Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party #158

Welcome to another fun Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party!
Please share your recipes, crafts and DIY projects with our friends!
Before we get started let’s say, “Congratulations” to last week’s winners!

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You can find the links to our Host Favorite Picks here at Daily Dish Magazine!
host 730

click for fun ideas

Posted in What's For Dinner? | 1 Comment

Be Bee Friendly #BeeBold It’s Easy! #ad

Bee's Delight
“This post was created as part of the Friends of the Earth #BeeBold Campaign in which I am a financially compensated blogger. The opinions are my own and based on my own experience.”

Pollinators come in all shapes and sizes.

pollinators
There is one thing they all have in common. We need their services to survive.

beebold honybee collage bee friendly

It’s our turn to return the favor. Pollinators need our help. Be bee friendly.

A study by Friends of the Earth and Pesticide Research Institute found 36 out of 71 “bee friendly” garden plants – 51% — contained neonic pesticides that are harmful to bees, with no warning to gardeners.

Watch the video below.

Like fruit? Thank a bee!

Up to 80 percent of flowers depend on pollinators like bees.

Create a bee safe zone. Being Bee Friendly is easy!

beebold safe zone

  • Plant native plants and untreated seeds. Local bees recognize and use the pollen.
  • Mix annuals, perennials and herbaceous woody perennials in your garden to provide the most availability to flowers for bees.
  • Plant a diverse range of flowers to attract many different bee species.
  • Provide a water source with rocks for bees and butterflies to perch upon.
  • bee water

  • Avoid the use of pesticides. Try alternative methods such as hand picking, attracting beneficial insects and eco-friendly insecticidal soaps and oils.
  • Erect a bee house. Houses like this one consist of tubes that mimic holes in fallen trees. These secluded spots are where native bees nest. In a bee house, bees lay eggs in the tubes. Each egg is sealed separately in the tube to develop into larvae.
  • beebold bee house

  • Learn to accept some weeds in your lawn. Ditch the chemicals. This honeybee is enjoying clover in my front yard.

beebold honeybee

Kids are fascinated by bees! I love the demo we did when I was a Master Gardener with a local beekeeper. I encourage you to visit an apiary in your area.

bee program

Bees have #ad The Biggest Job on Earth . Let’s show them our appreciation!

Learn more how you can help at Friends of the Earth .

(hummingbird photo courtesy of Flikr.com https://flic.kr/p/aqu7dd )

“This post was created as part of the Friends of the Earth #BeeBold Campaign in which I am a financially compensated blogger. The opinions are my own and based on my own experience.”

Posted in What's For Dinner? | 3 Comments

15 Slow-Cooker Hacks plus Cleaning Tips

Summertime and outdoor fun go hand in hand. So why would you want to be stuck in a hot, steamy kitchen?
Make no-fuss meals year-round with your slow-cooker. This handy appliances save time in summer too!
Here are some great tips and hacks courtesy of Parts Select and their partners!


Source: PartSelect.com

Disclaimer: I received no compensation for this article or social shares associated with this post. I was under no obligation to print or distribute this material. All comments and opinions are my own.

Posted in crock pot, slow cooker, snacks, soup, What's For Dinner? | Tagged , | Comments Off on 15 Slow-Cooker Hacks plus Cleaning Tips

2015 Food and Wine Conference Recap #FWCON Food, Friends, Fun! #ad

rosen hotel

This post is part of my coverage as an Ambassador for the Food and Wine Conference. I was compensated for being an Ambassador. All opinions are my own.

How did you spend your summer vacation when it comes to food? Were you tourist, purist or homemade surest?

I was fortunate enough to attend The 2015 Food and Wine Conference in Orlando, held from July 17-19 at the beautiful Rosen Shingle Creek Hotel and Conference Center .

food and wine 2015 banner

choc shoe
This fabulous chocolate shoe was Rosen’s way of saying welcome. I felt like Cinderella when I saw it!
This was my third Food and Wine Conference. Each year gets better!

We kicked off the conference with a visit from David Martin and Good Day Orlando!
statue
food good day orlando

Friday night was all about meeting, greeting, relaxing and having fun!
Dixie Crystals showed us how to make sugar scrubs! You would not believe how good the room smelled! Relaxing scents of rosemary and lemon, orange and vanilla and chocolate mint. If that wasn’t relaxing enough there were chair massage available!
sugar scrubs
sugar scrubs
More chocolate? Of course! What goes great with chocolate? How about a strawberry shortcake cocktail courtesy of The Florida Strawberry Growers Association! and St. Augustine Distillery .
chocolates
strawberry cocktail
jammer and isabel
Then it time for a Taste of Rosen Shingle Creek!
I wanted to try a bite of everything!
taste of rosen
rosen sushi
Saturday morning came very quickly.
Inspiring Keynote speeches from Monica Bhide and Andrew Wilder.
monica andrew
I was ready to learn how to improve my blog and business through lectures and sessions on topics such as social media, budgeting time, photography, publishing, SEO, WordPress and more.
We had delicious breaks with Cabot Cheese and Pacari chocolate.
cabot cow and me cabot samples pacari chocolate
More sessions and then time for lunch!
I got to try my first Poutine Bar courtesy of Idaho Potato , Wisconsin Cheese and Fields Auto Group photo booth.
cinn poutine fields photo props
krayl tr me fields
More sessions with our sponsors on working with brands, travel blogging and more.
Georgia Peaches showered us with delicious smoothies and peaches! Parkesdale Market brought those delicious strawberry cookies I love!
ga peaches 1

Class was done for the day, time for fun, game show style!
The Price is Right hosted by Michele the Saucy Queen herself!
And a nice surprise from GiGi’s Cupcakes!
gigi cake
Our sponsors this year were the best! What’s so great about the Food and Wine Conference Sponsors? Their knowledgeable representatives are real people who are eager to help you understand their products. They’re not afraid to join in the fun!

The sponsors also make sure we have fun!
Dixie Crystals sponsored our dessert contest for the third year in a row, sugar scrubs, Saturday after dinner desserts and swag!
Fields Autp Group provided a BMW for our photo fun, Sunday shuttle service to Rosen College and prizes for our Price is Right Game!
price is right 1
price is right 2
Of course there was unforgettable food…
…and wine.
Saturday’s dinner was incredible! Certified Angus Beef and Premier Beverage with the Hess Collection outdone themselves!
dinner salad
dinner
Dinner is also time for announcing the contest winners! I was lucky to be the runner up for Certified Angus Beef contest! I’ll receive a steak package and I was featured on GoRare.com! Look at this gorgeous grill set!
grill set
Then we got to do Karaoke Idaho Potato Style! So much fun!

Sunday sessions and lunch were held at Rosen Shingle Creek College of Hospitality .
The day was filled with breakout workshops and food demonstrations.
Sponsors tables lined the walls. This great set up allowed us to walk up and ask questions, introduce our blogs and learn more about their products and services.
I was proud to be a Food and Wine Conference Ambassador for The Beef Checkoff. Karli Millspaugh and Erin Weber gave us a very informative talk on today’s beef and nutrition.
beef presentation
beef slide 1
beef slide 2

Chef Michael Ollier showed us tips for buying and cooking Certified Angus Beef.
chef michael

Sara O’Donnell and Jeff Houck showed us potatoes can be so much more than a side dish. How about potato candy?
jeff and sara
fwcon potato candy
Lunch was a fabulous chicken salad sponsored by Out of the Weeds featuring their carrot ginger dressing!
carrot ginger
chicken out of weed salad
Hess Collection Wine and Cabot Cheese pairing rocked the house!
cabot cheese coring
We also had a delicious ice cream break from Florida Dairy!
florida dairy
florida dairy
After more session it was time to say goodbye! I hope you enjoyed my recap and maybe we will meet next year at the 2016 Food and Wine Conference!

Posted in #Fwcon, What's For Dinner? | Tagged | 17 Comments