IHOP® restaurants offer Stuffed French Toast in 2 new varieties

IT’S A SWEET START TO SEPTEMBER AS IHOP RESTAURANTS INTRODUCE TWO NEW VARIETIES OF STUFFED FRENCH TOAST, SEPTEMBER 9

New Peach Vanilla and Strawberry Vanilla Toppings Add a Fresh New Twist to this Delicious Classic

GLENDALE, CA. – September 9, 2013 -- IHOP® restaurants, which created a new breakfast classic when it introduced Stuffed French Toast—delicious cinnamon raisin French toast with a sweet cream filling—has found a new way to top it!  Beginning September 9th, guests can enjoy two new varieties of this favorite dish:

·         Peach Vanilla Stuffed French Toast

A warm slice of cinnamon-raisin French toast stuffed with sweet cream filling, dipped in lightly sweetened vanilla batter and grilled until golden brown, then topped with glazed sliced peaches, vanilla cream drizzle, powdered sugar and finished with creamy whipped topping.

·         Strawberry Vanilla Stuffed French Toast

A warm slice of cinnamon-raisin French toast stuffed with sweet cream filling, dipped in lightly sweetened vanilla batter and grilled until golden brown, then topped with glazed whole strawberries, vanilla cream drizzle, powdered sugar and finished with creamy whipped topping.

 They join IHOP’s regular varieties of Stuffed French Toast— glazed strawberries, cinnamon apple and blueberry compote.

“When we introduced our Stuffed French Toast, we instantly created another unique IHOP classic,” said Natalia Franco, Senior Vice President, Marketing, International House of Pancakes, LLC.  “And now, just in time to celebrate the start of the fall season, we’ve come up with two new sweet, rich  variations on this favorite that guests are sure to love.“

The new varieties of Stuffed French Toast can be ordered as a separate menu item, or as part of one of IHOP’s famous 2 eggs any style made to order combo breakfasts, all served with hash browns: 

Ultimate Bacon & Sausage Combo

Ham & Eggs Combo

Bacon & Eggs Combo

Sausage & Eggs Combo

Regular Combo

Egg Combo

And, as a perfect complement to any of these choices, guests will want to try two new flavored coffees:

·         Salted Caramel Iced Coffee –a delicious proprietary recipe that captures the distinctive sweet and salty combination of salted caramel.

·         White Chocolate Flavored Hot Coffee—our famous brewed International Roast coffee flavored with the distinctive sweet taste of white chocolate, topped with whipped cream.

These flavored coffees will be available for a limited time through November 3rd.

ABOUT INTERNATIONAL HOUSE OF PANCAKES, LLC

For 55 years, International House of Pancakes, LLC has been a leader and expert in all things breakfast and a leader in family dining. The chain is highly competitive in its menu offering, serving 65 different signature, made- to-order breakfast options as well as a range of meals under 600 calories.  Beyond offering “everything you love about breakfast, SM” IHOP® restaurants have a wide selection of popular lunch and dinner items, as well. IHOP restaurants offer guests an affordable, everyday dining experience with warm and friendly service. As of June 30, 2013, there were 1,593 IHOP restaurants in 50 states and the District of Columbia, as well as in Canada, Guatemala, Mexico, Puerto Rico, the United Arab Emirates, the Philippines and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Under the licensed name IHOP at HOME® consumers can also enjoy a line of premium breakfast products available at leading retailers. IHOP restaurants are franchised and operated by Glendale, Calif.-based International House of Pancakes, LLC and its affiliates. International House of Pancakes, LLC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of DineEquity, Inc. (NYSE: DIN).  For more information or to find an IHOP restaurant near you, please visit www.IHOP.com.  Follow IHOP on Facebook and Twitter.

Unexpected ways to use syrup with Mrs. Butterworth's and Log Cabin (Review & Giveaway)

I received some coupons for complimentary items in exchange for my post about unexpected ways to use syrup. All opinions are 100% mine as always. 

One of our favorite meals in our home is breakfast. Besides eating it at actual breakfast time, we enjoy it for lunch and dinner too. My family can't get enough of my homemade pancakes, French toast or waffles with lots of yummy syrup. Syrup is a staple item in my pantry and one of those things that I even buy in bulk. 

I love syrup for dipping thick-cut bacon! It's a drool worthy moment :) 

Since I am very creative in the kitchen, I sometimes experiment with syrup in savory dishes. My family enjoys the combination of salty and sweet. One of my absolute favorite things to make with syrup is smashed sweet potatoes as a side dish. All you do is peel and boil some sweet potatoes until tender and them smash them with a pinch of salt, a few pats of butter, a sprinkling of cinnamon, a little bit of brown sugar and a few generous squeezes of Mrs. Butterworth's syrup. I spread it into a microwave safe baking dish and heat it for several minutes to let all the flavors blend. I like to serve it with fish, chops or meatloaf. My family loves it! I have also made the same dish in the form of glazed sweet potatoes. 

Another delicious way that I like to use syrup is on salmon. I very light drizzle at the end of cooking adds a subtle sweetness and transforms the salmon into something special. I also like to jazz up barbecue sauce with a little bit of syrup as well.

I plan to cook up a batch of waffles tonight and look forward to trying the Log Cabin All Natural Table Syrup. I have been a long-time lover of Mrs. Butterworth's but I am excited to try the Log Cabin syrup. I just thought of something that would be amazing... imagine a nice yellow cupcake topped with homemade butter cream or cream cheese icing that had a few drizzles of syrup mixed in and them topped with some crumbled candied bacon! I think my heart just skipped a beat!

For recipe ideas, check out the Mrs. Butterworth's and Log Cabin sites. Also, be sure to "like" Mrs. Butterworth's on Facebook for special offers.  I would love to hear your ideas on ways to use syrup in recipes.

I have 2 extra coupons (one for any Mrs. Butterworth's product and one for any Log Cabin product) I would love to give away to one lucky reader. Enter below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
This giveaway is open to US Residents only and will end on August 15, 2013. One winner will be selected at random and contacted by email to claim prize. Mom Files is not responsible for any lost or stolen prizes. Good luck!

IHOP® Restaurants Introduces new sweet cream topped Belgian waffles for a limited time

WAFFLE LOVERS:  YOUR WORLD IS ABOUT TO GET A WHOLE LOT SWEETER! IHOP INTRODUCES NEW DELICIOUS SWEET CREAM TOPPED BELGIAN WAFFLES IN THREE VARIETIES: BERRIES & CREAM, CHERRIES & CREAM AND BANANAS & CREAM

The Latest Innovative Breakfast Treat Available for a Limited Time Only, Beginning July 22nd IHOP® Restaurants are giving waffles lovers—and all breakfast lovers—a reason to rejoice by introducing a new, scrumptiously sweet and creamy variation on the classic waffle:  the Sweet Cream Topped Waffle.

This new twist on one of IHOP Restaurant’s most popular breakfast items offers guests a delicious IHOP Belgian waffle, made to order to be crispy on the outside, soft and tender on the inside and topped with a slightly cooled silky vanilla cream and fruit.

“Waffles have always been an important part of the IHOP heritage and as we’ve done with our Brioche French Toast and Signature Pancakes this year, we’ve found a way to bring this beloved favorite to a completely different level,” said Natalia Franco, Senior Vice President, Marketing, International House of Pancakes, LLC. “We’ve given our guests three new tasty ways to indulge their craving for something sweet. The combination of our warm, crisp, thick waffle, our velvety cream and any one of our fruit toppings is a taste sensation you’ll have to try to believe! ”

IHOP Sweet Cream Waffles are available in three varieties:

·         New! Berries & Cream Belgian Waffle – A traditional thick and crispy Belgian waffle topped with vanilla cream, whole blueberries, sliced glazed strawberries and finished with powdered sugar.

·         New! Cherries & Cream Belgian Waffle - A traditional thick and crispy Belgian waffle topped with vanilla cream, sweet black cherries, drizzled with dark chocolate sauce and finished with powdered sugar.

·         New! Bananas & Cream Belgian Waffle - A traditional thick and crispy Belgian waffle topped with vanilla cream, sliced bananas, honey-roasted pecans and finished with powdered sugar.

IHOP’s Sweet Cream Topped Waffles will be available in restaurants for a limited time beginning July 22 through September 8, 2013. They can be ordered as a separate menu item, or as a half waffle with one of IHOP’s famous 2 egg any style made to order combo breakfasts, all served with hash browns:

·         Ultimate Bacon & Sausage Combo

·         Ham & Eggs Combo

·         Bacon & Eggs Combo

·         Sausage & Eggs Combo.

·         Regular Combo

·         Egg Combo.

ABOUT INTERNATIONAL HOUSE OF PANCAKES, LLC
For 55 years, International House of Pancakes, LLC has been a leader and expert in all things breakfast and a leader in family dining. The chain is highly competitive in its menu offering, serving 65 different signature, made-to-order breakfast options as well as a range of meals under 600 calories.  Beyond offering “everything you love about breakfast, SM” IHOP® restaurants have a wide selection of popular lunch and dinner items, as well. IHOP restaurants offer guests an affordable, everyday dining experience with warm and friendly service. As of March 31, 2013, there were 1,589 IHOP restaurants in 50 states and the District of Columbia, as well as in Canada, Guatemala, Mexico, Puerto Rico, the United Arab Emirates, the Philippines and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Under the licensed name IHOP at HOME® consumers can also enjoy a line of premium breakfast products available at leading retailers. IHOP restaurants are franchised and operated by Glendale, Calif.-based International House of Pancakes, LLC and its affiliates. International House of Pancakes, LLC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of DineEquity, Inc. (NYSE: DIN). For more information or to find an IHOP restaurant near you, please visit www.IHOP.com. Follow IHOP on Facebook and Twitter.

My favorite new kitchen appliance, the Belgian waffle maker

This past Mother's Day, I received a wonderful present from my family. I had hinted around for some time that I wanted a Belgian waffle maker and finally got one. I have had the same traditional, round waffle maker for about 15 years now. It works just fine, but I prefer the taste and texture of a Belgian waffle. They bought me the Food Network brand from Kohl's. The name brand alone made me giddy! 

I couldn't wait to use it! I have quite a few recipes for Belgian waffles, but honestly I don't always want to dedicate the time to measuring a dozen or so ingredients. I use the Krusteaz Belgian waffle mix in the box (gasp!). I have mixed up this same waffle batter and cooked it in my traditional waffle maker, but they always come out too dense.

In my fancy new waffle maker, the waffles come out so good! They have the perfect texture inside while being a bit crisp on the outside. I have used my machine about 20 times since I got it and I have learned what to do and what NOT to do. If you look at the picture above, you will notice that my waffles don't all fill out to the edges. Welllll, after overfilling the cooking surfaces a few times too many, you will learn what happens! My waffle maker had a locking feature to ensure that the cooking plates come together properly to cook your waffle evenly and maintain the shape. I learned the hard way that by overfilling to get the edges filled all the way in results in the top popping. The noise it makes is SO scary! It sounds like a mini explosion!! 

I was watching an episode of Bobby Flay's show on Cooking Channel called "Brunch with Bobby" and he was making some coconut waffles. I noticed his were not perfect and the edges were not even. If Bobby Flay can have uneven, imperfect waffles, then it is okay for me too! 

My family enjoys their waffles with butter and syrup. My husband loves having chicken with his. For me, I like mine with butter and some fancy strawberry preserves. If you live near a Kroger store you must try out their high-end line of preserves called Private Selection. It is amazing! I make a hefty batch of waffles and put the leftovers in the refrigerator. They toast up perfectly the next day. 

I love my Belgian waffle maker so much and wanted to share my thoughts for those of you considering buying one. You won't be disappointed! 

New Brioche French Toast at IHOP

IHOP®, the restaurant known for “Everything you love about breakfast” is introducing its latest breakfast innovation: Brioche French Toast.

These thick-cut slices of rich round brioche bread are soaked in a lightly-sweetened vanilla batter and grilled to a delicate warm golden crispiness that is perfectly ready to layer with three flavorful varieties of toppings: Bananas Foster, Berry Berry and Peaches & Cream, will be in restaurants beginning April 15th.

“We’re delighted to bring our guests the next generation of French Toast,” said Natalia Franco, Senior Vice President, Marketing, International House of Pancakes, LLC. “They have been coming to IHOP restaurants for years because they know no one makes French Toast like IHOP restaurants can, and they love the way we continually find ways to surprise and delight them. Our new Brioche French Toast is unlike any they’ve ever tasted—it will delight our French Toast fans--and create new ones!”

Brioche French Toast comes in three delicious and distinctively new flavors:

Bananas Foster Brioche French Toast comes with a New Orleans Foster’s sauce made with sliced bananas, caramelized in a buttery brown sugar glaze, and whipped topping.

Berry Berry Brioche French Toast layers blueberries and strawberry topping with a luscious dusting of powdered sugar and whipped topping.

Peaches & Cream Brioche French Toast combines sweetened sliced peaches, honey-roasted pecans and vanilla cream drizzle with a dollop of whipped topping.

Guests may enjoy three slices of Brioche French Toast alone, as a delicious indulgent treat, or as part of an IHOP Combo, with two eggs, done the way they like them, optional choice of crispy bacon, pork sausage links or a grilled ham slice, along with IHOP restaurants, signature golden hash browns.

For more information or to find an IHOP restaurant near you, please visit www.ihop.com.  Follow IHOP on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ihop.

Post Honey Bunches of Oats Tropical Blends Review & Giveaway

For many years, I have been a big fan of Honey Bunches of Oats cereal. I have tried just about every variety except the newest addition, Tropical Blends Mango Coconut. This flavor has real coconut and mango flavored flakes combined into those signature "bunches" as well as real coconut shavings and the classic flakes that make Honey Bunches of Oats oh so yummy. I really do love anything with coconut or tropical fruit for that matter. The mango flavor was okay but I was not overly thrilled about it.  The cereal overall is still delicious and exactly what I would expect from this brand. I really like how much coconut was in it. Honestly, I would have loved to see it in a pineapple coconut flavor or just coconut alone.

I feel good feeding my family any cereal from the Honey Bunches of Oats family. It has a lot less sugar a lot of other cereals without sacrificing taste.

Honey Bunches of Oats Fruit Blends - Mango Coconut has:

• Four nutritious grains: rice, wheat, oats and corn
• Heart healthy** (0g trans fat, 0g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol per serving)
• 10g of whole grain per serving†
• 9 essential vitamins and minerals

**Diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol, and as low as possible in trans fat, may reduce the risk of heart disease.

†Nutritionists recommend eating 3 or more servings of whole grain foods per day. (About 16g whole grains per serving or at least 48g per day.)

Find out more about Honey Bunches of Oats on their Facebook page and follow them on Twitter @HBOats 

Would you like to try the new Tropical Blends Mango Coconut? Three lucky Momfiles readers will win a coupon good for one FREE box of Honey Bunches of Oats (any variety, up to $4.49)a Rafflecopter giveaway


Giveaway is open to US Residents only and will end on February 23, 2013. Three winners will be chosen at random and will be contacted via email. Momfiles is not responsible for any lost or stolen prizes. Good luck!

Post provided a free sample of their Honey Bunches of Oats Tropical Blends for this post. My participation is voluntary and my opinions, as always, are my own. 

Old Orchard Juices and Teas Review & Coupon Giveaway {5 winners}

Are you looking for ways to save on giving your family juice and drinks and not sacrifice quality and taste? Old Orchard frozen juice and tea concentrates might be the answer you are looking for.

Old Orchard offers many flavors to choose from including Southern Style Sweet Tea, Classics like Grape, Apple, Pineapple and Orange, as well as a variety of juice blends. I found the Old Orchard frozen concentrates at my local Walmart. There were so many to choose from! I picked out the Sweet Tea and the 100% Juice in Pineapple Orange. I really love the convenience of having a frozen concentrate for those times that we run out of drinks. The plastic containers can be microwaved if you are in a rush and recycled. Of course you can't go wrong with having less packaging. I plan to save the containers to use as seed starter pots for my Spring planting.

I mixed up the Pineapple Orange juice as directed on the container and enjoyed a glass of it with my breakfast this morning. For those calorie conscious folks, each serving of Old Orchard drinks have only 90 calories. Not bad at all! The taste? Absolutely delicious. I will have to keep a half dozen of assorted flavors in my freezer at all times. To find a store near you that carries Old Orchard frozen juice, go here. Stay connected with Old Orchard on Facebook and Twitter.

I have a set of 4 coupons for any variety of teas or juices for 5 Momfiles readers to win. Enter below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway is open to US Residents only and will end on February 14, 2013. Five winners will be chosen at random and will be contacted via email. Momfiles is not responsible for any lost or stolen prizes. Good luck!

Old Orchard provided me with coupons for FREE products in exchange for a product review. All thoughts/opinions expressed here are my own, as always.

IHOP Simple & Fit Menu #breakfastlove {$50 GC Giveaway} CLOSED

**Contest closed** The winner is kionna. Congratulations!

My family recently visited our local IHOP restaurant to check out the newest offerings on the SIMPLE & FIT menu. They have expanded their under-600-calorie SIMPLE & FIT menu to include some wholesome items like whole wheat pancakes, waffles and crepes. Mmm, my family loves all things pancakes, waffles and crepes! 

The new offerings will include: 

Super Fruit Oatmeal – A bowl of freshly-made toasted Quaker Oats, lightly sweetened with cinnamon sugar, and topped with a blend of five dried super fruits, including blueberries, dark cherries, cranberries, raisins and golden raisins. (290 Calories) 
 Super Fruit Oatmeal with Almonds and Walnuts – A bowl of freshly-made toasted Quaker Oats, lightly sweetened with cinnamon sugar, and topped with almonds, walnuts and a blend of five dried super fruits, including blueberries, dark cherries, cranberries, raisins and golden raisins. (330 calories) 
 Banana and Brown Sugar Oatmeal– A bowl of freshly made toasted Quaker Oats topped with fresh banana slices and served with brown sugar and milk. (260 calories) 
 Whole Wheat Pancakes Combo – Two Whole Wheat Pancakes topped with lightly sweetened blueberries and powdered sugar served with egg substitute and two strips of turkey bacon (460 calories) 
 Kid’s Whole Wheat Pancake Combo – One Whole Wheat Pancake topped with lightly sweetened blueberries and powdered sugar served with egg substitute and one strip of turkey bacon (230 calories) 
 Whole Wheat Waffle Combo – A Whole Wheat Waffle topped with lightly sweetened blueberries and powdered sugar served with egg substitute and two strips of turkey bacon (510 calories) 
 Whole Wheat Crepes – Two Whole Wheat Crepes filled with sweet cream cheese and topped with lightly sweetened blueberries and powdered sugar (380 calories) Whole Wheat Crepes with Blueberries are also offered as a combination (800 calories).

We tried out the Whole Wheat Pancake combo, Whole Wheat French Toast combo, Banana and Brown Sugar Oatmeal and the Spinach & Mushroom omelet.  Everything was delicious and very satisfying! The whole wheat pancakes were so fluffy and hearty and were just as amazing as the original variety. My son really enjoyed the banana and brown sugar oatmeal. His bowl was left spotless! We were very please with the lower calorie options and did not feel robbed of quality, taste or portion size. We will be making another trip soon to try some of the other items. I have crepes on the brain!

Wouldn't you just love to try out some of the new SIMPLE & FIT menu items? One lucky Momfiles reader will win a $50 IHOP gift card. It is so easy to enter.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Contest is open to US Residents only and will end on Sept, 18, 2012. One winner will be selected at random and will be contacted via email to claim prize. Be sure to follow contest rules accordingly. Momfiles is not responsible for any lost or stolen prizes. Good luck!

I received IHOP gift cards to facilitate my review. All thoughts/opinions are 100% my own as always.

Trio of Signature Pancakes from IHOP® (for a limited time)

IHOP®, known for its world famous buttermilk pancakes for more than 50 years, is showcasing a trio of special pancake creations this summer designed to further inspire the American breakfast experience. Red velvet pancakes, sweet strawberry pancakes and whole wheat pancakes with banana offer guests a classic, seasonal and wholesome choice and demonstrate the family-friendly breakfast giant’s commitment to continually offering innovative breakfast options all day long.


 “Our guests love pancakes, especially super unique ones that they can’t make at home,” said Natalia Franco, IHOP’s senior vice president, marketing. “We are dedicated to continually introducing twists on classic favorites and innovative new breakfast creations to make sure that IHOP is everything you love about breakfast. We are all about choice.”

IHOP’s Signature Summer Pancakes are available from July 9 through September 2 at participating IHOP locations and start at only $4.99. Don't they look amazing?! Check IHOP out on the web and "like" their page on Facebook to stay updated on specials.

Red Velvet Pancakes: Rich chocolaty red velvet pancakes, drizzled with cream cheese icing, a dusting of powdered sugar and crowned with whipped topping. 

Sweet Strawberry Pancakes: Our fluffy famous buttermilk pancakes crowned with cool strawberries in a glaze, drizzled with cream cheese icing and crowned with whipped topping. 

Whole Wheat Pancakes with Banana: Wholesome and lightly sweet, fluffy whole wheat pancakes topped with fresh sliced bananas.

The Poor Man's Keurig

For 3 years now I have bugged  nicely asked my husband for a Keurig coffee brewer. Being the frugal man he is, he reminds me of my old school Black & Decker Cup-at-a-Time coffee maker. He's like why spend $80-$100 when you already have the original version? You know what? He is so right. I bought this gadget about 12 years ago for about $15 at Walmart. I have even purchased additional ones as gifts.

Strangely enough it has hung in there after numerous uses, and even traveling on road trips, being used in the office at work and of course at home. It still makes a steaming hot cup of strong coffee. I can use any ground coffee I want and don't have to purchase the little pods and I can brew to my desired strength. I don't think one little K-cup would work for a gal like me. I am used to drinking coffee as strong as motor oil!  I guess it really makes sense after all to stick with my old school machine. I haven't seen these brewers around in some time but if I do, I might need to purchase it as back-up! 

Honey Bunches of Oats [Review & Giveaway]

I don't know about your family, but my family loves Honey Bunches of Oats. Who can resist those yummy little Honey Roasted Granola Bunches? We have tried most of the varieties and love them all. As a mom, I especially love the fact that this cereal is not your typical sugar covered cereal. The great part is there is just enough sweetness and only has 6 grams of sugar (*per serving). Honey Bunches of Oats Honey Roasted contains 10 grams of whole grain per serving, provides *9 essential vitamins and minerals, and contains 0g Trans Fat, 0g Saturated Fat and 0mg Cholesterol. My teenage daughters love this cereal so much that they have asked to to purchase the "Just Bunches" variety to put in snack bags for them to stash into their gym bags for volleyball season. Sounds like a smart snack to me!

How would you like to win a coupon for a FREE box of any variety of Honey Bunches of Oats? I have 5 coupons to give away to 5 lucky Momfiles readers. Enter in the Rafflecopter widget below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Contest is open to US Residents only and will end on May 28, 2012. Please leave your email address in your comment if you do not have a Blogger Profile. 5 winners will be chosen at random and will be contacted via email. If you do not follow the rules by completing the mandatory entry first, all of your entries will not count. Momfiles is not responsible for any lost or stolen prizes. Good luck!

Post provided a free sample of their Honey Bunches of Oats-Honey Roasted so I could review them. However all opinions expressed here are my own.

The boy knows what he likes {Grits update}

I wrote a post about grits the other day and talked about buying instant grits for my boy. Of course I am the queen of homemade so this was a stretch for me. The majority of comments were against instant. Well I'm sorry but I can't cook grits in a matter of minutes when I have a hungry 3 year old.

We went to Walmart and picked up a box of Quaker butter flavor grits. Honestly, William was thrilled that those were especially for him. As a matter of fact, he bragged to other people in the store that he was getting grits. I don't cook them in the way the box tells you though. What I do is boil water and add it slowly while stirring to prevent lumps. I make it a little on the watery side. I then put it in the microwave on medium power for 1 minute, stirring every 20 seconds. In the end I throw a half slice of cheese on top and add a little bit of freshly cracked pepper. After William's first bite he put both hands up to his heart and squealed out loud followed by a BIG "YUMMMMYYY!!" He actually did a grits and cheese dance throughout the time he ate it. After he was finished he asked for another bowl. I think we have a winner here!!

Grits are... gritty

Growing up in a West Indian home, we ate many interesting things for breakfast. We had everything from sardines, fried eggs, channa (chick peas), toast and sometimes even crepe-like pancakes. Our breakfast food was far from the traditional American fare. When I moved out on my own I learned a lot about American breakfast foods including grits. I had never even heard of grits to say I grew up in the states. My husband grew up on them and it was the daily breakfast staple for him. I remember tasting it for the first time. I was very disgusted and blurted out that "grits are gritty!" Since my husband has grown up eating grits I figured I better learn how to cook them so I did not take away from what he was used to. It took some practice and it turns out that I am an excellent grits cook. I cook them low and slow. Although I am still not a big fan of grits, I will eat them on occasion if I have something yummy to eat along with it. My family loves them and little William recently discovered his love for grits with cheese. I prefer to cook it on the stove-top but since he wants to eat it every day I am going to try him out with the instant kind. Knowing him he will prefer the slow cooked type. My kids are mini food snobs like their mommy :-)

What about you? Did you grow up eating grits? Do you like them?

Pillsbury Breakfast Giveaway {Closed}

Winner is #47 marcia goss Congratulations!

I don't know about your household, but weekday mornings are always hectic around here. Who has time for a hot breakfast when there are lunches to pack, clothes to iron or carpool duty? Pillsbury has come out with two new options to help with that problem... Grands! Biscuit Sandwiches and Pillsbury Egg Scrambles. They are a convenient way to still offer up a hot breakfast in the morning without the hassle involved in the preparation. Just heat it up in the microwave and you're all set!

The biscuits come in these varieties:Sausage & Cheese, Bacon & Cheese and Ham & Veggies. My daughters gave the biscuit sandwiches two thumbs up! They loved the Bacon & Cheese variety.

The Egg Scrambles are available in: Bacon & Veggies, Sausage and Sausage & Veggies

Enter to win a prize pack to try these products out for yourself! One Momfiles reader will win 3 coupons to purchase a free package of new Pillsbury Grands! Biscuit Sandwiches or Pillsbury Egg Scrambles, 1 Doughboy keychain and 1 Doughboy Beanie Doll.

To enter: Let us know which of the new Pillsbury Frozen Grands! Biscuit Sandwiches and Pillsbury Egg Scrambles are you most looking forward to trying.

For extra entries:

~ "like" Pillsbury and Momfiles on Facebook
~ Follow Momfiles through GFC
~ Follow Pillsbury and Momfiles on Twitter
~ Tweet this giveaway (once daily):

Enter to win a #MyBlogSpark @Pillsbury breakfast prize pack at @momfiles http://tinyurl.com/3ougj6p #giveaway

This giveaway is open to US Residents only and will end on October 6, 2011 at 9:00 pm EST. One winner will be chosen at random and contacted via email. Please leave your email address in your comment if you do not have a Blogger Profile. Momfiles is not responsible for any lost or stolen prizes. Good luck!

Disclosure: The VIP coupons, prize pack, information, and giveaway have been provided by Pillsbury through MyBlogSpark.

#EBPlateDate "Brinner" Party

On Saturday evening, our family had a group of friends and family members over for an Eggland’s Best Plate Date “Brinner” Party. Our guests were all curious as to what kind of party this would be. Would you guess that there were tons of Eggland’s Best Eggs involved? I was thrilled to get to work with Eggland’s Best on the Plate Date campaign highlighting great ways to prepare eggs for busy families. You would not believe the vast ways you can cook an egg! I decided to stick with some kid-friendly recipes that are simple and tasty.

Our menu included: Deviled eggs (can't be a party without them!), Southwestern Egg Scramble (recipe below), French toast on honey wheat and Chicago Italian bread and blueberry crumb cake (after all, you have to eat your fruit)

I proudly wore my Eggland's Best apron :-) I would of posted photos of my guests but they preferred not to be in them. That, and my husband takes lousy photos!

I went through dozens of eggs to prepare all of my dishes. I really love the cage-free brown eggs. They have become my new favorite! I made this Southwestern Egg Scramble from a recipe off of the EB site but I tweaked it a bit. Here is what you need:
10 Eggland's Best Eggs
1/2 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
10 ounces cottage cheese, drained
1/2 lb shredded monterey jack cheese
1/2 lb shredded pepper jack cheese
2 scallions thinly sliced


Preheat oven to 400F
Spray a 13 X 9 casserole dish with cooking spray and set aside (I used pure butter).
In a medium bowl, blend flour, salt and baking powder together. Set aside.
Beat eggs thoroughly. Slowly add in flour mixture, beating well until all ingredients are incorporated.
Stir in melted butter, scallions, cottage cheese and jack & pepper jack cheeses and blend well.

Pour into baking dish. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.
Reduce heat to 350 and bake for an additional 35-40 minutes, or until browned. (I had to adjust my oven about 10 degrees lower than suggested)
Remove from oven and cool slightly. Cut into squares and serve.

I think that this dish was a big hit! Everyone loved it and they said it tasted like quiche. The kids all said it made them think of mac 'n cheese without the macaroni! This will be made at my next breakfast/brunch gathering for sure!

Our next favorite dish was the deviled eggs. I used the used the EB Hard-cooked, peeled eggs for the very first time. They came 6 to a bag. I opened the bag and was surprised that there was no eggyness... you know that lovely aroma you get when you boil eggs? Yep, none of that!

Even when I sliced them in half there was no eggy smell. I tell you what, this is a great convenience for when time is not on your side. No boiling, timing, peeling, cooling or heating up your kitchen. You can't beat that! I made my deviled eggs pretty much traditional with a little twist~ I used mayo, freshly cracked pepper, hot pepper sauce, sweet pickle relish, a little honey mustard sauce and a little bit of milk for a smoother consistency. I topped some off with freshly sliced scallion and left some without. I lightly sprinkled some smoky Paprika as a finishing touch. Simple and delicious!
Everyone had such a great time chatting and catching up as well as talking about Eggland's Best Eggs. Thanks to the generosity of Eggland's Best, each guest received a coupon for a FREE dozen eggs. I have a feeling I might have converted all my guests into EB fans. I loved hosting this fun party and I want to say THANK YOU so much to Eggland's Best for making it possible by providing product coupons, cooking utensils and a gift card to help with the extras.

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