It seems I barely have a moment to breathe these days. To call my life action packed would be a total understatement…. with work, my boy in school, after school homework, taking him to swimming lessons,  filming videos, creating recipes, traveling, making time for family and friends…. yeah, I’m swamped. In the mist of all the chaos that swirls around me, I still find it necessary to put a wholesome meal on the table every night. I enjoy having that time together as a family to discuss our day and talk about things that happened to each of us while we were apart from each other. Heaven knows sometimes I just don’t have the time it takes to spending hours in the kitchen making dinner, yet I still need to make a yummy meal. In those cases: I make what I call the cheater dinner.

It all started a while ago, before my son even took one step into his new school. As you know, I’m a Walmart Mom, and do a lot of shopping, and browsing at the store. So there I was in Walmart slowing cart cruising down the frozen section when something caught my eye. “Farm Rich Smokehouse Pulled Pork BBQ.”  That seems interesting, I thought. I’m a curious one, so it went into the cart. I came home that night and made a platter of BBQ pork sliders for dinner. Since then it has been a regular meal for those nights when I just don’t have time. I make a quick cole slaw to pair it with, and it becomes and everyday feast that my whole family loves. No one even knows it took me a whole ten minutes to make, all they know is we have more time to spend together, and for that I’m grateful.

For more simple meal ideas, click here!

Ingredients for BBQ pork sliders and coleslaw:

• dinner rolls/mini buns
• Farm Rich Smokehouse Pulled Pork BBQ
• cheddar cheese slices
• red onion (sliced thin)
• pickles
• Marketside Tricolor cole slaw
• 3 – tablespoons mayo
• 1 – tablespoon dijon mustard
• 3 – tablespoons italian dressing

Directions:

1. Slice rolls in half. Set to the side.
2. Heat bbq pork according to package.
3. Place a slice of cheese on one side of the bun/roll.
4. Add a nice mound of pork to the top of the cheese.
5. Top with sliced onions and pickle.
6. Top with other half of bun/roll.
7. To make coleslaw: Add cole slaw mix to a bowl. Set to the side.
8. In a separate bowl whisk mayo, mustad, and italian dressing together until smooth.
9. Pour dressing mixture over cole slaw, then mix to combine completely.
10. Serve sliders and cole slaw.
11. Enjoy.

My son is at school for a good portion of the day, and my main concern is – Is he eating? I know he might take a bite here and there, but I can’t be sure he’s gonna eat his lunch everyday. He just turned five, and sometimes eatting isn’t at the top of his list when he knows he can be playing with his friends. I take matters into my own hands, and always make sure to fuel him up in the a.m. before he heads to school. A few months back I was in Bentonville at the Walmart headquarters where we (the Walmart Moms) learned all these great ways to get our kids eating. The nice people from Dannon and Kelloggs made a few yogurt/breakfast treats that were kid and adult friendly. I jotted down mental notes, and called them from my memory bank now that my boy is in school. Last week while I was in the refrigerator section of Walmart, I came across the yogurt selection. I remembered these incredible dippers they had  made out of yogurt, where you dipped a piece of fruit in the yogurt then dipped in a crisp cereal. Light bulb went on, and I grabbed a tub of vanilla yogurt. I came home, made a few dippers to snack on and then made a few cups of parfait filled with fruit, granola, pistachios, and a few sprinkles of poppy seeds for the following morning. I just felt the parfait was something the whole family could eat together at the table in the morning before we each step out to meet our busy days. I was so pleased when everyone dug in and asked why we don’t eat this tasty breakfast more often. Now I know how to get breakfast on the table at a lightning speed and still have time for a little bonding.

Ingredients for breakfast yogurt parfaits:

• black grapes
• Dannon vanilla yogurt
• granola
• strawberries (sliced)
• poppy seeds
• yellow raisins
• pistachios

Directions:

1. In a tall glass or jar drop a few black grapes on the bottom of cup.
2. Top with 2 tablespoons of yogurt.
3. Top with 2 tablespoons granola
4. Top with 2 tablespoons of yogurt.
5. Top with sliced strawberries.
6. Top with 2 tablespoons of yogurt.
7. Sprinkle in a pinch of poppy seeds, raisins and pistachios.
8. Top with a black grape. 
9. Enjoy!

I have heard every last story there is to hear about the days when Los Angeles had a proper football team.  My fiancé relives the one event of him (he was 8 years old at the time) actually meeting John Madden (Raider’s Head Coach) while on a family vacation in Vegas right after The Raiders had won the super bowl and has the picture to prove it, as it now hangs proudly in our home.  He reminisces the days when he was a young man going to see his beloved Raiders at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and getting there two hours ahead of game time to tailgate in the parking lot with his Dad and friends.  He says they had a small portable bar-b-q and used to make carne asada quesadillas right on the grill before the kickoff, and always finished the story with the how great taste the charcoal gave the meat.  If you live in Los Angeles, then you know the grief many football fans face with no team to represent the massive metropolis that is The City of Angels. Football fans call it a travesty.

With the Fall season brings football season back on the tube every Sunday and Monday night, we have been inviting people over to watch the games.  This past weekend I was at Walmart shopping for snacks to entertain our guests when I came across an entire aisle of small portable bar-b-ques ($21.00) and piles of Kingsford charcoal (twin pack $13.38)  I quickly thought about my fiance’s stories of tailgating and how it would be fun to recreate those moments at home with a small charcoal bar-b-q.  When I saw how reasonably priced the charcoal and the BBQ pit were I grabbed them and hurried over to the meat section in search of some thin cut steak to make carne asada quesadillas.  Of course I found exactly  what I was looking for, high quality 100% beef that’s 100% guaranteed.

The home tailgate was such a welcomed surprise by my fiancé and of course all our guests loved the steak (carne asada) quesadillas.  It was the next best thing to actually being in the parking lot.

Now that I got my portable grill and lots of Kingsford charcoal I found a bunch of additional recipes and tips on how to up my game on Walmart.com.

What you’ll need for steak quesadillas:

• a small portable grill
• a bag of Kingsford charcoal
• thinly sliced sirloin tip steak
• salt, pepper, garlic powder, and /or chile powder
• flour tortillas
• grated jack, queso quesadilla or Oaxaca cheese
• chiles – red peppers or jalapenos

Directions:

1. Fill grill with charcoal. 
2. Then follow lighting directions on the bag of charcoal.
3. Allow charcoal to turn white (hot) and ready to grill. 
4. Lightly season meat with spices.
5. Place grilling rack on top of hot charcoals using a thong.
6. Place meat on grill and cook on one side until the blood rises on top of the meat (about 4 to 5 minutes). 
7. Now is a good time to add the chiles to the grill as well and cook on each side until charred.
8. Flip the meat over and cook until cooked all the way through (about 2 to 3 minutes). 
9. Remove meat from grill and cut into long strips. Remove chiles from the grill and place to the side.
10. Fold a flour tortilla in half and stuff with grated cheese.
11. Place directly on the grill and cook on each side until cheese melts. 
12. Remove from grill and stuff with strips of meat. Cut in half.
13. Serve with charred chile and a bowl of guacamole!
14. Up your game and enjoy.

Disclosure: GigaSavvy is the contributor for this post.

It’s that time of year again, Camp Spooky time at Knott’s Berry Farm!  I’ll be heading there this year with my family and a few friends to enjoy.  There’s a bunch to do for the kids like the Peanuts Costume Parade in the Camp Snoopy Theater, where kids will be invited to participate with a costume contest to follow.  Also in the theater will be a Halloween Party show staring the Peanuts called, “The Monsters as Coming, Charlie Brown.”

There’ll also be a Mini Monster Maze, which is a fun obstacle course with treats to be given at the end.  And then there’s the spooky Photo Forest and a Witches Potion Station!  Being a food-freak, I have to mention that the food at Knott’s is to die for.

All that and a bunch more.  The real cool thing is that the Knott’s 2015 season pass will be at it’s lowest price of the year.  You should really consider taking advantage of this because there’s so much to do all year round at Knott’s.  There are a few plans to choose from.  Take a look at them here:  https://www.knotts.com/ticket-category/Season-Passes

Hope to see ya’ll there,

 Happy Halloween!

When I was a little girl my grandfather would come home Friday afternoon from a long week of working hard with a brown bag filled with pan dulce. He would place the sweet bread in a dish on the table in preparation for his weekend routine. I always knew on Saturday morning as I heard the clink of his spoon stirring his ceramic cup that he was enjoying a cup of coffee with a little bit of abuelita chocolate grated in and an entire piece of pan dulce. He would set out a small jar of dulce de leche for me to have as a spread on my pan dulce in the event that I may have wanted to be extra sweet that morning.

Once Sunday morning would roll around the pan dulce would be hard and perfect for a french toast breakfast. I would rise early and watch my grandfather as he dipped the two day old stale bread into a creamy bath of eggs, milk and cinnamon. He would then butter a pan and cook the wedges into Mexican French Toast perfection. He would then place it on a communal platter and drizzle the top with dulce de leche and berries.  I would take a plate and so would he, and as I became older I would join him in washing it all down with a warm cup of coffee.

This was our ritual, our bonding time, our time to catch up while the rest of the house still found peace in their dreams. He would share stories of his childhood living in between Juarez, Mexico and El Paso, Texas and how rough it was for him, his single mom, and all his siblings living through the depression. Some of the stories were so unreal and sad that all I could do was be thankful that he made his way via a freight train to Los Angeles to build a life here, and make the best of his situation. His stories play out like a beautiful mariachi ballad drenched in tears and boisterous laughter. He is my hero.

Recently I was at a tasting and the Mexican chef made french toast out of pan dulce. It immediately took me back to the days of living under the same roof as my grandfather and enjoying Sunday breakfast with him drenched in our latin history. I decided to recreate the dish with my own spin to it. As I was shopping for the ingredients I went to grab some coffee-mate for the cafesito, and noticed they now made Dulce De Leche flavor and Abuelita chocolate flavor, yes you read right. Can you believe that deliciousness? I grabbed two of each, one for him and one for me. This past Sunday I invited him over for a pan dulce french toast breakfast and stories of our Hispanic heritage and waited to hear the clink of the spoon against the ceramic mug.

Ingredients for pan dulce french toast in a dulce de leche sabor:

• day old pan dulce
• 3 – eggs
• 1/2 – cup milk
• 1/2 – teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 – teaspoon vanilla extract
• butter to grease the pan
• 3 – tablespoons coffee-mate dulce de leche flavor
• 1 – cup powdered sugar
• fresh berries
• a cup of coffee
• 1 – tablespoon coffee-mate abuelita flavor

Directions:

1. On a large cutting board slice pan dulce into wedges. Set to the side.
2. In a bowl whisk eggs, milk, cinnamon, and vanilla extract together.
3. Lightly dip pan dulce wedge into egg batter. 
4. In a pan over a medium flame add a small amount of butter to grease pan. Once melted, add in soaked pan dulce wedge. 
5. Fry pan dulce in butter on all side until fully cooked about two to three minutes per side.
6. Place on a large plate.
7. In a small bowl whisk coffee-mate dulce de leche and powdered sugar, until there are no clumps. 
8. Place dulce de leche mixture in a small plastic bag and cut a small snip in the end. Drizzle over the french toast. 
9. Top with berries. 
10. Serve with a cup of coffee and Coffee-Mate abuelita flavor.  

WAIT…. There’s more! I am giving away a Coffee-Mate kit! The giveaway consists of 1 hand designed coffee mug (by my buddy Crafty Chica), two coupon vouchers, a set of coffee coasters, and a coffee sleeve (pictured below). Enter for a chance to win!

I have a friend who is getting married in a couple of weeks and asked me to make a fancy appetizer for her bridal shower.  She said she wanted something super tasty, simple, in season, and then she threw in the words “elegant and stylized.”  I pondered this idea for a while and wondered what I could come up with.  I never want to disappoint a bride, especially in her glorious moments of celebration.  My thinking cap was running on overdrive when the idea of grapes crossed my mind.  Grapes are in season and super tasty right now, that was all I needed to get the ball rolling.  I started looking around my local markets for grapes.  I’m the type of person that will pick a grape from the package before I purchase a bag, clean it on my clothes, and plop it in my mouth to measure how sweet they are.  I walked into Walmart and lo and behold was a huge display of grapes.  I ran over and scanned the wide variety they had…. seedless, organic, table, seeds, champagne, green, red, and black.  Hmmmm, choices.  I settled on black seedless grapes, not only would they add a pretty color to my appetizer, but they were the most flavorful.

I personally love grapes paired with nice cheese and must admit to eating that combo quite often while I work or watch television. But I wouldn’t be any kind of friend if I just plated the two and served them that way.  Once I was back in my kitchen I started to experiment with cheese and grapes…. here’s what I came up with.  I pinched a bit of goat cheese and patted it flat in my hand, then carefully rolled the grape in the center of the cheese till it was fully encased, then I encrusted it in chopped pistachios for a wonderful little nibble. That’s it, 3 ingredients and the brides wishes were met!

Ingredients for grape goat cheese pistachio nibbles:

• black seedless grapes
• goat cheese
• shelled pistachios (chopped)

Directions:

1. Rinse and dry grapes.
2. Remove each grape from stem/vine.
3. Take a teaspoon of goat cheese and pat it in the palm of your hand to create a flat surface.
4. Place a grape in the center.
5. Then carefully roll the cheese around the entire grape until fully covered.
6. Place covered cheese grapes on a plate and store in fridge while you work on all the other grapes. 
7. Chop pistachios.
8. Then roll each grape in chopped pistachios to coat. 
9. Enjoy! 

And if the recipe is not enough for you grape lovers…. here is a quick video on how to make grape jelly in 30 seconds:

Where there’s pink frosting, there’s gotta be donuts. I recently celebrated by son’s birthday in a big way with over 135 guests. There were lots of treats and it was a very boy driven day. I don’t think there was anything pink in sight for miles. As I stood there observing the kids at the party I realized we had a lot of little girls running around too. I watched them running with long hair and cute braids, some even had glitter in their hair. It made me miss celebrating my own girly side, and I made a small mental note when the chaos of life dies down a little I would take some time to be ultra girly again.

Yesterday I was organizing my pantry and came across some decorative colored candy sprinkles, you know the type you see on either Mexican or Italian cookies. I purchased  them a while back and still hadn’t done anything with them. That instant was the perfect time to be girly. I fancied myself eating a pink donut topped with candy sprinkles. Now to get from point A to B was going to be a bit challenging. I started thinking of everything pink. I looked in the fridge and found some fresh cherries (strawberries or blueberries would have worked fine as well), then found a box of pink cake mix flour in my pantry too. It was all coming together. I wanted my pink donuts to be a little more dense than cakey, so I thought “Hmmmm, I bet if I add Maseca to this pink party, that will definitely do the trick!” And it did. Thanks to my wonderful versatile Maseca corn flour, I had pink donuts all day long, and it felt grand to be a girl.

Ingredients for Maseca’s berry good baked donut:

• 3 – eggs
• 1 1/4 – cups water
• 1/3 – cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 – cup Maseca Corn Flour
• 1 – box pink cake mix flour
• 1 – cup fresh cherries (stems removed, pitted, and cut into pieces)
• 1 – cup powder sugar
• 1/8 – half and half
• pink food coloring
• candy sprinkles

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.
2. Spray a donut pan with a non-stick spray. Set to the side.
3. In a mixer add eggs, water, vegetable oil, Maseca, and pink cake mix flour. Mix until smooth.
4. Add in fresh cherries (or berry of your choice), and mix to combine.
5. Use a heaping 1/8 cup of batter and fill each space in donut pan. 
6. Bake for 15 minutes.
7. Remove from pan and allow to cool completely on cooling rack.
8. In a bowl whisk powdered sugar and half and half together until smooth.
9. Color with pink food coloring. Mix until the color desired is reached.
10. Dip one side of each donut into the pink frosting then place back on cooling rack to dry.
11. Sprinkle the top with candy sprinkles and allow frosting to set for about 2 hours before eating.
12. Enjoy! 

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Maseca. However, the recipe and opinions are my own.