Fiddledeedee.net Reviews

Scroll down to the end to see the winner!!!

(This is a compensated review from BlogHer and DiGiorno.)

A couple of months ago, my SIL sweetly brought us a fresh pizza for taking care of all of the kids.  I didn’t eat it because I am a pizza snob.  The children, also known as human garbage disposals, did.

When my husband saw the box that it came in, he said “That pizza came from the gas station.”  “WHAT?”  “That’s the name of the pizza that you can pick up at the gas station.”

I gulped, and looked at the now empty box, littered with pizza crust.  I just gave all those children pizza fresh from the gas station.

And he added, “You know, they don’t regulate the food that’s served at the gas station.” That’s when I went for the plastic sheeting and disposable bowls.  Just in case.

I love pizza.  GOOD pizza.  The kind you get in a real pizzeria that boasts of genuine naugahyde seating.  Sadly though, my shadow hasn’t graced the interior of a good pizza place in YEARS.

So I must rely on the frozen variety.  And thankfully there are some awesome frozen pizza brands that taste VERY VERY similar to the hoopty ploopty pizzeria pizzas.  And for this reason DiGiorno is no stranger to the interior of my freezer.

When I was approached to review DiGiorno, I did not hesitate because it is a brand that I know and trust.  But to my surprise, they’ve come up with something new.

My husband called to tell me the pizzas had arrived at home, and the children were already tearing into them.  I told him to preheat the oven, and I’d be right home to supervise.

My family has been known to set things ablaze in the kitchen.  And I’m the only one who knows how to work the fire extinguisher.

He added, “These are microwavable.”  WHAT?  I was dubious.  I’ve never been a fan of microwavable pizzas.  But I am in favor of anything that can make my life a little easier.  And having the ability to occasionally quickly serve my family some sustenance in the form of a snack or a meal is a welcome relief!

When I arrived home and salvaged what was left of the boxes strewn about for a picture taking opportunity, I caught sight of my children huddled around the kitchen table.  Not a sound was heard as they sat consuming the  pizza.

“Well, how is it?”  Emme looked up and said in earnest, “Mom, this is the best pizza EVER.”  I asked her if I could quote her on that, this being a review and all.

I have to ask now because she DOES NOT LIKE TO SEE HER NAME MENTIONED ON MY BLOG WITHOUT FIRST SIGNING A WAIVER.

She shrugged, “Sure.”  And then she asked for more pizza.

This new pizza is two individually wrapped, 3 ounce microwavable portions that are only 200 calories each.

NOW THAT HAS MY ATTENTION. Especially since I have a little issue with portion control.  I found the DiGiorno 200 Calorie Pizza to be a very satisfying serving.

The problem that I have with microwavable pizzas is that they usually emerge from the microwave all mushy.  But the DiGiorno 200 Calorie Pizza has a silver cooking surface that allows for proper crisping.  And it works beautifully.  I know, because I am a fan of the crispy crust!

The 3 DiGiorno 200 Calorie flavors that we received were Chicken with Peppers & Onions (this would have been my choice but it was long gone before I ever made it into the house), Pepperoni (very delicious), and Cheese & Tomato (also wonderful, and the favorite of the offspring).

A Giveaway!

To promote the DiGiorno 200 Calorie pizza, DiGiorno would like to give away a $200 Visa gift card.  All you have to do is leave a comment on this post  telling me your family’s very favorite DiGiorgo Pizza Flavor.  My personal favorite is the classic thin with Spinach, Mushrooms & Garlic.

The Rules:

•    No duplicate comments.
•    You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link in the comments.
•    You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.
•    This giveaway is open to U.S. residents age 18 or over.
•    Winners will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
•    You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

This contest begins Monday, January 25th, and I will leave comments open until Monday, February 22, at 9:00 EST.

And be sure to head over to the BlogHer.com review/giveaway round-up page for 9 more chances to win.

Also be sure to check out the official DiGiorno Pizza Facebook Page for more information!

And to see the official rules, please go here.

Good luck!

COMMENTS ARE NOW CLOSED.

The winner of the $200 Visa Gift card courtesy of DiGiorno is #43, Terri P.!  Congratulations.

(Winner posted below)

This is a compensated review from BlogHer and Hershey’s

“MOM!  Mr. Kris is putting up his lights!” This simple sentence signals the beginning of the Christmas season in our house.  And it follows closely on the heels of Halloween.  Our neighbor, Mr. Kris, has to begin his holiday decorating by the first of November, otherwise he would never finish by the countdown weekend of Thanksgiving.

Mr. Kris (his real name) has set the Christmas season tone for our humble little street ever since we moved here 11 years ago.  We need not expend too much energy decorating, as we simply ride on Mr. Kris’s coattails.

Behold, the house of Mr. Kris.

(And there is synchronized musical accompaniment)

Other Christmas traditions that we observe in our home (besides the ogling of Mr. Kris’s house) include not one but TWO Christmas trees.  One is mine, all mine (insert maniacal laughter) and is tastefully decorated with beautiful ribbon bows and hand-painted, very breakable, heirloom ornaments.  The other tree belongs to the children, and it goes in the front window.  That particular tree is adorned with all manner of Princesses, Polly Pockets, semi-naked Barbies, matchbox cars, and enough tinsel to destroy the environment.

The beloved Christmas village also makes an appearance each year.  Last year, however, the village was invaded by a hapless dinosaur that threatened to carry off a caroller to his secret dinosaur lair.  He became so popular that I believe he will make a return engagement in the village again this year.

We also like to bake at our house around the start of the holidays.  My “Death by Chocolate” Cake is a favorite request for the annual Thanksgiving gala for our large extended family.  In fact, I received correspondence from my brother-in-law recently, requesting the cake in question, and again admonishing me for attempting to make it with sugar substitute THREE YEARS AGO.  He’s still bitter.

Another sought after recipe is the popular “Rum Ball Rhumba.” For the adults.  Who act like children.

This year, I have the opportunity to add a few more holiday treats to my culinary repertoire, thanks to Hershey’s.  Cailey, my 8 year old, saw me perusing the recipes on the website and became immediately interested.  So much so that she plopped herself down on my chair, successfully evicting me.  With the click of a mouse, she chose three new recipes to try. (Since she’s allergic to peanuts, she avoided nuts altogether, and that saddened me slightly.)  I must say that she did an awesome job, because all 3 recipes turned out to be fun, EASY, and delicious.

The first recipe we tried was the KISSES Candy Twists. You can find the recipe here.  I found small square pretzels that worked wonderfully.  We used the Chocolate Meltaway Kisses, and because I’m a bit of a chocolate minimalist (in that I want nothing to detract from the deliciousness of the chocolate) I used brightly colored sprinkles as a topping.

There is nothing like the taste of chocolate and pretzels.  Salty and sweet.  I love these.  I recommend sticking these treats into the freezer for 20 or 30 minutes after decorating.  This makes them nice and easy to handle.  Also, I’m freezing a bunch of these to take to our family Christmas dinner.

The second recipe is the HERSHEY’S HUGS & KISSES Crescents.   I made these for breakfast one day.  Don’t judge me. Absolutely delicious.  Better than a donut.  Not that I’ve ever served my children a donut for breakfast.  Just sayin’.

And lastly, I tried the HERSHEY’S HUGS Mousse.  Oh. My. Goodness.  I’m a pudding fanatic, so I know what I’m talking about when I say this is MOUSSE AT ITS FINEST.  Very light.  Very delicious.  An impressive dessert after any meal.  I plan to serve this the next time I have company.  Or when I’m hormonal.  Whichever comes first.

A Giveaway!

Hershey’s would like to jump start your holiday season with the giveaway of a $100 Visa gift card.  All you have to do is leave a comment on this post answering the question:   Do you have a holiday tradition from your childhood that you’ve carried over to your own family?

For me, we cannot decorate the Christmas (trees) until I whip out Burl Ives and Mitch Miller and the Singalong Gang.  Both were favorites of my mother when I was growing up, and I make sure that the tradition continues. Much to my children’s auditory horror.

The Rules

•    No duplicate comments.
•    You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link in the comments.
•    You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.
•    This giveaway is open to U.S. residents age 18 or over.
•    Winners will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
•    You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

This contest begins Friday, December 4, 2009, at 12 noon EST, and I will leave comments until Thursday, December 31, 2009 at 9:00 EST.

Head over to the BlogHer.com review/giveaway round-up page for 8 more chances to win! To see the official sweepstakes rules, go here.

Merry Christmas everyone!

(Comments are now closed)

The winner of the $100 Visa gift card is #85, Karina!

This is a compensated review from BlogHer and the Crystal Light Water Way Challenge.

That’s $125 A Glass!

You can win a $1000 Visa gift card from Crystal Light, just by drinking your 8 glasses of water a day!

All you have to do is head over to the BlogHer Crystal Light Water Way Challenge and share a tip that helps you get in your 8 glasses a day.

As you may have noticed from my title, this has been Day 5 of the challenge for me.  I’ve discovered a few things I’d like to share with you.

•  I don’t much care for having to drink 8 glasses of water a day.
•  I found out that I won’t die if I actually do consume 8 glasses of water a day.
•  If I use tally marks on the dry erase board that hangs on my refrigerator, I’m better able to keep track of how much water I’m drinking.
•  I’ve been able to use one of my 8 glasses with a shot of Metamucil.  TMI?  Well.  I’ll have you know that Metamucil is comprised of Psyllium husk fiber.  And when you are on a lower carb diet, your body needs that.  (Stepping down from soap box.)
•  I’m awfully glad to have become reacquainted with Crystal Light and the many products they make.  They have made my 8 a day challenge so much easier to swallow.
•  If I had to chose a favorite, it would hands down be the Crystal Light Peach Iced Tea.  Y’all.

So, I challenge you.  Can you drink 8 a day?

Here’s drinking to your good health!

This is a compensated review from BlogHer and the Crystal Light Water Way Challenge.

Better Than Icee Bear Points

A good deal of my youthful summer months were spent haunting the local convenience store.  Spending my hard earned allowance on Cherry/Coke Icees, and hoarding the Icee Bear points, in hopes of scoring a groovy Icee Bear beach towel.

It didn’t matter that I lived no where near a beach.  Or that my mother thought my perfectly good day-glo orange bath towel worked just fine as a beach towel.  At the public pool.

Oh the humiliation.

I never did get that Icee Bear beach towel.  And fortunately for me, I didn’t get the number of cavities that my Icee loving friends got either.  Which I count as a miracle, considering the number of peanut butter cups that went along with that Icee.

Anyhoo.

My children have never wrapped their lips around a straw that led to an Icee.

I KNOW!  What kind of mother am I?

I just didn’t want to start them down that sugary path that was carved out for me when I was but a youngster.  It’s too hard to break the habit when your metabolism hits the road.

I have discovered a way to let them enjoy the refreshing taste of an Icee, without the sugar high.  Or the disappointing bear points.  I mix up a pitcher of Crystal Light Lemonade (which is a staple in our refrigerator) and add it to my VitaMix with a bunch of ice.  I’ve even added a little food coloring just to keep things interesting.

A Crystal Light Icee.  A great way to beat the heat, and get that all important extra hydration.

Please join me at the BlogHer Crystal Light Water Way challenge. We’re always looking for more tips to help up our water intake!

This is a compensated review from BlogHer and Crystal Light Water Way Challenge

It’s a southern thang.

“I’ve come to rely on the kindness of strangers.”
Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire

I grew up in a southern household.  My mother was born and raised in a small Texas town called Mineral Wells.  Even when she had to endure the hardships of moving from her beloved Texas up to arctic Ohio, because my dad got transferred, she still ran a very southern household.

And that included lots of fried, well, everything, and plenty of iced tea.  I think I went right from a bottle to a tall glass of iced tea.  And when you’re from the south, you like your tea sweet.

Our iced tea had so much sugar in it that the spoon stood up unaided in the glass.

Fast forward a few decades.  When my metabolism succumbed to an untimely death, I had to depart from my love of all things fried.  And sugary.

(Hangs head in sadness and grief.)

I’ve discovered something very wonderful this week during my Crystal Light Water Way challenge.  I was sent a canister of Crystal Light Iced Tea in a Peach flavor.

People, I’m an iced tea snob.  I would never have purchased a canister of Iced Tea anything.  Everyone knows that good iced tea must be brewed to perfection in your automatic iced tea maker.  That takes up WAY TOO MUCH real estate on the counter.

But, I tried it.  I can tell you, as an iced tea connoisseur from way back, I absolutely LOVE this product.

It reminded me of the Raspberry Iced Tea I use to order whenever I would sit my fanny down on some naugahyde at our local Perkin’s Restaurant.

I had to stop going to Perkin’s AND gave up my beloved Raspberry Iced Tea because, GOODBYE METABOLISM.

I now have a very nice substitute to get me through my afternoon tea cravings.  And it’s 98% caffeine free, zero sugars, and only 5 calories per serving.  Yet another awesome way to up my water consumption.

I’ll be taking my tea out on the verandah if you need me.

Again, please join me at the BlogHer Crystal Light Water Way Challenge, and I’ll be back tomorrow.