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.

When I do go to the store, I want to go to only one store. I don’t want to shop all over town looking for what I need. I want to be able to buy what I need in amounts that will enable me to not have to go to the store all that often (aka – reducing the amount of public store meltdowns I have to endure). That’s my plan, and honestly, my two year old is the reason why.

Since visiting Sam’s Club last summer in Arkansas, I discovered that “bulk” doesn’t necessarily mean buying for huge restaurants and institutions. Buying in bulk can be very useful for my family too. I can buy a lot of something, and Sam’s Club often will have it packaged for smaller, family size, use. For my family, shopping at some place like Sam’s Club is the solution to my “I don’t love going to the grocery store because of my 2 year old” problem!

My friends at Sam’s Club challenged me to buy one of their Whole Boneless Pork Loin’s and wanted to see how I could stretch it out into several meals. I first decided to tackle dinner and created this Asian Style Pork Loin. Check it out, let me know what you think, and come back in a couple of days to see what else I created with the same Pork Loin – stretching out our meals so I can reduce trips to the grocery store. Woo-hoo!

I’m hosting a Twitter party tonight (December, 13, 2011) with Sam’s Club from 7pm-8pm CST. There will be plenty of giveaway opportunities as well as great tips for planning your holiday meal. Follow the hashtag #SimpleSavings for all the great tips and several chances to win!

Recipe: Asian Style Pork Loin (adapted from AllRecipes)

The post Sam’s Club Simply Delicious Meal Challenge {Recipe: Asian Style Pork Loin} appeared first on Dine and Dish.