Labor Day weekend is one of my favorite weekends to celebrate yet it’s also bittersweet. I love having a big bash at the end of the summer to bid farewell to the season. Labor Day means we are one step closer to my all time favorite season, fall. I hate that one step closer to fall means one step closer to my least favorite season of winter. I’m just going to block out the fact that winter is closer, and focus on having one heck of a time with our end of summer celebration.

 Do you entertain Labor Day weekend? To me, this weekend is all about savoring the last of the summer flavors…California Avocados at their prime, fresh vegetables and fruits, sparkly summer cocktails and grilling outdoors. It’s a great weekend to gather together with friends and family and to kick back and enjoy being together! …

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As much as we may hate to admit that time is really going by this swiftly, the holiday season is officially underway. From upcoming Thanksgiving dinners to holiday parties filling up our calendar, it is the season to let your culinary skills shine….

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When was the last time you hosted a lunch for your girlfriends?

For me, it’s been a long time… I’ve been a stay at home / work from home mom for 10 years now, and I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve actually had girlfriends over during the day for lunch. I get so stuck in my routine and always think that entertaining needs to happen in the evening, …

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CONNECT is my focus word for 2012 and I had another opportunity to do just that this past week.

Blue Bunny, the makers of fantastic ice cream and novelty treats, recently sent me a cooler with a variety of ice cream goodies in it (don’t I have one of the greatest jobs in the world?). The plan was to host an ice cream party and share the treats they sent! Days passed and then weeks and I couldn’t get my act together enough to get my house in “tip top” shape to have people over. For some reason I had it in my head that everything had to be perfect before I could have friends over.

The last day of Christmas break came and I looked in my freezer and saw all of the ice cream, sitting in there, hoping to be used. I looked around my house – still in dissarray from hosting several holiday parties. My wood floors were in desperate need of scrubbing. My windows were streaked and in need of cleaning. So many things needed to be done before I could feel comfortable having people over.

Then I thought…”Wait, Kristen… your word for 2012 is Connect. Open your home more, despite the fact that your floors may not be in the most pristine condition.The people you care about aren’t going to give a flip about your floors!” So, I did just that. At almost noon I put a post out on Facebook letting friends and neighbors know we’d be having an impromptu Blue Bunny Ice Cream party at 3pm. Come one, come all.

We ended up having about 30 guests that afternoon, all enjoying the different options and flavors Blue Bunny has to offer. Ice Cream Sandwiches, Fudge Bars, Ice Cream Cones… you name it, we had it and it was gobbled up and enjoyed by kids and adults alike. And you know what? Not one person said a thing about my floors!

I discovered a couple of things by hosting this event. 1) Your true friends aren’t going to judge you by whether your wood floors are scrubbed. Time with them is more important than saving it until everything is perfect…if you wait for perfection, it won’t happen. 2) Ice cream parties are an easy way to connect with others. Toss out a few of your favorite Blue Bunny treats and let everyone go to town, indulging on what flavors they love the most. 3) People love ice cream! I suggest stocking up on some Blue Bunny treats and inviting friends and neighbors over for a party of your own. What a simple and delicious way to connect with others!

Thank you, Blue Bunny, for giving me another opportunity to CONNECT with others this year!

Blue Bunny provided the supplies and ice cream for our party. All opinions expressed are my own.

The post Blue Bunny Impromptu Ice Cream Party! appeared first on Dine and Dish.

This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations to Rebecca Olson! Thanks to all for entering.

As part of my 2012 focus word to “connect” more with others, I have decided to shoo away my Reluctant Entertainer and open up my home to others more often. Occasions big and small, I’m happier and my home is a happier place when we share it with others.

Budget is often something that we have to take into consideration when we entertain, so when Sam’s Club challenged me to create a menu on a budget for a get together, I jumped at the chance. My assigned budget was $60.00. I decided for a New Year type gathering (or even a Super Bowl party) snacks and appetizers were the way to go. Into my cart went:

• A package of large shrimp (For Panko Crusted Shrimp..recipe below) $11.98
• A bag of Italian Meatballs (For Game Day Meatballs) $13.98
• A package of Chicken Wings (For Oven Baked Chicken Wings) $13.98
• A large bag of Pretzel Crisps $5.98
• A box of Clementines $5.96
• A box of Red Grapes $7.98
• I picked up a Diet Coke fountain drink as a special treat for me $.89
  • Grand Total: $59.65

With a few pantry staples to create the recipes, I think this makes for a quick and inexpensive entertaining menu, don’t you? I always appreciate when hosts set out fresh fruit to snack on. If it is there, I’m more likely to to munch on that versus chips, which my waistline appreciates! Sam’s Club has some of the best fresh fruit around, in my opinion, all season long!

When you think about entertaining in 2012, remember, you don’t have to break the budget to open your home to others. Shop smart, think simple, and shoo away your “Reluctant Entertainer“. Open your home and people will be thankful for your hospitality.

Entertaining is certainly  more fun with the right equipment, right? How would you like to win a KitchenAid mixer so you can whip up more great things for your guests? Sam’s Club has offered to give one lucky Dine & Dish reader a new KitchenAid Professional Stand Mixer! To enter the giveaway simply leave a comment on this post telling me your best tip for entertaining on a budget.

For additional entries:

• Become a fan of Sam’s Club on Facebook. Leave a separate comment on this post letting me know you completed this.
• Tweet the following: “I’d love to #win a @KitchenAidUSA Stand Mixer from @SamsClub and @DineandDish http://bit.ly/yWzhWt ” Leave a separate comment on this post letting me know you completed this.
• Share the link to this giveaway with your Facebook friends.  Leave a separate comment on this post letting me know you completed this.

All entries must be received by midnight CST on Thursday January 12th, 2012. Winner will be chosen via Random.org and notified via valid email address. Thanks for entering and best of luck!

Now for the recipe…

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Recipe: Oven Baked Panko Crusted Shrimp

Short on time? Give this easy shrimp recipe a try!

Course Main Course

Cuisine seafood

Keyword seafood, Shrimp

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 8 minutes minutes

Total Time 23 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

• 20 large shrimp peeled, deveined with tails intact
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon Zatarain's Original Creole Seasoning
• 1 egg
• 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
• 3 Tablespoons olive oil divided

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 450° F. Drizzle a baking sheet with 2 Tablespoons olive oil.
• Place shrimp in a large bowl and sprinkle with Kosher salt and black pepper. Toss.
• Beat the egg and pour over the shrimp. Stir until the shrimp is well coated.
• On a large plate, combine the Panko bread crumbs with creole seasoning. Mix well.
• Coat each shrimp with the bread crumb mixture. Place on the baking sheet.
• Drizzle the shrimp with 1 Tablespoon olive oil and bake for 8 minutes or until golden brown.

This is a sponsored post on behalf of Sam’s Club. Sam’s Club provided me with a gift card to cover entertaining expenses and is providing one lucky Dine & Dish reader with a KitchenAid Stand Mixer. All opinions expressed are my own.

The post Entertaining on a Budget with Sam’s Club {KitchenAid Mixer Giveaway} CLOSED appeared first on Dine and Dish.

Dinner Club came and went and I was so caught up in enjoying the company that I totally forgot to take pictures of the food. You will have to take it from me, everything we had was delicious!

I did manage to snap a photo of our table before everyone came. Much to the belief of some of you (DeAnn!), I am not Martha Stewart. I do not have a crafty, creative bone in my body. That is why, when I came up with the idea for the place cards for our Rustic Italian Dinner Club, I was especially proud of myself! My husband and I have a collection of wine corks that we have saved over the past ten years. I decided it would be neat to cut a small slit into the top of the wine cork, use a die cut to cut oval shapes out of card stock scrapbook paper (the paper had a black and white design on the other side) and write each guests name on the blank side of the paper. Then, it was as simple as inserting the card stock oval into the slit of the wine cork. Voila – you have a simple, inexpensive and creative place card for your dinner party!

Now, for those of you here for the food, here are some of the recipes from our Rustic Italian Dinner Club menu. Each couple is assigned to bring something. I was in charge of the main dish and the bread. If you haven’t started a Dinner Club yet, I hope that my posts encourage you to do so! With the right group of people, it can be a lot of fun!

Appetizer: Ali’s Amazing Bruschetta

Salad: Rustic Italian Summer Salad

Bread: Italian Cheese Bread

Side Dish: Bacon Wrapped Green Beans

Main Dish: Spinach Chicken Manicotti with Creamy White Sauce (I used Manicotti instead of Cannoli & added garlic. Recipe recommended to me by SB’s Bea from On My Plate)

Dessert: Italian Cream Cake

The post Dinner Club #2 Rustic Italian (Recipe: Chicken Spinach Manicotti) appeared first on Dine and Dish.