Summer Grilling With Easy Sides #LoveTo Grill Here

With the long days of Summer, we want to make the most of those extra hours of daylight, so meals need to be simple. I love to grill because it keeps me outside, and gives me more time to read whatever book has me captivated at that time, and more time for this guy to keep swimming.


While I'm a master at grilling all the major meat dishes, I haven't quite figured out any great side dishes that cook easy on the grill. But, at least I have plenty of options that are easy enough that they can be left alone in the kitchen, and are easy on the wallet.

Last night's option was Au Gratin Potatoes from Betty Crocker. It only took about 5 minutes to prep, then they went in the oven for 25 minutes. They were the perfect complement to my grilled pork loin.

If you're lucky enough to have a Publix near you, you can get some great deals on these potatoes and other great items during the "Love to Shop Here, Love to Save Here Event ". These deals are good at your local Publix until 08/06.


Betty Crocker Potatoes and Hamburger Helper are 10 for $10. That means, it's time to stock up!

Use these printable coupons to save even more at readyplansave.com  (while supplies last)
  • Save $1 when you buy FOUR any flavor Betty Crocker® Pouch Potatoes
Now, get out there and enjoy the Summer...and some food!


disclosure: I was provided with free products from General Mills through Plateful Co-op. Opinions expressed are my own.

I'm Not Afraid to Make Biscuits Anymore. This Recipe Was Easy!

Oh my gosh! I made biscuits!
Only 4 ingredients.
No rolling or cutting.
It was easy.
Best of all...
They were so yummy!!


The thing is, I'm not a Southern girl. Biscuits were not a thing in my house. Well, unless you count those ones from the can that scares the crap out of me, because you never know when it will pop open while pushing on it with a spoon, there were those...occasionally... but not really enough to even make me consider biscuits as a normal part of my childhood.  But, hubby, he is a Southern boy. He grew up with his mom and Gramma making biscuits and naturally he has always wanted me to make some, but it wasn't anything I ever wanted to attempt. The thought of messing with buttermilk and rolling out the dough and all that mess...Forget it!

Until I found this easy super simple biscuit recipe with only 4 ingredients! I figured I'd give it a try and...They are FABULOUS!!!

Here's what you do:
Preheat your oven to 450 degrees

Mix together by hand:
2 1/2 cups Bisquick
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup lemon lime soda

Mixing won't take long and it will be a very soft light dough. You're just trying to get make sure the ingredients are combined.

Melt 1/4 cup butter (or more) and pour onto cookie sheet. (Some people melt the butter in the oven, but when I tried it, it burned, so I stick with the microwave.)

Drop dough by spoonful on to cookie sheet with butter on it. Depending on the size of your spoonful, it makes about 8 biscuits.

Bake for 12-14 minutes until golden brown.

Then enjoy, just make sure you to bite in too fast, Ouch!

That's it! Easy biscuits in no time!

I Love Word Crimes! #MusicMonday

Weird Al has a new album full of fun twists on popular songs and, of course... some polka! My favorite song on this album is Word Crimes. It is super smart and perfect for all my fellow grammar lovers out there. If you cringe when people write "are family is..." when they really should have wrote "our family is...", then this is the perfect song for you!

It is first up on this week's #MusicMonday post.




Another fun song on this album is Tacky. And, the video is wonderfully tacky, too! I love all the celebrity appearances. They are so much fun! I'm especially delighted when Jack Black does his little skip step. It just makes me giggle.


Weird Al's Mandatory Fun is definitely worth a listen, if for nothing else then to remind us that we all need to laugh at ourselves a little more and enjoy life!



Have an awesome fun week!

Life is Short, Stick Your Head Out the Window and Open Your Mouth.

Sometimes we get so busy that we start moving too fast. We're running from this to that, from here to there. We spend life in the fast lane, staring at the road in front of us. We miss all the great things going by our side windows.

Make today the day you look at everything great that's going by you. Feel the sun on your face and the air on your skin. Stick your head out the window, open your mouth and... oh, wait watch out for that bug...and that pole, and... um, never mind...just sit back and enjoy the ride! :)

Even dogs know how great the ride is!



Notice: The ride referenced here is a metaphor for life. I don't endorse taking your eyes off the road while actually driving, nor do I suggest you actually stick your head out the window of a moving car. It's dangerous, and you could bugs in your teeth. Life is also short to not have common sense. Be safe!
 
 
 
disclosure: This site contains affiliate links. All opinions expressed are my own.
 


Real People Bare It All For Love. #MusicMonday

I'm a big lover of makeup because it's fun, but I do believe we let it get out of hand. We've become slaves to the product. We can't leave the house without the right lipstick, or eyeliner for fear of what others might think. It's definitely time to realize that we don't need it. We are beautiful without it. It's time to try to love ourselves. That's what Colbie Caillat is telling us as she bares all in this new video, Try.



This band, is new to me, but I like the concept of the video. They asked real life couples to simply show how they express love.  It's raw pure love captured on camera.
It's I created by Abscondo.



What do you think of these new songs?

Carvel Ice Cream Introduces Nutella Ice Cream, Enter To Win Free Ice Cream #giveaway

If you need a good reason to eat ice cream, here are 2: July is National Ice Cream Month and Carvel now has Nutella ice cream. There you go, 2 great reasons to eat ice cream.

And, if you are selected as the winner of this giveaway, you can have 2 more great reasons: 2 $10 Carvel Ice Cream gift cards!

Carvel is very excited about their new Nutella flavor, and so was I when I set out to try it at my local Carvel. What could be better than cold creamy Nutella ice cream?! Yummy! they even have some great sundaes with the new Nutella flavor!

Did you know July 20th is National Ice Cream Day? To celebrate, Carvel is giving Fudgie Fanatics a coupon to get a Jr. cup for only $.80 on that day! If you're not yet a member, make sure to join. Members get free ice cream on their birthday, and if you join before July 20th you'll also be entered to win free ice cream for a year!

That's a lot of ice cream!

If you love ice cream, you now have a whole lot of reasons to eat it at Carvel; especially if you like Nutella!

If you try the new flavor, I'd love to know what you think. Make sure to enter the gift card giveaway below for your chance at winning $20 in Carvel gift cards

a Rafflecopter giveaway

disclosure: I received gift cards in exchange for completing this post. Carvel also provided the prize for the giveaway. All opinions expressed are my own. 

Music Monday With Some Good Fun Country Songs! #Music Monday

I don't know if it was the homemade biscuits at my mother in law's house this weekend, or what, but I'm in a bit of a country mood! It's Monday, and I'm thinking about music. Country music! Here's a couple good songs in my head this week.

Just some good fun Country songs!

First up, Miranda Lambert

Florida Georgia Line with Get Your Shine On  a great song for Summer!

And, finally, some Blake Shelton with the help of Pistol Annies




 disclosure: all opinions expressed are my own. Posts may contain affiliate links.

How One Generous Act Can Change the Course of a Life. #2ndChances

The Twitter party was all about the Women’s Prison Association and Orange is the New Black, the Netflix series inspired by the book of the same name by author and former inmate, Piper Kerman. We discussed the poor conditions that prisoners face, and the cost of imprisonment (which, by the way is higher than alternatives with better reform programs). We talked about the show and the stand out characters, as well as the amazing performances by the actors portraying them, but it was the Twitter party’s hashtag that really captured what the conversation was about, #2ndChances.

We’ve all been given a second chance at some point in our lives in one form or another. Second chances can come in many forms, and in many sizes. They happen all the time, every day, everywhere. Some second chances just stand out more than others, as cross roads, a turning point, a small moment in time that makes all the difference on the direction your life will take.

16 years ago, I found myself living in a motel with my husband and 2 young daughters. I had been at my new temp job for 3 days when I got a call from my husband that our car was being repossessed. Apparently, the person that made the payment arrangement with me wasn’t authorized to do so, and the car was being towed away. I tried my best to stay calm so my new boss wouldn’t know anything was wrong, but it didn’t work. He had heard the conversation, and wanted to speak to me as soon as I got off the phone. I had just started this job, and now I was going to lose it! How would I ever get another job without a car?! How would I pay for the motel? How would I pay for food? It was winter in Maine, how would we survive?

 All these thoughts and more ran through my head as my new boss began to talk to me.

I was so embarrassed.

He had heard the conversation. He was very concerned. He wanted to help.

Wait. What?!

Yes. He wanted to help. He wanted to let me borrow the money to get my car back or to get a new one, but first, he had to make me a permanent employee. He had to buy out my contract from the temp agency.

I couldn’t believe it! This person barely knew me, and not only was he letting me keep my job and borrow $2000, but he was also paying extra to make me a permanent employee!

This was my second chance moment. Without this moment, things could have gone very wrong for me and my family. We were already homeless, and now we didn’t even have a car. What we owned fit into only a few trash bags.  We had no family or friends to help. We had nothing. This was our rock bottom! Had my boss not stuck his hand out to help me, I don’t know where we would have ended up.  I do know that I would have done anything for my family, and that may have meant making some bad decisions with some bad consequences.

Thankfully for me, I never had to find out to what lengths I would go to survive. I was given a second chance, and I made the most of it. Too many others are still waiting on their second chance.



disclosure: This is not a sponsored post. I'm in no way connected to the WPA, Netflix, or Orange Is the New Black. All opinions expressed are my own. All Posts may contain affiliate links.

Celebrate the 4th of July!

I hope everyone is having a happy 4th of July. Enjoy the music, the parades, the fun, and of course, the food! 


Oh, and don't let the festivities get too crazy...Drunken celebrations and fireworks can be a bad combination! :)