Tobins' Tastes: April 2014

Monday, April 28, 2014

Sweet & Spicy Asian BBQ Wings {Easy Party Food with Tyson Grillin Wings}

I am a member of the #CollectiveBias ®  Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper amplification for Collective Bias and its advertiser #WhatsGrillin with Tyson.

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One thing I love about warmer weather is the chance to have people over to relax and grill out on our back deck. And even though grilling can be a whole let less hassle than other ways of preparing party food, I always feel bad for my husband, Justin, when he has to spend tons of time at the grill while the rest of us enjoy ourselves. So when I heard about Tyson's Grillin Wings, I couldn't wait for us to try out some easy to make dinners and BBQ recipes for our friends this summer.


These Sweet & Spicy Asian BBQ Wings are the perfect backyard BBQ party food. People can easily eat them while socializing or having a drink. You can whip up some easy sides like a Mandarin Orange Salad or an Asian Slaw ahead of time and in less than 20 minutes on the grill these wings will be ready to be tossed in the sweet & spicy sauce and served to your guests.


A meal like this allows Justin and I to serve a delicious meal to our friends without the hassle of marinating or spending excessive amounts of time standing over the grill. The wings are found exclusively at Sam's Club right now and while I was there grabbing some last week I also grabbed a huge container of Country Time Lemonade mix too, the perfect drink for summer BBQ's.


The Smokehouse BBQ flavor that the wings come preseasoned with is the perfect compliment to the tangy and sweet Asian sauce. By garnishing with sesame seeds and green onions you can give a restaurant quality look to the dish without a ton of extra time and effort. And best of all? These wings will minimize your time in the kitchen or at the grill so you can get back to enjoying your own party.


Sweet & Spicy Asian BBQ Wings




  • 20 Tyson Grillin Wings
  • 1/2 cup Hoisin sauce
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons Teriyaki sauce
  • 1 tablespoon mined garlic
  • 1 tablespoon minced ginger
  • diced green onions for garnish (optional)
  • sesame seeds for garnish (optional)

  • 1.) Mix together the Hoisin sauce, brown sugar, Teriyaki sauce, garlic and ginger in a bowl and warm on the stove top until the brown sugar has dissolved . 

    2.) Set sauce aside in a large bowl

    3.) Grill wings as directed for 15 minutes. 

    4.) Take wings take them off the grill and  place them in the bowl of sauce and toss till coated. 

    5.) Return wings to the grill for another 4-5 minutes.

    6.) Serve finished wings on a large platter and garnish with Sesame seeds and diced green onions.


    Connect with Tyson:

    And if you purchase one bag of participating Grillin’ Wings at Sam’s Club between 5/1-6/1 you will receive a $5 Sam's Club giftcard!
    Just scan your receipt to wings@drvsusa.com via text or email
    and you will receive receipt validation via text or email with code to utilize on tysonwings.com to receive $5 Sam’s Club gift card and automatically be entered for a chance to win a new grill from Sam’s Club. 
    While Supplies last www.drvsusa.com/wings 

    Looking for other recipe ideas using Tyson Chicken?




    Monday, April 21, 2014

    Back Porch Survival Kit For The Guys

    This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and Scandinavian Tobacco Group Lane, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #CuberoLuxury http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV


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    What this could really be called is "how to keep the guys outside and not interrupting you every five seconds so you can have girl time" Kits but that just didn't seem to have the same ring to it.


    Everyone knows the situation: You have a few couples over for dinner and then afterwards the girls want to stay inside drinking wine and gossiping while the men head outside for cigars and a drink. But inevitably, the sliding glass door will open and someone's husband will ask for ice, a snack or another dessert. And sure enough, girl time gets interrupted over and over again.


    So for our next get together, I assembled some man kits which will hopefully keep the men out on the back porch around the fire pit for a least a little bit so we ladies can have some quality talk time with our wine.


    I went to Walmart and grabbed a variety of Cubero Cigars. The size, packaging and variety of blends gave me the perfect selection to include to make sure that everyone has something to make them happy. I also grabbed some smoked almonds and dark chocolate. I swung by the liquor store and grabbed a few mini bottles of whisky to complete my man essentials.


    After our next dinner, all I have to do is put some ice in some little tubs, add a small plastic cup and my Cubero Cigars and other items. This way the guys can enjoy their evening outside on the back porch and have everything they might need right at their fingertips.

    This means happy husbands and happy wives since we won't be jumping up every five seconds to bring them ice, a drink or a snack.

    I am not a doctor or a healthcare professional. Please be sure to enjoy everything show in this post responsibly and in moderation, and that includes the dark chocolate : ) 



    Tuesday, April 15, 2014

    {Skinny} Root Beer Float Trifles

    This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group™ and Dr. Pepper Snapple Group but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #TENways  http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV


    It is said that nothing is certain but death and taxes and if you live in South Florida, you can probably add swim suit season to that list. Every year without fail the warm weather sneaks up on us and next thing you know it's daytime highs of 90 degrees and sunny and the beach and pool become a regular weekend event.


    Warmer weather also means that after a day out in the hot sun all I want is a cold bubbly drink or a cool refreshing treat. And with swim suit season looming on the horizon, I am trying to find a way to have my cake (or soda, or ice cream) and eat it too. Have I used up my cliche quota for this post yet?

    One of the ways you can swap out a high calorie beverage for a lower calorie one is by checking out the new line of TEN Sodas. With ten calorie per serving versions of 7-Up, Sunkist, Canada Dry & A&W Root Beer you will be sure to find something to satisfies your soda craving without making you sacrifice flavor.


    Seeing the A&W TEN on the shelves during a recent trip to Walmart finally gave me the push I needed to try out one of those cake recipes you see on Pinterest where the recipe is touted as being as easy as mixing a can of low calorie soda with a box of cake mix. I feel like I have pinned some version of that dessert at least a hundred times in the last year but I have never had the motivation to actual make it.


    While at Walmart,  I grabbed a box of German Chocolate cake mix, some fat free Cool Whip and a box of sugar free Jell-O pudding mix and headed home to put Pinterest to the test. The cake turned out amazing, I was prepared for it to be not as good as regular cake but really it was fantastic.


    Since I was hoping to make this a treat that I could use to replace the desire for ice cream after a hot day, I decided to jazz up the cake a little bit. I mixed the box of sugar free pudding mix into the fat free Cool Whip to make my own lighter version of icing and then layered it with pieces of cake and sprinkles to make my  own version of a root beer float trifle.


    Stored in the fridge these are the perfect little treat for the end of the day and a while they aren't completely calorie free, they definitely have a lot less sugar and fat than your typical frozen treat. With only four 1 inch squares of cake and a little whipped topping each, they can satisfy your sweet tooth without filling you up.

    I am now imaging all kinds of versions of this dessert. Sunkist TEN Creamsicle Trifles anyone?

    Skinny Root Beer Float Trifles

    • 1 box of German Chocolate Cake Mix
    • 12 oz of A&W TEN Root Beer
    • 1 tub of fat free Cool Whip
    • 1 box of sugar free Jell-O vanilla pudding mix
    • Cherries and chocolate sprinkles for garnishing, optional

    1.) Using an electric hand mixer, beat together the soda and the cake mix.

    2.) Pour into a greased 9x13 pan and bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes.

    3.) While the cake is baking, stir the pudding mix into the Cool Whip and set aside.

    4.) Once the cake has cooled, cut into one inch squares.

    5.) Press or crumble two squares into the bottom of each cup.

    6.) Using a spoon or a piping bag, add a small layer of the Cool Whip pudding mixture, add in a few sprinkles if desired.

    7) Add two more squares of crumbled cake, top with Cool Whip pudding mixture and add a cherry and sprinkles.

    8) Store in an airtight container in the fridge and enjoy when ever you need a cool, refreshing treat.

    Want to try the TEN line of sodas for yourself? Head on over to Walmart.com and print a coupon for up to $1.50 off your purchase of  TWO 2 Liter bottles or TWO 4-pack cans of 7UP TEN, A&W TEN, Canada Dry TEN, RC TEN or Sunkist TEN soda. (Offer available while supplies last, from 3/27-4/17) You can also visit DPSG on Facebook or Twitter to learn more about the TEN line of sodas.



    Friday, April 4, 2014

    Saved 74% at Publix- Spent $21 for $81 Worth


    After a relaxing week of Spring Break and a few days at Disney World I am back to work and reality this week. And reality means needing groceries. So I hit up Publix on Tuesday to grab a few things we were low on (clearly yogurt) and a few super deals to hold us off until I shop the new ad this weekend.

    I was a little disorganized this week so I probably missed out a few good deals due to the fact that I just couldn't get all my coupons together. My store was also out of a couple of the super deals so I had to skip them.

    I used my two $5/$30 Winn Dixie coupons as usual which really helped bring my total down. I had gift cards from blog promos for the whole total out of pocket so I was happy not to need any of my weekly grocery cash budget. I have a HUGE list for this weekend so hopefully everything lines up right and I can get it all.

    Breakdown of Tuesday's Publix trip:
    Total retail value: $81.37
    Total spent: $21.18
    Total saved: $60.19
    Percent saved: 74%

    What I got with coupon/sale match ups:

    • Bag of Publix salad, retails for $3.09, on sale for $2.00
      • Used a $2 off Publix produce WYB any 2 Ziploc bags Green Ad. Flyer coupon
      • Made it FREE
    • 1 bottle of Seventh Generation Dish Soap, retails for $3.38, on sale for $2.71
    • 2 boxes of Ziploc bags, retails for $2.39 each, on sale for $2.00 each
      • Used a .75/2 coupon from the 3/16 SS
      • Made them $1.62 each (plus I got FREE salad with the $2 off produce coupon)
    • 2 Friendship Sour Creams, retails for $2.35 each, on sale BOGO ($1.18 each)
    • 3 Dannon Okios Green Yogurts, retails for $1.20 each
    • 1 jar of California Sundried Tomatoes, retails for $6.99, on sale for $3.99 
    • 2 bags of Ricework Crisps, retails for $2.89 each, on sale for $1.44 each
    • 1 bottle of California Olive Ranch Extra Virgin Olive Oil, retails for $8.99, on sale for $4.49
    • 1 package of Mission Tortillas, retails for $2.19, on sale for $1.50
    • 1 dozen Publix eggs, retails for $2.29
    • 6 Muller Greek Yogurts, retails for $1.25 each, on sale for $1 each
      • Used two $1/3 blinkie coupons found in store
      • Used one $2/5 coupon from the 3/2 RP
      • Made them .50 cents each
    • 2 boxes of Belvita Breakfast Biscuits, retails for $3.69 each, on sale for $2.50 each
    • 2 packages of Philly Creme Cheese, retails for $2.94 each, on sale for $1.50 each
    • 1 four pack of Starkist Tuna, retails for $6.55, on sale for $3.99
    • 1 box of Alka-Seltzer Cold & Flu, retails for $5.29, on sale for $4.99
      • Used a $2 off coupon from the 3/16 SS
      • Made it $2.99
    • Bag of matchstick carrots, $1.89

    How did you do this week? Comment with your best deals or leave a link to your shopping posts!

    Thursday, April 3, 2014

    Baked Cadbury Egg Donuts

    Light and fluffy chocolate donuts made from boxed muffin mix topped with white chocolate candy coating and crushed Cadbury Mini Eggs for an easy and beautiful holiday breakfast treat. 


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    With only two weeks until Easter, I would usually be done posting holiday recipes. But these were too good not to share. These donut have been in my head since December when I made these Peppermint Bark Donuts. They were so easy and so good that I started imagining all of the different possible topping combinations that could be used on them. And the first thing that came to mind? Cadbury Eggs.


    When it comes to Easter candy, I have a constant internal battle going on between Cadbury Cream Eggs and Cadbury Mini Eggs. The Creme Egg is perfect for when you want one really decadent treat to satisfy a craving. But the Mini Eggs? Those guys are for when you want to snack on something sweet and crunchy while watching Grey's Anatomy on the couch in your pj's. One intense dessert vs. a handful of chocolatey bites. How to choose?


    Luckily, logistics chose for me in this dessert. While I am sure Cadbury Creme Eggs would be over the top good on these donuts, I don't know how pretty they would look. And since everyone knows that cuteness is at least as important as taste (maybe even more important) when it comes to holiday treats the Mini Eggs won.


    I am obsessed with how easy this recipe is. I used boxed chocolate muffin mix and baked it in my Wilton Donut Pans . I dipped the tops in Candiquik and then pressed them crushed Cadbury Eggs. The whole dozen was ready in 45 minutes start to finish (and that includes 12 minutes of baking time.


    These donuts would be perfect for an Easter brunch, class party and the look adorable on a white cake plate as a center piece. I love that you can switch it up by using different batters (boxed or homemade) and I am already thinking of all the different Easter candies I might use next time around. Reese Pieces Eggs anyone?


    Baked Cadbury Egg Donuts
    • 1 box of Chocolate Muffin Mix and the ingredients called for on the box
    • 1 package of white chocolate Candiquik
    • 1 cup of Cadbury Mini Egg crushed
    1.) Following the instructions on the box, prepare the muffin mix batter. 

    2.) Using a pastry bag without a tip or a Ziploc bag with a corner cut off and fill a donut pan with the muffin batter.

     3.) Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. 

    4.) Melt Candiquik according to the directions on package and dip the top of each donut into the melted topping.

     5.) Crush Cadbury Eggs and put them on a plate. Press freshly dipped donuts into the crushed candy canes and place on a cooling rack to dry. 

    6.) Store in an airtight container and enjoy! 


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