Gymboree Review and $50 Giveaway - Shopping for Easter/Spring #sponsored

 

Spring is here and with that comes all of the great Spring/Summer clothes! Gymboree has some great Spring and Easter clothes at 30% off, along with great sales throughout the entire store. I love seeing the trending colors and styles out for the season. We visited our local Gymboree and picked out our Spring and Easter clothes!

Gymboree has lots of great sales like 30% off the Easter line and a lot of $20 little girls dresses. Not to mention the clearance rack had a ton of steals! I got my oldest some shirts, pants and sweaters at more than half off. I love a good sale!

Here are my children all dressed up in their new Gymboree clothes, but getting a picture of all of them together is almost impossible!

I love the all turquoise this season, I took one look at the bright colors along with the clean lines and I was hooked. The boys got matching shirts (one is a size 6-7 and the other is a 3-4) at 30% off and my daughters sweet dress was on sale for only $20! Notice the hair barrettes in Ashley's hair? They also came from Gymboree, a simple clip that looks like I put a lot of effort into it. Perfect. I love dressing my children up in bright happy clothing for the Spring and Gymboree was the perfect place to shop for them!

You too can shop the latest styles at Gymboree, enter to win a $50 gift card to Gymboree!


GIVEAWAY



a Rafflecopter giveaway

 *Limited to US residents 18 years old and above. Giveaway starts April 4, 2014 and ends on April 17, 2014 at 12:01 am EST. Winner will be emailed and has 72 hours to respond before another winner is selected. I was not paid for this giveaway or post. The opinions on this item are 100% mine and may vary from others. The sponsor is responsible for providing the prize. I was sent a product to review for this post.

Corn Lovers Corn Chowder Recipe

For many years, I have been a fan of cookbook author Mollie Katzen. I've had copies of her books The Enchanted Broccoli Forest and The Moosewood Cookbook in my kitchen for ages.

I've always loved her philosophy of using simple but delicious ingredients to create meals to share with family and friends.

So, this is her recipe for Fresh Corn Chowder. If you are a corn lover, I highly recommend you make this and enjoy it on a still-cold Spring evening. I served it with slices of warm, buttered sour dough bread, and it was all simply delicious.

Recipe for Fresh Corn Chowder

Ingredients:

1 medium sized potato                                                     5 cups corn (5 cobs, or a 16 oz. bag frozen/
2 1/2 cups water                                                               defrosted)
2-3 tablespoons butter                                                      fresh black pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups chopped onion                                                1/4 teaspoon thyme
1 1/2 teaspoon salt                                                           1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1 stalk celery, minced                                                      1 cup milk at room temperature
1 small red bell pepper, minced                                       shredded cheddar cheese for topping

Directions:

Scrub or peel the potato and cut it into small dice. Place it in a small saucepan with the water. Bring to a boil, lower heat, to a simmer, cover, and cook until tender, but not mushy. Set aside.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a soup pot or Dutch Oven. Add the onion and salt, and cook over medium-low heat, stirring. After about 5 minutes, add celery and keep cooking. About 5 minutes later, add the cooked potatoes with all their liquid, the red bell pepper, corn, black pepper, and herbs. Stir well and cover. Reduce heat and let it cook about 5 minutes more.

Use a blender or food processor to puree about half the solids in some of the soup's own liquid. Return this to the pot, and let it rest until serving time.

Stir in the milk about 10 before serving. Heat the soup gently, don't cook it any further. Serve as soon as it's hot.

Makes 6 servings.

Enjoy!!

Chocolate Buttermilk Bundt Cake

I adore chocolate cake, and this recipe is one of my absolute favorites. Normally, I think a cake tastes better on the first day it's baked, but this one's chocolate intensity is even better on the second day.

This is fancy enough for a holiday, family reunion, or any time you want people to be in awe of your fabulous baking skills. It really is that good.

Recipe for Chocolate Buttermilk Bundt Cake

Ingredients:

For the cake:

1 1/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon brewed coffee

3/4 cup cocoa powder

2 1/4 cups sugar

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

2 whole eggs

1 egg yolk

1 1/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon buttermilk

1 cup plus 2 tablespoon canola oil

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups, plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, sifted

 

For the glaze:
 1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons whole milk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

 

Directions:

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Butter and flour a 10-inch Bundt pan and set aside.

Put brewed coffee and cocoa powder in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, whisking frequently.  Remove from the heat and let come to room temperature.

With an electric mixer,  mix together sugar, salt, baking soda, eggs and egg yolk on low speed for about 1 minute.  Add the buttermilk, oil and vanilla extract and mix on low again for another minute.

Add the flour and mix on medium speed for 2 minutes.  Add the cooled cocoa mixture and mix on medium speed for 3 minutes.  The batter will be very loose.  Pour into the prepared cake pan and bake for 1 hour, or until a cake tester inserted in the cake comes out clean.

Let the cake cool in the pan about 30 minutes, and then invert onto a cake plate.

 

To make the glaze, in a medium bowl whisk together powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and salt.  Add 2 tablespoons of milk and all of the vanilla extract.  Whisk to combine.  Mixture may be thick.  Add milk, a tablespoon at a time, until the glaze is thick but still pourable.

Slowly pour glaze over cake, guiding the glaze with a spatula.

 

Serves 8-10.

 

Enjoy!!

 

 

Potato Broccoli Cheddar Soup

I've made several different kinds of soups this past winter, but this potato broccoli cheese soup is my favorite.

It's such a hearty, delicious, and filling soup that actually tastes even better warmed up the next day. I love getting broccoli into my recipes anyway I can, as it's one of my favorite vegetables, and so good for you.

You can use whatever potatoes you have on hand, and don't even need to peel them. I do recommend using half-and-half for extra richness, but milk will work, too.

Recipe for Potato Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped carrots
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
2 tablespoons butter
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups broccoli florets
2 cups cubed, unpeeled potatoes
1 teaspoon celery salt
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
3 cups half-and-half (or milk) divided
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

Sauté onion, carrots and celery in a large pot until onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Add broth, broccoli, potatoes, and seasonings, heat to boiling.
Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until vegetables are tender, 10-15 minutes. Heat soup to boiling, stir in combined 1 cup half-and-half and flour, stirring, until thickened, about 1 minute.
Stir in remaining 2 cups half-and-half, reduce heat to medium, and add cheese stirring until melted.

Makes 6 entrée servings.

Enjoy!!

Green Olive Dip With Lindsay Olives #sponsored

When I was growing up, I can recall that there was always a bowl of olives on the table for everyone to enjoy. Whether it was a summer barbeque or part of our Thanksgiving appetizers, we always made sure to include Lindsay Olives.

Their great taste inspired me to make this delicious Green Olive Dip. I used Lindsay's Naturals California Green Ripe Olives. These are canned with only water and sea salt, and have a smooth, mellow flavor.

Lindsay Olives has been in business for over 100 years in California. I'm from California, and I love using great products from my home state.

While I always enjoy eating a handful of olives straight from a bowl, there are really many ways to use them in recipes. They enhance pasta, salads, pizzas, and so much more. They can also be used as the bases for fabulous dips, using both black or green olives.

We had some friends over to watch a movie last week, and this Green Olive Dip was so easy to make, and serve.

 The rich buttery green olives were perfect for making this dip, and I included whole wheat tortilla wedges, and a variety of crackers to go along with it.

To give it even more edge, I sprinkled red pepper flakes on top, but this can be optional.

My guests loved it, so did I, and it's a recipe I'll be making again soon. It will be perfect for the summer when I can bring it to picnics or the beach.

Recipe for Lindsay Olive Green Olive Dip

Ingredients:

2 6 oz cans of Lindsay Naturals California Green Ripe Olives
1 green chili, chopped
juice of 1 lime
8 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
salt to taste
red pepper flakes to sprinkle on top (optional)

Directions:

Put all ingredients into a blender. Pulse into a rough paste, checking frequently to make sure you don't over blend it.
Put into a bowl and sprinkle with red pepper flakes. Serve with warm tortilla wedges or crackers.

Enjoy!!


*I was provided with products from Lindsay Olives, and all opinions are my own.