5@5 - The five C's of dessert Eatocracy - 5@5 is a daily, food-related list from chefs, writers, political pundits, musicians, actors, and all manner of opinionated people from around the globe. "C" may be for cookie - but that's certainly not good enough for us. Before her several year stint at The French Laundry and the opening of her own sweet venture, Platine Cookies, Jamie Cantor was taught at the Culinary Institute of America to build a dessert menu around the five C's: chocolate, citrus, coffee, cheese and caramel. Incidentally, she was also taught "desserts" is "stressed" spelled backward. But who wants to stress about making fancy, involved desserts during the long, hot, carefree days of summer? Here are some simple, delicious ways to incorporate the five most popular dessert flavors into your summer entertaining. The Five C's of Dessert: Jamie Cantor 1. Chocolate "The chocolate dessert is probably the most popular one at any restaurant. Go big and bold with this one - focus on good quality chocolate and you can turn a simple dessert into one with a ‘wow’ factor. For example, make a tasting of chocolate puddings with a high percentage single origin chocolate. I am really into Pralus chocolates these days; they have some great single origin bars that are fun to try. Use some really cute individual-sized dishes for each type and create a conversation starter for your foodie guests. Take a simple, old-fashioned recipe and turn it into something more sophisticated with the right technique and proper ingredients." 2. Citrus "I find that the people who aren’t chocolate lovers tend to be fans of citrus. In the summer, citrus is so refreshing so go ahead and make a grown-up creamsicle. Make your own fresh orange sorbet and vanilla ice cream and layer them in fantastic popsicle molds; or take the easy way out and buy the sorbet and ice cream, layer them in Dixie cups and stick a popsicle stick in the middle. What are the other 3 C's? Find out here: http://eatocracy.cnn.com/2011/07/07/55-the-five-c’s-of-dessert/?hpt=hp_bn8

Worth it or not: A shopping Guide SmartMoney.com - We've all been there, standing in the aisle of a store, spending way too much time weighing the small differences between two similar products. Will the more expensive umbrella really perform better? When it comes to a laptop bag, is $120 too much, too little, or just right? Here's some help. Each month, SmartMoney Magazine looks at sets of two similar consumer products, and assesses the better buy. This year, we looked at a wide variety of goods, including blenders, deep fryers and Digital SLR cameras. To aid in your holiday shopping, here are seven suggestions: http://www.smartmoney.com/spend/family-money/worth-it-or-not-a-shopping-guide/

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15 Ways to Eat Healthy Without Breaking the Bank.... I am very committed to eating really healthfully and feeding my family as much nutritious food as possible. Many people complain to me that they can’t buy fresh, organic food because it’s too expensive. It’s interesting to me that 100 years ago we spent twenty-five percent of our disposable income on food and now we only spend ten percent. Furthermore, we’re actually consuming more food than before, while getting fatter and sicker. But I do think we’re starting to make the connection that we have a lot of cheap food in this country, and that cheap food has hidden costs—to our physical bodies, as well as the environment. To read on: http://www.positivelypositive.com/2012/01/30/eat-well/

Hi, I'm Momwich - I've been a mommy blogger since my gorgeous daughters were 6 and 2... fast forward a few years and several thousand dollars in girl scout fees, cheer uniforms and orthodontics and they're now 16 and 12 - and I'm still blogging about my parenting fails :) http://www.momwich.net

I know I just posted about James Morrison, but now the Train album is out and I'm really loving it! It’s called “California 37.” I heard the first single off it, “Drive By,” and it’s great. My kids are even singing it! I think I may need to see them on this tour. I have loved Train since their first hit “Meet Virginia” off their first album in 1998. From there, they had me with “Drops of Jupiter” from their second album. And their last release “Save Me, San Francisco” produced 3 hits “Hey, Soul Sister”, “If It’s Love” and “Marry Me.” Who didn’t love “Hey, Soul Sister?” Pat Monahan’s voice is truly amazing. Check out their awesome site http://trainline.com to view their tour dates and click here to buy the album on amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/California-37-Train/dp/B007G3H8Y0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1334676539&sr=8-1 or click here to buy it on iTunes http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/california-37/id514598046. You can like Train on Facebook, just click here: http://www.facebook.com/Train. I am so glad that Train has a new album out and I want to pass along this info to all of the other moms out there!!! I work for Miles Of Marketing (www.milesofmarketing.com) and they provided this information to me.

Got some giveaway sponsors for your blog (go on, take 'em) Hey all. I run a community site called bloggerdise.com. Essentially we link up bloggers with businesses and artists that are looking to be reviewed, do giveaways or promote their offers. Our site is totally free to register and use. We have over 800 businesses to choose from. Though I figure I'd offer up some of my personal picks on this thread. Again, to actually view all the business contact info you just need to register on bloggerdise.com first, for free. Ok, here's my first batch ... [oh, and if you have any questions you can reach me @ jesse@bloggerdise.com] Awesome popcorn company that is into sampling. Love their caramel corn ! http://www.bloggerdise.com/offer/?offer_id=501 Novelist with a quirky sense of humor... http://www.bloggerdise.com/offer/?offer_id=982 Skincare brand that is in to doing sampling of different kinds of products. http://www.bloggerdise.com/offer/?offer_id=1422 Eco-lips (premium lip care) open to giveaways – http://www.bloggerdise.com/offer/?offer_id=531 About Abby (award winning web series) looking for interesting promotional ideas – http://www.bloggerdise.com/offer/?offer_id=1263 Vegan Web series starring Eric Roberts http://www.bloggerdise.com/offer/?offer_id=1206 Marcal tissues (open to giveaways and reviews) – http://www.bloggerdise.com/offer/?offer_id=872 Delicious Tea co. Open to sampling – http://www.bloggerdise.com/offer/?offer_id=1319 Charitable search site – http://www.bloggerdise.com/offer/?offer_id=1207 Applegate Farms (open to couponing) – http://www.bloggerdise.com/offer/?offer_id=1233 I got a bunch more, but interested to get your feedback (like if you want me to keep posting these.) Best, Jesse Bloggerdise.com

24/7 MOMS is on the road this week in Hawaii Join www.247moms.com & Trisha on Tuesday night at 7pm/9pm PST for a taste of life on the Island. 247moms #1 webshow for moms!!!

If you're looking for something fun to do with the kids this summer, look no further than the Baby Loves Disco Family Fun Fest! You will love dancing the afternoon away with the little ones at this Baby Loves Disco live concert Festival! We absolutely cannot wait for this event. My kids love music and dancing, so we will be getting down next month! The event is on June 9th from 12:00-5:00pm at the Electric Factory. The Electric Factory will be converted into the biggest party in Philly this summer –dance, sing, hear music, see comedy, see art, and eat great food with tons of surprises along the way. Tickets are $25, or $80 for a family 4-pack RAIN OR SHINE THE FEST WILL BE AMAZING: Don’t worry about the weather - we’ve got it covered inside and out - get your tickets now before it’s sold out!  Go to http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/02004889A1126B17 for tickets. 5% of all monies raised goes to Alex’s Lemonade Stand who will be serving up ice cold lemonade and taking additional donations.  Baby Loves Disco Family Fun Fest will have a full afternoon of entertainment. Inside - dance to tunes spun by DJ’s and outside on the big stage, non-stop performances by some of the hottest kindie rock bands (The Pop Ups, Secret Agent 23 Skidoo, Bubble Do Beatles), local dance troupes and The Great Holtzie. Expect lots of FREE stuff for your admission price, roving jugglers, street performers, circus arts, puppet shows, clowns (the good kind), face-painting and air-brush tattoos and lots of crafts. And Philly food trucks of course. Go to http://www.familyfunfest.tumblr.com/ for more info. Get 10% off your tickets thru May 27th with code MOM by emailing info@babylovesdisco.com with your request. Someone will get back to you asap! Share this info with your friends and enjoy!! Your whole family will love it. I work for Miles Of Marketing and this information was provided to me by them (www.milesofmarketing.com). We are a group of moms passing along great information like this to other moms!!!