Because Kelly broke her leg towards the end of the summer, we had to leave some of the items on our 2014 Summer of Fun Bucket List un-checked. The end of our summer ended up being a bit lame… a lot of sitting around, doing not much of anything because Kelly was still pretty hurt. Luckily, my friends at Juicy Fruit sent us quite the care package full of their newest varieties of bubble gum – yes!!
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Can you believe Halloween is right around the corner? It is just a few weeks away, which means it’s almost time for our annual Halloween party we host in our neighborhood!

Every year before the kids get down to business with Trick-or-Treating, we invite all of our neighbors over for a big soup supper. Everyone puts a sign on their door that the candy is at our house, and we all hang out by the fire pit in our driveway and pass out Halloween candy. It’s a really fun time to hang out with our friends! This year will be no exception, I’m sure. …

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Friends, I’ve seen your parties… have even had the great privilege of being to some of them. You know how to throw a great event! Your Instagrams, Facebook updates, Tweets all tell me that you could easily be “The Ultimate Host“. I know you might be thinking “Me? The Ulitmate Host?” Yes, you!

If you have a flair for entertaining, a house where every occasion big or small is a celebration, friends and family who turn to you for awesome party ideas, then YOU could very well be exactly what Sterling Vineyards is looking for! I know so many of you have it in you, and now, it’s time to be recognized for it!

So what’s this all about? Well, I’ve partnered with Sterling Vineyards on their 2nd annual search for “The Ultimate Host“.

I’m joining judges Padma Lakshmi (Top Chef), Tori Tate (Thoughtfully Simple), Jillian Tohber (Catch My Party) and Aryka Randall (The Fab Femme) in a quest to see who can rise up to the hosting challenges set forth of the next several weeks. You can find out all about the Ulitmate Host Challenges on the Sterling Vineyards Facebook page. I’ll tell you this much though… this December, four finalists will be flown to New York City for a finale event where host extraordinaire Padma Lakshmi (plus myself and the other judges) will help Sterling crown the winner. Plus the final four will be competing for the grand prize of $25,000 and the title of Sterling Vineyards Ultimate Host! Now that’s worth a party, right?

Over the next several weeks, I’ll be sharing my take on each of the challenges. Don’t wait for me though. Head on over to the Sterling Vineyards Facebook page to find out the official rules and enter today! Hopefully I’ll see YOU in NYC in December! Good luck!!

Photos courtesy of Sterling Vineyards.

This is a sponsored post on behalf of Sterling Vineyards. All opinions expressed are my own.

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Some of the recipes I can’t wait to try are:

Chicken and Avocado Enchiladas from Gimme Some Oven

Baja Shrimp Burger with Avocado Jalapeno Aoili from Everyday Southwest

Sunny Citrus Shrimp and Avocado Salad From The Little Yellow Kitchen

And a special note of congrats to the Random.org prize winners:

• The Texas Peach won the $500 American Express Gift Card
• Amy from uTryIt won the $250 American Express Gift Card
• Liz from The Lemon Bowl won the California Avocado Gift Basket

Thanks again to all who shared their fabulous recipes and to the California Avocado Commission for sponsoring such a fun event! We had a blast!

Disclosure: This post and the party are sponsored by the good people at the California Avocado Commission.

The post California Avocado 4th of July Blast Recipe Roundup appeared first on Dine and Dish.

Dara from Cookin’ Canuck and I are so excited to announce that the California Avocado 4th of July Blast recipe linkup is finally open! We can’t wait to see what you’ve created with delicious California Avocados.

We know how much everyone loves avocados, so we are certain this is going to be one heck of an awesome party!

Remember… when you follow the instructions to share your avocado recipes with us, you will be eligible to win over $1600 in giveaways!

The giveaways include:

• Two separate $500 American Express Gift Cards
• Two separate $250 American Express Gift Cards
• Two separate California Avocado Gift Baskets, valued at $75 each

Participating in the California Avocado 4th of July Blast is simple! Here’s what you need to do…

Required:

1. Write and post a recipe on your blog featuring delicious California Avocados. (Your post can be an old post…just PLEASE be sure to link back AND follow #2 below).
2. Somewhere in your post, we ask that you include the following “Join Dine & Dish and Cookin’ Canuck for the California Avocado 4th of July Blast, sponsored by the California Avocado Commission.” This, including the links, must be included in your post to be eligible for the prizes.
3. Your recipe MUST have fresh California Avocados listed as an ingredient
4. Add your link to the California Avocado 4th of July Blast linkup widget on either Cookin’ Canuck or Dine and Dish (Dara and I have the same widget code, so only add it on one site) and leave a comment letting us know you linked up. The great news is you can link up to THREE avocado recipes! Add your avocado recipe anytime between June 27th and July 4th!
5. Don’t have a blog? No problem! Simply leave your recipe or a link to your favorite California Avocado recipe in the comments section of either Dine & Dish or Cookin’ Canuck during the week the #CaAvoBlast wideget is open (June 27th – July 4th , 2012).

For additional entries:

Become a Fan of the California Avocado Commission on Facebook. Leave a separate comment on this post indicating you completed this.

1. Follow the California Avocado Commission on Twitter. Leave a separate comment on this post indicating you did this.
2. Tweet the following –> Join @cookincanuck & @dineanddish now for #CaAvoBlast. Share your @Ca_Avocados recipes. $1600 in prizes. http://bit.ly/Owb30V <– Leave a separate comment on this post indicating you’ve completed this.

And that’s it! Pretty simple, right? We’ll keep the linkup open through July 4th. Winners will be announced the following week .  All winners with a valid entry will be selected at random using random.org. Winners will be emailed and they will have 48 hours to claim their prize.   Giveaways  available to U.S. residents only. Thanks for participating!

Disclosure: A special thanks to the California Avocado Commission for hosting this great event. I have been compensated for my time but all opinions are my own.

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It’s getting California Avocado crazy around here as Dara and I prepare for the biggest avocado party of the year! We’re both happily knee deep in avocado recipes, trying to come up with some of the best avocado recipes to tempt your tastebuds.  The California Avocado 4th of July Blast  is right around the corner and we can’t wait to see your recipes!

Remember to come back for our recipe link up party June 27th through July 4th. Share your favorite California avocado recipes for a chance to win over $1600 in prizes! (Complete details can be found on this post).

In the meantime, Dara and I are whipping up some recipes highlighting the freshness and delicious flavor of California Avocados. The Avocado Smoothie I made last week was incredible and it has made multiple appearances at our house since trying it the first time.

For this go around, I wanted to whip up something that would be a great addition to our upcoming July 4th festivities. Everyone knows you can’t have a great cookout without burgers, right? I decided to take a twist on the traditional burger and created a seafood version – Salmon Sliders with a Tangy Avocado Sauce. This is one recipe that explodes with fresh flavor and is perfect for your next gathering or for a quick, weeknight dinner.

Dara’s Chilled California Avocado Soup with Coconut Milk is another wonderful recipe for the summer months. Talk about avocado nirvana. Yum!

We hope you’ll join us starting June 27th for the California Avocado 4th of July Blast! I can’t wait to celebrate together!

PS… thanks, Mom, for the inspiration for this recipe!

Disclosure: A special thanks to the California Avocado Commission for hosting this great event. I have been compensated for my time but all opinions are my own.

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Salmon Sliders with Tangy Avocado Sauce

Salmon Sliders with Tangy Avocado Sauce are a great alternative to your traditional burger.

Ingredients

• 1 pound fresh salmon filet skin removed, and thinly sliced
• 1/2 red bell pepper sliced
• 1/2 yellow bell pepper sliced
• 1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
• 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper
• 1 egg
• For the Sauce
• 1 ripe California avocado peeled and sliced
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar
• 1/8 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper
• 12 Savory Butter King's Hawaiian Rolls
• Additional sliced California avocados for garnish

Instructions

• For the sliders:
• Place sliced salmon and bell pepper into a food processor. Pulse 2-3 times until mixture is coarsely chopped.
• Remove mixture and place in a medium bowl. Add Panko bread crumbs, Kosher salt, pepper and egg and mix with a spoon until well incorporated. If mixture is not holding together, add additional Panko bread crumbs, 1 tablespoon at a time.
• Shape salmon mixture into 12, small patties.
• Heat an electric skillet to medium-high. Cook patties for 3-4 minutes on each side until completely cooked through.
• Remove and place on individual King's Hawaiian Dinner Rolls
• For the Avocado Sauce
• In a medium sized bowl, mash the avocado.
• Stir in mayonnaise, sour cream, milk and vinegar until smooth. Add Kosher salt and cracked black pepper and stir until incorporated.
• Spoon Tangy Avocado Sauce over cooked salmon sliders. Top with a slice of fresh Avocado and the bun. Serve warm.

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If you follow me on Instagram, then you may have noticed I have been a little obsessed with California Avocados lately. It’s prime season for this beautiful, fleshy green, antioxidant packed food and I am taking full advantage of it by eating as many as I can!

Do you love California Avocados as much as I do? Great! My friend Dara, from Cookin’ Canuck, and I want you to join us for some California Avocado recipe fun! We’re having a California Avocado 4th of July Blast and think it’s only fitting we turn this thing into the biggest and best avocado party around! Won’t you join us?

How to Participate in the California Avocado 4th of July Blast:

1. First things first. Get in your kitchen and start creating with California Avocados. Then, share your avocado recipes on your blog in advance of our party starting on June 27th. You can enter up to 3 recipes! If you have favorite recipes to share that you’ve posted on your site in the past, that’s great too, as long as you add the info in #3 to be eligible. Don’t have a blog? No problem! You’ll have the opportunity to leave your recipe(s) in the comments section of our blog posts on Cookin’ Canuck or Dine & Dish when the party goes live.
2. During the link-up week (June 27 – July 4, 2012), add the blog post link of each of your California Avocado post(s) to the widget on either Cookin’ Canuck or Dine & Dish. You only need to add it on one site, but it will show up on both.
3. Somewhere in your post, we ask that you include the following “Join Dine & Dish and Cookin’ Canuck for the California Avocado 4th of July Blast, sponsored by the California Avocado Commission.” This must be included in your post to be eligible for the awesome prizes.

Prizes, you say? What’s this I hear about prizes?

Let’s be honest… parties are way more fun when the food is awesome and there are prizes being given away, right? Well, our friends at the California Avocado Commission are giving party participants the chance to win over $1600 in giveaway items! The giveaway items will include two $500 American Express gift cards, two $250 American Express gift cards and two avocado gift baskets valued at $75! Now, that’s a party, right?

We’d love your help in spreading the word, inviting all your friends to the party! The more the merrier! Here are a couple of ways to do so:

Sample tweet or Facebook share: Join @cookincanuck & @dineanddish for #CaAvoBlast. Share your @Ca_Avocados recipes. $1600 in prizes. Please RT http://bit.ly/MBgNPH

Add photos of your avocado recipes to your Instagram account, using the hashtag #CaAvoBlast.

All giveaway winners will be chosen through random.org.

Make sure to follow Dara and I over the next few weeks as we create and enjoy some wonderful California Avocado recipes. Then, please come back and join in the party for some great food and giveaway fun! See you then!

Disclosure: A special thanks to the California Avocado Commission for hosting this great event. I have been compensated for my time but all opinions are my own.

The post Save the Date for the California Avocado 4th of July Blast! appeared first on Dine and Dish.

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.

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