It's that time of day! It's time for some Good Grub! I thought with the holiday season approaching, I'd share a fun, easy dessert recipe! Mason Jar recipes have been around for awhile and they just look so darn cute and homey on your table after a nice, filling dinner! Not to mention, they're already portioned out!
I'm going to use Martha Stewart's Recipe for Snickerdoodle Cupcakes and then an easy Whipped cream cheese frosting!
You will need a dozen mason jars (or however many guests) which can be purchased at a craft store
Ingredients for a dozen cupcakes
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups cake flour (not self- rising), sifted
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon, plus
1/2 teaspoon for dusting
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 3/4 cups sugar, plus
2 tablespoons for dusting
4 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups milk
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line standard muffin tins with paper liners.
Sift together both flours, baking powder, salt, and 1 tablespoon cinnamon.
With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low.
Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of milk, and beating until combined after each.
Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full.
Bake 20 minutes.
Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes. Cupcakes can be stored up to 2 days at room temperature, or frozen up to 2 months, in airtight containers.
While the cupcakes cool, make your frosting
Ingredients for Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting
1 (8 ounce) package of plain cream cheese, softened
1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups heavy whipping cream
Directions
Combine first three ingredients in a mixer
Once combined, slowly pour heavy whipping cream until mixtures makes stiff peaks
Now the fun part
Once your muffins are cool, cut each in half vertically, so you have a bottom and top
Place a bottom into each jar
Sprinkle with a cinnamon-sugar mixture
Spoon a large dollop of your frosting on top
Squish the top half of the cupcake on top, until it's just about flat
Scoop another large dollop of frosting on top
Sprinkle with more cinnamon-sugar
Serve with a spoon and big smile
This would also be a great gift to give a friend who's having an off day, or take into work for a Secret Santa! Enjoy your Good Grub y'all!
"French Toast Official School Wear™ is America's leading brand of school uniform. Since 1958, our company has provided families with quality children’s wear and boys and girls school uniforms at great prices."
Even if your kids don't wear school uniforms, French Toast offers quality boys and girls shorts, pants, skirts/skorts, jumpers, tops/blouses, sweaters, activewear, outerwear and accessories that can be worn by any student.
My kids do have to wear school uniforms. I absolutely love that I don't have to battle the "I don't know what to wear, I have nothing to wear" war every morning. However, I have another battle to fight....where to find plain navy pants (no cargo pants, no flairs, no design on pockets, etc.), plain white or navy polos with no logos, plain navy cardigans, white blouses with peter pan collars. In August during "back to school" time I can usually find a few pair of plain navy pants, shorts and a few plain white and navy polos. I also had a friend with girls who gave me her hand-me-down uniform clothes, but she moved away. What is a parent to do?
By the end of October all my kids went through a growth spurt and nothing was fitting them anymore. None of the local stores have anything "plain" and the online stores are all sold out. I will ask again, what is a parent to do? To the rescue....French Toast. I was ecstatic when I was able to try out French Toast's uniforms. I selected boys pants, girls peter pan collar blouse, navy cardigan sweater and a navy wind jacket.
Let's start with the pants. My son is very hard on his pants, especially in the knee area. He is also super skinny and we have a hard time finding pants small enough around the waist and long enough for his legs. He also hates the button or snap at top of pants and prefers the slide hook. A slide hook is very hard to in young boys pants. EUREKA! First, the French Toast pants come in slim and still had the hidden adjustable waistband ($16.98), as do the regular and husky sizes. The top of the pants had a slide hook instead of a button or snap....another bonus. Best part, the pants are double knee pants - no more wearing out the knees! French Toast's pants come in eight different colors. French Toast....my hero! By the way, my very fussing son loved the pants and the fit was PERFECT!
We also tried the peter pan collar white blouse ($8.98) that my daughters have to wear with plaid jumpers. We had plenty of short sleeves, but no long sleeves. The French Toast blouse is made out of Wrinkle No More cotton/polyester blend fabric which is a huge hit in our house. We always forgot to get the clothes out of the dryer when it goes off. The blouse fit perfectly too and the girls reported it was nice and soft (not scratchy) against their skin. The classic peter pan collar shirt comes in four different colors (pink, blue yellow and white) and also comes in a modified fit.
With the cold weather coming, we also tried out the French Toast Anti-Pill Crew Neck Cardigan Sweater ($18.98). It is a true traditional crew neck cardigan with dyed-to-match closure and front pockets. It is made out of special anti-pilling acrylic quality material that keeps it looking great throughout the entire school year. It is machine washable too! The girls loved the fit of the sweater and the pockets were a bonus. They liked having something to put their hands into since their jumpers have no pockets. They also reported the sweater was soft and cuddly! My two girls usually think all sweaters are scratchy. The French Toast Anti-Pill Crew Neck Cardigan Sweater come is seven different colors. Holy cow toast...French Toast is 3 for 3 so far!!
Lastly, we are getting a lot of use out of the French ToastThigh Length Nylon Jacket ($23.98). Fall is the perfect time of year for this adorable jacket. It has a polka dot lining, apple zipper pul and fancy pockets. It is cool enough to wear out and about town, not just to school! It is 100% polyester and machine washable. French Toast has several different styles of jackets to choose from. I guess this make French Toast....4 out 4 wins in my house!
Even though we didn't try French Toast's polos, they do offer them in both short and long sleeve and in 4 to 16 colors depending on which of the 18 styles you select. I know where I am headed as soon as spring arrives and I need more short sleeve polos!
French Toast's selection of uniform styles and sizes are second to none, from toddler size uniforms through young adult, French Toast carries over 6,000 individual colors, styles and sizes in stock, all year round! French Toast uniforms can be found at retailers across the nation, or on-line at FrenchToast.com
I am not going to spend anymore of my valuable time driving all over town trying to find clothes that will pass our school uniform code. I am shopping at one stop - online at FrenchToast.com. My school clothes war is over and with French Toast on my side....the battle has been won! Not to mention the price is extremely reasonable and quality is top notch!
Connect! You can connect with French Toast on Facebook, Twitter and/or YouTube. Buy It! You can purchase French Toast at FrenchToast.com prices vary depending on items purchased.
Giveaway! How would you like to win your choice of French Toast - 2 tops and 1 bottom? One lucky reader will win just that from French Toast. To enter the giveaway, please follow all of the directions below. If you don't follow the rules, you can't win!
"GOpromos.com is an on-line service where we help you to "Unleash The Power Of Your Logo" with imprinted promotional products. GOpromos was formed in 1962 by one of the oldest and most trusted writing instrument manufacturers in the country and has been in business for over 40 years. Over 250,000 customers have trusted us to provide them with the best values and highest quality. We have processed well over 350,000 orders; making us one of the most experienced and trusted names for promotional products in the country."
Promotional items are necessary for any business owner. You want to get your name out there as much as you can. By giving your customers a small gift such as promotional keychains, pens or something else, you are letting them know that you value your relationship. They may just pass that product off to another person, or at the very least mention your company to a family member or friend. Word of mouth is key and promotional items are great to always have on hand to pass out.
Gopromos, the promotional items website offers a huge variety of products to help your business grow. Check them out for all of your promotional needs from t-shirts to stress balls.
The Giveaway: How would you like to win 50 Personalized Brightwell Keychains like the ones in the image above? I have a set to give away to one lucky contestant!
To enter the giveaway please follow all of the directions below! If you don't follow the rules, you can't win!
Thank you for joining us this year for our "Winter Wishes" Gift Guide! We have some great gift ideas to share with you and some awesome prizes to give away! Make sure to check back often because this event will run through the New Year! Looking for gift ideas for a specific recipient? You can easily search for categorized gift ideas by clicking the image above and checking out our "Winter Wishes" page.
My kids love to snuggle up on the couch and watch movies. They also like to take pillows and blankets with us on road trips, but sometimes that's just not feasible with the amount of room that's available. When I found out about Zoobies, I was stoked. I just had to get one for Lil Man!
The way that Zoobies work is quite simple and such a genius idea. It starts off as a snuggly stuffed animal. Then you undo the velcro to expose a hidden zipper pouch. Then you have a pillow and a blanket! These are just so adorable, so functional and super soft and cuddly; a perfect gift for any child.
"If his irresistible cute little eyes don't draw you in, Poco's™ cuddly, extra soft fur will. Not only is Poco™ man's best friend, but also sure to be your child's favorite childhood companion. Aside from being a huggable little puppy, Poco™ is also a comfy pillow and super-soft blanket all in one. Perfect for road excursions or just snuggling in bed. Poco™ also makes for the ideal shower gift."
I choose Poco the Pup for my review since Lil Man is a lover of all things dog. When I opened up my package to check him out, I was quite impressed at the soft feel of the fabric and the overall quality of Zoobies. Transforming it from a stuffed animal to a pillow and blanket, then back again was a breeze . Now we have a wonderful snuggly for our family road trip and just cuddling around the house.
Connect: You can connect with Zoobies on Facebook!
Thank you for joining us this year for our "Winter Wishes" Gift Guide! We have some great gift ideas to share with you and some awesome prizes to give away! Make sure to check back often because this event will run through the New Year! Looking for gift ideas for a specific recipient? You can easily search for categorized gift ideas by clicking the image above and checking out our "Winter Wishes" page.
Shea Terra Organics works with groups in Africa to not only provide amazing, organic skincare products, but also to preserve the lands where the ingredients are harvested while providing income for native Africans. The company, which was founded by Tammie Umbel, offers a full line of products ranging from hair conditioning treatments to baby body butter, and everything in between. They even offer a line of fair trade chocolates that sound divine (I would LOVE to try the Dark Chocolate Mint).
Shea Terra sent me a sample jar of the Menthe Cocoa Radical Body Butter Duo to try. It is called a body butter duo because it combines both shea and cocoa butters. This body butter is seriously amazing. The smell alone is reason enough to purchase this product. It smells almost identical to a peppermint patty. I have always loved the mint chocolate combination. Growing up my grandma always had Andes mints and I almost always selected Mint Chocolate Chip when she would take me out for ice cream.
But this product is more than just a pretty scent. It feels amazing too. It only takes a little bit to rejuvenate dry, tired skin. I have been carrying this body butter in my purse for the weeks since it arrived, and I use it daily when my skin needs a little pampering (or I need a little whiff of mint chocolate).
This body butter is the ideal gift for any woman on your list!
I'm going to be writing a review soon for Dearfoams and they were telling me about this wonderful contest they have going on right now until December 2nd! I know that's not very far away, but I'd been kinda half on/half on since Thanksgiving, but there is still time!
And even if you don't want to design a slipper of your own, you can still go vote on the best design so that someone can go home with the Grand Prize and have a very Merry Holiday.
I did not receive anything for this post. Opinions are my own and/or my families and are not influenced by any form of compensation.
Thank you for joining us this year for our "Winter Wishes" Gift Guide! We have some great gift ideas to share with you and some awesome prizes to give away! Make sure to check back often because this event will run through the New Year! Looking for gift ideas for a specific recipient? You can easily search for categorized gift ideas by clicking the image above and checking out our "Winter Wishes" page.
"Performance Designed Products LLC ("PDP") is an industry leader in designing and manufacturing peripherals for all major video game platforms, including Sony PS3, PSP and Playstation Move, Nintendo Wii and DS, and Microsoft XBOX 360 and Kinect."
Handheld video gaming systems are a great little gadget to have. You can game on the go or wherever you like. My top handheld game system is the Nintendo 3DS. It's just an amazing little piece of technology that has come quite a long way since the very first handheld game game out. Protecting it is key though because you wouldn't want to scratch that pretty little thing up or have it break if it drops. That's where NERF Armor for the Nintendo 3DS System comes in.
"Protect your valuable Nintendo 3DS system from bumps and bruises. Authentic, soft, NERF material on the Armor gives you additional grip and comfort while playing."
There are many different options for armor out there, but NERF is by far the coolest in my book. It's soft, sponge like material feels great in the palm of your hand and protects like no other. You can drop it, bang it and the armor itself won't even scratch, let alone harm you 3DS.
The armor itself is very easy to put on your system and can be removed just as easily if for some reason you don't want to use it sometimes. However, ours never comes off. I like our system to be protected! With three different color options, style is key!
Thank you for joining us this year for our "Winter Wishes" Gift Guide! We have some great gift ideas to share with you and some awesome prizes to give away! Make sure to check back often because this event will run through the New Year! Looking for gift ideas for a specific recipient? You can easily search for categorized gift ideas by clicking the image above and checking out our "Winter Wishes" page.
Founded by the father and son team, Mark and Jesse Gordon, the Gordon Grade Coffee company was born out of a love of brewed coffee and a head for business. By combining our backgrounds, industry know-how and adding a dash of innovation, Dr. Drip came to life. With the development of our simple, single cup brewing system and eliminating the need for fancy, expensive equipment we believe we have just what the Doctor ordered.
Dr. Drip Coffee surprised me. It takes a lot to surprise me with coffee as I drink a lot of it (a whole lot). It surprised me because it was good. I've never really been one to like instant coffee, the powder that turns into coffee is not my thing. I want a cup of coffee that came from boiling, steaming hot water poured over beautiful dark earthy grounds. I love the sound of the "Tsssshhhh" it makes as the boiling water hits the cool coffee. So Dr. Drip was something all together new and very inventive. It was somewhat an instant coffee as you could take it on the go and make it wherever convenient, but it was also a drip coffee where you poured hot water into the cone and it made a single serve drip cup! This astounded me. There are four different tastes right now:
The Double Daily Remedy - The Premium Signature Blend
The Ultimate Pick Me Up - Dr. Roasted Sumatran Blend
The Organic Tonic - 100% Organic Blend
Decaf Energizer - Decaffeinated Premium Blend
I love it! This is really great for Moms on the go that don't like the powered instant coffee, which was once our only choice outside of paying $5 for a decent latte. Gordon Grade Coffee is made from 100% superior quality Arabica beans that are carefully selected and roasted, the sip is delightful. It can easily fit into a purse or an overnight bag to go with you wherever you might go! It's the perfect Holiday traveling companion!
Thanks for stopping by and linking up! Although it's not a requirement, it would be great if you could help spread the word about this contest linky by posting my button, tweeting, etc.
Don't forget to let me know if you have a contest linky too. Tell me the day you host it or if it's ongoing, as well as the url to your blog and I will post your button or link in this listing of places to list your contests. There's quite a list compiled already, you might want to check it out!
Here are some of our giveaways that you might want to enter!
"Truvia® natural sweetener is refreshingly uncomplicated. Sprinkle it on your grapefruit. Spoon it in your coffee. It won't end up on your conscience or your thighs.
One packet of Truvia® natural sweetener provides the same sweetness as two teaspoons of sugar. Truvia® natural sweetener is a great alternative for people with diabetes. It is also kosher certified."
I recently had the opportunity to take part in the Truvia challenge. I made some chocolate chip cookies and replaced the sugar with Truvia Natural Sweetener. I did notice the difference because I have never been a fan of the natural sweetener taste. However, the kids didn't even know the difference, until I told them.
The next week, my sister in law came over for some drinks. She saw the Truvia sitting on my counter and asked if she could try some in her drink. She drinks sugar free energy drinks and vodka, so this was a perfect match for her cocktail. She said she really enjoyed the taste and thinks it's a great alternative to sugar since she watches her sugar intake.
She's also a paramedic so is constantly drinking coffee on the go. I sent her home with the box of packets and she's been taking them in the ambulance with her to use in her coffee!
Thank you for joining us this year for our "Winter Wishes" Gift Guide! We have some great gift ideas to share with you and some awesome prizes to give away! Make sure to check back often because this event will run through the New Year! Looking for gift ideas for a specific recipient? You can easily search for categorized gift ideas by clicking the image above and checking out our "Winter Wishes" page.
Founded in 1987, Funrise is an adventurous innovator of superior toys and an industry leader in the manufacturing and distribution of the most popular children's toys. Simply put…we create fun!...Funrise’s success results from its commitment to quality manufacturing, progressive marketing and a values-based corporate culture.
Funrise has a large portfolio of toy brands under their belts. Among them is the leading licensed power brand, Tonka.
It's really not hard to see why Tonka is celebrating it's 65th anniversary next year, with such great toys as the Tonka Strong Arm Line! There are six different Strong Arm trucks, and we were lucky enough to try out the Strong Arm Cement Mixer. The cement mixer has large, treaded tires, a take abuse frame, and requires no batteries, making it a free-wheeling, kid-powered toy! What more could you ask for? How about the Strong Arm lever on the side of each truck? Pull the handle on the cement mixer and watch sparks fly inside the window as the whole truck rumbles to life! Not enough fun? Squeeze the lever as you pull down and watch the cement barrel turn and churn! When you're little one is all done, the barrel comes out for easy clean up!
My son absolutely loves this truck! Although he's a year younger than the recommend age of 3 and up, he has no problems pulling and squeezing the lever. His face just comes alive as he watches the sparks shoot and fly inside the little lever window, I'm sure he could just watch it all day. We haven't "mixed" anything in the barrel yet, but that will be a summer time task once the weather is nice enough for outdoor play again, but he understands the concept. Sonshine has shoved a few tissues inside the barrel and squeezed the lever, watching them spin around and around. As it's a bit larger than most of his other trucks and cars, this has become the mack daddy at pushing around the wee ones. And, even with most of his "cool" toys around, this was the biggest hit with the other boys at his birthday party a couple of weeks ago! We had to promise a few truck play dates with friends!
If none of that convinces you this is the big truck toy for the holiday season, the Tonka Strong Arm Cement Truck has recently won two Dr. Toy awards; 2011 100 Best Children's Product Award and the 10 Best Award! I'm not the only one who thinks this would be great for your rough and tumble son or even a truck loving daughter!
Gift It
You can purchase the Tonka Strong Arm Cement Mixer from Amazon for $34.95 or find a retailer near you here
The Giveaway:
How would you like to win your own Tonka Strong Arm Cement Mixer? I have one to give away to one lucky contestant! To enter the giveaway please follow all of the directions below! If you don't follow the rules, you can't win!
Thank you for joining us this year for our "Winter Wishes" Gift Guide! We have some great gift ideas to share with you and some awesome prizes to give away! Make sure to check back often because this event will run through the New Year! Looking for gift ideas for a specific recipient? You can easily search for categorized gift ideas by clicking the image above and checking out our "Winter Wishes" page.
"One-of-a-kind gaming experiences found nowhere else. Incredible 3D graphics and video. Amazing AR technology, and a whole suite of built-in entertainment. This is what Nintendo 3DS is all about."
We got to know the Nintendo DSi a couple of years ago. The kids have really enjoyed playing with it since and I have taken quite a liking to it as well. Now there's a new kid on the block so to speak and the Nintendo 3DS has taken hand held gaming to a whole new level; an ultimate gaming experience!
After opening the box and checking this little bad boy out, we were all amazed. The 3D technology is just absolutely insane and brings the games to life! It's amazing how clear and vivid everything is on the screen. You can also turn the 3D feature off, which is great because then you can use the regular DS games for it. I love this feature because we have a bunch of games for the regular system and now we can use them all in the 3DS too. No more kids fighting over which one gets to play, because now they both can!
Another tool that I love is the charging cradle. You simply turn the system onto sleep mode and set on the cradle to stay charged.
"Dock your Nintendo 3DS system whenever you are not using it in the included Charging Cradle to keep it powered. You can then leave the system on in Sleep Mode while charging, so that it can communicate via the SpotPass feature at any time of day or night."
Ooooh, and the colors! We can't forget about those. The 3DS come in 3 different colors; Aqua Blue, Flame Red and Cosmo Black. We have the Aqua Blue and the color is so vivid, bright and just gorgeous!
As if all of the amazing new features weren't great enough, the stylus even got an upgrade! The stylus length can be adjusted to anyone's liking by simply pushing or pulling.
Another feature that I love is the Circle Pad. I prefer joysticks in gaming, so this feature is just perfect for me!
"With the Circle Pad, located above the + Control Pad, Nintendo 3DS offers full analog control in 3D game worlds. Combined with the touch screen, traditional buttons, camera and microphone input, and advanced motion control of the Motion Sensor and Gyro Sensor, the potential is extraordinary."
Overall, I am completely impressed with the Nintendo 3DS. They took gaming to a whole new extreme and this is by far the best hand held video system that I've come across. If you're going to buy any hand held system this year, I highly suggest this one. It tops my gift list this holiday season and I am so excited to share it with my kids! Remember that kids aren't the only gamers out there though. I know plenty of men and women that would love one of these!
