Natura Organic Wines + Keep America Beautiful Partnership

As you can see, I couldn't wait to try Natura's
organic wines! 

*Disclosure of material connection- I was provided product samples in exchange for my honest thoughts. 

One of my favorite things about April is that it is Earth month. I believe it essential that we take care of our planet and be mindful of the things we do and what we purchase, making sure each footprint we leave on this Earth is a conscious one and Earth month is a great time to re-evaluate what we are doing to make this planet a better place for future generations. I gravitate towards companies who are eco-conscious, so I was super excited to get to try out some of the wines offered by Natura Wines. Natura Wines come from organically farmed, estate vineyards in the valleys of Chile. They offer many varieties of wines, so there is definitely something for everyone! I am more a light fruity or floral type of wine drinker so I gravitate to Rosés, so that was the first of the Natura wines that I tried. The Rosé is a nice blend of sweet strawberry jam and tart black currant. The combination of these flavors adds a nice bite to the wine, but it is still just fruity enough to be a nice after dinner drink. I enjoy Sauvignon Blanc as a pre-meal drink or as a cooking companion...it add's a great boost of flavor to chicken dishes. Natura's Sauvignon Blanc is a trio of fruity goodness- zesty grapefruit, juicy pair and lime zest- which makes it a very tangy, acidic choice. Both of these wines would make excellent hostess gifts should you be attending a dinner party. They are affordable, taste great, and are organic to boot- sounds like the perfect gift to me!

Natura Wine is a great company striving to use the land and take care of it as we were meant to as they create their fabulous wines, but to take there love of our Earth one step further, Natura has teamed up with Keep America Beautiful for 2015. If you head over to the Natura Facebook page, you can choose which environmental cause your care the most about among the following:

• Building recycling awareness
• Clean up and restoration
• Plant native trees & flowers
• Beautify Urban Areas

Voting will continue through the end of May when they will announce the winner and work with Keep America Beautiful to plan national and local incentives across America. All of these are important projects, but plan native trees and plants got my vote! Natura can help you begin to beautify your own area- currently select bottles of wine contain paper neckers that can be planted and will produce wildflowers. Join Natura and Keep America Beautiful and help improve our surroundings!

When Calls the Heart Season 2 Premiere + Win a Season 1 Box Set!

*Disclsoure of material connection- I was provided earlier access to watch the When Calls the Heart Season 2 premiere from Word TV via Flyby Promotions. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own.

About the show-

When Calls the Heart the television series is inspired by Janette Oke's best selling book series about the Canadian West. The show is about Elizabeth Thatcher (Erin Krakow) a young teacher born into high society and used to many creature comforts being thrust into her first teaching assignment in Coal Valley, a very small and simple coal mining town. Coal Valley has experienced a huge tragedy at the mines recently, leaving most of the town's women widoows. Lori Laughlin plays Abigail Stanton, one of the widows and Daniel Lissing plays Jack Thornton, the Constable who sees Elizabeth to town. Living in a turn of the century coal town, Elizabeth must learn to adjust to living in the rural west all on her own.

My thoughts-

I have been watching When Calls the Heart since it first premiered on the Hallmark Channel. It has has been difficult to wait for season two to premiere, but the time has finally arrived!  One of the reasons I am a huge fan is because this is a family friendly show. I can watch When Calls the Heart with my 7 year old around and know that she will be viewing a wholesome show with no inappropriate surprises. I also love this series because I am a big fan of period dramas and this one is different than anything else on tv right now. There are definitely not any other shows set in the Canadian West in a small coal mining town! I always find it interesting to learn about other time periods and watching this show is like hoping in a time machine and joining Elizabeth during the turn of the century as she figures out life in Coal Valley. I love that the premiere is two hours long! It is like catching up with an old friend and really sets the mood for the rest of the season. I don't know why it was more noticeable to me in the premiere than in season one, but the scenery on this set is majestic. I love seeing the beautiful mountains in the background!

The season 2 premiere is full of drama, romance and intrigue as we pick back up where season 1 left off. It looks like there may be some twists and turns this season! It also seems like we may see more of Elizabeth's family life and changes in Coal Valley as well. I can not wait to see what the rest of season 2 has in store for not only Elizabeth, but handsome Canadian Mountie Jack, Elizabeth's friend and confidante Abigail Stanton, and the other interesting people of Coal Valley!

When Calls the Heart Season 2's two hour premiere will air at 8/7c Saturday April 25! Be sure to tune in!

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I am so excited to be able to giveaway the When Calls the Heart season 1 box set to one lucky ready! Enter via the rafflecopter form below for your chance to win!

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An Amish Cradle by Beth Wiseman, Amy Clipston, Kathleen Fuller & Vannetta Chapman (Book Review)

Disclosure of material connection- I received a copy of the book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own. 

About the book-

In the Father's Arms by Beth Wiseman
Ruth Anne Zook is excited that she and her best friend are due with their children the same week. But when Ruth Anne's baby is born with Down Syndrome, she and her husband struggle to understand God's plan.

A Son for Always by Amy Clipston
Carolyn and her husband Joshua are thrilled to be pregnant with their first child. A teenager when she had her son Benjamin, Carolyn still feels obligated to work to secure Ben's future, even though Josh adopted Ben. She struggles to realize that Josh will love and protect both of their children equally.

A Heart Full of Love by Kathleen Fuller
Ellie's mother loves to meddle in her personal life-especially now that Ellie's pregnant. Since Ellie is blind, her mother worries that she won't be able to handle the baby. When Ellie gives birth to twins, her mother insists on moving in. Just as everyone reaches the breaking point, a miracle draws them closer to each other and to God.

An Unexpected Blessing by Vannetta Chapman
At 42, Etta thought her time of having children was over, but she's pregnant again. She goes into labor during a blizzard, and complications with the delivery raise fear. Etta struggles to acceptGotte's wille for the baby and her son, David, who moved away two years earlier in search of what he would do with his life.

My thoughts- 

I don't read compilation novellas that often because I usually prefer one long flowing story, but I couldn't seem to pass up the opportunity to read this book. An Amish Cradle is about 4 different Amish families, each who end up having a child with special needs or have a special circumstance in the pregnancy. This premise was so different from any other Amish fiction I have read that I really found myself interested in reading the novellas. I liked that each story introduced us to a new family with a different circumstance and four different sets of parents will deal with things in four different ways, so it really did feel like four separate stories.  For me, that was both good and bad. I love that each author had their own voice, but it would have been nice to see some of the characters be connected in some way. I read An Amish Cradle very quickly, in just a few days' time, so this is a great book if you want a fast read! I think any parent at all will be able to relate to each of these stories, but especially parents with special needs children. Of all of the stories, I enjoyed the first one by Beth Wiseman the most, but the three that follow were good stories as well. My only complaint about the book is that I want to know more about how things turned out for the families! I felt like there could have been much more to each story, a novel's worth perhaps? I get so attached to stories and characters it is difficult to leave them after a short time, but each story definitely had a resolution by the end. Maybe there could be a second compliation by the same authors' that let's us peek into their lives a year later or something like that! I would read it!! I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Amish fiction. 

The Inn at Ocean's Edge by Colleen Coble Blog Tour & Book Review + Giveaway

Disclosure of material connection- I received of a copy of the book from the publisher via Litfuse Group in exchange for my honest thoughts. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own. 

About the book-

Claire's visit to a luxury hotel in Maine awakens repressed memories, threatening all she holds dear.

In 1989, Claire Dellamare disappeared from her own fourth birthday party at the Hotel Tourmaline on the island of Folly Shoals, Maine. She showed up a year later at the same hotel, with a note pinned to her dress but no explanation. Nobody knows where Claire spent that year---and until now, Claire didn't even know she had ever been missing.

But when Claire returns to the Hotel Tourmaline for a business meeting with her CEO father, disturbing memories begin to surface . . . despite her parents' best efforts to keep them forgotten.

Luke Rocco lost his mother under equally mysterious circumstances---at the same time Claire disappeared. After a chance encounter reveals the unlikely link between them, Claire and Luke set out together to uncover the truth about what happened that fateful year.

With flashbacks swimming just beneath her consciousness and a murderer threatening her safety, Claire's very life depends on unscrambling her past . . . even if her family refuses to acknowledge it. Someone-maybe everyone-is hiding something from Claire Dellamare, and it will cost her everything to drag the truth out into the light.

My thoughts-

I always love the books Colleen Coble comes out with. She is great at weaving mystery with romance and creating interesting stories to keep us turning the pages. I think this has been my favorite Colleen Coble book yet! First of all, the book cover is beautiful and really sets the tone for the story. From the very first pages we are on a journey with Claire as she tries to figure out exactly what happened to her so many years ago. We get to discover bits and pieces of her past as she discovers them herself and I think that makes this book even more interesting. I also really liked the aspect of  Kate's relationship with Luke and him trying to figure out what happened to his mom. Sometimes my very favorite kind of book is the kind that keeps you guessing what happened or whodunnit or really gets you thinking trying to figure it all out and The Inn at Ocean's Edge does that very well. I really enjoyed the mystery of trying to figure out what happened to Kate and a child and loved the way it ended...in a way I wasn't expecting. If you enjoy suspense, I absolutely recommend you give this book a try!

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***Party with Colleen Coble on Facebook & Enter to Win a Kindle Fire!***

Someone—maybe everyone—is hiding something from Claire Dellamare, and it will cost her everything to drag the truth out into the light. Colleen Coble's new book, The Inn at Ocean's Edge, is a must-read for mystery and suspense readers. As Claire and Luke put together the pieces of a decades-old mystery, they discover that some family secrets refuse to stay buried. And some passions are worth killing for.

Celebrate the release of The Inn at Ocean's Edge by entering to win a Kindle Fire and RSVPing to her May 5th author chat party!

One grand prize winner will receive:

• A Kindle Fire
• A copy of A Heart's Disguise
• A copy of A Heart's Obsession
• A copy of The Inn at Ocean's Edge

Enter today by clicking the icon below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on May 7th. Winner will be announced May 8th on Colleen's website. Plus be sure to clear your calendar on the evening of May 5th because Colleen is hosting an author chat party on Facebook to celebrate her A Journey of the Heart series and the release of The Inn at Ocean's Edge! RSVP here!

RSVP today and spread the word—tell your friends about the giveaway via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on May 5th!

Inspiralized by Ali Maffucci (Cookbook Review)

*Disclosure of material connection- I received a copy of the book from the publisher via Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest thoughts. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own.


About the book-

The definitive cookbook for using a spiralizer: the kitchen gadget that turns vegetables and fruits into imaginative, low-carb dishes.

Ali’s recipes for breakfast, snacks, appetizers, sandwiches, soups, salads, casseroles, rices, pastas, and even desserts are easy to follow, hard to mess up, healthful, and completely fresh and flavorful. Best of all, she tells you how to customize them for whatever vegetables you have on hand and whatever your personal goal may be—losing weight, following a healthier lifestyle, or simply making easy meals at home. 
Here, too, are tons of technical tips and tricks; nutritional information for each dish and every vegetable you can possibly spiralize; and advice for spiralizing whether you’re feeding just yourself, your family, or even a crowd. So bring on a hearty appetite and a sense of adventure—you’re ready to make the most of this secret weapon for healthy cooking.


On her wildly popular blog, Inspiralized, Ali Maffucci is revolutionizing healthy eating. Whether you’re low-carb, gluten-free, Paleo, or raw, you don’t have to give up the foods you love. Inspiralized shows you how to transform more than 20 vegetables and fruits into delicious meals that look and taste just like your favorite indulgent originals. Zucchini turns into pesto spaghetti; jicama becomes shoestring fries; sweet potatoes lay the foundation for fried rice; plantains transform into “tortillas” for huevos rancheros.

My thoughts-

I think it was probably about a year ago that I came across a recipe online (probably via Pinterest) that used zucchini in place of lasagna for a low carb lasagna recipe. What I discovered after making this recipe is that I actually prefer the taste that zucchini adds to pasta dishes and so I was on a mission to find more recipes using them as a replacement. That journey led me to a hand held spiralizer and now we have zucchini noodles pretty much at least once a week. When I came across Inspiralized I was so excited to see that there would be recipes for zucchini noodles, but so much more. When I received the book, it exceeded my expectations. There are sections to this book that I would have never thought you could make tasty spiralized recipes for (breakfast and dessert) as well as sections that I expected but with so many more recipes than I thought possible. The beginning of the book has a nice section on how to get started and the end section has more information on the fruits and vegetables that you can spiralize. It is evident in the book that Ali Maffucci is not only passionate about being healthy, but about creating recipes that reflect her love of delicious food. Inspiralized recipes are meant for a spiralizer with several blade options (there are several available on Amazon.com and I am sure elsewhere), but even if you want to start with a little handheld device like I have, there are plenty of recipes you could still create from this book. I love the wide variety of cuisine represented here- there's Italian, Asian, Indian, ect.- it makes food less boring when it is varied. And there are way more types of vegetables and fruits utilized than zucchini (although I definitely recommend trying them spiralized! YUM!)  If you are looking for a very easy (and quite delicious!) way to add more veggies and fruit to your meals, Inspiralized is the book for you!

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VeggieTales Supercomics Volumes 1 & 2 Review + Giveaway!

Disclosure of material connection- I received a copy of the comics from Family Christian Stores via their program for bloggers in exchange for my honest thoughts. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own. 



About VeggieTales Comics-

The VeggieTales characters and stories that we have all come to love are available in a new format- comics! Each comic contains 3 stories focused on a specific lesson. Recommended for ages 4-8

My thoughts-

VeggieTales came out when I was in high school and I remember always being super happy to get to watch them in youth group. Yes, the show was aimed at young children, but they were super cute and always had some great songs to sing along to! Since then the VeggieTales franchise has grown exponentially since then and still are as popular as ever! Their latest endeavor in the entertainment industry is VeggieTales Supercomics! Comic book heroes have always been popular, but it seems in the last few years that superheroes have really been everywhere. These comics are great because they teach important lessons while still being super fun to read! Volume 1 includes Dave and the Giant Pickle, Lyle the Kindly Viking and an all new story Larry Boy and the Prideosaurus and volume 2 offers these- Josh and the Big Wall, The League of Incredible Vegetables, and Larry Boy and the Reckless Ruckus. My kids, specifically my 7 year old daughter, really enjoy looking through these comics. I like that each volume has several stories so that the little ones have something to keep them busy for a while. The vibrant pictures and cute characters are also a big win! These are great for older kids to read independently and wonderful for parents to read out loud to little ones who might need help reading them. We really have been enjoying the great stories in VeggieTales Supercomics and look forward to many more in the future!

Enter below via the Rafflecopter for your chance to win a copy of both volumes 1 and 2 of VeggieTales Supercomics! 

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The Art of Losing Yourself by Katie Ganshert (Book Review)

Disclosure of material connection- I received a copy of that book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own.

About the book-

Just like in my dream, I was drowning and nobody even noticed.

Every morning, Carmen Hart pastes on her made-for-TV smile and broadcasts the weather. She’s the Florida panhandle’s favorite meteorologist, married to everyone’s favorite high school football coach. They’re the perfect-looking couple, live in a nice house, and attend church on Sundays. From the outside, she’s a woman who has it all together.  But on the inside, Carmen Hart struggles with doubt. She wonders if she made a mistake when she married her husband. She wonders if God is as powerful as she once believed. Sometimes she wonders if He exists at all. After years of secret losses and empty arms, she’s not so sure anymore.

Until Carmen’s sister—seventeen year old runaway, Gracie Fisher—steps in and changes everything. Gracie is caught squatting at a boarded-up motel that belongs to Carmen’s aunt, and their mother is off on another one of her benders, which means Carmen has no other option but to take Gracie in. Is it possible for God to use a broken teenager and an abandoned motel to bring a woman’s faith and marriage back to life? Can two half-sisters make each other whole?

My thoughts-

I really LOVED this novel. I have read all of Katie Ganshert's books and with each one I think it is my favorite and there is no way it can be outdone- I was wrong yet again. The Art of Losing Yourself will appeal to a broad range of people. I think it will especially resonate with women, who can relate to Carmen, and teens, who can relate to Gracie. I honestly could relate to them both in so many ways. 

One of the biggest draws for me to Ganshert's books is that the characters feel so authentic. They are flawed, their lives aren't perfect. These are people we can relate to or maybe even want to be friends with. The more books she writes the more she perfects the art of creating interesting stories with every day people. I can not even decide who may favorite character in this book is and I usually have a very clear favorite. I enjoyed the overall story interweaving the thoughts and feelings of sisters Carmen and Gracie and the run down family motel they are working to restore, as well as the sub-plots with the more minor characters. Gracie's story with Elias made me feel like I was in high school again, I have definitely been in the exact same position at her age, it had me feeling nostalgic. I enjoyed the flashbacks as Carmen remembered the beginning of her relationship with Ben and although the parts of the story with aunt Ingrid are a bit on the sad side, she is an important part of the book giving great advice, even when she doesn't realize it. When I got to the end of the book, I was not ready to leave Gracie, Carmen and company. I want to know what happens next in this story! I would really love to see a sequel (or better yet, a series!)

The Art of Losing Yourself will be available on April 21. You can pre-order a copy on Amazon.com.

Check out my reviews of Katie Ganshert's other novels-

A Broken Kind of Beautiful

Wishing on Willows

Wildflowers From Winter

About the author-

Christy Award finalist and Carol Award winner, Katie Ganshert, graduated from the University of Wisconsin in Madison with a degree in education, and worked as a fifth grade teacher for several years before staying home to write full-time. She was born and raised in the Midwest, where she lives with her family and their goofy black lab, Bubba. When she’s not busy penning novels or spending time with her people, she enjoys drinking coffee with friends, reading great literature, and eating copious amounts of dark chocolate.

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Paris Hop! by Margie Blumberg (Book Review)

*Disclosure of material connection- I received a copy of the book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for my honest thoughts. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own.

About the book-

On a visit to Paris for just one day, Grandma Goldie is eager to show her granddaughter, Aimee, how the city sparkles in the sun from the top of the Eiffel Tower. But the other joys of "Paree" create delightful detours along the way. Will this peppy pair make it to the tower before sunset? Find out in this charmingly illustrated rhyming tale about the City of Light . . . and happy surprises.

Our picture book includes a French-English glossary. 

The second book in our Travel Adventures with Grandma Goldie series will be published in October 2015.

My thoughts-

This was such a cute book! My husband and I love to travel. Sometimes we go places as a couple and leave the kids behind, but they are always on our minds. Since we also both love to read, if we go somewhere without them we get them a book about the area we were in. After we started that tradition, the kids also have a serious case of wanderlust and a fascination with geography, so sometimes we buy books about different places just for fun. One of my favorite places I have ever been is Paris and I love this little book. It is a great way to introduce children to the French language and to some of the historical and popular parts of Paris. It is cute and easy to read and the pictures are adorable. I know my little ones would pick this book to read often. I absolutely recommend Paris Hop! to parents of pre-school or young elementary aged children. Paris Hop! will broaden your children's horizons and open up a passion for other places and cultures. 

Links

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Connected: Curing the Pandemic of Everyone Feeling Alone Together by Erin Davis (Book Review)

*Disclosure of material connection- I received a copy of the book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for my honest thoughts. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own.

About the book-

Technology has allowed us to connect with more people in more places than ever before. Sure we have “friends” we even have “followers” and yet, a silent epidemic is sending shock waves straight into our living rooms. What is this hidden disease? Loneliness. Popular author Erin Davis knows what it’s like to feel lonely. She knows how it feels to have many friends, a full schedule, and a pit in her stomach. As she wrestled her own feelings of loneliness to the ground, Erin started to feel like the scientist charged with finding the cure for the lonely epidemic—a journey that has proved to be funny, encouraging, and helpful. What is causing the pain of loneliness to gnaw at our hearts? What does God know about feeling alone? While swimming in a sea of people, what’s a lonely girl to do? Where should she turn for a life raft? Erin has traveled across the country to talk with other women and answer these questions for us all. Come along in Connected to learn about her journey as well as the stories of women who are probably a lot like you!


My thoughts-

It is sad that we live in a society in which people feel like they are more connected than ever via technology and yet are more lonely than ever in reality. Busyness and misplaced priorities are a huge culprit. I long for a world in which Sunday dinners with family and more in person interactions with friends are the norm. I absolutely think it is why there is such a prevalence of depression and why so many people feel so alone. Connected hits the nail on the head several times about relationships- actual real-life, in person relationships, not the superficial all online kind- and the things that have led them to have almost disappeared. Smart phones and Facebook seem to take priority over real life get togethers- something I think many people will regret years down the line-up you can't ever get that time back. The book gets off track several times for me into other subjects when I think the absolute focus should be on how we as a society can get back the community aspect of relationships, but the author's heart is in the right place. This is definitely a subject we should all take the time to think about.

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The Soup Club Cookbook Review + Giveaway

*Disclosure of material connection- I receive a copy of the book from the publisher via Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest thoughts. I was not required to write a postive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own

About the book-

Food-sharing is the hot new thing in the "getting dinner on the table" conversation, and in The Soup Club Cookbook, four busy moms share not only their formula for starting a soup club--which gives you at least three meals every month when you don't have to worry about dinner--but also 150 fantastic recipes for soups and sides and storing tips for stretching those meals across the week.
 
The Soup Club began when four friends (who, between them, have four husbands and ten hungry kids and several jobs) realized that they didn’t actually have to cook at home every night to take pleasure in a home-cooked meal. They simply had to join forces and share meals, even if they weren’t actually eating them together. Caroline, Courtney, Julie, and Tina happen to be neighbors, but a soup club is for anyone: colleagues, a group of workout buddies, a book club. All you need are a few people who simply want to have more home-cooked food in their lives.

In a soup club each person takes a turn making soup—and sometimes other dishes for sides or for when everyone needs a break from soup, so if a club has four people, in a month each person will have dinner delivered three times—a dish that can start as a full meal and stretch into more dinners or lunches or even morph into a sauce. Soup is forgiving, versatile, and perfect for sharing; it can be spiced to taste, topped elaborately or not at all, and dressed up or down. It travels well and reheats beautifully.  The Soup Club Cookbook also has dozens of tips for cooking in quantity and for tailoring soup to individual tastes and needs. Here, too, are simple guidelines for starting your own soup club, anecdotes, and a few cautionary tales  that will inspire anyone to share food and eat well. 
 
Recipes include quick and easies, classics, twist on favorites, and dozens of flavor-rich new crowd pleasers:  

   • Carrot Coconut and Chicken Chili, 
   • Senegalese Peanut Soup 
   • Faux Ramen 
   • Red Lentil Curry Soup 
   • Potato Cheddar Soup 
   • Sun Dried Tomato Soup 
   • Jeweled Rice Salad 
   • Cheddar Cornbread, 
   • Summer Corn Hash 
   • Soy Simmered Chicken Wings


My thoughts-

Some friends and I decided a few months ago that it would be fun to host a soup exchange. None of us have ever  done it and we really don't know what we are doing so I was excite to see there was a book out there like The Soup Club Cookbook. I thought it would be a great book to reference for our soup exchange coming up in a few weeks. As I began reading the book, I knew it would be so much more than what I thought. The idea that this group of friends had was to have a soup CLUB. What that entails in this case is four friends who takes turns making soup for the other three. There are 4 weeks in a month, so each friend has a designated week (just one day of that week) where they are in charge of making and delivering the soup! This means three times a month that each of these ladies get a break from cooking but still get a great home cooked meal. I think this is a genius idea! I don't know what it is these day (I probably sound like an old geezer, but I am only in my early 30's...I was just born into the wrong time period, I guess) but it seems like everyone is so wrapped up in their own worlds that they never take the time to connect with others...maybe on these 3 days these ladies can do the connecting that is so desperately absent from present day American society...a. with their friend who delivers the soup and b. with their family since they won't have to make dinner those nights. The Soup Club Cookbook really got me thinking about this whole food exchange idea and I would like to offer another suggestion- each month rotate the type of food you are making. For example: in January each week someone makes the soup, in February maybe each person makes a casserole, in March perhaps the focus is on chicken, ect. I would also suggest having a potluck get together once  month with all four families or perhaps a tea time for just the ladies of the group! I absolutely love the idea of a food exchange between friends! There are some great soup recipes in the book (which is mostly a cookbook) that would be helpful to get your own soup club started. There is also a nice section at the beginning of the book explaining exactly how the ladies run their soup exchange. Even if you don't have any interest in the club part, there are so many soup recipes here, that this is a book worthy to be added to your cookbook collection.

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Bolla Wines + Enter to Win a Trip to Italy

Disclosure of material connection- I received some of the products mentioned in this blog post in exchange for my honest thoughts. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions are 100% my own. 

It is hard to think of wine without Italy and good food coming to mind. 1 in 3 bottles of wine that are sold in the U.S. are from Italy, and with good reason- Italian wines are delicious and, of course, go very well one of Italy's other great offerings- Italian food! Bolla, the iconic Italian wine brand that is  based in Verona, Italy wants to help you "feel Italian" by teaming up with other great Italian brands to offer you the very best products to great exquisite and tasty meals! Bertolli's olive oil and Locatelli cheese will help you come up with  a great meal to go along with your Bolla wine. I love this wine for so many reasons! Bolla is both affordable and delicious and there is something for everyone. Bolla Prosecco is bubbly and fruity, with lovely hints of apple, pear and peach, a great drink for beginning your evening. Bolla Soave 883 is a great drink for someone just getting into wine, it is very light with a great floral fragrance with a hint of peach and a very sweet taste. If red is more your thing,  Bolla Chianti is medium bodied wine and a little bit on the stronger side, with an intense taste of violet and red cherries. It also makes a terrific addition to cooking, add a splash to your red pasta sauce to take it to another level. These are just a few of Bolla's great offerings, head over to Banfiwines to explore the other great wines that Bolla has to offer. 

If you have always dreamed of going to Italy, Bolla is giving away a trip for two to Verona, Italy on their Facebook page. It includes roundtrip airfare, lodging an a visit to the wonderful Bolla Winery. The giveaway will run now until June 2015. Go enter today!