Here is my photo of these delicious morsels!

But here at home I try to seek out the best ways to practice my parental monitoring. My 2 youngest kids have software they are allowed to use for the computer like KIDOZ or ABCmouse. My teenager is allowed to surf the net but we have the highest security for him because unfortunately he has been a victim of disgusting lewd popup ads and horrible sites. Google is the worst offender sadly. But that just means we as his parents have to be diligent about making sure he isn’t seeing things that he shouldn’t be at 14 years old. We also check his histories. We got lucky recently and his computer monitor broke so he has been without a computer and honestly, he kind of likes the break from it and so do we!

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Disclosure : http://cmp.ly/3/olytqo

This is the cactus my daughter got on clearance about a year ago. She left it outside all winter. Its now growing tentacles…

What I decided was that I am going to renovate. Unfortunately I am just a student and mom with a blog so I don’t have the resources to just spend $25k on a new kitchen. I do however have resources to find great deals online.  I am a huge user of Online Coupons already to save every dollar I can. So I basically will do the same thing with my renovation plans. The first thing on my mind in this renovation has been a breakfast bar and stools. We don’t have a dining room nor use a big table but need a place to eat so I am checking out Promo Codes for Kmart because they have some of the most stylish entertaining furniture pieces and accessories. No ugly stools here!

Also I want to check out some décor sets because I do have a theme in mind, French Bistro (a nod to my first chef in college who taught me French cuisine style!) and so I will be looking for some Coupons for Amazon because I get free shipping so my accessories and themed items can be collected cheaply!

For the big guns, the appliances and large pieces like kitchen islands I will probably try and find a Coupon Code for Sears because that store is my go to place for big purchases like a range or refrigerator. I am a creature of habit and prefer the customer service of stores I have used for many years!

The process is going to take forever and honestly this house is kind of flimsy so I am scared that I will have to settle for boring but functional. I am not thinking that for a second I can, on a barely there budget, have a professional magazine ready kitchen in the end. But I do want it to at least look like a tastefully decorated place that I love to be in. I have never been one to fuss over details but I will have to look at deals and discounts for Home Decorators Collection type of places to really try and shave money off the designer aspects since that can run high, like drawer pulls, they really can be expensive so finding bulk dealers would be a good idea.

I really would just love a bright and airy place that is both professional enough to produce food on a scale that I can cater events and also user friendly enough that I am not the only one using it. Just because I finished culinary school doesn’t mean I always want to cook!

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Disclosure: http://cmp.ly/3/olytqo

I was recently sent the brand new 11 inch nonstick stir fry pan. The pan has a nano ceramic coating that makes it non stick and also is PFOA, PTFE and Cadmium free making it eco friendly. It is also BEAUTIFUL. The outer is red and the inside is pure white. I am a huge fan of red for my kitchen so I fell in love fast. This is what I call Italian style and beauty!

And the handle is just one solid comfortable piece, completely covered with not hot metal or pieces to burn my hand

So I had to try it out and make some stir fry! We’ve been trying to eat better but haven’t really bought or cooked meat for a couple months or so, only eating fish and seafood for “meat”. sadly we ran out of shrimp so I set out to make some vegetarian stir fry that was both light and tasty. I raided the fridge and pantry and came up with some good stuff and a light quick recipe!

You will need 3 bell peppers, 8 oz mushrooms, organic rice, Steamfresh Asian medley veggies, Sesame Seed Oil (tbs), sesame seeds and a rice cooker. Okay you can get by without a rice cooker but its awesome.

1. Make your rice, it takes the longest

2. Chop those veggies! (my job made easier thanks to Boos and Wusthof!)

3. Heat sesame oil in stir fry pan… med-hi depending on your stove. Stir fry by nature is meant to be cooked super fast on super high heat so use your judgement!

4. Toss in the veggies and keep them moving in the oil and heat to get them cooked, and for this recipe I liked the crispness after I had them cooking for 4 minutes. Shake in some sesame seeds.

5. Plate Up! Couldn’t be more simple, just put some rice on the plate and a big scoop of the stir fry, and you are done!

After I cooked all of this in the Bialetti stir fry pan I literally went to wash the pan and sprayed it out and it was clean, I just took a paper towel to wipe it out and it was CLEAN! Talk about easy. Beautiful, functional and easy clean. Yeah, this pan is getting this chef’s thumbs up!

Buy it: You can get your Bialetti Aeturnum 11 inch nonstick Stir Fry Pan at Bed, Bath and Beyond!

Giveaway!

Bialetti is giving one lucky reader their very own Aerturnum 11 inch Stir Fry Pan! Enter using the Rafflecopter form below, GOOD LUCK!

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Product received to facilitate review, opinions are my own.

It’s not very often that one has a whole book written about them but when you are a kid, nothing is cooler than seeing YOUR NAME in a book, right? Recently my daughter turned nine and right before her birthday she received a Book from the I See Me company called My Very Own Fairytale Book. This is a hardcover book that is both full color and beautifully illustrated but also is written out to match the letters of your child’s name.

For every letter of your child’s first and middle name, there is a page with a story attached to it. As they get through reading they see their name.

Pretty cool, huh?

Ok one thing about this book that surprised me was the quality. I know my daughter will for sure be keeping her book for a long time and a special feature they have for these books is that you can have a custom dedication right in the front. We made a sweet dedication for our daughter on her ninth birthday and she loved it. When she got this book dyuring her party she kept reading and reading instead of opening her presents, so she really did love it!

This is my daughter reading the book at her party. the video was shot by her dad but it is sort of shot from the view of a fly on the wall so its fun

I love this idea to make your child feel special. They have different theme books like big sister and brother, royal birthday, world according to me etc. type books, all personalized

Buy It: Want to get your child his or her own book or even give one as a gift? This My Very Own Fairytale book retails for $33 and you can buy it at the I see Me Site!

Giveaway

I See Me Books is giving one lucky reader a custom book!! Just fill out the Rafflecopter below to get entered! GOOD LUCK

Product provided to facilitate review, opinions are my own.

Here are descriptions on the new flavors:

Almond Dark Chocolate Biscotti Bites

Classic almond biscotti dipped in gourmet dark chocolate. This bite size treat is a modern tradition combining the delicate flavors of biscotti with the rich taste of the finest chocolate available.

Classic Almond Biscotti Bites

Crisp and crunchy, with the sweet flavor of almonds and just a hint of anise. This classic bite-size creation is rich in Tuscan tradition, and is excellent compliment to a cup of coffee or expresso.

Caramel Milk Chocolate Biscotti Bites

Light and crunchy filled with sweet creamy caramel and dipped in gourmet milk chocolate. This bite-size treat is truly indulgent combination that is irresistible.

And irresistible they are. I took a photo of that plate this morning, then proceeded to eat every single one. They are just so yum! My favorite is the Almond Dark Chocolate! Nonni’s Biscotti Bites are available at grocery stores nationwide, and mine were in the cookie aisle

Do you have a Biscotti moment?

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Nonni’s is running a contest on Facebook where the Grand Prize is a trip to Hollywood! there are weekly prizes too! I am thinking about entering the photo above, sinc eit makes me want to have a biscotti break every time I look at it!

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I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Nonni’s Biscotti and received a product sample to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate

Info on the product:

The My Friendship Bracelet Maker Traveler is the latest product from Choose Friendship (formerly Crorey Creations), the company that first brought the innovative grandpa-invented My Friendship Bracelet Maker onto the scene. They also have a Ribbon Barrett Maker available that they introduced last year. And, since friendship bracelets are such a great gesture of friendship, the company created a video to shout out the message that kids should choose friendship, not bullying, which has become such a destructive force for kids today. Proceeds from song and t-shirt sales will be donated to non-profit organizations that support anti-bullying initiatives. See the music video on the company’s website at www.myfbm.com.

Ok so here is my take on this product. I have made many many friendship bracelets in my life and thought this product was perfect because you didn’t have to worry about taping the threads down and all that like the old days. I had experience though which proved useful. My daughter just turned nine in March and this arrived literally a day before her birthday. The plan was to open the kits and have the girls try making them at her party. They got as far as opening the boxes and that was it, thanks to the chaos. Not a problem though, after we took a weekend vacation we came home and I sat with her to start them.

I showed her how to start the bracelet and how to make the knots. I would do a few rows and then hand the maker to her to tie them herself. I don’t know why but she just couldn’t get the hang of it and would mess up each time she had to make a new row. She was getting frustrated but I assured her with practice she would get better. Honestly I can’t fault the product, I think it is just my kid that had issues. She got bored because she couldn’t figure it out but I kept all the stuff with me so that I could make bracelets and hopefully she will see me making them and want to try again

Here is the travel maker, the slide out drawer for the floss is neat!

And here is the ribbon barrette maker. This one we are trying again this week and hopefully we can share what she makes with them!

What I did LOVE about this product is the company’s message which is that kids should choose friendship instead of bullying. I take huge issues against bullying because both my husband and son have been bullied in their past. And of course the media right now is saturated with sad stories of kids who couldn’t deal with bullying anymore. I watched the company’s music video with my daughter and she definitely understood the message from them:

Really love that this product was born out of a need to reach out to others and be kind, what a great message. Please learn more about this company and the grandpa behind the idea!

Buy It: You can buy the My Friendship Bracelet Maker kits (and they have a barrette maker as well as a photo charm bracelet coming this summer too!) at Michaels craft stores, prices range from $12.99 to $16.99.

1. Good Knives

2. Good Ingredients

3. Good cutting boards.

I have the first two covered but at home, I didn’t have a good board. I have known for years being a culinary student and now graduate of the program, that the number one company for quality butcher blocks and boards is John Boos & Company. They are used all over the world, in almost every restaurant I have had the pleasure to visit the kitchen in, and they are loved by celebrities too! My friend and fellow chef, Chef Billy Parisi recently attended the housewares show in Chicago and didn’t miss a beat posting a photo from the Boos booth touting that they are the best. I love Billy he is amazing and I believe him when he says he loves his Boos!

About the company:

JOHN BOOS & COMPANY

John Boos & Co. is the leading manufacturer of butcher block and stainless steel gourmet and foodservice products in the U.S.A. JB&C is renowned for their famous Boos Blocks® and Cutting Boards. JB&C products are “Made in the U.S.A” of solid and quality North American hardwoods, and are the finest in quality, workmanship and design.

 

Since 1887!

 

John Boos & Co. based in Effingham, Illinois, is one of the oldest manufacturers of premium quality kitchen equipment and butcher blocks in the United States, and has been in business continuously since 1887. Founder Conrad Boos harvested Sycamore from wooded areas around Effingham, processed it at his sawmill, and then brought it to his blacksmith shop for finishing. The first innovation was a sycamore tree placed on three legs to absorb the shock of the smith’s hammer against the anvil. When the local butcher saw and admired the innovation, he realized that he could use one in his meat market. So Conrad’s son, John, adapted the idea and made him one. This was the start of John Boos & Company making butcher blocks for commercial meat markets over 120 years ago.

I had the awesome fortune to be able to review the AUJUS. It is a 24x18x1-1/2” thick hard rock maple cutting board with grips and a juice groove. It reverses to a flat surface and is NSF approved for the FS industry.

You didn’t think I would let you just see the stock photo that does it no justice did you?

ooohhhh ohhhhh so gorgeous!

This model is very popular and ranks as one of their top 10. After using it for a few weeks I concur it is fantastic. I used it yesterday a lot in my appetizer recipe and those groves came in handy!

I needed to concasse my tomatoes and that means a lot of juice and seeds needed to go somewhere so guess what, that groove was perfect!

And also the sheer size of it came in handy as I could chop everything I needed for my recipe!

Being NSF certified means the product stands up to standards enforced by the National Food Safety board meaning i can take this board to my restaurant and use it there because its been proven safe to use. Now many people argue that wood boards are bad but because I have quite a but of money invested in good knives, I know from professional experience that wood boards are much kinder to the blade on my knives. It is preference of course but I much prefer wood. It is easier for me to not worry about meat bacteria because I don’t really eat meat but also because I am the luckiest blogger in the world and Boos sent me 2 boards for my own use. I will be renovating my ktichen and right now I am so glad I have these boards!

As a little side note, the board does make a great photo background

Care of the boards, I use water and spray it as best I can and use mild soap when needed. These have to be oiled once a month or they will dry out. DO NOT EVER put them in the dishwasher!

Bottom Line: My professional opinion and my personal opinion is that these boards really are the cream of the crop. They are heavy, thick, and stand up to the chef abuse I give them. As my classmates in culinary school can attest, I take up a LOT of room in my food prep so having 2 feet of clean prep area is my idea of cooking heaven!

Buy It: You can buy the John Boos 24 inch maple AUJUS model online at Cutlery and More,  or by using the retail locator on the website! It retails for $109.99!

Giveaway!

John Boos & Co. is giving away an AUJUS maple Cutting Board to one lucky winner!

To Enter: Fill out the Rafflecopter giveaway from, good luck!

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Products provided to facilitate this review. And John Boos and Company make the best cutting boards EVER.

First lets take a look at the Fizz. It is futuristic cool looking, and totally sleek!

Just like before you twist the bottle on and press the lever..

Carbonated water, woohoo!

Pick a flavor! (I HIGHLY suggest the Apple Mango it is super refreshing!)

Measure..

Tilt the water bottle and slowly pour the syrup in and then gently swirl the bottle to mix…voila!

Soda!

YUM

This particular unit has a digital readout that tells you when it is time to get a new CO2 tank AND tells you just how fizzy your water is after you add it

Back when I first started working with SodaStream there wasn’t much you could purchase at a brick and mortar store, but now I can go to most any store in the mall or even my grocery and find the refill canisters and the flavors so it has evolved to be super consumer friendly! Still a novelty and fun product and after three machines I think this one might just be my favorite!

Buy it: You can get the SodaStream Fizz at the SodaStream site along with all the flavors, and Cream Soda just came back in stock, YAY! The Fizz retails for $149.99 and comes in 5 colors including PINK (portions of sales support Breast Cancer research!)

Giveaway!

Sodastream is giving away a Prize pack that includes: (1) Fountain Jet Starter Set (black/silver, white, red/silver), (1) MyWater variety pack, and (3) flavors of the winner’s choice!

 To Enter:  First head to SodaStream and check out the flavors! Then come back and fill out this Rafflecopter form! Good Luck!

Products provided to facilitate review, opinions are solely my own. And SodaStream rocks.