Pillsbury Grands! Frozen Mini Biscuits Giveaway

Posted on by Mandy

Is there anything better than fresh from the oven, piping hot biscuits on a cold morning?  I live for the weekends when my husband gets up and has our home smelling wonderful with a huge breakfast cooking.  We’re big fans of Pillsbury biscuits, so there was no twisting my arm when offered the chance to try out their Frozen Mini Biscuits!

Each 70-calorie biscuit is a delight when served hot from the oven, with a warm fluffy center and golden, flaky crust. Pillsbury Grands! Mini Biscuits are the perfect size for kids, or for mini sandwiches and appetizers. There are countless recipe options, from miniature ham sandwiches come lunchtime, to delicious sliders for nighttime entertaining. There are so many ways to make these biscuits and your family will love trying each one.

We enjoyed our biscuits, just as we expected.  I love mine with melted butter and drowning in maple syrup.  The fact that they were frozen did not in one bit adversely affect the taste, which was a welcome surprise.  It’s nice to have these readily available in our freezer for anytime we want to bake a few or a bunch.

Giveaway:

Thanks to Pillsbury and MyBlogSpark, I have a gift basket complete with a VIP coupon good for a free package of biscuits, a $15 gift card to purchase your recipe creation/experimentation needs, a biscuit basket, a butter dish and spreader!

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TO ENTER:

Leave a comment on this post telling me how you like your biscuits (butter? gravy? syrup? something else?) or what recipe creation you could make with Pillsbury Mini Grands! Frozen biscuits.  Deadline to enter is Saturday, November 20 at 11 PM Central.  U.S. only.

BONUS ENTRIES:

After you have left a comment (see above), you can also earn up to 5 bonus entries! Choose as many (or all five) of the options below as you want:

1. Subscribe to Mommy Cracked in a reader by clicking here. (Leave a comment on this post telling me you did so).

2. Subscribe to Mommy Cracked by email and confirm the subscription. This option is in the sidebar. (Leave a comment on this post telling me you did so)

3. Tweet this contest and leave a comment on this post with your link on Twitter. (You can hit the Retweet button at the top of this post to make it easier.)

4. Click here to follow me on Twitter and leave a comment on this post telling me you did so.

5. Click here to become a fan of Mommy Cracked on Facebook and leave a comment on this post telling me you did so.

That’s it! Good luck!

I received the above pictured gift basket from MyBlogSpark in exchange for my review.

Bob Evans Holiday Gift Basket Giveaway

Posted on by Mandy

Bob Evans is excited about the upcoming holidays and wants to help make simplifying your meal planning and preparation for holiday dinners much easier.  Bob Evans is currently offering their Farmhouse Feast, which serves up to eight, comes complete with your choice of a slow-roasted whole boneless turkey breast or sliced boneless ham, bread and celery dressing, mashed potatoes with gravy, buttered sweet corn, green beans with ham, cranberry relish, rolls, a loaf of pumpkin bread and a pumpkin pie with whipped topping all for less than $10 per person. The Farmhouse Feast allows families to enjoy a wholesome, delicious holiday feast without all the worry, time consuming preparation or heavy duty post-meal clean-up.

Guests can order the feast at any Bob Evans Restaurant or www.bobevans.com and schedule their own pick-up date. The meals are fresh and made-to-order, but quantities are limited, so ordering early is highly recommended. Bob Evans Restaurants are closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas day and close early on Christmas Eve.

The Bob Evans Farmhouse Feast is $74.99 and serves six to eight people. For larger families, additional servings of turkey or ham, bread, savory sides and desserts may be added a la carte. The Farmhouse Feast is available throughout November and December for all holiday entertaining.

GIVEAWAY:

Bob Evans has generously provided a gift basket for one lucky Mommy Cracked reader, which includes two craft kits, a jar of Bob Evans Taste of the Farm Apricot Preserves (and a glaze/chutney recipe) as well as a $25 gift card!

TO ENTER:

Leave a comment on this post telling me your favorite holiday dish to serve (or eat!).  Deadline to enter is Thursday, November 20, 2010 at 11 PM Central. U.S. Only. Void where prohibited.

BONUS ENTRIES:

After you have left a comment (see above), you can also earn up to 5 bonus entries! Choose as many (or all five) of the options below as you want:

1. Subscribe to Mommy Cracked in a reader by clicking here. (Leave a comment on this post telling me you did so).

2. Subscribe to Mommy Cracked by email and confirm the subscription. This option is in the sidebar. (Leave a comment on this post telling me you did so)

3. Tweet this contest and leave a comment on this post with your link on Twitter. (You can hit the Retweet button at the top of this post to make it easier.)

4. Click here to follow me on Twitter and leave a comment on this post telling me you did so.

5. Click here to become follow on Facebook and leave a comment on this post telling me you did so.

That’s it! Good luck!

Swap Out Your Sweetener- For Free!

Posted on by Mandy

Since October 31, I have been participating in the Truvia Swap Out Your Sweetener Challenge. Why would anyone want to swap out their current sweetener for Truvia? Here are a few reasons:

Truvia is…

* Kosher certified
* Zero calories
* One packet of Truvia is the equivalent of 2 teaspoons of sugar.
* A fantastic alternative for people who have diabetes (Hello! That’s me!)

Truvia is made from the stevia plant, which differentiates it from some other artificial sweeteners.  My usual sweetener (which I won’t name, but comes in a little yellow packet) is an artificial sweetener.  I’ve used it for years, but have always wondered in the back of my mind about the effects of sucralose, and even aspartame, which is found in other artificial sweeteners.

The Halfway Mark

It’s been two weeks since I’ve started using Truvia and I have to admit it’s been tough making the switch and the only reason why is because it just tastes different from what I am used to.   However, I am slowly getting used to the new taste of Truvia and have noticed some positive changes in the way I feel overall throughout the day.  I haven’t been as sluggish by mid-afternoon like I normally am (and I haven’t changed my diet from the norm), which makes me feel more mentally alert.  I like this change and it’s encouraged me to keep sticking with the challenge even though it has taken some time getting used to.

I’ll update at the end of the month to share my final results from the Swap out Your Sweetener Challenge with my readers, and will also be trying other ways to incorporate Truvia into recipes I love and sharing those periodically.

Want to try Truvia for Free?

If you would like to try Truvia for free, you can sign up here to receive a sample.  All that they ask is that you share where you heard about Truvia (you can simply add my website name and address- Mommy Cracked at https://www.readwritemom.com) OR you can share the website, your favorite Truvia recipe or Truvia tip with your social media friends via Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, blog, YouTube channel etc., and add the link on the sign up page.  An easy way to share with your Twitter followers would be to hit the Retweet button at the top of this post and use the hashtag #maptruvia, then leave the link at the signup page to your Twitter post.

I received Truvia for free, however, all opinions in this post are strictly my own.

Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired

Posted on by Mandy

We’re sick with the sinus infection again. I’m finding it difficult to believe we have to go through this again, less than two months after the last time, but here we are. I took E.B. to the doctor yesterday and got him fixed up with his medicine, which seems to be working wonders for him. Perhaps I should drink the entire bottle of what he has.

As for me, it’s rough. The strange thing is that it seems to be only affecting the right side of my body. The right side of my nose is stopped up, my jaw are and head on that side hurts sooooo bad, and my body aches only on that side as well. So maybe I’m only half-sick? In any case, it really, really stinks to be sick on a weekend when I had so much catching up here to do.

Farmer Jim's Pumpkin Patch

Pumpkinage

Posted on by Mandy

Today, let’s pretend that it’s still October and you’re still interested in seeing pumpkin patch pictures!

Farmer Jim's Pumpkin Patch

Last month, E.B.’s class went to Farmer Jim’s Pumpkin Patch in Rolling Fork, Mississippi.  It was blissful (ok, so as blissful as it can get with twenty-something 4-year-olds) 2 1/2 hours of running wild, playing in corn, and marveling at the many different pumpkins that Farmer Jim had in his patch.

pumpkins and gourds

Farmer Jim took us through the corn maze, and all 4 foot 11 inches of me was so glad that HE could see over the tall corn because even in the daylight, I had no idea where I was going.  And then E.B. ran ahead of me.  I tell you, trying to find your child in a corn maze is an experience.

corn stalk

The kids loved, loved, loved the corn pools.  They were big, plastic swimming pools filled with corn kernels, and the purpose was to dig around in them and find the hidden corn cobs.

corn pools

Farmer Jim and his wife Lynn were so patient with the children and have a great pumpkin patch, should you ever find yourself in the Mississippi Delta during the Fall.

fall pumpkins

mississippi sunflower

New England Style

Posted on by Mandy

I love the beach and dream someday of owning a little cottage by the sea. I subscribe to several magazines that showcase beautiful homes and life in general in small seaside towns. I think it would be amazing to wake up to the smell of the ocean, prepare meals with a fresh catch of the day, and watch beautiful sunrises and sunsets over the water. Growing up, my entire family on my dad’s side would rent a beach house on St. George Island, Florida for a week and spend our days watching the dolphins play at sunrise, looking for sand dollars, and exploring every inch the lisland had to offer. The likelihood of someday owning a beach home is probably very slim, so I treasure memories of past family vacations where the living was this easy.

But a girl can dream, right? And dream I do about quaint little seaside cottages filled with white furniture, like this white wardrobe or a white console table to display those treasures from the sea. White furniture is so diverse in that it can make a room look modern and sleek or dressed down beautifully as shabby chic. In either case, it lends a crisp, clean feel to a room and plays well with just about any color scheme.

Christmas Giveaways and Spreading Holiday Cheer

Posted on by Mandy

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5 Minutes for Mom will be having their annual Christmas Giveaway starting November 8 and running until November 30.  You won’t want to miss out on the fun, so be sure to check in there daily to see the amazing things they have to offer. 

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To spread some much needed to cheer to some families who may need a helping hand this holiday season, 5 Minutes for Mom is also sponsoring Under the Tree 2010, where you can nominate a family in need to receive some terrific Christmas gifts provided by the amazing sponsors of this event.  Nominations are private and no post will be written on the families chosen, so please think about a family you may know who could use a little cheer this holiday season.