Did you spend Valentine’s Day alone? Did your date not bring you candy and flowers? Did you get all dressed up for nothing? Well, immediately go your local drug store and stock up on all the half off Valentine’s candy, teddy bears, and fuzzy handcuffs, because once you sign up for passion search you’ll be celebrating Valentine’s Day the right way on the 14th of everymonth!

Passion Search is a 100% free dating site with over 19 million members. Talk about a lot of fish in the sea! No credit card required, no lengthy quizzes to take, no introspective questions to answer. Just a great site to connect with others that are looking for the same thing you are…passion!

Now, even though I am happily married, I did go ahead and scope the site out for all of my single readers because I want you all to put those fuzzy handcuffs to good use! I now also have a secret dating profile in case my husband is looking for passion behind my back! Juuust kidding!

A simple intro helps you narrow down your search by gender, location, and age and then you are ready to start meeting people. It can’t get any easier than that!

You’re answering this week’s Four Foods on Friday questions on your blog, right? Good. If you don’t have a blog, don’t feel left out. You can answer them right here in my comments section!

1. Are your kitchen utensils nylon, silicone, wood or other?

Everything we have is a mish-mosh. We’re at that stage where we are still renting an apartment, so we still tend to live like college students. I have big plans for proper dishes and utensils once we buy a house.

2. Do you prefer dishes washed in a dishwasher or by hand?

Doesn’t much matter as long as I don’t have to do them.

3. How many sets of dishes do you have?

I am positive we don’t have a complete set of dishes. There’s a set of plates and bowls that match, but there’s also favorite one-off dishes and bowls, as well as different platters that were used in photoshoots at work.

4. Share a recipe that calls for only one pot or pan.

This recipe is actually from Atkins, and is one of my favorites. You will also need a bowl, but you only need one skillet!

Cheese n Chili Chops

• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• salt and pepper
• 4 boneless center-cut pork chops (about 1 pound)
• 1/4 cup tomato salsa
• 1/2 can (4.5 ounces) diced green chilies, drained
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/3 cup grated Cheddar cheese
• 2 tablespoons cream cheese

Directions:

Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Season chops with salt and pepper. Brown chops about 2 minutes per side. Combine salsa, chilies and cumin in a bowl. Pour mixture over chops. Reduce heat to low, cover skillet and simmer chops 5 minutes or until cooked through. Mix cheeses in a bowl. Divide cheese mixture over chops, cover and cook 1 minute, just until cheese melts.

I have four small cousins, with a fifth on the way, who are always clammering to use the internet when they visit. It probably started when I used to open a Word document and let them type gibberish when they were tiny, but now they are at the age when they see me on online all the time and think that it must be cool so they need to get their hands on the mouse, too.

Unfortunately, they can’t visit the same sites I do. Not that they are nasty, I just don’t want to be the one responsible when their pure little eyes spot something questionable. That’s why the next time they are over, we’re going to play with MagNext, online and off.

MagNext are magnetic building blocks that can be assembled into just about anything, and there is a great kid-friendly website through MEGA Brands with games based on the toy. It’s a virtual world with challenges, messaging, and shopping to outfit your magnetic icon.

I bounced from room to room playing different games, and admit to completely stinking at the challenges, but it was a lot of fun, and I’m sure my cousins can teach me a thing or two.

It’s definitely a fun site where you don’t have to worry and can let your kids enjoy some online time of their own.

Welcome to the first Bloggy Giveaway of 2009!

Since I’m on Atkins, the sensible thing to do is torture myself with thoughts of carbohydrates and sugar and give away a 1 gallon tub of Garrett Popcorn in a signature Garrett tin! If you’re from Chicago or have ever visited Chicago, you know that Garrett Popcorn is an institution and a staple on Oprah’s list of Favorite Things. You’ve never tasted anything as good as Garrett Popcorn. I guarantee it.

To enter, just leave a comment letting me know if you’d prefer caramel, cheese, or Chicago-style (a mix of cheese and caramel)!

Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter, and feel free to poke around my blog and comment!

Since I ran into a snafu with my last winner and don’t like being called a liar, thief, and criminal, here’s the skinny: Giveaway is open until midnight, January 30, 2009. Winner will be chosen at random and announced on January 31, 2009. Winner will be contacted by email and/or Twitter and will have 48 hours to respond. Please use your real first name and a valid email address when entering. I am not responsible for incorrect contact information. You must answer the question above in your comment to be eligable to win! US entries only.

I’m gearing up for my first blogging conference season. I’m registered for Blissdom and Blogher and I’m working on fitting Affiliate Summit East and BlogWorld into my schedule.

One blogging conference I won’t miss is Izeafest 2009 in Orlando this October. Now is the time to register because early registration just opened (EDIT: SUPER EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION ENDS TODAY – January 22 – AT 5 PM EST!) and space is limited to 500 attendees! Not to mention there’s a $100 discount thru February!

Registration includes speakers like Robert Scoble, Chris Brogan, and the insatiable Ted Murphy. Refreshments, prizes, parties, swag, and the chance to meet ME are also included! Just consider that a perk.

Now, if you’re crazy enough to take your chances and not register early for Izeafest, I may have tickets, but the only way to earn a chance to win a ticket is to be part of The Peanut Gallery. Sign up for SocialSpark and let them know that you want to be part of The Peanut Gallery. Then leave a comment here letting me know that you want to be part of the gallery and I’ll make sure you’re all signed up and ready to start earning.

Remember to join The Peanut Gallery Facebook group and friend me, CorrinRenee, on SocialSpark, Facebook, and Twitter!

If you have any questions, I’m here to help!