Holidays | She Scribes

Celebrate Magical Motherhood Memories with Hallmark (giveaway ends 4/21/13)

April 15, 2013 By Kimberly

Mother’s Day is fast approaching. Mother’s Day, and Christmas, are both bittersweet for me. My mom passed away 10 years ago shortly after Christmas after being removed from life support. My mother in law passed away due to complications from pancreatic cancer seven months later. It goes without saying that Mother’s Day is not easy for me and my husband. Even though it’s been 10+ years I still miss my mom very much. I lost my dad earlier this year too.

I truly wish my mom and mother in law were both still alive (and my dad). They passed away when my children were only 3 and 5 1/2 years old. They are teenagers now. My daughter will be Sweet 16 next month. I wish both moms were alive to see how wonderful my children, their grandchildren, are.

It breaks my heart that my children have very little memories of their grandmothers. My son was 2 1/2 when my mother got ill and 3 when she passed away. He has next to no memories of her. My daughter only has a few. Both kids can barely remember what either grandmother looked like except for pictures.

I hope that I can make lasting memories with my children. I also hope and pray that I will have plenty of time on this Earth to make memories with my future grandchildren too.

Being a mom I have so many memories of my children. Good, bad and crazy ones. That is what being a mom is all about.

This year Hallmark would like to help you celebrate magical motherhood memories with products to help celebrate that special person in your life – mom.

For the record I was not compensated for this post, nor did I receive anything to review.

Here are a few suggestions from Hallmark you might want to consider for Mother’s Day this year.

Pics ‘n’ Props: Pics ‘n’ Props add creativity and fun to family photos! Themed kits include props kids can use to take fun photos dedicated to mom (or grandma). After the photos are printed, put them in the frame/photo album included with the kit for a one-of-a-kind gift.
Mother’s Day Signature Collection: Hallmark’s Signature Collection includes sophisticated, stylish greetings handcrafted with beautiful papers, rich textures and appealing embellishments. A great way to honor a special mom in style!
Premium Classic Greetings: These greetings feature eye-catching premium designs with sparkle, shine, laser-cut patterns and bold colors that express messages of love and appreciation.

These products are not only ideal for your mom, but also for any special woman in your life such as your grandmother, aunt, step parent or anyone who is near and dear to your heart.

For more information about these and other Hallmark products, or to find a Hallmark store near you, visit www.Hallmark.com. You can also check them out on Facebook and Twitter.

Hallmark would also like to give a lucky reader a special Mother’s Day prize package which includes an assortment of all the products mentioned above including;

1 Pics ‘n’ Props Kit (approx. retail value: $24.95)
2 Mother’s Day Signature Collection Greetings (approx. total retail value: $13.98)
1 Premium Classic Greeting (approx. retail value: $6.99)

Thank you Hallmark.

This giveaway is open to US residents only and will end on April 21, 2013 at 11:59 PM (EST). The winner will be chosen at random using a random number generator from all eligible entries. The winner will be notified via e-mail and have three days to reply or a new winner will be chosen in their place.

To enter please comment on this post and tell me about the special mom (or mom-like person) in your life.

For extra entries you can use the Rafflecopter widget (below) but you must complete the initial entry requirement or the extra entries won’t qualify. Extra entries are optional.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Kimberly

*I was not compensated for this post. I posted this for the enjoyment of my site readers. Any opinions expressed are my own and were not influenced in any way. Hallmark will be providing the prize package.

Filed Under: Giveaways, Holidays Tagged With: Hallmark, Mother's Day

Easter Brunch with Eggland’s Best (Giveaway ends 4/16/13)

April 9, 2013 By Kimberly

I have been trying to organize a brunch for the past few weeks. Whenever I have it planned something happens to derail it. The one weekend I could gather the most people to come over to my place is the one weekend I come down with a particularly nasty stomach virus. Needless to say having people over when you’re sick, and having the mere thought of food makes you cringe, it’s not the ideal time for a brunch.

After much back and forth and trying to juggle schedules it finally came down to Easter. We had Easter brunch with my father, stepmother, stepbrother and his girlfriend. Instead of hosting it at my house we had it at my father’s house. It was not a big deal except I had wanted to have it at my home (I love to host get togethers).

My father and stepmother wanted to do dinner, but I really had my heart set on brunch, so we had brunch.

I’m working with Eggland’s Best Eggs to create the perfect brunch. There are so many yummy dishes you can make with eggs for brunch than you can dinner.

Eggland’s Best sent me some free product coupons and nice branded products to create my Eggland’s Best Eggs brunch for my family.

Did you know that Eggland’s Best Eggs are BETTER than most other eggs on the market? Here’s why…

It goes without saying that when it comes to serving my family meals I like to opt for dishes that are healthier for them. This applies towards my father, stepmother and stepbrother too.

How is it that Eggland’s Best Eggs are better than other eggs? That’s simple. It’s because Eggland’s Best serves its chickens a better quality feed.

Eggland’s Best hen feed is a special all-natural, all-vegetarian feed that contains healthy grains, canola oil, and an all-natural supplement of rice bran, alfalfa, sea kelp and Vitamin E – no animal fat, no animal by-products, and no recycled or processed food.

They also NEVER use steroids, antibiotics or hormones.

Eggland’s Best Eggs also taste great too.

In addition Eggland’s Best Eggs are produced locally throughout the US and can be delivered to stores within 72 hours of the chickens laying the eggs to ensure that the eggs you use to create your favorite recipes are fresh tasting.

Not only does Eggland’s Best care about what goes into the making of their eggs, they also care about how the eggs are delivered to you. Their classic eggs are sold in 100% recyclable polystyrene cartons. In some areas they are also available in 100% recyclable pulp plastic cartons.

Now to come up with the menu. Brunch is typically breakfast and lunch combined, so we wanted a nice mix. I mailed my stepmother coupons for free Eggland’s Best Eggs so that whatever recipes she made used only Eggland’s Best Eggs.

I made Deviled Eggs with crumbled Bacon. I used large sized Eggland’s Best Eggs. My kids love Deviled Eggs. It’s not something I would make “just because”. Usually I make them when we’re having a family get together.

Another item on our menu was Eggs & Peppers. I actually make this for dinner a lot of times. I simply take fresh green peppers, cut them up and saute them in a pan for a little bit just until they are warmed up and a little soft. Next I crack open a few eggs in a bowl and whisk them together (with or without milk – either way is fine). Then I pour the egg mixture into the pan with the peppers. At this stage you have to continually scraped the eggs around so that they don’t stick to the pan.

Once the eggs and peppers are cooked transfer them to another bowl and serve them with rolls to make a sandwich (I use hamburger rolls but any roll would do). I personally like to top them off with some black pepper. You can season them any way you wish.

Another dish that I had to make (another request from my children) is Macaroni Salad. Mine is pretty simple. I just cook elbow macaroni as directed (I usually use two boxes if we’re serving a lot of people). While it’s cooking I make several hard boiled Eggland’s Best Eggs.

Once the pasta is done cooking I drain the pot then fill it up with cold water. I also let the eggs cool down too. Ideally I like the eggs to be cold because it makes them easier to de-shell.

Once the pasta is cold (and the water is drained) I add in mayo, garlic and a little salt and pepper to taste. I mix it all up. Next I take the Eggland’s Best Egg, de-shell them and put them through this slicer I have that chops them up into small pieces. I add the eggs to the macaroni salad and mix well.

I didn’t this time around but sometimes I add a can of Tuna Fish to the macaroni salad too.

We had other foods such as Belgium waffles, fresh fruit, bacon, fried eggs, sausage, regular pancakes, hash browns and an amazing dish that my stepmother made (using Eggland’s Best Eggs of course ) called a German Pancake. It looked nothing like a pancake. In fact it didn’t look overly appetizing but once I tried it – WOW! It was so good.

I never made the recipe before. This is how she told me to make it.

Ingredients:

6 Eggland’s Best Eggs at room temperature
1 cup of all purpose flour
1 cup of whole or 2% milk (she used 2%)
3 tablespoons of melted butter
1/4 teaspoon of Vanilla
1/2 teaspoon of salt

You’ll also need some powdered sugar and fresh cut lemons.

Directions: Mix all the ingredients together except the powdered sugar and lemon and melted butter, until well mixed. Pour the melted butter into a 13″ x 9″ baking dish, making sure the butter gets on to the bottom and the sides. Then pour the batter into the dish (leave the remaining butter – you don’t have to remove it). Then bake at 400 degrees for about 20-25 minutes.

To serve cut into pieces and garnish with fresh lemon juice and a sprinkling of powdered sugar.

This is the recipe that my stepmother gave me. She said it’s a popular dish so I’m sure there are variations to the dish.

I didn’t think I would like something made with eggs with fresh lemon juice on it but WOW! It was really good! I have to try making this myself.

The below picture is not of the actual one my stepmother made. I neglected to take a photo of it during brunch. It was pretty much gone the moment she set it down on the table too. I just included this stock photo so you know what it looks like.

Of course no Easter brunch would be complete without some sweet treats and other goodies. My father brought home chocolate covered Macadamia nuts from Hawaii and they served them with chocolate covered cherries too. MMMM!!!!

We also made sure to have plenty of coffee, tea, milk and orange juice on hand. There was plenty of food (a nice variety) and oddly enough there were no left overs. I think my stepmother did a fabulous job of making just the right amount so that everyone could have a piece or two of everything. Even my macaroni salad was gobbled up. Usually there is some left overs. Not this time around. That is a good thing too since I didn’t want to lug it back home.

Any recipe that we had for brunch that required eggs was made with Eggland’s Best Eggs.

Eggland’s Best Eggs are available at grocery stores across the country. If you would like to learn more visit www.EgglandsBest.com. You can also follow the brand on Facebook, Twitter and even Pinterest. They have some truly mouth watering recipes on both their website and the Pinterest page.

Eggland’s Best would like to give a lucky reader a delightful prize package so that you can create the perfect brunch (or whatever else you had in mind) for your family and friends. The prize package includes;

(1) coupon for one free dozen Eggland’s Best eggs
(1) ceramic mixing bowl
(1) egg-shaped wooden cutting board
(1) whisk
(1) bowl scraper
(1) ceramic mug
(1) eco bag

I don’t have a photo of most of the items in the prize package. I actually gave most of the items I received to my stepmother. I kept the mixing bowl (IT’S HUGE!) because it’s great for mixing meatloaf, cake or other messy meals. I also kept the cutting board because it’s cute (it’s shaped like an egg!). Trust me, you’ll love the prize package. !

This giveaway is open to US residents only and will end on April 16, 2013 at 11:59 PM. The winner must reply no later than 12 noon on April 19th or the prize cannot be shipped.

To enter please leave a comment on this post and tell me what you like to make for family and friends with Eggland’s Best Eggs?

For extra entries you can use the Rafflecopter widget (below) but you must complete the initial entry requirement or teh additional entries won’t qualify (I do check). Extra entries are optional.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Kimberly

*I received free product samples, coupons and a small stipend to cover other ingredients. There was no other compensation. The opinions expressed are my own and not influenced in any way. Eggland’s Best will provide the prize.

Filed Under: Food & Beverages, Giveaways, Holidays, Household, Recipes, Reviews Tagged With: Brunch, Easter, Eggland's Best Eggs

Easter Treats & More with Nestle’s Holiday Candies

March 27, 2013 By Kimberly

Can you believe that Easter is this weekend? Oh my goodness! Time has flown way too quickly. It seems like we just tossed out Valentine’s Day cards the other day and now we’re making preparations for the Easter Bunny to arrive.

I still don’t know what our plans are for Easter. Normally we go to my father’s house for dinner and an Easter egg hunt. The kids are getting too old for egg hunts but they still want one because they know Grandpa will hide not only candy in the eggs but also $$$. Mostly change but a there are a few eggs Grandpa puts $1 bills in and one egg gets a $5 bill.

Have you seen the new Hard to Find Easter Eggs from Wonka? Instead of being bright colors like pink, blue and yellow the eggs are colored with Earth tone colors like green, brown and gray. They are also textured to look like rocks, sticks and grass. They are actually pretty cool looking. Nestle sent me some of the Hard to Find Easter Eggs, along with a few other free samples, in order to do a review. There was no compensation.

As most of my readers know I live in a condo. We don’t have much of a yard at all. My “yard” is a 6′ x 12′ rickety old wooden balcony. Or I suppose you could consider the parking lot my yard too. Sigh. I honestly couldn’t find a good location to hide the eggs to take pictures of them to show reader what I meant about how they are harder to find compared to traditional plastic eggs. If Grandpa has an egg hunt this year I’ll hide the eggs around his yard, take photos and update this post.

I received a few other goodies from Nestle including Laffy Taffy Jelly Beans, Nestles Crunch and Butterfinger Eggs, and some Solid Nestle Crunch and Butterfinger Easter Bunnies.

All of these products are available at grocery, drug and mass retail stores across the country.

In the past I have created treats using Nestle candies. My kids still rave about the caramel covered candy apples I made back in the fall using Nestle candies. I wanted to make something different this time around.

My husband had a great idea. He told me to create my own “Blizzard” ice cream, similar to what they make at Dairy Queen. That seemed easy enough.

I unwrapped several Nestle Crunch Eggs as well as Butterfinger Eggs. I then proceeded to cut the chocolates up into small pieces. Using a blender and some vanilla ice cream I created Nestle Crunch and Butterfinger “Blizzards” for my family. Oh my goodness! They could not get enough of them. I had to make them several times for everyone (except myself – ice cream doesn’t always sit well in my tummy). My husband even asked me to make one for him. They turned out just as good as the kind you get in the ice cream shop.

Kudos to my hubby for thinking that one up.

Another thing I tried to make was the Jelly Bean Easter Bark using the Laffy Taffy Jelly Beans. I found the recipe on Meals.com. The recipe called for vegetable shortening. I didn’t have any on hand. A friend of mine suggested that I use butter instead. It didn’t turn out the same as in the picture. My bark was more “bendy” then it was crunchy. I also used a different chocolate than the one listed in the recipe. I don’t know if that had anything to do with it either.

Here is a side by side comparison of the actual recipe (left) and my Jelly Bean Easter Bark.

Even though it didn’t turn out exactly the same way my kids sure enjoyed it. I have none left! They ate all the pieces.

I also made an Easter Cake using chopped up Nestle Crunch pieces.

I prepared a cake mix as directed on the box. I made a two layered cake so I poured half the batter in one pan and half in another. Next I unwrapped a dozen Nestle Crunch Easter Eggs and cut them in half. I put half on top of one cake and half on top of the other.

Once the cake had baked and cooled I frosted the top of one cake and topped if off with about 10 Nestle Crunch Easter Eggs that I chopped up. Then I added the other layer of cake and frosted it. For decoration I topped the cake with Nestle’s Laffy Taffy Jelly Beans and one of their adorable Nestle Crunch Chocolate Rabbits.

The bits of Nestle Crunch added a nice surprise to the cake and frosted middle layer. Even after baking it still retained it’s crunch.

It’s fun, and a bit of a challenge, to turn holiday candies into extra special treats.

Have you ever used any Nestle candies, or Easter candies, in any of your recipes? If so I would love to hear about them. Feel free to comment and tell me more about it.

Look for Nestle candies at drug, grocery and mass retailers across the country.

For more information about Nestle please visit www.NestleUSA.com.

For recipe ideas please visit Nestle Kitchens at www.Meals.com and on Facebook.

Kimberly

*I received free product samples in order to do this review and these recipes. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed are my own and were not influenced in any way.

Filed Under: Food & Beverages, Holidays, Recipes, Reviews Tagged With: Easter, Meals.com, Nestle

Celebrate Easter/Spring with Baskin-Robbins (Giveaway ends 3/27/13)

March 24, 2013 By Kimberly

It’s hard to believe that Easter is next weekend. Were we not just decorating the Christmas tree yesterday? It would seem that way. Sigh… time flies way too quickly.

Our Easter plans are still up in the air. Normally we go to my father’s house and have spiral cut ham and an assortment of delicious side dishes, and then top off the meal with cake, cookies and whatever Easter candy we can swipe from the kids. Hopefully we’ll be doing that next weekend otherwise I guess it will just be me, my hubby and my kids.

If you are planning a holiday meal there is no doubt you’ll want the perfect dessert to end the day. If you have a Baskin-Robbins nearby you might want to check out their adorable Spring Chick ice cream cake.

Baskin-Robbins had wanted me to do a review of one of these adorable cakes, however being under the weather for the past several days made it a bit impossible to get to Baskin-Robbins and pick up one of the cakes. Therefore we are going to do this as a giveaway rather than a review.

The new Spring Chick Cake is sure to be a crowd pleaser for your Easter dinner, or even a Spring time birthday or other celebration. This colorful cake is bright and cheery on the outside and sweet and tasty on the inside. Best of all you can customize the cake with your favorite Baskin-Robbins flavor.

This cute cake can serve 8-12 people and sells for $26.99.

If you are looking for something a little smaller you can also try the Chick Novelty. It looks just like the Spring Chick Cake, but its a single serving size.

I’ve reviewed other Baskin-Robbins cakes in the past. If you would like to read my reviews simple do a search for Baskin-Robbins in the search box on my site.

To find a Baskin-Robbins near you visit www.BaskinRobbins.com. Don’t forget – Baskin-Robbins makes cakes for any occasion, holiday or even “just because”.

You can also find Baskin-Robbins on Facebook and Twitter.

I have a Baskin-Robbins gift card ($31 value) to give to a lucky reader.

This giveaway is open to US residents only and will end on March 27, 2013 at 11:59 PM. Depending on when the winner replies to the e-mail the gift card may or may not arrive in time for Easter. Had I not been sick this post would have been up sooner.

The winner will be chosen from all eligible entries using a random number generator. The winner will be notified via e-mail and will have three days to reply (the sooner the better) or a new winner will will be chosen in their place.

To enter please leave a comment on this post and tell me what your favorite flavor of Baskin-Robbins ice cream is, or favorite Baskin-Robbins treat.

For extra entries you can use the Rafflecopter widget (below) but you must complete the initial entry requirement or the additional entries won’t qualify. Extra entries are optional.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Kimberly

*I received a gift card in order to purchase a cake for review. There was no other compensation. The opinions expressed are my own and are not influenced in any way.

Filed Under: Food & Beverages, Giveaways, Holidays Tagged With: Baskin-Robbins, Easter, Spring

Extra Special Easter Ideas from Disney’s Spoonful.com

March 24, 2013 By Kimberly

One of my favorite websites is Spoonful.com, especially when it comes to holiday recipes and craft ideas. They have the cutest ideas!

Spoonful.com is part of the Disney family, therefore you will see a lot of Disney inspired ideas on the site, as well as non-Disney recipes and crafts.

I was browsing the Spoonful.com website and found a few great ideas that I think some of my readers might want to try with their family this holiday season.

Please note that I was not compensated for sharing these wonderful ideas. Plus I am able to share these with you with permission from Spoonful.com.

Here are a few of my favorite holiday ideas from the website (some of them I would love to try and make myself with my family).

I linked up the photos with their page on the Spoonful.com website for your convenience.

Easter Animal Cupcakes – Too cute!

Carrot Patches – This is made with Hummus, but I think you could try this with other things such as carrot cake or orange flavored yogurt.

Sock Hop - This cute craft is made with children’s socks. I’ve found them at the Dollar Store or you can use one of the extra socks whose mate has gone missing (or swallowed up by the “Dryer Monster” ).

Herd of Eggimals – These cute critters are all made out of plastic eggs. What a fun craft to make with all those left over plastic eggs we all seem to have year after year.

These are just some of the wonderful craft and recipe ideas I found on Spoonful.com to help you and your family celebrate Easter (or Spring).

If you would like to see what else the site has available visit www.Spoonful.com. You can also check them out on Facebook, Twitter and even Pinterest.

Kimberly

*I was not compensated for this post. I posted this for the enjoyment of my site readers. Any opinions expressed are my own and were not influenced in any way.

Filed Under: Crafts, Holidays, Recipes Tagged With: Disney, Easter, Spoonful

Delicious Giveaway from FoodyDirect (ends 3/26/13)

March 23, 2013 By Kimberly

Easter is right around the corner and many families across the country will be gathering to enjoy a mouth water meal with one another. Many families will be enjoying juicy ham or buttery soft turkey, along with an abundance of side dishes and plenty of sweet treats.

I consider myself a good cook, although some things I haven’t exactly “mastered” cooking – yet. When I have guests over for dinner I like to offer them gourmet meals. Sometimes I’ll attempt to prepare everything myself. Other times I might purchase a few menu items pre-made and then prepare other dishes on my own.

FoodyDirect contacted me about hosting a giveaway for my readers. Of course I jumped on the opportunity to offer my readers a great giveaway. I was not compensated for this post, nor did I receive anything to review.

FoodyDirect offers consumers a variety of meals, breads, deli, seafood and sweet treats from gourmet shops from around the country, including regional favorites.

I am not familiar with any of the shops they have on their site, but I checked out their menu items and I’m drooling! They carry items from Arthur Avenue Italian Deli. If you a New Yorker you know that great breads come from Arthur Avenue. The Arthur Avenue Italian Deli does have Italian sandwiches and Paninis that look oh-so-good!

FoodyDirect lets restaurants offer their foods for purchase by anyone across the country. That means someone in Nebraska can order a lobster meal from a place like Hancock Gourmet Lobster in Cundy’s Harbor, Maine.

The site is set up so that you can explore the food items by Cuisines, Restaurants or Dishes. They even have different sections to help you find romantic meals (including caviar!), holiday meals, dinner for 2 and even Gluten free.

I have not tried anything from FoodyDirect, but I have the site bookmarked just in case I need to order some gourmet food items in the future.

For more information, or to check out the selection yourself, visit www.FoodyDirect.com. You can also find the brand on Facebook and Twitter.

FoodyDirect would also like to offer readers $10 off their first order. The promo code is BLSSA3 (case sensitive) and expires on June 30, 2013.

FoodyDirect would like to offer a lucky reader their choice of a La Boucherie Turducken or a Kruez glazed ham. The Turducken comes with Crawfish Jambalaya Stuffing. The glazed ham is a traditional Easter meal.

This giveaway is open to US residents only and will end on Tuesday, March 26, 2013 at 11:59 PM (EST). The winner will be chosen at random using a random number generator from all eligible entries. The winner will be contactes via e-mail and will have three days to reply (preferably promptly so the food can arrive in time for the holiday) or a new winner will be chosen in their place.

To enter please comment on this post and tell me which meal you would like to win – the La Boucherie Turducken or the Kruez Glazed Ham?

For extra entries you can use the Rafflecopter widget (below) but you MUST complete the initial entry requirement or the additional entries won’t qualify (I do check). Extra entries are optional.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Kimberly

*I was not compensated for this post. I posted this for the enjoyment of my site readers. The opinions expressed are my own. FoodyDirect is responsible for prize package.

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Filed Under: Food & Beverages, Giveaways, Holidays Tagged With: FoodyDirect

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Celebrate Magical Motherhood Memories with Hallmark (giveaway ends 4/21/13)

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Easter Brunch with Eggland’s Best (Giveaway ends 4/16/13)

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Easter Treats & More with Nestle’s Holiday Candies

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Celebrate Easter/Spring with Baskin-Robbins (Giveaway ends 3/27/13)

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Extra Special Easter Ideas from Disney’s Spoonful.com

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Delicious Giveaway from FoodyDirect (ends 3/26/13)

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