This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Avocados from Mexico for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I’m not a big football fan, much to my husbands sorrow. I try. I ask about the score. I will even sit on the couch for an entire game, only occasionally looking at my phone. Or reading a book. 

But, I love the Super Bowl. You know why? The food. It’s just another excuse for me to create some delicious party food to share with friends and family. Plus, it gives me a reason to pig out, without looking like a pig. It’s expected at a football party, right?

By far one of my favorite party foods is guacamole. Creamy, spicy and great on chips or pita wedges, spread on sandwiches or even served with veggies. It’s the one dish that you can almost guarantee will be gone by the end of the game.

You know what makes it even better? When it’s homemade. Nothing beats homemade guac. Especially when it’s made with Avocados from Mexico. 

With “The Big Game” just around the corner, Avocados from Mexico is hosting a great game day recipe contest: the Avocados from Mexico Guac Off Recipe Contest.

To enter, just pop over to the Avocados from Mexico on Facebook and check out the playbook:

First Down

Submit your favorite guacamole recipe using your most valuable player- Avocados from Mexico. Don’t forget to include one photo of the recipe. 

Second Down

The top 10 qualified players will be selected by Avocados from Mexico and posted on their Facebook page. 

Third Down

Grand prizes will be awarded to winners in the following three categories: Most Popular, Best Recipe and Most Creative. Avocados from Mexico will choose the Most Creative entry, Chef Roberto Santibañez will choose the Best Recipe and Most Popular will be chosen by the voters.

Touch Down!

Huddle your teammates together- friends, family and coworkers- to vote for your recipe and win the Most Popular category! 

What You Can Score

• Grand Prize (3)- iPad 2 and autographed cookbook signed by Celebrity Chef Roberto Santibañez 
• Runners Up (7)- A $200 grocery gift card and autographed cookbook signed by Celebrity Chef Roberto Santibañez
• Separate winners (10) will receive a $100 grocery gift card.

The recipe contest has already started, it runs from January 2-20th, so get those great recipes going, take a quick photo and go enter. 

Need some guac inspiration to get you going? How does Layered Guacamole and White Bean Dip sound? Or check out these Avocados from Mexico recipes.

Layered Guacamole and White Bean Dip

Guac Off for the Super Bowl is a post from: Alli 'n Son

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Carapelli for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Have you ever tasted really smooth, high quality dark chocolate? Felt the flavor fill your mouth and your entire body? Felt satisfied by it, and yet instantly craved more?

Have you ever gone back to the average milk chocolate and felt instantly disappointed?

It turns out that there are more foods than just chocolate where quality matters. I know, shocking, right?

Olive oil is one of those foods, I recently discovered. Much like tasting wine or coffee, there’s an art to tasting olive oil, called the Four S’s: swirl, sniff, slurp, and swallow. With the help of Carapelli Premium 100% Italian olive oil Hubs and I experimented a little to see if we could taste the difference between the olive oil we had at home and Carapelli olive oil.

I filled two small glass with about 1 tablespoon of each olive oil. We started out by swirling the olive oils, which releases the oil’s esters, the molecules that contain aroma.

Next, we sniffed each oil. Taking a deep breath we noted the fruitiness of each oil, which one had a stronger and pleasing aroma.

Then it as slurping time. We sipped the oils, taking in a bit of air, which emulsifies the oil. We noted how the oils tasted, which was more flavorful, fruity, peppery and smooth.

Finally, we swallowed, noting the flavor and any after taste.

So, what was the verdict? Did we notice a difference between the two oils? We did. The Caparpelli olive oil was much more flavorful, had a stronger, pleasant aroma, and had me dreaming of traveling to Italy and eating everything in site.

Olive oil, one of the finest things in life. 

You have the chance to try Carapelli olive oil, available in three varieties – Premium 100% Italian, Organic, and II Numerato – with this $1.00 OFF coupon at www.CarapelliUSA.com.

The Finest Things in Life is a post from: Alli 'n Son

It’s going to be a crazy week here. The little man will be baptized this coming weekend, which means we are hosting a family and godparents lunch after. There will be much baking and preparing this week, so we meal times will be simple and fast.

Here’s our menu for the week:

Meal Plan

• Spicy peanut noodle salad
• Homemade pizza on thin and crispy crust and homemade sauce
• Leftover pizza
• White chicken chili
• Lasagna from the freezer
• Smoked chicken BBQ sandwiches with baked sweet potato chips
• Turkey panini with cream cheese pesto, roasted red peppers, and provolone

This week I’m also making

• Hamburger buns
• Cupcakes
• Smoked pork shoulder

Proudly linked up with Menu Plan Monday at OrgJunkie.com

Weekly Menu Plan is a post from: Alli 'n Son

It’s Halloween! Well, kind of. We are trick or treating tonight and tomorrow night thanks to our cities funny Halloween schedule. Oh well, that just means more candy for me, errr, I mean the kiddo.

Here’s our menu for the week:

Meal Plan

• Fried rice with baked crab rangoon
• Homemade pizza on thin and crispy crust and homemade sauce
• Leftover pizza
• Cinnamon French toast
• Spinach and feta chicken burgers onions with chipotle smashed sweet potatoes
• Chicken enchilada soup
• Slow cooker turkey pumpkin chili

This week I’m also making

• Frozen Pumpkin Pie…recipe coming Friday
• Pretzel Rolos…part of the holiday recipe series starting soon

What are you eating this week?

Proudly linked up with Menu Plan Monday at OrgJunkie.com

Weekly Meal Plan is a post from: Alli 'n Son

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Sunkist Growers for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I love fruit, especially during the summer. It’s not uncommon to find not one, but two giant bowls filled with fruit in our fridge. Whatever fruit is in season, you can bet it will be found in those bowls. There’s just something so refreshing about fruit on a hot, humid summer afternoon. 

One of our family favorite fruits are oranges. For breakfast. For lunch. For an afternoon snack. You can toss them in your purse and have a quick and healthy snack on the run. Just don’t forget the napkins, these babies can be juicy. 

I learned something interesting about oranges while watching this Sunkist Valencia Oranges Re-greening Video. Sunkist Valencia Oranges can sometimes re-green, meaning that after a Valencia orange ripens, it can actually turn green again. Strange, I know. This happens when warm weather has caused the fruit’s skin to reabsorb chlorophyll, causing it to pick up a green tint. Even though it’s a little green on the outside, it’s still ripe and juicy on the inside. Green is Good with Sunkist Valencia Oranges!

One of the great things about Valencia oranges is that you can do so much more than just peel and eat them. Their recipe for a light summer appetizer would be so good sitting on the patio, enjoying the afternoon sun with friends and family. Mmmmmm, I can just about taste it. 

• 3 Sunkist® Valencia oranges, segmented and zested 
• 20 cherry tomatoes, halved 
• 1 lb. tub Bocconcini mozarella 
• ¼ cup Opal (purple) basil, shredded into small pieces 
• 20 whole wheat crackers 
• Salt to taste 
• ¼ cup fresh rosemary 
• ¼ cup fresh thyme 
• 1/8 cup fresh oregano 
• 1 ½ cups extra virgin olive oil 
• 1 Tbsp. black pepper

Instructions: (Makes 10 servings) 
Cut the Bocconcini into halves.

Zest the Valencia oranges using a micro plane or fine grater and set aside. To segment the oranges, cut off the top and bottom.

Lay the orange on a flat surface, using a paring knife remove the skin and white pith. Carefully cut and release each segment from between the membranes and set aside.

In a blender, add the olive oil, orange zest and fresh herbs. Pulse until blended, continue to blend on medium speed until the herbs and zest are finely chopped, add the pepper and pulse quickly. Pour into a jar or plastic container. Leftover oil can be kept refrigerated for up to one month and used as a marinade for fish, poultry or vegetables.

Toss the orange segments, cherry tomatoes, Bocconcini and basil lightly with ¾ cup of orange scented herb oil and season with salt.

To Serve: Top each cracker with the mixture and serve.

There are of course additional Sunkist citrus recipes to try. Almost too many to pick from!

Before you dig into that orange, here are just a few more tips for getting the most out of your Sunkist Valencia Oranges: 

• Fresh Valencia juice may be squeezed and refrigerated overnight. If tightly covered and immediately chilled, there is no loss of flavor or Vitamin C.
• Fresh juice packs nutritional power and great taste into all kinds of fruit smoothies. Start with 1/2 cup of juice and 1/2 cup of diced orange in a blender. Add a peeled banana, some frozen berries and 1/2 cup of yogurt. What a great way to start off the day.
• Valencia Oranges are especially good to eat when cut into “smiles.” Cut fruit in half crosswise; then cut 3 or 4 wedges from each half.
• Peeling Valencias is super easy: trim a thin slice from each end of the fruit, then set orange on one end. Cut away strips of peel from top to bottom, until all peel is removed 

Now go out and enjoy those Sunkist Valencia Oranges. Don’t forget that Green is Good!

I Heart Oranges…Even When They Are Green is a post from: Alli 'n Son

Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!

Hello world! is a post from: Alli 'n Son

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Pier 1 for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

It’s Spring. Never mind the still cold temps and the snow covering parts of our lawn. It’s here. It’s official. And I couldn’t be happier.

With thoughts of warmer temperatures and budding trees brings memories of sun-filled afternoons in the backyard and lazy evenings grilling, eating and just loving being outside. These days are short-lived, and before you know it, winter has returned. But lets not think about that now. Let’s think about Spring and entertaining. Pier 1 style.

Inviting friends and family over in the summer to hang out on the patio is one of my favorite things to do. I love to entertain in style, with affordable prices. Which is why I just adore Pier 1. I’ve been busy browsing through the web site, dreaming and drooling. Especially over this beauty:

Can’t you just see yourself relaxing in the sun, glass of lemonade in hand? Or perhaps the new Outdoor Swingasan Chair is more your style? I swear, I can feel the warmth on my face. It’s heavenly.

The bright colors of Pier 1′s Spring and Summer collection just screams warm weather. Sassy rugs, whimsical cushions and colorful outdoor bowls and servers are just a few of the ways to easily update your patio. Check out their Summer preview for more styles and bargains. Plus many of their outdoor furniture can be used indoor too. Summer doesn’t have to end with Pier 1.

Pier 1 is full of great decorating ideas, both indoor and outdoor. It’s the place I go to find the latest styles, like their ever evolving Papasan chair. It’s the place I go to dream, and to update and accessorize my living space.

Pier 1 is also hosting Pier 1 Tweetups in Atlanta, NYC, Dallas and Orlando. If you live in the area stop by to visit, and meet some of the areas bloggers and Tweeters.

Spring is in the Air is a post from: Alli 'n Son

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Hiltons of Branson. All opinions are 100% mine.

Recently Hubs and I sat down to discuss all of the things that need to be done or accomplished before baby number two arrives. The usual came up: deep clean the house, stock the freezer with quick meals, organize, organize, organize.

But I wanted to add something else to the list. Take a trip, just the two of us, because honestly it’s going to be a LONG time before we can get away again after the baby is born. Sure, it’s easy with one kid, but two? I see our weekend excursions quickly coming to an end.

With Valentine’s day looming, I can’t think of a better time to plan a getaway. Especially with such an awesome romance package offered by the Hilton Promenade at Branson Landing. In room sparkling cider (or wine if you aren’t expecting), an amazing Valentine’s Day Menu including a sinful chocolate dessert, and breakfast the next morning. Seriously, I can’t think of a better way to celebrate Valentine’s day with my wonderful husband.

Not to mention the option for a late check out time. Because if I’m going to have a weekend alone with Hubs and no kids, we’re going to sleep in as late as possible.

If you are looking for a quick getaway check out the Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel romance package. It just might be the thing you need to rekindle the romance with your loved one.

A Much Needed Getaway is a post from: Alli 'n Son

Currently I’m on my way home. Fat, happy and sad all at the same time. I love Seattle. Even the wet, dreary version of it. Any break from the snow-filled skies I see day-in and day-out is a relief. Until I return, tomorrow, I hope that you will enjoy this guest post by Nicole from In These Small Moments. She is perhaps the sweetest blogger ever. Seriously.

I am truly a product of the digital age. I text more often than call. I compose my grocery and to-do lists on my phone. Email is my primary means of communication and I tweet far more often than I should. I don’t write down directions when I prepare to drive someplace new, I use the GPS on my phone. Recipes are downloaded and printed, not handwritten and tucked into my recipe box.

It has been over a week since I have even picked up a pen, and much longer since I wrote my thoughts on paper.

The other day I received a letter in the mail. An actual letter. I can’t even remember the last time my mailbox contained a letter amidst the catalogs, magazines, and junk mail.

Nor can I even begin to express just how much joy that two-page letter brought me.

It was two pages long, written to me by my aunt. It had a greeting, a body, and a closing, just like the letters we were taught to construct in grade school.

In a moment, I was swept away, wrapped up in my aunt’s handwriting and the love in her words. Somehow, that letter felt so much more special than an email that she could have whipped off in an instant and sent to me for free. It would have been so easy for her to just write on my Facebook wall.

But, she collected a pen, rounded up sheets of paper, and sat and generously gave me her time and her love.

She wrote to me of a home renovation project, my cousin’s new baby, their first grandson, of hopes for a visit next summer.

I can tell you what she wrote without even looking at the letter. Emails flood my inbox, so many that I am often overwhelmed and I fail miserably to keep up. But that letter…that letter stopped time. I held it in my hands and there was something comforting in the knowledge that she had held it in hers, in her home on the opposite coast. From her home to mine.

I am so appreciative of those extra moments that it took for her to write a physical letter.

I plan to try to write one proper letter each month; I hope that I can make others feel as important as my aunt made me feel.

Such a simple thing, a letter.

Thank you, Aunt Peggy, for the lovely letter…you’re at the top of my list.

This post is proudly linked up to Mondays: Mouthwatering Mondays, Made By You Monday, Mingle Monday, The Girl Creative Tuesdays: Tuesdays and the Table, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, It's a Blog Party, Tip Junkie, Get Your Craft On Wednesdays: Show and Tell, Works for Me Wednesday, This Chick Cooks Thursdays: It's a Keeper Thursdays, Strut Your Stuff, Full Plate Thursdays, Chic & Crafty Party, Transformation Thursday Fridays: I'm Loving It, Foodie Friday, Simply Designing, Show and Tell Friday Saturdays: Sweets for a Saturday, Positively Splendid, Saturday Nite Special Sundays: Nifty Thrifty Sunday, Sundae Scoop Party

A Simple Thing is a post from: Alli 'n Son

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Boudreaux’s Butt Paste. All opinions are 100% mine.

Before my son was even born we were well stocked up on the essentials. Diapers {although we quickly learned we were no where near well stocked}. Wipes. Socks, which never stay on infant feet. Plush toys. And the all important diaper rash cream, which I swore we would never have to use since our kids butt would be squeaky clean.

My sister was a pediatric nurse at the time and came to our baby shower with armfuls of this stuff we had never heard of. Boudreaux’s Butt Paste. We thought the name was rather comical and figured it can’t be all that bad. Plus it does strike an uncanny resemblance to our own last name. Ahem.

Once our son arrived we oh so quickly learned that diaper cream isn’t something you need to use when you leave a wet diaper on a fresh newborn bottom for too long. You need it because those fresh newborn bottoms can’t handle being next to a wet diaper for longer than 3.25 seconds. Those first few weeks were a battle against diaper rash. Often times we lost.

I tried a few different brands of diaper cream, but honestly I went back to Boudreaux’s Butt Paste every time. Now that our supply has run low and I’m occasionally forced to purchase more {although those days are fewer now that he’s 99.9% potty trained} I always get Butt Paste. Honestly. It’s just thicker than the other brands that I’ve tried. It works like a charm.

When a relative or friend is expecting our gift almost always includes a tube of Boudreaux’s Butt Paste. And when we are blessed with baby number two, it will be the first thing we turn to, to sooth that tiny little bottom.

Boudreaux’s Butt Paste® was specifically formulated by a pharmacist with direction from a respected pediatrician to provide effective diaper rash care. It’s pediatrician recommended and has been featured on Oprah and many other shows. If you’d like to try it for free simply visit the Boudreaux’s Butt Paste web site to request a sample.

Butt Paste for those Baby Butts is a post from: Alli 'n Son