Happy Holidays MyBlogSpark-ers! Right about now, you’re probably gearing up for a wonderful holiday season filled with great family, great friends, and of course, great food! Thankfully, Betty Crocker is here to help make cooking and entertaining easier than ever with Betty Crocker’s Red Hot Holiday Trends 2011! The food experts at Betty Crocker have selected trends that will be red hot this holiday season, and have created delicious recipes to bring each one to life. These fun and delicious recipes are sure to fire up any holiday event, and keep you toasty and warm for the New Year ahead.

Trend: Double Desserts Taking two desserts and mixing and mashing them together is one of our favorite trends. Things like pie shakes, cookie stuffed cookies, and pie-filled cupcakes deliver a whole new kind of delicious. It’s a 1+1=3 kind of thing. Recipe: Pumpkin Pie Cookies Pie, meet cookie. Cookie, say hello to pie. When two all-time favorites come together, you get Pumpkin Pie Cookies, the star at your next holiday cookie exchange. Trend: Boozy Baking From booze cakes to cocktail pies, bakers everywhere are bringing the bar into the kitchen. A titch of tequila or a skosh of scotch whiskey adds a serious shot of fun and flavor for the over 21 crowd. We’re loving these boozy baked goods! Recipe: Boozy Bourbon Chocolate Cupcakes Taste for yourself what the buzz is all about! A bit of bourbon, a hit of coffee liqueur and some vanilla vodka-spiked frosting make these sophisticated chocolate cupcakes the ultimate “holiday helpers.” Trend: Color. Flavor. Fun. Traditional baked goods are being transformed with bright colors and playful flavors. With a little creativity and imagination, no one can resist this happy, fun food! Recipe: Cake Batter Cookie Stackers Take sugar cookies to a whole new level of delicious! Kids and adults will love these cake batter flavored cookies with colorful frosting, and lots of sprinkles! Stack ‘em up and watch ‘em go. Trend: From Cave to Kitchen Forget the man cave. Today guys are in the kitchen making (or at least appreciating) really good food. Big food. Really good, big food that’s stacked and stuffed with the flavors they can’t resist. Recipe: Mantastic Fried Chicken ‘n’ Waffle Sandwich Here’s a new take on chicken ‘n’ waffles - made better with beer, bacon, and bourbon. It’s the ultimate manly man meal. Trend: Skinny Cocktails Here’s the skinny! Drinking high-calorie cocktails is so last year. The modern mixologist is shaking things up with light & flavorful cocktails. Recipe: Skinny Clementine Martini Add some clever sparkle to your next party. Enjoy these natural, light martinis made with fresh juice, high-quality liquor, and a splash of club soda. Lower calorie cocktails never tasted, or looked, so sweet. Cheers! Trend: Better Than Bought From canning to candy making, there’s a renewed interest in handcrafted foods. This season, homemade food gifts are just the right thing to show your care and creativity. Recipe: Cajeta Caramel Fudge Create the perfect combination of flavor and crunch with this homemade candy. Rich chocolate fudge layered with cajeta caramel, cashews and a sprinkle of sea salt—a recipe to impress. Trend: Veggie Love Once just tolerated, vegetables are now celebrated. Omnivores and herbivores alike have discovered that veggies offer variety and great taste, and are feeling the love. Recipe: Sweet Potato Hummus Hummus with fresh sweet potato packs even more plant power. Add a delicious blend of smoked paprika, coriander, and cumin to make this flavorful dip. Trend: Shareworthy & Allergen-Friendly Allergen-friendly foods may be free from things like nuts, dairy and eggs, but shouldn’t be free from flavor. Thankfully, we’re seeing new foods and recipes that can be enjoyed by everyone – whether you’re allergy-sensitive or not. Recipe: Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread Gather everyone around the table to enjoy this moist and delicious pumpkin bread. Made with no nuts, no dairy, no eggs, and no gluten - no kidding! Trend: D-I-Y for D-O-G Man’s best friend deserves man’s best effort. That’s why making your own dog food is one of the latest canine crazes! This year, homemade dog treats are at the top of fido’s list. Recipe: Dog Bark This treat will make your dog sit up and beg for more. Make the bark by melting carob chips and peanut butter then top with your dog’s favorite ingredients – bacon and cheese. Bow WOW! Trend: Food Craft The kitchen is the new craft room. With food as their medium, clever cooks are making amazing edible food crafts that are as good to look at as they are to eat. Recipe: Chocolate Coal Lumps Naughty or nice, everyone will love these easy cho-coal-late treats. Cocoa Puffs® cereal dipped in melted chocolate and marshmallows create these tasty stocking stuffers.

We hope you might share some of these hot holiday trends with your family, friends, and readers. If you do end up posting, please be sure to disclose that you´ve received the details from Betty Crocker through MyBlogSpark. In addition, when posting, if you could please use the provided links below, we´d greatly appreciate it. Betty 10: Red Hot Holiday Trends: http://bit.ly/BCHolidayTrend Pumpkin Pie Cookies: http://bit.ly/bcppcookies Boozy Bourbon Chocolate Cupcakes: http://bit.ly/bcboozycupcakes Cake Batter Cookie Stackers: http://bit.ly/bcstackers Mantastic Fried Chicken ‘n’ Waffle Sandwich: http://bit.ly/bcmansandwich Skinny Clementine Martini: http://bit.ly/bcmartini Cajeta Caramel Fudge: http://bit.ly/bcfudge Sweet Potato Hummus: http://bit.ly/bchummus Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread: http://bit.ly/bcgfbread Dog Bark: http://bit.ly/bcdogbark Chocolate Coal Lumps: http://bit.ly/bccoallumps Happy Holidays from your friends at Betty Crocker and MyBlogSpark! Best, Kelly D. MyBlogSpark

Get a Melissa & Doug 25% Off Coupon When You Take the North "Poll"

Melissa & Doug want you to tell them which of their educational toys you think is the best! Just click on the image below to place your vote in the North "Poll!" You'll Get a Melissa & Doug 25% Off Coupon** to use at MelissaAndDoug.com just for voting!

New Blog

I am trying something different please start following here

Opinion Out Post

Today I received a check from Opinion Outpost for $21.80 for completing surveys.


This is one site that I LOVE! I don't spend a lot of time doing surveys, just a few minutes when I check my morning emails. Often they result in product trials for items we already use. So in turn you get a free product and paid to try it.




http://OpinionOutpost.com/join/5606945

It isn't much but it adds up. From Opinion Outpost alone I have earned..

$272.80

Phineas and Ferb Bot Bot! and Agent P too.. Party Time!

We had the pleasure of hosting a Phineas and Ferb Party. Think Tacos, Cupcakes and sugared up kids. Thanks to Disney and Child's Play they had really awesome gift bags too!



The adults and children both loved the movie. So much that we watched it again Saturday morning... And now we keep hoping it comes out on DVD. The movie made us emotional. We all were sad to realize Phineas and Ferb would not realize their pet was really Agent P.  

My son who NEVER sits still while watching TV was captivated the ENTIRE time TWICE! ( Remember it was on the next morning too)

The pre-movie activities included having the kids assemble Perry Cupcakes with some assistance. (The kids aren't shown because I don't believe in publishing pictures of other people's children or facial pictures of my child on a public forum. Especially with the nature of today's society.)


 However the Masks Disney and Child's Play made this picture possible....

and in case you didn't know he was a fan...

We found Perry was the favorite among the kids and Ferb was the favorite among the adults.  We were also a little disappointed to not see Vanessa the love interest of Ferb in the movie ( the adults).


* Sorry this post should have been posted early but it was saved in drafts instead. I have more pictures to come*

Mail Today

I have been super lazy about posting what I got in the mail.

1. $20 MyOpinion Now Check
2. Kashi bar and $1.50 coupon off any Kashi product.

Give Away Time

 I was given the opportunity to try Seventh Generation Diapers. We currently only use diapers at night so it took me awhile to evaluate them. I have an extremely sensitive child and these did not cause rashes like other brands have on him.

This prize pack was provided by Seventh Generation and MyBlogSpark. They also are providing this link to a $2.00 off coupon for their brand diapers. 

Seventh Generation wants to offer you an EXCLUSIVE sneak peek at their newly re-launched Free & Clear diapers. With the same great performance that parents have come to expect from Seventh Generation, Free & Clear diapers have a brand new look that makes it ‘clear’ what makes them so special.

What Seventh Generation leaves out is just as important as what they put in. Free & Clear diapers do not include chlorine processing, fragrances, latex and petroleum based lotions. In an effort to contribute less overall landfill waste and continue to ensure a premium standard of absorbency, the new Free & Clear diapers have been redesigned with a lighter-weight core. With processed chlorine-free wood pulp in Free & Clear diapers, Seventh Generation also makes certain that no chlorine is released into the environment during the totally chlorine-free (TCF) whitening process of the diapers and training pants.

Seventh Generation has also reduced the size of the diapers’ plastic packaging, meaning that each pack now contributes even less overall landfill waste than before. In fact, Seventh Generation Free & Clear diaper packaging can now be recycled at local supermarkets where plastic bag recycling collection boxes are available. 


In order to win you must post a comment here and over at my new blog that I will be transitioning too.