Vanessa's Soda Fountain

Red Velvet Cream Cheese Brownies

noreply@blogger.com (♥ Vanessa) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 21:54:00 +0000

Dear Friends,

I made these brownies yesterday to bring in to school for the 100th day of school celebration. The faculty and staff loved them! As for the young students at the elementary school, some loved it and some did not care for the cream cheese on top and ate the bottom part of the brownie. I suppose that these brownies are more for adults than children. Children usually love the simple chocolate brownies or cupcakes with frosting and sprinkles!

Try baking them at home this Valentine's Day! Recipe courtesy of the Food Network. I baked these brownies with my friend's organic eggs layer by her hens!

Organic Eggs

Ingredients

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, for pan

Red Velvet Brownie Layer:

1 stick unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup cocoa powder
Pinch salt
1 tablespoon red food coloring
1 teaspoon vinegar
2 eggs
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup chopped toasted walnuts

Cream Cheese Layer:

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
Special equipment: 8 by 8-inch baking pan

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Butter an 8 by 8-inch baking pan, and set aside.

Brownie layer: In a saucepan on medium heat melt the butter. Remove the butter to a large bowl and add the sugar, vanilla, cocoa powder, salt, food coloring, and vinegar, in that order, mixing between additions. Whisk the eggs in a small bowl and stir it into the cocoa mix. Fold in the flour until lightly combined. Stir in the walnuts and pour the batter into the prepared baking pan, saving 1/4 cup of the batter for the top.

Cream cheese layer: Blend together the cream cheese, sugar, egg, and vanilla in a medium bowl. Gently spread the cream cheese layer on top of the brownie batter in the pan. Dollop the remaining brownie batter over the cream cheese layer. Using a skewer or the tip of a knife, drag the tip through the cream cheese mixture to create a swirl pattern. Bake the brownies for 30 minutes. Remove to a cooling rack and allow them to cool completely before cutting.

William-Sonoma Gift Card Winner

noreply@blogger.com (♥ Vanessa) — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 15:12:00 +0000

Congratulations to Robbie A., you won the William-Sonoma $50 Gift Card Giveaway. Enjoy! Thank you for everyone who entered my giveaway. I will be hosting many more giveaways in the near future! Be sure to check them out!

Best,

Vanessa's Soda Fountain

LF Fall/Winter Sale 2012 Begins Today

noreply@blogger.com (♥ Vanessa) — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 10:49:00 +0000

Hello Ladies,

If there is an LF near you, you must take advantage of their only sale of the season, where all items in the store are 60% off. If you are a preferred customer, you receive an additional 10% off (this weekend only)!! I went yesterday to their private sale and bought a ton of great clothing items and a great pair of shoes!!
There are LF Stores in states that include Texas, California, Connecticut, New York, Florida, Louisiana and Massachusetts.

SALE BEGINS AT 9AM!!

I bought the kimono and shorts <3

Like LF Stores on Facebook.

Vegan Cookie Dough Truffles

noreply@blogger.com (♥ Vanessa) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:25:00 +0000

Dear Friends,

Below is a wonderful recipe I would like to share with you! This is a great recipe for me especially because I love to always taste the cookie dough before baking cookies. It is much safier and healthier to eat than raw eggs! What is better than chewy cookie dough coated in crunchy chocolate? This will be so delicious to make with your family, husband or boyfriend this Valentine's day!

Ingredients

½ cup vegan margarine

¾ cup packed light brown sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

2 tablespoons water

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup semisweet mini chocolate chips (dairy-free)

12 ounces semisweet chocolate (dairy-free)

Directions
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Using a mixer, beat margarine, brown sugar, salt, vanilla, and water until combined. Add flour and beat until incorporated. Fold in mini chocolate chips. Cover dough and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Roll chilled dough into 1-inch balls with the palms of your hands. Place on prepared baking sheets. Freeze for 15 minutes.
Melt the remaining 12 ounces chocolate in a double boiler or microwave. Let cool to room temperature.

Remove one tray of cookie dough balls from the freezer.

Dip each ball into the melted chocolate and remove using two forks.

Place the coated balls back onto the baking sheet and transfer to the refrigerator. Repeat with the second tray of cookie dough balls.

Chill until the chocolate is set, about 20 minutes. Store in refrigerator until serving.

This recipe is from Chef Chloe: www.chefchloe.com

Like Chef Chloe on Facebook.

William Sonoma $50 Gift Card Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (♥ Vanessa) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 21:20:00 +0000

*GIVEAWAY CLOSED. WILL ANNOUNCE WINNER SOON

Dear Readers,

I am hosting a giveaway to win a $50 gift card from William-Sonoma. There will be one winner (US/Canada Only).

William-Sonoma is one of my favorite stores to shop at for your food and kitchen items! The store often times offers samples of food items they sell in addition to free cooking classes. William-Sonoma is a great place to visit to buy your kitchen electronics, utensils, cookware and even place settings. I recently purchased cookie cutters, a rolling pin and decorative sprinkles for my holiday cookies and cupcakes. Their selection of items includes some of the finest kitchen items!

My favorite item that I purchased at William-Sonoma is my Kitchen-Aid mixer, that I use quite often for many meals to make cookies, bread, mashed potatoes, and more! I always look forward to visiting William-Sonoma again for new kitchen items! They always have a fantastic selection!

You can order products online at william-sonoma.com.

ENTER MY GIVEAWAY!

Mandatory (1) entry: Follow my blog publicly on Google Friend Connect and tell me what is your favorite food to cook. BE SURE TO LEAVE ME YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS!

Additional entries:
5 entries - Blog about this giveaway. Link back to this post and leave the link to your blog post in your comment. Please comment FIVE TIMES for this entry.
1 entry - Follow me via Network Blogs.
2 entries - Like Vanessa's Soda Fountain on Facebook. Please comment TWICE for this entry.
2 entries - Follow me on Twitter @beachcouturexo. Please comment TWICE for this entry.
1 entry (1x daily)- Tweet this giveaway: Enter to #win William-Sonoma #giveaway @beachcouturexo http://oldfashionedsodafountain.blogspot.com/
1 entry- Comment on any NON-giveaway post.

GIVEAWAY ENDS FEBRUARY 10. ONE WINNER WILL BE CHOSEN VIA RANDOM.ORG

Dino Dan DVD Winner

noreply@blogger.com (♥ Vanessa) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 22:11:00 +0000

Congratulations to Brenda S., you won the Dino Dan DVD Giveaway. Enjoy!
Thank you for everyone who entered my giveaway. I will be hosting many more giveaways in the near future! Be sure to check them out!

Best,

Vanessa's Soda Fountain

Girl Scout Cookies 2012

noreply@blogger.com (♥ Vanessa) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 16:21:00 +0000

Dear Friends,

I am so excited that once again is the new season of selling Girl Scout Cookies. I remember many years ago in the late 90's when I was a girl scout; one of my favorite opportunities besides taking trips and camping was selling Girl Scout Cookies. Us girl scouts worked very hard to sell as many cookies as we could to help support our troops.

I remember my family and I would buy about fifteen boxes (no joke!) but we would keep some and give some to the local food bank and we would send the boxes to family members who lived nearby.

I love checking each year to see the new types of cookies that are sold. This year seems to have a great selection! It is too bad that I live in an area where Girl Scouts do not come directly to your door and I never see any booths setup outside the local supermarket.

This year the line up includes the Samoas, or Caramel deLites, Do-si-dos or Peanut Butter Sandwich, Tagalongs or Peanut Butter Patties, Thank You Berry Much, Lemonades, Savannah Smiles, Thanks-A-Lot, Trefoils or Shortbread, Shout Outs! and Thin Mints.

It is so funny that each person in my family loves a different cookie. For example, my brother's favorite is the Do-si-dos, my mom's favorite is the Thin Mints, my grandpa's favorite is the Trefoils, my husband's favorite is the Samoas, my grandma's favorite is the Savannah Smiles and my favorite is the Tagalongs. I would love to try the Lemonades, as I love cookies with lemon cream filling. I still miss my old favorite cookie, the Lemon Drop cookie which I still have not been able to find a replica. Perhaps they would consider bringing back "retired" cookie flavors.

Cookie Favorites

If the Girl Scouts do not visit your area, you can purchase cookies by entering your zipcode at http://www.girlscoutcookies.org/. A representative from your county from the Girl Scouts will then contact you to place an order! Cookie booth sales are from January 28-March 3.

Which Girl Scout Cookie is your favorite?

Follow My Blog on Bloglovin

noreply@blogger.com (♥ Vanessa) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 16:08:00 +0000

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Dino Dan DVD Giveaway!

noreply@blogger.com (♥ Vanessa) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 20:30:00 +0000

Dear Friends,

I am hosting a giveaway for NCircle Entertainment! ONE WINNER in the USA will receive the DVD: DINO DAN: Dino Trackers.

Dino Dan: Dino Trackers

Did you know that a Brachiosaurus weighed up to 80 tons and a T-Rex could eat up to 500 pounds of meat in one bite? Avid fans of "Dino Dan," Nick Jr.’s adventure-filled live action/CGI series, do! Now, the popular “paleontologist approved” show is coming to DVD with “Dino Dan – Dino Trackers,” the premiere title in a brand new series from NCircle Entertainment. To celebrate the launch of the DVD, we would love for you to review and host a DVD giveaway to your readers! The “Dino Dan – Dino Trackers” DVD contains five adventure stories featuring a boy nicknamed Dino Dan (played by Jason Spevack). He’s a curious 10-year-old who imagines there are real dinosaurs living all around him – but only he can see them! The DVD’s interactive bonus content adds to the enjoyment.

It is priced at $12.99 suggested retail. Available at a retailer near you including Walmart, Target, Kmart, Toys R Us or http://www.ncircleentertainment.com/.

Dinosaurs never lose their appeal to kids of all ages – but what makes the “Dino Dan” series unique is that it was developed under the guidance of paleontologists at Canada's Royal Tyrrell Museum in Alberta. In fact, your readers may be interested to know that a real-life paleontologist at the museum named Dr. Don Henderson is the inspiration for the “Dino Dan” character!

Following are some fascinating facts about dinosaurs we also invite you to use, space allowing: A Brachiosaurus could live up to one hundred years!A Corythosaurus dinosaur had a large protective plate on top of its head. A Spinosaurus had bony rods on its back that held up a “sail” made of skin.
Like NCircle Entertainment on Facebook

Follow NCircle on Twitter @NCircle

ENTER MY GIVEAWAY!

Mandatory (1) entry: Follow my blog publicly on Google Friend Connect and tell me what is your favorite type of DINOSAUR. BE SURE TO LEAVE ME YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS!
Additional entries:
5 entries - Blog about this giveaway. Link back to this post and leave the link to your blog post in your comment.
1 entry - Follow me via Network Blogs.
2 entries (2 ENTRIES EXCLUSIVE FOR THE HOLIDAYS!)- Like Vanessa's Soda Fountain on Facebook
2 entries - Follow me on Twitter @beachcouturexo. Please comment TWICE for this entry.
1 entry (1x daily)- Tweet this giveaway: Enter to #win #Dino Dan #giveaway @beachcouturexo http://oldfashionedsodafountain.blogspot.com/
1 entry- Comment on any NON-giveaway post.
GIVEAWAY ENDS JANUARY 21. ONE WINNER WILL BE CHOSEN VIA RANDOM.ORG

Abby

noreply@blogger.com (♥ Vanessa) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 18:51:00 +0000

Below are pictures of beautiful cat Abby playing with my gym shirt >< lol! She is the niece of my handsome cats Puffy and Tigger!

Stonewall Kitchen: Old Farmhouse Cheese Ball

noreply@blogger.com (♥ Vanessa) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 18:50:00 +0000

Dear Friends,

I recently made this recipe for my husband and I for dinner as an appetizer. It was so easy to make and tasted so delicious! I used aged CHEDDAR cheese instead of Colby cheese. You could use any cheese combo you want, but I would not use more than two types of cheese because you want the flavor of the Old Farmhouse Chutney to stand out the most. Make this cream cheese dip for your family and friends. The recipe is below:

http://www.stonewallkitchen.com/recipes/appetizers/cheese/R100153.html

Stonewall Kitchen's Old Farmhouse Cheese Ball

Gingerbread House

noreply@blogger.com (♥ Vanessa) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 13:58:00 +0000

Below are photos of the gingerbread house my aunt and I decorated for the holidays:

Don't you love my abominable snow bunny?

Lots of snowmen live there too!

Happy January!!

Grandma's Crab Dip

noreply@blogger.com (♥ Vanessa) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 15:33:00 +0000

Dear Friends,

Yesterday, my grandma and I made her amazing crab dip that she always has made for the holidays, including Christmas and Easter as well as many family gatherings. Below is the recipe:

Ingredients

1 block cream cheese
1/2 white onion, finely diced
1/4 to 1/3 cup of low fat milk
1 8 oz. package of fresh lump crab
Paprika

Directions

Empty 1 package of cream cheese, preferably Kraft Philadelphia, into a medium size bowl.

Mash the cream cheese with a spoon and let it soften for about ten to fifteen minutes.

Stir in the onion.

Let mixture stand for five minutes again to soften.

Pour in milk and stir in with a spoon until well blended.

Break apart the crab into smaller pieces and fold the crab into the cream cheese mixture.

Sprinkle a generous amount of paprika on top of the dip.

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately 15-20 minutes or until dip starts to bubble.

Serve warm with your favorite crackers!! You can refridgerate the dip for up to one week.

LF Outfits!

noreply@blogger.com (♥ Vanessa) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 01:01:00 +0000

Happy Shopping!!

Disney World Trip

noreply@blogger.com (♥ Vanessa) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 17:13:00 +0000

Below are pictures from my husband's and my trip to Disney World during the holidays this December and January:

Beach Club

Train Set, Yacht Club

View from our room, Yacht Club

Teppan Edo, Japan in Epcot

Crab Stack, California Grill

Dessert, California Grill

American Idol, Hollywood Studios

Kris and Me, California Grill

Beach Club Resort

Grand Floridian

Yacht Club

Italy, Epcot

View from Balloon, Downtown Disney

Gingerbread House, Grand Floridian

Beach Club

Germany, Epcot

Epcot Christmas Tree

Happy New Year!

Historic Greenwich Village Shops

noreply@blogger.com (♥ Vanessa) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 21:24:00 +0000

Dear Readers,

Below are some amazing shops I visted (or want to visit soon) on my recent trip to Historic Greenwich Village. In my opinion, this is the most unique, quaint and special places within Manhattan. See for yourself by taking a trip there!

McNulty's Tea and Coffee:
I go to this unique coffee and tea shop for loose and bagged teas as well as coffee beans from around the world including Scotland, England, China, parts of Africa, Sri Lanka, India and more. They sell rare and fine teas and coffee for everyone in your family. The staff is extremely knowledgeable and friendly and they will always help you to find what you are looking for from flavor, strength and price range. This shop is located on Christopher St near Bleecker St.

The Meadow:
I have not visited this shop yet but I intend to soon to purchase a chocolate item and their sampler gourmet salt collection. This shop sells gourmet, imported salts, chocolate, bitters and more.

Myers of Kewsick:
I cannot believe I did not find this shop sooner. Located on Hudson St, this quaint British grocery shop offers popular grocery items you would find in England. I missed certain grocery items so much after I came back to the US and I am so happy I can enjoy the same foods again so soon! For the holidays, they sell traditional British Christmas pudding and make fresh sausage on the premise daily. The shop also offers your Beitish favorites such as sticky toffee pudding, jelly babies, crisps, digestive biscuits and HobNob biscuits.

Bonnie Slotnick Cookbooks: If you are a chef, food writer, historian, love to cook or are a foodie all around, you must visit this amazing shop filled with vintage cookbooks of every kind! This shop also sells vintage and international postcards as well as various maps of Greenwich Village. If you are looking for a specific cookbook that is vintage or out of print, the owner or the person working will kindly help you and will even try to find the cookbook or item elsewhere. This cozy shop also sells books that focus on mannerisms for the table and vintage recipe pamphlets from old TV shows. They also sell vintage signs to decorate your kitchen with.

The Bathroom:
I am so glad I found this adorable shop! I purchased luxurious bath items for my mom, grandma and mother-in-law. They sell domestic and international bath items, many that are rare or hard to find, for men and women. Their bath products include soaps, creams and more from countries such as Italy, France, Portugal and England. The people who work their are very friendly and helpful and they wrapped each gift item in individual bags with tissue paper and red ribbon. This shop is located on Charles St.

My Beautiful and Handsome Cats

noreply@blogger.com (♥ Vanessa) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 18:16:00 +0000

Dear Friends,

Below are photos of Puffy, Tigger and Abby. Abby is the short-haired tiger striped, Puffy is the long white haired Persian and Tigger is the tiger striped Persian. I love them so much!!

Wiggles DVD Winner

noreply@blogger.com (♥ Vanessa) — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 21:27:00 +0000

Congratulations to Shana W., you won the Wiggles Holiday DVD Giveaway. Enjoy!
Thank you for everyone who entered my giveaway. I will be hosting many more giveaways in the near future! Be sure to check them out!

Best,
Vanessa
Vanessa's Soda Fountain

A Lovely Photo Day

noreply@blogger.com (♥ Vanessa) — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 21:24:00 +0000

FREE Burger King Fries

noreply@blogger.com (♥ Vanessa) — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 18:47:00 +0000

FREE Burger King Fries TODAY!! (12/16)

Burger King is celebrating their new Fries, so today 12/16 Only you can head to your local Burger King and score Free Fries!! Yummy Yummy!! This is while supplies last, so I hope you all score some!!

Cat and the Hat and Chloe's Winter Wonderland DVD Winner

noreply@blogger.com (♥ Vanessa) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 15:19:00 +0000

Congratulations to Karen N., you won the Cat and the Hat and Chloe's Winter Wonderland Holiday DVD Giveaway. Enjoy!
Thank you for everyone who entered my giveaway. I am currently hosting a giveaway for NCircle Entertainment to win The Wiggles Holiday DVD! Be sure to check it out!

Best,
Vanessa
Vanessa's Soda Fountain

Mobile Uploads

noreply@blogger.com (♥ Vanessa) — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 01:29:00 +0000

Dear Friends,

Below are some recent mobile uploads I would like to share with you!

These photos were taken at my town's duck pond, at a no-kill animal shelter I visit and volunteer at on a regular basis and at the top is one of my three cats named Abby, who my husband and I adopted last year at the animal shelter!

Happy Holidays,

An LF Holiday

noreply@blogger.com (♥ Vanessa) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 12:42:00 +0000

Hi Everyone!

I love these new clothing items featured at LF. Their winter looks are adorable!!!

The Latty Sweaters

The Jami Sweater

Sequin Dresses- I OWN THE BLACK DRESS! IT HAS A SEXY SCOOPED OUT BACK!!

The Wiggles: It's Always Christmas with You! Giveaway!

noreply@blogger.com (♥ Vanessa) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 01:07:00 +0000

*GIVEAWAY CLOSED, WILL ANNOUNCE WINNER SOON

Dear Friends

I am hosting a giveaway for NCircle Entertainment! One winner in the USA will receive the DVD:

The Wiggles: It's Always Christmas with You!

This new DVD from The Wiggles is a real treat for the entire family filled with 14 original new tunes and seasonal favorites. It’s the first holiday DVD in seven years from the gang from Down Under, featuring special celebrity guests (including ‘N Sync’s Joey Fatone) in performances filmed around the globe. In "It's Always Christmas With You," The Wiggles travel across three continents where they discover the diverse ways the holidays are celebrated by different cultures. It includes a “Dorothy the Dinosaur Meets Santa Claus” 50 minute special!

You can purchase It's Always Christmas with You! at a retailer near you including Walmart, Kmart, Toys R Us or www.NCircleEntertainment.com.(SRP: $9.99)

Like NCircle Entertainment on Facebook

Follow NCircle on Twitter @NCircle

ENTER MY GIVEAWAY!

Mandatory (1) entry: Follow my blog publicly on Google Friend Connect and tell me what is your favorite kids movie to watch during the holidays. BE SURE TO LEAVE ME YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS!

Additional entries:

5 entries - Blog about this giveaway. Link back to this post and leave the link to your blog post in your comment.
1 entry - Follow me via Network Blogs.
2 entries (2 ENTRIES EXCLUSIVE FOR THE HOLIDAYS!)- Like Vanessa's Soda Fountain on Facebook

2 entries - Follow me on Twitter @beachcouturexo. Please comment TWICE for this entry.

1 entry (1x daily)- Tweet this giveaway: Enter to #win #Wiggles #Holiday DVD! #giveaway @beachcouturexo http://oldfashionedsodafountain.blogspot.com/
1 entry- Comment on any NON-giveaway post.

GIVEAWAY ENDS DECEMBER 13. ONE WINNER WILL BE CHOSEN VIA RANDOM.ORG