Update

Hello all! I just wanted to touch base with everyone and explain my absence. My mother in law was diagnosed with lung cancer about 7 months ago. She has taken a turn for the worse and is now on hospice and I am taking care of her.

I am overwhelmed and very tired. I am not going to be blogging as much as I like. I will write when I have the time, but I don't know when and how often. If you are interested in the deals and freebies, follow me on Twitter. I have been posting those as often as I can.

I have some great articles on Christmas shopping and some more reviews that I will get to when I do get the chance, just please be patient with me.

Thanks

Grape Tomato Salad with Basil Vinaigrette

Here is a nice light summer salad to enjoy.

Grape Tomato Salad with Basil Vinaigrette

Recipe serves: 8

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon finely chopped shallots
2 tablespoons fresh chopped basil leaves
salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper
2 pints grape tomatoes


Place all the ingredients except the tomatoes in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Shake well.

Gently toss the tomatoes with the vinaigrette. Garnish with fresh
basil leaves. (optional)

Serving Size: about 1/2 cup of salad

Freebies, Deals and Sweepstakes

Kohls - Super Saturday Sale featuring 100 Early Bird Specials. Online 1am to 4pm EDT, In Store 7am to 1pm local time.

Cozi - This is a FREE way to keep everything organized. You can keep appointments, schedules and lists all online and handy. You can also get a mobile version.

Fashion Watch - Enter to win a Noxema Original Deep Cleansing Gift Basket. Ends August 10, 2009.

Luxor Las Vegas - Get a FREE room night when you buy two tickets to Criss Angel Believe with code PDGET.

Amazon.com - Get 2 years of Marie Claire and 2 years of Seventeen magazine for $5 each. The discount will show in cart.

Marie Callender's - Printable coupons for FREE entree and 20% off your bill. Sign up for the newsletter to get coupons every month.

Vaseline - FREE sample of Vaseline Aloe Fresh Body Lotion.

Black Angus - Printable coupons for $14.99, for Summer Grill Trio and $37 Capfire Feast Dinner for 2.

e.l.f. - FREE bronzer wristlet with a purchase of $15 or more with code GTLWRISTLET.

TigerDirect - Reburbished Sale. There are some great deal. Ends Today, July 17, 2009.

Graveyard Mall - Daily Deals - 3 in 1 Bagless Power Vacuum for $14.99, reg. $119.99 and Slot Machine Drink Despenser $9.99, reg. $59.99.

Hanes - Take 20% off clearance.

SuperJeweler.com - Save 60% off select items. Sale ends July 19, 2009.

Deals and Freebies

Venom Energy - Fill out the form to get a free Venom Energy Drink coupon sent to you.

Arts Cow - Get a Custom Classic Tote Bag for $7.99 with code TOTEBAG799FS. Offer expires 7/31/09.

8x10 Gallery Stretch Canvas Print $11.99 with FREE shipping with code 8X10CANVAS1199. Offer expires 8/31/2009.

Photo MakeUp Bag $11.99 with code MAKEUPBAG1199. Offer ends 8/15/2009.

Orbitz - Save an extra 15% on select hotels with code 7DAYSAVE. Book by July 19th to save on travel through October 15, 2009.

e.l.f. - Sitewide $1.98 shipping with code EGSHIPT on orders over $15. Offer ends July 16, 2009. I am excited about this. I have a list of things that I wanted to get.

Great Wolf Lodge - For my friends in the NorthWest. Save 10% off available rates with a 2 night stay with code MOREFUN. Valid until September 3, 2009.

SuperJeweler.com - Save up to 60% on Ruby Jewelry. There are some beautiful and inexpensive pieces. This is my birthstone, so I am really excited.

Victoria's Secret - Up to 60% off Pink Collegiate Collection. While supplies last.

Characters - Get FREE standard shipping on orders $25 or more with code JULYHOT. Offer ends midnight July 18, 2009.

Walgreens - 25% off posters with code BIGSTYLE. Offer ends July 18, 2009.

Review - Batter Blaster

If you haven't seen this product at your market it is called Batter Blaster and it is pancake and waffle batter in a can. I know it is kind of hilarious. I was on this crazy kick and I wanted pancakes, so I saw this at the store and bought it.

I thought that it would be fun and easy to use, so I figured, what the heck. To use this product for pancakes, you shake the can, make sure your pan or griddle is buttered and then spray the batter into the pan. You cook the pancakes as you would normally do.

I made four pancakes, and I used one small skillet and cooked them one at a time. The first pancake came out horribly. It was very airy and when I went to flip it it completely flattened and fell apart. I wasn't able to flip it at all and just threw it out.

The second pancake I made turned out better than the first but I still had a difficult time flipping it, but it was edible so I kept it.

The third and fourth pancakes turned out really well. They were easy to flip and looked great.

Alright, so here is what I think. I thought that Batter Blaster is a great product if you are only going to make a few pancakes at a time. Maybe four or less. It saved a lot of clean up time, because I did not have to make the batter and then clean up the extra dishes. If you are going to make pancakes for the entire family I don't think it matters if you use the Batter Blaster or mix your own pancake batter.

In my opinion, when you use this for pancakes, use a small skillet, like I did, or a large griddle. It seemed to me, like I would have only been able to cook a couple at a time. I also used Pam Cooking Spray to keep my skillet greased instead of butter. I had to spray the skillet after each pancake. This I did not like. I usually don't have to do this when I make pancakes. I would also recommend spraying a little of the batter into the sink, the first time you make a batch. This should avoid the problem that I had with the first pancake being too aerated. I don't like having to waste product, but I threw the first pancake out, so it was wasted anyway.

Now for the pancakes. They were very light and airy. They weren't heavy at all, which was very nice. The taste was very good. It had a subtle sweet vanilla taste. I had one with nothing on it, so that I could get a good taste of the flavor. I really enjoyed them.

You can use this batter for waffles too. I did not make waffles, but I think that the Batter Blaster would work better with a waffle maker then it did with the pancakes.

Overall, I think that the Batter Blaster is great for making a couple pancakes. It is extremely easy to use, and there is virtually no clean up involved. It is a nice, quick and easy breakfast. The pancakes tasted great and it would be easy to add some blueberries or chocolate chips to it. It doesn't save any time if you are making a large batch of pancakes.

The Batter Blaster comes in a 18 oz can and it says that it makes about 12 pancakes. You can also go to the website to find tips, a video on how to use it and recipes.

Deals and Freebies

K Mart - Check out your local K Mart for 50% off clearance toys. Great time to stock up for Christmas.

Amazon.com - It's Friday, so check out the Friday Sale.

7 Eleven - On Saturday 7/11 between 7am and 11pm for a FREE, 7.11 oz (Get it) Slurpee. It is to celebrate their 82nd Birthday! Also, check out the Liquid Artillery (GI Joe) flavor. It sounds YUMMY, strawberry, pineapple and lime. I love pineapple!

Arby's - Go to Arby's and bring in this coupon for a FREE BBQ Bacon Cheddar Roast Burger with the purchase of a soft drink. Offer expires July 12, 2009.

Rainforest Cafe - Printable coupon for $10 off any $25 food and drink purchase. Coupon expires July 31, 2009.

Deals and Freebies

eForCity.com - Get $5 off $20 or more with Code ONLY4U5OFF. Offer expires 8/4/2009, excludes DVD's, game software and promotional items.

Styles Checks - Get 2 boxes for the price of 1 with code ZWF641. Offer expires July 15, 2009.

BeautyTicket.com - Get a Hard Candy Bling Bling Eye Glitter Pot worth $16, for FREE with a $25 purchase.

Arts Cow - Get 2 customizable dual-sided pencil cases for $9.99 with FREE shipping with code PC999FOR2. Offer expires 8/8/2009. These will be great for back to school.

Puritan's Pride - Buy 1 Get 2 FREE Vitamin Sale. Same Item, Same Size, Puritan's Pride Brand Product. Time to stock up on your vitamins and supplements again.

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CompUSA - 1 TB Eternal Hard Drive for $89.99. This is a great price for a 1TB hard drive. While supplies last. Plus $1.99 shipping.

Star Wars Shop - FREE shipping on orders of $20 or more. Offer ends July 14, 2009.

Long John Silver's - FREE Baja Fish Taco, Tuesday, July 14, 2009, from opening to 2:30pm.