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- 2 oz. Casa Noble Crystal
- 1 oz. agave nectar
- Orange Bitters (4 dashes)
- Orange Twist
- Corona Extra bottle
- Shake all ingredients with ice until chilled.
- Serve into pint glass and fill with ice-‐cold Corona Extra.
- Garnish with orange twist.
- 2 cups of water
- 2 Hibiscus Heart-Tee bags
- 1 black tea bag
- 2 1-inch lemon rind slices
- 2 ginger slices
- 1/4 cup Honey Ridge Spiced Honey Creme
- (makes 1 1/2 cups syrup + 2 cups compote for another use)
- 2 cups fresh rhubarb, chopped
- 2 cups strawberries, sliced
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 Tablespoon orange zest
- 1 tsp ginger, minced
- 1/3 cup strawberry rhubarb syrup
- 1/3 cup hibiscus tea concentrate
- 1/2 lime, juiced
- 4 ounces lemon-lime carbonated water
- ice
- In a medium pot, add water, tea bags, lemon slices, and ginger slices and heat on medium.
- Bring to a low boil for 10 minutes and allow to sit for another 10 minutes.
- Remove the tea bags, slices and add honey.
- Set aside to cool.
- Place chopped rhubarb in a medium pot with water and sugar and heat to medium-high allowing mixture to boil for 10 minutes.
- Add the strawberries, orange zest, and ginger to the mixture and lower heat to medium allowing mixture to boil for another 10 minutes.
- Allow to rest for 10 minutes.
- Run mixture through a sieve allowing liquid to be separated from the fruit.
- Cool syrup completely and store compote in refrigerator for another recipe.
- In a red wine glass, add 1/3 cup strawberry rhubarb syrup, 1/3 cup hibiscus tea concentrate and lime juice.
- Fill the rest of the glass with carbonated water and mix well with a stirrer.
- Add ice cubes and enjoy.
Cinco de Mayo Celebration with a Corona Sunset
May 4th, 2015
Cinco de Mayo is almost here and there is nothing like having a party than having the best spread for friends and family. I know that one of the highlights to a party are the drinks. You can never have too many but you must have something unique and fun for guests to enjoy.
Casa Noble Crystal and Corona have teamed up to bring a variety of drinks that will have guests desiring the combination of beer and spirits in the same glass. As you get your menu planned and the guacamole prepared, think about the cold beer and delicious tequila that will and CAN be enjoyed by you and your friends.
Truth be told, I had never had the combination before but when I decided to make the Corona Sunset, I was intrigued. I added 2 ounces of Casa Noble Crystal, some agave-stevia simple syrup, a few dashes of orange bitters and an orange twist and shook the ingredients in some ice. I then poured it in a fun pint glass and topped it off with a COLD Corona Extra.
The scent of oranges, tequila and beer smelled amazing! I actually added a few cubes of ice to make the drink a little colder, but all in all it was a very interesting drink and one I look forward sharing with friends. While I only took a sip or two my husband enjoyed a glass for the two of us until I am able to.
Recipe by Corona and Casa Noble Tequila
Ingredients
Instructions
So what makes Casa Noble Tequila different than other brands? It is considered one of the more superior silver tequilas out in the market and it is just so elegant in its glass blown decanter and it fun silver cork. It truly was hard to even pour and drink since it looked so elegant and classy in its bottle. It almost deemed itself way to nice to drink.
I’ve personally never had organic tequila so it was nice to learn that Casa Noble is a proud bearer of USDA Organic Certification making it one of the highest quality tequilas. It is free of synthetic substances and does not contain any hormones or additives and contains no genetically-modified ingredients.
According to my husband, it is a very smooth tequila with a hint of citrus. While it is 40 percent alcohol there is a well-balanced finish on the palate with an additional buttery, sweet agave and spice note. It truly is a pleasant experience.
Enjoy your Cinco de Mayo and may your drinks and entertainment be memorable. Try some other cocktails from the website.
Disclosure: This is a sponsored post with Casa Noble but as always all opinions are my own.
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Great Gifts for New Moms or Moms-To-Be {Review}
April 29th, 2015
I cannot believe that in a little over THREE months we will be welcoming baby girl number three. I feel like time is going by slowly as well as very fast. While I am in not in a hurry to get things organized I know we have a summer that will allow for that to happen. On top of organizing, there is a lot of clean-up and purging required as well. Don’t you feel like that all the time?
As we prepare for our little treasure to make her appearance I think about how I can make my experience of having a newborn a little easier. I also am thinking about how I can be available for my other girls needs at the same time. I am not planning for the arrival of a new baby to be hard but just tricky since instead of juggling two little ones I will now will require to manage three girls. I am up for the challenge.
One of the things I will enjoy getting back to is breastfeeding. While we stay pretty active outdoors, a cover has never been my favorite when out in public. I always feel awkward adjusting straps and making sure I am not flashing. I know many moms would say I should ditch the cover and feed without it but I simply am NOT that type of mom. I like being discreet and being private. One of the products I look forward using is Lassig’s great Allover Nursing Scarf which is made from a breathable and hypoallergenic Lyocell, a lightweight yet strong fabric. The allover can be worn many different ways, including as a neck scarf, stole, bolero and cape. I am so excited to be using it not just as a cover while feeding the baby.
Something else I have been enjoying during my 6th month of this pregnancy are belly bands. They are truly my favorite since they add an extra support when wearing jeans, pants, or even skirts. Lassig has a Ruffled Bellyband that can be utilized as a layer underneath your shirt or to be utilized over a shirt and belly to accentuate the pregnancy. It is made of high quality cotton and is designed for one-size fits all to accommodate all shapes and sizes. I much preferred wearing it UNDER my shirt since I do not need any more accentuating of my belly. HA HA. I do like the fact that the company offers so many designs.
While I thought of myself and the new baby I thought it would be wonderful to have something fun for my girls. Since they are very much into everything that has to do with princess I thought it would be great to surprise them with a fun hooded towel by YikesTwins in Princess Penelope. This royal towel is 100% cotton terry towel and has been re-designed with embroidered “bejeweled” tiara that allows for easy washing. The girls really loved it. The towel dried pretty well and it was a big towel, large enough to keep my girls warm while I dried them.
So dads or friends who have moms expecting, think about these gifts because Mother’s Day is quickly approaching and maybe one of your friends who is expecting for the first time just needs a few products that will meet their needs like the Allover Nursing Scarf or Lassig Bellyband. Sometimes just having a new product makes the experience a better time.
Disclosure: I received the items for review. All opinions are my own.
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Strawberry Rhubarb Hibiscus Mocktail + Giveaway
April 28th, 2015
Mother’s Day is around the corner and all I can think about is how every mom should be treated on this special day. NO really. Every mom should be treated well EVERY day because they work hard to keep a home together. When I think about Mother’s Day, I always think about brunch or dining somewhere nice that one would not normally go throughout the year. Cooking is not an option so maybe a nice meal is the better option. Usually, mimosas or Bloody Marys are the signature drinks for the meal. Well, not every mom will be able to drink, like me since that a new baby is in the horizon, but still who wants to be left out?
As I was looking and thinking of a special drink to have at home, I stopped thinking about the wine I could not have and focused on some delicious seasonal ingredients that were staring at me. Strawberries and rhubarb are everywhere so it seems and it only calls me to make as many recipes using this combination of ingredients. Rhubarb can be an intimidating vegetable but when paired with strawberries and sweetener it takes you to a different horizon. There is really nothing like it.
I traditionally like making a compote with the ingredients but when I started thinking of drinks I added extra liquid to my compote ingredients in order to make a strawberry rhubarb syrup. When I continued thinking about my drink creation I knew that the syrup and carbonated water could not be the only ingredients so I made a spiced tea concentrate to enhance the flavor and color of my mocktail.
Hibiscus tea has been one of my favorite herbal teas especially since I grew up drinking it. It is very popular in Mexico and is consumed in aguas frescas or as sweetened iced tea. It is high in Vitamin C and super nutritious. I decided to make a spiced tea concentrate to add to the mocktail which turned out beautifully! The color of the tea mixture was a darker red but it kept the mocktail red and then the combination of the spices and spiced honey creme gives the tea concentrate a lovely flavor.
Once the ingredients are cooled they are ready to be assembled. There is enough in the recipe to make 6 drinks for a special occasion or for an evening after the kids are in bed. It is simply relaxing and makes you feel like you are having a nice drink.
Make sure to enter the Mother’s Day Gift Pack that includes several of the ingredients I used. Enter for yourself or your mom and make this mocktail for that special day or any time! Thanks to the Burrell Group for providing the giveaway items.
Although this cocktail has a small amount of hibiscus I have consumed it before during pregnancy and previuos pregnancies but please see precaution below.
Precaution: Pregnancy and breast-feeding: Hibiscus is POSSIBLY UNSAFE when taken by mouth during pregnancy. There is some evidence that hibiscus might start menstruation, and this could cause a miscarriage. There is not enough reliable information about the safety of taking hibiscus if you are breast-feeding. Stay on the safe side, and avoid use.
Ingredients
Instructions
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Hands-On Children’s Museum / Plain and Fancy Restaurant {Review}
April 27th, 2015
This weekend my girls and I decided to head out Lancaster to check out a few new places. My whole intention was to get my husband to go with me but it happened to be on a weekend that he was busy with some choirs from his work. He also was headed in the Lancaster direction but we had breakfast together before we both parted in our separate ways.
The girls and I arrived at the Hands-On Museum just 40 minutes after leaving breakfast. We talked about the farms and everything we might see as we arrived to the museum. As we parked I showed the girls the building and they were immediately excited to check out a new place.
The Hands-On Museum is a one-level museum where kids from 2 to 10 can enjoy different self-directed exhibits while parents assist, ask questions and even partake of the playing and pretending. I was afraid at first that there would not be enough for my girls to do since it was one level museum but I quickly learned that my girls would be enamored, engrossed and excited about the things they love the most.
Once we started moving from exhibit to exhibit it did not take long to find the face painting. The girls both found a stool and sat in front of a mirror and started imitating the older kids around them even my 2-year old! Soon their faces were covered with red paint and I could not help but be amused by how excited they were. I think I washed their faces 3-4 times before I forced them to keep moving to the next exhibits promising our return to the face painting.
There was a section explaining life on a farm and there were even activities that imitated what farmers did on a daily basis. The next place my girls loved was the dress-up and pretend play area. They loved finding the perfect outfit and once they did they roamed and twirled and even shopped in their dresses. I was afraid I would not be able to take them off at the end of our visit.
Once we finished the inside and the girls tried to go to the face painting section again, I reminded them of the outdoors. As we had walked in to the museum, the girls had noticed a playground area that had a sand pit and active area. I reminded them and they quickly decided to go outside. Luckily we were blessed with an amazing day and the girls spent an hour playing outdoors and exploring. Although food is not permitted in the museum, we could have a snack on the outside premises so we took a break after 3 hours of visiting.
After snack, the girls asked to go back inside for more face painting and dress-up time so I agreed but only for another hour so that I could have some time for shopping at the nearby outlets. Of course, right? I was super happy with how our visit went and look forward going again. My 3-year old asked if we could bring friends the next time so I was happy to agree with her.
After our visit, I decided to change the girls but realized I only had new pants with me but no shirts so we visited the outlets and checked out 3 places before the girls decided on matching pink tops to go with their pants. It was cute to see them shop but they enjoyed picking out their tops.
After a little shopping we made our way to our dinner reservations at Plain and Fancy and farm to table restaurant located between Bird-In-Hand and Intercourse in Lancaster Country. There is so much farmland that surrounds the restaurant and adjoining hotel that it makes a peaceful area to stay for a night or two. Although we were not spending the night, we loved walking around the premises after dinner.
I was excited to try Plain and Fancy Restaurant because it has been featured on The Travel Channel for their amazing Amish Farm Feast. When I checked for options before we arrived I noticed we could call ahead for seating or make reservations so from the museum, I decided to call ahead which ended up being perfect. Even though there were two options for dining, either a la carte or family style dining, I decided that the Amish Farm Feast was the way to go.
Since the girls are under 4 years old they were free so it worked well trying out the Amish Farm Feast. We sat with 10 other families in a long table and we chatted and talked about where we each lived. The waitress came over and explained how the dinner would begin with appetizers, entrees, sides, breads, and desserts all served family style. Imagine being at a big family dinner passing food around during Thanksgiving, well this is how it was.
We started with a variety of salads, breads and beverages and then the entrees started coming out. The waitress always inquired if we needed refills of anything. The entrees were amazing! There were plates of delicious hot fried chicken, roast beef, sausages accompanied by fresh corn, green beans, mashed potatoes and gravy and buttered noodles. It was a crazy amount of food but all I could remember was HOW AMAZING the fried chicken was. I have never tasted anything so fresh and delectable in a long time. The girls even loved it too!
The desserts also ended up being a popular by the end of the meal. We had a chance to sample all the options they had which was a Shoo-fly pie, Sour cream Dutch apple pie, chocolate cake, and rice pudding. There was also a large bowl of vanilla ice cream passed around for everyone to enjoy. The girls of course asked for chocolate cake and ice cream and as you can imagine, it ended up being the girls’ favorite part of the meal.
While I enjoyed the meal it felt a little rushed. I know dining with kids can be a little hectic but my girls actually love eating at restaurants. It just felt like everyone was eating so fast and the people with the kids were eating slowly due to distractions. I wish we could have taken more time so perhaps we will try dining a la carte next time. Either way, I did NOT have a bad experience at all. It was merely an observation for next time. If anything, go down and taste some of that fried chicken because I am still thinking of it.
I am happy to say that we had a great day in Lancaster country. I sometimes think we have exhausted our options but there is always something to discover in Amish country beside the food and the view. I can’t wait to check something else in the future.
Disclosure: Thanks to PA Dutch Convention & Visitors Bureau for providing us with admission to the museum and a visit to the restaurant. All opinions are my own.
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Christy Nockels “Let It Be Jesus” Album {Review}
April 27th, 2015Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.
Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway. If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller / FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days, you are not eligible to win. Or if you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.”
