Everyone Loves Cheerios!

 

I have a gaggle of children so to say we go through a lot of Cheerios in this house is an understatement! The kids love to snack on them dry, and I love a big bowl full in the morning with milk and sliced banana. When I had my cholesterol checked recently (something I do regularly as heart disease and high cholesterol run in my family) my number was really low, and it's quite possible that I can thank my love of Cheerios for that! (I certainly can't thank my love of bacon...)

Cheerios are made with Oat Fibre, and Oat Fibre has been shown to help reduce cholesterol. A bowl of Cheerios a day is an easy and yummy step you can take to ensure your future heart health!

Cheerios recently launched their very own website cheerios.ca where you can find lots of information on cholesterol (like how to decode test results, questions to ask your doctor and what kinds of foods lower your cholesterol) as well as recipes and coupons for Cheerios! Who doesn't love coupons?!

To celebrate the launch of the website I am giving away a Heart Month Cheerios Gift Pack which includes a box of Honey Nut, Original and the New Family-Size Box of Chocolate Cheerios as well as an adorable set of Heart Shaped nesting bowls!

How to win:

Share a heart health tip in the comments (something you do to help keep your cholesterol and heart in check), head over to Cheerios.ca and 'Like' one of the cholesterol articles (and leave a comment telling me you did so and which article it was), or perhaps share a Cheerios heart healthy recipe!

Rules:

Contests period is February 21 through March 13, 2012
Open to Canadian residents only, you can enter across multiple blogs but only win once.
The Cheerios Giveaway kit is valued at approximately $50 and includes: a set of four heart shaped blows, Cheerios, Honey Nut Cheerios, and the brand new family sized Chocolate Cheerios.  

Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery.





Please see my disclosure page for information on my Life Made Delicious/General Mills Canada Partnership.

And the winner of the Summer Prize Pack is...

Comment #8

Congratulations Laurie! You win the Summer Prize Pack featuring products from General Mills!

Summer Prize Pack includes:

Barbecue Utensil Set
Paper Plates
Colourful Napkins
General Mills goodies from:
    Old El Paso
    Cheerios (including NEW Chocolate Cheerios!)
    Fibre 1
    Betty Crocker
    Nature Valley

Your prize pack is on it's way!

Amanda

please see my disclosure page for information on my Life Made Delicious Partnership.

2nd Blogoversary GIVEAWAY - Winner!

And the winner is...

Danielle! Email your address to me Danielle at bestmomontheblock@gmail.com.

I'd like to thank everyone who subscribes to my blog, likes my facebook page, follows me on twitter and tries my recipes, the past 2 years have been so fun for me! This next year will bring tons more recipes, photos and giveaways!

Thanks for reading,

2nd Blogoversary GIVEAWAY!

Hello to all my loyal and new followers/readers/creepers!

My 2nd Blogoversary is a mere 26 days away! This past year has been so fun and lots of exciting and wonderful things have happened to the blog (and myself) like the redesign and my becoming the food writer at amotherworld.com. More exciting things to come in the very near future, but for now I want to thank you all for using and reading my blog with a GIVEAWAY!

My oven got all attitude-y with me this week and decided to continue to get hotter and hotter after it reached the temperature I put in, so baking and roasting is out of the question until the repair guy comes and fixes it (hopefully soon, I'm dying over here!). It's made me really appreciate my barbeque and my slow cooker!

So in honour of my small kitchen appliance saving the day, I'm giving away a CrockPot® Slow Cooker and a General Mills prize pack!

To see a complete list of the Crockpot's features and  the General Mills Prize Pack contents, click here.

I use my slow cooker for chili, pasta sauces, pulled pork and soups, and I'm experimenting with new recipes all the time!
There will be some other goodies, tools I use in my own kitchen that I love like some silicone spatulas and Baker's Secret bakeware. When I get it all together I'll list all the items!

So now you're wondering "How do I win this fabulous prize?"

Required for entry:

Head over to lifemadedelicious.ca's collection and tell me which recipe you would make first in your new CrockPot®! While you're there I highly recommend you sign up for their newsletter, every 2 weeks you'll get an email full of yummy recipes!

Want extra entries?
Each item you do will get you ONE other chance to win (for a total of 6 chances), if you ALREADY do any of these things, they DO count! So make sure to comment for each item! You must leave each entry as a separate comment or only one comment will count.

1. Follow me @caffeinated_mom on Twitter and tweet the following statement then come back to this post and tell me you tweeted.
I just entered @caffeinated_mom's #TBMOTB 2nd Blogoversary Giveaway! Enter here: http://bit.ly/eePBkv

2. "Like" The Best Mom on the Block Facebook page
3. "Like" the Life Made Delicious Facebook page
4. Follow The Best Mom on the Block blog
5. Tell me which of the recipes you've tried from The Best Mom on the Block has been your favourite!

Important Details:

• This giveaway is open to Canadian and continental USA residents only.
• Winner will be generated via random.org. The winner will be announced on The Best Mom on the Block blog on April 13th, 2011 at 3pm EST.
• The winner will have until 4/18/11 to claim their prize, or I will choose another winner.

Disclosure: The General Mills Prize Pack was donated for this giveaway by General Mills and MomCentral. I was not monetarily compensated for a positive review or for including their products in this giveaway. I purchased the other products myself based on my own experience with them. I am not responsible for any allergies, defects or repairs that might arise now or in the future with any of the products.

The Gourmet Pregnancy - Giveaway Winner!

And the winner is.... *drumroll*....



Congratulations Michelle! Your cookbook is on it's way!

Book Review & Giveaway - The Gourmet Pregnancy

I was contacted a little while ago by someone I follow on twitter and she asked me if I would be interested in reviewing a cookbook. I was absolutely flattered that someone would want my opinion and so I jumped at the opportunity. I was told the cookbook was called The Gourmet Pregnancy, which was perfect considering my belly has reached epic proportions!

Seriously? I'm only 22 weeks along, this is scaring me!

Pregnancy is a time you battle with food. Either it's making you queasy, or you just can't get enough of it. You crave the weirdest things and hate your usual favourites. And then there's the "forbidden" list. The foods you just shouldn't eat, which inevitably, makes you want them for the whole torturous nine months. (I'm dying for a sushi roll and a caesar!) The author of The Gourmet Pregnancy, Leah Douglas, struggled with what to eat when she was pregnant also. She found that there were so many conflicting opinions on what was safe and what wasn't that she wanted to create a cookbook that would make meal planning easy and worry-free. She partnered up with a doctor to make sure that the recipes included were not only tasty, but met the nutritional needs and restrictions of pregnant women.

Now, just because it's called The Gourmet Pregnancy doesn't mean that everyone won't enjoy these recipes! There is something for everyone in this cookbook from soups and sandwiches to burgers, pizzas and seafood dishes. And the desserts... oh lord the desserts, I read over each recipe like I was studying for the SATs! There is a picture with every recipe which is always something I look for in a cookbook (we eat with our eyes first!) and the photography is gorgeous.

I received the cookbook in the mail the day before the Canadian May Two-Four Weekend (or as it's officially know, Victoria Day Weekend) and we had guests coming to visit. I thought it was a perfect opportunity to make some of the recipes for my guests and treat them like guinea pigs. We flipped through the book and picked out a few recipes we wanted to try.

So here are the judges:

Phil - my husband's best friend, he's a Doctor (bonus!) and a health nut/runner
PJ - Phil's wife, a now stay-at-home mom to their adorably impish son Kieran who is also very health conscious
Jason - my husband, a lover all things junk food and picky eater when it comes to "green stuff"
and Me - pregnant, stay-at-home mother of two who will eat just about anything these days!

We tried 3 recipes which I will share in separate posts along with our reviews. We graded them on my patented cupcake scale:








White Peach Bellini










Mild Curry Chicken Pizza on Naan








Cherry and Fresh Mint Tart with Rustic Vanilla Shortbread Crust





And now for the GIVEAWAY!

The good folks over at Wiley and I would like to give away a copy of The Gourmet Pregnancy to one of my luck readers. To win, simply leave a comment telling me either

a) What your biggest pregnancy craving was/is, or
b) if you've never been pregnant, what your favourite food is.

The Rules
1.) Open to Canadian and continental USA residents only.
2.) One winner will be chosen on 05/06/10 by using random.org.
3.) Make sure that I have a way to contact you when you leave a comment; either through your blog or an email.
4.) I will contact the winner via email or commenting on the winner's site.
6.) You have until 05/06/10 to claim the giveaway, or I will have to choose another winner.

enjoy!

And the winner is...

Rebecca of www.bitofmomsense.com fame! Congrats Rebecca! I hope you and your kids love your fun new lunch accessories.

Giveaway! Muffin Tin Lunch Tools

3 year old's lunch today

Wow, I was overwhelmed at how well the Muffin Tin Lunch post went over yesterday. I certainly can't take credit for the idea, but I was happy to pass it on. I know how frustrating meals can be!

By far the most common question I got asked was "Where did you get your cutters?". Well, I got 1 set from Pampered Chef (seasonal cutters, a leaf, pumpkin, heart, shamrock, apple, jalapeno pepper). They were part of their Entertaining line a while back, cutters for fancy cheeses, but I don't think they make them anymore, ask your local Pampered Chef rep though, I might be crazy.

The other set (farm animals) I got at ThinkKitchen at Ottawa's Trainyards. But I'm sure any kitchen or baking supply store (Like Michaels) would have a set.

But as luck would have it, I took a run to the Bulk Barn (they have a great selection, and you can buy individual cutters) today and picked up a set for my lucky readers! I've also thrown in a few other helpful Muffin Tin Lunch accessories to help making lunch fun and easy!

The Giveaway!

What you get:
2 red silicone muffin tins, 1 apple shaped cutting board, an apple corer, a melon baller and 6 micro cutters in various shapes!

The Cutters
1. Piggy, 2. Heart, 3. Teddy Bear, 4. Airplane, 5. Hippo, 6. Triceratops

How you win:

1. Leave a comment on this post about what you would put in the 6 muffin compartments for your kids... or yourself.

Additional entries

2. If you RT'd yesterday's blog post on Twitter you're already entered!
3. If you haven't, RT the Muffin Tin Lunch post on Twitter or this Giveaway and you get an entry.

The Rules
1.) Open to Canadian and continental USA residents only.
2.) One winner will be chosen on 05/02/10 by using random.org.
3.) Make sure that I have a way to contact you when you leave a comment; either through your blog or an email.
4.) I will contact the winner via email or commenting on the winner's site.
6.) You have until 05/04/10 to claim the giveaway, or I will have to choose another winner.

This giveaway is brought to you by me. All items were purchased from The Bargain Shop, Canadian Tire & the Bulk Barn.

And the winner is....

Loukia of loulousviews fame! Congratulations Loukia! Hope you and your boys have a great time baking this Christmas.

To everyone who entered, thanks and I'll be having more giveaways in the future so keep checking back and good luck in the future!

Have a wonderful holiday season!

Christmas Baking Giveaway

Click on the image to see a more detailed picture

We all know I love to bake, so this Christmas I'm spreading the joy of baking with this gift basket of baking supplies!

Giveaway Details
Here is what you get if you win...
1. Christmas print oven mitt
2. Christmas print heat pad (matches oven mitt)
3. Candy Cane printed spatula
4. Snowman shaped non-stick cake pan
5. Wilton Christmas-themed Sprinkles (container has 6 different kinds)
6. Set of 4 Wilton Comfort Grip Christmas Cookie Cutters
7. 2 packages of Christmas Print Cupcake Liners
8. 15 pack of Wilton Shaped Party Bags (Gingerbread man print)


Here is how you win...
For a chance this giveaway, leave a comment in this post answering this question...

What is your favourite kind of Christmas cookie?

The Rules
1.) Open to Canadian and continental USA residents only.
2.) One winner will be chosen on 12/07/09 by using random.org.
3.) Make sure that I have a way to contact you when you leave a comment; either through your blog or an email.
4.) One comment per person, please. EXTRA ENTRIES (1 entry per item): follow me on twitter and leave me a comment here saying you're following me (+1 entry), tweet about this giveaway (+1 entry), mention this giveaway on your blog and leave me a link to it (+1 entry)
5.) I will contact the winner via email or commenting on the winner's site.
6.) You have until 12/09/09 to claim the giveaway, or I will have to choose another winner.

This giveaway is brought to you by me. All items were purchased from Sobey's, Walmart & the Bulk Barn. I will not be held responsible for any burns, cuts, scrapes, bland or over-cooked cookies as a result of using these items. That is all. Happy baking!

Good News and Bad News

So the bad news is our first winner failed to claim her prize. The good news is someone else got the chance to win!

Our new winner is comment #3

Jennifer said...

I can remember helping Nanny sugar the homemade doughnuts, the ones she fried in lard. I must have been close to 3 or 4 years old. She still makes those every Christmas and waits until me or my sister get there to help. She also makes a point of making doughnut holes and calls them Jennifer's doughnuts.

Thanks for making me remember that cherished moment. Makes me want to get Jake to help me back something tonight.

Congratulations Jennifer! And by the way, my grandma makes those same donuts at Christmas and we all get a dozen as part of our present. :)

Giveaway and Some Useful Information

I'm away on a little vacation for a friend's wedding which has put a little hold on the cooking and baking (being pampered by my mom!) but I wanted to remind everyone to enter the silicone bakeware giveaway before it's too late!

I was skimming my twitter account today and saw a post tequila cupcake made with a link to a great blog called Culinary School Confidential that has a list of every culinary term you can think of with their explanations. What a great find for the beginner (or untrained) at home chef. Check it out!

Triple Vanilla Party Cupcakes with Smartie Frosting AND...My First Giveaway!

My 3 year old is OBSESSED with smarties. Well, all candy really, but chocolate holds a special place in her heart (that's my girl!). She's also been chattering for days about cupcakes so I thought I'd try to find a way to combine the two. I decided the easiest thing to do is crush some up and throw them into some Buttercream Frosting. I've been dying to try Dorie Greenspan's Perfect Party Cake, but with so little opportunity to bake actual cakes I thought it would make great cupcakes (Jamie did it too!). But to make it for a 3 year old I made some minor changes. For the original recipe head on over to mix, mix, stir, stir.



Perfect Triple Vanilla Party Cupcakes with Smartie Buttercream Frosting

For the cake:

2 ¼ cups cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 ¼ cups buttermilk
4 large egg whites
1 ½ cups vanilla sugar*
1 vanilla bean, seeded
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the Frosting:

2 sticks softened unsalted butter
1 lb powdered sugar
pinch of salt
1/4 c. heavy cream
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup smarties

Instructions:

1. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.

2. Beat together the milk and egg whites in a bowl.

3. Put the sugar into your mixer and add the butter, and beat at medium speed for a full 3 minutes, until the butter and sugar are fluffy.

4. Beat in the extract, then add one third of the flour mixture, still beating on medium speed.

5. Beat in half of the milk-egg mixture, then beat in half of the remaining dry ingredients until incorporated.

6. Add the rest of the milk and eggs, beating until the batter is homogeneous, then add the last of the dry ingredients.

7. Scrape the seeds from a vanilla bean and add to the bowl and give the batter a good 2-minute beating to ensure that it is thoroughly mixed and will aerated.

8. Spoon the batter into greased cupcake liners and bake at 350˚F until golden and cooked through.

9. Cool.

10. For the frosting, cream together the butter and sugar until thoroughly combined.

11. Add in the salt, vanilla and cream and whip until light and fluffy.

12. Place smarties in a plastic zipper bag and pound with a mallet (or rolling pin, or wine bottle, whatever is handy) until crushed.

13. Add to frosting and mix to distribute.

14. Pipe onto cupcakes and serve.

*How to make Vanilla Sugar: You know that vanilla pod you scraped the seeds out of? Don't throw those empty pods away! Place in a mason jar and add a few cups of sugar and seal. The longer it sits the more vanilla flavour will impart onto the sugar.

And now for the free stuff!

My First Giveaway!

I was out to pick up a bundt pan the other day as mine vanished into thin air and I spied these adorable silicone baking pans (you can click on the picture for a more detailed view). I grabbed a set for myself and then noticed they were 50% off so I grabbed another set for some lucky winner to snag. There's a heart, a star, a crescent moon and a teddy bear. They are all around 4" at their longest/widest part, perfect for single servings. I have already used my star and moon ones and they work great. The cakes cooked evenly and popped out so easily.


How do you win you ask?

Leave a comment on this post by midnight on Wednesday, August 12 2009 telling me about the first thing you can remember baking or cooking. If you Twitter, tweet about this contest using @caffeinated_mom adding a link to this post and you can enter a second time by submitting another comment here about the tweet!

Rules
1.) Open to continental USA & Canadian residents only.
2.) One winner will be chosen on 8/12/09 by using random.org.
3.) Make sure you tell me how to contact you when you leave a comment; either on your blog or an email.
4.) One comment per person, please. Plus one *tweet entry; totaling 2 possible entries per person.
5.) I will contact the winners via email or commenting on the winner's blog.
6.) You have until 8/14/09 to claim your prize, or I will choose another winner.

Good luck!

Amanda