Category: Food

Food is more than just something you put in your mouth to your fuel your body. Food is an adventure, a shared experience with someone you love, it’s traveling to a distant part of the world and it brings people together.

In our family are foodies. I come from a long line of foodies. We were taught to try everything and I’ve raised my daughters to try everything twice.

Here I will review different restaurants, share recipes and try foods that you may otherwise have never heard of or known about. My goal is to share all the good we discover and give my readers, and my family, exposure to different kinds of cuisines and tastes.

Food is something that connects all humans. We all need it. We all love it. The more we understand the foods of different cultures, the more we can understand it’s people and the world can always use a little more human understanding.

Abuelita’s Dulce De Leche y Cafe Cheesecake Recipe
I have been compensated by #CollectiveBias and Nestle #NuestroSabor to share my thoughts and opinions on Nestle La Lechera Dulce De Leche Cheesecake and Nescafe Clasico. My opinions are always my own and cannot be bought if I haven’t tried it myself or don’t truly believe in it, love it or would not use it in my own home with my family, I will not support it on my site. ~ Deborah
September is Hispanic Heritage month and I cannot think of being Latina without thinking of my own abuelito, Grandfather, Manuel because he was my father’s father and, for me, he is where my Hispanic Heritage starts. He was where my story began.
When my grandfather became a father to his first son, my dad, he was already an older gentleman. My grandmother was his second wife. His first wife had died, leaving him with 3 nearly grown daughters. By the time I was born, he was already in his 70’s and by the time I met him, he was in his 80’s.
Don Manuel was once a strong, handsome rancher who was well respected in his community and did a lot to build the small town he lived and raised his children in Mexico. By the time I met my grandfather, he was a tiny, elderly man who I could look directly into his eyes. He was shrinking in stature but his heart and soul were big and beautiful, only to be outshined by the smile he reserved just for his grandchildren. I loved my grandfather for so many reasons but mostly for how he loved my papi.
When we went to visit my abuelito in the summer, it was like transporting to another world and another time. For a little half-breed girl who was raised in Chicago, everything felt different but it was all worth it; the week long drive in a hot car sweating with my 5 brothers and sisters, the month out of my summer, the weird food and odd looks we got from people, every bit of it was worth it for one of his hugs. They were the best hugs, they felt like coming home, even though I was in a strange country.
A favorite memory of my grandfather, and it’s a consensus of my brothers, sisters and many cousins, is of my grandfather eating his pan con leche y café, every single morning of his adult life, maybe even his childhood. My grandfather worked his land until about 2 years before he died in his 9th decade. He broke horses until he fell and broke his hip in his 80’s. This man was a man amongst men. He was quiet, strong and kind and gentle. I never heard him ever say a mean thing about anyone, even when he had reason. But every morning, after milking the cows and before going back out to the fields, he brought fresh milk home and ate his pan con leche y café.
We used to giggle at him. This tiny, old man eating torn pieces of bread covered in fresh milk. Now that I think of it, we were just kids being kids. What was the difference between his pan con leche and our cereal? He would offer us a bite, every single time and we’d take a bite and scrunch up our faces because it wasn’t what we were used to eating. He would smile and we would giggle and we would do it again the next day, for the entire time we were there, every time we were there. Now, that I think of it, he must have waited for us to wake up and kept filling that bowl with pan con leche. That’s the kind of person he was. He’d do anything just to see us smile. He was a good man and whenever I think of pan con leche, or pan or leche, or café, my heart gets a warm fuzzy feeling and I can feel one of my grandpa’s hugs that I haven’t had in over 20 years. So, I decided to make a recipe to pay homage to that great man, Don Manuel Cruz. Te Amo, Abuelito.
Abuelito’s Dulce de Leche y Cafe Cheesecake
Ingredients
Nestle La Lechera Dulce de Leche Cheesecake Kit ( available at your local Walmart)

2 cups of prepared Nescafe Coffee
2 large eggs
12 ounces of cream cheese
4 tablespoons of butter
12 Alessi Biscotti Savoiardi Lady Fingers ( Cut in half)

Directions
Soak the cut lady fingers in the Nescafe until coffee is completely absorbed ( 5 seconds)
While Lady fingers are soaking, make the graham cracker crust from the kit and press into the bottom of a spring form pan.
Line the sides of the pan with all 24 Nescafe soaked lady fingers, to create the sides of the cheesecake crust.
Follow directions on the La Lechera Dulce de Leche cheesecake mix.
Pour the cheesecake filling into the spring form pan.
Cook for 30 minutes.
Let cool for an hour.
Chill for 3 hours.
When ready to serve, heat up La Lechera Dulce de Leche toppings and drizzle over top of cheesecake.
Remove cheesecake from spring form pan and serve by the slice. Enjoy.
2014/09/08
Salted Caramel Mocha Whipped Cream & Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe
School is back in session. Thank goodness. Nope, that’s not just me sighing with relief my girls missed their friends and were bored. They like a good routine. Sure they like a week off here and there but they really missed seeing their friends. Which made me think, why not celebrate back-to-school with my girls, a few of their friends and some homemade ice cream.
I told the girls my idea and we got straight to planning our menu of homemade vanilla ice cream and salted caramel mocha whipped cream. I love adding flavored creamers to drinks other than just my coffee. There are few things 7 and 9-year-old girls love more than the marriage of smooth, creamy homemade ice cream and fresh made whipped cream, adding salted caramel and mocha was just the cherry on top..oh yeah, there has to be one of those too!
Here is the simple recipe I used for homemade vanilla ice cream.
Ingredients
3/4 cup sugar
· 2 tablespoons cornstarch
· 1/8 teaspoon salt
· 1 1/2 cups Vitamin D whole milk
· 2/3 cup Fat Free French Vanilla
· 1 cup heavy whipping cream
· 1 egg yolk
· 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
Instructions
1. Whisk together sugar, cornstarch and salt in a large heavy saucepan. Gradually whisk in milk, International Delight Fat Free French Vanilla creamer and heavy whipping cream. Cook over medium heat and stir constantly, 10 to 12 minutes or until mixture thickens slightly. Remove from heat.
2. Whisk egg yolk until slightly thickened. Gradually whisk about 1 cup hot cream mixture into whisked yolk. Add yolk mixture to remaining cream mixture, whisking constantly. Whisk in vanilla extract. Cool for 1 hour and stir occasionally.
3. Place saran wrap directly on cream mixture, and chill 12 to 24 hours.
4. Pour mixture into freezer container of a 1 1/2-qt. electric ice-cream maker, and freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions.
Top with homemade Salted Caramel Mocha Whipped Cream.
Ingredients
1 ½ cup of heavy whipping cream
½ cup of International Delight Salted Caramel Mocha creamer (What? You thought I only used creamer for coffee and cocktails?)
¼ -1/2 cup of sugar (add sugar till your desired stiffness)
Instructions
Put heavy whipping cream and International Delight Salted Caramel Mocha creamer into a chilled mixing bowl.
Slowly add sugar as you blend with hand mixer on med. As whipped topping begins to stiffen, turn mixer up to high speed.
Garnish with 2 salted pretzel rods and a Maraschino cherry or two. Serve with love and enjoy all the giggles and squeals of back-to-school happy. Yes, I can’t believe it either but my girls seem to simply love being back in school. I guess my nerd gene didn’t skip a generation after all.
By the way, we all tried this recipe out yesterday and we concur that it is equally delicious to both the adult and child’s palate. To be honest, I could eat the salted caramel mocha whipped cream all on it’s own….all.day.long!
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of International Delight.
The opinions and Salted Caramel Mocha Whipped Cream recipe are all mine.
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2014/08/18
Yucateco Habanero Hot Sauce Bloody Maria Recipe
This shop has been compensated by #Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.
It’s Friday and you know what that means? It’s the weekend and on the weekends I like to enjoy brunch and sometimes, I like to add a little something special to brunch, a Yucateco Habanero hot sauce Bloody Maria for those weekends when your day needs a little get up and go or it’s a little nip in the air! My Bloody Maria will warm you right up.
I don’t drink Bloody Mary’s often, I am more of a Mimosa girl myself, but sometimes you just want something savory and spicy on a Sunday afternoon with your Frittata or before your Scotch eggs and maybe you love spicy heat but you don’t want to cover your eggs in hot sauce. Me neither!
Here’s my recipe for a Yucateco Habanero hot sauce Bloody Maria
6 oz. Zing Zang Bloody Mary Mix
3 ounces Reyka Vodka ( if you can’t find it, if not any top shelf vodka will work)
3 liberal dashes of Yucateco Black Reserve Habanero Sauce ( you can find all 4 flavors at your local Wal-mart in the Hispanic food aisle)

2 dashes of pepper
2 dashes of sea salt
1 squeeze of lemon
Garnish with 1 stalk of celery, 1 pickle wedge and 2 blue cheese stuffed green olives for optimum Sunday Funday experience.
Fill shaker 1/2 full with ice, add all ingredients except garnishments. Shake for 10 full seconds. Pour into a Collins glass and garnish. Relax and enjoy your morning/ early afternoon relaxing as El Yucateco Black Label Reserve (available exclusively at Wal-Mart) washes over you like the sunlight through the window. It’s like a hug from the inside. But if you are afraid the Black Label might be too much smoky goodness for you, there are 3 other flavors you can try; Red Habanero, Sauce Green Habanero Sauce and XXXtra Hot Kutbil-ik Sauce.
For more awesome recipes and great ideas of how to get the most out of your Yucateco check out El Yucateco Facebook page.
Hope you can join us at the bilingual #SauceOn Twitter Party for inspiration and ideas on how to bring more excitement to your everyday meals by using El Yucateco. We’ll be sharing delicious and exciting recipes using El Yucateco and there will be $550 in Walmart gift cards! RSVP here: https://www.sofabchats.com/parties/233-sauceon

This shop has been compensated by #Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.

2014/08/15
Sweet & Savory Citrus Honey Grilled BBQ Chicken & Watermelon Feta Salad Recipes

Recently, I had the opportunity to collaborate with Kikkoman and Latina Bloggers Connect to create a recipe or re-work one a favorite dish. I had so much fun experimenting and it was compensated! I’ll give you a hint, Kikkoman is more versatile than you can imagine. Think outside of the Asian inspired box. I did. Kikkoman can actually be used in lieu of salt in every type of cuisine. In fact, to reduce the sodium content of your dish by 1000 mg swap ½ teaspoon of Kikkoman Soy Sauce in place of ½ a teaspoon of salt.
Anyways, if you are like me, the minute you hear the name Kikkoman, you instantly think of soy sauce for your sushi but Kikkoman is so much more than just soy sauce, they make Teriyaki sauce, Ponzu and many more products than I ever knew about. After all you can’t get much more perfect than Kikkoman soy sauce when cooking because 19 generations and 300 years of living by the family philosophy of it’s founder, “Isogaba Maware” (Make Haste Slowly; Advance and grow with tremendous thought and care) can’t be wrong. All this means is that Kikkoman takes it’s 6-month natural brewing process seriously and has since the seventeenth century. We should all advance and grow with such thought and care. True haste without thought will surely make waste in everything from food ingredient choices to life choices.
I actually adapted two recipes for dinner last night using Kikkoman soy sauce.
I chose Citrus Honey Grilled BBQ Chicken and paired it with a nice, refreshing summer watermelon and feta salad.
Here is the recipe for the Citrus Honey Grilled BBQ Chicken
Ingredients:
6 Large Chicken Breasts
Marinade:
1 ½ cup of Orange Juice
½ cup of olive oil
¼ cup of La Preferida hot sauce
½ cup of Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons of grated orange zest
2 tablespoons of Kikkoman soy sauce
½ cup of honey
Dash of Paprika

Glaze:
1 stick of unsalted butter
½ cup of honey
½ cup of orange juice
¼ cup of brown sugar
½ cup of honey BBQ sauce
2 tablespoons of grated orange zest
Between ¼- ½ cup of Dijon mustard (to taste)
3 tablespoons of Kikkoman soy Sauce
Directions:
Whisk together orange juice, olive oil, hot sauce, Dijon mustard, Kikkoman soy sauce, orange zest, honey and paprika together in a large bowl. Add the chicken breasts to the marinade and toss to combine and cover chicken breasts. Cover bowl with lid or saran wrap and let marinate overnight or at least 1 hour, but for best results marinate over night in the refrigerator.
When ready to cook, pull chicken out of fridge and let it come to room temperature before you grill. Room temperature meats cook more evenly and don’t lose as much moisture. Prepare the grill and set to medium and direct heat.
Drain your chicken breasts from the marinade and pat dry. Grill for 5 minutes on each side, then turn heat down to medium-low, close the grill lid and continue cooking for 25 minutes.
While the chicken breasts are on the grill for those 25 minutes, start making the glaze. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan on medium heat or on grill burner. Whisk in honey, orange juice, brown sugar, honey bbq sauce, orange zest, Dijon mustard and Kikkoman soy sauce. When it’s time to glaze the chicken breasts, reserve some of the glaze in a separate container to serve with the meal, in case someone wants more sauce on their chicken. I, personally, love my food saucy but some others don’t so reserve some. Stir occasionally. Check that poultry is cooked to 160 degrees before serving.

Then brush chicken breast with glaze, flip glaze side down, glaze other side and then continue cooking for 3 more minutes. Glaze once more, flip over, glaze top, cook for 3 minutes more. Then take chicken off the grill, loosely tent with foil and let it rest for 5 minutes, so the juices will reabsorb into the meat.
The interval when my chicken was on the grill for 25 minutes was when I started my side dish Watermelon Feta Salad. It’s quick and easy but you need 20 minutes to let it refrigerate it so you can totally make this ahead of time.
This recipe for Watermelon Feta salad serves about 6 people, generously.
Ingredients for salad:
4 cups of cooked quinoa (cooked and cooled)
4 cups of fresh watermelon (cut into bite sized cubes)
2 tablespoons of Kikkoman Soy Sauce
12 ounces of Feta cheese (crumbled)
2 cucumbers (cubed)
Ingredients for dressing:
3/4-cup fresh organic basil {packed}
Fresh squeezed juice from 2 large lemons
1/2 cup olive oil
Sprinkle the 2 tablespoons of Kikkoman soy sauce on the watermelon as a flavor enhancer.
Then combine the quinoa, watermelon, feta cheese and cucumbers in the bowl.
Using a food processor, process basil, lemon juice and olive oil together until well combined then gingerly toss sauce with quinoa/watermelon/feta combination. Cover and chill for 20 minutes in refrigerator to allow flavors to combine appropriately.
Serve as a side to the Citrus Honey BBQ grilled chicken. It is absolutely delicious; light, filling and mostly guilt-free. My girls and husband gobbled it right up. The dinner table was quiet and that is always a good sign.
So were you surprised with how I used my Kikkoman soy sauce? My husband even used it in his recipe for sausage gravy and biscuits. It was one of his best batches and none of us knew it had soy sauce in it until he told us and think of how much better it was for our health with less sodium.
How could you use Kikkoman in your favorite recipes?
2014/07/24
Delicious Summer Rum Cocktail Recipe
Craving a deliciously cool cocktail recipe to celebrate summer vacation with?
Summer vacation is almost over. We’ve been so busy that it’s been one great adventure, trip or event after another, every weekend since May. I’m not complaining, really, I’m not but as in most things, too much of a good thing can be a little overwhelming. I honestly feel like I need a vacation from my vacation. I’m sure you know what I mean. You know, just a moment to sit in the sun, close my eyes and be still with no worries of putting myself in danger of a heat stroke. It’s the little things people.
Anyways, I’ve partnered with International Delight to try out some of their new flavors and I’ve become a little obsessed with finding ways to use them other than just rocking my coffee. Last month, I came up with a recipe for a Mexican Hot Chocolate milkshake that blew my families minds. Apparently, I really crave cold weather comfort drinks but adapted for the hot weather.
As I was sitting by the pool, wishing it was a little less humid and watching my kids do cannonballs, I began imagining myself on a tropical island (because I’m melting as one does when on a tropical vacation) and then my daydream went off into a completely odd direction and as I was sitting on the beach, it began to flurry and I was trying to catch snowflakes on my tongue, like I did when I was a little kid, but I was in my bathing suit which was odd. The point is, it made me smile and I thought to myself, why can’t I have a little snow right this very minute. Obviously it’ll never snow in July but with the courtesy of International Delight Cinnabon Creamer I could have a little bit of snowflake on my tongue, right here in July.
I never have been one for taking no for an answer so here’s the recipe I used to make this deliciously cool and refreshing cocktail, Dulce de la Nieve.
Fill cocktail shaker ½ way with ice. This helps chill the shaker and the ingredients as you add them. Leave plenty of room for shaking, so if your shaker is small use less ice.
1 part Rum Chata Rum
1 part heavy cream
2 parts International Delight Cinnabon Creamer
¼ teaspoon of sugar
¼ teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
Grip firmly, shake vigorously for 30 seconds to blend dairy products well. Typically when shaking drinks you need only employ the slow count to 10 method. Once the shaker is frosted, you are ready to strain and pour into an old fashioned glass. Garnish with a sprinkle of cinnamon and sip for maximum effect.
The only problem I have with this drink is that it is so sinfully delicious that I always want more. Just like you can’t just catch one snowflake on your tongue, you can’t just drink one Dulce de la Nieve. It’s also a fantastic drink to enjoy around the holidays. It reminds me a lot of the Rompope my dad used to bring back from Mexico but lighter and sweeter. It’s a very delicate and delicious variant on eggnog, minus the eggs and incorporates some Cinnamon buns.
Now, that I am now cool and refreshed, I think I might go take a nap on this lazy summer afternoon. I deserve it and so do you!
What’s your favorite cocktail to cool down with on a hot summer’s day?
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of International Delight. The opinions and text are all mine.
2014/07/21
Mexican Hot Chocolate Milkshake Recipe
My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard. Sorry, couldn’t resist. My Mexican hot chocolate milkshake that is! A milkshake with a little Latina spin.
I decided earlier this spring that this summer was going to be the summer of fun. I wanted to give my girls the kind of summer that I had as a child; travel, spontaneous fun and lazy days of sleeping in and staying up late catching fire flies. Everything in moderation and no yelling mom moments. Life’s just too short for stressing over the little things. Eat that ice cream, put your feet in the sand and just have fun! This is my goal for my children this summer. No stress, no classes and no rigid schedules just beautiful childhood memories to last a lifetime.

I really wanted them to experience some of what I remember to be my fondest memories from childhood like riding my bike until my legs felt like they were going to fall off, swimming until I felt like I was going to collapse and giggling until my stomach hurt and watching movies under the stars. We don’t have a drive-in nearby, so we’ve improvised and made our own. We’re doing a lot of improvisation this summer and it’s been magical.

As a Latina, I was raised drinking Mexican Hot Chocolate. In fact, Abuelita Mexican Hot Chocolate was a breakfast staple paired with some kind of pan dulce, my favorite was the churro. We drank Mexican hot chocolate until we graduated to coffee, my other favorite thing in the world.
Mexican hot chocolate was not just served on cold winter mornings, there was just varying degrees of how hot our “hot chocolate” was served. For instance, during the summer months, we often threw a couple ice cubes into our chocolate. I realize, as an adult Mexican hot chocolate and churros is not a healthy breakfast, but it still makes me nostalgic for my childhood and why shouldn’t it be a treat once in awhile?
It’s June and I still get the craving for my Abuelita and churros, and the Big Guy and our girls love it to, so instead of making hot chocolate with lots of sugar and whole milk and topping it all off with warm churros, I decided to make Mexican Hot Chocolate Shakes with Cold Stone Creamery Sweet Cream International Delight creamer. Oh yes, you heard me right! When I told the girls about this idea, they freaked out.
Here is what you will need to make six 10 ounce milkshakes, so that you can share this sweet, cool treat with the whole family and whatever little friends you find at your home this summer.
Ingredients
· 2 cups of Cold Stone Creamery Sweet Cream ID creamer
· 2 package of powdered instant Abuelita hot chocolate
· 8 medium scoops of vanilla bean ice cream
· About 3 cups of ice
· Top with Whipped Cream
· Cinnamon/Sugar Mix
Instructions
1. Combine the ingredients in the blender and mix until all smooth.
2. Top off with some whipped cream.
3. Lightly Dust with Cinnamon
4. Drink slowly while enjoying each other’s company
We had this sweet frozen treat while watching the World Cup USA versus Portugal soccer match. The game ended in a last minute tie but our Mexican Hot Chocolate shake topped with cinnamon made it all a little less painful.
For more great recipes check out the International Delight Pinterest Community or join the International Delight community at internationaldelight.com!
What’s your favorite childhood memory that you’d like your own children to experience?
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of International Delight. The opinions and text are all mine.
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2014/06/23
Mission Summer: Making Childhood Memories
What fuels your kids? The things that they love fuel my girls. These days that seems to be everything outdoors; running, jumping, dancing, riding bikes, riding scooters and being with friends. They are really embracing being kids. I love it. Lately, I have felt like I was living in a Throwback Thursday in my John Hughes-esque neighborhood. Our girls, who I used to hover and swarm around to make sure they didn’t break a sweat let alone anything else have begun to explore their space. I am trying my best to be a little more free range and a little less hypochondriac, hoverer. I am trying to stop white-knuckling the parenting reins (just a little bit).

It’s been happening really organically. There was no push the baby birds out of the nest this spring. No, as the Big Guy and I have been doing yard work prepping for our spring projects we have allowed the girls to ride their scooters on our back paths (semi supervised. Translation, I am watching but not running after their scooters). They don’t go out of range of my eyesight but they enjoy the freedom and independence. They look out for one another. I can see the bonding happening. Sisters rule. Watching them riding side by side on their scooters, looking up through the trees, with the shadows playing on their faces gives me great pleasure (even though the thought of one of them falling and hurting themselves makes my stomach knot up).

And now, just like I did (way back in the late 70’s and early 80’s) they are making friends and having spontaneous play. Not “play dates” because that implies scheduling. I am not scheduling anything this summer. We are going old school because, honestly, I think old school is better for my girls. So for the past three weekends, we go outside on Saturday morning and the girls get on their scooters or bikes and ride down three houses to the back of our cul de sac (we don’t have alleys here, we have a nature walking path that runs through our neighborhood and winds around the golf course) where they find their two little friends, sisters who go to the same school and are the same age, and the four of them scooter back to my yard where they jump on trampolines, play hopscotch, play in their clubhouse (a repurposed shed with carpet and toys and seating) or they play kickball or some other activity that actually keeps them active and I LOVE IT!

I know it is bold parenting on my part. Letting my kids play outside with bugs and all the hazards that come with not being able to control every element of the environment. I mean, my GOD, what if a bird shits on them or someone falls and skins a knee? By the way, we’ve survived both this spring with laughter and Neosporin.

This summer there will be reading in homemade whimsical A-frame tents and outdoor sleepovers (oh yes, those will be with a hovering adult present), magical fairy gardens to be made and lightening bugs to be caught in jars (with holes of course, what are we animals?). Outdoor movies under the stars with neighborhood friends, bonfires with s’mores and days spent playing in the pool. Childhood memories will be made. So how will I fuel all of this fun? Lots of fresh fruit and veggies and lean protein (and the occasional hotdog and homemade ice cream ..again, what are we animals?) and hopefully, lots of cold fluids during hot summer days.

In fact, I partnered with Motts to experience their new line of bold new fruit flavors made specifically for kids ages 6-12. Honestly, my kids love them and this is coming from picky girls whose mom actually juices for them. Motts new fruit flavors Fruit Punch Rush (my personal absolute flavor), Wild Grape Surge (Bella’s favorite) and Strawberry BOOM (obviously Gabi’s favorite) are as bold and refreshing as the name suggests. The best thing about Mott’s new line is that they have 40% less sugar than fruit juices, no artificial sweeteners and are 100% of your child’s daily value vitamin C. They are 53% real juice while most other drinks are only 5-10% of real juice and absolutely NO high-fructose corn syrup.

My girls mostly drink water and milk but when they drink juice, I like it to be something that not only tastes good but that I can feel good giving to them to drink because even though I may not hover like I once did, I’m still looking out for their best interest. Let the memories begin.

Disclosure: This is sponsored post written by me in partnership with Motts, all opinions are my own.
2014/04/30
Wild Ophelia Chocolate Giveaway
I was chosen to be part of the Wild Ophelia Chocolate Ambassador program. Chocolate is one of those things that instantly brings happiness to children and even most grown women. Wild Ophelia is a uniquely American brand featuring all-natural and often organic ingredients sourced from small farms and food artisans. Their chocolate bars tell an American story, and bridge the divide between the local, American farmer’s movement and chocolate.
If you were at BlogHer, you probably got to sample some of their uniquely original flavor pairings and were instantly a fan. They come in all sorts of fantastically original flavors like southern hibiscus peach, hickory smoked almond,smokehouse BBQ potato chips, peanut butter and banana, New Orleans Chili, Beef Jerky and sweet cherry pecan an many more.My favorites are the Hickory smoked almond and the Mined Salt and Seas Salt and Coconut special flavors from the Hunger Games Catching Fire edition. Once you try Wild Ophelia,you will never look at chocolate the same way again.
On the back of each chocolate bar, you’ll find the story and origin of each ingredient. All Wild Ophelia products are made with 100% renewable energy and packaged in 100% recycled board. Aside from the flavors, I was very impressed with the Wild Ophelia mission.
We take sustainability seriously and focus on creating unique, high-quality chocolate while engaging with customers and local artisans through an American roadtrip of foods. Central to our mission is our goal to educate and encourage action. We believe people should be aware of their food’s origins and become active and educated consumers by getting involved and asking questions about sources, pesticide practices, and more. We also strive to help children and adults learn to appreciate their food. Our motto: Respect oneself, one’s food, and others, while relishing in the chocolate-tasting experience.
I am giving away 8 bars of Wild Ophelia Chocolate to one lucky reader. All you need to do is leave a comment below telling me your favorite Wild Ophelia flavor. Use the rafflecopter for more chances to win. The contest will end on December 26 at midnight!
In the meantime, if you want a Wild Ophelia Chocolate fix, it is available at your nearest Walgreens! Wild Ophelia makes GREAT stocking stuffers! .
I was provided Wild Ophelia Chocolate as part of their Ambassador program but all opinions are mine. This chocolate rocks!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

2013/12/19
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: A Year of Holidays Giveaway
Ree Drummond has another fantastic cookbook coming out in just a couple of days, The Pioneer Woman Cooks: A Year of Holidays. If you are a blogger, you already know that Ree Drummond is the Martha Stewart for busy moms. She is the only “expert” I need. She has a family to take care of, clothes to wash, kids to homeschool and a ranch to tend to yet she still manages to cook delicious meals and make it look easy. I’ve tried many of her recipes and I can attest to the fact that if you can boil water and follow a recipe you can make your family some awesome meals with the guidance of Ree. This latest cookbook A Year of Holidays is a fantastic collection of tasty recipes, gorgeous photos and a pinch of Ree’s signature humor sprinkled in to help you celebrate all through the year. You know you want it.
Ree sent me a signed copy to have and I was pretty excited because, as you all remember from this past BlogHer, I am a fan of The Pioneer Woman. There is just something about the Lucille Ball, Ethel Merman, Vivien Liegh combination of Ree that just makes her far too endearing to not be. The accidental country girl, award-winning blogger, Food Network personality, and #1New York Times bestselling author not only curates the most scrumptious recipes, she is also one of the sweetest and kindest people on the Internet.
In her latest book, Ree demonstrates how to ring in your favorite holidays with inspired menus for breakfasts, brunches, lunches, dinners, parties, deliveries, and feasts, accompanied by fun instructions and step-by-step photos. The Pioneer Woman Cooks: A Year of Holidays is filled with creative and flavorful ideas for intimate dinners, group gatherings, and family meals. It includes nineteen recipes for Thanksgiving alone.
I have to say, aside from the Thanksgiving section, my favorites are Mother’s Day and Cinco De Mayo. My favorite recipe of all is the homemade tortillas. When I was little, I remember my own grandmother making homemade tortillas and they were just about the best thing I had ever tasted. As Ree would say they truly are the bomb diggity dog diggity bibbity bobbity boo! I never learned how to make homemade tortillas from my grandmother and she’s since passed so I am looking forward to making this recipe and teaching my daughters to make homemade tortillas.
The book is full of great recipes to keep your family fed and beautiful photos of Ree’s own beautiful family and the recipe process. The Pioneer Woman Cooks: A Year of Holidays is a fantastic collection of a variety of dishes for every occasion. I told you that you’d want one.
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: A Year of Holidays is available in stores October 29^th but you can win your very own signed copy here at The TRUTH about Motherhood. I am giving away 3 copies. To enter to win all you need to do is be a subscriber to The TRUTH about Motherhood and leave a comment below telling me your favorite recipe from The Pioneer Woman. You can also earn extra entries via rafflecopter. Contest starts today and will end Friday November 1^{st at}11:59 pm.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

2013/10/27
Got Milk?
If you are a mom, you KNOW how much milk kids consume. My girls are little milkaholics but they come by it naturally, as I am too. We drink a lot of milk, at least 2 gallons a week between us 3 girls but I am limited on space in the refrigerator so that means when I run out I have to run to the store to buy more as space is available.
I was recently part of a virtual briefing session on shelf stable milk. Sounds like something your mom might have kept in her Y2K pantry or maybe someone from the 50’s might have kept in their bomb shelter and all of that might have been true but it is also a nutrient rich, great alternative to refrigerated milk. There is no difference in flavor. You just have to wrap your brain around a new way of storing your milk.
You might be wondering what the heck shelf stable milk is. It is exactly what it sounds like, it is milk that can be kept in your pantry and doesn’t need to take up valuable (and limited) real estate in your refrigerator. You may be using it and didn’t even realize that shelf stable was what it was. I’ve been using it since my girls started school in the form of Horizon’s Organic milk in individual packaging. My girls love the flavors they offer; Strawberry, Chocolate, Vanilla and plain white milk. It’s the same milk you get in your grocer’s refrigerated section; the only difference is the packaging.
Shelf stable milk has been pasteurized at a higher temperature for a shorter amount of time to preserve taste and nutrition. Refrigerated milk is heated to 165 degrees Fahrenheit for 10-20 seconds then packaged in traditional cartons. Shelf stable milk is ultra pasteurized and heated to 280 degrees Fahrenheit for only 3 seconds, cooled quickly and then immediately packaged into a sterile Tetra Pak shelf-stable cartons that keep out light, air and harmful contaminants. Shelf stable milk can last up to 6 months unopened and unrefrigerated compared to traditional refrigerated milk, which usually expires in 3 weeks. This is awesome because you can stock up when it’s on sale.
It doesn’t taste any different than traditional milk. We are huge milk aficionados and take our milk pretty seriously in my house so I would tell you if it tasted weird. I do buy jugs of organic milk that I keep on hand in the refrigerator for everyday drinking but my pantry always has shelf stable milk in it for lunches, snack times and it also comes in handy if we run out of milk in the fridge. I simply pop the individual milks in the fridge the night before and pack it in my girls’ lunch boxes the next morning. I pack them cold but they can be drank at room temperature or over milk. My girls love it and so do I. My favorite thing aside from it being convenient is knowing that I am sending them something nutritious to drink with their lunches. It’s also great when traveling. I make PB & J sandwiches and put the milk in a cooler. It’s much healthier than stopping for fast food, more cost effective and more convenient.
Back-to-school is right around the corner (one week from today for us) and I think this is a great product to keep in mind for lunches for your little ones. They are easy to find; most stores carry shelf stable milk. You’ve probably just never looked for it and sometimes it is shelved in the refrigerated section. I know for a fact that Kroger carries it Organic Valley brand and quite frequently runs the individual packs for 10 for $10, so you can mix and match flavors. I also know that Wal-Mart carries the Organic Horizons brand.
Have you ever tried shelf stable milk? Would you use it for school lunches?

Disclaimer: This blog post is part of a paid Milk Unleashed blogging program. The opinions and ideas expressed here are all my own.
2013/08/06