Please visit my new blog!

If for some crazy reason you find yourself on this page - you should erase the .blogspot from the address and visit me at my new site
http://www.grinningcheektocheek.com

Thanks!



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Stay Up-to-Date with The Collection app and Win an iPad!

This post brought to you by ogilvy. All opinions are 100% mine.

I am never one to watch the news.  The news just saddens me and worries me all the time.  However, I also do not agree with staying completely in the dark about news events.  It is important to know what goes on in the world.  This world is changing so fast and things are happening every day.  I just don't care to hear about Mr. so and so and his wrong doings in a neighboring home town.  I prefer to hear about the news that impacts todays world. 

So typically just before I go to bed at night, I pull up some of the websites that I like to catch up with news - and read the stories that I'm interested in reading - and then get off to bed.  I do think, however, how great it would be to be able to read the news in bed, on say - and iPad... I saw this app called the collection which is available exclusively for the iPad; it is a 'monthly “appazine” exploring globally relevant topics which will excite and challenge top-tier audiences.'  The description on this app sounds amazing: Besides first-class articles, audio, photos and videos, inter-active elements will include panoramic photography, 3D digital animation, creative morphing, rubbing, X-Ray lens and much much more.

Being that the iPad is not in my budget - I look for the contests that are out there to win them. And considering that most of my readers are those who enjoy entering contests; I thought I could share this with you as well! The Collection is also offering the chance to win an iPad through twitter.  You simply have to tweet to enter

I know I'll be tweeting about this at least daily - and you should too! You never know who might win :)

My Favorite Meal–Chicken Tortilla Casserole

We call this meal – Chicken Tortilla Casserole.  I first learned of this recipe from Dee at Two of a kind, and immediately fell in love. Andrew loves it, we love it, everyone I cook it for loves it! How could you go wrong? I Really thought I had changed up the recipe, but after going back and looking at hers – I see it’s not all that much different… just the chicken :)

I’d have to preface this and probably many future recipe posts with one thing:  I often cook whole chickens in my pampered chef deep covered baker – because I love it, and it takes only 30 minutes to cook a whole chicken in the microwave, and it turns out perfectly. Every. Time. A whole chicken at Target costs a little less than $4, and lasts our family for at least two hearty meals.  It’s one of my favorite kitchen items (along with MANY other pampered chef items). <this is not a sponsored post…>

OK. Back to Business.

What you need for this recipe:

Shredded or Cut-Up Chicken (however much to suit your family, we use apx 1/2 of a 3lb whole chicken…about two large chicken breasts worth)
3/4 Sweet Yellow Onion, chopped finely
1 Can Black Beans, rinsed and drained
1 Can Corn, drained
1 cup Salsa (I use half the jar of salsa that I buy, and I get restaurant style)
1 cup Chicken Broth (I use the liquid left over from cooking my whole chicken. It’s a bit more fatty, but totally delicious.)
2-3 cups Shredded Mozzarella cheese
5-6 Tortillas cut into small strips(can be more or less, just depending on what you have and how big of a family you’re trying to feed! I tend to lean towards 5 so I can make this meal twice with a bag of 10 tortillas)
Sour Cream for Topping!!

Preheat oven to 450

              
Sautee the chopped onion and shredded chicken along with apx 1 tbsp of the chicken drippings from cooking the chicken (or you could use oil) in a large frying pan. In a smaller sauce pan I heat 1 cup salsa and 1 cup chicken liquid (or broth) slowly to a boil. Then reduce heat and let simmer until ready to use.

Meanwhile drain and rinse the beans/corn.  Mix these in with the chicken and onions when the onions are tender.

             

Put about half of the tortilla strips along the bottom of a lightly greased (I use spray) 9x13 casserole. Layer half of the chicken mix with half of the cheese. repeat with remaining tortilla strips, chicken mix, and cheese.  Pour liquid (salsa/broth) evenly over the top.

                  
Bake in the oven for apx. 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. TaDa!!

Yum!!
We serve this with sour cream. It makes for a perfect offset to this meal. I cook this almost any time we have guests now, and everyone has loved it! We rarely have leftovers, although they’re just as delicious (if not more) than the day I make it!

I’d love to hear if you’ve tried this meal – Email me, comment – whatever! I’d love to get your thoughts!

Truffle Truffle Boozy Bunnies! Yum! Review and Giveaway

With Easter just around the corner here, the candy is all over the stores, and baskets are being sold by the dozen it seems!  Easter is one of those holidays that my family typically celebrated while my cousins and I were younger; but then it quickly became a special day to have a brunch at a fancy restaurant, and a few special Easter treats handed to each other.

If you have family members that you’re looking for, and would like something different, or something a little bit more fun – Look no further than Truffle Truffle – a gourmet truffle shop. They have the perfect gift for anyone (21+) for Easter – They’re called Boozy Bunnies!

The perfect gift to upgrade any 21+ Easter basket,
these glittery goodies  will hop right off the bar and into your heart! Inspired by classic cocktails -- mint julep, pina colada, rum punch & mudslide -- one each of these boozy bunnies  will arrive in a wooden berry basket complete with paper grass and the perfect dose of (adult–friendly) Easter cheer!

They’re quite tasty – and honestly coming from the standpoint of not being one who likes liquor or mixed drinks so much – they’re pretty dang good!  Of course I love the outer chocolate shell, but on the inside is a delicious flavored marshmallow crème that has the mixed drink flavor. None of the boozy bunnies were over powering or weird tasting – They just tasted good :)  I shared them with a friend and she liked them a lot too!

Truffle Truffle is offering one of my readers the chance to win a Boozy Bunnies package for delivery by Easter!  That means this will be a quick giveaway! Enter NOW!

WIN IT!!

One Lucky Reader will win a carton of Four Boozy Bunnies from Truffle Truffle!  ($18.00 Value)

This first entry is MANDATORY:  Please visit Truffle Truffle and tell me what else you would love from their website!

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Optional Extra Entries: (only after mandatory entry is done!)

• Subscribe to my blog via email (upper left email insertion box)
• Follow my blog publicly via GFC (right side center)
• Follow my blog via Networked Blogs (click on right)
• Post my Button on your blog. (please leave a link!) +3 entries!
• Follow @TruffleSquared and @GrinCheek2Cheek on Twitter on twitter and tweet about this giveaway:  (this may be done daily)  
  
  #Win some Boozy Bunnies from Truffle Truffle for #Easter @GrinCheek2Cheek #Giveaway Ends 4/19 http://tiny.ly/xzQs
• Like GrinningCheektoCheek on Facebook! please include your facebook name with your entry.
• Like Truffle Truffle on Facebook
• Comment on Truffle Truffle’s Facebook page saying that you entered their giveaway for Boozy Bunnies @ www.grinningcheektocheek.com
• Vote for me on picket fence blogs. One Entry per vote(per day).
• Enter any of my other Current giveaways. 1 extra entry per CURRENT contest entered.

Open  to U.S. only.  Giveaway ends April 19th, 2011 at 11:59pm. Winner  will be drawn by random.org the following day, and will be e-mailed. Winner will have 48 hours to respond or a new  winner will be drawn.  Winners will be announced on this blog after all have responded.  I received free product for review purposes. All opinions here are 100% my own.

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Giveaways Ending Tonight!

Hey all!! I’ve got another set of giveaways ending Tomorrow! Please be sure to vote for me on picket fence and add an extra entry to each giveaway you’ve already entered!! I’m Trying to get at least to the top of page 2 instead of the bottom…  Page 1 is a little far fetched for me still :) – Someday!!

Also Extra Entries!! Leave a relevant comment on any post here and get two extra entries to any giveaway you’d prefer!

Happy Handle Bar; Strollers

I’ve been informed that I will have a new blog before Friday at Midnight.  It better be here then anyway… I’m not sure what I’m going to do if it’s not. But it won’t be nice.

Just a heads up!! Next week is SPRING CLEANING and Home Projects Week!! I’ll have posts and reviews and giveaways that are focused around the home!   I’m so excited to bring you this week long event that will have some really awesome giveaways :D

Following that is a Mother’s Day Event with some great giveaways that I’m sure you’re all going to love :) 

I’m also going to be challenging myself with some posts about dinners that I make. I am going to try to at least take a picture of the dinner that I’ve made – and trying to use what’s in my cupboards without having to go out and get too many groceries (Obviously fresh stuff is important, but I want to use the backlog of other items I have purchased over the past several months!) I’ll be sharing some recipes with you soon!  Nothing fancy, just the stuff I make on a regular basis.

Keratin Enhance Review and Giveaway

I love pregnancy.  I don’t ever have an easy pregnancy – but I love the effects on my body - mostly because I have only ever LOST weight with my pregnancy – but then highly in part to my beautiful nails, acne-free face, shiny hair, and that cute belly bump!  But its no wonder that I don’t like the after effects of pregnancy: crying baby, lack of sleep, bags around the eyes, six weeks of bleeding followed by major hormonal swings and craziness…

But the worst part of all of it?? MY HAIR FALLS OUT!  With Andrew – I lost many handfuls of hair… It was quite.. traumatic. Then now with Ethan, I have lost SO much hair, that I can’t even part my hair down the sides any more.. I’ve got bald spots! (OK, so not really bald, but… currently bare)

So when I see a product that is promoting the strength of the hair and reducing hair loss with washing? I’m going to jump on it.  So Here we are.

A must have for beautiful hair, nails and skin, Keratin Enhance is our latest innovation in "beauty from within" supplementation. Combining Cynatine® HNS Keratin, the world’s first ‘soluble Keratin’, with Biotin and Resveratrol, this innovative formula provides a nourishing blend of science-backed ingredients for supporting and maintaining healthy and youthful hair, nails and skin. A clinical study demonstrated that hair loss from washing was reduced by 30% over a 90-day period, and hair strength was improved by 12% with a marked improvement in the shine and brightness of hair. Keratin Enhance is your new beauty secret to getting gorgeous hair, strong nails and firm skin.

To be totally honest: I don’t think I’ve seen any results. My Hair is still falling out in handfuls – but that may be just what is destined for my hair from the hormones of post-pregnancy – and maybe the rest is getting stronger. I can’t really tell.  Again, I have only been taking it for a few weeks- and it says over a 90 day period. But meanwhile; I am looking forward to seeing some results.  I’d like my hair to grow back (and hopefully not go through the awkward stage of 4” long hair….)Keratin Enhance can be purchased online at www.resvitale.com for $39.99.  Resvitale is also offering a bottle of Keratin Enhance to one of my lucky readers!

WIN IT!!

One Lucky Reader will win a Bottle of Keratin Enhance from ResVitale!Valued at $39.99

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This first entry is MANDATORY:  Please ‘Like’ ResVitale on Facebook.  Please leave me your facebook name (first and last initial).

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Optional Extra Entries: (only after mandatory entry is done!)

• Subscribe to my blog via email (upper left email insertion box)
• Follow my blog publicly via GFC (right side center)
• Follow my blog via Networked Blogs (click on right)
• Post my Button on your blog. (please leave a link!)
• Follow ResVitale on Twitter.
• Follow GrinCheek2Cheek on Twitter on twitter and tweet about this giveaway:  (this may be done daily)  
  Do you like your #Hair to be Shiny?  Enter to #Win Keratin Enhance @GrinCheek2Cheek  #Giveaway Ends 4/21 http://tiny.ly/wQCo
• Like GrinningCheektoCheek on Facebook! please include your facebook name with your entry.
• Comment on ResVitale Facebook page saying that you entered their giveaway on www.grinningcheektocheek.com
• Subscribe to ResVitale’s Newsletter
• Vote for me on picket fence blogs. One Entry per vote(per day).
• Enter any of my other Current giveaways. 1 extra entry per CURRENT contest entered.

Open  to U.S. only.  Giveaway ends April 21st, 2011 at 11:59pm. Winner  will be drawn by random.org the following day, and will be e-mailed. Winner will have 48 hours to respond or a new  winner will be drawn.  Winners will be announced on this blog after all have responded.  I received free product for review purposes. All opinions here are 100% my own.

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Wordless Wednesday–Fire Man!

So we smelled gas here a few weeks ago, and got out and called the fire department.  They came and checked everything out (all was well!) – but they gave us some Fireman Helmets for the kids

They said when they were done checking the house out, they would let us check out the truck, which was super nice – But they got another call, and had to go.  So we got to see them drive away with their sirens on, but no fun times in the truck.

Either way they were super nice – I tried to get a picture, but the camera was set on video – and this is all I got.

Joe thinks it’s pretty funny if you loop it, and keep playing it over, it makes a pretty good beat… Haha. we’re lame. :)

What’s Going on HeRe?!!

So, if you’re wondering – this is NOT my new blog.  My other template kinda crashed, so I had to revert to the blogger template temporarily… Please let me know if anything is screwey. You can comment here if you’d like – I appreciate it tons.  What a crazy morning.