Spring has sprung!

This time of year makes me wake up after a long winter of drab, dreary weather and want to pop out into the sun and enjoy its warm rays. It's time to start puttering around outside, plant seeds, plan gardens, watch flower bloom and trees sprout, and generally enjoy being outdoors after being cooped up inside staring restlessly outside. It's time to pull out your sun hats and shades, grab your garden tools, drag out your hammocks and swings, and jump back in to the world of outdoor living. But with outdoor living spring allergies inevitably make a return as well.

I don't know about where you are, but here in Maryland spring has definitely made its presence known! We had a very mild winter, so spring got an early start this year, and so did the spring allergies that come along with the beautiful blooms and milder weather.

As I'm getting older my allergies are getting worse. I love the blossoms and weather of spring, BUT I hate allergies so spring isn't always my favorite time of year. In fact most years I dread spring because I'm miserable once the blooms start popping out. This year with the early start of spring it's been especially bad, but fear not..there is some relief!

I'm a big fan of homeopathic remedies. I would much rather deal with something naturally than with unneeded medication and chemicals, so when I was asked to try Similasan Nasal Allergy Relief nasal mist I jumped at the chance! I was sent some to try out and I've really been pleased with the results of this product. The mist helps alleviate the symptoms of spring allergies, all while doing so with a natural twist.

So how does it work?

Similasan Nasal Allergy Relief homeopathic nasal mist takes the body's natural ability to deal with nasal allergy symptoms (You know the ones...those uncomfortable and irritating things like a runny nose, itching and/or burning of the nose, sneezing and congestion) and makes our natural defenses kick in to high gear.

Not only does this help curb allergy symptoms, but it also comes from a product that is all natural, chemical and preservative free.

Similasan nasal mist gives a person with nasal allergies a safe and effective relief. And the really cool thing is that you don't have to worry about any rebound effects or reliance to the nasal mist as you would with other commercial varieties.

Similasan is special. Their nasal spray is one of the only medicated, preservative free, nasal decongestants available today. Similasan products are homeopathic and come from Switzerland, where they are made under the strictest quality control methods. In fact they are made using the highest quality standards and all of their products use only 100% Natural Active Ingredients.

Why add in things that aren't needed, when relief can be found with natural components? Similasan has a whole range of homeopathic products at your disposal. Just find the one that is right for you!

So where do you find Similasan products? They are available at your local Walgreens stores and at all the major online retailers as well, so they aren't hard to find. If you're a spring allergy suffer like I am and are looking for a homeopathic method of alleviating your spring nasal allergy symptoms look no further, you'll love Similasan Nasal Allergy Relief! I tried it and loved it!!

So how do you win $100 Visa gift card from BlogHer? Tell me: How do you prepare for the Spring season? by leaving a comment below to be entered for a chance to win.

Rules:
No duplicate comments.
This sweepstakes runs from 4/16/12 - 5/13/12.
You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:
a) Leave a comment (see question above in bold)
b) Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.
This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older.
Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail.
You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
The Official Rules are available here. Also, check out the Similasan page on BlogHer.com for more blogger reviews and chances to win!

Now get outside and enjoy this Spring weather! It's OK to even say hello to the flowers! Happy Spring!

It's that time of year again, I'm not sure how we're back here but we are, it's Easter! Today I'm sharing a couple of fun little things to do, that aren't complicated, and the kids will love. So break out the Peeps and get ready to color some eggs. It's time to have some fun!

Oh and don't forget to check out a few links at the bottom for egg salad and deviled eggs so you'll have something to do with those eggs after you're done dying them.

Let's get our Easter on!

What You'll Need for the Chocolate Covered Peeps:
Peeps (Note: Preferably bunnies)
Bamboo skewers
1 package of chocolate chips (Note: I used semi-sweet, but you could use dark or milk chocolate instead.)
2 tablespoons of coconut oil
Sprinkles

Place chocolate chips and coconut oil in a glass bowl. Microwave for one minute and then stir. Next microwave on 20 second intervals, stirring between each round, until chocolate is melted and completely smooth.

Place a Peep on a bamboo skewer. You want to push the skewer all the way up in to the bunny to its ears. When you put chocolate on the Peep it's going to get heavy and if you don't push the skewer all the way in it will fall off in to your chocolate with the weight.

Dip the Peep in Chocolate and use a spoon to cover the bunny completely with chocolate:

Hold chocolate covered Peep over a plate and sprinkle with your choice of sprinkles.

Carefully lay the chocolate/sprinkled Peep on a baking sheet that has been lined with a silicone baking mat, or wax paper and let chocolate harden.

Then eat!

Notes: These are good as is, or you can dip them into hot chocolate. Yum!

What You'll Need for the Kool-Aid Dyed Eggs:
White eggs, boiled and cooled
Kool-aid packets (Note: We use Tropical Punch, Pink Lemonade, Grape, Orange, Lemon Lime and Lemonade. They all worked except for the Lemonade. There isn't enough color in the mix to work.)
1/2 cup of water for each packet of Kool-Aide
Narrow glasses (Note: You want them to be narrow enough so that the liquid will cover an egg entirely, but not too narrow or the egg won't fit.)

First you want to boil your eggs. You've probably boiled eggs before, but I'm going to tell you right now how to boil the perfect egg.

Gently place eggs in a pot and cover with water until there is 2 inches of water above the top of the pile of eggs. Add in two tablespoons of sea salt, cover the pot and bring eggs to a boil. As soon as the pot begins a rapid boil turn off the heat and let the pot sit for ten minutes covered.

At the end of 10 minutes gently drain the pot and cover the eggs with cool/cold water. Let eggs sit for another 5 to 10 minutes.

Remove eggs from the cool water and let them cool completely to room temperature. At least an hour. (Note: This is only for coloring eggs. If you're using the eggs to cook with once they've had the cool water bath they're ready to go, or you can store them in the fridge for up to a week.)

When you're ready to dye your Easter eggs here's what you do...

Add Kool-Aid Powders to separate glasses (see note above about glasses) and then pour 1/2 cup of water in each glass. Stir to mix.

Using a spoon gently lower eggs down in the glass. Make sure to let the spoon rest under the egg so it won't get stuck in the glass. Let the eggs sit for a few minutes, or as long as you like, until the egg reaches the desired color.

Place eggs in a carton to dry. The eggs with darken in color as they dry.

Repeat the process until all the eggs are dyed.

Store in the fridge after dying. The eggs can still be used for deviled eggs or egg salad if you don't use them to hunt.

Notes: The Kool-Aid has citric acid in it so that is why you don't need to add that or vinegar in to the glasses.

I have always wanted to be a brunch person.

Here's my romanticized version of a "brunch day:" Wake up on a sunshiney, springtime Sunday morning (without an alarm clock or children jumping on my stomach), read the weekend newspaper in my crisp white-sheeted bed with no obligations to get ready for, lazily look over at my husband and say, "Let's go for a drive today," to which he would say, "Yes, let's go for a Sunday drive right after we have a nice, relaxing brunch."

That's how it goes down in my mind. What really happens is more like this...

Sunday morning 6:45 am I am woken up to "MOMMMMM!!! Can we play Wii?" "MOMMMMM!!! What's for breakfast?!" "MOMMMMMM!!! Can Joey come over today?"

All of that before 7:00 am. No mention of a Sunday drive, no mention of the weekend newspaper, no mention of brunch. Sigh.

What I have discovered is I can marry the romanticized version with the real-life version. Kinda.

Here's how: plan a brunch at home.

I can do that! Have it be for just your family, or invite people over to hold yourself accountable. I suggest the inviting of other people, because Sunday mornings can quickly get away from you if you let them.

What I have found is that brunch, while sounding all fancy and glamorous, is totally doable. Easy, actually. All you need to do is plan your meal around a single main course dish. One that can be prepared in advance is not only recommended but encouraged.

Eggs are a favorite ingredient when making food to share for springtime gatherings and celebrations. A favorite go-to brunch meal in our family is a tart or a quiche. They are so adaptable and easy.

You can make your springtime brunch more special, and more delicious, by using high-quality LAND O LAKES® All-Natural Farm-Fresh Eggs. Using higher-quality ingredients makes every part of your brunch more special, in my opinion.

Here's my favorite Sunday brunch meal...it's fancy enough to serve on special occasions but simple enough to serve to your family on any given weekend.

Start with LAND O LAKES® All-Natural Farm-Fresh Eggs. All LAND O LAKES® Eggs are "eggstraordinary" because they are produced by hens fed a premium, vegetarian whole-grain diet consisting primarily of whole ground corn and soybean meal, with no added hormones, antibiotics, animal fats or animal by-products. These eggs are gathered at the peak of the hens' egg-laying cycles, which can make the eggs more delicious.

You will need to place a pie crust in a 10" tart pan. Bake the crust for 5 minutes and transfer to wire rack.

While the crust is baking, cook the breakfast sausage and mix the egg mixture...

Crack the eggs in a bowl, whisk together and add some milk and seasonings.

When sausage is cooked, spread evenly on top of the partially-cooked crust. Then sprinkle cheese on top and cover with the LAND O LAKES® Eggs mixture.

Finally, slice a medium green apple into thin slices and arrange on top of the tart.

Bake the tart for 40- 45 minutes until center is set. You will have a gorgeous, completely impressive main course for your brunch. What's lovely about this tart is you can serve it warm, room temperature or even cold.

Now guess what? I want you to have your own brunch. And to do that you will need money, right? How about $100? That should cover it nicely, I think...

To enter for a chance to win a $100 Visa gift card, courtesy of BlogHer, leave a comment on this post telling me:

What is your favorite spring egg dish to make when you're hosting guests?

SWEEPSTAKES/GIVEAWAY RULES No duplicate comments. You may receive (2) total entries between 3/16 and 3/29 by selecting from the following entry methods:a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post b) Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry. This giveaway is open to U.S. residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via a random drawing, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected. The Official Rules are available here. Good Luck!

Egg, Apple, Cheese and Sausage Tart

4 LAND O LAKES® All-Natural Farm-Fresh Eggs

16 oz breakfast sausage, cooked and drained

2/3 cup milk

1 (heaping) cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

1 tart apple, cut into thin slices

1 pie crust (pre-made or homemade)

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350°

Place the pie crust in a 10" tart pan. Bake for 5 minutes and transfer to wire rack.

Cook breakfast sausage in a medium skillet, drain.

In a medium-sized bowl whisk eggs, then add milk and salt and pepper. Whisk again to combine.

Spoon sausage into partially baked pie crust, sprinkle cheese on top of sausage and pour egg mixture evenly over sausage and cheese.

Finally, arrange apple slices on top.

Bake 40-45 minutes until center is set.

Serve warm, room temperature, or even cold.

*Can be made ahead to serve the next day and can also be frozen.

*Store covered in refrigerator for up to 3 days

I'm posting today over at The Greenists for Meatless Monday. Stop by and say hello and check out fabulous four cheese lasagna!]]> tag:www.diannesdishes.com,2012://1.1338 2012-03-01T20:53:43Z 2012-03-01T20:57:21Z

It's happened...

The unthinkable...

To me anyway...

I've run out of the will to cook!

It's part depression, part too much going on all at once, and general lack of energy. Who'd have thought it would happen to me? Certainly not me!

As a result; the not wanting to cook, coupled with the fact that I've been eating healthier, means that Alexis and I have been eating a lot of salads. I love salad. So crisp, so fabulous!

But...

I hate making salads though, even though we've been eating a lot of them. Why is it a salad you make yourself just doesn't taste as good as a salad someone else makes for you? It just doesn't!

Huh?

What?

I'll tell you why...It's because making a salad is an honest to goodness physical exertion. You've got to wash all the veggies. Then you have to prepare them, slice, chop, etc. Then you have to put it together. Did I mention tossing? After it's all together you have to decide how to top it...That's a lot of effort!

Regardless I've been on a salad kick.

And since on this kick I've been playing around with dressings. I like to make my own for the most part. They taste better, they don't have weird chemicals in them and they're better for you all around. This creamy Italian dressing is one that I put together that I really, really like! It is very similar to the dressing they use at that restaurant whose first word starts with and "O" and second word starts with a "G".

You know the one. Concentrate for a moment and it will come to you.

There you go! That's the one!

Not only is this delicious, it's sinfully easy to make, and let's face it, an easy step in the salad process is a welcome one at that.

Now it's time to try it. Come on...You know you want to!

What You'll Need:
1 cup of light mayonnaise (Note: I prefer Hellman's.)
1/3 cup of white, champagne or rice wine vinegar
The juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
1 to 2 teaspoons of organic cane sugar
1/3 cup of Parmesan cheese, finely grated
1/3 cup of Romano cheese, finely grated
1 teaspoon of garlic salt or 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, plus 1 teaspoon of sea salt
2 teaspoons of dried oregano
1 teaspoon of dried basil
1 tablespoon of dried parsley

Dump ingredients in a canning jar. Place the lid on tightly and shake to mix. Let the flavors meld for at least an hour (overnight is better) in the fridge and then use to make your salad.

How ridiculously easy is that?

Notes: You can play around with the proportions to change the taste slightly. You could also use one or the other of the cheeses, and not both. As always, mix and match!

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Have you ever had a bad experience with whole grain pasta? I have! The first time I tried a whole grain variety, I wasn't impressed. But things have gotten much better on the whole grain front! Barilla®, the pasta experts, have come out with their own line of whole grain pastas, which are not only good for you, but they taste good too!

We all know whole grains are an important part of a healthy diet, and now it's easy to incorporate them in to your meals with Barilla® Whole Grain pastas. Even kids love them! My daughter Alexis liked all of the varieties we tried, but she was a big fan of the Medium Shells Conchiglie in particular, as well as the Penne. You can easily substitute Barilla® Whole Grain pastas into dishes you regularly make, to make them that much healthier for you and your family. Why not make macaroni and cheese with the Barilla® Whole Grain Shells? Or a baked pasta dish with the Barilla® Whole Grain Penne? The Barilla® Whole Grain Rotini would make a fun pasta salad, and then there's always the old standby, spaghetti and meatballs, made with the Barilla® Whole Grain Spaghetti. The possibilities are endless!

Barilla® Whole Grain pastas are made with 51% whole wheat and are an all-natural and excellent source of fiber, delivering three times the fiber of regular pasta. Plus Barilla® has a taste guarantee...If you don't love it, you get a free box of Barilla® blue box pasta. Either way you'll end up with a product that makes you happy. That's a win-win situation!

I used the Barilla® Whole Grain Penne to make a fabulous pasta salad (see below), but there are so many others things you can make using recipes you already have, or even recipes Barilla® can help you out with, so pop over to TryBarillaWholeGrain.com and check out the Dinner Kit for recipes and other tools that make it easy to put healthy and extraordinary meals on your table. You can have a healthy, delicious dinner using Barilla® Whole Grain pastas in no time, even on a busy week night, when things can be a little hectic, all in 9 minutes to al dente. Now that's a healthy meal that worth waiting for!

To be entered for a chance to win a $100 Amazon gift card, courtesy of BlogHer and Barilla®, leave me a comment letting me know what you love about Barilla® Whole Grain!

SWEEPSTAKES/GIVEAWAY RULES:

No duplicate comments.

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:
a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post.
b) Tweet about this promotion @BarillaUS with the following unique term in your message, #BarillaWG, and link to your Tweet in a comment on this post.
c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to your post in a comment on this post.
d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older.

Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail.

You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available here.

This sweepstakes runs from 2/21/12-3/30/12.

Be sure to visit the Barilla® Whole Grain round-up page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers' reviews and find more chances to win!

Now let's talk some pasta salad!

What You'll Need:
1 - 13.25 ounce box of Barilla® Whole Grain Penne, cooked according to package directions and cooled
1 small package of frozen corn, thawed
1 small package of frozen peas, thawed
1 small package of sun dried tomato strips
1 large carrot, shredded
1/2 cup of shredded Parmesan
1/8 cup of white wine vinegar
1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon of sea salt
1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
1 teaspoon of dried oregano
1 teaspoon of dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon of dried basil

Cook Barilla® Whole Grain Penne according to directions and drain. Place pasta in a large glass bowl and let cool to room temperature.

Add peas, corn, carrots, sun dried tomatoes and Parmesan to the cooked and cooled Barilla® Whole Grain Penne and toss to mix. Set aside.

In a glass bowl or canning jar, mix together white wine vinegar, olive oil, sea salt, pepper, oregano, dried parsley and basil until incorporated. Pour over Barilla® Whole Grain Penne/veggie mixture and toss to coat. Chill for at least 30 minutes and then serve.

Notes: If you want the pasta salad to chill faster, cool the cooked pasta with cool water before assembling the salad. You could also add other chopped vegetables, such as celery, red onion, bell pepper, etc.

Who doesn't like chocolate chip pancakes? Who doesn't like muffins? Why not combine the two?

This recipe takes the idea of chocolate chip pancakes and rolls it into a muffin for better portability. It's quick to put together and bake, and you have a fantastic little muffin that makes the chocolate lover in you rejoice.

What could be better than that?

What You'll Need:
2 cups of unbleached all purpose flour
1 cup of organic cane sugar
1 teaspoon of sea salt
1 tablespoon of baking powder
2 eggs
2 teaspoons of vanilla
2 tablespoons of safflower oil
1/2 cup of light sour cream (Note: Any variety of sour cream will do, I just prefer the light variety.)
1/2 cup of milk
1 - package of semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 F.

In a large bowl stir together flour, sugar, sea salt and baking powder to mix thoroughly.

Add eggs, vanilla, safflower oil, sour cream and milk to the dry mixture and stir until batter forms.

Add chocolate chips and stir until incorporated.

Fill muffin pans that have been lined with cupcake liners 3/4 of the way full and bake in a preheated oven for 12-15 minutes until golden brown.

Cool at least 5 minutes before serving.

Store in an air tight container for up to a week, or freeze muffins for up to a year.

Notes: You can use other kinds of chocolate chips if you like. You could also add in a cup of chopped nuts.

Microwave popcorn is convenient, but commercial varieties have a bunch of crap in them that can cause cancer. Imagine something processed being bad for you? What are the odds?

Anyway...

Of course you can air pop corn, or do the "old fashioned" stove top method, to which I'm partial, but you can also make your own microwave popcorn when you're short on time. You might think this would be difficult, but it takes about 5 minutes and that includes popping. Not bad for a fast, healthy snack. You control what goes in to the bag, so there's no gross chemicals or anything.

Not only is this a neat snack, it also is a cheap snack! You can't go wrong with that! Once you try it you'll do it over and over again. It's that easy and that good!

What You'll Need:
Plain brown paper bag
Popcorn
Sea salt
Extra virgin olive oil

Take a paper bag and place a thin layer of popcorn on the bottom of the bag:

Yes it's not the best picture, but it gives you an idea of how much popcorn you need.

Add in some sea salt. You can add anywhere from 1/2 a teaspoon to 1 teaspoon depending on your tastes. Plus you can always add salt after it's popped too, but if you pop it with the salt it gives it an overall better flavor.

Put a drizzle of olive oil in the bag, one teaspoon tops.

Fold the top of the bag over a couple of times and lay the bag on its side in the microwave. Pop for anywhere from 2-5 minutes depend on your microwave. It takes about 2 to 2 1/2 minutes in mine. When the pops start to slow down you know it's time to stop.

Carefully remove from the microwave. It's hot and the oil spreads in the bag. Carefully open the bag, just as you would a commerical bag, and don't let the steam burn you.

Place in a bowl and eat!

Note this makes about 2-3 cups of popcorn. If you're serving more than one you'll want to make multiple bags.

Notes: You can make variations of this. To make kettle corn follow the instructions above, but also add a tablespoon of sugar when you add the salt. You could also add in a tablespoon or two of Parmesan during the salt step if you wanted a cheesy snack.