Winn Dixie King Cake GIVEAWAY {and Tiff's Deals Review}

Local New Orleans Winn Dixie stores are baking KING CAKES for the Mardi Gras Season and the TASTE is great!

So in my quest to try out King Cakes this Mardi Gras season, I was given the opportunity to try a King Cake from Winn Dixie!  And I am doing a KING CAKE GIVEAWAY for one too (scroll down to enter below)

When browsing for the perfect king cake, the first thing I had to decide was which flavor to choose.  There were soooo many options to choose from:

Cinnamon (regular) - Cream Cheese - Chocolate - Strawberry - Apple - Praline Pecan - Blueberry - Lemon - Raspberry - Pineapple - Bavarian - Cherry - and more!

AND THEN they take those flavors and combine some of them - like STRAWBERRY CREAM CHEESE and APPLE CREAM CHEESE! Although I am sure the combined flavors available vary by store - they seem to always have cream cheese combined with something amazing!

When I visited the Winn Dixie in Mid City, I was in for an extra special treat that day as CHEF STALLONE was in town and I was able to talk king cake and groceries with him!

 One of the most interesting facts I learned was that Winn Dixie does not bake King cakes in a central location and then drop them off at stores - EACH store bakes and makes their own king cakes DAILY! So they are truly FRESH baked in store!

Chef Stallone also explained how Winn Dixie selects QUALITY ingredients for not only their king cakes, but all the items made for the store brand groceries! We also talked about drive-thru daiquiri shops and beignets (he was visiting from Florida so the necessities of a NOLA trip), but then we got back to business and got to picking out KING CAKES!

With Chef's help, I selected two of the NEWEST flavors that Winn Dixie offers this year - BOSTON CREME and STRAWBERRY BRIOCHE! See below for my taste test reviews!

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TIFF'S DEALS KING CAKE REVIEW

STRAWBERRY BRIOCHE - This king cake is cut in half and filled with A LOT of strawberry filling! If you are the time of person that likes the end piece of cake with all the icing, then this king cake is for you! And the fresh strawberries swirls on top is the icing on the cake (pun intended!)

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BOSTON CREME - This king cake is for the CHOCOLATE lover...in lieu of regular icing, its chocolate with a creme filling - super moist and great tasting! As a choco-holic this is my favorite! I It was a great breakfast treat (no judging - it's Mardi Gras so calories don't really count!)

So now you can ENTER TO WIN your own WINN DIXIE KING CAKE - see details below! LAISSEZ LES BON TEMPS ROULER!

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LAGNIAPPE INFO

Just in time for parades are PARADE PARTY PACKS - fried chicken, chips, and more! 

• From February 8-13, 2018 Winn Dixie has partnered with Ochsner Hospital for Children for a community donation partnership where customers are invited to make donations at stores throughout Louisiana from 2/7/18 - 2/13/18. In addition, Winn-Dixie is also donating a percentage of ALL King Cake sales this Mardi Gras season to Ochsner Hospital for Children.
• Winn-Dixie Community Mardi Gras Ladders
  Locally commissioned Community Mardi Gras Ladders will be on display at Mid-City, Uptown and Veterans Blvd stores for customers to “Enter to Win” one of the hand painted Mardi Gras Ladders from Jan. 31–Feb. 9
  
  

  

  Mardi Gras Ladders designed by "Young Artists Young Aspirations, (YAYA)" artist Quinton Gilmore with the help of young patients at Ochsner Hospital for Children.

  
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If you like these deals, make sure to like TIFFS DEALS on facebook for more great deals! 
This post may contain affiliate links

GIVEAWAY ALERT!

Winner will be provided (1) complimentary king cake from Winn Dixie - flavor of your choice!  TWO WINNERS WILL BE SELECTED! King cake must be picked up from a New Orleans area Winn Dixie before Tuesday, February 13, 2018  - pick up must be coordinated in advance with Store Manager.  
Giveaways ends at noon on Thursday, February 8, 2018. Winners will be selected at random from comments posted at the following link:

ENTER TO WIN A WINN DIXIE CAKE HERE!

NOTE: All opinions listed above are my own. King cakes were provided by Winn Dixie for review and giveaway purposes.

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Want to know all the FREE (or close to it) events/activities

going on around NOLA? 

Join the event page here!

OR Get all the SCOOP on the deals I post FIRST -

Become a Tiff's Deals VIP HERE!

  

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If you like these deals, make sure to like TIFFS DEALS on facebook for more great deals! 
This post may contain affiliate links

Half price Gift certificate for KING CAKE in Metairie/Slidell #MardiGras

Welcome to the official start of King Cake season! Celebrate by getting a delicious King Cake for HALF PRICE!  Only $10 for $20 toward king cake purchases from Marguerite's Cakes.

You can find Marguerite's Cakes in Slidell year-round, but with Marguerite's king cakes being in such high demand - they've opened a pop-up store in Metairie just for the Mardi Gras season.

Marguerite's King Cakes are AMAZING and SOOO GOOD! I have purchased this deal for the past 3 years and LOVED every bite of every king cake!

GET YOURS HERE!

BONUS: Use code BLOGIT34 to get an extra $1 off!

• Get your favorite - choose the traditional or filled king cake
• Available in 30+ flavors!
• Or specialty king cakes like the Cajun Praline, the Bavarian Cream or the Zulu - filled with luscious chocolate silk and topped with a delicious fudge glaze!
• Baked fresh daily
• Voted "Best Pastry Chef" by Culinary Connoisseurs
•  Original Slidell location and a pop-up location for Mardi Gras in Metairie
• Check out all the flavors and prices HERE (Traditional Medium is $32.95, filled start at $36.95) so basically you get $10 off any king cake that you choose!

LOCATIONS:
Pop-Up Mardi Gras Location
W. Esplanade Pop-Up Location 4931 W. Esplanade, (near Transcontinental) OR SLIDELL (year round)
 125 Commercial Square, Slidell, LA, 70461 Phone: 985-641-5802

• FINE PRINT: 
• Expires 4/6/2017 (Metairie location only open during the Mardi Gras season)
• No cash value or cash back
• Valid in-store only
• Cannot be used toward shipping costs

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Want to know all the FREE (or close to it) events/activities

going on around NOLA? 

Join the event page here!

OR Get all the SCOOP on the deals I post FIRST -

Become a Tiff's Deals VIP HERE!

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If you like these deals, make sure to like TIFFS DEALS on facebook for more great deals! 

This post may contain affiliate links

Giveaway & Review of Caluda's King Cake

CALUDA's KING CAKE!

Let's face it, King Cake is a staple at this time of year - and it's perfectly acceptable to eat it every day (Don't judge me!)

But there are certain King Cake qualities that really matter - I list my TOP 5 below and Caluda's King Cakes definitely have all the right qualities!  

You can enter to win a FREE Caluda's King Cake to pick up on Lundi Gras morning - scroll down to enter below!

TASTE

I have never had a Caluda's King Cake that I didn't love! This week, I was able to try the "4 De Lis" and I have only great things to say! 4 De Lis has 4 sections - each has their own flavor which is the BEST way to get to try a bunch of them at once!

Inside the 4 De Lis is: Raspberry Cream Cheese ~ Praline ~ Cream Cheese ~ and Apple! And sometimes if you cut the piece just right, you can get HALF one flavor and HALF another flavor in one piece!!!

Praline Filled

I have to say my absolute FAVORITE flavor was the PRALINE! If you could mix pralines and then never let them harden on top of a king cake - that is this flavor! It is very sweet, but not too sweet!

Raspberry Cream Cheese

I will be the first to admit I am not a raspberry fan - BUT when I tried the Raspberry Cream Cheese I loved it! It was not tart and the cream cheese was a perfect mix!

The 4 De Lis King Cake is THE PERFECT King cake to bring to a Mardi Gras Party - gives guests the ability to try so many different flavors - all in one box!

FRESHNESS
Caluda's King Cakes are baked Fresh DAILY in their bakery in Elmwood and it shows when you bite into it! If you keep the king cake in the original wrapped box, you should be able to keep it fresh for up to 5 days...that is, assuming you don't eat it all before that! 

FLAVOR VARIETY

Traditional King Cake - This one comes with the traditional sugar sprinkled about!

Filled King Cakes - The icing is layered on and topped with sprinkles! The look is different and so are the flavors! On a weekly basis, you can choose:

Single Filled: Cheese ~ Praline ~ Apple
Double filled: Praline Cheese ~ Apple Cheese ~ Raspberry Cheese ~ Strawberry Cheese
4 De Lis (a combination of 4 flavors!)

Apple Filled King Cake!

BONUS: Every week there is a special flavor available only for that week! So grab yours while you can! This last week of the Mardi Gras season it is BLUEBERRY CHEESECAKE - sounds YUMMY to me - a Cheesecake King Cake has got to be good! More info on weekly flavors can be viewed HERE

PRICE

I think Caluda's has a great price for the king cake that they offer! And the cost for filled and even double filled king cakes is a small increase so it is well worth the price difference!

Here is the price chart for PICK UP (Shipping costs are additional)

Small King Cake serve 10 to 15	$13.95
Medium Plain King Cake serves 20-25	$17.95
Medium Single Filled King Cake	$21.95
Medium Double Filled King Cakes	$22.95
Large King Cake 30 to 35	$22.95
Super King Cake 40 to 45	$29.95

Single Fillings: Cheese, Praline, Apple

Double Filled: Praline Cheese, Apple Cheese, Raspberry Cheese, Strawberry Cheese, 4 de Lis- Combo and the weekly special. Not all double filled cakes are available every day.

AVAILABILITY
Caluda's King Cake are locally baked daily during the Mardi Gras season in Elmwood, LA and sold at their bakery location on River Oaks AND lots of local businesses that have limited supply but may be closer to you (including Kenner, Metairie, Westbank, Destrehan, and New Orleans) - CHECK OUT ALL THE PICKUP LOCATIONS HERE

You can also special order King cakes ALL YEAR LONG by calling or placing an order online HERE - they even have LSU and SAINTS inspired King Cakes!

Word to the wise! GO EARLY! The earlier you pick up in the morning the better chance that they haven't already sold out yet!

The day I stopped in the Elmwood bakery location, the line wasn't too long (yet) but I ran into 2 people that I knew! I loved that Caluda's King Cakes can bring a community together and old friends have the chance to catch up in line - all because of their LOVE for a KING CAKE!

And now you can find your LOVE for Caluda's by entering to win a FREE King Cake below!

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If you like these deals, make sure to like TIFFS DEALS on facebook for more great deals! 
This post may contain affiliate links

GIVEAWAY ALERT!

Winner will be provided (1) complimentary king cake from Caluda's King Cakes - Medium sized traditional king cake (based on availability)!  King cake must be picked up from the Elmwood Bakery location no later than Monday, February 8, 2016  - pick up must be coordinated in advance with Store Manager.  Giveaways ends  at midnight on Saturday, February 6, 2016.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

NOTE: All opinions listed above are my own. King cakes were provided by Caluda's King Cakes for review and giveaway purposes.

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How to Save $$$ in 2016? Find out here!

Want to know all the FREE (or close to it) events/activities

going on around NOLA? 

Join the event page here!

OR Get all the SCOOP on the deals I post FIRST -

Become a Tiff's Deals VIP HERE!

  

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If you like these deals, make sure to like TIFFS DEALS on facebook for more great deals! 
This post may contain affiliate links

Giveaway: Mardi Gras Polo Shirt Embroidered by Monogram Express

If you are in need of ANYTHING Mardi Gras this season - Monogram Express on Veterans has it!

Located near Bonnabel Blvd on Veterans, their location is convenient and once inside the doors you will fall in love with their store and everything you can possible monogram in there! From Mardi Gras - to Easter - to Beach Hats and Totes - Baby gifts galore - even Monogrammed Boots and purses- they have it all!

And they have offered to GIVEAWAY a Monogrammed Mardi Gras Polo Shirt - scroll down to enter below!

I shopped around this weekend and took a few pics of my favorite finds:

Baby gifts galore! Bibs ~ Blankets ~ Bloomers ~ Gowns

Can't you just see your initials monogrammed on these floppy beach hats?

Cosmetic Bags ~ Straightener Cases ~ Purses ~ Scarves and more!

MARDI GRAS! Of course they have Mardi Gras items - polo shirts - onesies - Bead Bags and Backpacks, Candles and just about anything purple, gold, and green that you can monogram! 

Mardi Gras Monogrammed Polo Shirts (Adult size Medium-XXL)

The Mardi Gras Polo shirts are on SALE for $25 each including monogram (Regular price $49.95) - I even found a few kid sizes on their SALE rack! Check out the Mardi Gras items available online here!

Mardi Gras Tees for Kids and Adults ~ Backpacks ~ Candles



Mardi Gras String Totes (perfect for beads) only $9.95 - add monogram for $5 more!

GRAB AND GO GIFTS! They do have Grab and Go items that do not need to be monogrammed (like candles and other gift items) - including these awesome Waffle weave Hand towels!  I already have the black NOLA towel in my kitchen and LOVE IT! At only $10.95 each these are great deals and even better gifts!

See their FULL collection of Hand Towel designs HERE!

Not sure what you want? Ask the staff for help- they are super sweet and helpful!

Got Towels? Yeah! I think they do!

MONOGRAM IT! Of course they LOVE to Monogram just about anything! Most of the prices listed INCLUDE a monogram so it is super easy to know how much you are spending and exactly what you will get!

If you don't want a monogram, you don't have too! Note, that monogramming turnaround is about 3 days currently so keep that in mind if you need to shop earlier to place your order! In a rush? They do have an expedited monogramming fee - so it can be done!

If you have your own item, Monogram Express will gladly embroider names or designs on it directly - the price varies based on the design so bring it in and their staff would love to help you!

GOING GREEN! I love that Monogram Express is going GREEN too! If you purchase a re-usable tote bag for $2 (they will even embroider your name on it!) you can get 5% off your purchases every time you bring it in the store...PLUS you can use the bag whenever you need one - like for MARDI GRAS PARADES!

FREE GIFT WRAP! Gift wrapping is FREE with purchase! So you buy a gift and they do all the work for you! Just show up with a really cute gift wrapped item and your gift will be the hit of the party!

SHOP ONLINE! Can't make it in the store? No problem you can shop online HERE!
If you pickup in store it's FREE - or you can ship for a flat rate of $7.95!

Stop in Monogram Express and see all that they have to offer - and don't forget to enter to win a MARDI GRAS POLO! Make sure to enter below!

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If you like these deals, make sure to like TIFFS DEALS on facebook for more great deals! 
This post may contain affiliate links

GIVEAWAY ALERT!

Winner will be provided (1) Adult size Mardi gras Polo shirt (size Adult Medium-XXL) including monogram lettering of your choice!  Polo shirt must be picked up Monogram Express before Tuesday, February 9, 2016  - pick up must be coordinated in advance with Store Manager.  Giveaway ends  at midnight on Tuesday, February 2, 2016.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

NOTE: All opinions listed above are my own. Mardi Gras polos were provided by Monogram Express for review and giveaway purposes. 

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How to Save $$$ in 2016? Find out here!

Want to know all the FREE (or close to it) events/activities

going on around NOLA? 

Join the event page here!

OR Get all the SCOOP on the deals I post FIRST -

Become a Tiff's Deals VIP HERE!

  

**************************************************

If you like these deals, make sure to like TIFFS DEALS on facebook for more great deals! 
This post may contain affiliate links

Giveaway~ Winn Dixie Mardi Gras King Cake (any flavor!) and Curtis Stone Cookbook

ATTENTION Winn Dixie Shoppers! Clean up on Aisle 2!  

Purple - Gold - and Green Sprinkles are EVERYWHERE! 

Local New Orleans Winn Dixie stores are baking KING CAKES for the Mardi Gras Season and the TASTE is great!

So in my quest to try out King Cakes this Mardi Gras season, I was given the opportunity to try a King Cake from Winn Dixie!  And I am doing a KING CAKE GIVEAWAY for one too (scroll down to enter below)

When browsing for the perfect king cake, the first thing I had to decide was which flavor to choose.  There were soooo many options to choose from:

Cinnamon (regular) - Cream Cheese - Strawberry - Apple - Praline Pecan 

AND THEN they take those flavors and combine some of them - like STRAWBERRY CREAM CHEESE and APPLE CREAM CHEESE! Although I am sure the combined flavors available vary by store - they seem to always have cream cheese combined with something amazing!

So after a long and hard thought process, I chose a Strawberry Flavored king cake AND a Pecan Praline king cake!

Pecan Praline flavored king cake

Ok...think king cake - now think MELTED PRALINES added to the top with some pecan sprinkles - and if that wasn't enough add a ooey-gooey layer of praline in the INSIDE! This is definitely my new favorite!

Side note, if you heat if up in the microwave for a few seconds, you get hot praline sauce drizzled down your king cake...need I say more?  

The small Pecan Praline king cake is priced at $8.00 - and worth every penny BITE in this case!

Strawberry filled King cake

I had a meeting to go to so I thought I would bring this one along to share - and let's be real...when you walk in a room with a king cake, EVERYONE is your best friend!  So I   err...I mean the KING CAKE was a big hit! The filling is a strawberry jelly but that's ok, because it still tastes just a good!

The Regular size filled king cakes are priced at $10 (the small size is $8.00)

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Since I have also tried many of the other flavors at Winn Dixie (don't judge me!) - I figured I would throw out a few other unbiased reviews:

Cinnamon flavored king cake

I love filled/flavored king cakes, but my kids do not - so the cinnamon flavored "traditional" is perfect for them! It never fails, I purchase a king cake and the next day the entire box is empty - just a few sprinkles at the bottom so clearly they have enjoyed it!

This is the Regular size!

The price for a small size Unfilled king cake is $6.99 - great price! When I was there as part of the "Down and Staying Down" price drop at Winn Dixie the price for a small King Cake was reduced to $5.00 each!


The price for a regular size unfilled king cake is $9.99 which I think was extremely reasonable for the size of the king cake - "Down and Staying Down" price was only $8.00 each!



Cream Cheese flavored king cake

I was so surprised by how unbelievably amazing the cream cheese and ooey-gooey icing seemed to melt perfectly together! They didn't skimp on the cream cheese either - it was all over the king cake and lots of it!

Oh and the APPLE CREAM CHEESE is just perfect to eat for Breakfast! You know...an Apple Day...just doing my part! (Sorry I ate it all before I took pictures!)

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So for those who shop at Winn Dixie - you have seen this familiar face lately! Curtis Stone has partnered with Winn Dixie to bring you ways to cook for an ENTIRE FAMILY for under $10 per meal! Grab a receipe card from the display and check out the "deals" to give your family home-cooked meals for a low price! More info on this partnership here

The winner of the Winn Dixie king cake giveaway will ALSO receive an autographed Curtis Stone cookbook to give you some extra ideas in the kitchen!

The Cookbook is valued at $35.00 - and the autograph makes it PRICELESS!

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If you like these deals, make sure to like TIFFS DEALS on facebook for more great deals! 
This post may contain affiliate links

GIVEAWAY ALERT!

Winner will be provided (1) complimentary king cake from Winn Dixie - flavor of your choice!  King cake must be picked up from a New Orleans area Winn Dixie before Tuesday, February 9, 2016  - pick up must be coordinated in advance with Store Manager.  Cookbook must be picked up directly from Tiff's Deals in the Elmwood/Harahan area, unless other arrangements are made.
Giveaways ends  at midnight on Friday, January 29, 2016.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

NOTE: All opinions listed above are my own. King cakes were provided by Winn Dixie for review and giveaway purposes.

***************************************
How to Save $$$ in 2016? Find out here!

Want to know all the FREE (or close to it) events/activities

going on around NOLA? 

Join the event page here!

OR Get all the SCOOP on the deals I post FIRST -

Become a Tiff's Deals VIP HERE!

  

**************************************************

If you like these deals, make sure to like TIFFS DEALS on facebook for more great deals! 
This post may contain affiliate links

Do It Yourself EASY Mardi Gras King Cake at home!

We all LOVE king cake, but they can be expensive and only available for a short period of time during the Mardi Gras season, so I figured out a way to make my own king cake at home -
and my kind of recipe - just TWO ingredients:

Grands Flaky Supreme Cinnamon Rolls

Sprinkles

STEP 1: Unroll the cinnamon roll and twist two of them together.  If you want to make mini individual king cakes, simply fold one in half and twist it.  Make sure ends are twisted together or will break apart in baking.

It is important to buy the Flaky supreme because you have to unroll them  

STEP 2: Bake as directed on packaging - keep an eye out for when they look done.

STEP 3: Add icing and sprinkles as desired                                            

STEP 4: Add the King Cake Baby!

IDEAS: You can add Christmas sprinkles for a Holiday king cake - Twist and shape into a HEART for Valentine's Day - Oval Easter Egg...and many more! It's also a fun way to make breakfast a little more interesting for kids too - and let them eat cake:)

Laissez les bons temps rouler!

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If you like these deals, make sure to like TIFFS DEALS on facebook for more great deals! 
This post may contain affiliate links