Boogie Wipes
Go to Disney with Boogie Wipes #Disney
**Disclosure: I received a sample of Boogie Wipes to test for this post. I’m so glad to be introduced to this product!**
“What do you mean you don’t know what Boogie wipes are?”
My sister and sister-in-law couldn’t believe it.
They just weren’t around when my kids were little! But, I wish they were!
Over our Easter dinner we had a lot of messy faces and a few snotty noses, so we were able to give them a try!
The kids by far loved the grape scented wipes, with the fresh scent being the least favourite.
Boogie Wipes are made with saline to dissolve boogies (mucus) caused by the common cold, allergies or otherwise booger-filled kid moments. They’re also great for cleaning messy faces and hands – and removing an extra stubborn booger wall. (Unfortunately, this was learned the hard way.)
The wipes are extra soft and scented in Great Grape, Fresh Scent and Simply Unscented. Boogie Wipes are recommended by Pediatricians as a gentle, effective alternative to a dry tissue – and they’re pretty much guaranteed to make your kids WANT to blow their noses. (Seriously!)
As a brand, Boogie Wipes never takes themselves too seriously. Their most-trafficked page on their site is full of Booger Facts!
Featured Products
• Boogie Wipes
• Boogie Mist – an amazing saline solution with a scented schnozzle – so your kids WANT to inhale while you squirt saline in their little noses. Genius!
• See all of the products here: http://www.boogiewipes.com/our-products/
Coupon
• A $0.50 off coupon is always live on our site
Win with Boogie Wipes!
Boogie Wipes is giving away a 6-day Disney cruise for a family of four! Entries are low – and there’s still time to enter. Just click here to enter now! Good luck! #Disney
Crazy Crust
Crazy Crust
When we were kids we were always allowed to choose the meal on our birthday. In most cases, we chose crazy crust.
What I love about this recipe is that you start with one basic crust recipe, and things start to get crazy when you can choose your different fillings.
Frillings will often depend on our mood, or frankly, what I have in the cupboard.
This is an easy meal that goes well with a side salad.
Basic Crust
½ Cup flour
½ tsp salt
½ tsp baking powder
¼ Cup shortening
½ Cup sour cream
1 egg
Mix well.
Use a fork to spread it in the bottom of a pie plate
and fill with one of the following fillings
Mexican
1 lb hamburger browned
1 tsp salt
2 tsp chili powder
¼ tsp tabasco sauce
½ Cup chopped onion
16 oz can of kidney beans
6 oz can of tomato paste (156ml)
Bake 40mins.
Serve with lettuce, cheese, tomatoes
Beef ‘n Bean
1 lb hamburger browned
3 tsp Worchester sauce
1/8 tsp tabasco sauce
¼ Cup chopped onion
1 Cup baked beans
6 oz can of tomato paste (156ml)
1 ½ Cups grated cheese
Cut up hotdogs (optional)
Sprinkle with grated cheese
Bake 40mins.
Barbecued
1 lb browned hamburger
2 tsp Worchester sauce
½ Cup chopped celery
½ Cup chopped onion
1 ½ – 2 Cups grated cheese
½ Cup ketchup
1 TBSP mustard
Combine ingredients. Sprinkle with grated cheese.
Bake 350 for 40 minutes.
Italian Beef and Cheese
1 lb browned hamburger
1 tsp salt
1 tsp oregano
¼ tsp garlic powder
½ Cup chopped onion
6 oz (154 ml) tomato paste
4 oz can of undrained canned mushrooms
1 ½ Cup cheese
Bake 350 for 40minutes
Before serving, let sit for about 15 minutes, so the crust will firm up.
Enjoy!
What Stresses you out?
What makes you stressed out??
What are your trigger points?
What drives you up the wall?
What makes you more stressed out than anything else?
We often don’t take the time to sit and think about what the root of our stress is. We know we are stressed right NOW – but why?
When I was taking my undergraduate psychology degree, one of my favourite courses was Stress and Coping.
I remember vividly one of the activities we had to do. This was an extremely useful and helpful activity, and I urge you all to try it!
Keep a journal of your stress for a week.
Carry around a notebook with you (or create something on your phone) to keep track of the information.
For one week, every time you start to feel stressed, write it down.
What time did it happen?
What was the situation?
And what was your level of stress? (rank it from low to high)
Here is a sample chart you can use.
When the week is over, look at your chart.
Is there a common theme amongst your stressful situations?
There definitely was with mine, that I had never thought about before.
TIME.
Not having enough time.
Being late.
Wondering how to get everything done in time.
Time.
25 years after having first completed this exercise, I find myself coming back to that assignment. Still today, my biggest stressors all revolve around time!
Will I have enough time to complete everything before the kids get home from school?
Will we get to practice on time?
Between my husband and I, especially when the kids were really little, most of our arguments seem to be about time.
Who gets the time?
Who gets the time to work and who spends the time looking after the kids?
Time.
Once you figure out your stressful trigger, you can then start to work on it.
Realize you are approaching a stressful situation, and be prepared.
Develop some calming and coping strategies.
Make a plan.
Then, you are on your way, to at least, the first step of a less stressful life!
**Please note that if you are suffering from significant stress, please reach out and seek help from someone who can help you come up with coping strategies. This activity is meant as the first step towards awareness.**
Old Fashioned Chocolate Pudding
Old-Fashioned Chocolate Pudding
This chocolate pudding was our comfort food.
Whenever we were home sick from school, we were sent to my grandmother’s house in the next town, to stay with her for the day. She would always make us this chocolate pudding, and serve it to us in these colourful bowls.
This chocolate pudding became known as Grammie Churchill’s pudding, and I always think of her when I make it.
This is me wearing Grammie’s wedding dress in a Girl Guide fashion show.
However, it wasn’t until much later that I discovered that this well-worn recipe from Grammie’s recipe box actually originally came from my mom’s side of the family – from HER grandmother.
My great-grandmother who lived to be 96.
This is a very old-fashioned recipe. I would describe it as chocolate biscuit dough with a chocolate sauce.
You need to trust the recipe!
Chocolate Pudding
¼ Cup sugar
¼ Cup shortening OR butter
1 Cup flour
2 ½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
½ c milk
3 TBSP cocoa
1 TBSP butter
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.
Put in a casserole dish.
Over the batter pour:
2/3 Cup brown sugar
2 Cups water
This will look soupy.
My husband, when he saw it said to me, “are you going to mix that more?”
No. No, I’m not.
Trust me.
Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes until the batter is cooked through.
Enjoy with vanilla ice cream!
Getting Hot with Rudi
Hot Stuff with Rudi’s Hot Sauce
I am a disgrace to my husband.
I will NOT eat anything the least bit spicy. I like flavourful food, but I cannot tolerate any “heat” or “spice” whatsoever.
Imagine travelling in India and Thailand and trying to find something to eat! Not easy!
As a compromise, David has collected various spices or sauces to add to his food after the kids and I have served ours.
You can imagine my excitement when last fall, when at a charity auction, I found a 3-pack sample of Rudi’s Hot Sauces!
There were three different sauces including mild, medium and hot. I quickly bid on them, and brought them home for David for Christmas.
He has not stopped raving about these sauces and says that they are the best ones around. And, he’s tried plenty!
David keeps them on a shelf of honour in the kitchen, carefully using them in sequence so that they empty at the same rate.
We have had one mishap with the hot sauces, however.
One night at dinner, my back was turned in the kitchen, and our youngest son left to use the washroom. As a “joke” my elder son poured the HOTTEST sauce all over his brother’s supper.
When Thomas came back and took a bite, I’m sure you could have heard him scream in Timbuktu! Tears were rolling down his face, and he was trying to wipe his tongue with anything in site.
Many valuable lessons were learned this night!
One of them being that the hottest sauce may not be good for kids! However, they do love the mild and medium sauces! I haven’t been so brave to try them.
Our hot sauces were nearly empty, so David started to ration them. This prompted me to do some research on how to get more. Here’s what I learned.
About Rudi’s Hot Sauces
Rudi has simplified his creations into hot sauces made for all occasions. These recipes are professionally crafted using unique varieties of fresh chili peppers and blending them with all natural ingredients that allow their true flavours to shine through. Each product has its own personality and its own special place on your dinner table.
From sweet, succulent and mild to a perfect tangy bite, then all the way from a very spicy treat to a luscious sauce with the world’s hottest pepper, I recommend all four! They will compliment any dish from a slice of pizza to a gourmet meal.
So take a ride on a hot sauce adventure that will leave your taste buds craving more!
Here are the 4 sauces:
Sweet Cherry Bomb
A seduction of sweet heat (Medium)
This is a very special sauce characterized by the cherry pepper’s bright red colour, powerful sweetness and a touch of heat that brings it all together.
Designed for a milder palate that wants flavour first. Ideal as a dipping sauce or for adding sweetness and medium spice to any dish. Great for cooking – makes a perfect glaze for salmon, steaks, pork chops and more. Learn More
David says: “Really good with eggs and on sandwiches (ham). The kids will eat this one”
Thai Bird Tang
A perfect balance of tang and spice (Hot)
(David’s favourite)
This is the sauce that inspired it all. It’s hot enough to satisfy but not too hot to scare you off. A few drops will add a zingy bite to any kind of meal. Purely a finishing sauce, it is great on any meal but especially stimulating on wings, pizza, burgers, grilled meats, bruschetta. Learn more.
David says: “Really good for burgers, and nachos.”
Goat Pepper Fire
Intense heat burning with flavour (Hottest)
The exclusive flavour of the goat pepper hits you right away, and then comes the lingering heat to satisfy your taste buds’ cravings. A rich hot kick is delivered swiftly with this Caribbean source pepper. Use as a finishing touch or add to soups, sauces or any dish for a tasty distinctive flavor and added heat intensity.
Learn More
David says “really good for soups, stews and chillies”.
Candy Reaper Burn
Sweet meets heat; try the world’s hottest pepper! (Extra hot)
I introduce to you a sweet elixir made with the world’s hottest pepper, The Carolina Reaper. Blended with the contrary cherry pepper, diluted with a rich Gingras vinegar, sweetened with organic cane sugar, and then livened with fresh garlic. A blast of heat blaring straight from the sun. The Carolina Reaper’s in this bottle came straight from Ed Currie’s own garden, the cultivator of the hottest pepper ever grown on this planet. Immerse yourself in a world of luscious heat, and enjoy the culinary adventures that are sure to come. Learn More
David says: “The Candy Reaper Burn was wonderfully hot without being painful. I’m 47 and have 2 kids. This is as dangerous as I get to be. Awesome on anything.”
The colours alone will make you want to buy it, but the flavour will be what brings you back for more.
No preservatives, all-natural, gluten free, no gmo’s…just pure love and only the highest quality ingredients we could find. Generations of talent condensed into a little bottle that will make you crave your next meal.
Overall, David says:
“I love the range of sauces, because some meals you just want a bit of mild heat, so you’d go for the Thai Bird Tang or the Sweet Cherry Bomb. Other times, you might want a bit more fire so try Goat Pepper Fire.
“I really like how Rudi has created a range of sauces for different moods and different meals. I like having them all. But, if I had to recommend one to you, it would be the Thai Bird Tang as it is the most flexible.”
Rudi of Rudi’s Hot Sauces is actually a Valley boy, born and raised in Wolfville! Now living in Halifax, these sauces are available in both the Valley and the city.
Read more about behind the scenes
How to order
*Designer Craft Shop (1061 Marginal Rd, Halifax)
*Jane’s Next Door (2053 Gottingen St, Halifax)
*Pete’s Frootique (1595 Bedford Hwy, Bedford)
*From Mild To Wild (www.frommildtowild.com) (79a Convoy Ave, Halifax)
*Eos Natural Foods (112 Front St. #114 , Wolfville)
*Organic Earth Market (6487 Quinpool Road, Halifax)
*Hennigar’s Farm Market (Greenwich, Wolfville)
Or, everything can be ordered online. All but the Candy Reaper Burn are available in retail, that one he only sells in person at trade shows.
Order online
If you like flavour, spice and heat added to your food, you need to try Rudi’s Hot Sauces. Besides, you are supporting local entrepreneurs at the same time!
Win with Rudi’s Hot Sauce
As an added bonus, Rudi has agreed to throw in a FREE bottle of your choice of sauce along with shipping.
Enter daily until April 16, 2015
For an extra ballot, leave a comment and tell me what sauce you would most like to try.
Bologna Cups
Bologna Cups
It all started when my neighbour posted something on her Facebook page about bologna.
When we were kids, my dad used to make us fried bologna all the time. But, he would cut it out with cookie cutters so we would have lots of fun shapes to eat!
Another woman commented on her favourite way to cook bologna. Based on that recommendation, we decided to give it a try! Here’s the recipe.
Bologna Cups
Ingredients: bologna, potatoes, cheese, seasoning
Put bologna (not too thick) in muffin tin.
Fill with mashed potato (with added seasoning)
Top with cheddar cheese.
Bake at 350 till browned. (about 12 minutes)
She writes, if you don’t try this you will be sorry!
Tips: put dried herbs or Dash in the mashed potato for extra seasoning.
Don’t like the idea of bologna? This works equally as well with shaved ham slices!
This was a big hit with my sons. “This is REALLY good!”
