I’m crying uncle to my schedule…

And from what I can tell the rest of you are feeling the same strain. Since when did May feel more like the holidays with all the running around and stuffed calendars? From graduations to birthday parties to sports practices and games every night of the week, things have gotten a little out of control around here.  (more…)

Breakfast for dinner, or “Brinner” as we like to call it, is a common occurrence around our house. When I forget to set out the meat to thaw at dinner, or look in my pantry and realize I forgot one crucial ingredient at the store to make the recipe I had bookmarked, I turn to breakfast foods to keep us from ordering takeout.

When the folks at Eggland’s Best invited me to host a Brinner Party with some of our friends and family, I jumped at the chance. I love unique party ideas and thought that we could have a fun time with this.

We chose to have our Eggland’s Best Brinner Party outside one evening last week. I made a combination of breakfast dishes as well as some typical picnic food, just to keep things interesting.

Our friends and family enjoyed Dole’s Broccoli Slaw Quiche, Breakfast Pizza Casserole, Deviled Eggs, Egg Salad Sandwiches, fresh fruit salad, BLT Salad and homemade Buttered Salted Caramel ice cream for dessert. (Recipes can be found by following each individual link).

It was a nice, relaxing evening full of great food, fun and friends – just exactly what we needed!

Eggland’s Best would love to give you the opportunity to host your own Brinner party. They will be giving one Dine & Dish reader their very own Brinner kit, which includes:

• 2 Free Eggland’s Best Dozen coupons (Any variety- classic, cage-free, or organic)
• 1 Free Eggland’s Best Hard Cooked and Peeled variety coupon
• 4 Eggland’s Best ramekins
• 1 Eggland’s Best apron
• 1 Eggland’s Best whisk
• 1 Eggland’s Best spatula
• 1 Eggland’s Best egg timer
• 1 Eggland’s Best eco bag
• 1 Eggland’s Best plush egg

To enter, simply leave a comment on this post telling me what your favorite “Brinner” food is.

Readers can enjoy an additional entry by heading over to the Eggland’s Best facebook page and becoming a fan. Leave an additional comment on this post letting me know that you have done that. All entries must be received by midnight CST on Wednesday, July 20th.

Recipe: Simple Egg Salad Sandwiches

• 8 hard-boiled eggs, diced
• 1 cup light mayonnaise
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 Wheat Sandwich Buns

1. In a bowl, gently mix the eggs, mayonnaise, salt, mustard powder, garlic powder, and black pepper.
2. Cover, and refrigerate 8 hours, or overnight.
3. To serve, spread equal amounts on 4 buns; top with remaining buns to make sandwiches.

This is a sponsored post. Eggland’s best provided a gift card for groceries and a brinner in a box kit for our family. All opinions are my own.

This past fall, I ate the grilled cheese sandwich that would make all other grilled cheese sandwiches inferior. Never again would I be satisfied with a plain, old, boring run of the mill grilled cheese sandwich. I would need a sandwich with only the finest cheese, ham and bread, toasted perfectly with the right amount of butter. No other sandwich, after that fateful sandwich at Cafe de la Presse in San Francisco, would do.

April happens to be National Grilled Cheese month. As part of a group from Kitchen Play, we are partnering with Jarlsberg cheese and are celebrating by serving up the best grilled cheese sandwiches out there. I thought it was about time I attempt to create the “best grilled cheese ever” to celebrate National Grilled Cheese month.

The recipe I created is about as close to perfect as I think I’m going to get. It’s a simple, yet sophisticated sandwich, and it reminds me very much of the Croque Monsieur I enjoyed at Cafe de la Presse.

I hope you’ll enjoy my version of my favorite grilled cheese sandwich. Hopefully, you’ll want to join in on the fun to and will create your own grilled cheese sandwich to celebrate National Grilled Cheese month. Jarlsberg Cheese is giving everyone who submits a Jarlsberg Grilled Cheese sandwich recipe to www.freetoastbag.com a FREE Grilled Cheese Toast Bag and a $1.00 off coupon for Jarlsberg and Jarlsberg Lite cheese. Additional details can be found at www.freetoastbag.com.

Interested in partnering with great brands and being a part of fun blog events? Make sure to check out Kitchen Play, where PR Professionals and food bloggers connect!

Recipe: Jarlsberg Grilled Cheese and Ham Sandwich

• 1 slice yellow onion, separated into rings
• 2 slices Italian style loaf bread
• 4 slices Jarlsberg cheese
• 2 slices deli sliced ham
• Butter

1. Melt 1/4 tablespoon of butter in a cast iron skillet. Add onion rings and saute over medium heat until edges are slightly crispy. Remove from pan.
2. Spread butter on one side of each slice of bread.
3. Place 2 slices Jarlsberg cheese, 2 slices deli sliced ham, grilled onions, and then the remaining 2 slices of cheese on top of the non-buttered side of bread. Place the other side of bread on top of the ham and cheese toppings, butter side up.
4. Melt 1/2 Tablespoon butter in previously used cast iron skillet. Turn heat to medium and place the sandwich in the skillet. You’ll want it to “sizzle”. Cook for 2 minutes or until one side of the sandwich is a nice, golden brown. Flip the sandwich over and cook the remaining side until cheese is melted and bread is a nice, golden brown.

This is a sponsored post however the opinions written are strictly my own.

We have started something new at our house that has made a significant difference in mealtime. It has been one very small change that has made a huge impact.

We have started serving our meals family style. See, mealtimes prior, my husband and I would get all of the plates filled and ready before we sat down to dinner. We’d cut up meat, spoon on the veggies, butter the bread…all before we even sat down at the dinner table. It just seemed easier, or so I thought, to get everything all ready for the six of us so that when it was time to eat, that’s what we did.

What I didn’t realize was that by getting the plates ready, I was first of all causing dinner to be rushed. We were missing out on the meandering part of passing the food around the table. I was also taking the control out of the hands of my children. Now, they serve themselves which means they are responsible for taking only the amount that they will eat, knowing that they can usually later get seconds if they are available. They are also learning some very good new table manners…how to pass the food, how to wait until everyone is served before they begin eating and the great lesson of politely asking someone to pass something across the table.

I know it sounds so simple, but this change has truly turned what was once a hectic, rushed, chow fest into a longer, enjoyable, conversational meal. We’ve reached a place where mealtime is finally what I had always hoped for as a mom – a gathering place for my family to laugh, eat, converse and enjoy.

In virtual family style, this past Sunday I joined some  fellow bloggers in “Sunday Supper” where we all cooked something from the wonderful cookbook Perfect One-Dish Dinners by fellow blogging friend, Pam Anderson. If you are thinking Baywatch, switch gears and think Pam Anderson from the Best-Selling cookbook The Perfect Recipe. Pam has been cooking for her family and friends for many years and has created some wonderful recipes perfect to pass around your table. In her newest cookbook, Perfect One-Dish Dinners Pam “serves up dozens of one dish wonders perfect for every occasion and any time of year.”

I made the meal that instantly caught my eye upon first perusal of Pam’s book… Shells and Cheese for Everyone, Pulled Barbecue Chicken Sliders and the PLT Salad (Prosciutto Lettuce Tomato). (The Chocolate Rice Krispies Treats will grace our table on another day.) I’m going to share the Barbecue Chicken Sliders recipe with you, but will only tempt you with a photo of the mac and cheese which has to be one of the best shells and cheese dishes I have ever had. I strongly encourage you to go pick up Pam’s book so you can get this recipe and try it out for yourself. Amazing….

For a list of other bloggers who have participated in the Sunday Supper, please see below the recipe for a list. You’ll get several chances to sneak a peek at the other wonderful recipes in this must have cookbook!

Recipe: Pulled Barbecue Chicken Sliders from Perfect One-Dish Dinners by Pam Anderson

I followed Pam’s recipe except omitted the pickles as we aren’t big pickle eaters. Since I absolutely love King Hawaiian rolls when I use them for the Oven Ham Sammies recipe I love, I used them in this recipe and it was a huge hit! I can imagine passing these out the next time the guys are over watching football.

• 1 package (24) small party rolls
• 2 cups shredded rotisserie or other cooked chicken
• 3/4 cup your favorite barbecue sauce
• 24 dill pickle slices

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Break rolls into individual buns and split in half horizontally. Mix chicken and barbecue sauce in a medium bowl. Top each roll bottom with a heaping tablespoon of pulled chicken and a pickle slice and cap each with  roll top. Place rolls on a baking sheet and bake until warmed through, about 8 minutes. Serve.

Sunday Supper Participants – Check them all out for a glimpse of other great recipes from Pam’s book!
DadCooksDinner.com
RecipeGirl.com
ArtofGlutenFreeBaking.com
KitchenGadgetGirl.com
MyBakingAddiction.com
Wenderly.com
BluebonnetsandBrownies.com
TheSensitivePantry.com
WhatsCookingBlog.com
TwoPeasandTheirPod.com
WhatsGabyCooking.com
Bellalimento.com
SmithBites.com
MyFavoriteEverything.com
FoodForMyFamily.com
SavoringTheThyme.com
Ivoryhut.com
DineAndDish.net
GlutenFreeGirl
Picky-Palate.com
TickledRed
SheWearsManyHats.com
WhatWereEating.com
ThisWeekForDinner.com
SugarCrafter.net
GoodLifeEats.com
LaFujiMama.com

LaPommeDePortland.com

SteamyKitchen.com

The other day, I was sitting in a room full of moms, when a lady came in with a screaming toddler. He had cut his big toe something awful and needed a band-aid. In that room full of moms, I was able to open my purse and pull out a first aid kit with band-aids. He had his choice…flexible band-aids, round band-aids, liquid band-aids, invisible band-aids…I had an arsenal of band-aid choices. 10 minutes later, a little girl came over crying her eyes out. She had a splinter and her mom was looking for tweezers. Guess who had tweezers? Moi. I was feeling so proud of myself because I was prepared. I looked, for a brief few minutes, like that mom who really had her stuff together. Head held high, I was feeling pretty good about myself. This mom of 4 has it together, people!

Fast forward 6 hours later and I was at the ballpark watching my 6 year old play ball. My 3 year old climbs up onto the bleachers, loses her balance and lands in a huge puddle of spilled nacho cheese sauce. With nacho cheese sauce from head to toe, she was absolutely filthy. I dig in my purse, knowing that since I am now “Mrs. Has It Together”, I would have something to remedy this situation. I pull out my wipes container, open it up and it is empty. Empty! “Mrs Has It Together” would never leave the house with an empty wipes container. Kicked down on the togetherness pole several notches, I had to sheepishly look around and ask some other moms if I could have some wipes to clean up my cheese covered child. So much for that little pipe dream I had about being the mom who has it all together.

One little secret weapon I have in my life that makes me feel like I can inch up on the togetherness ladder a bit each day is black beans. They are healthy, delicious and so versatile. If there is one thing I keep in my pantry in abundance, it is cans of black beans. Why do they make me feel like I have it together? Because… you can heat up a can of black beans, sprinkle some cheese on it and call it a side dish. Mix black beans, corn, taco meat and cheese and put over tortilla chips – you’ve got nachos. Mash ‘em up some, mix with cream cheese, some chili seasoning and cheese and you’ve got a dip. Black beans are so easy and versatile. The one problem with black beans is, they don’t ever seem to last around here long enough to make it into an actual recipe. They are my go to food when I need to feed people in a pinch. Black beans are what allow me one step closer to that esteemed title of “Mrs. Has it Together” and for that, I bow to the bean, forever grateful. We all know, I need all the help I can get.

Turkey Black Bean Burgers (from Simple & Delicious Magazine)

• 3/4 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 egg white
• 1/2 cup shredded zucchini
• 1/2 cup finely chopped sweet red pepper
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 pound ground turkey
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 hamburger buns, split
• 1 small onion, sliced
• 4 romaine leaves

In a small bowl coarsely mash beans. Add the egg white, zucchini, red pepper, chili powder, onion powder, pepper and salt. Crumble turkey over mixture and mix well. Shape into four patties.
In a large skillet, cook burgers in oil over medium heat for 4-5 minutes on each side or until a meat thermometer reads 165° and juices run clear. Serve on buns with onion and lettuce. Yield: 4 servings.

I spent a good part of my childhood in a little town in the Southeast corner of Kansas. Altamont had a population of 1,000, 1 tiny grocery store where you could add things to your “tab” and a Post Office where you could find old men and towns folks standing outside and sharing the days news with each other. We parked our cars in the middle of main street, rode our bikes outside until late without our parents having to worry about us, and pretty much knew everything about everyone and everything happening to everyone in the little town.

Although I didn’t move to Altamont until my 5th grade year, it is the place I think back to when I think about my life growing up. I’m often nostalgic for my kids to experience the kind of growing up I experienced, which is funny considering I couldn’t wait to leave that town when I graduated from high school.

Altamont Grade School was the school I attended from 5th – 8th grade. It was a great little school… safe and comfortable… just like you would expect in a small Kansas town. My classmates were the same all four years and many of them had been friends sharing the same classrooms since Kindergarten. Even though I came in during the 5th grade, I never felt like an outsider. The town was welcoming and my classmates were special. We were often told by teachers that we were the best class they had ever taught.

One thing I remember about the grade school I attended was that we always had the very best hot lunches. Most people complain about school lunch… not us. Our school cooks fed us well! The most popular school lunch was always The Poor Boy. When Poor Boy’s were on the menu, you could bet most everyone would go back for seconds. About a year ago, I was feeling nostalgic about the Poor Boy and posted something about it on Facebook. The flood of responses from former classmates prompted my mom to call one of the former cooks and get the recipe. I promised a year ago to post about the recipe, and then… had the baby, had all the stuff that went along with it, and then, a year later, could not find the recipe.

I was able to remember most of what my mom told me, so I made the Poor Boy’s with my own improvising. I am fairly certain this is close to how you make the Altamont Grade School Poor Boy’s.

When I took my first bite into the Poor Boy that I made at home, I was slightly surprised. I mean, it was good… but at Altamont Grade School they were GREAT. So great that I craved them 20+ years later and they elicited such a huge response on Facebook of people who had the same fond memories as I did. Funny how nostalgia can change things, isn’t it? Makes me wonder if I had my kids growing up in Altamont now, if it would be like I remembered, or if just liked the Poor Boy, through the years the nostalgia has fogged what reality really was.

Either way…grade school friends, the secret mystery to “what is in a Poor Boy” has been solved. My kids loved this meal. My tastes have evolved some, and like I said before, they weren’t as great as I remembered, but still really good. I hope you enjoy them!

The Altamont Grade School Poor Boy

• 2 loaves of Rhodes frozen bread dough, thawed
• 10-15 slices bologna, cut into small pieces
• 2 cups Shredded American Cheese (or you can use kitchen shears to cut American Cheese Slices)
• 2 Tbs butter, melted

Place bologna in a small skillet and fry until heated through. Set aside.

Roll out one of the thawed bread doughs onto a sprayed cookie sheet. Spread American cheese evenly over the dough. Next, spread the bologna evenly over the top of the American cheese. Roll out the other bread dough and place over the top of the cheese and bologna. Pinch the edges closed. Cut several small slits in the top of the bread dough. Brush the top with melted butter.

Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20-30 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the poor boy is cooked all the way through. Cut into squares and serve. Finally, let the flood of school lunch memories begin and enjoy.

The winner of the Bertolli Date Night Prize Package is…Angelina mommybee17. Angelina, I will be in touch to get your address for Bertolli to send you your prize package. Thanks for participating!!

You know that moment? That moment where you make a dish from a recipe and then feed it to people. While they are eating it you hear “mmmmmm’s” and then the best thing ever happens… they begin asking for the recipe? You know when that person just happens to be your mother-in-law? All the better, right?

Remember, I used to not be able to cook…AT. ALL. Before Nick and I were married, we visited his parents. Always feeling inept in the kitchen, especially surrounded by all of his sisters and his mom, I would try to fit in by chopping this and stirring that. His mom needed to make a jello salad with fruit in it for a function we were going to. Jello salad with fruit in it…how hard could that be to mess up? I volunteered to make it for her and guess what. I messed up a jello salad. Seriously, I know… how freaking hard is it to make a jello salad with fruit in it? Apparently much harder than I had the talent for at the time. His mom was nice about it, but I could tell that she was disappointed.

I don’t think I ever redeemed myself as a cook with his family, until close to 12 years later when every one was gathered at our house after Leah’s baptism. To think that the redeeming dish was these oh so simple, Oven Ham Sammies. After that dinner every single person there asked me for the recipe. Everyone…and yes, that includes my mother-in-law. Thanks to my friend Torree for passing on this recipe and helping me gain a bit of a reputation with the in-laws. Now I”m feeling so confident, I may just go try to make a jello salad!

Oven Ham Sammies

1 12 count package Kings Hawaiian Rolls
1/2 cup butter melted
1/2 tsp ground mustard
1 tsp poppy seeds
2 tsp onion flakes
1 tsp worcheshire sauce
1 package swiss cheese
12-16oz thin sliced ham

Put ham and cheese on sliced rolls
Mix all other ingredients and spoon over sammies. Let set overnight or several hours
Bake on 350 for 15 min before serving

Love sandwiches? Check out these yummy sammie recipes!

• Grilled Chicken and Avocado Napoleon Sammies by Culinary Adventures of a New Wife
• Shrimp Avocado Summer Sammie by Bell’Alimento
• Reuben Sandwich by Simply Recipes
• Oven Fried Catfish Sandwich by Noodletown