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!