Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Ramblings and Chocolate Dipped Banana Bread Balls.

Hi guys, thanks for baring with me, I know I haven't been posting anywhere near as much as I should be just lately. I have been so, so tired. I started a new job, which I love but seeing as I haven't worked in so long, it is kicking my butt! I swear I shouldn't be this tired, it's actually quite ridiculous! By the time little man's bedtime rolls around, I have been falling in to bed myself.

The doctor started me on some medication a couple of months ago too, which I am thinking has something to do with it... I might have to get it changed to something else :/ Has anyone had any experiences with Zoloft?

Tonight, I was actually going to write a post that I have been putting off for a really long time. A post about why I am in fact taking Zoloft in the first place and a post about some of the things my family have faced in the last year... Yesterdays events in Boston however, has put that on the back burner for now. I can't stop thinking about all those poor people that have been affected by the heartless bombings, especially those who awoke this morning mourning the loss of a loved one. :( I can't get over how much evil there is in this world, it makes me so sad. I really do wish that things were different. AND on top of all of that! The town that I live in had 4 bomb threats today!! Both of the court houses were evacuated for most of the day as were the middle school and the high school! Luckily, nothing was found, but seriously! What the hell is wrong with people!? I really don't want my Son to grow up thinking that all of this is normal :( Ugh!

So instead of my intended post, I am going to be posting a recipe for Chocolate Covered Banana Bread Balls that might just bring a smile to your face, it certainly did mine when I made them. I'll start with the picture:

Looks good?
I found the original recipe for these on Pinterest. The link led me back to an extremely yummy looking blog called Inquiring Chef, you need to take a dig around over there, some of her stuff made me drool on my keyboard!!

Here is how I made them:

I started off by making the Banana Bread, I have been using this recipe for a really long time and it always comes out so good!!


You will need:

2 Cups of All Purpose Flour
1 Teaspoon of Baking Soda
¼ Teaspoon Salt
½ Cup of Butter
½ Cup of White Sugar
½ Cup of Brown Sugar
2 Large Eggs
3 Very Ripe Bananas!

  • Pre heat oven to 350°
  • Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl.
  • In another bowl, cream together the butter and the sugars.
  • Stir in the eggs and the 'crushed' banana (I usually squish the banana between my fingers)
  • Combine both mixtures and stir just until you see no flour left! It is VERY important not to over mix!!
  • Bake for 1 hour

When cooked, transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely!


For the Banana Bread Balls, you will need:
  • 1 8oz Container of Cream Cheese (I used Mascarpone)
  • Around 8 oz of Milk Chocolate Morsels and another 8 oz of Semi Sweet Chocolate Morsels, you could even use white too if you wanted!
  • Shredded Coconut and Crushed Walnuts for the toppings (You can use whatever you want though!!

Now you need to grab a sharp knife and cut the  hard crust off the banana bread, you can discard this bit, or spread butter on it, which is what I did... I cannot let banana bread go to waste!

In a large bowl, crumble the insides of the banana bread with your fingers until it is in small pieces. Add the cream cheese and mix really well, until it all comes together.

Using a teaspoon, separate the mixture into roughly 40 or 50 balls. Roll the balls in your hands. The original recipe said that it made 60, but I think I must have made them a lot bigger because I only managed to get 40! Place them on a tray lined with wax paper. I didn't have any wax paper, so just put them straight on the baking tray) They should look like this:


Melt your chocolate in two separate bowls. I used the microwave. Just make sure you check it and stir it every 10 seconds until it's melted completely! And using two forks, roll each ball around in the chocolate until fully coated!

The messy bit!

Sprinkle some shredded Coconut on some of them and Crushed Walnuts on the others and leave them on the counter to set for about 10 minutes or so and then transfer them to the fridge until they harden.


My pictures are so not as good as The Inquiring Chef!
 

And there you have it. Chocolate Covered Banana Bread Balls. So good!!! My next ones will be the Brownie ones!!

Please let me know if you make these and how they turned out!

I hope everyone has a great evening. Hold your loved ones tight ♥

~ Tasha

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

The BEST Oatmeal Raisin Cookies in the world, guaranteed!

Whew! Busy week in our household what with family visits, Easter, the hubs' forty something Birthday and one hangover from hell! I KEEP thinking that Jagermeister is my friend and am always very, very wrong. Why is it, the older you get, the longer the hangovers are? I didn't think I was ever going to make it back here!

We celebrated Easter a little early as Cole was heading to his Grandma and Grandads house so that me and the hubs could go out on Saturday night, the Easter bunny was very kind to Cole, a little too kind. So much so, that I think that candy is now banned until his 18th birthday. Please imagine a cross between The Energizer Bunny, Tigger and a VHS tape stuck on fast forward and you may have a slight idea of my day on Friday. Seriously. BANNED. He made me out of breath just watching him.

Anyway, during all the craziness, I did get time to try out a recipe for Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. I have been searching for quite a long time to find a good one... They are never thick enough or chewy enough and whilst googling one day, I came across a recipe originally featured in Cuisine magazine that intrigued me. They were AWESOME. I do believe that I have found the best recipe ever!

I tweaked it a little bit and added a few extras and this is how they turned out:


Thick, soft, chewy and amazing. You should definitely try them out! Again, I think I'm on to a winner here!!!

Check out the recipe below and please, please let me know if you make them! I would love to know what you think!

Ingredients:

2 Cups of All Purpose Flour
½ Teaspoon of Kosher Salt
1 Teaspoon of Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon of Baking Powder
½ Teaspoon Cinnamon
½ Teaspoon Nutmeg
1 Cup of Softened Unsalted Butter
1 Cup of White Granulated Sugar
1 Cup of Brown Sugar
2 Large Eggs
3 Cups of Oats (Not Instant!)
1½ Cups Raisins
½ Cup of Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips (Totally optional)
½ Cup of Chopped Walnuts (Again, totally optional!)

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350°F

In a medium sized bowl, mix together the Flour, Baking Soda, Baking Powder, Salt, Cinnamon and Nutmeg.

In a separate, large bowl, combine the Butter, White Sugar, Brown Sugar and Eggs with a hand mixer set on low. Once combined, increase the speed to high and mix until fluffy.

Add the flour mixture to the creamed butter mixture and incorporate it all together gently. You only need to mix until just combined! Do not over mix!

Add the Oatmeal and the Raisins (And any optional extras!) Stir gently to combine.

Drop about 2 tablespoons worth of the cookie dough onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper (or a cookie sheet sprayed with non stick spray will work too!) around 2 inches apart and squish slightly.

Bake for around 12 - 15 minutes until they are starting to brown on top but still look moist! They will harden up slightly as they cool, but if you overcook them they are going to dry out and get crunchy! The BEST thing about these cookies is their chewiness! If they don't look done, they probably are! Take them out! Trust me!

Once you have removed them from the oven, let them cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet and then transfer them onto a wire rack to cool completely (You won't be able to wait that long though!)

Your house will smell so good too!

I hope everyone had a fabulous Easter and I really hope you enjoy these cookies as much as I did!

As always, thanks for stopping by ♥

~Tasha

Monday, March 25, 2013

Sure! I know Bob Smith from London!

I was asked a question by someone just recently, that made me think of a whole bunch of other mildly ridiculous and sometimes hysterical questions I have been asked since I moved State side...

Some of them have been asked by people who live in the US and some have been asked by people at home (I am not going to name any names.) Below are a list of 'serious' questions I have been asked. No jokes here!!




Questions from the USA

1. Ooooh! You're from England? Did you find it difficult learning a new language?

2. So what did you cook back in England? You had to buy everything from farms and make everything from scratch, right? You don't have grocery stores like we do here do you?

3. Oh my god, your accent is so cool! I'd LOVE to go to Australia! Did you ever get to meet Steve Irwin??

4. You're not from around here are you? Do I hear a Pennsylvania accent?

5. Oh, those black bowler hats that all the men wear in England are SO cute!

6. "Excuse me Mam, did I hear you say you were from England??? Do you happen to know someone called Bob Smith? He lives in London!?"

7. Do you know the queen?

8. (Cops in a restaurant) "I have a thing about the English accent, could you please say, in your sexiest English voice, {Mans Name} You are soooo sexy!" Uhm... No.

9. OH cool!!!! You're a Brit!! TOODLE PIP, PIP PIP, CHEERIO CHAPS!

10. Everything stops there at noon for tea and crumpets, right?

11. Your teeth are so nice! You must have had those fixed here, huh? Seeing as everyone in England has bad teeth and all.

Questions from England

1. Can you send me a gun?

2. Do you have cheese over there?

3. What about cows?

4. Do you not find it all very 'Jerry Springer?'

5. Aren't you worried about getting eaten by an alligator?

6. Oooh you're not going to be living anywhere near where that movie Deliverance was filmed are you? You know! De de ling ding ding din ding ding ding..

7. How big exactly is a supersized Big Mac? Can you eat a whole one? I bet they are HUGE!

8. Does your husband talk like the Marlboro Man? You know, "Howdy Pardner" Does he wear chaps?

9. A 20 hour drive from Maryland to Florida? But it's only 2 inches on the map!!

10. I don't understand American Football. ME NEITHER! ;)

11. They eat burgers every day! I bet you are so sick of burgers.

That is actually a relatively short list!! There are many more, I am sure!!

Have you ever been asked a funny question by someone out of town or country? I'd love to hear them if you have!!

Thanks for stopping by!

~ Tasha


Thursday, March 21, 2013

#MTMmixer ~ Life of the Party ~ Blog Hop!!




I am very excited to announce that I have been chosen to be 'The Life of the Party' over at More Than Mommies!

This is a huge blog hop that they host every 2 weeks and is a fantastic and super fun way to find some awesome new blogs to follow!

Welcome to everyone who is finding my blog by participating in this hop! I am so glad that you stopped by! (Bring coffee next time? I won't say no to vodka either...) My name is Tasha and as the title of my blog suggests, I am a New English Mum in America :) I moved to the US 5 years ago to marry my Husband who I had met 3 years previously when I came here to visit my Dad! The whole story of that can be found right here!

I mainly blog about day to day life, being a Mum, my craft attempts that would NOT put Martha Stewart to shame, England, but not the royals (pah) and all that stuff. I do like to throw in the odd recipe or two (because we all need food, right?) and I also love to review products and host giveaways!

I hope you continue to read what I have to offer and I look forward to visiting you back!

Now to the good stuff!!


Here are the "rules"
(Don't make us post bouncers at the door.)

  • Follow the Life of The Party - New English Mum in America - We will choose our Next LOTHP from those who link up their twitter handle. Use our hashtag #MTMmixer when tweeting so we can keep up with you there! We would still TOTALLY appreciate a shout out on Twitter if you don't mind!
  • Follow our Mixologists - This week our Mixologist is Ms. MommyHH6 - Every week we will choose one participant to get our party started at the #4 slot. All you have to do is link up under the first Linky (and follow the "rules") to be considered!
  • Follow the person directly BEFORE you on the hop!
  • Finally, we ask that you post one (or both!) of the following buttons in either a post or on your sidebar to let other people know where you are partying today!




 




 


The fastest way to see success for your blog in a blog hop is to head on over to other blogs, commentfollow and ask them to swing by and party at your place!
Have fun!!! Thanks again for stopping by!


Enter your blog address here - Blogs can be followed via GFC, Bloglovin', Email Subscription or RSS Feed



Enter your Facebook Page address here -



Enter your Twitter Handles here -



Enter your Pinterest Board address here -



Enter your G+ Profiles here -








Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Google Friend Connect Going Bye Bye...

Argh! Seeing as I am slightly slow... I have only 'just' found out that Google are retiring Google Friend Connect for good, very soon!! Would everyone who follows me on GFC kindly follow me on Bloglovin instead? Pretty please?

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Have you got the X Factor?



Cole sure does!

I thought this was so cute. He really does go for it! (He is singing to himself in the mirror, lol)


Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Guest Post - Say Hello to Christy from 'Mother of the Year!'

I would like to introduce the FIRST EVER guest blogger to appear on New English Mum in America! If you get a chance, you must visit her over at Mother of the Year

I love reading her blog and her hilarious take on motherhood! I hope you will too!

Here is a little bit about her:

'Hi! My name is Christy and I'm really funny. At least that's what my Gram tells me. She shows my blog to all her Bingo ladies. Besides being hilarious (obviously), I am the mother of two beautiful girls. They are actually the most beautiful girls in the world. I'm sure you thought your daughters were, but I'm sorry to say they were just runner-ups. Anyway, this blog is centered around me and the mistakes I make as a mother. Believe me when I say, I am never going to win Mother of the Year. Also sometimes referred to MOTY. Hope you enjoy as much as Grandma does!'

Thanks Christy for taking over the reins today!


*****************



My name is Christy. I am the mother of two beautiful girls and the host of this guest blog. I am constantly striving to win the title of Mother of the Year, but I just keeping falling short. Right off the bat, I lose points due to my vehicle. Everyone knows that all perfect mothers drive a mini-van. I refuse to drive a mini-van, practical or not. If it comes down to mini-van or no more kids, I’m going to ask to see what’s behind door #3. I definitely want to try for a son someday so maybe I’ll have to trade one of my daughters to ensure that everyone fits comfortably in my small car. Maybe I could just trade in my husband? Then again, I do need him to help make child #3 sooo I dunno.… I’ll work out the details later. I do know that I refuse to drive a mini-van, thus lowering my chances of winning Mother of the Year. Also, I did just mention something about trading in one of my kids. That probably wasn’t very Mother of the Year-ish either. Let’s not tell the Mother of the Year Committee about that.

Then there’s the matter of the PTA. I refuse to join. All Mother of the Years belong to the PTA. I stereotype PTA members. I have never actually met a PTA mom, but I’m assuming they are all Stepford Wife-ish. I can’t handle that nonsense. I’m more like the mom on Malcolm in the Middle. I watched that show long before I officially became a mom and I’m wondering if maybe she was a bad influence on me? She had a household of boys that obviously made her go nuts. I have only girls. I suppose I have no excuse. Then again, too much estrogen is never a good thing either.

So we have my refusal to drive a mini-van and my avoidance of the PTA. Besides that there are the small matters of forgetting my first daughter in the car when she was days old, dropping my second daughter, dumping an entire bottle on my first daughter, etc. You get the idea…

My chances of winning MOTY get slimmer and slimmer with each new day of my motherhood. One would think that I would get better at this mother business with time and experience. It appears that I am doing quite the opposite. I never really liked following the crowd anyway. Maybe this is the one time when that is a good idea. Either way, if you ever need to feel better about your parenting, I welcome you to come read my blog @ http://notgonnawin.blogspot.com/. I guarantee that you will realize you are not the awful parent you think you are….but I definitely am. Only moms featured on People of Walmart look worse than I do.


Tuesday, March 12, 2013

How to clean your red microfiber couch!

We recently bought a red, second hand, microfiber couch... It's in great condition but it was a bit on the dirty side. Over the past couple of months, due to having a 2 year old, is has got much worse!!

I wasn't too sure how to clean it, so I did a bit of research and came across this awesome blog post over at Chris & Robin's Nest. She has a beige/tan colored couch though and after reading the reviews, I noticed that a lot of people were not overly happy with the results on their 'red' couches, so I thought I would just go ahead and give it a try and see what happened!

I am amazed! Just look at the pictures below! It looks so much better!!

BEFORE! See all the dirt in the seams?

AFTER!!

The secret ingredient is rubbing alcohol!!!

You will need:

  • An empty spray bottle
  • A bottle of regular old rubbing alcohol
  • A scrub sponge (preferably white, I used a green one and it was fine but I wouldn't recommend doing this on a white or cream couch without testing it first! You wouldn't want the color to transfer!)
  • A soft brush (I used one that I would clean dishes with)
 Fill up the spray bottle with the rubbing alcohol and saturate the area you want to clean. Scrub it with the scrub sponge (Don't be gentle!!) you will notice that it actually starts to look worse. DON'T WORRY! It will look lot's better when it dries!!

Leave it to dry completely

Once dry, using circular motions, rub the soft brush all over

DONE!

Let me know how it works out for you!!

*Disclaimer: I cannot be held responsible if this does not work for you! Please, before you do this, test it out in an inconspicuous spot to make sure that it works for your couch!!

Monday, March 11, 2013

Scott's Liquid Gold, 'Dust 'n Go' Review and a Giveaway!

 
I recently had the chance to work with a company who's products I absolutely love! Their name is 'Scott's Liquid Gold', they are an all American, family owned company, who have been in business for 60 years! They started bottling their most famous product (Wood Cleaner and Preservative) in 1951 in the family garage and sold it out the back of a station wagon! Nowadays, they have a manufacturing facility which is located in Denver, Colorado.

I was sent a product to try out that I have never used before. The product is called 'Dust 'n Go' for wood and more!


Each container contains 20 pre-moistened wipes and are perfect for dusting touch ups on almost every surface in your home including, wood, plastic, leather and vinyl.

  • Removes dust, dirt fingerprints and smudges
  • Moisturizes, protects and enhances all types of surfaces
  • Does not contain wax
  • Does not leave an oily or dulling residue

 The one thing I love most about Scott's Liquid Gold Products is the awesome almond scent! I have used their wood preservative before and it smells absolutely amazing. These wipes smell exactly the same. I used them on my base boards that run down my stairs and for a good few days I could smell the almonds! It's so good, that I almost want to eat it. I don't recommend that though!

I also used it on my quite disgusting dining room table. My Son had spilled all kinds of sticky messes on it and it cleaned it pretty well with not all that much effort either! (And of course left it smelling awesome!)

Table Before
Table After

You really should visit their website and check out their other products! There are a few more that I really want to try out, my next buy is going to be their floor cleaner!

You can find them on Facebook and Twitter too!

You can also Enter the Scott’s Liquid Gold “Spring Clean-Up” Sweepstakes and you could win a $500 Wal-Mart Gift Card!!! Visit Scott’s Liquid Gold on Facebook at  http://on.fb.me/15w2b0Q to enter. Entries must be received before 11:59 pm MST on March 31, 2013! Everyone that enters will receive a coupon too!

The folks over at Scott's Liquid Gold have given me the opportunity to host a giveaway for you guys! They are kindly giving away a Spring Cleaning Survival Kit which includes four full size products! Scott’s Liquid Gold Wood Cleaner and Preservative, Clean Screen, Dust’n Go, and Wood Wash Concentrate!

  

 Please enter below on the Giveaway widget. Open to residents of the US only.  You must be over the age of 18. The giveaway will run for one week beginning, March 11th at 8pm. The winner will be selected at random on March, 18th and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. New English Mum in America is not responsible for prize shipment.  Please read the full terms and conditions located at the bottom of the entry form.




Disclaimer - I received the above product for free. I was under NO obligation to provide a good review. All opinions are mine and mine alone.

This giveaway is in NO way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest. Information collected is NOT collected by Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest. In signing up for this promotion, participants release and indemnify Facebook and all other social networks from all liability.
 

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Baked Rice Pudding Recipe

I adore Rice Pudding. I made some a few days ago and my house smelled absolutely amazing! My Mum used to make this all the time when I was growing up; I can't get it quite like hers though... I wish I could because I have never tasted another quite like it!

I think it's down to the cream... In England there are lot's of different thicknesses of cream available to buy. You can buy Single Cream, Double Cream, Whipping Cream (Heavy Cream) or my personal favorite, Clotted Cream (yum!). She pours double cream all over the rice pudding for the last 15 minutes of cooking and it goes so thick and gooey and creamy. (I'm salivating just thinking about it...)

The one I make is still very good! I also add cinnamon and nutmeg to mine, which my Mum doesn't do. It just gives it that added flair AND makes the house smell good!

Here is my recipe. It only makes enough for 4, but you can certainly double it up and have leftovers, it's actually even better the next day I think! I just add a little milk to it and stick it in the microwave for a couple of minutes :)

Sunday, March 3, 2013

Liebster Blog Award!

I have just been given the Liebster Blog Award by Chelsea over at Married Filing Jointly! Thank you so much! This has actually made me really happy! It proves that people are in fact reading what I write and that it is definitely worth all of my hard work! Yay!!

The Liebster Blog Award is an award given by bloggers to other bloggers, who have less than 200 followers (or have been blogging for less than 6 months). It is to show newer bloggers that they are appreciated, and to help spread the word about new blogs. It was created to promote appreciation and recognition among the blog world. Liebster translates to “dearest” (or favorite/best) in German. It is also known as the Love Blog Award.

Here are the guidelines for the award!

1. You must post 11 random things about yourself. 
2. Answer the questions that the nominator set for you. 
3. Create 11 questions for the people you nominate. 
4. Choose 11 new blogs you love and link them in your post.  
5. Please leave me a comment on this post with the URL to your Liebster post so I can learn more about you!

My 11 Random Things:

1. I eat weird things. Cheese puff and cream cheese sandwiches? Yum!

2. My second toe is longer than my big toe. I am unsure whether this is weird or not. I've been told that this means I am clever! Or may be able to learn to play the piano with my toes? lol

3. I can turn my eyelids inside out. I'm sure that's not a good thing to be able to do though. I'm not quite sure when I learned I could do this, or why I even tried...

4. I am a little OCD. If I am stressed, I pull my eyebrows out - Never said that in public before... It's quite a problem and I only just learned recently that there is a name for this. Apparently, I am not the only one that does it, I have fellow weirdo's! If I

Friday, March 1, 2013

Review & Giveaway! Premama Prenatal Vitamin Drink




I recently had the opportunity to review Premama, Prenatal Vitamin Drink Mix. I wish this had have been available when I was pregnant...

When I was pregnant with little man, I had the worst morning sickness ever. It wasn't actually just morning sickness either, it was morning, noon and night sickness. Everyone promised me that it would go away after my first trimester... It didn't. I would wake up in the morning, lay in bed and feel absolutely fine. I would get out of bed and within minutes, I would be running through the house like a crazy woman trying to make it to the bathroom in time. FOR 9 MONTHS. Every little thing would set me off.

Enter to win a Kindle Fire!!


Welcome to the Four Littles Media Kindle Fire Giveaway!






Monday, February 18, 2013

Happy Doodles Giveaway!


Sponsored by: Happy Doodles

I am in love with this idea! Happy Doodles enables you to capture your child's creativity and turn it into a keepsake that will last forever! Check out the review below from My Four Littles!

Cohosted by:  


Welcome to the Happy Doodles Giveaway!!

Happy Doodles turns your child's favorite artwork into a lovable, huggable stuffed toy! Amanda from My Four Littles received a special Happy Doodle for her four year old daughter. See below for pictures of the original artwork and the completed Happy Doodle. Click here to see the Happy Doodles review in it's entirety, as well as more information on Happy Doodles.

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Natural Littles LLC Cloth Diaper Giveaway!


Sponsored By: Natural Littles LLC

Welcome to the Cloth Diaper Starter Kit Giveaway from 
My Four Littles, Four Littles Media, and Natural Littles LLC!

Are you pregnant, do you know someone who is expecting? This would be an amazing baby shower/new baby gift for someone! I am so excited to be part of this fabulous giveaway!

One lucky winner will win a Cloth Diaper Starter Kit from Natural Littles!! (RV $150)

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Blogging Addicts Blog Hop!

Welcome to the Blogging Addicts Blog Hop!

We hope that this is going to be an ongoing thing and we would love to include everyone! I don't know about you, but I love to find new and interesting blogs to read and this is an excellent way of expanding your blog roll! Who knows we might even meet some great new friends along the way!

Please link up below. You are more than welcome to add as many links as you like but please make sure to include where you would like to be followed. (For Example: New English Mum in America - Facebook)

To participate, please follow the hop instructions:

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Just me.

Now that I have a few more readers, I figured now would be a good time to tell a little more about myself! Below are a few random facts. If you want to do the same, please do!  I'd love to know more about you guys too!

- I grew up by the ocean in a little town called Newquay. My goal is to one day live by the ocean again!  I'm determined to find a little town similar to Newquay, in the States.  Any ideas? (My Husband is convinced that it looks like Southern California where he is from.  I'm thinking it might be a ruse to get me to move there though!)

Yes!  This really is in England!

- I'm addicted to coffee. Seriously, it's bad. If I don't have at least 2 cups of REALLY strong coffee with motor oil properties, within half an hour of waking up, that's me done for the day.  Shakes, headache, the whole shebang.

It's true.

- It bugs the crap out of me that I smoke and can't quit. I'm a strong willed person who can do anything that I put my mind to, except quit cigarettes!  I can't afford to smoke, yet I panic at the thought of quitting.  I have smoked for 18 years. (Yes, I'm only 30. Disgusting, huh?) They just need to stop selling them.  Then I'd have to quit.  Or you'd see me being dragged out of an illegal smoking den, kicking and screaming. (because I'm SURE there would be!) Who knows.

This will not be me.



- I have a rare split birthmark that spreads the whole way up my right arm, from my wrist to my shoulder. The funny thing about it is, it wasn't actually there when I was born... It appeared when I was 18 months old... When I was a kid, it looked as though I had cigarette burns up my arm. When I was 13, I was contacted by a specialist in some fancy private hospital in England who wanted me to be his guinea pig. He wanted to test out his shiny new laser machine, he was pretty sure he could get rid of it. After 6 sessions of what felt like someone splashing hot oil all up my arm, they did actually fade a bit. Now that I am older and my skin has stretched, they look a lot more like bruises. My Husband is constantly getting evil looks. I have no idea what the medical terminology is for this, I'll have to ask my Mum... She had to get a doctor to write a note to take to school to prove I wasn't being beaten!!

That's all I can think of for right now! I'm going cross eyed at the moment because I am so tired! I am off to the land of nod. :)

Have a great night and thanks for stopping by!


~ Tasha

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Another $10 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway!



As a thank you to my new fans and to all the people who have shared my page, I am giving away another $10 Amazon Gift Card! The more fans I get, the better the prizes will be!

Thank you so much again! The winner will be picked on Sunday evening at 11pm.




GOOD LUCK!


This giveaway is in NO way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. Information collected is NOT collected by Facebook. In signing up for this promotion, participants release and indemnify Facebook from all liability.

This giveaway is sponsored and will be fulfilled by New English Mum in America and will end on Sunday February 17th at 11pm.  Winner will be chosen at random and notified by email. The winner will have 48 hours to respond before another winner is chosen.  Prize will be emailed to the winner in the form of an Amazon E-Gift Code within 24 hours of confirmation. Open to US residents only age 18+

Sunday, February 10, 2013

Amazon Kindle Fire Blogger Opportunity!


are excited to bring you a Kindle Fire Giveaway!

Event Dates: March 1-31, 2013

One FREE  link with announcement.

You can write your own announcement, or use the text HERE.

Co-Host (host page and up to 4 links): $15
Host Pages: $10
Additional Links: $2
Daily Votes: $4
Referral Prize: Free Co-Host

 

Friday, February 8, 2013

Sausage Gravy and Biscuits, Oh My!

One of my absolute favorite things to eat for breakfast since moving to America... Well actually, any time of day really! Is Sausage Gravy and Biscuits. It is SO delicious and I could eat it every day if I wasn't so worried about becoming the size of a house! I hear that it isn't known all over the States either! I can't imagine why!?

For my English followers, Sausage Gravy and Biscuits was originally eaten after the War of Independence, more specifically in the South, when food was in short supply. Plantation workers needed to come up with something that would sustain them throughout the day and wouldn't cost a lot to make. I can't really think of anything similar in England to compare it to! Biscuits are also different, they are a lot like scones but a little fluffier!
 
I have been perfecting this recipe over the past five years now and my Husband says that it's the best he has ever eaten. I have tried to make a less fattening version, but it really isn't the same. I figure, if you are going to eat this meal every once in a while, you may as well have the full fat, plus fat and a stick of butter on top version and be done with it. Ok, the stick of butter on top may be taking it a step too far, but I'm sure you catch my drift! I would NOT like to know the calorie content. Let's keep that one a secret.

This is my recipe, I would be interested to hear how you guys make it!


Serves 4

1 1lb Roll of Original Jimmy Dean Sausage
3 Tbsp of Unsalted Butter
2 Heaped Tbsp of All Purpose Flour
2 Cups of Milk (It's creamier if you use Full Fat)
1 Pinch of Kosher Salt
1 Tsp of Black Pepper (I like it really peppery)
1 Container of Pillsbury Biscuits. Yes, I cheat on these. I haven't quite perfected a recipe for those yet and I am quite fond of the ones in a can! Haha.

Cook biscuits as per instructions

Brown the sausage in a medium sized pan. When cooked through, remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Add the 3 tbsp of butter to the pan and melt (You may not need that much butter, it all depends on how greasy the sausage is that you use. Jimmy Dean isn't all that greasy.)

Add 2 tbsp of all purpose flour, one at a time and whisk until combined. The mixture should resemble a paste.

Cook the paste (roux) over a medium high heat, until it has turned about 2 shades darker. Make sure to be patient on this step or your finished result could taste floury!

Start to add the milk. Add half a cup first and whisk quickly! Gradually add the rest of the milk and whisk out any lumps. Bring to the boil and if the mixture gets too thick, then add a little more milk.

Add the salt, pepper and the cooked sausage to the mixture and stir well. Taste and add more seasoning if needed. Add salt a little at a time, this goes from being under seasoned to over seasoned very quickly! I have done that several times and you can't take the salt out when you put too much in :(

Serve the gravy over hot biscuits and enjoy!!

What are some of your favorite things to eat?

~ Tasha

Thursday, January 31, 2013

Wannabe Cake Boss's, take 2!

On Tuesday, it was my Brother in Laws 20th birthday and after seeing my previous attempt at making my Sons 1st Birthday Cake my Sister got it in her head that we should attempt to make him a fire truck cake. (He's a volunteer firefighter)

I started to Google different ideas and came across this fantastic tutorial over at Beki Cooks Cake, it was very ambitious! You should most definitely check out all of her cakes, they look absolutely delicious!!

My sister, Taryn and her friend Kelsey came over on Tuesday lunchtime and we put ourselves to work. Baring in mind that this is what the cake was supposed to look like, I don't actually think we did that bad!! Obviously ours didn't turn out quite as well!

Photo courtesy of Beki Cooks Cake

There were a few differences though, we couldn't find the right size box of fondant. Michaels only had the HUGE box that we would never have used in a million years, so we went for gum paste. It worked great, but, if I ever used it again, I would wait to make the accessories for the cake until we were actually ready to use them. It dries a lot harder than fondant and when we tried to add them to the cake later, some of them cracked and the ladder broke :( We also made the fire truck yellow, as this is the color of the fire trucks at the station he volunteers at! Oh! And I had to use a butter knife to ice it! It would have looked so much better with the proper tools!!!

This is how it went!

We chose French Vanilla and Strawberry


Taryn diligently working on the accessories!




A blurry photo of the stacked cake...


Ready for accessories!


One side finished

And the other!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRANDON!!!

~ Tasha

My Cotton Bunny Review



Firstly, I need to start off by saying how absolutely INGENIOUS this idea is. It's one of those ideas that I seriously wish that I had thought of first. Always a day late and a dollar short, haha.

My Cotton Bunny is a new Monthly Subscription Service just for that time of the month!! Each month, they will send you a box filled with everything you need for your period (and some things that you didn't know you needed, but you really did!) Your choice of Tampons or Pads, in your choice and size of brand; U by Kotex, Tampax Pearl, Always Infinity, o.b. Procomfort, Tampax or Tampax Radiant. If you are like me and end up stuck without tampons every month because you forgot to buy them, this could quite possibly be a lifesaver! Each box is packed with care, by hand and shipped from Los Angeles, California.

My Cotton Bunny kindly sent me their January 'Warm & Cozy' box to review. It contained;
  • An 18 Count Box of U by Kotex Click
  • A Pair of Warm & Fuzzy Socks very cleverly packaged as a cupcake!
  • A Single Serve Packet of Hot Chocolate by Cocoa Amore
  • A Dark Chocolate with Deep Forest Mint square by Endangered Species Chocolate
  • A Gourmet Lollipop
  • A Pumice Sponge

 
 You have several subscription options:

  • Month to month which costs $13.75, per month.You will be billed each month on the same day you subscribed. If you no longer wish to subscribe, you can cancel with no further obligation.
  • Every 3 months which costs $39.16 and saves you 5%
  • Gift Subscription of 6 months which costs $74.25 and saves you 10%

 Each month, you get different products and you can sometimes get other things added to your box by completing tasks such as, re-tweeting one of their Tweets, getting one of your friends to Like them on Facebook, Re-Pinning one of their Pins on Pinterest, or posting a picture of your box. You could end up with a full sized product and more!

You can order your very own care package by visiting their website and registering. It is very simple to sign up!

You can visit them on Facebook and Twitter where you can get information on box contents each month and enter giveaways or just show them some love! They are very friendly!

I also highly suggest following them on Pinterest! There is a great tutorial on there regarding the cupcake socks!

Enjoy!

~ Tasha

*Disclaimer - I was sent the above product for free, to give my honest opinion. I was under no obligation to write a good review, all opinions are mine, and mine alone. I received no compensation for this post.


Monday, January 28, 2013

(Blogger Opp) Cloth Diaper Starter Set Giveaway


Hosted By: My Four Littles
Sponsored By: Natural Littles LLC

Coming soon to New English Mum in America!!

A Cloth Diaper Starter Set Giveaway
Diapers, Wet Bag, and Cloth Friendly Detergent from Natural Littles LLC!

Two Free Links with announcement post.
You can write your own announcement post or use the text HERE.

$2 for Additional Links (up to 2)
$4 for Daily Vote/Comment Links

$10 for Cohost 
(Up to 5 Links on Your Own Host Page)
(You Will Make the RC Form and Pick the Links)
(Back Link in the HTML)


Friday, January 18, 2013

EatSmart Precision Digital Bathroom Scale, Review and Giveaway!

Can I have a show of hands who made New Years Resolutions this year? (My hand is up...) How many of you have resolutions to lose weight in 2013? (My hand is up again...) How many haven't put their resolutions into action yet? (Yep! Me again!) Over the last year or so, my weight has slowly climbed up and up, so much so, that I now weigh 8 pounds shy of what I did when I was 9 months pregnant. As I'm sure you can imagine, I am not happy about this situation.  Not at all!

I have made a goal for myself. I intend to start a DIY WeightWatchers program next week, which my Husband is going to be on too. Hopefully we will help each other stay on track! My goal is to lose 35 pounds this year, hopefully by the summer so I don't scare small children away, screaming when I put my bathing suit on. These reasons above are why I am super excited to have the chance of reviewing the EatSmart Precision Digital Bathroom Scale!




Product Features:
  • EatSmart Step on Technology - Love this! You don't have to tap the scale first before you get on! You just step right on and get an instant reading!
  • Weight capacity of 400 pounds
  • 3.5" LCD display with a cool blue back light for easy viewing, even in low lighted areas of your bathroom or home
  • 4 High precision sensors to ensure accurate results every time
  • Slim, sturdy, tempered glass design - Very sleek!
  • Large 12" by 13" non-slip platform
  • 4 AAA batteries are Included and a handy tape measure too! 
I was a little concerned at first about the fact that it was glass. 2 year olds and glass don't normally go hand in hand. My concerns vanished however, when my Son decided to use it as a bounce house. It held up just fine! He tried picking it up too and realized it was a little too heavy for him and dropped it with quite a crash, not a scratch!

I really do love the design too, it's pretty fancy looking and goes with pretty much everything.  Sometimes scales can look like a bit of an eyesore, so I'm glad that I can keep it in my bedroom and it doesn't really look out of place (I don't have room in the bathroom)


Cole's svelte self




See this? By August that will be GONE!


EatSmart was founded in 2005 and have been devoted to designing innovative health care products to meet the needs of their customers ever since! They really do stand behind their products. Every product that they manufacture, carries a 100% EatSmart Satisfaction Guarantee! Customer Service is their highest priority (If you read some of their reviews on Amazon, you will find this to be completely true!) Also on top of that, each month, they donate a portion of their profits to a charity :)

If you visit their blog, they have all kinds of information to help you keep on track with your fitness and weight loss goals.  They have recipes, success stories, tips and even giveaways!

If you want to buy an EatSmart Precision Scale all of your very own then you should head on over to Amazon.com - they are priced very reasonably! You should check out all of their stuff! They really do have some great products!

They would love it if you would follow them on FacebookTwitterPinterestGoogle Plus and Instagram too!

The extremely kind people over at EatSmart have very generously offered up a scale, just like the one I received, for one of my readers to win!!

Please enter below on the Giveaway widget. Open to residents of the US only.  You must be over the age of 18. The winner will be selected at random on January, 25th at 11.59pm and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.  Please read the full terms and conditions located at the bottom of the entry form.

GOOD LUCK! 


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*Disclaimer - I received the above product for free. I was under NO obligation to provide a good review. All opinions are mine and mine alone.

This giveaway is in NO way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. Information collected is NOT collected by Facebook. In signing up for this promotion, participants release and indemnify Facebook from all liability.

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Fussy Pantitus...

Yes. My Son has a case of Fussy Pantitus. It's starting to drive me insane. He has a very small list of foods that he will eat and I'm not quite sure how he is so healthy.

He will eat:

Mac & Cheese (But only recently)
Fruit (Any fruit)
Goldfish
Yogurt
Cheese
Ham
The occasional Chicken Nugget
Ramen Noodles
Cereal
Toast
Bacon (But not really)
Sausage (But not Hot Dogs)
Chocolate (He is my Son after all)
Ketchup (Like me, he would drink it out of the bottle if he could)

That's pretty much it. If something looks even remotely like a vegetable, he will NOT eat it, he won't even try it! He eyes up 'un vegatized' plates of food very suspiciously as though I have laced them with arsenic, puts the food in his mouth and holds it there for a second to see whether it is acceptable to his delicate and highly trained palate and then either gestures with his hands for my hand so he can spit it out, or nods his head and swallows. I'm thinking I may have a Zagat food critic on my hands in a later life.

I've started giving him a Gummy Vitamin every day and Carnation Instant Breakfast every once in a while and just hope to hell that he is getting what he needs.

Anyone else have a case of the 'fussies' in their house? I am determined to find a way to trick him! That might be my mission next week.

~ Tasha

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

$10 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway!

I just wanted to say a HUGE thank you to all my new fans today! Although I didn't reach my target of 150, I still want to celebrate!  I am giving away a $10 Amazon E-Gift Card!



You have until Friday to enter!


.

GOOD LUCK!!! 


Edited to add: By the time I woke up this morning I was well over 150 and have now almost reached 200, so yay!  Thank you all!
 

This giveaway is in NO way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. Information collected is NOT collected by Facebook. In signing up for this promotion, participants release and indemnify Facebook from all liability.

This giveaway is sponsored and will be fulfilled by New English Mum in America and will end on Friday January 18th at 8pm.  Winner will be chosen at random and notified by email. The winner will have 48 hours to respond before another winner is chosen.  Prize will be emailed to the winner in the form of an Amazon E-Gift Code within 24 hours of confirmation. Open to US residents only age 18+

Monday, January 14, 2013

Crockpot Chicken Fiesta!

Tonight I felt a bit like Old Mother Hubbard when I went to my cupboard!  There wasn't a whole lot in there at all so I dug the crockpot out and cooked up a masterpiece. (Well actually, I would do it a bit differently next time!  Sounds good though, huh?)

If I had my camera, I would have taken a picture...  But I will add one next time I make it.  I will definitely make it again because My Husband loved it.  Cole not so much.  He is getting a bit fussy with his food!

To make my Chicken Fiesta Masterpiece I chucked in:

4 Chicken Thighs
1 Can of Corn
1 Can of Black Beans
1 Can of Pinto Beans
1 Can of Tomato Sauce
1 Can of Tomato Paste
1 Packet of Taco Seasoning
1 Packet of Fajita Seasoning
1 Chopped Onion
1 Cup of Rice (This is the bit I would change...  Next time I would most definitely do the rice separately, it was far too mushy!)
1 Cup Water

Mix it all together and cook on high for about 5 hours and VOILA!  Delicious!  I absolutely love my Crockpot and I have no idea why I don't use it more often!!

What are some of your favorite Crockpot recipes?

~ Tasha

To IUD or not to IUD...

Bit of a personal topic today... But, this morning I found out that I can no longer have my Depo Provera shot.  I'm upset because I love it, it does not however, love me back.  I am now in a dilemma.  I can't take anything with estrogen in it, because it raises my blood pressure really high.  My doctor put me on progesterone only pills before I left England and they were fine for a few months, but my blood pressure rose again. I stopped taking birth control for quite some time, mainly because I couldn't afford it and then got pregnant with Cole.  They gave me the Depo shot at the hospital after I gave birth and I had 2 doses but then stopped because it was getting pricey. When we moved, I realized that I could go to the Health Department (I had no idea...) so in July I started it back up again, only to go today and find that my blood pressure is ridiculously high again.  So apparently it's hormones in general that do not agree with me. I have also not been feeling all that great for the past 6 months or so, and I put it down to everything that has been happening over the past couple of years. Turns out, that this could also be the Depo.  One of the main side effects is depression.  Again with the ugh'.

I have an appointment on January 24th to see the doctor about a copper IUD (Paragard).  I really need some advice here!  I have been researching it and have seen very good reviews and some very, very bad ones!  I know people are different and things affect people in different ways, I just wanted to hear from a few people who have one or have had one so that I know a little more of what to expect.  I'm a bit nervous!

~ Tasha