You may have noticed it's a little bit quiet around here today, and for good reason: At midnight, the HUGE In Honor Of The Tatas event goes live, and I just spent almost 4 hours getting my giveaway post drafted! So my brain hurts right now,haha. In the meantime, before I take a much needed break from the computer, I have a few winners to announce!
PonyUp!Kentucky: Beth H. That's It: Cori H. itty bitty HeartBeats: Madeline J. Congrats, ladies! You've all been e-mailed and have 48 hours to claim your prizes. Thanks to everyone who entered, and be sure to stop back by tonight for a MASSIVE giveaway!
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So I have been toying with the idea of having a weekly recipe feature here on NCMO3. The best part? I want to try YOUR recipes! Of course, I will add some of my own as well. If you'd like to see YOUR recipe featured here, please e-mail me HERE. Photos would be awesome, too!
One of my Facebook friends, Pauline, gave me this recipe for an amazing and super easy Sweet & Sour sauce! This can be used as a marinade for chicken and other proteins, too! I tried it with some homemade meatballs and it was to die for. I plan on also trying this with some bite sized chicken breasts in a stir-fry! Here's Pauline's sauce recipe as well as my meatball recipe. Evie's Sweet & Sour Sauce: Ingredients:
Directions: Mix ingredients. Adjust if you want the sauce sweeter or more sour (add more brown sugar, add more vinegar). Brandy's Meatballs...and no, I am not talking Deena and Snooki!: Ingredients:
Directions:
As many of you know, I am a huge fan of organic products, especially when it comes to beauty and body care items. There are so many hazardous ingredients that are commonly used in conventional products like parabens, pthalates, and other nasty additives that have been shown to be harmful over prolonged usage. One way to avoid these ingredients is to choose organic or natural products. A good rule of thumb I stand by is to look at the ingredients in a product. If I can't pronounce most of them, chances are, the product is full of chemicals and may not be the best choice. I know I don't like slathering myself in chemicals, and I definitely don't like using such products on my children. That's why I was excited to learn about the Green Beaver line of products. Green Beaver is a wonderful company that makes a wide variety of personal care products like shampoo, conditioner, body wash, lotion, and even toothpaste! They even have some delicious looking lip shimmers as well as a line of products made specifically with children in mind. All of Green Beaver's products are certified organic, gluten-free, vegan, biodegradable, and are never, ever tested on animals. These products also contain absolutely no parabens whatsoever. I received an assortment of Green Beaver products to try for myself. I was quite excited when they arrived, since I chose the Fresh Mint scented product line. I don't know if you've ever used Mint shampoo or conditioner, but it's definitely an invigorating and luxurious experience. I have made my own hair rinse out of fresh mint and rosemary before, and it leaves the hair shiny and gorgeous. I have a TON of winners to announce! Here we go!
Betty Crocker: Becca iQ Cleaners: Diana Ahh Bra: Heather S. Yandy: Jenn Hapari: Lori B. Disney: Melissa Fill In The Blankie: Peggy Say No To Auto: Lisa W. Congrats! I have already e-mailed all of you, and you've got 48 hours to claim your prizes! Thanks to everyone who entered, and be sure to check out all of my current giveaways for more chances to win! Also, just a reminder that I have 2 BIG events coming very soon, the In Honor Of The Tatas event and Win Your Gifts! Be sure to get those early entries in now! They say that "Some Like It Hot." Well, in my house, this is the absolute truth! We are HUGE fans of heat, and are always on the lookout for new hot sauces that can bring the fire and flavor. Too often, I will get excited about a hot sauce because it looks truly make-your-eyebrows sweat spicy, and then I will be thoroughly disappointed because while it may be hot, it's completely one noted. No one likes a sauce that offers nothing but burn! You have to have some more complex flavors brought in not only to balance out the spiciness but also to lend it some flavor. That's why I was so intrigued by the line of gourmet hot sauces over at Scotty B's. Scotty B's has been taking the chili-head world by storm with their exciting line of sauces, and has even won several awards for offering that fiery punch we all crave along with some unique flavor profiles that are anything but ordinary. With flavors like Berries in Heat, Sweet Habanero, and the intimidating Nemesis, you're in for a flavor explosion of epic proportions. Can you handle the heat? We were up to the challenge! I received the 2 newest flavors in the Scotty B's lineup to try for myself, the tantalizing Ghostly Garlic and the ultimate in scorchers, the Arch Nemesis. These sauces are HOT, since they both contain the fabled (and feared) Ghost Chili. This is something my husband and I have been wanting to try for quite some time, but sauces that contain ghost chilis aren't available in abundance in my area. Needless to say, we were excited! I'll even admit that I was a little scared. As the mom of an infant and a rambunctious toddler, I am always on the lookout for products that will make my life as a mom easier. One of the most important things I look for is whether or not a product does exactly what it claims to do. As far as so-called "Spill-Proof" sippy cups go, I have been disappointed many, many times. As a matter of fact, if I had to count how many cups I have had to list on Freecycle to find new homes, I'd guess it has been dozens. I have had an awful time finding the best sippy cups for my babies. Many of them leak where the top screws on, many gush liquid all over through their spouts, despite the claims of being spill-proof, and some cups have not been durable and have cracked after only a few uses. This is terrible, especially in public, since my daughter loves to shake her cups wildly and will usually end up wearing her milk rather than drinking it. She may think it's funny, but I don't. Who wants their baby bathing publicly in their milk or juice? So I have been on a mission that I like to call The Quest For The Perfect Sippy. I've looked high and low, bought inexpensive brands and name brands alike. I am thrilled to announce I have found the perfect, must have sippy cup: The Tommee Tippee Explora! Tommee Tippee is a brand I am already quite familiar with. You may recall that several months ago, I reviewed their totally awesome Closer to Nature bottles. They also have sippy cups in a few different styles (straw top or spout), breast pumps, chewers, etc. Tommee Tippee has long been a trusted leader in infant products, and for good reason: Their products are durable, easy to use and clean, and they're built to last. Hi my name is Corinne and I’m a tea-aholic. You know how you hear people say not to mess with them until they’ve had their morning coffee? Well that’s me with tea. You’d think I was English not Irish with the necessity of my daily “cuppa”. The women in my family even go to high tea a few times a year. It’s fun to dress up, eat the dainty finger foods and try new and exciting teas. So now that you know a little bit about my background you can see why I was Super excited to receive some samples of tea from California Tea House. California Tea House is a family owned tea store where you can find some of the world’s best loose leaf tea blends and Tisane teas. Their teas are unique in many ways. One of the main reasons is that it is all loose leaf tea. This means that it doesn’t come prepackaged in tea bags. There are many great reasons to buy loose leaf tea. While for some this may be inconvenient as you need a special tea pot, or dispenser, I actually prefer it as it allows you to determine the strength and full flavor of each pot. I also think that it keeps the tea fresher and allows you to experience the true flavor of the tea. I was also greatly surprised by the amount of herbal and decaf tea that they carried. I was actually incredibly please with the wide collection of all different types of teas that they offered. It really is one stop shopping, and I was excited to try what they sent out. I am sure many of you know this about me, but I love cooking. To me, there is nothing more relaxing than spending time in the kitchen and experimenting with ingredients when preparing meals for my family. I tend to be a scratch-cooker, and am always looking for wonderful new recipes and ways to revamp tried and true favorites. While I definitely have a love affair with all things food, I get equally excited over kitchen tools and gadgets. You can never have too many "kitchen helpers" if you ask me, and fancier does not always mean better. As a matter of fact, sometimes simpler tools are far superior to their flashy counterparts. Not only that, there is a sense of nostalgia that comes with using classic kitchen tools. It brings back memories of grandparents cooking those special Sunday dinners, and takes one back to a simpler time. That's why I was so excited when I discovered Jacob Bromwell. Jacob Bromwell is a company that has been around since 1819, bringing families and home cooks a line of time-tested, traditional kitchen and campfire products that are handmade and built to last for generations. Jacob Bromwell has preserved a part of American history with their traditional cooking items, and is helping the home cook keep the art of preparing hardy, scratch made meals alive. Among their products are unique campfire ovens, frying pans and grills, old fashioned toasters, cheese graters, and even some stunning flour sifters for those bakers out there. They even carry great tools for the fireplace! I received a great set of cooling racks from Jacob Bromwell for my review. Included were the rectangular Pike's Peak cooling rack and the circular Sutler's Mill cooling rack. I was excited, since of all the millions of kitchen wares I have, cooling racks were somehow an afterthought, probably because I am not much of a baker. My husband on the other hand is constantly whipping up batches of cookies and other baked goods, and he was quite happy to receive these, stating they would make his job as the resident baker a lot easier. I received a rectangular rack (Pike's Peak) as well as a circular rack (Sutler's Mill). These cooling racks are proudly made in the USA, and are a great size for cooling your goodies. These racks are perfectly elevated, which ensures proper and even cooking. What does this mean? Perfectly moist, chewy cookies every single time! Another thing I really like is that the wire grates are close enough together than nothing, not even cakes, are in danger of falling through! Let's face it: No one wants a broken, crumbly cake! These racks can be used on any flat surface and are a cinch to clean up when you're finished using them. Because they're not gigantic, they are also very easy to store until needed. They are also available in both a classic chrome as well as rustic black (non-stick) finishes. These versatile pieces are sure to fit into any kitchen and any lifestyle! You may recall I recently reviewed Heelys. My 11 year old son was so thrilled to get a pair, and he has been having a blast learning how to "skate" wearing these popular wheeled sneakers. So naturally, when I heard they make Heelys for adults, I jumped at the opportunity to try them out! Sure, I am 30 years old and haven't even been rollerskating since I was about 10. But I wasn't going to let my complete and total inexperience hold me back. Part of staying young is trying new things, and I am now the coolest Mom on the block according to my preteen. Why? Because I have Heelys! Heelys have been quite the rage for years among kids. These shoes are quite ingenious, really. They appear just like normal tennis shoes, but they have a nifty little secret hidden away in the soles: Wheels! Heelys come in one and two wheel designs, which can be customized according to skill level. Two wheels are easiest to learn with, and once the user has it mastered, you can remove one of the wheels and pop in one of the plugs and voila!- You've now got the one wheel design and are able to challenge yourself even further. When you're not skating around town, you can easily wear Heelys as regular shoes by removing the wheels altogether and placing the heel plugs in. When I received my Heelys, I must admit I was a little bit intimidated. After all, this is something very new to me, and I knew that I would probably fall on my butt several times before I got the hang of it. (I was right!) However, I was definitely up to the challenge, and I fell in love with my Heelys as soon as I opened the box. The shoes I chose are adorable! They're black with neon pink trim, and are definitely my style. They came with 2 wheels, since the design I chose is the one-wheeled design, and a special little tool that makes switching out the wheels and sole plugs effortless and quick. Take a look! |
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I'm Brandy, a happily married, proud Mom of 3 amazing kids. If you're interested in building a working relationship, please feel free to e-mail me at: NewlyCrunchyMamaOf3@gmail.com Links We Love :Archives
June 2023
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