Pillsbury's Apron Runway Challenge

Pillsbury is having their annual Pillsbury Bake Off competition in March of 2012. You as my readers can participate in voting for a apron designed for the finalists while they try to win $1 a million dollars!

You can vote here Pillsbury Bake Off Page

Althea Harper, Kara Janx and Carol Hannah Whitfield have each designed an apron to potentially be worn by the 100 finalists on the contest floor at the Pillsbury Bake-Of Contest finals which take place in March 25027, 2012 in Orlando FL.

Have fun :)

Low Calorie Cocktails From Look Better Naked!

Found this from Look Better Naked! Some cocktails that will not add on those extra pounds if you drink them in moderation of course!

Enjoy!

blue sky Kids Collection

Thank you to Blue Sky once again for sharing their wonderful products with me so I can bring them to you!

They are the one stop shop for all your uniform needs. The fun thing I just found poking around their site is the blue sky Kids Collection. For Boys, Girls and Baby, how adorable is that!

Blue Sky also carries a line of http://www.blueskyscrubs.com/categories/Scrubs/Scrubs-for-Women/ little mini scrubs for baby.

Last Halloween a Friend of mine had to make her own scrub outfit for her Daughter who wanted to dress up as a Doctor. She couldn't find anything that she liked that would fit so off to the fabric store she went to get some material and made her own. Whether it be for play dress up, costume parties or just to be like Mom or Dad your kids will have fun and look very cute wearing these from Blue Sky.

They also carry a full line of all your uniform needs from scrubs to hats. Be sure to check them out while your shopping around ;)

Happy Shopping!

Perfect Valentine's lunch date outfit

Guest post written by: Chelsea Pearce

My boyfriend and I are going to have a lunch date for Valentine's Day because he has to go on a business trip at the crack of dawn early next morning and therefore a dinner date like we had originally planed just isn't in the books for us. But I still want to look my best for the date like I would if it was for a dinner date. I'll be at work though so i need to make sure that I can wear something that's appropriate for the office.

Lucky for me, our office has a really casual dress code, which makes dressing for my date a little bit easier. I've gotten a few ideas from my satellitestarinternet.com/ as to what I'm going to wear.

I've narrowed it down to a few different dresses that I have and cardigans. I'm leaning towards a black dress and a red cardigan. Then of course I'll wear it with tights and heels. I may even curl instead of straighten my hair for the date since he likes it when I do that.

Fresh Tasting Homemade Easy No Cook BBQ Sauce

If you have a couple minutes why not make your own BBQ Sauce! This recipe is easy and you may just have all the ingredients in your pantry all ready! It takes a couple minutes and you end up with a "fresh tasting" homemade no cook BBQ Sauce!

• 1 1/2 C Ketchup
• 1/2 C Molasses
• 1 1/2 tsp Cider Vinegar
• 1 tsp Hot Sauce
• 1 tsp Liquid Smoke (it's all natural too!)
• Salt
• Pepper

Combine in a mixing bowl and whisk to incorporate flavors! No cooking needed. Go ahead and taste it! You will be surprised ;)

You can also be brave and ad you own flavors for that special touch. Rosemary, Garlic, more hot sauce the list is endless.... beer!

Have fun ;)

Enjoy!

Top Five BBQ Winners From Country Looks Magazine

For all you home Cooks that love to grill outdoors or in, here is the Top 5 BBQ Sauce Winners from Country Looks Magazine.

They have tested and tasted tons of brands to come up with a Top 5 list.

Number 1 Choice: Bulls-Eye Original - for the best sweetness & smokey taste.

Number 2: KC Masterpiece - for robust spice, smoke and smoothness.

Number 3: Sweet Baby Rays - for the sweetest of the bunch.

Number 4: Hunt's Mild - for tastes mild like ketchup, kids love it.

Number 5: Kraft Original - for best smoke.

So here are the Top 5 BBQ Sauces for any taste preference.

Click here to make your own Fresh Tasting Homemade Easy No Cook BBQ Sauce

Enjoy :)

Wine Pick Of The Day! Black Stallion Napa Valley Chardonnay

Running off to Papa Joes to grab some things for dinner and a bottle of wine I could not find my old stand by, Kendall Jackson Chardonnay!

So standing trying to decide the Sommelier asked if he could help. I explained that my usual was missing on the shelf. By that time I had already had a bottle that was on special in my hand.

Stunned, he said that they would never run out of Kendall Jackson again! He also went on to talk about Kendall Jackson and how it is a poo pooed wine by many and shouldn't be. I told him I like the smooth buttery oaky taste, not too fruity. He agreed and went on to say that Kendall Jackson has been around a very very long time and they can afford to use oak barrels, which other winery's may not have that luxury. He also went on to say that Kendall Jackson puts out some amazing fabulous wines. He isn't sure why the name may turn some off.

So okay, here were are the wine in hand, which he said was an excellent choice, is similar to my favorite so I won't be disappointed!

He was right..... LOVE it! Will purchase again. Smooth with a soft oak flavor, not too fruity.

Black Stallion Estate Winery

Napa Valley

2009 Chardonnay

$15.99

Black Stallion Estate Winery located on Silverado Trail, Napa Valley is a Boutique Winery, wonderful wines worth trying.

Happy Tasting ;)

Soak Veggies In Lemon Water To Help Wash Off Pesticides

If you cannot buy organic or do and also purchase non organic fruits and vegetables here is a tip to help remove all the pesticides.

Soak fruits and vegetables in lemon water for 20 minutes before using.

I used to just wash with soap and water so yesterday I read to soak in lemon water to help remove pesticides found on the skin.

Take a gallon container fill with water and add lemon juice, I have that big ol bottle of lemon juice that never gets used up, so I used that. I just poured in about three tablespoons or so.

While I was preparing dinner I tossed in the cucumber, yellow squash, zucchini, and my tomatoes (I also still rinsed with soap and water).

This morning I knew our grapes I bought were not organic so I soaked them before putting them in the kids lunches.

Happy Springtime :)

Wine Pick Of The Day! Domaine Chandon Vintage Brut

The review from Wine Enthusiast was on point. The hazelnut is exactly what I tasted and couldn't pin point it until I looked it up! Happy, happy!

Average cost: $15.99

Reviews of N.V. Domaine Chandon Vintage Brut

90 points, Wine Enthusiast
December 2006
On the sweet side, but so nicely acidified and delicious in fruit that you hardly notice the sugar, which just gives the wine a round softness. Beautiful hazelnut, peaches-and-cream and vanilla flavors, with a touch of raspberry zest. — S.H.

Recovering from Cheating on Your Low Carb Diet

Being on a diet is hard enough. Keeping your self esteem up during dieting is even harder. Falling off the diet pulls one down into a even deeper hole which is sometimes hard to climb out of.

Here is an interesting article for you to read.

Recovering from Cheating on Your Low Carb Diet

I have been trying to get ready for bikini season.... well not so many bikini's for me anymore at my age :/ Anyway, I have been on a low carb diet. Lot's of protein the first week, then slowly introducing carbs, the healthy ones the second week. I have found out that by cutting carbs made me hungry within about four hours. So the article mentions carrying some low carbs snacks with you which makes sense. I get so hungry I couldn't stand it. It was like I haven't eaten in days. My stomach would growl and I would race to the kitchen as soon as I walked in the door.

After I figured this out I now eat more often. No more skipping a breakfast and eat at noon like I used to be able to do when I was younger.

I have also noticed that I eat less at dinner. I get fuller faster and can push my plate aside and not sit there and continue to shovel it in.

Don't be so hard on your self. Don't weigh yourself every day. Some Dr. said once a month. Your weight fluctuates up and down with water weight and can tend to chew away at your self esteem.

Happy Spring ;)

Tip Of The Day: Cooking Chick Peas

Chick Peas are a healthy addition to your diet. Cooking them yourself vs. purchasing them in the can is much healthier, no preservatives and you control the sodium ;)

The Tip Of The Day: Don't Cook Chick Peas With Salt, It Makes Them Tough!

Soak Chick Peas over night in water. This helps them cook faster.

Add some aromatics to the water, onion quartered, and a bay leaf.

Cover with water and cook until tender. Peas are done when you can squish them.

1/2 cup green olives pitted and slice

2 garlic cloves chopped

1 lemon - zest lemon set aside, reserve juice

Salt

Fresh ground pepper

Fresh parsley

Saute garlic in olive oil for a minute or so, add chick peas and mash with potato masher, heat through, add olives, lemon zest, lemon juice from 1/2 lemon, salt, pepper and fresh parsley.

Serve.

Housewives Bethany Frankel Sells Skinny Girl Brand

Bethany Frankel Sells her Skinnygirl Brand for Millions. Former Housewive of NYC Bethaney has been very busy writing cookbooks and concocting her Skinnygirl Margarita mix that has only 100 calories per serving.

Read more from CNN Bethenny Frankel Sells Skinnygirl Brand

Happy Cooking ;)

The One Item In Your Purse Covered With Germs & Bacteria

The one item in your purse that has the most Germs and Bacteria is:

Your Car Keys!

Do not let your Baby chew on them!

Be sure to sanitize them regularly! Think about it. Where have your keys been? When was the last time they had a bath?

Happy Cooking!

Recipes with Bacon, Bacon, Bacon!

To get a wonder recipe made with everyone's favorite meat "Bacon" click here: Bacon

Happy Cooking :)