Crazy Christmas Giveaway Hop #CrazyChristmas with Kukees

Welcome to the Crazy Christmas Giveaway Hop hosted by GoingCrazy!! WannaGo??!! and Planet Weidknecht. During the Holidays, things can get crazy, but we are here to help you take a break and win some great prizes!! Each blog is sponsoring a giveaway of at least $25 value. So, join the crazy and Have Fun!!

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My giveaway for you today is an amazing one.  You guys all know how picky I am when it comes to desserts.  And how huge my sweet tooth is.  I found the most amazing cookies... Kukees.  They are pronounced cookies and they are amazing.

Kukees are not like your regular run of the mill cookies.  They are truly an experience.  From the moment they arrive at your doorstep packaged in a beautiful box the experience begins.

When you open the box and see what's inside.  My mouth immediately started to water and I wanted to try every flavor.  Look at the cute packaging for these cookies.  It truly is an experience.

Kukees are made with no preservatives and no hydrogenated oils and have 3 grams of fiber in each cookie.  That means I can eat them for breakfast, right?  Because that's exactly what I did.

After taking pictures (which was torture to my taste buds) I quickly sampled each flavor.  I ordered the Biti-Bites Box which included 36 mini Kukees in four different flavors.  If these are their mini cookies, I would love to see their full sized ones!

Their new holiday flavors are: Turtle, Gingerbread Chocolate, Pumpkin White Chocolate and Cranberry Orange Zest with White Chips.

I had a hard time deciding which flavor to try first.  The Turtle is a delicious blend of caramel, milk chocolate and pecans and tasted amazing.  Each cookie looks different because they are all handmade.

I loved the Gingerbread Chocolate!  They use the finest dark chocolate combined with gingerbread spice and it makes me want to hunker down by the fire and enjoy the Christmas tree.

The Pumpkin White Chocolate has a hint of pumpkin and delicious white chocolate chips in them.  By the time I tried this one my taste buds were fighting over which one was my favorite cookie.  This cookie screams fall/winter to me.

The Cranberry Orange Zest with White Chips was my friend's favorite flavor.  The tart of the cranberry with the orange flavor and then combined with white chocolate chips?  Heaven.

Kukees can also be found on Facebook and Twitter.

How would you like to win a 3 pound box of Kukees?  Yes, you read that right... 3 pounds!  And you even get to chose what flavor(s) you would like to try.  Just enter on the rafflecopter below for your chance.

Good luck!  Giveaway open to US residents, 18 years of age or older and ends December 8th at midnight.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Now Hop over to the other blogs and enter their giveaways!!

 

Disclosure: GoingCrazy!! WannaGo??!!, Planet Weidknecht, and the Crazy Christmas Giveaway Hop bloggers are not responsible for sponsors who do not fulfill prizes or for prize distribution unless it is noted that they are self-sponsoring the prize(s).

We Wish You a Merry KISSmas and a CHAPPY New Year

My friend Renee told me about this idea she found on Pinterest.  I loved it so much I, of course, had to do it too.  Isn't it cute?  Simple and easy.  The perfect combination for a small thank you gift for teachers or friends.  We're doing these for my kid's teachers.  We did this cute idea last year and they were a hit.

We made the tags on the computer and backed them with colored paper.  The tags say "We Wish You a Merry KISSmas and a CHAPPY New Year".  Here are the tags that Renee made for me.  (She's way more techy than me!)  You can right click and save them and print them out. 

Put any type of lip balm in a cello bag and tie with a ribbon.  Viola!  

What do you think?  That's clever, right?  =o) 

 

Here's some more great gift ideas for Christmas:

Christmas Candy Bar Wrappers  (there's lots of different one's too)

Ho, Ho, Ho from the Ding Dongs Next Door (you can add anything there.

What fun things are you making for Christmas?  I'd love to hear about them!

I'm linking to the parties on my sidebar.

X Box Holiday Bundle Giveaway

Xbox Holiday Bundle Giveaway Event

Hosted by Mom to Bed by 8 and A Medic's World

The number one thing on my son's Christmas list this year is an X Box.  I told him not to count on it because Mom isn't made of money.  But man, would he be excited if he opened up an X Box on Christmas morning. 

But WOW!  Here's your chance to win one for yourself!  How cool is that?!?!
 

Please take a moment and visit our sponsor, Penny Auctions Canada

Penny Auctions Canada is an online auction website that lets you buy awesome products for pennies!

 

Xbox 360 250GB Kinect Holiday Console Bundle Includes:

Xbox 360 250GB Console
3 Month LIVE card
Kinect Sensor
Kinect Adventures
Kinect Carnival

One lucky reader will receive a Xbox 360 250GB Kinect Holiday Console Bundle!

Giveaway ends December 19th at 11:59pm, open worldwide {residents outside of the US will receive cash equivalent of $339}, ages 18+. To enter please use the Rafflecopter form below. Good luck!

Special thank you to our lovely co-hosts: The Lucky Ladybug, CentsLessDeals, Stay a Stay at Home Mom, Glasses & Glitter, Giveaway Bandit and Coupon Queen of Texas.

Read more »

Pumpkin Pie Cookie Bites

Is pumpkin considered a Thanksgiving food or a fall food?  Is it still okay for Christmas time?  I never know this stuff.  Because I've never really been a fan of pumpkin.  But this year I'm loving it.  I can't seem to make enough recipes with it. 

Here's a great recipe that combines pumpkin, cheesecake and buttery sugar cookies.  Could you ask for anything more???

Pumpkin Pie Cookie Bites

Source: Morning Noon Night

* 1 package (1 lb 1.5 ounce) Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie Mix

* 1/4 cup cold butter, cubed

* 4 ounces cold cream cheese

* 3 ounces cream cheese, softened well

* 4 Tablespoons Pumpkin Puree

* 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour

* 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

The recipe called for a regular sized muffin pan but I wanted to use a mini muffin pan to make smaller cookies.

Also, I had about half the dough left and was out of the cheesecake filling so I would double the filling.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place cookie mix in a large bowl along with the butter and cream cheese. Cut in the butter and cream cheese using a fork or pastry blender until pea sized and crumbly (do not over-mix!) Reserve 3/4 cup into another bowl. Firmly press about one to two teaspoons of the cookie mixture into the bottom of each tin. You don't want to fill them too full so it will depend on the size of your muffin cups.  Press together to form the bottom crust.

In a small bowl mix together the filling ingredients. Place a teaspoon of filling into the center of each bottom crust. Again, this will depend on how big your muffin cups are.  Sprinkle with some of the reserved crumb topping. 

Bake for 14-16 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Cool for 20 minutes in the pan then run a knife around the edges and lift.

They are delicious!!!  I quickly put half of them into the freezer to keep me from eating them all.  (BTW - they freeze GREAT!)

Enjoy!

 


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FREE BLOGGER OPP - X Box Bundle Giveaway

Xbox Holiday Bundle Giveaway Event

Prize Package includes: Xbox 360 S Console, 250GB Hard Drive, Kinect Sensor, Wireless Controller, 3 month Xbox Live Gold Membership, Kinect Adventures and Carnival Games: Monkey See Monkey Do

Event dates: 11/28 - 12/19

Free Blog Event! Sign-up here, BLOGGERS WANTED

 

Old Fashioned Sour Cream Donuts

 

I could eat donuts every single day.  Well, if I didn't care about having a heart attack and huge rear end.  But minus those things, and I totally would.  I love them.  I remember taking a magazine quiz once that determined if you had a sweet tooth, a salt tooth or a fat tooth.  Guess which one I had.  Yep, a giant fat tooth.  So donuts call to me.

This recipe did not disappoint at all!  They were delicious!  I did mess up and rolled my dough too thin.  I couldn't figure out why they were flat until about 5 hours later when I did one of the "I should of had a V8" hand smacks to my forehead.  But they were still awesome!

 

 

Old Fashioned Sour Cream Donuts 

Source: Christie's Corner

* 2 1/2 cups cake flour

* 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

* 1 tsp. salt

* 3/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

* 1/2 cup sugar

* 2 Tbsp. shortening

* 2 large egg yolks

* 2/3 cup sour cream

* oil for frying

Simple Vanilla Glaze

* 3 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar

* 1 1/2 tsp. light corn syrup

* 1/4 tsp. salt

* 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

* hot water

Sift the flour, baking soda, salt and nutmeg and set aside.

In a stand mixer, mix the sugar and shortening for about 1 minute on slow speed.  Add the egg yolks and mix for another minute on medium speed, scraping the sides of the bowl as you go.

Add the dry ingredients and the sour cream (alternating the two) in three separate additions.  Mix just until combined (do not over mix.)  The dough will be sticky.  Transfer to a clean bowl and cover with plastic wrap.  Refrigerate at least 45 minutes (or overnight.)

Heat oil in your deep fryer or in a large pan to 325 degrees.

Roll the dough out on a floured surface.  I rolled mine too thin (about 1/2 inch thick).  I would make it thicker next time.

 

 

Using a donut cutter, cut donuts out of the dough.  Re-roll and cup until the dough is used up.

Fry donuts in hot oil for about 15 seconds and flip.  Fry for another 60 seconds and flip again to the first side and fry for another 60 seconds.  You want the donuts to be a nice golden brown color.

 

 

Remove from oil and place on cookie sheet lined with paper towels.

 

 

While they are still warm, mix the ingredients for the glaze.  Pour over the donuts.

 

 

My kids like the holes more than the donuts.  It's miniature food.  Who doesn't love it, right?

 

 

Enjoy!

 

 

 

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Butterfly Bakery Sugar Free Desserts Review and Giveaway

For years, every time I heard "sugar free" or "low fat" I cringed. Those words were usually synonymous with yuck.  But I'm here to tell you - times have changed!  Holy smokes, have they!  The Butterfly Bakery has changed my taste bud's opinion on sugar free. 

The Butterfly Bakery's moto is "made with 100% love".  They use only the finest ingredients and the freshest fruit nectar's to sweetened and enhance the flavors of every product they bake. 

Breanda, founder and CEO of The Butterfly Bakery, started baking sugar free desserts for her Mom, who is diabetic.  She was on a mission to bake the perfect desserts until one day, her Mom declared her desserts "simplesmente perfeito" ("just perfect" in Portuguese.)  And that's how The Butterfly Bakery got started. 

Today, The Butterfly Bakery bakes over 75 different varieties of baked goods from sugar free, no sugar added, gluten free, whole grain and low calorie - all which have passed the taste test by Brenda's Mom.

I tried The Butterfly Bakery's Sugar Free Sliced Lemon Creme Cake.  I'm not a huge fan of lemon so I was thinking I wouldn't be the best taste tester so I brought it to work.  Before I set it out in the office I figured I'd better, at least, try a bite so I can write my opinion as well as my co-workers.  I was pleasantly surprised!  They lemon flavor was lite and fresh (as opposed to this over powering lemon flavor.)  The cake was dense and moist, like a pound cake, which is my absolute favorite cake!  I loved it!  I had a hard time believing it was sugar free.  I looked at the label a couple of times because my taste buds were telling me it just couldn't be. 

One slice of this Lemon Creme cake was less calories than my breakfast bar that I eat every morning.  Forget this, I thought.  This is now my breakfast in the morning and I never put it in the office at work. 

The second item I tried was their Sugar Free Double Chocolate Chip Muffins.  Wow!  Look at them!  Don't they just look heavenly!?!?  Again, my taste buds couldn't quite fathom that these were sugar free.  They were AMAZING!!!  They were rich and chocolate-y and moist and absolutely wonderful.

The Butterfly Bakery can also be found on Facebook and Twitter. 

How would you like to win some Butterfly Bakery goodies?   One winner will get to chose between sugar free, no sugar or gluten free.  The Butterfly Bakery will send you some amazing goodies to devour sample.

Enter on the rafflecopter below.  Giveaway open to Continental US residents, 18 years of age or older and ends December 15th.

a Rafflecopter giveaway 

 

Crock Pot Baked Potatoes

Did you know that you can cook baked potatoes in your crock pot?  Am I the only one that didn't know this???  When I saw this over on Skip to My Lou, I thumped my forehead and seriously said (out loud) "GENIUS!"  I love baked potatoes!  But I don't like turning on my oven for an hour and I don't think baked potatoes taste as delicious when they are cooked in the microwave.  Plus, when you have to cook a lot of them they take forever in the microwave!

This is so simple and so cool!  Simple wash and scrub your potatoes.  Cover them with aluminum foil.  (You can rub them down with a little olive oil or garlic infused olive oil (which we did.)  Yum!

Place all the potatoes in your crock pot and turn it on low.  Let them cook for at least 6-8 hours.

Voila!  Crock Pot Baked Potatoes!

 

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All I Want For Christmas Giveaway Hop with Oregon Rain

All I Want for Christmas Giveaway

hosted by Mom Loves 2 Read.

*and co-hosted by: The Dragyn's Lair, Chillingly Cheap, Icefairy's Treasure Chest 

& Mom of One and Having Fun *

Here in Oregon we have the coast

Picture courtesy of Wives with Knives

And the mountains

Photo courtesy of Being Julz

And the rain.  Lots and lots of rain!

Photo courtesy of Follow My Bliss

For people who haven't been raised here in Oregon, the rain may seem a little overwhelming.  But we're used to it.  And I don't know about everyone else, but I love it.  I love the fresh smell of the outdoors.  It's clean and crisp and... well, Oregon.

I found a company called Oregon Rain and I was intrigued.   And get this, they're located about 8 miles from my house!  If you ask me, it was meant to be.

Look at this amazing package we got in the mail.  It came with their soap, soy candles and body lotion in four different scents.

Oregon Rain Soaps are vegetable based soaps, made from olive oil for it's skin conditioning properties, coconut oil for it's moisturizing proterties, cotton seed oil and soybean oil for their emolient and long lasting stable lathering qualities.  And yep, they use Oregon rain water!  Rain water is a soft water allowing for better blending of ingredients.  Their soaps are aged for 30 days to ensure optimum mildness. They use natural colorants, herbs, nutrients and essential oils for aromatherapy benefits when they can. Otherwise, they use cosmetic grade colorants and fragrance oils for vibrant color and scent. Each soap bar is approximately 4.5 ounces. The batches are all handmade and poured individually into molds.

Oregon Rain Soy Candles are made with 100% Soy with natural botanicals. They've chosen soy because it supports US farmers, burns cleaner than paraffin candles and it has a terrific scent. Soy candles melt at a low temperature so the scent and wax doesn't burn off quickly and they burn twice as long as paraffin candles.

Oregon Rain Lotions are unique in that they are truly made with Oregon rainwater. The rainwater helps hydrate the skin and aids in easier application while the high quality oils used help moisturize. The two work in perfect harmony! They have created several unique base blends to meet the skin care needs of our customers. Each were created by Johnna and Rob Zeigler, the owners of Oregon Rain Soap. Essential oils are infused to help nourish the skin and for the many aromatherapy benefits. Otherwise, cosmetic grade fragrance oils are used. We DO NOT use alcohol, mineral oil or petroleum in any of our products!  

The scents are amazing.  And there are so many of them!  I chose a fun combination to try: Pomegranate, Rain, Ocean Mist and Peppermint Lavendar. 

The pomegranate has the sweet, tangy smell of pomegranates.  It's warm and subtle and makes your room smell wonderful!  I love it for winter.

Rain is a fresh, clean scent, just like  the rain outside.  It's perfect if you don't like a heavy scent but want something to freshen up the room.

Ocean Mist has a fresh, clean and calming scent.  It reminds me of a trip to the beach in the winter time.  I love it!

And Peppermint Lavendar has always been a favorite of mine.  It's calming and relaxing and is perfect after a stressful day.  It is naturally scented with 100% essential oils for aromatherapy benefits.

Would you like to learn more about Oregon Rain Soap?  You can find them on Facebook and Twitter.

Our prize for the All I Want For Christmas Giveaway Hop is a gift pack similar to what they sent to me.  You get to chose four scents of your own and get a lotion, soy candle and soap in each scent.  A $50 value.

Enter on the rafflecopter below for your chance to win.  Giveaway open to US residents.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

  But wait!  There's more!   
Enter to win the grand prize below!

  Grand Prize Package #1

(value over $500) 

$100 Fandango GC

$100 Lori the Author Swag Bag

Christmas Jewelry Candle (value $40 - $7500)

$50 MilitaryApparelCompany.com GC

The Juppy (color of choice)

Real Kids Shades (color/style of choice)

Funbites (1 of each)

Knot Genie (camo)

Caliope Board Game

Noah Zarc: Mammoth Trouble - signed print

Noah Zarc: Cateclysm - signed print

Claus by Tony Bertauski - ebook

Grand Prize Package #2

(approx value $300)

$100 box of books for the family

Soylicious Country Kitchen Candles (2 of choice)

The Juppy (color of choice)

ediapercakes.com $40 GC

Knot Genie (silver)

Kair Bath Visor (color of choice)

Real Kids Shades (1 girl, 1 boy ages 7-12)

Slice Safety Cutter

Noah Zarc: Mammoth Trouble - signed print

Claus by Tony Bertauski - ebook

Grand Prize Package #3

(approx value $170)

$50 box of books for the family

The Juppy (blue)

Knot Genie (purple)

Melissa & Doug Stamp set

Kair Bath Visor (color of choice)

Real Kids Shades (boy age 7-12)

Noah Zarc: Mammoth Trouble - signed print

Claus by Tony Bertauski - ebook

Grand Prize Package #4

(value over $60) 

$20 PAYPAL

Spontaneous Board Game

Noah Zarc: Mammoth Trouble - signed print

Claus by Tony Bertauski - ebook

Grand Prize Package #5

(value over $25) 

$10 PAYPAL

Noah Zarc: Mammoth Trouble - signed print

Claus by Tony Bertauski - ebook

~~~**~~~**~~~**~~~

Visit Mom Loves 2 Read for reviews and sponsor posts

Easy to Enter - Just complete the tasks on the Rafflecopter form - make sure to complete each of them before clicking Enter - do as many as you like - the more entries you do the greater your chance of winning

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A Special Thank You to all the sponsors of this giveaway event:  

Fandango!  Lori the Author!  MilitaryApparelcompany.com!  Knot Genie! Slice! Kair!   Caliope Games! ediapercakes.com!  The Juppy!  Melissa & Doug! Chillingly Cheap!  Author Tony Bertauski!  Author J.S. Wilsoncroft!  Author D. Robert Pease!

And it just never stops!  Now go enter at the following blogs for more chances to win great prizes!

 

DISCLAIMER: Giveaway is open in the continental United States. Please read the Terms & Conditions at the bottom of the form for full contest info. Making Memories With Your Kids is not responsible for Grand Prize event or sponsored prize fulfillment. For any questions or concerns please see the contact info on Mom Loves 2 Read.