Food Fun Family

Bold at Steak – Outback Steakhouse

Lolli — Thu, 04 Jun 2015 17:20:44 +0000

This post and giveaway are sponsored by Outback Steakhouse, but all enthusiasm and thoughts are my own.

Outback Steakhouse is perhaps my family’s favorite restaurant. It’s definitely the kids’ number one request for birthday dinners…we’re heading to our Outback on Monday night for my daughter’s 16th birthday, in fact.

Why do we love Outback Steakhouse so much? Because they serve consistently juicy and delicious steaks (and chicken and shrimp…) paired with some of our favorite sides ever (my husband LIVES for the wedge salads and my 14-year-old would eat the potato soup every day if he could).

Just last week, Outback Steakhouse launched the new “Bold at Steak” brand campaign, which focuses on the bold flavors (signature steaks and fresh vegetables and herbs), sights (like the flames emitting from the wood-fire grill and the fun, relaxed atmosphere of their restaurants) and sounds (steak searing, families laughing, fans cheering at the bar) that make Outback the steak authority.

Bold at Steak – NEW Menu Items

As part of the “Bold at Steak” campaign, Outback is introducing three new steak entrées starting at just $13.99* – the Wood-Fire Grilled Flat Iron Steak, the Victoria’s Filet^® Mignon Portabella and the Outback Sirloin Portabella – as well as a new menu design that will help guests choose the perfect cut and preparation for their steak. I know that I often don’t know what to order because each restaurant prepares their steaks differently. Add to that the fact that I am not an expert on cuts of steak – and I frequently need help ordering. Luckily, the new menu design provides chef recommendations on how steak should be prepared.

Did you know that Outback’s Signature Steaks are available in eight different cuts and can either be seasoned and seared with a secret blend of 17 spices on the flattop grill or wood-fire grilled for a delicious natural flavor? That’s a lot of variety. I love that you can customize your steak any way you like it.

In addition to the new steak entrées, Outback is unveiling new Premium Sides, including Steakhouse Mac & Cheese, Loaded Mashed Potatoes, Broccoli and Cheese and Parmesan Fries. I think I may have to make sure the kids all order a different side on Monday so I can try EACH of the new sides. Good plan?

Let’s Make Steak the Official Food of the U.S.

When you think of Italian cuisine, you probably think of pasta. France probably makes you think of the baguette. Belgium brings to mind chocolate. And yet there isn’t really a “national food” that represents America. To celebrate the launch of the “Bold at Steak” campaign, Outback has introduced a petition to make steak the first official food of the U.S. They are urging consumers everywhere to rally behind the cause. To show their bold love for steak, fans can sign the petition here by June 26, 2015: https://1.usa.gov/1J2J9Fb.

For more information on Outback or to find a location near you, please visit www.outback.com, www.facebook.com/outback or follow them on Twitter @Outback.

*Prices and product participation may vary by location.

Win a $50 Outback Steakhouse Gift Card

I’m thrilled to be able to give away a $50 gift card to Outback so that YOU can head out to your local Outback to try the new menu items. This giveaway ends at 11:59pm ET on June 26, 2015 and is open to US residents only. Simply enter on the giveaway widget below. A winner will be generated randomly and notified via email once the giveaway has ended. Good luck!

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Never Wait to Eat with Outback’s Click Thru Seating #OutbackBestMates

Lolli — Mon, 08 Dec 2014 22:53:13 +0000

I am an Outback Steakhouse Best Mates Ambassador. Every once in a while, I get to bring you guys specials and insider information on one of my favorite restaurants. All thoughts, as always, are my own. Follow the hashtag #OutbackBestMates on Twitter and Facebook (and here, of course).

I love date night. But I don’t love waiting for an hour with one of those buzzy remote things before I can sit down at a table, look at a menu, and order dinner. Most of the time when we’re heading out for date night, we just run out the door and drive to the restaurant. If it’s a Friday or Saturday night after work, we’re pretty much guaranteed to have to wait to be seated.

Click Thru Seating at Outback Steakhouse

The other night, I was heading back home from picking kids up from after-school activities and remembered Outback’s Click Thru Seating. I had the teen in the passenger seat call home and ask Dad to go online to Outback.com to secure our place in line. Even though the waiting area was packed when we got to Outback, all we had to do was give them our name and we were seated within a few minutes. It was glorious.

How long to you typically wait for a table when you go out to eat on the weekends?

Outback recently did a survey asking consumers about their typical wait time at restaurants across the country and found that, on average, Americans have waited nearly 40 minutes to be seated at a restaurant — which is more time than it takes to cook and eat an entire meal.

When you go to Outback.com/seating before you leave the house – or on your smartphone when you’re on your way to the restaurant – you can view the current wait time at your local Outback and put your name on the wait list (for now or later). That means once you make it to the restaurant, you can sit down – and EAT – even faster.

And if you’re like us, you can get back out the door to make it to your movie on time faster, too.

Our new favorite menu item at Outback

During our latest date night at Outback Steakhouse, not only did we get seated quickly thanks to Click Thru Seating, but we discovered the BEST new item on the menu. We love the Bloomin’ Onion (and the Bloomin’ Sauce) but we can never finish a whole Bloomin’ Onion on our own and I hate wasting food. We are so excited to have discovered the Sips and Snacks menu and the new Bloomin’ Petals. It’s a smaller-serving portion of Bloomin’ Onion, and because of the way it’s served, the “petals” are crispier. We polished off the plate and were totally hooked.

What is your favorite appetizer to order at Outback Steakhouse? Are you a Bloomin’ fan like me?

Outback Steakhouse: Official Sponsor of Date Night #OutbackBestMates

Lolli — Fri, 14 Nov 2014 21:38:53 +0000

I am an Outback Steakhouse Best Mates Ambassador. Every once in a while, I get to bring you guys specials and insider information on one of my favorite restaurants. Follow the hashtag #OutbackBestMates on Twitter and Facebook (and here, of course).

{On our latest date night….the awkward date night #selfie!}

Thinking back on those long-ago days before my husband and I were married, I can remember how important dates were. Dates were how we got to know each other, how we bonded and spent time together. After we got married, we tried to continue to make date night a priority, though as two college students we didn’t have a lot of money to spare for anything fancy.

Before our 2nd anniversary, we were parents, which put a halt on date night for a while. For several years, date night meant finding and paying for a babysitter, and although it was tough to coordinate so many schedules, we knew that date night was critical to keeping our marriage alive (and keeping our sanity in check, too!).

We’re in a much different stage of life now, with kids who are old enough to stay at home by themselves. Now our only set-back to having regular date nights is how busy we are and how tired we are at the end of the day, thanks to work and home responsibilities and endlessly running kids around.

It’s hard to love Outback Steakhouse any more than I already do (it truly is one of our favorite date night locations, and the kids beg us to take them there, too, for family dinners out) but as of this past weekend, they moved up another notch on my “like” scale. Outback Steakhouse is on a mission to help couples steak out more time for one another by declaring itself the Official Sponsor of Date Night and offering a special weekend deal they can’t refuse.

According to Outback’s New American Romance study, more than half of Americans surveyed said they need at least one date night per month to keep the spark alive, but shockingly 56% can’t remember their last date night!

When was YOUR last date night? My last date with my husband was Saturday. We had dinner at Outback before driving down to DC to see our daughter perform at a barbershop concert with her quartet. We LOVED the new Date Night Meal, which includes:

A Bloomin Onion® to share
Two 8 oz. Outback Special® Sirloins
Choice of Freshly Made Side & Signature Salad (per person)
A Classic Cheesecake dessert to share
Or, have your Date Night Meal with two 6oz. filets or one 8oz. sirloin and one 6 oz. filet. Ask server for details.
Plus, relax and un-wine-d with $10 off select bottles of vino (we don’t drink, so we skipped that

The Outback Date Night meal is available Thursday through Sunday nights. Just ask your server for the Date Night Meal when you order. It’s so easy!

Why do you think it’s important to have date night with your significant other on a regular basis….and do you get out as often as you would like? What are some of your setbacks to regular date night?

Try Outback’s NEW Moonshine BBQ Menu FREE! #OutbackBestMates

Lolli — Wed, 21 May 2014 19:21:01 +0000

My family and I were invited to attend a special VIP tasting night at Outback Steakhouse® on Tuesday to try the new Moonshine BBQ menu, which is available NOW (for a limited time). All thoughts are my own.

My kids and I have been fans of Outback Steakhouse® for a long time…but last night’s dinner may have been our favorite Outback experience ever. EVER.

Outback Steakhouse® is introducing a limited time only Moonshine BBQ menu, made with real moonshine (I warned my kids, since they know what moonshine is, that the moonshine is cooked away). New menu items to hit the sauce include:

Sirloin with Moonshine BBQ Bacon Wrapped Shrimp
Moonshine BBQ Ribs
Moonshine BBQ Wood-Fire Grilled Wings
Moonshine BBQ Chopped Salad
3 Moonshine cocktails including the Huckleberry Hooch, Watermelon Hunch Punch and Just Peachee
Skillet Apple Pie

Our Moonshine tasting experience began with Moonshine BBQ Wood-Fire Grilled Wings with Ranch dipping sauce. We were all licking our fingers – the Moonshine BBQ sauce was an instant hit with everyone, even my BBQ-sauce-hating daughter. We couldn’t get enough!

Our server brought out the Moonshine BBQ Chopped Salad next…and all 3 of the girls (me and 2 of my daughters) commented that it was one of the BEST salads we had ever tasted. It was full of flavor and the perfect combination of ingredients (and lots of them!). My daughter who was hesitant to try a salad with BBQ in its name was insanely impressed. It doesn’t taste BBQ-y. It’s just delicious, period.

The Moonshine BBQ Ribs came next, with a few Moonshine BBQ Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp on the side. The rib meat was so tender and juicy that it literally fell off the bones – but AJ’s favorite part about it was the “crunchiness” of the outside of the ribs. They were definitely worth getting our hands a little dirty. Yum!

The bacon-wrapped shrimp doesn’t even need any commentary, does it? I mean…bacon-wrapped shrimp??

As we finished off our meal, we were stuffed…but I was sure to leave plenty of room for the skillet apple pie topped with vanilla ice cream. My favorite thing about the apple pie was that it was not too sweet (which just meant that I ate more of it than I needed to!). It was a perfect sharing size, too!

Try Moonshine BBQ for FREE!

Outback is inviting America to get a FREE taste of Moonshine BBQ on May 21 & May 22. Visit your local Outback restaurant and say “Moonshine BBQ Wings” to your server to receive a free half-order of Moonshine BBQ Wood-Fire Grilled Wings with the purchase of any adult entrée.

Learn the secret to why Outback’s new Moonshine BBQ sauce is so dang good by visiting Outback.com/Shine.

My kids and I are going to be rooting for Moonshine BBQ to stay on the menu permanently! Necco already has plans to celebrate her 15th birthday at Outback Steakhouse® in a few weeks.

Connect with Outback Steakhouse:

https://twitter.com/outback
https://www.pinterest.com/outback/
https://instagram.com/outbacksteakhouse#
Be sure to check out all of the specials at www.outback.com/specials

Which Moonshine BBQ menu item are you most excited to try? HURRY over to your Outback and give it a try (and help me convince them to keep it around forever!

This post and the information included are part of a sponsored ambassador program with Outback Steakhouse #OutbackBestMates. All opinions are my own.

Outback’s Wood-Fire Grill #OutbackBestMates {And Happy Anniversary to Me!}

Lolli — Fri, 25 Apr 2014 18:00:51 +0000

I am an Outback Steakhouse Best Mates Ambassador. Every once in a while throughout the year, I’ll be bringing you guys specials and insider information on one of my favorite restaurants. Just follow the hashtag #OutbackBestMates on Twitter and Facebook (and here, of course).

This coming Monday, my husband and I will be celebrating out 19th anniversary. Nineteen!

(If you were wondering, no, I did not get married when I was 12, but thanks for thinking I looked so young…)

To make sure we celebrate right, I’ll be taking my hubby out to eat at one of our favorite restaurants – Outback Steakhouse, of course! Not only is it one of our favorite date night places to eat, they’ve got a pretty amazing special that will not only make my tummy happy, but my wallet, too.

Outback’s Wood-Fire Grill

Outback’s Wood-Fire Grill meal is a 3-course meal. For just just $11.99, you’ll get:

First Course: Start with your choice of Soup or Signature Side Salad
Second Course: Choose your wood-fire grilled entrée and freshly made side: Choose from: Parmesan-Herb Crusted Wood-Fire Grilled Chicken, Wood-Fire Grilled Outback Special Sirloin, Sweet Chili Wood-Fire Grilled Chicken & Shrimp
Third Course: Finish off your meal with either Classic Cheesecake or Carrot Cake.

Which soup/salad, entree, and dessert would you choose?

I’ll be ordering the House Salad, the Sweet Chili Wood-Fire Grilled Chicken & Shrimp, and cheesecake for dessert. I’m not entirely sure I’ll be able to wait until Monday night…

More great flavors from the Wood-Fire Grill:

Firecracker Grilled Salmon: Wood-fire grilled Salmon glazed with Firecracker sauce and topped with mango salsa. Served with season mixed vegetables.
Bone-in NY Strip: Known for its juicy, intense flavor, the thick-cut NY Strip is grilled to perfection. Served with one freshly made side and a Signature Side salad.
Grilled Pineapple ‘Rita: Smooth El Jimador Resposado Tequila hand-shaken with all-natural citrus juices and crushed pineapple. We rim the glass with our very own
hickory smoke margarita salt and top with a wood-grilled slice of pineapple

Connect with Outback Steakhouse:

https://twitter.com/outback
https://www.pinterest.com/outback/
https://instagram.com/outbacksteakhouse#
Be sure to check out all of the specials at www.outback.com/specials

What do you like to do to celebrate your anniversary? We tend to be fairly ordinary. We’re a dinner and movie kind of couple…so we make sure that the FOOD we eat is BOLD!

This post and the information included are part of a sponsored ambassador program with Outback Steakhouse #OutbackBestMates. All opinions are my own.

Do Valentine’s Day “Just Right” at Outback Steakhouse

Lolli — Tue, 11 Feb 2014 16:35:05 +0000

Here’s a little secret you may or may not know about me. I love food. (Ok, so maybe that wasn’t much of a secret)…I love cooking good food, but even MORE, I love eating good food at restaurants. That’s why I was absolutely 100% onboard when I was invited to be an Outback Steakhouse Best Mates Ambassador. So for the rest of the year, I’ll be bringing you guys specials and insider information on one of my favorite restaurants. Just follow the hashtag #OutbackBestMates on Twitter and Facebook (and here, of course).

Do Valentine’s “Just Right”

I love looking for Valentine’s Day restaurant specials for two, and this week (from Monday, February 10 through Sunday, February 16) as we get ready to celebrate Valentine’s Day, I’ve found a fabulous Valentine’s special from Outback Steakhouse. I love that this special is good all week long. I know I love beating the crowds and eating out either at lunch time or on another night of the week so we don’t have a long wait.

Ready for Outback’s “Just Right” steak for two special?

Steak Menu for Two: a Bloomin’ Onion and Classic Cheesecake dessert to share, paired with your choice of two of Outback’s favorite steak entrées, including:

Two 6 ounce sirloins
Two 9 ounce sirloins
Two 6 ounce filets
One Bone-in Ribeye & one filet, one of Outback’s most popular combos!
Or, upgrade your Steak Dinner for Two by adding a grilled lobster tail to any entrée above

You can get all of the food above for one incredible price. But…feeling budget-conscious? Outback Steakhouse has got you covered with Outback’s new Steak Plates – a 6 or 9 ounce Signature Sirloin with your choice of one of five delicious toppings and a side of Aussie fries, starting at under $10 each.

Tell your Valentine’s Day FAIL stories – and win an Outback Date Do-Over

Have you ever had a HORRIBLE date (Valentine’s Day or another day)? I know I’ve had a few. This week, your Valentine’s Day fails can win you an Outback Date Do-Over, good for a $50 Outback gift card. This week, as we get ready for Valentine’s Day, you can share your date disaster story (Valentine’s or otherwise) on Twitter using hashtag #BloominDoOver to be entered to win. Ten winners will be selected each day from Monday through Thursday, February 10th – 13th, and then 20 winners will be chosen on Valentine’s Day, February 14th.

Connect with Outback Steakhouse:

Facebook: Facebook.com/outback
Twitter: @Outback
Instagram: Instagram.com/outbacksteakhouse
Pinterest: Pinterest.com/explore/outback-steakhouse-recipes/

Here’s a tweet to RT (and then be sure to share your best #BloominDoOver story!):

Share your date disaster to win a #BloominDoOver with @Outback! Winners get a $50 Outback gift card. #OutbackBestMates #sponsored

— Lolli Franklin (@1momof5) February 11, 2014

This post and the information included are part of a sponsored ambassador program with Outback Steakhouse #OutbackBestMates. All opinions are my own.