Can you pass the sauce, please?

With grilling season quickly approaching and in honor of March being National Sauce Month, I thought I'd share my ALL TIME FAVORITE sauce...

Gates Original Bar-B-Q Sauce straight from Kansas City!  

One of our friends introduced my husband and I to this sauce about 4 years ago and we have been hooked ever since.  In fact, my husband just recently surprised me with a case of it, and I literally did a dance when the box arrived at our doorstep and I saw that it was from Gates.

Chicken + Gates BBQ Sauce = Delicious
Pork + Gates Spice Rub = Simply Divine

The perfect gift for grill lovers EVERYWHERE!

Happily Ever After

via Dean & Deluca

What better way to say "congratulations to the happy couple," then with this classic bottle of wine!  Just imagine snuggling by a crackling fire while enjoying a glass of this red with your sweetie. Simply divine. Haven't tasted it.  Just LOVE the concept and the marketing.  Simple and to the point. Classic look.  Only downfall...little pricey. 

Sprinkles...YUM!

After the couple of spring-like days last week, I am definitely ready for the warm weather and all that comes with it...going to the park, long bike-rides, barbeques, and of course, ICE CREAM!

One of my favorite parts of going for a soft ice cream is getting the rainbow sprinkles to go with it. Yes, I am one of those people who purchases an extra cup of sprinkles to dip my cone into once I've licked all the original ones away. Needless to say, I LOVE sprinkles!

That's why I earmarked this article in the December issue of my daughter's High Five magazine by Highlights to share with all of you. What a great way for toddlers to practice sorting colors and to develop their independence, while creating a fun gift for someone special.  With any luck, it will only be a few more weeks til we hear the ice cream trucks singing through our neighborhoods and we can enjoy these delicious sprinkles!  YUM!

Cookies & Milk?...Yes, Please!

{via Love & Lavender}

I absolutely LOVE cookies and milk. In fact, my husband refers to me as "his cookie monster," so when I saw this idea for a Cookies & Milk wedding shower on Kara's Party Ideas, I immediately started brainstorming complementary gift ideas. Here's what I came up with so far...

Pink silicon baking sheet from Target+


Love Dish Towel from Spoon Sisters+

Sugar Cookies Book from Amazon+



Wrapped together in clear cello and LOTS and LOTS of ribbon with these
heart-shaped measuring spoons from Spoon Sisters hanging down from the ribbons!

And if you are looking for a less traditional gift, then you might consider surprising this lovely couple with a plate of freshly baked cookies and fresh milk one night on their honeymoon. Who doesn't like a little midnight snack???

Pulled Pork, Anyone?

My husband's birthday was yesterday. As usual, thinking of an extra-special gift was a bit of a challenge. Thankfully, though, he happen to mention last weekend how much he enjoyed one of our friend's pulled pork sandwiches and that's when I had my AH-HA moment...

There is NOTHING my husband enjoys more than watching football on Sunday with his closest friends and family, while chowing down on some tasty snacks. So, I got him a slow-cooker, emailed our friend for her pulled pork recipe (see below), and invited a bunch of our friends over to enjoy pulled pork sandwiches and the games. The whole night was a HUGE HIT!

Pulled Pork Birthday Sandwiches
(serves 14 adults)

8 lb. pork roast on the bone (assume 1/2 lb./person)
1.5 (18 oz.) bottles of your favorite BBQ sauce
2 medium sized onions, sliced thin
4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
1.5 tablespoons of brown sugar

Cover the bottom of the slow cooker with one sliced onion and garlic. Wash and pat dry the meat. Lay the roast in the slow-cooker on top of the onions and garlic. Mix the brown sugar and bbq sauce together in separate bowl, then pour mixture over the roast in the slow-cooker. Cover top of roast with second, thinly sliced onion. Cover cooker and program to cook for 6 hours ON HIGH. Then, take roast out. Remove some of the fat from the roast, then use a fork to pull meat off bone. Return to cooker for another 2 hours ON HIGH. Enjoy!

Nothing's Better than Barefoot

I simply LOVE Barefoot Contessa. I discovered her years ago when my husband's aunt gave me one of her cookbooks for Christmas. It didn't take me long to realize that literally EVERY recipe in her cookbooks is a sure guarantee. Needless to say, I now own almost all of Barefoot's cookbooks (with the exception of Barefoot In Paris) including her newest addition, how easy is that?

Because I enjoy her books and recipes so much, I often like to incorporate her books into my gifts. They work for any occasion if the recipient enjoying entertaining, cooking, and/or baking. To top it off, Barefoot is currently on tour, so you could even add a little extra spunk to your gift with an autographed copy!

One of my favorite Barefoot Contessa's gifts is...

PIZZA PARTY: Parties Cookbook (see page 43) and a pizza stone wrapped in clear cello with lots of colorful ribbon, a tag that says "Pizza Party, p. 43," and an ice cream scoop hanging down from the ribbons.

Any other gift ideas from fellow Barefoot fans???