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Real Solutions for Real Parents by Autumn Rose Reo

Tasty Treats from my iPhone {Food Porn}

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Food Fridays:

One of the great parts of my job is working with food – a lot. 

And once a year I’m privileged to promote one of the best Dallas food events – Taste Addison. So as I gear up for a 3-day weekend of more than 70 restaurants making more than 300 entrees for more than 75,000 people in Addison Circle Park, I thought I’d share what the last couple of days worth of Iphone photos revealed as I revved up for Taste Addison. 

I’m a lucky girl, right? If spending some up-close-and-personal food space with the likes of Kent Rathbun, Tre Wilcox, Lan Nickens, Bob Stephenson and some of the most educated folks on BBQ across the country from Dickeys, then consider me your golden girl! 

A little disclaimer: a few of these photos are also from the other-food minded things I’ve been up to this week including Keller’s FnG Eats new menu items, a get -together with my blogging buddies, a case of tea delivered for a review AND a coping mechanism for one of my more stressful days.

Yes, I like food. And apparently drinks too. And if you do, you should come out to Taste Addison. (A PR girl’s work is never done.) 


Do you like food ? Then make sure to follow me on Instagram and Pinterest. I take lots of foodporn. I mean a lot. 

And come see me this weekend. Come hungry.

Taste Addison 
May 17-19, 2013
Addison Circle Park


You’re Invited to Learn the Hottest Looks for Texas’ Hottest Season with Summer Style Soiree TONIGHT

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To-Do Thursdays:

While North Texans just changed out our winter wear for our tank tops and flip flops, it’ll be just as soon that those mercuries will reach the 100s. (Try to hold back the excitement.)
However there’s no excuse why you can’t look hot while you are hot – that’s where Jenny Davis, Indulge Magazine’s Fashion & Beauty Editor comes in. (Consider her your own Rachel Zoe.)
Tonight treat yourself to an evening of all things summer chic with a special preview of the season’s hottest fashions from Grand Prairie Premium Outlets®, including Bloomingdale’s The Outlet Store (one of only two in Texas) and beauty trends from Daireds Salon & Spa Pangéa — all hand-selected by the fabulous fashion & beauty editor for Indulge Magazine,Jenny Davis. Enjoy a complimentary mini-service, VIP goodie bags, decadent treats, giveaways and much more.



I’ll see you there – if I can find something to wear…
Daireds Salon & Spa Pangéa Host Summer Style Soirée
Thursday, May 16, 5 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Grand Prairie Premium Outlets®
2950 W. Interstate 20, Grand Prairie (Exit at Great Southwest Parkway)
Free (To secure your complimentary mini-service, please RSVP to guestservice@daireds.com. Spaces are limited. Choose from a mini manicure, chair massage or a makeup application.)
ABOUT DAIREDS SALON & SPA PANGÉA
Daireds Salon & Spa Pangéa is a luxury salon, spa and med spa located in the heart of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. The Daireds staff consists of the top trained beauty experts in hair, skin and nails — including several Vidal Sassoon trained stylists. Daireds has been featured in various local and national media outlets, and has an impressive celeb clientele list, including: Kelly Clarkson, Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, Chris Bosh and his family, famous home-run hitter Jim Thome, baseball legend Nolan Ryan, as well as several Texas Rangers and Dallas Cowboys players. For more information, please visit www.daireds.com or www.facebook.com/daireds
ABOUT GRAND PRAIRIE PREMIUM OUTLETS®
Grand Prairie Premium Outlets®, which opened in August 2012, brings upscale outlet shopping to the area. With 110 stores, this shopper’s paradise offers an impressive collection of designer labels and leading brands at savings of 25% to 65% every day. One of its largest stores is Bloomingdale’s The Outlet Store, which offers a range of apparel and accessories, including: women’s ready-to-wear, men’s, children’s, women’s shoes, fashion accessories, jewelry, handbags and intimate apparel. For more information, please visit http://www.premiumoutlets.com/outlets/outlet.asp?id=106.

Time to UNclean: Are Your Cleaning Habits Making Your Kitchen Even Dirtier?

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Try-It Tuesdays: 

 This is a sponsored post written by me on the behalf of Bounty DuraTowel. However, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

When you clean up your kitchen do you use a:
A) Sponge
B) Dish Rag
C) Paper Towel

 If you said A or B, you might be in for a big surprise. Some cleaning habits may actually be making your kitchen dirtier and more harmful for your family.

 Bounty DuraTowel is challenging you to to re-examine the way you tackle your cleaning. While many moms work hard at scrubbing, organizing and wiping their way to a seemingly “cleaner” home for their family, there may still be a few messes lurking behind.

 So, how clean is the average consumer’s kitchen? The CDC estimates each year roughly 1 in 6 Americans (48 million people) get sick from a foodborne illness. To help stop the spread of germs, stick with the six tips below and kitchen surfaces will soon have a few less germs hanging around.

 1. The dishcloth has a dirty little secret: One of the germiest places in the kitchen rests in the palm of your hand. A dishcloth can harbor millions of germs after just one day’s use. Don’t spread bacteria around your kitchen!

 2. The gift that keeps on giving: The E. coli bacteria can survive for days, even months on kitchen surfaces like countertops and cutting boards. Be sure to use separate cutting boards for meat, vegetables and fish and disinfect them regularly.

 3. Cut the crap: The average cutting board has 200% more fecal bacteria than the average toilet seat. That’s more than enough reason to disinfect regularly.

 4. Just nuke it? Studies show in order to keep your sponge germ-free, you have to nuke it in the microwave for at least 2 minutes after each use, which is just more work. By using a disposable paper towel like DuraTowel, the surface is left three times cleaner than a dishcloth.


The kitchen is a source of hidden germs: Did you miss a spot? According to a recent NSF International study, the Top 5 Germiest Areas in the kitchen include:

  1. Refrigerator vegetable compartment: Salmonella, Listeria, yeast & mold. 
  2. Refrigerator meat compartment: Salmonella, E. coli, yeast and mold. 
  3. Blender gasket: Salmonella, E. coli, yeast and mold. 
  4. Can opener: Salmonella, E. coli, yeast and mold. 
  5. Rubber spatula: E. coli, yeast and mold.

Health and hygiene experts agree that paper towels are the best bet for preventing the cross contamination of kitchen surfaces, particularly when it comes to reducing the bacteria left behind from food-prep and more.

“To use a paper towel to clean up messes and then to throw it away, especially on surfaces in your kitchen where you’ve been preparing food is the ideal thing to do,” said Dr. Elizabeth Scott, founder and co-director of the Simmons Center for Hygiene and Community Settings at Simmons College in Boston. “Dishcloths should be not be used for wiping up surfaces to cut down on the potential for cross contamination.”

Bounty’s newest paper towel product, DuraTowel, a cloth-like paper towel designed to replace germy dishcloths. Thick and strong, even when wet, a single sheet of Bounty DuraTowel is durable enough to tackle tough jobs like cleaning countertops, sinks and even small appliances, making it the go-to tool for spring cleaning. Thanks to its fiber-rich design, Bounty DuraTowel offers consumers a cloth-like experience without compromising on clean. Bounty DuraTowel helps leaves your kitchen surfaces cleaner than a germy dishcloth.

“Many people think that their family’s kitchen is clean after wiping up with a dishcloth, but surfaces may be hiding a dirty little secret, said Gregg Weaver, Procter & Gamble research and development engineer for Bounty. “In P&G lab demonstrations, black lights reveal that even after rinsing, used dishcloths can still harbor germs and drag them around. Grabbing a sheet of Bounty DuraTowel gives a cleaner alternative to a used dishcloth.” 

Bounty DuraTowel retails for $3.19 and is available at food and grocery as well as mass retailers nationwide. More information on DuraTowel as well as the entire Bounty product family can be found at www.bountytowels.com.

 This post also appears on the Star-Telegram’s Mom2Momdfw.com.



Mad Men Moms: 50 Shades of Don {Recipe}

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Mad Men Monday:

It’s time for another Mad Men Moms roundup of last night’s Mad Men.

While it may have been Mother’s Day, the show definitely went to a new whole new level of whoa. See what we had to say about an even deeper level of Don. (Oh, my!)

But before you settle into our chair, make sure you get your Mad Men cocktail ready…this time we are making up a Vodka Gimlet (aka vodka and limes in a cup.)

Vodka Gimlet

1½ oz vodka
¾ oz lime juice
3-4 lime slices

Pour vodka and lime juice into mixing glass. Shake and strain into martini glass. Add 3 to 4 slices of lime.

Recipe and photo from AMC’s official Mad Men.


Now settle in and let us know what you think of this episode of Mad Men!

And if you missed other episodes of Mad Men Moms, make sure you get the whole scoop: 

The Cost of Being a Mom

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Happy Mother’s Day!
Hopefully you’re enjoying Mother’s Day with brunch, relaxation and a little mommy love. However, but as moms we know that being a mom is normally not a glamourous or rewarding job, but it’s someone’s got to do it. (And when you see your babies’ faces, then you know exactly why you do it!

Get Back to the Good Days with Fort Worth’s New Coyote Drive-in

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To-Do Thursdays:

When I was growing up in Graham (about 90 minutes west of Fort Worth), we always had a drive-in. In fact since 1955, most the time in Graham, there has always been the Graham Drive-in to look forward to on summer nights. You went with your family, you went with your friends and later, most of us probably had a date night under the stars, watching films like Grease, Indiana Jones and many others that I can’t seem to remember now in much older years, but meant a lot to me at the time. 

The Graham Drive-in has been showing movies since 1955. (Photo courtesy of Facebook.)


It wasn’t until I “moved to the big city” that I realized that a drive-in was a pretty unique attraction. Especially since many of the ones in other cities and towns across Texas were drying up and turning into nothing but a pasture of old memories and old technology from a time of yesterday when people didn’t have smartphones to stay close to watch their favorite films at leisure. Nowadays at a flick of switch we can watch what we want, when we want and how we want. Technology is great, but all this social media has instead made us anti-social.  You just don’t make time hanging with your friends, watching a film, munching on popcorn and just enjoying the art of doing nothing. 


Thankfully, I’m not alone in this nostalgic feeling for getting back to the good ‘ole days. A collaboration of the Tarrant Regional Water District, Trinity River Vision Authority, the City of Fort Worth and many others folks, the Coyote Drive-in is now open along the Trinity River near the Panther Island Pavilion in Fort Worth. This three-screen wonder with outdoor, covered patio areas and a great menu, adds to the additional community vibe the city has been trying to build along this area. 

The brand new Coyote Drive-in in Fort Worth is definitely an upgrade, but still takes you back to the same old drive-in movie experience of yesteryear. (Photo courtesy of Facebook.)

For more about the Coyote Drive-in read the 

Mama’s Prom Dress

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Want it Wednesdays: 

A few weeks ago I went Prom dress shopping with my neice. It was lots of fun, but I realized about half-way through zipping up her 304th dress choice, I never actually went prom dress shopping. While I was lucky to have a gifted and talented mother to create the prom dress of my dreams at the time (something that’s necessary when you have as boobs as big as mine at the time), I missed out a a rite of passage. 

Here’s the one my neice chose. So cute, but not for me.

Then I realized since I was married on the beach in Mexico, I didn’t go wedding dress shopping, but rather found several beach dresses online (it’s hard to find a white beach dress in December in store) then jetted off with much thought about my wedding dress. So that meant I didn’t have that “this is the dress” moment either. 

The whole moment-I-missed-a-moment made me kinda sad. 

So I decided to go prom dress shopping, but in the way that suits me now, that wasn’t  available back in the day when I was young – on the internet. 

Here are a few of my favorites. 




What do you think? 

Is there ever a moment now as a mom you would go back and redo if you could? 


Pizza Can Make You Skinny? {Recipe + Offer}

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Try-it Tuesdays:

Sometimes this girl discovers the newest fitness routine, sometimes she eats the newest dish, either way she’s still trying it out for the sake of her readers, right? At least that’s what I keep telling myself. 

This time I was able to try out one of the coolest things to hit the fast-food scene in a while – Sbarro’s Skinny Slice™. 


I love that restaurants are now offering healthier options that aren’t just salads, but the things you actually want to indulge in (and pizza is ALWAYS at the top of my list.) And the”skinny” slice didn’t taste like anything was missing at all, especially with roasted red and green bell peppers, portobello mushrooms and sweet, caramelized onions topped with a sprinkling of mozzarella and pecorino romano cheeses. Did I mention that it was only 270 calories? That’s AMORE! 



Back in March I got to get my hands on a piece for a special sampling at Blissdom. I mean LITERALLY I got to put my hands on the crust and throw it in the air like real Italian style (well maybe it was a reproduction of pizza crust, but I tried.) Don’t believe me? I have the photos to prove it. 

But don’t just take my word for it, go ahead and try it yourself with this special offer from Sbarro for a free slice of the Sbarro Skinny Slice™. 
Download the coupon!

Too hungry to wait until the next time you go to Sbarro? Don’t worry, they even shared a recipe for an at-home version of the Sbarro Skinny Slice™. 

Sbarro Skinny Slice Pizza at Home
Prep Time:  20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 8

1          yellow onion, thinly sliced
1          tablespoon olive oil
1          package prepared pizza dough or crust
1/2       jar tomato pizza sauce (approximately 10-12 ounces)
2 1/2    cups fresh portobello mushrooms, sliced
1/4       cup roasted green bell peppers (packed in water), drain and julienne
1/4       cup red bell peppers (packed in water), drain and julienne
1          cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1          tablespoon grated Pecorino Romano cheese
To caramelize onions, sauté in a pan with olive oil over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes until slightly browned.  Do not burn.
Preheat oven to 425°F.
Roll out pizza dough on a 17-inch round pizza stone.
Spread tomato sauce evenly across the dough. Sprinkle mushroom pieces over the dough, and then evenly spread onions, green and red peppers. Top with cheeses.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and crispy and cheese is melted. Cool for 1 minute. Cut into 8 slices and serve.
To skip the work and find a Sbarro eatery near you, visit www.sbarro.com. 


Mad Men Moms: Say WHOA and Mojitos

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Mad Men Monday:

It’s another episode of Mad Men Moms and we definitely needed a drink (or two) to make it through this one! 

So get out some mint to mix up for the mojitos will be drinking tonight and get ready for a good one! (You’ll get the recipe over on milkandcuddles.com! )


And if you missed other episodes of Mad Men Moms, make sure you get the whole scoop: 

5 Things to Do with Your Strawberries Before You Throw Them Out {Recipes}

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Are you one of those people that starts off every grocery trip with putting a pint of strawberries in your basket then only to find you throwing them out (AGAIN) because you never ate them before they went bad? 


 Yes, me too. Our family LOVES strawberries and in the spring time I love to buy them. But unfortunately sometimes good ideas don’t always get executed and I can tell you from personal experience brown strawberries don’t make them taste sweeter. 🙂 However, I really hate throwing those strawberries away because no one took the time to cut them up and enjoy them. At least with bananas when they get old you can throw those babies in the freezer and whip up banana bread, banana shakes and anything else banana you want.

 So it got me thinking – why can’t you do the same thing for strawberries? Why can’t you just have a few recipes that you know you can use those strawberries before you send them to the bottom of your trash can?

 Dang Good Strawberry Cake 
This cake doesn’t just take lots of strawberries, but everything else you have in your refrigerator. I can’t believe how easy it was and it was THAT good. I made this for my Mother-in-Law for her birthday cake last year, but I’m pretty sure we didn’t send it home with her. We kept it and ate every bite.

 

 

Here’s also a couple I found on Pinterest as well!

 Canned Strawberries

 No Cook Strawberry Freezer Jam

 Strawberry Salsa with Cinnamon Chips

 Hippie Juice

 Hope you find some great alternative ways to enjoy those strawberries! 

 
 
 
 

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