My New Foodie Show: The Taste: Tuesday at 8|7c on ABC

I love food competitions. I watch them all: Chopped, Iron Chef, Sweet Genius, you name it. Thanks to Influenster, I just found out about a new one, The Taste, with a very interesting concept: The judges base their opinions on just one bite.

Another fun twist that appeals to me: The competitors aren't just professional chefs...they include home cooks and food bloggers, so it'll be interesting to see how they all stack up against each other.

I was beginning to think there wasn't anything new to be had in the world of competitive cooking, but I have high hopes for this. I've watched several episodes, and found them all seriously worth the time. You can catch full episodes online here if you need to catch up. There's some serious roadblocks tossed at the competitors along the way...no spoilers, of course, but some of these ingredients are insane.

I'm very excited...I know where I'm going to be on Tuesday nights from here on out. If you want to join me: ABC at 8/7c...I'll provide the wine.

Global Green USA Green School Makeover Competition Presented by Pureology

We all want our kids to grow up safe, happy and healthy. The unfortunate truth is that most public schools struggle just to maintain functionality, and going green sometimes just isn't in the budget. Global Green USA is working to address this situation and ensure that every child has the opportunity to learn in a healthy, green school.

I want that for my children as well. So I was very excited to find out through Influenster about this:

 One school will win a green makeover, and anyone can nominate a school. You just go here and fill out an application. This is a wonderful opportunity to help out your local school, plus the website has lots of helpful ideas on how you can help your school go more green.

 This program is presented by 

From their website:

At Pureology, it is our mission to provide the professional hair colourist and their clients
the highest quality colour care products that enhance radiance, dramatically improve
hair condition, and respect the environment while delivering longer lasting hair colour guaranteed.

I am thrilled to participate in this program, and submitted my application right away. It a very easy online form. You will need pictures of the school you're nominating, FYI...they want to see the areas you want to improve. I have always lived by "If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem." If I can make my daughter's school a healthier place for her and her peers, I will do everything I can. I really appreciate Global Green USA and Pureology for giving people this opportunity.

You never know....you just might be the lucky winner, and the hero of all those children.

Palmolive Fresh Infusions - The Saga Continues.

I got to experience a whole new dishwashing eupohoria, thanks to my complimentary product from

The Palmolive Fresh Infusions Dish Soap: Three bath store quality scents in very pretty bottles. Scope it:

From left to right: Ginger White Tea, Lime Basil, and Lemon Thyme.

All three smelled fab, but I liked the Lemon Thyme best, so that became my first test subject. I'm a sponge washer, meaning I don't fill up the sink and put the dishes into that...instead, I put the dish soap directly onto the sponge, wash, then turn on the water to rinse. This does require a pretty good dish soap; otherwise, I'm constantly pouring soap on the sponge.

The Palmolive Fresh Infusions held up well. In fact, it worked better than the soap I'm currently using as far as staying power. In fact, the suds lingered even after the washing was done.

The scent, while strong enough to notice, doesn't linger on the dishes or act obtrusive in any way. It's a fantastic grease-cutter, too...I cleaned a fried-chicken pan with it, and there was no greasy residue.

 It looks great, smells better, and works fabulously. So of course I had to share.

I gifted the Ginger and White Tea scent to my friend Lisa. I speak the truth...it was my least favorite scent. Not because it smelled bad, but I had trouble with a flowery scented dish soap...I tend toward fruity scents. Of course, she was happy. She had no issues with the scent, and in fact, said it reminded her of her favorite bath products. She also thought it was a great quality dish soap, and was happy that I shared it with her.

I'm a sucker for anything that smells good, so I've added this to my "must have" list.

I was able to find this very easily at my local Walmart. You can order it online from there as well.

MorningStar Farms Grillers Prime - As Good As They Sound.

I am a serious carnivore. No question. I like nothing better than a nice big steak wrapped in bacon. However, my pant size reflects that. I've been looking for healthier alternatives that don't taste like plastic and make me sad.

Hello, MorningStar Farms Grillers.


I personally tried the Grillers Prime. First, I went straight up on a bun. It has a softer texture than meat, but the flavor is spot on. I felt awesome afterwards...I'm not sure if that was purely mental or not.

Later in the week, I was looking for a dinner idea, and remembered the Grillers. I had leftover mashed potatoes and creamed corn, so I sauteed some onions in margarine, then tossed in the last two crumbled up Griller patties.

In a casserole dish, I first put a layer of mashed potato as a crust. Then I added the meat/onion mixture on top, then a layer of creamed corn.

I topped it with another layer of mashed potatoes, then stuck it in a 350 oven for around 20 minutes. and here it is hot from the oven:

You can see the layers here:

It tasted delicious...a nice comfort food with a healthier twist. The kids couldn't even tell it was meatless. I can't wait to try Grillers in other recipes instead of hamburger...spaghetti, tacos, anything and everything.

Thank you, BzzAgent, for the free burgers and the fresh outlook on life!

Palmolive Fresh Infusions...a First Perspective.

I just love

and the goodies I get from there to review!

Look what I got this time!

A box filled with Palmolive Fresh Infusions dish soap, the newest and latest. It's so fancy, it's like Prada for dirty dishes. Three super sexy scents: Lime Basil, Lemon Thyme, & Ginger White Tea.

 My initial sniff test tells me that the winner for me will be Lemon Thyme. The lemon is very realistic and fresh, and the thyme is subtle, but I can pick it out. I'm looking forward to trying this out...it's so pretty, it already has a place of honor on my sink! Check out the Supermodel of Dish Soap:

More later...I must go to the spa...I mean wash the dinner dishes!