Mississippi Mud Cookies

At different times in our lives we have experiences that change us forever. In my case, finding a new cookie recipe that is ultimately awesome. And this recipe is just that! This is one of those recipes where you take a bite and then start crying because you're so happy you've created something so delicious and now have the ability to make them all the time. I feel the same way about S'more Bars but that's an entirely different yet delicious story.

I think we should just dig right into this recipe! (PS Every time I type out the word "Mississippi" I type it in the same rhythm as if I'm back in elementary school learning to spell it. I bet you're doing the same thing right now, am I right!)


Mississippi Mud Cookies
My Recipes
makes about 3 dozen cookies

• 1 c. semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 c. butter, softened
• 1 c. sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 1/2 c. flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 c. chopped pecans
• 1/2 c. milk chocolate chips
• 1 c. plus 2 Tbsp mini marshmallows

Directions

Microwave the semisweet chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl for 30 seconds. Stir, then microwave for 30 more seconds or until the chips are smooth when stirred.

Beat butter and sugar at medium speed with a hand mixer or stand mixer until creamy. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each one. Beat in the vanilla and melted chocolate.

In another bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add this mixture to the chocolate mixture and beat till well blended. Stir in the chopped pecans and 1/2 c. milk chocolate morsels.

Drop the dough by heaping tablespoonsful onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. (This is just for easy clean up. If you don't have parchment paper, bake the cookies on a baking stone or greased cookie sheet.) Press 3 mini marshmallows into each portion of the dough.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 - 12 minutes. Enjoy!!!

BLT Pasta Salad

Thank you to those of you who entered the I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! giveaway!
Who doesn't like free butter?

And the winner is...

momof2girls

Congratulations! An e-mail has been sent to you!

_ _ _ _ _

Wow, who else is having a super mild winter? It sure does make me wish spring and summer would get here faster! I have a funny feeling that we'll be getting pummeled with snow one of these days though. Either way, this pasta salad makes me happy and puts me in the mood for a good barbecue. It's far from picnic season, but that's not stopping me from making it right now! This is perfect for a spring/summer get-together and for all the BLT fans!

BLT Pasta Salad
The Cheese Pusher

• 3 c. corkscrew pasta
• 1/2 c. milk
• 10 slices of bacon
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp. thyme
• 1/3 c. mayo
• 3 Tbsp sour cream
• 3/4 c. grape tomatoes
• 1/2 c. arugula, packed
• 2 tsp. fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 Tbsp grated Parmesan
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Boil the pasta in salted water according to package directions. Drain and rinse, then pour into a large bowl. Stir in the milk and set aside.

Cook the bacon on medium heat until crispy. Remove from the heat, pat dry, and crumble. In a separate pan, bring 1 tsp. of bacon drippings to low heat. Add the garlic and thyme, allowing it to cook for no more than a minute. Pour the garlic and drippings into the bowl of pasta and mix. Stir in the sour cream and mayo until thoroughly incorporated.

Halve the grape tomatoes and add them, as well as the arugula, to the pasta. Gently toss to coat the vegetables. Mix in all but 1 tsp. of the bacon. Stir in the parsley, Parmesan, salt, and pepper. Garnish with the remaining bacon and additional parsley.

I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! Coupon Giveaway

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

It's time for the Oscars again! I can't believe they're already this Sunday. My twin sister loves the Oscars and can hardly wait. And you're invited to an exclusive online party before it begins! Toast to the Red Carpet – LIVE, I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter! is inviting you to an online red carpet viewing party, complete with insider access to the red carpet, an exclusive roundtable of Hollywood stars, and best picture-themed recipes for your own home viewing party. Carson Kressley, Brooke Burke, Molly Sims, and culinary expert Katie Lee will be featured. You'll see big stars, fabulous fashion, and Katie Lee will be sharing recipes that you can make for your own Oscars party! This party contains two of my favorite things: food and fashion. I'm set! It will be streaming live on the I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! Facebook page on February 26th from 3:00-4:30PST. Check out their Facebook page here:

Toast to the Red Carpet – LIVE, presented by I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter!

I love I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! I can use it for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, and everything in between! The website has several recipes created by Katie Lee that were inspired by the Oscar-nominated movies. This recipe for Unfried Chicken Skewers & Homemade Bbq Sauce is inspired by "The Help" (one of my new favorite movies) and would be great to munch on during an Oscar party!

Unfried Chicken Skewers & Homemade Bbq Sauce

Ingredients

KATIE'S HOMEMADE BBQ SAUCE - 1 Tbsp. I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!® Spread - 1 cup yellow onion, finely chopped - 2 cups ketchup - 3/4 cup reduced sodium chicken broth - 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar - 1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar - 1/4 cup molasses - 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce - 1 Tbsp. chili powder - 1 tsp. garlic powder - 1 tsp. smoked paprika - 1 tsp. dry mustard - 1 tsp. ground cumin - 1 tsp. ground coriander - 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper - CHICKEN SKEWERS - 6 Tbsp. I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!® Spread, divided - 1-1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips - 1/2 cup all-purpose flour - 2 eggs, lightly beaten - 1 cup seasoned panko bread crumbs

Instructions

For BBQ Sauce, melt 1 tablespoon I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!® Spread in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until tender, about 8 minutes. Stir in remaining ingredients for BBQ sauce and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes for flavors to develop.

For Chicken Skewers, preheat oven to 400°. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, then evenly brush with 2 tablespoon melted Spread. On 18 skewers*, thread chicken; dip into flour to coat. Dip into beaten egg, then bread crumbs to coat. Place on prepared baking sheets. Brush chicken skewers with remaining 1/4 cup melted Spread.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes until chicken is thoroughly cooked, about 8 to 10 minutes. Serve with BBQ Sauce.

*If using wooden skewers, soak in water at least 30 minutes prior to use.

WIN!:

Enter to win a coupon for a FREE tub of I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter! Leave a comment on this post telling me why you want to watch the Toast to the Red Carpet – LIVE online show on the I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter! Facebook page. Is it to see all the fabulous fashion? The beautiful stars? The food?

Enter by 11:59 pm MST on February 26th. I’ll be mailing the coupon directly to the winner. Who can say no to free butter?

The giveaway coupon is provided by I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter!

Crock Pot Honey Sesame Chicken

I love finding new recipes that are not only delicious to everyone in my family but also super simple to make! My crock pot and I are good buddies and I'm super thrilled every time I find a new recipe that involves it.

Sadly, not all crock pot recipes are good. But I'm happy to say that this one is SO awesomely delicious. It's quite a delight! And you can just throw everything in without looking back. No sauteing the chicken first or anything like that. Score!

Crock Pot Honey Sesame Chicken
Very Culinary
makes about 4 servings

• 1 1/2 lb. thawed chicken thighs or breasts
• salt and pepper
• 1 c. honey
• 1/2 c. soy sauce (I like to use low sodium.)
• 1/2 c. diced onion
• 1/4 c. ketchup
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil or olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 4 tsp. cornstarch dissolved in 6 Tbsp of water
• 1/2 Tbsp (or more) sesame seeds
• 3 scallions, chopped
  

Directions

1. Lightly season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper and put into the crock pot.
2. In a medium bowl, combine honey, soy sauce, onion, ketchup, oil, garlic, and pepper flakes. Pour over the chicken and cook on low for 4 hours.
   
3. Remove the chicken from the crock pot, leaving the sauce. Dissolve 4 tsp. of cornstarch in 6 Tbsp of water and pour right into the crock pot. Stir to combine with the sauce. Replace the lid and cook sauce on high for 10 more minutes or until slightly thickened.
4. Cut or shred the chicken into bite size pieces. Then in individual bowls or on plates, place the chicken pieces over cooked rice and spoon some sauce on top. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and chopped scallions.

Keep in mind, if you have a family of picky eaters or you are a picky eater yourself, you don't have to add ingredients like onion and scallions. However, you may want to sprinkle onion powder or something similar in with the sauce mixture to give it a little extra flavor.

"The Best Burger Recipe Ever" with Secret Sauce

I love a good burger. I love going out to eat at a good burger place and enjoying a big, juicy cheeseburger. My top 3 favorite burgers are from Bobby's Burger Palace, Hard Rock Cafe, and Five Guys. Mmmmm!

Tyson and I like to make hamburgers at home every now and then. We have a grill, but we haven't been able to use it since we've moved. It stayed in Idaho until we can find a house here in Utah. In the meantime we cook our hamburgers on the stove top. It works great, but we've never been able to make a really yummy hamburger at home. This recipe today could really be the best burger recipe ever! It is the best homemade burger I've ever made. The burger stays nice and moist because of the sauce and cheese mixed right in with the meat. And the secret sauce (which happens to be a copycat version of the In & Out secret sauce) is the icing on the cake. Or in this case, the sauce on the bun. It's delicious!!

The Best Burger Recipe Ever
Little Miss Momma

Burger Ingredients

• 1 lb. ground beef (85/15 - A little bit of fat makes the burger nice and juicy!)
• sesame seed or your favorite hamburger buns
• 1/2 c. grated Monterrey jack cheese
• 1/4 c. bbq sauce
• season salt to taste
• cracked black pepper
• onion powder

Secret Sauce Ingredients

• 3/4 c. mayo
• 1/4 c. ketchup
• 1/4 c. relish
• 2 Tbsp. worcestershire
• seasoned salt

Directions

1. Combine the ground beef, grated cheese, BBQ sauce, and seasonings. Shape the patties to be about 1 inch thick and the size of your liking. Remember that the patties will shrink when they're cooked so make them big enough. Then push a 1/2-inch indent in the center of each patty. This prevents the patty from doming in the middle.
2. Heat up a saute pan, griddle, or a stove top grill. Let it get nice and hot, then reduce the heat to medium and apply a thin layer of butter to the pan or grill. .
3. Place the patties indent side up on the pan or grill and allow that side of the patty to cook thoroughly for about 4-6 minutes, making sure it doesn't burn. Flip the burgers over and cook until done. We like our burgers medium well (with a tiny bit of pink) but you can cook yours however you desire.
4. For the sauce, combine all ingredients and whisk until well mixed. Taste and adjust the ingredients to what you like.
   
5. If desired, butter and toast the buns on a skillet. Assemble the burgers and top with your favorite toppings. I like lettuce, tomato, and pickle! Enjoy!!
   

Loaded Baked Potato Dip

image via southernliving.com

Did you all enjoy your Valentine's Day? I hope so! I stayed in with my boys and some Five Guys, and we had a great time!

One of the funny things about being pregnant is all of the random food cravings. Tacos, fruity candy, steak, chips and dip...In this case, Loaded Baked Potato Dip. Thank goodness this is an easy and quick recipe because I was quite impatient making this! It satisfied my craving big time. It was glorious. I did quarter this so I wouldn't end up eating 4 cups of dip. I would have eaten it all too! This would make a great dip for a party.

Loaded Baked Potato Dip
Brown Eyed Baker
makes 4 cups

• 10 oz sour cream
• 16 slices (one 12-ounce package) of bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 8 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1/3 c. thinly sliced scallions or chives

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and refrigerate for at least one hour before serving to allow the flavors to mix together. Garnish with extra cheese, crumbled bacon, and chives. Serve with potato chips. The dip can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a week. Enjoy!

And don't forget to enter the MyMemories digital scrapbooking software giveaway going on now! Click here to enter!

Fun Valentine's Day Drinks and a Giveaway!

This weekend Tyson and I were talking about the overload of treats I've been making. It's been a little excessive, I must admit. What can I say? I love chocolate! Then we started talking about a yummy Valentine's Day drink we could make this weekend. I did some searching and found a few ideas we could try that look ridiculously delicious:

Sparkling Pomegranate Mocktail (and cocktail) @ Hostess with the Mostess

Red Velvet Cheesecake Milkshakes @ The Novice Chef

Love Potion Floats @ Sweet Cheeks Tasty Treats

And after all was said and done we ended up making...

...strawberry milk. And it was delicious! Can't beat the deliciousness that is strawberry milk. We plan on making one of the other drinks on Tuesday night to help celebrate Valentine's Day!
(Aren't those heart cupcakes just the cutest? They're super easy to make, too! Learn how to make them over at Glorious Treats.)

_______________________________

And now...
it's giveaway time! It's been way too long since I've done a giveaway.

If you're a digital scrapbooker or a classic scrapbooker looking to go digital, this is for you!

MyMemories Suite is a digital scrapbooking software that helps you make fun and creative projects to keep and share all of those memories. This software is easy to use and will help you build your scrapbook with ease using one of the installed templates or by building something of your own. The program comes with all kinds of paper and embellishments, but you can also download your own kits at the My Memories Store. And the software works on PC or Mac so no worries there!

With Valentine's Day coming up you can find the perfect Valentine's Day kit for your scrapbook. Here are a couple of super cute kit examples:

images via MyMemories

Recently I became the owner of my very own MyMemories Digital Scrapbooking Suite software and I just LOVE it. I had to share the love by giving one away. There are so many ways to save your memories with this software you'll wonder how you've been living without it. With this software you're on your way to building a fabulously cute scrapbook!

Win It: One lucky Cupcake Diaries reader will win the MyMemories Suite Digital Scrapbooking Software, valued at $40. Giveaway ends Thursday night, February 16th, at midnight (MST). A winner will be chosen via random.org and announced Friday, February 17th.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Twix Brownies

There seems to be a theme going on this week. Anything new coming out of my kitchen has been desserts! We've had plenty of reasons to make all sorts of treats, and it's been so much fun trying so many new goodies.

My parents and twin sister came to town and stayed with us this last weekend. It was a blast and a half and we just loved having them here. We always have a great time when our family members come to stay with us. My dad celebrated his birthday last Thursday so on Friday night we decided to go out for birthday dinner at Bajio then come back to our place for dessert. I wanted to try something new so I went with these Twix Brownies. They are heaven in a bowl, let me tell you. The caramel makes them so gooey, and if you let them cool long enough the Twix bar chunks get crunchy again. But I doubt you'll be able to wait that long! These things are amazing and a great way to jazz up a brownie!

I found this idea through Pinterest over at Two Peas & Their Pod. I adapted the idea and used my own brownie recipe instead of the one with the original recipe. This is my go-to brownie recipe and it worked perfectly with the Twix bars and caramel. This recipe makes the brownies and little more cakey.

Above image via Love Your Mother Earth.

Twix Brownies

• 2 c. sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 c. butter
• 6 Tbsp cocoa
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 2 c. flour
• 3-4 Twix bars (We're talking 3-4 convenient store packs, using both bars in each pack.)
• 1/3 c. (ish) of caramel ice cream topping

(I was making these with my 22-month-old son and didn't remember to take pictures till the brownie batter was finished. I looked at the bowl of battery goodness when it hit me and I said aloud, "Oh!" That explains why there are only two pictures!)

Directions

1. Cut the Twix bars into small chunks and set aside. Cream the butter and the sugar together with a hand mixer or in a stand mixer. Add the eggs, cocoa and vanilla. Slowly add the flour so it doesn't go everywhere.

2. Pour the Twix chunks into the brownie batter and stir in with a spoon or spatula. This is where it gets REALLY tempting to taste test.

3. Pour the batter in a greased 9x13 pan. Drizzle the caramel topping evenly over the batter. Go ahead and put as much as you want on there. After the caramel drizzle, take a toothpick and swirl the caramel around.

4. Bake for 35 minutes at 350 degrees. Serve by themselves or with vanilla ice cream slathered in more caramel. We did the last one.

Cake Batter Blondies

Last night for family home evening I wanted to make a treat, but I didn't want to make something that I usually make. I went over to faithful Pinterest and scrolled through the many treats on my Bars and Brownies board. I ran into these beauties and kept my fingers crossed that I had all of the ingredients for them. Sure enough I did! All 5 ingredients. It was exciting, I have to admit. I love it when I don't have to go to the store for ingredients and they're all just happily sitting in my pantry.

These blondies were really simple to make and the boys loved them. They would make a great birthday dessert, as well as a yummy Valentine's Day treat with Valentine's sprinkles. You could really turn these guys into any kind of holiday bar with the sprinkles. However, the sprinkles are optional and you don't have to put them on. I almost didn't, but the colors were fun and Brycen loved it. Fun dessert!

Cake Batter Blondies
recipe and above image via Two Twenty One

• 1 yellow cake mix
• 1 egg
• 1/4 c. oil, vegetable or canola
• 1/2 c. milk
• 3/4 c. white chocolate chips
• 1 - 2 Tbsp sprinkles (optional)

Directions

Combine cake mix, egg, and oil in a mixing bowl.

Slowly add the milk to the mixture. You'll want to start using a spoon here so the batter doesn't get too thin. You want it to remain as dense as possible, adding the milk a little at a time.

Finally, mix in all of those lovely chocolate chips.

Spread the batter into a greased 9x9 baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees or until the edges begin to turn brown. (In my oven 25 minutes was plenty!) Add the sprinkles (if desired) while the bars are still hot.

Meltaway Cookies

Happy Super Bowl Sunday! I have a feeling that a lot of you will be partying your hearts out today. I was at Walmart yesterday (big mistake) and it took a few minutes to realize why there were so many people there. When I saw all of the carts full of deli meats and cheeses, meatballs, and jalapeno poppers I put two and two together. And all I needed was milk and a loaf of bread, for crying out loud. That was a long but very entertaining trip.

Let's talk about these Meltaway Cookies. They are ridiculously easy to make and literally melt in your mouth when you eat them. They're so soft and yummy. These cookies are a great go-to recipe for a quick and awesome cookie!

Meltaway Cookies
image and recipe from Things That Make You Say "Mmmmm"!

• 1 c. butter (2 sticks), softened
• 3/4 c. cornstarch
• 1/2 c. powdered sugar
• 1 c. flour

Directions

Mix all ingredients together well and roll into small balls. Press flat with the bottom of a glass. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Frost when cooled.

Frosting Recipe

• 3 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 c. powdered sugar
• food coloring (optional)

Combine all ingredients and spread over cooled cookies.

Glade® Expressions™ - The Welcoming Scent of Home and My Lifesaver

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

Remember a week or so ago when I told that story about my horribly smelly apartment and the food smells coming through my bathroom vents? My husband had to go to the store and buy an odor neutralizer of some kind. He ended up buying Glade® Expressions™ Fragrance Mist (Cotton & Italian Mandarin scent) and it saved us. It worked so well, it was awesome! And it smelled SO good. He ended up going back to Walmart this week to get a backup bottle.

new Glade® Expressions™ fragrance mist

Glade® Expressions™ Fragrance Mist has long-lasting, true-to-life fragrances that open your home and invite life in. Each bottle is artfully designed and pretty enough to fit any décor, making it a convenient and stylish home-fragrancing option that you can leave out. It has squeeze-to-spray activation for easy and comfortable spraying. And they're even refillable with your favorite Glade® Expressions™ fragrance.

Not really into the fragrance mists? Glade® Expressions™ also has oil diffusers. Just like the fragrance mist, the oil diffusers are long-lasting and smell great. The fragrances last 30 days and don't require electricity. That's one of my favorite parts! I love that I don't have to sacrifice an outlet plug-in. The no-spill design fits with any décor in your home. So it looks good, too!

new Glade® Expressions™ oil diffuser

What fragrance options are there, you ask? Let me tell you!

Pineapple & Mangosteen

Cotton & Italian Mandarin (only available in Fragrance Mist form)

Fuji Apple & Cardamom

Spice Lavender & Juniper Berry

With both Glade® Expressions™ options there is fragrance satisfaction guaranteed or your money back. Mail the original UPC and purchase receipt within 30 days (fill out form located here if you're unsatisfied).

Purchase these new Glade® products at Walmart to take advantage of their everyday low price. Enjoy a coupon for $1.50 off available at new Glade® Expressions™.

You're going to love Glade® Expressions™!

Crispy Southwest Chicken Wraps

I was on Pinterest a week or so ago when I was going through a mad taco craving. Everything I was pinning had to do with tacos or some form of Mexican food. I came across this recipe for Crispy Southwest Chicken Wraps and my mouth started to water. I knew then that this recipe was meant for me and we needed to have them for dinner. I've made them twice in the last two weeks. And we've had leftovers each time so that's saying something! These wraps are ready in a snap and I love the crunch. The flavor tastes like something straight out of a restaurant. And they're pretty friendly for all of us counting calories these days. Even better!

Because I'm a genius and forgot to take an "after" picture, the above image is found here. {Thanks!!}

Crispy Southwest Chicken Wraps
Mel's Kitchen Cafe

• 1 c. cooked rice, warm or at room temperature
• 1 c. cooked chicken, shredded
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 green onion, finely sliced
• 1/2 red or green pepper, diced
  
• 1/4 c. fresh cilantro, chopped
• juice of 1 lime
• 1/2 Tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. garlic salt
• 2 c. shredded cheese (I used a Monterrey/cheddar blend but Mexican blend is a good one for these too.)
• sour cream (optional)
  

**I decided not to put the pepper in this dish so everyone was happy. For those who wanted it, I added tomatoes or salsa when building each individual wrap instead. It worked out great and everyone was indeed happy!

**And one more side note. The original recipe calls for burrito size tortillas and it will make 6 wraps with those. I bought medium sized tortillas and we've been able to make about 10 wraps with them. And they're still nice and filling.

Directions

Begin by mixing the rice with the chili powder, cumin, and garlic salt.

Then add everything else, minus the cheese and sour cream.

Place a tortilla on a plate and sprinkle cheese over it, leaving about 1/2 inch to an inch of space around the edges.

Dot the tortilla with sour cream down the center and spread it around with a knife or back of a spoon. This part is optional, but it makes the insides all sorts of creamy and delicious. Feel free to leave this part out if you're not a fan of sour cream.

Roll the stuffed tortilla up, leaving the edges open. Then spray it all over with cooking spray. Carefully place it in a hot skillet (heated at medium to medium low heat) with the seam side down. If you can fit two wraps in your pan go ahead and put another one in there too. Make sure the skillet isn't too hot or it will crisp the wrap up too quickly without heating the middle. You want the wrap to slowly heat up so the cheese melts and everything gets gooey inside. After a couple of minutes, carefully check the bottom to see that it is a nice golden brown. Then turn it over to crisp up the other side. Transfer to a plate and serve. Repeat with the remaining wraps.

Bulbs. Dig, Drop, Done.

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Bulbs. Dig, Drop, Done. for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I don't know about you, but I love getting out of the house, away from all of the daily tasks (cooking, cleaning, homework, etc.), and planting flowers in my flower garden. The excitement all of watching all of the colors appear is such a thrill.

I especially love planting bulbs. It's so easy to do, and I always get fantastic flowers the very next season with hardly any work. I loved being able to plant bulbs every season when we lived in our house. Tulips, dahlias, calla lilies...We had all kinds of flowers popping up from bulbs and I just loved it.

Spring is going to be here before we know it, which means it's almost time to plant the bulbs for the summer. As a beginning planter, I thought last year how helpful it would be to have some kind of resource to guide me through the planting process. What kind of bulbs can I buy for my lighting? What time of year should I plant them? How do I best take care of them?

DipDropDone.com has all of the answers. And what a fun website! It's so easy to have all of these questions and more answered. I began going over this website by learning about what a bulb actually is. Quite interesting. And there is an entire section to help me pick out what bulbs I want to plant and what time of year to plant them. It also tells me where I can plant them so I'll get the best results. It's so awesome! If you're a bulb planter, you should definitely check out this website. visit www.digdropdone.com to learn more

I love the videos of the three ladies. (If you visit the site you'll know what I mean.) Watch them, these women are a riot! I found myself most relating with Marcy the Super Mom, as she's standing there decorating her cupcakes discussing her son's science project. That has me written all over it! I loved her idea of color coding some of her flowers to match her kids' favorite colors. This gets the kids involved and excited about the gardening as well. I love it!

Seeing as how we recently moved into an apartment, I have been a little bummed that I won't be able to have a flower garden. On DigDropDone.com there is an entire section about bulb inspiration and different ways to plant them. I loved the idea of planting bulbs in rain boots and placing them outside on the patio. That would be perfect for our location and look so cute.

And to top it all off, for every share on Twitter, "Bulbs. Dig, Drop, Done." will donate $1.00 to Rebuilding Together - the nation’s leading nonprofit, working to preserve affordable homeownership and revitalize communities. Too awesome!

In addition to all of the great tips and information on bulb planting, the "Bulbs. Dig, Drop, Done." is having an awesome contest. They're giving away a $5,000 yard makeover to one lucky winner. Doesn't that sound amazing? All you need to do is submit a photo of your yard at Curbside Chaos.com.

Curbside Chaos

The lucky winner will not only receive a $5,000 yard makeover, but they will also receive a visit from Taniya Nayak (@TaniyaNayak on Twitter). Taniya will go through and give you tips on the best way to update your yard. Wouldn't that be awesome? She will give you creative ideas for incorporating flower bulbs into your landscape.

While you're there, be sure to try out the Garden Guru Tool located in the bottom left of the screen. This tool will help you figure out which bulb is perfect for your home depending upon where you live.

Here's how to use the tool:

Step 1 – Pick your Country
Step 2 – Pick your location within that Country
Step 3 – Choose the type of bulb you want to grow
Step 4 – Check out the Planting Guide that shows you how to plant your bulbs.

And just like that you have a quick guide on what to do with your favorite bulbs where you live. This is what my Planting Guide looks like if I want to plant daffodil bulbs to bloom this May:

I love that bulbs aren't just for gardeners and that someone like me can easily plant a beautiful garden. Bulbs are extremely simple plants that can be used in a surprising number of ways. Bulbs can be used in anything from interior and exterior design, to creative gift giving and decoration, to entertaining activities for children and families.

Head over and visit "Bulbs. Dig, Drop, Done." for your bulb planting this year. You will love all of the information and ease of the website to ensure you're getting the most out of your flower garden this year. I'm so excited to get planting!