Review: Ristorante Pizza by Dr. Oetker

THE REVIEW: I recently was part of a BzzAgent Campaign for Ristorante Pizza by Dr. Oetker.  I was given two coupons for free pizza.  I got to the store and there were quite a few choices:
* Mozzarella: Fresh mozzarella, sun-ripened tomatoes, zesty pesto sauce
* Spinaci: Savory leaf spinach, mozzarella, hearty garlic sauce
* Funghi: Aromatic mushrooms, mozzarella, tomato sauce, parsley, oregano
* Quattro Formaggi: 4 premium cheeses: edam, mozzarella, emmental, blue cheese, basil seasoning
* Vegetale: Tangy tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, chilies, sour cream sauce
* Speciale: Pepperoni, cooked ham, spicy herbs

I picked the Quattro Formaggi and the Speciale since I figured that the kids might be willing to try the Quattro Formaggi and I knew that Greg would love the Speciale.
I brought them home and we popped them in the oven.  It took about 12 minutes and the pizza was done.   We sliced them and tried to give some to the kids but neither one was willing to try them.  Greg and I were okay with that since it was more for us!
I really like the Quattro Formaggi- the 4 cheeses were great and really blended together nicely.  I loved the basil seasoning and was pleased that the crust had a really good crunch to it.  I do like my pizza to have a little more sauce, but overall  I thought it was fantastic for a frozen pizza.  Greg really enjoyed the Speciale.
We will definitely be buying these again and I recommend that you give them a try.  A good easy way to have a delicious reasonably priced meal.


FROM THE COMPANY: 
From baking soda to baking pizzas
In 1891, Dr. August Oetker started out developing and selling baking soda at his pharmacy in Bielefeld, Germany. His perfect balance of quality raw materials and stable ratio of active ingredients made it a hit with housewives, who could count on perfect baking results every time. Five generations later, you could say Dr. Oetker's company has grown quite a bit. But you can still rely on the finest, freshest ingredients and restaurant-quality results with every Ristorante Pizza you bake.

• With Ristorante Pizza by Dr. Oetker, it's deliciously simple to enjoy a real Italian meal right at home:
• * Available in six 10" pizza varieties:
• * Restaurant-quality, ready in just 12 – 14 minutes
• * Found in the frozen aisle of most major grocery stores on the East coast
• * Suggested to retail for about $4.99, a fraction of Italian restaurant price
• * Found online at oetker.us or ristorante.us — visit the sites for more tasty info and to see where you can buy them

This post was written as part of a BzzAgent Campaign.  I received free samples from Dr. Oetker and BzzAgent.  All opinions and thoughts (unless otherwise stated) are my own. I will only post reviews for items that I believe are worthy products. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. 
Never miss a review or giveaway- sign up here:

Progresso "Souper You" Contest

I thought this was interesting so I wanted to pass on this information from Progresso and MyBlogSpark:

Are you ready for a new look this New Year? Progresso^® has announced the return of their Souper You^® Contest giving you the chance to win an incredible makeover! By telling Progresso why you deserve a makeover and what you love about their soup, you could have the chance to win an ultimate makeover experience in Hollywood this Spring! 

Now that the ball has dropped and the confetti has settled, it´s time to consider how you will stick to your resolution for the New Year and maintain your weight management plan, without sacrificing on variety or the taste of foods you love. Thanks to Progresso^®, you can have your soup and eat it too!

With 40 delicious soups with 100 calories or less per serving, Progresso Soup has a variety of offerings that help you beat diet boredom and satisfy your taste cravings, while helping you stick to your weight management calorie goals. Progresso soups are packed with hearty ingredients like pasta, beans, rice, meat and vegetables that suit your taste buds and make you feel good about including it in your meal choices. 

o This year, the Souper You^® Contest will provide three lucky winners with an ultimate makeover experience in Hollywood; this includes a trip for 2 to Los Angeles, California where the winner will receive a head-to-toe makeover including hair and makeup, guided shopping spree with a $1,000 fashion retailer gift card, $1,000 spending money and 2 tickets to this season´s live finale of NBC´s The Biggest Loser

o Progresso is asking fans to visit www.SouperYou.com and submit their photo with a brief essay about why they love Progresso soups and why they deserve a makeover, by no later than February 22nd

o Fans can check back on March 12th for the announcement of the top ten finalists, and to vote for their favorite finalist until March 25th

o In addition, visit http://bit.ly/ProgressoCoup to download a printable coupon for $1.25 off the purchase of four (4) cans of Progresso Soup today

I recieved this information about Progresso Soup and the Souper You Contest from Progresso through MyBlogSpark. 
All opinions and thoughts (unless otherwise stated) are my own. I will only post reviews for items that I believe are worthy products. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. Never miss a review or giveaway- sign up here:

Safe Winter Driving Tips

I hate winter driving.  I actually hate driving in any sort of bad weather, but winter driving is my least favorite.  I feel like I am not in control of the situation because weather is so unpredictable.  I was actually really happy to see that Esurance had put a bunch of helpful safe winter driving tips on their blog.  While I am obviously still not in control of the weather, with these tips, I can feel like I am in control of being as prepared as possible.  These are my favorite tips from Esurance:

1.  When you are expecting icy/snowy conditions it is a great idea to keep a bag of sand (or kitty litter) in your car.  I keep a gladware container with some right near the front seat so if I need to get out and it is icy, I can just put some down as I walk.

2.  Of course when you are expecting the roads to be icy or snowy, you would want to drive slowly and cautiously.  Make sure you are leaving enough space in front of your cars.

3.  If it is hailing it is suggested that you get under an overpass if you can.  We don't really see too much hail in my area, so this is not really something that I have worried about.

4.  Something I did not know until I read the Esurance blog was that you are not supposed to use cruise control in the rain.  Driving with it can lull you in a false sense of security and cut down on your response time. 

5.  Black ice is something that we do see around here.  It is always something to watch out for, but normally you don't know it is there until you feel yourself skidding.  If that happens, then you are supposed to release the gas ped and turn into the direction of the skid without slamming on the breaks.

6.  Keep a winter car kit.  This is a kit that you should have in case you get stuck.  Esurance recommends you have the following in your winter car kit:  chains, jumper cables, cat litter, shovel, basic tool kit, flashlight, warm clothes, food and water, first aid kit, AM/FM radio (battery- powered) and a book.  We also keep some spare diapers in our car, just in case as well.

If you are a smart driver, no matter the weather conditions, it will make it much easier to be a safe driver. 

About Esurance
With a wealth of easy-to-use online tools as well as 24/7 expert service, Esurance is making car insurance smarter from quote to claim. Everything we do is done with the goal of saving you time, hassle, hair-tearing-out, and oh yes, money too. Use the Esurance Coverage Counselor® to help you figure out the exact coverage limits you need. File a claim (and send pics of the accident) from your mobile phone. Call anytime — and by that we mean anytime — to talk to a friendly expert about discounts. Do what you need to do, when you need to do it. And do it with ease. That's what Esurance is all about.

For more driving hints and information about Esurance, be sure to visit the Esurance Facebook page: 

I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Esurance blogging program for 8,000 My SocialMoms Rewards Points. For more information on how you can participate, click here.  All opinions and thoughts (unless otherwise stated) are my own. I will only post reviews for items that I believe are worthy products. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. Never miss a review or giveaway- sign up here:

Holiday Gift-Giving: Gift cards!!!

We LOVE gift cards in this house (both giving and receiving), so I was excited when I saw that SocialMom and GiftCardsRock were looking for some bloggers to write about gift cards.

I am normally a last minute shopper.  You know- the shopper who is running all over the night before the holidays start trying to figure out what to get people.  I always have lots of great ideas but then I can never decide what that perfect present will be.  So more often than not, we will get someone a gift card to a store or shop that we know they love. 

This year I have noticed that many retailers have a deal with their gift cards- when you purchase a gift card for someone else, you will get a little gift card for yourself for example.  And my gas station offered me fuel discounts when buying gift cards in grocery stores nationwide through fuel savings programs. I love it!

I also love that some of my credit card companies will let me trade my points in for gift cards.  I have a couple credit cards that will let me trade in for Amazon.com giftcards which is just fantastic since I can get anything I want there.

Sara (my 4 year old) LOVES getting gift cards.  This year she actually decided that when people called to ask her what she wanted for Hanukkah that we would let them know we are saving up to go to DisneyWorld next year and that we would love a gift card to go towards that.  She knows that it will help her get towards her goal and because she is getting something tangible, she still feels like she has gotten something really cool and it makes her really happy. 

I looked online to find some neat gift card tips:

One of my favorite tips that I found was to decorate the wrapping for the gift card.  This is one of the hardest things for me about gift cards since they usually don't get wrapped up fancy like other gifts so I absolutely love this idea.  Someone even used a plantable card to house their gift card to a nursery.  How clever is that!

I also found out that there are lots of places where you can purchase a gift card for charity in someone's name for the holidays.  I think this is such a nice idea.  I may have to do this next year for some people.

Gift Cards Rock! is an online community for people who love to give and receive gift cards.  If you need some help this holiday season head on over and I am sure there will be tons of suggestions, as well as sharing of great deals and exciting gift-giving tips. Click on the like button and then head on over to their facebook page!

 
I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Gift Cards Rock blogging program, for 6,000 My SocialMoms Reward Points.  For more information on how you can participate, click here.   All opinions and thoughts (unless otherwise stated) are my own. I will only post reviews for items that I believe are worthy products. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. Never miss a review or giveaway- sign up here: