Review: Torani Syrups

I have enjoyed Torani syrups for years.  I didn't realize until recently that they make over 120 different flavors!  I have used the syrups to flavor tea (both hot & iced) and sparkling water.  I was recently sent two bottles to try out this season, and share my thoughts. I received a bottle of Peppermint Torani syrup and a bottle of Torani Salted Caramel Syrup.

This time of year, the kids and I enjoy hot chocolate.  The first thing I tried was adding a couple tablespoons of the peppermint syrup to hot chocolate. My kids who like peppermint and chocolate thought it was delicious!  I added a couple tablespoons of the salted caramel to mine, and liked it quite well!  I am not a coffee drinker, but I know that it's a popular addition to coffee as well.

I made peppermint soda with sparkling water and the peppermint syrup.  It took me a couple tries to get the perfect amount of syrup, but the drink was very refreshing and tasted like drinking a candy cane!

Even though I've been aware of the syrups for years, I have never done anything but add them to drinks. Their website has tons of great recipes to try, and I plan on exploring more of them soon.  I used the salted caramel syrup to make candied pecans, and they turned out fantastic! The recipe is very simple, and the results make a great hostess gift (well, if you can avoid eating them all before giving them away!)  The original recipe from the website suggested plain caramel syrup, but the salted caramel was fantastic in this recipe.  It's easy to throw together, and the kids had fun helping mix the ingredients.

If you want to try them out yourself, here's the recipe from Torani's website:

Candied Pecans

INGREDIENTS:
1 egg, separated
1/4 cup Torani Caramel syrup
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups pecans (or walnuts or a mixture of both)

INSTRUCTIONS:  Preheat oven to 250 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper In a medium sized bowl whisk egg white (save yolk for another use or discard) until light in color and foamy, about 2 minutes. Add Torani syrup, sugar, and salt and continue to whisk until well mixed. Stir in nuts and mix until they are evenly coate. Spread nuts in a single layer on parchment-lined baking sheet. Place baking sheet in the oven. Using a spatula, stir nuts twice during cooking time to allow the nuts to have an even candied coating and bake until nuts are a very light golden, and all of the liquid has dried, about 45 minutes. Let cool completely and store in an airtight container. Makes 3 cups.

A great idea for a hostess gift would be a bottle of the syrup and a dish of these nuts!

You can find Torani syrups at many local retailers, as well as at Amazon and the Torani website.

*Disclosure: I received 2 bottles of Torani syrup from Torani and SheSpeaks, in exchange for writing an original post about the product.  No additional compensation was provided.*

Arbor Mist Review

We celebrated Labor Day today with a small pool party.  Where we are in Arizona, we probably have at least another month of pool weather to enjoy, which is awesome!  But, any opportunity to sit around the pool with good friends and drinks can't be passed by!

Thanks to Arbor Mist and SheSpeaks, I had some new beverages to try.  As part of a review program, they sent me 3 different varieties of Arbor Mist's new frozen wine cocktails -- Blackberry Merlot, Strawberry White Zinfandel and White Pear Pinot Grigio.

I love slushy drinks and these packages take all the work out of it for me! Simply pop the package into the freezer for a few hours (or a few days) and when you take it out and tear off the top, you'll have a perfectly slushy, icy, cool drink to enjoy.

We enjoyed all 3 varieties today and were pleased with the flavors.  They were the perfect drink to partake in at poolside.  I really enjoyed how easy they are, since there is no preparation needed except to squish the packet a little bit before pouring into a glass.

Their alcoholic content is similar to the Arbor Mist wines - 6%. The sugar content was high in all 3 varieties, and they were pretty sweet, but as an occasional treat I think they are fun and tasty.

They are something that I will definitely keep on hand in my freezer for when we have guests over.  You can find locations to buy them at the Arbor Mist website.

*Disclosure: I received sample product from Arbor Mist and SheSpeaks in order to facilitate this review.  No additional compensation was provided, and all opinions are my own.*

Johnsonville Sausage - Yum!

Little League nights are long nights.  We have to head out by 5 to make a 5:30 practice, and don't leave the fields until after 7.  Thankfully, Bo's new job means that unless he's traveling, he is usually home in the evenings.  So, one of us can run the kids around to their activities (Little League is 3 nights, music is one night, who knows what else is coming up?) while the other can stay home and cook dinner.


Thanks to Johnsonville Sausage and SheSpeaks, I was able to put this dinner together quickly so I could get some work done while waiting for the boys to return from Little League.

I received coupons to purchase the Johnsonville sausage you see to the left, and a great recipe booklet. I picked up rigatoni noodles and tomato sauce at the store and was ready to make a dinner almost everyone in my family would enjoy.

The sausages grilled up nicely on our stovetop grill while I boiled the noodles.  When the noodles were almost done, I drained them and added them to a pan full of sauce.  I sliced the sausage, added them to the noodles and sauce and put the pan on simmer while waiting for them to return.

I baked a loaf of garlic bread, served a salad, and topped the dish with shredded romano.  Dinner was declared a success!  Everyone in the family enjoyed it (well, except for Colin - he doesn't like tomato sauce so he had noodles w/butter and sausage.  Still a success for him!)

Here's the family's reaction to dinner:




I have a few coupons to share with my wonderful readers!  Leave a comment below and 3 of you will receive $1.50 coupons towards your next purchase of Johnsonville sausage.

*Disclosure: I received coupons and recipes from Johnsonville, via SheSpeaks.  All opinions are my own, as well as photographs and videos.*