Green Olive Dip With Lindsay Olives #sponsored

When I was growing up, I can recall that there was always a bowl of olives on the table for everyone to enjoy. Whether it was a summer barbeque or part of our Thanksgiving appetizers, we always made sure to include Lindsay Olives.

Their great taste inspired me to make this delicious Green Olive Dip. I used Lindsay's Naturals California Green Ripe Olives. These are canned with only water and sea salt, and have a smooth, mellow flavor.

Lindsay Olives has been in business for over 100 years in California. I'm from California, and I love using great products from my home state.

While I always enjoy eating a handful of olives straight from a bowl, there are really many ways to use them in recipes. They enhance pasta, salads, pizzas, and so much more. They can also be used as the bases for fabulous dips, using both black or green olives.

We had some friends over to watch a movie last week, and this Green Olive Dip was so easy to make, and serve.

 The rich buttery green olives were perfect for making this dip, and I included whole wheat tortilla wedges, and a variety of crackers to go along with it.

To give it even more edge, I sprinkled red pepper flakes on top, but this can be optional.

My guests loved it, so did I, and it's a recipe I'll be making again soon. It will be perfect for the summer when I can bring it to picnics or the beach.

Recipe for Lindsay Olive Green Olive Dip

Ingredients:

2 6 oz cans of Lindsay Naturals California Green Ripe Olives
1 green chili, chopped
juice of 1 lime
8 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
salt to taste
red pepper flakes to sprinkle on top (optional)

Directions:

Put all ingredients into a blender. Pulse into a rough paste, checking frequently to make sure you don't over blend it.
Put into a bowl and sprinkle with red pepper flakes. Serve with warm tortilla wedges or crackers.

Enjoy!!


*I was provided with products from Lindsay Olives, and all opinions are my own.

Peppa Pig My Birthday Party DVD Review and Giveaway #sponsored

What is it about these charming pig characters that make my grandchildren love them? And the funny thing is, I love them too!

Peppa Pig is a cartoon that is sweet and loveable, and I watch it right along with the kids whenever it is on.

Peppa lives with her little brother George, Mummy Pig, and Daddy Pig. She loves having adventures with her family and friends, and Grandma and Grandpa Pig.

This My Birthday Party DVD includes the title episode, which is adorable and typical "Peppa", and 13 other episodes.

Fancy Dream Party, Grandpa Pig's Boat, School Play, and At The Beach are just a few of the titles that are included in this DVD.

There are also never before seen exclusive extras like Learn The Alphabet and Learn To Count.

Whether your children are Peppa Pig fans, or they have never watched, they will love this fun and sweet 14 fun packed episodes of Peppa's adventures.


We are happy to be giving away one copy of Peppa Pig My Birthday Party to one of our readers.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Limited to US residents 18 years old and above. Giveaway starts March 17, 2014 and ends on March 31, 2014 at 12:01 am EST. Winner will be emailed and has 72 hours to respond before another winner is selected. I was not paid for this giveaway or post. The opinions on this item are 100% mine and may vary from others. The sponsor is responsible for providing the prize. I was sent a product to review for this post.

Chicken and Bacon Alfredo Casserole

Casseroles are one of my favorite dinners to make. They are usually pretty easy to put together, and when they are combined with a simple salad and warm bread, you have a delicious meal.

This chicken casserole has bacon in it, and makes it all the more yummy. Who doesn't love bacon, right??

I made this on a busy weeknight, and my family loved it. The recipe is simple, and while it was baking, I made a salad with red onions and Italian dressing. So good!!

Chicken and Bacon Alfredo Casserole

Ingredients:

6 strips bacon
2 1/2 cups uncooked penne, or tube shaped pasta
2 small skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cut into bite-sized pieces
1 16 oz. jar alfredo sauce
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup cooked green beans
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

Fry the bacon until crisp, let drain on paper towels.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook pasta as directed, drain, and place into a large bowl.
Add the bacon, chicken, green beans, green onion, alfredo sauce, and 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese.
Stir together until mixture is well combined. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic salt.
Put mixture into a greased 9x13 baking dish, and sprinkle with remaining cup of cheese.
Bake for 25-30 minutes.

Serves 6.


Enjoy!!

Slam Dunk Dinner With DIGIORNO Stuffed Crust Pizza

Watching sports on TV has always been an activity that our whole family enjoys. With two sons, and two son-in-laws, you can bet there is some serious basketball games watching around here.

That calls for some serious eating too, and that's where DiGiorno Stuffed Crust Pizzas come in. We all love the great taste of DiGiorno, and the fact that we can pop as many as we need in the oven, and in 20 minutes or so, we have hot, delicious pizza without any fuss.

Since we lost our beloved basketball team here in Washington State, my family and I have been watching a lot more college games. And I have to say, I'm having a lot of fun following and cheering on our local Washington college team. Basketball is so fast paced, and exciting, that I don't want to miss a minute of it by being stuck in the kitchen.

I went to Walmart to pick up a couple of DiGiorno Stuffed Crust Pizzas because some of us were getting together to watch a game. The selection of different kinds of DiGiorno was amazing, and I always seem to pick the stuffed crust, because really, why wouldn't you??

All that super yummy cheese in the crust is irresistible to me. So I picked out a DiGiorno Stuffed Crust Buffalo-Style, and a Stuffed Crust Sausage, Peppers, and Onions pizza.
#CollectiveBias

Everyone in my family is a true pizza lover, and we love a good hearty pizza with several toppings, especially sausage.

The Stuffed Crust Sausage, Peppers and Onions was a big hit, and we sadly ran out pretty quickly. I didn't know how great this tasted, and you can bet we'll be stocking up on this.

So good!!

The Buffalo-Style Chicken pizza was fabulous tasting, too. Pizza with chicken is one of my personal favorites, and the sauce on this was tangy and flavorful.

Why spend time in the kitchen cooking, or spend all that money for delivery, when DiGiorno gives you delicious pizza so quickly, and at such a great price?

And it's so much easier to invite friends and family over to watch a game when you don't have to worry about what to serve to eat. We love being spontaneous, and it's so much fun to celebrate the season by having people over to watch the games with us.

My grandson Jayden is seven now, and he's become a big basketball fan. He loves watching it, and playing it with his friends at school.

While we were watching the game, he was showing me how good he is getting at dribbling the ball. All this while eating a piece of pizza, too!!

I like letting everyone choose the kind of pizza they want to put on their plate, so really all there is to do is just slice them. So easy, and good. My favorite way to entertain!!

Our team got beat, but we all still had a great time. Basketball season is a lot of fun, but really, for me, it's a chance to spend time with my family and good friends.

You can bet I'll be buying more of the DiGiorno Stuffed Crust Buffalo-Style Chicken, and Stuffed Crust Sausage, Peppers, and Onions pizzas on my next trip to Walmart.

These two kinds of pizzas are definitely my #NewFavorites, and I bet they'll be yours, too.

Chocolate Sprinkle Donuts

I've mentioned before that now I have a donut pan, donuts are super easy to make. No frying, no hot oil to deal with, and no messy stovetop from oil spills. Yay, and donuts just seem to make people happy, or at least the people I know.

These delicious, super chocolaty donuts have a chocolate glaze on them, and are then dipped in colorful sprinkles. They are fun, cheerful, and perfect to make and eat on a rainy Seattle day.


Recipe for Chocolate Sprinkle Donuts

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 large egg
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the Chocolate Glaze:
1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
big pinch salt
4 tablespoons whole milk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
multi-color sprinkles

For the glaze:

1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons whole milk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a donut pan with a light coating of nonstick baking spray.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and brown sugar.
In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk, egg, melted butter, and vanilla extract until thoroughly combined.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold together until all of the ingredients are well combined. Use a small spoon to portion batter into the prepared doughnut baking pan.  Each doughnut mold should be about two-thirds full.  Bake doughnuts for 10-12 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into one of the doughnuts comes out clean.  Remove from the oven.  Allow to rest for five minutes before inverting doughnuts onto a wire rack to cool completely.  Allow doughnuts to cool completely before glazing.
Repeat the baking process until all of the batter is turned into doughnuts.
To make the glaze, in a medium bowl whisk together powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and salt.  Add 2 tablespoons of milk and all of the vanilla extract.  Whisk to combine.  Mixture may be thick.  Add milk, a tablespoon at a time, until the glaze is thick but still pourable.
Dip each donut about halfway down into the chocolate glaze. Place on a wire rack, and then sprinkle on colored sprinkles in whatever heaviness you want.
Let the donuts sit for a few minutes to settle.

Makes 10 donuts.


Enjoy!!

Inspired by Joy The Baker