Not many people know that making a beer-cocktail is actually quite tasty! Especially sitting outside on a sunny patio! Molson sent me a few Coronas and a Cocktail recipe to try, so we couldn't resist whipping up a drink (or two)!
Coastal Surf Margarita
Corona with blended tequila, lime, orange syrup
and crushed chilis, garnish with a lime.
In a blender, add 1 cup ice, 1 oz tequila, 1 oz lime juice, 1 oz orange syrup and 1/2 tsp chopped chili peppers. Blend and pour into a margarita glass. Add 3 oz Corona and garnish with a lime wheel.
This time around we did not have the orange syrup nor a lime, so we chose to garnish with a kumquat (which oddly, we did have). I was worried that the cocktail would taste too much like beer (and I don't mind beer), but found it very refreshing and still very much like a lime margarita with a kick!
Have a 'Get Away From Home' beer-cocktail today!
Enjoy! (Responsibly.)
*Peek Thru Our Window was provided with Corona product for the purpose of recipe review.*
In the past I've talked about my love of coupons. Admittedly, my coupon usage is still primitive for the most part (read: old school paper coupons) and by no means am I an 'extreme couponer'; however, having young kids forces one to order things online sometimes and I've come to know about finding and searching for coupon codes to save some money. (They're out there people, look for them!)
Recently, I was scoping out Sport Chek goods online because it is that time of year again. Running shoes for me, running shoes for the kids... seems that come springtime (calendar wise, not weather wise) our feet have grown or we've worn the shoes out. I was also checking out bikes for Xman, because he's turned into a really tall boy and his bike from last year is not going to cut it. I am happy to report I found all my Sport Chek coupons on one very handy site.
CouponCodes - Not only did it have awesome coupons for Sport Chek, but there are over 20,000 available coupons from stores in all categories of life! If you're looking for a 'better bargain', search no further for all your online coupon needs.
*This is a sponsored post. As always, all opinions expressed are my very own.*
Looking back upon the incident, I'm still in shock that it even happened. And, until now, I haven't even thought about it one more time because I really, really, cannot believe that it happened TO ME. I mean, I was being totally careful and cautious! I also recall hearing DaddyO's voice in the back of my head at the time telling me that it was indeed a horrible idea. (Sorry Honey!)
I was at the beach in San Diego watching the kids play in the sand. (You see where this is going?) I had brought my camera along with me to take pictures of my kids frolicking in the waves and building monster sand castles. The wind kicked up, so I put my camera on the towel covered up by one of the corners. (Hello, where was the ziploc??) I did not want sand to get into my camera after all. Then it became too windy to continue at the beach entirely and the kids and I hurried to get out of the sandy wind storm. That's when it happened...
Grabbing for the towel I heard a plunk! With speedy hands I scooped my camera from the sand. It appeared to be fine. Maybe.
Once back inside the condo, I realized the camera was not fine. Not even a little bit fine. I fired off an email to Panasonic in hopes they could tell me what to do to fix it. Their response? "You know that camera is not sandproof, right?"
Well, duh. Pretty sure they had a chuckle that day on my behalf. ;)
RIP Little Panasonic.
While DaddyO has high hopes of fixing you via some You Tube tutorial, I am pretty sure this moment will go down as one of the dumbest things I've ever done.
I love my bed. It is flat, firm and pretty much the best bed on Earth. A few years ago, we were shopping for a new mattress when we found love in 'memory foam'. Memory foam mattresses allow two people to sleep together without actually feeling each other move around. My hubby is 6'6 ft and is also a fidgety sleeper. It takes him minutes (feels like hours!) to get settled and this occurs many times during the night. Plus, his weight often drags me towards the middle of the bed and with lower back issues, this only sends me running to the Chiropractor. ~sigh~ I love him and he is great in bed, but once he's asleep he's not the kindest specimen to recoup with. Our sleep quality had nose-dived; purchasing a memory foam mattress allowed us to both get the quality rest we needed to keep healthy. Sleeping in the wrong position every night can really take a toll on daily life.
Most mattresses out there are made with really yucky stuff. Toxic foams, glues, and chemically treated fabrics that are not only bad for your health, they are breeding grounds for dust mites and allergens. The average spring mattress loses 16% of support within only the first year. Why purchase a mattress that doesn't have your best health at interest?
"More than a brand; Essentia is a commitment to comfort, quality and health, without compromise."
Sporting the World's ONLY All-Natural Memory Foam mattress, Essentia has eliminated all toxins, their mattresses are organic and biodegradeable and will last at least 25 years. They breathe 80% better than any other mattress on the market...and oh, if I haven't already mentioned, they are extremely comfortable.
I'll let this video explain what makes the Essentia All Natural Memory Foam mattress the standard in getting a good nights sleep.
If you live in the Calgary area, I am excited to announce that ESSENTIA is opening it's first Calgary mattress store location . GRAND OPENING (and huge sale!) - Friday, March 23, 2012. Be sure to check out their quality all-natural memory foam mattresses, organic sheet sets and all-natural crib mattresses! Isn't it time you had a good nights sleep??
GIVEAWAY-
To introduce you to the luxuriousness of a good nights sleep, Essentia had kindly offered one of my Calgary (and area) readers a set of Organic Cotton Sheets . This 100% Certified Soft Organic Cotton sheet set boasts a 300 percale thread count and is:
(*Please note: The Winner must be able to pick up the sheet set at the new Calgary location.*)
Queen Sized -
- 1 Fitted 60" x 80" x 10" deep
- 1 Flat 90" x 106" long
- 2 Standard cases 20 x 31
- The flat sheet and pillowcase are finished with a 4 1/2" flange.
- The fitted sheet is designed to accommodate mattresses up to 10" thick.
I stumbled across these at the grocery store when I was getting Cherry Cheesecake supplies for Beebo's birthday. They were pretty and had a few neat features.
~Vibrant colours/patterns that won't fade.
~Foil lined for easy release.
~No need for a muffin pan, simply place on a cookie sheet!
My muffin tins are a little worse for wear these days. (I abuse them making Yorkshire Puddings.) So I was excited at the prospect of just placing the soon-to-be-cupcakes on a cookie sheet-- plus, I could make way more cupcakes at one time. The last few times I had purchased a decorated paper, the patterns had dyed themselves on to my muffin tins! Argh. I did not like that at all!
Fill the foil cups just over half full. They'll round out and be beautiful, like the ones below!
Don't fill the foil cups 3/4 full!
Or you'll end up with a whole bunch of conjoined cupcakes!
Overall, I really liked this product and would definitely purchase them again. I liked that they maintained their structure and were very easy to remove. The cups also come in many different patterns and colours-- lots of choice! This foil lined cup takes your baking presentation up a notch, without breaking the bank. (I paid $2 for 36.) This time I had an idea in mind of how I was going to decorate the cupcakes, but if you're searching for ideas, Reynold's Kitchen has some really fun stuff. (This is the U.S link. The Canadian site is coming soon!)
My daughter loved the cupcake Garden I made for her birthday party! Complete with worms!
*Peek Thru Our Window was not compensated or asked to produce this post. Just passing on a fun tip to all bakers out there! *
It was Beebo's birthday earlier this week, so in lieu of a BIG birthday bash (last years party shaved years off my life!) we decided to go for a Mother-Daughter Mani/Pedi. It was the first time either of us had this experience. I am not sure why I've never had a Mani/Pedi before, but for the amount of work the poor fella had to do to get me in tip-top shape, I'm pretty sure it was long overdue.
Beebo, like most little girls, is fascinated by painted nails. Though she asks often if I will paint her nails, I often say no. (I'm so mean!) I knew that she'd love this experience, even if her wiggly little body had trouble sitting still and she had to learn the hard way about polish smudge. I also may have left sooner than my nails were dry due to Miss Impatient-Pants... but that's what foam flip-flops and toe separators are for!
All in all, it was a fun way to celebrate a birthday!
In the past I've always 'baked' cheesecake. I had never considered another method before. Yesterday, at the grocery store, Beebo decided that she wanted MommyO to make her a Cherry Cheesecake for her birthday even though that wasn't really what I had planned on. I knew I had most of the ingredients already on hand, but I decided to Google a recipe on my phone just to make sure of what I needed. Gathering up the ingredients in store, I realized that making a traditionally 'baked' cheesecake meant spending almost $15 JUST on cream cheese. I looked up the next recipe down Google's list, titled 'Unbaked' cheesecake and saw that it called for only one pack of cream cheese and some heavy cream (and NO baking!). Being a bit of a cheap-skate lazy, I decided to try the 'Unbaked' cheesecake version to see if it was any good.
Guess what??
It was so easy to make (about 30 minutes total!) and it was super tasty too! I worried the cheesecake may lack a certain richness, but boy was I wrong. I'm pretty sure if I gave you a slice of traditionally baked (3 pkgs of cream cheese) versus the lighter, unbaked version (1 pkg of cream cheese), you would not be able to tell the difference. (Except you would feel a difference of about $10 in your wallet!) I will not go back... it's Unbaked Cheesecake from now on!
1 (12.5 ounce) can cherry pie filling (or any other fruit topping of your choice)
Directions
1. Mix together graham cracker crumbs, margarine, and sugar in a bowl until well mixed yet crumbly. Press into a pie plate, going up the sides as much as possible.
2. Beat together the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in a bowl until smooth and spreadable. Whisk whipped cream into cream cheese mixture until smooth. Pour cream cheese into prepared crust. Smooth the top with a spatula and refrigerate until firm, about 2 to 3 hours. Spread the cherry pie filling over the top, and refrigerate until serving.
Yummy!
I never thought my child would request Cherry Cheesecake this early on in life for her 6th birthday. But I'm pleased she has such great taste!
The expression may imply that I am a wee terrified...
but it certainly was not because I was afraid of the food!
(I was a little afraid I may not finish it all---
though I did, the next day for lunch!)
Casa Guadelajara
Old Town, San Diego CA
Fresh Mexican food, reasonable prices,
with true flare!
Mariachi band and all!
The hubby and I each had a drink (Bowl of Margarita and a Corona Cerveza) and dinner for 4 was still less than $55.00 USD. The kids meals had options of beans, rice and fruit and were reasonably priced at $5.99.
When I knew I was going to San Diego I asked my very reliable Facebook peeps for restaurant suggestions and all led me to this restaurant. I have no reason not to recommend it to you.
Sans children, I would have sat on the heated patio and enjoyed the starry night. A lovely Friday night out---
I blatantly starred at these folks for a really long time!
But I mean, really, who drives around with 3 parrots and does not expect to be gawked at??
Los Angeles, California - March 2012.
*Peek Thru Our Window is in no way poking fun at these folks. We were truly intrigued. The parrots sat so comfortably and were obvious pros at road tripping. Beebo loved every minute of it as she is a huge parrot lover!*
Another fine display of birds in which Beebo fell in love:
I have professed my love for Ketchup Chip via Ode. I have also professed my insane love of Pepperoncinis by the jar on this blog. In the grande scheme of things, I do not overeat much of anything. If I could choose chocolate or salty chips, CHIPS would win hands down every time. But lately, I seem to want to consume massive amounts of Sour Keys (a.k.a- Sour Soothers) and no matter how much they torture my tongue and cheeks, I keep scarfing them back. Best plan at the moment is to not have them in my possession... apparently, I lack all self control around these sour treats.
I know they are not good for me. Yep, I do. I know that too much sugar will rot my teeth or end up as padding on the hips.
After days and days of walking around Universal Studios, Disneyland and Sea World, it has been really nice to just sit back and enjoy the sun and sand of San Diego. Some of us have been really excited to watch the hot surfers in action build sand castles (it's a nice change from building snow castles...) and search for sea shells.
Others have been excited to throw around the frisbee and to teach the kids frisbee awesomeness...
Relaxing is oh so good. Too bad our sunny vacation will soon come to an end; however, we have made oodles of family memories together sharing in many new experiences. Very thankful to have had this time together.
