Putting The Sizzle Back In The Kitchen: Flirty Aprons Review & Giveway

I'm no Rachel Ray, but I enjoy my time in the kitchen and I honestly love to cook. I enjoy it now because I know that my family truly enjoys my cooking. Rewind to 14 years ago and I was like a wet noodle of a mess, my then (first) husband would impishly bounce my biscuits off of the wall, and they'd ruin the sheet rock. Well, we've come a long way baby--and so has the evolution of the chic apron. Let's face it, aprons used to be ugly, and we'd never wear them. And if we did, this is the image we'd have in our heads--remember  these? ▬▬▬►▬▬▬►▬▬▬►▬▬▬►▬▬▬►▬▬▬►
Well, maybe she looks a bit too happy and contrived. Aprons have long been a forward-looking trend in upscale domesticity and down-to-earth values, while at the same time, hearken us back to the romantic aesthetics of 1940s, 1950s and 1960s women. The romantic ideology of the apron reflected a time when life was simpler, families were closer, time was generous, and simple pleasures were not taken for granted. Fast-forwarding to today's overwhelming culture of job demands, travel schedules, and hurried children, quality time spent with loved ones is more important than ever. We love to cook and entertain when blessed with spare moments, and the basic addition of  something wonderful, colorful, simple or extraordinary can make those moments even more meaningful.Who knew that perfecting upon Grandma's famous Bread pudding could be a Kodak moment? Well, if  someone wants to whip out a camera, I'm all for it---at least let me be cute!

When Jamie over at Flirty Aprons allowed me to choose a Flirty Apron style of my choice for this review, I was pretty stoked. I was thinking that aprons were appropiately functional, and I really needed a good, sturdy one that would survive the holiday spatters and spills. I never expected fabulous. First thought as I browsed the Flirty Aprons Website: Wow, aprons that I actually want to wear? I became enthralled by each unique twist and touch, embellishment and hint of whimsy displayed in Flirty Aprons massive apron collection. It was a difficult decision, but I eventually chose the Original Chick Pink Apron, because I am a girly girl. I received the apron in the mail in the same week that I placed the order, like seriously, 2 days time frame. Amazing. Turns out that I really like the Original Chick Pink Apron, I wear it all the time. The first night I used it, Hubs thought I looked great -for him the effect was equivelant to lingerie in the kitchen.While that really wasn't my intent, I admit that I felt great, was able to protect my clothing, able to stuff things in the roomy pockets (I am a serial pocket stuffer--so that's important) and lingered a bit longer in the kitchen. What was I doing? The kids and I baked some cookies, which happen to be Hubs favorite kind. Nevertheless, he feigned shock like it was his birthday.
I have a feeling that Flirty Aprons are about to become the "collectible of collectibles"!! Included here are a broad variety of styles, fabrics, colors and influences, suitable for all ages, shapes, tastes and life styles! I love that they are stylish, fashionable, one size fits-all with extra long ties and scooped sides, and washes well! (I've washed it twice already, thanks to a sauce mishap) and the color didn't fade and the threads are all intact. Tough stuff. I would absolutely ❤ it if Flirty Aprons would expand on the product line to include fabric coordinating housecleaning type gloves and kitchen hand towels. Then we'd have cute, all around!

These aprons are adjustable and fit great. If they had more of a backside, I'd wear it as a dress, serious. They are that cute.

Flirty Aprons   has large assortment of chic inspired aprons for women, children (the cutest Mommy & Me styles) and several cool "manly" looking aprons for the guys ("My grill is hotter than yours! ")  They'd make great hostess gifts or anytime gifts for any fun, fearless foodie in your life.

Thanks to Flirty Aprons, one Multiple Blessings reader will receive a Flirty Apron of their choice.

How to Enter the Giveaway

You MUST Follow me by doing do one or both of the first requirements listed below, include the info in your initial comment, this MUST be done accordingly before all other additional entries will be considered because I will be checking, thanks in advance! If you do not have a blogger account with an active email on file, please leave your email addy in your comment, (like this: Twincere(at)gmail(dot)com--it prevents spam bots from picking it up). If I can't contact you, how are ya gonna know you won? Winners will be notified via email  and have 48 hours to contact me, or risk forfeiting the prize and another winner will have to be chosen. Good Luck! Deadline to enter is 11:59 pm EST on Saturday, November 21, 2009 ! Winner will be chosen via Random.Org

*REQUIRED*

1. 1 Entry–Follow @Twincere on Twitter and leave a comment on this post with your Twitter name so that I can verify that you are a real person. Real people are cool. Spambots suck. If you follow already, you know that we're cool, just remind me! 【ツ】

AND/OR (since I know that not everyone is on the Twitter bandwagon)

1. 3 Entries–Follow Multiple Blessings on blogger/google friend connect & Go to the Flirty Aprons Website here and tell me your favorite apron style
2. 3 Entries–Follow Mommy's Multiple Mayhem on blogger/google friend connect & tell me who you'd like to win this Flirty Apron for
   

After you’ve completed one of the above steps, you can earn bonus entries by leaving separate comment entries for each that you choose to do. Please follow the directions carefully, or your comment will have to be deleted (sorry) Here’s how:

• 1 Extra Entry for each Tweet about the contest unlimited entry opportunity, leaving a separate comment on this post linking to each tweet. No crazy tweeting though, because twitter will shut you down for spam. You can copy this if you'd like: Put the sizzle back in the kitchen with a Flirty Apron #giveaway from @Twincere http://tinyurl.com/ydxytw8
• 2 Extra Entry for each of my contests that you enter.unlimited entry opportunity
• 2 Extra Entries –for each non-giveaway post you visit on either of my blogs and comment on, please leave the name/title of the post that you commented in 3 separate comments in the comment section of this post below. Epigrammatic comments with “enter me", “me too”, or “count me in” and so forth will not be considered eligible and will be deleted. unlimited entry opportunity
• ✮ I ♥LOVE♥ Online-Sweepstakes.com! I love to win stuff and want my readers to win, too! If you happen to be one of my OLS peeps, leave me your OLS screen name and friend me on OLS (I'm GonnaWinBig) for 5 additional DAILY entries. Please leave 5 separate comments each day! ✮
• 5 Extra Entries – Favorite Multiple Blessings in Technorati and leave your ID name in a separate comment (you may click the green blog reactions link on my sidebar to get there)
  
•  5 Extra Entries- for displaying my button on your blog. Get 15 Extra Entries if you decide to display both of my blog buttons on your blog and/or blog about this giveaway on your own blog. (button codes are in the right hand column, please include the links to your blog for verification)
• 10 Extra Entries- for blogging about this giveaway and including link backs directly to this post. Please include the link to your post in your comment so that you can be credited.
• 10 Extra Entries-enter to win Noobie's Kindle contest via my personal link here http://www.noobie.com/kindle-giveaway?ref=950583411

Winners must be 18 or older and this contest is open U.S. residents only. Void where prohibited. If you win and laws or rules prohibit your prize to be shipped to your address, another winner will be selected immediately.

Make sure you leave a VALID email address.
I will not search beyond your profile to find you.That is a part of entering and following rules. Thanks.
You have 48 hours to respond to your winning email.
When entering a giveaway, you MUST follow the Required Entry.
Epigrammatic entries with “enter me", “me too”, or “count me in” and so forth will be deleted.
All negative comments such as “This item is not even worth winning” will be deleted and you will receive ONE warning. Should you violate that warning you will then be banned from the site.

I allow entries Per Email address.
So long as you follow the initial rules and guidelines, you may enter using one or all of your email addresses.
If you have questions about these rules or any other questions/comments, please email me: Twincere(at)Gmail(dot)com

*I received an Original Chic Pink Apron to keep for the purpose of this review.I was not compensated for this post. The opinions expressed herein are my own*

 *Disclosure: As the owner of this site, I am sometimes compensated or offered a product to keep in exchange for providing my opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. Even though I may have received compensation for content/review posts or advertisements, I always give my honest opinions based on my own thorough research, findings, beliefs, or experiences on those topics or products. The views and opinions expressed on this site are purely my own. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the company, provider or party in question. As the owner of this site, I respect my readers and contributors privacy, and will NEVER spam, sell, or rent any aspect of readers/contributors personal information. EVER.

Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil Review & Giveaway

Virgin Coconut Oil

Tropical Traditions
America’s source for coconut oil!
Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil

Green Label Virgin Coconut Oil

Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil is certified organic according to strict USDA requirements. It is hand-made in the Philippines the traditional way. Virgin Coconut Oil is a food, and is one of the best cooking oils you can use. It has been a staple cooking oil for thousands of years in tropical climates. As a cooking oil, its chemical structure is kept in tact and therefore is resistant to mutations of fatty acid chains even when used in higher cooking temperatures, unlike most vegetable oils.To learn more, click here.

"This Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil is a truly unrefined coconut oil. This coconut oil is made on Mt. Banahaw and surrounding areas from organic coconuts. Coconuts are used fresh (within 24-48 hours of harvest) from small family farms on Mt. Banahaw and other rural places in Quezon Province, the coconut capital of the Philippines. Only the highest quality coconuts are hand-picked from each harvest. The volcanic soil of Mt. Banahaw makes these organic coconuts some of the most nutritionally rich coconuts in the world! Testing done in independent laboratories reveals higher levels of phenolic antioxidants than other coconut oils. The fresh coconut meat is shredded (wet milled), and then cold-pressed using the water from inside the coconuts to make coconut milk. The milk is then allowed to sit for about half a day, while the oil naturally separates from the heavier water. The oil is then filtered from the curds (coconut solids). No chemical or high-heat treatment is used, and this oil contains no trans fatty acids. We do NOT mass produce this oil. It is made by families who are coconut farmers using old-fashioned traditional methods that have been used in the Philippines for hundreds of years. Our coconut trees and family producers are certified organic according to strict USDA standards. The families who produce the oil are also trained according to GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) standards and re-certified each year. This high-grade Virgin Coconut Oil has a long shelf life due to the high antioxidant properties. The Gold Label standard is our highest standard for Virgin Coconut Oil."

Coconut oil is solid, with a smooth, butter-like texture.Tropical Traditions has many free coconut oil recipes on their website, so if you're in need of some fresh ideas and inspiration, click here. They have a lot of Gluten-free recipes on this site as well! *You can also submit your own recipes, and if selected for publication, you will receive a coupon for a free product.*

Gold Label Standard Virgin Coconut Oil by Tropical Traditions is a versatile, 100% organic cooking oil. I recently received a jar to review, and since I like love to cook, it was a fun and adventurous task.  I've never used coconut oil before, so I was looking forward to cooking with it and seeing how it compared to Canola or olive oil, which is what I typically use to cook with. My first meal that I made with the Gold Label Standard Virgin Coconut Oil was the Braised Beef Tips found on page 206 of  the free book Virgin Coconut Oil.: How it has changed people’s lives and how it can change yours! 




I browned the cubed sirloin in 2 tbs. of Gold Label Standard Virgin Coconut Oil.
I then added onion, fresh garlic cloves, salt & pepper, bay leaves, a few dashes of Worcestshire sauce and 4 oz.beef broth and cooked for about 10 minutes covered. Then I lowered it to a simmer for about 5 minutes. I added a teaspoon of cornstarch, and mushroom slices to the base to thicken it up. I served it with parslied new potatoes--yum!

So far, my family and I have really enjoyed the rich, flavorful taste of the recipes that I've tried with Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil. What's even more impressive is the fact that this Coconut Oil is so versatile! Many folks enjoy the creamy taste of a spoonful right from the jar or spread on their toast. Women have used the Coconut Oil as a moisturizer amongst other things. How fascinating!  I have quite a bit left over in the jar -and even with consistent use, I am most sure that it will last me for quite some time.So the price to me is well worth it.

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Buy It: You can purchase the virgin coconut oil or any of the other coconut oil products right at the Tropical Traditions website!

Tropical Traditions has a Referral Program, so if you place an order with them as a first-time customer, please select “Referred by a friend” and in the box that says “How did you hear of us?” Please, enter my sponsor ID number… 5537419. By telling Tropical Traditions that I referred you, you will receive a complimentary copy of the book Virgin Coconut Oil: How it has changed people’s lives and how it can change yours! by Brian and Marianita Shilhavy with your first order! This book is filled with testimonies and research showing how healthy coconut oil is, and it also includes over 85 recipes showing how one can incorporate coconut into their diet.

*******

Win It: Tropical Traditions is offering one of my Multiple Blessings readers the chance to win one quart of the Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil ($37.50 retail value, sale priced now at $27.50).

How to Enter the Giveaway

You MUST Follow me by doing do one or both of the first requirements listed below, include the info in your initial comment, this MUST be done accordingly before all other additional entries will be considered because I will be checking, thanks in advance! If you do not have a blogger account with an active email on file, please leave your email addy in your comment, (like this: Twincere(at)gmail(dot)com--it prevents spam bots from picking it up). If I can't contact you, how are ya gonna know you won? Winners will be notified via email and Twitter and have 48 hours to contact me before forfeiting prize and another winner will be chosen. Good Luck! The deadline to enter this giveaway is 11:59 pm EST on Sunday, October 18, 2009!!

1. 1 Entry–Follow @Twincere on Twitter and leave a comment on this post with your Twitter name so that I can verify that you are a real person. Real people are cool. Spambots suck.
   

OR (since I know that not everyone is on the Twitter bandwagon)

1. 1 Entry–Required: Visit Tropical Traditions and sign up for their newsletter and then come back letting me know you subscribed. (please be sure to subscribe using the same email addy that you are commenting under)  This is REQUIRED per sponsor request.

After you’ve completed one of the above steps, you can earn bonus entries by leaving separate comment entries for each that you choose to do. Please follow the directions carefully, or your comment will have to be deleted (sorry) Here’s how:

• 1 Extra Entry for each Tweet about the contest up to six times a day, leaving a separate comment on this post linking to each tweet. Please do not spam your twitter followers though, okay? You can copy this if you'd like:  Please RT @Twincere has a great @TropTraditions Virgin Coconut Oil #review & #giveaway here: http://tinyurl.com/y9f4b62
• 3 Extra Entries: Follow @TropTraditions on Twitter and leave a comment in the comments section with your Twitter name.
• 2 Extra Entries – for each http://www.tropicaltraditions.com/.com  retail product or recipe that you list in the comments section that you've tried,or would like to try. No limit, please list each separately.
• 10 Extra Entries – follow my brand- spanking- new -family- lifestyles review blog, called Mommy's Multiple Mayhem on blogger and/or google friend connect.
• 5 Extra Entries –for each non-giveaway post you visit on my blog and comment on, please leave the name/title of the post that you commented in 5 separate comments in the comment section of this post below. Epigrammatic comments with “enter me", “me too”, or “count me in” and so forth will not be considered eligible and will be deleted. No limit, please list each separately.
• 5 Extra Entries – Favorite Multiple Blessings in Technorati and leave your ID name in a separate comment (you may click the green blog reactions link on my sidebar to get there)
  
• 2 Extra Entries– Add me to your blog roll or link listing. 
• ✮ I ♥LOVE♥ Online-Sweepstakes.com! I love to win stuff and want my readers to win, too! If you happen to be one of my OLS peeps, leave me your OLS screen name and friend me on OLS (I'm GonnaWinBig) for 4 additional DAILY entries. Please leave 4 separate comments each day! ✮
• 3 Extra Entries –for each of my current contests that you enter, up until the end of this particular promotion. Be sure to tell me in your comment below which contest(s) you entered.
• 2 Extra Entries – Subscribe to/follow Multiple Blessings (or let me know if you already are) in a separate comment

This contest ends Winners must be 18 or older and this contest is open U.S. residents only. Void where prohibited. If you win and laws or rules prohibit your prize to be shipped to your address,
another winner will be selected immediately. Good Luck! The deadline to enter this giveaway is 11:59 pm EST on Sunday, October 18, 2009!!

Make sure you leave a VALID email address.
I will not search beyond your profile to find you.That is a part of entering and following rules. Thanks.
You have 48 hours to respond to your winning email.
When entering a giveaway, you MUST follow the Required Entry.
Epigrammatic entries with “enter me", “me too”, or “count me in” and so forth will be deleted.
All negative comments such as “This item is not even worth winning” will be deleted and you will receive ONE warning. Should you violate that warning you will then be banned from the site.

I allow entries Per Email address.
So long as you follow the initial rules and guidelines, you may enter using one or all of your email addresses.
If you have questions about these rules or any other questions/comments, please email me: Twincere@Gmail.com

*I received a product to sample and keep for this review, but no monetary compensation. The views and opinions expressed in this post are my own.*

 *Disclosure: As the owner of this site, I am sometimes compensated to provide my opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. Even though I may have received compensation for content/review posts or advertisements, I always give my honest opinions based on my own thorough research, findings, beliefs, or experiences on those topics or products. The views and opinions expressed on this site are purely my own. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the company, provider or party in question. As the owner of this site, I respect my readers and contributors privacy, and will NEVER spam, sell, or rent any aspect of readers/contributors personal information. EVER.