Cherry Coca Cola Chocolate Cake

Having married an Atlanta native, I've developed a taste for Coca-Cola.  We sure know how to kick back and enjoy a frosty coke at the end of a long day! We even have a special place in our heart for Coca-Cola from Mexico (made with cane sugar instead of corn syrup - a tasty difference).  On our honeymoon, we stopped at this tiny convenience store near Costa Maya and filled an entire duffel bag with icy cold Coca-Cola in old fashioned glass bottles.  This past Christmas we visited the World of Coke in Atlanta.  We had a ball taste testing hundreds of Coke products from all over the world.

When the folks from My Coke Rewards contacted me and invited me to try out one of the recipes from Coke With Meals, I was delighted to accept!  Coke With Meals, a seasonal section of MCR, features recipes from celebrity chefs, reader-submitted recipes, how-to videos, and tips on how to involve your kids in the kitchen.  Lots of great ideas.

In keeping with my "five ingredients or less" rule, I decided to try out this simple Coca-Cola chocolate cake.  I adapted it to be a Cherry Coke chocolate cake.  With a few tips from my mother-in-law, who is a caterer and cake-baker extraordinaire, it turned out lovely!  The best part was how quick and easy it came together.

Cherry Coke Chocolate Cake (adapted from Rachel's Coca Cola Chocolate Cake)

1 Devil's Food cake mix

10 oz Cherry Coke

1 jar maraschino cherries

Your favorite chocolate frosting

Stir the cake mix and the soda together in a large mixing bowl.  Don't add any of the extra ingredients listed on the cake mix instructions!  The coke is all you need.  Spray your pan with nonstick spray, pour the batter into the pan, and then bake according to the directions on the box.  While the cake bakes, prepare the chocolate frosting and add in a bit of the maraschino cherry juice (or grenadine).  This both adds to the flavor and gives the frosting a nice glazed look.  Drain some cherries and pat them dry with a paper towel.  After the cake has finished baking and cooled off, frost the cake and garnish with cherries.  Serve with Cherry Garcia ice cream and enjoy!

P.S.  Random.org selected the winner of the Freschetta pizza giveaway, and it was Donna, with this comment:

Thanks to everyone who entered!

(Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Coca-Cola, but Coca-Cola is not a sponsor, administrator, or involved in any other way with this post. All opinions expressed are my own and not those of Coca-Cola.)

A Funny Little Tip

I went to a (great) new dentist a few weeks ago, and at the end of my visit they gave me a new toothbrush.  I think that's pretty standard, right?  Well, the toothbrush they gave me is unlike any I've ever used and I really like it.  I've always been pretty diligent about dental hygiene (not a single cavity to date) but this toothbrush has taken it to a whole new level.  It's laughable.  But I'm not kidding - my teeth and my gums feel noticeably healthier since I started using this toothbrush.  Check it out:

Okay, see how it's got those long, crazy bristles?  It looks like it's having a bad hair day.  They're not all chopped off evenly like most toothbrushes.  They're also very soft, bendy bristles.

I looked at pictures of hundreds of toothbrushes online and this is the only other image I could find that looks like my toothbrush:

Out of every toothbrush I've ever used in my life (including expensive electronic toothbrushes) this one makes my mouth feel the most squeaky clean!  So next time you're out toothbrush shopping... (??)... look for one like this!

Five Ingredients or Less (GIVEAWAY!)

You might have heard me say that I enjoy cooking, but this is only partly true. Actually, I only enjoy a certain type of cooking, and it's not reasonable to cook that way daily. I love to cook new-to-me gourmet recipes that require lots of hard-to-find ingredients and lots of time in the kitchen. I love the challenge of getting a new recipe right, and I love the feeling of success when it all comes together in an entirely delicious way.


But honestly, I don't want to do that all the time. I don't have the time, the patience, the money, or the energy to cook complex meals daily. After Adric was born I stopped cooking all together for a while. James would cook, or if he wasn't around, we'd eat whatever was easiest: yogurt, frozen lasagna, take out, etc.


Eventually I realized I needed to start feeding both myself and my family better, so I came up with a new rule. I will only cook a dish if it has five ingredients or less. I might prepare two or three different things for one meal, totaling fifteen ingredients, but this rule has made my life tons easier. I've found that there are tons of healthy, real-food, delicious options with five ingredients or less. It does take some hunting, but those recipes are out there. I've also found that most of my favorite recipes with ten or twenty ingredients can be simplified. If it can't be simplified, I don't make it, or I add it to my list of more time-consuming meals to make only once or twice a month.  And of course, I'm flexible.  If a recipe has seven or eight ingredients but it's still a really simple dish to pull off, I'll go for it.  SIMPLIFYING is the key word.

There are still some nights when I don't have the time or the energy to cook even the most simple meal, so it's nice to have a frozen pizza in the freezer. Yes, I admit it! Freschetta recently invited me to appear in their Mother's Day video and here I am:



Adric was such a good sport!  I really wish they'd included the clip where he started breathing heavily into my mic.


We recently had Freschetta pizza for dinner and to balance out the meal I paired it with a watermelon cucumber salad (watermelon. Cucumbers. Salt. Pepper. Four ingredients!) The salad was light and refreshing (perfect for your next summer picnic) and the pizza was, of course, delicious.  Freschetta pizzas are minimally processed - it was the first frozen pizza I'd ever had where the crust actually smelled and tasted like... real pizza crust! **gasp**

Let's get real. Are there nights when you just don't have the time or the energy to cook? Good, me too. Sometimes a simple frozen pizza can be a real life saver, so I am giving away a coupon for two free Freschetta frozen pizzas!

There are a few ways you can enter to win:
- Everyone gets one free entry. Just leave a comment telling me about your favorite pizza topping! Be sure that your comment profile links back to a way of contacting you, or include an email address in the comment itself.  Anonymous entries will be omitted.
- Facebook fans of Mrs. Potts' Thoughts get an extra entry (leave an extra comment)
- Tweet a link to this post for an extra entry (leave an extra comment with a link to the tweet) 

- Blog about this giveaway for an extra entry (leave an extra comment with a link to the post) 

- Follow Mrs. Potts' Thoughts using the Google Friend Connect button to the right for an extra entry (leave an extra comment) 

I'll leave this giveaway open until midnight EST on Thursday, May 17th, and I'll announce the winner next Friday.  Good luck!

Mom 2.0 Summit Recap

As I mentioned a while back, last weekend I got to attend the Mom 2.0 Summit in Miami. The conference was held at the Ritz-Carlton on Key Biscayne, and it was absolutely gorgeous. I had never been to Key Biscayne before, and to get there you have to drive over a big causeway that offers beautiful views of the ocean and the Miami skyline. Key Biscayne seemed like a super fun place to explore so I think we'll head back for a day trip sometime soon.

The view from the twelfth floor of the Ritz.  Amazing!  The novelty of living in South Florida still hasn't worn off for me.  I feel so lucky to have views like this practically in my backyard.

The conference itself was extremely well organized, with a full schedule of fantastic speakers, an expo with lots of great sponsors and swag, and evening parties. Delicious meals were provided by various sponsors.  The meals and keynote speeches were held in a giant formal ballroom with luxurious linen tablecloths, beautiful centerpieces, and very attentive servers.  My water glass was never empty- one of those small things that to me was very notable!


I think I might be in the minority on this, but my favorite part of blogging conferences are the break-out sessions.  I love to learn new things from the experts!  The first session I attended was my favorite of the weekend.  The topic was "Shaping the message to make change: 10 ways moms can change media," and the panelists were Kat Gordon, Kathleen Mullens, Kami Huyse, and Shelly Kramer.  Four super intelligent, classy ladies.  I loved their thoughts on how we can effectively, positively influence the way brands and advertisers treat mothers, parents in general, and women in general.  You can read some great notes from that session here, which reminds me...


If you weren't able to attend Mom 2.0, they had fantastic live bloggers posting a play-by-play throughout the conference.  You can read posts covering all of the keynotes and break-out sessions on the Mom 2.0 blog here. I've really enjoyed reading through the posts for the sessions that I missed - they were all fantastic, I felt at odds with myself only being able to be in one place at a time!


My favorite keynote speaker was Brene Brown, who talked about failure and vulnerability.  I think most of the audience most liked what she said about failure as it relates to writing, but I absolutely loved her thoughts on vulnerability - such an interesting, complex emotion (is emotion even the right word?).  I even got a little misty eyed because I could relate so well to the things she said.  She talked about how in moments of real joy, we often suppress the joy because we are waiting for the other shoe to drop... I have totally felt that!  Sometimes when I'm with my family and all four of us are having a great time together, I prayerfully wonder, "What crazy challenge is waiting around the corner for me?  Life won't possibly stay this amazing."  Brene said that it is impossible to prepare for those challenges, and to counteract the feelings of vulnerability we need to practice gratitude in a tangible way (whether it be a gratitude journal, prayer, et cetera).  You should definitely go watch Brene's TED talks here.  I was moved by the profound ideas she shared.

Okay, moving on.


Hallmark was one of the sponsors, and they had a station where you could stop to mail cards to friends and family. They set up darling picnic tables and mail boxes.  The whole concept was a big giant warm fuzzy.  Loved it!

Of course, networking and spending time with friends was another highlights for me. I got to hang out with my friend Holly, and I also got to know several other great local bloggers.  I also happened to run into Gabrielle of Design Mom in the hall and got to chat with her for twenty minutes or so. Awesome!


On Saturday afternoon, they had tables set up outside where we could meet with sponsors and talk to them directly. They provided fans and cute little parasols for us to stay cool. Holly and I walked around and took pictures of the beautiful grounds.

Dove was another sponsor and they had a suite set up where we could recharge our phones and relax in some super comfy armchairs.  After walking around in the hot sun, the AC, the lemon water, and those comfy armchairs were a perfect place to recharge.  They also took our pictures to use on a billboard in Times Square!  They also had a camera set up across the street from the billboard in Times Square and they emailed me a shot when my picture appeared.  Wow!

Saturday evening was the pinnacle of the weekend. Intel sponsored the closing party at the infamous and exclusive Versace Mansion in South Beach.  There was food, dancing, and over-the-top gaudy decor in the best way. The sitting room was my favorite, with luxurious dark curtains on every wall, and lots of Moroccan lanterns hanging from the ceiling. The pool was pretty incredible too.  A perfect end to a great weekend!

Caroline, Myself, Nicole, and Holly at the Versace Mansion

(A huge thanks to Holly for letting me borrow a few of her pictures, and a huge thanks to the Mom 2.0 ladies for giving me the opportunity to attend!  ♫I had the time of my life...)

Stylish Summer Sun Protection for Kids

I'm jazzed that summer clothing has hit stores because now I can finally find the clothing that my boys wear year round!  In the fall and winter months, it's a big challenge to find shorts and short-sleeved t-shirts as opposed to jeans and long-sleeved thermals.  We have it really rough, don't we?  I kid.  

We love the year-round sunshine here and we're outside A LOT.  Admittedly I haven't been as diligent as I should be about protecting my kids from the harmful sun rays.  I've got a pasty-white skin tone (the shade of my foundation could be titled "Pillsbury Dough Boy") and while my boys inherited their dad's natural ability to tan, sun protection is still important.  Skin cancer is no joking matter so I'm ready to get serious about sunscreen this summer.  I've become a big fan of the spray-on waterproof sunscreen - quick and easy.

I'm also happy that clothing stores are making sun protection stylish.  The Children's Place recently invited me to a summer shopping event and I found some great, very affordable things for the kids' summer wardrobes.  

I love that their swimsuits and rash guards are treated with a UPF 50 coating.  Cute to boot!

The straw fedoras are my favorite. 

Neon aviators!  So cool!  I wish they came in my size.  Seriously.

 And of course, basic cargo shorts, t-shirts, and plaid button-ups are the kinds of things my boys wear every day so I stocked up on those.  They even had some racks priced at $3 a piece. For brand new, high quality clothing, that's a steal.

What do you do to protect yourself and your family from the sun?  Since this is something that I really do need to work on, I would love to hear your ideas.

(Disclosure:  I received a gift card from The Children's Place to facilitate my review of their summer collection.  All opinions are my own.)