Sunday's media madness...

Today is the Super Bowl, time to get together with your friends and watch some guys pay football in between those great commercials that are actually fun to watch and tend to air only once a year.  This year I already have already seen the Honda CRV commercial which I think is an instant classic because its built on the already classic movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off, if you haven't seen it, its worth watching for a good chuckle.  If you want a sneak peek at some of the other commercials making their debut today you can find them at the Super Bowl Commercials Organization.

If you are interested in some of the history of the fun commercials of the Super Bowl check out the book The Super Bowl of advertising: how the commercials won the game.  From The Advertising Educational Foundation:

"The Super Bowl is the most watched, most anticipated, most expensive, most influential arena in the world for television advertising. It is the place for advertisers to showcase their best, and for millions of viewers to see, judge, and respond to the most costly, creative commercials they'll encounter during a single broadcast.

This book provides a tour of the evolution of advertising, illustrated with color stills from memorable, sometimes out-on-the-edge ads and with stories of behind-the-scenes work that went into conceiving and making many of them." 

I love behind-the-scenes stuff so I am looking forward to reading this book myself.  I was able to find the book new for $2.73 with $3.99 shipping from a seller at Amazon, or you can find it used in Very Good condition at Amazon for $0.53 with the standard $3.99 for shipping.

I would love to hear what your favorite Super Bowl ad of all time is, and which team you are hoping will win.  Which ever team you are cheering for I hope you have a fun evening and enjoy the game!

Happy Super Bowl Sunday everyone.

C.Q.

Wednesday's learn and earn...

~WORD OF THE DAY~

zeitgeist  \TSYTE-gyste\  ~ noun ~ often capitalized

DEFINITION: the general intellectual, moral, and cultural climate of an era

EXAMPLES: The movie does an excellent job of capturing the zeitgeist of the early Cold War era.

"If Broadway no longer seems behind the times or ahead of the times, it may be because there are no 'times' anymore, no prevailing Zeitgeist that sets the fashion, pace, and prevailing look." -- From an article by James Wolcott in Vanity Fair, July 2011

DID YOU KNOW? Scholars have long maintained that each era has a unique spirit, a nature or climate that sets it apart from all other epochs. In German, such a spirit is known as "Zeitgeist," from the German words "Zeit," meaning "time," and "Geist," meaning "spirit" or "ghost." Some writers and artists assert that the true zeitgeist of an era cannot be known until it is over, and several have declared that only artists or philosophers can adequately explain it. We don’t know if that’s true, but we do know that "zeitgeist" has been a useful addition to the English language since at least 1835.

~THE REBATE~

Planning on getting Tyson Any'tizers for the big game?  There is a great $10.00 gift certificate rebate for Tyson.  Purchase any 4 Any'tizer snacks between 1/2/12 - 2/17/12, print and fill out the rebate form, mail the form, the 4 UPC proofs of purchase and the original cash register receipt to Tyson.  Requests need to be received by 3/16/12, your $10.00 gift certificate should be in your mailbox in 4 - 6 weeks.

Have a great Wednesday.

C.Q.

Tastefully Tueday...

Super Bowl Sunday is coming fast and so I thought I would post a couple great recipe ideas that are quick and easy and will ensure you don't miss a minute of the game.  First is a great 7 layer dip from McCormick, next are Slider Style Mini Burgers from All Recipes.

Seven Layer Fiesta Dip

1 can (16 ounces) refried beans
1 container (16 ounces) sour cream
1 package McCormick® Taco Seasoning Mix or McCormick® Taco Seasoning Mix Mild
1 package (8 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese (2 cups)
1 cup prepared guacamole
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1/2 cup sliced black olives
Tortilla chips

1. Spread refried beans in shallow serving dish.
2. Mix sour cream and Seasoning Mix in small bowl until well blended. Spread over refried beans.
3. Top with layers of cheese, guacamole, tomatoes, onions and olives. Serve with tortilla chips.

Makes 8 cups or 64 (2-tablespoon) servings.  Prep Time: 15 minutes

Slider-Style Mini Burgers

2 pounds ground beef

1 (1.25 ounce) envelope onion soup mix

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

24 dinner rolls, split

1/2 cup sliced pickles (optional)

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray.  

Mix together the ground beef and onion soup mix in a large skillet; cook and stir over medium-high heat until the beef is crumbly, evenly browned, and no longer pink. Drain and discard any excess grease. Remove from heat. Stir the mayonnaise and Cheddar cheese into the ground beef mixture.

Lay the bottoms of the dinner rolls on the prepared baking sheet. Spread the cheese and beef mixture on the bottom half of each roll. Replace the tops. Cover with another sheet of aluminum foil sprayed with cooking spray.               

Bake in the preheated oven until the burgers are heated through and cheese melts, about 30 minutes. Serve with sliced pickles.               

Prep time 10 minutes, cook time 40 minutes.  Makes 24 mini burgers.

Coupons:
Save $1.00 off 2 Hood Sour Cream
Save $1.00 off 8 McCormick seasonings (Meijer)
Save $1.00 off 2 Kraft Cheese Item (Target)
Save $1.50 off any Wholly Guacamole
Save $1.50 off any 2 Early California or Pearls Black Ripe Olives (coupon link is at bottom of the page)
Save $2.00 on any Ruffles Family Sized Potato Chips, Tostitos Tortilla Chips or Tostitos Salsa (Giant Eagle)
Save $2.00 off any Star Ranch Angus beef product
Save $1.00 off any 4 Lipton Soup Secret and Recipe Secret Dry Soup Mix (Meijer)
Save $1.00 off two select varieties of Mayonnaise at Target
Save $0.50 off two Pillsbury Refrigerated Pizza Crust, Breadsticks, Loaves or Dinner Rolls
Save $0.35 off any Gedney Pickle Product

Today's no cook option is from Onsale.com, get a $10.00 Domino's pizza card for only $5.99.  This offer expires 1/31/12 11:59 PM PST so you need to be quick to get your deal.

Hope you are all having a great week so far.

C.Q.