What I do with my homegrown garden cucumbers

One thing I have learned over the years is to not over-plant vegetables. In the past, we ended up with so many veggies that we couldn't even give it all away before they went bad. This time around, we planted only one or two plants of each vegetable we like and stuck to containers. One of the veggies my husband insists on each year is cucumbers. We went with pickling cukes since we prefer the crunch of them.

I love to pluck them right off the vine and give them a good rinse. I slice them up with the skin on and add sea salt, cracked pepper, vinegar and a squeeze of sriracha. Toss them up and you have a great side dish for your savory meals.

You can't get any better than eating something fresh that you grew yourself. Did you plant anything this year or do you plan to? Have you made anything yummy with your harvest?

#sponsored Get your dishes sparkling with Cascade Platinum Pacs and enter their #MyPlatinum Instagram contest

I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Cascade. I received a product sample to facilitate my review and a promotional item as a thank you for participating.

I want to share a confession with you all. I sometimes get so exhausted from a full day of being a stay-at-home mom and homemaker that I leave dishes in the sink overnight or even forget to turn the dishwasher on. It happens and I usually end up regretting it! I can't stand dealing with all of the stuck-on mess the next day. I received a bag of the new Cascade Platinum Pacs to try out and the first thing that stood out to me was that it was their "Ultimate clean for dishes" and required no pre-rinse, fights grease and can even power through stuck-on food particles.

I am one of those moms that rinses the heck out of everything before putting them into the dishwasher. I decided to be a rebel and put crusty, dirty dishes in the washer for maybe the first time in my life! I even dared putting my plastic storage containers with a greasy film in as well.

I popped one of the fresh smelling pacs into my dishwasher and fired it up. I had no real expectations. It seems like most brands claim to do the same as the Cascade Platinum Pacs and I always end up with a film on my dishes. This time was very different. My dishes came out absolutely sparkling and gleaming! From each pot, pan, plate, glass and flatware... all of them came out beautiful!

You see this pot? It has stuck-on rice on the bottom and it is also 18 years old. Look how shiny and clean it is! I usually have to hand wash and scrub my stainless steel pots and pans. Cascade Platinum did the trick! I couldn't be happier! My previous dishwasher detergent will be getting the boot now that I have upgraded to Cascade Platinum.  

These days, so many of us love to snap photos of our delicious dishes we have prepared to share across our social networks. Since we eat with our eyes first, presentation is everything! With that in mind, Top Chef judge and editor of Food & Wine magazine, Gail Simmons, has partnered with Cascade to discuss why presentation is just as important as preparation. Check out this quick video from Gail sharing some plating tips. You can also access more videos and information on the Cascade Facebook page. 

 

Right now, Cascade is having a  "My Platinum" Instagram contest to show off your sparkling dishes and glasses. 

To enter, check out the Cascade Platinum page and here is some info: 

Show Us YOUR Sparkle & Win!

So show us how sparkly Cascade® makes all YOUR pots, pans, plates, glassware and silverware!

Enter† Cascade's #MyPlatinum Instagram Contest for a chance to win a KitchenAid® Kitchen Makeover and a 1-year supply of Cascade®! Weekly entries have a chance to win a KitchenAid® Dishwasher and six-month supply of Cascade® too!

Besides being a member of Instagram, be sure to use the hashtag #MyPlatinum and tag @MyCascade to be eligible to win! 

Cascade will pick 2 weekly winners each week and one final grand prize winner. You might just be one of the lucky ones! Good luck. 

My latest Pinterest success | Two-toned frosted cupcakes

Yesterday evening, we had a graduation party for our oldest daughter. I gave her the option of ordering a cake but she wanted my homemade cupcakes. She requested hot pink and white "zebra stripes" for the frosting to match with her hot pink, black and white theme. I already ruled out the fact that I can make the icing turn out to look anything like zebra stripes, but I knew somehow I could pull off dual colored swirls. I remember seeing an idea on Pinterest about a year ago so I figured I would give it a shot.

I started off with baking the cupcakes (I did a boxed white cake to make life easier) and then mixed up my homemade cream cheese frosting. I scooped out half of the frosting in a separate bowl and tinted it with pink food coloring until I got the right shade I was looking for.

Next, I added the plain frosting in a piping bag and the hot pink in another piping bag. I then snipped the tips off both piping bags and put both bags carefully into one more empty piping bag that had a large star tip in it. I gently squeezed some frosting out until I saw both colors come out. 

I was so pleased with the results and it was worth using 3 piping bags to make it happen. I found some cute graduation themed cupcake liners and picks made by Wilton and here is the final product. 

My daughter and her guests all loved how cute the cupcakes came out!  

Smooth Fitness Treadmill Update #SmoothBlogger #spon

I am participating in a campaign as a Smooth Fitness Ambassador and will be reviewing a treadmill from Smooth Fitness in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts/opinions expressed are always my own.

It has been about 4 months now since my Smooth Fitness 5.65 treadmill entered my life. I have to say that things have changed a lot. I haven't felt as good as I have been in a very long time. I almost feel like I time traveled backwards and a 26 year old resides inside of me. Having the convenience of a state-of-the-art piece of exercise equipment inside my home has been my ticket to better overall health and well-being.

Before becoming a Smooth Fitness Ambassador, I never made exercise a priority. It was always such a hassle to arrange the time, find a place and even the motivation to dedicate to fitness. My treadmill has helped me to stop making excuses and start making myself better. Each night I make my plans for the next day. I actually look forward to starting my day off with a brisk jog. I am in no way one of those moms that run 4-6 miles a day. I don't think I can handle that much and realize that it is okay. I set simple goals for myself and make them more challenging each week. Some mornings I may only do a mile or a mile and a half as well as some stretching and light weights. My goal is to feel better and have more energy. I have to say. I have certainly reached that goal! If I miss a workout for 2 days, I will know it and feel badly about it. Exercise has become a habit for me! 

If you are considering purchasing a treadmill for your home, I highly suggest any of the ones that Smooth Fitness offers. It is a great investment and on to this day, I snicker as I pass by the health club we were paying big money for in the past. Of course, you can't beat being able to "ugly sweat" in the privacy of your own home, no matter the weather! I know our treadmill will get used and abused this summer since the girls will be out of school.

Be sure to check out Smooth Fitness on the web, Facebook and Twitter to learn more about their line of treadmills and elliptical machines. I want to extend a huge thank you to Smooth Fitness for having me as a brand ambassador. My family loves the machine and we look forward to staying healthy and fit for life!

One of my favorite beauty products

I think over the years, I have tried virtually every beauty product you could get from a drugstore. One thing I use every night is a makeup removing wipe. I have tried so many brands but I go back to the same one every time. Oddly enough, the Walmart brand called Equate beauty has been the best one by far.

I love how soft and gentle the towelettes feel and they are generously sized. They have just the right amount of cleanser in them that really do the trick of getting my eye makeup off with ease. Since I use them primarily for eye makeup removal, I don't have to use a whole wipe. I tear a wipe in two or three and maximize my uses from one pack. My daughters do the same thing and they last a long time. We purchase it in a 2-pack for around $6. Not bad at all! I don't buy them because they are inexpensive. I buy them because they actually work!

What do you use to remove makeup?