• Be sure to talk about how much you love the product and how you want your friends to try it.
• If you ever have an issue with a product (my Kombucha kept exploding), keep the bottles or packaging.  They will want upc codes and anything about the product.
• Email your issues!
• Follow any issue with a product compliment.
• If it’s a bigger company, go for the handwritten letter.  They find those more quaint.
• Be super friendly and use a ton of exclamation points.

So far I’ve received coupons/merch from Zico, Vitacoco, GT’s Synergy Drinks, Jimmy Dean, American Airlines….the list goes on.  So now pull out your inner cheap skate and go for it!

Take a cooking class in Barcelona.  This place is incredible!

We made paella, tomato bread and more…

Then there were restaurants with fried bits of Jamon Iberico.

Eat awful pizza in the rain.  Yes pizza in Spain is AWFUL.

There were trucks for RIBS.

A fine dining meal at Horcher, one of the best meals I have ever had.  Beef carpaccio, potato leek soup with truffles and egg, roast loin of veal, oxtail…

Some things a little less classy…

Plenty of sangria…

And plenty of happiness.

Please add Spain to your list.  It is worth the trip–and the waistline expansion.

Well, a routine loose filling fix went awry.  Not enough Novocaine caused me to wretch away from the dentist, allowing his drill to pull through my lip and cheek, leaving me Jokerified.  Well at least I thought I was fully Jokerified until the swelling went down and the messy bleeding stopped and I only needed 1/4 inch of my cheek stictched up.  Now that my face is back to normal, I promise to stop being the vain human I am and give back to you, my readers.  Enjoy these cupcakes.  However, make sure you brush your teeth after eating–no cavity is worth it anymore…

Rawr.

Ingredients:

• Box of super moist yellow cake mix, butter recipe
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons (or more to taste) lavender extract

For the frosting

• 1 8 ounce package cream cheese
• 1/2 stick butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice (or more to taste)
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 teaspoon lavender extract

Prepare the cake mix according directions on the box, mixing in the lavender. Spread over 24 muffin tins, with liners.  Bake according to the package.

For the cream cheese frosting, beat together everything but the honey.  Then beat in the honey and beat until fluffy.   Keep cupcakes refrigerated.

Makes 24 cupcakes.

Nothing like a bocadillo in the Spring, Madrid sun…

First is Kitchen Parade
Alanna uses her blog to write up recipes in which she meticulously figures out nutritional information (not just calories like lazy me) as well as Weight Watchers points.  I’ve stolen plenty a recipe from her before and her tips and nutrition facts are a God send.

Next is Oh She Glows
I found Angela when I was doing research for my raw food diet.  She is a strict vegan with a love for running (God I hate people like her.) who uses her weight loss story to inspire others.  Her recipes switch from raw to just plain vegan and always look delicious.  She updates really often (unlike a certain blogger over here) and is always coming up with something new.  Sometimes she can get a little “inspirational” for my sarcastic and cynical taste, but I still like her.

Well, I hope these guys can keep you entertained while I lag a little, but don’t forget about little ol’ me!

And ladies and gents, new TV starts this week, so I hope you all have your TIVOs ready.  I don’t want you missing this new gem:

I can’t believe this show made it to another season.  Oh LL.

Ingredients:

• 1 (8 ounce) package refrigerated crescent roll dough
• Jam–any flavor
• Chocolate–any type, chopped  (I used semisweet Callebaut.  Chocolate chips would be great also.)
• Confectioners’ sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Unroll 4 crescents at a time on wax paper for easy clean up.

Spread about 1-2 teaspoons of jam (I used fig and blueberry) on each crescent.

Place 1-2 teaspoons chopped chocolate at big end of crescent.

Loosely roll up starting at point and rolling to big edge where chocolate is.  Be sure to tuck all the chocolate inside.

Place, seam-side down, on silpat-lined baking sheet (or line cookie sheet with parchment paper or non-stick Reynold’s Wrap.  Some filling will ooze out and this will make it easier to remove crescents and to clean the pan) and curve into a crescent shape.  Repeat with remaining 4 crescent dough pieces.

Bake 11 to 13 minutes or until golden brown.  Sorry about the blurry pictures.  (Are you surprised?)

Sprinkle with Confectioners’ sugar.  Serve warm.  Makes 8.   Mmmm stuffing.

Here is my first restaurant review–be warned, it gets gruesome.

Here it is, in all its glory.  Nothing like a place that shares a kitchen area with a Tim Hortons and KFC.  DOUBLE DOWN.

Yup, $7.29 folks.  Yet they don’t tell you they charge extra for tomatoes on your salad or onions on your steak.  Luckily, I was afraid of both.

And here is the menu.  However, we wanted the special from outside.  The drink selection is impeccable, including mini beers.  Our lovely server hid from my picture, but the dapper young man knew how to dangle a steak in the air over the floor hoping you will yell out how you want your steak cooked before he drops it.

Yes, those are single glasses of wine wrapped in plastic wrap.  And yes, I did get one.  The 2010 Blush from the fridge was a necessity.  I was hoping the germ killing qualities of the alcohol would cleanse my soul as the Tad’s went down.

Meal of champions.  The best part was when they ladled melted butter across the top.  I think my heart stopped.  However, it is only a 6 ounce raw steak which can’t be more than 5 cooked; therefore, only around 250 calories, minus butter sauce and the inherent fat that it must have since it’s from Tad’s.

Well, the garlic bread was good…

The Messiah has come.

Do you see this?  The madness!  General Mills decided to steal my heart and make these little hunnies.  At 100 calories for 3/4ths of a cup, they are a good snack and not that bad for you.  Therefore, I had to make them bad for you and covered them with chocolate.  I suggest also adding in dried cranberries, or anything else that flights your fancy.

Ingredients:

• 12 ounces white chocolate candy melts*
• 3 cups Chocolate Cheerios

Spread Cheerios in a single layer on waxed paper-lined baking sheet.

Melt white chocolate in microwave or double boiler.  Using a tablespoon, heavily drizzle white chocolate over Cheerios going across, up and down and diagonally.  You do not want to cover the Cheerios completely.  It actually tastes better not having too much chocolate.

Tap the baking sheet against the counter a few times to spread out the chocolate a bit.

Refrigerate 25 minutes or until chocolate is set.  See the bottom corner where some candy is missing?  While the candy was still in the fridge, I couldn’t wait to try my new creation, so I broke off a piece.  It’s amazing.

Break into irregular-sized pieces.

Makes about 1 pound or more than you should eat.

*Note:  Chocolate melting wafers, also known as candy melts and confectionery coating, are a very easy to use chocolate substitute.  I prefer the Merckens’ brand and it is available in many candy and craft stores.