A Few of my Faves

I know a lot of people do their favorite things on blogs so I wanted to share with you a few of mine.

First up – Crunchy Nut Cereal. This is a new Kellogg’s cereal that came out a few months ago. I got some coupons for it so we tried it out. Yum! There are two types – one with flakes and one with O’s and I love them both, but the O’s are my favorite. Kind of remind me of the Honey Graham Oh’s cereal (which I also love) but these at least don’t scrape up the roof of your mouth like those do.

Another plus about this cereal is on every box (that I’ve bought so far at least) there is a coupon on the side for $1 off 2 boxes, which is a good coupon (when you match it with a sale and double it).

Another new favorite of mine is the store World Market. Such a fun place to explore! They have all kinds of products from around the world from food to linens to furniture, whatever. And the prices are good too! My first experience going there last year I was so excited to find a 4 pk of ceramic ramekins for $2.99. I just love their kitchen stuff.

The reason it’s on the brain lately is that if you join their rewards program online they will give you a coupon for your birthday that I just got a couple weeks ago. It’s $10 off a purchase of $10 or more. So I went for a little shopping trip on my birthday and for a dollar I got three cute kitchen gadgets I’ve been wanting. Sign up now so you can get the coupon on your birthday too!

Another favorite of mine my sister Britney told me about last year. It’s Yoplait Apple Turnover Yogurt. Merrick actually thinks it sounds disgusting but I think it’s totally delish! Tastes like apple pie in a yogurt. I get it all the time.

Next up is my new Kitchenaid Pro I got for my birthday/Mother’s Day this year. I asked around and most people recommended getting the largest size and I’m glad I did. I’ve used it about 4-5 times and it’s so fun! I can have it kneading my dough while I run outside to make sure my children are still alive! So nice! And I love the red. It’s my favorite color and it’s going to be on my countertop forever so why not go for it!

When we were in Utah last month we had a little time to kill and so we walked around IKEA in Draper. We didn’t have room in our suitcases to bring much back but we did pick up these Popsicle Molds:

We’ve had such a fun time trying out different homemade popsicles. So far we’ve tried two recipes from Our Best Bites’ post on Pudding Pops: Strawberries and Cream and Mint Chocolate Cookies. Both were super easy and so good. Today I made Strawberry Watermelon Ice Pops and I can’t wait to see how yummy they turn out. Let me know if you have any other fun popsicle recipes we can try!

Lastly, I’ll share a pasta recipe I’ve tried a couple times now and really like. It was on an episode of Barefoot Contessa and it’s called Nick and Toni’s Penne Alla Vecchia Bettola. Merrick is totally not a marinara sauce fan so I’m always looking for good sauce recipes. This one is a tomato vodka cream sauce but I just substitute chicken broth instead of vodka. Turns out great.

I love that the sauce is baked in the oven. Makes it so much more flavorful. So I always half the recipe and then bread up some thin chicken breasts by dipping them in egg and bread crumbs then frying them in a little oil. Goes great with the sauce. Enjoy!