Food, Giveaways

Country Bob’s Sauce Review and Giveaway–CLOSED

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Winners:  Rose, comment #2 by Random Number Generator (which was funny because I liked her comment best, but decided I should pick somebody else then…) so I picked Anna who would use it with venison to make jerky, since I’ve been on a jerky kick lately.  Anna, you should send me the jerky ;)  Thanks to all for entering and congratulations to the winners!

 

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Recently I was sent two bottles of Country Bob’s All-Purpose Sauce to try out and review for my blog.  (You can see lonely bottle two hiding in the background there.)

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Now, contrary to popular belief, I am actually an inherently lazy person.  So my first thought was naturally, let’s take this sauce and use it with some chicken in the crockpot.  So I took a couple of chicken breasts, dumped a bottle of sauce on it, and let it cook slowly all day. (This is my go-to crockpot recipe.  I’ve used different kinds of BBQ sauce, this sauce, salsa, various condensed soups.  You can also add vegetables to it, like carrots which cook really nicely in the crockpot.)

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When you do this, if you really want the chicken to be flavorful, you have to take two forks and really shred the chicken up into small bits, and then let it cook some more.

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SO good!  The sauce had a really good flavor, not too spicy, but not too sweet either. Chris and I have been brainstorming a couple ways to use the other bottle, and what I think we’ll do is use it for chicken wings, but we just haven’t had a chance with all of his travels.  The website also has a bunch of recipe ideas.  Now, it’s a processed sauce, so it’s got sugar and all that, but let’s be honest with ourselves.  Sometimes convenience and taste win out, and this sauce definitely tastes good.  When you get home from work at 10 pm and want dinner, a crockpot meal is genius.

I received the bottles for free to try out, but I would buy them again, or maybe try one of the other sauces they have.

If you want to win two bottles to try out for yourself—two ways to win, leave a separate comment for the second part if you do it: (GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED)

1. Just leave a comment below and tell me how YOU would use the sauce if you win.

2. Follow Country Bob’s on Facebook or Twitter (or both).

I get to have two winners for this contest, so I’ll choose one using a random number generator and the other based on the most interesting comment, in my own opinion, so have fun with it! 

This contest/giveaway runs only until Wednesday, September 5 at 10 pm CST. US Residents only. NOW CLOSED, thanks for entering!  Winners announced tomorrow morning.

Boston, Travel

Weekend Getaway

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I have never been a huge fan of flying.  I’m not afraid or anything like that, I simply find it tiresome.  I’m more of a car person—I love riding in the car.  As a kid we took tons of car trips—we would road trip for weeks on end, driving from the east coast to the west coast.  I think it would be fun to repeat something like that, but Chris is not a fan of extended road trips. 

I do enjoy seeing new places though, as I guess most people do.  Tomorrow I’m heading to Boston for the first time ever!  It’s for a friend’s wedding, but I’ll be there almost 24 hours in advance so I’m hoping to do some sight-seeing and (this is so HLB of me, but) get a run in along the harbor.  My hotel will be very close to the Boston Harbor (I believe that is what it is called) so that seems like a great place to run.  If I’m wrong, I’ll figure that out when I get there.  There’s also a possibility of getting to go to the rehearsal dinner tomorrow night (just got invited last night) which is a Harbor Cruise, BUT it would mean the stars aligning and my flight being on time or early, getting off the plane fairly quickly, not having to wait for a cab, and then there not being any real traffic between the airport and the hotel.  I’d love to make it, but I’m (of course) stressed about it, and I’m telling myself if it turns out to be possible, GREAT, if not, I’ll just have dinner on my own and maybe meet up with some of the girls after the dinner.  Going away for just the weekend is not something I usually do:  when I travel it tends to be for more days at a time as I don’t usually see the point.  But when I got her invitation, I really wanted to go, I COULD go, and getting to visit a new city is just a bonus. 

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Katie, Stephanie, and Lauren—Lauren is the one getting married this weekend (from my wedding, of course 😉 )

I originally decided to travel to Boston on my own.  I don’t know who else will be at the wedding, but I have quite a few mutual friends with the friend getting married so I figured there would be people I know there.  I learned yesterday who a couple of them are (SO pumped to see them again!) and I’m hoping to see more people I know.  The music world is so small that it’s difficult NOT to run into people you know at these sorts of events, and if you don’t know anyone, well, being a musician is such a great connection that it’s easy to make new friends.

(I’m trying to frame the flight in my head as a good time to relax and read.  I’m working my way through the Game of Thrones series and my goal is to finish the second book tomorrow and the third book by the time I go to Paris.  I have some other books I want/need to read, but I don’t think I’ll want to start those until I finish this series.)

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What do you mean, new friends?  Aren’t I enough for you?

On a more serious note:  My grandmother made it through the surgery but because of some existing health problems is now having some other issues.  Please continue to keep her and my family in your thoughts and prayers. 

Random thoughts

Talking to myself

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Sometimes I blog just to post pictures or talk to myself on the internet.

It’s easy to feel like life is just a series of bad events strung together with a few good things happening in between.  Yesterday was one of those bad events—my grandmother was in an accident and I am awaiting word on how she is doing.  Sometimes it’s hard being so far away from family.

To distract myself from worrying and kill a little time before my next appointment, here are some pictures from my phone that I haven’t shared with you yet.

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Ninja socks!  I wore these to the gym on Monday.  Nobody even SAW me.  (Actually not true.   I got a lot of stares.  More than the usual due to my good looks 😉 )

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The school I teach at has a new snazzy brochure (and website)! It looks really great, and has some pictures taken by none other than Sarah Crowder on the inside.  We are all working hard to make the school an awesome place to take lessons.

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One of my students brought me an amazing gift—a wallet made out of duct tape.  I was so delighted!  If I gave grades in violin, she would totally be getting an “A”.  (Okay, she’d be getting one anyway because she works hard, but still, if gift-giving affected grades, and if I gave grades…what I’m saying is that her thoughtfulness helped me feel a little better on a bad day.)

If you haven’t read my post from yesterday about the Symphony’s European Tour, you should, it’s a good one.

And please keep my grandmother and my family in your thoughts and prayers.

Paris, Travel

Your Guide to the St Louis Symphony European Tour

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As many of you know, my husband Chris plays viola with the St Louis Symphony.  You may or may not know that the St Louis Symphony is about to embark on their first European Tour in decades. 

They are playing concerts in London, Berlin, Luzerne, and Paris.  I will be flying out to meet him in Paris.  I will see the final tour concert there and then we are sightseeing in Paris for a week.  Needless to say, we are excited.

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(Pounds, Euros, and Swiss Francs.  Chris’s per diem money.)

In addition to the tour-related stress and anticipation in the Frantillo household, the internet is abuzz as well.  Several symphony musicians will be live-tweeting the tour, including my friend Jon.  You can (and should!) follow them on Twitter:

Jon Reycraft, trombone (@reycraftian), Jennifer Nitchman, flute (@jennynitch), Celeste Boyer, violin (@celesteboyer), and Diana Haskell, clarinet (@dihaskell).  They’ll be using the hashtag #slsotour so you can follow that as well if you are twitter saavy.  I also recommend you follow @slso, @adamcrane, and @eebsworthgoold for more tour and symphony information.  And of course I’ll be tweeting as usual—if you like my blog, you’ll enjoy my twitter account. (@hannahviolin).

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What if you aren’t on twitter, you ask?  You can also follow the Symphony on their facebook page instead, follow their Tour Blog, or perhaps read about it on other news sites.  This is an interesting article about the tour that you can start with, and here’s a link to "Cityscape", a local NPR show, on which a couple of the SLSO musicians talk about the tour and especially the Proms.  (Being invited to play at the Proms is a HUGE honor.)

Here’s the tour concert schedule:

September 4, 2012 (London, Royal Albert Hall)
David Robertson, conductor
Christian Tetzlaff, violin
BRAHMS:  Tragic Overture
BEETHOVEN:  Violin Concerto
SCHOENBERG: Five Pieces for Orchestra
GERSHWIN:  An American in Paris
http://www.bbc.co.uk/proms (I made this into a direct link to the concert info rather than the main proms site)

I believe that this concert will be broadcast on the internet—it’s at 7:30 pm London time, so you should be able to figure that out for your own time zone.  (Unlike the Olympic coverage, you may need to listen to it live though someone on the facebook page suggested it would be archived for a week.)

September 5, 2012—Berlin (Musikfest Berlin 2012 at Berliner Philharmonie)
David Robertson, conductor
Christian Tetzlaff, violin

ELLIOTT CARTER:  Holiday Overture
BEETHOVEN:  Violin Concerto
SCHOENBERG:  Five Pieces for Orchestra
GERSHWIN:  An American in Paris

http://www.musikfestberlin.de

September 6, 2012—Lucerne (The Lucerne Festival, Kultur- und Kongresszentrum Luzern)
David Robertson, conductor
Christian Tetzlaff, violin

IVES: The Unanswered Question
BEETHOVEN: Violin Concerto
SIBELIUS: Symphony No. 1

http://www.lucernefestival.ch

September 7, 2012—Paris (Salle Pleyel)
David Robertson, conductor
Christian Tetzlaff, violin

BRAHMS:  Tragic Overture
BEETHOVEN: Violin Concerto
ELLIOTT CARTER:  Holiday Overture
GERSHWIN:  An American in Paris

http://www.sallepleyel.fr

This one at Salle Pleyel is the one I will be attending.  I can’t wait!

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Oh, and tonight is the "Rally Concert" at Powell Hall.  Let’s all join together and wish the Symphony a "Happy Flight!"

(Disclaimer, will not be attending because I will be teaching children to play the violin instead.)

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(Gift from Chris’s mom—neither of us speaks French, so I guess we’d better learn quickly!  Luckily Chris already speaks English so he’ll be okay for the first tour stop.)

Giveaways

Mia Mariu Product Review and Giveaway (closed)

134 Comments

Winner has been notified—congrats to Carol Sue!

I never wore much makeup when I was younger.  I still don’t really, but I do wear more than I used to.  Chris always says he prefers me without makeup, but the older I’ve gotten I like to wear more because it makes me feel better and I feel like I look more professional as well.  Generally I wear a bit of foundation, powder, eyeliner, and mascara.  If I’m really getting fancy I’ll add eyeshadow, blush, and something on my lips.

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(Me, fancy.  Hey, I’m still a newlywed, I can post wedding pictures for at least the rest of this year, right?)

When Mia Mariu asked if I would review a couple of their products, I said sure.  They sent a few things, including an anti-aging serum and a lip gloss.  Now, I can’t properly review the anti-aging serum after using it for just a week or so, because I don’t know how well (or poorly) it is keeping me from aging, but I’ll say that it is a very nice texture, feels great going on, and has a nice neutral smell.  It seems to moisturize well, and I don’t feel that I’ve gotten too much more visibly older yet.  So far I like it, and I’ll keep using it (at least until the bottle runs out!)

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The lip gloss is in lipstick form, which I am absolutely terrible at applying.  I know as a “27 year old” woman (that was something we decided on at my party last night, I am not actually 27) I should be able to apply lipstick, but I can’t.  The color looks bright red, but is actually really subtle.

Anyway, I should tell you, yes, I got these products for free to review, but I do like them, especially the “Anti-Aging Brightening Serum.”  I also liked the little sample packs.

CONTEST NOW CLOSED!  WINNER ANNOUNCED TOMORROW.

Now it’s your chance!  You can win one Anti-Aging Brightening Serum and one Hydrating Stick Gloss (your choice of color).  Retail Value of $52.  US Residents only please.

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Three ways to enter (please leave a comment for each way you enter)

1.  Leave a comment on this post—it can be about anything, but I’d love to hear what your usual morning beauty routine is.

Bonus entries:

2. “Like” Mia Mariu on facebook.  (You can also “like” Hannahviolin, but it’s not required.)

3.  Follow Mia Mariu on twitter, follow me on twitter, and tweet the following:

“I just entered to win a free @mia_mariu anti-aging serum and gloss from http://hannahviolin.me/2012/08/27/mia-mariu-product-review-and-giveaway/ @hannahviolin”

Contest will run until Monday, September 3rd at 11 pm CST.  Good luck! NOW CLOSED, THANKS TO ALL WHO ENTERED!

Food

You can wrap anything in bacon and it will taste awesome

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Edited to add:  The winner of the previous contest was Nancy who wanted to try the Ginger Snaps Cupcakes.  (I used a random number generator.  I have emailed Nancy and thanks to ALL of you for entering!  My next contest will be announced tonight or tomorrow.)

Happy Monday to you all.  I’m sitting at home, reveling in the fact that after two months of vacation, Chris has gone back to work (on a Monday, no less, and keep in mind the symphony never works on Monday so this totally weird), and I’m doing busywork and have no work until late afternoon.

I’m recovering from our barbecue yesterday.  Or cookout.  I’ve been over all of that before…in a nutshell, we invited a bunch of our friends over to eat burgers, potato salad, other good food, and to show off our new house.  And also just to have fun.

While Chris was on “mancation” the other week, his friend Norbert taught him how to make Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers.  He decided he wanted to recreate them for our friends also.

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First you half and de seed all the jalapenos.  Be sure to wash your hands really well.  In fact, the following day Chris asked me if I could put in his contact lens for him since the first eye had gotten a little red.  The answer was, in fact, no, I cannot.  I can put MY contacts in no matter what, but I couldn’t do his.

Anyway, after you get all the jalapenos done, slice the bacon in half.  You’ll want half a slice for each half of a pepper.  (I know, this is a really casually written recipe.  It’s basic enough that I am just not concerned.  And it’s more of a method, not really a recipe.)  Take the cream cheese and fill each pepper with cream cheese, wrap it in a half slice of bacon, and hold in place with a toothpick.

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Place on a flat cookie sheet, which I recommend covering in foil.

Bake at 425 for some amount of time.  We thought maybe we should have baked them longer as the bacon didn’t get as crispy as I would have wanted.  Nonetheless, these are good no matter what.

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They went fast.  We still have some leftover from a batch we didn’t bake yet though.  They were delicious!  I figure they count as vegetables in one’s diet so they are healthy.

Jon brought their baby over, and Sarah Crowder and her husband came as well.  (Can I say how much I love making new friends?  I am finally realizing this, that I truly embrace new friends…I used to think it was hard, but I’ve realized I’m actually pretty darned good at it.  Keeping old friends is a different story, but it’s generally because somebody moves away…)

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Sarah and Benjamin

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Steve showed off his burger masterpiece.  By the way, we have a ton of meat left.  Who wants to come over for dinner again this week?  Luckily the stuff freezes really well.

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It was great to see Vanessa again!  I missed her over the summer.  I’m glad she’s back 🙂

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Oh, and I wanted to show off my new purple pants.  You can’t really tell, but they are dark purple, and I got them from Target.  In fact, that entire outfit is from Target (aren’t I a fashionista??)…top, tank, and pants.  I decided to wear pants because I brilliantly realized if I did I could wear my calf compression sleeves underneath them and no one would be the wiser.  (I ran 9 miles in the morning, and then ate at least one popper per mile…I think that works out?).

Basically we had a great weekend!  The party was a success and it was great to see everybody and meet a few new people.  Now the Symphony folk are back to work, and shortly they leave for Europe.  I go to Boston this weekend for my friend Lauren’s wedding (can’t wait!) and then to Paris soon (REALLY can’t wait!).

What are you must-sees in Boston and Paris?  Do you own Purple pants?

Oh, and I’ll be announcing my coffee tumbler giveaway winner later today, and will be back soon with ANOTHER giveaway.

thoughts about violin, teaching, running, life.