GrillMates meets burger and veggies and tenderloin, and salad, and...#crowdtap #grillmates

 We had a birthday celebration in the afternoon and decided to take the party to the evening with some friends and the BBQ thanks to Crowdtap and Grill Mates.

I started off with 2 lbs of ground beef we recently purchased from a Washington Ranch. Added Grill Mates Brown Sugar and Bourbon BBQ Sauce and divided it up for burgers on the grill. It really was that easy and since this is very lean beef the sauce mixed it helped keep the patties together.  

I added a quick cabbage salad using olive oil and sesame ginger dressing and served the adults' with a frozen  margarita and the kids' with some simple grape juice.  A simple yet yummy BBQ dinner!

Part 2 of our Grill Mate experience was a little more detailed.

Beef Tenderloin with Memphis rub, zucchini with Bacon and Molasses seasoning and Baby potatoes with Olive Oil and Montreal Steakhouse Seasoning. 

I marinated the tenderloin steaks over night in the Memphis Rub
Seasoned the Zucchini with the Bacon and Molasses seasoning, and marinated the potatoes in olive oil and Montreal Steak seasoning all day.
Grilled to perfection and served a our family outside for a perfect evening!

Needless to say my boys are LOVING these GrillMates seasoning and the outdoor cooking just adds to the enjoyment. Bring on the fall grilling season! Yes we BBQ year round here at Unionvale Mom's Spot.

Thanks to Crowdtap and GrillMates for the amazing package of goodies I received including the various spices mentioned in this post. All other Food and Beverage items were purchased by this blogger and not compensated for.

Garden Fresh Dinner : Cabbage Bowls yes Please

I love summer for the garden fresh dinners I can create!
Tonight was a perfect mix of flavors and ease.
Grilled in aluminum foil these cabbage bowls where not only easy but full of flavor

I started with a medium head of cabbage cut in half. I peeled off a few layers carefully to create the bottom and top of the bowl. I filled the bottom of the "bowl" with chopped onion, zucchini, and tomato. Drizzled olive oil over the pile and sprinkled with herbs.

I placed the top of the bowl on and wrapped the aluminum foil around the bowl and placed it on a medium heat gas grill for about 20 minutes. 

I topped with some crumbled feta cheese and roasted garlic and enjoyed it for dinner

I will be making this again I'm sure especially since both Mike and I enjoyed it. Hope I have enough cabbage in the garden to keep up with the grilling. Happy Grilling!

Week night dinner made special with soup

I usually keep weeknight dinners simple, but also I want meals together to be special.
Last week I grilled chicken on the BBQ and wanted something a little different to go with it so I made bean soup.
When I started I wasn't 100% the boys would like it but they loved it.

3 Bean Soup

3 cans of beans (I used white, black, and soy)

1 medium onion chopped

1 clove of garlic grated or chopped small

2 cups shredded carrots (I used frozen as I have them on hand)

3-4 quarts of water

favorite stock base or bouillon

olive oil

italian seasoning or similar to add some extra flavor

salt and pepper to taste

sautee garlic and onions in olive oil.

dd carrots if raw otherwise add water and flavoring

Add seasoning, beans, and carrots if not added previously

Cook on medium until all is warm

Serve in a shallow soup bowl  and enjoy.

Make even a week night meal fancy with a simple soup as a side dish. I served my soup with BBQ'd chicken and brussel sprouts (my youngest and my husband both love them) and green beans. 

This post is a compensated post as part of Gigcoin although the recipe is mine.

Torani Syrup adding flavor to your holiday #dessert #SSTorani @SheSpeaksUp

We celebrated Thanksgiving with my family on Saturday at our house. I decided since we were going to get the nice dishes out, I would serve dessert in style and thanks to Torani syrup and some other pantry basics we had a wonderful Hazelnut Parfaits topped with turtles. 
  















 The Recipe:
Chocolate pudding (I used a large box)
1 1/2  cups half and half
1 pint Heavy Whipping cream
1/4 cup Torani Hazelnut syrup
1/2 cup finely chopped hazelnuts
Pretzel Turtles   The recipes all called for square pretzels but I used traditional knot style and it was fine.
In a bowl mix the pudding and half and half.  Mix on medium to make sure all the pudding mixes with the half and half. (about 2 minutes). Finish off the pudding with about 1 minute on a higher speed to add  a fluffier texture.
Scoop about 1/4 cup of pudding into parfait glasses (we used some old crystal we have that reminds us of s fruit cup on a stem.)

In the same bowl (washed out) mix on high speed the heavy whipping cream until peaks form, fold in the Torani Hazelnut syrup and the chopped hazelnuts. top each pudding cup with generous scoop of whipped cream

Top with a Pretzel Turtle , chill in the freezer for about 30 minutes, serve, and enjoy.

Thank you to SheSpeaks and Torani Syrup for 2 bottles and coupons to try other flavors in exchange for this blog post and recipe.  The recipe is my original creation. 

For other recipe ideas be sure to follow Torani Syrup on Twitter or Facebook

Mommy Snack Time , enjoying Peaches and Cream with Granola #delmonte #cbias

Mommy time is a rare occasion is this house.
This mommy is usually chasing boys, working on our homeschool lessons, blogging about something, cooking, food preserving or just trying to keep my head above water.  
When I do get a chance to just sit and have some quiet time alone I love to reader (something that I am preferably not reviewing).
 Last year I was blessed to win a Nook e-reader and I can be found sneaking a peek at a book while snacking or sipping on hot tea.


Following a full week that included a birthday party, a field trip to fill shoeboxes with Christmas gifts, homeschool co-op, trying to keep the house clean (we had cleaned in preparation for the birthday party), and a weekly shopping trip to Walmart to fill in the gaps until payday, this Mommy needed a little break, so I decided a quick and easy treat was in order.   

Our weekly stop at the local Walmart for basics is usually a chaotic trip, for whatever reason this week is was fairly calm and not overly crowded. That on top of the fact that they had everything I needed for the week made this a happy Mommy.  I know as the holidays get closer calm trips to Walmart will go by the wayside at least until after the New Year. 


For now, though I will continue to enjoy the staff and clean shelves that welcome us at our local Walmart. 


If you are looking for more recipes and ideas for the holiday seasons, check out DelMonte on Facebook as well as on Twitter

Here is my Peaches and cream granola recipe thanks to #DelMonte Peaches with Cinnamon and Brown Sugar for making this recipe crazy simple.








1 pre measured cup on #DelMonte Peaches with Cinnamon and Brown Sugar
 butter
1/2 cup granola (I used homemade)
1/4 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
Agave nectar to sweeten the cream


Simple enough ingredients list... 


Now the fun begins.
 Drain the peaches and place them in the bottom of a bowl or mug.
 pour the granola over the top and top with a small amount of butter. 
 Microwave for 1 minute 45 seconds. 
Let stand in microwave while you combine the whipping cream and agave (doesn't take alot to sweeten). you can either mix the cream in a mixer until peaks form or simply pour the sweetened cream over the warm peaches and granola.  Enjoy!

Couple of heathy alternatives: 
leave off the butter (it was for flavor and a little moisture.
swap out the cream for 2 % of lower milk and just pour a small amount of the warmed treat. 




















***This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. #CBias, all thoughts and recipes are my own.***

Sunday Supper: #GourmetCreations Chicken Sausage and Noodle Stew #cbias

First of all I will admit we had this on Friday not Sunday, but Sunday Supper this week was boring chili mac as we were crazy busy on Sunday.

 I love trying new things and have found when I get creative in the chicken we either have a total success or a complete and total fail. This was a HUGE success. All 3 of my guys loved it. 

Nathan and I went to Walmart Friday morning specifically to pick up a couple of packages of Hillshire Farm Gourmet Creations Sausages as part of a Collective Bias project.  I made a list this time so I wouldn't forget anything, of course I forgot something (the first item on the list) so had to pick it up later in the day.)  I knew I wanted to make some kind of stew with the sausage so figured I would at least pick up a few basics that I didn't have and a couple fun things to  bake with. So with list and coupons in hand we began our adventure through Walmart.      We started  out in the produce section and worked our way over to the meat department including deli meats. 

We found the sausages and had no problem picking the variety! Nathan picked Chicken with Apples and Gouda as he didn't want spicy and the other option for us would have been Beef and Jalapeno pepper. There was another variety but it contained pork and we don't eat pork, so I really didn't even pay attention to the added flavor of that variety.   I love the fact that the Super Walmart has such an awesome variety of deli meats and it is always organized and clean. 

The section was actually being restocked while we were there and the lady that works that area is very friendly and very helpful.  If you find the Hillshire Farm #GourmetCreations sausage in your Walmart make sure to check for the $.55 coupon on the package.  

We shop at Walmart at least once a week however trips to the Super Walmart are a special occasion as it is farther away, but always has what we are looking for. 

We had to check out the seasonal section and picked up a couple bags of M&Ms White Chocolate Candy Corns for a friend, then made our way to the soda aisle and picked up a variety of Clear American sodas including the Naturals made with stevia. Finally we ended up in the baking section where I picked up C&H Organic Agave Nectar and cupcake papers in a pretty black and white print.  

We finished our shopping and checked out with a nice stack of coupons saving us over $18 dollars on the bill.  You can check out the rest of the shopping adventure in the Photo Album. We had a lot of fun shopping and wandering around the Super Walmart 

Here is our recipe:

 Hillshire Farm #GourmetCreations Chicken Sausage Stew with Noodles

2 packages Hillshire Farms #GourmetCreations Chicken Sausage with Apple and Gouda Cheese

1 medium to large onion chopped

1-2 cloves garlic finely chopped

2-3 medium carrots chopped or sliced

2-3 stalks celery chopped to about 1/2 inch

Noodles (I used bow ties but you could also use egg noodles)

1 qt of stock or water

1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

Garlic Seasoning (optional)

In large soup pot combine onions, garlic, and olive oil on medium heat until just tender. Add carrots, celery, and 1/2 the stock. Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes.  Chop the chicken sausages into 1/2 pieces. Add to the pot along with the noodles and the remaining stock.  Cover and cook on medium until noodles are tender. Salt and pepper to taste. You can also add a garlic seasoning or other soup seasoning.  

This didn't take long to make and was a hit with all 3 boys.  The apple flavor in the sausages added a sweet flavor to the dish that is something very new for us. Usually soups are savory but this was a nice change. 

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. The recipe in my own original creation and all opinions are my own.

Sunday Supper: Italian Tomato Chicken with Green beans

I was inspired by a couple of recipes on allrecipes.com , but wanted to put my own spin on it.
1 - 2 lbs chicken breast diced
1 medium onion large chopped
1 - 2 cloves garlic
Fresh basil
2 cups fresh or frozen green beans
5 - 6 italian tomatoes diced
Olive oil
Angel hair pasta

brown the diced with a little olive oil.
set chicken aside (I like to put it in a glass dish and set it in the oven at about 250 to finish cooking)
sweat onions and garlic in olive oil. I decided I didn't want them caramelized for this dish.
add back the chicken and mix together lightly.
add fresh chopped basil (you may also use oregano of thyme if you have fresh) If you don't have fresh add dry basil after you add the tomatoes
Add tomatoes pan.  gently combine the ingredients.
add green beans on top and cover.
simmer on low/ medium  heat while you cook the pasta.

I used angel hair but you could use any noodle.
I boil the water first and salt the water before I add the noodles.
Cook the noodles al dente.

Plate noodles and add the chicken with tomatoes and green beans over the noodles

Serve with parmasean cheese if you like.
Enjoy.

Sunday Supper: Thanks to AllRecipes.com for this dish

It is Sunday and I've been away most of the weekend at an amazing event, Women of Faith: Over the Top. I am still processing all the wonderful words of wisdom and the awesome friendships formed, more to come about that, however I am home now and still have 2 boys and a wonderful husband to feed. So, whats for dinner? That is where Allrecipes.com came in. I typed turnips and parsnips without pork in the ingrediants search and this recipes came up.

Roasted Root Vegetables With Apple Juice Recipe - Allrecipes.com:

Looked good so off I went to the kitchen to start dinner. I used home canned apple juice from last season and 1/2 cup of Chardonnay that we received the Carlton Walk in the Park this summer. I added red, white, and green onions to the mix of veggies because I had them and my boys liked roasted onions.

This is the main dish tonight. As a side dish I warmed up meatballs (from Costco) in a little of the apple juice/ chardonnay reduction.

This quick and easy dinner was made possible by our local community Gleaners program (I received turnips, parsnips, and rudobaga Thursday before I left for Women of Faith). I am so thankful that I am able to participate in Gleaners here in Yamhill County, it has helped me fill my pantry and freezer with local grown fruits and vegetables.
'via Blog this'

M&M's Candy Corn Pumpkin Cake Recipe

Fall is in the air and that means time to bake.
I love this time and year with all the baking and harvesting.
I also love trying new combinations to create yummy treats for the boys. This week I made pumpkin cake topped with caramel and white chocolate, but it wasn't just any white chocolate. Meet M&M's newest seasonal specialty, M&M's Candy Corn White Chocolate candies. These fun candies are available exclusively at Walmart . I picked up 4 bags on a trip to one of our local Walmart stores so I would have enough to do some fun fall treats.  Check out your local Walmart Halloween selection to try these and other M&M's candy.


Pumpkin Cake with Caramel and M&M's Candy Corn
1 yellow cake mix
1 egg
2 cups pumpkin pureed (I used home canned but you could also use a can of pumpkin from the store, if you use store bought omit the egg from the recipe)
1 jar Hersey's Caramel Sauce
2 bags M&M's  Candy Corn White Chocolate Candies 




before you start and just for less mess, I dumped the M&M's candies into a bowl and pulled out the yellow ones.


Place white M&M's in a bowl and cover with water to melt the candy coating off. Set aside to soak while you make the cake.


In mixing bowl combine Cake mix, 1 egg , and 2 cups of pumpkin. Mix on medium speed until everything combines.
Pour cake mixture into prepared 9x9 cake pan. (My pan is a newer non-stick so I didn't add anything but if you need to I would use a little spray so the cake comes out easier)


Bake at 350' until done (I check with a knife, when it the knife comes out clean then it is done)

Let the cake cool.


For this time I decide to make individual cakes so I cut the cake into 4 squares and set them on plates to finish cooling.


Once the cake is cool, cut each piece into a circle. (Let the kids have the cut off scraps to keep them happy)




While the cake cools, drain off the water from the M&M's that were soaking. Place candies in the top of a double boilers that is about 1/2 full of water. Heat on medium to medium/ low stirring occasionally to keep the melting even.  I recommend using about 1 cup of M&M's Candy for melting. This part of the project is a test of patience.
Once the candies are nicely melted  prepare a piece of parchment paper and gently form a circle to match the size of your cake. 

I used a jar lid placed under my parchment as a guide for the white chocolate.  Remember the candy is hot so please be careful.  The candy cools quickly so you have to work fast. I wanted to make sure it was close to the same size but it doesn't have to be perfect. If you are making a larger cake you may end up using more like 2 cups of M&M's melted down. 



With a small spoon gently cover the top of the cake with the caramel sauce, this is a nice glue to make sure the white chocolate stays in place. 
It doesn't have to be perfect and if it happens to drip a little on the edges that is O.K.










Gently place the white chocolate piece on top of the cake.  Let it cool and set up for a little while.


While those are setting up , take 1 cup of Orange colored M&M's Candy Corn candies and pulse chop them in a food processor.  You will end up with  cream and orange colored sprinkles. I used my Kitchen Aide mini chopper and pressed the pulse button about 4 times. I didn't hold it down as I was afraid it would start to blend the candy rather than chop it..




Using a small pastry brush, lightly brush the top of the white chocolate covered cake with water , just enough to make it sticky.  Sprinkle the chopped candy of the top of your cakes, allowing some of it to fall onto the plate for extra decoration.


Share with friends or family and enjoy this harvest season semi-homemade treat.

This recipe has been kid tested and approved!

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. #cBias , the Shop has been compensated but the recipe and opinions are mine alone.

#ClearAmerican football inspired lunch for hungry kids

Over the summer we have been enjoying Clear American sparkling flavored water from Walmart.
I love the fact that Clear American has no food coloring and zero calories. The boys love soda style beverages but so often they are full of color and sugar.  Clear American has no food coloring.  I am anxiously looking for the Clear American Naturals that is sweetened with Ste-via rather than the Aspartame, but for now we are thoroughly enjoying the Clear American we have tried so far.

During the week I picked up 48 lbs of peaches along with harvesting tomatoes and zucchini from our garden. I am always looking for something drink and while I tend to splurge on Coke or Diet Coke, I have been reaching for the Clear American more and more, especially since it doesn't have caffiene.  I love the late summer and early fall for harvesting and can't wait to try Clear American in some of my fall recipes.




 This past week Social Fabric had a College Football themed week that inspired my boys. One is an Oregon State Beavers fan and One is a University of Oregon Ducks fan which means we blend lots of Orange and Yellow.  Feeding 2 hungry boys during the harvest season can be hard, especially when they want fancy lunches. Well I think I found the answer this week with Clear American peach floats and jumbo raviolis. The boys call the raviolis football pasta because it is so huge. I picked up everything I needed (except for the peaches) at my local Walmart  on an evening kid free shopping trip. Usually I have the boys with me when I shop but since I was in town at a meeting and didn't have the boys with me, I decided to take advantage of a late night dash to the store to pick up some miscellaneous items including the Clear American. I was amazed at the shelves, usually fully stocked , the selection was limited, but still all the flavors I enjoy where there.