Happy Father’s Day – I hope all of you out there are able to spend some time today celebrating the fathers in your lives. It comes as no surprise that the group at Sunday Supper is taking the day to create some dishes in honor of the holiday!

As much as I’d like to whip up some steaks or other “manly” meals for Father’s Day, there is another dish that I thought I’d share with my dad – some stuffed peppers! Even though they’re filled with lean ground turkey breast, beans, and veggies, they are definitely filling.

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As the warm summer months approach, it is time to break out some beachy cocktails to get in the spirit! Malibu recently released a brand new rum to their collection – Malibu Island Spiced! If you’re already a fan of Malibu’s coconut rum, Island Spiced should be right up your alley. It features a bolder taste of Caribbean rum and is infused with coconut, vanilla, and a hint of cinnamon. There is another aspect of this rum that has me doing a happy dance. Malibu Island Spiced uses Truvia® all natural sweetener, which makes each serving clock in at only 70 calories. Full flavor and reduced calories? Count me in. To get in the island spirit alongside my Malibu Island Spiced rum, I decided to make a flavorful and fresh dinner to enjoy for a fun night in: stuffed peppers! Green peppers are filled to the brim with a mixture of ground chicken breast, black eyed peas, tomatoes, corn, and a sprinkle of panela cheese (with some fresh guacamole on the side). The peppers are not only a fun presentation to look at, but are also easy on the waist line. Plus, the bright flavors of the dinner pair perfectly with the bold taste of the Malibu Island Spiced. I also chose to set the table outside on our patio instead of in our normal dining room – dining al fresco always puts me in the summer mood! And enjoying these cocktails definitely screams “summer” to me! So, how about some ideas for serving Malibu Island Spiced? I sampled three different cocktails, and each offered a completely different flavor experience. First – Spiced on Ice. This concoction is simply Malibu Island Spiced on top of crushed ice with a twist of orange. The rum itself packs more than enough punch to stand on its own – if you want to experience all of the flavors, this is the way to go. For me, the cinnamon and vanilla definitely comes out with this drink option. If you prefer your rum with a mixer, another simple option that also brings out the flavors of the Malibu Island Spiced is the Sparkling Spiced. This cocktail is 1 1/2 parts Malibu Island Spiced and 3 parts soda water, garnished with an orange wedge. The soda water adds some bubbly fun to the drink, but doesn’t overpower the flavors of the rum. And, if you are like me, you’ll be a big fan of the Malibu Spiced and Diet Cola, which is 1 1/2 parts Malibu Island Spiced with 3 parts diet cola, garnished with lime. Rum and cola is one of my favorite drink combinations, and this cocktail brings a new dimension of flavor to the party. Paired with my stuffed peppers, it was perfection! I can’t wait to test out some other flavorful libations using the Malibu Island Spiced – utilizing some fruit juices is definitely something I plan to do. Now I just need to decide where to start!

What do you think – what other cocktails I should create with Island Spiced? Answer in the comments below for your chance to win a $100 Visa Gift Card!

Sweepstakes Rules:
No duplicate comments.

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post

Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: “#SweepstakesEntry”; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post

Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post

For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winner  will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available here.

This sweepstakes runs from 6/13/13 – 6/30/13.

Visit Malibu Island Spiced Rum on Facebook to get more drink recipes and join the brighter side of spiced rum!

And be sure to visit the Malibu Island Spiced brand page on BlogHer.com to read other bloggers’ posts!

SIP EASY. ENJOY MALIBU RESPONSIBLY.

MALIBU ® Caribbean Rum with Coconut Liqueur & Natural Spices, with Truvia® Sweetener. 30% Alc./Vol. (60 Proof) ©2013 Imported by Pernod Ricard USA, Purchase, NY

Truvia® and the Truvia®  logo are registered trademarks of the Truvia Company LLC.

PER 1.5 FL. OZ. SERVING. AVERAGE ANALYSIS: CALORIES 70; CARBOHYDRATES less than 1 gram; PROTEIN 0 grams; FAT 0 grams.

*when mixed with your favorite zero calorie mixer. Limes and other garnishes may add calories

As the middle of the year approaches, I find that sometimes those resolutions and the excitement I experienced back in January has worn off. I tend to fall into routines, and maybe even set myself on auto-pilot at times. Sometimes you just need to add some vibrancy back into your life, in small ways or large!

So, how do I add some excitement…some boldness…some fun to my life? I like to embrace the season and wear colors that reflect it. I can’t wait to put away my darker winter clothes and trade them in for pops of print and vibrant color. It can be through my clothing but also with accessories or beauty products.

Bright nail polish, anyone? It’s so fun for summer! Bye bye, mauve (I’ll see you again in the fall)–Hello fuchsia! Simply seeing the bright color on my hands or toes brightens my mood exponentially.

You can also add a bit of vibrancy to your life with Crystal Light Liquid. I’m going to admit to you right now–I am a plain water gal. I drink a glass of water as soon as I wake up in the morning; I constantly have a fresh glass of water by my side as I work during the day; I drink water at meal time; And, I always end my night with even more water. But I’ll admit: it can get a bit…dull to drink the same thing day in and day out. When I was introduced to Crystal Light’s new Crystal Light Liquids, I was excited to see how I could “spice up” my water, so to speak!

I love that you can simply add a squeeze of Crystal Light Liquid to your still water for a punch of flavor, but there are oh-so-many more options as well! The flavor combinations are fun (from Strawberry Lemonade to Blueberry Raspberry to Mango Passionfruit…and more!), and they really can kick your drink up a notch. And why stop with still water? There are a lot of amazing ideas Crystal Light came up with to add their Crystal Light Liquids to, like adding fresh mint and lime juice to a glass of the Mango Passionfruit. Make sure you visit their page and get inspired yourself!

My new favorite Crystal Light Liquid flavor is the Strawberry Lemonade. And, I couldn’t help but jazz it up in mocktail style–I simply poured sparkling water into a martini glass, added some Crystal Light Liquid (a half squeeze for my taste preference), and garnished with fresh lemons. It’s funny how a simple glass of water can fancy itself up! And, I’ll tell you a little secret: It actually satisfied my craving for soda with the combination of flavor and bubbles. Win-win!

If you want the chance to win a $100 Visa Gift Card, tell me: what tricks do you use to add some vibrancy back into your life?

Rules:
No duplicate comments.
You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:
a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
b) Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the
following unique term in your tweet message: “”#SweepstakesEntry”"; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post”
c) Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.
This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
The Official Rules are available here.

This sweepstakes runs from 6/5 – 6/30.
Be sure to visit the Crystal Light page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ reviews and find more chances to win!

Have you noticed the abundance of berries in stores and the farmers markets lately? They’re practically everywhere, and the Sunday Supper team is taking advantage this week with an assortment of recipes incorporating berries of all shapes and forms!

Well, it just so happens that my husband is a huge fan of blackberries. If there is a blackberry involved in a dish, he wants it! So, for a special occasion I decided to whip up a sweet treat – an almond cake with blackberry mascarpone filling! I was inspired by the gorgeous anemone cake over on Erica’s Sweet Tooth and thought I’d create my own version.

Truthfully, I attempted to get “fancy” by decorating the cake, but I have to say that my piping skills aren’t exactly stellar. However, I can attest that the cake itself was oh so delish. I hope everyone else was able to overlook my somewhat sad looking flowers atop my cake and instead focused on the gorgeous purple color from the filling inside!

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