Happy Spa Friday!

Take a deep breath everyone. It's Friday! It's almost Spring! And I'm here to announce the three winners of the Fiber One Spa Basket Giveaway. They are:

jburden
Laura
wehaf

Congratulations! Please check your email for a message from me. Thanks everyone for visiting!

Cheese-Heads Unite!

Time's up folks! If I don't pick some winners now, this will not be out by the end of the day... The great random.org has spoken, and given back the numbers 19 and 49. The winners of a coupon for free Kraft Singles are:

Valerie2350, who cooks her grilled cheese in her mother's well-seasoned cast iron pan.

Mommyhood is Thankless, who likes to create a yummy-sounding turkey melt.

I will be in touch soon for your contact information. Congratulations!

And I'm happy to make the acquaintance of so many fellow cheese lovers! Stay tuned for another yummy giveaway coming soon!

Cheese - and a Quickie Giveaway

I love cheese. Sometimes I think it must be in the DNA with my parents hailing from Wisconsin and all. Gooey on pizza, sprinkled over salads, a hunk of string cheese straight from the refrigerator - and a lovely bite of comfort food, a buttery, crispy-warm grilled cheese straight from the stove. Occasionally I change up the cheeses, or go for a little gourmet "glam" and add a thin slice of tomato to my grilled cheese sandwiches.

Plain ol' grilled cheese without the crust was a favorite of Daniel's early on. In true picky-eater fashion, he drifted from eating them for awhile. We recently tried Kraft American Singles, and an interesting thing happened. My carb-loving discriminating eater started peeling the bread apart to dig out the cheese! Not a total success, but I may start changing up the cheeses or breads, or cut them up into fun shapes or something to see if he will start eating them again.

Win It!
I have two coupons good for one free 12 ounce package of Kraft Singles (any variety). The expiration date is 3/31/2009, so this is going to be a quickie giveaway.

How to Enter:
1. Leave a comment on this post. If you feel inclined, tell me your favorite way to cook grilled cheese.
2. Follow this blog, or sign up via email or reader. (Please leave an additional comment telling me that you have done this.)

Two winners to be chosen the end of the day, Friday March 13th.

Join Me In A Time Out?

Winter, it's safe to say, has been kicking my butt. We've had multiple household breakdowns, car breakdowns, a bout of family illnesses - all wrapped up in a neat bow with ice storms and snow, and rounds of cold. Spring can't get here fast enough for me.

It was lovely to have a nifty little gift basket arrive on my doorstep. Full of some chocolatey pampering delights: a bath pillow, some bath salts, scented soap and a fragrant tea light. It was also an opportunity to try new Fiber One chewy bars in chocolate mocha flavor. I love chocolate, but am not a coffee drinker so I was initially unsure about the flavor combination for my particular taste buds. There is a pretty good balance between the two, however making for a delicious, chewy sweet snack. Each bar provides 35% of the recommended daily fiber intake and also is a good source of calcium.

Did you know?
- Fiber can help you satisfy your appetite and manage your weight.
- Research suggests that people who have high fiber intakes tend to have healthier body weights.
- Fiber can help keep your digestive system on track.
- 9 out of 10 Americans aren’t getting the recommended amount of fiber.

Do you want to know if you are getting enough fiber? Check out the Fiber-O-Meter at: http://www.webmd.com/diet/healthtool-fiber-meter

Win It!

I have three gift baskets to give away to three lucky readers! (Please note that you will receive a coupon for a free box of Fiber One Chocolate Mocha Chewy Bars rather than the actual snack bars.)

How To Enter

1. Leave a reply to this post and tell me why you need a spa break!
2. Get an extra entry by doing any or all of the following: follow this blog, sign up via email or a reader. If you do this, please leave an extra comment indicating what you have done.

Contest ends Thursday, March 19th - winners to be announced March 20th.

Can't wait? Fiber One is now offering a $1.35 off downloadable coupon for one box of Fiber One Chewy Bars available at: http://bricks.coupons.com/bstart.asp?o=55392&ci=1&c=GM&p=4AbZ6NPX

And the Winner is!

Colleen Jefferey of The Jefferey Family was checking out Holly Moose at the Build-A-Bear Workshop website. She had this to say:

"Holly Moose is adorable."

Colleen is the winner of the $10 in Bear Bucks/gift card to the Build-A-Bear Workshop.

Colleen, please get in touch with me via email/or the contact form on the website to provide your contact information - I will get your prize out to you ASAP. Congratulations!

Hello Hal!

We had a new addition to our household yesterday. Hal Moose™, from the folks at Build-A-Bear Workshop®. What a treat! Plushy soft, he also hides a surprise. When your child squeezes his (paw? hoof?) the Christmas lights laced in his antlers light up! Hal arrived in his own decorated box "house" with a copy of Holly and Hal Moose: Our Uplifting Christmas Adventure - a debut storybook starring Hal and his sister Holly.

Currently Holly and Hal Moose™ are being offered together, for a price of $24 and you receive the storybook for free ($15.99 value, while quantities last.) Individual Moose are $12. Just a quick turn around their website shows store locations, an online shop and a virtual community at buildabearville.com™. A dizzying array of options are on display from choosing just the right furry friend for an occasion, to dressing them up with clothes, accessories and even sounds.

Daniel, like most kids around this time of year, is quite tickled with all things Christmas. Hal currently has a place of honor tucked in with him in his race car bed.

Win it!
I have a gift card of $10 in Bear Buck$ to give away to some lucky reader.

The Rules:
1. Stop by the Build-A-Bear Workshop website and take a look around. Come back here to this post and tell me your favorite stuffed animal. Maybe it's Hal? Chilly Cheeks Penguin?

2. Extra Credit: Get another entry into this giveaway by subscribing to Relishing the Dirt.

3. Winner to be determined by the Random Number Generator at Random.org.

Contest Ends: January 15th; winner announced January 16th.

Willy Wonka I Am Not

I do not cook. Oh, I try and my family gets fed, but I am certainly not known for my cooking. I indulge in foodie blogs, and have grand ambitions sometimes... But my longtime favorite has always been baking. For an absolutely yummilicious blog check out Bakerella.

H adores homemade caramels. We visit my parents, and there is usually a basketful at the checkout of the local market. I purchase a couple, and usually find out that he has been making detours on his own to the market and nabbing some more on the sly...

Last weekend I made a first attempt at candy-making with the Better Homes and Gardens recipe for shortcut caramels. They taste quite yummy, but I have discovered that handling them isn't the easiest. Despite buttering everything (pan, foil, knife, my hands) I couldn't seem to get them to not stick to everything in sight. So - lots of good-tasting caramel, uh blops to eat. Any recommendations from any candy makers out there? I'd like them to look a little prettier, as well as be easier to deal with. Recipe is below:

Ingredients
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1 cup butter
1 16-ounce package (2-1/4 cups) packed brown sugar
2 cups half-and-half or light cream
1 cup light-colored corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions
1. Line an 8x8x2- or 9x9x2-inch baking pan with foil, extending foil over edges of pan. Butter the foil. If desired, sprinkle walnuts onto bottom of pan. Set pan aside.

2. In a heavy 3-quart saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add brown sugar, half-and-half or cream, and corn syrup; mix well. Cook and stir over medium-high heat till mixture boils. Clip a candy thermometer to the side of the pan. Reduce heat to medium; continue boiling at a moderate, steady rate, stirring frequently, till the thermometer registers 248 degree F, firm-ball stage (45 to 60 minutes).

3. Remove saucepan from heat; remove thermometer. Stir in vanilla. Quickly pour the mixture into the prepared pan. When caramel mixture is firm, use foil to lift it out of pan. Use a buttered knife to cut into 1-inch squares. Wrap each piece in plastic wrap. Makes about 2 pounds (64 pieces).

Shortcut Caramels: Prepare as above, except substitute one 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk for the cream. This mixture will take less time to reach 248 degree F (about 15 to 20 minutes instead of 45 to 60 minutes).