Tried It Tuesday: Special 100th Post Edition!

Hi, All! I have some super exciting news to start out today's post...today is my 100th post! Wahoo! I can't believe I started my blog just last September, and now I find myself writing for the 100th time! "Wowy, wow, wow, wow!!"

To honor this 100th post, even though it's nothin' fancy, except for an awesome Tried It Tuesday, sharing some great food, music, entertainment, and such with you all, I am going to end it all with an awesome giveaway! Stay tuned for the very end of this post! I am extremely excited about this giveaway! I decided to give away a larger prize and some surprises from my favorite Tried it Tuesday finds! So stay tuned! It's gonna be exciting!


I've got some fun and interesting items on the list for this week's Tried It Tuesday! In case you're new to Tried It Tuesday, every Tuesday I share finds from the last week that I feel are share-worthy. The finds range from food to fashion to make-up to music to anything in-between!

Here's what I found this past week: 

Recipe

Loaded Baked Potato Grilled Cheese

This recipe has been a long time coming! A few months ago I ate Loaded Baked Potato Pizza at Whole Foods, and it was delicious! Here is a link to a picture of it on my Instagram account (@gilbert_h). Looks good, huh? I had never thought of putting mashed potatoes on a pizza! I had told my sister, Rachael, that I knew I could make it at home. I know how to make loaded baked potatoes, and I could taste all the ingredients to tell what was on the pizza. I just never got around to making the silly recipe! Well, tonight, Bjorn and I tried loaded baked potato pizza morphed into an even different form: grilled cheese. And I might say that it was delicious.

I will link the Pinterest recipe that I used for inspiration below, but here are a few tips that I would follow when making this grilled cheese:

1) Use a thicker or denser slice of bread. 

The denser the bread, the less likely it will get soggy from the sour cream and mashed potatoes that you will layer on top of it. I really love Brownberry Bread.

2) Lightly toast the bread before you add any toppings.

Adding mashed potatoes straight to a piece of bread could only lead to soggy bread. By lightly toasting the bread first, this can help avoid soggy bread problems. I mean, who likes soggy bread? I apologize if you do; by all means, do not toast your bread first! :)

3) Buy thin slices of cheese and layer that on the bread slices. Then build your sandwich on top of the cheese. (Cheese on the outside touching the bread. Toppings in the middle.)

The cheese will act as a binder once it melts to hold all the ingredients inside the sandwich. It also keeps the sour cream and mashed potatoes from ever coming into contact with the actual bread slices. Yay keeping the bread nice and toasty!

4) Make sure you add a good amount of mashed potatoes. (I mean, that's what the sandwich is all about, right?!?)

So here is a link to the recipe on my Pinterest Board "Great Food." We did not use potato slices. We used Bob Evan's microwavable mashed potatoes with chives instead. Wow, it was yummy (and fast!).





 Here's a recipe that even uses potato chips too! (I would probably still add mashed potatoes!)

If you wanted to make the Loaded Baked Potato Pizza, I would cook the pizza dough first (get it a little crispy), so it doesn't get soggy. Add the mashed potatoes, bacon, cheese, scallions, and then dollop sour cream on top. I love the word dollop, don't you?

If you try it, let me know how you like it!

Treat

Tea Chewing Gum

I am not a big chewing gum fan. It gives me migraines. If I chew for too long, my jaw starts hurting, and then my neck and my temples start hurting. Then I start to get a headache that turns into a migraine and so on. I can chew gum for maybe less than 10 minutes at a time, but every so often, I like to. 

Recently, Bjorn and I were at Fresh Market and he showed me this gum that tastes like black tea. It's called Clark's Teaberry Chewing Gum. I actually really enjoyed the flavor. I didn't feel like it lasted very long, but it was nice. It was a subtle hint of tea. I found out (from Google) that it's made in Mexico now, the company originated in Buffalo, NY, and was first made in 1900.

I also found it in packs of 10 (haha!) if you love gum on Amazon for a little over $10. Definitely worth a try, but I'd buy a pack at Fresh Market in the candy section.

PB&J Chocolate Bar

Holy Moly! Bjorn and I were at TJ's (Trader Joe's) the other night and were looking at all the deliciousness that they stick at the register hoping you'll impulse buy anything and everything that is sitting there staring at your hungry face. Well, we caved in to one of them. It was this delicious concoction of peanut butter, raspberry jelly, and milk chocolate. Bjorn and I split one, since I'm trying to limit my chocolate intake (Boo!) because chocolate sadly is one of my migraine triggers. This is probably one of the best candy bars I have tasted in a long time. I warn you: do not look at the calories (it does contain peanut butter and chocolate). Just share it with a friend and enjoy, or eat it by yourself! You deserve a treat! It will be waiting for you, starring you down at the checkout.

Office Supplies

As many of you know, I am a teacher. I like school supplies. I like markers and pens. It's just the way it goes when you're a teacher. I recently bought some Paper Mate Ink Joy pens that I really like.

Source

These pens write really smoothly, the ink is very pigmented, and the colors are vibrant. I have been using them a lot! I bought mine at Target. I think the 8 pack was around $4 or $5 depending on if they were on sale.

Apps

Talking Ginger (Free)

If you have kids or you are a teacher, you may have seen this one already. I pretty much have seen this app every day of my life for the last year or so! My students think it is hilarious. I have to say, I really think it is too! I did, however, have to make rules as to when Ginger Cat could be used in my classroom because the kids got a little carried away with it! It is in no way educational; this app is pure entertainment. And it seriously kept my 12 year old 6th graders entertained all through their lunch and recess time. I did, however, sometimes wish I had earplugs!

Here is the link to the App on iTunes.

Ginger is a cat who you can basically make say whatever you want. You can make her voice go higher or lower. You talk into your mic, and Ginger repeats exactly what you say in a silly voice. It just overall it really cute and sounds funny to the kids. There are add-ons you can buy for the app, and there are also puzzles you can unlock. It's pretty easy to unlock puzzles: give Ginger a bath, blow dry her hair, brush her teeth, and watch an App store video. Once you complete certain actions, puzzles with Ginger's picture are unlocked for kids to put together. This App really cracks me up!

Make My Pet Talk Free

This App is too cute! It allows you to put in pictures of your pets, records your own voice, and then makes it look like your pet is talking and speaking those words! I can't stop laughing at the things I am getting my dogs to say! Maybe I find this funnier than I should, but I think it is hilarious!! I am going to make one in the morning and send it to my sissy to crack her up at work!

Here's the link: Make My Pet Talk Free

To remove the ads it costs 99 cents and to be able to change your pets voice it costs 99 cents. Again, another mindless app, but fun! It does take a minute to figure out how to use it to make it look like your pet is really talking.

Music

I have listened to John Mayer since I was in college and have seen him maybe three times in concert. I really love his music. I recently pulled out his CD Born and Raised because I hadn't listened to it in awhile. These are two of my favorite songs off that album, especially "Age of Worry."

John Mayer "Shadow Days"

John Mayer "Age of Worry"

Have you tried anything new this past week?

That's all for my Tried It Tuesday! Stay tuned for my 100th post giveaway!!

By entering below, you could win $25 dollars to Target and some Tried It Tuesday surprises! Not only will you win the giftcard, but I will throw in some of my favorite things from my Tried It Tuesday posts! Fun surprises will be in store! You are able to get up to 3 entries in the giveaway by

1) Following Finding My Everyday Happy on Facebook

and/or

2) Commenting on this blog post giving me a suggestion of something new you would like to see on the blog or something that you like that I already do

and/or

3) Comment on my Facebook page under the "My Summer Happy" post telling me one way you plan to find your happy this summer.


You can choose to enter one way, two ways, or all three ways! Make sure you login to the Rafflecopter Widget below in order to make sure you're officially entered in the drawing! This is how a winner will be randomly selected. The email address you enter will only be used to email you in the instance that you win the prize!

Giveaway is open 6/25/14 at midnight through 7/7/14 at 11:59 p.m. (the end of my sister's birthday!!). Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Love and happiness <3 Holly