SALTINE CRACKER CANDY~ FOR YOUR VALENTINE

Before Christmas I searched for many hours for recipes

to give as gifts for  my family and friends. I stumbled upon

this recipe for Saltine Cracker candy on one of my favorite Mom

blogs Mommy's Kitchen. Would be a perfect gift also to give to your valentine for Valentines day.  

From what I can tell this recipe is popping up all over. I couldn't believe all the buzz about it. So I decided to try it out for myself. I have to tell you  if you make this candy you will be addicted. It was so good. I just couldn't believe what the ingredients were. Saltines, chocolate chips, pecan pieces brown sugar, and butter This candy if you have your eyes closedwill remind you of Almond Roca candy which I love. I posted a pic of this candy on Facebook today and had many comments. So I am posting the recipe for my readers. Enjoy!

These are the ingredients for the recipe. You will need Original Premium Saltines, Nestle Chocolate Chips, Pecans, butter and brown sugar. Sound simple? Yes it is.

Place brown sugar and butter in a sauce pan over

medium heat. Stir constantly to prevent burning.

Once you bring to a boil set your timer for 3 minutes. 

Prepare a large cookie sheet by lining it with foil. i used a  throw away foil cookie sheet  but you can use either one.
 Pour brown sugar mixture over saltine crackers. Place in a 400
degree oven for 5 minutes. Sprinkle 12oz package of chocolate chips on top. Spread chocolate when melted over crackers until
all saltines are covered. Sprinkle with pecans.I used
the cookie pecan bits for this recipe. You can also use almonds . It's really up to you. Just make sure they are in small pieces.

 Refrigerate candy for 2 hours. Break into pieces and watch
it disappear. I know you are gonna love it.


The Recipe
1 1/2 packages Saltine Crackers

 1 1/4 - cups butter, not margarine

1 1/4 - cup light brown sugar
1 - 12 oz package chocolate chips or

1 - 8 oz package milk chocolate toffee bits
1 - cup chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts or almonds)

Recipe adapted from Mommy's Kitchen.

SANTA BARBARA BAY~ SOCKEYE SALMON DIP REVIEW

What is on your party tray this Christmas Eve?

I don't know about you but I love making party

trays during the holiday season. I remember

my mom making some pretty darn great

party trays for Christmas Eve when we

were kids. We would   have dips, chips and
all kinds of goodies.


Several months back I had the pleasure of
reviewing for Santa Barbara Bay. They 
sent me a variety of dips to try. I was very
impressed with the quality and taste of
Santa Barbara Bay Dips. 

Recently they sent me the Sockeye Salmon Dip
to review. I don't know about you but I love salmon
but I have never tried a dip made with it. So I was
not sure how I would like it. Well all I can say is 
I loved it, literally, bottom line. It had a delicious
smoked salmon flavor and would be awesome to serve
on a holiday tray with crackers . If you are not a salmon
fan Santa Barbara Bay has a delicious variety of 
dips to try. It's not to late to include Santa Barbara
Bay delicious dips and spreads on your Christmas Eve Party Tray.
 For more information  about Santa Barbara Bay Dips
and spreads click here


FLAVORS INCLUDE:
Caramelized Onion & Roasted Garlic Dip | Chili Con Queso Dip | Chunky Artichoke Dip | Crab Salad
Cream Cheese Seafood Spread | Garden Dill Dip | King Crab & Cheddar Spread
NEW! All Natural Spinach Parmesan Dip | NEW! Artichoke Jalapeno Dip | NEW! Buffalo Blue Cheese Dip
Roasted Garlic Ranch Dip | Seafood Salad | Spinach Dip | Sweet & Spicy Three Pepper Dip

CLUB FLAVORS INCLUDE:
All Natural Seafood Salad | All Natural Spinach Parmesan Dip | Seafood Spread | Spinach Dip
Wild Smoked Sockeye Salmon Spread

PARTY TRAY FLAVORS INCLUDE:
Spinach Dip and Chunky Artichoke Dip | Roasted Garlic Ranch Dip and Garden Dill Dip
Caramelized Onion and Roasted Garlic Dip and Spinach Dip | Roasted Garlic Ranch Dip and Spinach Dip

Disclosure: For this review I received free of charge
two Santa Barbara Bay Sockeye Salmon Dips to review.
I would like to thank Santa Barbara Bay for making this
review possible.

MARZETTI SALAD DRESSING REVIEW

I was one of the bloggers selected by T. Marzetti Company and Clever Girls Collective    to host a Marzetti Simply Dressed review. They provided me with product to test myself and compensation for my time. However, my opinions are entirely my own.


My Thoughts

I am very picky about salad dressing.I 

have never liked Thousand Island, Blue
Cheese or French. I just have never 
found any of these salad dressings appealing.
When I go to the grocery store  I always
pick up a bottle of Ranch Salad Dressing. I 
love it. I buy Italian, Caesar and Balsamic sometimes  but I have to say that Ranch is my favorite. I not only use
it on my salad but on my baked potato instead
of sour cream and when I make french fries I use
it instead of Ketchup. I think my son inherited this
from me because when we have french fries at home
he always ask for Ranch to dip his fries in.

 I am also very picky about the brand of salad
dressing that I purchase. When I was asked
to review a bottle of Marzetti  Simply Dressed Salad Dressing
I was excited to try this brand. Actually I have
never tried or heard of it. A friend of  mine
at work told me that she buys Marzetti Simply
Dressed Salad Dressing and I could find it in the refrigerated section of our local grocery store by the salad. She said
she loved it and buys it all the time. So, when I went
to the store to pick up the dressing I read the packaging
to find out more about the product.

I learned that Marzetti Simply Dressed Salad Dressing
is preservative free, contains no MSG, trans fat, high fructose corn syrup or artificial flavors. Wow, this was very
good news to me because  I knew that it would probably
taste pretty good. Of course you know I immediately
wanted to try the Simply Dressed Ranch but it took me a while
to decide because  the Pomegranate , Balsamic and Caesar  dressing also caught my eye.  I finally decided to try the
Ranch Dressing and used it on my salad that night. 
You can also purchase the Simply Dressed  Light
Salad Dressing which contains  less calories and fat
than regular dressings and available in five varieties.

Simply Dressed Light Ranch
Simply Dressed Light Blue Cheese
Simply Dressed Light Caesar
Simply Dressed Raspberry Acai
Simply Dressed Light Celery Seed Slaw
 


I visited the Marzetti website and learned that some of
the dressings are gluten free which is great for people
with an allergy to gluten. I found many great recipes
and a lot of  product information.

THE TASTE TEST

From the first taste, I was in heaven! I can
really tell the difference between the 
shelf stable brands and  Marzetti.  It was so good.
I will never go back to using another brand again
and that says a lot for me because I have been using
the same brand of Ranch Dressing  for years. This dressing was so creamy and had a delicious fresh taste. Made with buttermilk
canola oil and extra virgin olive oil. I can't wait to venture
out and try some of the other flavors like

Simply Dressed Champagne Salad Dressing
Simply Dressed Greek Feta Salad Dressing 
Simply Dressed Strawberry Poppyseed Dressing
Simply Dressed Pomegranate Dressing
Simply Dressed Coleslaw Salad Dressing
Simply Dressed Balsamic Dressing 

If you have not tried Marzetti Simply Dressed Salad Dressing

I would definitely recommend you try it. I will give this

product a very positive review because  I loved the taste of it.

I can't wait to try the recipe on the Marzetti website

for the Stuffed Mushrooms which incorporates the Simply 

Dressed Ranch Dressing in the recipe. I love stuffed mushrooms and this recipe sounds really good. I love making  quick appetizers during the holidays to serve on a party tray.

I would like to thank Clever Girls Collective and the

T. Marzetti company for making this review possible.

GORTON'S SEAFOOD REVIEW SWEEPSTAKES & GIVEAWAY

I was recently selected to review for Gorton's Seafood.

Surprisingly I have never tried these products before.

I received in the mail three coupons to try the Gorton's

Seafood Products.  I selected the Beer Battered Fish,

Lemon Peppered Fish and Battered Fish to review.

I love the beer battered fish and lemon peppered
fish. This is a quick easy meal the whole family
will enjoy. I was pressed for time  one day so I baked
a variety of Gorton's Fish to try.
My son and I enjoyed it with a side of Mac &Cheese.They 
came out perfect from the oven. Crispy on the
outside and tender on the inside. I am not a big
fan of fish from a box but I loved the
Gorton's brand and will be purchasing this
on my next grocery trip. 

 SWEEPSTAKES & GIVEAWAY

Check out the Gorton's Seafood
Any Way You Want It  Sweepstakes on
Facebook and tell how you get  seafood on
your plate twice a week,for a  chance to win
5,000 dollars to spend any way you want it!
Hurry over this ends at midnight tonight!
I would like to thank Gorton's Seafood for 
providing the products for this review 
and giveaway.

12/2 -12/6
THE GIVEAWAY

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED

Gorton's Seafood is giving one lucky reader of Welcome To 
My Kitchen, one product coupon for a free Gorton's product  and a Gorton's custom dinner plate.
Simply leave a comment below this post stating your favorite 
 Gorton's recipe. Visit to view the Gorton's recipes here

Please leave a separate comment for each entry with a valid email address. Winner will be chosen using random.org and will be given
48 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen.
BONUS ENTRIES(one each)

1. Go to http://www.gortons.com and sign up for our fun e-newsletter!

2 “Like,” tweet or share a Gorton’s recipe.

3. "Like" Gorton's on Facebook!

4. "Follow" Gorton's Seafood on Twitter and tweet about the Gorton’s Any Way You Want It Sweepstakes! http://twitter.com/gortons seafood [Sample tweet: Get Gorton’s Seafood on your plate Any Way You Want It & enter for a chance to win $5,000! #eatseafoodtwiceaweek http://bit.ly/pzAt2M]

Disclosure:

I received free of charge three coupons for a free boxes

of Gorton's Seafood to review. All thoughts and opinions

of this product are my own and not influenced by the company

or products I received for this review.

TEXAS FOOD~ REVIEW & KATY'S SWEET PECAN CRUNCH GIVEAWAY

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED

I had the pleasure of reviewing for Texas Food
several weeks ago. They sent me Pecan
Pralines and Pecan Crunch to review. I stumbled
across the Texas Food website while browsing
the Internet and was amazed at all the wonderful
gift baskets, pantry and spices, bakery items, jams, 
snacks, and appetizers. All authentic Texas foods
from the good ole state of Texas.

Since I live in Texas I will tell you that 
we have some pretty darn good food here.
Known for our barbecue, pecans, chili and
Tex Mex. So when I found the Texas Food website
I was excited about trying the products. 

I received to review the Katy Sweet Pecan Crunch
and a variety of pecan pralines. I love pecans
so I was excited about trying the pecan crunch first. This
comes in a lovely red tin. The  taste was heavenly, so
buttery and delicious.  Would make a great gift for
Christmas  or just to serve on your holiday table.

I received  Chewy Coconut Pecan, Creamy Fudge Pecan,
No Sugar Added Pecan and Creamy Original Pecan pralines
to review. I tried the coconut pecan first and I loved the taste of
it. I am a big coconut fan. My favorite of the pralines
that I received are the Original Pecan and the Sugar Free. 
I was very impressed with the sugar free pralines. I actually
could not tell that it was sugar free.

I am a chocoholic and of course fell in love with the Creamy Fudge Pecan pralines.Overall I was very impressed with Texas Food products that I was sent to review. I recommend you try them for yourself. I would like to thank Texas Food for sponsoring this review and giveaway!

THE GIVEAWAY
The generous folks at Texas Food are giving away a tin of
Katy's Sweet Pecan Crunch to one lucky reader of
Welcome To My Kitchen. Just in time for the holiday season. Trust me you are going to love this pecan crunch. Simply leave a comment at the end of this post stating what products you like from the Texas Food  website.  Click here to visit. Be sure to leave a valid email address where I can easily contact you. Please leave a separate comment for each entry.


Bonus entries(one each)

Subscribe by email
Blog about this giveaway
post this giveaway on Facebook
Grab my button and place on your sidebar

GOOSEBERRY PATCH & NEW ENGLAND COFFEE GIVEAWAY WINNERS

Congratulations to Trista Anderson comment

22 on the Gooseberry Patch 101 Hearty

Recipes Giveaway.  You are the winner!I hope you enjoy

your cookbook.

Congratulations to Diana comment
7 on the New England Coffee Giveaway.
Hope you enjoy your coffee this holiday
season.

APPLE WALNUT GALETTE RECIPE

I am so glad  the holidays are approaching. I love this time of year when I can start baking. I  now have a new favorite dessert, Apple Walnut Galette.This recipe is so easy.Wait until  you see how pretty and yummy it looks. Your guest will think you spent all day in the kitchen. I love the way it smells when

baking. Fills the entire house with a yummy

apple cinnamon aroma. 

I used Pillsbury Pie Crust for this recipe I love this pie

crust because it is delicious and taste

as close to home made as you can get in

my opinion. I like  using it to because 

it is so convenient and easy. 

If you are pressed for time and  want a quick

delicious dessert, this is it. In about 30 minutes  you can have a delicous  dessert made with apples, cinnamon,

sugar and walnuts. Great with a scoop of vanilla ice
cream on top.

Instructions

Peel core and chop apples and place in mixing bowl. Add

cinnamon, brown sugar and walnuts. Toss to coat.

Unroll pie crust and place apple mixture in the middle.

Simply  fold up pie crust and tuck under. Sprinkle with

granulated sugar on top of crust if desired. Place 2 to 3 pats of 

butter on top of apple mixture before baking. Bake at 400

for 30 to 45 minutes until apples are tender and 

crust is golden brown. Serve at your next holiday table. Your 

guest will be very impressed. 

NEW ENGLAND COFFEE ~ PUMPKIN SPICE & EGG NOG REVIEW & GIVEAWAY

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED

Recently I was sent  two flavors of New England

Coffee to review, Pumpkin Spice  and

Egg Nog.I am not a pumpkin fan at all.

Yes, I know that sounds crazy but I just

do not like  the taste of pumpkin  I can
tolerate  pumpkin if it is incorporated in a muffin
or cake but I have never liked

pumpkin pie . So I was very skeptical

about pumpkin spice flavored coffee.

I reviewed for New England Coffee before

and I fell in love with the blueberry coffee

that they sent me to review. I told my mom

I was going to come for a visit and bring

the coffee with me to share. She was excited

because she love pumpkin and was anxious

to try it. She also enjoyed the blueberry coffee

that we shared the last time .

I also prepared a delicious Caramel Apple
upside down cake to go with our coffee. I will be 
sharing the recipe for this delicious cake
later this week.


THE REVIEW

First I prepared the pumpkin spice coffee. When
it was brewing it smelled so good and amazingly
I loved it! So much, that I had to get a second 
cup. Can you believe  it? I know I couldn't.
I have been a pumpkin hater all my life. This coffee has 
a sweet pumpkin flavor enhanced with spices.. great for the holidays.

I like my coffee with  
Splenda  and a little cream.  We drank
the first pot and then it was time to prepare the egg 
nog flavor.  This coffee has a strong aroma. I did
not  like the taste of it. I am not a big fan of
eggnog but I have tried it once or twice at Christmas  time. For 
this reason I didn't like the taste of this coffee.


I am planning on serving these coffees on the upcoming 
Thanksgiving holiday.I would recommend you try the seasonal
flavors of New England Coffee. You are sure to find a flavor you will love.

THE GIVEAWAY

11/6-11/11
The generous folks at
New England  Coffee are going to give one of my lucky 
readers a bag of Pumpkin Spice coffee to try.  Simply leave a 
comment telling me your favorite way to drink a cup of 
coffee. Please leave a valid email address where I can
easily contact you. Winner will be given 48 hours to respond
or another winner will be chosen. Winner will be chosen
using Random.Org

Disclosure: I received free of charge New England
Pumpkin Spice and Egg Nog flavored coffees to
review. All thoughts and opinions of this product
are my own and not influenced by the company or products I 
received for this review.