Daring Baker's July 2010 Challenge: Swiss Roll Ice Cream "Bombe"

The July 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Sunita of Sunita’s world – life and food. Sunita challenged everyone to make an ice-cream filled Swiss roll that’s then used to make a bombe with hot fudge. Her recipe is based on an ice cream cake recipe from Taste of Home. -

This was my very first time doing a Daring Bakers challenge, and yes it was a bit of a challenge! 

I started by making the ice creams. I decided on a Mint Chocolate Chip

 and a Peanut Butter ice cream. I was surprised at how easy to make they both were.

 I had been kinda intimidated to make ice cream without an ice cream maker, but  no more!

Next up was to make the swiss rolls! They were really easy to make, too.
Here is an action shot - folding in the coca powder.

The two cakes in the pans ready to bake!!!

After baking, I rolled the cakes to cool, then made the filling. It was very very liquidy, but tasted good anyway! Then i rolled up the  cakes again!

Then it was time for the msot time consuming part - the assembly!! I cut the rolls and put them in the bottom of my bowl.

Then the first layer of ice cream, homemade chocolate sauce (that didn't thicken either) then the other ice cream!

The finished product:

But you know what? the chocolate covered cakes taste sooo good!!!!
It looks ugly but tastes yummy :D

Help Raise $10,000 for Adopt-a-Classroom from Elmer’s Glue

The Elmer’s Virtual Bag It Forward is charity blog meme, Bloggers are able to raise $10 per blog post for Adopt-A-Classroom by writing a blog post and donating a virtual bag of school supplies . Elmer’s will donate $10 per each post written to Adopt-A-Classroom, up to $10,000.

You can join too, it's easy!

• Participate in the Elmer’s Virtual Bag It Forward and by giving away a virtual bag of school supplies and creating a blog post with specific rules described below.
• Elmer’s will donate up to $10,000 to Adopt-A-Classroom.
• You can give as many virtual bags as you want.
• The Elmer’s Virtual Bag It Forward will officially begin at 12 AM EST on July 22, 2010 and end at 12 PM EST on August 12, 2010. Blog posts submitted to us before or after that time period will not be counted.
• The blog post link has to be submitted in the comment section below for your participation to be counted.
• In addition copy and paste the following text into your blog post:

Elmer's Virtual Bag It Forward Rules:

• Copy and paste these rules into your blog post.
• Create a blog post giving a “virtual bag of school supplies” to other bloggers or write about your Back to School shopping trip at Walmart.
• Link back to the person who gave you a bag of school supplies.
• Let each person you are giving a virtual bag of school supplies know you have given them a bag.
• Leave your link in the Elmer’s Virtual Bag It Forward comment section. You can also find the official rules of this virtual #bagitforward program there.
• Elmer’s is donating $10 for each blog participating in the Virtual Bag It Forward Donation to Adopt-A-Classroom (up to total of $10,000 for blog posts written by August 12, 2010).
• Please note that only one blog post per blog url will count towards the donation.

I’m sending my Virtual Bag to Sara at Dealicious Mom and challenging her to Bag it Forward with Elmer’s!

The Elmer’s Virtual Bag It Forward will officially begin at 12 AM EST on July 22, 2010 and end at 12 PM EST on August 12, 2010. Blog posts submitted to us before or after that time period will not be counted.

FOUR Chances to win a Brugo Mug!!

First, of course, is my own giveaway.  That URL incudes my review of this fsbulous travel mug!

If you want to increase your chances, enter to win a Brugo Mug at Mommy's "Free" Time
Wonderful Gifts for Wonderful People
and Mon Cheri

and as a bonus, you'll get one extra entry into my giveaway for entering each of their giveaways! Just come back to my giveaway page and tell me so!

Woo hoo!!!!

Happy Birthday to my honey!!!

Today is Jeff's birthday!!! We have such awesome plans.

First, we are going to Atlantis Marine World. I'm not  huge animal person or a zoo person, but I do like aquariums for some reason? We re gonna see turtles <3, penguins... and hopefully the sea lion show! Jeff hasn't been in several years, and is really looking forward to it! The best part is that he gets in FREE thanks to their birthday promotion.

Dinner is going to be at the Melting Pot!! Yum, Yum!!! What else is there to say but melted cheese... melted chocolate... a dimly lit room... ;)

And then Sunday we're  doing a little shopping at the outlets, then dinner at the brew house for his brothers birthday (which was yesterday). Yet another restaurant I am looking forward to!!

yes it will be a bad weekend WW-wise, but we have been trying to help a little by doing wii sports all week. And i walked to work today - 1.6 miles! Woo hoo!!! 

Hope everyone has a great weekend!!!

Neutrogena UltraSheer Liquid Sunblock: First Impressions

I was so excited to get to try Neutrogena UltraSheer Liquid Sunblock. I really love the application process - instead of a wide mouth that gets sunblock all over when you squeeze the bottle, the Neutrogena has a smaller tip, so the sunblock goes right where you want it. The scent is fresh and floral.


I did find the Neutrogena to be a little bit greasy when it first goes on, but it rubs in easily and the greasiness doesn't last long.

This sunblock worked very well for running errands around town. I am excited to try using it at the beach!

There is a $2 coupon available at http://www.neutrogena.com/suncoupon.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received the product mentioned above for free for review purposes from Tidal Labs. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Blogmania bloggers are all about building relationships - between our blogs, our readers, the online community and business owners. We value each others opinion as we all are endeavoring to make the best choices for our home life. So it seemed natural to partner up with The Lane Real Estate Team and Breebee's blog to bring you our first ever twitter and blog blast party.

The Lane Real Estate Team is all about building relationships through communities - specializing in Kennewick Homes for Sale. And Bree is a blogger - and a mom - trying to think outside of the box and help build community ties in NW Columbus OH via her kid event website! Our other twitter party sponsors also offer items to help strengthen and maintain relationships - from stationary to hand stamped sentiments.

Our Party Theme: "Building toward Blogmania with The Lane Real Estate Team" http://www.joelane.com/

Info on the Blog Blast:

If you post on your blog(s) our announcement between now and the twitter party you will be entered to win $100 cash. If we reach 500 blogs there will be two additional $50 drawings, totaling 3 winners! You can email breejanderson@gmail.com or blogmaniapr@gmail.com for the HTML code for blog(s) links and some posting specifics OR ask me :) for info, and I will provide you with an HTML code.

Please return with your specific blog post links on Bree's Blog, under her Twitter Party Page tab.

Info on the Twitter Party:

Sunday, August 22, from 9:30-10:30pm EST we will party!

There is a custom tweet grid and a linky for early RSVP. RSVP'ing early also enters you into special drawings. You do not have to RSVP to tweet and win but the 'extra' will not be available.

You can win both the blog blast and at the twitter party!

RSVP at BreeBee's blog

CLOSED: Radical Review Wednesday: Brugo Mug Review and GIVEAWAY!!

Times are tough, and my almost daily Dunkin' Donuts/Starbucks habit has pretty much died. Sadly!! I have been making my own coffee at home and bringing it into work or just having the coffee at work (and having it get cold as I take a few sips while I am working). We all know the deal... traditional travel mugs have open/close and that's it. If your coffee is too hot... too bad for your poor tongue!!

Enter the Brugo mug.

They say: The BRUGO Travel Mug is an innovative solution designed by a coffee lover to give you perfect taste with perfect control. BRUGO is the only travel mug in the world to have a thermodynamic patented temperature control chamber that makes your coffee fit to sip at the perfect 150 to 170 degrees to stimulate your taste buds for the vibrant coffee flavor we desire.

Add the unique temperature control chamber to its innovative features and you’ll understand the BUZZ about BRUGO.


I say: I love this so much! First I tried it on coffee I made at home. It worked really well. It did take a little longer to get the sip - but I THINK I wasn't doing it exactly correctly, and my mug was never totally full! I enjoyed switching from "sip" to "tip and cool" to see the temperature difference LOL It did keep my coffee warmer a lot longer than a regular cup did.

I also decided to also give it the ultimate test - Starbucks coffee! Their coffee is always, always way too hot. Ok, I loved the tip and cool setting! I DID NOT BURN MY TONGUE! That never happens!! It was awesome :)

Want to win your own Brugo Mug? It's easy!

Mandatory Entry:

1. Go to Brugo Mug's Web site and tell me the NAME of your favorite mug. (1 entry)

Bonus Entries:

*must do the mandatory entry first*

*for items with more than one entry, leave a separate comment for each entry*

2. Subscribe to me via e-mail. (2 entries)

3. Subscribe to me publicly via Google Friend Connect ( 1 entry)

4. Subscribe to me in a Reader (1 entry)

5. Follow Me on Twitter. Leave your Twitter name in your comment (2 entries)

6. Tweet this giveaway, using the following tweet or your own that includes a link to this post and @lbandj.
    "Win a Brugo Travel Mug @lbandj http://lbandj.blogspot.com/2010/07/radical-review-wednesday-brugo-mug.html #win #giveaway" (2 entries for the first tweet. Can be done daily for one additional entry per day)

7. Add my button to your sidebar. Leave link to your blog. (1 entry)

8. FOR 5 EXTRA ENTRIES - Blog about this giveaway, with a link to my blog and this post and come back and leave the link to your blog post.

9. Enter  Mommy's "Free" Time, Wonderful Gifts for Wonderful People's,
and Mon Cheri's Brugo Giveaways.

and as a bonus, you'll get one extra entry into my giveaway for entering each of their giveaways! Just reply and tell me so!


LEAVE YOUR EMAIL IN YOUR COMMENT SO I CAN REACH YOU IF YOU WIN!  I will check your entries. Giveaway will end on Friday, 8/6 at 10 p.m. EST. Open to U.S.
Good luck! :)

*I received one mug from the Brugo company to do this review. all thoughts and opinions are mine*

Sweet Sundays!

So J and I are going to WDW in October. I cannot wait!! We are also seeing the new Harry Potter land at Universal... I might be even MORE excited about seeing that LOL The main reason we are going to WDW is for the Food and Wine Festival. If you've never been to WDW during Food and Wine... you MUST! Not only can you sample food and drinks from around the world - literally! but they also have seminars and special hard ticket events. There are demos and celebrity chefs. And, of course, there is the "eat to the beat" concert series.

(photo from http://www.disneyfoodblog.com)

Jeff and I decided to try one of the hard ticket events this year. It honestly wasn't that hard to decide which one... Who wouldn't want desert for breakfast?? Here is the description: Enjoy champagne and a light brunch before indulging in three signature desserts prepared right in front of your eyes by a highly-acclaimed pasty chef or baker. Sounds delicious! And from what I seen from past years... they taste and look delicious too!!

So I got up before  7 a.m. to tag team call to get a reservation, was on the phone 25 minutes... but got the reservation!! Yum, I cannot wait! Now to stay awake at work lol

Radical Review Wednesday: Jamba Juice All Natural Smoothie Kits

Ohhhh Jamba Juice, how I heart thee. When I worked in NYC, as a special treat, I'd stop by the Jamba Juice on the way to work. Delicious. Sadly, there are none near where I live or work now. :( Thankfully, Jamba is now available in your grocer's freezer!

They say: Jamba All Natural Smoothies contain real fruit, non-fat yogurt, and an antioxidant boost with 100% of your Daily Value of Vitamin C. Each serving is fat-free, provides one full serving of fruit, and contains 0mg cholesterol and 120 calories or less when prepared as directed. Each package makes two, eight-ounce servings.

Jamba All Natural Smoothies are very easy and quick to make. Simply add apple juice, blend for less than 60 seconds, and enjoy a delicious, made-at-home Razzmatazz®, Mango-a-go-go® or Strawberries Wild® smoothie.

I say:  Yum yum!! I used "Lite" apple juice, and these smoothies are only 2 WW points per serving plus one serving of fruit. The Razzmatazz and Mango-a-go-go were really good but the Strawberries Wild was delicious!! After my blender leaked apple juice all over the kitchen and me (come on, we all knew that SOME kind of tragedy would come from this!) I realized that letting them sit out for a minute helps them blend better.

For a quick, healthy, yummy treat, I recommend these Jamba Juice Smoothies! For more information and to see which stores carry them, go to http://www.athomesmoothies.com/

(yes I know it's thursday :P)

Denim Day: Lee National Denim Day

At work, Fridays are jeans day! We can wear jeans but do have to make a $5 donation to our company funded charity. It is a win-win situation! So when I recieved this e-mail from Lee, I was especially excited.


Lee National Denim Day® is the easiest way to help fight breast cancer. Simply put on your favorite jeans on Friday, October 8, donate $5 and with hundreds of thousands nationwide, help Lee fight breast cancer.

Felicity Huffman is this year's ambassador.

With your help, Lee will fund the Women's Cancer Programs of EIF which unites the nation's leading researchers and the Cancer Support Communities to help give hope to those confronting breast cancer.



You can donate individually, sign up with a team, or donate toward someone else's team. Find more information, add your heart and sign up today on denimday.com.

Menu Plan Monday - week of 7/12/10

I am so proud of myself - I just made gravy for the first time!! :D It turned out all right. A very yummy treat. Undeserved, since I only lost .2 this week!

Monday: Pan fried pork chops with homemade gravy
Tuesday: Caramelized Onion Pork Chops I made these at the same time as the other chops tonight. They smell good, but this recipe wasn't that great. I guess I should stick with well-known recipe sites LOL I think it will taste good though.
Wednesday: leftover pork chops
Thursday: Boca Chicken Burger
Friday: something with ground turkey... not sure what yet!
Saturday: BEACH DAY!!! Unsure what besides hamburgers. We need to bring a dessert too.
Sunday: leftovers

To join MPM or for more meal ideas, visit this week's Linky at I'm an Organizing Junkie

Sorry for the silence...

But, in case you missed it on my Twitter, my laptop cord broke. Since that laptop was so old and horrible, and I was going to replace it in Nov/Dec, I just decided to replace it now. Trying to find a good one for a good price is a fun? challenge. LOLBut I am hoping having a new, FAST laptop will help me be more productive.

So I am a bit behind and am missing a lot of my links, but I DO have a few reviews coming up. I will have my menu plan up later today!

Thanks for bearing with me! :)

List Plan It Review - Blogmania Sponsor (Radical Review Wednesday)

I love lists. I love lists. I always have so much going on in my head that I have to write everything down in order to remember it all.Which means lots of little pieces of paper cluttering up...well, everywhere!

Enter listplanit.com. ListPlanIt offers an uncluttered, organized place for families to chart their needs, goals, and accomplishments.ListPlanIt has more than 500 lists and planning pages! Anything you can think of to list... and so many things you wouldn't ever dream of all within 15 categories.

The first list I went to was the grocery shopping list by category. We were just writing down on a big list what we needed from the grocery store - and obviously that made things really confusing at the grocery store.This list is broken down by category so its easy to see what is  needed when I am at each section of the grocery store. I also printed out a list of equivalent measurements. The meal planning section has all kinds of meal planning, grocery shopping, recipe and inventory lists.

But there are still 14 categories of lists!! There are family and financial planing lists, holiday lists, even travel planning lists. I am eager to use some of the decluttering and inventory lists soon.

I have also been using the daily to do list. I can type in the information and just print it off. It has several sections and even a "to do" tomorrow section. I'm hoping that it will motivate me to  clean and blog more often and consistently!!

You can also buy ePlanners to help organize events such as birthday parties, meal planning and travel.

If you would like to win one Print Membership and 1 ePlanner of your choice? Come back during Blogmania Sept 15 and 16, and you can win as part of my From Our Kitchen to Yours Giveaway!!!

Happy 4th of July and mini-giveaway!!

Happy 4th of July!Happy birthday America! Yay!!!

I hope everyone's doing something fun to celebrate. Jeff and I are going to see Toy Story 3 again and go outlet shopping a little - with his parents this time. Should be interesting!!

So here in my min 4th of July Giveaway!!!
Please read my reviews of  Dove Daily Moisture Conditioner and got2be smooth operator smoothing lustre lotion

And here's a very bad pic of me, after using both the conditioner and the lotion!

GIVEAWAY:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The First FOUR preople who reply wigh their e-mail address will get:

(2) sample sized Dove Intensive Repair conditioner and a $1 off coupon for any Dove haircare product, except trial. Exp 8/31/10
AND
(2) sample sized got2be smooth operator smoothing lustre lotion and 2 coupons - (1) for $1 off a full sized smooth operator product, exp 5/1/11 and (1) for $2.50 off one full sized smoothing operator smoothing hairspray or lustre lotion, exp. 9/30/10

That is 4 products and 3 coupons, all for the price of free! :D
U.S. only.

got2be smooth operator review

As a member of BzzAgent  I had the opportunity to try got2be's smooth operator smoothing lustre lotion. I only occasionally use gels and such in my hair, so the first thing I did was ask Jeff to try it. He gels up his hair very day. His response, "The girlie one the charms on it?" lol But he liked it. It kept his hair in place with stiffness.

I enjoyed using it too. I used it as directed on damp, towel dried hair. It has s pump, with is a definite advantage to digging your hands in goop. The scent is fresh and there is no greasy or stickiness left on your hands. It really held in my hair well. It shaped it and the shape lasted all day.

The biggest issue I have is the price! It was $7.99. But I do have 4 coupons to give away later on today!! Stay tuned :)




I received a coupon for a free product from BzAgent. All thoughts are my own.

Dove Daily Moisture Conditioner Review

I am a Dove girl - who isn't? Dove has been used in my family literally for generations. And with the Campaign for Real  Beauty, they are really showing what they value - and I totally approve! When I was offered the opportunity to be a Dove Hair Premier Ambassador, I jumped on it. 

I was sent a bottle the new Dove Damage Therapy Daily Moisture Conditioner to try. Now, I have oily hair, so I don't normally use conditioner and with "moisture" in the name, I was a little scared! . But this conditioner? Wow!!! My hair was soft and light and not oily at all. I use this 2 to 3 times a week and just love it! My hair looks healthier and feels so soft!

Keep reading because I am giving away 4 samples of this conditioner. If you don't want to wait, go to Dove's Web Site where you can request a sample of the Daily Moisture or new Intensive Repair conditioner.



I was given a bottle of this to use by Dove and free sample to giveaway. All thought sand opinions are totally my own.