Nacho Pile #nachopile #nachopilegame #asmodeeusa #familygame #kidsgame #targetfinds #target #Tryazon

A complimentary copy of Nacho Pile was provided to me through Tryazon so that I could share them with friends and through my blog. All opinions expressed are my own

We love to host game nights and play games as a family. Looking back on our game nights, the group certainly has evolved. When the pictures come up in my memories, it makes me sad sometimes because we don't get to spend as much time with some of the people that we used to. Now, change is natural and we have people that join us now that didn't join in the past and our kids are now part of the evening (vs when we used to schedule to start after bedtime) and their friends/dates join us for game play too.

About Nacho Pile:

From the creator of Happy Salmon and other hit party games, Nacho Pile is a fast-paced, high-energy game that will have chips flying back and forth as players compete for full plates and stomachs. In the game, players must push their luck to pile their nacho plates high, but also cleverly snatch matching chips from other players. Don't get too risky or you will lose them all! Keep an eye out for special chips that really ramp up the heat with spicy effects. Best for ages 7+ and playtimes is 20 minutes

When I received the invite to check out Nacho Pile, the game sounded perfect for a quick family game or a filler as different tables were wrapping up longer games on a group game night. It sounds like there is a bit of luck and strategy involved, which always makes for a good balance. I like that it is playable by 2 - 6 people and that it works for most ages. Plus, it is a very portable game, making it perfect to toss into the bag when we head to friends.

When the game arrived, the first thing that I noticed was the packaging. The packaging looks just like a bag of chips, in fact my son initially set it on the table and moved over some snack bags we had of other chips so that it would 'blend' in. The bag that the game comes in doubles as the grab bag for the chips during game play. The plates serve as your game board for chips that you have collected. The chips are slightly arched, making them easy to pick up from the table and also support them a little when stacking.

The game play is fairly straight-forward and the directions were easy to follow. On your first turn, you start by grabbing chips one at a time from the bag and put them next to your plate. You decide when to stop but if you draw a duplicate, you bust and all of the chips go back to the bag. When you stop, you may gather any chips sitting next to another player's plate of the same values that you have. Then, on subsequent rounds, any chips that are next to your plate at the start of the turn, you can put on your plate.

There are chips with numbers 1-7 on them. There are also some Wild Chips and some Spicy Chips to mix up the game play. The Wild Chips you declare the value on when you draw and drawing another of that value before you stop counts as a match and you bust. The Spicy Chips are Steal, Score and Remove. The Spicy Chips can cause a bust if you draw a second of the same type of chip before you stop. All of the Spicy Chips result in action after you stop drawing. Steal lets you take a chip from someone else's plate and put it on your plate. Score let's you move chips of one value (the one you drew and the ones you stole) onto your plate before your turn ends. Remove allows you to remove one chip from another player's plate and return it to the grab bag. The game ends when there is only one chip in the bag. The score is based on who has the most of a given value chip (wilds can be reassigned to any value before scoring starts) earning a point a chip, or two for the number matching the last chip. The winner is the one with the most points.

Game play observations
- In the beginning, people are either very risky and overdraw or they are risk averse and stop after drawing a couple of chips. With time, we found that people wound up in the middle and those that were paying attention had a feel for the risk of grabbing the same chip (there are 6 of each number, 6 Wild chips and 6 Spicy chips) and that the 'sweet spot' for risk shifts as the game progresses with fewer chips remaining in the grab bag.
- The first few rounds were slow, as people got the hang of things, the game moved quicker. It really was easy to learn and I think it took a while to speed up as people figured out their strategies.
- The name is fun. There were 'nacho' jokes a plenty.

Overall, everyone found the game enjoyable but generally agreed that after a few games, it was time to move on to another game. Game time was a good amount for a quick after dinner game.

Want to check out Nacho Pile? You can learn more about the game and purchase a copy on the company website asmodee. You can also find the game at Target, Walmart and Amazon.

No compensation was received for this review. All opinions expressed are my own or that of my family and friends. A complimentary copy of Nacho Pile was provided to me through Tryazon so that I could play the game and inivte my friends to check it out too.

Wewalka Baking Party and Review #Tryazon #wewalkaparty

As a participant in the Tryazon Wewalka Party, I received an Wewalka party pack which included a coupons to try the product at the party and to share with my guests. All opinions expressed are my own.

Pizza is a staple at our house. We have it on a variety of crusts. We do open face quesadilla pizzas on tortillas, we use leftover buns and bagels to make pizzas, we use bread dough, dough mixes and homemade dough. We top them with all sorts of toppings - simple to complex, sweet and savory. We enjoy it at any meal and as a snack too. So, when I got the opportunity to try Wewalka European Bakery Style Dough, I was excited.

The party pack included an apron and an oven mitt for me and some insulated bags, magnetic shopping lists, Wewalka pens and measuring spoons and coupons for product to share with guests. (not all pictured)

I spent a couple of evenings studying the website and finding inspiration and recipes to try at our party. I wound printing out a recipe for shrimp flatbread, a buffalo chicken calzone, a chocolate cherry cheesecake pizza, jalapeno popper puffs, bread sticks and a prosciutto pizza. I made up my grocery list and headed off to find my ingredients and the dough. My store carried four varieties of their dough - Puff Pastry, Flatbread, Classic Pizza and Bistro Pizza. I decided to grab a couple of each to try at the party, using the recipes I found or improvising with other pizzas we enjoy.

Before the guests arrived, I started with prep work and even got a couple of the things in the oven. I wanted the guests to see and work with the product, but with basketball on in the background and plans to play poker, I knew attention would be divided and I would have to prepare to ensure we got to also try more product than we prepped during the party. Plus, you can only have so much in the oven at a time and I only have three baking stones.

I love that the dough comes on parchment paper and is refrigerated, so when you are ready to bake you can simply unroll, top and bake. The packaging is great too, as it is a flat sleeve and can easily stack on the side of my refrigerator, making them easy to access. As I opened the packaging to make the first recipe, I noticed this small valve on the inside. I assumed it had something to do with minimizing moisture build-up on the dough, but to be sure I looked it up on the website and learned that the valve is part of their packaging because they "use real, live baker’s yeast which needs to slowly release carbon dioxide, so we’ve added specialized valves to the packaging. Our yeast ensures your pastries and pizzas always rise up and bake to perfection." (I like it, great way to ensure the freshness and deliver performance of the product). Baking on the parchment paper sure made clean-up easy, which was especially good for the party, since we only had three stones and one pan that we were using.

Buffalo Pizza:
Started with a traditional pizza crust, used ranch dressing to cover the dough, added chicken that had been mixed with buffalo sauce, then added onions and shredded colby jack cheese and baked according to the package.

 Margherita Pizza:

Shrimp Flatbread:

Buffalo Chicken Calzone:

Jalepeno Popper Puffs:

Margherita and Cheese Flatbread:
Started by unrolling a flatbread and scoring it to create two halves. Added pizza sauce as a base to each side. Added fresh mozzarella slices on one side and shredded Italian cheese on the other. Baked it according to the package directions. Then, added fresh sliced tomatoes and fresh basil. Returned it to the oven for 5 minutes, then drizzled with balsamic.

The traditional margherita pizza and the half margherita/half cheese flatbread were delicious. I think that margherita pizza is one of my favorites, there is just something about the fresh tomatoes and the drizzle of balsamic that is so tasty. We wound up making a buffalo chicken pizza in addition to the calzone. The jalapeño poppers, which we left the bacon out of, were delicious, but I would make them smaller next time - everyone was cutting them in half to enjoy anyway. The shrimp flatbread was tasty, but compared to the other offerings, just wasn't as popular. Everyone loved the chocolate cheesecake pizza, it was super rich though and so we had a good amount left over (not a bad thing at all - meant we got to enjoy some the next day).

Chocolate Cheesecake Pizza:

I liked the flavor of the product, but found that based on the timing on the directions and/or on the packaging for those that we improvised, that the pizza and flat breads did not bake up as much as I prefer. I don't mind a soft crust and it works fine for a lightly topped flatbread, but it made it difficult to plate up the chocolate cheesecake pizza and the calzone was also difficult to cut and plate for sharing. I found that extending the cooking time helped it cook up a little more. Also, those items that I tucked in the oven to reheat also crisped up nice directly on the stone.

The ease of use of the Wewalka pizza and flatbread products is tremendous. As a busy mom, I could feasibly make and bake a (nearly) homemade pizza for my family in about 20 minutes including prep, which is important on those nights with games and practices that leave little time for dinner. The dough being rolled up with the parchment paper not only makes it easy to use, but makes clean-up a breeze - another time saver on a busy night.

The puff pastry feels like a very versatile product to me, one that can be used for both sweet and savory dishes and the fact that it is fresh and not frozen makes it an easy go to for dinners or dessert. I look forward to trying more of the puff pastry recipes, since we wound up only trying the jalepeno poppers at the party.

There are so many more recipes that I look forward to trying, you can peruse them yourself here. You can find a local store that carries the Wewalka line, using their store locator here.

The guests and my family all enjoyed the opportunity to participate in the Wewalka Baking Party through Tryazon.

As a participant in the Tryazon Wewalka Party, I received an Wewalka party pack which included a coupons to try the product at the party and to share with my guests. All opinions expressed are my own.

Celiac Disease Awareness Month

May is National Celiac Disease Awareness Month.

"One in 133 Americans has celiac disease – a lifetime condition that requires those who are diagnosed to completely remove gluten from their diet. This can be a difficult transition for many, as gluten is found in several commonly used ingredients making it even harder for those who are unfamiliar with this intolerance to determine what can and cannot be served."

Up until a few years ago, when my cousin was diagnosed with Celiac Disease, I'm not sure that I had much awareness of the disease. Now, when we have family dinners, everyone makes a concerted effort to make sure that foods that are gluten free are noted - so that she can easily identify those that are safe for her to enjoy. Some easy swaps that can be made include using cornstarch to thicken sauce and gravies, instead of flour; serving corn tortillas instead of flour tortillas; making homemade dressings and dips with gluten free ingredients. Sometimes, people will even make two versions of the same (or similar) dish, one that is gluten free and one that is not. Helping her have a variety of options to enjoy requires thoughtful preparation and reading the labels of the ingredients used in the dishes to make sure that each is Gluten Free. Sometimes, you have to read through the ingredient list, but other times manufactures will include a notation on the label noting that the product is Gluten Free.

Here are some tips provided by Frito-Lay Chef Ngoc Trinh, an expert in gluten-free cooking. With these tips, hosting a sans-gluten gathering is a breeze:
"Plan Your Menu:

o Create a mouth-watering menu that your gluten-free guests can enjoy from start to finish. Chips and dips make great starters, especially when you pair your favorite Frito-Lay snacks with delicious gluten-free dips.

Check the Ingredients:

o Be sure to check your ingredients’ labels for wheat, rye, barley and malt. We’re helping fans easily identify which of our snacks are made without gluten by placing a “GF” icon or a statement on the back of qualifying bags.

o Some of your favorite Frito-Lay snacks may already be gluten-free since many of our chips are made with just three ingredients – corn or potatoes, oil and salt. (you can check out the list here)

Prep for the Party:

o Incorporate place cards so guests can easily identify each dish and determine if it’s gluten-free. Use descriptive titles that incorporate ingredients so guests know exactly what to expect.

o Use color coordinating condiment bowls, utensils, and serving pieces to eliminate the hazards of cross-contamination between gluten-free and non-gluten-free foods."

Here are examples from a couple of Frito Lay products, on how they label their package with gluten free information.
a text label:

a gluten free symbol and text label:

Do you know someone that has Celiac Disease? How do you prepare foods for events with your friends that have this or other special dietary needs?

No compensation was received for this post. Frito-Lay provided me with a Gluten-Free Guide to Entertaining kit – including two bags of gluten-free Frito-Lay snacks, a color-coded condiment tray and chalkboard place cards, as well as information for this post. All opinions expressed are my own or that of my family.

Chex Party Mix-change

Sure, everyone has heard of Cookie Exchanges. You know how it works, a group of friends or coworkers each bake their family favorite, packaging them up in dozen cookie packages. Then, everyone gets together for a little bit of camaraderie and exchanges cookies. You wind up with a collection of cookies to fill your cookie trays at holiday gatherings and at least for me, find yourself a new favorite.

This year, why not have a Chex Party Mix-change instead. The concept is similar, everyone make up their favorite Chex Party Mix recipe to share. The best part = is that you can "make Chex Party Mix in just 15 minutes" instead of spending hours baking. You can still get together for a the same camaraderie and come away with a number of varieties of Chex Mix to share with your family and friends at your holiday gatherings. Chex has even done some of the work for you - simply stop by the Chex Party Mix-change webpage and you can print up festive invites, shopping lists and recipe cards

With so many recipes to choose from, their is a Chex Mix to suit your want for sweet or savory. My newest favorite has to be the Snickerdoodle Chex Mix. It uses the Chocolate Chex, Cinnamon Chex and some popcorn, along with butter, cinnamon and sugar to create a yummy sweet party mix. I must admit though, as I was scanning the list of Chex Mix recipes to find the link I found several that I can't wait to try.

Giveaway!
To help you get started on your Chex Party Mix-change, Sam’s Club, Chex Party Mix and General Mills through MyBlogSpark are providing one A Busy Mom of Two reader with a Chex Party Mix-change Prize Pack, which includes a box of Chex Cereal and a $25 Gift Card to Sam's Club.

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