Every Day Can Be a Party #CompareandSwap

I absolutely love the whole idea of tea time. The British certainly have the right idea. An afternoon where you can sit, have a delicious snack, and talk about your day. Why don’t we do that here?

My kids work hard every day, having to read, write and listen to directions. And tests? The worst! So today, I wanted to do something special for my girls when they came home from school. How about a little tea party?

I headed over to Smart & Final to do some shopping since this week we’ve been talking about name brand vs. store brands. I tend to purchase a lot of store brand items because, honestly, some of them are just as good if not better. Smart & Final’s store brand is called First Street. Haven’t heard of it yet? You should definitely go check them out. They have some of the best store brand products I’ve ever used. Take a look at my shopping trip on Google+ and see the First Street products I bought.

I purchased some of the First Street Apple Juice and I wanted to compare it with the name brand juice. I wonder if my kids would be able to tell the difference.

I purchased Tree Top Apple Juice for our “name brand” variety.

So I think it’s time to start preparing the little tea party I have planned for the girls.

I’m going to be making a special drink with the apple juice I bought. Before it starts getting too warm out, a nice sweet, hot drink will be the perfect treat to warm up the kids after a long day at school.

Hot Caramel Apple Cider

Ingredients:
Apple Juice
Caramel Syrup
Cinnamon
Whipped Topping

I started by warming up my apple juice on the stove. I used two different pots - one with the First Street juice and one with the Tree Top juice. My kids have no idea which is which and we’ll see if they notice any difference between the two.

I poured the hot juice into a large mug and added a tablespoon of the caramel syrup. The hot liquid will melt the caramel so give it a good stir to get the flavors blended. Top with some whipped topping (which makes the juice really creamy and oh-my-heavens delicious) and sprinkle some cinnamon on top for garnish.

I prepared a tray with some First Street cheese and crackers, as well as some freshly homemade banana bread.

My girls were so excited that I did this for them. (Okay, so maybe I usually just tell them to go grab something out of the fridge for a snack.) They loved, loved, loved the apple cider. This was some seriously good stuff. Of course, now I have to make it all the time. I swear it was better than what you get at Starbucks. Yes, it really was.

So when all was said and done… did they notice a difference in the juice? NO! The hot caramel cider tasted the same regardless of which juice I used. They honestly couldn’t tell the difference and neither could I. Did I mention the First Street brand was less expensive? It was $0.40 less than the Tree Top brand. For a drink that my kids couldn’t even tell the difference on, I’m pretty sure I’ll be going with the one that is going to save me money.

If you visit any Smart & Final store from April 18 - May 15, 2012 and purchase any two First Street products, a unique code will print on your receipt. Enter your code HERE for your chance to WIN!

So what can you WIN?

(1) One-year supply of First Street Pasta (based on a family of four)

(10) $100 Smart & Final SmartCash Card

(10) First Street Bag full of your favorite groceries (value over $50) plus a $50 Smart & Final Gift Card

Check out Smart & Final on Facebook and Twitter to keep up on great sales and fabulous recipes.

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. #CBias #CompareandSwap All opinions are entirely my own.