Directive Blogs

Since the kids are all going back to school this week, we decided to have a lesson of our own, a phishing lesson.

Phish·ing noun

1. the fraudulent practice of sending emails purporting to be from reputable companies in order to induce individuals to reveal personal information, such as passwords and credit card numbers.

It is hard enough to put your deepest personal thoughts to paper, but it’s damn near impossible when there is chicken-pasta with spinach and bacon sizzling in the background. Sean found just how hard it was to write from the heart when his stomach was making googly eyes at the creamy tomato sauce. It is certain that our crew fell head over heels for today’s Crock-Pot Thursday meal.

Eat your heart out with the video and delicious date-night recipe below!

With all of the debate going on as to whether the left or right TWIX is superior in the media today, we decided to settle this for ourselves. The conclusion is that the Twix Cookie dessert recipe we had today is in fact the top Twix! Don’t get us wrong, the real-deal candybar is great... BUT when you don’t have to choose a side, start a debate, lose friends AND you get the entire gooey cookie to yourself; is there really a comparison?

Find out for yourself with the recipe below and let us know what part of the cookie was your favorite!

Pizza is one of those foods that is good hot, cold, from the freezer, or freshly made. But, when you taste real pizza that’s made by someone truly passionate about the art of pizza making, you’ll never want to go back to that $5 frozen store-bought pizza ever again.

There was a bit of a miscommunication today in regards to our Crock-Pot Thursday meal. While the rest of the Directive team was sitting at their desks dying to try the Barbequed Beef and Bow Tie meal they could smell cooking in the kitchen, Sean was putting on his formal attire in preparation for what he thought was a “Bow Tie Event.”

After getting over the initial embarrassment, Sean was able to laugh at the situation. At the end of the day, he is just thankful he managed not to get any of today’s lunch on his nice clothes!

You can get the recipe - and, witness this embarrassing moment - below:

If you work at a desk all day, you have DEFINITELY thought about running away to the nearest beach and seeing how long it would take for those around you to notice. At Directive we had a member do just that… sort of. Apparently, you don't have to go too far away from the office on Crock-Pot Thursday, especially when the menu features Crack Chicken Sandwiches.

Watch the video below to see how our writer (almost) got away with a vacation, and get the recipe that lured him back!

For the love of Meatloaf that is! However, when the team requested Grilled Meatloaf for Crock-Pot Thursday, I had my doubts. Nonetheless we prevailed, cranked the 80’s tracks, and went to work on Meatloaf (on the grill). This recipe took the words right out of my mouth, as the entire Directive team never felt so good, never felt so right.

This recipe is worth giving a try, as it truly was paradise by the pilot light.

Our Friday the 13th took some strange turns when two team members learned the hard way about the repercussions of sneaking dessert early at JoomConnect. You could say they had an “out of body experience” while enjoying the double-berry white chocolate crumble bars.

Get this tempting recipe and take a look at our “Freaky Friday” Crock Pot video below.

"You see us as you want to see us—in the simplest terms, in the most convenient definitions. But what we found out is that each one of us is a brain...and an athlete...and a basket case...a princess...and a criminal. Does that answer your question?"

Probably not.

This week’s meal was a bit different from our usual Crock-pot Thursdays. To celebrate the upcoming holiday (thank you to our troops!), the team gathered to enjoy a feast of American staples like cheeseburgers, hot dogs, baked beans, macaroni salad, and more, with strawberry shortcakes for dessert. Thankfully, we lucked out and were able to sit outside while enjoying the beautiful weather. The plethora of food quickly dwindled as plates were piled high. But, we still managed to have leftovers the next day!

Watch the video below to see the delicious food and hear what the Directive team is doing to celebrate this holiday/long weekend.

After the Directive team learned how to pronounce today’s crock-pot recipe, tahini marinated chicken thighs with cucumber/tomato salad, everyone went back for seconds! The first time of the year I was able to grill our meal on the deck was a success, and gave us a real taste of summer. What is more “summer” than grilled chicken?? The cucumber/tomato salad was also a hit and the fresh mint that was included had the entire office smelling fresh. Although some team-members had their doubts about today’s meal while seeing it prepped, no one had any complaints when it was served! What is your favorite summer recipe? Check out this recipe and our video and let us know what you think!

Sometimes the office can have its distractions. On Tuesdays we usually have someone’s dog making their rounds, visiting and patrolling for crumbs. Crock-Pot Thursdays are torturous to have the flavors escaping from the kitchen all morning. Today, was a whole other level! No one could stay on task due to the aroma of sizzling, hot…... BACON. You may have learned about our company’s obsession with bacon from our previous videos, so it should come as no surprise the disarray that ensued within our building.

Watch the video to find out how we got the staff back under control and get the bacon brown sugar garlic chicken recipe for yourself.

There is a first time for everything. And there is no other feeling that can top the very first time you tried something. It is a lasting impression that is hard to compare. So, when we ask you when was the first time you…

This Crock-Pot meal was unlike any other. We’ve had our share of attempted tricks at getting to the front of the food line, but the team has become fierce! This week, Pat decided to outsource his duty of defending the treats that lay within the kitchen boundaries to the “Big Dogs.” Watch the video below to see if Pat’s sly-dog plan was a success!

This recipe for Cheesy Taco Bake will have you begging for more! Try it for yourself… we double-dog-dare you!!

Maybe you hid a candy bar from your kids, or snuck an extra snack from the break room, we have all been there. We get it, food is important, so we do whatever necessary to protect it. Today, our team enjoyed Philly Cheese Steak Sloppy Joes.

Watch the video below to see how two Directive team members protected Crock-Pot Thursday.

Lunchtime in the office can be boring, not to mention difficult! Don't you wish that you had the extra room in your schedule to make Pasta Bolognese - the type of interesting, delicious meal that your hardworking team deserves? From cooking the pasta to making the sauce - and beyond, there is no doubt that cooking this mouthwatering dish is easier said than done. Well... have we got the solution for you! 

Do you ever see some food and just by looking at it you think you won’t like it? Well today we tried a new dish that is a little out-there and had our team try it - BLINDFOLDED. What is it that the team tried? Lasagna Stuffed Meatloaf! This was paired with Veggies, Salad, Garlic Bread, and finished off with amazing Apple Sugar Streusel Bars. Are you ready to see their reactions and try the recipe for yourself? Check it out below!

Video can be leveraged to great effect in a wide variety of places, especially on landing pages. In fact, videos have been shown to increase conversions by 86% when used on landing pages. We’ll go over some of the benefits of including videos on your landing pages, and some tips to make these videos even more effective.

Today's Crock-Pot Thursday video gives you an inside look at our media department and processes we use when creating our videos. You'll get a quick first-hand look at our equipment, scenes, and setting up the shots! Check out the video below for a unique look behind the scenes!

As soon as the smell of this week’s Crock-Pot Thursday lunch found its way out of the kitchen and into the office, our team began to speculate what was on the menu for today. Was it an Italian feast? Was it chicken? Was it tacos? Was it chili? Or perhaps a delicious combination of these? There was heated debate, growing in intensity as lunch time neared. Then it happened, the call they’d been waiting for... “Lunch is Ready”.  Find out what culinary wonder awaited them here:

For this week's Crock-Pot Thursday, we added a "twist" to a Rachael Ray recipie for vegetarian rigatoni with ricotta by including sausage. Along with this dish, we had a tossed salad and Texas toast.