Pasta + Pie + Bloggers = Fun Evening

Disclaimer: Marie Callender’s invited me to try out their new menu at a local location.  Besides a free meal no other compensation was given. All opinions are my own. 

First thing first, I would like to thank Megan from Sunshine Wonderland for organizing the wonderful event that she did. I had a great time meeting other bloggers and trying out Marie Callender's new limited time menu, "Pasta and Pie Amore." 

This is one of 80 Marie Callender's restaurants.
This one is located in Riverside, California.

This event was an exciting event for me as this was my first time meeting with other bloggers here in Southern California and in this type of event. I have to admit that at first I was a little nervous because I did not know what to expect. I am thankful that I had the opportunity to interact with a few of the bloggers before the event.  I am glad that we started off with an appetizer combo platter because it gave us a chance to mingle while waiting for other bloggers to arrive. It also gave a chance to break the ice. 

A sampling of mozzarella sticks, onion rings, crispy green beans and crispy chicken tenders. Served with spicy chipotle ranch and marinara sauce for dipping.

This new menu starts at 9.99 and up!  You get a pasta, chosen from 4 varieties: Baked Rigatoni with Caesar Salad, Shrimp Angel Hair Sorrento, Wild Mushroom Ravioli with Rosemary Chicken, and Chicken Pesto Alfredo with Caesar Salad. Each entree comes with a slice of pie. 

The New Limited Time Menu 

I tried the Chicken Pesto Alfredo with Caesar Salad. This was my first time trying a pesto Alfredo sauce. It had an interesting taste, but I actually enjoyed it. I however am not a big fan of Caesar Salads. Marie Callender's even accommodates vegetarians as Valerie of Mama Likes to Cook ordered her Chicken Pesto Alfredo without chicken. 

My Chicken Pesto Alfredo

After dinner came the hardest part of the evening....Choosing a pie. Marie Callender's has a huge selection of different pies.

Marie Callender's Limited Time Pie. 

After several minutes of trying to figure out what pie I wanted and going back and forth between several different choices I finally chose the Razzleberry Pie. The Razzleberry pie is a famous fruit pie filled with Raspberries and Blackberries baked together with a hint of apple. 

All the other bloggers pie

 The funniest thing about having dinner with bloggers is watching them steal food to take pictures. I sorta got lucky when it came to the pie photo shoot because they left my pie alone. The downside of this was that I have no before picture of my delicious pie. 

Me being a rebel taking a bite of my pie before the other bloggers could steal it.  

 I have to admit despite my being nervous. It was a great time meeting other bloggers. The staff at Marie Callender's treated us with amazing service. Our server Miguel, really went above and beyond his duties. He put up with a group of crazy ladies wanting to take pictures of every course.

Miguel-Our Amazing Server with Pie

From left Bottom to Top then around the table: (click on their name to get to their blog)
Megan of Sunshine Wonderland, Emily of Emmy Mom, Me Valerie of Mama Likes to Cook
Lourie of CA Girl, Caryn of Midlife Guru,  Jamie of Minnesota Girl in LA, Wendy of  Wendyful World

 At this time, I would like to thank Emily for allowing me to borrow her pictures, since my cell died on the way to the event and I forgot my camera at home. I am just thankful that I had the opportunity to meet these ladies and interact with them.