I’m just going to throw this out there knowing that all of you are probably nodding your head in agreement. What the heck is up with time, lately? I have so much I want to share with you and so much I want to do, but have had the most difficult time pausing life to sit down at the computer and get things written for you all. On my very short list…

1. I want to tell you all about the BlogHer Food conference! I am so glad I went and I came home with so many good nuggets of information, plus the scoop on what it was like to meet some of my favorite food blogger friends in person. If you didn’t get the chance to attend, but want to learn everything the rest of us did, head over to their Live Blog recap. The live bloggers did an amazing job capturing all of the good stuff!
2. Adopt-a-Blogger… I know… I’ve been getting your emails. You are chomping at the bit for Adopt-a-Blogger 4. I promise, it will happen very, very soon! I’m anxious to get you all paired up for another successful round of mentoring and fun!
3. Culinary Snapshot. Oh poor, neglected, Culinary Snapshot. After the blog hack, I had to order a new version of Photoshop for my Mac (long story… they were related in a very abstract kind of way). Once that arrives, which I hope is very, very soon, I’ll get the PB&J Through My Lens post up as well as some of the newest submissions.
4. Giveaways – People… I have giveaways for you coming out my ears! I’m so excited to share some of my new favorite things with you over the next couple of months. Just be patient as I find my groove and get back into the swing of posting regularly again.
5. I’ve had the pleasure of working with SC Johnson again on their new website and blog. Make sure to head over there and visit for some great tips from myself and other moms all about Family Economics.

And, for your viewing pleasure, I just have to throw in this recipe for you. My friend Jennifer shared it with me and I have to say… this is the BEST salad dressing ever!

Avocado Ranch Salad Dressing
1/4 cup ripe avocado (I used 1 whole avocado)
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar
1/8 teaspoon dried parsley
1 pinch dried dill weed
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1 garlic clove

DIRECTIONS
Mash avocado in a bowl, then stir in mayonnaise, sour cream, buttermilk, and vinegar. Add parsley, dill, onion powder, and garlic. Stir until well blended, chill until ready to serve.

*Note I added a little extra vinegar and buttermilk to thin it out to a more pourable dressing.

* I served it as a chopped salad. Romaine, Cilantro, cherry tomatoes, boiled eggs, Parmesan cheese and bacon.

When I met my husband many moons ago, I had quite a bit of baggage that I brought into the relationship with me. I will go into all of that another day, but I was pleasantly surprised when Nick’s family welcomed me in with open arms, not really caring at all about the baggage I had. They welcomed me without giving it a second thought. I can tell you this… they would have totally shunned the relationship if I was one thing, and that is a vegetarian! Being beef farmers, I think having a vegetarian in the family would have been a total deal breaker.

Last week I was contacted to be one of six food blog “ambassadors” for a new weekly challenge that has launched called “Beef – What’s for Dinner Wednesdays“. Each week, the Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner Facebook fan page will be updated with a new recipe to make. The challenge is to make the recipe and post your results on the Facebook fan page. Each person who participates will be entered into a drawing to win one of several really cool gift baskets which include The Healthy Beef Cookbook (which I’ve been using for months now and love!), a set of Crate & Barrel Grilling Tools, Sur La Table mini steak thermometers, a reusable shopping bag and other items to help you shop for and cook healthy beef meals. These drawings are happening each week (with several winners chosen each week) so your chances of bringing one of these cool prize packages is great! Check out the Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner fan page for more details!

This week’s recipe was a Cajun Beef Southwestern Salad. I made a few changes. First of all, we aren’t big fig fans around here, so I totally omitted that. Plus, I used sunflower salad nuts instead of pistachios, simply because that’s what I had on hand. Oh, and I used Romaine lettuce… again because it was what I had in the fridge. The salad had quite a kick to it and I loved it. The kiddos weren’t big fans, but I think that is because it was too zesty for them. I LOVED this dressing and can envision more salad creations to use it on!

Make sure you check out the Facebook fan page to read all the details about how you can start participating. Next week’s recipe sounds so delicious… East Meets West Burgers. Yum!

When you get a moment, head over to the other ambassador blogs as well!

• Aggie – Aggie’s Kitchen
• Amy – Dinner’s for a Year and Beyond
• Tiffany – Eat at Home
• Andy – Dinner’s On Me
• Kate – Cooking During Stolen Moments
• Heidi – Tried and True Cooking with Heidi