Delicious Dinner!! (Blogmania Sponsor)

I decided to make a few recipes this week with Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce - they are one of my Blogmania sponsors!

Ok... JEFF made the dinner but still ;) We made BBQ Onion Burgers, with ground turkey instead of ground beef. The Bob's sauce caramelized! Deeelicious!!!

I did decide to make some mozzarella sticks to go along with the burgers. I'd never made them before, but it was soooo easy, and they were mighty tasty. I used the recipe at We are not Martha. And since they are baked, they are slightly more healthy!

Gah, I wish we had some left!! Baby carrots and a plum for dessert rounded out the meal. Yum yum.

Tomorrow I will have a fuller review of Country Bob's For you!

$25 Wal-Mart Gift Card WINNER!!!!

Congrats to Mari who said:
follow via google friend connect

Congratulations!!!!!!! I am e-mailing you right now, and you'll have 48 hours to reply or I'll choose another name.

My next giveaway will be posted on Wednesday :D

August 2010 Daring Bakers Challenge!

The August 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Elissa of 17 and Baking. For the first time, The Daring Bakers partnered with Sugar High Fridays for a co-event and Elissa was the gracious hostess of both. Using the theme of beurre noisette, or browned butter, Elissa chose to challenge Daring Bakers to make a pound cake to be used in either a Baked Alaska or in Ice Cream Petit Fours. The sources for Elissa’s challenge were Gourmet magazine and David Lebovitz’s “The Perfect Scoop”.

I decided to make the baked Alaska. The brown butter cake was easy to make (even though my butter didn't really brown!)  and it tasted sooo good! But the meringue... HEAVENLY!!! I wanted to eat it by the spoonful!!!

Here are my two little baked Alaskas:

 We have a creme brulee set and WAS going to use that torch to "bake" to Alaskas... but who knew you needed to get a gas canister to use it LOL So we used the lighter we sue to light the candles. It took forever so we didn't do too much - BUT the toasted parts tasted just like marshmallow. YUM!!

The end result.... pretty tasty!!! I used the leftover ice cream I made for last month's challenge!

I"m back!!!!

Hello!!! I know things have been quiet in here! I just got back late last night from vaction - a week to go see my parents in Colorado. J and I had a fabulous time. I will post pictures soon.

:)

CLOSED: $25 Walmart Gift Card giveaway!

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED!!

The Box Tops for Education program is an easy solution, and this year Walmart is making it even easier! From Aug. 3 - Aug. 31, head over to your local Walmart to find 4 Box Tops on participating General Mills products and earn more cash for the participating school of your choice. As your one-stop destination for all your needs this back-to-school season, Walmart is helping you save more and earn more with the Box Tops for Education brands you love.


Here are the products I bought: 

The Box Tops for Education program is a quick and easy way to support your local schools. Since J is a teacher, we are all for that!!!

With over 20 great brands and more than 40 products participating, here are just a few favorites that include 4 Box Tops that you can find at Walmart this August: Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal, Pillsbury Toaster Strudel pastries, Trix Yogurt, Hamburger Helper skillet meals, Totino’s Pizza Rolls snacks, Nature Valley Granola Bars and Betty Crocker Fruit Roll-Ups snacks. Be sure to keep an eye out for Box Tops on great products from Kleenex, Ziploc, and Hefty too! 


Want to win a  $25 Walmart gift card, so you can buy some Box Top products?
Entering is easy!!!

Mandatory Entry:

1. Which General Mills Box Tops items do you plan to purchase at Walmart during the month of August? (1 entry)

 

Bonus Entries:

*must do the mandatory entry first or these entries won't count*

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

 

2. Subscribe to my blog via e-mail. (2 entries)  

3. Subscribe to my blog 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 $25 Walmart Gift Card @lbandj http://lbandj.blogspot.com/2010/08/25-walmart-gift-card-giveaway.html #myblogspark #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.  

LEAVE YOUR EMAIL IN YOUR COMMENT SO I CAN REACH YOU IF YOU WIN!  I will check your entries. Giveaway will end on Friday, 8/27 at 10 p.m. EST. Open to U.S. Good luck! :)

General Mills provided me with a Walmart gift card, information, and giveaway through MyBlogSpark.

Quick Trip Report: Atlantis Marine World

For his birthday this year, J wanted to go to Atlantis Marine World. He got free admission for his birthday, and I had a coupon for mine! It i a very small but nice aquarium.

The main room:


They had this HUGE turtle... how cute is he!!!!


The best part is outside though.





entering the Penguin Pavilion....


Little area where kids can touch horseshoe crabs


There was a little dig area for the kiddies.... (big kids too!)




You can feed the stingrays


turtles in rehab


We ended our day with the sea lion show and a little outlet shopping :D

Cover Your Hair $200 Gift Card Giveaway

Cover Your Hair is having a $200 Gift Card Giveaway
The Winner will receive a $200 Gift Card from one of these locations

• Macys
• Target
• Toys are us
• Banana Republic
• Gap
• Children's Place

No Purchase Necessary - All you have to do is enter here

After you enter you can blog about the giveaway to gain 50 additional entries.

( Email devora@coveryourhair.com with the link to your post and she will give you 50 additional tickets to this drawing. )

Radical Review Wednesday: Cowgirl Chocolates (Blogmania Sponsor!)

I was first introduced to Cowgirl Choclates when I won them from a Blog giveaway. Cowgirl Chocolates combines the heat of spices with creamy chocolate to make some amazing truffles!

First of all, they come in a totally cute box.

Each truffle is individually wrapped and color coded, so the not as brave of heart (me) can stay away from the really spicy ones. I did try a few bite of those, and they do pack a punch! Jeff loved them!! For the record, the mild truffles are just as full of flavor! The truffles come with a guide so you know which color is which flavor.

As you can see, they are a very good size! Some are creamy like this, and some are full of chocolate! Yum!!

Want to win a box? Come back Sept. 15 and 16 for Blogmania! Cowgirl Chocolates is just one of my sponsors!

Can't wait? Go to Cowgirl Chocolates and buy a box today! They also have chocolate bars, caramels, cocoa and more! Delish!!

Brugo Mug giveaway WINNER!!

Congratulations to entry number 4, Book Lady! I will be e-mailing you shortly, and you'll have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen :) yay!

Swagbucks - the most rewarding way to search the Web!

I just want ot let you guys know about a really awesome Web site called Swag Bucks! 

 Swag Bucks pays you for searching the web - really!! Each time you search via the Swag Bucks search or toolbar, you get a chance to win bucks - bucks that you can then turn into gift cards, redeem for merchandise or use to enter the sweepstakes. They also put out codes during the day to earn more Swag Bucks.

I earn $10 to $15 worth of Amazon gifts a month - just for searching the Internet like i always do.

To help you get started nad build up the bucks quickly, this week SB is having a back to school event!

Swagbucks is fighting the Back-To-School blues all this week with lots of fun promotions! First, you'll have the chance to win five different limited edition back-to-school themed Swag Bucks - if you snag them all, you'll earn a 50 Swag Buck bonus! Take advantage of sales in the Swag Store on all School Supplies and Cookie's Kids Merchandise, make sure you follow Swag Bucks on Twitter and Like them on Facebook for more rewarding opportunities. Plus, they're having another Swag Code Extravaganza on Thursday, where you'll get at least 5 codes for extra bucks. If you're not already searching and winning on Swagbucks.com, head over now and enter the code BackToSchool for 40 bonus bucks during registration!

That's right - As a BONUS to you, my  readers, if you sign up under my link before 11:59pm PDT on Sunday, August 15  and enter the code BackToSchool, you will receive an extra 40 Swag Bucks - giving you a grand total of 70 out of the gate.

Oh my, that is awesome! Sign up today to get 70 bucks and participate this week to earn even more! :)

Rue La La - get a $10 credit for FREE!!

Have you heard of Rue La La? It is a a Web site that offers huge deals on name brand and designer items - from clothes to accessories to kitchen gadgets and home decorating... even hotels and vacations! The catch is that each boutique (sale) is only open for a few days, so you have to act fast! Current boutiques include Elle clothes, Baker home furnishings, Derek Lam sunglasses, Victorinox knives, the Breakers hotel at Palm Beach... and more!!

And as a bonus, if you sign up by 8/8 using my link, you will get a $10 credit! AND if you order something by 10/31, I get q $10 credit too! Win win!! So sign up today! :)

Odd Sized Measuring Spoons!

How cool are these?

A lot of times when I am cooking I need 1.5 t or 2/3 t and have to combine spoons. no longer... this set even includes a "pinch" I love it!

You can buy them for $7.95 at vat19

Radical Review Wednesday: all i ever wanted by Kristan Higgins

When I first started reading this book, I was a little bit wary - it IS a Harlequin romance, and that isn't really my genre. But it sounded cute and like it would be a good summer read, so I thought I'd give it a try. And I LOVED it!

The characters were very relatable. Callie is very likable and real. I totally understood her desire to have a "happy ever after." She is smitten with Mark, who is the handsome charmer you would expect! After he announces he is engaged (at the same time breaking up with Callie) (did I mention it was her birthday, also?) she is devistated. Oh yeah, I know that feeling quite  well!

Luckily for the bubbly Callie, she's about to meet Ian the new veterinarian. He's unlike her in almost every way... but somehow that works!

I thought all i ever wanted was very well written. When Ian is first introduced, he is not necessarily the person you'd really like or want to be with Callie... so I enjoyed how his character was slowly revealed. This book also has a great cast of supporting characters. And i ma not embarrassed to say that it made me cry several times!!

All i ever wanted by Kristan Higgins is out now. You can buy the paperback for $7.99 at amazon.com.


*this book was provided to me by fsb. all opinions are my own*