This is going to be one of those blog posts that really has absolutely nothing to do with the recipe, and for that I apologize. I wanted to talk about one thing, but I also wanted to share a recipe for French Silk Pie, and couldn’t figure out a way to get the two of them to make any sense together. So, you’ll just have to get a French Silk Pie recipe with a dose of nothing related to it.

Our family saw the movie McFarland USA over the weekend and LOVED it. If you haven’t seen it, I implore you to take yourself, your family, anyone you know to see it. It is a fantastic family movie with an incredible message about making a difference. …

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Unless you’ve lived under a rock this past week, you probably are aware that a most important holiday is coming up. No, I’m not talking about St Patrick’s Day, which yes…this Irish family thinks is pretty important. I’m talking about Pi Day on 3.14.

Being the good food blogger that I am, I’m joining all the other foodies out there in turning this holiday, which has nothing to do with pie and all to do with math, into a day to celebrate the most wonderful dessert of Pie. Pie is way more exciting than math, right? It’s at least more delicious anyway….

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The post Strawberry Yummy Pie Recipe for Pi Day appeared first on Dine and Dish.

Making pie crust makes me happy!

There was a time I would have said the exact opposite. Making pie crust used to make me cuss up a storm, but now that my friend DeLynn has taught me how to make a perfect pie crust, or as I say a “No Cuss Pie Crust”, I’ve changed my tune. I can’t seem to get enough of this whole pie crust making gig….

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I feel almost silly writing out tips for bloggers… I am not nearly as accomplished at blogging as some of the people out there, but I get asked questions about it often, so I thought that in honor of the Adopt a Blogger event going on, I would throw my two cents into the ring.

First of all, let me introduce you to my new blogging friends… my adoptees are Yamiam and Jennie. I will most certainly be doing a more formal introduction later, but I at least wanted to get their links out there for all of you to visit – hint, hint!

Okay… on to my tips.

1) Blog Regularly. By regularly, I don’t mean every, single day. That isn’t necessary and could easily cause burnout if you put that kind of pressure on yourself. My suggestion would be to do 1-3 new posts each week. If you want people to keep coming back, you have to give them something new to come back to.

2)  Contact. Give your readers some way to contact you via email if they have questions, or as Deb over at Smitten Kitchen mentioned to me… give someone a way to contact you if they have a book deal for you!  Some of your readers may be too timid to leave a comment on your site directly but may feel more comfortable emailing you with questions. Have a “contact me” button, or something on your blog so that those individuals can easily get a hold of you.

3) Photos. We are foodies… we like recipes and details, but we LOVE photos. If you have access to a digital camera, try food photography on for size. Your photos don’t have to be perfect! Just give us something to look at along with your post.,

4) Give and you shall receive. If you want people to visit your blog, you first have to visit the blogs of others. Don’t spam other blogs with your information… just visit those blogs that interest you and leave genuine comments. You will be amazed at how many people will come and visit you based simply on a comment you might have left at someone else’s blog.

5) Find your place…find your style. We are all unique and everyone has something different to bring to the table, so to speak. Don’t try to copy someone else’s style. Be yourself and blog about what comes naturally to you. If you stay true to who you are, eventually the whole blogging thing will come very easily for you!

6) Don’t make visitors register. If you want people to leave comments on your blog, don’t have a big registration process for them to go through. Do the standard Google, WordPress, Squarespace form, but don’t make people fill out a private registration just so they can make a comment. Chances are, you will lose the interest of potential regular readers.

7) Participate. I know what you are thinking… hypocrite! I am the last person to talk about participating in blogging events. I used to do so regularly, but just haven’t been able to do as much as I would like to lately. If you want to connect with others in the Food Blogging community one of the best ways to do so is by participating in the hundreds of blogger events that happen throughout the year. You can find a complete list of various happenings in the food blogging world as they are updated, here.

I hope this was helpful to some of you new blogger’s getting started out there. Veterans…if you have any suggestions, feel free to leave them here. Later on I will compile them all (with credit to you) and make another post for our newbie blogger friends!

For suffering through my endless babbling, I will leave you this recipe for Fluffy Chocolate Silk Pie. This is a decadent, rich and delicious dessert from the February 2008 issue of Simple and Delicious magazine.

The post Fluffy Chocolate Silk Pie  appeared first on Dine and Dish.

Spring is in full force here in the Midwest. I love the thunderstorms that come with the spring weather but I hate the tornados that this part of the country is known for. I have lived in Kansas all but one year of my life and would you believe I can count on only one hand the number of times I have actually had to take shelter from a tornado? Take that handful of times and subtract the times I have actually been in a place where a tornado has hit and you will get zero. I have never been in or near an actual tornado. That all being said, tornados still scare the heck out of me, which is one reason I always look forward to spring bidding farewell and summer coming into my life.

I tend to get myself in summer mode way before summer comes around. One of my favorite ways to pretend like it is summer when it is actually really still spring is to have lots and lots of strawberries around. Fresh strawberries are not in season here until June or July, but the stores start stocking their shelves with tons of strawberries at fairly decent prices during the spring. The store bought strawberries are not even close to the fresh from the vine goodness we get in the summer, but it is a good substitute. Good enough for me anyway and a good enough way to get me ready for those warmer, non-tornadic months.

This weekend we had an impromptu Cinco de Mayo party. We had had a day that was jam packed full of craziness and we needed something to help us all unwind and celebrate. Our friends and neighbors came over and I made my sister-in-law’s delicious enchiladas. Everyone was asked to bring a side dish or appetizer and we provided the main dish and the dessert.  The main dish was taken care of, but I had no idea what to make for dessert. Margarita cupcakes were what my mind originally went to, but when I opened the fridge and saw the enormous tub of strawberries I had bought at Costco that morning, I knew I needed to use them up. Since I was short on time, I took the easy way out and opened up Google and typed in “Strawberry Margarita Dessert“. Several options caught my eye, but the one that I kept coming back to was a Frozen Strawberry Margarita Dessert from Recipe Source. I also wanted something a little more kid friendly, so I decided I would make Strawberry Cupcakes with Whipped Strawberry Frosting for the kids.

Both of these desserts were delicious. The Frozen Strawberry Margarita Dessert was a big hit among the adults. It really tasted like a frozen strawberry margarita. It was cool and refreshing and was a perfect Cinco de Mayo treat. The cupcakes were also delicious. I had some issues with my whipped frosting due to the heat and humidity that day, but the kids didn’t notice at all.

For now, I will enjoy the spring weather and thunderstorms. I will continue to hope that I can keep from personally meeting a tornado face to face.  While I am doing that, I will still anticipate the tastes of summer, all the while munching on my tub of strawberries.

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I am so tired of making apple pies. My husband loves apple pie. Every weekend he always asks “are you making me an apple pie this weekend?” He’s even willing to do the daunting task of peeling and slicing the apples if I make the crust and pie. I usually give in to his apple pie cravings and make him his precious pie. Sometimes I vary and try out new recipes, but they are still apple pies.…

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