Mar 262013
 

Quick & Tasty Frozen Lunch Options from ConAgra #FrozenFacts

Frozen Lunch Options from ConAgra

I really enjoy cooking which a lot of you probably know from the number of recipe and meal ideas I’ve shared with you over time.  When it comes to lunch, though, I rarely find myself in the mood to cook something.  I also don’t usually find myself with the time to cook lunch for myself, to be honest.  By the time I’m done making lunch for Bubbles and then feeding her, the afternoon is already marching on and there are tasks that need to be completed.

Thankfully there are a number of frozen entries with which I can keep my freezer stocked.  This makes it very convenient to grab-and-go even if the “go” part is only as far as the backyard to watch Bubbles play.  Of course, convenience isn’t the only consideration when it comes to lunch.  I actually have quite a list of requirements.  I want them to be low in fat and calories, use fresh ingredients, and be a decent source of fiber and protein.  Oh – and they have to taste good (kind of the most important part). Continue reading »

Mar 222013
 

Savory Cheese Biscuit Recipe from Gooseberry Patch's "Weeknight Dinners"

Rustic Cheese Biscuit Recipe

Rolls are one of my favorite things about going out to eat at a restaurant.  Almost all of them bring you a basket of rolls or biscuits, loaves of bread, or bread sticks.  Some have great flavored butters or provide you with dipping sauces.  No matter the form or the accouterments  it’s always good.

We do try and serve a few of our own bread sides with our meals at home, too.  Usually it’s heat-and-serve rolls or garlic bread, homemade cornbread, or on occasion a homemade loaf of bread.  One thing I’ve wanted to try that I hadn’t so far, though, were cheese biscuits.  They are a family-favorite when we go out to eat (Ashley says she could live on them) and I hoped that any homemade variety that I tried would be similar in taste.

Then I found this Savory Cheese Biscuit recipe in the new “Weeknight Dinners” cookbook from Gooseberry Patch.  The recipe was submitted to the cookbook by J.C. Schmeltekopf and they are extremely fast and easy to make.  They’re also really good.  Hubby had one and said, “Hey that’s good”.  Five minutes later he was saying, “Hey that’s really good” and kept commenting on them throughout the night.  Always a good sign! Continue reading »

Mar 152013
 

Desk Accessories for Spring - Green Cordless Phone from Vtech

Green VTech Cordless Phone for Spring

One of the things I love most about spring is how fresh and bright everything looks.  It really gets me in the mood to spruce up our home and swap out winter textures and accessories for new spring ones.  This definitely goes for my home office, as well.  If I have to sit in there for hours each day I want it to be fun and uplifting.

Most of the time I end up buying new desk accessories like pen cups, staplers, binders, and the like.  Sometimes I’ll add new wall hangings or art, change out a lamp or lamp shade, maybe even add a new throw rug or hang new window treatments.  Not only does it keep it current for the season and changes in weather it helps keep work feeling fresh and not so ho-hum.

With all those changes it wasn’t until just recently that I thought about being able to accessorize with phones, however.  I mean, a phone is a phone, right?  You use it to place and receive (or screen) calls.  You just want it to have the functions you need like be cordless, have caller ID, and maybe (probably) an answering machine.  If you’re using it in your home office you might also want it to be able to handle conferencing people together on a single call.

But just because something needs to be functional it doesn’t mean it can’t be fun.  I’m loving that VTech feels the same way and has colored cordless phones in their line up.  Their green phone is perfect for spring, whether it’s in a home office, the kitchen, the kids’ room, as a St. Patrick’s Day gift, or any reason, really.  It has a digital answering machine and you can retrieve your messages right from the handset (love that feature).  It also has DECT 6.0 digital technology, which is tech-speak for great sound and voice quality.  You can even add up to four additional handsets on the same phone jack which is great for being able to stash phones in any location you might want to receive a call.  Like out on the deck which is where I wish my home office was located.

What is your favorite office accessory for spring?

I received one or more of the above mentioned products in order to facilitate my review. No additional compensation was received and all opinions, as always, are 100% that of myself and my family.

Feb 152013
 

Bubbles’ birthday party is next weekend and I’ve been working on our menu.  Most of the party ideas I found earlier were for sweets and decor; only one of them was for something to go with the meal.  And while Minnie Oreo pops and cupcakes sound delicious, I think our guests might also like something savory.  Appetizers, dips, and finger sandwiches all came to mind as they’re usually easy to throw together and people can graze while they talk and hang out.

My husband makes a great cheesy sausage dip that we often have for family gatherings and tailgating but I thought maybe for this party we’d have something just a bit different.  I don’t want to serve my guests anything I haven’t tried before, though, so for the last few days I’ve been cooking up small batches of dip to sample.  One that I found that I like is the Pleasing Pizza Dip submitted by Jennifer Crsip to Gooseberry Patch’s new cookbook Slow Cooking All Year ‘Round.

Slow Cooker Recipes: Pizza Dip from Gooseberry Patch's Slow Cooking All Year 'Round

Continue reading »

Jan 232013
 

Meet Actress and Singer-Songwriter Emmy Rossum

Emmy Rossum's Sentimental Journey

You may know Emmy Rossum from the movies Mystic River and The Day After Tomorrow or from television’s Shameless which airs on Showtime.  And if you’re a Phantom fan, you probably saw her in the 2004 film adaptation of The Phantom of the Opera, for which she received critical acclaim.  You may not know, however, that she also has a recording career as a singer-songwriter!

Sentimental Journey

Her newest album, “Sentimental Journey“, will be officially released on January 29th.  It’s a collection of classic covers that takes listeners through the American songbook.  Each song on the album also represents a month in the year. Continue reading »