Making the Honey Almond Salmon from the Family Foodie Blog

#FWCon ‏@foodandwineconf
 
Holy cow people! 10 weeks from today is the 2015 Food and Wine Conference!!!!!!!!!! Next week we’ll be in the single digits, then it will be less than a handful of days and then it will be here and if you didn’t get your tickets you won’t get to hang out with all the cool kids that are going!!! What are you waiting for? Buy your tickets now! You can still get $50 off your admission with code FWC15grana!!!! Get your tickets to the conference at foodandwineconference.com.

Seriously, this is going to be THEE event of the summer and if you are a blogger, a foodie, wineo or just a frikkin fan of cool people that like to get together and chat about any of the above you seriously need to get on down to this event guys and gals.

In honor of this week being 10 weeks til the conference I made the Honey Almond Salmon from the Family Foodie Blog! Get the recipe HERE! This stuff was amazingly yummy!!! We paired it with a Ramen Noodle dish that proved we didn’t know how gourmet Ramen could taste. Check out how to make Ramen Cacio e Pepe HERE!


By the way, for those following this blog I totally missed week 11’s post about the conference, I’m sorry. I’ll do some kind of two-fer post before the conference to make up for it. I promise. In the meantime, go get your tickets for the conference now!

Today marks exactly 10 weeks until the 2015 Food and Wine Conference!!!! 

Get $50 off your admission with code FWC15grana foodandwineconference.com.

 


Alrighty. I’m off for another fun-filled weekend. I’m leaving to go camping tonight and tomorrow and there are definitely some exciting things planned for the camping trip. Then, Sunday I’m going to spend the evening doing summer ready crafts with my mom for Mother’s Day. I’ll post about those awesome camping activities and Sunday crafts later. Are you doing anything fun this weekend? Leave a comment and
tell me about it 🙂 See you cool cats later!





Do you have a recipe you want me to try or a product you want me to review? 




Contact me HERE! I’m PR friendly 😉








This post contains links to an affiliate. See my disclosure policy for more information.



I’m a Guest Poster on a Travel Blog WOOT!

Check out my guest post below!

I’m on a boat…err I mean I’m featured on a blog about being on a boat! How cool is that?!? A couple of weeks ago I was super honored to be asked by Imperial Cruise & Travel if I would write a guest post about my amazeballs honeymoon with Carnival Cruise Line. Of course I accepted! Here’s the post that was live on their website:

Honeymooning with Carnival Cruise Line

This following is a guest post by “Famous Ashley Grant”. Ashley is a writer and photographer based in Tampa, Fla. I recently caught up with Ashley to find out what her thoughts were on cruises for honeymoons and it just so happens that she went on a cruise for her honeymoon. Here’s what she had to say:

When my husband and I were considering options for our honeymoon we were honestly quite overwhelmed with all of the destinations to consider. We knew that our ultimate goals were to have a honeymoon that wasn’t outrageously expensive, would allow us to see more than one place, would get us out of the country, would include some entertainment, and wouldn’t require a lot of extra money for food. I guess you could say we were looking for an all-inclusive vacation, but since we wanted to see more than one place traveling to just one resort for a week’s stay was out of the question.

After hearing about some of our friends going on cruises and how much fun they had we realized that a cruise would give us everything we wanted for our honeymoon and more. We live in Tampa and there are several cruises that depart from the terminal here so our hunt for a cruise began where we live. After looking at all the cruises departing from here around our wedding date we settled on a Carnival cruise that happened to be leaving the day after our wedding for a seven day, six night Western Caribbean adventure with stops in Cozumel, Costa Maya, Belize and Grand Cayman.

The entire week was bliss. All of our meals were included, we got to see a few fun shows on the ship, and we even had some money left over for a couple excursions. We did the cave tubing in Belize which I definitely recommend and we went snorkeling in Grand Cayman. I really wanted to stay at one of those grand cayman villas but we didn’t get to this time. In Cozumel we made our own fun by renting a jeep and driving around the island stopping at a couple of spots for pictures along the way.

My favorite part about our honeymoon is we didn’t have to worry about anything because the ship took care of it all. They even gave us a few perks because it was our honeymoon like a few free drinks and a table just for us at dinner. That vacation is by far the best one I’ve ever had and ever since we got back to dry land I’ve been anxiously awaiting the chance to go on our next cruise. If you’re looking for something all-inclusive for your honeymoon and want more than one destination in your itinerary I would highly recommend a cruise!

You can follow The Famous Ashley Grant on Facebook and while you are there, be sure to like Imperial Cruise & Travel as well!

Are you ready to book your honeymoon cruise? Give Imperial Cruise & Travel a call at (844) 920-9310 today and let’s start planning your perfect romantic getaway!

Do you want me to write a kickASH guest post for your blog too? Holler! Or if you have a recipe you want me to try or a product you want me to review- Contact me HERE! I’m PR friendly 😉







Till we meet again… Xoxo everyone!

Image source for the cute kitteh

Making the Good Morning Smoothies from the Family Foodie Blog

#FWCon

I’m super excited about this week’s recipe because of how dang tasty it was! This week I’m featuring the Good Morning Smoothies from the Family Foodie Blog. Strawberries for fiber, yogurt for protein, sugar for sweetness- what more could you ask for to have a quick and yummy breakfast on the go! Head HERE for the recipe!

Alrighty, now that I’ve told you about my uber yummy recipe I’ve got to point out something big!!! There are just 12 weeks until the 2015 Food and Wine Conference! People that’s just a dozen weeks. Like, eggs dozen, like doughnuts dozen!!! Like what are you waiting on your tickets for dozen?!? This conference is totally, probably, I’m pretty sure going to sell out and you’re gonna feel really lame if you don’t get a doughnut, er I mean ticket!!! AND I’m still offering you lovely, sexy readers of this blog and my facebook peeps $50 off your admission with code FWC15grana!!!! Get your tickets to the conference at foodandwineconference.com.! Do it now! I’ll wait…

waiting…
waiting…
did you get them yet? If yes- awesome and I hope you used the discount code to save some green! Can’t wait to see you at the conference. If no….Ugh! Why not?!? Seriously peeps, go get your tickets right meow or you’ll totally be missing out on all kinds of yummy foods, wines, and who knows- maybe even doughnuts!!!

Today marks exactly 12 weeks until the 2015 Food and Wine Conference!!!! 


Get $50 off your admission with code FWC15grana foodandwineconference.com.

Welp, I’m off to get ready for my weekend. I’m planning on some serious quality time with my hubby, lunch out at Urban Cantina, hopefully some fun times at the pool and if I get my way a trip to a park for a sunset picnic. Are you doing anything fun this weekend? Leave a comment and tell me about it 🙂 See you cool cats later! Now, I really want a doughnut…

Do you have a recipe you want me to try or a product you want me to review? 
Contact me HERE! I’m PR friendly 😉








This post contains links to an affiliate. See my disclosure policy for more information.

 

Inspired Dinner Via the Chicken Fajita Bowls on the Family Foodie Blog

#FWCon
Today marks 13 weeks until the 2015 food and wine conference and my post to celebrate it was inspired by the Chicken Fajita Bowls on the Family Foodie Blog. As usual I took a lot of shortcuts with this dish because I’m a lazy cook. I used yellow rice and just threw in some shredded cooked chicken that was cooked in taco seasonings and added to it peppers, salsa, cheese and sour cream. It was a great quick meal that was ready in thirty minutes. Perfect for my busy week! Check out the original recipe HERE!

#‎Foodies‬ will LOVE the 2015 Food & Wine Conference! Use code FWC15grana for $50 off admission at foodandwineconference.com.

Do you have a recipe you want me to try or a product you want me to review? 

Contact me HERE! I’m PR friendly 😉








This post contains links to an affiliate. See my disclosure policy for more information.

Steak and Eggs

#FWCon  

This week I’m showcasing the steak and eggs from the Family Foodie blog. Isabel’s steak was more rare than mine- I reckon I like mine more on the done side. LOL. Also- instead of broccoli I just went with a medley of colorful chopped raw peppers. This dish was so yummy you guys! I would definitely recommend it if you are looking for something different for your next brunch! Get the recipe HERE! Wishing I had another plate of this now!!

Today marks exactly 14 weeks until the 2015 Food and Wine Conference!!!! 

 Get $50 off your admission with code FWC15grana foodandwineconference.com.

om nom nom! This stuff was soooo good ya’ll!Soooooo?!? Have you bought your tickets for the 2015 Food and Wine Conference yet? If not you totally should because ALL of the ‪‎cool kids‬ are going!!!! ‪Join us and when you buy your ticket use code FWC15grana for $50 off admission! Get your tickets at foodandwineconference.com 

 Do you have a recipe you want me to try or a product you want me to review? 
Contact me HERE! I’m PR friendly 😉
  This post contains links to an affiliate. See my disclosure policy for more information.

5 Things I Learned from Charlotte Baker

Charlotte Baker and Famous Ashley Grant

On Monday, April, 6, 2015 I visited the University of Tampa for an event called Today’s Entrepreneurial Women featuring Charlotte Baker of Digital Hands. During the sit down Dr. Rebecca White of the Sykes College of Business emceed a Q&A about how Charlotte got her start in business and the obstacles she faced along the way. Here are 5 things I learned from the talk:

Hire to your weaknesses, not to your strengths– Now, I’m nowhere near ready to hire help, but when I do I fully intend on hiring assistants that are smarter than me. This way I am constantly learning from the people that work for me.

Things don’t always work out the way you think it will- When Digital Hands was just an idea Charlotte and her team raised a lot of capital with the intent of building the company one way and when the deal went south they launched the company privately- their way.

Efforts don’t count, results do- I personally loved this quote. In a world where we give our kids As for effort and trophies for showing up it was a breath of fresh air for someone to tell it like it is in the real world.

Mentors are a great way to soak up knowledge- I’ve been searching for a mentor that lives the life I want to lead and I just signed up to take a course by a woman who is the embodiment of where I want to be in my life and in my business- here’s hoping she will grow into the mentor I have been seeking!

Ask for help when you need it- you can’t do it all- I love that Charlotte spoke about outsourcing tasks she can’t get to. I definitely hope to expand my business to the point that I hire on virtual assistants to handle the tasks I don’t particularly enjoy.

Now, in truth- I kind of felt like this event spoke more to the corporate entrepreneurial spirit than the small business owner, but nonetheless I enjoyed attending. The people I sat with were great fun to hang out with and the free wine didn’t hurt. LOL

Two of the gals I sat with are small business owners and I totally think ya’ll should look them up.

Nicole Carver

Do you ever wish you had a clone or at least someone to help you take a
few things off your plate? If so then allow me to virtually introduce
you to Nicole Carver of Carver Concierge. She helps busy people by customizing personal assistance services to meet their lifestyle needs. Check her out here-> http://www.carverconcierge.com/

Carrie Stiles 
Carrie has the low down on how to heal your skin. Check out her awesome website for a world of knowledge at  -> http://www.theskinlifecoach.com   

Weekend Recap 3-27 thru 29-15

This weekend was filled with making yummy desserts, meals and drink recipes from the Family Foodie blog to celebrate me being a brand ambassador for the 2015 Food and Wine Conference! (Buy your tickets and use code FWC15grana for $50 off admission! Get your tickets at foodandwineconference.com)  I also took time to stop by the Food Truck Festival and the Pet Expo at the Florida State Fairground on Saturday March, 28, 2015. Those two events were so much fun! The Pet Expo definitely proved how much my hubby and I want to get a pet of our own! We know for sure now that we want a small to medium sized dog with pointy not floppy ears. And because of a silly inside joke he and I have had since we have been married we will name is Cesar Rawr! LOL!

The funniest thing we saw at the Pet Expo was basically this:

Okay, so this isn’t the EXACT one we saw, but like a fool I forgot to take a video of the indoor one. Basically, it’s a lure that is tied to a wire that is placed on a track and runs around your yard for your dog to chase it as you push a remote that makes it go back and forth around the track. Who needs to play a game of fetch when you can sit on your fanny and watch the dog do all the work for you. The company is called Swift Paws. Check them out here.

Back to the Food Truck Festival. We had a blast. My husband had a hot dog and I had a personal pizza from Light My Fire Mobile Pizza Company. It was pretty good and the drink I enjoyed from the Gasolina booth was perfect to wash it down! The best one was the Sangria, but I also sampled the Original and the Rum Punch which were both pretty good. I definitely want to get some of the Gasolina drink pouches for my next party or event. They are ready to drink pouches that the reps called “adult Capri Suns” Perfect description and they tasted sooooo good.

Needless to say all that walking and all that sun wore me out so as soon as I got home I attempted a Skype call with my sis-in-law who is in Japan right now, but instead I quickly crashed and didn’t wake up until Sunday afternoon. Since waking up today I’ve been baking and cooking and blogging and having a really fun time. Can’t wait until next weekend to make more meals and treats for the blog!!! Of course, until then I have a fun filled week of work ahead of me. I’ll post more soon. Until next time, have a great week bloggy friends.

Xoxo
Famous Ashley Grant

The Oscartini Cocktail

#FWCon
Today marks exactly 16 weeks until the 2015 Food and Wine Conference!!!! The recipe I chose to make to celebrate today is the
Oscartini.

I changed the recipe just slightly because I like my drinks a little stronger. It calls for one ounce of champagne and vodka with two ounces of cranberry juice but instead I did one ounce of each. I poured the vodka and the cranberry juice into a martini shaker with ice and shook what my momma gave me. After that I strained the juice and vodka into a martini glass.

Then I topped it with the ounce of champagne. It was absolutely delish! I’m not going to say I made myself a second one, but I won’t deny it either. It is yummy!!! Highly recommend this if you are looking for a nice cocktail one evening or in the middle of the day or even for breakfast because I’m not here to judge you.

Have a drink you want me to try or a product you want me to review?

Contact me HERE! I’m PR friendly 😉

Soooooo?!? Have you bought your tickets for the 2015 Food and Wine Conference yet? If not you totally should because ALL of the ‪‎cool kids‬ are going!!!! ‪Join us and when you buy your ticket use code FWC15grana for $50 off admission! Get your tickets at foodandwineconference.com

Do you have a drink you want me to try or a product you want me to review? Contact me HERE! I’m PR friendly 😉

This post contains links to an affiliate. See my disclosure policy for more information.

Exciting 2015 Food & Wine Conference Announcement! #FWCon

 

#FWCon

I’m super stoked for today’s post you guys! If you haven’t figured out
by the lead photo above- I’ve been chosen as one of the 2015 Food &
Wine Conference Ambassadors!!! SO EXCITED!!!

To celebrate I’m going to be re-creating some of the recipes from Isabel Laessig’s amazing blog Family Foodie or from her other blog Sunday Supper Movement
Isabel is the conference creator. I’ll re-create at least one recipe a
week through the start of the conference. This week my first choice was
to make her Walnut Crusted Salmon Cakes. Here’s how my turned out:

My only swap to her recipe was I swapped bread crumbs for the crushed
walnuts because I didn’t have any walnuts and didn’t want to drive back
to the store after forgetting the one crucial ingredient in the recipe.

LOL! The sauce on top of mine is Tiger Sauce. This hot and tangy sauce was absolutely delicious on them!!! My husband and I frequently enjoy Tiger Sauce on crab cakes, meatloaf and now these salmon cakes. Anyway, get Isabel’s yummy salmon cake recipe HERE!

So, what does me being a 2015 Food & Wine Conference ambassador mean
for you guys? Not only does it mean you will get to see new recipes
that I haven’t tried before on this blog, it also means that if you want
to come to the 2015 Food & Wine Conference with me you can snag
$50 OFF your ticket with this code- FWC15grana

What exactly is the Food & Wine Conference? The Food and Wine
Conference brings together bloggers, small business owners, winemakers,
chefs, public relations professionals, traditional media, new media,
authors and brands. Attend the conference and tap into information and
resources that can lead to growth for both you and your blog.
Connections are very important in today’s ever growing blogosphere. This
conference puts you and those connections in one place. It is an
opportunity not to miss!This year’s conference will be held July
17-19, 2015 in Orlando, Florida at Rosen Shingle Creek. Tickets are
just $299.00 and available online HERE! Remember to use the code FWC15grana for $50 off!

Follow the conference on Twitter and while you’re there follow me too! Like them on facebook and don’t forget to like me too!

 

In full disclosure I do receive a commission when you use this code, but hey! It’s $50 off!!!
This post also contains links to an affiliate. See my disclosure policy for more information.

Days of Thunder- Or the First of Many Films I Have Yet to See

 

My husband and I have been talking a lot lately about movies and as he brought up references to lots of films we realized that there are a LOT of films I have not seen yet. After talking for just 20 minutes we had a list of 35 films he thought I should see. Then, we asked his dad and sister and at the end of that conversation the final tally was well over 60 films. I guess you could say I have quite a few to watch in the coming days. Thank goodness for Netflix and Amazon Prime I suppose!

However, some of the unwatched films we’d accumulated on the list were not available on Netflix and Amazon. I suppose that was to be expected; these sites can’t have every film in the world obtainable! Our friend had previously told us about utilizing a Pirate Proxy to watch films online that might otherwise be inaccessible on sites like Netflix. We might have to consider this for the films that we can’t find on streaming sites.

Have a movie you want me to watch or a product you want me to review?

Contact me HERE! I’m PR friendly 😉

Anyway, the first flick we chose because it was free on Netflix and was
the first one we happened to type in the search box that was actually
streaming was Days of Thunder.

I have to say I liked this flick quite a bit more than I thought I would. Ah, Tom Cruise before the crazy. I like this version of him. (p.s. I’m glad he has piped DOWN in the media lately and gotten back to just making good movies) And Nicole Kidman! WOW! She was a fox-
although, come to think of it – she STILL is! It was enjoyable to watch even though I’m not a huge racing fan. Yes, Kim if you are reading this- I confess it. I’m not that big into racing. BUT, this flick did give me a better appreciation for racing and I can see why people get so fired up about it. This movie had me laughing, crying and cringing making for an overall feel good flick. If you are bored and looking for something to watch on Netflix I would highly recommend it.

Want to watch it, but don’t have Netflix? Rent Days of Thunder via Amazon Online Rentals HERE!

Oh and by the way- You can also snag free trials of Netflix and Amazon Prime right now. Just click Netflix or Amazon Prime and get your free trials today!

Have a movie you want me to watch or a product you want me to review?

Contact me HERE! I’m PR friendly 😉

This post may contain a link to an affiliate. See my disclosure policy for more information.