This Dirty Rice recipe was originally posted on Dine & Dish October 2010. Photos and some text were updated April 2021.

I have a confession to make. Let me tell ‘ya…if I didn’t get kicked out of the food blogging world for the post about blogging success that I wrote yesterday, I’m sure this revelation will be what does it. I have a very, very difficult time with side dishes for our family dinners. In fact, Zataran’s, Uncle Ben, Betty Crocker…if we are going to have a side in addition to fresh fruit, veggies, and salad or some kind of potato, it comes from a package. Pre-packaged side dishes are what save my dinners when I need more substance on the table!…

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Well, hey there! It’s been a minute. OK, more like 8 months, but I’m slowly but surely getting reacquainted with my blog again after a much-needed hiatus. I missed you and this space was missed. I’m excited to make a nice, easy return to slow blogging my way. Slow blogging is the key to my happiness. I just have to remember to not get caught up in all the people doing all the shiny new things. I’ll stay in my lane and just do this the way I want to. I’m glad you are here with me and are willing to continue on the ride with me.

I’ve got a really great Creamy Mushroom Pasta Recipe to share with you today. This is a great pasta dish to get you out of the dinner time rut. But first, before we get to the recipe, let’s catch up. (To skip all of this chatter and go straight to the recipe,  just scroll to the end of the post). 

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Can we talk for a minute about this stage of life I’m in? I thought when my kids were young life was hectic, but having teenagers with crazy different schedules than the rest of the family is throwing me for a loop. Long gone are the consistent nights of “family mealtime“. Instead, we get to experience the rare occurrence of us all sitting down for dinner at the same time just a few times a week.

When my oldest is not at sports practices or games, he has a job umping baseball which keeps him gone many nights from 5 until 9:45. This means he needs to eat dinner incredibly early and since he’s a always starving teenager he eats his 2nd dinner when he gets home.

My three girls are all involved in sports activities as well as school clubs like yearbook and publications. This means some nights they are out for games or to take pictures at games, etc. Throw in Nick’s crazy travel schedule and what we have is the need for dinners that are quick, easy and able to be eaten at various times of the evening. I’m so glad I discovered al fresco all natural chicken products because it has saved this new dinnertime struggle. Healthy, delicious and QUICK are the key things I look for in a meal now, and al fresco absolutely fits all of these. …

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The post Chicken Sausage with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce Over Zucchini Noodles appeared first on Dine and Dish.

Have you all heard of “crack slaw” or what I’m calling Beefy Asian Slaw? My friend Aggie was telling me about how it’s a great low carb meal, but I hadn’t heard of it before. When I told her I wasn’t a big fan of coleslaw, she mentioned it wasn’t really a slaw recipe, but more of a great Asian inspired type meal. Immediately curious, I looked up a crack slaw recipe and decided to give it a try. I am so glad I gave this recipe a chance because it was so good! Like, make it at least once a week, good! …

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I wonder if I searched Dine & Dish, how many times over the past 11 years I have mentioned joining weight watchers? I’m guessing at least 5. Here I am again, admitting that I’ve joined Weight Watchers. Over the past couple of years I’ve lost 35 pounds, then gained 45. Now I am desperate to stop this darn cycle of struggling with my weight.

I lost the 35 pounds by being on an incredibly restrictive, low calorie, low carb, high protein diet. After losing the weight (and my hair – wierd) and reaching my goal, I realized that although the weight loss wasn’t all that hard to do, sticking with that restrictive of a diet for the rest of my life was not feasible. I missed wine. And bread. So in typical Kristen all or nothing fashion (remember me talking about that before?), I went full on the opposite plan, and gained all the weight I lost and more. Ugh….

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The post Weight Watchers Recipe One-Pan Orecchiette with Sausage appeared first on Dine and Dish.

I think one of the challenges I have with food blogging, especially today, is the fact that it’s such a profession  now. Every picture you see out there is a gorgeous display of incredible styling and photography skill. In fact, I was going through my archives from 11 years ago trying to see if there were any photos I could salvage that were considered “good” then, and felt a bit embarrassed by them. In today’s standards, they were pretty terrible!

I love food photography and styling so much, but sometimes I just want to share what I’m having for dinner like in the early days of blogging. Lately I haven’t been up for the fuss, so instead of sharing not professionally looking styled pictures of recipes I love, I just haven’t been sharing anything at all. And that’s a shame. Some of my most simple, family friendly, staple kind of recipes come after the “studio” is shut down and I’m simply cooking for my family. …

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Guess what time of year it is, friends? It’s California Avocado season again! I’m so happy to share that I’ve partnered with California Avocados for my 5th year in a row, to bring you tasty recipes featuring this awesome fruit. Avocado lovers rejoice!

To see some of the recipes featuring California Avocados I shared in the past, make sure to click here. For today, though, I have an amazing Chicken Salad Sandwich recipe to share with you, featuring California Avocados instead of mayonnaise. Did you know that California Avocados can provide the same creaminess as mayo in your favorite salad recipes? It can, and the swap is super easy to make!…

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Also, a sample recipe for the Blue Apron Harissa Chicken Skewers with Khorasan Wheat and Persimmon Salad. 

“Why would someone like me use a service like Blue Apron?” That was the question bouncing around my head when asked if I’d be interested in trying the Blue Apron meal delivery service out. I love to cook – I mean I develop recipes for a living! I also work from home, so have a fairly flexible schedule for grocery shopping and things related to cooking. Why would someone like me need Blue Apron?

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