice to be on a new machine.

2) Instead of doing 3 sets on a machine and then going to the next machine, I am now doing what I think is called "circuit training". As soon as I am done on one machine I go to the next machine. I do 3 complete rotations of the machines.

3) I tried a step class on Saturday morning. It kicked my butt! It was really challenging (there were a few moves I couldn't get down) but also really fun.

Hopefully these new things will help me to get into even better shape!

Etsy shops

I recently had my first two buying experiences on etsy. Both shop owners were great and all the products I received were great.

One of the shop owners is Ruthie. She has tons of necklaces, bracelets, earrings and more. I ordered a bracelet and 2 pairs of earrings from her. They arrived promptly and Ruthie was great to work with. I will definitely order from her in the future.

Angelica and Heather own the other shop. They sell jewelry, pouches, pins and more. I ordered 2 pairs of earrings from them. They arrived very quickly and were gorgeous. I will order from them again for sure.

To go to Ruthie's shop, click here

To go to Angelica and Heather's shop, click here

Fiber One Oats & Chocolate Bar

I just tried the Fiber One Oats & Chocolate Bar I received in the mail this week. It tastes even better than it smells! I'm a chocolate lover so the chocolate chunks in the middle and chocolate drizzle on top are great. It even has 35% of your daily fiber needs. This bar was delicious and I would definitely buy it.

Click here to go to their web page.

First Entry

I finally have my own published blog. Yay! I hope to update every day if I can remember. I think I will mainly post contests I like and samples I have received and like but we shall see.