Add Some Spice With Mrs. Dash!

As someone who suffers from high blood pressure, I have to be careful with my salt intake...not always easy to do being the salt-addict that I am. One thing that has helped me tremendously is the line of Mrs. Dash seasonings. The salt-free, and MSG-free, spices add that touch of taste to my food without sacrificing my health.



Thanks to Mom Central, I was able to try the new Mrs. Dash Fiesta Lime seasoning blend, and I am so glad that I did. I think Fiesta Lime just might beat out my all-time favorite Italian seasoning by Mrs. Dash (really good on popcorn).

Mrs. Dash Fiesta Lime combines all-natural spices like sweet chili pepper, allspice, cayenne pepper, cumin, cinnamon, coriander, nutmeg and ginger but then adds some orange zest and lime juice to create an all-in one Mexican seasoning. There's also paprika, which, to me, stands out the most next to the lime.

I found a quick, easy and tasty way to use Mrs. Dash Fiesta Lime. While making chicken fajitas one night, I had the seasoning on my kitchen island near the sour cream I planned to serve with the meal. I put the sour cream in a bowl and added the Fiesta Lime to it.

My husband was skeptical when I asked him to try it, but he declared that it was "very good," as did my kids. I'll never have my fajitas without it again!

I didn't measure how much of the Fiesta Lime I added, so use your best judgement. You can definitely taste the lime and the more you use, the more tangy the taste.

You could also serve the mixture as a dip with tortilla chips at a party, or use it as a spread on a pita sandwich, maybe with tuna? (I'm definitely going to try that myself soon!)

Click here for more information on Mrs. Dash Fiesta Lime, and be sure to let me know if you find a creative way to use it!

Build-A-Bear Gift Card Winner

Congratulations to mom2anutball. She is the winner of the Build-A-Bear gift card giveaway.

Thanks to all who entered and to Build-A-Bear and Barkley for sponsoring this fun giveaway.

Come on Feel the Noise

Big hair. 80's rock. And puppy love. If you're my age, you remember what it was like growing up in the glory of the 80's and now, you can relive those memories with the brand new Rock of Ages Broadway musical soundtrack.

Rock of Ages, the Broadway musical, stars American Idol finalist Constantine Maroulis. Set in 1987 in a legendary Sunset Strip rock club, a small-town girl meets a big-city dreamer and they fall in love to the greatest metal songs of the 80's.

The soundtrack captures not only the songs you know and love from that era, as performed by the cast of Rock of Ages, but it also includes dialogue between the characters as well as a songbook for you to follow along with them.

Here is a complete list of the 22 songs included on the soundtrack:

Just Like Paradise / Nothin' But A Good Time
Sister Christian
We Built This City / Too Much Time On My Hands
I Wanna Rock
We're Not Gonna Take It
Heaven/More Than Words / To Be With You
Waiting For A Girl Like You
Wanted Dead Or Alive
I Want To Know What Love Is
Cum On Feel The Noize / We're Not Gonna Take It (Reprise)
Harden My Heart / Shadows Of The Night
Here I Go Again
The Final Countdown
Any Way You Want It / I Wanna Rock (Reprise)
High Enough
I Hate Myself For Loving You / Heat Of The Moment
Hit Me With Your Best Shot
Can't Fight This Feeling
Every Rose Has Its Thorn
Oh Sherrie
The Search Is Over
Don't Stop Believin

It's like having an awesome 80's mixtape, but with an interesting twist (the dialogue and story). Here's a glimpse of what went into the making of the Rock of Ages soundtrack:



I personally loved the album and now am dying to see the Broadway show (I really, really hope they start touring!).

Click here to purchase your copy of the Rock of Ages soundtrack, and click here for more information on this fantastic musical. Rock on!

Note: Many thanks to the One2One Network for the privilege of reviewing Rock of Ages!

Gather Together

Imagine if you could gather all of the best features of the Internet (social connections, news, information, videos, blogs, etc.) and put them into one, easy-to-find place. Gather has done just that!

Unlike other social networking sites, Gather has created a lively community where you meet amazing people who share your interests and passions. Interested in poetry? There are more than 1,000 members in Gather's Poet's Passion group. Or perhaps you're into traveling? Then you would love Gather's Travel Essential Group.

In addition to making connections with like-minded friends, members also are rewarded for their participation. Members earn points for the content they contribute, which can be redeemed for gift cards to stores like Home Depot, Gap, and Target, and even for PayPal cash. The more recipes, tips, stories and advice you share with others, the more points you earn.

Click here to visit Gather and start your FREE membership today!

Disclosure: This review was written as part of a blog and giveaway campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Gather. Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Whooo Wants to Win a Build-A-Bear Owl?*

My little girl has loved Build-A-Bear for forever, so when she received a huge box at the door from them the other day, words cannot describe her excitement (she has a birthday coming up this Friday, too, so the timing was perfect).

Inside the cute cardboard house was the brand new, snowy white Owl!



There was also a 3-D Scavenger Hunt Map with 3-D glasses with a special code to use online in Build-A-Bearville. And Natalie cannot get enough of both the owl and the hunt!

Not only is the owl fluffy and cuddly, but it has a head that spins all the way around, a feature which Natalie found very cool. She's been taking her new owl friend, whom she has dubbed "Owlen" (uniquely pronounced "Oh-lin" though), everywhere with her and sleeps with it at night.

I have to say this is one of my own favorite Build-A-Bear creatures. The speckled "fur" looks like real feathers and the "beak" is so adorable.

The owl sells for $18 online, but you can win a $25 gift card to use on the owl, or toward any other purchase at Build-A-Bear, right here!

To enter, simply leave a comment on this post letting me know what you love most about Build-A-Bear. Be sure that there is an email address for you that I can find, or your entry will have to be disqualified. By entering, you automatically agree to all the rules and disclaimers listed here.

You can receive additional entries by doing one or all of the following (one entry for each step):

~Twitter with a link to this post. Then leave a separate comment here with your Twitter link.

~Blog about this contest with a link to this post. Then leave a separate comment here with the link to your post.

~Follow this blog. Simply click on "Follow this blog" found near the top of the sidebar to the right (under "The Blonde"). Then, leave a separate comment letting me know you are following.

~Post the button below on your blog and then leave a separate comment here letting me know it's posted and where. Here's the code for the button:



<a href="http://www.soablondewalksintoareview.com" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="So A Blonde Walks Into A Review" src="http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll303/BlondeBlogger/dawn_125button.gif"/></a>

~Add So a Blonde Walks Into a Review to your Technorati Favorites (just click the button below and follow the simple steps). Then, leave a separate comment here letting me know you've added this blog to your favorites:



Deadline to enter is 11:59 EST, Wednesday, August 12, 2009. Winner will be selected at random using Random.org. Good luck!

*Note: Actual prize is for a $25 gift card which can be used toward the purchase of a Build-A-Bear Owl.