On-The-Go Essentials Giveaway with Polly-O String Cheese

Look at this Giveaway!

9/14/2013 UPDATE - WINNER! 

Winner chosen this morning by random number generator at Random.org. All entries were number as they were received and the winning number is 3.

Congratulations, Heather Anne! I will be contacting you shortly for more information. 

THANK YOU to everyone who participated!

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Let's face it, as much as moms look forward to back-to-school, it's not the easiest time of year. Mornings are scheduled tightly and if you're kids are in anything extracurricular, the rest of the day can be just as tight. We deserve some things to make our day run smoother, too - don't we? 

This is the perfect giveaway for all moms or dads who need to keep it together in a stylish and relaxed way. 

Each pack is valued at $100 and includes the following, supplied by Kraft Foods. 

·         POLLY-O/KRAFT String Cheese Gratuity Coupon (upon purchase, package includes offers over $12 in savings on family-friendly products)

·         Striped Large Tote

·         Insulated To-Go Kit

·         Clutch Water Bottle

·         13-Pocket Coupon File

I am in LOVE with this roomy tote! It's the perfect bag for my van to keep everything organized from the start of the school day until the end. We spend a lot of time in the van dropping kids to three different schools at three different times. I like to keep extra wipes, napkins, tissues, pens, pencils, crayons, umbrellas, hand sanitizer, lotion and cough drops on-hand for the school year. This tote is exactly what I need to keep everything right where I need it.

The Insulated To-Go Kit will replace my clunky old storage containers for my own dinners that I take to work almost every night of the work week. They're large, easy to close, sturdy and the insulated bags keep everything at just the right temperature until it's time to eat.

Moms are so busy running that we often forget to drink enough. Fill the Clutch Water Bottle and pop it into the tote and you'll never have an excuse NOT to drink during the day.

I don't know about everyone else, but I lose coupons all the time. Finally having them in a handy spot ensures I'll USE them and not find them 3 months after they've expired. Keep this in the tote as well and you'll be ready to save for those last-minute trips to the store to pick up forgotten items.

This year I came up with something new for the kids with Polly-O String Cheese. Polka Dot Pizza! This is so simple you don't need a recipe. Use your favorite pizza dough, sauce and round toppings and slice 6 Polly-O Mozzarella String Cheese sticks into thin rounds and top your pizza with polka dots!

You can also use a small round cutter for multi-colored peppers or slice up green olives or rounds of zucchini. Anything round goes! Isn't this totally cute?

Polka Dot Pizza Ready for the Oven

So, how do you WIN? PLEASE read instructions twice if need be! Using the #KraftPollyO hashtag, share this on your favorite social media including Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter. Come back and share a link to your post. Make sure I have a way to contact you in case you are the winner! This giveaway ends on September 13, 2013 at 11:59 PM EST.

*Kraft Foods is providing the prizes for this program at no cost to me and has provided me with a gift of equal value for review.  This program is not administered or sponsored by Kraft Foods Group or its affiliates, but solely by Cooking with Anne.

Country Crock Casseroles - Mexican Beef and Corn Casserole and Giveaway

Taco Casserole 

UPDATE 9/19/13 - WINNER! The winner of this wonderful giveaway is luvscows! 

Runners-Up are:

AnnaZed
MaryJ
Whitney
Harmony
SusanC

 Congratulations and thank you everyone for entering! 

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Are you ready for our second Country Crock Casserole and Giveaway? Here it is!

This time the casserole is Mexican Beef and Corn Casserole. I took this basic but yummy recipe and turned it into one of our family favorites, Taco Casserole. I spiced up the beef and added in layers of tortilla chips and a crunchy tortilla chip crumble to top it off. The kids really love this one!

Here is the original recipe from Country Crock:

Mexican Beef and Corn Casserole

Ingredients:

1 lb. lean ground beef
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
1 can (15.5 oz.) reduced sodium black beans, drained
1 can (11 oz.) Mexicorn, drained
2 Tbsp. Country Crock Spread
1/2 cup salsa
2/3 cup fat free sour cream
1/4 cup shredded low fat cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°. Cook ground beef in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until beef is done, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro.
2. Combine black beans, corn and Country Crock Spread in an 8-inch baking dish. Top with beef mixture, spread with salsa and sour cream and sprinkle with cheese.
3. bake 20 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.


And here is my version (photo above):

Taco Casserole

Ingredients:

1 - 1/2 pounds ground beef
2 cloves garlic - minced
2 teaspoons Kosher salt
1 Tablespoon ground cumin
1 cup prepared salsa
1 can corn
1 can black beans
3/4 cup shredded Mexican 4 cheese blend - divided
Half of one 11 ounce bag tortilla chips - divided
2 Tablespoons Country Crock Spread
1 cup sour cream

1 cup fresh cilantro - finely chopped (about 2 Tablespoons once chopped)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°. Crush 10 tortilla chips finely (about 1 cup) and set aside.
2. Brown ground beef in a skillet over medium-high heat - drain if needed.
3. Stir in garlic, salt, cumin, salsa, corn and black beans.
4. Layer starting with tortilla chips in a 9x13 baking pan. Top chips with beef mixture and add 1/2 cup cheese. Add another layer of chips and beef.
5. Combine crushed chips with Country Crock Spread until well combined. Crumble over top of casserole and top with last 1/4 cup of cheese.
6. Bake for 20 minutes or until the casserole begins to brown on top.
7. Combine sour cream and cilantro and mix well. Spread on top of casserole and serve.


What would you do with this casserole? Make it as-is or change it up to suit your own family's tastes? Either way it fits in with easy weeknight back-to-school dinners that we mothers so covet. Give it a try today and come back to let me know what you think!

Now, here's the giveaway! Please read and reread instructions for entering. I had a winner last time that missed out because there was no clear way to get in touch. I want everyone to have an equal chance to win!

One (1) grand prize winner will receive:

o    KitchenAid Gourmet Short Turner

o    Boxed Cheese Grater

o    Oven mitt

o    Country Crock VIP Coupon (good for one free tub)

o    Recipe card- Mexican Beef & Corn Casserole

Here's what that looks like:

Five (5) runner up winners will receive:

o    Country Crock VIP Coupon (good for one free tub)

*Share on any social network including Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter using the hashtag #CountryCrockCasserole and come back to share the link here. PLEASE remember to leave a way to contact you in the event you are a winner! This event ends September 18th and 11:59 PM EST.

*Disclosure: I received product, a product coupon and stipend for extra ingredients from Country Crock for free.

One Last Summer Picnic with Real Seal Dairy Products

I love dairy products and so does my family so when asked to join in on the “Back to School Goodness” campaign from Real® Seal, I leapt at the chance!

With so much information these days that seems to conflict about what's good for you and what's not, it can get very confusing. Here are some of the reasons why Real® Seal dairy products are a great fit into a daily balanced diet:

The Real® Sea lets you know what you’re buying is a wholesome, natural dairy product and not an imitation or a substitute. This means the many vitamins and nutrients that are associated with cow’s milk are guaranteed with a Real® Seal product.*

Milk is an excellent source of the following essential vitamins and minerals:

Vitamin D
Calcium and Phosphorus
Riboflavin (vitamin B2)
Cyanocobalamin (vitamin B12)

Milk is a GOOD source of:

Protein
Potassium
Vitamin A
Niacin (niacin equivalents)

To learn more about Dairy Nutrition, visit the website below:
National Dairy Council

*Nutrient claims are based on 1 cup of fat-free milk, with vitamins A & D added, from the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference.

 Take a moment to "Like" RealSeal on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/REALSealDairy

Picnic Photos! 

Kids are back to school next week and all I can think is this is our last chance to do something fun before summer ends! We decided on one last picnic before they head back to the books.

I had to take my oldest daughter to pick up transcripts for a change to a new college and I took everyone along with me. We packed a cooler with dairy-rich Real® Sea foods and parked ourselves at the perfect picnic spot.

While these are our favorite picnic foods, they're also terrific for busy school nights or as lunches for the kids. To change up the Muffuletta, wrap it in foil and pop it into a 350 degree F oven for half an hour. Let it stand for 10 minutes then cut into wedges as usual. With everything warmed and the cheese wonderfully melty, it's a beautiful sandwich for cooler nights as well.

The pasta salad can get "winterized" by swapping out summer veggies for cooler weather crops. Try adding crunchy jicama or spicy radishes. Snow peas can stand in for green beans and artichoke hearts, marinated or not, are a nice addition as well. Try a sharp cheddar instead of mozzarella and cubes of ham are delicious in place of salami.

Potato salad is a summer staple, but tossing the still warm potatoes with the dressing adds a complexity you won't expect, making it perfect for chilly nights.

Snow dessert is delicious no matter what time of year you serve it. Wait until serving time for the fruit topping and spoon it over the top warmed. Everyone is sure to love it!

All of these are great as leftovers for lunch, so don't forget the lunchboxes the next morning - you'll have everyone packed up and ready to go in no time!

Here are recipes for our favorite picnic foods:

Muffuletta
Serves 6

Our very favorite sandwich for picnics and travels. I make one without tomatoes or olives for the picky eaters.

Ingredients:

1 large round loaf of bread (traditionally Italian)
1/2 lb hard salami-sliced
1/2 lb sliced ham
1/2 lb smoked turkey
1/2 lb sliced cheese
1/2 c chopped black olives
1/2 c chopped spanish olives with pimiento
2 plum tomatoes sliced
1/2 c Italian dressing

Directions:

1. Cut loaf in half horizontally. Remove inside of bread leaving a 1" ring at edge.
2. Layer meat and cheese alternately, I usually make 2 layers.
3. Top with sliced tomato, chopped olives, and drizzle with dressing.
4. Replace top of bread and wrap tightly in plastic.
5. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Remove wrapping and cut into 6 wedges.

Anne's Pasta Salad
This makes a huge amount of salad perfect for potluck picnics or the like. You'll have leftovers if you don't share!

Ingredients:

1 pound rotini pasta
3 large tomatoes peeled seeded and chopped
1 large cucumber peeled seeded and chopped
2 small green peppers seeded and chopped
1 can black olives drained and sliced
2 cups cooked and cut green beans
2 cups broccoli florets cooked and drained
2 cups cauliflower florets cooked and drained
2 cups or 1 (15 oz) can kidney or small white beans-drained
1 cup shredded carrot
1/2 lb salami cut in 1/2" cubes
1/2 lb mozzarella cut in 1/2" cubes
1 large bottle (20 oz.) Italian dressing

Directions:

1. Cook pasta and drain.
2. Add remaining ingredients except dressing and toss to mix.
3. Refrigerate for several hours before serving and add dressing just before service. Stir well.

Anne's Red Potato Salad
My favorite trick that was an accident - I ran out of mayonnaise and had to use sour cream. The result was so delicious it's the only way I make potato salad now.

Ingredients:

3 pounds red bliss potatoes (that means the small ones!) cooked and cubed
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried dill
1/2 small onion-finely chopped (optional)
2 teaspoons grainy brown mustard or 1 teaspoon ground mustard powder
1 Tablespoon Kosher salt (less for table salt)

Directions:

1. Combine mayo, sour cream and seasonings and blend well.
2. Pour over potatoes and toss until well combined.
3. Check seasoning and thin with a little milk if necessary.

Snow Dessert
Messy and not pretty but oh-so-good! The kids love this one.

Ingredients:

1 (10 inch) angel food cake
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1 cup milk
1 (16 ounce) package frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 (21 ounce) can blueberry pie filling or other fruit filling or 2 cups pudding-any flavor
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Break angel food cake into small pieces, and spread into the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking
dish.
2. Mix together confectioners' sugar, cream cheese, vanilla, and milk until smooth. Fold in whipped
topping. Pour over cake pieces.
3. Pour blueberries, other fruit, or pudding over all.
4. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and chill for 4 hours or overnight.

*Stipend for food was provided by Real® Seal. All opinions are my own and are in no way influenced by free product. 

Back to School with Bluebird

This is the third in a sponsored series of posts about Bluebird by American Express.

Well, we did it. Shopped for school, that is. Each year I think it's the most taxing thing I deal with. This year was actually a little easier. I have a tendency to micro-manage the kids and it can be overwhelming for all of us. With a Bluebird account, however, it was far easier with at least one child.

I set her up with her own sub-account on Bluebird and set a daily limit - which was also her back-to-school limit. I let her know how it worked, told her the dollar limit and stepped back. Not only did she get what she needed, she actually did better than usual!

Happy with her "stuff" and her Bluebird card!

This is a huge deal here. She has difficulty making choices so I expected the same as always; that she would come to me after an hour whining that she couldn't find anything within our budget. Imagine my shock as she showed up at our meeting spot with an armload of clothing she really liked.

I'm sure I could have done this in years past, but with the actual dollar limit enforced by the Bluebird account, there was no mother giving in at the last minute so my daughter could buy that one thing she just "had to have!" It was wonderful and her independence level is increasing as well.

I also used it for our first week back to school menu and kept in budget (came in under!) with it as well.

See any recipes you need? ;) Let me know!

As for me, the Bluebird account and card worked just as my bank account works, but without the extra fees. I didn't do direct deposit, but it's available, and with that there are even less fees. The mobile app keeps me connected at any moment so I can check on my own balance and my daughter's balance. If I need to deposit a check, I can snap a photo and send. Easy as that.

I honestly don't know that I'll switch over completely as I haven't had enough time yet to put it to the test as I want, but it's very possible. Overall I really like having an extra purchasing source on-hand and my favorite aspect, if you couldn't already tell, is the sub-accounts. I have one other child I'll most likely be adding an account for as well. I think it's a great learning experience for them and it takes a little bit of the shopping burden off of me.

Check out Bluebird by American Express at your local Walmart and grab a kit for $5 or sign up online for free like I did. It's fast, it's easy and it's worth it. Read up about Bluebird for yourself at the website and get started today!

Our Week in the 2013 Chevrolet Suburban

I recently spent an entire week driving all over everywhere in the most fantabulous (it is too a word) ride I've ever had the pleasure to drive: the 2013 Suburban LTZ. Very sweet.

I'll get to all the big and little reasons why I loved it so, but first I want to share photos of our foodie travels!




A free slideshow by Smilebox



Fun stuff, yes? Now, on to the stuff I love about this vehicle.

1. Firstly - it's a Suburban. I love Suburbans. My dad always had one and until just recently I had one of my own; a 1990 Suburban 1500. It was 18 feet of pure beauty. Sadly, she finally met her maker and she went to the graveyard just before this Suburban came. 
2. It's big. With 7 kids and a plethora of "stuff" to haul around from day-to-day I really appreciate the space. I do have a mini-van, but there's not enough leg room, head space or storage. The Suburban is comfortably large. I didn't hear any complaints of, "He's touching me!" or "She won't scoot over!" for the entire week we drove this.
3. This particular model was fully loaded. The radio isn't just a radio, it's a Bose centerpoint surround sound with SiriusXM and 4 sets of wireless headphones to go with the double DVD screens in the back. Do you have ANY idea how awesome it is to have complete silence on a trip with 5 usually-loud kids? They turned on a movie and were silent until we hit our destination. Very sweet. 
4. There's a radio! I know I just said that above, but our current van is radio-less and it's so hard for any of us to take trips even 10 minutes away without a radio. We turned it on the moment we were in and had it going until we stopped. The sound was beautiful and for those times when the kids wanted to hear something I didn't want to listen to, I was able to divert sound to the rear of the truck and spare my ears.
5. Seats with sensors. I know this isn't new, but it's new to me. If there was nobody sitting in the passenger seat, the passenger airbag was automatically OFF. The moment someone sat there, the airbag turned ON. When the kids in the back didn't buckle in as instructed, a little light came on letting me know so. No more kids trying to trick mom.
6. Independent air controls for driver, front passenger and rear passengers. Finally, everyone can be comfortable at the same time. Even the seats are heated and cooled. As a kid I remember grandma and grandpa going back and forth from heat to A/C. Wouldn't it be awesome if they each had their own controls? They would have loved this!
7. Rear vision camera. OK, so this is fun - and very useful when you have kids running all over or lots of traffic or very busy parking lots. It's good to be able to really see what's going on behind you before you back up. If you get too close to anything, it alerts you as well!
8. It's fast. I know I shouldn't be sharing this, but that thing is like a B-52 bomber ... it feels low and slow and before you know it, it gets away from you. Nobody should be speeding, but the point is, the ride is very smooth. One of my favorite things about my old Suburban was the engine power. With a a Vortec 5.3 SFI V8 320 Horsepower engine, this thing has power to spare.
9. It's not the gas guzzler you'd expect. I got roughly the same gas mileage from this as I do from my mini-van. We put 375 miles on this in the first day and a half and I still had gas in the tank. With a 31 gallon Flexible-Fuel gas tank, it rivals most other larger vehicles and some smaller. 17 MPG average is not so bad.
10. I've never owned or driven a brand new vehicle. Yep. Never. This was just so much fun for me and the kids, I can even begin to tell you. They miss it, I miss it. I'm glad we took a lot of photos! Also, as you can see in the photos, this came directly from the source in Michigan. I was born there and my daddy died there and we were both Suburban lovers as I said - so that was just a special little "extra" for me.

There are all sorts of technical goodies here too, but as a mom I wanted to share my own feelings about what works for a large family. I think another row of seats or a bench seat in the center rather than the two buckets would have fit my own needs better, but that's one small thing in the grand scheme.

The bottom line is, I loved this truck and if I could have my own, I'd do it in a heartbeat and not think twice! If you're looking for luxury meets family, this is the vehicle for you.

Visit the places we went to:

Burkholder Farm Market

Esh Discount Grocery

Jersey Hollow Farm LLC
Norman & Edith Sauder
276 Quarry Rd., 19530
phone: 610-683-3561
Hours: 7-9 pm weekdays; 9-5 Sat

Lancaster County

Ever Fresh Produce
Division Highway and Tobacco Road
Earl, Pa

Zook's Roadside Stand

Hayloft Candles, Ice Cream and Petting Zoo

St. Peter's Village

Shut the Door Restaurant

Farm Stand at Kreidersville Covered Bridge


*Special thanks to General Motors for supplying the Suburban, Tom Cristino of Hello Tierney for setting it all up, and Events Solutions International for drop-off and pick-up of the truck!