Profile | Expo | Consumer Product Reviews in Video

Profile | Expo | Consumer Product Reviews in Video

As a BzzAgent I have the opportunity to try the Dr. Oetker Ristorante Pizza. I've seen these in the supermarkets locally but have never tried them. Ristorante is supposed to be the #1 frozen pizza in Italy and they come in six different varieties. The Bzz Campaign describes them as "a thin, crisp crusted pizza piled high with unique, fresh and generous toppings". Once I've had the chance to try one of these pizzas at home I'll post my review here and possibly have a chance for you to win a coupon to try it yourself. Be sure to check back soon!

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Meatless Monday

A great light summer dish to use up that overabundance of zucchini from your garden.

2 pounds zucchini
2 garlic cloves
12 large basil leaves
1/3 cup sunflower seeds
zest & juice of 1/2 lemon
2 tablespoons butter, divided
1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
1/2 teaspoon plus 1 tbsp. salt, divided
3/4 pound fusilli
1 cup fresh finely shredded parmesan cheese (about 2 oz.), divided


1. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Meanwhile, trim and discard ends of zucchini. Cut each zucchini into 3- to 4-in. lengths; cut each length into 1/4- to 1/2-in.-thick matchsticks and set aside. Chop garlic and set aside. Cut basil leaves into thin ribbons and set aside.
2. In a large frying pan over medium heat, melt 1 tbsp. butter with 2 tsp. olive oil. Increase heat to high and add half of the zucchini and 1/4 tsp. salt. Cook zucchini, stirring frequently, until soft and browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer zucchini to a plate with a slotted spoon, leaving as much of the butter and oil in the pan as possible. Repeat with remaining zucchini and 1/4 tsp. salt. Remove frying pan from heat and reserve.
3. Add remaining 1 tbsp. salt and fusilli to boiling water and cook to al dente. Drain and transfer to a large bowl.
4. Meanwhile, heat reserved frying pan over medium-high heat, add remaining 1 tsp. olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice and the chopped garlic, and cook until fragrant but not browned, about 1 minute. Add reserved zucchini and sunflower seeds. Cook, stirring, until well combined. Add zucchini mixture and reserved basil to cooked fusilli and toss to combine. Add 1/2 cup parmesan and remaining 1 tbsp. butter. Toss until butter melts and everything is well combined. Divide among 6 pasta bowls. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup parmesan and serve immediately. Enjoy!




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Watermelon Granita

With the Summer nearing half over mother nature keeps cranking up the heat. We are always looking for a cool treat on a hot evening. I don't know about you but we don't always have the funds to run out to Rita's. As a less expensive alternative I like to make these up using the fruits I've gathered at the farmers markets. A Granita is a cooling, icy slushy originated in Italy. These can be made in a variety of sweet refreshing flavors, such as melon, peach, strawberry, blueberry and even coffee.




4 - 5 cups seedless watermelon chunks, packed (about 1 1/2 lb)
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice (you can substitute with RealLemon brand bottled juice)

Place the watermelon chunks in a blender and puree until smooth. Strain through a mesh sieve into a bowl (you should have 2 cups).
In a sauce pan combine the sugar and water. Heat over high heat, stirring, just until the sugar dissolves. Pour the syrup and lemon juice over the watermelon puree and stir well. Pour the mixture into the frozen cylinder of an ice cream maker, insert the paddle and place on the lid. Turn the crank every few minutes to stir following your machines instructions.

An alternate method of doing this if you don't own one of those nifty devices it to pour the mixture into a 9 x 13 metal or glass baking dish. Place uncovered into the freezer until ice crystals begin to form, about 1 1/2 - 2 hours. Using a fork, stir to break up the mixture. Return to the freezer and freeze, stirring with the fork every 30 minutes to prevent it from turning into a solid mass. It should be crystalized and sludgy in another 2 hours.

To serve, spoon into chilled serving dishes and enjoy!

Serves 6

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FrEe SaMpLe OfFeR

As a member of VocalPoint I'm passing along a free offer to my readers.





Have you heard about Mott's for Tots®? This healthy treat is full of benefits, not sugar! Check out a few of the reasons kids and moms both love this juice:

40% less sugar than 100% apple juice
Delicious taste!
No artificial sweeteners
100% vitamin C
Conveniently pre-diluted with purified water
Available in 64 oz. multi-serve bottles or 6.75 oz. 8-pack juice boxes

You can spoil your kids with Mott's for Tots. Because it's not every day you find a tasty treat that kids love and moms love to give!

Simply go to www.vocalpoint.com/mottsfortots and sign up for your sample today!


Mott's, Mott's For Tots, Mott's Healthy Harvest, Hand Picked Goodness are trademarks of Mott's LLP. ©2011 Mott's LLP.


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FrUiT rOlLuPs - DoN't BeLiEvE tHe HyPe

They seem innocent enough, made with real fruit. If you have kids chances are you've bought them or their counterparts, Fruit By The Foot or Fruit Snacks. You think "Hey, they're REAL fruit! Great snack alternative to candy." Well, I'm going to tell you that after yesterday's dental check up with Maddie, that these things are far from good for your children. In fact they are far worse than candy! Yes, they may be made from real fruit but they are very high in corn fructose. What does that mean? When your child eats these, they lay in the teeth longer causing they're precious baby teeth to decay at a faster rate. After discovering that my almost 6 year old needs almost $5000.00 worth of dental work done, these thing will never again be brought into our home.
Our dentist was wonderful in explaining all of these things to us. She gave us as much time as we needed to learn some valuable (but unfortunately a little too late) advise. Below are some of the things that she recommended.

~ Your children can never brush too much. In fact at young ages they should brush after everything they eat.

~ Change their snacking habits NOW. Doing so will last them well into adulthood.

~ Teach them to make healthy snack choices. Let them choose but present them with healthy alternatives.

~ Don't even bring the bad stuff into your home.

~ Be aware of what your children drink also. Soda, Kool-Aid, orange drinks and even some of the box juices are all high in cavity causing sugars.

Finally, she presented us with a list of healthy alternatives for Madison's snack times. I've listed a few for you below.

~ Flavored waters, (children may resist these at first but eventually they will prefer them).

~ Fresh fruits and veggies. Be creative. Strawberries with whipped cream for example. The dentist actually explained that although the whipped cream is sweet, it melts from the mouth quickly and doesn't stay stuck to the teeth for a long period of time.

~ Ice cream, frozen fruit pops, frozen yogurt. These all all good alternative as they too melt quickly and do not stay stuck to the teeth.

~ An occasional Hershey Kiss. She explained the occasional treat of chocolate can't hurt. It too melts and doesn't stay sitting on those precious baby teeth.

So from one mom to all you parents out there, take this advice to heart. You won't want to be in our situation, looking at $5000.00 in dental bills and no insurance to cover any of the costs!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs

In celebration of Easter I thought I'd share a secret for the perfect hard boiled egg.
You will not taste the salt or vinegar in these eggs but the shells will peel off easily without tearing or sticking...guaranteed! Enjoy!





6 cups water
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
1 tablespoon salt
8 eggs

1. Combine water, salt, and vinegar in a large pot and bring to a boil over high heat.
2. Add eggs, one at a time being careful not to crack them.
3. Reduce heat to a gentle boil and cook for EXACTLY 14 minutes. (this is important, no more no less time)
4. Remove the eggs from the hot water and place into a bowl of ice water or run under cold water until cooled off.
5. Let eggs cool completely for about 15 minutes.

The eggs will now peel perfectly. Can store unpeeled in refrigerator for 1 week.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Brookfield Rd,Lititz,United States

No Bake Cookies

I have always loved these from when I was a kid and my mom used to make them. Of course, every time I make them they never harden correctly (not sure what I do wrong) but the butterscotch is the best as it has a caramel taste. I am still convinced that my mom secretly cast a spell on this recipe and that she is the only one the recipe works for....see how they turn out for you!!


P.S. This still never prevents me from trying every year to make them. And even when they don't harden correctly I still eat the gooey globs of goodness!!


2 cups Sugar
3/4 cup Butter
6 oz can Evaporated Milk
1 4 oz box Pudding Mix (Chocolate or Butterscotch)
3 1/2 cups quick cook Oatmeal


Bring sugar, butter and evaporated milk to a rolling boil, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes or until sugar is completely melted. Remove from heat and stir in pudding mix and oatmeal. Mix and let cool for 15 minutes. Drop by teaspoon onto wax paper and let cool completely.

Leftover Turkey...Again?

Are you running out of ways to use up that last bit of leftover turkey? Try something a little different and on the lighter side. 


Turkey and Potato Salad


1 lb small Red Potatoes
1/3 cup light Mayonnaise
1/4 cup Milk
1/3 cup light Sour Cream
2 tbsp Dijon Mustard
1/4 tsp Salt
2 Green Onions, chopped
1 1/2 cup Turkey, cut into bite-sized chunks
2 stalks Celery, sliced
1 small Red Pepper, chopped


1. In sauce pan, cover potatoes with water and bring to a boil on high heat. (HINT: I like to cut them into bite-size chunks before boiling to save time) Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 15 minutes or until potatoes are just fork tender. Drain and run under cold water until the potatoes are cool.
2. Mix Mayonnaise, sour cream, milk, mustard, salt and green onions until blended. Add turkey, celery, red pepper and potatoes, stirring gently.


Makes 6 servings