Giveaway Results: One Year’s Supply of Minute Maid Pure Squeezed Orange Juice

October 20th, 2011
(mobile upload from my shoot with Minute Maid Pure Squeezed orange juice set)

Sorry this giveaway is now closed. We would like to congratulate Brandy B. (Comment #23) on winning Minute Maid Pure Squeezed orange juice for an entire year. You can imagine my happiness for her! Thank you all for your entries and please check back soon for more great giveaways with Minute Maid Pure Squeezed.

Over the last few months I have had the incredible luck to work as the spokesperson for Minute Maid Pure Squeezed which has been a fun and exciting opportunity for our entire family. This week I am traveling to New York for a media day to share more about the latest addition to the Minute Maid portfolio of delicious beverages. In conjunction with my media day, we wanted to share a giveaway with all of you for a year’s supply of Minute Maid Pure Squeezed orange juice.

With Halloween quickly approaching, I have gathered a few fun tips for how you can celebrate the festivities by throwing an orange-themed Halloween party with your family and friends.

Eat-

Serve fun, orange foods like a cheese ball covered in shredded cheddar cheese with a celery stick for the stem, baked pumpkin donuts, orange punch, and caramel apples rolled in bright orange sprinkles.

Hollow out pumpkins to serve dips in or use a hallowed pumpkin as an ice bucket for your drinks.

For those guests (and hosts!) looking for lighter options, offer delicious, festively-hued food and beverage items, including the all-new, great tasting Minute Maid Pure Squeezed Light Orange Juice Beverage with Calcium and Vitamin D which has just 50 calories per 8 fluid ounce serving, cantaloupe in Halloween shapes (use pumpkin or witch hat-shaped cookie cutters to cut), and carrot sticks or orange pepper strips with hummus.

Decorate-

Light a pathway to your party with tin can Jack-o’-Lanterns. Spray paint old Folgers coffee cans orange and use a nail and hammer to punch in the faces on these tin can pumpkins. Place votive candles in each tin to guide guests up to the door.

Decorate your party table with helium-filled orange balloons. Add Jack-O-Lantern faces on the balloons and tie them to cellophane bags filled with orange candy like M&M’s. At the end of the party, these can be given to each party guest when they leave as a thank you for coming to the party.

Games-

Fill a clear container with candy corns and have guests guess how many candy corns are in the jar. The winner gets to take the jar of candy corn home with them.

Tie pumpkin donuts (recipe below) on a string for a fun game. Tie a long string around a donut and fasten the other end of the string to a very sturdy ceiling hook or fixture (or you can use a tree branch if outside). The donut needs to be just above the contestant’s head. The object is for the player to eat the donut using his or her teeth only (no hands). The player must jump for the donut.

Baked Pumpkin Donuts with Maple Syrup Frosting

Recipe credit: Amy Clark

2 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1/8 tsp cloves

1/2 cup brown sugar

4 tablespoons butter, softened

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 1/2 tablespoons milk

1 cup pumpkin purée

For the Maple Syrup Glaze:

1 1/2 cups confectioners’  sugar

1/4 cup milk

1/8 cup maple syrup

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and grease two doughnut pans. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. In another medium bowl, cream together the brown sugar and butter. Beat in the eggs one at a time, and then the vanilla extract, milk, and pumpkin puree. Gradually beat the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients just until combined. Fill each doughnut mold 3/4’s full with batter. Bake 8-10 minutes or until the doughnuts spring back when touched. Remove from the pan and cool completely.

For the maple syrup glaze: In a small bowl, combine confectioners’ sugar, maple syrup and milk; stir well. Add additional milk, if needed, to reach desired consistency. Drizzle over donuts.

I don’t want to just talk about how much you will love the new Minute Maid Pure Squeezed orange juice, I actually want to give it to you and save you that expense for an entire year! Minute Maid has graciously offered to give one of our lucky readers a year’s supply of Minute Maid Pure Squeezed orange juice. I am so excited for you!

Today we are offering one lucky reader a year’s supply of Minute Maid Pure Squeezed orange juice. Leave one comment for each item that you complete to enter:

  • First Entry: Leave a comment and let us know which variety of Minute Maid Pure Squeezed orange juice you are interested in trying for your family- No Pulp 100% Orange Juice, No Pulp 100% Orange Juice with Calcium and Vitamin D, Some Pulp 100% Orange Juice, or Light Orange Juice Beverage with Calcium and Vitamin D with 50 calories per 8 fl. oz. serving.
  • Additional Entry: Let us know you are a fan of Minute Maid and join the Minute Maid Facebook Page.
  • Additional Entry: Follow me on Twitter and get an early scoop on what I am up to and future giveaway opportunities with Minute Maid!

One winner, chosen at random, will receive a year’s supply of Minute Maid Pure Squeezed Orange Juice (52 coupons). Please submit your entries by Thursday (10/27) at 8PM EST.  Our winner will be drawn at random. Good luck, everyone!

I am a spokesperson for Minute Maid Pure Squeezed orange juice and have a relationship with the company. Want to know more about how things are handled here at MomAdvice? Be sure to read our Disclaimer which clearly states how things work and know that we will always offer only the best reviews to our readers. In full disclosure, the email addresses that are collected for this giveaway will only be used for the purpose of contacting the winner(s), and will never be sold or given to anyone. This giveaway is only open to residents of the United States who are 18 years of age or older. Entries that do not follow the above criterion will automatically be disqualified. This giveaway will close Thursday, October 27 at 8PM (EST). I’ll announce the first name of the winner(s) that will be added to the top of this current giveaway post and contact the winner(s) by email. I will draw the names of the winner(s) by using the random number generator at Random.org from the eligible entries received. If a winner does not contact me within 72 hours by email, I will draw a new winner. The winner(s) will receive their prize from the PR agency responsible for this giveaway.

Amy’s Notebook 10.19.11

October 19th, 2011

This mud closet transformation is breathtakingly awesome (@ The 36th Avenue)

I love this Pottery Barn sign knockoff (@ Crafted Niche)

This Halloween crow garland is adorable and thrifty (@ Homework)

This hot spiced cranberry cider sounds like a fun fall drink (@ The Inspired Room)

I want to make these DIY wine glass charms for hostess gifts this year (@ Centsational Girl)

I am going to have to try this recipe for creamy caramel apple dip (@ The Crafting Chicks)

These slow cooker poached pears in a caramel sauce look like a great fall dessert (@ The Perfect Pantry)

Who would have ever thought to use PVC pipe as an adornment to an old dresser? (@ Vintage Revivals)

I want to try this recipe for pumpkin latte coffee cake (@ The Lettered Cottage)

These felt bow headbands would make a beautiful baby gift (@ Trey & Lucy)

I love this fun and delicious science project- how to make homemade rock candy (@ Gluesticks)

It isn’t too late to make the house cute with these adorable free Halloween printables (@ just peachy)

I am doing this frugal and easy idea for organizing your cords (@ Living Locurto)

These painted pumpkin jars would make cute Halloween decorations (@ make it and love it)

An Apron Full of Giveaways: Windex Giveaway Closes Today

October 18th, 2011
Flapper Girl, $21

Welcome to our Apron Full of Giveaways! I hope everyone is having a great week this week! As we do each week,  here is our round-up of giveaways for our readers. We hope that this is beneficial to you and your family! Please let us know if you guys win anything- I love to hear the success stories!

Our Windex giveaway ends today! Be sure to get your entries in to win one of two Windex prize packs. The entry volume is low on this one so you have a great chance of winning!

Below are the contest links-if you are hosting a contest please link it up below. Sorry, we aren’t giving away the aprons just showcasing them! Please put your site name and then what type of contest you are hosting. For example, “MomAdvice (Kid’s Movies).”

Please let me know if you have any questions and good luck to each of you!

Homemade Tomato Soup with Crouton Toppers

October 17th, 2011

For years I have been trying to master the right tomato soup recipe for my family. It must not be too chunky. It must not be too creamy. It must not be too acidic. It must not be too sweet.  I never thought I would find a tomato soup that we would all love… until this week.

This tomato soup is all of our favorite flavors in the perfect merriment for our family.  Chicken stock, whole tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, and a little heavy cream are all mixed together. To cut the acidity, a pinch of sugar and a healthy dose of pesto round out the flavors.

We happened to have half of a loaf of crusty bread that had been neglected from a night of pasta eating. I decided to put the loaf to work and create crouton soup toppers to dress up our tomato soup. The kids loved this addition and my husband agreed that it made the soup filling and even more satisfying.

Bowls were scraped to the bottom.

Bellies were satisfied.

We all agreed that this tomato soup was the one we had been waiting for.

If you try it, I think you will agree.

Recipe:

Homemade Tomato Soup

Ingredients:

2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 (28 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
1 (28 ounce) can whole tomatoes
3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup jarred pesto

Directions:

In a large pot saute the garlic in the olive oil over medium heat for one minute. Add crushed tomatoes and the whole tomatoes (including their juices). Use your wooden spoon to break the whole tomatoes apart  into the crushed tomatoes. Add your chicken or vegetable stock, salt, sugar, and pesto. Let this simmer for fifteen minutes. Turn your heat to low and then add the heavy cream. Garnish the soup with crouton toppers and Parmesan cheese.

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Serving Size: 8

***********************************************

Recipe:

Crouton Soup Toppers

Ingredients:

1 loaf of stale bread (any variety)

1/4 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried basil

Kosher salt or garlic salt (sprinkled liberally)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cube bread into desired size and toss into a bowl. Sprinkle all of the seasonings on top of your bread cubes. Drizzle olive oil over the cubes and then toss gently with your fingers. When all pieces have been coated, put cubes into a single layer on a cookie sheet. Bake at 425 degrees for 12 minutes. Allow to cool. Place in an airtight container and these can be stored for up to weeks in this container.

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 17 minutes

Serving Size: 8

Amy’s Notebook 10.12.11

October 12th, 2011

This pizza box chalkboard and whiteboard easel is such a cute idea (@ whip up)

These ric rac & lace spiders are a cute way to decorate for Halloween (@ The Crafting Chicks)

Apple crisp in the slow cooker is always a great way to end a meal (@ Eat At Home)

This monogrammed camping skewers set would make a cute wedding or hostess gift (@ design sponge)

These painted address pumpkins are so cute! (@ tatertots & jello)

I am going to have to try making this shrimp pasta with oven dried tomatoes (@ Annie’s Eats)

I want to try making these yarn wrapped letters (@ Sarah Ortega Photography)

I love these red velvet cupcakes in a jar (@ not martha)

These watercolor leaf prints would be a fun art project to try (@ Bloom, Bake, & Create)

I bet my kids would love these baked eggs with bacon and cheese sandwiches (@ Cooking During Stolen Moments)

I am going to have to remember this lollipop stand for my daughter’s birthday (@ One Charming Party)

This all butter pie crust looks like a winner! (@ goodLife{eats})

I love this old sweater turned into a peasant top for a fun upcycle project (@ Make It Love It)

I am in love with these dotty cupcakes– perfect for the novice cupcake decorator (@ Manhattan Craft Room)

These silhouette candle holders are a spooky and fun way to decorate for Halloween (@ design sponge)

I want to make these colorful fingerless gloves out of scrap yarn (@ the purl bee)

These herb cream cheese scrambled eggs look like a delicious breakfast (@ 101 cookbooks)

How to Decoupage Pumpkins

October 11th, 2011

I love to create inexpensive decorations for fall and these easy decoupaged pumpkins are a craft that I have been wanting to try for awhile after spotting this technique in an old issue of Better Homes &  Gardens Magazine. You won’t believe how easy it is to decoupage a pumpkin and since they were so easy to create, I made two to adorn each side of my console table.  Today I wanted to share with you how to create your own decoupaged pumpkin that you can do with your kids or as a fun craft after the kids head to bed.

All supplies for this project were purchased at Walmart and each pumpkin cost approximately $7 to create.

Supplies Needed For This Project

Faux Pumpkin

Modge Podge (or make your own for less)

1 package of paper cocktail napkins (in the party supplies section or in the seasonal section of the store)

Foam brush

Hot Glue Gun & Glue Sticks

Yarn (optional)

Size 5 Double-Pointed Needles (optional)

Twist off the stem on your pumpkin. It should come off pretty easily. Set this aside for later.

Grab your stack of cocktail napkins. When choosing these, I would go for a darker color than this if you don’t want to have to do two layers. Another option would be to spray paint your pumpkin white. I just did two layers of napkins on mine, but you can do whichever works best for you.

Unfold the napkin, and then cut it into two long rectangles down the middle where the fold is.

Using your foam brush, spread your Modge Podge on the pumpkin and then cover in one of your paper napkin rectangles.  Apply the napkins very gently and try to smooth out any wrinkles as you go.  No matter what you do, there will be wrinkles and possibly tears because the napkins are so delicate.   I like to think they add a lot of character and texture to the pumpkin though.

Repeat this layer of paper all the way around. Repeat, as needed to cover the pumpkin.

Once the pumpkin is covered in paper to your satisfaction, apply one or two layers of Modge Podge over the entire pumpkin. Allow it to dry for several hours or until the glue has hardened.

Invert your dried pumpkin, and cut a square of napkin  to cover the bottom of the pumpkin. Apply two layers of Modge Podge to the bottom and any missed layers on the bottom of the pumpkin. Let it dry.

You can leave your pumpkin as is and just hot glue the top back on, but I wanted to add one other layer to these pumpkins. I knitted two leaves for each one, out of scrap yarn, to decorate the top of the pumpkin. This is a great time to use any yarn up that your kids claimed was too scratchy or the end of a ball of yarn that you just couldn’t part with.

I used this free knitted leaf pattern (leaf number one) to create these little yarn leafs for the tops of my pumpkin. The picture above shows the back of the leaf, you want the other side of the leaf to show on your pumpkin. Create your leaf stem as long as you like for your pumpkin.

Hot glue the ends of your leaves to the top of your pumpkin. Hot glue underneath the stem, and then secure it to the top of your pumpkin. Hold this all in place for a minute or two to make sure that it is secure.

Enjoy your little pumpkins in a favorite corner of your home, on your kitchen table, or wherever else a pumpkin might look beautiful. I am looking forward to using these all through the fall and I even think this gray and white one might be a perfect one for the winter holidays too!

It matches perfectly with my Yarn Wreath on my door and adds a fun element to my fall decorating.

I am a part of the Walmart Moms program, and Walmart has provided me with compensation for these posts. My participation is voluntary and opinions are always my own.

Instilling Family Traditions (and Windex Giveaway)

October 11th, 2011

Sorry! This giveaway is now closed! We would like to congratulate Sherry (Comment #1) and Darcy (Comment #34) on winning these fabulous Windex prize packs. Please stay tuned for more giveaways with Windex.

Windex® is celebrating its 75th anniversary, and I am partnering with them to share in this celebration with you and offer a fabulous giveaway of Windex® products!

Windex® is a brand that our family has been using for years and I always find it fascinating to learn the story behind the products that I use every day. With 75 years under its belt, Windex® is definitely an iconic brand that has weathered the test of time. In fact, Windex® was first introduced during the Great Depression in 1936!  Of course, there were a few companies launching new products during that time and even fewer succeeding in the marketplace, which is why it is so amazing that Windex® is still around today.

Being a frugal girl at heart, Windex® is still a fabulously frugal product that offers multiple uses for cleaning all sorts of things around the home, just as it did back in the thirties.  There is hardly anything that a little Windex® can’t shine in our homes, and I use it daily when tidying the kitchen and bathrooms.

Over the years, the brand has expanded and now offers a product line that consists of Windex® Original Glass Cleaner, Windex® Original Glass Wipes, Windex® Crystal RainTM, Windex® Multi-Surface products, Windex® Electronics products, Windex® Foaming Glass Cleaner, Windex® Mini concentrate refill pouch and Windex® Outdoor products. The Windex line truly has something for everyone!

You can help Windex® celebrate its 75th anniversary by visiting the official Windex® Facebook Page. While you’re there, be sure to share some of your own shining moments and favorite family traditions.

What is a birthday party without presents? I wanted to share a few presents with you by offering a Windex® Variety Prize Pack to two lucky winners on our site.

To enter to win leave a comment and tell me what is your favorite Windex® product and why! You can see all the fun products that Windex® offers by visiting the Windex® website.

Rules:

NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT POST OF ANY KIND IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE OR, PAYMENT WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING.

1. Eligibility: MomAdvice.com Windex® Variety Pack Giveaway (“Sweepstakes”) is open only to legal residents of the fifty (50) United States (including the District of Columbia) and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are at least eighteen (18) years of age.  Employees of MomAdvice (“Sponsor”), Daniel J. Edelman, Inc., and SC Johnson & Son, Inc. and any of their parents, subsidiaries. affiliated companies and their advertising and promotion agencies, as well as the immediate family (spouses, parents, siblings and children and their respective spouses, regardless of where they reside) and household members, whether or not related of each such employee are not eligible to enter or win.  The Sweepstakes is subject to all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations.  Void in Quebec and where prohibited by law.

2. Agreement to Official Rules: By participating in the Sweepstakes, entrant fully and unconditionally agrees to and accepts these Official Rules and the decisions of the Sponsor which are final and binding in all matters related to the Sweepstakes.  Whether an entrant receives a prize is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements set forth herein.

3. Timing: The Sweepstakes begins on October 11, 2011 at 12:00 a.m. Pacific Time (“PT”) and ends on October 18, 2011 at 5:00 p.m. PT (“Promotion Period”).

4. How to Enter: During the Promotion Period, there is  one (1) way to earn an entry:  1. Post a comment under the MomAdvice blog posts made by Amy Allen Clark describing what is your favorite Windex® product and why.

All online entries must be received (comments posted) by 5:00 p.m. PT on October 18, 2011 to be eligible. Limit one (1) entry per person, per email address and per household, regardless of method of entry. Entries received from any person, email address or household in excess of the stated limitation will be void. Entries generated by script, macro or other automated means and entries by any means which subvert the entry process are void.  All entries become the property of Sponsor and will not be acknowledged or returned. In the event of a dispute over the identity of an online entrant, entry will be deemed submitted by the authorized account holder of the e-mail address associated with the blog post and he/she must comply with these Official Rules. Authorized account subscriber is the natural person who is assigned the e-mail address by the Internet Service Provider (ISP), on-line service provider, or other organization responsible for assigning e-mail addresses.

Entrants must comply with the terms and conditions (http://www.momadvice.com/disclaimer.aspx) or other guidelines provided for blog postings at MomAdvice.com. An entrant’s failure to comply with the terms and conditions and/or guidelines, as determined by Sponsor, may result in disqualification and all associated entries will be void.

Blog posting must (i) be entrant’s own original work and reflect the true opinions and experiences of the applicable entrant,  (ii) be in English, (iii) cannot be previously published or submitted in connection with any other promotion, (iv)  be in keeping with the Sponsor’s image and (v) not be offensive or inappropriate, as determined by the Sponsor in its sole discretion, nor can it defame or invade publicity rights or privacy of any person, living or deceased, or otherwise infringe upon any person’s personal or property rights or any other  third party rights.  Sponsor reserves the right to remove any blog post and void the associated entry that it determines, in its sole discretion, is offensive or inappropriate, not in keeping with Sponsor’s image or that is otherwise not in compliance with these Official Rules.

By posting a blog post, each entrant acknowledges and agrees that Sponsor may obtain blog posts under this Sweepstakes or have developed on its own or through other third parties’ ideas and material and blog posts that may be similar or identical in theme, idea, format or other respects to others submitted under this Sweepstakes and/or other promotions sponsored by the Sponsor or submitted for other reasons on the website, and entrant waives any and all claims he/she may have had, may have, and/or may have in the future, that any other blog post accepted, reviewed and/or used by Sponsor may be similar to his/her blog post.

5. Winner Determination: Potential winners of prizes will be chosen from all eligible entries received in a random drawing to be held within five (5) business days after the close of entries by Sponsor whose decision is final and binding in all matters. Odds of winning depend on the number of eligible entries received.

6. Winner Requirements: Potential winners will be notified by email on or about October 18, 2011.  Potential winners will be required to sign and return to Administrator, within twenty four (24) hours of date of issuance an Affidavit of Eligibility, Liability & Publicity Release (unless prohibited by law). Failure to return all required documents within the specified time period, the inability to contact the potential winner within a reasonable time period, the return of the prize or prize notification as undeliverable or non-compliance with these Official Rules will result in forfeiture of prize.

If the potential winner is a resident of Canada, he/she must correctly answer a time-limited mathematical skill-testing question administered by telephone without assistance or mechanical or electronic aid in order to receive the prize. If the selected Canadian potential winner cannot be reached within a reasonable time period (as determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion), he/she may be disqualified, and, at Sponsor’s sole discretion, the prize will be forfeited.

Winner, by acceptance of prize, except where legally prohibited, grants permission for Sponsor and its designees to use his/her name, address (city and state), photograph, voice and/or other likeness and prize information for advertising, trade and promotional purposes without further compensation, in all media now known or hereafter discovered, worldwide in perpetuity, without notice or review or approval.

7. Prizes: A prize package including Windex® product samples (Windex® Original, Windex® Multi-Surface Vinegar and Windex® Electronic Wipes). Approximate Retail Value of prize is $10.97 USD and will be given to two (2) selected winners for an approximate Retail Value total of $21.94 USD. Prize is non-transferable and no substitution or cash-redemption is permitted except by Sponsor, in its sole discretion, which reserves the right to substitute the prize (or portion thereof) with one of comparable or greater value. Winner is responsible for all federal, state and local taxes (including income and withholding taxes) and any other costs and expenses associated with prize receipt and/or use not specified herein as being provided.  Prize is awarded “as is” with no warranty or guarantee, either express or implied by Sponsor. All prize details are at Sponsor’s sole discretion.

8. Release: Entrants agree to release and hold harmless Sponsor,  Daniel J. Edelman, Inc., S.C. Johnson & Son  and their respective subsidiaries, affiliates, suppliers, distributors, advertising/promotion agencies, and prize suppliers, and each of their respective parents, subsidiaries, affiliate companies and advertising and promotion agencies and their respective officers, directors, employees and agents (collectively, the “Released Parties”) from and against any claim or cause of action, including, but not limited to, personal injury, death, or damage to or loss of property, arising directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, out of participation in the Sweepstakes or receipt or use or misuse of the prize.

9. Ownership/Use of Blog Posts: By submitting a blog post, each entrant agrees Sponsor shall own the blog post submitted (including all rights embodied therein) and that it and its designees (including S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc.) may exploit, edit, modify, and distribute the blog post and all elements of such blog post, including, without limitation, the names and likenesses of any persons or locations mentioned therein (including the use of the blog post for promotional purposes in connection with this Sweepstakes and for the promotion of Windex® products, except where prohibited by law), in any and all media now known or hereafter devised, worldwide, in perpetuity without compensation, permission or notification to entrant or any third party.

10. General Conditions: Sponsor reserves the right to cancel, suspend and/or modify the Sweepstakes, or any part of it for any reason, including if virus, bugs, worms, unauthorized intervention, or any fraud, technical failures or any other factor impairs the integrity or proper functioning of the Sweepstakes, as determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion.  In the event of cancellation, Sponsor reserves the right to select the winner from among all remaining non-suspect entries received as of time as such cancellation. Sponsor, in its sole discretion, reserves the right to disqualify any individual it finds to be tampering with the entry process or the operation of the Sweepstakes or to be acting in violation of these Official Rules or those of any other promotion or in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner and all associated entries will be void.  Any attempt by any person to deliberately undermine the legitimate operation of the Sweepstakes may be a violation of criminal and civil law, and, should such an attempt be made, Sponsor reserves the right to seek damages and other remedies (including attorneys’ fees) from any such person to the fullest extent permitted by law.  Sponsor’s failure to enforce any term of these Official Rules shall not constitute a waiver of that provision.  Twitter and Facebook are not affiliated in any way with the Sweepstakes.

11. Limitations of Liability: The Released Parties are not responsible for: (1) any incorrect or inaccurate information in any Sweepstakes-related materials, whether caused by entrant, printing or typographical errors or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Sweepstakes; (2) lost, interrupted or unavailable network, server, Internet Service Provider (ISP), website, or other connections, technical failures of any kind, including, but not limited to malfunctions, interruptions, or disconnections in phone lines, or failed computer, satellite, telephone, cable, or network/computer hardware or software, or jumbled, scrambled, delayed, or misdirected transmissions; (3) unauthorized human intervention in any part of the entry process or the Sweepstakes; (4) technical, mechanical, network , electronic, computer, human or other errors which may occur, including any errors that may occur in connection with the administration of the Sweepstakes, the processing of entries or blog posts, the announcement of the winner or in any other Sweepstakes-related materials; or (5) late, lost, incomplete, misdirected, delayed, garbled, illegible, postage-due, undeliverable, damaged or stolen entries or blog posts or mail.  Released Parties are not responsible for damage to any computer system resulting from participation in, accessing or downloading information in connection with this Sweepstakes. Released Parties are also not responsible for any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by site users, tampering, hacking, or by any equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Sweepstakes.

12. Winner’s Name: Winner will be available after October 18, 2011 at MomAdvice.com. The winner’s name will be available until on or about January 1, 2012.

13. Sponsor: Amy Allen Clark, MomAdvice.com, Granger, IN

This post is sponsored by Windex®, but my review and opinions are my own.

An Apron Full of Giveaways: Windex Prize Pack

October 11th, 2011

LaurieLou, $32

Welcome to our Apron Full of Giveaways! I hope everyone is having a great week this week! As we do each week,  here is our round-up of giveaways for our readers. We hope that this is beneficial to you and your family! Please let us know if you guys win anything- I love to hear the success stories!

We are celebrating the 75th anniversary of Windex and sharing two great prize packs with two of our readers this week.  Follow the link below to enter to win in this contest!

Below are the contest links-if you are hosting a contest please link it up below. Sorry, we aren’t giving away the aprons just showcasing them! Please put your site name and then what type of contest you are hosting. For example, “MomAdvice (Kid’s Movies).”

Please let me know if you have any questions and good luck to each of you!

Italian Sausage Soup With Tortellini

October 10th, 2011

Soup season is well underway in our house and I am always on the hunt for new soup recipes that I think our family will love. This Italian Sausage Soup with tortellini combines two of our favorite soup flavors together in one pot and is a homemade soup worth making again and again. This soup is a combination of my favorite flavors from my California Italian Wedding Soup and my Pesto Chicken Tortellini Soup, all in one pot!

My children are doing sports activities once a week now and their activities just so happen to be right around the dinner hour. My strategy for keeping our family out of the drive through has been dedicating my Sunday afternoons to making a double batch of soup that can save me on those nights when dinner planning seems impossible. Between my soup leftovers and my slow cooker recipes, these dinner saving strategies have really paid off in the last few weeks.

This Italian Sausage Soup has a hearty broth filled with tomato sauce, red wine, beef broth, and sweet Italian turkey sausage. The freshness in this soup comes from the zucchini, diced tomatoes, parsley, basil,  and then the cheese filled pasta.

I like to add half of the cooked tortellini into the soup and save half of the tortellini in a separate container for later in the refrigerator. By adding more beef broth and then the other half of the tortellini later in the week, I can stretch my soup for another couple of servings and have fresh-tasting pasta time when I reheat it.

I hope you enjoy this soup as much as our family does and that you can make a fun soup night a part of your weekly routine too!

Recipe:

Italian Sausage Soup  With Tortellini

Ingredients:

1 pound sweet Turkey Italian sausage, casings removed
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 cups beef broth
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup red wine
1 can petite diced tomatoes (with juice)
1 cup thinly sliced carrots
1/2 tablespoon packed fresh basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups sliced zucchini
8 ounces fresh cheese tortellini pasta
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

In a large pot, brown your turkey sausage. Remove sausage and drain, reserving 1 tablespoon of the drippings.Saute garlic for one minute in the drippings (be careful not to burn this).   Stir in beef broth, water, wine, tomatoes, carrots, basil, oregano, tomato sauce, and sausage.   Bring to a boil.   Reduce heat; simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.  Skim fat from the soup.   Stir in zucchini and parsley. Simmer covered for 30 minutes. In a separate pot, boil the water and prepare the tortellini as directed. Reserve half the tortellini in a container to add to the soup when you reheat it. Gently pour the other half of the tortellini into the soup pot. Serve the soup in individual bowls with freshly grated parmesan cheese on top.

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Serving Size: 8

Adapted from: Allrecipes.com

MomAdvice Is on the Move: Slow Cooked Pumpkin Butter, Organizing the Garage, Date Nights, & More

October 9th, 2011

I hope you all are enjoying all of the bounties that fall brings! I have been busy writing a few other fun places that I wanted to share with you for your reading pleasure.

  • You may not realize that Goodwill experiences a dip in donations around this time of year, but it does! When summer winds down people often do not donate as much and this creates a shortage of product for Goodwill. That is why I think it is the perfect time of year to discuss cleaning out your garage and making room for your cars before the winter season approaches, while creating donations that will help Goodwill thrive during this time of year. I am making my third haul from our garage and basement this week and wanted to share how you can reclaim your garage over at the Goodwill Tips blog.
  • Over at the Kenmore Genius Blog,  I am disclosing just how much of a cheap date that I am. About seven years ago, we stopped being able to run out and have dinner out whenever we wanted to. My husband lost his job and it got to a point where we just didn’t have the funds to enjoy a night out on the town. As I became more acquainted with the kitchen, though, we soon realized that dinners out lacked the pizazz that we could easily get at home. In my kitchen, the food was a bit better, the atmosphere was comfortable, and we could spend a whole heck of a lot less and get a whole heck of a lot more out of an evening. Find out how you can have a great date night in on a budget too with my easy and elegant recipes.
  • Also at the Kenmore Genius Blog, we are discussing healthy snacking all school year long. Now that our family is finally into the groove of school, I am really trying to challenge myself to be more innovative with our snacking in our lunches and for after school. Be sure to snag these recipes and share your favorite smart snacking strategies.

I am participating in a fun Crockstar Confessions campaign with Walmart & Rival this month. Each day of the month, you can view a video blog and enter to win $2,500.  Be sure to join their Facebook Page to jump in on all the fun.

You can watch my video below to learn how to make my Slow Cooked Pumpkin Butter and hear my own confessions about slow cooking in my home!