McCormick Grill Mates® Grill Ambassadors Party

It's officially SUMMER and you know what that means??? It's time to FIRE UP THE GRILL! And, what better way to kick off summer than with a Grill-tastic party, sponsored by McCormick Grill Mates® and Crowdtap!

Selected Crowdtap members received this AWESOME party kit, including:

• Party Booklet (see more photos at bottom of blog)
• Grill Mates® Spiced Brandy & Herb Marinade
• Grill Mates® Slow and Low Memphis Pit BBQ Rub
• Grill Mates® Montreal Steak Seasoning Blend
• Grill Mates® Molasses Bacon Seasoning Blend
• Grill Mates® Brown Sugar Bourbon BBQ Sauce

On the menu for my McCormick Grill Mates® Grill Ambassadors party? BBQ pork ribs, steak, chicken...plus corn on the cob, veggie kabobs, tomato-cucumber salad, macaroni salad, and potato salad!

This is only Round 1 (just getting going, now that ribs are almost ready) -- not enough room on the grill for everything at once, but plenty to get everyone started!

BBQ Ribs...the very first time I ever made them...and they were AMAZING! So tender and so tasty -- they really were Grill-Tastic! I used the Slow and Low Memphis Pit BBQ Rub and the Brown Sugar Bourbon BBQ Sauce, following the instructions provided on the back of the rub package. It really couldn't get any easier! YUM!

Filet Mignon...yeah, it is expensive...but it is SO good! Kick it up a few notches by seasoning both sides with Montreal Steak Seasoning Blend before grilling and you won't need anything else -- just a fork and knife to savor that amazing grilled and perfectly-seasoned flavor! My husband was thrilled with his steak, which I cooked to a perfect Medium. Likewise, everyone else who had the filet mignon thoroughly enjoyed it!

Grilled chicken...marinated in Spiced Brandy & Herb Marinade and grilled to perfection! Everyone was impressed with the unique, tasty flavor this marinade gave the chicken breasts. All you need is a little olive oil, water, and vinegar, mix with the marinade according to the packet instructions, and let the chicken marinate for at least 15 minutes before grilling. So simple and a great way to give your grilled chicken a little extra-special flavor that nobody is expecting...but everyone will LOVE!

Note: You can also season your chicken with the Molasses Bacon seasoning, which we used another day to season chicken burgers -- YUM!

Look at how Grill-Tastic everything looks! I'm getting hungry again!

YUM!!!  Let's EAT!!!

Ribs and filet mignon...delish!

Mmmm, those ribs are GOOD!

McCormick has other Grill Mates® products, too...some of which are shown in this product & recipe pamplet, which I picked up from the McCormick grill display at the grocery store. These, along with some assorted McCormick Grill Mates® products that I purchased, made for a great little take-home for my guests!

For more great-tasting grilling ideas, be sure to check out the McCormick Grill Mates® Facebook page! You'll want to visit The Grillerhood app, where you can "discover exclusive recipes, sizzling surprises, and even more awesome grilling stuff!" While you are there, don't forget to enter "The Grill Mayor of 2012 Contest -- you can win a trip to NYC for a premiere BBQ festival and other grill-tastic prizes!"

A BIG THANK YOU to McCormick Grill Mates® and Crowdtap for this Grill-Tastic opportunity!

"Take your grilling flavor to the next level" -- stock up on McCormick Grill Mates® seasonings, marinades, rubs, and sauces!  "Master the Flame, Master the Flavor" and you'll soon be enjoying summer's Grill-icious meals, too!

Below are the photos of the McCormick Grill Mates® Grill Ambassadors Party Booklet:

Madagascar 3 Circus Circle’s Most Wanted Party

Wow! The past few weeks have been ALL about the new Madagascar 3 film, thanks to Crowdtap and DreamWorks! First, I had the opportunity to attend the June 2 advance screening of the film, in RealD 3D. I loved the original film and the sequel, "Escape 2 Africa", but "Europe's Most Wanted" was the best yet! We left the screening saying that we couldn't wait to see it again with our nieces, since we'd taken them to see the first two films and they'd been looking forward to the latest release.

As if the screening wasn't enough, I was given the opportunity to host a Madagascar 3 Circus Circle’s Most Wanted Party! I started exploring ideas with my sister and the girls, and we had a fantastic circus-themed party!

Crowdtap members who were chosen to host had been sent a "digital kit" with party ideas and activities, which we checked out together. Because the kids are a little older, they wanted something geared more toward their age group...and they wanted something that could include outdoor activities. They already have a trampoline, which fit in perfectly with the Madagascar 3 circus theme! With no pool, and the summer heat, we started thinking of ways to keep cool while having fun outside. A family friend has a business renting out large inflatables, and was able to give us a great deal on a "body slide" for the day. Fortunately, we had perfect weather and the kids had a great time!

Circus-themed foods included hot dogs, cotton candy, soft pretzels, popcorn, ice cream sundaes, and cupcakes. I suggested making "Afro Circus"-style rainbow cupakes, but the kids had seen an idea using mini-marshmallows and yellow food coloring to create the look of buttered popcorn, so we went with that and the kids had fun making them.

Some of the girls, including my younger niece, wore polka dot bathing suits, paying homage to Marty's "polka dot, polka dot" in the Afro Circus song (there is also a ringtone, which I have and LOVE!). My older niece wore a bathing suit that was somewhat of a combination of rainbow and zebra -- another perfect style to go with Marty (the zebra character) and his rainbow afro wig!


We also gave out assorted, brightly-colored Hawaiian leis, which were inexpensive and much more practical (in the heat and with the outdoor activities) than buying rainbow afro wigs. Besides, there is the "Wig Out" app, which we used later in the day to add rainbow afro wigs on some of the pictures of the kids.

After all the food, trampoline, and body slide fun, we moved indoors and the girls took turns (on 4 laptops) playing the Banana Blaster, Melman's Memory Game, and Penguin Pillow Fight online games. I have to be honest...the adults played a few rounds, too! Both games are a lot of fun and the Penguin Pillow Fight game ended up prompting "real" pillow fights, while watching the "Escape 2 Africa" DVD during the sleepover.

To cap the party weekend, after their friends left in the morning, we took our nieces to see Madagascar 3 "Europe's Most Wanted"... which they loved! We still have the "Afro Circus" song stuck in our heads... and you, too, will no doubt soon be singing along: "afro circus! afro circus! afro! polka dot, polka dot, polka dot, afro!"

Thank you, DreamWorks and Crowdtap, for the wonderful opportunities to enjoy and share the Madagascar 3 experience!

A SMURFTASTIC Party with Crowdtap!

I recently had the opportunity to host A SMURFTASTIC Party with Crowdtap.  I've talked about Crowdtap a few times but, in case it's new to you, I'll share the basics again.                                                   
The Low-Down on Crowdtap:
Crowdtap bills itself as a site “where brands and consumers collaborate.”  It is a unique site in several ways -- the biggest difference being that you also earn for a charity (5% of your site earnings -- or more, if you choose -- plus 5% matching by Crowdtap), which you choose from about a dozen that the site currently supports.  My total earnings on Crowdtap are over $530 thus far, with over $60 going to charities of my choice!

When you participate in short poll questions, which they call “Quick Hits”, you have a chance at earning some cash (currently, redemptions are in the form of Amazon gift cards only).  Members are offered opportunities to participate in a variety of discussions, called “Actions”, and have the potential to win a “Top Award” ($10 or $20 -- I have won 27x to date).  Best of all, if you fit the right demographics for participating brands, you can receive great products FREE!  Participation in “Sample Shares” or "Hosted Parties" is so much fun -- you receive product samples or party supplies for yourself, as well as things to share with friends.  After you have had a chance to try the product or host your party, you submit a report about your sample share/hosted party and earn a cash award ($2 for an approved report, or $5 for an excellent report).  Pretty cool, huh?  Free products AND some cash -- just for giving them a try and sharing your opinions!

Now, enter The SMURFS:

This hosted party opportunity was for the promotion of the new SMURFS movie, now out on Blu-Ray and DVD.  Whether you grew up loving the Smurfs in the late 70's and early 80's, or if you are too young to remember the original Smurfs craze, The Smurfs is a movie that is fun & entertaining for the everyone!

"When the evil wizard Gargamel chases the tiny blue Smurfs out of their village, they tumble from their magical world and into ours -- in fact, smack dab in the middle of Central Park. Just three apples high and stuck in the Big Apple, the Smurfs must find a way to get back to their village before Gargamel tracks them down."



The movie features a star-studded cast, including:                                        
Hank Azaria (Gargamel)
Neil Patrick Harris (Patrick Winslow)
Jayma Mays (Grace Winslow)
Sofía Vergara (Odile)
Jonathan Winters (Papa voice)
Katy Perry (Smurfette voice)
George Lopez (Grouchy voice)
Jeff Foxworthy (Handy - voice)
Wolfgang Puck (Chef - voice)
Paul Reubens, aka Pee Wee Herman (Jokey - voice)                                       
Creating our SMURFTASTIC Party:
I invited my sister (the HUGE Smurfs fan!) and her 2 girls (8 & 10), plus my neighbor and 2 of her 3 girls (4 & 7, the baby is only 15 months old), and my mom and husband.

I knew this would be the PERFECT party for my sister!  Back in the late 70's and early 80's, she collected every Smurfs figurine and plush character she could find -- her collection is impressive and she still has all of the little Smurf figurines.  A few years ago, her kids came across them and could not imagine what kind of silly things they were, and they thought their mom was nuts for having so many and liking them so much.  However, now that the Smurfs are featured in the movie and have become popular again, the kids are really into them!

Some of my sister's Smurf figurines - the 100+ she brought over would not fit in one shot.

In true Smurfs fashion, I made sure to serve "blue" foods at the party:                                                          
"Smurfberry" cookies (my chewy lemon cookies with dried blueberries)
Berry Blue Jell-O
Blue Berry Kool-Aid Bursts
Blue cotton candy
Blue corn chips


Decorations were blue and white balloons, and I also bought 2 large (36") Smurf mylar balloons to "greet" everyone as they came in the front door.


Party favors included Smurfs rings, Smurfs sticker sheets, and Smurfs temporary tattoos, in addition to a tote bag featuring one of each girl's finished coloring sheets (details on that below)!







The Coloring Sheets were a HUGE hit!

I asked my sister to bring her Smurf figurine collection, because I figured it would be fun to display them for everyone to see, and then to let the kids pose them with their colored sheets.  They tried to find appropriate figurines for each coloring sheet -- for instance, if it had Papa Smurf and Smurfette, they'd want to be sure to pose those characters' figurines with the finished coloring sheet.

Check out the great job the kids did -- they even took turns wearing the Smurf hat and Brainy Smurf's glasses -- and my older niece even painted her nails Smurf Blue for the occasion! (Note, my neighbor asked that I not include photos of her girls online, so only my nieces are shown.)

More Fun...and GAMES!
In addition to the activities included in the digital kit, I purchased a few inexpensive Smurfs games from Amazon. These games are fun & easy for kids to play with little direction or supervision:
                * Pop N Race                 * Make A Match                * Big Roll Bingo 

I bought Iron-On Transfer Sheets so the kids could make custom tote bags using their own coloring sheets. The process is easy: just scan the colored sheet, then print the image onto the transfer paper using an InkJet printer, then have an adult iron the image onto the chosen fabric. When the fabric and iron-on image have cooled, the backing can peeled away to reveal a bright, colorful image.  You could also make t-shirts, but I thought the tote bags would be nice for the kids to carry home their party treats and their coloring sheets.

The Smurfs...now on Blu-Ray & DVD:
We purchased the 3-Disc Holiday Blu-ray Gift Set. It was the best value and this set enabled us to give the Blu-ray disc to our nieces and keep the DVD here, since we have not yet upgraded to Blu-ray. They come to visit us pretty often, and we figured it would be nice to have the DVD here and we can all watch it together. When our nieces watch it at home, I know my sister will be glued to the TV. She was so excited to see that the Smurfs are back, and she is going to really enjoy watching the movie with her girls -- it's a great movie for the whole family!

Thank you, Crowdtap and The SMURFS for helping me throw A SMURFTASTIC PARTY!

Want to throw a SMURFTASTIC party of your own?
The Crowdtap party hosts were provided with the following helpful links, which you can use to create an awesome Smurfs theme party:

Welcome Brochure

Coloring Sheets

Papa Smurf Potion Commotion Game

Clumsy's Central Park Dash Game

Goldrun iPhone App

Download tons of fun games, apps, teaser videos, coloring sheets, and more

Check 'em out and have a SMURFTASTIC time!