Summer Movie Snacks with Zours® Candies

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions expressed are my own.

Summer nights in my family are often spent inside avoiding the 100+ degree weather. Thankfully for us we are huge movie fans and can always have a great time as a family watching movies. One of the tastiest parts of movie night is the movie snacks. Popcorn at a movie night is a base to the snacking. We like to add candies to contrast with the salty flavor of the popcorn. My son is my constant shopping companion and likes to help me picked out the movie candies for the night.

Over the 4th of July weekend we decided to head to Walmart for supplies for the holiday and our movie night. While we were at Walmart we spotted several demos happening. Of course my son wanted to stop and try all the fun items we saw. Our favorite demo was the Zours® Candies display. My son and I love them! They are super sour followed by the sweetness you expect from a Mike and Ike candy. We bought the only 4 boxes of Zours® left in the store. I asked the demo worker and she said they sold out fast. She told me how fun her day had been watching the faces people would make when they sampled the Zours® candies. My son and I watched for a while and giggled at the #ZoursFace that people were making.

While I shopped my son discussed his favorite flavors and which ones he would eat first. He told me I can have all the green ones since I like green apples so much. The flavors are sour lemon, sour green apple, sour watermelon, sour blue raspberry, and sour cherry. My favorite is the sour apple and my son's favorite changes based which one he is eating at the moment since they are all sourly delicious.

Our summer movie night started with popping the popcorn while we made Zours® Sour Bite Appetizers. I put one of each of the flavors of Zours® on a toothpick for one big bite of sour. I love sour candies and the flavor of the candies in one bite is so sour my face gets the craziest look on it. We had a blast eating a Zours® then popcorn, the sour and salty combo is a perfect movie snack combo.

My son and I enjoying Zours® and popcorn during our summer movie night 

Next time you are in your Walmart I suggest buying Zours® candies to share with your family. It is a sour and silly way to have fun. My son had me take a ton of pictures of all the silly Zours® faces he made so he could see his own reaction. We checked the candy aisle in our store to see the Zours® display was sold out but thankfully we were able to find a few boxes at the demo display.

We would love to see your #ZoursFace when you try the Zours® candies. Here was our best Zours® face. #CollectiveBias

Summer Fruit Galette

I'm going to be honest and tell you that this is the very first fruit galette I've ever made.

I have wanted to try making one for years, but just never got around to it. With all the gorgeous summer fruit in the markets now, I decided to give it a try.

Blackberries and raspberries are the fruits I used, and I just love the way it turned out. The one tip I have is to thoroughly let the galette cool before cutting into it. That way all the fruit mixture has thickened, and will be firmly set. This doesn't have the firmness of a regular pie shell, so I think this is important.

And I really treasure a recipe that is fairly easy to make, but is impressive enough to serve at a dinner, or to bring to someone else's home. This is definitely one of those recipes.

Recipe for Summer Fruit Galette

Ingredients for pastry crust:

2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 large egg yolk
3 tablespoons ice-cold milk


Combine first 3 ingredients in a large bowl. Mix in butter with a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal. Whisk together egg yolk and milk, pour into flour mixture, stirring just until dough starts to form a ball.
Press together with lightly floured hands, and form into a flat round. Cover with plastic wrap, and place in refrigerator for at least 1 hour.


Ingredients for fruit filling:

2 cups fresh blackberries
1 cup fresh raspberries
1/3 cup sugar, plus 2 tablespoons for sprinkling on top
3 tablespoons corn starch
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons of butter, cut into pieces
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Combine blackberries, raspberries, 1/3 cup sugar, and next 4 ingredients in a large bowl.
Remove dough from refrigerator. Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface into an approximate
10-inch round. Place on a large, lightly greased baking sheet. Scoop berry mixture into center of round, top with butter.
Fold about 1 inch of dough all the way around to form a rim. Combine egg and milk, brush outside of tart with the egg wash. Sprinkle all over with 2 tablespoons of sugar.
Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool on pan 10 minutes, then move to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Can be served with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream,

Makes 6-8 servings.


Enjoy!!

Refuel This Summer With Dr Pepper and Snickers® 2-to-go Snacks

I am a member of the Collective Bias® and Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper amplification for Collective Bias and its advertiser.

I'm so happy that summer has arrived here in the Pacific Northwest. That means my family and I can do some beach exploring, a little camping, and maybe a road trip. I love bringing along my favorite ways to refuel on these excursions, Dr Pepper and Snickers® 2-to-go.



I've always been a big Dr Pepper drinker, and we like to buy it by the 12-packs, and try to keep the fridge stocked with it, especially in the summertime.

When I was at Walmart a few days ago, and checking out, I saw these handy 20 oz. bottles of Dr Pepper by the registers.

Already cold, and with a re-sealable top, they were perfect to drink on my drive home. I really like these kinds of tops because with all the little kids (and the big ones) drinks are forever getting spilled and wasted.

We are so lucky to live where we have so many beaches to explore. One of our very favorite things to do is to pick a new beach where we have never been, and make a day's road trip out of it.

We pack up our beach towels, a picnic, and Dr Pepper and Snickers® 2-to-go snacks to enjoy on the road.

I'm always looking through my favorite travel books and magazines for ideas about places to go, and great travel tips.

Time and budgets always factor into our travel plans right now, so local trips are pretty much what we are doing. But I love this, and we have lots of great family memories of camping and road trips with our large bunch, and many funny stories, too.

One of my daughters gave me this cute red tote that is insulated to keep everything nice and cold.

Just stick a little ice pack in it, and it's perfect. Of course we take a big cooler too, but I love having this purse size tote next to me whenever I am on the road.

It's so handy, and saves so much money to be able to pull out a nice cold Dr Pepper when we are driving.

I found the 2-piece Snickers® 2-to-go bars in the candy section by the registers at Walmart. They come in regular flavor, and Almond and Peanut Butter.

I was pretty stubborn about not trying these new kinds, because really, how do you improve on a Snickers® bar???

But yes, the Peanut Butter is super fabulous, trust me.

So if you are like me, and would love to refuel this summer with Dr Pepper and Snickers® 2-to-go,
there is a great coupon offer that lets you save money on both.

Just purchase (2) Snickers® 2-to-go and (2) 20 oz. bottles of Dr Pepper and receive $1.00 off.



We all know how much the price of gas can affect our summer travel plans. You can enter to win 1 of 250 available Walmart gas/giftcards.

SNICKERS® Dr Pepper Refuel Sweepstakes

Purchase (2) SNICKERS® 2-to-go and (2) 20 oz Dr Pepper bottles, then text or email your receipt to refuel@drvusa.com and be entered for a chance to win 1 of 250 available Walmart gas/gift cards. 
You can find full instructions here: http://drvsusa.com/refuel/


So what are your summer travel plans, and what is your favorite way to #Refuel2Go? Leave me a comment, because I would love to know.

#CollectiveBias

Chocolate Coconut Cookies

Are you a cookie lover like me? I'm always on the lookout for a yummy cookie recipe, and this combination of chocolate and coconut is my new favorite.

This recipe calls for almost two cups of coconut in it, so you know it's packed full of coconut goodness.

These cookies were a huge hit with my grandchildren when we sat down to eat them with a cold glass of milk. This recipe is definitely one I'll me making again, especially since my family likes them so much.

Recipe for Chocolate and Coconut Cookies

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on high speed, beat the butter until fluffy and pale yellow, about 2 minutes. Add the granulated and brown sugars, and beat until well combined, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla, scraping down the sides of bowl as needed.

Add the dry ingredients, and beat together until just combined. Add the coconut and chocolate chips, stir until combined.
With dampened hands, shape the dough into 1-inch balls, and place on baking sheet. Bake until the cookies are golden brown, about 15 minutes. Let cookies cool on a wire rack.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

Making a fruit crisp is one of my very favorite ways to enjoy the summer season.. Whether served plain, or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top, it's always a delicious dessert my family and I love.

While I'm not really a big rhubarb fan, I do like the unique flavor it gives to this crisp. And this was one of my favorite dessert growing up, so it has a bit of nostalgic meaning for me.

I like this dessert best when it's still warm from the oven, with that scoop of vanilla ice cream on top of it. But it's also great for breakfast. Either way, it's pretty yummy.

Recipe for Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

Ingredients:

For the fruit filling:
1 pound fresh strawberries, cut into slices
6 cups rhubarb, cut into 1/2 inch slices
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon lemon zest

For the topping:
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup brown sugar, well packed
2/3 cup old-fashioned oats
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, toss together the strawberries, rhubarb, sugar, cornstarch, zest, and ginger. Place the mixture in a shallow 8-cup baking dish. Loosely cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.

While the fruit mixture is baking, make the crisp topping. In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the flour, brown sugar, oats, salt, cinnamon, ginger and butter, until the butter is distributed evenly.

After the fruit has baked for 30 minutes, remove the foil and cover with the crisp topping. Return to the oven and bake, uncovered, for an additional 30 minutes.
Serve warm, or at room temperature. Top with vanilla ice cream or whipped topping.

Makes 8 serving.

Italian Sausage and Kale Pizza

The thing about pizza is that it's pretty much perfect anytime of the year. During spring and summer, there's even more veggies to pick from to put on top of them.

I made this really delicious pizza with my super easy pizza dough. Along with Italian sausage, I used bell peppers, red onions, kale, and mozzarella cheese.

I just really love this easy to make pizza dough, and the recipe easily doubles to make two pizzas. You can also use half regular white flour, and half whole wheat flour to give it an extra healthy boost.

Recipe for Italian Sausage and Kale Pizza

Ingredients:

 For pizza Dough:

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 package all purpose yeast
1 cup warm water
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup pizza sauce
1/2 pound of Italian sausage
1/2 bunch kale, sliced thinly
1/2 medium red onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

 Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Cook sausage over medium heat, breaking it up as it cooks. Cook through thoroughly.
 In a medium bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes. Stir in flour, salt, and oil. Stir until smooth. Let dough rest 5 minutes.

Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and pat or roll into a round. Sprinkle with extra flour if the dough is sticky. Transfer crust onto a lightly greased pizza pan.
Spread a medium layer of pizza sauce on dough, and lay on kale, red onion, bell peppers, and sausage. Top with cheese.

Cook in the oven for 20-22 minutes.

Makes a large size pizza.

My Favorite Recipe For Cooking With Almond Milk, Easy Coconut Cream Pie

I am a member of the Collective Bias® and Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper amplification for Collective Bias and it's advertiser.

Ever since I discovered Silk Almondmilk a few years ago, my list of almond milk recipes has gotten longer.

I wouldn't dream of making this delicious, family favorite, Coconut Cream Pie without Silk Almond Coconut Blend. It lends a rich flavor to my recipe, and I love how Silk contains 50% more calcium than dairy milk.

I know quite a few people who are lactose intolerant, and have to drink non-dairy products. Thankfully, my family and I don't have this situation to deal with. We simply love the taste of Silk.

During the warm summer months and no school schedule, my family isn't always in the mood for a real breakfast. But I know how important it is to start out the day with something nourishing in our system. That's when I use Silk Almondmilk, yogurt, a banana, and some berries to whip up a delicious fruit smoothie.

And with the new Protein + Fiber blend, those smoothies are even more nutritious.

I drink Silk Almondmilk daily. There are always a couple of different flavors in the refrigerator, and my grandchildren love it, too.

I use it for drinking, cooking, and even making fruit-based popsicles during the summer. The kids love it, and are always asking me to make 'Nana's popsicles', which I'm happy to do.

One of our favorite summer time desserts is frozen Coconut Cream Pie. I put it in the freezer and then let it thaw out for about twenty before serving it. It tastes delicious when it's so cold, and there is never a piece left over for seconds.

The recipe is embarrassingly easy, but toasting the coconut is the secret to an unbelievably great coconut flavor.

I picked up the Almond Coconut Blend and the new Almondmilk Protein + Fiber at Safeway. They really have an amazing variety of Silk flavors to choose from.

I'm a big Safeway fan, and can't wait for the grand opening of one that is right near my house.

Like I said, this recipe is super easy to make, but the great taste doesn't reveal that. This pie is easy enough to whip up for a weeknight dessert, or fancy enough to impress your guests at a dinner party.

Recipe for Easy Coconut Cream Pie

Ingredients:

2 packages (3. 4oz. each) vanilla flavored instant pudding
2 cups Silk Almond Coconut Blend
2 cups thawed whipped topping, divided
1 cups toasted flake coconut, divided
1 8in. ready-to-use graham cracker crumb crust

Directions:

Beat pudding mixes and Almond Coconut Blend in a large bowl with a hand held mixer for 2 minutes.
Stir in 1 cup thawed topping, and 3/4 cup toasted coconut. Mix well, then pour into crust and smooth out. Top pie with remaining thawed topping and remaining coconut.
Place in freezer. Let pie thaw 20 minutes before serving.

To toast coconut, place desired amount in frying pan over medium heat. Stir frequently, and cook until toasted lightly.

Drinking #SilkAlmondBlends is a great way to enjoy a cold, delicious tasting, dairy-free beverage during the summer, and it contain no artificial flavors or coloring.

Try Silk Almond Coconut Blend, and the new Silk Almond Protein + Fiber. I'm stocking my fridge with these two great flavors to make smoothies, popsicles, and other favorite desserts.

You can find Silk on Facebook, and on Pinterest, where you can find some great recipe ideas.
#CollectiveBias

See's Candies Summer Variety Review and $25 Gift Card Giveaway

For many generations my family has enjoyed See's Candies. The way the store looks, the smells of chocolate and even the ladies dressed in the white uniforms make me smile from the memories I recall and the ones being made in that moment. Its more than a candy store to us and the summer time we go just as often as the holidays.

My son knows what he likes in See's, trying to convince him why Mommy NEEDS black licorice is tough

With my birthday being in the summer I always get a box of See's dark and milk chocolate truffles, but this year I want a box of the Summer Variety candies. I normally get the same thing each year out of tradition but after trying a box of the Summer Variety for my review I have a new summertime favorite. The use of white chocolate on nuts and caramel is amazing! The flavors of summer like coconut, apricot and lemon are in this box making it light and sweet. This box of candy is perfect for wanting sweets but not a heavy dark chocolate. My favorite is the Key Lime Pie and my son loved the Apple Pie Truffle. We also bought a few Blueberry Truffles to try and they are beyond delicious!

We ate most the candies before I got a picture :)

It would not be a trip to See's without picking up some lollipops. Even if we are going to the mall for one thing we always manage a quick stop into See's for a lollipop. See's has many Summer friendly candies that you can pack into a camping trip bag or mail to a loved one like lollipops, black licorice, peanut brittle and my son's favorite the red, white and blue sour chews.

My son also picked out a few smaller chocolates like a chocolate clown, chocolate apple and a milk chocolate candy bar for his Dad. We are always satisfied with the quality of ingredients in See's and the people who work their are always as sweet as the treats. I look forward to my birthday in July to get myself another box of Summer Variety candies.

GIVEAWAY

Win a $25 Gift Card to See's Candies


Enter in the Rafflecopter Form below:


a Rafflecopter giveaway



*Limited to US residents 18 years old and above. Giveaway starts June 19, 2014 and ends on July 3, 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.

#ad Help End Hunger With Tyson and Champions For Kids Know Hunger Project

I am a member of the Collective Bias® and Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper amplification for Collective Bias and it's advertiser.

 



I am thrilled to be participating in the Tyson and Champions for Kids Know Hunger project with a food donation in my local community.

 

Tyson Foods has partnered with Champions for Kids to create the Summer of Giving, where every time you buy a specially marked Tyson product, Tyson will donate a meal for a child in need.

 

In an effort to help create awareness of hunger, Tyson created the Know Hunger project.

The project is designed to encourage people to KNOW the scope of hunger in their own communities and get involved in relief efforts, so someday there will be NO hunger in our country.

 

I purchased Tyson Grilled & Ready Chicken to create a meal of chicken tacos for my family, and to make a donation of a dinner to a mom in our community. This mom and her kids are going through some rough times, and I knew she would welcome a home cooked meal. We also gave a package of Tyson chicken nuggets that the kids could eat later.

 

My grandson Jayden came along with me to make the donation, and I know it did his heart good to help others.

 

Hunger is something that many of us are fortunate enough not to have to go through. But of course, many children go to bed hungry each night. And 1 in 4 Americans is worried about having enough money to put food on the table in the next year.

By buying specially marked Tyson product packages, you can help in the fight again childhood hunger. This is such an easy way to help out, and provide delicious tasting meals for your own family at the same time.

I purchased my Tyson chicken products at my local Walmart. Through the Know Hunger project, Walmart has promised to feed 5 million kids this summer.

I always love cooking with Tyson's Grilled & Ready Chicken. The chicken is already cooked and frozen with delicious flavors, and it's super easy to just pop it in the pan.

Tacos are one of my family's favorite meals, so I make them pretty often. And it feels great that when I purchase Tyson products, I am helping to fight hunger.
#CollectiveBias

I really enjoyed making my family these chicken tacos for dinner. But even more so, I enjoyed making them and donating them to a family in need.

It doesn't take a whole lot sometimes to make a difference in other people's lives. But sometimes we aren't truly aware of the needs that exist, even in our own communities. Community involvement is often the first step.

Thanks to Tyson and Champions for Kids, the Know Hunger project helps make us all aware of the pressing needs of feeding others in our own communities, and nation wide.

Please make this your #SummerofGiving by purchasing the specially marked packages of Tyson products.

You can also look for the Summer Of Giving display board at your local Walmart.

Thank you!!

Glazed Blueberry Donuts

I'm loving all the delicious berries that are now in the stores and farmer's markets. It's hard to pass them up when they look so good.

I decided to combine my favorite vanillas donut recipes with some fresh blueberries, and they turned out to be a great combination. And there's a little less guilt for making donuts for no reason if they have healthy blueberries in them!!

 



 

Recipe for Glazed Blueberry Donuts

Ingredients:

 1 cup all purpose flour
6 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons buttermilk
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1/2 cup fresh blueberries


Ingredients for glaze:

1/2 cup powered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 (or more as needed) tablespoons milk, heavy cream, or half & half

Directions:

 Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease a donut pan with cooking spray or vegetable oil.
In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
Add buttermilk, eggs, vanilla extract, and melted butter. Stir to combine. Stir in blueberries. Carefully spoon batter into prepared donut pan, filling 2/3 full.
Bake 8-10 minutes, or until donuts are baked through. Allow to cool 5 minutes and remove from pan.

To make the glaze, in a small bowl, combine powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and choice of either milk, heavy cream, or half & half.
Stir until smooth, adding more tablespoons of liquid as needed. Drizzle glaze over donuts.

Makes 8 donuts.