Dave & Buster's - $10 In Free Game Play

The American Automobile Association (AAA) has estimated that 39 million people in the US will travel 50 miles or more this Independence Day weekend.  But Dave & Buster’s thinks you should stay relaxed and take a Play-cation instead! 

To try to convince you, they are offering everyone $10 in free game play.  Just visit the Play-cation website to print the your free coupon, which is valid through July 10.   With the extreme heat we are having here, I think I just may have to take them up on this offer. 

Green is Good with Sunkist® Valencia Oranges

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Sunkist Growers for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Do you ever look at oranges in the produce of your supermarket and think "Oh, no....these aren't ripe!"....  If you do and they are Sunkist® Valencia oranges, they actually ARE ripe and ready to eat.   Sunkist® Valencia oranges sometimes "re-green" in warm weather. When they ripen on the tree, Valencias turn a bright orange color.  However, warm temperatures may make their skin reabsorb chlorophyll while hanging on the tree, which causes the orange color to look partly green—although the outside is green, the inside is still ripe and delicious!  This video explains it well:
Sunkist Valencia Oranges Re-greening Video

To make a yummy summer dish with Sunkist® Valencia oranges, try this recipe:
Ingredients:
• 3 Sunkist® Valencia oranges, segmented and zested
• 20 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 lb. tub Bocconcini mozarella
• ¼ cup Opal (purple) basil, shredded into small pieces
• 20 whole wheat crackers
• Salt to taste
• ¼ cup fresh rosemary
• ¼ cup fresh thyme
• 1/8 cup fresh oregano
• 1 ½ cups extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. black pepper
Instructions: (Makes 10 servings)
• Cut the Bocconcini into halves.
• Zest the Valencia oranges using a micro plane or fine grater and set aside. To segment the oranges, cut off the top and bottom.
• Lay the orange on a flat surface, using a pairing knife remove the skin and white pith. Carefully cut and release each segment from between the membranes and set aside.
• In a blender, add the olive oil, orange zest and fresh herbs. Pulse until blended, continue to blend on medium speed until the herbs and zest are finely chopped, add the pepper and pulse quickly. Pour into a jar or plastic container. Leftover oil can be kept refrigerated for up to one month and used as a marinade for fish, poultry or vegetables.
• Toss the orange segments, cherry tomatoes, Bocconcini and basil lightly with ¾ cup of orange scented herb oil and season with salt.
• To Serve: Top each cracker with the mixture and serve.

For more ideas, see these additional Sunkist citrus recipes.  I especially like this easy smoothie recipe:  Start with 1/2 cup of juice and 1/2 cup of diced orange in a blender. Add a peeled banana, some frozen berries and 1/2 cup of yogurt. YUM!

A Better World: A Facebook Game with a Positive Theme

If you like passing the time with games on Facebook, take a look at a fun game with a positive message - A Better World. This game encourages kindness by rewarinding real world acts of kindness and expressions of gratitude. Since debuting earlier this year, it has soared to more than 120,000 players!

The game has super-cute graphics and its positive message and special gameplay activities are designed to help you feel better about yourself, be supportive of others and make positive everyday, real-life choices.  You can also play mini games with inspirational themes and  personalize your own characters and places in the game.  And especially for animal lovers, you can even have your own virtual pets to play with and care for.

Some of the more than 15 locations to explore in A Better World, include the:

• Department of Do Good –  Here you can share the real world good deeds you have performed, as well as see what other players have done

• Gratitude Grotto – Here you can express what you are thankful for and leave your support for messages left by others

• Sanctuary of Hope – Here you can share your hopes and dream, as well as send encouragement to other community members

• Arcade – This is fun!  You can play uplifting mini-games either by yourself or with friends

• Better Pets Pet Shop, - Check out the cute puppies, adorable kittens or even a magical unicorn!

A Better World was created by ToonUps, a digital entertainment company that has focused on developing digital content that encourages a positive outlook and altruistic behavior for more than a decade.  They hope  the original approach of A Better World could usher in a new genre of “do good gaming.” Research shows that being encouraged to think about things we are thankful for and doing activities that provide encouragement to others improves our mental, emotional and spiritual well being.

Disclosure: I was given the opportunity to share my thoughts and opinions on A Better World. I received a gift card as a thank you for my participation. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Staples Printable 20% Off Coupon = Cheap Toilet Paper!

Staples is offering a printable coupon for 20% off any one item at Staples.  It is valid through tomorrow, 7/2/11. Must be used in-store only (not online).  Of course your biggest bang would be to use it on an expensive item if you have a purchase planned, but if not, check out the Charmin Basic 16 roll package on sale for $4.99. After this coupon your final cost will be about $.25 per roll.

New Printable Coupons for July!

Since it's a new month, there are again new coupons to print at Coupons.com.  It seems like their web site is having a bit of trouble this morning, but try again soon since there are only a limited number of each of these to print.  Some of them are:

Food & Snacks

• $0.40 off Totino's Pizza Rolls
• $1.00 off LÄRABAR or JOCALAT bars
• $0.75 off Betty Crocker Fruit Snacks
• $0.50 off Nature Valley Granola Thins
• $0.75 off Nature Valley Granola Bars
• $0.75 off Cascadian Farm product
• $0.50 off Pillsbury Toaster Strudel
• $0.55 off One Package of Joy Ice Cream Cones
• $0.40 off Fiber One 90 Calorie Chewy Bars
• $0.75 off Fiber One 80 Calories cereal
• $0.75 off Cocoa Puffs Brownie Crunch™ cereal
• $0.40 off Yoplait Yogurt
• $0.75 off Yoplait kid products
• $1.00 off 1 GERBER GRADUATES LIL' ENTREES
• $1.00 off 2 GERBER GRADUATES PUFFS
• $0.50 off Bisquick Baking Mix
• $0.75 off Cookie Crisp cereal
• $0.50 off Honey Nut Cheerios cereal
• $1.00 off any (2) Fresh Gourmet Premium Croutons

Personal & Health Care

• $1.00 off any BENADRYL Anti-itch product
• $1.00 off any ONE (1) POISE Liners
• $1.00 off any ONE (1) POISE Pads
• $3.00 off one Garnier HerbaShine Color Creme
• $1.00 off one GARNIER FRUCTIS SHAMPOO/CONDITIONER
• $1.00 off any L'Oréal Studio Line Styling Product
• $1.00 off any L'Oréal Paris Go 360° Clean Product
• $1.00 off one GARNIER FRUCTIS STYLE PRODUCT

Home Entertainment

• $3.00 off Oklahoma! on DVD
• $3.00 off King and I 50th Anniversary Edition
• $3.00 off All That Jazz Music Edition on DVD
• $3.00 off History of the World Part 1 on Blu-ray™
• $3.00 off Moulin Rouge on Blu-ray™
• $3.00 off Rocky Horror Picture Show on Blu-ray™
• $3.00 off Walk the Line on Blu-ray™
• $3.00 off South Pacific on Blu-ray™
• $3.00 off The Sound of Music on Blu-ray™
• $3.00 off Crazy Heart on Blu-ray™

FoodSaver Only $89.99 at Buy.com

If you have been thinking about getting a Food Saver to preserve all of this great summer produce, you have a chance to get one at nearly 50% off!  Buy.com has a FoodSaver Vertical Vacuum-Sealing Appliance for $89.99, a $70 Savings. Shipping is FREE. Offer is valid through 07-05-2011.

Dollar Genera $5 Off a $25 Purchase Printable Coupon (7/2 Only!)

Tomorrow, 7/21/11, ONLY, use this printable coupon to save $5 off your purchase of $25 or more at Dollar General.  They also have other printable coupons available on their site.

Ford's Smell Lab - An "Odor Neutral" Goal

If you read the guidelines for your community recycling program you will probably see that you are asked to rinse your cans and bottles before recycling. It's a good idea to do so just to keep your recycling bin stink-free and less desirable to the critters, but did you know that odors from your recyclables can be carried all the way through the recycling process? While I don't know if rinsing your jugs will change the final product, I DO know that plastics made out of old milk jugs can smell like......well....old milk jugs. 

I found this out last week when I visited Ford for the Forward with Ford event, a media program to explore global trends and issues facing consumers now and forward into the future. (Remember my earlier post about meeting Ed Begley, Jr.?)

While at Ford, we visited the Interior Materials Engineering department and their "Smell Lab" - Yes, an entire lab dedicated to making sure your vehicle smells good.  More accurately, they don't want your car to smell bad.  Their goal is to utilize odor-neutral parts that the average consumer will not notice or not find offensive - an "odor neutral" goal.  Since Ford doesn't add anything to cover up smells, a lot of testing is involved to ensure a pleasant odor atmosphere in your vehicle.  Before parts are even made, the materials used to create the parts are tested.  Once the materials get the ok, then parts are manufactured and then the final part is tested again.  All of this testing is done by what is called a "Smell Jury".  The jury is made up of Ford employees with top-notch sniffers....people who are smokers, heavy perfume wearers, etc need not apply.  The parts are also sniff-tested in different conditions including extreme heat to make sure the odors stay in control no matter what the environment. 

We got a chance to see for ourselves what it was like to be a member of the smell jury.  Auto parts are kept in sealed glass jars to protect from interference.  (See picture at right.)  I was surprised that some parts actually had a distinct odor and I could definitely tell the part made from plastic that included recycled milk jugs - that bad milk smell was distinct.

A totally random fact, but one that I found interesting is that the leather smell of a new leather jacket or in the seats of some cars is NOT really the true smell of leather!  With modern tanning methods, there is barely any odor left in the finished product, so manufacturers will add in an artificial scent to give people that leather smell they are looking for.  I am so glad that Ford doesn't add that smell to their leather seats - it gives me a headache.

So, the next time you throw that empty milk jug into the recycling bin, give it a good rinse - it sure can't hurt!

Disclosure: I was invited to participate in this program by Ford and Ogilvy PR. Ford Motor Company paid for my travel and accommodations at the event, I was not compensated in any other manner for my time. My opinions posted here are my own.   

15% Off Everything at Crocs.com - TODAY ONLY!

Today (July 1st) ONLY, take 15% off site-wide at Crocs.com! No coupon code is necessary, just shop through this link.