YNR Live

From Yoly’s Kitchen: Simply Smart Cheddar & Chives Mini Muffins

Yoly — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 10:55:00 +0000

Remember that I had the time of my life interviewing Chris Evert at the Simply Smart Event in NYC. Well, today we are preparing Mini Muffins with Simply Smart Milk on Cuponeando Live at 2pm EST. We’ll have two winners which we’ll be able to sample the variety of flavors that Simply Smart offers! Consumers residing in MA, ME, PA, NJ are not eligible for this giveaway due to state dairy coupon laws.

{Picture uploaded right after the show}

Ingredients
Yield: 24 muffins

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup sugar
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 Tbsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
2 eggs, beaten
½ cup canola oil
1 cup Simply Smart® Fat Free Milk
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 Tbsp finely chopped chives

1- Heat oven to 400˚ F.
2- Coat mini muffin tins with cooking spray.
3- In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt.
4- Mix well. In a separate medium mixing bowl, combine the eggs, oil, and milk, and add this mixture to the dry ingredients.
5- Mix just until the batter is blended.
6- Gently fold in the cheddar cheese and chives. Do not over-mix.
7- Fill the muffin tins about three-quarters of the way full.
8- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
9- Cool for 5 minutes in the pan before removing to wire racks.

Enjoy!

Recipe courtesy of Simply Smart.

Disclaimer: I was invited to be part of the Simply Smart Event at BlogHer… didn’t receive any monetary compensation for writing this post.

Monday Mingle: Labor Day Edition

Yoly — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 00:18:32 +0000

This week’s questions:
1. Are you going to BlogHer 11 in San Diego?
2. Have you been to any blogging events? Which ones are you planning on going to besides BlogHer?
3. Are you afraid to fly, and if so, does it prevent you from going places?

Milano Moments: Memories from a great summer

Yoly — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 17:31:52 +0000

Like I had mentioned earlier we were extremely blessed to have been able to take my mom in law in the trip of a lifetime. This trip was more than just meeting new friends for her but more of getting to know her – yes, it’s now hers too – other side of the family! My mom was giddy about the visit and my family in Puerto Rico went above and beyond to make this a memorable trip.

In between visits to the family we were able to show off Puerto Rico to her. Enjoy the view from the top of the mountain that we video from El Yunque National Forest – the only tropical rain forest in the United States National Forest System.

Now that we are back, we enjoy watching the pictures and videos we took to savor the sweetness of life. Do you have a moment from summer that made you stop to savor the sweetness of life? If so, we would love to hear about it.

Speaking of sweetness, Pepperidge Farm’s Milano has a new variety out called Strawberry Milano. Now, you can try them out by saving a $1 off coupon! Want to know more about the Strawberry Milano and new offers? “Like” them on Facebook and you’ll get all the sweet details!

Disclaimer: This post is part of One to One Networks campaign. Although I didn’t receive compensation to write this post, I am hoping to win a gift card.

Video: La Casita Blanca Restaurant in Puerto Rico

Yoly — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 12:57:36 +0000

We usually take one week of vacation to make sure we visit my family in Puerto Rico. Earlier this summer, was my Mom in law first visit to the Island. To say she loved it is an understatement. My family celebrates everything around food and one of those celebrations took place in La Casita Blanca, a hidden gem in the heart of Santurce.

Their food is fantastic, suculent and satisfying or better yet it’s finger-licking good! They have fair prices and love their modest, rustic vintage look. La Casita Blanca means the little white house and yes it is a house in a residential area. To be able have more options you better get there early!

If you have plans to visit Puerto Rico I cannot recomend this restaurant enough… you must visit La Casita Blanca!

From Yoly’s Kitchen: End of Summer Salad

Yoly — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 13:43:56 +0000

We’ve been on a corn and tomatoes kick this summer. With fall fast aproaching we don’t want to say good bye to summer without sharing one of our favorite end of summer salad! This one can be prepared ahead of time and it’s the perfect salad for those Labor Day cookouts and this is what we cooked yesterday on Cuponeando Live at 2pm EST!

Since this was my lunch yesterday, I added leftover grilled chicken to make the salad a full meal.
Ingredients:

1/2 lb green beans
1 can of corn (15 oz), drained
4 tomatoes
1 small red onion

For the Vinaigrette:
1 glove of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon of honey
5-6 tablespoons of olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1- Bring water to a boil on a pan meanwhile
2- Wash and dice the green beans, tomatoes and red onion
3- Drop the green beans on the pot and leave there for about 3-5 minutes. We are looking for a vibrant green color on the beans
4- Remove the green beans and place them in an iced water bowl to stop the cooking process (this is also known as blanching)
5- In a clear bowl add the corna and tomato
6- Drain green beans and add to bowl as well as the red onion

Now the vinaigrette is super easy. Add the garlic, balsamic vinegar, mustard and honey to a mixing bowl and whisk until everything is blended. Stream the oil while whisking so it incorporates to the concoction and you are set.

The beauty of this recipe is the fact that you can substitute any veggie for your favorite one or ‘play’ with how much of them you want to add.

Enjoy!

Our visit to Primrose School in Douglasville, GA

Yoly — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 12:38:03 +0000

Recently, we had the opportunity to attend a mom mixer at the very neat Primrose School at Brookmont in Douglasville, Ga. Let me tell you that this was such a fun event for parents and kiddos alike.

Although we are past this stage, the presentation at Primrose Schools left me thinking that if we had more kids – not happening though – this would have been a great preschool for them. What I like the most was their willingness to work with us as parents… like using cloth diapers to dietary needs and wants. Also, their ratio teacher to kids is really good! For their infant room, this ratio is 1:4 and for preschool is 1:6. They also have a after-school care that in my eyes nourishes the kid’s creativity.

Disclosure: I attended this event as a MomTV host. I was not asked to post about the event but I really enjoyed our time at Primrose at Brookmont.

Winning is Eveything – Episode 5

Ronny — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 02:48:54 +0000

It’s been a month since we started this series. We would love to hear your feedback!

Chris Evert’s Tips to Carving Time for Exercise

Yoly — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 14:42:25 +0000

Recently I had the chance of a lifetime… sitting down to chat with one of the best women tennis player of all times: Chris Evert! I have no words to express how fulfilling my time with her was.

This was all possible to thanks to an event hosted by Simply Smart Milk during BlogHer 2010. Evert and Simply Smart have team up since 2009 and thanks to its intimate setting at the Institute of Culinary Education showed bloggers a variety of easy recipes from snacks to entertain perfect for our families and how to balance healthy snacks into a busy lifestyle.

4 Tips to Jump Start Your New Car Buying Experience

Yoly — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 12:57:52 +0000

We’ve been thinking a lot lately about buying a new “daily driver” car. Must tell you that as much as I respect my husband’s knowledge about cars I like to be well informed as well. Like with any major purchase we do our first step is research. While doing this I found Courtney Hansen tips on Autotrader to be very valuable.

Buying a car doesn’t need to be stressful but we need to prepare ourselves. Since we are on what Courtney calls Phase I: researching and planning I hope these tips help you as they are helping me:

Keep your eyes and ears open. Look at cars on the road and determine what features and models appeal to you.
Ask other drivers about their experience with cars that catch your eye.

Consider your driving needs. Ask yourself questions to determine what features are essential for you and what fits with your needs and lifestyle:

Passenger Seating – How many passengers are normally in your vehicle?

Storage Space and Hauling Power – Do you need a significant amount of trunk space or hauling capacity?

Driving Terrain – Do you need an all-wheel drive vehicle?

Maintenance & Fuel Costs – How much driving do you do? Can you afford to fill up your tank often? What are normal maintenance costs?

Get online. Going to a dealership prepared will help you feel certain about what you’re looking for, and ultimately, about your purchase. Visit sites like AutoTrader.com to compare vehicles side by side, research prices, get a sense of the best vehicles for your lifestyle, look at videos and photos and access current inventory in your area. Researching cars by make, model, body style, etc. can help navigate you through all of the questions and concerns that are important to you.

New, used or certified pre-owned (CPO)? There are positive aspects of each of these; it’s up to you what works best for your current lifestyle.

New – One of the best reasons to buy new is the new-car warranty. Warranty periods are typically at least three years or up to 36,000 miles and cover just about everything from bumper to bumper.

Used – The most obvious advantage to buying a pre-owned car is that you can get a fantastic deal. Just be smart about it. If it’s too good to be true, it probably is.

CPO – CPO cars are a happy medium. They’re typically two to three years old, have been reconditioned and come with some warranty protection. A CPO car will have a higher price tag than a similar non-CPO vehicle, but the warranty protection may make it worth it.

Photo credit: Asimulator

To learn more you can visit Autotrader.

Monday Mingle: August 30th Edition

Yoly — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 00:55:19 +0000

This week’s questions (submitted by Robyn from Robyn’s Online World) :
1. What does your extended family think of your blog?
2. Has anyone in your family ever asked you not to include them on your blog?
3. How supportive is your immediate household about your blogging?