My Premier Video Blog Post: Weeknight Pizza & Salad Courtesy of Foodbuzz and Newman's Own

I came home two weeks ago to find a rather large box sitting in my living room. Michael told me that it had arrived for me earlier that afternoon. I wasn't expecting a package, but was very excited when I saw Foodbuzz's address on the box! I had submitted proposals for several of their Tastemaker programs, and I was hoping that one of them had been accepted. When I opened the box, I literally squealed with delight. had been selected to create a video blog post featuring Newman's Own food products in a recipe that could be prepared in less than 30 minutes!

The box contained three jars of Newman's Own pasta sauce, three bottles of their yummy salad dressing, two coupons for free Newman's Own pizza, and my very own Flip HD camera to shoot my video! My first task was to decide what to cook...and how to do it in the most creative way possible. I've been making a salad for the past few years that uses Newman's Own Lighten Up! Raspberry and Walnut Dressing, so I decided that would be on the menu. I figured that making something I was very familiar with would be less stressful. And what goes better with salad than a delicious pizza? I decided to add a few fun ingredients to a Newman's Own Thin & Crispy Four Cheese Pizza.

Now that I had decided WHAT to cook, I had to figure out the rest of the details. Enter my very talented family! My brother-in-law and sister-in-law have a large, well-lit kitchen in their house...and they graciously offered to let me use it to shoot the video. My sister-in-law has excellent taste and created a gorgeous and colorful set for me, and my brother-in-law did a fantastic job manning the Flip HD camera. Michael got into the act as well...he provided excellent, creative suggestions and feedback during the post-production phase of the project. It was definitely a team effort, and I'm so grateful for all their assistance!!

And now? I'm proud to present 's premier video blog post, courtesy of Foodbuzz and Newman's Own:

I hope that you enjoyed putting a name and a voice to my ramblings in here, and that you'll give my salad and pizza creations a try very soon! The salad is a great combo of flavors: sweet and tangy dressing, tart strawberries, creamy and salty feta, and sweet and crunchy pecans. This salad is a staple at Casa Garcia...we eat it at least once a week. This was my first time to try Newman's Own frozen pizza, and I was very impressed with the quality. It came out crispy and perfect after just 10 minutes in the oven! The best part? This meal is on the table faster than you can have pizza delivered, and you get to choose exactly what toppings you want.

While you're here, I hope you'll take a minute to scroll down to the next post and enter my Pillsbury Bake-Off prize pack giveaway!! The Poppin' Fresh apron in the prize pack is adorable...and the recipes in the little cookbook look amazing. All of them are quick-to-make because they feature Pillsbury convenience products...

Disclosure: As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, I received Newman's Own food products and  a Flip HD camera in order to create this video.

Share this post