DON"T WALK BUT RUN!!!!!!!

5MinutesforMom Mother's Day Giveaways!!!!!!!!

If you have never been to visit The 5 Minutes for Mom website then you have missed out on a lot! Don't walk your fingers there but RUN your fingers there and check out their little big home on the internet! Click on any of the above photos to get you there! They are having a huge Mother's Day Gift giveaway ... or THE MOTHER OF ALL GIVEAWAYS.... and THE MOTHER OF ALL BOOK GIVEAWAYS! Good luck as you find all the treasures offered on their site! Links, Information, Reviews, Giveaways, etc. It is all there!
These super twin moms ROCK! Since I'm a mom of twin girls I can tell you it is a place for double the fun and double the information! Jennifer is the managing editor of 5minutesforbooks! Her reviews are very insightful on books! I think I've wanted to read every book she has given a review on .... even the ones she isn't sure if she should recommend!

SOOOOO like I said....run don't walk to their site!

HAPPY Margarita recipe and blogger contest

Ok so TwitterMoms is celebrating "Cinco de Mama!" Margarita Party with Jose Cuervo. The first 30 bloggers to post a yummy Margarita recipe and follow entry guidelines will win a $50 gift card to Chili's restaurant - which can be used at any Chili's restaurant or bar that accepts credit cards. I would love to win so I can take my hubby out to dinner! I can never resist TwitterMoms blog post contest! So here is a yummy Margarita recipe!

~~~~~~HAPPY MARGARITA~~~~~~

INGREDIENTS

3 oz Jose Cuervo Golden

2 oz Freshly squeezed lime juice plus one extra squeeze to top of the drink
1 oz Patron Citronge Orange Liqueur

6 strawberries!

2-3 cups of ice (crushin' is up to you)

1 tsp lime zest
Salt or sugar for rimming glass - optional

HOW TO
*If you want the most out of your lime use a juicer to squeeze it all out! If you are in a hurry to get this made (just one of those days) hand squeeze the limes. *Ok so to crush the ice is up to you. I personally LOVE my ice crushed. True Margarita lovers think that this is so wrong!

Just dump it all in a blender. You can salt the rim of your glass but I don't do that. I like to do sugar at the top instead! Top off your drink with one squeeze of lime and 1 tsp of lime zest! Pour it into your fav glass and DRINK! Oh yes and it helps to wear a FUN HAT!

I love the combination of these ingredients. Love the citrus flavors and the sweetness of the strawberry!

It is a HAPPY DRINK!

You tell me... do I look HAPPY?

If you want to have some online fun come join the Twitter Tequila Tasting Moms group. We will mix up Margaritas with Jose Cuervo Golden Margarita on May 5th at 5:00 p.m. PST. We will share Margarita recipes and toast to Cinco de Mayo. Don’t forget the chips and guacamole. I plan on making yummy mexican food for dinner!

We’ll also be tweeting for a good cause! For the first 2,500 re-tweets from 5p.m.-7p.m. PST under the #cuervo hashtag, Jose Cuervo will donate $1 to RADD (Recording Artists, Actors and Athletes Against Drunk Driving). Jose Cuervo & RADD also remind you to designate before you celebrate.

Fresh and Yummy Focaccia bread recipe

I'm finishing out our Bread Week (click to find other links to baked breads this past week) with Focaccia (foe-CAH-cha). It is a flat oven-baked Italian bread. It is simply baked dough topped with olive oil and a simple herb like rosemary or sage, and salted with coarse salt. It is very popular as a snack in Italy and school children will often purchase a slice from a baker on the way to school, to enjoy at break time.
My family loves this bread. We love to dip it in a small mixture of extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. It is great to eat with a pasta dish too! We made chicken tetrazzini this week with this bread!

First step is to make the Dough
 

2 c. lukewarm water (85-95 F)

1 pkg Active Dry Yeast or 2 tsp.

4 c. Bread flour

2 tsp. Salt

Measure water into a large bowl. Sprinkle yeast over the water and stir until dissolved. Stir in flour and salt. Stir with wooden spoon for 2-4 min. until dough just pulls away from the bowl and the flour is incorporated. You can do this entire step in your Kitchen Aid as well. The dough will be fairly wet and tacky (sticky) but is done if it pulls away from sides of the bowl into a loose ball. If it seems too sticky stir in an additional 1/4-1/2 c. flour. I did have to do that. Once the dough is mixed, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until it doubles in volume. For this dough that would be about 30-40 min.

Once you make the dough you can wrap it and just put it in the fridge until the next day. It will rise in the refrigerator and acquire a different flavor with a slower rising yeast. Remove the dough, keep covered and let rise 2 hours before time to bake.

ON TO BAKING

3-5 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Fresh rosemary, garlic powder, onion powder, red onion sliced very thin, kosher or sea salt

Pre Heat oven 500F and lightly oil (with olive oil) two nonstick 13X18 baking sheets (or whatever you have on hand). Pour dough out on the sheets evenly. You can leave bread to bake as you have put it on the baking sheet or spread it out to about 1-inch thick which is what I did.

Next step is to brush with olive oil and use your fingers to make indentations all over the dough. This is to relieve bubbling on the surface of the bread during baking. You then brush on more olive oil. This is what gives the bread a yummy Italian flavor and keeps it moist. You at sprinkle on rosemary, sage, red onions, onion powder or garlic powder at this time. I then drizzle on more olive oil.After shaping and putting on toppings lower oven to 450 F and put the breads in the oven. Bake 15-20 min until it has a light golden color mixed with a little darker brown around the edges and on top. Cool on a wire rack. Cut or break into rectangles and triangles. Yummy!This bread can also be used as sandwich bread or buns. Form into the shape or thickness you want before cooking. It can also be used as a pizza crust. Have fun with it! So easy and yummy. When I have leftover after 2 days I turn the leftovers into bread crumbs!

SpellQuizzer GIVEAWAY!

Do you want to improve your child's spelling test scores? How about more than just improving a score? I know as a parent of three school aged children I want them to do more than just study for a high score! I want them to enjoy learning!
We used the SpellQuizzer software to assist our 5th grader in practicing her word list. I recorded her spelling list into the SpellQuizzer. She was then able to practice her words on her own. She enjoyed the independence it gave her in studying! This allowed me to work with her sister on another subject. You can record the words and SpellQuizzer plays them back! It became a game for her and she was excited to practice and learn! I found that this made it more of a learning game vs. a learning chore!
SpellQuizzer allows you to download a free 30 day trial!! I love trying something before buying! Don't you? SpellQuizzer wants you to try out their product! One lucky reader will WIN the software, SpellQuizzer!

Participants -

...must provide an email in the first comment, email me directly with an email address or have email accessible from their profile. Winner has 48 hours from posting/notification to respond. If winner cannot be contacted, I will move on to the second random selection.

Sometime on May 12, 2009, one winner will be chosen at random (using random.org) from all valid comments left.

How to enter:

For the first entry -

(1) Visit the SpellQuizzer website.

(2) Come back here and tell me about something you learned that you can do using the software.

If you want to increase your chances of winning, here are some options to earn additional entries -

1) Go to my other blog and read the post on Kiss Me Mothers Day Gift Pack & MOM IT FORWARD . Leave a comment there about which product you would love to try in the Kiss Me Gift pack. Come back here and leave a comment that you did that! (3 entries)

2) Buy a Kiss Me Mother's Day Gift Pack. Come back here and leave a link to that order! (5 entries)

3) Follow my blog (1 entry)

4)Go follow my Scraps Of Life Blog. Come back here and post that you did that! (1 entry)

5)Blog and link back here about My SpellQuizzer giveaway or Kiss Me Mother's Day Gift Pack. Come back here and post that you did that! (3 entries)

6) Follow me on twitter (@susieqtpie) and tweet this contest. You can do this once a day for a new entry. (1 entry)

7)Share this post via one of the following: Technorati, Digg, Stumble or Facebook. Leave a comment with which ONE you did and come back and post a link or your your ID for that service. (1 entry)

8)Download the 30 day trial of SpellQuizzer and link back here with a comment. (5 entries)

Kiss Me Mothers Day Gift Pack & MOM IT FORWARD
,The Mom It Forward mission is “to change the world one mom at a time.” I challenge you to go check out their site and see what you can do to make a difference! The Mom It Forward community can be found both on and offline. I got involved because of Twitter . I attended a Tuesday Girl's Night Out (#GNO) evening online chat "party". It was fun to have other moms to talk to who share similar interest and passions! Check out the Mom It Forward blog! They blog about some of the topics discussed during the #GNO events.The project I am involved with helps the women of Mombasa in Africa. Mom It Forward is raising money and assisting them in selling their oil (turned into lotions, soaps and other products) through the Basa Body company(named after the women of Mombasa).
The Basa Body's all natural products are made using organic virgin coconut oil found along the coast of Kenya. These products are free from harsh chemicals and preservatives that can irritate the skin.

The Kiss Me Mother's Day Pack contains:

Basa Body Coconut Oil lotion (6 oz)
Basa Body Stick push tube (1 oz)
Mint Chocolate Truffle Soap (3 oz)
Cherry Chocolate Truffle Soap (3 oz bar)
These products are wonderful!
*The Basa Body Coconut Oil lotion contains natural antioxidants that prevent wrinkles. It is so silky smooth and yummy smelling!
*The Body stick was my most favorite product to use! I love that it comes in a stick and it is a push tube! It is so yummy and creamy. It is cool and soothing to my skin that gets irritated with eczema.
*The Mint Chocolate and Cherry Chocolate Truffle Soaps where truly a luxurious, natural treat! Your first instinct when you open up The Kiss Me pack is to snack on the Truffles! They are packaged in cute muffin liners. You will truly give someone a sweet Mother's Day treat by purchasing one of these through

Basa Body: Give a luscious treat that is completely guilt-free and gives back. Nourish your Body. Nourish your Soul.

How can you help Mom It Forward and Basa Body?

1) Buying a product from Basa Body or donating $20 to The Pope Foundation (the charity that trains Kenyan women to start their own oil extraction businesses) between now and May 12 enters you to win one of three great gift cards, including a $250 Disney Gift Card, a $150 Amazon.com Gift Card or a $100 Target Gift Card!

Click here for more info, or visit the Basa Body site or click on the widget in my right side bar to make a donation. You can still win!

2) If you don’t have money to donate right now, check out Mom it Forward and find out more about the Kenya Fundraiser and see what you can do!

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Super Yummy Cinnamon Rolls

Click to enter the Recipe Holiday Exchange! You could win a 700 recipe cookbook!

Cinnamon rolls are a family tradition on my hubby's side of the family. These are always made at the Holidays! I love Grandma B's classic recipe! I've made it many times. Back in the day when Grandma B shared her recipe I realized that I'm the "new school" baker and she is the "old school" baker. She couldn't believe that I would make this dough in a bread machine.  The first time I did the dough my way, hubby could not tell the difference. I make cinnamon rolls for our Church Easter Breakfast every year. I made a double recipe this year and they were gone in no time!

This year my dear friend Amy shared with me her Grandma's recipe. It was her Coffee Cake and Rolls recipe. I used this same recipe on Amy's recommendation to make my 2nd King Cake this year. This recipe is the coffee cake recipe her Grandma would make and take take to the coffee hour at her husband's parishes.
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Grandma's Coffee Cake and Rolls recipe

1 pkg. yeast
1/4 c. lukewarm water
1 c. milk
1/4 c. butter or margarine
1/4 c. sugar
1tsp salt
1 egg
3 1/2 to 4 c. flour or bread flour

Sprinkle yeast on warm water, add 1tsp sugar. Let it stand until it bubbles. Combine milk, sugar, salt and butter. Heat to melt the butter. Let cool to lukewarm. Add 1 c. flour, egg and yeast. Mix well, add the rest of the flour, enough to make a very stiff dough. Cover and let rise until it doubles in bulk.

Grandma's Coffee Cake recipe goes on for instructions to roll it out and put in one or two 9 inch greased pans (depending upon how thick you like your cake) and let it rise again. Make indentations on the top, spread it with melted butter, cinnamon and sugar. For this coffee cake, bake at 375 for 15 minutes.

For the cinnamon rolls- You will need
1/2 stick of melted butter.
3-4 Tbsp of Cinnamon (can use more or less depending how much cinnamon you like)
1 cup of brown sugar
1 cup of pecans (half, chopped,etc up to you)
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For the cinnamon rolls- roll it out to about a 11 x 17 size. Then brush on 1/2 stick of melted butter. Sprinkle on 3-4 Tbsp of Cinnamon (can use more or less depending how much cinnamon you like). Then sprinkle on 1 cup of brown sugar. Finally sprinkle on 1 cup of pecans (half, chopped,etc up to you).

Next step is FUN! You get to go along the longest side and start rolling it as even as possible!


Then you use a very sharp knife and make 1-2 inch slices. It depends on how thick you want your rolls! Put them in a pan so that they are almost touching. I let them rise about 1/2 hour before baking at 375 for 15 minutes.

Before rising

After rising and during baking! Can you smell them?I made have the batch right away. The other half I put in the fridge over night. I took them out of the oven about 2 hours before baking. They warmed up and had a great rise! I preferred them the second day.

What more bread ideas? Celebrate Bread week on with use on Dianne's blog Bunny Trails!(Bread week is over but you might still find the recipes there!)

Ultimate Pasta Comfort Food

A popular dish that I make occasionally is Fettuccine Alfredo. I've made it for many years using various recipes. A few years ago our paths crossed with Rich and Kristi Heinz! They both shared this recipe "Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce" in their 2003 Saint John's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Lanesville, Indiana Cookbook. A copy of this book was given to me to help replace my loss of several hundred cookbooks during Hurricane Katrina. One of my favorites is their Alfredo sauce! When we are having a no meat meal this is the first choice! My husband is a meat eater so I have added shrimp and chicken with this meal for those who want it!
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Alfredo Sauce with grilled shrimp and chicken

1 pt. heavy cream (half & half can be used but not milk)
1 Stick of butter
2 T. cream cheese
1/2-3/4 c. Parmesan cheese
1 tsp garlic powder or fresh minced garlic
salt & pepper to taste

In saucepan, combine butter, heavy cream & cream cheese. Simmer this until all is melted and mixed well. Add the Parmesan cheese and garlic. Simmer for about 15-20 min. on low.
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While the sauce is simmering I make my pasta. You can use whatever you like. Cook according to pkg instructions.

If we are having meat I then grill the shrimp and chicken breast strips. I rub McCormick Grill Mates Seafood RUB on both the shrimp and chicken. The seasoning is just right! This savory, sweet, spicy blend of garlic, rosemary, lemon peel, chili peppers and cedar smoke flavor gives seafood a bold, flavorful crust that seals in juices. and it seals in the moisture of the meats!
Grill shrimp 3-5 minutes & chicken 6-8 minutes

Final step is to toss the pasta with the sauce. I usually leave a little leftover for dipping with the breadstick or garlic bread. This is a yummy dish. If you have anything to share I would love to hear it. I'm always up to trying new recipes!




SHOW & TELL Time

There comes a time in your life where a family member will embarrass you. I feel the time has come to embarrass Anna. ( I'm not trying to embarrass her but I'm sure the public attention will do just... sorry Anna) She is my almost 15 year old, beautiful, timid, random, non stop talking rambler, who does have a lot to say! She is great to have along on car rides when you need someone to keep you awake. When Anna has little to say then I know that she is up to something.

So it was just that, up to something that inspired me to blog about her. The Children's Place and TwitterMoms have teamed up to create a fun contest for moms to show off their kid’s style. (I could win a $50 gift certificate to The Children’s Place just for entering!)
This is perfect timing for me because, Anna, just made her own dress for Easter.
Anna had some sewing lessons last fall by a dear member of our Church. We bought her a sewing machine and dear Maggie taught her how to use it. Then about a year ago, Anna took a 4H sewing class on how to make PJ bottoms. She did great and they turned out really neat! That was the last time she had out her sewing machine. The dear machine has been in her closet, hiding and calling out to Anna to bring her out to play with her for a year.

Last Tuesday Anna secretly brought out the little machine to play! Her door was shut and no one was allow to enter. Everyone wanted to enter to see what was going on! She let her twin, Naomi, in on what was happening. Naomi shared with us that all was well and she was "making something" and wanted to surprise us! Anna did let me in on what was going on. She was making something but didn't want me to know or see just in case it didn't turn out the way she wanted.
So after a few days of everyone trying to get into her room, Anna appeared to me in a beautiful dress! This momma had tears in her eyes and joy in her heart! (Just for the record I can cry at most anything...happy, sad yep that is me) She explained to me how she made the dress. She also said that it wasn't "perfect yet" and showed me whatelse she needed to finish. What amazed me the most about this dress is that she just took her knowledge and created something new. She didn't have a pattern. She didn't go out and buy any for this dress. She used what she had on hand. She just let her little self create! What a joy when you can do just that!

By Saturday night she was just that! Finished and ready to go to Church on Easter Sunday wearing her new creation! I bragged and told friends to go see Anna and her new dress. She showed it off timidly.
I did ask Anna if she was going to go into Fashion Design. I don't think that she will but she can create an orginal anytime she pleases! We are her family and are all very proud of her!