This blog is a hodgepodge of things I want to share, from the good deals I find to my newfound cake decorating hobby and everything in between. Enjoy!

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Month 1 (2011) – Pita House

This year, I wanted to do something different as a New Years Resolution. Something I could actually keep. Since I am possibly the worlds pickiest eater, and my husband has to deal with eating the same couple of foods over and over, I decided I would let him pick any dinner once a month and I would eat it - no matter what. This is going to involve me trying a lot of new foods and foods that I haven’t eaten in years.

For January, my husband chose to eat out at Pita House. Having never tried Mediterranean Cuisine, I was a little nervous, but I wasn't too worried. Thank goodness my husband chose to go easy on me the first month!  

As an appetizer we tried Mama Ghannouj which is mashed char grilled zucchini blended with tahini, parsley and olive oil. It was served cold with pita bread.

Mama Ghannouj

To drink I had Tamarind Juice. I had never heard of tamarind before, but a quick Google search on my iPhone told me that tamarind is a tropical African fruit and can be used as jam, juice, sobets or ice creams. The juice had a hint of sour taste at the beginning of the sip, but left a very sweet aftertaste. It was very good.

For dinner I had the Chicken Kabab Entrée which was charcoal grilled strips of tender chicken served with salad, rice pilaf and hot pita bread. My husband had the Combination Feast which was a combination of Shish Kabab, Shawarma, and Kifta Kabab served with salad, rice pilaff, and hot pita bread.

Chicken Kabob


Overall, everything tasted good and I give the whole meal an 8 out of 10.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Wilton Cake Decorating Class

I have recently been interested in cupcake decorating. I have tried a few cute designs in the past, but I just received all new Wilton decorating supplies for Christmas.  The only thing is, they are harder to use than you think! To solve my problem I signed up for a Wilton cake decorating class at Michaels. I'm not one to go and take a class on my own, but I figured, what choice do I have if I want to use my new supplies properly! The class meets once a week for two hours and lasts four weeks. The first class is in February, and I hope to be able to take some photos and share what I learn with everyone!

From Left to Right: Pink Champaign Mini Cupcakes, Hamburger
and Hot Dog Cupcakes, Halloween Cupcakes


Monday, January 17, 2011

I Love Free Things

My friends and coworkers are always telling me how lucky I am that I always win things or get things for free. I won a 2 night all expenses paid trip to the Marlboro Ranch which included tons of free gear, I won a free wedding dress from Chicago Style Weddings and house of brides and I applied for a free PlayStation Move. These are only the big ticket items, I have gotten many little things throughout the years.

When asked how I always get free things, I tell people "you can't win unless you enter". This is my only secret to winning, I sign up. I want this blog to help direct people where they can sign up to get free samples or win free stuff.

House Party!
My new favorite Web site I think everyone should check out is House Party. House Party asks you to fill out an application to host an event. Each event is sponsored by a leading brand and focuses on something the sponsor wants its fans to experience firsthand and share with their friends. The premise is that the sponsor sends you free products, then you invite your friends over and share the free gear with them. They feel that people are more likely to buy a product if they get to personally try it or if it is recommended to the by a friend.

So far, I have been chosen to host three House Parties. I have hosted a Quilted Northern House Party, a PlayStation Move Ultimate New Years Eve House Party and a Durex Girl Talk House Party. From these three parties I got tons of free gear including: Toilet Paper, Reusable Shopping Bags, a PlayStation move eye and two controllers, three PlayStation games, party hats, cups, napkins, glow sticks... and the list goes on, but you can see some of the things I have received from them in the photos.

Quilted Northern and PlayStation Party Favors

Durex House Party Favors


Free Ziplock Bags

Another free offer I recently signed up for are samples of Ziploc bags. It isn't as exciting as the House Parties, but I love anything free and I will share anything I find.