Tiffany Merritt - Stuff Parents Need

Grilled Cheese Recipes: Delicious Idea for Crazy School Nights

September 16, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 4 Comments

In our home, grilled cheese recipes are what we turn to on the craziest of school nights, which is usually Wednesdays. While we are all home by 4:45pm, I have been in the car 4 different times taking each girl to school and picking each girl up (separate trips), and we’ve gone to ballet, and we’ve gone to the farmer’s market to pick up our CSA share. Wednesday is also supposed to be one of my big “work” days on the blog, which means I minimize the amount of time I spend cooking so that I can get more work done. And on Wednesdays, Tim is usually home for 10-15 minutes before he heads out the door to a weekly evening meeting he has.

So we are doing pretty good if we even manage to get some bread and cheese out for a quick, hot sandwich! I was recently inspired by a recipe Pillsbury offers for grilled cheese using Grands! Biscuits (sounds kind of crazy, right?). I took that recipe as a starting point, and made a few additions so that I could create a “grown up” grilled cheese sandwich that feels fancy and special, but that comes together lightning fast!

The ingredients I gathered consisted of Grands! Biscuits (I chose homestyle flavor, but I think some of the other variations would also work well), prosciutto, mozzarella cheese, sharp cheddar cheese (I loved the sharp cheese with this, but mozzarella is perhaps the more obvious choice), and pesto.

I veered from the Pillsbury instructions in that I used grape seed oil in the pan (higher flash point…less likely to burn) and I set my pan on med-low heat, and cooked them for 2 minutes on each side instead of 3. I think the temperature setting your use and the amount of time you let the biscuits cook really will depend on your cookware and your stove…they are all a little bit different!

Since I was trying out this dish over the weekend, I was also able to make a tomato soup to go along with it. Tomato soup, in my experience, freezes really well, so make a big batch for your family and freeze it. That way, syou can pull it out before those crazy week days when you know cooking won’t be an option.

I thought this was a delicious, indulgent take on the grilled cheese sandwich. Even though it was totally easy to prepare, it really did feel like a special meal. I’m going to make it again for my family next Wednesday, for sure! I think it will cause us all to pause, even if only for a few minutes, and really enjoy our food together.

Pillsbury has a lot of great recipe ideas using Grands! Biscuits. Check out the recipe booklet they offer for free and let me know what recipe you think you’ll try first with your family on a busy week night!

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective. The content and opinions expressed here are all my own and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of General Mills. Compensation was provided by General Mills via Clever Girls Collective.

Online Books for Kids: We Love Bookboard (Try it FREE!)

September 14, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 3 Comments

I am a member of Bookboard’s Blog Ambassador program. I am compensated, from time to time, with free products and monetary payments. Any views expressed in this post are completely my own.

We have a new nightly ritual in our home that involves reading several online books for kids. After we put Layah down for the night, Darah and I find the iPad and plop down to read anywhere from 1 to 4 books we have never read before. We don’t have a huge stack of library books to keep track of, and we aren’t spending a small fortune at a bookstore, either. Everything we need is on Bookboard.

Bookboard is a children’s digital subscription library for the tablet. If you own a tablet, and if you have a child in your life, then this is something I want to VERY STRONGLY encourage you to try out. In fact, Bookboard offers free trial subscriptions (you don’t give them your credit card, so there’s no way they can charge you, I promise!).We actually did the free trial first, and I was really impressed that it didn’t end until we had read 14 books. That’s a ton of books that we got to read for free!

I have SO many things that I want to share with you about Bookboard. When you find something that is this effective (Darah BEGS to read more and more and more when we use Bookboard!) and that is this affordable (start with the free trial, and if you get hooked like we did, go for the 6 month subscription, which is only $4.99/month for all-you-can-read books! Bookboard has a HUGE assortment of books designed for children ages infant up to 12. The library of options you see is based on your child’s age and when appropriate, reading level.

Bookboard also encourages children to keep reading by unlocking new books for their library after the children read 2-3 other books. This is exactly why Darah wants to read more…unlocking a new book is pretty serious motivation for that kid!

In the coming months, I’m going to share with you some of our favorite reads through a curated collection of titles, and I’m also going to share with you more details on how the program works. But for now, I want to encourage anyone reading this with a tablet to check out the free trial. And then PLEASE come back and share your thoughts with me on the service and how your child or grandchild is liking it, or any questions you might have for the creators of this amazing service.

Mimosa Recipe: How to Make a Perfect Mimosa

September 14, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 11 Comments

If you have been on the hunt for a mimosa recipe that gets it right, look no further! I have done the grueling work of testing several different ways to make a mimosa (tough job, but someone had to do it…) and I have found the perfect blend!

My quest started earlier this week, when my 16 month old took a dive in our living room and gashed HER EYELID. She needed 3 stitches. Oh, and did I mention where they were located?

THEY WERE ON HER EYELID.

Little Layah was SO brave. Mama? Not so much. And no wonder my nerves were so shot. You see, this event came a few days after she ruined her best dress and the bathroom rug with nail polish, broke my favorite pair of glasses, and put poop in my hair. And two days after the “stitches incident” she decided to start the day at 1am (oh how I wish I was kidding) with her only naps for the entire day being a very brief one from 6-6:30 am (when our other child was up, so yeah…no nap for mommy) and in the car on the way home from running errands at 10:45am.

So I think it is no coincidence that while I was sitting in my car parked in my driveway with a sleeping toddler in the back that I started thinking that I needed to do a post on mimosas. I mean, I clearly needed to offer a recipe to my readers, just as a good and fun thing to do. Also, mama needed a drink in a major way by this point!

So Friday morning, I heard the following sentence come out of my mouth: “Layah! Get in the car, the wine shop opens in 6 minutes!”

Given the week we’ve had, I think I was justified, my friends! 🙂

I did a little experimenting with different quantities, and here’s what I found to be the perfect mix for a Mimosa

Mimosa Recipe

1/4 cup pulp-free orange juice
1/4 cup (plus a splash!) sparkling white wine (I recommend Prosecco)

Pour 1/4 cup orange juice into a champagne flute (oh heck yes, I broke out my stemware for the occasion!). This should fill nearly half the glass. Then pour 1/4 cup Prosecco into the flute. Top off the glass with an extra splash of sparkling wine (maybe 2 Tbsp? Just eyeball it). I found that the extra splash is exactly what the drink needs to go from good to great!

I hope this helped you figure out how to make a mimosa. They are really quite simple, and you can’t help but feel a tiny bit elegant while sipping on one. Even if you know you had poop in your hair a week ago…

As for my glasses, those are from Waterford, because I got married in 2002 and have a Southern mama who swore I would regret it forever if I didn’t register for china and crystal. Spoiler alert, she was wrong! These champagne flutes are just as pretty and about 1/4 of the price. Live and learn!

Friday Fashion Finds: Don’t Miss Those Earrings, Ladies!!!

September 13, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 3 Comments

We’ll have to make this one quick, as little Layah doesn’t seem to be too terribly interested in her afternoon nap today (anybody else feel TOTALLY ROBBED when their infant or toddler skips a nap? It’s like I lost a $20 bill or something, I swear). Affiliate links sprinkled throughout. Thanks for your support, and for shopping LIKE A BOSS!

Alright, so there are some SCRUMPTIOUS sales happening on this, my favorite day to shop!

Living Social has a coupon for 13% off today only using code FRIDAY13 (and by all means, go through Ebates to snag an additional 2% off…it’s free and it just makes sense!).
Crazy 8 has got it going on today in the Halloween department! Take 40% off their Kids & Halloween items. They also have an extra 20% off Markdowns. Holla!!!

If you are aren’t a MyPoints member, don’t forget to check out their September Lucky Leaf promotion. Lots of points to be earned at signup! I’ve been a member of MyPoints for MANY years, and have always loved them!

I got the inside scoop on a sale that is only available through affiliates right now at TinyPrints. You can take 20% off any holiday cards order (no minimum!!!). If you already have some cute pictures of your family, knock out those Christmas cards now before life starts getting too crazy!
Cents of Style has 11 different GORGEOUS statement earrings on sale for 50% off today (free shipping, too!) by using code 1920 at checkout. For $7.95, you can get these pieces and several more. Hop to it…these go fast!
If you missed the super cute (and super affordable!) scarf deal on Cents of Style, there’s still time to snag it. The price comes down to $9.95 with coupon code FALLSCARF). Here I am wearing mine. Doesn’t it look every bit as fabulous as the one beside it that is currently for sale for $65?
And finally, I have something so sweet to share from one of my all-time favorite shopping destinations, Gymboree: Do you ever find yourself looking at your child and wishing you could just stop time? You are not alone! The folks at Gymboree want you to join them in celebrating and sharing cherished moments in childhood. Gymboree has created an amazing new video to help kick off this campaign and I am thrilled to share it with you. This video is truly touching and must be watched by all parents. So watch and enjoy, then share your favorite cherished childhood moments in the comments!

8 Ways to Go Gourmet in a Few Minutes: Make It Your Michelina’s

September 13, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

This post brought to you by Michelina’s. All opinions are 100% mine.

I’m currently on the hunt for lunch ideas that come together very fast so that I don’t have to spend 30-45 minutes of my work day preparing food. But I don’t want to eat peanut butter & jelly all the time, nor do I want to eat frozen entrees. There are a lot of good frozen options out there, but I know I would get bored.

Michelina’s actually has a solution for those of us who want great taste, something that feels and tastes homemade, AND something lightning fast. The company, along with several bloggers, have created recipes that use Michelina’s entrees and take them to a whole new level, all with just a few moments extra of prep time. It is called Make It Your Michelina’s. That sounds like the best of both worlds to me!

I’ve looked over all the yummy possibilities, and I selected my top 8 ideas to share with you. Since I need to be especially quick in the kitchen 2 days each week (when my youngest is away and I can REALLY work), 8 recipes would take care of a month of working lunch ideas for me!

Lettuce Wraps using Chicken Fried Rice

Gourmet Italian Fare using Cheese Manicotti (shared from ItsOverflowing.com)

Chicken Paremesan Bites using Michelina’s Pop’n Chicken

Cheeseburger Wheel Pasta using Wheels & Cheese (shared from BabyGizmo.com)

Michelina’s Gyro using Michelina’s Ziti Parmesano

Bacon and Tomato Pasta Love using Tuscan Inspired Garlic Chicken (shared from Honeybearlane.com)

Chipotle Chick and Rice Burrito using Chipotle Chicken & Rice (shared from The Gunnysack.com)

Chicken and Broccoli Pasta using Penne with White Chicken (shared from BabySavers.com)

Everything looks great, doesn’t it??? You can also Follow Michelina’s on Facebook or Follow Michelina’s on Twitter to get more inspired ideas that will take your frozen meals to a whole new level, all without requiring more than a few extra minutes from the chef!

Out of the “School Lunch” Box Ideas

September 11, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

Are you already in a bit of a lunch box rut, like I am? School has been back in session for 3 weeks now, and I’m running out of ideas, fast! Don’t fret…I actually have a few fun posts this week on the topic of different school lunch ideas, and today I’m happy to share two new finds with you, courtesy of CrispRoot and lunchskins2.

Cassava Chips

So first up, I’ve got a VERY unique take on the classic potato chip. Cassava root (which you might have heard called yuca root) is a vegetable that is not very popular in the United States (yet!) but that is VERY popular in many parts of the world…and for good reason! It has twice the fiber of potatoes! The innovative company CrispRoot has turned this vegetable superstar into a crisp chip that has 30% LESS fat than a standard potato chip. That’s what I’m talking about! Everyone in my family, including Darah, has enjoyed munching on these yummy chips. They come in 4 fun flavors: original, thai ginger, bbq bliss, and our favorite, sea salt! Want to try them for your next lunch? Click here to find your nearest retailer, or you can get them on Amazon.

lunchskins2

And since even the small bags of CrispRoot chips are too big for a 4-year-old, I’ve been tucking them away in lunchskins2 reusable sandwich and snack bags. These are such an economical, eco-friendly alternative to plastic bags, and they are MUCH cuter, too! They come in coordinating sets and can be found at Target. Their sizes are generous; here I’ve fit 1/2 of a banana in the snack bag and a whole bagel sandwich in the larger bag (though I’d cut it in half for serving to Darah…but a whole sandwich can definitely fit!). You can pick up these awesome, adorable bags at Target in a wide variety of prints!

These are just two suggestions I have for switching up the routine a bit during the lunch hour. What are you munchin’ on these days? Any cool new finds?

Ruth’s Chris Steak House: The Ultimate Date Night Experience

September 10, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 7 Comments

Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse is a national restaurant chain unlike any other. Here you will have an elevated dining experience, and not simply a meal. I’ve had quite a few friends tell me that they considered it to be the perfect choice for a special occasion.

Chattanooga recently welcomed Ruth’s Chris Steak House to the community, and I had the opportunity to enjoy a beautiful meal with just my husband at the restaurant. I’d love to share my experience with you. Even if you don’t live in the area and won’t be visiting this particular restaurant in the forseeable future, I think this will give you a good sense for what the Ruth’s Chris dining experience is like!

Why A “Ruth’s Chris Night” Was Needed

First I want to explain to you why such a special date night was in order for Tim and me. We weren’t celebrating an anniversary or a birthday, but we WERE celebrating surviving Layah doing what she does best: make some serious mischief. The day of our date, she broke my favorite pair of glasses, and learned how to open a nail polish bottle by herself, ruining the bathroom rug and her very best dress, which she had on for the first time that day, before mommy realized what was happening. And might I also mention that the day before she took her diaper off and flung it across the room…and it was a DIRTY diaper. Poo in my hair. I don’t think I need to say more…

So yeah, as we were pulling away from the house, this is how I was feeling:

When we arrived we were greeted with complimentary valet parking (which is something you will find for dinner service at every Ruth’s Chris restaurant). We were then ushered in to a gorgeous dining room and presented with our menus. Which looked like this!

How fancy! The menu was presented on an iPad! Additionally, we were given traditional menus. I actually found myself using both. I wanted to unplug from technology on my date, so I reached for the traditional menu first. But then I realized that the iPad version offered beautiful photos of the food and drinks, as well as wine pairing suggestions with the entrees. I couldn’t resist, so I started using the iPad, as well. What I loved the most about the iPad menu was the fact that you could mark anything you wanted to consider and then look at your narrowed down selections more closely. You could even email your selections to yourself if you wanted (and I did!). What a fun way to keep a memory of your special date and all that awesome food and drink you enjoyed!

And just in case you were wondering, you DON’T use the iPad to actually order your food. You are still receiving absolutely outstanding customer service from your wait staff. Between the regular menu, the iPad, and our server offering her thoughts on the selections, I felt that we made some very well-informed choices.

I also appreciated the fact that we were encouraged to take our time, and order anything we wanted as we were ready. So we ordered our cocktails and then just enjoyed a few minutes of relaxed conversation (yes, we actually got to talk without being interrupted by our children! It was glorious!) before even thinking about dinner.

We had a delightful time enjoying our cocktails, some delicious bread and an appetizer that was simply a joy to eat! I try to keep an eye out for dishes that I can’t easily replicate at home, and veal ravioli is definitely in that category!

We had a fair amount of time in between the appetizer and the entrée portion of the meal, which meant we got to go around the restaurant and explore. It really was a beautiful building; I loved all the decorating they did using wine bottles. Very clever!

Before too long, though, our entrees were headed our way. I got the mixed grill option (our server called it “a tour of Ruth’s Chris”) and Tim got the New York Strip. They were simply stunning, and still sizzling from the 1,000 degree oven (!).

We also each selected a side (side dishes come separate from the main course at Ruth’s Chris). I went for the asparagus with hollandaise and Tim went for the au gratin potatoes. The portions are very generous and meant to be shared, which is really nice!

Finally, it was time for dessert. We went with the warm apple crumb tart and only go through about 1/3 of it because we were so full!

Thankfully, all of our leftovers were able to come home with us, beautifully packaged in sleek black boxes (I felt fancy just eating the leftovers!). What an experience it was to dine at Ruth’s Chris Steak House! I definitely would call it a special occasion restaurant, but I would also say that sometimes “we survived the week” is reason enough to treat yourself to something this wonderful.

Have you ever dined at Ruth’s Chris? What did you order?

If you live in the Chattanooga area, don’t forget to follow the new restaurant on Twitter (@RuthsChrisCHA).

Diamond Candles Review and Ring Reveal (Giveaway!)

September 10, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 5 Comments

I started longing for Diamond Candles candle pretty much as soon as I heard about them. It is pretty much the perfect gift for me: it smells great, it looks pretty, and it has a treasure inside!

Diamond Candles

I’ve purchased a few Diamond Candles over the past year (one for myself and a few as gifts) and have enjoyed the experience. The fun folks over at Diamond Candles recently asked if they could send a candle for me to review and show to you all. I thought a ring reveal would be really fun so I said yes!

I selected Peach Paradise as my scent. I thought it was the perfect choice for the last of the hot days here in Tennessee. And the smell is quite lovely. Not too overpowering. Just right, I would say! I’ve been burning it at my desk while I work for the past week or so, and at a minimum I’d say I let it burn for an hour a day. It provided a really nice smell and calming ambiance while I worked on the blog!

Finally, I reached the point where I could see some gold foil sticking out of the candle. Hooray! It was time to see what my ring looked like. Every Diamond Candles candle contains a ring that could be worth anywhere from $10-$5,000. So seeing your ring is a huge part of the fun. I videotaped my ring reveal so you could see exactly what I did to safely retrieve my ring.

Now wasn’t that fun? It was such a great way to start my day, and I’m pretty sure it made Darah’s whole week! While I didn’t score a $5,000 ring this time, I’d say that the purchase price of $24.95 for the candles is totally worth it. Definitely treat yourself or someone you love to a Diamond Candles candle in the near future! And videotape your ring reveal, because people LOVE watching them!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader is going to win a Diamond Candle!!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Flip Hybrid Diapering System: My Very Last Cloth Diaper Review

September 9, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 9 Comments

The Flip Hybrid Diapering System is perhaps the perfect diapering system with which to end my time as a cloth diaper reviewer. This is because it has me going back to a cloth diaper that I tried before and didn’t like. But I know the truth: I gave up on it too quickly, and I didn’t have the full “Flip” experience.

So when I had the opportunity to try out Flip diapers again, and this time the right way, I knew I needed to give them another chance. After all, they are some of the most popular cloth diapers on the market. My dislike was quite unusual! Since Layah is already on the road to potty training, I feel confident that this will be the last cloth diaper I will review, and what better way to end this season of my life than by returning to the one type of diaper I couldn’t really get into before.

Flip Diapers

So what are Flip diapers? They are a hybrid diapering system designed for maximum flexibility. They are sold in various components. First, you have your covers. Pictured below are two of the four covers I received, in colors noodle and grasshopper. Covers are one size, with adjustable snaps along the front. They come in hook and loop (velcro) or snaps. I would recommend getting the snaps because they don’t wear out as fast, and because babies have a harder time figuring out how to take them off.

The next component is the stay dry inserts. You simply lay these inside the diaper shell for use, and they are very easy to remove and replace. The idea is that unless you’ve got a messy diaper on your hands, you can use the diaper shell multiple times and just switch out the inserts. This was an idea I could never fully appreciate with the one Flip diaper I owned, and that’s because I purchased it with only one insert! Now that I’ve actually tried out the Flip concept as it was intended, I find it to be very easy to reuse the inserts as long as you have your available replacement inserts close at hand. I also LOVE that the inserts have marks on them to show you where you should fold them for small and medium sizes. They take out the guess-work! Inserts are also available in organic cotton. My personal opinion is to go for the stay dry unless your baby has super sensitive skin and doesn’t do well with microfiber. Why is that my opinion? Well, prior to this review, the one insert that I did have was the organic one, and while it was absorbent, it also felt more damp on the baby’s skin, which wasn’t as comfortable.

Additionally, Flip offers disposable inserts, which I had never tried before. Let me tell you why I love these so much! These are absolutely perfect for when you are out and about. When you change baby’s diaper, you just toss the old insert, and lay in a new one. The inserts take up less room in the diaper bag than a cloth diaper, and even less than a disposable! I also think they are great for anyone who might be taking care of your child for you (babysitter, grandmother, day care provider) and who is just getting used to the idea of using cloth diapers. This is sort of a happy mix of reusable and disposable.

But what I love the disposable inserts the most for is using when I suspect that Layah might be about to poop. Sorry if that is TMI, but I think all parents know that our life revolves around pee and poop for a certain number of years. That’s just the way it is! Anyway, if I time it right and Layah poops while wearing a disposable insert, that means that I can just toss the insert and not have to deal with nearly as much mess with the diaper sprayer. And that, my friends, is a WIN!

So now that I have given Flip diapers a fair shake and used them exactly the way that they were intended, I have to say that I like them! I’m not madly in love, but they are in regular rotation now, and I’m even using the same shell more than once before replacing it. That is cutting down on my cloth diaper wash load, and I REALLY love that!

Have you ever tried Flip diapers? Or hybrid cloth diapering, in general? I’d love to hear your thoughts!