I’m all about the consumable gift. I really don’t need another generic Christmas ornament or statue. So, every year I strive to find a consumable gift that I can create for co-workers, extended family, or neighbors. I came upon this idea in several different places.

Supplies needed:
Oranges (I used the ones off my tree in the backyard)
Limes (Wish I still had my lime tree, but found a bag of limes at Walmart for less than $2)
Cloves (found in the spice aisle)
Bay leaves (found in the spice aisle
Whole Cinnamon Sticks (found in the spice aisle)
Quartz Size Resealable bags
Ribbon
Cardstock paper
Hole Puncher
Scissors

How to:
1. Place 1 orange, 1 lime, 2 bay leaves, 1 cinnamon stick and 5 cloves in each Resealable bag
2. Create tags that give the following directions:
Slice fruit and place all contents into a pot of boiling water. Turn down and simmer to create the smell of Christmas.
3. Cut out tags and hole punch in the corner
4. String ribbon through the tag
5. Tie ribbon and tag around top of Resealable bag to cinch it closed.

I was recently introduced to Smarterer by BzzAgent.

What is it?
A quiz site that enables you to show the world how much you know about a certain skill or topic in the web, technology and social media. You can take quizzes or you can create your own. There is a large variety of quizzes available that range from Twitter to Excel to C#.

Who would most likely use it?
Job seekers who wold like to see how they measure up against others with the same skill set would find this pretty useful. Think you know everything about Access? Prove it on this website!
It can also be used by anyone who just wants to see how much they actually know about Facebook or any other social media website.

What I like
-It’s not just another quiz site…it actually. Has a point and you can learn from it.
-If you are an expert on a special tool, you can create your own quiz.
-The quizzes are easy to do and find.

I recently was introduced to Stylefind.com from BzzAgent.

What is it?. This exclusively a fashion website. It was created by In Style Magazine to make it easy for shoppers to find the clothing and accessories they love all I one place. It features items from JC Penney to Bloomingdales to well known designers. The categories they feature are clothing, accessories, handbags, beauty and shoes.

Who would be most likely to use it? Anyone who loves to shop for women’s clothing and accessories. I didn’t find any men’s clothing or children’s clothing anywhere on the site, so sorry men! Prices range from cheap ($5.00) to really expensive (over $3000.00). So, if you’re looking for that gorgeous cocktail dress or want to try a new makeup brand, this is the site to start looking.

What do I like?
- You can select items you like and tell them to email you when the price drops.
- You can narrow down what you are looking for by size, color, brand, & price
-The wide variety of choices and prices.

So, now that you’ve read this, go toStyle Find and start shopping!

What is it? Math Mix is an interactive app that allows the user to solve math problems, just like they would on paper, but in iPhone format. There are addition, subtraction, multiplication and division problems that range from easy (0+1=) to difficult.

Who would be like to use it? Kids who are in school and need to brush up on their math skills. I could see this as an excellent way to review for a test. Adults who need to help their kids with their homework could use it to in order to remember how to do some problems. The difficult problems would be ideal for people who enjoy number puzzles.

Where can I get it?It’s available in the iTunes Store by searching “Math Mix” or by following this link:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/math-mix/id477221131?ls=1&mt=8

How does it look?

My husband plays softball every Friday and there are several Fridays that I am on my own for dinner with the kids. On our meal plan for the week, we had Quesadillas. So, I went looking for a interesting Quesadilla recipes for us and the kids. I came across Rachael Ray’s Hot Dog Pizza-dilla.

Do my kids love hot dogs? Yes

Do my kids love Pizza? Yes

Do my kids love Cheese Quesadillas? Yes

So, why not combo them all?

This recipe was really easy! Slice the hot dogs into small pieces, brown the tortilla, add salsa, ketchup, cheese and hot dogs. Eat!

I would love to tell you my kids gobbled it up, but it wasn’t as big of a hit as I thought it would be. My youngest decided he didn’t like hot dogs and my oldest discovered the “green things” from the salsa and suddenly decided he didn’t like it (even though he already ate half). I, on the other hand, really enjoyed it. The mixture of salsa and ketchup with the hot dogs was actually pretty good.

So, I don’t think I’ll be making this again for a while, but maybe I’ll try again in a year or so. But if your kids like salsa, I would definitely recommend this recipe.

Hot Dog Pizza-Dillas

I was privliged enough to be invited the Fresh and Easy’s Holiday Party again this year.  The party was held just before Thanksgiving (sorry for the lateness….all the craziness that has happened in my life has made everything late) at the Penthouse Suite of a downtown Phoenix building.  As we were escorted to the top, I felt like I was being thrown into an alternate universe.  Anytime I get invited to a place that is more expensive than I care to spend, I feel a little spoiled and a little out of place. 

My friend Sarah came with me since the husband needed to stay home with the kids.  As we were checking in, I found 2 old friends that I met at last year’s Fresh and Easy Event:  Vivian (from Mamita’s Creations) and her husband, Arthur.  It was so nice to see a couple of familar faces.  We proceeded to the roof where we were given a glass of sparkling wine and appetizers of cheese, crackers and fruit….yum!    After socializing and running into another familiar face: Stephanie (from Noshtopia), we were told that they were about to begin the wine tasting. 

We went to the kitchen/bar area and given a tutotial on the wines that we were able to consume.  I’m not a drinker by any stretch of the imagination and I was the driver for the evening, so I didn’t want to indulge too much.  But I took a few sips of each and decided that while I’m sure they were great, I’m just not much of a wine drinker.

Appetizers follwed, made by Chef Cyndi which were all fabulous!  My favorite was a Pumpkin Shooters.  A pumpkin flavored soup served in “shot” glasses.  Several desserts followed including a very indulgent Egg Nog Trifle.    By the end of the night, I was stuffed!

Special thanks for Sallie and Allison from Fresh and Easy for inviting me again to this always fabulous event!  Thanks to Chef Cyndi for making very yummy food once again!  See you next year (hopefully……=))

Check out photos from the Event here:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/freshandeasy/sets/72157625455158856/

My husband decided to take his love for math and build a new website which will help people of all ages learn math skills. The site already has some good content and a lot of worksheet generators. If you have need some math worksheets go and check it out. It is still very much under construction, but very usable.

www.mathmix.com

November’s recipe of the month is a recipe that I received at the Fresh and Easy Holiday Event. I made this at Thanksgiving as a healthy alternative to mashed sweet potatoes with marshmellows, but it’s a great fall dish for any meal!

Sauteed Sweet Potatoes with Spinich

Ingredients:

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat and saute sweet potatoes until soft.
2. Add mutmeg and bell peppers. Cook another 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl
3. Saute spinich in the now empty skilled until just wilted. Add cooked spinich to bowl.
4. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Toss spinich and sweet potatoes until combined.

Photo courtesy of Fresh and Easy

]]> http://www.mommemos.com/index.php/2009/11/27/sauteed-sweet-potatoes-with-spinich/feed/ 1 http://www.mommemos.com/index.php/2009/11/24/the-keg-steakhouse-and-bar/ http://www.mommemos.com/index.php/2009/11/24/the-keg-steakhouse-and-bar/#comments Wed, 25 Nov 2009 04:42:07 +0000 Kristen http://www.mommemos.com/?p=190

Last weekend, my husband and I went on a date night….yes an actual date night. We’ve been wanting to try a restaurant close to our house called The Keg.

From the outside, we figured this would be a great restaurant to go to….without our son in tow! However, when we got there, we saw several families with kids. They even had a kids menu leading me to beleive this restaurant was more family friendly than I originally thought. The kids menu included “steakhouse items” such as ribs, steak and burgers. It also had chicken strips, Prime Rib Beef Dip (French Dip) and BBQ chicken.

The ambiance was dark and quiet…..quite the romantic restaurant for a couple. The menu included mostly steak, but did offer a few alternatives such as salad and chicken. They also had an extensive wine list, but my husband and I are not wine drinkers (and even if we were, I could not partake considering the whole pregnancy thing).

We started off with some garlic cheesy bread. My husband chose Prime Rib and I chose the Teriyaki Sirloin. My steak came with a baked potato and my husbands came with garlic mashed potatoes (however, they let him subsitute a baked potato instead). We ended our meal with a Brownie Sundae.

I definitely enjoyed the more “date like” atmosphere”….the candlelit table, cloth napkins, and fireplace. The food was nothing earthshattering. The steaks were good, but not necessarily the best I have ever eaten. However, the brownie sundae was terrific! The brownie was warm, but not too hot that it melted the ice cream.

The cost was higher than you would get at a larger chain restaurant. However, the service was pretty good and seemed knowledgable about their menu.

So, all in all, it was a great date night and I’m really glad we finally tried this restaurant.

The Keg Steakhouse and Bar

]]> http://www.mommemos.com/index.php/2009/11/24/the-keg-steakhouse-and-bar/feed/ 0 http://www.mommemos.com/index.php/2009/11/17/fresh-and-easy-holiday-event/ http://www.mommemos.com/index.php/2009/11/17/fresh-and-easy-holiday-event/#comments Wed, 18 Nov 2009 03:42:13 +0000 Kristen http://www.mommemos.com/?p=175

A few weeks ago I received an invitation from Kristen @ Motherhood Uncensored for a Holiday Event at Sur La Table sponsored by Fresh and Easy. I still am unsure how she found me, but I’m really glad she did!

I really had no idea what I was walking into, but it sounded interesting. Last night’s event started out with cheese and crackers and wine (or in my case, water with lemon). Then Chef Cindy from Fresh and Easy began the evening. There were several dishes that we would be making and several that she would be demonstrating. The menu included Roast Turkey, Toasted Almond & Cranberry Stuffing Stuffing, Cranberry Spinich Salad with Spiced Pecans, Green Bean Casserole, and Sauteed Sweet Potatoes with Spinich.

We divided into groups and the demonstration began. Since this year, I would be making Thanksgiving Dinner for the first time at my house, I was really interested in learning and watching as much as I could. One of the most important thing that I learned was how to brine a turkey and have decided that that is how I would like to prep my turkey this year. I also really enjoyed watching her make a new twist on sweet potatoes.

I also had the opportunity to meet many new people. Not only did I meet the marketing staff from Fresh and Easy, but I also met a several others who also have blogs. Everyone was so nice and seemed genuinely interesting in meeting new people. My cooking table included Rebecca, Vivian (and her husband Arthur) who made the class even more entertaining!

At the end of the night, I was one of the 3 winners of a Fresh and Easy Gift Card and a bottle of wine (I’ll have to save it for others to enjoy at Thanksgiving). Also, I received a “goodie bag” filled with Fresh and Easy products: pancake mix, maple syrup, coffee, tea, snacks and chocolates! Yum!!

Special thanks to Kristen for finding me and inviting me to this event, Fresh and Easy for sponsoring the event, Sur La Table for hosting the event and my table mates for making the night enjoyable!

You can see photos from this event on Fresh and Easy’s Flickr account

You can also read Fresh and Easy’s Blog about the event

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