http://www.diannesdishes.com/ en Copyright 2012 Mon, 16 Apr 2012 09:00:00 -0500 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification 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 http://www.diannesdishes.com/2012/04/how-do-you-prepare-for-the-spr-1.html http://www.diannesdishes.com/2012/04/how-do-you-prepare-for-the-spr-1.html Announcements Mon, 16 Apr 2012 09:00:00 -0500 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 http://www.diannesdishes.com/2012/04/easter-fun-chocolate-covered-p.html http://www.diannesdishes.com/2012/04/easter-fun-chocolate-covered-p.html Holiday and Special Occasions Fri, 06 Apr 2012 15:28:51 -0500 I'm posting over at The Greenists today for Meatless Monday with a Slow Cook Red Beans and Rice. Pop over say hello! Thank goodness it's almost Tuesday! http://www.diannesdishes.com/2012/04/meatless-monday-at-the-greenis-1.html http://www.diannesdishes.com/2012/04/meatless-monday-at-the-greenis-1.html Mon, 02 Apr 2012 18:30:29 -0500 I'm hosting this post for BlogHer and LAND O LAKES® Eggs. How fabulous does this Egg, Apple, Cheese and Sausage Tart from Shelly at Cookies and Cups look? Check out this fabulous recipe and see how you can win a $100 Visa gift card, courtesy of BlogHer! 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 http://www.diannesdishes.com/2012/03/land-o-lakes-all-natural-farm-.html http://www.diannesdishes.com/2012/03/land-o-lakes-all-natural-farm-.html Announcements Fri, 16 Mar 2012 09:00:00 -0500 I'm posting today over at The Greenists for Meatless Monday. Stop by and say hello and check out fabulous four cheese lasagna! http://www.diannesdishes.com/2012/03/meatless-monday-at-the-greenis.html http://www.diannesdishes.com/2012/03/meatless-monday-at-the-greenis.html Announcements Mon, 05 Mar 2012 16:27:12 -0500 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 http://www.diannesdishes.com/2012/03/creamy-italian-dressing.html http://www.diannesdishes.com/2012/03/creamy-italian-dressing.html Condiments Thu, 01 Mar 2012 15:53:43 -0500 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 http://www.diannesdishes.com/2012/02/what-do-you-love-about-barilla.html http://www.diannesdishes.com/2012/02/what-do-you-love-about-barilla.html Try It You'll Like It Tue, 21 Feb 2012 09:00:00 -0500 I love truffles, and not the kind Italian pigs dig up, which I am sure are lovely too, but I'm talking chocolate truffles. I love truffles almost as much as I love cheesecake, and you all know how much I like that! It has its own category on Dianne's Dishes! It's a deep love, an abiding love, an all encompassing obsession. In short I love me some truffles! I also love Nutella. It's a recent love, but it's a strong love. Chocolate and hazelnuts? What's not to like?? I also love sea salt. Do you see a pattern forming http://www.diannesdishes.com/2012/02/sweets-for-your-sweet-salted-n.html http://www.diannesdishes.com/2012/02/sweets-for-your-sweet-salted-n.html Comfort Food Dessert Sinful Mon, 13 Feb 2012 17:23:29 -0500 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 http://www.diannesdishes.com/2012/02/chocolate-chip-pancake-muffins.html http://www.diannesdishes.com/2012/02/chocolate-chip-pancake-muffins.html Breakfast Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:39:22 -0500 I love clam chowder. I've always loved this lovely soup. I can't remember a time in my life when I didn't enjoy this fabulous little creation. It is to me the epitome of comfort food. Want to know the secret a really good clam chowder? Bacon drippings! Obviously you could skip this and just use olive oil, but the flavor of the bacon really enhances the soup. What's comfort food without a little naughty? And bacon drippings are definitely naughty. Shhhhh! Don't tell anyone! ;oP Clam chowder can be made many different ways, and I've made various types over http://www.diannesdishes.com/2012/01/14clam-chowder.html http://www.diannesdishes.com/2012/01/14clam-chowder.html Cheesecake Fish and Seafood Soup Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:10:51 -0500 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 http://www.diannesdishes.com/2012/01/poor-mans-microwave-popcorn.html http://www.diannesdishes.com/2012/01/poor-mans-microwave-popcorn.html Snacks Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:43:41 -0500 I'm not a big fan of soda as a general rule, but I do like a good root beer or ginger ale! My beef with most commercial varieties of these drinks? You've got it...high fructose corn syrup! There are some lovely artisan sodas out there, and I usually have some of those on hand, but occasionally I like to make my own ginger ale Ginger ale obviously starts with ginger, in this case several pounds of it. This is a very easy thing to make, and you can't really go wrong. If your syrup ends up a little less http://www.diannesdishes.com/2012/01/make-your-own-ginger-ale.html http://www.diannesdishes.com/2012/01/make-your-own-ginger-ale.html Beverages Make Your Own Fri, 13 Jan 2012 11:03:31 -0500 I love soup. I'm a big fan year round, but especially in the winter. This soup came about from my wanting to incorporate the vegetables I got from our local CSA like vegetable/fruit delivery service this week. I had an eggplant, some bok choy, some chard, along with some left over black eyed peas from New Year's Day. Before long this soup was "born". This soup is BIG. It makes a lot of soup. It has big chunks of vegetables and is very hearty, all while being healthy too. Pair it with some sour dough or corn bread and http://www.diannesdishes.com/2012/01/rustic-vegetable-soup.html http://www.diannesdishes.com/2012/01/rustic-vegetable-soup.html Comfort Food Healthy Soup Fri, 06 Jan 2012 13:37:12 -0500 I was talking about making honey butter with some friends a while back and I was surprised to find out that they thought this was an epic culinary undertaking. They were shocked when I told them just how easy it was to make! I'm a big fan of honey butter, or well honey itself for that matter. My father has his own bees so I've always got a ready supply of honey in the cabinet. Honey butter is perfect on warm biscuits, yeast rolls, or even simple toast. Making your own is also a lot cheaper and has less http://www.diannesdishes.com/2012/01/make-your-own-honey-butter.html http://www.diannesdishes.com/2012/01/make-your-own-honey-butter.html Make Your Own Semi-Recipes Tue, 03 Jan 2012 10:03:35 -0500 One of the main reasons the holidays are my favorite time of the year is stuffing! Stuffing (or dressing, depending on what you want to call it) is often neglected during other times of the year and it really is a fabulous side dish no matter what the season. There are many different ways to make stuffing. My mom makes a really fabulous corn bread stuffing that brings back memories of my childhood. As I've gotten older I've come to like one made with various types of bread instead. Some people add oysters, some people add fruit...In short there http://www.diannesdishes.com/2011/12/triple-bread-stuffingits-not-j.html http://www.diannesdishes.com/2011/12/triple-bread-stuffingits-not-j.html Comfort Food Holiday and Special Occasions Side Dishes Thu, 29 Dec 2011 13:53:05 -0500