Alisa Newman- Mom Ambassador

Hello OC Family Friends, and a very happy happy Friday to YOU!

My name is Alisa Newman, some of you may know me, some may not. I’d like to give you a little glimpse into my life!

I live in Lake Forest, CA with the 3 loves of my life: my hubby, Brandon

and my 2 beautiful children Charlie (age 9) and Ciera (age 6)

These guys mean the world to me.

Oh and so does this girl. How could I not mention my ‘furbaby’ Cinnamon?! Cinnamon is a 2 year old Shiba Inu, and she’s {no joke} pretty much my third child.

I’m a stay at home mom, have been blogging for OC Family for a little over 2 years now and I’m also editor and publisher of my own website called Macaroni Kid (check it out and subscribe to my FREE weekly newsletter if you want all the latest info on fun, free and cheap events in the South OC area to entertain and exhaust the kiddos!)

I’m a baker. I’m a little obsessed actually. My love for sweets started at a very young age. My Dad taught me all about desserts, especially See’s Candies-YUM! I could live off desserts, but of course I know I shouldn’t, so that’s why I’ll bake like crazy and then give away all most my of my treats, so I can get them out of my house and fast!

I’m an avid crafter. I love creating things for my home and for others. I keep telling myself that this year all my Christmas gifts WILL be handmade… We’ll see!

I crochet, make handmade greeting cards, craft with recycled materials and my current love is wreath making:

How beautiful is that wine cork wreath?! That brings me into another love of mine: wine!

Oh how I heart wine (I credit this to my Italian heritage) Specifically red wine: malbecs and red blends are among my favs and of course I love marlborough Sauv Blanc’s from New Zealand.

I love being ‘outdoorsy’ with my family.

We especially LOVE camping and hiking. My grandparents used to take my sister and I camping up in Idywild every year, and it brings back such happy memories for me. I want to continue that tradition with my kids and I hope that they continue it with theirs one day…

Other then that I simply just love my family and friends and spending time with them and I love Jesus. Hope you enjoyed learning a little more about me and my family and what we love.

~*~GOD BLESS~*~

Alisa

Jennifer Jo Photography GIVEAWAY!

I’m so very excited to be offering you guys this amazing giveaway courtesy of my good friend Jennifer Jo. I’ve known Jen for years and she is an amazing photographer, she captures photos at the perfect moment and makes you feel relaxed and comfortable. Personally, I’ve had many experiences with other photographers who don’t  radiate that vibe, and it sure does show in their photos- wouldn’t you agree?

Meet Jen:

I am a passionate woman who loves capturing moments that will last forever. I love my amazing husband, my children and my little dog. I give so much credit to my husband for all of his love and support. We make our bed every morning in Orange County, California. I work and play hard everyday, making every moment count.

I photograph weddings, families, children, dogs and whatever other faces I can get my hands on. I love to capture love, compassion, laughter and tears that make my stomach tighten and my heart beat faster. Images evoke powerful emotion.

That is what I call life…

My kids and I had the privilege to have a little photo shoot with Jen a few weeks ago. Here’s just a taste of her amazing work:

Perfection.

Of course I had had to get in some of the photos. These photos are just precious to me!

Jen is offering the OC Family readers an awesome giveaway, and it couldn’t come at a more perfect time-  just in time for the holidays! Yep friends, it’s time to start thinking holiday photos, Christmas cards and gifts. Well Jen has got you covered under all those categories.  Jen is offering one lucky reader a mini photo session that comes with 5 edited images on an online gallery. All you have to do is leave a comment telling me why you’d love to win this giveaway and ONE lucky winner will be chosen on Friday 10/10/14 after 9am via random.org

Not to worry if you don’t win! Did you see the deal Jen is offering right now? That’s a deal for sure. Good luck guys!

Jennifer Jo Photography

http://www.jenniferjophotography.net/

https://www.facebook.com/jenniferjophotography.net

(714) 349-7516

Wacky Wednesday Tips!

Hi guys,

I titled my blog post “Wacky Wednesday Tips”, really I didn’t know what else to call it and felt ‘Wacky Wednesday’ just sounded right, ha. Anyhow, here are some tips that I’ve either discovered or done in the past week and I thought I’d share:

Tip #1: Make your own air freshener

Grab your favorite essential oil- I used wild orange from doterra and place approx 10 drops in a glass jar. Now fill the jar with some wooden craft blocks (I found mine at Hobby Lobby and used a coupon). Fasten the lid onto the jar, and shake. Leave the lid on the jar for a few hours to really let that essential oil soak into the blocks. That’s it. Easy? Yep, thought so. You can thank my hubby for this one!

Tip #2 Bake a cake

Take a box of angel food cake mix along with a 20 ounce can of crushed pineapple (juice and all). Dump them together into a bowl and mix with a wooden spoon (batter will turn fizzy), pour into a greased 9 by 13 inch glass pan and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. SO SO SIMPLE! My mama-in-law literally just told me about this easy dessert tip today, and I happened to have all the ingredients on hand, so guess what? I made it!

CAKE BATTER

FINISHED CAKE

Tip #3 Use dryer sheets as ‘dusters’

I’ve been going nutty around the house lately deep cleaning certain spots each day. I’ve always heard of people using dryer sheets to clean and dust off baseboards. I decided to try it out on my blinds throughout the house, and it works- and works well! Plus it makes your house smell pretty good!

Tip #4 Use a t-shirt for PJ’s

I’ve been having issues with my washing machine this week (always something, right?). So of course I’ve been totally backed up on laundry. Ciera needed PJ’s, but there were no clean ones, so I grabbed a big t-shirt out of the closet. I know this ‘tip’ may seem silly and a no-brainer but really it helped, and she loved wearing it. Of course Daddy and Grandpa approved (huge Ducks fans!)

I hope some of these tips help you out! I’d love to know some of your favorite household tips, just leave a comment below!

Breads From Anna

I’ve discovered some great gluten free bread mixes. Breads From Anna offers a huge selection of wonderful mixes including herb bread, original bread, yeast free bread, banana bread, pumpkin bread, mixes including apple, maple and cranberry pancake and muffin mixes, pie crusts and MORE!

I, naturally was drawn to Anna’s sweet bread selection and tried out her ‘sweet mix’ gift set:

The set included her banana and  pumpkin bread mixes and black bean brownie mix.

I started off with baking the banana bread. I followed the simple instructions on the back of the box, and about 30 minutes later, had delicious banana bread right out of the oven!

I made mini loaves and added slivered almonds along with a little turbinado sugar to the top of the bread.

I packaged a few of the loaves up into cute lil boxes and gave them away as gifts to some gluten free appreciating friends- they LOVED the bread.

It tastes just like ‘real’ bread, which is a nice change compared to other GF items I’ve tried. The texture was very nice, light and fluffy.

I tried out Anna’s GF pie crust mix. I’m a fan for sure! Here’s a great recipe that I made from Anna’s site for a Maple Walnut Tart:

Gluten-Free Pie Crust:

• 1 package Breads from Anna® Gluten-Free Pie Crust Mix
• 1/4 cup milk or water (or non-dairy drink)
• 3/4 cup oil (canola works well)

Please note: Our Pie Crust mix will make two 9-inch pie crusts (you can freeze the extra pie crust). For a thicker crust, you may use the entire mix for one 9-inch pie crust (optional).
Filling:

• 2 1/4 cup walnuts
• 5 tablespoons butter, melted (or preferred butter replacement)
• 1 cup maple syrup (use pure maple syrup for best results)
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon brandy (optional)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS

Gluten Free Pie Crust:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2) Combine wet ingredients: 1/4 cup milk or water (or non-dairy drink) and 3/4 cup oil into a large bowl.
3) Press bottom crust into standard 9 1/2 inch glass pie dish or 10 inch tart pan.
4) Coat crust with egg wash and bake for 10-15 minutes.

Filling:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2) In the bowl of a food processor, add walnuts, maple syrup, melted butter, brandy, eggs, and vanilla. Pulse until well blended. Let this mixture stand in the refrigerator for one hour.
3) Stir to recombine ingredients (they may separate once chilled).
4) After mixture has chilled, spread into tart/pie crust.

5) Bake for 40 minutes. You may need to bake longer, depending on your oven. Filling should be firm.

Note: If the rim of the crust begins to over-brown, cover with a pie ring or foil. Tart can be baked, frozen, thawed, and served chilled.

This pie reminds me of a twist on a traditional pecan pie. It’s not too sweet, but by adding the whipped cream it made for the perfect balance of a savory/sweet combo. This pie would be a perfect addition to a yummy Thanksgiving menu.
So if you are GF, know someone who is GF, or perhaps your just looking to be a little healthier- I highly recommend you give Breads From Anna a try. Her gift sets would also make the perfect holiday gift (and PS: they are reasonably priced!)
Check out her website:
http://breadsfromanna.com/
Go ‘like’ Breads From Anna on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/breadsfromanna

A little info on Anna via her website:

Anna experienced first-hand the debilitating discomfort and fatigue associated with Celiac Disease, and the difficulty in finding a tasty and nutritious gluten-free bread. With the double whammy of having diabetes, and being a lover of all things food, her personal goal was to develop gluten-free bread with both the taste and nutrition of a whole wheat bread.

Interested in the concept of food as medicine, Anna attended and graduated from the Natural Gourmet Cookery School Institute for Food and Health—the premier institute for learning about food as medicine—in New York City. She believed there should be a way to make healthful food taste great. And she was right. Chef Anna’s first baking mix was introduced in 2004. As her business began to grow, she found that many people with Celiac Disease also had other food allergies they needed to manage.

Anna has developed a complete line of 12 baking mixes that are sold online and in hundreds of stores and bakeries all over the world. Anna has created mixed for breads, pancakes, muffins, pizza, and pies.  Her mixes are GMO Free Certified and Kosher Certified.

Tuesday TWO!

Usually I’d include more things that I love for one of these type of posts, such as this and this one . But I love these TWO things so much that I decided they deserved an entire blog post devoted to how in love I am with them.

First off  Trader Joes does it again! Have you guys tried these mini pumpkin pies from TJ’s?? Oh.My.Sweet.Pumpkiny.Goodness. You need to stop and drop everything you are doing RIGHT NOW and get to your closest Trader’s and go pick up these little goodies. Ok, maybe you don’t have to drop everything you are doing and run to TJ’s, but be sure to put them on your shopping list for your next TJ’s run.

My sweet husband Brandon surprised me a few weekends ago and took me to my favorite place in the whole entire world, O’Neill Regional Park.

We spent a beautiful, relaxing afternoon together in the parks day use area and lounged, read and spent some good kid-less quality time.

Brandon made us dinner on our mini camp stove, and of course these little pumpkin gems joined us on our day trip.

The mini pumpkin pies are different from a traditional pumpkin pie. The pumpkin filling is super creamy and the pie crust is not like your normal pie crust (which I’m usually NOT a fan of). This pie crust almost reminded me of a tart style crust- sugar cookie-like: sweet, flaky and topped with sugar. Pumpkin pie perfection, if you ask me. I highly highly suggest you try them!

My second fave is actually a restaurant. Again, Brandon surprised me by making reservations at Dublin 4 in Mission Viejo for my 32nd birthday this past Sunday.

This place is just incredible. Gourmet Irish food. They call it a gastropub, which I’ve heard described before as a place that has great beers and wine makes fancy cocktails, and has super high quality, tasty food. That description fits perfectly.

We started off with an Irish cider and Cismontane California lager.

Both were delicious, but I ended up stealing my hubby’s Cismontane lager. (BTW- Cismontane brewery is located in Rancho Santa Margarita, which is local to us. A trip to the brewery to fill up a beer growler is on my to-do list for sure. It’s GOOD. Really really good!)

We ordered an app which was curried fries. Normally I do not like curries. Not the case with this one. These fries were so good and a pretty big portion for an appetizer. I’m a fan.

Next up came our entrees:

I ordered the lobster pie.

Brandon ordered the Irish Bangers with Jameson whiskey infused mashed potatoes.

ONE WORD: outofthisworldamazinglydelicious. That’s a word, right?

Seriously, there is no better way to describe then simply amazing.

Dublin 4 makes some pretty cool cocktails. I ordered the “Through the Haze” which is a combination of Irish whiskey, bitters, honey and Guinness. They have an entire list of fun, different cocktails as well as all the traditional cocktails a huge beer selection and can’t forget the wine! Dublin 4 is located right next door to another fabulous shop: Wine Works For Everyone. The two restaurants are actually attached, and I’m pretty sure that explains the amazing wine selection that Dublin 4 offers.

To end our dinner the waitress brought out a special birthday dessert:

Holy smokes. This may be the best creme brulee I’ve ever had. There were so many vanilla beans in it. AMAZING! MMMMmmmmMMM.

If you are looking for a nice date night out, please consider Dublin 4.

A few things to note: 

You’ll for sure want to make a reservation. Dublin 4 is a small, owner operated restaurant and definitely gets very busy.

Bring cash for valet. There are very few parking spots, as the location of Dublin 4 is in small plaza off Oso and the 5 freeway in Mission Viejo. We were lucky enough to find a parking spot, but because it is located close to a Starbucks, there is constant in-and-out traffic. Be sure to get a space- just valet it!

Bring your appetite! In my opinion the food portions are a pretty good size. Enjoy it all by arriving ready to eat and enjoy!

DUBLIN 4

26342 Oso Pkwy, Mission Viejo, CA 92691

(949) 582-0026

Fun Halloween Treats With B. Toffee

If you are a dessert lover, chocolate lover, toffee lover, SWEETS lover, then you MUST try B. Toffee!

B. Toffee is a local Newport Beach company founded by Betsy Thagard that handcrafts some pretty amazing sweet treats. B Toffee makes for the perfect gift and favors, or you can use their high-quality products in your very own recipes.

I’m SO excited to share with you some pretty amazing Halloween treats usingB. Toffee:

Popcorn Balls:

Ingredients:

6 tbsp popcorn kernels

1/4 cup veg oil

1/2 cup sugar

cooking spray

1 cup B.Toffee B. bits

1 bag marshmallows

4 tbsp unsalted butter

Directions:

Heat a large pot over med-high heat, add popcorn kernels and veg oil. When oil starts to sizzle sprinkle the sugar over the kernels. Cover with a tight fitting lid and shake pot until popping slows down, approx 8 minutes. Remover from heat, remove lid and set aside to cool. Spray a large bowl with cooking spray and add the popcorn and chopped B.bits.

Combine the marshmallows and butter in a large pot over med-high heat and cook, stirring until melted through about 5 minutes.

Pour the melted marshmallow mixture over the popcorn mixture and gently toss to coat.

Coat your hands with cooking spray, then shape the popcorn into 3 inch balls and let them cool.

Chocolate Covered Pretzels with B. Toffee B. bits:

Ingredients:

1 (12oz) package of white chocolate chips

Orange or yellow food coloring

24 large pretzel rods

B. Toffee B. bits

Directions:

Place the white choc chips in a double boiler and melt chips (TIP: if chocolate gets a little hard, add a little vegetable oil and stir) Remove and stir in food coloring until you reach desired color.

Spread the chopped B. bits onto a piece of parchment paper or foil.

Dip one pretzel rod into chocolate, use a spoon or butter knife to spread chocolate about halfway up rod. twist the rod to let the excess chocolate drip off. Roll pretzel rod back and forth in the chopped B. bits until the desired amount of toffee is adhered (In my case this will be LOTS of toffee!). Place pretzel onto a piece of wax paper to dry. Repeat with each pretzel.

B. Toffee Caramel Apples with B. bits:

Ingredients:

8 apples, any variety (I prefer honey crisp apples)

1 cup chopped B. Toffee B. bits

1 cup heavy cream, divided

3/4 cup light corn syrup

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)

1 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

wash apples and dry completely. Insert stick into the stem end of each apple.

Pour chopped B. Toffee B. bits onto a piece of foil.

Fit a heavy bottomed saucepan with a candy thermometer. Over high heat cook 3/4 cup of the cream, corn syrup, butter and sugar to 246 degrees F (firm ball stage). At this point the syrup will be a golden color. Remove from heat and stir in remaining 1/4 cup of cream and the vanilla. USE CAUTION: This is very hot and may splatter!

While the caramel is warm, dip and turn apples into the caramel to coat and let the excess drip off.  Dip into chopped B. bits to coat with desired amount.

Arrange the apples onto parchment paper and let them cool.

CONTACT:

https://btoffee.com/

https://www.facebook.com/B.toffeeBetsyThagard