Gingerbread Pop-Tarts and a Contest *contest closed*

This is a compensated review by BlogHer and Pop-Tarts®.

I was asked to come up with something special using the limited edition Printed Fun Gingergbread Pop-Tarts from Kellogg’s.

Ginger is one of those finicky ingredients that only works with so many other flavors. Eggnog for one, but I am not a fan. Instead, I decided to mingle some hot and cold foods: ice cream topped with the crumbled Pop-Tarts and a steamy creamy cup of homemade cocoa.

These gingerbread Pop-Tarts have a little design printed on them, but you can’t see that too well once broken up.

What do you think?

Does it look like a yummy afternoon snack?

Or a holiday treat while gathered ‘round the campfire?

Everyone in the house found the combo of the gingerbread Pop-Tarts and the vanilla ice cream really tasty.

Priceless.

And the hot chocolate chaser kept us nice and warm on this really cold December day.

On to the good stuff!

Want to win a $100 Visa gift card from BlogHer?

Sure you do! Please comment on this post and tell me your favorite holiday song. (Mine is “Bring a Torch, Jeanette Isabella” at present) Contest runs December 13, 2010 until December 25, 2010. Please leave a name and email so if you win I can contact you!

To enter, leave a comment

For a second entry, you can:

· Tweet about this post with a link to it (and put your tweet URL in a separate comment below)

· Blog about this post with a link to it (and put your blog post URL in a separate comment below)

· Read the official rules for alternate form of entry.

You have 9 chances to win! Check out the other reviewers’ recipes by visiting the BlogHer.com exclusive offers page.

Visit the Official Pop-Tarts site

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

Visit the Official Rules.

See what else we’re doing over on my main blog, Life with the Boys.

Pumpkin Pie Pop-Tarts and a contest *contest closed*

This is a compensated review by BlogHer and Pop-Tarts®.

We are having so much fun learning how to use our Pop-Tarts in creative ways. We again went with the dessert theme and decided to make S’mores using Pumpkin Pie flavored Pop-Tarts! Here’s what Ethan and I did to make our S’mores.

First, with mom’s help, we cut two Pop-Tarts in half.

Then put a big puffy marshmellow on two of the halves.

Have Mom microwave the marshmellows on top of the Pop-Tarts for 20-30 seconds.

Or until they get nice and puffy like this. (Watch out, the marshmellows and Pop-Tarts will be pretty warm!)

Next, slather some cream cheese on top of the two remaining halves of Pop-Tarts.

Then sprinkle some cinnamon on top of the cream cheese.

Here you can see what the Pop-Tarts look like with cream cheese and cinnamon on them.

Then smush the two halves together! (we later decided it was better to put cream cheese and cinnamon on both halves, then add and cook the marshmellow )

Doesn’t it look good?

Doncha want a bite?

“Don’t mind if I do!”

“It’s good, Mom!”

“Wanna share?”

(He didn’t.)

Want to enter the contest for $100 Visa Gift card from BlogHer? Sure you do! Please comment on this post and tell me your favorite holiday treat. Contest runs November 11, 2010 until November 25, 2010. Please leave a name and email so if you win I can contact you!

To enter, leave a comment

For a second entry, you can:

· Tweet about this post with a link to it (and put your tweet URL in a separate comment below)

· Blog about this post with a link to it (and put your blog post URL in a separate comment below)

· Read the official rules for alternate form of entry.

We had so much fun making S’mores with our Pop-Tarts. You should try it!You have 9 chances to win! Check out the other reviewers’ recipes by visiting the BlogHer.com exclusive offers page.

Official rules can be seen here.

See what else we’re doing over on my main blog, Life with the Boys.

$100 contest for your Halloween Traditions *contest closed*

This is a compensated review by BlogHer and Pop-Tarts.

So...Halloween is here. I've kind of been dreading it all month.

I mean, sometimes, it just gets so expensive, especially with 3 kids.

The search for the perfect costume and whatever is needed to accessorize it...the pressure of trying to come up with the perfect yet clever costume as an adult...the bags and bags of candy for our church's annual Trunk-or-Treat party and then bags and bags more for Halloween night itself....and the hubby always wants to add something to our Halloween decor. These things add up!

Then, there's the existence of all that yummy tempting caloric candy in the house (I can't turn down a peanut butter cup...I just can't!), and the constant begging by the kids, the wrappers all over the place, the hyperactivity, the cavities...

I mean it's fun, and I enjoy it always, but it's work.

As far as costumes go, we go alternate costume buying every other year. I try to recycle and make our own as much as possible, but sometimes, ya just gotta put some money into it. Sean wants to be a vampire ("not a Twilight vampire mom, a real one"), Cameron wants to be a mummy (I'm envisioning toilet paper strewn around the house for days) [*EDIT, he's since corrected me--he wants to be a zombie! huh? how am I gonna pull that one off?*], and Ethan wants to be Black Spiderman, which I was able to find for $8 since it's not a really popular character any more. This will be a buying year for all of them I'm afraid.

One thing we love to do every Halloween, and I'm not sure how or why this started, but I love it: after the trick-or-treating is done, we stay up late and watch "Goonies." Something so classic and quotable about that movie! "Heeeeey youuuuuu guuuuuyyyyyys!" Love it.

Do you have any special Halloween traditions? Share them in the comments for your chance at $100 Visa Gift card sponsored by Blogher.

Enter 9 times by visiting the other reviews on the BlogHer.com exclusive offers page. Official rules can be seen here.

Please visit my main blog and say hello over on Life with the Boys.

$100 gift card contest -- Choc-o-Lantern Chocolate Frosted Chocolate Fudge flavored Pop-Tarts *contest closed*

This is a compensated review by BlogHer and Pop-Tarts.

We always enjoy the opportunity to get creative with Pop-Tarts. Have you been shopping for these little delicacies lately? There are seriously so many flavors. I swear, just a few years ago, you could get strawberry, cherry, brown cinnamon sugar, and maybe blueberry, but since then, wow! All kinds of fun fruits and desserty flavors, chocolate and peanut butter and cookies and cream... (Is it still considered a breakfast food? I submit that yes, yes it is!)

We were able to have some fun with the new Choc-o-Lantern Chocolate Frosted Chocolate Fudge flavored Pop-Tarts. These are chocolate pastries with fudgy insides, frosted orange with small sprinkles of Halloween shapes on top. How fun is that?

We decided to make our very own pumpkin patch. Here are some pictures from our afternoon in the kitchen.

First, we cut out our Pop-Tarts into pumpkin shapes. We used a pumpkin-shaped cookie cutter as a guide. Cameron very carefully cut out and sculpted the shape of the pumpkin, trimming when needed.

Then we made some chocolate frosting and piped it onto the pumpkins, making fun jack-o-lantern faces.

Then we made a home-made moist chocolate cake, frosted it, and put the jack-o-lanterns on top to make our pumpkin patch.

I'm giving away a $100 Visa gift card from Blogger! From the dates of Oct 18, 2010 to Oct 31, 2010 enter by commenting on this post and tell me: what is your favorite Pop-Tarts flavor? While you're at it, I'd love if you'd share your favorite unorthodox use of Pop-Tarts. Do you freeze them? Use them as pie crust? Make ice cream sandwiches out of them or dip them in chocolate? I'm always amazed at the recipes made out of these very versatile snacks.

Enter 9 times by visiting the other reviews on the BlogHer.com exclusive offers page. Official rules can be seen here.

Please visit my main blog and say hello over on Life with the Boys.

Banana & Peanut Butter S'more-Wiches *contest closed*

This is a compensated review by BlogHer and Kellogg’s® Pop-Tarts® Toaster Pastries.

We were asked to come up with our own recipe using Pop-Tarts. I took some of my favorite flavors and decided to make S'more-Wiches out of them.


We took the S'mores variety of Pop-Tarts and layed them upside down.



We then added creamy peanut butter on top.



Then cut into 6 pieces each.



We sliced half a banana and put the slices on top of 6 squares of the peanut butter.



Then topped with the other Pop-Tarts.



I gave these to the kids for breakfast and was surprised that we all loved them! Even me. :) I'm not a big fan of banana being added to anything, but these were surprisingly delicious and creamy. We had not cooked the Pop-Tarts first, so the pastry was nice and soft, just how I like it. (Next time I make it, I'll try cooking them first. I think the warmness of the S'mores Pop-Tarts combined with the gooey-ness of the peanut butter is likely to be a winning combination!)

I think the dominant flavor was the peanut butter, which again, I really liked. But if you aren't as PB-crazy as I am, you could always cut the peanut butter way back or only put it on one side of the 'wich.

Try them! They're tasty!

To enter the giveaway for a $100 Visa gift card, comment on this entry and tell me what your kids usually eat for breakfast. Are you the type to cook something healthy and nutritious every morning? Do your kids get cold cereal? Are you breakfast-skippers? In my family alone I have one child who could do without breakfast, one who wants and asks for "porridge" every day, and one who'd be happy with cold cereal and, you guessed it, Pop-Tarts. Tell me the norm for your family.

Contest winner will be drawn on April 16th, so you only have 2 weeks to enter this one. Read and comment on other reviews here on the BlogHer.com special offers page. You have 9 other chances to win. Visit Kellogg's site for more information about Pop-Tarts and all the many varieties.

Official Rules:

• No duplicate comments.
• You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link in the comments.
• You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.
• This giveaway is open to US Residents, aged 18 and older
• Winners will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
• You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
• Please see the official rules here: http://www.blogher.com/pop-tarts-sweepstakes-official-rules
  

Please visit my other blog, Life With The Boys.

It's Pop-Tart Love *contest closed*

This is a compensated review by BlogHer and Kellogg’s® Pop-Tarts® Toaster Pastries.

When I was first contacted about doing this review for Pop-Tarts, my first thought was about my middle son, Cameron.

He loves to create art of any kind, stick it in an envelope, tape it up (usually with masking tape--it is his adhesive of choice), and ask me to mail it to Grandma So-and-So.

One day he did just this, was busy in the kitchen with his supplies, etc, and eventually handed me a pretty thick envelope. It felt a little...off. Like it didn't feel like his usual mass of folded paper and creations.

I wavered a bit on whether I should open it or not, or just stick some stamps on it and send it on its way to Utah. But I did eventually decide I'd better find out just what he was sending USPS.

Ladies and gentleman, it was a package of Pop-Tarts. Folded up in a nice creation he had made on which he'd written on the bottom how he'd wanted to share his breakfast with her.

I laughed so hard.

I didn't send it, but I let his Grandma know that he had been generous in offering up his breakfast. And ever since then, I pat down Cameron's letters carefully before sticking postage on them.

Aren't Pop-Tarts great? Seriously the go-to quick breakfast in the morning. My kids actually like them unheated and eat them for breakfast, for treats, or just for something quick while on the go. The packaging makes them easy to take and go, and they come in a plethora of varieties. I don't know anyone who doesn't like a good package of Pop-Tarts in the morning.

We recently tried the new Strawberry Milkshake variety, something new from Kellogg's. My kids really liked the creamy strawberry insides (I had no doubt), and at one point when looking at our case of samples, my 10 year old sighed and said, "Ahh...Pop-Tart Love."

Indeed.

We were instructed to make the following fun recipe.


We cut the Strawberry Milkshake Pop-Tarts into fourths.


We then put ice cream on the non-frosted side.


Then topped with the other, sandwich-like.


We then dipped the "ice-cream sandwiches" into sprinkles.


And wrapped them in plastic wrap.


Froze them for about half an hour.


And later ate them for a fun dessert.


What's not to love?



Pop-Tarts: good.

Ice cream: good.

Sprinkles: good.

These Sprinkly Ice Cream Bites were a cute springy dessert.

To enter the giveaway for a $100 Visa gift card, comment on this entry and tell me what your kids usually eat for breakfast. Are you the type to cook something healthy and nutritious every morning? Do your kids get cold cereal? Are you breakfast-skippers? In my family alone I have one child who could do without breakfast, one who wants and asks for "porridge" every day, and one who'd be happy with cold cereal and, you guessed it, Pop-Tarts. Tell me the norm for your family.

Contest winner will be drawn on April 16th, so you only have 2 weeks to enter this one. Read and comment on other reviews here on the BlogHer.com special offers page. You have 9 other chances to win. Visit Kellogg's site for more information about Pop-Tarts and all the many varieties.

Official Rules:

• No duplicate comments.
• You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link in the comments.
• You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.
• This giveaway is open to US Residents, aged 18 and older
• Winners will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
• You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
• Please see the official rules here: http://www.blogher.com/pop-tarts-sweepstakes-official-rules
  

Please visit my other blog, Life With The Boys.