Tollhouse Pie… I’m supposed to watch my sugar, but I would just have to have one little sliver of this pie. Hey, there’s chocolate involved!

Chocolate Rice Pudding… oh, there it is again. I’m zeroing in on chocolate! You have to admit, chocolate rice pudding does sound interesting to say the least.

Tootsie Roll Martini… this might just take the place of desert lol…

A Question for the Ages… White or dark? Strictly a white meat fan here although I read somewhere that the dark meat is actually better for you??

So why isn’t Mary cooking?? The poor woman… Go and see what has happened and then wish her a bit of luck… not that I think she will need it.

Dear Santa Paws… have you ever wondered what to give your best little friend in the world for Christmas??

Post from: Keeping the Castle

Bostini Cream Pie is a “very rich, vanilla custard, topped with an orange sponge cake, topped with a warm, bittersweet, chocolate glaze”. Sounds good? Marye at Baking Delights has the recipe!

Farley reviews Twisted Oak’s 2005 The Spaniard at Behind the Vines.

Chris talks about the plopping characteristics of beer at Brew Ha Ha.

Heather of Chocolate Bytes asks “How Often Does Candy Tampering Really Happen on Halloween?”.

Arieanna features the Popcorn Fork at Cooking Gadgets.

Julie’s Declutter It tip of the day deals with how to organize outgrown toys and clothes.

Foodie Obsessed Tracey recaps the latest from The Next Iron Chef.

Rebecca at Mother Earth’s Garden shows us how to get rid of ladybugs.

Tom at Noodles and Rice made a 5-minute dinner with honey and garlic prawns.

Jennifer over at Offbeat Homes features some offbeat pumpkin architecture. You also have to check out the basket-shaped building that is the headquarters of the Longaberger company.

Deb at Simply Thrifty features a video asking “What would you do to save money?”.

Heather shows cat lovers the Cat Castle over at the Food Bowl.

Noel of Unplugged Living has a list of the world’s cleanest and greenest places, as well as the not so clean and green ones.

Tags: b5media, home and dining, housekeeping, homemaking

Post from: Keeping the Castle

Are you ready to go a-hunting? Today, we kick off the Home and Dining Fall Scavenger Hunt!

First, let me show you what you can win:

Do you like it? Here’s how you can join the fun and win this beautiful autumn basket!

Scavenger Hunt Rules:

1. Starting today, and each day in October, look for the word of the day in one of the participating blogs in the Home and Dining Channel. Each day one of the words in the list below will appear on a different blog. It could be in a title of a blog post, it could be the post’s particular theme that day, or it could just be a word in a paragraph somewhere.

2. Once you locate the word, write it down with the date it appeared and the blog you saw it in.

3. After October 31st, the last day of the contest, send your list to Deb at deborahng@gmail.com. Each list should have the word, the day it appeared, and the blog on which it appeared. Those who complete the scavenger hunt, or have the most words, will be entered into a drawing to win the autumn gift basket. Entry cutoff date is November 7th.

List of Words

These are the words you will look for on each date in October. For example, for today, October 1, the word is pumpkin.

Date in October – Word
1 – Pumpkin
2 – Yellow
3 – Apples
4 – Hot chocolate
5 – Maple
6 – Hay
7 – Gourds
8 – Sweater
9 – Change
10 – Spice
11 – Brown
12 – Rake
13 – Fall
14 – Orange
15 – Chilly
16 – Cornucopia
17 – Colors
18 – Marshmallows
19 – Hayride
20 – Leaves
21 – Acorn
22 – Corn
23 – Holidays
24 – Fireplace
25 – Harvest
26 – Trick or Treat
27 – Rain
28 – Scarecrow
29 – Turkey
30 – Windy
31 – Orchard

Participating Blogs:

Visit the following blogs everyday to find the word of the day:

Baking Delights
Chocolate Bytes
Declutter It
Foodie Obsessed
Keeping the Castle
Mother Earth’s Garden
Offbeat Homes
Simply Thrifty
The Food Bowl

Have fun hunting!

Prize disclaimer: While we’d love to give away that exact same basket you see up there, the Home & Dining channel has no control over its availability. So, if for any reason it becomes unavailable, the channel reserves the right to substitute another, equally beautiful, basket in its place.

Tags: b5media, home and dining, fall scavenger hunt, housekeeping, homemaking

Post from: Keeping the Castle

Heads up and welcome to the newest blog on the Home and Dining Channel! There’s lots of fun to be had at Brew Ha Ha, which is a blog all about beer!

Brew Ha Ha is a beer blog for those who enjoy beer and other malt beverages. It isn’t a highly technical brewer’s or tasters blog, instead the focus will be anything entertaining, interesting, or useful to know about beer. That will definitely include travel, to both breweries and bars, and it will also include new products, books, and, of course, drinking beer! J. Christopher Erb is a Philadelphia Lawyer with a wife, two kids, and a dog. So he definitely needs a drink every now and then! Go on over to Brew Ha Ha for a round with him. (b5media main blog announcement)

Tags: Brew Ha Ha, beer blog, b5media, housekeeping, homemaking

Post from: Keeping the Castle

Here are 550 Ways to Keep Warm This Autumn:

* Hot Desserts, 50 Ways to Heat Up Your Autumn Evenings

* 50 Ways Chocolate Can Keep You Warm This Autumn

* 50 Warm-Up Cooking Gadgets

* 50 Organizing Products to Add a Touch of Fall Color to Your Home

* 50 Awesome Crockpot Recipes to Keep You Warm (and Full!)

* 50 Vegetable Recipes to Keep Warm This Season

* 50 reasons why a Japanese winter is hot

* 50 Soul Warming Ways to Inspire the Next Generation of Offbeat Architects

* 50 Things You Can Do to Stay Warm this Autumn

* 50 ways to Keep Your Pet(s) Warm This Autumn

* 50 Drinks That Warm The Soul

Tags: b5media, home and dining, housekeeping, homemaking

Post from: Keeping the Castle

Here is the First Annual Home & Dining Back To School Showcase!

Julie at Declutter It has 5 tips to make this an organized school year.

Jennifer on Offbeat Homes shows you the coolest rides to school.

Simply Thrifty’s Deborah will help you save money on school supplies.

Heather makes the school year yummier with chocolate over at Chocolate Bytes.

At Foodie Obsessed, Tracey shares tips for making creative lunches.

Noel shows you how to be green and ready for school with a recycling tip at Unplugged Living .

Impress the new teachers and help your kids concentrate with Rebecca’s tip at Mother Earth’s Garden.

Finally, revisit my post on back to school bento for some cool lunch ideas.

Tags: back to school, school lunch, school tips, home and dining, housekeeping, homemaking

Post from: Keeping the Castle

Thanks to Baking Delights, I’ve now officially seen and read of a Tie Dyed Cheesecake. And since I’m always looking for allergy-free recipes, I’ll also point you to these Mini M&M Munchies.

Chocolate Bytes has a quick and easy way of making chocolate mousse.

Cooking Gadgets has features the Kitchen in a Box, a great gift for anyone starting to live on their own.

Declutter It is the home of the 11th Edition of the Organize Your Life Carnival. Lots of tips for organizing your home, work and everything else!

The Sopranos Family Cookbook makes its appearance on Foodie Obsessed.

Over at Mother Earth’s Garden, there’s a list of heat-tolerant plants for your garden.

The spicy sweet potatoes at Noodles and Rice sound intriguing to me, since I’ve always had my sweet potatoes with sugar on top.

Jennifer has picked out Offbeat Homes for the bloggers of the Home and Dining Channel. Check out the home she’s chosen for me.

There’s a great post about 66 uses for vinegar at Simply Thrifty.

Tons of ice is being used to cool buildings in the Big Apple, according to Unplugged Living. The future of home airconditioning, perhaps?

Tags: b5media, home and dining, housekeeping, homemaking

Post from: Keeping the Castle

Marye of Baking Delights shares recipes for one of her favorites, Black Devil’s Food Cake, and for her aunt’s English Muffin Loaf. Both recipes look easy. I will definitely try the muffin loaf, since it is egg-free (my kids are allergic!).

Heather features speed painting with chocolate syrup and a spoon over at Chocolate Bytes.

Pipette Glass, featured at Cooking Gadgets, will appeal to the scientists and the very precise cooks!

Julie at Declutter It talks about her family’s decision to move back to the home they just left in Georgia.

Check out the recipe for Beer-Brined Grilled Turkey Wings at Foodie Obsessed.

Rebecca shares her insights on growing an aloe plant.

Do you think hospital food is always bad? Not in Japan! Tom shares photos and some great personal news over at Noodles and Rice.

Offbeat Homes doesn’t feature just offbeat homes. It’s got offbeat furniture too! You gotta check it out!

After reading your newspaper, there are 24 other things you can do with it. Find out at Simply Thrifty.

Noel at Unplugged Living talks about the Community Furniture Project.

Tags: b5media, home and dining, housekeeping, homemaking

Post from: Keeping the Castle