Swagbucks…I’m finally onboard!

Posted on July 31, 2011 by Denise

Good morning! This post will be short & sweet just to share about something new and fun I’m doing on the internet. It’s actually taken me 2 years to get on this bandwagon (I’m cautious that way), so if some of you are already using your Swagbucks toward your Christmas fund or new cookbooks you might want to skip this post or share your experience with us in the comment section. šŸ˜‰

Basically Swagbucks is just another search engine, and I’ve stalled because I’m partial to Google. I’m also very leery of anything where it appears you get something for nothing. And…..I figured I’d end up with a virus. Well I kept seeing more and more of my blog friends with Swagbuck accounts. I asked a few of them and they raved about Swagbucks. They told me they use their Swagbucks for free books on Amazon. I started to feel like I was missing out, but I also didn’t want to waste valuable time figuring something new out.

So back in May I mentioned Swagbucks to my oldest daughter, and she really wanted that search bar onĀ ourĀ desktop computer. After much persistence on her part I finally let her put a Swagbuck toolbar on with the stipulation that she and her sister would share all Swagbucks earned. Well I’m happy to report that since then they’ve already spent $15 in Amazon gift cards (earned FREE). I can also report no computer viruses, no issues and ease of use.

Now I really wanted my own Swagbucks account, and wished their computer had been signed up under mine so that I could be earning some referral Swagbucks. šŸ˜‰ Oh well….I’m finally in on the action and already have 70 Swagbucks just since Thursday afternoon. I think I earned 30 just for signing up, and I haven’t really done that many searches so it’s been really easy and I can see how they will add up fast.

So Swagbucks in a nutshell:

  • It’s a search engine and you earn Swagbucks by doing your regular internet searches.
  • You can also earn Swagbucks by completing polls, playing games or watching videos.
  • Each 450 Swagbucks you earn = a $5 Amazon gift card.
  • You earn up to 1,000 Swagbucks per Swagbuck referral (those that sign up under your link).
  • You install a toolbar for searching, but I made Swagbucks my default search engine so I could uncheck the toolbar and it wouldn’t be visible all the time.
  • You can watch a few videos on You Tube about Swagbuck testimonials (one woman paid for her entire Christmas with Swagbucks!) if you’re like me and need extra reassurance that Swagbucks is a legitimate use of your time. šŸ˜‰

I’m sure I’ve forgotten a few things, but there’s a lot of information online about Swagbucks and on their site. Just click the banner below to check out Swagbucks and sign up if you’re interested.

I want to disclose up front that if you sign up through the banner on my site, I will earn Swagbucks for referring you. If you decide to think on it for a few days, I do appreciate your coming back here and clicking my banner to sign up. I could use a few new cookbooks. šŸ™‚

And remember you can tell your friends about it, and they can sign upĀ through you. It turns out you can become “Swagbuck friends” as I learned when my daughter asked me when I was going to “accept her friend request.”

Search & Win

** Edited to make a correction ~ It turns out 450 Swagbucks = $5 Amazon gift card instead of the 550 that I originally stated. Sorry for any confusion. There are also countless items you can “buy” in their Swag Store.

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Buffalo chicken dip

Posted on July 28, 2011 by Denise

Buffalo chicken dip….what can I say? I know this recipe has been making the rounds on the internet, and if you’ve tried it you certainly know why. This dip and I became acquainted a few years ago out on my friend’s ranch. Hmmm…..well actually I didn’t get a taste of it that day since the men folk all swarmed it the minute it was placed out, but I did hear of it’s virtues over and over again.

And though I’m not a big “wing” fan myself, I’m always game to try something new…especially something as intriguing as buffalo chicken dip. And it didn’t disappoint! Ladies you will love this, and your men will love you for it! I’m even thinking it should be renamed….seriously, making this dip could mean you get a great big kiss, a yes to something on your wish list or maybe even an engagement ring. You know what they say about the stomach being the way to a man’s heart šŸ˜‰

It was my friend Tammy again that supplied me with this keeper of a recipe. She brought it out to our friend’s ranch that day. You remember her and her chinese chicken salad, right? For someone who professes that she doesn’t love to cook, I find it funny that she certainly seems to have all the good recipes. Not so sure I believe you, friend! šŸ˜‰

It’s super easy to make and only needs a few ingredients. Another cool thing is that it’s low carb. I’ve been eating it on celery this week and didn’t even miss the crackers! Who says dieting has to mean deprivation? We’ve even used it as a sandwich spread, and taken it into the Disney theme parks. Talk about a nice change from the regularĀ PB & J. I’ve been wanting to blog about it for a long time, but it’s really hard to snap pictures of since it doesn’t last long around here. In order to finally get pictures, I had to make it while my hubby was at work. Hey….whatever it takes! Don’t worry there was plenty for him when he got home.

The first time I made it I followed the recipe to the letter….a rarity for me. This last time I was out of the blue cheese dressing it requires, and you know I’m not a fan of bottled store-bought dressings anyway (I’d only bought it for this recipe)…..so I figured this was just an opportunity for me to get creative. I also changed up the way I cooked the chicken. The original recipe stated to boil the chicken and then shred. Instead I made it in a skillet with loads of paprika…..one of my new favorite seasonings for chicken.Ā  Next time I think I’ll double the amount of cream cheese…… just because who doesn’t love cream cheese?


5.0 from 4 reviews
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Buffalo chicken dip
Author: 
Recipe type: Appetizer, Party Foods, Easy, Low Carb
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 6-8
 
This dip is not to be missed!! Even if you aren't a huge wing fan, you'll devour this dip. It's that GOOD!!
Ingredients
  • 2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
  • ½ cup mayonaise, full fat (don't skimp and use light)
  • ¼ cup sour cream
  • ½ cup Frank's hot sauce
  • ½ cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
  • 8 oz cream cheese softened
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In a pyrex or ceramic dish (The size I used was around 7 x 10), spread the softened cream cheese along the bottom. Next time I'll use 2 packages just to have it cheesier.
  3. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together shredded chicken, hot sauce, mayonaise, sour cream and mozzarella cheese.
  4. Pour chicken mixture on top of cream cheese and bake for 20 minutes or until dip is bubbly.
  5. Serve with crackers, chips or celery and other veggies. We've also had it on bread as a sandwich spread. Eaten either hot or cold it's delicious!
Notes
*Original recipe calls for blue cheese dressing. If you have blue cheese dressing and would rather use that just substitute ½ cup blue cheese dressing for the mayo and sour cream. My husband didn't even detect the subtle difference between them.

Ā 

*Question – do you have any recipes that your man can’t turn down? And for DISNEY fans…..what kinds of unusual snacks or treats have you taken into Disney?

If you enjoyed this post, won’t you consider sharing it with others? Handy share and “Facebook recommend” buttons are below. It really makes my day when you pass things along! To make sure you don’t miss a post or recipe you can either follow Creative Kitchen on Facebook or subscribe by Email in the sidebar. Thanks for reading….I love having company in the kitchen!

This recipe linked up with Wednesday Window, Works for Me Wednesday, What’sĀ Cooking Wednesday, What’s on Your Plate, What I ate Wednesday, Women Living Well Wednesdays, Let’s Do Brunch, Real Food Wednesday, Pennywise Platter, Delightfully Inspiring Thursday, Full Plate Thursday, It’s a Keeper Thursday, Recipe Swap, Simple Lives Thursday, Fresh Food Friday, Foodie Friday, Fight Back Friday, Finer Things Friday, Friday Favorites, Friday Potluck, Food Trip Friday, Monday Mania, Made by You Monday, Mangia Mondays,Ā Homemaker Monday, Melt in Your Mouth Monday, Hearth and Soul Hop, Tuesdays at the Table, Delectable Tuesday, Totally Tasty Tuesdays, Tasty Tuesdays & Tasty Tuesday.

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What’s new at Creative Kitchen?

Posted on July 26, 2011 by Denise

I canā€™t believe itā€™s already been almost 2 years since I started blogging here at Creative Kitchen! Can you? It just amazes me!! Even more incredible to me is all that Iā€™ve learned since I started this journey. It has stretched me in ways I cannot comprehend nor describe. For years growing up, I didnā€™t think I had a creative bone in my body. Sure, I was able to concoct and come up with things that tasted good in the kitchen, but I never realized it was a way to express creativity. Being creative to me meant you could draw really well or paint or sing or actā€¦and those are things I canā€™t do.
Ā 
Blogging (though probably viewed as a bizarre practice to those who donā€™t blog) started out as a way for me to connect with others that share the same passion of food, cooking and coming up with new tastes and flavors. But blogging about what I do in the kitchen has opened up various portals to creativity I didnā€™t know I possessā€¦.creativity we all possessā€¦.and it turns out that the more you tap into creativity, the more creative you tend to become.
Ā 
For exampleā€¦.blogging requires me to write, which requires me to think and put those thoughts into words. Adding a visual element requires that I learn more and more about photography, and try to hone that skill. And in order to share it all with you, I need to learn the various ins and outs of blogging platforms and web coding and designā€¦.that technical aspect that can be quite daunting. Itā€™s also a skill, and when learning that skill it also allows you to express your creativity with how your site looks. Hope that makes sense?
Ā 
The vast Food Blogging Community is such a friendly and encouraging bunch, and theyā€™ve made me feel right at home. Iā€™ve made so many new friends, and also found out which of my family and friends share this love of cooking. And while itā€™s been great to have an organized place where all my recipes are recorded and I can keep track of my various kitchen experiments, Iā€™m just so happy you guys stop by and take the time to visit and read my ramblings! Comments from you are the icing on the cake!! You all really make the difference to me because letā€™s face itā€¦.a blog without readers is just a diary. No interacting or sharing of ideasā€¦and sharing of ideas sparks creativity!
Ā 
You may have noticed I came back from Food Blog Forum back in April inspired to do more with my site which led to the purchase of my own domain. Since then Iā€™ve gotten into a twice weekly posting pattern. I intend to keep that format, but Iā€™m going to try to start adding in a third post a week (and hopefully more!). Not every post will have a recipeā€¦.but most will be food related (like new food experiences at restaurants and special events or a tour of my kitchen). Donā€™t worryā€¦Iā€™ll still be sharing at least 1-2 recipes a week. Still lots of cooking going on around here! šŸ™‚

Iā€™d also love to share with you a couple of my new favorite social media sites (each in itā€™s own post), introduce you to some of my favorite food bloggers (feature a couple each month or once a weekā€¦maybe on Friday), and periodic wine recommendations. In addition I have some special posts Iā€™ve been working on behind the scenes (like Disney favorites, and local South Florida recommendations if you happen to travel to my area…as you can see below I’m blessed to live in a popular vacation area especially in the winter!).

As I try to transition into more frequent postings, some posts will be shorter. Hope you donā€™t mind. TwitterĀ  is helping me learn how to edit myself and tighten things up…..140 characters will do that to youĀ šŸ˜‰ If you know me in real life, Iā€™m sure thatā€™s giving you a laughā€¦.but overall another benefit to blogging is really deeming what is important to share and what gets cut.

Iā€™d also like to share some of my favorite products and ingredientsā€¦.like budget friendly finds at Whole Foods or Costco (what I buy and love), and some of my new foodie adventures at home (Iā€™m going to be learning how to make ice cream or sorbet this summer!) I may even get brave enough to make some video clips in the kitchenā€¦.now thatā€™s really out of my comfort zone!! Look out You Tube šŸ˜‰

SO questions for you guys………..

How does that sound? I need your input! Is there anything special youā€™d like to see here at Creative Kitchen? Iā€™d love to hear your awesome ideas!! And please, please tell me your thoughts on what Iā€™ve sharedā€¦.I want this to be a site you love as well!Ā 

*Are you aware of a couple easy ways to keep up with Creative Kitchen?

Over in the sidebar (off to the right), you can ā€œlikeā€ Creative Kitchen on Facebook and new posts and recipes will show up in your newsfeed, OR you can subscribe by email to get an email reminder with a link to the new post.

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Carmelized onion & cheese omelette

Posted on July 25, 2011 by Denise

Ahhhā€¦.life is GOOD! I canā€™t tell you how great it feels for my girl to be back home safe and sound from her mission trip, and have things get back to normal around here! Our two week vacation was amazing!! We had such a great time with our friends in coastal North Carolina, and in the next couple weeks Iā€™ll be sharing some pictures from our time there including a visit to an uninhabited island to see wild ponies! Yeah…it was that cool!!
Ā Ā 
This week weā€™re finally getting back into a groove here. You know how good that feels, right? I love that feeling when you get back from vacationā€¦.you unpack, get laundry done, get a few groceries in the house and usually I get into deep house cleaning mode. Though I managed some of this last week, it really threw me off to have my fridge out of commission (which delayed my grocery shopping until Wednesday), and to have my oldest daughter away from home. It was the strangest feeling not to be able to communicate at all with herā€¦that was the most bizarre part of the experience. So last week was kinda ā€œin limboā€ week!!

My daughter had an amazing week, and LOVED the experience. She wants to go back next year. Iā€™d love to be able to head out there and serve for a couple days, and ideally Iā€™d love to head out for the whole week. Iā€™ve never been on a mission trip, and this one is the perfect opportunity since itā€™s only an hour away. But Iā€™d have to be able to line up childcare during the day for my other 2 girls while hubby is at work. Next summer theyā€™ll be 9.5 and 4.5 so it just might be doable. Weā€™ll seeā€¦..

In other exciting news, weā€™re starting the bunk bed search so that we can do some major shuffling around the house. At age 12, itā€™s time for my oldest to get her own room, and my younger 2 girls (8 Ā½ and 3 Ā½) really want to share a room (thankfully!). They also want bunk beds. For those of you familiar with my house, the littles will be in the big room, and my oldest will move into the preschoolerā€™s room. As you can imagine my oldest is super excited, and Iā€™m excited to help her decorate and get all settled in her own space. Just need to find the right bunk beds at the right price to set these plans in motion. šŸ˜‰ Iā€™ll keep you posted.Ā Ā 
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Ā 
* Are there any major changes happening at your house that youā€™re excited about? Iā€™d love to hear all about them! Aside from the bunk bed happenings, I have some exciting changes in storeĀ for Creative Kitchen coming up in tomorrow’s post……
Ā 

so I hope you’ll check back tomorrow and chime in with your thoughts and ideas!!!
Ā 

Onto the foodā€¦..as you saw above Iā€™m sharing a carmelized onion & cheese omelette which is one of my new breakfast favorites. I know itā€™s simple and basic, but itā€™s really good. Iā€™m really new to the whole carmelizing onion thing so you might see them popping up all over the place. Iā€™ve been putting them in omelettes, salads and on top of flat bread pizzas. If youā€™re new to making omelettes you might enjoy my Mexican Omelette post.

“Facebook recommends” and “shares” are much appreciated! Thanks!!

5.0 from 2 reviews
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Carmelized onion & cheese omelette
Author: 
Recipe type: Breakfast, Low Carb, Easy
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 1
 
This cheesy carmelized onion omelette will really hit the spot!
Ingredients
  • 2 eggs, preferably pastured, free-range well beaten
  • ½ vidalia onion, sliced thin and carmelized
  • 2 oz. cheese of choice, I use mozzarella or mexican
  • dash of red pepper flakes, (optional)
Instructions
  1. To carmelize onions, slice vidalia onion in thin slices, and place in skillet set on low setting (2-3). Slowly cook while stirring periodically and adjusting temperature if needed. After 20-30 minutes onions will have reduced in size and will be mostly brown. Remove onions from pan and set aside.
  2. Butter skillet, and put setting on medium heat (5-6).
  3. Beat eggs and pour into skillet.
  4. Sprinkle onions onto eggs and then top with cheese and red pepper flakes (if using). After a couple minutes, fold eggs in half and continue cooking for another minute or so. *I usually grate cheese right onto the eggs (while skillet is pulled off of heat for a minute so it doesn't overcook).
Notes
*Prep time is shortened to the time it takes you to beat the eggs if you've previously carmelized onions and have them stored in fridge. Since that process takes awhile, lately I've been carmelizing an entire onion and use for 2 different mornings.

Ā 

This recipe linked up with Works for Me Wednesday, Real Food Wednesday, What’s on the Menu Wednesday, What’s Cooking Wednesday, What’s on Your Plate, What I ate Wednesday, Let’s Do Brunch, Women Living Well, Ā The Wednesday Window, Foodie Wednesday, Pennywise Platter, It’s a Keeper, Full Plate Thursday, Frugal Food Thursday, Delightfully Inspiring, Thrilling Thursday, Thursday’s Recipe Swap Meet, Simple Lives Thursday, Fight Back Friday, Fresh Food Friday, Friday Potluck, Finer Things Friday, Friday Favorites, Food Trip Friday & Foodie Friday, Monday Mania, Mouthwatering Mondays, Mangia Mondays, Melt in Your Mouth Monday, My Meatless Mondays, Made by You Monday, Hearth & Soul Hop, Tuesdays at the Table, Delectable Tuesday, Tempty my Tummy Tuesday, Totally Tasty Tuesdays, Tasty Tuesdays & Tasty Tuesday.

22 Comments

Zucchini……who knew?

Posted on July 23, 2011 by Denise

It’s been absolutely the most bizarre week of my life with my oldest daughter gone. I’ve been strong, stayed busy with my other two girls, but the “no communication” part has proved to be the hardest. I would say that by Wednesday night or Thursday….if I could have just heard her voice I’d have been set. They weren’t allowed to bring phones or contact us at all. We found out Wednesday there was an email address we could send an email to her…..don’t ask, hubby left that info card in the van when he dropped her off on Monday. When I took the girls to see the free summer movie “Despicable Me” Wednesday morning I discovered it. Alas….in 5 short hours we will be picking her up, and we are all SO excited to see her and hear all about her adventures on her first mission trip!

So zucchini. Where to start? It’s not a vegetable I’ve particularly disliked, but it’s nothing that really stood out in my life. I don’t have any nostalgic zucchini memories from childhood. I knew it was a prolific vegetable if you grew it in your garden, and that people (including my grandparents) have been over run with them at times. And when I thought of zucchini, I always thought of recipes that involved shredding it up into baked goods šŸ™‚Ā I’ll be honest…when I saw recipes that involved chunks of zucchini sticking out of a pasta dish of some sort I’d usually run the other way.

But if you’ve been hanging around here any time at all, you know how my taste buds have changed over the past year. Last year summer when I ate “raw” for a week (my mom’s a raw vegan), I not only got over my irrational fear of tomatoesĀ , but have fully embraced them. Tomatoes now have a permanent place on my Costco list. So it wasn’t totally a shock when I really, really LOVED this raw zucchini side dish at my friend Robin’s house this past June. I’ll have to get the exact recipe from her (possibly this one?), but it was sliced thinly, drizzled with good quality extra virgin olive oil and dabbed with ricotta cheese. I want to say dill was involved also.

You remember Robin…..she’s my friend….the one that totally pampered me and a few other homeschool moms back in May. She and her husband had hubby and I over for an amazing dinner in June. Her 3 and 4 course meals will spoil you and make it hard to ever even want to eat in a restaurant again…she puts so much thought, planning and care into an evening of entertaining. It really is her gift!

Then over our 4th of July Family ReunionĀ my cousins made amazing zucchini side dishes two different evenings, and that’s when I knew I was hooked! That a non-starchy vegetable could taste so satisfying and flavorful is beyond my comprehension. So I had questions for them…did you bake? Saute? Tell me everything!

So I’m sure my hubby thought it was strange when I requested zucchini and summer squash when he was at the store the other night. I’ve been pinning and stumbling various zucchini recipes to use at some point, but last night I got brave. I headed to the kitchen without a plan (fairly common). In a skillet with a bit of bacon grease, I sauteed up zucchini chunks with only sea salt and pepper. After a good 20 minutes on low, they were soft and browned a bit. I shredded some monterey jack cheese on top. And though I shouldn’t have been surprised at how amazing it tasted, I was! Don’t be surprised to see a few more zucchini recipes popping up on the site this summer.

(So I totally had a picture of this dish to add…and hopefully I can add it at a later date. I am beyond frustrated trying to get it off my DSLR camera this morning. Had this problem last time too. I think it’s the cord it’s connected with. I’m going to try buying a memory card reader and hope that solves the issue!)

5.0 from 1 reviews
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Sauteed Zucchini with Jack Cheese
Author: 
Recipe type: Side dish, Vegetable, Easy, Quick
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 1 - 2
 
Surprisingly easy way to enjoy your summer bounty of zucchini. Sauteed zucchini with jack cheese is such a satisfying and flavorful side dish.
Ingredients
  • 2 zucchini, peeled, sliced thin & quartered
  • Bacon grease or olive oil
  • ½ Tbsp butter
  • sea salt
  • pepper
  • 1 -2 oz. monterey jack cheese
Instructions
  1. Warm bacon grease or olive oil in skillet on medium heat.
  2. Place sliced and quartered zucchini in skillet, and saute for about 20 minutes. At times I used a lid to speed the softening process.
  3. While cooking add salt, pepper and butter.
  4. When zucchini is done, finely shred jack cheese over the top and let melt.
Notes
*omitting bacon grease would make this dish vegetarian

Ā 

* Do you have any favorite zucchini recipes to share? What about veggies you simply thought you didn’t like? I’d love to hear your stories!

~Over in the sidebar you may notice that I’ve changed a few things. One new item is the Babble badge. Clicking on it will take you straight to the site where you can VOTE for Creative Kitchen in the “Top 100 Food Mom Bloggers.” I would appreciate you taking a quick second and voting (even if you’ve done so in the past). Thanks so much!!

“Facebook Recommends” and “shares” below are much appreciated! Also, pinning or stumbling. Thanks!

Ā 

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