Old World Gourmet Review & Giveaway

OWG Patriotic

Do you love frozen cocktails?  Old World Gourmet makes it easy and convenient for you to serve frozen cocktails at your next party.  Simply add their drink mix to wine or the specified liquor and some ice, and then blend you’ve got delicious pitcher of drink in seconds.  Or mix everything together and chill in the few for few hours to get the perfect slushie consistency!

Their Wine and Cocktail Mixers come in a variety of flavors including Margarita, Sangria, Cosmopolitan, and more!

 I received their Margarita Mix and Vodka Lemon Mix. Each 12 oz. package comes with 2 pouches, and each pouch will make a pitcher of the cocktail. [Read more…]

12 Smoothie Recipes

12 Smoothie Recipes

As spring is under way and summer is right around the the corner, it got me to thinking about cool refreshments.  And what could be more refreshing than a nice, cool smoothie?  And they’re generally pretty healthy too, right?  So with all this in mind, I decided to collect 12 Smooth Recipes for you.  And I think you’ll find a lot of variety here.  These definitely go beyond the usual strawberry smoothie or strawberry banana smoothie. (Not that those aren’t great!)  Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

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Frozen Hot Chocolate

Frozen Hot Chocolate 2

When it’s chilly I love a good cup of hot chocolate, but in my book it’s never too cold for a frozen drink. (Seriously I’ve bought Icees while it was snowing!)  So today I’m serving up some Frozen Hot Chocolate!  I got this recipe from Joan at Chocolate, Chocolate and more.  She has a fabulous blog, filled with yummy, and I do mean YUMMY treats!  If you’ve never been there, do go over and check it out.

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Friday Favorites – Week 147

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POST UPDATE – If you came by to link up for Friday Favorites and didn’t see the linky, I apologize.  I scheduled the post, and assumed it went off without a hitch.  For some reason, the code I pasted in seemed to have disappeared.  When I checked the post, there was only an opening and closing tag for the linky.  Weird!!  Anyway—should anyone come by and still like to link up, it should be here now! haha!

Hi Ladies! Welcome to Friday Favorites! Can you believe it’s only a few days till Christmas? Yay!

If you’re in need of any last minute holiday snack ideas, I’m sharing a sweet and easy treat, Cheesecake Puppy Chow, on Friday over at Amber’s blog, SaltTree.  You can also find several recipes from guest bloggers as well as my own recipes here on my blog, and of course, check out all the yummy things being linked up at my Christmas Treats Party.

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Oddka Vodka

When planning a party, the drinks you serve can make just as big a statement as the food and decor. And Oddka Vodka certainly makes a statement with their five unconventional flavors: Apple Pie, Electricity, Fresh Cut Grass, Salty Caramel Popcorn, and Wasabi.

Premium spirits and wine company Pernod Ricard launched this new brand of vodka, ODDKA® by Wyborowa in October 2012. ODDKA is available in 750 ml bottles in original, clear vodka and is currently available in Alabama, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island, and will be expanding its national and global distribution in spring of 2013.

To introduce you to ODDKA, we have Wit Oddoski, the voice and inspiration of the ODDKA brand is Wit Oddoski, a virtual character in the real world. Wit was born as a 2-D line drawing, a rare condition that leads him to view the world a bit differently than others.

You’ll love his fun personality, sense of humor, and enthusiasm for his brand!

Here are just a few fun ideas on how you can add ODDKA Vodka to your next party.

Oddka’s Apple Pie flavor has a sweet taste of apples and cinnamon and mixes best with Fanta, Coke or Ginger Ale. After the presents are opened and the turkey is gone,  serve up some holiday cocktails using this festive flavor.  Or even break out the Apple Pie vodka for the 4th of July.

Or throw a movie themed party! Have a movie marathon of your favorite series or with a particular movie genre, or even watch your favorite series on DVR. (I love Game of Thrones!)  And serve up Oddka’s Salty Caramel Popcorn Vodka. It mixes best with Fanta, Ginger Ale, Coke or Iced Tea.

Or serve up a little Fresh Cut Grass at your next football party or barbecue. It’s crisp, citrusy, sweet and refreshing and mixes best with Dr. Pepper, Ginger Beer or Soda Water.

To learn more about ODDKA and Wit’s adventures, “Like” ODDKA Vodka on Facebook or follow Wit on Twitter at @WitOddoski.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Oddka.

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Guest Post: Caramel Apple Cider from Melissa at Melissa’s Cuisine

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Today I am pleased to welcome another guest blogger!  Melissa from Melissa’s Cuisine will be sharing her Caramel Apple Cider! Doesn’t that sound delicious? Everyone please say hi to Melissa! [Read more…]

Guest Post: Hot Chocolate Floats from Keri at Shaken Together

Today we have another fun guest post! This one is from Keri at shaken together, and she’s made us a yummy treat:  Hot Chocolate Floats.  Take it away Keri!

Hi there, Simply Sweet Home friends!  My name is Keri and I blog over at shaken together!!

Shaken Together

It’s my home away from home where I share recipes, easy crafts/DIY projects, giveaways, a weekly link party and snippets of our life with 12 years of marriage and counting, two kids and two cats … you know, our life, shaken together!  I would love to connect with you at my blog, on FacebookTwitter or Pinterest!

Today, I am so excited that Jerri invited me to share one of our family’s favorite holiday treats …

There is nothing better than a rich mug of hot chocolate on a cold night, right?!  Well, unless it is topped with a scoop of ice cream, sprinkles and maybe a drizzle of hot fudge!

Whip up a batch of hot chocolate – you can use instant mix, I won’t judge – but there are tons of easy recipes for homemade hot chocolate that will probably rock your socks off 🙂  I am dying to try this hot chocolate mix from Something Swanky!

Anyway, gather your mugs and fill about 2/3 full with your hot chocolate.  Add a scoop of ice cream (we used peppermint!) and sprinkle on your favorite toppings.  I added a drizzle of warm hot fudge and festive holiday sprinkles!

This is seriously the best of both worlds … an ice cream sundae and a sweet steamy mug of hot chocolate!!

Jerri, thanks so much for the opportunity to share this sweet treat with your readers!  Hope to see you all again soon!  And happy, happy holidays!

Thanks again to Keri for posting here today!

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I’m linking up at Tidy Mom and these parties.

Nectresse Sweetener Review

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Nectresse™ Sweetener for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

 

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As someone with a family history of diabetes, I was very interested to learn about the newest sweetener out on the market.  NECTRESSE™Sweetener is  100 percent natural and has  zero calories per serving.  And it comes  to us from the maker of Splenda.

Unlike other artificial sweeteners, Nectresse tastes more like sugar.  It’s also grainy like sugar and not powdery like other sugar substitutes and it is missing the aftertaste which often turns people away from other artificial sweeteners.

The secret of Nectresse’s taste and quality is that it  is the only sweetener made 100% from fruit. It is actually made from the extract of Monk fruit.

Check out what journalist Lisa Ling has to say about this product:


 

I received a sample of Nectresse for review.  I enjoyed its grainy texture which is very similar to sugar, and I found it to be a great substitute for sweetening cereal.

And I also decided to make some sweet tea.   I think most people who have been diagnosed with diabetes or another disease that lends itself to dietary restrictions would say that it’s always harder to give up things that they drink every day as opposed to desserts or foods that you may eat only now and then.  And here in the South, sweet tea is a must have, so it seemed like a good thing to make to test out Nectresse.

 

 

Sweet Tea Recipe:

1 Tea Bag (the large/double size)

2 Cups hot water

10 Packets Nectresse

Directions:  Heat water on stove til it comes to a light boil. Steep tea bag in hot water for 2-3 minutes.  Add 10 packets of Nectresse and stir.

*Keep in mind this ratio was just something I just tried out for a “small scale” to test the product.  To make a half gallon of tea, I usually use 3 tea bags, so for a larger batch you might need to change the ratio.*

Now I have to say that this tea was really good.  It was far better than unsweet tea, and it tasted very close to what we usually make with sugar and without the after taste that some artficial sweeteners leave.  All in all, I think it is a great product, and I think anyone trying to diet or in need of a sugar substitute should try this product.

Check your local grocery store for this great new sweetener.  It comes boxed if you like indvidual packets, or you can find it in a cannister . Also, visit Nectreese.com for a FREE sample of NECTRESSE™Sweetener.

 

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Orange Dream Shake

dreamsicle

Who doesn’t love orange dreamsicles and push-up pops?  I know I love them, especially in the summer time!  A few years ago, I got hooked on Sonic’s Orange Cream Slush.  And since then, I’ve seen orange milkshakes popping up everywhere! But it’s much more affordable and convenient to make them at home, and it’s also super easy with this recipe!

 Oh, and by the way, I also posted a similar recipe last summer. It involves a few more ingredients, but is equally good, and if you love orange, it’s definitely worth a look! Hope you enjoy!

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Summertime Recipes and Tips from Whisked Foodie

As you know, I’m always looking for new recipes and new recipe blogs and websites to explore!  I recently found Whisked Foodie.  It has a number of recipes that are just perfect for summer from salad recipes to dessert recipes. Today I’m sharing just a few summertime highlights from their site.

Lately I’ve been perusing the internet for homemade popsicles.  At their site I found a really great tutorial that will help you make any kind of popsicles you like.

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