Category: Giveaways

Weekend Wrap-Up (Pancakes)

- Groovy Mom 5 Comments

It is still, technically Monday. Not too late for a weekend wrap-up.

We did a lot this weekend. Friday night we went out with my brother, Frank’s cousin and a couple friends. It was a long night, but a nice time. We covered lots of ground, had plenty of fun, and finished the night off at a favorite Mexican restaurant with a delicious platter of shared food.

Saturday I woke up and made pancakes. Mmm. Later, we bummed around and then stopped at an anniversary celebration (parents of a boy on Dante’s soccer team). Got to catch up a bit with folks we don’t always see. Then it was home to watch some television with the family.

The next day we went to an impromptu soccer tournament, local festival where we played BINGO and the kids played some cheap games to win cheap toys. Oh, and I made waffles Sunday morning (they didn’t turn out so well).

Nice weekend. But back to the pancake-making. My mom’s been making buttermilk pancakes for the boys for lunch the past few weeks on occasion. She’d watch them (actually, she’d entertain them) for a few hours while I went in to work, and they would delight in some of her “famous,”  “best-ever” pancakes. I’ve been requested to make them at home, but keep forgetting to get the recipe. So I had to improvise. A try at it last week left me with some not-so-good ‘cakes. But this recipe for Buttermilk Pancakes was a keeper (not only is it a keeper, but it introduced me to Google’s Knol, which is pretty darn cool).

My favorite eggs.

What happens when you get too cocky…

What happens when you pay attention… (this is Lootie’s batch, he has a syrup-love)

For Franny and Dante, who love chocolate chips.

It was a yummy recipe, with great instructions (read the instructions, if you like making pancakes… I like his way of mixing in 1/2 of the dry to wet, and then mixing in the rest of the dry). I tried using it for waffles and it was a bummer; didn’t work. But that’s OK. It makes delicious pancakes. Will have to make a point of getting my mother’s Famous, Best-Ever Buttermilk Pancakes recipe to compare.

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GIVEAWAY – Good-As-Money

I have 2 coupons to give away, courtesy of Eggland’s Best Eggs (they sent me some for me and some to share).

(1) for a  Free carton of Eggland’s Best Eggs
AND
(2)  50¢ off coupons for Eggland’s Best Eggs

Simply leave a comment here telling me what you’d use the eggs in and I’ll pick a random winner on Friday. Make sure you use an email address I can contact you with. 🙂 Yup, that’s it. You don’t have to follow me, you don’t have to blog about it. Just leave a comment so I have a way to contact you.

BK Apple Fries

- Groovy Mom 15 Comments

(Scroll down for contest info)

Burger King has unveiled a “healthy alternative” to regular fries – apple fries. Well, skinned apples, shaped like fries. Not actual sweet apples, fried up in grease like a mini-pie, shaped like a fry (which is what MY mind goes to when I hear the words “apple” and “fry” put together). And I’ll be honest, when I go to a fast food restaurant, I don’t kid myself that I’m eating healthy in any way. I go there knowing I will get fast, cheap, not-the-best-for-you food.

I guess apple fries are a compromise. Like the salads, which you have to be careful with, too – they pack a bigger caloric punch than you think, sometimes. But a salad is still a healthier alternative to the meat-laden grease. Not saying I don’t eat the meatgrease every now and then…

Burger King will use U.S. grown apples that are cut and packaged in a sterile environment and subjected to a pre-wash that contains lemon to keep them from turning brown, said Burger King spokesman Keva Silversmith. – link

The apple fries and caramel sauce together have 10g. sugar, 60 calories and 15g carbs. (nutritional information link)

Franny models the apple fries.
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We had apple fries and turkey dogs.
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BOTTOM LINE: The kids liked them. I thought they were OK. I don’t think I’d actually buy them for myself, though. They kids weren’t sure that they would substitute regular fries, by choice, with the apple fries, and were sure to make that clear to me in a tone that said, I like them but please tell me the regular fries aren’t extinct. If they were 2/$100, they’d make a quick pit stop snack. But apparently they are not 2/$100.

At any rate, if you’d like to check them out for free (or get you a dinner, lunch – cones for the fam) – I’ve got 2 $10 gift certificates to give away. Check out the piggy below and try to guess how many dollars are in there. That’s our Mad Money Pig. We’re spendin’ her up this weekend. Leave your guess in the comments, just for snorts and giggles. A winner will be chosen randomly, so don’t squeeze your brain too much over it.

1 entry per person per day.
Entries close Friday, August 8th at 11:59pm CST.
(click for larger)

Book Giveaway – Are You In The Mood

- Groovy Mom 8 Comments

Book Giveaway: Are You In The Mood?

I received this book a while back to give review, but chick-lit isn’t really my cup of tea. Maybe it is yours?!! I will take entries through the weekend, closing on Monday evening, and will mail out next week via Media Mail.

The author of this book is Stephanie Lehmann. Here’s a blurb about Are You In The Mood? :

Camille Chaplin, a struggling actress living in the East Village, is suddenly playing the role of her life— as a breastfeeding, Upper East Side mom who’s pretending she gave up on her ambitions.

Enter by leaving a comment here. I will contact the winner via email. Response needed within 24 hours or a subsequent winner will be chosen.

USA/Canada only, please.

Contest Toy Tips

- Groovy Mom 2 Comments

Right in time for Christmas, a giveaway featuring toys tested by The Independent Toy Tips Research Institute. The winner of this giveaway will receive a full-color copy of Toy Tips Holiday 2007 Issue. You can view this issue online, OR leave a comment below to enter to win a hot copy you can hold in your hands.

Sample of Article Features:
Taking Candy From a Baby (p. 32)
Too Many Toys? (p. 48)
The Truth About Toys Made In China (p. 42)
Nature-Based Education (p. 60)
Financial Gifts: The Gifts That Keep Giving (p. 66)

Here’s a snippet from the Financial Gifts article:

It’s necessary for parents to explain to children the purpose of chores, whether tied to allowance or not… Children learn most things by parental modeling. However, if parents do everything for their kids, children do not learn to give back… they learn to take. Children must be taught to give to others and to become independent. One way to accomplish this is through chores.

To enter to win this giveaway, leave a comment below. One entry per person, US only. Contest ends 12am CST on December 1st. Winner notified with 24 hours to respond before a subsequent winner is chosen.