K'NEX 70 Model Building Set Review and Giveaway

                         I was provided with these products for my review. All opinions are mine alone.

Build anything you can imagine with the 70 Model Building Set! Includes instructions/ideas for 70 unique models using all Classic K'NEX pieces. Build cars, planes, sea creatures, and more. Loaded with over 700 K'NEX rods and connectors! Parts can be stored in the convenient storage treasure chest. Perfect for builders ages 7+. 

Features:

• Includes instructions/ideas for 70 unique models
• 705 Pieces
• Convenient storage treasure chest
• Ages 7+
• Made in the USA

My grandson Jayden is seven years and loves to build things. He has played with K'NEX toys before and enjoyed them.

But he absolutely LOVED playing with this set. I was so amazed by the creative things he made, and  playing with the set really sparked his imagination. He played for two hours straight, and it was so great to see him so involved in using his creativity,

While kids play so many video games today, K'NEX is a wonderful way to inspire kids to use their imaginations in a more authentic way. Your kids will love playing with the K'NEX 70 Building Set, and you will love seeing them have fun with it.

Defeat the zombies and save your brains...on the Pirate Seas! This buildable replica of the Pirate Seas level in Plants vs. Zombies 2 includes special "rumble grid" action - turn on the battery-powered motor to make the zombies move down the rows towards the plants, just like they do in the game! Includes 1 Pirate Zombie figure, 1 Pirate Conehead Zombie figure and 1 Pirate Captain Zombie figure. Battle the zombies with the 2 included plants: shoot coconut ammo from a Coconut Cannon or launch a cabbage with a Cabbage-pult. Easy to follow building instructions included. For ages 7+. 

Features:

• Buildable level from Plants vs. Zombies 2: Pirate Seas
• 3 zombie figures: Pirate, Pirate Conehead, Pirate Captain
• Coconut Cannon with shooting action
• Cabbage-pult with launching action
• Easy to follow building instructions included
• Ages 7+
• Batteries not included

What can I say about seven year old boys and zombies? They love zombies!! My grandson invited a buddy over to play with this the first time we opened it up. They were beyond excited to play with this.

It was easy to put together, and the boys just took off into playing with it with gusto. They especially loved how the battery-operated motor make the zombies move and helps create great ways to fight. It was great to see them using their imaginations to create scenes and dialog for their play.

Plants vs. Zombies is hours of fun for kids, and will keep them entertained while using their imaginations.

Both K'NEX 70 Model Building Set and Plants vs. Zombies would make great Christmas gifts for kids ages 7+, and I highly recommend the K'NEX company as a place to shop for fun, imaginative toys.

You can see all of their products on the K'NEX website, here.

I'm so happy to let you know that K'NEX is giving away one K'NEX 70 Model Building Set to one of our readers. Be sure to enter this giveaway for your chance to win this great toy, just in time for the holidays.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


*Limited to US residents 18 years old and above. Giveaway starts Nov. 19, 2014 and ends on Dec. 1, 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.

Easy Vegetable Soup with Kale

I have officially become a soup snob. I didn't know this would happen when I started making all of my soups from scratch, but it did. And I'm glad.

I'm the kid that was raised on canned soup. Every day when I came home from kindergarten, my mother would have tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich waiting for me. Sometimes it was chicken noodle, or maybe bean with bacon, but the soup always came out of that familiar red and white can.

This was many decades ago, and I raised my own children on canned soup. I never had the time or the interest to make my own from scratch, and why bother when it was so easy to open up a can?

But then I started making my own soup. It might sound immodest, but I don't care when I say my soup tastes so much better than anything I ever ate that came out of a can.

I think it starts with the intention of making something delicious in my soup pot, with the olive oil, and the onions that seem to be the basis of most soups. It's homey, and it's comforting to know that with all the uncertainties out there in the world, I have made something that feels safe, feels reassuring.

That might be a lot to say about a pot of soup, but for me, it's true. And this easy vegetable soup with kale is just the soup I needed to make during the cols spell we have had the last few days.

Feel free to change the veggies up if you don't have all of them on hand. I do love adding kale to as many soups as I can because I like it and it's so good for you. Vegetable soup is one of my favorite soups to make, and this recipe is easy.

On a cold day, for me, there's nothing better than a hot bowl of soup. It's one of the small pleasures in  life that are important. And small pleasures make for a happy life.


Recipe for Easy Vegetable Soup with Kale

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tablespoon salt
5 cups chicken stock
3 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 14 ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
1 cup frozen corn
1/2 bundle kale, chopped
1 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

Heat olive oil in large Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium-high heat. Cook onion, celery, carrots, garlic and salt. Stir occasionally, until onions are translucent, about 8 minutes.
Add stock and bring to a boil. Add potatoes, and bring back to a boil for 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, corn, kale, and pepper. Reduce heat and simmer about 20 minutes, until vegetables are tender.

Makes 6 servings.

Apple Pancake Breakfast Recipe

As we get deeper into fall, I want to start making more recipes that call for apples. I love apple desserts, and my apple galette has become a family favorite. But apples are so versatile that they can be used for breakfast, dinner, and other kinds of recipes.

This Apple Pancake is easy to make, even on a weekday morning when time is usually short. And with all the cold weather we've been having here in Washington State, it was so nice to have something warm and delicious to eat before going out for the day.

Feel free to use any kind of apples you have on hand. Be sure to slice them fairly thin so that they soften up while baking on top of the pancake.

Toss the apples in cinnamon, brown sugar, and a little melted butter. They smell wonderful already.

After you make the batter, pour it into a ceramic or glass pie dish. Then arrange the apples on top.
Bake for 25-30 minutes.

Recipe for Apple Pancake

Ingredients:

To make the pancake:

3/4 cup flour
3 tablespoons white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

For the topping:

2 apples peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons melted butter
4 tablespoons brown sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix together the pancake ingredients in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, toss together the apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, and melted butter. Pour the batter into a well-greased ceramic or glass pie plate. Arrange apples on top of batter.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until pancake is spongy but not wet.

Serves 5-6

*Recipe slightly modified from BBB blog.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe

Ingredients

Crust:

• 1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 stick melted salted butter

Filling:

• 3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 (15-ounce) can pureed pumpkin
• 3 eggs plus 1 egg yolk
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 

 

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

 

For crust:

In medium bowl, combine crumbs, sugar and cinnamon. Add melted butter. Press down flat into a 9-inch spring form pan. Set aside.

For filling:

Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add pumpkin puree, eggs, egg yolk, sour cream, sugar and the spices. Add flour and vanilla. Beat together until well combined.

Pour into crust. Spread out evenly and place in oven for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let sit for 15 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours.

 

 

I don't know about you, but I always have the hardest time deciding what desserts we should have for Thanksgiving. I know that pumpkin pie is always a favorite, but sometimes it can be a little too predicable.

Last year my daughter Samantha made this delicious pumpkin cheesecake and shared it here it on the blog. It's well worth re-sharing, and I'm going to be making it for Thanksgiving this year. The recipe is pretty easy and the results are amazing. It went quickly and our family loved it.

It serves about 10, depending on how you slice it. And your kitchen will smell delicious as it bakes!

Cream Of Mushroom Soup

Since I am such a mushroom lover, Cream of Mushroom Soup is one of my favorites. There is just something so earthy and wholesome about this soup that makes it perfect for dinner on a cold fall evening.

The base of the soup is sautéed onions, rosemary, garlic, bay leaves, and chopped button mushrooms. This smells so wonderful as the mushrooms cook.

I served this for dinner, along with a simple green salad, and warm garlic bread sticks. It was so good, and I was hoping there would be leftovers for lunch the next day, but no such luck. But I'm always happy when my family loves what I make them.

I topped the soup with roasted tomatoes that have been packed in olive oil. They are so delicious this way, and are really one of my favorite soup garnishes for creamed soups. You can find them at the grocery store in bottles, or like I did, at your store's salad bar. I just put a few in a container, and they are less expensive this way.

Recipe for Cream Of Mushroom Soup

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter
1 medium white onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 bay leaves
2 teaspoons rosemary
1-1/2 pound button mushrooms, coarsely chopped
2 14 ounce cans chicken broth
2 cups whipping cream
1/2 cup roasted tomatoes in olive oil

Directions:

In a large Dutch oven or soup pot, melt butter. Add onion, garlic, bay leaves, and rosemary; cook over medium heat 5 minutes, or until onion is tender. Add mushrooms; cook and stir 5 minutes.
Add broth, bring to boiling. Reduce heat: simmer uncovered 5 to 10 minutes or until mushrooms are tender. Remove bay leaves. Cool slightly.
In a blender, or using a hand-held blender, blend soup until almost smooth. Return to pot (if using a regular blender) and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to boiling. Whisk in cream, heat through.
Ladle into soup bowls, and top with roasted tomatoes.

Makes 6 servings.