Country Bobs - Yum!

Country Bobs 

All Purpose Sauce

We use this sauce in everything, well almost!  

We use it in our hamburgers, steak marinade, chicken marinade, noodle sauce, and whatever else you can dream up! 

We will let you in on our secret to making yummy hamburgers and chicken marinade that make you look like a star!  Be warned that we were both taught to "Eyeball" the measurements and not to actually use the measuring spoons.

Bobgers

1 lb. of hamburger meat 

Country Bobs

Steak Seasoning - can be similar to Montreal

Onion flakes - dried

**Put it all together in a bowl, make your patties, and grill the babies!  

Betty Crocker Summetime Cakes!

This summer is filled with MANY parties and I usually try to take something fun with me! I wanted to share some recipes with you! Summer is one of the best times to be creative - people are so hungry from sitting in the sun it does not matter if you mess up anywhere! · Ice Cream Cone Cakes – Kids of all ages will love personalizing these single-serving cakes! · Flip-Flops Cake – Personalize these edible summer wardrobe favorites with candies and fruit snacks – transforming a sheet cake into footwear that looks (and is) good enough to eat. · Watermelon Cake – Your family’s favorite fruit is about to get even more popular. This melt-in-your-mouth cake offers a surprise in every bite, with chocolate chip “seeds” and a green jelly bean “rind.” · Cookies n Cream Cupcakes – Perfect for family picnics, these cupcakes taste like your favorite ice cream without all the mess! · Butterfly Cake – This beautiful, and fun, cake transforms a traditional birthday cake into a beautiful butterfly perfect for outdoor summer parties. While I was at Betty's website trying to pick out some recipes to try out I discovered that they are actually pretty straight forward!

With school ending tomorrow I have been writing my "TO TRY" list : make a cake for everyone's birthday, make a giant diamond ring cake, make a cupcake cake of a baby, get a tan, etc. (:

Angel Food Cupcakes

Fish Cake

Be sure to go to the website for more amazing ideas!  As soon as school is out for the Summer I am going to try the cute fish cake!    

Although this was a sponsored post, I love it! <3

Fruit and Veggies Keepers Giveaway

                                     

ReuseIt Fruit & Vegetable Keeper Giveaway

Hosted by: Southern Belle

Sponsored by: Reuseit

Giveaway will run from Feb 15th - Feb 27th

EatSmart Digital Scale Giveaway

Here is a great giveaway for anyone trying to change their eating habits.  Good luck!

                                                          Hosted by : Southern Belle

                                                            Sponsored by EatSmart
If you are serious about eating healthy and keeping portions under control, weighing your food is a the best way to accomplish your goals. The EatSmart Precision Pro Digital Kitchen Scale is easy to use. It can weigh  up to 11lbs. It comes with a free calorie factor guide. I found the calorie factor guide extremely helpful for managing and helping me maintain  my calorie intake.The Precision Pro displays lbs., ounces, grams and kgs. The Tare feature allows you to remove the weight of the bowl that you are using to weigh your food.

Giani Paint Giveaway

This Giveaway is Hosted by Jenn, Mom of Two Munchkins

Giani Paint for Countertops is one of the neatest products ever.  With a few coats of paint your can change the look of your entire kitchen or even bathroom.  It is super simple to do.  I loved my results.  Read the FULL REVIEW and see the dramatic transformation of my kitchen.  It is like having a brand new kitchen.

Palmolive Fresh Infusion Dish Soap Detergent

As a member of Influenster, I get to try great new products all the time.  My last VoxBox was all about Palmolive Fresh Infusion Dish Soap Detergent. We had just ran out of dish soap the day I got my box in the mail so I tried it right away.  To be honest, I wasn't expecting much because I am never able to tell the difference between brands.  The first thing that I noticed was how big the bottles were!  They come in three different scents: Lime Basil, Lemon Thyme, and Ginger White Tea.  I loved the Ginger White Tea.  I always expect anything with ginger to have a strong scent but this has a very mellow fresh scent. I gave my  mom the Lime Basil scent and she also really liked it.  As for the actual dish washing, it works just as well as any other Palmolive dish soap.  I found that this was a little watery for my taste.  However, since the bottle is so large, one bottle lasts the same(or longer) than an average sized bottle.

You can find these at Walmart for around $3, which it really not bad considering how large the bottles are.

Read what other Influenster's said about their experience here.  

Also, I have two more invites to join Influenster!  If you would like to sign up, email me at britibee at gmail or leave a comment below with your email address.

I received this product complimentary through Influenster.

Baggee Giveaway

This Giveaway is Hosted by Jenn, Mom of Two Munchkins

Baggee is an awesome product that encourages you to save and reuse your plastic grocery bags.  It hold up to 2 average size grocery bags at a time.  They connect easily to your keychain, purse, belt loop, or dogs leash.  I use bags when I dispose of my child's diapers and since we have "retired" the diaper bag I didn't really have a good place to store my bags and didn't want them lose in my purse because they take up a lot of space.  But their was an answer.  I attached a Baggee to the outside my purse so I always have bags with me.  It looks cute too.  They have a variety of colors, I got pink and green.  Read FULL REVIEW.

This would be great for when my husband takes our dogs on a walk! Just clip in on one of their leashes and no more worrying about forgetting to bring doggie bags.  

Good Luck from Blabs from a SAHM and TW!

Entry-Form

Jenn, Mom Of Two Munchkins was provided with a free sample of this product to review, and was under no obligation to review it.  Nor was Jenn, Mom Of Two Munchkins under any obligation to write apositive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.  Jenn, Mom Of Two Munchkins and Blabs from a SAHM and TW are not responsible for shipping of prize.  Living Innovative  has the sole responsibility for shipping of prize.  Prize value is approximately $6.71/$13.42.

Chicken Chili!

With the freeze warnings and cold mornings, it is a wonder how anyone can  get out of bed!  We both like to cook, often from scratch.  We both come from grandmas that did everything from scratch, on Italian and one  Polish.   VERY different cooking tastes, but the same basics!  Once the weather begins to get cold it is always soup and chili weather. 

I call this Chicken Chili.  Usually I would put it into a pot and cook it all day, checking up on it  and stirring it.  But I decided to use a slow cooker because I have a TON of laundry to do. I usually have more stuff to add to our chili, but there is no way I am venturing outside on this chilly (: ha ha :) day! 

After looking through the cabinets I realized we had 3 cans of beans, about 6 cans of diced tomatoes, many cans of actual soup, and a lot of sauces.  I buy sauce like I buy shoes - if it looks good I'm trying it!

So I found the 2 cans of beans I could use, Great Northern and Kidney (the 3rd was Green Beans).  Big surprise, I had lots of diced tomatoes to choose from!  To create the 'sauce' I added Tomato Sauce and 1/2 can of water to create the cooking base.  

Add whatever spices you want!  I had Paprika, Basil, Pepper, Red Pepper Flakes, and of course Garlic Salt.  Yum!  I had left over chicken from the last nice day to cookout and chopped it into tiny cubes and dropped it in.  I basically just dumped what I felt like eating until it smelled good - :)  Right before you are finished simmering it in the slow cooker (3-6 hours), add some Buffalo or Hot Sauce to this!  Yummy!   PS.  Did you know this is Gluten-Free!?

I was going to call this Chicken Dump, but realized it may sound disgusting.  (:  Enjoy.

I hate stains!

 Perky Plus Stain Remover

Engineered by professional carpet cleaners, Perky™ PLUS  has been formulated to tackle all types of everyday home spills and messes.  With over 35 years of experience making stain removers and carpet cleaning supplies, Perky™ PLUS  is perfect for the everyday modern family.  Unlike other carpet stain removers that use a spray top to treat the surface of the stain, Perky stain removers fight the source of the stain in the carpet & pad with an advanced squirt top that not only dissolves the stain but also neutralizes odors on contact giving your carpet and fabrics that brand new look and smell.  Groom Industries has been manufacturing professional cleaning supplies for over 35 years and have just recently developed these fantastic cleaning products and stain removers for the general public. Visit www.groomindustries.com for more information. 

I was excited when I received this product because I wanted to get a horrible stain out of my shirt.  I then thought  it might be a tad bit strong for something like that. It says it is a supply that is perfect for the modern family. So I used it on a stain my dog left after eating one of those little centipedes that somehow get into a  sealed basement.  Ta - Da! It did work! I usually get something liek Resolve to get my stains out but this was a nice alternative!

After realizing it helped, I wanted to try it on my shirt with the stain.  I use Rimmel makeup that is in the little tube and sometimes if it is stored cap down the makeup will just explode out.  It happened on a nice NEW shirt I was wearing.  I now just wear grubby shirts getting ready before I jump into my clothes now.  To make this long rambling story short I tried it.  Previous tries were done with Oxi Stain remover - nope, Stain Stick - nope, and rubbing the tide stick on it - nope!  As a last ditch effort I opted for Perky PLUS.  Was I surprised? YES.  After so many attempts to get the foundation stain out of my shirt it happened.  As with any cleaner you need to be careful and follow directions.  Do not use as much as you 'think' you need because it just squirts out of the container. 

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Chili Cheese Fries

Chili Cheese Fries - Gluten-Free :)

I can not wait until it is dinner! While I was learning what my good/bad/trigger foods were I always defaulted to potatoes. They are filling, easy to make, and fun to cut. I would be the strange kid who loved peeling potatoes! Tip: My dad and mom always gave me the carrot peeler to peel potatoes. I never got the real, true knife. To this day I would rather use the carrot peeler!

Be sure you have the following – as with any recipe you can substitute what you want and do not want!

• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 3 russet potatoes, peeled
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce
• 2 tablespoons grill seasoning
• 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

How to work your magic:

1. Oven- Center rack at 425 degrees F. Line 2 pans with parchment or foil.
2. Mix together cornstarch, chili powder, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, cumin.
3. Rinse potatoes and peel with a carrot peeler! Use a big person knife and slice around a 1/4-inch piece off the potato lengthwise – now it is your bottom! Continue to slice potato into 1/4 to 3/8-inch wide planks.
4. Stack ‘em in piles 2 to 3 planks high, and slice lengthwise into 1/4 to 3/8-inch fries.
5. Toss your ‘fake fries’ around in olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, and whatever grill seasoning you have. Sprinkle the cornstarch mixture over the potato slices like snow. Grab a pair of tongs to evenly coat everything.
6. Spread potatoes in a single layer across the pans. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes – mix 2/3 times during cooking to get every side crispy.  Remember to add the cheese on top if you want before you are ready to serve!

Enjoy ‘yins fries!

Little Cleaning Box~Review and Giveaway!

Over the last few months I have weeded out all unnatural cleaning products in my house.  No more chemicals or harsh smells in my house now!  I got the chance to try the Little Cleaning Box a few weeks ago.    When I first made the switch I was nervous that they wouldn't actually clean.  This is a perfect way to try out green household products to see if they really do work.  My box included:

~Modern Mermaid-All Purpose and Glass Cleaner
~Mrs. Meyers Dish Soap in Lavender, Basil, Geranium, and ~Lemon Verbena scents
~Grab Green Laundry Detergent
~Skoy Cloth
~Just Bee Dryer Bag

The Modern Mermaid All Purpose and Glass Cleaner really does what it claims. I cleaned off our end table that is perpetually sticky from our daughter's juice boxes.  I also used it to clean off the windows behind our couch.  Anyone that knows what a dog's nose prints can do to a window knows how hard it is to clean.  It cleaned off the funk with no issues!  This is just as good as any non-green cleaner out there.




Up until recently, I only used the dishwasher to do our dishes.  But lately I have been washing my daughter's cup by hand.  So Mrs. Meyers Dish Soap was the first green dish soap I have tried.  I was curious about the different smells, fearing they might be overpowering.  But I found the scents mild and soothing.  The dish soap really works and it seemed like I didn't have to use that much soap.  

The Grab Green Laundry Detergent smells downright fantastic. I have never used a pod laundry detergent before and I really liked it.  You don't have to measure; just pop one in with the dirty clothes.  Really easy!  It got all our clothes clean with using any harsh chemicals. 






The Skoy cloth was my favorite thing I tried!  They are reuseable paper towels that can last for a full year!  You can throw it in the dishwasher or micromave to clean and disinfect it.  After a few washes they are better used as cleaning cloth or rag.  I absolutely hate using paper towels and this is a great, equally effective alternative.  I plan of buying a lot more of these!


I have never even heard of natural dryer bags before.  But man was I missing something!  These leave your laundry with a light but wonderful scent.  Each bags lasts up to ten loads of laundry.


The box is only $10 and is well worth it.  Unlike other higher priced boxes, this one is really a great value.  You get eight samples and they are samples you can use more then once!  If you find a product that you really love, you can order the full sized products on their website with free shipping.

Leslie Reichert is offering a free PDF copy of her book, The Joy of Green Cleaning, to anyone who purchases their own Little Cleaning Box!  Just let me know in a comment or email(britibee@gmail.com) that you made a purchase and I will have them send you the book!  

You can buy it here.

Also check it out on Facebook and Twitter.

Want to win one of your own? Enter below!

Ozeri Pro II Digital Kitchen Scale~Review

Have you ever tried a diet and tried to figure out the amount of calories you are eating?  It is almost impossible!  I wanted to see if my favorite cheese was going to be reasonable but when I found the nutritional info I was stumped.  I can eat one ounce of cheese but how much is one ounce?  One slice? A thin or thick slice?  I was thrilled to be able to try the Ozeri Pro II Digital Kitchen Scale.  Ozeri makes digital products for the modern world.  They have a ton of really cool stuff that I would love to try out like electronic wine openers, salt and pepper mills, and book lights.  Here are some of the key features of the kitchen scale:

~Newly design with a capacity range from 0.05 oz to 12 lbs (1 gram to 5.4 kg),
~Built-in countdown kitchen timer with 3 alarm modes (audible beep, blinking LED, or combined)
~Precision tare feature subtracts the weight of the container for the net weight of the ingredients; 
~Easy unit button instantly converts between oz, g, lbs, and kg.
~Large screen features a bright LCD with an improved viewing angle for the on-the-go cook.
~Over sized buttons generate audible click confirmation
~3-minute automatic turn-off preserves battery life.
~Finished in elegant chrome and sized for easy storage and portability
~Ships with 2 AAA batteries included.

I decided to try it out while making a simple meal that we often eat at home, Sauteed potatoes, green peppers and onions.  Now I knew that this was probably a pretty healthy meal but I had no idea the amount of calories it had.  So after I chopped all the the ingredients, I weighed them all on the scale.  The scale is really easy to use!  I did not have one problem with it.  I wrote down all the weights of everything; I changed the measurement units with a press of a button.  I used the Calorie Guide that comes with the scale to find the calorie per gram ratio for the ingredients.  It turns out that the entire huge pan only had 652.79 calories!  I could eat half of everything I made for about 325 calories!  I plan on weighing pretty much everything I make now so I can get serious about this dieting thing! I also really liked how small it is, you can easily store it without taking up valuable kitchen space. Overall, I love my new scale!

Find out more but checking out their Facebook page!

I received the above products through Sublime Media Connection in exchange for an honest review. In no way was I asked to give a positive review.

Envision Home~Review

When we first moved into our new house, I was so excited for the dish washer!  After a few weeks, I realized that it works great on dishes but not so well on my daughters' sippy cups.  I decided that I would have to start hand washing them to make sure they were getting clean.  We have very limited sink and counter space so I couldn't use a traditional dish drying rack.  I have resorted to using a few towels layered on the counter plus more towels to dry the dishes.  Since we do not have a washer or dryer, having all the extra towels became an issue.  Then I got the chance to try the Dish Drying Mat from Envision Home!  

The Dish Drying Mat can hold four times its weight in liquid!  No more drying your dishes before putting them in the drying rack to dry.  It is also machine washable so you don't have to worry about it getting dirty.  Just once a week, toss it in the washer.  That is much easier than having to wash a bunch of towels every other day.  As I said before, we have limited counter space.  I like that after I use the Dish Drying Mat I can fold it up and store it in a drawer!  I also like that this has cusioning so it will protect our glass bowls and wine glasses.

Stay tunes because later on this week Sublime Media Connection is offering three readers a drying mat of their own!


I received the above products through Sublime Media Connection in exchange for an honest review. In no way was I asked to give a positive review.

Eco Lunch Gear Giveaway!

It is time to start thinking about back to school. Eco Lunch Gear makes it possible to send your kids a healthy lunch without creating a lot of trash to be destined for a landfill.

You can check out our review of this great Eco Lunch Gear Snack Bag here.


You can enter to win a jumbo snack bag of your own via the rafflecopter form below.
This giveaway begins on 7/30 and ends on 8/13 2012.




This giveaway was brought to you by the Sublime Media Connection. The participating bloggers cannot be held responsible for the delivery of this item, as that is the responsibility of the sponsor. If you have any questions regarding the delivery of the prize please email pr@sublimemediaconnection.info.




a Rafflecopter giveaway

Easy Lunch Giveaway!

Easylunchboxes was started by Kelly Lester, a Mother who wanted to provide her children with a healthy school lunch while on a budget. Her own struggles with weight control has inspired her to teach her children healthy eating habits. She is certainly one creative lady who has given lunch boxes of the past a makeover to help make every Mother feel better about what their child eats for lunch.

SodaStream Giveaway!

This review and giveaway are brought to you by Kara's Deals and Steals.  

Good Luck!

My husband and I are MAJOR soda lovers. We spend an endless amount of money feeding our Mountain Dew and Diet Pepsi habits. I was extremely excited to get the goodies pictured above. I have always been curious about the SodaStream and have heard it is a great way to conserve money rather than continuously buying 12-24 packs of soda at the store.


**The advantages of SodaStream's Home Carbonation System include:

• Convenience: No need to carry heavy bottles from the store. The SodaStream system is simple to use and requires no batteries or electricity.
• Environmentally-Friendly: SodaStream is an "Active Green" solution that minimizes the huge eco-footprint caused by the manufacture, transport and waste of plastic bottles.
• Variety: SodaStream offers over 100 flavors to suit everyone’s taste. Regular, diet, natural, fruity flavors, ice tea, energy drinks, sport drinks, tonic and many more.
• Space Saver: No need to store bottles of beverages or empty bottles for recycling in your home.
• Personalization: Make drinks just the way you love them… more bubbles, less bubbles, sweeter or lighter, even create your own flavor!
• Family Fun: The system is quick and easy to use. It's fun for everyone and kids just love it!
• Value for Money: Great savings compared to pre-packed carbonated water and beverages.
• Satisfaction Guaranteed: SodaStream drinks makers are of extremely high quality and include a money-back satisfaction guarantee.

The eco-friendly features of this product are attractive to me. I have a family of four and it seems like we have a LOT of trash so minimizing our collection of cans and bottles is a great selling feature of the SodaStream. It is also SO incredibly easy to use. The machine has no confusing parts to put together or electrical equipment. You open the back and put the carbonator in, fill the bottle with water, twist it into place, push the button a few times to carbonate the water, untwist your bottle, pour your syrup in and that's all there is to it! The bottle makes one liter of soda and is reusable, so no bottles are going in the trash.



I tried the root beer and lemon-lime flavors. I must say, the SodaStream soda has a much more natural flavor than any soda I've ever tasted. The directions tell you to push the carbonator button three times. I had to push it five or six times to get it to a carbonation good enough for me but the flavor is great! Lemon-lime can be compared to Sprite for me but the difference in nutrition facts is outstanding.

The SodaStream syrups have a significantly fewer amount of calories, sugar, and carbs. You have to make sure your water is VERY cold before using the SodaStream. I stored a bottle of cold water in the fridge for a couple of hours and the soda tasted much more comparable to name brands. If the water isn't cold enough, I noticed the soda tended to go flat.

The SodaStream is also cost effective. You can shop on their Web site or at various retailers around the world (JCPenney, Target, Staples, Sears, and more). Every 10th soda mix you buy is FREE and each bottle of mix contains the equivalent of 33 cans of soda. These can be purchased for as low as $4.99. A 24-pack of soda cans here in Indiana costs around $6.99 ON SALE, so the SodaStream is extremely cost effective.

Will the SodaStream replace my Mountain Dew? Probably not, but it is a great "filler" or alternative to drinking an excessive amount of Mountain Dew. Plus I feel more comfortable letting my kids drink from it, because neither of them are allowed to have soda at this point in their lives due to the high sugar content. I can reduce my carbon footprint a bit with this nifty little machine too!

**Source: http://www.sodastream.com/aboutsodastream

GIVEAWAY

One lucky reader will receive a:

Fountain Jet Soda Lover's Start-Up Kit ($99.95)
http://www.sodastreamusa.com/Fountain-Jet-Soda-Starter-Kit-P184.aspx

It includes:


Fountain Jet – winner’s choice of color (black/silver, red/silver or white)
1 carbonating bottle, reusable for up to 3 years
Reusable carbonator to fizz up to 60L of soda
Variety 6-pack of popular sample-size flavors
3 full-sized flavors of the winner’s choice

Enter on the Rafflecopter below! Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure:

This giveaway is open to the U.S. only. Winner must respond within 48 hours or another winner will be chosen. The giveaway begins July 24 at 12:01a.m. and ends July 31 at 11:59p.m. Kara's Deals and Steals was given a SodaStream product to try and review. I am not responsible for shipment of the prize. I will report the winner's information to the sponsor. All opinions are 100% mine.

Champagne Sherbet Punch

Champagne Sherbet Punch

One of my favorite baby/bridal/housewarming party drinks! 

 

1 container of Orange or Raspberry Sherbet
1 two liter of Ginger Ale or Sprite
1 bottle of Champagne

1 frozen pack of Raspberries

 

Mix it all together and enjoy!  

It honestly could not be better or easier to make :)

Blueberry Banana GF Bread!

Growing up with a Polish grandma has taught me one thing - measuring is done with the eye.  :)

1 1/2 cups GF Flour - Gluten Free Pantry

1/4 cup canola oil2 whole eggs + 3 egg whites

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 cup mashed ripe bananas  - I used all our bananas, like 3

1 teaspoon vanilla extract - Nielsen-Massey :)

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon Coco Powder

1 cup blueberries - Rinse them!

1/2 cup dark chocolate chunks - Enjoy Life Mega Chunks

1 tbl. Yellow Dog - Mom's Gourmet 

1.Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a pan with butter - I used a glass baking dish. 

2.Whisk together all ingredients except for blueberries & choc in mixing bowl until combined.

3.Gently fold in blueberries & chocolate chunks.

4.Pour batter into prepared baking pan.

5.Bake for 45-55 minutes or until top is no longer wet and a knife comes out clean from center.

Remember: Allow to cool before removing from pan and slicing and add some butter slices on top :)

Yum! GF Blueberry Banana Bread!

Imusa Panini Press Giveaway!

This review/giveaway is hosted by the blog Miss Jackie's Views


Imusa USA is the #1 Hispanic housewares brand. Imusa products are innovative and affordable and the company strives to meet customer needs and demands. To see the newest products Imusa offers go HERE. Imusa has a great interactive website with a recipe section, blog. Right now Imusa is having a recipe contest/giveaway where you can submit a recipe and be entered to win a Red Cookware Set, to enter go HERE

Win a Martha Stewart Cooking Set!