#GuacSquad12: The Scoop

So.
I signed up for another blogging event.
Call me crazy, but it's summer, and that means I have time for this sort of thing...right?  I should hope so.
This time, it's all about something I've never made before, and don't eat much of:  guacamole.  The green dip has always been okay, but not something that I've raved about.  However, when the call went out for bloggers to try a new product by Casabella, and to make guacamole, I was in.
Here's what you need to know:

It's summertime! And that means ripe avocados and lots and lots of guacamole. Do you adore guacamole? If so, then #GuacSquad12 - a multi-day, multi-blogger event - is for you. Follow the conversation on social media with our event hashtag and visit the participating bloggers for some amazing twists on guac.

A dozen bloggers have come together to share fourteen different guacamole recipes during the month of July. Whether you're a guacamole purist - think avocado, cilantro and lime - or you get a little more creative - think of some fabulous fold-ins such as pineapple or olives - the #GuacSquad12's creations will make your mouth water.

Here's are the GuacSquad Bloggers...

listed alphabetically by blog name

A Day in the Life on the Farm

A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures

Angels Home Sweet Homestead

Café Terra Blog

Cheese Curd In Paradise

Cindy's Recipes and Writings

Cookaholic Wife

Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Famished Fish, Finicky Shark

Jane's Adventures in Dinner

Making Miracles

The Heritage Cook

Things I Make (for Dinner)

Here's the blog tour schedule...

Join Us On Twitter...

Join us for a live Twitter chat on Saturday, July 16th at 7am Pacific/10am Eastern. We'll be talking guac for an hour!

Here are Our Sponsors*...

and how you can find them around the internet

Casabella

on the web, on Twitter, on Facebook, on Instagram, on Pinterest

Gourmet Garden Herbs & Spices

on the web, on Twitter, on Facebook, on Pinterest, on Instagram, on Google+

Melissa's Produce

on the web, on Twitter, on Facebook, on Pinterest, on Instagram

Here are Our Prizes...
We are giving away a dozen - yes, twelve! - Guac-Lock™s from Casabella.

And we have an amazing prize package from Gourmet Garden Herbs & Spices that includes their entire collection of stir in pastes and their lightly dried herbs.

The Giveaway...

Our generous sponsors have contributed prizes for this event. The giveaway runs from July 8th through July 25th when we will select thirteen winners who will be notified by email. The first twelve winners will receive the Guac-Lock™ by Casabella; the thirteenth winner will receive a generous prize package from Gourmet Garden Herbs & Spices. No purchase necessary. Winners will have 48 hours to reply with contact information or new winner will be chosen. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Disclosure: Bloggers received complimentary products from sponsors for the creation of this event. This is a sponsored post that contains affiliate links.

Although this post is sponsored, all opinions are our own.*

#BookClubCookbookCC: An Invitation

So.
Earlier this week, I posted my recipe for March's book in the year long project of the Book Club Cookbook Cooking Crew that Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla has headed up with a group of great bloggers.  I'm thrilled that in the month of April I am hosting the party.
I'm so happy that April's book is Tracy Chevalier's Girl With a Pearl Earring.

While I saw the film when it first came out, I didn't read this until I selected it as this month's read.
It's even better as a book.
Even without Colin Firth.
Read it, and make Griet's Vegetable Soup, or take inspiration from the pages and make something else.  Then enter the giveaway (below the recipe, after the jump).  Start by considering the soup:

#BookClubCookbookCC: BBQ Pot Roast over Cheddar Ranch Grits

So.
It's time for another edition of the #BookClubCookbook Cooking Crew!  Each month, one of the group will send out an invitation to read and create a dish based on a book from Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp's The Book Club Cookbook (Revised Edition).  This month, Renee from Tortillas and Honey invited us to read A Lesson Before Dying.

I have to admit, I didn't read this book at this time.  I read it almost 20 years ago while in Teachers College.
This is a powerful story.  So powerful that I remember crying through the last 50 pages.  I just wasn't up to reading it again.  But if you haven't, I totally recommend it.  Just have the tissues ready.
I debated what I wanted to make this month.  The cookbook suggested pralines, but I'm not up to making candy right now.  I need quick and easy dinner recipes.
I considered posting a Facebook question asking what people would want as their last meal (the book centres around time before one of the main character's execution for a crime he didn't commit), I searched Southern Food on Pinterest, and ended up perusing a site called "South Your Mouth" with lots of interesting recipes, and having a few roundups that I pinned from.  But then I got smart.  I sent a message to Janet.
I've only met Janet once, but she used to work with J when he lived in Charleston, SC.  I sent her a message asking for some true Southern food.  J has always told me that Janet is a great cook, and she had lots of suggestions.
Janet is from the Low Country of South Carolina, not Louisiana, so her suggestions favour that part of the US.  I still want to try Benne Seed cookies, but the recipes I found all made a huge number.  She suggested shrimp and grits, but I don't eat shellfish.  She also suggested anything with sweet tea, or Coca Cola Cake.  I finally took her first suggestion, with a recipe I'd seen featured on South Your Mouth:  cheese grits and a crockpot roast.  Perfect for fall.
I present to you now from Plain Chicken BBQ Pot Roast over Cheddar Ranch Grits:

#BookClubCookbookCC: Chicken Tikka Kebabs

So.
I posted on Facebook and Twitter recently that I was about to embark upon a new project with some old food blogger friends.  That time is finally here!  I'm so happy to say that for the next year, I will be participating in the Book Club Cookbook Cooking Crew for a time of fun, food and good prose.
Hosted by Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla, this project brings together 11 bloggers around The Book Club Cook Book (Revised Ed) by Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp.  Each month between now and next July (other than December), 1 blogger will choose a book from the cookbook and invite us all to make food that is inspired by the title of the month.  You can draw on the recipe included in the cookbook, or choose something else that uses the themes and food included in the book.
I've so enjoyed just reading the cookbook!  There are old favourites of books that I have read in the past, as well as books I've never heard of that sound so interesting!  I was thrilled that the first selection was something I was unfamiliar with, seeing as it's the beginning of summer and I needed reading inspiration.  I'm sure that that will continue long after the project ends too.
This month's selection was chosen by our fearless leader, Camilla.  She invited us to "make curry and drink a lassi" with her while reading Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpra Lahiri.

This collection of 9 short stories all have characters who somehow relate to India:  either immigrants to Europe and the US, or US-born characters with Indian heritage.  I so enjoyed the stories, especially Mrs. Sen's and This Blessed House.  There was something about Twinkle and her display of relics that made me smile; just like Mrs.Sen and her stories to Eliot about life in Calcutta.  While most of these stories have a huge food element to them, I took my inspiration from When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine.  In that story, the narrator tells the story of Mr. Pirzada, a man who has come to America to study plants, is invited to dinner by her parents regularly.  I had already started to toy with what to make, and when I saw the phrase "platters of kebabs", I knew what I was going to do.
My making of Indian food is usually based upon browning the chicken and adding a bottle of Patak's Butter Chicken Sauce.  While I enjoy the flavours, I don't often spend the time to make it.  I didn't really think Patak's would cut it for this, and the egg curry was called an "acquired taste", so I didn't think that it was a taste that I would quickly acquire.  I don't like hard-boiled eggs.
As my Facebook friends know, I've been cleaning out my office.  It's been crazy the amount of crap that I have been lugging from house to house.  Crazy, I tell you!  But one of the things I found was a Bon Appetit Tastes of the World that I have no clue how I acquired, nor had I used ever.  I started flipping, and soon found something that sounded good.
I present to you now from Bon Appetit Chicken Tikka Kebabs:

#HotSummerEats: The Giveaway!

So.

Hot Summer Eats is here. Rallied by Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla, a talented group of 18 food bloggers will be posting recipes for a week. From June 1st through June 8th, we hope to inspire you for your summer grill dates and cookouts, provide you with ideas for your beach bonfires, and get you planning those ice cream socials and cocktail hours. Not only will you find over a hundred summery recipe posts, but you can enter to win our awesome giveaway, courtesy of some amazingly generous donations from sponsoring companies. See details below.

The Sponsors

(with links to their homepages, in alphabetical order)

BenBella Vegan

Caribeque

Casabella

Gourmet Garden

Intensity Academy

Not Ketchup

Out of the Weeds

Pirate Jonny's

Quirk Books

Spicely Organics

T.Lish

Voodoo Chef

The Prizes

BenBella Veganwill provide one winner with one print copy of each of their Spring 2015 releases:Love Fed, by Christina Ross (March 2015); PlantPure Nation Cookbook, by Kim Campbell (March 2015); Plant-Powered Families, by Dreena Burton (May 2015); Happy Herbivore Guide to Plant-Based Living, by Lindsay S. Nixon (May 2015); and China Study Quick & Easy Cookbook, by Del Sroufe (May 2015).

Casabellawill provide one winner with a trio of kitchen gadgets that are perfect for summer entertaining: a set of two large ice cube trays; a citrus juicer and reamer; and a cherry pitter.

Gourmet Gardenwill provide one winner with each of their stir-in pastes (basil, chili pepper, cilantro, dill, Italian herbs, garlic, chunky garlic, ginger, lemongrass, oregano, parsley, and Thai seasonings), each of their lightly dried herbs (basil, chili pepper, cilantro, ginger, and parsley), and two Gourmet Garden logo coolers.

Not Ketchupwill provide one winner with a prize pack of four fruit ketchups - Blueberry White Pepper, Cherry Chipotle, Spiced Fig, and Smoky Date.

Quirk Bookswill send one winner a copy of their cookbook Summer Cocktails by Maria Del Mar Sacasa, photography by Tara Striano.

Spicely Organicswill send one winner their Backyard Barbeque Gift Box.

T.Lishwill provide one winner with each of the three current flavors: Sweet Garlic, Asian Sesame, and Chipotle.

Members of the Sauceology Grouphave donated a summery prize pack that includes six delicious products. You will receive either the Calypso Kick or Island Thyme Spice Rub fromCaribeque, Garlic Goodness Hot Sauce and Chai Curry Chup fromIntensity Academy, Roasted Tomato Vinaigrette fromOut of the Weeds, Guava Girl Gourmet Grilling Sauce fromPirate Jonny's, and Southern Gold Barbeque Gold Sauce fromVoodoo Chef.

The Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway Disclaimer - Thank you to #HotSummerEats sponsors BenBella Vegan, Caribeque, Casabella, Gourmet Garden, Intensity Academy, Not Ketchup, Out of the Weeds. Pirate Jonny's, Quirk Books, Spicely Organics, T.Lish , and Voodoo Cheffor providing the prizes free of charge. These companies also provided the bloggers with samples and product to use for#HotSummerEats without additional compensation.All opinions are my own.

#TripleSBites: The Giveaway

So.

I've been teasing on Twitter for the last little while an upcoming blogging event:  #TripleSBites.  It's finally here!!  From February 2-9, 20 bloggers including yours truly will be sharing SPICY, SAUCY, SEXY recipes for Valentine's an beyond.  

For the past while, I've been looking for some recipes that I might use as a part of a romantic dinner, recipes that get the blood flowing, or recipes that encourage you to think of smooching.  It's gonna be fun!

Beyond that, there's a giveaway!  There are so many great sponsors who sent prizes and samples to the bloggers for the development of recipes for this event.  Thank you to all the sponsors for getting involved and encouraging the fun! Take a look at who all has helped us out:

For my Canadian readers, I'm sorry.  The giveaway is open to US residents only.  But there are some great prizes for those of you south of the border!!  Have a look and enter!

I'd still love to know...what's your favourite romantic dish to make for your sweetheart?  The menu I made for Valentine's Day last year is probably my favourite:  steak, creamed spinach, broiled tomatoes and a chocolate dessert.  But if I want J to know he's loved, I make him meatloaf.  His favourite.  Yet none of those things are what I'm bringing to the table in the next week!  Come back and see what spicy, saucy, and sexy treats the team has for you!

The Giveaway 

Terms & Conditions

Mandatory Entry: Leave a comment (below) and tell me What's your favorite romantic dish to cook for your sweetheart? Many more ways to enter in the Rafflecopter widget [below].

This giveaway is open to residents of the United States only, age 18 and older. This #TripleSBites 2015 giveaway runs from Monday, February 2, 2015 12:00am PT through Monday, February 9, 2015 at 6:00pm PT. Winners will be randomly chosen and announced on February 10, 2015. Winners will also be contacted by email and will have 48 hours to respond to the email. If a winner does not respond in that time a new winner will be chosen. For more information, see the full terms and conditions in the Rafflecopter widget.

Disclaimer: All prize packages were provided free of charge. Participating bloggers received complimentary product(s) for their #TripleSBites posts. All opinions stated are my own.

Please click on the arrows in the rafflecopter to scroll through the prize packages!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

#10DaysofTailgate: My First, and We're Giving It Away!

So.
I'm losing my virginity.  It had to happen at some point.  Welcome to my first multiday/ multiblogger/ giveaway event that I have ever been a part of.

Thanks to Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla who organized this venture, and my own sense of whimsy, I signed up to be a part of this event.  I had no idea what I was getting into.  It's been a ride of new recipes, finally getting around to setting up my Facebook page for this blog and actually using my Twitter account.
Like a true big event, there are sponsors!  And lots of them!  In the coming days, all the bloggers will introduce you to the products furnished to us for use at our tailgate.  Some of those products are even up for grabs for US readers (to my Canadian friends, I have received more sponsor products than I would use in a good long time.  Stay tuned for an upcoming announcement!)
But let's get on with it, shall we?

Welcome to #10DaysofTailgate! We have nearly two dozen bloggers with over one hundred recipes scheduled to inspire you through an entire tailgating season. Think chicken wings, skewers, sweet nibbles, and cocktails. The event runs September 20th through September 30th. Just remember: your fork does not go into your monitor...no matter how much you might want to taste some of these dishes. Okay? Get ready...get set...

Go! Let's start with a huge - HUGE! - thank you to our event sponsors who have graciously donated prizes for our readers. These sponsors have contributed great prizes for a gigantic giveaway. We have an incredible giveaway for this event. There are fourteen different prize packages which are detailed in the rafflecopter. The rafflecopter is below and will go live on September 20th. Please check back, if you're reading this before our kick-off.

Our #10DaysofTailgate Sponsors

in alphabetical order with links to their homepages

Bob's Red Mill

El Diablo Hot & Spicy Mustard

FireWire Grilling

Gourmet Garden

Intensity Academy

Maple Leaf Farms

Mr. Bar-B-Q

Not Ketchup

Pick Your Plum

Quirk Books

The Girl in the Little Red Kitchen Bake Shop

ThermoWorks

Our #10DaysofTailgate Bloggers

in alphabetical order with links to their homepages

A Day in the Life on the Farm 

A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures

CafeTerraBlog

Cheese Curd In Paradise

Cooking In Stilettos

Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Curious Cuisiniere

Debbi Does Dinner Healthy

Eliot's Eats

From Gate to Plate

girlichef

Love and Confections

Making Miracles

Miss Laura's Kitchen

OnTheMove-In the Galley

Sew You Think You Can Cook

Summer Scraps

The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen

The Not So Cheesy Kitchen

The Pajama Chef

The Spiffy Cookie

Things I Make (for Dinner)

And...THE giveaway!

Terms & Conditions

Mandatory Entry: Leave a comment with What's your favorite tailgate dish? Many more ways to enter in the Rafflecopter widget [below].

This giveaway is open to residents of the United States only, age 18 and older. The #10DaysofTailgate 2014 giveaway runs from Saturday, September 20, 2014 12:00am PT through Tuesday, September 30, 2014 at 6:00pm PT. Winners will be randomly chosen and announced on October 1, 2014. Winners will also be contacted by email and will have 48 hours to respond to the email. If a winner does not respond in that time a new winner will be chosen. For more information, see the full terms and conditions in the Rafflecopter widget.

Disclaimer: Our generous sponsors are providing the prizes free of charge.  Participating bloggers may have received product related to these brands to use for #10DaysofTailgate. All opinions stated are their own.

Scroll through our fourteen prize packages!

a Rafflecopter giveaway