Welcome To Tobins' Tastes!

Hi and welcome to Tobins' Tastes! In 2011 I started Couponing & Cooking as a way to share my growing recipe collection and tips on saving money on groceries with family and friends. It began as something fun and random but eventually turned into a pretty lucrative source of second income for our family.

While I loved blogging, somewhere along the way I got a little too into doing sponsored posts and took on a little more than I could enjoy. The site moved away from who Justin and I were at heart become more business than fun. Over the last five years we've realized that we love blogging but we wanted something that was a more authentic version of us- our recipes, our travel, our lives and some sponsored content thrown in as well. 

In early 2015, I attended Food Blog Forum in Orlando and felt completely re-energized to find our blogging voice and move in a different direction then we had been. I had grand plans of a site redesign, new name and new post ideas- by the way I was three months pregnant at the time and had no idea that I would soon loose all motivation to do anything but watch Netflix and pin nursery ideas. So I took a little blogging break.

Due to end of the school year craziness (I'm a full time teacher), summer travel, some minor pregnancy complications, the start of the school year, the birth of our son, Easton, in October, life with a newborn and returning to work full time last month that little break became a year. I am starting to feel like I am ready blog again and so Tobins' Tastes has been born. 

I'm hoping this can evolve into a place where Justin and I share our love of food, travel, photography, Disney, Easton and life in general. Couponing & Cooking still exists and the posts will be there for the foreseeable future for you to revisit when needed but I'm looking forward to a new start! 

Diaper Changing Station Must Haves

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #NurseryMusts #CollectiveBias

When I found I was pregnant last year, I could not wait to start my baby registry. As someone who had not so secretly been stalking the baby section at Target for years, I knew that I would be registering there. Not only do they have all the essentials but they also have some of the cutest bedding, clothes and accessories around. The registry and our unbelievably thoughtful family and friends helped us get exactly what we needed to set up Easton's nursery.

Setting up the nursery can be one of the most exciting and simultaneously overwhelming parts of getting ready for a baby. If you are anything like me you probably did a lot of googling and pinteresting in planning your baby's new room. I had so many grand ideas that I wanted to use but given our space and budget restraints I ended up adapting my visions to fit our home. 

We converted our old office into Easton's nursery and while its many windows allow for tons of light they also mean that we are short on wall space. This meant that we had to get creative to make space for our changing table area. By taking the doors off of one side of the nursery closet we were able to do just that.

Alongside our changing table, I wanted an area where I could keep all of baby's diapering must haves in arm's reach as well as to provide for some storage. We used a five cube storage shelf next to the table and I added some baskets for storage. I had visions of my tiny baby laying peacefully while I changed his diaper in a perfectly organized changing station. And for the first few months of his life, that dream actually came true.

The second Easton turned three months old he suddenly figured out that he had the ability to move around on his changing table. It started with sumo stopping his feet every time we tried to change his diaper and has now progressed to reaching behind his head and pulling wipes out of the container and putting them in his mouth. While I have never and would never leave him unattended on the changing table, his new found mobility means I have to be more vigilant than ever and that has lead to some reorganizing of our changing area.

Our current diaper changing station must haves are:

• Diapers and wipes- lots of them. Originally I stored all of Easton's extra diapers and wipes in his bathroom closet. A few poorly timed blow outs with low supplies means I now keep everything within arms reach of his changing tables. Both my diapers and wipes are stored in baskets that I can access with one hand so I can keep the other on Easton.
• A Diaper Genie Complete- I originally registered for and got the Diaper Genie Essentials which was great at first. However, I fell in love with the Complete version at a friends house a few weeks ago and I am loving the bigger size, the foot pedal open and the fact that it holds up to 270 diapers before needed to be emptied. 
• Baby personal care items- I use a clear plastic tray to organize all of Easton's personal items. We try to keep his lotions, diaper creams, hair brush, thermometer, nose bulbs, and other items all in one places so that we aren't scrambling looking for them. Having all of it right next to me when I change him makes it much easier. 
• Touch Light- We bought this at Target right after Easton was born and it is perfect for adding a little light in the middle of the night without turning on the bright overhead light. It was so easy to stick right on the shelf too.
• A strategically placed laundry hamper- I love having the hamper right next to the changing table so I can just drop his dirty outfits right in without having to take a step.
• Easy access to baby's clothes- Along with keeping all his onesies, sleepers and socks in the changing table drawers, our closet set up allows me to hang his outfit for the day right within arms reach so I can just grab it off the hanger while standing in front of the changing table. 

While most of these things have been set up since before Easton was born upgrading to the Diaper Genie complete has been a small change that has made a huge difference especially for me as a fire fighter's wife who often is on her own. Seriously, that foot pedal must have been invented by someone who changes a lot of diaper blow outs without any help ; )

While I was shopping in Target for the new Diaper Genie I also picked up a Playtex VentAire bottle to try too. Now that I am back to work full time we are starting to supplement with formula and I am looking to find the right bottle for Easton. I am excited to see how he likes the angled design and anti-colic vent. He had colic and gas issues as a newborn so hopefully these features will help his tummy. 

Moms, what are your nursery must haves? 

Mickey or Minnie? {A Disney Baby Gender Reveal Party}

 This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #MagicBabyMoments #CollectiveBias

Hopefully you saw our recent news that we are expecting! Justin & I are both big Disney lovers who are Annual Passholders to Disney World so it was only fitting that we incorporate some element of Disney into our pregnancy announcement on social media. To carry on our theme we thought it would be fun to use some Disney Baby products to create a little gender reveal party to let our family know if Baby Tobin was going to be a Mickey or a Minnie!

Being that it was the end of the school year and that I am pregnant, I went with the less is more approach and decided to do a dessert party instead of having everyone over for a full blown sit down dinner. I did my decorating ahead of time with Disney Baby products I picked up at Walmart and I made sure that most of my desserts were easy to make.

For the main table, I used Disney Baby Table Toppers as place mats. I loved how easy there were to use and that they didn't slide around. As a future parent and an aunt to a very curious 5 month old, I find the idea genius.

For my centerpiece I used an old Easter tree and decorated it with Mickey and Minnie pacifiers and colored plastic safety pins I found in the party section at Walmart. I  used sippy cups to hold pretzel rods and Disney Baby silverware to serve the fruit.

Guests had a few different ways to show their support for their gender guess. I hung Mickey and Minnie bibs on a white foam board and let family and friends use mini pink and blue clothes pins to indicate which they thought it was. I also set up a milk station (because what goes better with desserts?) and guests could add a pink or blue straw depending on their preference.

At the table, all of the dessert choices but one were gender specific. I served:

• White Chocolate Dipped Pretzel Rods with pink or blue sprinkles
• Sugar Cookies dusted with pink or blue sugar
• Blueberries and Raspberries
• Icing Filled Buttermilk Cupcake Bites

Guests could pick blues or pinks depending on what they thought the baby was. Everyone also got a mini cupcake with a question mark on it and they were instructed not to bite into until we gave the word.

To make the cupcakes, I used my basic buttermilk cupcake bites recipe and then dyed icing the appropriate color. After they cooled, I used an icing bag with a fine tip to inject each cupcake with icing. I then dipped each top in melting chocolate (as I do in the original recipe) and used an icing writer to pipe on a black question mark.

Once everyone had gotten their desserts and sat down, we had everyone bite into their cupcakes at the same time and reveal if Baby Tobin was a Mickey or a Minnie.

And the moment of truth???

Disney Pregnancy Announcement

You may have been wondering where I have been for the last few weeks/months. Well, on top of the general end of the year teaching craziness Justin and I are very excited to announce that we are expecting! Baby Tobin will hopefully be making a debut in early October!

Given our not so secret love of all things Disney we went with a Disney themed pregnancy announcement a few weeks ago on social media. We had the ears made at the Magic Kingdom over Spring Break and spent a very fun and very hot afternoon staging pictures of the ears in front of the castle.

Since this is a blog that centers around baking and cooking, I also had to make a little baking themed announcement too. It may seem silly but I have been back in the kitchen lately and not being able to lick the spoon/bowl due to raw eggs has been pure torture. (I know the risk is minimal but I am attempting to be better safe than sorry.)

Please keep us and Baby Tobin in your thoughts and prayers over the next few months and hopefully I should be back to a regular baking and blogging schedule soon!

Want to make the delicious looking Buttermilk Cupcake Bites in the photo above? Check out the recipe!

Heading to Disney with a baby soon? Check out our tips and tricks!

Easter Brunch Celebration With Snack Pack Pudding Cups

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #SnackPackMixins #CollectiveBias

Easter in my family means early morning mass, brunch, bright colors and lots of desserts. This year I combined all of our traditions into an easy Easter morning brunch complete with adorable make your Easter Pudding Cups for everyone to enjoy along with their breakfast. 

When we were younger we would go to 10:30 mass and then head right over to my grandparents' beach club for a huge family brunch with all the cousins. As the years went by that brunch somehow kept getting pushed back until it is now at 1:30 in the afternoon. We still call it brunch, but it is clearly a lunch. 

Over the last few years we started to attend Easter Sunday Sunrise Mass which left us with the dilemma of being starving at 8:30 in the morning when it was over but knowing we had a huge lunch/brunch to attend later in the afternoon. 

The very first year we found ourselves in this predicament my Uncle Bob threw together some pancakes and we all devoured them with a side of Easter candy. Not the most traditional of breakfasts but my family refuses to eat a meal that doesn't have dessert. 

So this year, I am putting together a little brunch that solves our "Sunrise Mass is over but lunch isn't for another five hours" problem. 

This brunch will definitely wake you up with it's bright colors, sparkly silverware and neon Easter grass. I paired pancakes with white chocolate dipped fruit and copious amounts of Easter sprinkles. 

For our breakfast desserts, I set up an Easter Pudding Cup Bar with both Chocolate and Vanilla Super Snack packs and an assortment of mix ins so that everyone could make their own personalized treat. I included:

• Sprinkles
• White Chocolate Dipped Honey Maid Graham Crackers
• Malted Milk Easter Eggs 
• Chocolate Easter Eggs
• White Chocolate Chips
• Toffee Bits
• White Chocolate Dipped Fruit
• Shredded Coconut (dyed green)
• Mini Easter Bunny Cakes (see below for recipe)

The mix ins allowed for all sorts of pudding cup creations but some of my favorites used the shredded coconut for grass with a cute arrangement of Easter eggs on them as well as the ones topped with the Mini Easter Bunny Cakes.

I made the mini bunny cakes using a boxed yellow cake mix in this Bunny Silicone Treat Mold . Make sure to spray the mold with Pam to make them easier to get out. Bake at 350 degrees for ten minutes. I then put the baked cakes in the freezer for a few minutes to make them easier to dip. 

I dipped the bunny cakes in white chocolate and then let them set. I used food coloring markers to draw on their faces. To help them stay upright in the pudding cups, I stuck a toothpick in to the bottom of each bunny and then placed it on top of the shredded coconut. 

I found the Super Snack Pack pudding cups and everything else I needed for the brunch at my local Walmart and used a lot of my own stash of Easter decorations for the decor. I love that the pudding cups will allow my family to satisfy their need for dessert without breaking into their foot tall solid chocolate Easter bunnies. Also, each Super Snack Pack has the same amount of calcium as an 8 oz glass of milk which totally makes them appropriate for brunch right?

What are your family's Easter traditions? 

Game Day Swiss Cheese Bacon Dip

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #BigGameSnacks #CollectiveBias

 

When it comes to watching sports, my family can be pretty intense. We are serious about our favorite college team and we almost as serious about our game watch food. I've posted about a lot of dips that we enjoy in our household and yet somehow I have neglected to post our family's ultimate game day party dip: Swiss Cheese Bacon Dip. And since our team has actually made it to the playoffs in basketball this year, we will hopefully be making this appetizer a few more times this season.

Yes, we eat a lot of cheese dip in my extended family. Yes they are all beloved and unique. But this one is special- and not just because it has the word bacon in it. I don't even normally like bacon. As in I have never eaten a piece of bacon by itself before and I don't ever plan to. But this dip? I'm obsessed with it. It is actually the only way I have ever eaten bacon and I am totally OK with that.

My family is fanatical about our college alma mater and if you read this blog you are probably tired of me telling stories about my leprechaun loving family's antics while watching football and basketball so I am going to keep this post focused on the food. The cheesy, bacony, hot and gooey food.

It's a given that when the game watch hostess assigns everyone their dishes someone will be making this. The first question my mom and sister ask when I invite them over to watch a game is "Who's making the Swiss Cheese Bacon Dip?" You'd think I am embellishing this for the sake of a post but if you know my family, you know I'm not. It only takes minutes to make but I guarantee it will be the star of any game watch party you bring it too.

Bacon Dip can be paired with any kind of chip, cracker or even veggie if you are into dipping your carrots and celery into hot, bacon filled cheese. Sometimes we top with with crushed crackers and I think my aunt may even top it with more bacon. Recently I grabbed some White Cheddar Cheez-It Grooves at Walmart and they were just thing to scoop up the cheesy goodness that is this dip.

Swiss Cheese Bacon Dip

• 8oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise 
• 4oz. shredded Swiss cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped scallions
• 8 pieces of cooked bacon, crumbled

1.) Mix all the ingredients together and spread into a shallow baking dish. I used a pie dish. 

2.) Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until bubbling and golden brown.

3.) Serve with Cheez-Its, crackers, chips or veggies for the perfect game day treat!

Are you as obsessed with cheese as my family is? Right now Cheez-It is hosting the Most Valuable Cheese Contest through April 2015. You can vote on you favorite flavors/varieties of Cheez-It flavors and play games for a chance to win $10,000. Be sure to check it out!