The Aztecs believed that avocados were a strong aphrodisiac. I'm not so sure about that, but the avocado is one of nature's most nutrient dense foods. I've been known to justify my over-consumption of guacamole by mumbling, "It's the good fat!" around a chip smothered in a glob of green goodness.
We love to eat avocados in any form. I'd probably even try avocado ice cream. We slice them onto sandwiches, dice them into salads and mash them into dips. They're delicious as a topping on ceviche or tossed into Cowboy Caviar (that's another recipe I'll have to post here!).
All over bloggy-world I have notice the avocado contest. Michelle at Scribbit has jumped in and is hosting a contest on her blog.
Here is my recipe entry, a salad made with avocado, shrimp, and citrus. So refreshing!
Avocado in the Sea Salad
2 avocados, peeled and diced
2 tomatoes, diced
1 bunch green onions, sliced, including the tops
1 lb. fresh or frozen already cooked shrimp (If it's frozen, let it thaw in refrigerator first. If they are a larger size, rough chop the shrimp before adding them.)
1 lemon, juiced
1 small bunch of cilantro, chopped (about 1/4 cup)
salt and pepper to taste
Mix together the avocados, tomatoes, green onions and shrimp. Add lemon juice, cilantro, salt and pepper.
That's it! This tastes best if you make it several hours ahead of time. Can be eaten as a salad, as a salsa, or to top a tostada. You can even use the recipe as a base and add your favorite ingredients. Sometimes I'll use red onion, or add diced cucumber, or diced red pepper or fire roasted chilies, or some jalapeno to spice it up. Yum!
Showing posts with label contest. Show all posts
Showing posts with label contest. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Madsen bike contest...
Isn't this the coolest bike EVER!
Of course, she should be wearing a helmet.
I wonder if they make bike helmets for dogs?
I'll be right back, I'm going to google that and I'll let you know what I find out.
And holy helmet, here it is.
I can't stop grinning!
OK, back to what I was REALLY posting about...
Madsen is having a contest, and they're giving away one of these bikes. LOVE it!
I'll be wishing I had one of these bikes today while we're at the Salmon Festival. That way I can eat all I want at the salmon bake, and let one of my kids tote me around.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Personalized Holiday Cards
I have to admit that in the past few years I've been TERRIBLE with sending Christmas cards, birthday cards, any holiday cards. You name it and I haven't sent it.
When I think about personalized cards, it's really easy for me to get way complicated with a design: handmade, with lots of froo froo and sparkles. Then I get overwhelmed and decide to not even bother with it.
But personalized can actually mean something as easy as:
1. Adding a photo of the kids, cats, dogs, yourself, whatever.
2. A hand-written note to the recipient, even just a few words jotted down in your own actual chicken scratch handwriting. Shows you care!
3. Have the kids draw a picture or illustration and turn that into a card. You can either use it as it is, or copy and size it onto cardstock and fold to make a card. This would work great for ANY holiday. I've also used my kids own drawings for thank-you notes. Grandparents especially love these, of course.
4. Instead of a regular folded and sealed in an envelope, send a postcard! Design it on the computer and print onto sturdy cardstock and trim to a standard postcard size to use the postcard postage.
5. Get the whole family involved! Have each family member contribute SOMETHING to the card; maybe design an element, create a poem for the inside, choose the font, pick out the perfect photo, and whatever it is that they've contributed, they'll get the satisfaction of knowing that a friend or family member will receive and enjoy that card.
I headed on over to Purple Trail to see what it was all about. On the top of the website there are three steps to making your own personalized card:
1. Pick a design 2. Customize your design 3. Order, Print, or E-mail. It's as easy as 1-2-3.
Plus, they are offering, For a limited time,
The Mom Bloggers Club is giving away $100 gift code to Purple Trail for Personalized Holiday Cards. How cool would that be to win?
Find the contest information right here!
When I think about personalized cards, it's really easy for me to get way complicated with a design: handmade, with lots of froo froo and sparkles. Then I get overwhelmed and decide to not even bother with it.
But personalized can actually mean something as easy as:
1. Adding a photo of the kids, cats, dogs, yourself, whatever.
2. A hand-written note to the recipient, even just a few words jotted down in your own actual chicken scratch handwriting. Shows you care!
3. Have the kids draw a picture or illustration and turn that into a card. You can either use it as it is, or copy and size it onto cardstock and fold to make a card. This would work great for ANY holiday. I've also used my kids own drawings for thank-you notes. Grandparents especially love these, of course.
4. Instead of a regular folded and sealed in an envelope, send a postcard! Design it on the computer and print onto sturdy cardstock and trim to a standard postcard size to use the postcard postage.
5. Get the whole family involved! Have each family member contribute SOMETHING to the card; maybe design an element, create a poem for the inside, choose the font, pick out the perfect photo, and whatever it is that they've contributed, they'll get the satisfaction of knowing that a friend or family member will receive and enjoy that card.
I headed on over to Purple Trail to see what it was all about. On the top of the website there are three steps to making your own personalized card:
1. Pick a design 2. Customize your design 3. Order, Print, or E-mail. It's as easy as 1-2-3.
Plus, they are offering, For a limited time,
FREE shipping on all Holiday Cards prints!
Holy cow, I might have to send some cards this year. I know I've put it in writing here, so I guess I've got to give it the ol' college try.
Visit Purple Trail's website and design your own card. Give it a whirl. They make it a cinch!The Mom Bloggers Club is giving away $100 gift code to Purple Trail for Personalized Holiday Cards. How cool would that be to win?
Find the contest information right here!
Chocolate...
It's no secret that I love chocolate in any form. I especially adore dark chocolate, and it seems like the more bitter the more I adore it. When Andy wants to surprise me with a little something, it usually includes a Hershey's Special Dark bar. Yum. I have to ration it, and freeze it, so I can break a chunk off and let it melt slowly in my mouth. Holy cow, my mouth is watering right now!
I know it may come as a shock to some of you, as it has to me, (actually, when I dwell on it my heart beats just a little faster because I am so not ready for it) but Halloween is just around the corner.
That's right, it is 2 weeks and 3 days away. If you're counting. Or want to be reminded.
Since we are in a new town, I'm not sure about how much candy we'll be giving out, but I heard rumor that most of the population congregates in one particular neighborhood, which isn't ours, to do their trick-or-treating.
That said, I really should have some candy on hand, just in case.
The Mom Bloggers Club is sponsoring a contest for it's members that includes a Hershey's Halloween Prize Pack, of which I am hoping to win one. Because I love chocolate. And nothing says chocolate like Hershey's.
I know it may come as a shock to some of you, as it has to me, (actually, when I dwell on it my heart beats just a little faster because I am so not ready for it) but Halloween is just around the corner.
That's right, it is 2 weeks and 3 days away. If you're counting. Or want to be reminded.
Since we are in a new town, I'm not sure about how much candy we'll be giving out, but I heard rumor that most of the population congregates in one particular neighborhood, which isn't ours, to do their trick-or-treating.
That said, I really should have some candy on hand, just in case.
The Mom Bloggers Club is sponsoring a contest for it's members that includes a Hershey's Halloween Prize Pack, of which I am hoping to win one. Because I love chocolate. And nothing says chocolate like Hershey's.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
A Post Title I am Proud Of...
I am not very creative when it comes to titling my blog posts, usually just giving a little blurb about what I'm writing about. Which is exactly what this one is.
Fried Food and Chicken Poop
So, yesterday I made an 8 hour round-trip drive with Andy. Well, 3/4 of the drive was with Andy and the other 1/4 I drove a mini-van back to his place of employment. This drive was made in the afternoon and evening, so the kids arrived home on the bus from their place of education. When they left for said place of eduction that morning, I didn't know that I would be gone when they came back to the home-base, so I didn't have dinner made for them.
Their Auntie Tara (sometimes know as Auntie Booby) came over and made cookies with Nattie, so I called her up to tell her that the kids could cook up some hamburgers and throw some salad on their plate and call it good. She took me up on it, and when Andy and I arrived at home-base the smell of fried food hit us like a brick when we opened up the door.
Andy's way to solve the problem of the smell was to open up the window in our bedroom. Whoa. Fried meat is not pleasant. The chicken barns are not pleasant. Add them together and you have downright biological warfare possibilities. I'm thinking about bottling it and contacting the Pentagon. There are possibilities here, I'm telling you.
The SITS girls are hosting a week long Back to Blogging event, with a washer and dryer set as a prize!
The contest is sponsored by Standards of Excellence, Westar Kitchen and Bath, and Florida Builder Appliance.
Fried Food and Chicken Poop
So, yesterday I made an 8 hour round-trip drive with Andy. Well, 3/4 of the drive was with Andy and the other 1/4 I drove a mini-van back to his place of employment. This drive was made in the afternoon and evening, so the kids arrived home on the bus from their place of education. When they left for said place of eduction that morning, I didn't know that I would be gone when they came back to the home-base, so I didn't have dinner made for them.
Their Auntie Tara (sometimes know as Auntie Booby) came over and made cookies with Nattie, so I called her up to tell her that the kids could cook up some hamburgers and throw some salad on their plate and call it good. She took me up on it, and when Andy and I arrived at home-base the smell of fried food hit us like a brick when we opened up the door.
Andy's way to solve the problem of the smell was to open up the window in our bedroom. Whoa. Fried meat is not pleasant. The chicken barns are not pleasant. Add them together and you have downright biological warfare possibilities. I'm thinking about bottling it and contacting the Pentagon. There are possibilities here, I'm telling you.
The SITS girls are hosting a week long Back to Blogging event, with a washer and dryer set as a prize!
The contest is sponsored by Standards of Excellence, Westar Kitchen and Bath, and Florida Builder Appliance.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
A post I wish more people had read...
Let's face it, a day doesn't go by that I wish my children would listen to me. I feel a teensy bit the same way in my blogging world, too. It's not that I need a pat on the back for what I write, and I don't mean to get on my soapbox, but a little bit of affirmation is always a good thing.
The post that I wish more people had read, that I wish I could have sent to everyone in the ENTIRE USA, is this one. I wrote it the day after election day in 2008, and I still remember the way my heart felt clenched up like a fist in my chest. The words went straight from that clenched up heart and onto the computer screen, just as if I had a USB cable connecting the two.
God Bless America
After the election results last night, my little corner of the country was not celebrating. I wasn't doing a victory dance or high-fiving Andy. I sat and watched John McCain give a very touching, dignified and gracious concession speech, calling for the support of his victor. I sat and contemplated what Barack Obama's election to the highest office of our beautiful country means to me and to my family, my community, our state and the United States of America, and I'm worried.
Don't get me wrong, I have hope-
I have hope that everything will be OK, that the economy will turn around, gas prices will stay down, and that we can grow and prosper. I have hope that President-Elect Obama will do what is best for this country, and not bring us to a liberal, large government, "don't you worry, we'll take care of you now" mentality. I have faith that my Father in Heaven is watching out for me and for this choice country, for which our forefathers fought and brought to freedom so many years ago. I am grateful for a democracy in which everyone has a right to let his or her voice and choice be heard, and I hope the right choice was made.
I guess I will wait and see, just like the rest of the world. I will wait to see if Joe Biden's speculation that the rest of the world will test President Obama will be verified.
I will wait to see if he will reach across the party lines and try to work together with those he views as the enemy.
I will wait to see if he continues to include in the circle of his associates William Ayers, Jeremiah Wright, and others on the left fringe of politics. Maybe he will keep his distance from them. Maybe he has learned his lesson. Kind of like the straight-laced kid in school who likes to hang with the dangerous crowd. He got in trouble for it (although most people don't seem to care much who he surrounds himself by) and maybe he'll toe the line from now on.
But, like I said, I am hopeful. I'm hopeful that this will stay the land of the free and the home of the brave. And I hope that my doubts will be unfounded.
The SITS girls are hosting a week long Back to Blogging event, with a washer and dryer set as a prize!
The contest is sponsored by Standards of Excellence, Westar Kitchen and Bath, and Florida Builder Appliance.
The post that I wish more people had read, that I wish I could have sent to everyone in the ENTIRE USA, is this one. I wrote it the day after election day in 2008, and I still remember the way my heart felt clenched up like a fist in my chest. The words went straight from that clenched up heart and onto the computer screen, just as if I had a USB cable connecting the two.
God Bless America
After the election results last night, my little corner of the country was not celebrating. I wasn't doing a victory dance or high-fiving Andy. I sat and watched John McCain give a very touching, dignified and gracious concession speech, calling for the support of his victor. I sat and contemplated what Barack Obama's election to the highest office of our beautiful country means to me and to my family, my community, our state and the United States of America, and I'm worried.
Don't get me wrong, I have hope-
I have hope that everything will be OK, that the economy will turn around, gas prices will stay down, and that we can grow and prosper. I have hope that President-Elect Obama will do what is best for this country, and not bring us to a liberal, large government, "don't you worry, we'll take care of you now" mentality. I have faith that my Father in Heaven is watching out for me and for this choice country, for which our forefathers fought and brought to freedom so many years ago. I am grateful for a democracy in which everyone has a right to let his or her voice and choice be heard, and I hope the right choice was made.
I guess I will wait and see, just like the rest of the world. I will wait to see if Joe Biden's speculation that the rest of the world will test President Obama will be verified.
I will wait to see if he will reach across the party lines and try to work together with those he views as the enemy.
I will wait to see if he continues to include in the circle of his associates William Ayers, Jeremiah Wright, and others on the left fringe of politics. Maybe he will keep his distance from them. Maybe he has learned his lesson. Kind of like the straight-laced kid in school who likes to hang with the dangerous crowd. He got in trouble for it (although most people don't seem to care much who he surrounds himself by) and maybe he'll toe the line from now on.
But, like I said, I am hopeful. I'm hopeful that this will stay the land of the free and the home of the brave. And I hope that my doubts will be unfounded.
The SITS girls are hosting a week long Back to Blogging event, with a washer and dryer set as a prize!
The contest is sponsored by Standards of Excellence, Westar Kitchen and Bath, and Florida Builder Appliance.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
My first post...regurgitated.
The SITS girls are hosting a week long Back to Blogging event, with a washer and dryer set as a prize!
The contest is sponsored by Standards of Excellence, Westar Kitchen and Bath, and Florida Builder Appliance.
Since I am such a HorRIBly inconsistent blogger, I'm going to participate in Back to Blogging Day to get myself in the groove. Goodness knows I don't have any kind of groove, not anything even resembling a groove, but maybe I'll get a little bit of a beat this week.
So, I'll start by regurgitating - uh, I mean revisiting - my very first blog post on April 25, 2007. Wow, that seems so long ago! There were no pictures because I didn't know how to load them yet, and I didn't have anything to write about, but I had two comments! Woo-hoo! My husband, who critiqued the post, and my friend who called him a stinker for critiquing my post. It's been a fun, if often sporadic, journey since then. Here it is, freshly regurgitated just for you:
Birds of a Feather...or the Early Bird gets The Worm!
I woke up before sunrise this morning to the most amazing sound of dozens of birds twittering back and forth to each other. I couldn't believe how loud they were! I'm not sure why they were all out there, but my best guess is they were after all the little wormies that might be above ground after the big storm last night.
We had lots of lovely thunder and lightning, had to even make sure the computers were all unplugged-just in case! My parents have had a couple of lightning issues with their computers in the past.
Emily had her house ready in case of frightened family hunkering down in her basement during the tornado watch until 2a.m. this morning. We didn't end up over there, but it's nice to know we have an alternative spot to the smelly basements of the Presbyterian or Baptist churches in town. Not that I wouldn't be happy to be in those basements in case of actual tornadic action, mind you!
Thought I'd take this early morning time to actually start my blog that I've been threatening to start for a while now. Also thought this could be a good way to keep in touch will those of you far away. Keep checking back! I want to update this often, and maybe I'll have some surprise guest bloggers on once in a while!
***It's me in real time again. So, maybe I didn't keep the "I want to update this often", but I have had a guest blogger, my daughter "Nutella". She writes a pretty good post, too.
So buh-bye for now, I'll be write back tomorrow!
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