4th of July Made in the USA with Rayovac

We love to celebrate Independence Day here in the USA!  In North Carolina, our family enjoys friends, fireworks and great food.   We love our local parade and 4th of July Festival.  We participate in our local festival with games and activities for everyone.   We watch outdoor fireworks,  and attend musicals and picnics to commemorate the 4th of July.


http://www.rayovac.com/Products/AA-AAA-Alkaline-Batteries.aspx
Light Sabers Powered by Rayovac Alkaline Batteries

Where there are Fireworks and Music, like the Koka Booth Amphitheatre, we bring our Light Sabers. We are a Light Saber Family, powered by Rayovac!  Seriously, we have sparred in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Walt Disney World, the Rockies and the Beaches of North Carolina and beyond.

So, I loved when I renewed my Contract as a Rayovac Power Blogger and I get to write about my favorite Longer Lasting Rayovac batteries some more.  Furthermore, I get to share that Rayovac Alkaline batteries are Made in the USA!



For the past 3+ years, as a Rayovac Power Blogger, we have been powered. We love it!  We are so very happy Rayovac alkaline batteries and hearing aid batteries are Made in the USA!  You can enjoy "lasts longer" batteries with competitive prices and know you are supporting Made in the USA products.



Here is another view of us enjoying our Light Sabers Koka Booth Amphitheatre while our North Carolina Symphony serenaded us to lovely John Williams music including Olympic Theme Song, Star Wars, Harry Potter and more.





This 4th of July Holiday, check out all of the Rayovac alkaline and hearing aid batteries that are Made in the USA!  And Rayovac "Lasts Longer" Batteries are worth your investment.  





For all of the fun and details, follow Rayovac Facebook and Rayovac on Twitter.  Rayovac often has Giveaways and Coupons with Discounts for Followers.  You can also check out their latest products there.

How do you plan to spend your 4th of July?

Warmly, Carolina Mama

FTC Disclosure:  This post is sponsored by Rayovac and is part of my work as a Rayovac Power Blogger. All opinions are my own. 


Review: Chuy's Tex-Mex North Hills Raleigh, NC

Chuy's Tex-Mex is in Raleigh, North Carolina now and we are so pleased.  It was wonderful to take the Family for an outing to check it all out.  They had us with "Chuy's with Burritos As Big As Yo' Face!" :)  That fun atmosphere is what we soaked up while visiting for lunch recently.






"Founded in Austin, Texas in 1982, Chuy’s owns and operates 43 full-service restaurants across eight states serving a distinct menu of authentic, made from scratch Tex-Mex inspired dishes. Chuy’s highly flavorful and freshly prepared fare is served in a fun, eclectic atmosphere, while each location offers a unique look and feel, as expressed by the concept’s motto “If you’ve seen one Chuy’s, you’ve seen one Chuy’s!”

Here in Raleigh, the Chips and Salsa were fresh and tasty. We loved the fresh salsa. They gave us as much as we needed. The ingredients were so fresh.  Fabulous! 



Family at Chuy's Raleigh, lunch. We all had such a fun first experience at Chuy's. 


My Boulder Mountain Man loved the Nachos.  The Fresh Gaucamole was a favorite! 



Panchos Chuy's Nachos!
Here is our tray before our server delivered it all to our table.  One of our boys loves the Tacos. Here is his plate=, front right. :)  Our other son enjoyed the Burrito and was thrilled with it.  My Chicken Cheese Stack Enchiladas were awesome!  I ended up ordering one Cheese Enchilada a la cart as I love a plain Cheese Enchilada. It was my favorite! 



The saying goes, "If you've seen one Chuy's, you've seen one Chuy's!" Each Chuy's has a personality all its own!  Though this is our first Chuy's to visit, we LOVED our Chuy's Raleigh's "personality."  We love the Chuy's "Fullosophy."  And full we were.... it started off with their Salsa Fresca made fresh EVERY HOUR!  Green Chile, Tomatillo Sauce, Ranchero Sauces are just a few of the SEVEN Homemade sauces at Chuy's.  I enjoyed the Tex-Mex. 

Check out the ambiance of the main dining room. :)  We love the spirited atmosphere.  So colorful and energetic. 



All Chuy's have the Hubcap Ceiling! Reminiscent of Elvis!  You will love it! 


We sat right across from the Palm Trees so these had to be shared. We felt the excitement.


The Outdoor Patio at the North Hills location that we visited was so beautiful.  We love dining al fresco. 


One more thing, look at the awesomeness of each meal!  My son said the Queso was wonderful. :) 




When you get a chance check out the Chuy's North Hills, Raleigh, NC .  It is ideal for a fun celebration.  Chuy's was a fun family atmosphere.  Hope you get to try it soon.  Who knows, maybe we'll see you there!


Warmly, Carolina Mama

FTC Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Chuy's Raleigh. All opinions are our own. 

Moravian Cookie Trail Winston-Salem, NC


Nibble Your Way Through Winston-Salem, NC 
Soak up the stories, visit a historic bakery that is more than 200 years old!, sample goods fresh from the wood-burning oven and savor the flavors of the Moravian Cookie Trail  right in beautiful Winston-Salem, North Carolina. 




Winston-Salem, N.C. (June 19, 2014Visit Winston-Salem NC 



Visit Winston-Salem, NC
has launched an exclusive virtual culinary trail celebrating the city’s historic Moravian food roots. It’s a website and travel tool visitors can use to sample, learn and tour the home of “the world’s thinnest” cookies.

With more than 1.1 million pounds baked here each year, Winston-Salem, NC is the “epicenter of Moravian cookie production” according to Raleigh News & Observer food editor Andrea Weigl. While the first cookies featured ginger, clove and molasses, today’s flavors run the gamut, from traditional spice and black walnut offerings to pomegranate lime and espresso. The cookie is also exquisitely thin with some bakers dubbing it the "world's thinnest cookie."




The History
In 1753, the Moravians—a devout, German-speaking, Christian group originally from Eastern Europe—migrated to North Carolina due to its fertile soil, abundant water and temperate climate. They settled on more than 100,000 pristine acres in the heart of our current city known as the Wachovia Tract (yep, the bank was named after this same area). They brought their baking traditions with them and produced three iconic bakeries and a craving for ginger spice cookies.

Top Moravian Cookie Trail Destinations in Winston-Salem
1Winkler Bakery at Old Salem Museums & Garden 521 S Main St, Winston-Salem, NC 27101; (336) 721-7302 http://www.oldsalem.org/winkler-bakery.html
More than 200 years old, Winkler Bakery features the original wood-fired dome oven that has baked breads, cakes and confections since it was built in 1800. Bakers in period costumes welcome visitors, offer samples, and make Moravian Sugar Cake and bread, too. (Because of the volume, today’s cookies are made in a larger bakery, offsite.) The Winkler cookie recipe sold today is adapted and updated from historic versions originally baked in the wood-fired oven. You can buy lots of cookies here.

2. Dewey’s Bakery www.deweys.com and www.deweys.com/about-us-locations Thruway Shopping Center and Reynolda Manor
A Winston-Salem original since 1930, Dewey's Bakery is a household name, especially during the Easter, wedding and holiday seasons. Visit their bakeries at 262 S Stratford Road at Thruway Shopping Center and 2820 Reynolda Road at Reynolda Manor. During the holidays, you’ll see pop-up locations spring into action across North Carolina to satisfy seasonal cravings.



3. Mrs. Hanes' Moravian Cookies (tours available) www.hanescookies.com 4643 Friedberg Church Rd, Clemmons, NC 27012; (336) 764-1402
Mrs. Hanes' Moravian Cookies is nestled in the rolling hills of Clemmons, a suburb of Winston-Salem. The public tours provide visitors the opportunity to see the family-run cookie company in action. “Artists in Aprons” hand roll, hand cut and hand package more than 110,000 pounds of dough each year. Oprah Winfrey named this delicacy one of her “favorites” in 2010. Make reservations for tours at www.hanescookies.com/hanes_cs/onsitetour.asp (Note: Tours are not available during the holiday season.)

4. Salem Kitchen, a gourmet gift shop, http://salemkitchen.com/ 50 Miller Street, Winston-Salem, NC 27104; (336) 722-1155
Salem Kitchen proudly carries Mrs. Hanes' Moravian Cookies. It’s the perfect stop before packing a picnic and heading out to visit a winery or one of our parks.
Restaurants with cookie creations are on the trail, too. We’ll be updating and changing this list frequently:

5. Milner’s American Southern www.milnerfood.com 630 South Stratford Road, Winston-Salem, NC 27103; (336) 768-2221
Order their signature Moravian Cookie and Pecan-Crusted Salmon served with sweet potato flapjacks, sautéed spinach, fennel slaw and vanilla bean beurre blanc. It’s always on the menu.

6. The Tavern at Old Salem http://thetaverninoldsalem.ws 736 South Main Street, Winston-Salem, NC 27101; (336) 722-1227
The Tavern at Old Salem serves up fresh Moravian cuisine and often sources their produce from the surrounding heirloom gardens of Old Salem. Cross your fingers they are serving homemade ice cream made with spicy ginger crumbs as a special or Chef Jared’s specialty menu item, Moravian-Cookie-Crusted Frenched Lamb Rack. This restaurant is located a few blocks down the street from Winkler Bakery at Old Salem Museums & Gardens.



 7. Haute Chocolate http://bit.ly/HauteChoc 301 Brookstown Avenue, Suite 500, Winston-Salem NC 27101; (336) 653-9924

Buzz by the Twin City Hive where this chocolate shop is housed under the same roof as our local segway tour company. Enjoy coffee, baked goods and the handiwork of Haute Chocolate’s Jiliana Dulaney. Her Moravian Ginger Cookie Truffles are often a featured chocolate creation.

And a virtual visit you don’t want to miss:

Salem Baking Co. Visit them online and at displays in fine supermarkets and specialty stores across the United States. They even have delightfully Gluten Free delicacies.



You’ll find a trendy flavor profile with this label—everything from chocolate-dipped and chocolate-enrobed Moravian Cookies to the traditional Ginger Spice selections to Meyer lemon, key lime and more. Check out the video from Salem Baking Co. Executive Pastry Chef Alison Turner shares her recipes to creating Moravian cookie pairings and appetizers. Go ahead - you can prepare them at home using their Moravian cookies. (Link above will take you to her recipes.)

Salem Baking Company was founded in 1992 when Dewey’s Bakery couldn’t fulfill increasing demand. Today, the company bakes and distributes more than a million pounds of Moravian cookies nationwide annually. 
About Winston-Salem: Winston-Salem is the fifth largest city in North Carolina, located in the center of the Yadkin Valley wine appellation in the northwestern part of the state. Known as a City of Arts and Innovation (the first arts council in the U.S. Texas Pete Hot Sauce and Krispy Kreme started here), Winston-Salem is your Southern wake-up call, a feast for the thinking traveler. Learn more at www.VisitWinstonSalem.com or www.facebook.com/VisitWinstonSalem and Twitter@VisitWS.


EDITOR’S NOTE: You can mail order from each the bakery websites, and they ship worldwide. While not every Moravian cookie is packaged in the tall round cookie towers (think Pringle's cans), that's the way you'll see them most often.

Have you visited Winston-Salem, North Carolina?  What are your favorite things?   :)  Or, Hey, have you ordered Moravian Cookies from the Salem Baking Co.?

Warmly, Carolina Mama

FTC Disclosure: We love the Carolinas. My mother grew up in Greensboro so I love to share the Triad, on my own and the opinions of this press release are all supported by my love of NC and the area. 

Mango Health Medication and Supplement Reminders APP Medication Management

Mango Health APP is a FREE APP that helps family and friends of loved ones with illnesses, or those who want to manage their healthy lifestyle with vitamin supplements, manage their medication effectively and easily!  LOVE IT!  We checked it out this weekend!  And I did not miss any of my vitamins! :)





Mango Health APP  just made medication and natural supplements management easy!  So happy that I ran across this APP this weekend.

Do you know someone who was recently diagnosed with an illness that requires medication?  Do you or your family members forget to take their vitamins? How about an APP that tracks and reminds you!?!  That's Mango Health!

You can download this FREE APP! and set it up easily for your Rx medications and vitamin supplements in no time.  Also, a family member can download the APP and set reminders to help a family member or friend remember their medications.

And it is FUN!  You can ear rewards. How awesome is that!

1) Mango Health ALERTS you or family members to take medications and supplements!  This is so awesome. You set it up and go. There is also a reminder alert you can click if you need 15 minutes to take your meds or vitamins.

2) Earn Points towards rewards and discounts by sticking to your schedule.  This is so fun. Award Gift Cards for Target! Gap and Whole Foods!  Talk about a little fun motivation.





3) Get Informed - LOVE that they offer Helpful Medication information in the right format, wherever you need it.




4) Track and View your Activity. The comprehensive Journal of medication and supplement activity is so helpful. We love being able to track and click "I took it." :)  This is awesome!


5) Refill Reminders and Updates!  This is so awesome to help remember an actual prescription that is running out.  The alerts are so helpful for this.




 How helpful is that!  The Mango Health APP will give a real time count of quantity on hand and ensures no missed doses.

I hope this is helpful to you and your family and friends. We found it wonderful and plan to keep using it. I can't wait to win my first Target card! :)  And the worry is gone.  No more, "Did I take it?"  Check your Mango Health APP for "I took it."

Will you or someone you love find this helpful?! Let us know!  And enjoy!  We think it is wonderful.

Warmly, Carolina Mama

President Obama Buys Home In North Carolina for Post Presidency Residency

Apparently, Asheville, North Carolina has drawn President Obama and Family away from his former home in Chicago.  So yes, I heard it through the "internets" grapevine, that President Obama and Family have purchased a residence here in North Carolina for post-presidency.

You know we like All things Carolina News so let me know your thoughts.  Time will tell. However, we all know North Carolina will give a hearty Southern Welcome.

michellepictures.com 

Have a great day and cheers to Carolina!

Warmly, Carolina Mama