Giving Back to Friends with Give Extra, Get Extra

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #ExtraGumMoments #CollectiveBias

I am blessed enough to have family and friends in my life that are always there for me. From small things to the life changing things having people that go above and beyond is priceless. With the holiday season in full swing it makes me feel even more the reason to make sure the people who give extra in my life get extra back. 

I have many great friends at my job. I count that as a blessing as well to work with people who are kindhearted and stick together as a team. It makes work a more productive place. One person who has become a very close friend over the few years we have worked together Bree, deserves a big Extra thank you for all she gives of her self to all her friends. Over the last year her and I have experienced the same joy and grief together that has bonded us on a deeper level. She is always the person smiling even if things are gloomy, she bakes goodies for everyone at work all the time for no reason at all which is the best reason and if I need anything shes always the first person to help.

Working together all the time and with texting I don't think I tell her enough in person how much I treasure her friendship that she always willing to Give Extra so I wanted to Give Extra to her through a gift basket. 

My son adores my friend Bree so when I told him we were going to go shopping to make her a gift to show her we appreciate her he was thrilled to be included. We headed to Walmart to pick up some Extra Gum and a few items to create a pampering gift basket. 

After coming home from shopping my son and I arranged the gift basket to take to Bree. It happened to be the day Bree traded shifts with me so I could take care of a few things sooner than my regular day off and we planned to surprise her at work. She was just happy to see my son and I visiting her and the Extra Gum gift basket made it special. #ExtraGumMoments #CollectiveBias

Who do you have in your life that deserves to Get Extra because of all the Extra they Give?

Christmas Eve Asian Inspired Dinner Party with Tai Pei Egg Rolls & Spring Rolls

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #TaiPeiGoodFortune#CollectiveBias

The month of December is full of so much good tidings, I love it all. The decorations, the music, the wrapping of gifts and the best part that makes great memories is the time shared cooking and eating with the ones you love. We have many Christmas Day traditions that are set in stone, for me I have to do a few things for it to feel official. Over the last few years that my son has been more involved in the holidays and giving his voice to new traditions. He loves rice, egg noodles, chicken, egg rolls and all the delicious Asian foods he can find. When I asked him what he wanted for Christmas Eve dinner he said Panda please, that means he wants Asian food. One year we made the mistake of buying take out for our Christmas Eve dinner but never again. It was not the same flavor or experience if we would have cooked the food at home together.

This year I headed to Walmart to pick up the items we need for our Asian inspired Holiday dinner party. My son loves to be my helper so he came along with me to help plan the party. We found one of our favorite brands of frozen Asian foods Tai Pei. I planned to make a simple but delicious meal that would be easy to eat while watching holiday movies and easy for me to make.

After getting all the items we need along with our Tai Pei Egg Rolls and Spring Rolls we headed home to cook. I am planning to make Orange Chicken with jasmine rice, Spring Roll mini presents and a Egg Roll Christmas Tree.

To assemble the Egg Roll Christmas tree I used bamboo skewers and toothpicks to hold it together. Depending on the size of the Egg Rolls you can stack the tree to however you want it to look. I mixed the Vegetable egg rolls and Spicy Chicken Mini egg rolls I had in my tree to give it variety of flavor as the tree is eaten. For the Spring Rolls presents I baked the mini vegetable spring rolls and tied green onion to the outside for a bow. For the egg roll Christmas tree I used the already made and included sauces that came with the food in the packaging for the decoration on the tree, the red sauce looked great and tasted delicious on the crispy wrappers.

When dinner was ready the whole house smelled amazing! The scent of the orange glaze on the chicken, the jasmine rice, the egg rolls and spring rolls hints that its Christmas Eve. As soon as the food was ready and assembled my son was the first to sit down to try it all. His favorite was the mini veggie spring rolls. He is getting the hang of chop sticks but sometimes just uses them to poke food to eat, too cute!

My son and I had a wonderful time baking the dinner and making our holiday themed Tai Pei brand treats. He loved that we were making our regular food into fun to eat food. I loved how simple it was to all prepare. Having frozen foods that you can razzle dazzle into something creative is the key to not over complicating the holidays. Tai Pei brand Asian foods makes it easy to have your own Asian inspired holiday party with traditional flavors for your family and friends.

To find more recipe ideas for your next party you can connect with Tai Pei on facebook, twitter and pinterest.  Tai Pei is also running a Rebate Offer that runs till 12/31 to save you more money on your purchases.

Christmas Cranberry Walnut Bread

I'm always looking for easy recipes for quick breads, especially this time of year. A loaf of a yummy quick bread makes a wonderful homemade gift, or as a treat for yourself at home with a cup of tea or coffee.

This recipe for Cranberry Walnut Bread is a favorite of mine. The cranberries have a delicious tarty taste, and the orange zest in it gives it a hint of citrus.

It's easy to find fresh cranberries this time of year, or you can also use frozen. Even if you don't like cranberries, this bread just might change your mind about them.

Recipe for Christmas Cranberry Walnut Bread

Ingredients:

1 cup cranberries (fresh or frozen)
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon grated orange peel
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 1/2 all-purpose flour
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a loaf pan with non-stick baking spray.
Mix together cranberries, sugar, oil, milk, orange peel, vanilla, and eggs.
Add flour, baking powder, salt, and walnuts, mix well. Pour into prepared loaf pan and bake 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Run a knife along the edges to loosen bread from pan. Cool on a wire rack before slicing.

Makes 1 loaf.

I made this last year, but it's so yummy that I wanted to share it again. Enjoy!!

RSVP For The #RealMagic Twitter Party 12/9 3PM ET

Do you love a good Twitter Party?  You know we do and we’re excited to host a party about spreading and sharing the magic of the holiday season!  On Tuesday, December 9th at 3:00pm ET, please join us for the #RealMagic Twitter Party where we’ll be discussing making the holidays magical, and giving you a chance to win prizes!

The holiday season is always magical for me, and now that I'm a grandmother, I enjoy it even more. There's nothing I love better than seeing the holidays light up my grandchildren's faces. My family and I love gathering together and creating new memories, while giving thanks for all we have to be grateful for. Coca-Cola loves spreading the #RealMagic of the holiday season too so join me to see how we can make the holidays magical by sharing a Coke® with someone!

Join me and RSVP for the #RealMagic Twitter Party on SoFabChats!

• DATE: Tuesday, December 9th
• TIME: 3:00 – 4:00 pm ET
• PRIZES: 5 – (1) $100 Walmart Gift Cards
• EARLY BIRD PRIZE: 1 – $50 Walmart Gift Card
• HOSTS: @formulamom, @donnahup, @aboutamom, @FrugalFamTree, @thedomesticexec
• SPECIAL GUEST: @MyCokeRewards
• RULES: #RealMagic Twitter Party Official Rules
• RSVP & PARTY GRID: #RealMagic Twitter Party Page

Join #RealMagic Twitter Party 12/9 3pm ET. Share the magic! Prizes $550! Rules http://t.co/b3NfmimU6O #ad
— Frugal Family Tree (@FrugalFamTree) December 3, 2014

HOW TO PARTICIPATE IN A TWITTER PARTY ON SOFABCHATS!

TIP: How to join a Twitter Party – sign in! Before party starts, click on the green “Sign In On Twitter” bar at the top of the page!

 TIP: Who to follow at a Twitter Party? Follow the Party Team by clicking on the Twitter handle links on the RSVP page!

 TIP: Want to win Twitter Party prizes? RSVP by clicking on RSVP button before you join the party, follow everyone on the Party Team, and tweet with the party hashtag during the party to be eligible!

 TIP: How to win the Early Bird prize? Watch for chance to share a tweet when you RSVP for chance to win!

 TIP: Special deals and brand coupons? Keep that option checked when you RSVP for the party!

 TIP: New to Twitter parties? Watch your column and Party Team tweet columns – they are slower paced and easier to follow!

 TIP: Where to find Twitter Parties? Check out the SoFabChats Twitter Party Calendar to find more fun parties to attend!

Find more helpful Twitter Party Tips on SoFabChats!

California Style Turkey Leftover Sandwich with Oroweat Organic Bread and Giveaway

*The coupons for free product, information, and gift card have been provided by Oroweat® so that I could try the product and share my thoughts and information about Oroweat® Organic bread. The opinions expressed in this post are my own and do not reflect the opinions of Oroweat®

Around the time Thanksgiving is coming near I am delighted with the thought of turkey dinner with all the tradition side dishes. Even more exciting is the left overs we get to eat for about a week. We LOVE to make sandwiches in my house. Its simple to put together and can be eaten anywhere.

I have been making more attempts to have organic foods in my life. Fruits and veggies are where most people look first as did I. Now I have been looking for foods we buy all the time and almost consume daily. Bread is on the top of my grocery list weekly, we eat a lot of it. I enjoy bread with seeds, nuts and other grains added. It makes for an excellent base for any sandwich.

This year we decided to get Oroweat Organic Bread for our Thanksgiving leftover sandwiches. OH MY was it good!! The grains and seeds in the bread added its own texture to the sandwich that was great plus 9 grams of whole grains per slice. The bread by itself was a tasty snack. I toasted the bread first to give the bread a stiffer base for the sandwich.

Living in Northern California we luckily have tons of fresh fruits and veggies to buy all year long, I like to add avocado and spinach making our sandwich what I call California Style.

Recipe for California Style Turkey Leftover Sandwich:

2 Slices of Organic Oroweat Bread
Jalapeno Cheese Slices
Turkey
Cranberry Sauce
Stuffing
Avacado
Spinach

Assemble as you like and cut in half for eating. Enjoy!

Information about Oroweat® Organic Breads

·         Made with organic ingredients and whole grains, NEW Oroweat® Organic breads are the delicious way to feel better about eating better.

·         Available in 100% Whole Wheat and Grains & Seeds varieties, both are USDA-Certified Organic.

·         Visit https://www.oroweatorganic.com/ to use the 360° tool to see what’s inside and discover where you can find Oroweat® Organic breads at a store near you.

GIVEAWAY

One lucky reader will win 3 Oroweat Free Product Coupons for Oroweat Organic and a $25 gift card.


a Rafflecopter giveaway


*Limited to US residents 18 years old and above. Giveaway starts Dec 2, 2014 and ends on Dec. 10, 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.