Bloggy Book Games

Way back at the beginning of the summer I started Bloggy Book Games. Skizzer by Kiesling was the book I chose to pass around. The idea was that each blogger would read the book and then hold a giveaway to pass it on to the next blogger. I wanted to end the game at the end of the summer and have the last reader send it back to me so I could recap all the places it's been.

It turns out that I'm a softie and the last two bloggers that have read the book have used their powers of persuasion to keep the game going. I've agreed that it would be fun to keep the game going for a little bit longer, and Sheila at Sheila's Thoughts is currently giving the book away.

If you'd like a chance to participate in Bloggy Book Games 2008, go visit Sheila and leave a comment.

Happy reading!

Bloggy Book Games and Food

The next leg of Bloggy Book Games 2008 is underway. Skizzer is en route to Tamara's place, Variety is the Spice of Life. I'll post giveaway details when they come available. If you're curious about what's going on with the game, check my sidebar for the latest...



In other news, it was pay day here, so I did some menu planning. Instead of sharing my whole entire list of options, I thought I'd share a few recipes that we'll be eating for dinner some time over the next 2 weeks. I'm even going to include the nutirtional information for each recipe, for those of you that care.



Chicken Salad
7 servings, 1/2 c. each
174 calories, 7 g fat, 1 g fiber per serving

2 2/3 c. shredded boneless, skinless chicken breast
1/2 c. fat free Miracle Whip
1/2 c. pineapple tidbits, drained
1/2 c. grapes, halved
1/3 c. sliced almonds
1/2 c. reduced fat shredded cheese
2 tsp. lemon juice

Combine all ingredients. Chill and serve with your favorite bread as a sandwich or alone with a side of fruit.





Green Chicken Enchiladas
12 enchiladas
222 calories, 9 g fat, 1 g fiber per item

12 Mission corn tortillas
24-36 tbsp shredded, boneless, skinless chicken breast
12 tbsp reduced fat shredded cheese
8 oz. Velveeta Light
2 c. skim milk
4 tbsp flour
4 oz. green chili
4 tbsp light butter

In 1 tortilla, place 2-3 tbsp chicken and 1 tbsp cheese. Roll and place in baking pan. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and milk until clumps are gone. In a medium sauce pan, over medium heat, combine milk/flour mixture, Velveeta, chili, and butter until melted and warm. Pour over enchiladas. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 min or until bubbly.


Chicken Pile On (I've posted this one before, but it's really easy and really good.)
9 servings, 2/3 c. each
157 cal, 2 g fat, 6 g fiber per serving

2 frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 can Mexican corn
1 can pinto beans
1 can Rotel tomatoes
1 can green chili
2 cans chicken broth (you can use fat free chicken broth, but it doesn't change the WW pts value)

Place frozen chicken breasts in a crock pot. Pour remaining ingriedents over chicken. Add water if desired. Cook on low for 8 - 10 hours. Shred chicken once it's done. Serve as a soup or as a topping for nachos. It tastes wonderful with a few tortilla chips and some cheese sprinkled on top. (Just be sure to add the pts for the chips and cheese if you're a WW girl.)

Have a great weekend!

Meme Week: A Giveaway or Two

Well, it's Meme Week here at Talking Hairdryer. Every day this week I will be participating in some sort of meme or meme-ish type activity that has been floating around blogland.

Meme's are a great way to get to know someone. How else would I have known that Javamama has 9 siblings? Or that Cindy loves frozen chocolate peanut butter bars? Or that Misty loves Elvis Presley music?

Typically at the end of a meme you tag someone, or multiple someones, to participate right along with you. Sadly, I won't be tagging anyone during Meme Week, but if you feel the meme spirit move you, jump right in. Just be sure to leave me a comment so I can come over and read.

Today's meme really falls under that "meme-ish type activity" category.

Old Red Barn Co. is having an awesome giveaway. Yes, she's giving away a quilt. A whole, finished, handmade, adorable quilt. You must go there and see. But hurry, the drawing is tomorrow!

It's also time for another Skizzer giveaway. The Bloggy Book Game is continuing over at This is the Real Life. Amy is finished reading Skizzer and is ready to pass it along to someone else. If you haven't had a chance to win this book, head over there and enter her drawing. She'll pick the winner Wednesday.

Bloggy Book Games 2008

Hey, everyone! I've been out of pocket for a couple of days, as in no phones, TVs, or internet...

...so, I'm a little behind. I know it's short notice, but Grow Where You Are Planted is holding her giveaway of Skizzer. So if you missed out on this summer read, head over there and enter her drawing. You have until noon on Monday.

Bloggy Book Games Winner

Well, there were only 5 of you that were interested in playing the Bloggy Book Game. So your chances of winning were pretty good. To pick a winner, we used a very scientific method.

I wrote the numerals 1 to 5 on pieces of paper...

folded them up and put them in a Disney Princesses cup, and asked Bubba to draw a number. And the winner is...

commenter #2! That would be my friends the Binkley family at Grow Where You Are Planted. Congratulations! I'll be getting in touch with you soon.

If you didn't win, don't get discouraged. Jennifer will be receiving the book early next week, so you can be looking for a giveaway on her site in the next couple of weeks. Check her blog for the giveaway info, or come back here and check my sidebar to track the book as it travels from blog to blog this summer. If everyone does their part, it should be a fun summer of Skizzer with lots of chances to win. Happy reading!

Bloggy Book Games

Oh, Girls! I am so excited about this little bloggy game! A couple of weeks ago I found out that I won SJ's first book give away ever. While I was reading it, I wondered what I would do with it once I was finished.

I could keep it . . . but I just got finished cleaning out some of our junk for a garage sale in the name of simplifying. So the last thing I need is another book on my bookshelf.

I could donate it . . . but I just made a trip to Good Will where I dumped all of our junk that didn't sell at the garage sale.

Or. . . I could start a bloggy chain letter with it. And the more I thought about it, the more I loved this last idea. A bloggy chain letter of sorts. Using this book. Because I know everyone is up for some summer reading.

Oh! I'm totally getting ahead of myself! Before I explain the rules, let me tell you a little about the book.

Skizzer falls in to the mystery/suspense category. As a pre-teen I read all of the Nancy Drew books, and this reminds me so much of them. There is definitely a case to be solved, but there is no violence, danger, or laws being broken, so it's pretty mild and un-scary. Which is how I like my mysteries. It's about forgiveness, and unconditional love, and learning about the skeletons in your family closet. Because what family doesn't have a few secrets waiting to be uncovered? At 248 pages, it's a short read and really easy to follow. It's the perfect summer, sit by the pool and read book.

Here it is sitting comfortably in my favorite reading place.

So here's how we'll play the game. I'm going to hold a give away and bless one of you lucky contestants with this book. The very copy I, and SJ before me, read. To prove that I read it, I signed my name on the front cover. See?


To enter the give-away, simply leave me a comment on this post. On Thursday, June 19 at 8:00 am, comments will be closed, and I'll choose a lucky winner.

If you win, here's what you do:

• Read the book.
• Sign the front cover using your bloggy name and the site address of your blog.
• Within one week (or so) of receiving the book, hold a give away for the book on your blog.
• Notify me here at Conversations With My Hairdryer that you are reading the book and let me know when your give away will be. I will link to your blog, and anyone else that cares to can do the same.
• Choose a winner and pass the book on to them so they can repeat the process.
• Continue checking this site to track the progress of the book throughout the summer.
• Just before Labor Day, I will contact the last reader and have them mail the book to me when they're done. I will post about all the cool and wonderful places the book has visited over the summer.
  

If you're interested in playing our little game, leave a comment below and let me know. It's like we're in 8th grade again! PLEASE don't break the chain. Continue to read the book and pass it on! It will be so much fun! So MUCH fun!