Don’t forget to enter the Dine and Dish Giveaway #2 for a set of chic and fun notecards from Miss ‘N Nick Designs. All entries must be submitted by midnight on Sauturday, May 31st. For more information, and to enter, click here.

I came out of the closet about my office supply addiction on my last post, and felt the unity and support from my fellow bloggers. It wasn’t until then that I started getting real with how serious my addiction was. This addiction has been something I have been dealing with for quite some time.

When I started my first job after college, I was thrilled when our group administrative assistant came to me and said “We have a pen policy at this company and believe that everyone should have the type of pens they want. Here is the Office Depot catalog…. take a look and let me know what kind of pens to order for you.” Seriously? A whole catalog full of every type of pen possible, and I could choose any kind I wanted?  And the best part? You could change your mind as often as you wanted! She placed office supply orders often and if you wanted new pens then, she’d be happy to get them for you. Oh - and I always ordered pens that were different than everyone else’s… I was a pen hoarder and did not want anyone walking off with my special pens.

Several years later, I went to an Estate sale and stopped at the items everyone else was passing by. A box completely full of note pads, notecards and pens. A steal at $5 for the box.

I once had the genius idea of looking for pens and paper on Ebay, and discovered that apparently it is a very popular thing to sell.  I, of course, bid and won a set of notepads and really great pens.  A couple of years ago, my friend Julianne made my day by bringing me over a load of Pharmeceutical pens and sticky note pads. Her mom worked at a  doctor’s office and had a plethora of pens and sticky note pads from the sales reps that came into her office. I seriously thought about changing my profession at the time… free pens and sticky note pads just for going to work? What a great perk!

Obviously, I’m exaggerating just a tad (okay… not really), but my love for office supplies really does tie in to my love for cooking. If I didn’t have an office supply obsession, and was not prepared with pen and pad of paper in my purse at all times, then I can only imagine the number of fantastic recipes I would miss out on. This Cod recipe, for example, was found in a magazine when I was at my doctors office. Yes, I was able to find it online later, but with my memory, there is no way I would have been able to remember the name of the recipe when I got home. So, there you go… everyone out there thinking that I need to get some professional help for my office supply addiction. I may be addicted, but good does come from it! Let me share this recipe with you, just to prove it.

Nantucket Baked Cod

I am a sucker for office supplies and paper goods. I have drawers full of pens, pencils, sticky notes, notecards, markers, scissors, etc. I have no idea what draws me in, but this obsession of mine is slowly taking over not only my desk, but the drawers in my kitchen. I think part of the reason for the plethora of pens, scissors and paper in my house is that I grew up in a house quite the opposite. If you needed to write down a phone number or a message, you would have to search and search for a pen and paper to write on. And, if you were having a really lucky day, the pen you would actually find would work! Imagine that!

Now that this obsession is out in the open, it will come to no surprise to you all that when I stumbled upon the website of Nicole Howard, I fell in love. Nicole is the owner and designer for Miss ‘N Nick Designs. Her stationary designs are sophisticated, yet whimsical. The cupcake note cards got my attention right away… what a perfect little note card to send out to all of your foodie and non-foodie friends! This is why I chose the Box of 10 Cupcakes Note Cards as the 2nd Dine and Dish Giveaway.

If you are interested in participating, simply leave a comment (please include your email address and link to your blog in the contact form) on this post by midnight CST on Saturday, May 31st. If you don’t have a blog, leave a comment and email me with a link to your favorite blog… just to control trolls. The random drawing will take place on June 1st and the winner will be announced sometime that day.

While you are taking a look at Miss ‘N Nick Designs, head on over to Nicole’s food blog too. Her blog, Art and Ailoi ( a blog about art, food, and the art of food) has quickly become a favorite!

Thanks for entering and good luck!

I know I often complain about being stuck in the Midwest and I long for being a living part of the pages of Coastal Living, but I will say this… we live in a great neighborhood. This weekend has been full of food, friends and fun. Friday night we went to a block party across the subdivision and enjoyed the company of neighbors as we all ate, conversed and watched our kids play. Same thing on Saturday night… an evening of great conversation, yummy food, and fun times.

Sunday, I volunteered at something called the Jiggle Jam, which was a great kids event at the Crown Center in Kansas City, MO. I worked at the beverage tent, of all things, while my husband got to drag the kids all over the event by himself in the heat of the day. Needless to say by the time my four hour shift was over, my husband was very ready to head home and was completely “Jiggle Jammed” out. We got home, changed into our swimsuits and headed up to our subdivision pool for a quick dip to cool off. While there, we ran into our good friends/neighbors and decided to invite them over for drinks on the deck that night.

I made up a big pitcher of Mojitos, a batch of guacamole, and they came over around 7pm for a relaxing evening of catching up and enjoying the gorgeous summertime air. As we were sitting there, another one of our neighbors walked by and I invited them to come on over when they were through with their walk.

We had a lovely evening, ending when the storms started to roll through around 11pm. Weekends like this is what makes me think I never want to leave my house, my neighborhood, the Midwest, etc. Friendships, camaraderie, good neighbors.. you can’t find this just anywhere. I feel very blessed to have it right here in my own backyard.

Mojitos by the Pitcher (from Recipezaar)

We went to a block party last night and the instructions were to bring something to grill and a side to share. The party started at 5:30pm and at 4:30pm I was still engrossed in work and it dawned on me that I hadn’t made a side dish yet. With a trip to the grocery store on the plan for the weekend, I looked through my fridge and pantry and realized I had very little that I could just “whip up” as a side dish. Being a food blogger and someone who enjoys cooking, the expectations of what you are going to show up with at an event like this can be set a little high.

As I was trying to rack my brain for ideas, I decided to instant message one of my co-workers to see if she had any ideas. She rambled off a list of things, but it was the Cucumber Salad that got my attention. She had made it for her Book Club group the weekend before and it got rave reviews. She said lots of ladies asked for the recipe. The best part about it was I had everything, but the cucumbers, on hand. My husband was out so I called him and he brought the cucumbers home.

The salad was incredibly easy to pull together…we are talking a 10 minutes or less kind of salad. The aroma was tempting and I was in love at first nibble. The only problem was, my poor salad looked very bland. The green of the cucumbers and the green of the onions blended together and the salad had no “bowl appeal”.

I took my salad to the party with me and was disappointed when I watched person after person pass it by. Finally, one lady gave it a chance and when she sat down near me she said something about how good it was. A few more people gave it a try, but I came home with at least half of the salad left over. Of course, as we walked home, I nibbled and nibbled on the salad and it was almost gone by the time our walk was through!

So, my suggestion… please give this poor salad a try. I promise that you’ll like it! I wouldn’t suggest taking it to a pot luck because it really does lack that temptress nature. If you are having a sit down meal at your own home, pass this around and I can guarantee it will be a hit. It may not be beautiful, but it sure is good!

From my friend Deborah who got it from an issue of Cooking Light Magazine

Cucumber Salad with Rice Vinegar Dressing

3 cups thinly sliced seeded peeled cucumber (about 2 medium)
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons chopped green onions
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped unsalted, dry-roasted peanuts

Combine first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl; toss to coat cucumber. Sprinkle with onions and peanuts before serving.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1/2 cup salad, 1 teaspoon green onions, and 3/4 teaspoon peanuts)

CALORIES 42 (60% from fat); FAT 2.8g (sat 0.4g,mono 1.2g,poly 1g); PROTEIN 1g; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 12mg; SODIUM 199mg; FIBER 0.7g; IRON 0.3mg; CARBOHYDRATE 3.7g

A few weeks ago, Meeta from What’s for Lunch, Honey? sent me an email about the possibility of joining her collaborative site, The Daily Tiffin. I, of course, was honored to be asked by someone I respect as much as Meeta and took her up on her offer immediately. I’m joining an incredible group of writers from some of my favorite blogs. Head on over to The Daily Tiffin to see my first post, “Tips for the Beginning Cook“, which is adapted from an article I wrote for Her Life Magazine.

The Dine and Dish Weekend style Memorial Day menu is up over at BloggedIn. Make sure to check out what we have in store for the weekend menu!

Stay tuned because the next Dine and Dish giveaway is right around the corner. Join us on Tuesday for details.

It is a fact of life that little things happening in the morning can really impact your mood and how the rest of your day goes. Waking up to a puking kid at 5am usually will start the day in a downward spiral. Having your hair turn out just right equates to a good day. Realizing that your car’s gas tank is on empty and you are already running late for where you need to be? Not a great day. Hearing your favorite song on the radio when you wake up in the morning can make a great start to a day. Losing your contact down the bathroom sink? A bad day is on the horizon.

If your day has started off with a “looks like someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed” frame of mind , don’t fret. There is still a way to turn your day around easily without losing it to the bad karma monsters. Start your morning off with a delicious breakfast. Fruit, yogurt, cereal, toast, bagels… take a few minutes out to sit with your family to eat and your day will most certainly start to turn around the right way. (Well, that is if no one spills their milk, or empties a whole box of cereal onto the floors while pulling it down off of the pantry shelf.)

For an extra special start to the day, I like to make breakfast pizza. If you are pressed for time, preparing it the night before and then baking it in the morning works out well.  Guaranteed to turn any down in the dumps outlook into an optimistic frame of mind, this pizza is filling, flavorful and very easy to put together.  Fend off a bad day the right way with the right start. What a difference the right breakfast can make!

Breakfast Pizza

1 lb ground pork

1 8oz package Pillsbury crescent rolls

1 cup shredded hash browns - thawed

1 4 ounce can mushrooms, drained

5 slices bacon

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese

5 eggs

1/4 cup milk

2 Tablespoons Parmesan cheese

Brown pork and drain fat. Cook bacon and blot off grease. Cut bacon into small, bite size pieces. Lightly spray with cooking spray a 9×13 glass cake pan. Press crescent rolls on bottom and up sides of pan. Layer pork, hash browns, mushrooms, bacon, Cheddar and Mozarella cheeses on top of crescent roll dough. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs and milk together. Pour egg and milk mixture over the top of other ingredients in the 9×13 pan. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the top. Bake in 350 degree oven for 30-35 minutes.

My mom often told me when I was growing up that you catch more flies with honey than vinegar. In other words, being nice will get you further along in the world than being a jerk… so always try to be nice. I try to live by that philosophy as much as possible. No - I am not perfect… I too have my vinegar moments, but I hope that most people I come in contact with think that I come across more like honey than vinegar.

One of the best compliments I have received as a mother from others is that my kids are nice kids. I was at the park the other day and one of Jacob’s friends from school was there. His mom came up to me and said “You know… there aren’t a lot of genuinely nice kids out there in the world, but your son is always so kind and nice…and not just to some kids. To everyone!” That, to me, was just about the best compliment I could hear about my children. My goal as a parent is to make sure they are good contributing members of society. I want them to treat others with respect and to be genuinely kind to people.

I feel the same way about companies that I do business with. I want to work with nice people. I want to do business with nice people. I want to associate with companies that have a heart, give back to their community and are genuinely kind to their customers.

When I was contacted by the people at Contry Bob’s to try out some of their sauces, I couldn’t help but agree to do it. First of all, the communication from Country Bob’s was so sincere… they really want to get the word out about how great their products are, but they also want honest feedback and wanted to know how I thought the blogging community could help them with their efforts to get the word out.

The package from Country Bob’s arrived last week on the best day that it could… I had chicken thawing for dinner, but I had no idea what I was going to do with it! When I opened the package from Country Bob’s, I pulled out a couple of bottles of their All Purpose Sauce and a copy of The Original Country Bob’s Cookbook. As I flipped through the cookbook, I noticed how clear and concise their message was… they seem to have a very strong Faith and have built the foundation of their company on a value system that has a humble “do unto others” kind of spirit. I was very impressed, and even more impressed when I used their All Purpose Sauce to try out the recipe for Country Cacciatore Chicken. The all purpose sauce honestly seemed very much like a A1/Heinz 57 kind of sauce, but when I tasted it I realized how wrong I was. Similar in nature, the Country Bob’s All Purpose Sauce has a very distinct blend of flavors with a little zip added in there for good measure.

To check out this impressive company for yourself, and to print off a coupon for a FREE bottle of Country Bob’s All Purpose sauce, take a look at the Country Bob’s website: www.countrybobs.com

Country Cacciatore Chicken, from The Original Country Bob’s Cookbook

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 yellow bell pepper, diced

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1 small onion, chopped

2 Tbs minced garlic

1/2 cup butter

1 13 ounce bottle Country Bob’s All Purpose Sauce

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 pound boned chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces

Saute the green red and yellow peppers, mushrooms, onion and garlic in the butter in a large skillet until lightly browned. Add the Country Bob’s All Purpose Sauce and brown sugar and mix well. Place the chicken pieces in a single layer in a 9×13 inch baking pan. Spoon the vegetable mixture over the chicken. Bake, covered, at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Bake, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Serve over pasta or rice.

Congrats to Lesley from Lesley’s Kitchen blog! I used the Random Number Generator to select a number from the entries, and Les in NE was the winner of the Honey I’m Home apron from Simply Aprons. If you weren’t the winner and are still interested in an apron, head over to Simply Aprons soon. Julie just added a couple of gorgeous new designs! Thanks to those of you who participated. The recipes you sent in were fabulous! Stay tuned… another foodie giveaway is coming up soon!

I have decided to make Giveaways on my blog a regular thing. I have scooped up some really great “foodie” items, so stay tuned for more! Until the next giveaway, head over to THIS post to enter to win the Honey I’m Home apron from the Simply Aprons etsy store. Deadline to enter is 11pm CST on Friday, May 9th!

I know I have said it before, but I have a wonderful husband. He is kind, generous, caring… if I want something, he usually gets it for me. Kind gestures are plenty. When it is chilly outside, he will bring me my robe and towel… straight out of the warm dryer so I can step into it after my shower. If I have one of my typical fountain drink cravings (has to be from certain gas stations, certain ice, certain cups…), he kindly humors me and picks me up a soda from one of the few places that meet my very picky standards. He does the laundry, helps clean up after dinner, is a wonderful dad, and is an all around great guy.

So each and every week my husband does kind things for me, and how do I return the favor? By continuing to have some version of tacos on our menu. Great for me! I love tacos! Hubby? Not so much. Since the beginning of our marriage, hubby has made it very clear his detest for tacos. He doesn’t like raw tomatoes, he hates just about any kind of bean, sour cream and guacamole. He is one of the few people in the world who doesn’t go crazy for Mexican food or even Tex-Mex. I, however, love all things Tex-Mex and Mexican and so do my kids. This is why on a weekly basis, some form of taco type dish hits our dinner table. You really can’t find anything easier that is as filling as tacos.

Every week, hubby sits down to dinner with a sigh and struggles through yet another taco meal. What can I say? He is so much nicer to me than I am to him. As the youngest of five, I have a bit of a selfish streak and I don’t believe I should eliminate making what I like for dinner just because he doesn’t like it.

If you are on the “I like tacos” side like me, then let me share this quick and easy (plus light!) taco salad recipe from a back issue of Cooking Light magazine. If you don’t like tacos, tough! You can just sit there and pout while the rest of us enjoy.

Three Step Taco Salad (Cooking Light Magazine, July 2003)

1 pound ground sirloin
1 (1.25-ounce package) taco seasoning
3/4 cup water
2/3 cup fat-free sour cream
2/3 cup bottled salsa
8 cups shredded iceberg lettuce
4 cups (4 ounces) bite-sized baked tortilla chips
2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes, drained
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese, divided
1 (15-ounce) can kidney or black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup sliced ripe black olives ( I omit)

Cook the beef in large skillet over medium-high heat until browned, stirring to crumble. Stir in taco seasoning and water. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.Combine sour cream and salsa in a small bowl.

Combine the beef mixture, iceberg lettuce, tortilla chips, tomatoes, 1/2 cup cheese, and beans in a large bowl. Drizzle the sour cream mixture over the salad, and toss gently. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup cheese and black olives. Serve immediately.

Yield: 10 servings (serving size: 2 cups)

CALORIES 217 (24% from fat); FAT 5.7g (sat 2.3g,mono 1.5g,poly 0.7g); PROTEIN 16.8g; CHOLESTEROL 34mg; CALCIUM 171mg; SODIUM 757mg; FIBER 5g; IRON 2.2mg; CARBOHYDRATE 26.1g

First of all, did you know that National Apron Day is May 14th? If you don’t have an apron to wear, you had better get one quick! Head over to the Simply Aprons Etsy store and snatch one up, or enter to win the Honey I’m Home apron in Dine and Dish’s first giveaway! Click HERE for more information.

This morning my six year old woke up and was moping around before school, claiming “my tummy hurts”. He wasn’t running a fever, he ate a good breakfast, and was feeling good enough to torment his sisters. We walked up to school, I kissed him goodbye and all was well. All was well except for the small nagging in the back of my head about his tummy hurting. His actions told me that he was feeling okay, but my instinct told me that maybe I should have listened to him.

Fast forward to 10:30am, I am just getting ready to go and pick up the middle munchkin from preschool, and the phone rings. Sure enough, it was the school nurse. “I have Jacob in my office… he just got sick in class.” Ugh… “No, he didn’t make it to the bathroom, but he seems to be okay at the moment. How soon can you pick him up?” I was up there within minutes, feeling horrible that he had to be embarrassed in class simply because I didn’t listen to my instinct and keep him home. Bring on the mom of the year award, again!

Over the past week I have been tormented by the Epicurious widget on my blog. A photo of some gorgeous Lemon-Raspberry cupcakes kept tempting me, and I knew they would be in my future soon. For some reason, the urge to bake overwhelmed me this afternoon, so I decided to give the Lemon-Raspberry cupcakes a try. I love raspberry anything… my kids, however, haven’t developed the taste for raspberries yet. They prefer things on the mainstream line… strawberries, bananas, grapes… kid fruit. As you know, I am usually a “follow the recipe” kind of gal, and I rarely get creative in the kitchen doing my own thing. Unlike some of you, I have yet to develop that great kitchen instinct. Well, today, with these cupcakes I made a minor change. Nothing major, because you know, that would be a bit of a stretch for me. I don’t want to get out of hand or anything… can’t be getting all crazy like that in the kitchen just like that!

I trusted my instinct and decided to change the raspberry to strawberry and then topped them with a banana slice. Strawberry combined with banana is one of my favorite flavor combinations, and trusting my instinct with these cupcakes resulted in a dessert that was not only tasty, but a hit with my kids (or at least the two who weren’t losing their lunch).

I may have not had my instinct mojo going this morning when I sent my son to school, but I got it back this afternoon with these yummy cupcakes! This recipe is so versatile, you can trust your own instincts and use your own fruity flavor combinations. Now, go get crazy!

Lemon Raspberry Cupcakes from Epicurious.com