Laughing Lindsay

I have been wanting to work with Musselman’s for some time now. I had seen their products in stores and online for a year or so and I thought they looked good. However, I had never tried them. So, I was very excited to be offered the opportunity to try some of their apple sauces. Now, this may seem like an odd time to try Musselman’s since we usually think of apples in the fall. However, it is now officially spring. That means that the Peach Glen orchard growers for Musselman’s are finished with winter pruning and are preparing for apple blossoms. Yay! Doesn’t that sound like an exciting time for growers and Musselman’s?

This is also the perfect time to go outside again with family and friends. Winter had most of indoors to avoid the cold. Now that it’s warmer, we can go on those hikes or just relax. What makes a good outing a great one is food. Haha! Using Musselman’s, you can make some perfectly portable snacks for your spring outing. Think things like Chewy Fruit Bars, Easy Low Fat Granola, and Grandma’s Spice Cookies. I made some of the cookies with my boyfriend using their original apple sauce. We also opted to add some raisins. They didn’t look overly flashy or anything. However, they tasted delicious!

We made them on Friday night and they were gone Sunday morning. The two of us and his parents snacked on them all weekend. They were great for dessert, a snack, and breakfast (in my opinion). They were a bit cakier in texture than I was thinking they would be. Also, I made the mistake of making them too big in the first batch. Haha! These cookies definitely spread out while baking. Nonetheless, we ate them all and they tasted great!

I also tried some of their cinnamon apple sauce. I love cinnamon in my apple sauce. I think they go perfectly together. This apple sauce was a little chunkier than some of the other apple sauces I’ve tried. However, I think that’s great because you can literally see the proof that they use apples in the apple sauce. It has a more earthy feel to it that way. Plus, it tastes really good. Now, one lucky reader will get to try some apple sauce from Musselman’s.

WIN!

1 Laughing Lindsay reader will win Musselman’s apple sauce and copies of recipes for the products mentioned above.

To enter: Tell me why you would like to win some Musselman’s apple sauce.

This entry is mandatory, if you do not do #1, you cannot do the “extra” entries. Comments like “enter me” will not be eligible!

Extra Entries
For each extra entry please post an additional comment!

1. Follow me on Twitter (let me know your handle in a comment).

2. Tell others about this giveaway (Tweet, Digg, Stumble, email, forum, meme, blog it, etc). You get one extra entry for each thing done. One Tweet allowed per person.

3. Follow my blog and tell me (or tell me if you already are).

4. Subscribe to my blog’s feed and tell me (or tell me if you already do).

5. Add my blog button to your blog (leave blog link).

6. Comment on a non-giveaway post. (Come back and tell me which one.)

Giveaway ends on May 21st at 11:59 pm EST.

The winner will be chosen via random number generator the next day and notified by email. If I don’t hear back from the winner within 48 hours of sending the winning email, I’ll pick another.

GOOD LUCK!

*Open to US residents only.

Disclosure: I received free Musselman’s apple sauce. No compensation was received. The opinions expressed are my own.

Welcome to May Buffet coordinated by ShePromotes! This event will take place from May 1st at 12:01am EST through May 15th at 11:59pm EST.

It’s May! And for many of us that means the start of grilling and cookout season. Good food is great all year round, but there is just something about the warm weather that says bring on the steaks! I am sure you like to check out recipes shared by your favorite bloggers, so we thought we’d share some yummy prizes with you! Each blog listed below on the linky has a prize valued at $25+ for each winner – ALL FOOD RELATED! This means goodies to eat and items to help you fix, mix, cook, and serve delicious dishes. So let the May Buffet begin!

For my giveaway in the hop, I wanted to allow readers to do some Mediterranean Entertaining with Peloponnese Foods. I received an assortment of their products to try and one of my readers will win the same awesome prize package of products. This includes:

* Peloponnese® Artichoke Spread
* Peloponnese® Hummus Spread
* Peloponnese® Halved Kalamata Gourmet Black Olives
* Peloponnese® Florina Whole Sweet Peppers
* Peloponnese® Baba Ganoush
* Peloponnese® Antipasto Party Olives
* Specialty Olive Bowl

You can view a picture of the prize package in the Rafflecopter below (isn’t the bowl adorable?). I wasn’t sure what to expect from these foods. However, my boyfriend loves to eat Mediterranean foods. So, I knew he would be excited to try them. We discussed various ways to try them and ended up coming up with this…

We started with some ground turkey. Then, we formed patties and my boyfriend added some of the olives to his patty. We put hummus spread on the crown of the bun. We also seared the peppers and placed them on the burger. We added some lettuce and red onions. Also, he opted for some antipasto party olives on top of that.

The burgers ended up being really good. The hummus is delicious! I will even eat it with a pretzel. I left the ingredients at my boyfriend’s and he plans to use them to make more turkey burgers with it this week. Overall, it was a wonderful way to spice up dinner and to try something new.

WIN!

1 Laughing Lindsay reader will win a Peloponnese Mediterranean Foods Prize Package!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: Please note that Laughing Lindsay, “May Buffet Giveaway Event” or the “May Buffet” bloggers are not responsible for sponsors that do not fulfill their prizes. We have represented each sponsor with the expectation they will fulfill their prize and in a timely manner. We will contact the sponsor regarding your prize(s). The sponsors, in most cases, are shipping their items to you directly. We will make every effort to assist you obtaining your prize. If there is an issue with a sponsor, please notify the blog you won a prize from within 4-6 weeks for assistance, after that we may be unable to assist you.

Disclosure: I received the Peloponnese foods for free. The opinions expressed are my own.

My last Chicken Soup for the Soul Book Giveaway was over a month ago. Thankfully, I have another great title from the Chicken Soup book series. This time, it actually hits close to home.

As you may or may not know, my dad is (and has been for years) in bad health. He is legally blind, so he requires extra help from me and my mother from time to time. So, technically we would be considered family caregivers (I suppose). This newest book from Chicken Soup is on just that. It’s actually even called Family Caregivers. It features 101 stories of love, sacrifice, and bonding.

This book has several great stories and topics. I like the chapter that concentrates on maintaining a sense of humor. My dad manages to make me laugh all of the time. I can’t help but be amazed at how he has kept this sense of humor through everything. However, he sometimes mentions that he laughs to keep from crying. So, I guess laughter is a good way of dealing with the ups and downs of being sick.

This book contains many topics that are relevant to me and other people with sick family members. It’s obvious that Joan Lunden and Amy Newmark have experience with this sort of thing since they have created the book in a very logical manner that is meaningful and helpful.

WIN! THIS GIVEAWAY HAS CLOSED!

Three Laughing Lindsay readers will win a copy of Chicken Soup for the Soul: Family Caregivers.

To enter: Tell me why you would like to win this book.

This entry is mandatory, if you do not do #1, you cannot do the “extra” entries. Comments like “enter me” will not be eligible!

Extra Entries
For each extra entry please post an additional comment!

1. Follow me on Twitter (let me know your handle in a comment).

2. Tell others about this giveaway (Tweet, Digg, Stumble, email, forum, meme, blog it, Google Buzz, etc). You get one extra entry for each thing done.

3. Follow my blog and tell me (or tell me if you already are).

4. Subscribe to my blog’s feed and tell me (or tell me if you already do).

5. Add my blog button to your blog (leave blog link).

6. Comment on a non-giveaway post. (Come back and tell me which one.).

Giveaway ends on May 14th at 11:59 pm EST.

The winner will be chosen via random number generator the next day and notified by email. If I don’t hear back from the winner within 48 hours of sending the winning email, I’ll pick another.
GOOD LUCK!

*Open to US & CA residents only.

Disclosure: I received a free book. No compensation was received. The opinions expressed are my own.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I love to eat! I really enjoy eating sweet things. However, those things are often not good for me. In fact, they are often not part of a healthy diet. Haha! That’s why I was excited when I received something new from Dole (you know, the fruit company). They’re called Real Fruit Bites. The Bites are little pieces of dried fruit covered in yogurt with whole grain oats on top. There are three different fruit varieties available: mango, apple, and pineapple.

I was lucky enough to receive a sample of each of the three flavors. I LOVE apples! So, I was most excited to try them. I am happy to report that they taste really good. Also really good was the pineapple. What surprised me was the mango chunks. I actually don’t usually like mango or mango flavored things. I tried them last and figured I would end up having to give them to my boyfriend. However, I was wrong. I really like them! I actually haven’t given him any of the mango. Haha!

While all three taste delicious, they are also pretty healthy for you. The mango chunks contain only 80 calories per package! Woot! I have been packing a bag of one of the varieties in my lunch everyday since I received them. They are a nice sweet treat that I don’t feel guilty about eating. Plus, I love that I don’t have to refrigerate my lunch or store it in any special way or container. It really is a convenient way to enjoy fruit (and yogurt). They are perfect for the busy mom, college student, or child.

All three varieties taste wonderful! They do look a little funny since they are covered in yogurt and have whole grain oats on them. However, once you taste them, you won’t give their appearance a second thought. Actually, you might have thoughts about wanting more after you finish the pack.  

WIN! THIS GIVEAWAY HAS CLOSED!

One Laughing Lindsay reader will win a 30 day supply of Dole Real Fruit Bites.

To enter:  Tell me why you would like to try the new Dole Real Fruit Bites in a comment.

This entry is mandatory, if you do not do #1, you cannot do the "extra" entries. Comments like "enter me" will not be eligible!

Extra Entries
For each extra entry please post an additional comment!

1. Follow me on Twitter (let me know your handle in a comment).

2. Tell others about this giveaway (Tweet, Digg, Stumble, email, forum, meme, blog it, etc). You get one extra entry for each thing done. One Tweet allowed per person.

3. Follow my blog and tell me (or tell me if you already are).

4. Subscribe to my blog’s feed and tell me (or tell me if you already do).

5. Add my blog button to your blog (leave blog link).

6. Comment on a non-giveaway post. (Come back and tell me which one.).

Giveaway ends on May 10th at 11:59 pm EST.

The winner will be chosen via random number generator the next day and notified by email. If I don’t hear back from the winner within 48 hours of sending the winning email, I’ll pick another.
GOOD LUCK!

*Open to US residents only.

Disclosure: I received free samples of Dole Real Fruit Bites.  No compensation was received.  The opinions expressed are my own.