It's Not Complete Without Something Sweet

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Private Selection for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Dinner that is. That is actually something a dear loved one, who is no longer with us, used to say. To her, dinner wasn't over until something sweet was served. From cookies, to cakes, to pies...she didn't care, but before she left the dinner table, her sweet tooth's craving needed to be satisfied. You have to admit, it's a pretty good concept!

For our family, I simply don't have the time to serve a homemade dessert every single night of the week. It's just not plausible with our schedules. So I love knowing I can have easy, quick and tasty desserts with just a little help from the store. Right down the street at my local Kroger store (or their family of stores), I can find Private Selection Upside Down Cakes; and with 3 easy steps, dessert can hit the table. It's as simple as 1-2-3. Warm, flip and serve!

What do you do when you are asked to bring something to a potluck or family gathering? Wouldn't you like an easy, but delicious solution? Or how about after a long week, you just want to treat your family to a little something special? With Private Selection Upside Down Cakes, they have done all the work, but YOU get all the credit! We are talking premium quality without the premium price! Using only the best ingredients, they taste like homemade. Plus, they come in 3 different flavors, so there is something to please everyone!

And right now, as part of their "Don't Forget The Cake" campaign, Private Selection wants to make it even easier for you to bring one of their easy and scrumptious desserts home to your table with a Private Selection Upside Down Cakes coupon.

For more information, be sure to follow Private Selection Upside Down Cakes on Facebook and Private Selection Upside Down Cakes on Pinterest. Plus, you can find a store near you that carries these fabulous desserts, just by clicking here.

Disclaimer: Coupon ends 6/2/13. Official Rules. In order to load these coupons to your card, you will need to sign into your Kroger account or set up a Kroger account and enter your card number. Limit one use per digital coupon. Digital offers are not eligible on Manager's Specials, cannot be combined with manufacturer paper coupons on the purchase of a single item, and do not double. Not all items are available in all stores. A limit of 150 coupons can be loaded per household at one time.

Stylish Napkins {Review of Mia + Finn}

Do you like to bring a little style to your dinner table? Do you love having items that are easily mix and match, making it easier to design a lovely table setting? If so, then let me introduce you to Mia + Finn.

Inspired by Victorian decorative elements and antique French linens,  Mia + Finn patterns are minimalist yet lively and playful. The lines are easy to mix and match, but pieces are sold individually, allowing you to create your table. 

Mia + Finn founder and designer, Caroline Defrance moved to Manhattan in 1999, from her native France, before settling in Brooklyn. Changing apartments often, as happens with many New Yorkers, she applied herself to decorating each one according to her individual style, and in the process, began a real love relationship with linens. Six neighborhoods later, she decided it was time to put that passion to work and turn her ideas into her first Mia + Finn collection. 

Then on a fact-finding trip to India, Caroline was taken by the age old techniques and strong tradition of printing, quilting and embroidery. Deciding it was the perfect place for Mia + Finn products to be made, they found a home in Rajasthan, and it is there they are hand crafted with love. 

From bedding to the table, Mia + Finn has something that will speak to anyone's style and design. Of course for me, I was attracted to the pretty things that could make my table look even brighter and more beautiful. 

I don't use cloth napkins a lot, but when I do, I want them to be pleasing to the eye, but still very functional...both of which I achieve with these from Mia + Finn. I love the texture of the fabric and the size of the napkin itself. Plus, with different designs complimenting each other so well, it's easy for me to play around with theme. Napkins, table cloths and placemats, you can find them all at Mia + Finn. 

For more info, find a retailer near you, or to shop online, visit www.miaandfinn.com today!

Disclaimer: I was given a free sample in exchange for this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

We Are Steak People

Yep. That's a fact. As much as my family loves our veggies, we could never  be vegetarians. And that's not judging those out there who are, more power to you! It's simply a statement of how much we love, no make that adore, meat!

All kinds of meat, from all walks of life. If it comes from a cow, pig, chicken, fish, buffalo, pheasant...I could go on, but I won't, we will eat it! We are most definitely carnivores.

Now, here is a little secret. When I was growing up, I wasn't that big of a beef fan. It wasn't until Adam came along (Mr. give me my steak as rare as it can be. Seriously, I'm talking, show it the grill and walk away!) and showed me there were other ways to eat steak other than "well done", that I really started to enjoy it. See, like many kids, I never had my own steak, I usually shared with my mom. And like many women out there, she was a big fan of "cook it til it's dead"! And that's okay. She liked her steaks well done, and a little bit crispy around the edges, so that's the only way I ate steak for many years. Then Adam explained this wonderful thing called medium rare, and to this day, that is how I love my steaks. In fact, we've even converted mom a little, and she is now a medium steak gal. We learned that many times, you can take a steak that is tender and fabulous and cook it that long, the flavor gets ruined, becoming tough and dry. This is especially true if ordering in a restaurant. If a steakhouse knows they are going to cook it that long, that will choose a piece of "substandard" meat, so to speak. (I am saying this as a former employee of a restaurant.) But if you order one that is less cooked, they know it better come out juicy and tender, so they choice a nicer piece of beef.

And we have passed this beef love onto our son, of course. Now, when he was younger, I will admit, I made sure his meat was very well done. But as he has gotten older and his stomach has "grown up" a little, I allow him to have one that is cooked a little more like ours. (Trust me though, he never eats one that is still mooing, like his father!) Alex needs one thing for his steak....steak sauce! He likes the bottled version just fine (He gets that from his Pa Pa...another meat lover!) but I thought making a homemade version might be fun.

With grilling season in full swing for a lot of us, it's the perfect time to have something yummy to dip that perfectly cooked steak into...rather it's well done (and if that's you, I respect that!)...or pink inside for me....or practically walking off the plate like my husband!

Homemade Steak Sauce

1/2 c. ketchup

1 TBS brown sugar

1 TBS soy sauce

1/2 TBS onion powder

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/8 c. water

1/8 c. lemon juice

1/8 c. Worcestershire sauce

1/2 TBS yellow mustard

Combine all ingredients in a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Simmer, uncovered,  for 15-20 minutes until thickened. Allow to cool and then refrigerate until serving. If it thickens too much, just add a little warm water to thin. Serve with your favorite steak!

Shared on Make Ahead Meals May 13, 2013
Shared on Mandy's Recipe Box May 14, 2013
Shared on Lady Behind The Curtain May 15, 2013
Shared on The Country Cook May 17, 2013

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Church Supper #86

Good Morning and welcome to another Sunday! I hope this finds you enjoying your weekend and ready to share in some good fellowship and great food!

Thanks for stopping by today. I truly appreciate you sharing with our foodie family!

Please link up your favorite recipes from the week. And remember I wish you God's blessings all week long!

 " Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" (Philippians 4:4)

Last Week's Most Viewed Recipe:

French Toast Bites

From:

Busy Mom's Helper

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Soul Food Saturday #4

Good Morning! I hope you had a great week and your weekend is off to a good start. And to all the moms out there, a very Happy Mother's Day tomorrow. I hope your day is as special as each and every one of you are! Being a mommy is the biggest pleasure of my life, and I'm so lucky to have this little boy to love and take care of. 

Bekki is back with something that would be perfect for Mother's Day brunch, lunch or dinner! A great copycat recipe that most of us will all recognize! 

There is something really fun about the idea of making food into a holiday. I have realized there are many more reasons to celebrate and I am quite alright with that. I know many of us have decided to eat healthier and make better choices. But keeping our favorites for those celebrations is a treat we all need! Taking our food holiday one step further today is “Eat anything you want day”! With that said who doesn't love those amazing cheddar bay biscuits they serve at every Red Lobster? Bottomless baskets of cheesy garlic, piping hot, little balls of oh my goodness! We need a moment of silence for these little guys, because wow, YES friends they are just that good!

I came across this recipe after talking with a staff member at the restaurant and dying to learn the secret. I tell you what the recipe I found was good. But I wanted GREAT! So after some tweaking here and there, this is what our family felt was certainly in the running for those days you just couldn't make it out to get piping hot biscuits from their source.  

Copycat Cheddar Bay Biscuits Adapted from Top Secret Recipes

2 ½ c. baking mix

4 tbs. cold butter

1 ½ c. grated cheddar cheese

¾ c. cold whole milk

¼ tsp. granulated garlic

Garlic butter for tops:

2 tbs. butter, melted

½ tsp. granulated garlic

¼ tsp. parsley salt

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Combine baking mix with cold butter in a medium bowl with a pastry cutter or large fork. There should be small chunks of butter in there that are that are about the size of peas. Add cheddar cheese, milk, and granulated garlic. Mix by hand until combined, but don’t over mix.

3. Measure approximately ¼ c. portions of dough using an ice cream scoop, or measuring cup. Then form into a ball by squeezing gently until dough is the shape you desire. Place onto an un-greased cookie sheet leaving an inch between each dough ball. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the tops of biscuits are light brown.

4. When you take the biscuits out of the oven, melt 2 tbs. butter in a small bowl in the microwave. Stir in ½ tsp. granulated garlic and parsley salt. Mix to combine seasonings and butter. Top each biscuit with the garlic butter.

Makes a dozen biscuits

Serve with your favorite meal.  Whether its breakfast, lunch or dinner these will be gone quick and they will all be asking for more. Let’s celebrate “Eat whatever you want day” and eat these with whatever YOU want! Blessings and happy eating!

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