Category Archives: Food and Drink

ALDI Award-Winning Wine Review

Food and Drink, New posts, , ,

ALDI wine review

I didn’t know much about ALDI until recently.  ALDI and Mom Central Consulting offered me the opportunity to shop at a local ALDI to purchase wine from their line-up of award-winning international exclusive wines, and other treats.   While I didn’t find the manager of our local ALDI store very helpful when we asked questions about the wine selection, we have enjoyed the wine very  much.  My husband said that when he asked the manager which wines he would recommend, he said “Well, I’m not actually much of a wine drinker so I can’t help you there” and he walked off.   It seems to me that the manager should have had some training on the wines and could have spoken in a more positive and encouraging tone.  Also, the shelves we all out of whack with wines in the wrong place and manyo f the wines were even turned the wrong way so you couldn’t see the label.  I hate to gripe though, so I’m moving on now.  That situation doesn’t affect my decision to return to ALDI to buy wine again in the future honestly.

ALDI’s wine prices are great with award-winning wines starting at just $5.99 and going up to just about $10.  Great prices, huh?

For a recent get together we enjoyed two award-winning 85 point wines from ALDO’s: Sunshine Bay’s Sauvignon Blanc ($6.99) and Chaza Moscato ($4.99) paired with assorted cheeses, vegetables, onion dip, sausage balls, and fruit.

We’ve already planned a trip back to ALDI to pick up more wine for our Christmas Eve and Day meals.

About ALDI:

Known for its premium exclusive brands, ALDI offers more than 1,400 of the most frequently purchased grocery items for up to 50 percent less than traditional supermarkets. Customers can get all the holiday essentials for less, including everything from wines and appetizers to main courses, side dishes and desserts, making holiday meals and family gatherings warm and memorable. During the holiday season, ALDI stores also carry an additional line-up of more than 100 seasonal items at unbeatable prices.

Connect with ALDI:

ALDI Website

ALDI Smartphone App

Disclosure: “I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of ALDI and received a gift certificate to facilitate my review.”

Alicia Hagan, Editor

Liven Up Your Holiday Menu With Ragu and Win a $200 AmEx Gift Card! #Giveaway

Brand Ambassador, Contests, Food and Drink, Giveaways, Holiday, ,

RaguThe holiday season is often the busiest time of the year, and when friends and family come to visit, the last thing I wants is to be stuck in the kitchen preparing time-consuming holiday meals. By having a couple of quick and easy recipes in my recipe book, I can have festive holiday meals on the table and join the party too.

RECIPE IDEA: An easy recipe that requires only a few minutes of preparation is a pasta bake. It’s also a sneaky way to get the kids to eat their vegetables, since Old World Style Traditional Ragu Sauce packs in 2 servings of vegetables in every 1/2 cup of pasta sauce.

HOW TO: Just cook a favorite pasta, such as rotini or fusilli, layer it in with sauce and generously top with Parmesan, and bake, it’s that simple!

RECIPE IDEA: Another fun holiday pasta recipe is Penne Pasta with Sausage.

HOW TO: Brown spicy Italian sausage in light oil with onion, add the sausage to the pasta sauce, and toss them together with the cooked penne. Sprinkle generously with Parmesan and enjoy. You can even please your picky child with a homemade pizza with Ragu Homemade Style Pizza Sauce, (my very picky 5 year old loves these!) allowing your child to top their own section with their favorite toppings.

Serving pizza and pasta dishes are quick and easy ways to feed a crowd, and satisfy even the pickiest or heartiest appetites. By adding these festive dishes to the holiday table, the host and hostess can save time and toil in the kitchen and enjoy the holidays with the family.

$200 AmEx Gift Card Giveaway!

We are giving a lucky reader a $200 AmEx gift card thanks to Ragu!

Mandatory entry:
To enter to win, tell us in the comments below how you would liven up your holiday menu with Ragu sauces or in general.

Get extra entries for doing each or all of the following:
Leave a comment for each thing you do so we can count all of your entries. 

Entries accepted through 11:59pm December 26th.  Open to U.S. residents, 18+.  No P.O. Boxes.

Connect with Ragu

Read my previous Ragu “Moms The Word on Dinner” posts here:

Disclosure: This is part of a campaign for which I am an Ambassador for the Ragú® Mom’s the Word on Dinner Program. Visit www.facebook.com/ragusauce to join the conversation.

Alicia Hagan, Editor

Lindor Truffles – A Great Stocking Stuffer.. and a #Giveaway! {Ends 12/21}

Contests, Food and Drink, Gifts, Giveaways, Holiday, New posts, , ,

Lindor TrufflesWhat do you think of when the holidays get near?  Gifts, shopping, cooking, AND sweets and treats right?  We are here for you then!  Lindt offers a wide range of Lindor Truffles products, including a whole holiday collection that you can put out for holiday guests to enjoy, take to work with you, or just keep in a special place for you and your husband to enjoy!

It all started in a small pastry shop on Marktgasse in Zurich’s old town in 1845. Confectioner David Sprüngli-Schwarz and his 29 year old son Rudolf Sprüngli-Ammann, who also trained to be a confectioner, dared to do something new: they decided to make chocolate. In particular and in keeping with the new fashion that came from Italy –solid bars – just like François-Louis Cailler in Vevey and Philippe Suchard in Neuchâtel had already done.

You can even build your own holiday themed bag of Lindor Truffles!  Mix and match five flavors for a total of about 100 pieces in your bag. You can’t resist that can you?

Connect with Lindt

GIVEAWAY!

One winner will receive a bag of:

  • Lindor Dark Peppermint truffles and
  • Lindor Milk Chocolate truffles
To enter to win, tell us what your most fond memory involving chocolate and Christmas is, in the comments below.

Earn extra giveaway entries:

Entries accepted through 11:59pm ET December 21st.

Open to U.S. residents only. No P.O. Boxes.

The winner will be contacted on 12/22 and must respond by 2pm 12/22 in order to claim their prize.  If we do not receive a response by then, we will have to choose an alternate winner.  While we’d love to think that the winners will receive their prize before Christmas we can not guarantee it.    Prize fulfillment is handled by the PR company.

Disclosure: I received Lindor Truffle samples for purposes of this review.  All opinions are 100% my own and were not influenced in any way.

Alicia Hagan, Editor

Betty Crocker Molasses Cookie Mix Review and #Giveaway – {Contest ended12/15}

Contests, Food and Drink, Giveaways, , ,

Congratulations Marie!

Betty Crocker Molasses Cookie Mix

 

 

My kids and I enjoy baking together.  Baking together gets us away from the hustle and bustle that is family-life and usually leaves us all with memories sometimes funny (because we threw flour at each other) and a few times.. sad (because we burned what we baked).

If you love molasses cookies, but could do without the preparation and mess, Betty Crocker has come to your rescue!  Betty Crocker recently introducing a molasses cookie mix, making this year-round favorite cookie easy to bake in less than 20 minutes.

  • With a delectably soft and chewy texture, and great spice cookie taste, new BettyCrocker® Molasses Cookie mix combines real molasses flavor with hints of cinnamon and spice for a homemade taste that you’ll love.
  • Look for Betty Crocker Molasses Cookie mix in the baking aisle of grocery stores this fall.
  • In addition, you can download a printable coupon for $0.75 off the purchase of one (1) Betty Crocker® Molasses Cookie mix pouch today!
These cookies are delicious and are especially great with a nice, warm cup of tea.. or milk for the kids.  Betty Crocker® Molasses Cookies are sure to be a hit at your next holiday party.  Your co-workers, friends, and family will never know that you whipped them up in just 20 minutes!
Betty Crocker Molasses Cookies

Connect with Betty Crocker:

Giveaway {Contest ended 12/15}

We are giving a lucky reader a Betty Crocker Molasses Cookie Mix Prize Pack that includes a pouch of cookie mix, a Betty Crocker apron, non-stick baking sheet, and mixing spoon.

Mandatory Entry

Leave a comment telling us what your favorite holiday cookie is.  Tell us what your favorite Betty Crocker cookie is, in a separate comment, for an extra entry!

Earn extra giveaway entries:

  • Be sure to have completed the mandatory entry first!
  • 1 extra entry – Follow @mommyinsider on Twitter
  • 1 extra entry – Like The Mommy Insider Facebook page
  • 1 extra entry – Subscribe to The Mommy Insider (and confirm your email address via the confirmation email)
  • 1 extra entry (each time) – Tweet this up to once every 8 hours:|
    “I entered to win a @BettyCrocker Molasses Cookie Mix Prize Pack from @mommyinsider & #MyBlogSpark!! You can enter to win here: http://wp.me/plszx-2DR”.
  • 3 extra entries – Write about this giveaway on your own blog and leave the URL to your blog post in the comments below (can be done once).
  • 5 extra entries per giveaway you enter – Enter any of our other giveaways and/or The Divine Miss Mommy’s giveaways and leave a comment below telling us which giveaways you entered.

Entries accepted through 11:59pm ET December 15th.

Open to U.S. residents only. No P.O. Boxes.

1 winner will be chosen 12/15 and must respond to our email by 8am 12/16.  If we do not receive a response by then, we will have to choose an alternate winner.

Disclosure: “The product, information and prize pack has been provided by Betty Crocker through MyBlogSpark.”

Alicia Hagan, Editor

The California Wine Club Premier Club – A GREAT Gift Idea and a Giveaway!

Contests, Food and Drink, Giveaways, New posts,

The California Wine ClubI’ve been getting shipments of wine from California Wine Club for a few months now and am hooked!  The California Wine Club has helped make me feel less intimidated when I choose wines and I love getting to try new (to me) wines they every month.  I feel so spoiled!

Receiving two bottles of wine from The California Wine Club every month has been a great gift, for me.  I don’t often do anything for me so when I receive the deliveries from CWC, I feel a little pampered.

A California Wine Club Premium Membership would be a great gift for family and friends!  Think about it.. by giving a friend, family member, or co-worker a membership to CWC’s Premier Club you are giving them something they will really appreciate, learn from, and enjoy!   A Premier Club membership would also be a great gift for that top carpool mom!  The recipient will also enjoy learning about the wineries who’s wines they receive each month, in the Uncorked full-color, information packed newsletter they’ll receive with their monthly wine delivery. This month’s featured winery is Tulip Hill, established in 2000.

Giving a membership to California Wine Club’s Premier Club is not only greatly appreciated by the recipient but it’s also very  convenient for you, the gift giver! Order the membership online and everything is taken care without having to worry about waiting in long lines and holiday crowds.

California Wine Club is open 7 days a week during December!  If you have questions call 1-800-777-4443.

Connect with California Wine Club:

DISCOUNT CODE & GET AN EXTRA BOTTLE OF WINE!

1. Use code mommyinsider to get 10% off every gift order you place.    A California Wine Club Premier Club membership makes a fabulous holiday gift!

2. If you would like to try The California Wine Club, you can use the same promo code and not only will you get 10% off your first month, but you will also get an extra bottle of wine in your first month’s shipment just for being a The Mommy Insider reader!   There is no obligation to stay past the first month.

GIVEAWAY!

Win a one month membership to California Wine Club’s Premier Club! 

Mandatory Entry:

1. Go to California Wine Club’s Facebook page or follow Follow California Wine Club on Twitter and mention that The Mommy Insider sent you!

If you are not on Facebook, just do the following mandatory entry and let us know that you are not on Facebook, in your comment below.

2. Then leave a comment below telling me which you did and why you’d like to win.

2 extra entries:

  • Like The Mommy Insider on Facebook
  • Follow @mommyinsider on Twitter
  • Subscribe to my email newsletter or RSS  feed
  • 3 extra entries – Tweet about this contest (up to 4 times per day). Your Tweet MUST include the name of the item being given away, my Twitter handle (@mommyinsider), the word giveaway, and a link to this post.
    Example tweet:
    “I entered to win a 1 month California Wine Club membership from @mommyinsider and @cawineclub!  Enter here: http://wp.me/plszx-2AT  #Giveaway”
  • 5 extra entries per giveaway you enter – Enter any of our other giveaways and/or The Divine Miss Mommy’s giveaways and leave a comment below telling us which giveaways you entered.

3 extra entries:

  • Blog about this giveaway as a separate blog post on your own blog
  • Add a comment to any non-giveaway posts on this site (must be relevant to the post you are commenting on).  Tell me in the comments below what post you commented on.

*****
Contest Rules
This contest is open to U.S. residents 21 and older. Utah residents are excluded from this contest. No P.O. Boxes.
Entries accepted through 11:59pm EST December 19th.
The winner will be chosen at random and will be contacted via email.  Winner must respond within 24 hours or a new winner will be chosen.
One IP address per household.
*****

Disclosure: I was offered a three month subscription to California Wine Club for review purposes.  My opinions are 100% my own and are not influenced in any way.  I write only about products and services that I have used and enjoy, unless otherwise stated.  You can read my full Disclosure Policy here.

Alicia Hagan, Editor