Make a Dash for the New "Mrs. Dash"

Everyone knows (and if they don't they should) that I LOVE LIME!
I was fortunate enough to have Mrs. Dash send me a bottle of the new
Mrs. Dash New Fiesta Lime Seasoning Blend. Whats especially great about Mrs. Dash products is they are ALL - All natural, NO MSG and SALT FREE products. So now that you know that it is GOOD for you, let me also tell you this new variety TASTES GREAT TOO!

The very first thing that I made was home made salsa! My friend (thank you Dennis) gave me a sink full of some great ripe red tomatoes, I put them in the food processor with onions, bell peppers, a small hot pepper, garlic, fresh cilantro and MRS DASH! I made several jars of it and it is SOOOOOOOOOO Delicious!


The next item of interest was Home-Made Chicken Salad! People always love my chicken salad and often ask me for the recipe! Whats funny is that I never make it the same way twice. This time I made my classic chicken salad and added the secret ingredient of MRS DASH FIESTA LIME to my "usual" basic ingredients and also added some Olive Salad. OMG! This wasn't just DELISH , but it was GONE very quickly! My DH said this was "the best yet!" WOW! what an easy addition and WHO KNEW? It is also GOOD FOR YOU! shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh don't tell the DH! :) (he thinks things that are good for you don't taste as good! LOL!)

sign up for the MRS DASH newsletter and watch it for more recipes and sometimes they even share some coupons in there!

DONT LET THE TITLE FOOL YA! GREAT COOKBOOK

DONT LET THE TITLE FOOL YOU!

Easy Entertaining for Beginners: You Can Throw a Fabulous Party, from Holiday Fiesta to a Romantic Evening for Two
by Patricia Mendez

$14.21 with free S&H if you buy $25+

This is a jewel of a book and its not just for beginners, as the title implies! The step-by-step processes outlined at the end of each chapter are invaluable! I am a seasoned cook that makes everything basically by "eye." I have had many of dinner parties, cook outs, holiday gathering meals etc and would have LOVED to have this type of instruction to go by! The instructions start days BEFORE and continue in increments until AFTER the party or dinner!
How many parties would I have enjoyed MORE if I would have been more prepared? ALL OF THEM!

There are 12 great chapters and 166 pages of great information! The suggestions start for a romantic dinner for two and builds up to a full blown celebration. There are classic recipes like mashed potatoes or pumpkin pie given in the book along side of some NEW recipes such as kahlua chocolate pie and Cosmopolatins . Each chapter is complete with instructions, recipes, suggestions, beverage recommendations as well as a "time line." There is even a CRAFT including in the little girls tea! How very appropriate and creative Ms. Mendez is!

Patricia Mendez has successfully filled a missing link in my cook book collection. Her outlook and odeas are fresh and unique. After thumbing through the book and marking several recipes it inspired me to plan a fall cookout!

This book has a "Moms Choice Award for Excellence" on the front cover. I am not sure what the criteria is for that award but I am sure Ms. Mendez didn't only meet them but surpassed them! This book is truly outstanding and an inspiration for all cooks, both young and old, novice and expert!

In the middle of the book is where you find the photographs that she has taken of some of the food in the recipes of the book. The photographs are great and present the food well. The lighting and the presentation are top rate. If I had any complaints about the book at all, it would be that I would prefer for the pictures to be with the recipes rather than in the center of the book.

The end of the book is a delight: closing thoughts, kitchen basics, conversion chart, substitutes and an index that makes everything easy to find. These rereference pages (in my humble opinion) should be readily available in all recipe books, rather than a chosen few. They are not only helpful but handy when included in the book I think Ms. Mendez
thought of everything but the preverbial kitchen sink when she wrote this book! :)

So like I said , don't let the title hold you back from purchasing this book! It would be a great gift or addition to your cookbook collections! Happy Entertaining Ya'll!

Across the Pond by Storyheart : book review

ACROSS THE POND by STORYHEART
GO HERE to get for $17.99 shipped

Thanks to Harry Potter and other popular books, there appears to be much interest in England these days. This is book is targeted towards a young adult or teen, but as a 47 year old adult I appreciated the Light & Easy read. This is a romance and travel adventure of a teen boy that comes "across the pond" from England to America for an eye opening adventure.

His parents have won a trip to Australia and send their son to stay with their American friends. As luck would have it the main character of this story, Fred, meets a young lady, a bully and an all American baseball hero on his short visit. It is a feel good story where everyone that is good makes out well and the bad guys lose!

This is a book that I would readily recommend for all tweens, preteens and early teens. I believe that it will appeal equally to boys as it would girls, even though it is labeled "romance" it is a well rounded story complete with school yard brawls and sports too!

One of the best features of the book , that was of most interest to me was the cultural comparisons. The main character wants a video game console and in order to get that he has to complete a notebook with words that are different or objects that have different titles in each of the countries. This is humorous and informative and the main reason my own 13 year old step-daughter wants to read it!

I am sure there will be a sequel to this story as the ending had a few possibilities, that hinted at "more to come." The main character, Fred, is a great guy for young ones to relate too, he has a lot of fortitude and great character for a young man which is rare in today's society. An example is set in this story for other youngsters without being "preachy."

Story Heart spins a good yarn and this book is no exception. I believe that everyone will enjoy it and it could quite possibly be made into a movie or TV special! Disney or Hallmark either one would like the components of it! Remember you read it here first!

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