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Strawberry Broccoli Salad

January 10th, 2017June 25th, 2021

This post may contain affiliate links, please read our disclosure policy.

This Strawberry Broccoli Salad Recipe is a delicious meal option or a side. This salad recipe is easy to make and full of flavors that will have you making it again and again! While this post is sponsored, all opinions and the recipe are 100% my own.

Broccoli Salad with Strawberries

The New Year is here and while I am always on a constant quest to eat healthier, somehow October, November, and December escaped me. The holidays are filled with so many rich and delicious foods it’s hard to stay on track all the time! So, now that the kids are officially back in school, I am working on creating fun meal options that are full of flavor and not full of calories.

When you the read of the title above, Strawberry Broccoli Salad, I’m sure you instantly thought of a head of broccoli. Oh no, I went easier than that! No need to wash or prep this broccoli. I used Eat Smart Broccoli Slaw in this Strawberry Broccoli Salad recipe and I promise you it is delicious!

The mix of broccoli slaw, the sweetness of the Wish Farms Fresh From Florida Strawberries, the nutty touch of almonds, and my homemade dressing makes for an outstanding salad that you will find yourself making again and again. I love adding feta to my salads with strawberries, so I did serve mine with a sprinkle of feta. I feel as though it adds that final punch of flavor. If you don’t like feta, feel free to leave it off, but I encourage you to try it that way at least once 😉

Now, here is my Strawberry Broccoli Salad Recipe, be sure to Print it and Pin it so that you can make it again and again.

Print Recipe

4.84 from 6 votes

Strawberry Broccoli Salad Recipe

This Strawberry Broccoli Salad Recipe is a delicious meal option or a side. This salad is ready in minutes and is deliciously healthy.

Prep Time10

Total Time10

Course: Salad

Keyword: broccoli, healthy, salad, strawberry

Author: Tracy

Ingredients

1 bag of Broccoli Slaw
1 cup quartered fresh strawberries
2 tablespoons sliced almonds
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup Light Extra Virgin Olive Oil
¼ cup of Red Wine vinegar - I prefer Cherry Wine Vinegar but I know not everyone has that
¼ cup of mayo - I use low-fat or fat free
Feta Cheese - topping if desired

Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions

Mix the sugar, EVOO, red wine vinegar, and mayo in a medium to large sized bowl
Add in the broccoli slaw, strawberries and almonds
Gently stir until when mixed
Refrigerate until ready to eat
Top with a sprinkle of feta cheese for an added punch of flavor
Enjoy!

I hope you enjoy this Strawberry Broccoli Salad as much as we do!

This salad would make for an excellent lunch or a side dish…or a dish that you bring to parties! If you are looking to add in extra protein, shredded chicken would make for an excellent addition.

Be sure to show off your healthy lunchboxes on social media. Produce for Kids’ Instagram and Twitter followers can use the #PowerYourLunchbox hashtag to show off their healthy lunchboxes to have their lunchboxes featured on the Produce for Kids Facebook and Instagram pages. Follow the hashtag to see great ideas from fellow parents!

In fact, be sure to check out HealthyFamilyProject.com for more than 250 registered dietitian-approved and family-tested recipes, meal planning tools, grocery store specific campaign details, and healthy tips from real parents and on Facebook and Pinterest for even more!

While you are at it, be sure to check out all the delicious recipes on Food Wine Sunshine and follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.

Have you ever put strawberries in your broccoli salad?

Introduction To Cooking With Wine

January 6th, 2017May 12th, 2021

This post may contain affiliate links, please read our disclosure policy.

Cooking with wine can add flavor and depth to your dish. It can also tenderize meat and be the perfect ingredient to your salad dressing. Learn more in this introduction to cooking with wine.

Introduction To Cooking With Wine

Top chefs don’t cook with wine because of culinary snobbery, or to boost restaurant prices, they know that wine lifts ordinary ingredients to a higher plane.

The wine itself adds flavor to your dish, and, the alcohol content draws out the flavors of the ingredients themselves.

Home cooks can take further advantage of this almost magical property by adding it to cheaper cuts of meat that usually require longer cooking times. The wine helps break down fibers in tougher cuts of meat, thus tenderizing and boosting taste simultaneously. If you are using wine as part of a marinade, only use it for a few hours and be sure to discard it before cooking, unless you plan on cooking the marinade for an extended period. These properties combined make wine an ideal liquid for the slow cooker.

How To Cook With Wine

There are no special methods or secret chef’s tricks involved. You can substitute wine for all, or part, of the liquid ingredient in any of your favorite stew, casserole or sauce recipes; then cook as normal. The good news is that it may even be a healthy substitute. Removing fat from meat also removes moisture. Wine replaces this in a much less fattening form.

There are often a few open bottles of wine left over after the holidays; use one in a warming winter stew. Maybe you didn’t quite finish last night’s bottle; add the remains to a Crock-Pot concoction before heading off for work. You can also freeze leftover wine in an ice cube tray and then simply pop out a cube or two when you want to add a little extra flavor to a dish. When making gravy, add a splash from the bottle you opened for dinner. I love using wines in my homemade salad dressings too, the acidity makes for a delightful balance.

How To Choose Which Wine To Cook With

The first rule for beginners is not to worry. The second one don’t use wine that you wouldn’t drink; if it is no good in a glass, it will almost certainly ruin your dish as well. The third one is that I don’t recommend using “cooking wines” which tend to be particularly poor quality. Other than that, not much can go wrong, and your choice of wine can be made as much on availability as anything else. Don’t feel as though you have to use a really expensive bottle of wine though, typically I grab some from the bottle I have open because I am drinking it.

Clearly, there are differences between wines, not just in color. Anyone who has had the misfortune to spill red wine down the front of a clean, crisp white blouse knows how deeply it can stain (check out these methods to remove red wine stains if this happens to you). The same applies to foods. If you are looking for a delicately hued cream sauce, white wine is the way to go, although robust reds can produce some very interesting pink sauces. The most versatile wines are crisp, dry, unoaked white wines such as Pinot Grigio, but feel free to experiment.

Taking choice a step further, without enrolling on a wine master’s course, just read the label. Many bottles of wine have lots of useful information, usually on the back, describing the wine, its qualities, and the complexity of tastes. A qualified wine taster has already done the groundwork research for you, well somebody has to do it. If this tells you there is a distinct apple flavor, try it in a pork chop casserole as apples and pork traditionally complement one another.

One problem that does arise; does the alcohol content evaporate during the cooking process? It used to be thought yes, but, as with so many issues surrounding food, the jury is now divided. Those who do not touch alcohol for any reason might be well-advised not to use it in the kitchen.

Comforting, warming, tasty and sophisticated, wine in the kitchen adds all these qualities and more. And it is so easy to use. Cheers!

Do you cook with wine? What is one of your rules for cooking with wine?

My #1 rule is if you wouldn’t drink it, you definitely shouldn’t cook with it.

Be sure to check out Food Wine Sunshine on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram for more wine tips, cocktails, healthy recipes, and fun things to do.

How To Get Your Kids To Do Chores Without Yelling

January 5th, 2017July 3rd, 2019

This post may contain affiliate links, please read our disclosure policy.

It’s a daily battle for parents. So, here is how to get your kids to do chores without yelling. It is easier than you think, and it is even a little fun! While this post is sponsored, all opinions are 100% my own.

How To Get Your Kids To Do Chores – Without Yelling

We have all been there. When the simple task of making a bed ends up being a 45-minute debate.

Parent asks “Can you make your bed?”

Child replies “Yes”.

Then 30 minutes later child says “Can I go outside and play?”

Parent responds “Did you make your bed?”

Child says “No, but I will now.”

Then 15 minutes later child says “Can I go outside and play?”

Parent responds “Did you make your bed?”

Child responds “UGH, NO”

At this point is usually when my voice gets a bit louder just due to sheer frustration. I mean, how many times can we possibly ask the same question? And how many times can kids ignore us? But yet, it happens. ALL. THE. TIME.

So, how do we as parents fix this? Sure, there is the option of allowance, rewards, chore charts. And those are all great, I mean they worked when we were kids. Keywords… WHEN WE WERE KIDS. Things have changed, kids have changed, with the introduction of technology, the world has changed! Let’s start using that to our advantage.

And that is exactly why the folks that developed the Homey app. They brought the world of technology to chores.

What?

Homey is a mobile app for chores, rewards, and allowance. Their whole goal is to help teach kids financial responsibility and the value of work. Sounds like every parent’s dream if you ask me.

How does Homey work?

With Homey parents can set chores for their kids by taking a simple snapshot (so it works for younger kids too) and everybody gets notifications when their chores are due – so you don’t have to yell…I mean nag…I mean ask.

When kids complete chores they have to take a photo each time, so that parents know what got done at a glance. Each chore is worth a selected amount of coins (currency they can claim rewards with) and points (for responsibilities that are not paid) and when kids complete enough chores they can claim one of the rewards that their parents set – which can be allowance, a toy, screen time or anything else that parents choose.

By setting up a few rewards that differ in value, kids learn delayed gratification (to not use their coins for a $1 reward but to save up for that toy they want) which leads to better financial responsibility.

How do you get started with Homey?

Download the app – it’s FREE. Get the Homey app on Google Play. Get the Homey app in the Apple App Store.
Create a household and invite your family members or create profiles for them.
You, as the household creator, have all the features enabled. You will have set user roles for other family members based on their age, but you can customize all the permissions for everyone in the Household settings available in the sidebar.
Homey works best if every family member has it on their own device. But if you have a shared family device, they have some features to make that work. You can easily switch profiles by tapping the person you want to switch to in the sidebar and selecting “Switch profile” in the lower right corner (switching is needed for claiming rewards), or if you want to just mark chores your kids did as done while you’re logged in, you can simply long press the Mark as done button and select the right family member – the chore will be done in their name and they’ll get the points and coins.
Set chores.
Kids do chores.
Kids get rewarded for chores. If you’re on Android, you will see the Payouts screen. This is a new feature that enables better management of allowance. You can either set up regular (weekly) allowance and if you want you can make a requirement that responsibilities should be done and the kid should get a certain amount of points in that week. Or you can set up an extra monetary reward, where you can say they’ll get for instance $5 for every 50 coins, and it doesn’t matter how long they had those coins (they can do a lot of chores in one day, or get 50 coins in 3 months). And you can also set a due date on rewards (that goes for all rewards, not just monetary), which can come handy when you’re trying to motivate kids to earn extra money to buy something on a trip you’re already planning or something like that.
Parents are happy.
Kids are happy.
No yelling 🙂

Homey has been working with a child psychologist, who specializes in positive reinforcement, and they’ve just introduced separate points and coins. Points are like XP in games – experience points and aren’t be redeemable for rewards. “Coins” are the reward currency. This way you’re able to say which chores you’ll reward with allowance or screen time or anything else, and which chores are children’s responsibility and they won’t get paid to do them. These “responsibilities” will still be worth points (that they won’t be able to redeem for rewards), so they will be able to work the leader-board and in the future get achievements – they still get positive reinforcement. Because let’s be honest, there are things that the kids should just be doing as a part of their daily routine! I don’t know about you, but I still need to remind both kids on a daily basis to brush their teeth.

Download the Homey app – it’s FREE. Get the Homey app on Google Play. Get the Homey app in the Apple App Store.

Also, if you manage chores for yourself or your spouse in the app, you don’t have to give yourself any “Coins”, but you’ll still get XP. From interviews that Homey conducted, they learned that kids often didn’t know how much work their parents did at home, so seeing how many points mom and dad got made them appreciate them more and also complain less about how much chores they need to do. Okay, anyone else absolutely love this? I really think that the kids have NO IDEA how much we do in a day, so this is an easy way to show them…without actually pointing it out consistently.

I also wanted to let you guys know that Homey is working on developing a feature that will enable parents to transfer the money to the kid’s savings account if they have one. This helps teach kids financial literacy, promotes long-term goals, they could get interest on their savings, and it also makes dealing with allowance easier for parents. Stay tuned for more on that soon!

Download the Homey app – it’s FREE. Get Homey app on Google Play. Get Homey app in the Apple App Store.

What do you like best about the Homey app? What tips do you have for getting kids to do their chores?

Stay up to date with Homey on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest for all the latest updates and improvements.

Be sure to follow me, Food Wine Sunshine, on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google + and Instagram for more helpful tips and delicious recipes!

Looking for more great ideas?

Curtis Stone’s Glazed Ham with Mustard Barbecue Sauce Recipe

December 21st, 2016February 10th, 2022

This post may contain affiliate links, please read our disclosure policy.

This Glazed Ham recipe is prepped in about 10 minutes and is delish! Plus, you’ll feel like a real chef when you serve your family Chef Curtis Stone’s Glazed Ham with Mustard Barbecue Sauce! While this post is sponsored, all opinions are 100% my own.

Curtis Stone’s Glazed Ham with Mustard Barbecue Sauce Recipe

We eat Christmas dinner with our close friends, since all our family is up in Michigan, and I was actually just discussing the holiday menu with one of my neighbors. We were up in the air about a few things when I got an email from Winn-Dixie with this amazing Curtis Stone recipe and some great deals in store.

Chef Curtis Stone’s Holiday Feast is also available for customers looking for delicious and convenient Christmas recipe options. The fresh ingredients and easy directions for his original Glazed Ham with Mustard Barbecue Sauce, delicious sides and dessert are available both at Winn-Dixie stores and online.

Ok, now on to the recipe! Here is Curtis Stone’s Glazed Ham with Mustard Barbecue Sauce Recipe, be sure to Print It and Pin It so that you can make it again and again.

Print Recipe

4.84 from 12 votes

Curtis Stone's Glazed Ham with Mustard Barbecue Sauce Recipe

This Glazed Ham recipe is prepped in about 10 minutes and is delish! Plus, you'll feel like a real chef when you serve your family Chef Curtis Stone's Glazed Ham with Mustard Barbecue Sauce!

Prep Time10

Cook Time2 30

Total Time2 40

Course: Dinner

Servings:

Author: Curtis Stone

Ingredients

¾ cup cider vinegar
¾ cup sugar
¾ cup yellow mustard
4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. kosher salt
2 carrots peeled, cut into large chunks
2 celery stalks cut into large chunks
1 onion cut into large chunks
1 8- to 10- lb. shank-end ham

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Instructions

Position oven rack in lowest position and preheat oven to 350°F.
In a medium saucepan, whisk vinegar, sugar, mustard, Worcestershire, and salt. Bring mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat and cook for about 2 minutes, or until it thickens slightly.
Set mustard barbecue sauce aside to cool.
Place carrots, celery, and onion in a 13x9-inch baking dish.
Remove all packaging from ham and pat ham dry.
Run a small sharp knife down the back of ham and, using your fingers, gently separate skin from fat.
Remove and discard skin. Run knife over fat to lightly score it all over.
Place ham in baking dish.
Cover dish tightly with foil and bake for 11/2 to 2 hours, or until ham is warmed through (an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into thickest part of ham will register 110°F).
Increase oven temperature to 400°F.
Using a pastry brush, brush some mustard barbecue sauce all over ham. Return ham to oven uncovered and cook, basting it every 10 minutes with sauce, for 30 to 35 minutes, or until ham is evenly glazed.
Transfer ham to a platter to rest for 15 minutes, tented loosely with foil.
Meanwhile, pour off juices from baking dish into a tall and narrow heatproof container and allow fat to settle to a top. Skim off as much fat as possible and discard fat.
In a serving bowl, whisk equal parts of skimmed juices and remaining sauce.
Carve ham and serve remaining mustard barbecue sauce alongside.
Enjoy!

Notes

Mustard barbecue sauce can be made up to 2 days ahead, covered and refrigerated.

I hope you enjoy Curtis Stone’s Glazed Ham with Mustard Barbecue Sauce Recipe!

Follow Winn-Dixie on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram for more recipes, savings, and more.

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Last Minute Gift Ideas For Kids

December 20th, 2016January 25th, 2021

This post may contain affiliate links, please read our disclosure policy.

If you are looking for gifts that the kids are sure to love, but you have officially run out of shopping time, here are last minute gift ideas for kids that parents will appreciate too! This post is sponsored by the Florida Prepaid College Board, through my role as a Believer Blogger. All thoughts are my own.

Last Minute Gift Ideas For Kids

Christmas is just a few short days away and if you are still trying to figure out what to get for the special little ones on your holiday shopping list, I thought I would share a few last minute gift ideas for kids. These can actually be for kids of all ages, as they are options for all ages, in fact, they have no age limit at all 🙂 And I also have options from the low price of FREE!

Here are 7 Last Minute Gift Ideas For Kids:

eBooks – The prices on eBooks start at FREE. You can find lots of options on Amazon.
Apps – The prices on apps start at FREE. You can find everything from learning apps to games! You can find apps in the Google Play Store, iTunes, and on Amazon.
Gift Cards – Most stores carry a large variety of retailers’ gift cards.
DIY – There is nothing more personal than a gift you made yourself! Consider a Christmas Ornament.
Florida Prepaid College Plans Contribution – I strongly recommend giving the gift of a College Education! Talk about a gift that keeps on giving 😉 You can make additional payments at any time, so any amount from $1 – $1,000 is a great way to get a head start on their future.
Give the Gift of Your Time – Plan a night with your child, suggestions include: A movie night (in or out!), dinner, a walk and a picnic, take a look to see what shows are in town.
Theme Park Ticket – My neighbor does this for her granddaughter every year and I think it’s a fabulous idea. She gets a theme park ticket and plans for a day out.

If you have Amazon Prime, you can still order and get the gift on time and you can avoid the craziness that is happening at the stores right now.

I have been a believer (and customer) of Florida Prepaid College Plans for years and there is no better gift I can give my children than a peace of mind about school. Being able to enter the workforce after college without a substantial amount of student loan debt. Not having a huge school loan debt allows students to focus on building a better future for themselves.

Ready to learn about giving the gift of an education with Florida Prepaid College Plans?

Head HERE and use Florida Prepaid College Plans Promo Code SAVING20 to save 100% off of your Florida Prepaid College application fee.

When is open enrollment?

The Open Enrollment period is now through April 30th – be sure to use Florida Prepaid College Plans Promo Code SAVING20 to save 100% off of your Florida Prepaid College application fee

Follow Florida Prepaid College Plans on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube to stay up to date with information on not only the scholarship program and open enrollment but get tips on college and more.

While you are at it, be sure to follow me, Food Wine Sunshine on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram for more helpful tips, things to do in Florida, and family fun.

What is one of your suggestions for Last Minute Gift Ideas for Kids?

Chicken Apple Sausage Pinwheels with Tangy Cranberry Dipping Sauce

December 14th, 2016July 1st, 2019

This post may contain affiliate links, please read our disclosure policy.

This Chicken Apple Sausage Pinwheels with Tangy Cranberry Dipping Sauce is a delicious and easy appetizer recipe. Enjoy it this holiday season and all year long! While this post is sponsored, all opinions and the recipe are my own.

Chicken Apple Sausage Pinwheels with Tangy Cranberry Dipping Sauce

Made Easy Thanks To Walmart Grocery

The holiday hustle and bustle are officially here. From decorating, to Christmas pageants at the kids’ schools, to shopping for family and friends on our holiday shopping list, to baking cookies for our annual cookie swap, to the last minute holiday party invitations, it seems like I am constantly on the go. So anything that makes my life a bit easier is really exciting…especially during the holidays.

Easier how?

Like having an easy and delicious appetizer to bring to a holiday party that I can make in under 30 minutes.

Or doing my grocery shopping online, then having someone just bring it to me, so I don’t even have to get out of the car! Talk about a time saver…

Well, I am here today to actually give you both of these… an easily made appetizer and the perfect way to get the ingredients and anything else you may need in a snap.

This Chicken Apple Sausage Pinwheels with Tangy Cranberry Dipping Sauce looks impressive but actually takes very little prep time. In fact, you only need a few ingredients for this appetizer recipe, the chicken apple sausage, a puff pastry, mustard, and cranberry sauce. Easy peasy, but oh so yummy.

Just cut the puff pastry and sausage.

Roll em up and bake for about 20 minutes!

While they are baking, make the easy cranberry sauce.

That’s it! You’re done!

So, if you are getting those last minute invites to holiday parties, this is a perfect dish to bring.

Here is my Chicken Apple Sausage Pinwheels Recipe, be sure to Print It and Pin It so that you can make it again and again.

Print Recipe

4.75 from 4 votes

Chicken Apple Sausage Pinwheels with Tangy Cranberry Dipping Sauce

Course: Appetizer

Servings:

Author: Tracy @ havingfunsaving.com

Ingredients

Ingredients for Pinwheels

1 Puff Pastry Sheet
2-3 links of pre-cooked chicken apple sausage
Grainy Dijon mustard
Shredded Cheddar Cheese if desired

Ingredients for Tangy Cranberry Sauce

1/4 cup Jellied Cranberry Sauce
1 teaspoon Grainy Dijon mustard or more to taste

Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Lightly spray a cooking sheet or line with parchment paper
Allow the puff pastry to thaw at room temperature or in the refrigerator. Make sure it is easily unfolded and easy to work with
Open the puff pastry sheet on a lightly floured space
Using a spoon, brush some of the dijon mustard over the entire puff pastry sheet
Cut into 1/2 inch strips, then again down the middle
Sprinkle with cheddar cheese if desired - my son loves cheese, so I added this for him on some
Cut the chicken apple sausage into 1/4-1/2 inch slices/circles
Roll the sausage into the puff pastry pieces, the ends will slightly overlap
Place on prepared cookie sheet
Brush sausage pinwheels with egg wash for a nice golden brown finish
Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown
While your pinwheels are baking, mix the ingredients for the sauce and set aside
Top the finished pinwheels with a dollop of the tangy cranberry sauce or serve it on the side for dipping
Enjoy!

I hope you enjoy these Chicken Apple Sausage Pinwheels and Tangy Dipping Sauce as much as we do!

Now that you have the easy and delicious appetizer recipe, how else can I make your holiday season less stressful?

I am going to share with you how you can go grocery shopping without getting out of the car.

WHAT?!

Yep, it can be done and man, oh man, it is a game changer.

Here’s how:

Head to Walmart Grocery Online

Search for the items that you need – you can get everything from fresh produce to Christmas trees! Don’t forget the ingredients for the Chicken Apple Sausage Pinwheels.

I will be honest, I was surprised that you could get refrigerated items, I figured there was no way that they could keep them cool and know when I was coming. But Walmart has all that figured out 😉

Once you have $30 in your cart, you can start the checkout process.

Put in your zip code and it will automatically pull up the participating stores in your area.

Select your store and the time that you would like to pick up your groceries.

Confirm your order.

Now, you can go about your day doing all the other fun holiday things that keep you busy.

Before you head to pick up your groceries, download the Online Grocery Mobile Check-in app, for iOS users it’s called the “Walmart Grocery” app and for my fellow Android users, it’s called the “Walmart Grocery Check-in” app. It’s a free app. You will need to enable notifications and location services. Don’t have a smartphone? That’s okay – you can just call when you are on your way.

Wait a minute! Are we showing all of Walmart exactly where we are and what we are doing? Nope. The app will not show the store a customer’s exact location but will let them know how many minutes away the customer is.

When your order is ready, head to your selected Walmart, pick up your goodies and head home. There is no need to even get out of your car!

Oh, and did I mention that this is a completely FREE service? So, you are getting Walmart’s every day low prices on all your items and you are getting them delivered to your car at no extra cost!

What is your favorite feature of Walmart Grocery? Are You a Grocery Hero too?

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White Chocolate Mousse with Red Wine Reduction Dessert Sauce

December 12th, 2016June 8th, 2021

This post may contain affiliate links, please read our disclosure policy.

This White Chocolate Mousse with Red Wine Reduction Dessert Sauce is not only sinfully delicious but easy to make. Be sure to enjoy it this holiday season! I am a proud CK Mondavi Ambassador, while this post is sponsored, all opinions and the recipe are my own.

White Chocolate Mousse with Red Wine Reduction Dessert Sauce

I have a weakness for desserts and wine. Those are two things that I am pretty positive that I couldn’t live without….well, maybe I could…but I am not really willing to try 😉 And if there was a time of the year that we splurge a bit, it is definitely the holidays. So, I decided that I should combine two of my favorite things, wine and dessert, into one cup of indulgent deliciousness.

I made a White Chocolate Mousse with Red Wine Reduction Dessert Sauce. Let me say that again….

White Chocolate

Red Wine

Dessert

Not only is it sinfully delightful, it’s also easy to make. This White Chocolate Mousse with Red Wine Reduction Dessert Sauce is an easy and impressive holiday dessert menu item.

To make the White Chocolate Mousse you only need three ingredients. A box of pudding mix, milk, and whipped topping.

For the Red Wine Reduction Dessert Sauce, you only need four ingredients. I used the CK Mondavi Scarlet Five as the star of the show because it is a full-bodied wine that offers ﬂavors of black cherries and plums and ends in a soft, balanced ﬁnish. So it’s perfect to pair with white chocolate of course 😉

If you can’t find Scarlet Five Red Blend Wine in stores, I recommend using a Cabernet Sauvignon. Cabernet Sauvignon is also a nice, full-bodied red wine. CK Mondavi and Family Cab will work perfectly.

Then you just need sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla extract, all of which you probably have in your pantry right now.

When you are done, swirl the Red Wine Reduction Dessert Sauce into your servings glasses/bowls and add in the white chocolate mousse.

Top with a raspberry for an extra layer of flavor. It’s also pretty 😉

Now, here is my White Chocolate Mousse with Red Wine Reduction Dessert Sauce Recipe. Be sure to Print It and Pin It so that you can make it again and again.

Print Recipe

5 from 3 votes

White Chocolate Mousse with Red Wine Reduction Dessert Sauce

Prep Time5

Cook Time30

Course: Dessert

Keyword: dessert recipe, desserts, easy recipes, red wine

Servings:

Calories: 140kcal

Author: Tracy

Ingredients

Ingredients for White Chocolate Mousse

1 box instant white chocolate pudding mix
1 container 8oz whipped topping - I used Lite
1 1/2 cups skim milk

Ingredients for Red Wine Reduction Dessert Sauce

1 1/2 cups CK Mondavi Scarlet Five Red Wine
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

US Customary - Metric

Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions

Place all the ingredients for the red wine reduction dessert sauce into a saucepan, bring to a simmer and reduce heat
Stir red wine sauce occasionally and reduce heat to low
Allow the sauce to simmer for approx 30 mins, the last 5 minutes it will thicken up fast, so be sure to watch it! Let the sauce reduce to at least a 1/3 of the original amount.
While the sauce is simmering, make the white chocolate mouse.

Instructions for White Chocolate Mousse

Mix the milk and pudding mix together either by hand or with mixer
Once mixed well, add the whipped topping
Mix well
Refrigerate until ready for use, it will thicken up while resting.
When the sauce is done, use a spoon and drizzle the sauce around the sides of your serving glasses
Spoon in the white chocolate mousse, drizzle more of the red wine reduction dessert sauce, top with raspberry (or berry of your choice) if desired
Enjoy!

Nutrition

I hope you enjoy this White Chocolate Mousse with Red Wine Reduction Dessert Sauce Recipe as much as we do!

You use half of the bottle of the CK Mondavi Scarlet Five Red Wine in the recipe for the Red Wine Reduction Dessert Sauce, so I definitely recommend pairing this dessert with the rest of the Scarlet Five red wine. You may want to have an extra bottle on hand 🙂

Now that I have your holiday dessert covered, here are a few deals for you to keep a look out for while you are at the grocery store picking up ingredients.

Why I love CK Mondavi and Family Wines:

The first reason, of course, is the wine. A wine is only as good as it tastes. The second is the people. Their family winery, established in 1943, has been committed to creating ﬁne wines for four generations. They harvest grapes at their peak of ripeness from prime California vineyards, creating wines with fully developed flavors.

Why I love CK Mondavi Scarlet Five Wine:

Scarlet Five is the winemaker’s signature Cuvee, an expression of five red varieties capturing the best of each vintage. It has the backbone of Cabernet Sauvignon, the ﬁnesse of Merlot, the structure of Petit Verdot, the floral essence of Cabernet Franc and the boldness of Malbec. In other words, it’s delicious.

Learn more about CK Mondavi by checking them out online, and following on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and YouTube.

In fact, be sure to check out all the recipes on Food Wine Sunshine and follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.

Gift Ideas For Wine Lovers

December 12th, 2016October 22nd, 2020

This post may contain affiliate links, please read our disclosure policy.

If you have a wine lover on your shopping list, check out these wine gifts for wine lovers. You will find gift ideas at all price ranges for the wine lover in your life.

Best Wine Gifts For All Occasions

It is not always easy to find the perfect gift for a special occasion, but this article provides a few great gift ideas for wine lovers. Finding the perfect gift for a holiday or special occasion can often be a challenging endeavor, especially when the recipient seems to have everything. Sometimes it can be helpful to choose something that relates to a particular hobby or interest. Here are just a few gift ideas for wine lovers.

I don’t think it’s any secret that I love wine. Red, wine, I don’t discriminate. I do love a nice Sauvignon Blanc or a Pinot Grigio on a warm summer day, a bold Cabernet Sauvignon snuggled up on the coach after a long day or with a grilled steak. For my most recent milestone birthday we hosted a wine pairing party and a few years ago my husband and I visited Napa Valley for the first time.

Wine Country. It’s a wine lovers Disney World. There are vineyards as far as the eye can see and amazing varietals of wine that will please everyone’s palette. If you have the opportunity to go, I strongly recommend it!

And if you can’t take all the wine lovers on your holiday shopping list on a vacation to Napa Valley and Sonoma, then I wanted to share some wine gifts for your fellow wine loving friends. One of the most popular gift ideas for wine lovers is an aerator. Well, after a nice bottle of wine, of course.

Wine aerators from companies like Vinturi and Metrokane help everyday wines taste great and bring out the best in great wines, making them terrific gifts for wine lovers.

Why aerate wine? Though there’s some complex science involved, the basic answer is fairly simple. Mingling molecules of wine with air, or more specifically oxygen in the air, helps bring out every nuance of aroma and flavor.

What’s the end result of aerating wine? Basic, everyday, inexpensive wines will taste better than ever. And wine lovers will be more easily able to savor every fine nuance of a great bottle of wine.

A Guide to Wine Aerators

Keeping in mind the pleasures wine aeration makes possible, innovative manufacturers are now making available a variety of relatively inexpensive wine aerating devices. Widely available in wine shops and online from dependable web retailers, including Wine Enthusiast, these devices make great presents for wine lovers on holiday gift lists or at any time of year—and are relatively inexpensive enough that they can be bought in multiples so the giver can have one as well!

Here’s a guide to some of the leading wine aerator brands for sale:

Vinturi Essential Wine Aerator

Just hold this elegant, slender device over a wine glass and pour the wine through it to aerate the wine in seconds. A deluxe set includes a no-drip stand, a no-splash grate, a sediment filter, a sculptural-looking “tower” stand, and a travel pouch. The company makes separate models for both red wines and white wines, with “different internal dimensions and flow rates” best suited to the particular type.

Metrokane Rabbit Super-Aerating Decanter System

From the makers of the very popular, beautiful, and highly efficient Rabbit corkscrew comes this equally appealing wine aerating system. Fitting into the top of a wide-bottomed, hand-blown crystal decanter, part of the set is a wide-mouthed glass wine-spray funnel, which separates wine into “micro-particles” that spray and trickle down the decanter’s side. A separate metal “super-fine sediment screen,” also part of the set, fits inside the filter if necessary to remove particles as small as 1 millimeter.

Respirer Next Generation Wine Aerator

As it enters a pressure chamber beneath the bowl of this carefully engineered device, wine creates a vacuum that draws in air through an intake channel along the side. The carefully calibrated shape of the fluid tube beneath takes advantage of the laws of physics to produce maximum oxygenation.

“Let’s let the wine breathe.” Those words are often spoken by wine lovers, who will often open a bottle well in advance of pouring it and will decant wine—that is, transfer it from a bottle to a decanter—not only to remove sediment in the bottle but also to aerate the wine.

We have the Menu Winebreather Carafe. It’s a decanter, we saw it when we were at Bonobo Winery up in Michigan and not only thought it was cool how you flipped the wine bottle upside on it and then back, we loved how it opened up the wine. It’s also relatively inexpensive.

Interesting Books about Wine Make Excellent Gift Ideas For Wine Lovers

The Billionaire’s Vinegar by Benjamin Wallace is a true story about a 1787 bottle of Château Lafite Bordeaux that was purportedly once owned by Thomas Jefferson and sold at auction for $156,000 in 1985. Filled with plenty of tales of wine fraud and snobbery, this book is sure to entertain any true wine lover.

To Cork or Not to Cork by George M. Taber is a wonderfully informative book that examines the debate about the use of synthetic corks and screw tops as replacements for the traditional cork used in sealing wine bottles. It discusses the wine aging process with the different sealing methods and is sure to give any wine lover a whole new perspective on tasting wine.

Both of these books can be purchased inexpensively online and at many book stores.

Estate Wine Opener Gift Idea For Wine Lovers

An Estate Wine Opener is an elegant wine accessory that serves as both a functioning tool and a decorative adornment for the home. Functionally speaking, these classic wine openers allow for easy removal of the cork as well as a simple replacement of the cork if the entire bottle isn’t consumed. We have one that is mounted to the wall, for us, it’s more of an art piece than a wine bottle opener. It’s beautiful!

They run anywhere from $100 to $400, depending on their quality and whether or not they come with a stand. These can be purchased on Amazon.com or at other wine stores by searching the Internet for “Estate Wine Opener.”

Winery Wines

Boutique wineries are excellent places to find unique wines that make great gifts. These wineries don’t typically produce tremendous amounts of wine, so their products aren’t always found in regular stores. Many of these wineries package the wines in nice wooden gift boxes with anywhere from one to six bottles of their specialty wines. They also sell the larger magnum (1.5L or 2 regular bottles) and double magnum (3L or 4 regular bottles) bottles that are almost too pretty to open.

There are scores of great boutique wineries that can be found by searching the Internet for “boutique wineries,” but here are a couple of places to start. Orfila Winery in the San Diego area sells many great wines in custom etched & hand-painted bottles that make wonderful gifts.

Richard Partridge in the Napa Valley, Quintessa in Napa Valley, and Copain Winery in Sonoma are some nice wineries to buy from.

Wine Funnels and Savers are Great Gift Ideas For Wine Lovers

Other gift ideas for wine lovers include wine funnels and savers. Funnels are used for aerating and straining sediment from the wine, while decanters are used to both aerate and serve the wine. Wine savers are vacuum pumps used to tightly seal leftover wine. All of these items make nice smaller gifts and can be found pretty much anywhere, including Amazon.com which I linked to make it easy for you.

Here are additional gift ideas for wine lovers:

With so many wonderful wine-related items available, that perfect gift will surely materialize for every wine lover.

What is one of your favorite wine gifts?

Cheers!

Make sure to check out Food Wine Sunshine on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram for more wine tasting tips, wine pairings, recipes, and more.

Why We Chose The Shark Rocket Complete with DuoClean Technology

December 7th, 2016September 5th, 2019

This post may contain affiliate links, please read our disclosure policy.

Why We Chose The Shark Rocket Complete with DuoClean Technology

My parents were visiting when I received the Shark Rocket Complete with DuoClean Technology in the mail for review. My dad’s eye lit up and got so excited, you would think a new car got delivered to my door! He knew what it was immediately, knew it was the newest Shark out, knew that he could use it in the house and in the car, he knew that the size would also work great in his RV, seriously I can’t remember the last time I have seen him so excited. My dad loves his vacuums obviously…I couldn’t tell him no when he asked me if he could do the review. When I said yes, he grabbed the box and put it in his car immediately. I think he was afraid I would change my mind 😉 So, the review below is brought to you by my mom, with all my dad’s favorite features on the Shark Rocket Complete with DuoClean Technology.

I am fortunate enough to have a husband that LOVES his vacuums, and his all-time favorite brand is Shark. We have one in our motorhome, one in our house and our newest edition is the Shark Rocket Duo Clean, which is used inside and outside the house!! This vacuum adapts and cleans hardwood floors and carpets automatically no longer a fear (at least it was for me on the occasion I would vacuum) to scratch your hardwood floors because you forgot to switch it over to the carpet setting! It offers deep cleaning dual brush rollers and swivel steering that goes over, under and around everything with ease.

But the bonus feature that all guys will appreciate is that it easily is transformed into a hand held vacuum that works wonders on cleaning inside your husbands cherished vehicle! My husband can spend an afternoon grooming the inside of our vehicles, crumbs from the grandchildren, leaves that come in on your feet as you step in, sand, mud it all makes him crazy!

Now with the Rocket he can go right from vacuuming the house to detaching the handheld feature and with the 30-foot power cord can easily clean upholstery, floor mats, and any nook or cranny that may have a leftover Cheetos or cheerio in it!

Now what makes a man happy, tools and accessories for my guy! So the fact that this came with six different vacuum heads to get you into small areas and corners, one of which does wonders for picking up pet hair, and another for upholstery, and more! Things that make me happy other than the fact he loves to use it and my house and vehicles look great, it runs quietly so if I am on the phone or watching a TV program you don’t need to turn up the volume to hear anything! Also the fact it comes with a five-year warranty so you know you will have it for several years.

Now ladies this is not to say that this is a style that just the men will appreciate, if you don’t happen to have one of those husbands that will vacuum for you on a regular basis you will benefit from this style as well. It is easy to put together only 4 steps, it has a wall mount option so makes for easy storage and accessibility. The swivel feature saves time as you don’t have to move furniture that you normally would as it maneuvers in and around with ease! The quiet factor for Grandmothers or Moms with sleeping children a true gift, no one wants to wake a sleeping child from a much needed nap!

So do I recommend this vacuum? Absolutely, thank you Shark for adding this machine into your already great selection of vacuums. My husband loves The Rocket and that makes me happy!

While we did receive the product listed above for review, all opinions and love for the Shark Rocket Complete are our own.

Looking to keep your floors clean and shiny too? Check out these cleaning tips.

Where do you get this amazing vacuum? Well, you can find online and on Amazon. Be sure to keep a look out for it at your favorite retailers too! And be sure to check out Shark Cleaning on Facebook and Twitter to stay social.

While you are at it – stay up to date with me too 🙂 Find Food Wine Sunshine on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Google +.

What is your favorite feature of the Shark Rocket Complete with DuoClean Technology?

Egg Biscuits and Gravy Breakfast Casserole

December 6th, 2016August 5th, 2023

This post may contain affiliate links, please read our disclosure policy.

This Egg, Biscuits and Gravy Overnight Bake is hearty and delicious. This easy breakfast casserole recipe is sure to please the whole family. While this post is sponsored by DairyPure, all opinions and the yummy breakfast recipe are my own.

Egg Biscuits and Gravy Casserole

Breakfast on the weekend is a big deal in our house. It’s the time we gather around the table with nowhere to rush off too. Breakfast is the time that there are no homework deadlines, bedtime isn’t quickly approaching, and everyone is in a good mood…after mom and dad have their cup of coffee, of course ;). Sunday breakfasts are made to share with family and friends. Sunday morning is when we have our neighbors and their kids over and we all have breakfast together. It’s the one day a week that we can all enjoy each others company and catch up on life. I love creating a new breakfast for us adults, while the kids are insistent on pancakes 😉

Since Sunday morning breakfast starts at 9:00 a.m., I like prepping the night before, the easier the morning is, the better! We have been doing this for awhile now, so I sometimes have a hard time coming up with new ideas for breakfast, so when my son asked me why I never make biscuits and gravy, I decided it was about time. Biscuits and gravy has been a favorite of my whole family’s for as long as I can remember, so I honestly have no idea why I haven’t made it before. I would guess that I always assumed that making biscuits and gravy was complicated, but I am here to tell you, it’s not.

Easy Egg Biscuits and Gravy Breakfast recipe

You only a few ingredients needed for the sausage gravy. I used the hot breakfast sausage, feel free to use the variety your family will enjoy best.

The sausage gravy for this breakfast casserole is easy to make, in fact, it is ready in about 10 minutes.

The egg mixture for this delicious biscuits and gravy casserole is also simple, only needing a few main ingredients.

You will quarter the refrigerated biscuits while your sausage is browning, or after even. I recommend doing this with a pizza cutter, but scissors would work too.

Breakfast casserole with biscuits and gravy

Once everything is prepped, you start the layering process. First, layer the quartered biscuits.

Next, pour the egg mixture and the sausage gravy.

How did I manage to make this into an Overnight Bake? I layered all the deliciousness into a casserole dish, covered it, and tossed it in the refrigerator, then baked it in the morning. Make ahead breakfasts make mornings so much easier 🙂

Sausage gravy and biscuit breakfast casserole

You can easily make this Egg, Biscuits and Gravy Casserole the morning of as well, I have done it that way too.

Delicious Egg Biscuits and Sausage Gravy Overnight Bake

Now that I have you all hungry, here is my Egg Biscuits and Gravy Breakfast Casserole recipe, be sure to Print It and Pin It so that you can make it again and again.

Print Recipe

4.80 from 5 votes

Egg, Biscuits, and Gravy Overnight Bake

This hearty breakfast casserole combines all of your favorite breakfast items into one dish! Biscuits, sausage gravy, eggs and cheese make this a casserole you will make again and again.

Prep Time20

Cook Time45

Total Time1 5

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Keyword: breakfast, comfort food, eggs, milk, sausage

Servings:

Calories: 393kcal

Author: Tracy

Equipment

Oven
Stove

Ingredients

Ingredients For Sausage Gravy:

1 roll 16oz hot breakfast sausage you can use mild or any variety you prefer
2 1/2 cups 2% reduced fat DairyPure milk
1/2 cup flour
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tsp seasoning salt if desired – I used Dust by VooDoo Chef

Ingredients For Egg Mixture:

6 eggs
1/2 cup 2% reduced fat milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese I used sharp
1 can refrigerated biscuits

US Customary – Metric

Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large skillet, brown the sausage over medium heat, breaking it up into small pieces
When the sausage is cooked thoroughly, reduce heat to low.
Sprinkle half the flour on the sausage and stir until it is absorbed.
Add the rest of the flour and stir until it is absorbed as well. Stir for an additional minute.
Turn the heat to up to medium and pour in the half of the milk, stirring to thicken.
Pour in the remainder of the milk, continue stirring for another 5 minutes until the gravy is mixed well and thickened up some.
While the sausage is browning (or after the gravy is made). Mix the eggs, 1/2 cup milk, and cheese in a large bowl. Set the bowl aside.
Open the can of refrigerated biscuits and cut each biscuit into quarters. I used a pizza cutter to do this.
Grease/Spray a 9×13 inch baking pan or casserole dish.
Place the quartered biscuits into the prepared baking dish and spread them out evenly.
Pour the egg mixture over the biscuits.
Pour the gravy over the egg mixture, doing your best to spread evenly.
Bake uncovered for 45 minutes.
Enjoy!

Notes

If you would like to make this the night before, cover tightly after you added the gravy layer and refrigerate. In the morning, bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes covered and an additional 30 minutes uncovered or until breakfast is hot and bubbly throughout.

Nutrition

Easy Biscuits and gravy breakfast casserole

I hope you enjoy this Egg Biscuit and Gravy Overnight Bake as much as we do!

Since this breakfast casserole can be made the night before, it is an excellent option for the holidays! In fact, my kids have already requested it for Christmas morning.

Breakfast casserole with biscuits, gravy and eggs

I used DairyPure Milk in this breakfast recipe (and serve it to my family) because it is the only milk backed by an exclusive Five-Point Purity Promise, which ensures that DairyPure Milk contains no artificial growth hormones*, is tested for antibiotics, is continually quality tested to ensure purity, only comes from cows fed a healthy diet and is cold shipped from your trusted dairy. So, it’s a brand that I can feel good about giving my family and friends. And that’s important to me.

Biscuits and gravy breakfast casserole with eggs

I used the 2% reduced fat variety in my recipe, but it is also available in whole, 1% low-fat and skim/fat-free milks. You can find all varieties in the dairy case at grocery stores nationwide. I picked mine up at my local Winn-Dixie, but they also carry it at my local Target and Publix.

For recipes, local retailers, the full line of products and to learn more about DairyPure’s exclusive Five-Point Purity Promise, visit DairyPure.com, and find DairyPure on Facebook and Pinterest.

Looking for another delicious breakfast casserole recipe? These all can be made ahead of time, and use milk in the in recipe too 😉

Blueberry Delight Breakfast Casserole

Apple Caramel French Toast Bake

In fact, be sure to check out all the recipes on Food Wine Sunshine and follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.

Broccoli Salad with Strawberries

Strawberry Broccoli Salad Recipe

Ingredients

Instructions

I hope you enjoy this Strawberry Broccoli Salad as much as we do!

Have you ever put strawberries in your broccoli salad?

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Curtis Stone’s Glazed Ham with Mustard Barbecue Sauce Recipe

Curtis Stone's Glazed Ham with Mustard Barbecue Sauce Recipe

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Chicken Apple Sausage Pinwheels with Tangy Cranberry Dipping Sauce

Made Easy Thanks To Walmart Grocery

Chicken Apple Sausage Pinwheels with Tangy Cranberry Dipping Sauce

Ingredients

Ingredients for Pinwheels

Ingredients for Tangy Cranberry Sauce

Instructions

I hope you enjoy these Chicken Apple Sausage Pinwheels and Tangy Dipping Sauce as much as we do!

What is your favorite feature of Walmart Grocery? Are You a Grocery Hero too?

White Chocolate Mousse with Red Wine Reduction Dessert Sauce

White Chocolate Mousse with Red Wine Reduction Dessert Sauce

Ingredients

Ingredients for White Chocolate Mousse

Ingredients for Red Wine Reduction Dessert Sauce

Instructions

Instructions for White Chocolate Mousse

Nutrition

I hope you enjoy this White Chocolate Mousse with Red Wine Reduction Dessert Sauce Recipe as much as we do!

Best Wine Gifts For All Occasions

A Guide to Wine Aerators

Here’s a guide to some of the leading wine aerator brands for sale:

Interesting Books about Wine Make Excellent Gift Ideas For Wine Lovers

Estate Wine Opener Gift Idea For Wine Lovers

Winery Wines

Wine Funnels and Savers are Great Gift Ideas For Wine Lovers

Here are additional gift ideas for wine lovers:

What is one of your favorite wine gifts?

Cheers!

Why We Chose The Shark Rocket Complete with DuoClean Technology

What is your favorite feature of the Shark Rocket Complete with DuoClean Technology?

Egg Biscuits and Gravy Casserole

Egg, Biscuits, and Gravy Overnight Bake

Equipment

Ingredients

Ingredients For Sausage Gravy:

Ingredients For Egg Mixture:

Instructions

Notes

Nutrition

I hope you enjoy this Egg Biscuit and Gravy Overnight Bake as much as we do!

Looking for another delicious breakfast casserole recipe? These all can be made ahead of time, and use milk in the in recipe too 😉

What is one of your favorite breakfast casserole recipes?