Monday, January 31, 2011

A Great Giveaway: UPS Giveaway

My friend, Sara, from SavingForSomeday is having a giveaway for an UPS American Express Gift Card for $10.00.  

Have you ever used Whrrl?  Do you like Social Media, there are many addicts out there!  If you never used Whrrl, here's your chance to try a new media and win!

Please, check it out and I hope you win!!

P.S.  You have a chance every time you visit UPS and Whrrl about it!  The giveaway ends April 2oth...so start sending your packages out by UPS Stores.  Check out the way to do it & the rules: SavingforSomeday




Other Places to go for Giveaway!!!

Here's a few more places you can go to leave comments for a chance to win Smart & Finals Ambiance coffee basket and $150.00 Gift Certificate....

http://www.shuggilippo.com/2011/01/sponsored-giveaway-myambiancemoment.html

http://savingforsomeday.com/my-ambiance-moment-ambiance-coffee-and-a-smart-final-150-gift-card-giveaway/

http://www.supersavingsense.com/2011/01/ambiance-coffee-150-smart-final-gift.html

Wow!!! Now that's a lot of places you can go to win....Please start leaving some coffee lovin' comments to these lovely women!

And of course, enter mine to win too!

Cafe Au Lait...Smart & Final....Ambiance French Vanilla

It's not to late.....


You can still win some awesome coffee....Smart & Final Ambiance


Plus, added bonus....


$150.00 Gift Certificate to Smart & Final...


Have you tried Smart & Final's new coffee, Ambiance, yet???


If not, YOU need too!


Today, I was fortunate, my coffee maker broke (truly it was one step in the grave already)...but no worries...I drove to Macy's and bought this beautiful, sleek looking, muti-function coffee machine:   Cuisinart Brew Central 14 Cup Programmable Coffeemaker!






So, now I'm totally set:  Great coffee and a Great Machine....I hope I have company soon to show off!


This is the first thing I made:


Ambiance French Vanilla Cafe Au Lait

Now, It's your turn...share with me...what's your great coffee moment?


Here's the details to enter my giveaway:

• Only one comment per post, please.


• Leave an email address or a way for me to reach you in case you win!


• Giveaway runs from January 19th to midnight February 4,2011.Your comment will be placed in big bowl and on February 5 a random person will pick a winner from the bowl.




Disclosure:  Collective Bias compensated me for my time, but all opinions are my own.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

GREAT COFFEE GIVEAWAY!

I have been trying Smart & Final's new coffee, Ambiance, for the past month.  Ambiance comes in six varieties and if you want to see what I think of each one, please check out it out here.  Now, if you check it out, please no laughing!  I shared it with my co-workers and they teased me for the rest of my shift!  Apparently, it was very entertaining to them.  I am lucky to have a chance to offer you a wonderful giveaway.  One lucky reader will get a basket of all six varieties of coffee along with a $150 gift certificate to Smart & Final.  All you have to do for today's chance is watch one of my videos and tell me how I did as a reviewer of Ambiance coffee.  Just for fun, I found some interesting facts about coffee that I thought would be cool to share:


Coffee & Health


Q: Can caffeine kill you?
A: Health experts say if you were to drink 80 to 100 cups real fast and all at once, it might do the trick. This is not advisable to try at home! So technically, coffee is not going to kill you. You just may be up all night.


Q: Can coffee be good for you?
A: Coffee actually contains important anti-oxidants, which is the way most Americans get their daily fix. Coffee can be beneficial at about 1-2 cups per day. If you can’t handle that amount of caffeine, well you can try black tea instead. If that doesn’t suit you, you can find anti-oxidants in beans, bananas, or corn.


Q: Can caffeine boost the female sex drive?
A: Actually, this study was done on rats and it worked! But, for humans it is not necessarily true. Some people who are not used to drinking coffee may find themselves more excited than usual. I don’t know if it will lead you to this exact issue. You won’t find someone offering a cup of coffee in a bar.

Q: Does coffee relive pain?
A: A small study had shown that 2 cups of coffee alleviated the pain of post-gym muscle pain. Take into consideration that this research was done on those who were not regular coffee drinkers. Those of you who are big drinkers, you may be immune.

Q: Can coffee keep you up at night?
A: Of course, why do you think so many are hooked on coffee? Health experts say you shouldn’t drink coffee up to 6 hours before you plan to retire.


Q: Does Decaf have caffeine?
A: Decaf coffee has an extremely small amount. It would take about 5-7 cups to get the same amount of caffeine in 1 cup of coffee.


Q: How are coffee beans made decaffeinated?
A: The way the caffeine is removed is by steaming the beans until the dissolved caffeine rises to the surface, then an organic solvent is used to wash the caffeine off. The organic solvent is called methylene chloride.

Q: What makes coffee so bitter?
A: It is amazing to find that it is actually the anti-oxidants that make coffee bitter. It is not the caffeine.


Q: What makes a great tasting coffee?
A: It is all in the roasting and brewing. At 400ยบ degrees of the roasting process, the beans begin to release its oil. This oil strengthens the flavor. And as for brewing; it depends on the coffee. But, the longer coffee grounds steep, the more caffeine content you will have. A cup of regular coffee often has more caffeine then a cup of espresso or cappuccino, and the darker the roast the most likely the more caffeine.


I found these fun facts at stumblerz.  If you need to know more fun facts check them out. 


Here's the rules to my giveaway:

Only one comment per post about this fabulous coffee/GC giveaway.  Every time I post about coffee, you can enter for another chance.



Leave an email address or a way for me to reach you in case you win!


Giveaway runs from January 19th to midnight February 4, 2011.Your comment will be placed in a big bowl and on February 5 a random person will be picked a winner from the bowl.

P.S. A great deal right now at Smart & Final: Buy Ambiance coffee and get a dozen of their brand eggs free!

















Friday, January 21, 2011

Recipe for Making a Cafe Au Lait using Ambiance Kona Style Coffee from Smart & Final

Yesterday, I made a video on how to make a specialty coffee drink, Cafe Au Lait, using Ambiance new coffee.  I used Ambiance Kona Style coffee but it really doesn't matter which variety you use.  I change the type of coffee I use all the time so I'm never bored with the taste. 




Well, this really isn't a pretty picture of me! But the coffee drink is geat!


Smart & Final released their new coffee line, Ambiance.  There are six varieties: 



House Blend : A medium to dark roast
Kona Style: A medium Roast  
French Vanilla: A medium Roast
Hazelnut
French Roast: A dark roast
Gourmet Supreme: A mild to medium roast


My favorite coffee from Ambiance is the French Vanilla.  A very close second is the Kona Style. 

Which coffee do you think you'd like to try?

Leave me a comment for a chance to win all six coffees and $150 gift certificate to Smart & Final.

Every time I write a post about coffee, leave me a comment; it is your chance to win! So start leaving me some coffee lovin’ comments…I will put your name in twice if you tweet about my giveaway with the #MyAmbianceMoment included!

The rules:


• Only one comment per post, please.

• Leave an email address or a way for me to reach you in case you win!

• Giveaway runs from January 19th to midnight February 4, 2011.Your comment will be placed in a big bowl and on February 5 a random person will be picked a winner from the bowl.

• Contest ends February 4, 2011 @ Midnight.

P.S.  A great deal right now at Smart & Final:  Buy Ambiance coffee and get a dozen of their brand eggs free! 





Disclosure:  Collective Bias compensated me for my time, but all opinions are my own.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

The Six Varieties of Ambiance Coffee from Smart & Final




Smart & Final's new coffee line, Ambiance, has six varieties: 
House Blend
French Roast
Gourmet Supreme
French Vanilla
Hazelnut
Kona Style
I have tried all six styles.  Does anyone know which is my favorite?  If you guessed the French Vanilla you'd be right!
Which do you think you would like best and why?

Leave me a comment for a chance to win all six coffees and $150 gift certificate to Smart & Final.

Every time I write a post about coffee, leave me a comment; it is your chance to win! So start leaving me some coffee lovin’ comments…I will put your name in twice if you tweet about my giveaway with the #MyAmbianceMoment included!

The rules:


• Only one comment per post, please.


• Leave an email address or a way for me to reach you in case you win!


• Giveaway runs from January 19th to midnight February 4,2011.Your comment will be placed in big bowl and on February 5 a random person will pick a winner from the bowl.




Disclosure:  Collective Bias compensated me for my time, but all opinions are my own.








Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Ambiance Coffee Giveaway From Smart & Final

without coffee Pictures, Images and Photos


I have been lucky enough to be selected to share with my readers a new brand of coffee, Ambiance from Smart & Final. How lucky am I! I have been drinking coffee every morning for….well, I can’t remember when I started. So I had no problem agreeing to try a new brand.



I was sent six packages of Ambiance coffee to try in order to give an honest opinion. Wow, that’s a lot of coffee to try out in just a few weeks, but I felt like I was up for the challenge.


Let me share with you why you want to stay tuned into my review. I'm giving away a basketful of Ambiance coffee to one of my new coffee groupies! And, if that’s not enough (it would be for me!) there is also a WONDERFUL FABULOUS GIGANTIC $150 gift certificate to Smart & Final. NOW, I got your attention! Money always does!

Here’s the deal….

From January 19th through February 4th, I’ll be posting about my experience drinking Ambiance coffee. I will be posting some videos of what I think of each coffee and I’ll be sharing with you some recipes using brewed coffee and my opinions. Finally, I’ll be sharing some witty coffee facts that you might not know.


Every time I write a post about coffee, leave me a comment; it's your chance to win! So it's up to you how many chances you want to give yourself; it’s like the lotto, the more you play, the more chances to win! So start leaving me some coffee lovin’ comments…because it begins right now!

The rules:


•Only one comment per post, please.


• Leave an email address or a way for me to reach you in case you win!


• Contest ends February 4, 2011 @ Midnight.Your comments will be placed in big bowl and on February 5th a random person will pick a winner from the bowl.
  
P.S.  A great deal right now at Smart & Final:  Buy Ambiance coffee and get a dozen of their brand eggs free! 






Disclosure:  Collective Bias compensated me for my time, but all opinions are my own.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Honoring Christina Taylor Greene

Our nation suffered a tragedy this weekend when a man shot into a crowd and killed six people and wounded several more.  One person who died was Christina Taylor Greene, a nine year old girl.  She was a very special person who already had developed a keen sense for wanting to help make our world a better place.  Wow, at nine years old.  She had already been on her way to her goal by being a member of student council in her school.  People (kids) who run for this job do so because they want to see positive change in their environment and believe they can make a difference.  She lived her very short life with purpose.  To honor her, I propose that we make sure that we live our lives with purpose.  We need to make sure that our days matter.

None of us know when our last day of life will be.  It's truly a mystery to all of us.  Most everyone goes through their day mundanely.  What if you knew today was it for you, that you had no tomorrows; what would you do today?  Well, most of  us  take today for granted.  What I'm proposing is that you make today a purposeful day.

I'm not saying to do something big, like run for office;  what I am saying is take all those small things in our day and make them matter.

I honor Christina by going through my closet and donating cloths I know someone else could use.  I honor her by truly taking in my surroundings while walking.  I don't want to take for granted the beautiful day that we had.  I honor her by remembering those people who honored me with their special gifts, such as a smile.

Give purpose and meaning to what you are doing.  Take a few minutes today to remember what you did.  If you can't think of anything you did with purpose and meaning, then make sure that tomorrow you live  it with  these two important qualities that make life worth living.

Monday, January 10, 2011

#Canyoutopthis Winner!!!

Wow!!!  This badge says it all!






Can you tell I was excited to win????  OH YES, I AM!

Becca (Our crazy boys) had a contest. 

The theme was "Can You Top This" from Elmers. 

What you had to do was create a masterpiece using  Elmer's Tri-Fold Display board. 

This is my masterpiece:


I bet you're asking, "What did she win?"


Well,  I won....

$100.00 Gift Certificate to Wal Mart.

Everyone could use that! 

Thanks Becca and  Elmers.

P.S. If you are interested in making this table runner, click here!

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Cooking with Smart & Final's New Coffee line: Ambiance

Coffee Marinated Sirloin Steak

I'm trying a new coffee brand from Smart & Final, Ambiance, that is being released to the public this January.  One of their new flavors I'm trying is French Roast.  It is a dark roast coffee which really isn't my thing but my husband likes it.  He travels often so I needed to find another way to use this coffee.  I didn't want the coffee to go stale so I decided to try a new recipe that uses brewed coffee in a marinade. Here's the  recipe I'm trying: Coffee Marinated Sirloin Steak, where the marinade adds creaminess to the steak.  An added bonus – the coffee’s acidity tenderizes the meat as well.

 I'm trying it tomorrow night.  Since I work during the day, I plan to make the marinade tonight and have my husband add the steak in the afternoon.  When I looked through the ingredient list, I was pleasantly surprised because the ingredients (except for the steak)  can be found in most households so this would also make a great cost-saving recipe!  The only ingredient that you may not have on hand is fresh ginger.  When I was running errands today, I stopped at the grocery store and purchased it.  Ginger is very inexpensive, the cost for two inches was just 33 cents!

I have been looking for recipes using coffee and the site where I found this recipe is: http://www.brewed-coffee.com/coffee/coffee-marinated-sirloin/.  The recipe was originally posted in The Canadian Press.

So, without further chatter from me, here's the recipe:

 Coffee Marinated Sirloin
Start to finish: 1 1/2 hours (20 minutes active)

Servings: 4

1 1/2 cups cold coffee
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup peanut butter
3 tablespoons honey
1/2-inch chunk fresh
ginger
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Four 8-ounce bottom sirloin steaks (or other tender, broiler-friendly cut)
2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil


In a blender or food processor, combine the coffee, pepper flakes, peanut butter, honey and ginger. Puree until smooth, then taste and season with salt and pepper.
Pour half of the marinade in a baking dish. Set the steaks in the baking dish, then pour the remaining marinade over them. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

When ready to cook, preheat the broiler. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.

In a large, deep skillet, heat the oil over medium-high. Add the steak, in batches if necessary, and sear until lightly browned, about 3 to 4 minutes per side.
Transfer the steaks to the prepared baking sheet. For medium-rare, broil for 7 to 8 minutes, or until an instant read thermometer inserted at the thickest part of the steak reads 135 F.
Let the steaks rest for 10 minutes before serving.


Splash of Color

It's that time of year when I  need to add a splash of color around me.  It helps me deal with the cold winter days.  Yes, I live in a warm climate but winter is winter to everyone!  Mine just might not be as cold as yours, but it's still winter to me.

Yesterday, I had to run to Wal Mart for a few items and ran across this beautiful deep color orange rug.  I fell in love with it!  I really got it for a steal.... $3!!!  Now it has a wonderful place in my home.  I placed it in front of the stove  so I would see it every time I walked in the kitchen.  It's a wonderful way to lift up my mood....to sunny!


What helps you make it through the winter?

P.S.  The pic really doesn't do justice for the rug...when I look at it,  the rug doesn't look like it would go well with the cabinets but it does!  You'll just have to visit me and check it out for yourself!  Visiting friends is also a wonderful way to deal with the winter blues.