AHHHH Vacation - A Much Needed Luxury

Howdy all.  I just wanted to let you know that I will be taking a leave of absence from June 23rd to June 30th as my family will be heading to the sunny and hot (hopefully) shores of Wildwood Crest, New Jersey for a much needed family vacation.

Upon my return, I will have lots of posts of some amazing reviews, together with sharing a few photos from our vacation and possibly a giveaway.....

Check back with me on July 1st and until then, Happy Summer!!!!!!!

Tracy

MRS. DASH: Flavorful Low-Sodium Family Meals

Growing up, a staple ingredient in my house was Mrs. Dash Salt-Free Original Blend Seasoning Blend.  My mother used this with everything, and I mean everything.  To this date, in my home, I still use Mrs. Dash.  Back in the old days it was just the original blend, now there are so many more, i.e., Fiesta Lime, Garlic & Herb, just to name a few, though you can click here to see more products.

I like to create "Flavorful Low-Sodium Family Meals" for my family and in doing so, I try to use Mrs. Dash in an assortment of recipes to "jazz" up the taste.  Three of my families all time fave's would be scrambled eggs, (take your eggs, scramble, add cheese, milk, pepper and a few dashes of Mrs. Dash spice (I use original blend, though you can choose any variety) to add some awesome flavor), and meatloaf.  Yum-e!  For meatloaf, I use 1 lb 80% together with 1 lb ground pork, combine, add 2 eggs, bread crumbs, milk, grated cheese, onions and Mrs. Dash flavoring.  Mix together, put in a baking dish, cook on 350 for about an hour (oh yeah, cover with ketchup before it goes in the oven).  This is a super duper delicious recipe.  You can change it up, but the key ingredient is the Mrs. Dash blend.  Again, you can switch up the blend to a different variety, but Mrs. Dash has all the seasonings in one jar.  Third and my final super duper delicious recipe is Tomato/Fresh Mozz and Basil with Balsamic dressing and Tomato Basil Garlic Mrs. Dash seasoning.  Yum-e...  My two daughters actually make this now (they are 8 and 3), and love putting it together.  We have toothpicks and put the fresh mozz (in balls) on the stick, then 1 piece of fresh basil, then the cherry tomato (or grap tomato). We then make our fresh balsamic/oil dressing with some Tomato Basil Garlic Mrs. Dash seasoning.  Poor a little over the plate with the toothpick appetizers and poor the rest in a bowl to either be dipped or poored over on plates.  What a yummy, fun and quick appetizer and one your kids can do.   My mom taught me to use Mrs. Dash when I was young and I am now teaching my girls to use Mrs. Dash.  Generations and generations of learning with a great spice blend. 

Check out the assortment of Recipes Mrs. Dash offers with the use of their products.  There are over 429, though I am sure there may be some more out there that people haven't posted yet.

There are endless varieties of using Mrs. Dash seasoning blends to spice up any food.  The reason I love Mrs. Dash seasonings is that they are salt-free.  There is no medical reason why I don't use salt, I just choose not to.  Mrs. Dash seasonings are all natural too.  You have to love that.

Disclosure:  I wrote this blogpost while participating in the Mrs. Dash and TwitterMoms blogging program for a chance to get a $50 gift card. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

Family

A few weeks ago, my two cousins, Greta & Ramona, visited for 2 weeks from Rome, Italy.  There was a bit of a language barrier as only Greta spoke some English, and Ramona none at all, but from growing up with grandparents who came over right off the boat and spoke Italian, I learned to understand, plus, my parents can speak and understand so it made it easier.  It was wonderful having Greta & Ramona here to show how we live, what we do on a daily basis, where we shop (yes, they love to shop), and to meet our family.  It is always nice to know relatives, near and far.

I just want to share a picture of my family with you, except for my son, Brendan, who had to work the night the picture was taken.

They have invited our family to go visit them, and we gladly accepted, though no date has been set yet.