Five people in one house can make it difficult to choose a recipe that everyone will try or enjoys. My oldest son does not like cheese. There is a few dishes that he will eat “certain” cheeses with like mozzarella. On the other hand, my daughter eats cheese but is not the biggest fan. My middle son, myself, and the other half all enjoy plenty of different cheeses. This is just a tiny dilemma since many dishes have cheese but it is super easy to remove it. Below is one dish I have found that the entire family will eat that does not come straight from mixing boxed food with canned food.

Mmm… Good comfort food. Chili Mac!

Hearty meat, fresh spices, and comfort pasta make this dish so appeasing not only to adults but children too. Top it with cheese and onions for even more flavor. My son likes to add sour cream but I like mine with cheese and red onion. For extra heat the other half adds cayenne pepper over his after it is served.

Back to the DIY photography boards. Tell me these boards are not just super pretty? I just love playing with colors and leaving some natural. I am thinking about a post on how to make DIY photography boards with cheap acrylic paint, Elmer’s glue, and plywood. Just curious if any of my readers would be interesting in reading a detailed post about this?

Here’s the recipe for Chili Mac  :)

The post Chili Mac appeared first on Mooshu Jenne.

Drive It Home show with Menya

The Allstate Foundation and the National Safety Council are supporters of the Drive It Home show. The National Safety Council brought in some statistics on teen driving that would amaze you. Did you know that  teens wreck mostly when pulling out of a parking lot or deciding when to turn in front of a moving car. Judgement calls are the number one over cell phones which I know surprised me. Here’s a pretty interesting fact sheet about teens and driving.

As a parent of  three teenagers in Texas I like to know all the facts. Here is a sheet that will help you with that. I can honestly say that I told my teens they wouldn’t drive until they saved their own money for a car and insurance. I found this to be a way to prolong them driving at 16. I also find that if they work for it they will respect it a little more. Let’s face it, teens will be teens. When it comes time to take them for a driving test I am going to be double sure that they have plenty of driving months before getting a license.

This video shows that your teens are watching you! Sometimes we like to think they are not paying attention but they are. We tell them how to drive when we should be showing them how to drive. Talking to them about it and be a good driver yourself so they don’t replicate what your doing as a parent driver.

I hope that if this show comes to your area that you will take the time to go see it. It’s definitely worth it to experience it WITH your teen.

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective, and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

The post Drive It Home Show in Plano appeared first on Mooshu Jenne.

I have a three teens in my home and I am looking forward to this event.  I plan to bring my son whom is about to be 16 and my daughter that is 13 along to listen in. Plus, who could beat winning some gas cards especially when it is almost summer and the gas always goes up this time of year. I got lucky with my oldest that’s almost 18 as he really does not want to drive. However, my 16 year old is all but ready to be a NASCAR driver. I think this little endeavor might help!  If your coming to the Drive It Home event let me know in the comments that way I may have the chance to meet you.

Hey friends and local readers, if you live in the DFW area I’d love for you to join me at the Drive it Home Show, presented by the National Safety Council and Allstate Foundation, Thursday, May 23, If you have tween, teen, or are concerned about teen driving safety, it will be an informative (and entertaining!) event. Please feel free to share this post with anyone who might like to attend. Details are as follows: 

What: Drive it Home Show, presented by the National Safety Council and Allstate Foundation

When: Thursday, May 23 from 7pm – 8:15pm

Where: Plano Courtyard Theater (1509 H Ave, Plano, TX 75074)

Price: FREE!; no tickets required

BONUS: You can enter in the sweepstakes at the event for a chance to win gas cards and a brand new car!

If you’d like to attend, click here to register and when checking in, let them know that Clever Girls Collective sent you. Hope to see you there!

You can follow along on Twitter at #DriveitHome #CGC

Disclosure: I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective, and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

The post Drive It Home Show appeared first on Mooshu Jenne.

I live about two hours from West, TX. My sweet V and his parents are Czech.  His parents came to Texas more then 25 years ago from the Czech Republic and they love it here. When I witnessed the tragedy on the news I knew I had to help somehow.

In West, Texas is a quaint little shop called the  Czech Stop that are famous for their kolaches. It’s right off one of our main highways. The town is well known for its Czech culture and heritage  In fact, the Czech Republic is donating monies to help with this community. It may not be much but it is nice of them to put forward an effort to help.

Today, I am using a recipe that V’s mom sent me a few years ago after she baked me this wonderful cake with fresh plums from the tree in her backyard. It is traditionally made with cherries or other fresh picked berries that grow wild in the Czech Republic. I looked everywhere for cherries but they are not in season here yet. I decided to settle on raspberries since they are a berry and one of V’s favorites. Here is my #BakeForWest recipe: Raspberry Bublanina (bubbly cake) in honor for those lost or injured in this horrible tragedy.

If you would like to donate to help those in West, TX you can donate here through the Pointwest bank.

Please take a moment and stop by to visit these other fantastic foodies for their wonderful Czech desserts for #BakeForWest

• Juanita’s Cocina ~ Peaches ‘N Cream Kolaches
• See Aimee Cook ~ Czech Poppy Seed Cake
• Texan New Yorker ~ Cream Cheese Kolaches

The post Raspberry Bublanina #BakeForWest appeared first on Mooshu Jenne.

Czechs generally make stuffed bell peppers a bit different then Italians do. My other half and I figured that out the first time we decided to make stuffed peppers together. He is full blooded Czech and well I’m Italian with other heritage but more prone to the Italian as I was raised with that cuisine and values. Czech stuffed peppers are simmered on a stove with paprika, rice, and ground beef  while Italian stuffed pepper are baked in the oven without paprika and a small amount of tomato sauce. This stuffed pepper soup is a rendition of Czech stuffed peppers turned inside out to make a soup. Love Czech stuffed peppers with dumplings also known as knedliky. We just had garlic bread at the time but it would have been nice to pair them with this soup.

The board turned out nice in the photograph. I am working on several others and thinking about a DIY post. Anyone that would be interested? The boards I am working on are going to be chalkboard, crackled,  and stained. Most of them will be painted with basic cheap acrylic paints you can pick up at any hobby store. Hoping to get the rest of them cut tonight so I can work on them over the next few days.  Also in some serious need for heavy poster board. Looks like another run to the Dollar Tree.

And now I am off to cut those boards… well make the other half do it while I eat fresh tortillas with salsa and butter. Guilty pleasure!

The post Plněná paprika polévka – Stuffed pepper soup appeared first on Mooshu Jenne.

Here is a bit more on Food Bloggers Against Hunger:

Food Bloggers Against Hunger was created by Nicole from The Giving Table in response to the new documentary, A Place at the Table.  Today, April 8, 2013, food bloggers will donate their posts to raise awareness about the film, issues of hunger, and ask their readers to send letters to Congress to protect SNAP funding and make anti-hunger legislation a priority.

A Place at the Table premiered on March 1st, 2013.  This documentary from Participant Media—the same studio that brought you Food Inc.—follows three families struggling with food insecurity, and sheds light on the very real problem of hunger in America.

Please refresh is video doesn’t pop up

Food Bloggers Against Hunger – April 8, 2013 from Nicole Gulotta on Vimeo.

My first child was born when I was 16, two weeks away from my 17th birthday. He was my perfect birthday gift. With plenty of help from my grandmother, I moved on to get my GED and got a decent job alternating schedules with my grandmother; so my son would never have to go to a daycare.  I was a single mom.

Then a few months after giving birth to my son I met Mike. This brilliant full of life individual that I fell passionately in love with at first sight.  Another few months pass and with great surprise I find out I am expecting my second child. Mike was  immediately excited and got a job at a local ice cream joint. After the baby was born I went to work as a photographer. We eventually got our own apartment. We had two incomes but we still didn’t have enough to afford to pay for the food. We decided to go out and look for help, something that most people fear. We got SNAP which then was called Lone Star and we received WIC. Both programs helped with baby food and formula but still did not cover all food costs for the four of us.

At least we both had creative imaginations and a love for food. We shopped sparingly by buying in bulk such as: rice, pasta, and flour. We bought cheap packages of meat at the meat market, in which, we broke down in to small amounts to last the entire month. Ramen was a necessity in our home. The cheapest pasta you could buy and add a tad of chicken and small handful of spring onions creating a delicious dinner to us. We eventually made enough money to support ourselves.

In 2000,  he passed away while I was pregnant with our daughter. I once again needed help with food. Only this time I learned how to make food stretch. That scrapes made great stocks and lemons, grapefruits, and orange peels were easy to make candy out of for the kids.  Luckily, three years later I would meet another man, my V, that would step in to help me with the kids and to follow my dreams. The kids are all now beautiful teenagers and the middle one works in a restaurant. Not everyone can be this lucky.  More then 50 million people are food insecure (no means to have a constant nutritious meal).

To this day I still make some of the recipes we created to save on food costs. Continuously buying bulk foods to stock in the pantry never knowing when we could end up with out money for food. Always playing it safe I bought a deep freeze and I over stock it just like my pantry. These are not bad practices to always make sure if you lose a job or become short on money that you will still have food to last; even in a natural disaster or power outage the food that is needed will be there.

So, how can YOU (and all of us) help?

• Find a screening of A Place at the Table in your city.
• Watch A Place at the Table on iTunes or Amazon.
• Tell Congress to change their priorities and fund Federal nutrition programs that are crucial for hungry children.  (sign the petition in the previous link)

To follow along you can use hash tag #takeyourplace or join us on FB at The Giving Table’s fan page. To have a look at the delicious low cost recipes you can check out the pinterest board here.

My recipe that will feed 5 people for under $4 total.

The post Roasted Tomato Rotini – Food Bloggers Against Hunger appeared first on Mooshu Jenne.

March Madness in my house generally consists of my son, Chancelor, watching the Boston Celtics as much as possible paired with quick fried recipes. Probably should implement some healthy recipes but it is our excuse to eat fried food

This recipe is a knock off of the famous fried onion recipes that grace many steak restaurants in our area. Generally, this is the appetizer before you have steak. Slam Dunked Onion is makes enough to go around for five people. We usually have a guest or two over and still have plenty. It’s my opener and then I serve up some brisket tacos with all the toppings.

What recipe would you submit as your #LGDoMarchRight game day recipe? Do you plan to enter to win the trip for two to the final four? Let me know what recipe you submitted in the comments so I can hop on over and have a look!

So far a few of the recipes look absolutely amazing! Monte Cristo Poppers, Muffuletta Bites, Dill Pickle Dip, and Jambalaya Stuffed Mushrooms. I will be watching along for these nifty ideas for #LGDoMarchRight March Madness game day recipes.

Here is the recipe for my Slam Dunked Onion. If you would like you can follow along on Twitter at #LGDoMarchRight. Here is my video on how to hand cut the onion to make it into the blossom.

This game-time recipe has been submitted for LG’s Do March Right Tip-Off Challenge.

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We dug in to the Wholly guacamole and topped it onto our burgers. She and her friend Jade tried the classic and I tried the spicy. Love the heat in that guacamole; definitely a good kick! My daughter’s friend, Jade, has never had a guacamole burger that she could remember and thoroughly enjoyed it. We sided the burgers with chips and Wholly salsa. The Red Pepper Mango is super sweet and not necessarily my favorite. I enjoyed the traditional version of the salsa. The girls loved the Avocado and Spicy Pico salsa.

Now it’s after the movie and we are about to head up and paint my daughter’s room turquoise. Immediately after I plan on having a Daily’s  Cocktail in strawberry daiquiri flavor. Love these! They are super inexpensive and easy to just pop into the freezer. Especially on a night where the whole house is on the go they are the perfect end. I might have to save me some extra for Oscar night when the awesome Twitter chat is on going. If you would like to join in follow and tweet to @dailyscocktails and @eatwholly on Twitter using the hashtag #redcarpetready!

Pictures will follow tomorrow morning!

What’s even better is I am giving one of you a chance to win:

• Four Wholly Guacamole and three Wholly Salsa products in a variety of yummy flavors. It will be hard to pick a favorite!
• A $20 Walmart gift card to pick up an assortment of Daily’s Cocktails Pouches (plus whatever you need for your recipe). The recent addition of three new light flavors (Light Pink Lemonade, Light Mango Passion Fruit Daiquiri and Light Margarita) make a total of 13 tempting flavors to choose from!
• Promotional items from both Daily’s and Wholly Guacamole
• Your very own red carpet!

To enter just use the Rafflecopter below! Don’t forget to comment the blog as your first entry to tell me “Which Wholly guacamole do you enjoy and how you would share a Daily’s cocktail?”

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Disclosure: Wholly and Daily’s Cocktails is providing one winner with a cooler gift pack (stuff listed above). I was not reimbursed for writing this post and all opinions expressed here are my own. 

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This is my review for Hip Hop Dance Experience Wii review.

My daughter, Menya, is the main Wii player in the house. Guess that means she’s the one that likes to move it! (Madagascar pun totally intended) When her friends come over they are always playing the Wii. It is very common to hear what sounds like a herd of elephants upstairs and loud music. I have since implemented them playing the Wii downstairs where I am comfortably an ear shot away.

My daughter proceeded to go through every song checking out especially the ones she knows. She’s a hip hop fan and said only hip hop fans would like Hip Hop Dance Experience game. The dance moves are a bit more difficult then other such dance games on the Wii. It will take more time and focus to get the moves down. There just not easy to reenact  Which would be the reason why I think this game is rated teen not only for the inappropriate songs but the difficultly of the moves.

I would not suggest this game for teens. I would suggest this game for adults. It would be great at party where you serve up a few daiquiri’s for everyone to enjoy, loosen up, and dance their tales off. Not too much to drink though as I said before the moves are not the easiest around.  It would be nice to see more on screen hints. If your a dancer you’ll love this game.

My daughter and her friend loved the front and back views but at first they were confused if it was two people or one. Over all it’s a fun game but lacked on level of easiness for the player. I’d give it 4 stars!

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For years I bugged the other half to buy me a convection oven to use endlessly for easy dinners. What I LOVE about this convection oven is the size. It fits a small pizza or a 9×13 cookies sheet. Yes, you can bake cookies in it in the summer without heating up the entire house. How brilliant is that in Texas’ super hot summer heat!

The oven is perfect for teenagers that have light cooking skills. On more then four occasions now my teenagers have used it to make their dinners while the other half and I headed out for date night. They love it too! The convection oven has custom time and temperature settings for bagels, pizza and cookies. The pull out crumb tray makes it a breeze to clean. It takes reading the manual and playing with the settings to get use to and remember how to work it. I already have it aced though!

Below the recipe is the giveaway but first here is a look at one of the easy make head or do the day of breakfast recipes we baked up in the digital convection oven.

Please follow the instructions on the Rafflecopter below in order to enter to win the Calphalon digital convection oven. It is mandatory that you comment the blog in order to be entered to win! Don’t forget that you can tweet about the giveaway daily through the Rafflecopter for extra daily entries! If you share it on Pinterest let me know in the comments for another extra entry.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Disclosure: Calphalon is providing one winner with a digital convection oven.  I was not reimbursed for writing this post and all opinions expressed here are my own.

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