Win $50 Visa GC from BlogHer & ConAgra 9/8

The BlogHer First Look, First Taste Sweepstakes run from 8/8/2012 through 9/8/2012 and are only open to individuals who, at the time of entry deadline, are legal residents of the United States and are 18 years or older. Click here to read the official rules.  Winners will be randomly selected from all eligible entries. Good luck!

Blogger Inspiration for Food, Products, Recipes and More!

I have a great new site for you guys to check out. ConAgra, makers of probably half the food in your pantry, has a site called The Dish. It’s a place for bloggers to get inspired about food posts, new products, recipes, money saving tips and so much more. For Food bloggers this can be a lifesaver when you’re in a foodie rut and your creative juices have dried up. Anyone, not just bloggers, can go check out their user friendly site and great articles.  

Easy Access to Recipes. Cooking Advice, Kitchen Tips!

ConAgra Foods, the company that brings ingredients like Hunt's, Libby's and Wesson to my pantry, now has a new ingredient, but this one is for my blog! Their site, The Dish, offers easy access to recipes, cooking advice, kitchen tips, and other exclusive content from ConAgra Foods.  

I Love Food!

I was excited when I was approached by ConAgra Foods to review their new online resource center just for bloggers, The Dish. My blog may not be 100% food focused, but as my readers know: I love food! Since getting married a year and a half ago, I’ve been determined to learn my way around the kitchen. My hubby sure appreciates the practice! The Dish is a food help desk full of product reviews, recipes, expert Q&A and even coupons and promotions for users!  

Family's Favorite Foods!

How many of you can tell me what food is stocked in your pantry and cupboards right now? For me, there are the staples- fishy crakers, granola bars and you'll never catch me without a bag or two of chocolate chips; you never know when the craving will call! The rest of the time, the food in our house varies depending on our weekly menu. Some of my family's favorite foods come from ConAgra Foods, the manufactures and marketers of some seriously delicious dishes, including Marie Calender's frozen meals, Hebrew National hot dogs and Kid Cuisine frozen entrees, just to name a few. 

Recipe Ideas for Blog Posts!

I can say that, as a blogger, I have suffered from writer's block quite a few times. I often look to what I'm reading and what I'm watching to inspire me to come up with a new post. I like to share recipes with all of you, but I also find myself in a big recipe rut, too. New content for my blog often starts as new content at my dinner table. And after years of looking at the same old cookbooks, I've been looking for something else.I was recently introduced to ConAgra Foods' online resource called The Dish, specifically designed for bloggers.  

Innovative Food Idea and Resource!

Hey Bloggers…Here’s an innovative idea and resource you can really sink your teeth into! You know ConAgra. They are the folks who make the food that nourishes our lives. They bring us all sorts of popular brands like Chef Boyardee, Hebrew National, Hunt’s, Orville Redenbacher's, Snack Pack AND SO MANY MORE.

I Love to Eat and Share Recipes!

If you've known me for a bit then you know I love to eat and share recipes. I've worked hard to improve my food photography so I can up my food blogging game and share some original recipes with you. When we aren't traveling I spend a lot of time in the kitchen. I follow a ton of incredible food bloggers and am often inspired. 

Easy Recipes You will Love!

Have you seen ConAgra Foods' great site, The Dish? Wait...you might be wondering who ConAgra Foods are, so let's start there. ConAgra is responsible for some of my favorite brands of foods: RO*TEL, Hunt's, Reddi-wip, LaChoy, Swiss Miss and host of other great brands you can find here. I recently found out about ConAgra's new site "The Dish". I had to go over and check it out. One of the first things I found was a recipe I am passing along to my son Karl in hopes that he'll make it for supper, Beef Ravioli Lasagna. 

Find New Recipes to Try!

I don't think it's really a secret around here that I like to eat, right? I also get bored easily, distracted by shiny objects, and I have serious food cravings. I'm talking about food cravings befitting a woman in her third trimester of pregnancy.What all that means is I have a hard time finding new recipes to try. I make a menu plan each week and instead of trying the new recipes I find, I stick to the same old tried-and-true ones that I've been using for years. My kids have started to roll their eyes and sigh while saying, "Spaghetti, again?" 

Recipes, Kitchen Help, Cooking Advice!

I really fell in love with the amazing people from ConAgra at a blog conference several months back. They were campaigning to end child hunger here in America. The facts given about hunger in America were astounding. I was sold on their company, their mission and the products they put out from that moment on. 

When I started blogging two years ago the blogging world was in full swing, however there weren’t very many resources to help with my new endeavor. I went through months and months of trying to figure out this foreign world in which I had chosen to place myself. Where should I start, what should I write about, how do I find people to read my blog other than my Mom? As a food blogger, where do I go to find resources on the food world? I have been recently introduced to a site called The Dish from ConAgra Foods. It’s a great site for bloggers of all types… 

Cooking Advice, Tips and Inspiration!

ConAgra's Got The Dish. And a $50 Gift Card Giveaway. Pam cooking spray, Wesson vegetable oil, Orville Redenbacher's popcorn, Pudding Snack Packs, Gulden's Spicy Brown Mustard, La Choy Chow Mein Noodles…all products in my pantry. Always. And all products that are part of the ConAgra Foods family. ConAgra Foods was founded in 1919, but they've been making food you love since…you ready?…1861! That's when Gilbert C. Van Camp manufactured pork and beans. I'd say they've, um, grown a little since then *ahem*.  

Seasonal Recipes and Food Trends!

ConAgra Foods has created a new spot on their website that I think you are all going to like!The Dish is a great place for everyone, but is an especially great resource for bloggers ConAgra wants to help bloggers with their content as far as food knowledge and much more! Everyone can use a little help when it comes to a post topic. We all have days when our minds go blank, right?  

I Love to Eat and Cook!

Anyone who has followed this blog knows one thing about me--I love to eat and cook! I'm always searching for new recipes to try or looking for a way to spice up a current recipe of mine. Every night I literally spend hours thinking about what to cook the next day. I have to consider healthy, tasty and easy-to-cook recipes to add them to my database.Most times I use the Internet or a cookbook to give me a basis-- needless to say I needed something easier to plan my family's needs.Luckily, I was introduced to a new website for bloggers: ConAgra's "The Dish". 

Holiday-Related Ideas!

I can't believe how fast this summer is going by! Lately I've been seeing more and more people pinning holiday-related ideas on Pinterest, and it's starting to make me panic just a little bit! (This Halloween picture is a pin I saw JUST TODAY!) Before we know it the holidays will be upon us! Of course that means lots more cooking and eating and celebrating!

Dinner: Take the Test Each & Every Night!

As a mom, you face a test every single night. It’s pass/fail. Lives depend upon how you perform for this test. There are no free passes or nights off. You must appear to take the test each and every night.  

Dishing It Out (Plus a Giveaway)

For the sake of full disclosure, I'll admit that I'm not a foodie. Foodie is a term I've seen thrown around the blogosphere, and I've always assumed that it is someone who is knowledgeable about food, cooking, and devotes a good deal of time sharing their knowledge with others.  

Guidance from Food Experts

Do you blog about your trials and tribulations with food? Do you reach out to your readers every so often in search of new and exciting recipes? Are you tired of cooking the same meals night after night and looking for guidance from food experts?Do you ever wander the grocery store aisles in search of something new?  

Easy Access to Blogger Food Inspiration

As bloggers, we all get writer’s block from time to time, right? It’s usually when I haven’t done anything “blog-worthy” in awhile, I get the blog blahs and it leads to no pictures and no good content. My craft table lies untouched, my camera collects dust, my cookbooks stay put on their shelves. When I’m not feeling the inspiration, you know what would be helpful? A website aimed at bloggers, filled to the brim with ideas for our choosing. How about a website offering to send us products to try?  

Reaching out to Bloggers!

I became familiar with ConAgra (on more than a "I buy lots of your groceries" kinda level) when I met some of their fine people at Blissdom 2011. They sponsored a lunch complete with a cooking demo by George Duran, cookbook author and host of TLC's Ultimate Cake Off. 

Online Food Resource!

Some weeks I have ideas for blog posts coming out of my ears. The creative juices are flowing at full speed, and I can't seem to get my fingers to type as fast as my brain is working. I love those weeks! On the other hand, there are many weeks when I experience major writer's block. I browse the Internet, Pinterest, and my own collection of cookbooks and just can't seem to find any inspiration for a new recipe or post idea. Those are the days when blogging feels forced instead of fun.  

I Love Reading Blogs about Food!

I'm not a food blogger, but I play one on the internet. I love reading blogs about food, pinning recipes on Pinterest (my Food and Drink and Dessert boards are my fullest by far), reading articles about food photography and - every once in a while - try my own hand at creating recipes  

My Macaroni and Cheese Kitchen is Smiling.

My macaroni and cheese kitchen is smiling. Smiling from ear to ear because I made a recipe with more than four ingredients. There are seven ingredients to be exact. And it's healthy...only 387 calories per serving. Maybe a few more calories if you added extra walnuts to your plate...like me. Delicious with extra walnuts never tasted so good.  

All Day Long, I Love to Cook!

I love to cook. All day long, I love to cook. I went to college for Culinary Arts - I didn't finish because I ran out of money - stupid money, getting in the way of EVERYTHING. I really like to share tried and true recipes with you guys - after all, something can look really awesome on Pinterest, and you can follow every direction and every step and end up with something totally unpalatable.  

Quick Meals is my Only Option!

It happens to all us of. It's five o' clock and our kids are hungry, but we have no idea what to make. I am not a fan of fast food and certainly don't like my kids eating it, so coming up with a quick meal is my only option. On a weekly basis, I create a meal menu. I create my grocery list based on what my menu will be for the week. This not only helps me to stay within my grocery budget, but I also waste less food.