Don’t forget to head over to Hotel Chocolat to enter to win a selection of chocolate from their luxury collection. One of my readers is guaranteed to win! Enter to win by going HERE.

The other day, I made no secret of the fact that winter depresses me. I have never understood how people in the arctic cold climates keep a smile on their face when the sky is gray and the temps are frigid. I am a person who needs warmth and sunshine. I love the sounds of the warmer months… the smells of the warmer months and the ability to just sit outside and let the suns rays absorb me.

As much as I complain about winter, there are a few things that I like about it. I do love winter clothing…bulky sweaters that wrap you in comfort, fleece pajamas that make you long to stay in bed all day and the beauty of looking out as the first snow silently falls on the ground. I love being forced by the cold weather to stay in side and the slower pace that seems to happen during the frigid days.

One custom that I routinely participate in during the winter months is a half hour of calm and quiet. I have never been one to practice traditional meditation, but I am one who appreciates the sound of silence and being alone with my thoughts. Part of this routine, on a daily basis, is to make myself a cup of hot tea. There is something about having a hot cup of tea (with honey in it) that forces a person to slow down. One can’t guzzle tea. The only way to really appreciate a cup of hot tea is to sit down, slowly sip it and appreciate the warmth it brings to you, both inside and out.

This photo is my entry into the CLICK event over at the Jugalbandi blog. The theme this month is Liquid Comfort.

• Camera: Nikdon D80
• Exposure: 1/500
• Focal Length: 50mm
• Aperature: f/4

OK - if you have been thinking about blogging and have yet to do so… let me give you one good reason to start. Amazing opportunities fall into your lap if you devote yourself to your blog. Amazing opportunities? Oh surely you think I am talking about book deals, travel adventures, hob nobbing with the rich and famous? Nope… those things would be great, but how about this for greatness… the opportunity to sample wonderful products, like…let’s say… CHOCOLATE! Yes, and guess what? I am teaming up with Hotel Chocolat to give one of my lucky readers the opportunity to win some chocolate of their own. One of my readers is guaranteed to win a selection of prizes from Hotel Chocolat’s Valentine’s selection (make sure to use the link below to enter…and enter by February 8th!)  If you enter, please leave a comment here to let me know. Oh - and if you win, promise you’ll share

Here is the scoop, written by the wonderful people at Hotel Chocolat… in official PR speak:

Win a luxury chocolate gift for a loved one this Valentine’s Day!

Because we all need a little luxury once in a while, Dine and Dish has teamed up with Hotel Chocolat to offer you the chance to win a selection of decadent chocolates from Hotel Chocolat’s Valentine’s Day to the range for a loved one.

To enter, click on the link below and tell us in 200 words or less why we should surprise your loved one with this luxury gift. It’s time to tug on our heart strings and get out your violin, as the most compelling entry will win! The competition closes on 8^th February 2008 and entries will appear live on the Hotel Chocolat site.

Click HERE to enter! 

I am in a major funk. I have no idea what is wrong with me lately, but I just feel like getting back into bed each morning and pulling the covers over my head until winter passes. I’m sick of the snow. I’m sick of the frigid temperatures. I’m sick of the gray and gloomy skies. I am sick of being cooped up in the house with the kids all day because it is too cold to go outside and too much trouble to get everyone bundled up to go somewhere. My attitude stinks… I’m getting irritated about things and people that I normally wouldn’t let bother me.

Typically, I am a fairly laid back person. I tend to be somewhat cheery and happy about life in general. Not lately. I am thankful for all that I have, but I am not cheery about it!

One of the things I have been trying to do to get me out of my overwhelming gloom is to open the blinds wide to let what little sunshine there is pour in,  and to bring some "summertime" in by the foods I cook. We have been having some non-seasonal dishes lately just so I can feel like maybe the warmer months are around the corner.

One of the recipes I made lately was the Citrus Pound cake from that wonderful January 2007 issue of Gourmet magazine that I keep raving about. Little bits of lemon and orange zest in a rich and buttery pound cake. The smell alone of it baking made me feel happier. Then I took a bite and the flavor… oh the flavor! It is like a springtime shower in your mouth… bursting with a full citrus flavor that will turn any funk into a "dance around your kitchen singing at the top of your lungs" kind of mood.

If you are suffering from SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) and need a quick lift, try this Citrus Pound Cake recipe. I’ll post the recipe here… but really… you MUST pick up a copy of this issue of Gourmet if you haven’t done so already!  

Happy baking!

Citrus Pound Cake

I have had so much interest in the Adopt a Blogger event that I have decided to host a second one… but it won’t be for a month or so. If you have indicated in a different post that you are intersted in signing up to be adopted or to adopt someone and it was past the deadline for the first adopt a blogger (which was in December), please put your information in the comments section here. I will try to gather the comments from the other posts as well, but to make my life easier, sign up here to make sure you are included!

Keep checking back to Dine and Dish and to other sites like Sticky Date and Is My Blog Burning for details about the next Adopt a Blogger event! In the meantime, notify your veteran blogger friends because it looks like we’ll have a lot of newbies ready for your guidance!

I feel almost silly writing out tips for bloggers… I am not nearly as accomplished at blogging as some of the people out there, but I get asked questions about it often, so I thought that in honor of the Adopt a Blogger event going on, I would throw my two cents into the ring.

First of all, let me introduce you to my new blogging friends… my adoptees are Yamiam and Jennie. I will most certainly be doing a more formal introduction later, but I at least wanted to get their links out there for all of you to visit - hint, hint!

Okay… on to my tips.

1) Blog Regularly. By regularly, I don’t mean every, single day. That isn’t necessary and could easily cause burnout if you put that kind of pressure on yourself. My suggestion would be to do 1-3 new posts each week. If you want people to keep coming back, you have to give them something new to come back to. 

2)  Contact. Give your readers some way to contact you via email if they have questions, or as Deb over at Smitten Kitchen mentioned to me… give someone a way to contact you if they have a book deal for you!  Some of your readers may be too timid to leave a comment on your site directly but may feel more comfortable emailing you with questions. Have a "contact me" button, or something on your blog so that those individuals can easily get a hold of you.

3) Photos. We are foodies… we like recipes and details, but we LOVE photos. If you have access to a digital camera, try food photography on for size. Your photos don’t have to be perfect! Just give us something to look at along with your post.,

4) Give and you shall receive. If you want people to visit your blog, you first have to visit the blogs of others. Don’t spam other blogs with your information… just visit those blogs that interest you and leave genuine comments. You will be amazed at how many people will come and visit you based simply on a comment you might have left at someone else’s blog.

5) Find your place…find your style. We are all unique and everyone has something different to bring to the table, so to speak. Don’t try to copy someone else’s style. Be yourself and blog about what comes naturally to you. If you stay true to who you are, eventually the whole blogging thing will come very easily for you!

6) Don’t make visitors register. If you want people to leave comments on your blog, don’t have a big registration process for them to go through. Do the standard Google, Wordpress, Squarespace form, but don’t make people fill out a private registration just so they can make a comment. Chances are, you will lose the interest of potential regular readers.

7) Participate. I know what you are thinking… hypocrite! I am the last person to talk about participating in blogging events. I used to do so regularly, but just haven’t been able to do as much as I would like to lately. If you want to connect with others in the Food Blogging community one of the best ways to do so is by participating in the hundreds of blogger events that happen throughout the year. You can find a complete list of various happenings in the food blogging world as they are updated, here.

I hope this was helpful to some of you new blogger’s getting started out there. Veterans…if you have any suggestions, feel free to leave them here. Later on I will compile them all (with credit to you) and make another post for our newbie blogger friends! 

For suffering through my endless babbling, I will leave you this recipe for Fluffy Chocolate Silk Pie. This is a decadent, rich and delicious dessert from the February 2008 issue of Simple and Delicious magazine.

Fluffy Chocolate Silk Pie 

I had torn up my "Final Notice" subscription renewal form from Gourmet magazine. I had convinced myself that I no longer needed to see the magazine monthly and that not renewing my subscription would be one small step I could take towards budgeting in the new year. The truth is, I haven’t been overly crazy about the past few issues of Gourmet. They left me uninspired and uninterested. It was disappointing because in the past, Gourmet had been one of my favorite cooking magazines.

I was ready to say goodbye to Gourmet…this was until the January 2008 issue showed up in my mailbox. What was to be my final issue of Gourmet completely made me change my mind about not renewing my subscription. The January 2008 issue is all about "What is Southern?" and it is jammed pack full of recipes that I have earmarked to try. From the Brandied-Peach Pork Chops and the Potato Casserole to the Buttermilk Cookies and the Mile High Chocolate Cake… this issue of Gourmet magazine brought me back to the reasons I subscribe. Great recipes that produce amazing results.

So far, I have given two of the recipes a try. The recipe for the Caramel Cake was incredibly simple to make and it was definitely company worthy.  The other recipe that I tried, the Savannah Cream Cake, was beyond compare to anything else I have ever made. It is a rich and delicious dessert with a unique flavor that keeps you coming back to sneak another bite.

If you gave up on Gourmet before this January issue came out, you will be sorry. Head to the newstands today and pick up a copy…budgeting can wait ’til next year.

SAVANNAH CREAM CAKE (from the January 2008 issue of Gourmet magazine)

INGREDIENTS:
1/2C. plus 1 TBS. cake flour ( not self-rising )
1/4tsp. grated nutmeg
3/4C. sugar, divided
6 large egg whites
1/2tsp. cream of tartar
1/4tsp. salt
1/2tsp. pure vanilla extract
FOR SHERRY CUSTARD
1 1/2tsp. unflavored gelatin ( from a 1/4 oz. envelope.)
1/4C. plus 2TBS. water, divided
2 large egg yolks
1/4C. cream sherry
1/4 plus 2TBS. sugar, divided
1C. heavy cream
2tsp. pure vanilla extract
FROSTING
1C. chilled heavy cream
2TBS. sugar
EQUIPMENT
a 10 x 4 1/2 inch (16 cup) tube pan( preferably with a removable bottom)
a 9 inch springform pan
GARNISH
fresh berries
Pre heat oven to 350 with rack in middle. Sift together flour, nutmeg, and 1/4C. sugar 3 times. Beat egg whites in a large bowl with an electric mixer until frothy, then add cream of tartar and salt and continue beating until whites barely hold soft peaks. Beat in remaining 1/2C. sugar, 2TBS. at a time. Add vanilla and beat until whites just hold soft peaks.
Sift one fourth of flour mixture over whites and fold in gently but thoroughly, then sift and fold in in remaining flour mixture, all at once, in same manner.
Spoon into ungreased tube pan and smooth top ( pan will not be full ) then rap pan on counter twice to eliminate any air bubbles. Bake until springy to the touch and a wooden pick comes out clean, about 30 minutes.
If pan has feet, invert it on a work surface; otherwise, invert it over a long necked bottle. Cool cake completely, about 30 minutes.
Run a thin knife in a sawing motion around edges of pan and tube to loosen cake. Cut cake with a serrated knife into 1-inch cubes.
MAKE SHERRY CUSTARD
Butter bottom and sides of springform pan, then line bottom with parchment paper.
Sprinkle gelatin over 1/4C. water in a small bowl and let soften, about 1 minute
Beat yolks with an electric mixer until very pale. With mixer at low speed, add sherry, 1/4C. sugar, and remaining 2TBS. water. Cook mixture in a small heavy sauce pan over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until very thick, 3 to 5 minutes.
Whisk in gelatin mixture until gelatin has dissolved. Quick chill by putting sauce pan in an ice bath. Cool mixture to room temperature, stirring occasionally, then remove pan from ice bath.
Beat cream, vanilla, and remaining 2TBS. sugar in a large bowl with cleaned beaters until mixture just holds soft peaks.
Fold in sherry mixture gently but thoroughly, then fold in cake cubes.
Transfer to springform pan and smooth top. Chill, covered with plastic wrap until set ( at least 4 hours. )
Run a thin knife around cake and remove side of pan.
MAKE FROSTING
Beat cream with sugar using an electric mixer until it just holds stiff peaks. Frost cake

My husband always passes up freebies. You know, when you are in the store and they have a free sample of this or a free sample of that, he walks right on by. I, on the other hand, am a freebie fool. Even if I don’t like the sample, I usually find myself taking one…just because it is free.

One freebie I never pass up is the annual Costco cookbook. Costco picks one weekend a year to give away a cookbook of Costco recipes. This year it is a cookbook titled “Favorite Recipes the Costco Way “. This is probably one of the best cookbooks I have come across in a long time, simply based on ease, presentation, and variety of recipes. The photographs are gorgeous as well, which always draws me in.

If you missed the chance to get one of these fantastic, 248 page, glossy cookbooks, don’t fret. You can check out the listings for Favorite Recipes the Costco Way on Ebay. I have no idea why anyone would want to give up such a great cookbook, but to each is own.

Expect to see a lot more from me over the next few months from this lovely cookbook. In the meantime, I’ll share this recipe with you form the cookbook for free

Sausage-Stuffed
Mushrooms

First of all, we had over 80 participants for this event. THANK YOU!!!

The Adopt a Blogger matches have been made! If you signed up for the Adopt a Blogger event, you should have received and email in your inbox or a comment on your blog tonight indicating who you have been matched up with.

If for some reason you signed up and did not receive any information, please respond to this post or email me to let me know. I am sure there have been a few oversites.

Also - I have two vegetarian bloggers who need to be adopted. Obviously, my meat and potatoes blog does not attract a ton of vegetarian readers. If you know of anyone, please let me know as soon as possible.

If you haven’t heard from your partner within a week or so, please notify me of that as well.

Have fun and remember to report back to let me know how everything is going!