Pintrest for Dummies Review and Giveaway (Radical Review Wednesday)

I am a Pinrest n00b. I resisted for a long time, and only joined about a month ago so I could enter giveaways. I have not even linked to my Pintrest page on my blog yet! When I joined, you could still join via e-mail, and when you joined there was NO info. I tried to repin a pin for the giveaway, and couldn't - I asked a very kind friend who told me that I needed to create a board first. Oh! Pintrest never told me that, and they never obthered to respond to my help request.

I really could have used Pintrest for Dummies by Kelby Carr!This book is great! Chapter 1 is very basic - it showed me the steps that Pintrest should have taken with my account but didn't. The book covers pinning and repinning, creating boards, hashtags, using the @ symbol and socializing as jsut a few of the topics covered.

One reason why I didn't care much for Pintrest was that I didn't really know HOW to use it. Pintrest for Dummies not only shows you the basics, but it also has ideas on how to use Pintrest. From recipe and craft ideas to self-improvement and even to help out social causes, Pintrest

My favorite chapter is the self-promotion chapter. Kelby Carr is the founder and CEO of Type-A Parent, a social network and online magazine-style blog, so she knows what she is talking about! She writes about creating quality posts, optimizing images and buttons, widgets and plug-ins to help your blog make the most out of Pintrest. 

This book has helped me to understand Pintrest and  how to use it effectively for my blog. If you are a new Pintrest user or someone who wants to learn how to use it better, then this book is for you! One lucky blog reader will win a copy of Pintrest for Dummies. Open to U.S. and Canada! Enter using the Ralfflecopter form below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway




I received a copy of this book in exchange for a honest review. no other compensation was received.

CLOSED!!!Radical Review Wednesday: Green Giant Boxed Vegetables (plus Giveaway!)

You might recall that J is currently on Weight Watchers, and I was until I got pregnant (I will be back on program once the baby is born!). And as you can probably guess... vegetables are an important part of the program. And also... it is handy when the PointsPlus value is right on the package. That is why I love the Green Giant vegetables. Most only have a PointsPlus value of 1 or 2 points! Packed with flavor and ready in minutes, Green Giant Boxed Vegetables are available in a wide variety of flavors, many featuring mouthwatering sauces and seasonings. They’re a terrific addition to any meal and a delicious way to achieve better health in 2011.

I was sent a  Green Giant prize pack, which included a box of Green Giant frozen boxed broccoli and cheese sauce. I loved how easy it was to prepare - put it on a plate, cut a slit in it, and microwave it.No need to mess with pans and water.

The portion size is for approximately 2.5 servings, which seems like a weird size to me. We divided it up into 2 good sized servings. I was mostly impressed with how much cheese sauce there was!! The broccoli was firm but not too hard. And it tasted really good!

I know... unhealthy next to healthy... but it was a scrounge for food after vacation dinner!

Want to win the same prize package I did? It's easy! Package contains all you see below: an insulated tote bag, serving bowl, spoon, and pedometer, along with a VIP coupon for a Green Giant Boxed Vegetable.

NOTE: You will receive a VIP coupon instead of a box of vegetables

Mandatory Entry:

1. Go to greengiant.com/ and leave me a comment saying which boxed vegetable is your favorite OR which boxed vegetable sounds the most delicious.

Bonus Entries:

*must do the mandatory entry first*

2. Like Green Giant on Facebook.

3. Like me on Facebook.  You must like me from your personal page and leave your Facebook name or part of your name in the comment. (3 entries - leave 3 separate comments)

4. Follow Green Giant on Twitter.

5. Follow me on Twitter. Leave your Twitter name in your comment.

6. Tweet about this giveaway, using @lbandj, a link to this post and the hashtag #myblogspark or use the tweet below. Include the URL to your tweet in your comment.
"Enter to win a Green Giant Boxed Vegetables Prize Pack @lbandj. Ends 3/18 http://tinyurl.com/lbandjgreengiant #myblogspark"

7. Subscribe to me via Google Friend Connect.

Open to U.S. Only. Giveaway ends on March 18, 2011 at 11:59 pm EST. The winner will be selected by random.org and notified by e-mail and will have 48 hours to reply back before a new winner is selected. Good luck!

Green Giant provided me with the product, and information through MyBlogSpark, All opinions are mine. I received no other compensation.

Blogmania in less than 4days!

Today's sneak preview is from Just Another New Blog. Her BLOGMANIA giveaway is  a fab Girl's Fave Things package - ARV $60 - including:

• French Women for All Seasons: A Year of Secrets, Recipes, and Pleasure by Mireille Guiliano (who wrote the famous French Women Don't Get Fat) - hardcover edition;
• Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason DVD; 
• $10 GC to iTunes;
• 2 tubes of Kiss My Face Sheer Organic Shine - natural mineral color for your lips in topaz and pearl.

What a great giveaway! Remember - you can only enter on Friday, April 30th during Blogmania! click the picture in the left sidebar for more info.

Spiced: Book Review and Giveaway!

***CLOSED***

They say: For as long as she can remember Dalia Jurgensen wanted to cook. By age five she would stand on a chair at the counter next to her Danish mother, shaping frikadeller and peeling potatoes for bikser mad.  And when asked what she wanted to be when she grew up, she was unequivocal: she wanted to be a chef.

With a conventional college degree and a couple of years in publishing behind her, she abruptly quit her job to pursue her dream and enroll in culinary school. It was a leap of faith that changed and defined her life in ways she’d never imagined.  Now Jurgensen shares the delicious details in SPICED: A Pastry Chef’s True Stories of Trials by Fire, After-Hours Exploits, and What Really Goes on in the Kitchen (Berkley Trade Paperback; April 6, 2010;$15.00), an eye-opening look at the sweet and sour of following your passion.

Refreshingly candid and simmering with kitchen drama, SPICED traces Jurgensen’s hard-earned metamorphosis from lowly pastry cook to acclaimed executive pastry chef at a three-star New York City restaurant.  But SPICED is much more than a personal memoir.  In the entertaining tradition of Kitchen Confidential, it’s an unforgettable insider’s tour through some of Manhattan ’s finest kitchens, the first to come from a woman’s perspective.  

I say: This was a very interesting book!  I liked to learn about what it is like for a woman in the kitchen. This book chronicles Dalia's many jobs, starting as a nighttime pastry person, who preps parts of desserts. She held many jobs, not only working with pastry or on the line and grill station at restaurants, but also for a caterer and in Martha Stewart's show prep kitchen. The book is well written with many details - including all hermess ups and the new recipes she creates. I really enjoyed reading what really goes on behind the scenes at restaurants.

Win it: 

 I have one copy of Spiced: A Pastry Chef’s True Stories of Trials by Fire, After-Hours Exploits, and What Really Goes on in the Kitchen by Dalia Jurgensen to give away.

Mandatory Entry:

1. Comment and tell me your favorite biography, autobiography or non-fiction book. (1 entry)

Bonus Entries:

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

2. Subscribe to me via Google Friend Connect ( 2 entries)

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

4. Follow Me on Twitter. Leave your Twitter id in your comment (2 entries)

5. Tweet this giveaway, using the following tweet or your own that includes a link to this post and @lbandj. (2 entries)
    "Win the book Spiced: A Pastry Chef's True stores @lbandj http://lbandj.blogspot.com/2010/04/spiced-book-review-and-giveaway.html"

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

7. FOR 5 EXTRA ENTRIES - Blog about this giveaway, with a link to my blog 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!  Giveaway will end on Thursday, 5/13. Open to U.S. and Canada.
Good luck! :)

I was given this book to review and an additional copy to give away thanks to business2blogger. All thoughts are of my own opinion