January is usually our hunker down and hibernate month. I’ve never really had the kids signed up for extra activities in the winter, mostly because I really am not fond of getting out in the snow and cold when I don’t have to.

Things have changed this year though. I finally broke down and signed Jacob up for basketball and Kelly up for Volleyball. On top of the new activities, we also have gymnastics, school of religion, choir, 4-H, tutoring and homework. Unexpectedly, my hunker down season has officially become quite busy! Instead of having all the time in the world to cook dinner, my evenings are in tune with the rush of my normal fall and spring months….

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Anyway, I had the sweetest nurse before my procedure who warned me to stay off the internets while I’m on my pain medication. “It loosens inhibitions and can make you say things you might not mean to.” Apparently, she is right as I am getting a little incensed at the moment about this article telling people to stop using the word veggies. Which also makes me think of those blog posts that tell photographers to stop using stripey straws, distressed boards, twine and the like. …

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We welcomed a beautiful new appliance into our home today. Say hello to “Fran”, our new Frigidaire Gallery 30″ Freestanding Electric Double Oven Range. (I named her Fran… it fits, don’t you think?)

I got an email a while back notifying me that the folks at Frigidaire wanted me to be one of the lucky bloggers to test drive their new double oven. I have wanted / needed a double oven for so long and am thrilled to have one as gorgeous as this in my house now. Holiday bread, cookie and turkey baking will be such a breeze this year!

Some of the signature features of the Frigidaire Symmetry Double Oven are:

• Symmetry Double Ovens – Two large ovens, each big enough to cook a 28-pound turkey, provide the flexibility to cook multiple dishes at the same time at different temperatures.
• Fits-More™ Cooktop – With five elements including two SpaceWise® Expandable elements and a Warming Zone so you can cook more at once.
• Precision Set™ Controls – Adjust heat levels more precisely, providing exceptional temperature control.
• Quick Preheat – Preheat in just four minutes. (I am most excited about this… I tend to be a little impatient waiting for my oven to preheat!)

Over the next few months I will be sharing with you my experience using my new Frigidaire oven. I think the first thing I am going to make is a batch of my favorite dinner rolls!

All of the new features are so great, but I forgot to share the feature my girls are most excited about…

The new huge box to play in! The box is keeping them entertained while Fran and I get to know each other. It’s a win-win, don’t you think?

Disclosure: This post was written to announce my participation as a Frigidaire Test Drive Mom. I was given a Frigidaire Symmetry Double Oven Range to keep to facilitate my review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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I’ve been blogging…really I have. It just hasn’t been here. I have been fervently trying to keep up with all the newbie bloggers who have submitted applications for adoptions in the Adopt a Blogger program. I literally have an inbox stuffed full of people who are looking for someone a little more experienced to adopt and mentor them so they can get a feel for what blogging is really like. I am running into a problem though… mentors? I have a serious shortage of mentors to help these great, new bloggers out! I hate to see us not pulling together and helping out the newbies, so if you get a chance, please take a look at the blogs currently up for adoption and consider becoming one of their mentors.

I have at least 100 more people to add, with new bloggers applying each day. Spread the word and keep sharing the gifts you have so that Adopt-a-Blogger can continue to be as successful as it has been in the past! And don’t worry… do you think you don’t have enough time or talent to give what it takes to be a mentor? I guarantee you, you do!

I didn’t really have anything else to blog about today, aside from the begging, so I’m going to bore you with some pumpkin carving and Halloween pictures. I also know that it is now officially past Halloween and pumpkin seeds are sooooo last month, but that’s not going to stop me from sharing a very basic Oven Roasted Pumpkin Seed recipe with you! Simple, basic and good enough to bookmark until next year!

Recipe: Basic Buttery Oven Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

• 1 1/2 cups pumpkin seeds, pulp removed, cleaned and patted dried from a fresh pumpkin
• 2 Tablespoons butter, melted (do not use margarine)
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Toss cleaned, whole pumpkin seeds in a bowl with melted butter and salt. Spread the seeds in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes so both sides get toasted.

The post Begging and Pleading (Recipe: Oven Roasted Pumpkin Seeds) appeared first on Dine and Dish.

A few weeks ago, after returning from my trip to New York (which I will blog about soon!) my husband said, “You know… I feel like you are a part of this whole other life that I just don’t even get.” He was referring to the blogging life. How many of you have experienced this same sentiment with friends and loved ones? They don’t understand what we do, why we do it, the purpose, etc. I’ve been blogging for quite some time now and my husband still has a difficult time grasping the whole blogging world. He likes that I do it. He appreciates that it is an outlet for me, but he still doesn’t “get it”.

I’ll be honest… I can probably count on two hands the number of times he has read Dine & Dish. Just a very small part of my side of the family reads my blog but I’m pretty sure his side of the family doesn’t. They watch me as we have dinners taking pictures of food and things, but I don’t think many of our family members really get it. That’s fine… it’s not something everyone is going to understand.

This is why I was intrigued the other day when Nick got off the phone with his dad and said “My dad has a surprise for you!” Nick was giddy… I was clueless. What could his dad possible have for me? Then Nick said, “You’ll be thrilled… it has to do with your blog.” Huh? I didn’t even really think his dad knew I had a blog. Now I was really curious.

Well, we went to visit his family in Iowa this weekend and walked in the door around midnight. Nick and his dad quickly went to the garage and then Nick came back out and summoned me to go to the garage. I went and when I opened the door I saw the most beautiful, beat up old barn door. A barn door that can easily be distressed even more and turned into a table top. A table top that can be easily used for food photography photos. Yep… I was pretty thrilled. When I wasn’t noticing, Nick and his dad were working hard to “get” what I do and had been on the search for old barnwood.

So, just when you think your “people” don’t get you, think you are bizarre, and question what you do and why you do it, just wait. Pretty soon they’ll observe enough, ever so silently, to realize where your passions are and do whatever they can to support you in their own little way. Just wait.

Snickerdoodle Cookies (from Beth Sigworth on AllRecipes)

I know that people claim all the time to have “the best” this cookie or that cookie. Beth’s recipe here is truly the BEST Snickerdoodle cookie recipe I’ve tried. I lowered the bake time to 8 minutes and they came out soft, chewy and tender. Yum!

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. Cream together butter, shortening, 1 1/2 cups sugar, the eggs and the vanilla. Blend in the flour, cream of tartar, soda and salt. Shape dough by rounded spoonfuls into balls.
3. Mix the 2 tablespoons sugar and the cinnamon. Roll balls of dough in mixture. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.
4. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until set but not too hard. Remove immediately from baking sheets.

If you love Snickerdoodle’s like we do, you’ll love these recipes too!

• Snickerdoodle Cookie Bars from Dine & Dish
• Snickerdoodle Pie from Noble Pig
• Snickerdoodle Ice Cream from Our Best Bites
• Snickerdoodle Cake from My Baking Addiction

The post “Getting” Blogging (Recipe: Snickerdoodle Cookies) appeared first on Dine and Dish.