Scholastic Children’s Dictionary Back-To-School Blog Tour

School in our area does not resume until the end of August, but I know that, in many parts of the country, school has been back in session for awhile now. It can be tough getting back into the routine of earlier bedtimes and fitting in homework before or after dinner. Sometimes having several quick easy recipes can come in handy and can also break up the monotony of a predictable menu. There are also some easy meals that can be prepared ahead of time.

Recipe: Race Car Wheels Pasta Salad

INGREDIENTS:

1lb box of Barilla Piccolini Mini Wheels Pasta

1 pint grape tomatoes

1 cup diced celery

16oz Ken's Lite Creamy Parmesan with Cracked Peppercorn Dressing

1lb cooked sliced bacon (crumbled or chopped)

Step 1. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Rinse cooked pasta in colander under cold water and drain completely.

Step 2. Wash and dry grape tomatoes.

Step 3. Wash and dice celery. (The finer the celery is diced, the more kid-friendly this pasta salad will be.)

Step 4. In a large salad or mixing bowl, combine the cooked pasta, grape tomatoes, and diced celery and toss in approximately 1/2 to 2/3 of the bottle of creamy dressing. (Remember you can always add more if it is not enough.)

Step 5. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for two hours, if possible.

Step 6. If you are not using pre-cooked bacon, cook the sliced bacon and allow to cool to room temperature.

Step 7. Chop or crumble the cooked bacon and toss into pasta salad right before serving.

This recipe yields approximately 6 adult meal-size portions. Serve with freshly baked or store-bought French bread. We used Pillsbury Refrigerated Crusty French Loaf. You can also serve this pasta salad as a side for something easy, such as chicken nuggets or hot dogs.

More Easy School-Night Recipes:

Basic Tomato Sauce on Pasta

Popcorn Shrimp & Spinach Pasta

Chicken & Rice Slow Cooker Soup

Easy Beef and Egg Noodles

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"With exciting features, accessible definitions and helpful illustrations and photographs throughout, the new Scholastic Children’s Dictionary is the essential resource that belongs in every home, classroom and library.

The 2010 edition of the Scholastic Children’s Dictionary features more than 1,000 full-color photographs, simple sentences, illustrations, and diagrams as well as newly commissioned maps of the world, the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Central America. There are hundreds of new and expanded entries written by a prominent lexicographer as well as thousands of additional sample sentences to illustrate word usage. The dictionary also includes guides on grammar, punctuation and idioms and simplified pronunciations created with real kids in mind! The new Scholastic Children’s Dictionary is an essential resource that belongs in every home, classroom, and library."

Thank you for stopping by my site! I hope you have been enjoying the Scholastic Children’s Dictionary Back-To-School Blog Tour. Be sure to check out Mom Knows It All’s Back-To-School post on Friday August 20th. The final stop on the Back-To-School Blog Tour!

Through August 29th, you can receive a Free Scholastic Children's Dictionary with a qualifying order totaling more than $50 from The Scholastic Store when you use Code: SSBTS at checkout. You can also receive Free UPS Ground Shipping on orders of $25 or more.

I was compensated and received a Scholastic Children's Dictionary as a thank you for participating in this blog tour.

What you can win:
One lucky reader will receive a $100 Visa gift card to try out some new easy recipes AND a hardcover 2010 Edition of the Scholastic Children's Dictionary.

Limitations:

This giveaway is open to U.S. entries only. You do not need to be a blogger to enter, but you must have a valid email address and be age 18 years or older. If you enter anonymously and do not include a valid email address in your comment entries, I will not be able to notify you should you win this random drawing.

How to Gain Entries:

Leave a comment telling me what your favorite "easy recipe" to make is. You MUST do this to be eligible to win this contest.

Extra Entries:

1) For 5 extra entries, leave a relevant comment on one of my non-giveaway posts. Then leave FIVE separate comments with the name of the post on which you commented. You will earn 5 extra entries for each different non-contest post you comment on.

2)

For 5 extra entries, enter one of my other contests. Leave FIVE separate comments here telling me which contest you entered. You will earn 5 extra entries for each contest you enter.

3) For 10 extra entries, blog about this contest linking back to this post AND Scholastic Children's Dictionary. Then come back here and leave TEN separate comments with the link to your blog post.

4)

For 1 extra entry each, if you are a Friend of mine on Facebook and/or if you have "liked" the 3 Garnets & 2 Sapphires Facebook page, then leave a separate comment here telling me so with the link to your Facebook profile.

5) For 1 extra entry each, follow Scholastic Store on Twitter and/or "Like" Scholastic Book Clubs on Facebook. Then leave a separate comment for each with the link to your Twitter or Facebook profile.

6)

Follow me on Twitter. Then leave a separate comment with the link to your Twitter profile.

7)

Tweet about this giveaway linking back to this post. Then come back here and leave the link to your tweet in a separate comment. You may do this once per day until the end of the contest.

8)

Subscribe to this blog's feed. Or you can follow me through Blogger or subscribe via email (widget is on sidebar). Then leave a separate comment telling me you did so.

9)

Subscribe to A Blog of Goodies' feed (the sister site to 3 Garnets & 2 Sapphires). Then leave a separate comment telling me you did so.

10)

Add my button or blog link to your blog's sidebar. Then leave a separate comment with the link to your blog.

<br /> <a href="http://www.3garnets2sapphires.com/"><img border="0" src="http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd206/Busymonkeez/Graphics4Me/NEWBlogButton125x125.jpg" /></a><br /><br />

(All entries will be verified prior to awarding this prize.)


Random Drawing:

This contest will be closed on Monday, September 13th, 2010 at 11:59pm EST. A random number drawing will be held shortly after. The winner will be announced here and will be contact via email or through their blog. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, a new number will be drawn.

Good luck in the drawing!

Announcement: Scholastic Children’s Dictionary Back-To-School Blog Tour

I am excited to announce that the Scholastic Children's Dictionary Back-To-School Blog Tour begins today! I am even more excited to tell you that 3 Garnets & 2 Sapphires is going to be one of the stops on this tour. What does that mean for you? That means you have an extra-generous giveaway to look forward to at every blog listed below.

Start off by visiting Piera at Jolly Mom today! If you love giveaways, then you are going to have a fun two weeks courtesy of Scholastic books. Don't forget to come back here on August 19th to see what I have in store for you!!

1. July 23rd ~ Jolly Mom
2. July 26th ~ Momma Findings
3. July 28th ~ The Mommy-Files
4. July 30th ~ The Dirty Shirt
5. August 2nd ~ 1StopMom
6. August 4th ~ MommyMandy
7. August 5th ~ Guessing All The Way
8. August 6th ~ Serendipity Mommy
9. August 9th ~ The Divine Miss Mommy
10. August 11th ~ From Dates To Diapers
11. August 12th ~ MomDot
12. August 16th ~ My Sentiments ExactLee
13. August 18th ~ Mommy Niri
14. August 19th ~ 3 Garnets & 2 Sapphires
15. August 20th ~ Mom Knows It All

The "Family Fun Book" - Download It For Free!

Unilever, who brings us the online magazine MakingLifeBetter.com, has teamed up with Mom Central to promote the Family Fun Book. This free ebook contains family-friendly recipes from Jennifer Bushman, the author of the Kitchen Coach cookbook. The idea is that adding fun to the preparation and to the enjoyment of meals will promote togetherness and family time.

If you read my blog, then you already know that I am a big fan of recipes with very few ingredients. This yummy-looking Asian Grilled Steak recipe only has 5 ingredients (and one of them is optional). It can be prepared on the grill, so that means my husband will be doing the cooking. Now that's my kind of recipe!

One thing I truly love about these recipes is that they include the estimated price per serving. This is so helpful for large families and for any families who are cutting back during these tough economic times. That these recipes were partially created with cost in mind makes me feel like this cookbook is perfect for a family like mine.

Downloaded the "Family Fun Book" for free by clicking here.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Unilever/Making Life Better. Mom Central sent me a gift card and a copy of the Family Fun Book to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Interview: Stiletto Woman Magazine

I am honored to be part of the Stiletto Magazine Blog Tour to mark the launch of this new women's publication. I invite you to read on to learn a little bit about this dynamic women's magazine.


Q: What topics are covered in the magazine?

A: The focal point of Stiletto Woman Magazine and our editorial vision is to empower today’s modern woman. Our intent is to tell real stories, provide real inspiration, and impact real life! Therefore, each edition we publish has a defined purpose with targeted content.

We aim to publish work that has substance—that is relatable to most. Next year, Stiletto Woman Magazine will be published tri-annually, where two issues will be dedicated to real life circumstances of everyday women.

For our premiere 2009 Amazing Women issue, you will find the ranking of the Top 50 Most Amazing Women on the Web. In addition, you can read articles about time management, living sensibly in this economy, how to be a better leader in the workplace, and more.

Our next release will be the Winter Edition, Women’s Health issue, where we learn more about how to live healthier lives from experts. You’ll find stories of women who have had health challenges—some of them have overcome, while others battle daily to conquer their medical conditions.

Subsequent to that, the Fall Edition, College Mom’s issue, will address concerns specifically related to adult education. You’ll find stories of challenge and triumph. We’ll look at issues from various perspectives, again with expert opinions to help guide and enlighten the discussion.


Q: Do you accept articles, essays or illustrations for the magazine?

A: Yes. We are accepting articles and essays for the magazine. Our approach is to reveal women’s lives in authentic ways, so we definitely want your story! We are open to reviewing ideas about columns, and off-topic articles that are timely.

If an artist is interested in submitting work, please don’t hesitate to do so, as we are delighted to consider various forms of artistic expression. We adore good design, graphics, and illustrations. In the new media arena, we are setting new heights, and finding ways to explore our distinctiveness in the abundance of online/offline women magazines, so having superb artwork would be a great way of doing that!

To submit your work to us, log on to stilettowoman.com, and click on the magazine link. From there, you’ll find information about submitting your material. If you have questions you’d like to ask before submitting, please email us at info@stilettowoman.com.

Q: Do you have any free services available for your supporters?

A: Yes. We have a range of free services available. Some are available online, while others are accessible locally. We encourage all women to take advantage of every opportunity available.

We offer a free complimentary coaching session to all new clients. We have dedicated six-week empowerment programs for small business, personal development, and parenting. We also have an affordable al a carte option and a monthly program for those wanting support in a specific area outside of the dedicated six-week programs. To get an introduction to any of these, or to simply see if our coaching style is right for you, our complimentary coaching session may be a good option.

We offer free reports on various topics. Currently, we have The Brand Report, a quick resource that outlines information on business branding and development. We have the Startup Report, a quick resource that outlines information on how to get a business started in the right direction. We have the Career Image Report, a quick resource that outlines career, resume, and interview information.

On the local level, we are debuting Stiletto Women Connect, where we build women-only Connector groups within communities. These membership-based forums will help women cultivate specific areas of their lives and broaden their network of support. Opportunities to partake in special workshops and events at no cost are available to members.

For fun, we also give away giftcards, as a token of appreciation to our readers and supporters. With these giveaways, there’s not much required. You can easily get a free meal at Red Lobster, grab a free movie from Blockbuster, or get a Target shopping card, etc by simply communicating with us.

So, yes we are always looking for ways to give back to our community of supporters.

Q: How did you choose the Top 50 women?

A: We started with over 100 women. Each was diverse and inspiring in her own way. We couldn’t believe the range of talent and level of commitment the women had. We knew it would be a tough task to narrow it down. Therefore, we didn’t review the candidates based on a single idea or site alone. We evaluated them on the following criteria:

1) Idea Innovation. We looked at originality, how imaginative they were, how creative they were in executing their ideas, and communicating the brand.

2) Professional Leadership. We assessed their background, their ability to lead, the ethics they upheld, and sense of character.

3) Supportive Community. We wanted to see their desire to help others. We looked at their social impact, and sense of community.

4) Site Design. Being that we’re looking at women who have a presence online, the web site or blog site had to exhibit professionalism. It needed to be effective in delivery, with good layout and design.

Our panel of eight professional women then used a scoring system to select the top 50! It was important for the magazine to exhibit diversity—not solely in the range of women featured, but also in the types of businesses, web sites, and blog sites showcased. You won’t find many large corporations or illustrious personalities mentioned. We deliberately profiled authentic women you might not hear about every day.

Q: What do you have planned for next year?

A: Next year, as mentioned above, Stiletto Woman Magazine will be published tri-annually, with two issues dedicated to a single topic—one that addressing issues particularly related to women.

We will be looking to extend Stiletto Women Connect throughout various communities. And finally, we have another project that we’re currently refining. We can’t give it away just yet, but it’s fresh, and original. It involves helping prepubescent girls gain the empowerment they need to make good decisions as teens and young women.

To keep up to date with our happenings, stay tuned to stilettowoman.com, and don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter to get the inside track!

"Summer Giveaway Bonanza" at Mom Central!

There's always something fun going on at Mom Central! If you've never stopped by before, now would be a good time to pay these moms a visit. From now until July 17th, 2009, you can find giveaways galore, which includes prizes for the whole family. Some of the loot to be given away during this Summer Giveaway Bonanza will be a Hoover Cyclonic Bagless Upright Vacuum, Crayola Play Sand, a Jeep Tandem Stroller, and a Razor Jr. Electric Wagon.

The event has already started, so stop by Mom Central to see what cool contests are running this week!