I received an Award! Happy 101

I received an award for my blog. Happy 101! Evonne from All You Need is Love passed it on to me. I really like the concept.



To accept the "Happy 101 Award", I need to 1.) acknowledge the person who gave it to me - Evonne, 2.) list ten items that make me happy, and 3.) award it to ten other bloggers.

Here are my 10 Happy Things:

In no particular order.

1. My dog Pepper! I love it when my dog chases the birds. She barks at them flying overhead. We have a no fly zone over our house. It is so funny.

2. Going to Disneyland. I live a few minutes away and I have a yearly pass. Sometimes I will go just for lunch and one ride. I love Tower of Terror.

3. Chocolate. At least one piece a day.

4. Gambling. I like to play the penny slots. Winning makes me happier. Along the same lines - going to the casinos makes me happy.

5. A hot jacuzzi soak. Ahhhh. Bubble your troubles away.

6. My Hubby. I love it when we just laugh and laugh.

7. Finding a real great item at a thrift shop. I like browsing for treasures. I have found some great collectibles.

8. American Idol and The Bachelor! Yes I watch them faithfully. My house shuts down when they are on.

9. Spending time with my family. We all live within an hour of each other so it is a real treat when we can get together.

10. Elvis music. Hunka Hunka.

I really could have listed an 11, 12 and maybe a 13.

Now it is your turn. I am supposed to offer the Happy 101 award to 10 other bloggers.

Leslie Loves Veggies
Hearts Make Families (no link due technical difficulties)
Midday Escapades
Jumpin-Beans
Mommys Memorandum
New Age Mama

Here is where I am bending the rules. I like so many blogs I hate to not include you all. As you can see I need 4 more blogs to my list. I am giving the award as an open invitation to anyone who would like to have it. Copy the award image, add it to your blog and share your Happy 10 Things list. It is a fun way to create a smile.

Enjoy your day.

Epson Stylus NX515 All in One Printer - Review

I have always had Epson as my printer to my computer as far back as I remember. I am amazed at the way the technology improves. Now you can have an All in One unit that prints, copies, scans and in some models - faxes. I want to share my experience with the Epson Stylus NX515. This All in One prints, copies and scans.


I have been using the NX515 for about 2 weeks now. My first impression is I like the sleek styling. It is also not a heavy printer. It was light enough for me to set up on my own. The set up was very simple. Following the detailed simple instructions I had the NX515 connected and ready to go in just a short amount of time. The NX515 can be used on a wireless network or as a wired unit direct to the computer. I have mine direct to the computer. Once I had it all set up, I printed the test page for Epson, Congratulations, you have successfully installed your new Epson Printer. It was so easy. I had no trouble at all.

Now I was ready to "kick the tires" of the Epson NX515. I decided to print a multi-page document. Each page was crisp and clean. No smearing of ink or loss of quality between the pages. It prints fast. Nearly two times faster than other competitive models. The maximum print speed for black and color printing is 36ppm. 36 Pages per minute! It does print rather quickly. The speed depends on the quality selection of the printout. On a normal day I use my printer quite often. I am impressed with printing regular documents. On to photos.

The Epson NX515 is perfect for printing photos. The inks are instantly drying on the photo paper. No chance of smearing when you remove the print and no having to wait for the print to dry. Using the NX515 to print photos has an added benefit. It features Auto Photo Correction to correct the lighting of poorly exposed images. It recognizes faces to distinguish them from the backgrounds to automatically create natural skin tones. It even corrects red eye photos. I chose several different photos of various exposure to test the features. It actually made my photos better.

For copying the NX515 is simple to use. You can copy the image as it is or enlarge the image. All from the LCD control panel on the printer. The paper type can be changed as well as either black and white or color copy.

The scan feature comes in useful if you have to scan something to store in your computer or email to someone. It sure is convenient to be able to scan as simply as copying. A press of the button, a few selection details and it quickly scans either direct to your computer or to a pdf or even direct to email.
There are 4 modes for scanning:
-Full Auto Mode, fully automatic at 100% original size
-Home Mode offers more advance features for photos and graphics
-Office Mode for easy document scanning
-Professional Mode for complete scanner control.

I like being able to print directly from my camera memory card. The NX515 has the memory card slots for this function. The images appear on the display screen, you choose the one you want to print and press okay. Your print comes out perfectly.

Paper options: For more control of your photos you can choose different types of paper, gloss or semi-gloss in varying levels of premium, ultra premium and more. For documents you can choose Ultra premium Presentation Paper Matte, Epson Bright White Paper, labels and plain paper. Letter, executive, legal, envelopes and user defined sizes. Photos can be printed Border free in 4x6, 5x7, 8x10 and letter size.

The Epson Stylus NX515 is a little powerhouse. All that work but it is still Energy Star eco-friendly qualified.

The Epson Stylus NX515 has a suggested retail of $149.99 The Epson online store is presently out of stock, but check with your local Best Buy or other electronics or office stores.

I am very pleased with the Epson Stylus NX515. It has made my printing needs a breeze.

Many thanks to Allie of Epson for providing the review printer.

Disclosure: I received a gratis printer for this review. No monetary compensation was offered or accepted for this post. The opinions above are my own. Others experience may vary.

Dragonball Revenge of King Piccolo for Wii - Review

I have been known to play quite a few video games, having an Xbox 360 and a Wii. I like the action type of games. When I was approached to review a Dragonball fighting game, I was curious. Dragonball Revenge of King Piccolo is based on the Dragonball anime series. Goku is in search of the legendary Dragonballs but must fight his rivals along the way.

I am not very coordinated when it comes to all the different buttons you have to push for certain functions. It takes me a while to figure everything out. Honestly I could not get past the first level before I had to ask the help of my 9 year old nephew. How do these kids figure all this stuff out? Our impression of the game is it is fair. I found it too much story based and not enough action. He enjoyed the fighting scenes and could figure out how to move around the scenes pretty easy. It took a lot of skill to defeat the different foes. I did like the animation of the game but after a few fights I lost interest quickly. I had a hard time understanding how to fight better and win the battles. I attribute it to my lack of Wii gaming knowledge, more than that of the game. As for the younger crowd, it is a lot of fun. They seem to understand the a, b, up, down, +, z, over your nose, through the kitchen, etc. type of how to play. Okay so I took some liberties there. The tasks are simple enough to follow the story. It is entertaining for what it is. A simple fighting game. I did notice the same foes kept coming into the fights quite often. You seem to have to fight them a lot. Not the best game out there but with a rating of E for 10+ it is pretty decent. Apparently this game is considered on a simple level of gaming and easy enough for the youngsters to play. Simple Ha. I sure could not get it. For any kid who wants to venture into the Dragonball series this game would be a good start.

You can purchase Dragonball Revenge of King Piccolo at Amazon for a decent price.

Have Fun!

Many thanks to Kathleen and Nintendo Wii for providing the review copy.
Disclosure: I received a gratis copy for this review. No monetary compensation was offered or accepted for this post. The opinions above are my own. Others experience may vary.

Saturday Silliness - Chocolate facts

Did you Know.....

Hawaii is the only U.S. state that grows cacao beans to produce chocolate.

Mars says it will decode the DNA of the cacao tree within 5 years leading to making crops more resistant and producing higher quality cocoa.

Chocolate syrup was used for the blood in the famous shower scene in the Alfred Hitchcock movie 'Psycho'. The scene lasts for about 45 seconds in the movie, but took 7 days to film.

Chocolate supposedly made its film debut when Jean Harlow ate candy in the 1933 comedy 'Dinner at Eight'.

The fruit of the Cacao tree grow directly from the trunk. They look like small melons, and the pulp inside contains 20 to 50 seeds or beans. It takes about 400 beans to make a pound of chocolate

In the U.S. chocolate candy outsells all other types of candy combined, by 2 to 1.

Information provided by Food Reference

I am going on a chocolate run. Enjoy your day!

GlassesUSA - Review

Is it time for a new pair of eyeglasses? Maybe you are thinking of a new updated style or have a new prescription. I recently was introduced to GlassesUSA. Professional Optics Online. It is so easy to browse at GlassesUSA. The styles are up to date with a wide variety available. What makes GlassesUSa a great place to shop is the prices. You will find prices of up to 70% off retail prices.

Why Choose GlassesUSA?
Save Money!
GlassesUSA.com is one of the leading online optical websites – with minimal operational costs so we can offer our customers a vast variety of complete eyeglasses started from $35 and savings up to 70%!

Top quality eyeglasses!
We never compromise on quality at GlassesUSA.com! With our own top-of-the-line laboratories and opticians, we supply our customers with lenses that exceed FDA requirements.

Professional and friendly service!
Our customers always come first at GlassesUSA.com! It’s our mission to provide our customers not only with the best custom-made prescription glasses at reasonable prices but also in the fastest time period possible and with the highest quality of service. We will do everything to make you happy and 100% satisfied. Our return policy is simple - if you don’t like your frames, send them back and get a full refund or replacement eyeglasses. Please review our return policy for more details.



Courtesy of GlassesUSA, I was able to choose my favortire frame from a wide selection of eyeglass frames to experience the service as well as the website. There was so much to look at. I tried searching by the different categories. I searched by material, price, gender or by style. I found the perfect frame I wanted the Kim Brown. I love it. The description of the frame was very detailed. Delicate but sassy, Kim plastic full framed eyeglasses are rectangular in shape with thick brown plastic surrounding the lens being off-set by rhinestones. While browsing you can compare different frames by adding to compare list. You can then open the compare list to narrow down to your favorite. The ordering process is simple. Choose your desired frame, upgrade your lenses if desired, submit your current prescription by fax, email or by filling out the online form, pay for your item and that's it. Your new glasses will arrive at your doorstep. GlassesUSA even provides free shipping if your order is over $90.00. If you sign up for the email updates you can get and instant $5 off coupon. That's is good savings. I must say I was a little concerned about choosing a frame without trying them on, but when my Kim Brown glasses came I new it was a great choice. The colors are stunning with the rhinestones for added bling. They look so stylish. My pair was complimentary for this review but the price would have been a reasonable $47.00. The order also arrived in a pretty quick time span. About 2 weeks. GlassesUSa offers convenience and is budget friendly. If you need glasses take a look at GlassesUSA. You will see clearly why it is a great place for your glasses.

Many thanks to Hillary and GlassesUSA for providing the review sample.

Disclosure: I received a gratis sample for this review. No monetary compensation was offered or accepted for this post. The opinions above are my own. Others experience may vary.

Garth Brooks at the Wynn - Review

You know a dream is like a river
Ever changin' as it flows.

Garth Brooks at the Wynn. I just experienced the wonder of Garth. I have been a Garth Brooks fan since the first album release Garth Brooks in 1989. I am proud to say I have every album. From the first television special This is Garth Brooks in 1992 I knew I had to get to the concerts. I did! It took me a while to get to one because he was so popular the concerts were selling out. I tried and tried to get tickets. Finally I was able to get tickets to 2 nights in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma - July 4, 5 in 1997 at the Myriad Convention Center. What a rush. The concert was filled with energy. He did run around the stage a lot. It was like he played to every person in the crowd as if they were the only one there. His magic to capture the audience created a fabulous singing session for Unanswered Prayers that brings chills to me to have been a part of. To this day one of the highlights of his performances is the letting of the audience sing it to him. It is a very special moment between the fans and Garth. I wanted to attend more concerts but then he retired from touring. I cried.

I have attended the Benefit concert in Los Angeles for the firefighters. When we left the concert I was in tears, my husband asking why and I said he is too good to be away from country music. He needs to come back. I also attended a charity concert for his Teammates for Kids foundation in Las Vegas. I have donated to Teammates for Kids.

I never stopped listening to the music. I have worn out my collection. I loved when More than a Memory was released. It has all the power I love in Garth's voice. There was a Garth Brooks promotion on our local cable television when it was released and I watched the video for it over and over again, at least 3 dozen times before I stopped counting. Loved it.

When Garth and Steve Wynn made the announcement that he would be performing at the Wynn in Vegas, I cried again. My beloved Garth was coming back. I patiently waited for the ticket sale date and spent over 2 and 1/2 hours online to get my tickets. It was worth it. The show I attended was this past Sunday night 1/24/2010 at the Encore Theater of the Wynn resort. The theater is very beautiful. It is a good intimate size for enjoyment of all. Then he came out - Garth! Garth with just a guitar. No band, no cowboy hat, it was Garth as if he was sitting with you in your living room. Very casual and down to earth, almost approachable, like he was your best friend. He was sharing stories, memories and explaining his music influences. He made you laugh, join in the songs and love him all over again. There were very special moments when his lovely wife Trisha Yearwood came onto the stage. Another of my favorite artists. Her voice is of the angels. Garth and Trisha shared funny moments. Trisha sang a few of her fabulous songs and they also sang the duet In Another's Eyes. Every person in the audience was on their feet. We love Garth and Trisha together.

To my surprise Garth started asking the audience for requests. He brought up the house lights so he could see everyone. When someone made a request he had a story about each song. Precious little stories that made you laugh and gain a whole new insight to Garth and his music. My favorite moment of the night - a gentleman stood up and mentioned he and his wife were celebrating their 38th wedding anniversary and he was shamelessly in love with her. It was a request for my all time favorite song of Garths, Shameless. It gave me goosebumps. Love it! To me the night was over too quick. I could have stayed and listened all night. I loved the casual feel of the show. I missed the cowboy hat and the oh so tight jeans but it was more than that. It was Garth from the heart. It was a moment of sharing a career of music enjoyment. It was for the fans. It was for Garth.

I am anxiously awaiting the announcement of the new show dates so I can go again. I want more.

Thank you Mr. Wynn for bringing Garth to the stage. He was missed. He will always be loved. He will always be Garth. Thank you Garth for the music. Welcome back.

Happy Blogoversary to Me!

Today, January 24th, is my Blogoversary. It was one year ago today that I started my adventure in blogging. 598 posts later (no wonder my fingers hurt), I am still amazed everyday about blogging. For the first few months I was just learning how to do everything. I had no idea what HTML meant. I could not figure out any layouts or add gadgets. I started with a blogger basic template. Since then I have had two designs. After a few testing the waters months, I really started blogging. I have been blogging almost every day since. In honor of my Blogoversary I thought I would answer my own mini interview. Here it goes:

How did you choose your blog name?
For years I have collected recipe clippings I found from magazines or newspapers. I was accumulating so many I separated them in different boxes. The ones I really wanted to make I called One to try! I was always finding One 2 Try.

What is your favorite part of blogging?
The writing. I enjoy watching my thoughts about something come together. I try to write with personality and humor, while trying not to get chocolate on the keyboard.

How did you choose your direction for your blog?
I started just writing about oddball stuff. Not with any purpose. I was at a store one day and it hit me how I like to try new foods. I found my direction in food. I added recipes and since have branched out to household products, personal products and much more. Everywhere I look I see One 2 Try.

If you can have another blog what would it be about?
That's a secret. I have two more blogs in mind. We will see if I can bring them to life. Stay tuned.

What advice can you give to other bloggers starting out?
Stay true to your blog voice. Write about what you like. Take it as far as you are comfortable with going. IF it becomes work and you lose the joy of blogging, you are doing too much. Keep it your happy place.

What have you appreciated from your first year?
The friends and acquaintances I have made along this journey. From my fellow blogging friends, to fabulous reps, to the wonderful readers that make blogging the joy that is is for me. And the delete key!

What do you do in your spare time?
Spare time?... When you blog there doesn't seem to be spare time. There is always something going on that involves the blog. I have laundry piles to prove it.

There you have it everyone. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for allowing me to experience the Blogosphere. I am here for the fun of sharing with you. You are the most important aspect of blogging, my readers.

A special shout out to Leslie for being there. Most of all, my heartfelt gratitude to my loving husband who puts up with supports me and my blogging dreams.

Look around you...there is always One 2 Try.

Today is National Pie Day!

January 23rd is National Pie Day. Are you a fruit or a cream pie person? In honor of National Pie day I present you with the winner from the Emile Henry National Pie Day Contest.

The Winning Recipe is Italian Apple-Mascarpone Pie with Almond Topping submitted by N. LaRochelle - Miami, FL. This pie sounds delicious.

Several hundred pie-bakers from around the country submitted pie recipes and photos of their pies baked in Emile Henry pie dishes. It must have been a hard decision. Some other recipes entered were Caribbean Island Coconut Chocolate Rum Pie, Maple Bourbon Cran- Apple Pie and Mexican Chocolate Strawberry Pie. For even more recipes visit the Emile Henry website. The one stipulation for entering is all the pies had to be baked in an Emile Henry Pie dish. I have an Emile Henry pie dish and it is fabulous to make a pie in. It adds class to the pie. I plan on trying a few of the recipe entries in the pie contest. The hard part is picking out which One 2 Try.

Enjoy your day.

Disclosure: No monetary compensation was offered or accepted for this post. The opinions above are my own. Others experience may vary.

I can see clearly now the rain has gone!

Wow what a week. It was one of the most rain filled weeks ever. Wacky Weather. From the crazy rare tornadoes in Southern California to the massive flooding. Homes were flooded. Freeways were closed due to flooding. Getting home to certain areas was taking 3 to 4 hours because of all the flooded streets. My hubby was caught in some of the flooded areas while working and he had a dickens of a time getting home. Other major travelways were closed due to snow and ice. It may sound not so bad compared to winter weather in other states but let me put it in perspective for you. From this week of storms alone, downtown Los Angeles has received 4.21 inches of rain. Our normal for the entire year is around 6 inches total. We are now at 3.44 inches above our normal rainfall amount for the entire year! It is not fun to get nearly a years worth of rain in one week.

Even the innocent were caught up in the floods. Watch the video of a dog rescue below:



Some comments were made to the news as to why the city would use its resources to save a dog. Two reasons - 1. Compassion, the poor dog was stressed and with so many people trying to help they had to do something before other folks jumped in. 2. It was a perfect training exercise for the rescuers to get more experience for rescuing people. I watched the entire rescue take place live and I was screaming "hold on puppy, hold on puppy" when they finally had him in the air. I clapped when they brought him to safety. It was a bright spot in a dreary day. By the way the rescuer was bit by the very scared dog but he is fine. The dog is too! They transferred the shepherd mix to a vet hospital that warmed him up from the cold waters. The poor dog had worn his nails all the way down trying to claw his way out of the LA River flood channel. They are treating his injuries. If the owner does not come forward he will be up for adoption. There are already many folks interested in adopting him. I hope the folks decide to help another dog in need of a home if they can't get Vernon. The vet named him Vernon because that is where they found him. With my sense of humor I would have named him Phelps, like the swimmer.

Today is calm, bright and sunny. We have a chance to dry out us waterlogged Californians. I bet some people are on the beach trying to get a tan. We are strange like that. We took our dog to a fairly large park for a much needed outside walk this morning. The park has added a lake. There is a huge lake in the middle of the park now from all the rain. It is very pretty. So pretty that hundreds of ducks were swimming on the new lake. Lovely. We have snow too. The local mountains gained nearly 5 feet of snow from the storms. Now there is a rush for the skiers and snowboarders to get to the snow. We are crazy like that too. The resort was filled to capacity. They had to turn away the crowds.

I am off now to enjoy the sunshine. The next rain is expected on Tuesday. Then it all starts again. Got to love those El Nino Weather patterns.

Tornado warning! What to do?

In response to my story of the Wacky Weather we have been having this past few days in Southern California, I am posting the guidelines about what to do in case of a tornado. By the way it was confirmed - it was a tornado that hit Orange County, CA the other day as stated in my story. There was also one today in Ventura that did quite a bit of damage. As you can see tornadoes can hit anywhere! I am still getting rain, rain and more rain. This is the 4th storm of the week but this one is bringing hail. Mudslides are now occuring because the ground is so saturated. I need some sun!

To answer to a few requests - here is important information about Tornadoes:

Tornado watch: Conditions are right for tornadoes.

When a tornado watch is issued, the American Red Cross advises you to tune to local television and radio stations for weather updates. A tornado watch is issued when conditions are favorable for the formation of a tornado. The Red Cross stresses the importance of keeping aware of the changing weather situation; the more time you have to move to safety, the more likely you and your family are to survive unharmed.

Mobile or manufactured homes are especially vulnerable to damage in tornadoes.  The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) urges mobile home residents to arrange in advance for a safe place to go when tornadoes threaten.

Tornado warning: A tornado is coming.

A tornado warning presents an immediate threat. A tornado warning is issued when a tornado is spotted visually or on weather radar.

What to do:
In case of a tornado warning, FEMA advises you to:

Go at once to the basement, storm cellar or the lowest level of the building.
If there is no basement, go to an inner hallway or a smaller inner room without windows, such as a bathroom or closet.
Get away from the windows.
Go to the center of the room. Stay away from corners because they tend to attract debris.
Get under a piece of sturdy furniture such as a workbench or heavy table or desk and hold on to it.
Use your arms to protect your head and neck.
If you’re in a mobile home, get out and find shelter elsewhere.

If you're caught outdoors during a tornado, don't try to outrun it in your car. A tornado can change directions quickly. You should seek shelter indoors immediately. If that isn't possible, get out of your car and duck down in the lowest spot you can find, such as a ditch or gully. Because a tornado doesn't suck objects up, but blows them around, a highway underpass is not safe since it leaves you exposed to flying debris.

For more detailed information please visit FEMA: Tornado or wikihow: How to survive a Tornado.

I have been asked on many occasions which one scares me the most. Tornadoes while living in Oklahoma or the earthquakes while in California?

My answer - Earthquakes. There is no warning in place for earthquakes. In my opinion tornadoes can be very frightening but with the weather patterns and the science they really are not that surprising. You at least have notification about a tornado situation. I have been in a tornado warning once that I had to seek shelter at the local underground storm shelter. I was also in one where I was hiding in my home closet. The tornadoes never came but it was pretty scary.

Earthquakes - No warning. No control. I am terrified of them. I will explain earthquake safety in another post.

Stay safe out there.

Wacky Weather - Wackier Husband

Whoever said it never rains in California was out of their mind. We have had a series of severe storms here the past two days and we are not done yet. I live near Huntington Beach in Southern California. Today started out calm then the storm moved in from the ocean. It started pouring buckets in a matter of minutes. Wind, thunder, lightning and very black skies.

That was not the wacky part. We were informed by the news there was a Tornado warning. In Orange County California...a Tornado warning. Apparently one was spotted off the ocean and it was heading in our direction. My city was involved. I quickly shut down my computer and began tornado preparations. I lived in Oklahoma for a short while so I knew what to do and tried to explain it to my crazy hubby who was outside watching the sky for it. Yep crazy! I dragged him inside and told him to stay away from the windows. Then we heard the police dept driving up and down the streets announcing the tornado warning on the PA systems. A few minutes after that we received a reverse 911 call from the city telling us to watch or listen to the news for further instruction. Again I remind you this is Orange County California. Folks don't know what to do for tornadoes. They were sitting on the beach waiting for it. Even my hubby was outside watching the clouds swirl around with a video camera in case it came. It was a crazy wild few hours. I was going nuts. I had to do something during this craziness. I stayed in the kitchen, watching the news and made cookies. I am crazy like that.

And then it was over. The rain moved on through, leaving a lot of flooded streets. There was a report of an overturned car that may have been hit by a tornado. The weather bureau is investigating. My home is pretty waterlogged. The backyard is flooded. Our swimming pool is filled to the rim. The street is partially flooded. The really bad part is a much stronger storm is set to hit tomorrow and last through Thursday. Our news is on 24/7 Storm Watch. Now the news helicopters are in the air looking for damage and flooding. They are finding it. Lots of cars stranded in flooded streets. A few buildings with wind damage. It is not yet confirmed there was an actual tornado touchdown. It has been a wacky weather day.


After all the weird weather... a beautiful rainbow appeared in the sky. A bright full arch rainbow. It was so pretty and peaceful.

Tomorrow it begins again until this winter weather pattern passes us by. Come on Summertime!

Valentine's Day Gift Idea: Geoff & Drew's

Cookies would make a sweet treat for your Valentine. Not just any cookies -Geoff & Drew's Cookies.

Geoff & Drew's products are award winning and the company is nationally recognized for making gift giving delicious, easy and enjoyable. We offer an extensive selection of the finest and freshest cookies, brownies, biscotti, designer cookies, party favors, chocolates and coffees – perfect for any and every gift-giving occasion.


The Valentine's day gifts selection at Geoff & Drew's would make any heart flutter. Choose a Happy Valentine's Day Crate - 6 Cookies and 4 Brownie Crate & Heart Sugar Cookie in a cute pink crate, or a Giant Brownie Heart. Browse the selection for more fabulous Valentine's gifts.

The cookies are so delicious. I was able to sample a few of Geoff & Drew's delectable cookies. These cookies are truly Gourmet cookies. They arrived in a cute red box, perfectly packaged inside. Each cookie was individually wrapped for freshness. Geoff & Drew's uses the finest ingredients - fresh butter, finely ground flours, farm fresh eggs, pure vanilla and the freshest spices combine to create a wonderful taste sensation. The taste tells the high quality. The chocolate chip cookie was soft, chocolaty and had such a rich buttery flavor. I devoured the Double Fudge Cookie. A chocolate cookie with chocolate chunks. Doing the happy chocolate dance! For an out of this world taste sensation, try the White Chocolate Cranberry cookies. The tartness of the cranberry balances so sweetly with the creamy white chocolate chips all in a buttery cookie. This was my favorite flavor. All the cookies were divine. Geoff & Drew's included 2 adorable Valentine's Heart Sugar cookies in my assortment. I loved the special Heart Touch. The cookie was scrumptious too.

Geoff & Drew's is a place to shop for any occasion when you need a delectable sweet treat. Birthdays, Weddings, Get Well gifts or Just Because. They also make a nice assortment of gift baskets to choose from. Cookies or brownies, whichever treat makes you smile, you will discover a world of great taste at Geoff & Drew's.

To help you with your Valentine's Day orders, here is a discount code for 15% discount on any non-sale items. Use code - VAL092. Place your orders today for shipping in time for Valentine's. What could be sweeter than a cookie gift from Geoff & Drew's.

Definitely One 2 Try!

Many thanks to Carol of Geoff & Drew's for providing the review samples.

Disclosure: I received gratis samples for this review. No monetary compensation was offered or accepted for this post. The opinions above are my own. Others experience may vary.

Chocolate Confession

I have a confession to make. I love, love, love, chocolate cereals. You know the ones that make you go cuckoo, or snap, crackle, pop, or the yabba dabba do kind. It is my guilty pleasure. I will often have a bowl for lunch or dinner and not just breakfast. One time the Count kind was on sale for $1.49 a box in my local grocer and I bought 4 boxes. The clerk asked me if my kids really liked the chocolate cereals. I said this is mine with a childish smile.


Imagine my excitement while shopping in my local Wal-mart, I spotted Chocolate Cheerios. Yes Chocolate Cheerios! Finally a chocolate cereal that as an adult I can feel good about buying. So I had to buy a box. I went home and immediately had a bowl. Cheerios got this right. It is scrumptious. I enjoyed it so much..I had to buy another box! Look for it in your area.

There's another One 2 Try!

Disclosure: No monetary compensation was offered or accepted for this post. The opinions above are my own. Others experience may vary.

10 Great Places to Find Recipes

When I am searching for the recipes I post for the National Food Days, I check a variety of places. Here are 10 of the places I search. Enjoy!

--Foodgawker. The photos will make you hungry. Click on the photos to bring you to the recipes.

--The Pioneer Woman. Her cooking is fabulous.

--Tasty Kitchen. From Pioneer Woman a community recipe site.

--FoodNetwork. Love the shows.

--Eddy Van Damme. I have personally met Chef Eddy. I love his pastries and chocolates.

--All Recipes. Everything you can think of.

--TasteSpotting. Similar to foodgawker.

--Astray. Easy to enter your ingredient to search.

--CDKitchen. They feature the Fun Food Holidays.

--Google. Search for a recipe. You will be amazed at what comes up.

If I missed your favorite site, please share it. I would like to visit them too.

There's Always One 2 Try!

All Natural Dei Frattelli - Review

Being part Italian I am always craving pasta. My comfort food of choice is a nice plate of spaghetti with tomato sauce. I am thrilled to have found the delicious fresh taste of Dei Fratelli.

Dei Fratelli was founded in 1923 and has since grown to over 100 products today. Dei Fratelli means "of the brothers" in Italian. There are two generations of Hirzel Brothers active in the company.

We remain focused on the very concepts that created our success from the beginning. Developing better relationships with our customers, bringing the highest quality products to dinner tables and continually looking for ways to meet your expectations. For four generations, we’ve been providing innovative ideas and products ... And will continue to do so ... To earn a seat at your dinner table.
I have been using Dei Fratelli Tomato products for a few weeks now and I love the taste. Courtesy of Dei Frattelli, I was able to sample several of their All Natural food items. Each one was a perfect compliment to my cooking. I love the Tomato Basil Jar sauce. It was rich in tomato flavor with a sweetness not overpowering. The spices were perfect. It really made the pasta a fresh tasting meal. I used the crushed tomatoes in a soup I had made. My family loved the added flavor of the tomatoes. It is not an ingredient I normally use in my soups but decided to give it more depth. The guys loved it. The soup had more balance. I would make it that way again. I added the chopped tomatoes and Italian sauce into a slow cooker pot of chili. The fresh flavor really stood out. I think this was my best pot of chili yet. The pizza sauce was perfect on the english muffin pizzas we made. The sauce was delicious and not too sweet. The pizzas were a big hit. Dei Fratelli also makes a fabulous Salsa. On the West Coast we use salsa as much as ketchup. The Casera Salsa was delectable but a little spicy for my taste. It was the medium hot and I prefer the mild salsa heat level. The fresh vegetables in the salsa were so good. This is a salsa I would like to have in the future. I am so impressed with the natural goodness of all the Dei Fratelli products I was able to try. For even more goodness Dei Fratelli features a nice assortment of recipes to try.
You can find Dei Fratelli in stores located in the Midwest, Central and Southeastern states. Not yet available in my grocers on the West Coast. If you are out of the area you can order direct from Dei Fratelli's online store in case packs. I just might have to do that to get more of the fabulous Tomato Sauce Jars.

For freshness to add to your cooking, try Dei Fratelli All Natural Products today.

Many thanks to Jessica and Dei Fratelli for providing the review samples.

Disclosure: I received gratis samples for this review. No monetary compensation was offered or accepted for this post. The opinions above are my own. Others experience may vary.

One of those days!

Did you ever have one of those days when you just could not think straight? Yesterday was one of those days for me. I had so many ideas I wanted to accomplish. Everytime I looked at something it would generate a new idea or project. I call them BeGots days. One project begots another then begots another and so on. Everywhere I looked I had another idea, even for my blog posts. I started and stopped then started and stopped writing because I had another idea. Mom called, friends called, dog needed a walk, kitchen cupboard needed cleaning, oh I could go on.

So you know what I did? Nothing. I shut my mind off and spent a few hours watching a movie. An Elvis movie called Clambake. It was lighthearted fun. I even made popcorn. It was worth the few hours of calm. I love Elvis anyway so it was a treat for me to find the movie. I laughed, I was glued to the movie and enjoyed the afternoon. Sometimes the best thing to do is nothing!

National Fig Newton Day

Today is National Fig Newton Day. Yum. Do you remember the jingle with the Fig Newton singing - The Big Fig Newton Song? From the 70's. I do and I remember most of the words. If you are interested in the history of the Fig Newton: The mass production of the fig roll was created in 1891 by Philadelphia baker and fig lover Charles M. Roser, who in 1892 was created a patent over a machine which inserted fig creme into a cake-like dough: classical fig rolls are more pastry like, creating a chewy experience. Naming his product Newtons after the local town of Newton, Massachusetts, he approached the Cambridgeport, Massachusetts based Kennedy Biscuit Company, who agreed to take on production and sales.

Kennedy Biscuit Company had recently become associated with the New York Biscuit Company, and after merger to form Nabisco, trade marked the product as the clearly name Fig Newton. Information from Wikipedia.

The commercial cookie is a favorite of my family. My dad loves them. I found an ambitious blog with a recipe to make homemade Fig Newtons - The Noshery. Recipe for Fig & Walnuts Newtons. They look delectable. I just might have to give these a try.

Enjoy your day!

National Strawberry Ice Cream Day

Today is National Strawberry Ice Cream Day. A reason to eat ice cream if you ask me. I am on my way to the store for a scoop in a little while. I had to share this fantastic recipe I found on foodgawker from Annie's Eats Blog for Strawberry Ice Cream Brownie Cupcakes. Enjoy your day!

National Hot Pastrami Sandwich Day

Yum. Today is National Hot Pastrami Sandwich Day. I plan on visiting a local deli I have to participate for dinner. Here are some recipes from CD Kitchen. They have a lot of fun with Fun Food Holidays.

Better yet I would love to make the recipe I found at Inspired 2 Cook for Grilled Pastrami, Swiss, and Sweet Onion Marmalade on Rye. Oh My!

Enjoy your Day!

Skin MD Valentine's Day Giveaway

I recently posted a review about Skin MD. I love the lotion. It has done wonders for my skin this winter. The good people at Skin MD are having a Valentine's Day Giveway you may want to enter.

Here is the prize:


The prize basket contains the following and is valued at $100
- Bottle of Skin MD Natural shielding lotion
- Bottle of Skin MD Natural + SPF 15 shielding lotion
- One pound of See's dark assorted chocolates
- Pack of Starbucks VIA Ready brew coffee pouches
- Kiss Me coffee mug
- A Cuddly teddy bear
- Lollipop Bouquet

Enter Here for your chance to win.

Contest closes February 7. The winner will be chosen randomly Feb 8 and the winner has 24 hours to reply so shipment will arrive by Feb 13th.

Take a chance today!

Disclosure: No monetary compensation was offered or accepted for this post. The opinions above are my own. Others experience may vary.

National Peach Melba Day

I have not posted the National Days in a while. Today is National Peach Melba Day.

From Wikipedia: The Peach Melba is a classic dessert, invented in 1892 or 1893 by the French chef Auguste Escoffier at the Savoy Hotel, London to honour the Australian soprano, Dame Nellie Melba (1861-1931). It combines two favourite summer fruits: peaches and raspberry sauce accompanying vanilla ice cream.

Here is a classic Peach Melba recipe:

Peach Melba
3 peaches
syrup
1 cup granulated sugar
2 cups water
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 pint of vanilla ice cream

melba sauce
2 cups raspberries
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup granulated sugar

optional
whipped cream
toasted almond

Remove the skin from the peaches. Slice in half and remove pits.
Make the syrup, bring the sugar, water and lemon juice to a boil.
Remove from the heat and add vanilla and the peaches, let syrup cool with the peaches.
Meanwhile make the melba sauce by pureeing raspberries with the lemon juice.
Strain if desired and add sugar to taste.

Set it up:
Remove peaches from syrup and place a half in a bowl pit side up.
Place a scoop for vanilla ice cream and cover with raspberry sauce.
If desired garnish with whipped cream and toasted almonds.

A few other recipes I found - from the Food Network Emeril's Peach Melba recipe and on A Good Appetite Blog I found a Peach Melba Cupcake that looks pretty tasty. I wish fresh peaches were in season I would love to make a Peach Melba. Hurry up summertime!

Immaculate Baking Co. Cookie Dough Review

Fresh baked cookies just came out of my oven. I am excited to taste the cookies made from cookie dough packages from Immaculate Baking Co. My cookie dough flavors of choice are Chocolate Chunk and Peanut Caramel Milk Chocolate. Mmmmm they smell so good.

About Immaculate Baking Co. - It all started when the founder Scott Blackwell saw Willy Wonka when he was 7 years old. He began selling his chocolates creations to family and neighbors. Thus began a love for chocolates and baking. He made home-made pies to pay for college. A few ventures later he now runs Immaculate Baking Co. The Cookie timelime shows the cookies really started taking off in 1997 starting with MoJo, Apple Pie and Sweet Georgia Brownie. Now there are five categories of products: Cookie Dough, Brownie Dough, Biscuits, Scones and Snack Cookies.



I was able to sample the two flavors mentioned above of the Immaculate Baking Co Cookie Dough. I located the packages at Whole Foods Market in my area. The Cookie Dough contains no trans fat, no artificial flavors and are made with organic flour and sugar. The cookie dough comes packaged in 24 ready to bake pieces of dough. Just break them apart, place them on the cookie sheet and bake. In a few minutes baking time you will be enjoying a delicious cookie treat. The Chocolate Chunk flavor is a very nice chocolate chip cookie. It was really good right out of the oven. I like them when they are warm to eat. The cookie was soft while it was warm. They do become a crunchy cookie after cooling. Still very tasty. Perfect for dunking in milk. Here's a little cookie trick: you can microwave just about any cookie for 10 to 15 seconds, depending on the power of your microwave, and you will have a nice soft cookie, but you have to eat them fast or they get hard again.

The next flavor is Peanut Caramel Milk Chocolate. The name alone sounds delightful. While these cookies were baking, the aroma was so wonderful in the kitchen. I could not wait to taste them. I love the idea of a caramel cookie but I must say they came out a little messy looking. The caramel melted in some of the cookies creating holes in the cookie. They were stuck to the baking pan. Not all of them just a few. The taste however made up for the gooey mess. These are so yummy. The caramel is chewy with nice chunks of peanuts blending with the milk chocolate. I really liked the richness of this flavor. I can't wait to try the other cookie dough flavors or other products especially the brownies.



Another reason I like Immaculate Baking Co is the support they give to the Arts. Each package features a folk artist. As much as the quality of our baked goods, our relationship with American Folk Art is the cornerstone of Immaculate Baking Company. We not only love the images, but deeply respect the integrity of the self-taught artists who create them. Why? Because like our approach to baking, folk art is the very definition of handmade: simple, pure, and from the heart.


Immaculate Baking Co. donates art supplies, offers folk art workshops and holds bake sales for creative-minded nonprofits. They set a Guinness record for baking the worlds largest cookie at 102 feet in diameter with sales of the cookie raising money for the Folk Artists Foundation. Now that is a big cookie.

You can find Immaculate Baking Co. products at retailers nationwide. You can also order direct from Immaculate Baking Co. online store to be overnight or 2 day shipped. Be aware of the shipping charges.

I enjoyed the cookies. I will look for more products from Immaculate Baking Co. My family really liked them.

Many thanks to Laurie of Immcaulate Baking Co. for providing the review samples.

Disclosure: I received gratis samples for this review. No monetary compensation was offered or accepted for this post. The opinions above are my own. Others experience may vary.