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PBG Marriott BlueFire Grille “Best Steak Ever”

May 20, 2013 By sami 2 Comments

During a recent stay at the Palm Beach Gardens Marriott hotel, I quickly ascertained the property more than exceeded my expectations as the perfect location for both business and pleasure. While we got to enjoy offerings from their restaurant’s lunch menu during our business meetings, one question still remained…Would dinner at the PBG Marriott BlueFire Grille be worthy of staying ‘in house’ for?

After all, the Palm Beach Gardens Marriott is located right off I-95, only a mile or so away from my favorite Gardens Mall and the trendy Downtown at the Gardens, both chocked full of fabulous dining (& shopping!) options.

Still, the BlueFire Grille’s Edamame, Mahi-Mahi Fish Tacos & Chicken & Cheese Quesadillas delighted us enough at lunch to make us want to stay and try the BlueFire dinner options.

At first glance, the menu admittedly seemed a bit limiting and pricy. With just 8 entree options (even though you could still order from the lunch menu at dinner) and the steaks ranging in price from $28-30, one of my dining companions commented that at those prices, this would not be the place they would typically come for a $30 steak.

Still, we each ordered either a filet or rib-eye, wanted to fulfill our steak cravings after a long day in the boardroom. (Later, we also overheard the Linguini Carbonara was excellent too…).

Before our main course arrived, we unanimously agreed on trying the Classic Onion Dip, made with Caramelized Onions and served with Homemade Potato Chips (they are my cryptonite – I simply can’t say no whenever I see homemade potato chips anywhere in my travels!).

They did not disappoint.

Not only were the chips perfectly crisp, but they were still warm – cooked fresh to order. (Oh, and the dip was good too

But then the steaks came…

From the minute the manager AND the server simultaneously carried our plates to the table, we were drooling. My guests literally ate their words.

“This is the best steak I ever had…” emerged sheepishly between bites. All of us were in agreement.

Not only were they perfectly cooked and seasoned, but they were so tender. I found myself quickly running out of the mushrooms and glaze that accompanied it because of sopping them up with the roasted fingerling potatoes I ordered as a side accompaniment.

I want you to take special notice of the background behind the bite of steak, mushrooms & onions I’m about to devour in the picture below…

Do you notice the Smashed Potatoes & Green Beans on my friend’s plate? Those are the side dishes that typically come with the 8 oz Filet Mignon, but since she ordered the meal as it appeared on the menu, I thought I’d diverge with the Roasted Fingerling Potatoes and a Side Salad.

Don’t get me wrong, I loved my choices, but her side dishes were amazing. I find mashed potatoes and green beans to be typically very average in hotel dining – these were very much to the contrary: smooth, velvety mashed potatoes and flavorful crisp green beans. I managed to steal a bite from her plate, but that was about it before they disappeared.

Needless to say, we barely left a morsel on our dinner plates. So when the offer came for dessert, we thought, “Well, maybe we’ll just try a bite…”

While I will still say the main course was the star of this show, we each enjoyed the sweet ending to our meal: the Tower of Carrot Cake, Chocolate Cake & Key Lime Pie.

Someone may have uttered at one point that the BlueFire Grill was their new favorite restaurant…

They only downfall we encountered was that amidst our dining experience, there was a larger group close to us boisterously hanging out in the lounge area, so it seemed a bit incongruous with our fine dining experience. But that idiosyncrasy still couldn’t eclipse the enjoyment of our meal.

What thrilled me most about discovering the Palm Beach Gardens Marriott’s BlueFire Grille was the fact that now I’ve not only discovered a good hotel restaurant, but I’ve discovered a new great restaurant. Period. And because I come back to South Florida so frequently, I’ll be able to come back regularly to the BlueFire Grill, even if my travels don’t include an overnight stay at the hotel itself.

If you live in Palm Beach County, you nave NO excuse not to check out this hidden gem, because I have a feeling it won’t be hidden much longer…

Filed Under: Restaurants, Reviews Tagged With: BlueFire Grill, florida, hotel, Marriott, PBG, restaurant

Green Outdoor Cleaning Tips in time for Summer

May 9, 2013 By sami 5 Comments

Earth Day is just beyond us, but with summer just in front of us, it’s still important to “Go Green”. That’s why I’ve compiled a few green cleaning tips in time for the summer season.

You might think that cleaning outside is naturally ‘green’, but there are a few important tips to keep in mind to be both earth and budget friendly!

1. Warm water does the trick
When I recently needed to clean off my patio furniture from it’s winter slumber, I was amazed at the difference using warm water made. It will reduce the amount of cleaner you use and the amount of water you need.

2. Clean the grill when warm
Carry the ‘warm’ principle over to your grill. Of course, you never want to clean a hot grill, but cleaning the grill while it’s still warm will make the job a lot easier and take less scrubbing.

3. Use Less Water & Find Natural Cleaners
Of course, if you want to protect the environment, it only makes sense to use less water. For instance, use a product like Washdrops. Washdrops is a revolutionary new product that allows you to wash your car with just one bucket of water! No hose, NO rinsing, so you save gallons of water every time you wash your car! Not only does it help comply with the US Environment Protection Agency (EPA) Clean Water Act, but it is biodegradable, solvent-free, butyl free, phosphate free, and ammonia free. It’s completely non-hazardous – you can even dispose of Washdrops on a lawn or flowerbed. It has tons of household uses as well – it is amazing on windows and makes stainless steel appliances sparkle!

I’m so excited I get to give away a Washdrops prize pack, valued at $50, so one of you can start your summer outdoor cleaning on a green note! Look at all in includes:

1) Washdrops 16 Washes & Shines 16 oz. bottle – Valued at $8.99
2) Washdrops 4 Washes & Shines 4 oz. bottle – Valued at $ 2.99
3) Washdrops single-use 1 oz. sample pouch – Valued at $ 1.00 (six samples)
3) Large Micro-Fiber Drying Towel – Valued at $ 12.99
4) One Microfiber 2 in 1 Chenille / Bug Scrubber Sponge – Valued at $5.99
5) Long Handle, Hub Cap brush – Valued at $7.99
6) Microfiber towels 3-pack – Valued at $5.99
7) Folding bucket (2.4 gallons capacity) – Valued at $5.99

Fun right? And earth-friendly to boot! Just enter below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck! And don’t forget to share your green outdoor cleaning tips below!

Disclosure: Since I’ve been looking for ways to clean in a safer, greener way, I was thrilled Washdrops offered me the chance to try their product and giveaway a prize pack for my readers. I was compensated for this post, but all the tips and opinions in this post are my own.

Filed Under: Deals & Freebies, giveaway, Products, Reviews Tagged With: cleaning, giveaway, green, outdoor, washdrops

Summer Kids Activities with new Kidventures Book!

May 8, 2013 By sami 3 Comments

Although the weather has been quite tempermental in the past weeks, it should surprise no-one that summer is right around the corner. And if your kids are old enough to play outside, then it’s only a matter of time before you hear them say, “Mom, I’m booooorrrrrredddd!”

That’s why I’m so excited to share my friend (QuatroMama) Jen’s new Summer Kids Activities book: KidVentures: 50 Outdoor Experiences of Wonder, Discovery, & Childhood Memories.

What exactly is KidVentures, you ask?

It’s a practical step-by-step ebook guide for your outdoor summer adventures. It’s chock-full of 50 creative, active, and hands-on learning activities for you and your family this summer along with supply lists, detailed instructions, printables, diagrams, and resources to take each activity a step further!

So what are you waiting for? You certainly don’t wan’t to wait until school is out to snag this treasure. And trust me, if Jen has tested it out on her quadruplet boys and they approve it, then your kids certainly will

Click here to visit KidVentures by Jen Murray

Filed Under: Books, Parenting, Reviews Tagged With: activities, ebook, Kids, kidventures, summer

What is the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration (& What it isn’t!)

May 8, 2013 By sami 2 Comments

Today kicks off the 2013 Disney Social Media Moms Celebration. And while I’ve attended the #DisneySSMoms Celebration (not conference!) the past two years, I will not be there for the 2013 event.

(Pause for a moment of silence).

Yes, I know – I too am (naturally) disappointed…but more than that, I’m grateful to have been chosen to participate in the Disney extravaganza in 2011 and 2012.

That’s right, chosen. I think there are a lot of misnomers out there about what exactly the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration is, so as a token of gratitude and in a spirit of education, I thought I’d both clarify what DSSM is…and what it isn’t:

(I think this is also a good time to mention that I am not a Disney spokesperson, am not and never have been employed by Disney, nor was I asked to write this post. This is purely my opinion and insight for the help of clarifying based on my personal experiences for all who ever have been or hope to be a part of this spectacular event).

Disney Social Media Moms Celebration: What it isn’t

1. Disney Social Media Moms is not a conference

Just look at the name: “Disney Social Media Moms Celebration”. Started under the radar in 2010, the Disney Social Media team invited a selected group of bloggers to experience Walt Disney World in a unique way for a 4 day event. The 2011 DSSM Celebration accepted applications, but fell under a huge backlash after applicants didn’t understand that ‘application acceptance’ didn’t equate with ‘conference attendance’. 2012 went back to a pure invitation format. As mentioned above, I was fortunate to have been invited to both the 2011 and 2012 events, both of which were a brilliant combination of speakers and events to not only take my blogging and social media to the next level, but to share what’s up and coming with the Disney Organization, which leads me to my next point…

2. Disney Social Media Moms is not a giant Disney commercial

Not to give too much credit to the nay-sayers, but criticism has come up that the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration is nothing more that a giant, glorified Walt Disney World commercial. It isn’t…and I have one simple way to explain it. I think it’s safe to say that anyone attending is a HUGE Disney fan (I know I am!). So what Disney fan wouldn’t want a sneak peak at what’s up and coming in the land of the mouse? Not only do celebration attendants get to experience the parks and hotels in some pretty unique ways, but we are privy to finding out about what’s up and coming in their future plans (for instance, last year we got a preview of the New Fantasyland, as well of the Art of Animation Resort – both of which opened after the event).

3. Disney Social Media Moms is not free

While the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration is presented to its participants at a GREATLY reduced cost over regular Disney Parks & Resorts standard pricing, there is still a fee to participate and participants must pay their own travel to and from the event. However, I think anyone who has attended the event would unanimously agree with me in saying that the experience FAR outweighs any cost associated with getting there

So in case you couldn’t glean from my points above what exactly the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration IS, let me help you out

The Disney Social Media Moms Celebration is…

an event bringing bloggers and their families together to experience Walt Disney World and the Disney family of brands in a truly unique ( & magical) way!
an invitation only, four day event comprised of both well-known and new bloggers, all for the purpose of helping them expand their blogging know-how & social media reach while fueling their passion for Disney with sneak peaks into what’s ahead for the company
a chance to hear amazing, intelligent and encouraging speakers from the media, business, PR, travel & blogging worlds
a way to meet some incredible bloggers in real life
an opportunity to interview some of the brains behind the Disney shows we love

and of course, an opportunity to create memories that will last a lifetime at one of our family’s favorite places on earth: Walt Disney World.

I wanted to send a sparkle of Pixie Dust to ALL the celebrants attending this year’s Social Media Moms event. I would be lying if I didn’t admit I wanted to be there with you all, but of course am proud of the organizers for wanting to introduce a new crop of Social Media Moms (& dads!) into the mix.

Here’s hoping I get to “See You Real Soon” again in 2014!

DSC00025 300x168 What is the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration (& What it isnt!)

See you real soon!

For more Disney Social Media Moms goodness, check out:

On the road to Disney Social Media Moms 2012
Art of Animation Resort Sneak Peak
LIVE Shaky & Bones Video footage from the Disney Social Media Moms 2011 event
Disney Character Meeting Video Tips
Inside Disney Social Media Moms 2011

or feel free to check out all my Disney Deals, Discounts & Insights before your next trip to Walt Disney World!

What is your take on the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration?

Filed Under: Reviews, Travel, Walt Disney World Tagged With: conference, disney social media moms, mom, Travel, walt disney world

When Justin & Trisha Davis write a book, “Beyond Ordinary” results…

April 19, 2013 By sami

When I learned my friends (and former campus pastors) Justin & Trisha Davis were penning their story, of course I wanted to read it to support them, but I’d figured I’d already heard it all before.

After all, they’d always been very transparent about the fires they faced in their marriage, both in personal conversations and from the pulpit.

I was wrong.

What resulted can be summed up best by the title of the book itself…”Beyond Ordinary“.

I took Beyond Ordinary with me on a business trip and devoured it; other than Love Does, this is one of the only “Two-Sitting” books I’ve read in a LONG time. That means I started it one night, got about halfway through and then got up early the next morning to finish it!

When I texted Justin & Trish before going to bed that first night to tell them how ensconced I was in their book, I think their initial concern was that the content was not deep enough. I assured them that the book was far from an easy read, but rather a compelling one.

Just look at what I did to this book!

As much as I found myself laughing out loud, I spend equal time underlining, highlighting, starring and dog-earring some pages on both the top AND the bottom!

Their personal stories were relevant and their insights on God’s truth were fresh and practical.

And don’t assume that Justin & Trisha’s story is only valuable for couples trying to survive an affair; to the contrary. I believe it is a must read for all of us who are married who, whether we like it or not, are dangerously close to drifting towards such an event.

I am so proud of these two for not only actively pursuing God’s best for their marriage and their family but for ultimately running bravely towards helping as many couples as possible!

So go buy Beyond Ordinary while you can; I’m off to re-read all the notes I’ve scribbled in the margins…

Beyond Ordinary is just one of the fabulous books I’m highlighting in my Book Week 2013. Make sure to check them all out!

Filed Under: Books, Reviews Tagged With: beyond ordinary, book, justin davis, marriage, review, trish davis

Jenni Catron’s “Just Lead” puts her practice onto paper

April 19, 2013 By sami

As Book Week 2013 continues, I’m thrilled to bring you an insanely unique offering: “Just Lead” by my friend Jenni Catron and Sherry Surratt.

For the past year, I’ve been part of a group of special women thanks to Jenni. She had a passion to surround herself with like-minded, motivated and driven women that could share with and learn from each other. I would have been an idiot not to accept such an invitation to connect.

Last Fall, Jenni humbly asked if we’d be willing to work through a new book together…a book she was in the final process of writing and editing with her friend Sherry. That book was “Just Lead“. Of course we unanimously agreed to dig in.

I don’t think I’m overstating the fact that Jenni is a trailblazer in her field. Not only is Jenni a leader by title (the Executive Director of my multi-site church, Crosspoint), but more importantly, she leads in practice.

She is a constant student. She continually educates herself. She passes that knowledge to others. And most importantly, she executes.

For many years, the words “Women” and “Leader” were not allowed to be used bumped up against each other. Now that those barriers have been broken through, it’s important that we have solid resources to guide us in becoming the best we can be.

After reading through this manuscript with Jenni over the past months, it’s now my pleasure to share “Just Lead” with you as part of Book Week 2013!

Filed Under: Books, Reviews Tagged With: book, just lead, leadership, review, women

Start Night with Jon Acuff. Start Book by Jon Acuff. Start says Sami.

April 17, 2013 By sami

Start.

That was going to be my whole book review of Jon Acuff’s new book, Start: Punch Fear in the Face, Escape Average and Do Work that Matters.

One word. Done.

The book is called Start. Jon Acuff wants you to Start. So why would I waste any more words than that when you don’t need to read about this book, you need to start acting as a result of this book!

I know, I know, you haven’t read it yet.

So what.

Why let that one little detail get in the way of stopping everything right now to pursue your dreams?

I got to attend Jon’s “Start Night” back in February and I was marked by his not-so-subtle brand of humility, humor and, most notably, passion.

Of course, the night would not have been complete without Dave Ramsey himself chiming in. He gave us insight as to why he believes Jon has been so successful – and how anyone can mirror that success:
Be Grateful. Be Good. Be Hard-Working.

Dave’s endorsement of “Start” resonated with me:
“It moves the needle in people’s lives. It’s the book for the under-employed, the unemployed…or those that with they were. Go from average to awesome!”

Jon explained how to accomplish that last sentiment very simply:
“There are two paths in life: the road to average & awesome. To get to average, do nothing. <To get to awesome> be the person you think you can be. – be your secret self.”

The thing I like most about this book is that it moves you from inspiration to action.

So instead of telling you more of what I think, I’ll share what I know Jon wants you to do:

It’s time to punch fear in the face.
It’s time to escape average.
It’s time to do work that matters.

It’s time to START.

Start won’t be released until April 22, but you can pre-order Start on Amazon.com right now

Filed Under: Books, Reviews Tagged With: book, dave ramsey, jon acuff, review, start

Jackie Kendall’s “Raising a Lady in Waiting” released today – review & giveaway

April 16, 2013 By sami

I don’t know if I’ve ever taken the time to properly introduce you to my spiritual mama, Jackie Kendall. But I couldn’t think of a better time to do so than with a review and giveaway of her latest book that releases TODAY: “Raising a Lady in Waiting“.

I met Jackie back in the late 90′s after a back injury ended my tennis career and landed me in south Florida working with MLB. As a single woman who hadn’t yet fully given her life over to Christ, I struggled in the environment. Knowing Jackie & her husband, Ken, had served as chaplains for some of the professional baseball teams, I turned to her for help before one of her speaking events.

Right before she was to take the stage, she marched me out to the lobby, handed me a copy of her original book (and best-seller!) “Lady in Waiting” and prayed over me.

To say that was a life-changing moment would be an understatement.

Jackie & I getting to speak together at Lifeway’s dotMom event last September.

This week, Jackie celebrates her 46th spiritual birthday as I celebrate my 13th. Yet I am equally amazed that today, decades after she wrote the book that played such a large role in altering my life and setting my heart on a path towards discovering God, she is now releasing a new book that will help me raise my daughter to do the same.

Raising a Lady in Waiting: A parent’s guide to helping your daughter avoid a Bozo, outlines four decades’ worth of Jackie’s candid experiences with mothers who are raising daughters to navigate the challenges of relationships in our world today.

“Kids are passing school while flunking in relationships”

I cannot stress this to you enough: it is never too early to start sharing the principles in this book with your daughter. I have begun to read it out loud with my eight year old and I am so thankful to have ‘Aunt Jackie’ to help me navigate concepts that otherwise could have been extremely difficult for me to tackle on my own as a mom.

Before this manuscript went to the publisher, Jackie sent me an advanced copy and asked if I’d be willing to endorse the book. I wanted to share that endorsement with you here because not only does it sum up how I feel about Jackie, but also just how important I believe this book to be:

“Raising a Lady in Waiting is a must-read for any mom – but then again, I would read the phone book if Jackie wrote it! Her style of hard-hitting practicality mixed with insightful biblical truth always challenges me. Jackie has taken her decades of Bible study, mixed it with the time-tested truth she laid out in Lady in Waiting and compiled them into an essential manual for EVERY mom. This book will never make it to my bookshelf; it will stay prominently positioned on my bedside table as a constant reminder and reference point in raising my daughter to be a Lady in Waiting! The best part: I know that as I guide my daughter through the principles in this book, I’ll be learning and growing myself!

If you’d like to experience this book yourself with your daughter(s), or know someone who could benefit from its wisdom, you can enter to win 1 of 5 copies I’m giving away below. Or better yet, go ahead and just buy a copy for you and someone you love and start a mom/daughter book club to go through the book together!

Congratulations to Erin, Rose, Carolyn, Sherry, and Tracey for winning!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you want to take the next step, be sure to visit www.RaisingALadyInWaiting.com to join the movement!

What words of wisdom have you given your daughter (or plan to give her) about navigating relationships?

Filed Under: Books, giveaway, Reviews Tagged With: book, daughter, giveaway, Jackie Kendall, lady in waiting, mom, Parenting, raising, week

It’s Book Week on SamiCone.com!

April 15, 2013 By sami

Welcome to Book Week on SamiCone.com!

As it turns out, I’m blessed to know some AMAZING individuals who also just happen to be amazing authors. You know I regularly share my favorite books I’m reading on here, but this week, MANY people I know and love happen to have new books coming out! (Not to mention, there are a few that have come out in the past couple months that I just haven’t gotten around to sharing yet…)

So I’ve declared the week of April 15, 2013 Book Week here on SamiCone.com.

Come back everyday this week for a new post highlighting these fantastic reads. I’ll post links below as my book week posts go live (and some will even have giveaways attached to them!).

Book Week April 2013

Monday: The Passionate Mom by Susan Merrill
Tuesday: Raising a Lady in Waiting by Jackie Kendall
Wednesday: Start by Jon Acuff
Thursday: Just Lead by Jenni Catron and Sherry Surratt
Friday: Beyond Ordinary by Justin & Trisha Davis
Saturday:
If you’ve read any of the books or have any of your own ‘must-reads’, I’d love to hear from you in the comments below…

Filed Under: Books, Deals & Freebies, Reviews Tagged With: book, week

A Parenting Book Worth Reading: The Passionate Mom Book Review & Giveaway

April 15, 2013 By sami

One of the first pieces of advice I give parents-to-be is this: Don’t read any parenting books!

But The Passionate Mom by Susan Merrill (director of iMom.com) is a parenting book worth reading…which is why I’m thrilled Susan offered me a chance to both review this book and offer a copy to giveaway to one of you!

Our parenting journey is just that…OUR journey. Which is why I usually tell new parents to stay away from all the ‘parenting manuals’ out there. While there are some fabulous reads, often they become a source of guilt and distraction rather than what they are meant to be, a source of help navigating one of the most important jobs most of us will ever have.

However, The Passionate Mom is much more than a manual; it is a thoughtful roadmap for how a passionate mom can parent almost any child…confidently.

And that is a key word, not only when it comes to parenting, but for life in general: confidence.

In fact, I was just listening to an old sermon from my Florida pastor, Dr. Tom Mullins, based on his book called The Confidence Factor. He mentioned an anonymous quote that stuck with me, “Confidence and courage come through preparation and practice.”

Did you hear that?

Parenting is not about perfection. This resonated greatly as I read a similar comment from Susan, “No mom can control her child’s future, but every mom can parent well.”

Just because we cannot control does not mean we cannot plan, prepare and practice. And I think no-one would be more surprised than Susan herself that she uncovered a parenting plan encompassing these principles based on the Old Testament book of Nehemiah.

In fact, Susan discovered a pattern of “P’s” in Nehemiah that provide the overall foundation for her book. I love how she showcases them right in the introduction of her book:

(Nehemiah) perceived the situation, he pondered every task, he was driven with passion to search for solutions, he prayed for direction, he patiently waited for opportunities, he methodically prepared to take action, he maintained his purpose, he developed the plan and he persevered through problems to the end.

The Passionate Mom, written by a mom of five, is such a worthwhile investment of your time, that I asked Thomas Nelson if I could give a copy away, and they agreed. So please take the time to enter to win a copy below or better yet, support my friend Susan and buy a copy from ThomasNelson.com right now! (You’ll also save 20% off when you click the link I provided).

Congratulations to Lindsey S. for winning a copy of The Passionate Mom!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck and make sure to check back every day this week for more fabulous titles during Book Week 2013!

Filed Under: Books, Deals & Freebies, giveaway, Reviews Tagged With: book, giveaway, imom, mom, Parenting, passionate, review, week