Directive Blogs

Indulge in the ultimate comfort food with this Philly Cheesesteak Tortellini Pasta. Juicy beef, tender vegetables, and melted provolone cheese come together in a rich, creamy sauce that will keep them coming back for seconds.

Looking for a new twist on apple pie? Check out this real recipe.

Looking for a great sauce to compliment your steak or chicken? Then do we have a recipe for you!

Do you like pineapples as much as we do? Let us drop a bit of knowledge on you about this tropical fruit.

Here at Directive, We LOVE cheese, so it’s no surprise that macaroni and cheese is a Crock-Pot Thursday dish we just keep coming back to.

Do you ever get a craving for something sweet?

With the weather warming up and the layers coming off, everyone starts to think a bit harder about the food that they’re putting into their bodies. Those of us that have difficulty doing this usually struggle because healthy foods don’t always taste quite as good as fatty foods and sweet treats.

Want in on a little secret?

A little bit of lime in any recipe adds a bit of zest that is hard to get otherwise. Throw a little bit in with some chicken and a couple of other ingredients, and you have a party!

 Fall is always a great time for cooking, especially in Upstate, NY. Today was a perfect cool day to open up the oven and try a new fall dish. So, for today’s Crock-Pot Thursday we tried; Philly Cheese Steak Bake, Tangy Broccoli Salad, Lemon Butter Roasted Asparagus, and finished off with Lemon Bar Cupcakes. Yum is an understatement. Want to try this meal out for yourself? Check out the recipes below!

With Halloween just a few days away, we figured we’d give the team a real treat today; Chicken Pot Pie, Salad, Garlic Green Beans, and Pumpkin Poke Cake -- In honor of National Pumpkin Day today! This might be one of the best treats the team has ever had, but we also dug a little deeper to find out about the worst treats they’ve had. Find out in our video, and try this treat with the recipes below!

Fall is finally here, but we’ve still had some warm weather here and there! This meal is perfect for that transition from warm summer days to the cool and crisp days of autumn.

Today the team tried some new items; including: Honey Garlic Chicken Stir Fry, Paleo Fried Rice, Garlic Green Beans, and finished off with a delicious dessert: Pumpkin Bars!

Check out some of the recipes below to try them for yourself!

Summer isn’t over yet! Today’s Crock-Pot combined a summer favorite, shish kebabs, and a team favorite, fajitas, with: Fajita Shish Kebabs, and Cherry Turnovers for dessert! Watch as our team gives their own unique definition for shish kebabs in today’s video!

Try them for yourself with the recipes below!

 Happy National Chili-Dog Day! How lucky are we that such a great holiday fell directly on a Crock-Pot Thursday? Today you’ll watch the techniques of two of our team members in a.....drumroll please........hot dog eating contest! Who will win? Kathy Chupp or Jimmy Mustard? Watch the video to find out!

This week we took a little break from standing over the hot stove and enjoyed some cold wraps with side salads and chips (just incase we didn't get enough on the 4th of July). To cap-off our lunch, we all dove into a Brown Butter Blueberry Cobbler that is too good not to share! We hope everyone had a fantastic 4th of July. Be sure to check out the dessert recipe below for your next outing!

This Crock-Pot Thursday dish was an employee suggestion! Today we tried Mexican Stuffed Shells and Cheesy Jalapeno Corn Muffins. Have you ever wondered what it is like to be in our office on Crock-Pot Thursday? Today’s video will take you for a walk in our shoes as we celebrate CPT! See the video and recipes below.

The official start of summer is less than a week away now, and we are still working to nail-down the best summer picnic dishes! For today’s Crock-Pot Thursday we tried our hand at Loaded Chicken Salad Wraps, Corn and Cucumber Picnic Salad, and Fresh Pasta Salad. See the recipes below to try them out for your summer celebrations!

 On behalf of everyone here at Directive, we wanted to acknowledge the video that was released a few weeks ago that claims we grow our Crock-Pot Thursday meals in what we said was our pizza orchard. These claims were not entirely accurate. See the video.

Where do we get all the delicious food we eat on Crock-Pot Thursdays? We'll let you in on our little secret -- we grow most of it! For instance, since today is National Pizza Party Day, we took a trip to our orchard for a postponed Crock-Pot Thursday on Friday lunch! Watch as our team plucked pizza, fresh off the vine.

It might not seem it from a quick glance at the cooking directions but today's recipe for Sweet and Sour Chicken was one of the most labor-intensive Crock-Pot Thursday Lunches ever. The hard work paid off in the end, as the result was absolutely delicious. Check out today's video to see how these ingredients and a lot of hard work came together to make a truly unique lunch that the team enjoyed.

Cinco de Mayo is… Mexico’s Independence Day, right? No? Well, then, why is it celebrated? Simply put, to celebrate Mexican culture as you enjoy the good times with tu familia y tu amigos, and to throw a great party. This made it a perfect fit for our Crock-Pot Thursday meal, even though Thursday was technically Cuatro de Mayo… Check this week’s video to see how we celebrated, y disfrutar.

Call it luck, but today's Crock-Pot Thursday just so happened to be on National Bring Your Child to Work Day! Joining us for lunch and a full afternoon of activities, our special guests got to have a bit of fun while learning about what it's like to work in our office. Coloring, making videos, and playing with puppies were on the agenda. Everyone had a great time! See for yourself - check out the official video footage. Oh, and... here's the recipe for this week's dessert. No Bake Banana Split is something everyone should try, regardless of their age.

Pretty much everyone knows what it is like to have to work while hungry. However, when your job is to accurately report a weather forecast, there is a big difference between a cold cut front and a tomato warning. Check out today's Crock-Pot Lunch which had 100% chance of Milford Corner Store subs.

Today's Crock-Pot Thursday lunch was really more of a 'Peep' show - with these adorable Easter Garden Cakes! (Okay, there was a delicious slow cooked ham with a maple brown sugar glaze, with honey glazed carrots and sautéed asparagus and peas, too. They aren't as cute, though.)

After a few week hiatus, Crock-Pot Thursday Lunch videos are back with a dessert worthy of a place among our all time favorite Crock-Pot Thursday dishes. We recommend that you try Strawberry Shortcake Lasagna as soon as you get the chance! Even though they didn't make it on to the big screen, the two recipes we used for the main entree *Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole* and veggie *Scrumptious Roasted Veggies* were both absolutely delicious.

Today is National Puppy Day. To celebrate, our team not only had the opportunity to bring their pups to work. They even had their own extra special Crock-Pot Thursday lunch. You'll never guess who got to eat lunch first. 

Crock-Pot Thursday Lunch: Tomato Basil Bisque, Grilled Cheese Bacon Sandwiches on White Bread. Side Salad w/ Choice of Dressing and Apple Peanut Butter Cookies

Is anyone else having flashback to their school lunch period? Close your eyes and you can just imagine walking with your lunch tray, hoping to find a seat at the cool kids table. Today's CrockPot Thursday lunch is a shout-out to old school lunches - except delicious. 

Even though the calendar says that it's March, the weather outside is pretty much the opposite of spring. Luckily, we had slow-cooked pulled pork or chicken sandwiches to warm us up! Paired with Corn Pudding (similar to corn bread, and just as delicious), baked beans, coleslaw, and last but not least, pineapple upside-down cupcakes. 

Today’s Crock-Pot Thursday menu tasted even better than it sounds! We tried our hand at a brief spelling bee, but it turns out that bruschetta chicken is easier to eat than it is to spell. It is perfect for when you LOVE bruschetta but are doing that whole “no carb” thing. Substitute chicken, and hey, it is even better.

Sometimes, when you wake up to much more snow than there was before you went to bed, it’s hard to bring yourself to cook. Fortunately, there are restaurants that brave the weather in order to provide their customers with the spoils of their labor, and besides, it is National Pizza Day.

That was why we decided to go with the reliable deep-dish pizza, courtesy of Little Caesar’s.

However, as it turns out, the fact that we could enjoy the cheesy, saucy goodness was a bit more complicated than we had first thought... How could this be? Dough, sauce, and cheese--that’s all there is to pizza, right? Well, not quite. Pizza has much more history behind it than you would think, history that one of our staff members got a little too into teaching us about.

After a grueling regular season, it's time for JoomConnect and Directive to face-off in the first annual Crock-Pot Bowl. Emotions are running high here at Pony Farm Stadium and you can feel the fans' energy as they anxiously await kickoff. It's the moment that both teams have been training for. The championship title is up for grabs and it's anyone's game. Click here to find out who prevails in this battle of the titans.

Today's Crock-Pot Thursday menu combined a main entree of beef tacos, an old favorite, with a first time recipe for dessert, Mini Lime Cheesecakes with Raspberry Sauce. Well, the cheesecakes became an instant classic. In fact, check out the video to learn how to make these tiny cups of sugary goodness.

Why do lemons have such a bad, or should we say sour, reputation? Sure, they might seem a bit tart when you first experience them, but if you treat them right while you prepare them, they'll treat you right, right back. We were able to experience this first-hand for Crock-Pot Thursday this week, as lemony goodness played a starring role in our meal--despite our not having filmed this week.

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!

Even though we didn't make a Crock-Pot Thursday video featuring today's lunch, we felt that this recipe was just too delicious not to share!

A picture might paint 1,000 words but it doesn't feed nearly as many mouths... Rather than just telling the team what is for Crock-Pot Thursday lunch, we like to make them work for it a bit. Today, we thought that a good ol' fashioned game of Pictionary would be the best way to figure out what is on the menu. So, what was it? We'll let you DRAW your own conclusions...

Did your Mom ever tell you that breakfast was the most important meal of the day? Well, our team definitely remembers that lesson! This week's Crock-Pot Thursday Lunch was a breakfast feast including bacon, eggs, toast and sausage gravy and biscuits made by Chris Chase! If "All happiness depends on a leisurely breakfast." then our team's excitement was completely justified. Check out the video to see the joys of breakfast-for-lunch.

Have you ever thought about what makes the perfect burger? We like to think that we are, at least to some extent, the architects of our own ideal burger. We are builders. We were born to create... to construct. And one place that we all get to show off our unbridled creativity, is at the burger bar. So, many ideas. So, many choices. And the truth is... no two burgers are alike. We ask you, "Can a burger be blueprinted?"

We had another round of subs from Jake's Deli this week for Crock-Pot Thursday. For this week's video, we thought we'd take on the Mannequin Challenge. These viral videos are all over the internet and feature people frozen in mid-motion - like Mannequins. Our video was a lot of fun to make - and DEFINITELY a challenge! Not moving is hard when there is a Jake's sub in front of you... Check out what it's like mid-lunch on a Crock-Pot Thursday!

The Yankees or The Red Socks? The East Side or the West Side? Let's face it, the world is full of tough choices. And instead of the festive mood that normally surrounds Crock-Pot Thursday, our team found themselves faced with a marked dilemma: What is better: Pizza or Tacos? After much debate, our brilliant leader, Charlotte Chase proposed a solution that silenced the debate, once and for all... Find out what it was below! .

It's official. We've had our first accumulated snowfall. Things are getting cold outside. Luckily, inside... they're heating up! Crock-Pot Thursday videos are back this week featuring a flavorful Meatloaf with Garlic Mashed Potatoes (that seemed to melt faster than the snow...) Then, Charlotte made a truly extraordinary creation: the Apple Pie Bake.

For this week’s CrockPot Thursday lunch, we made a delectable baked Italian classic, Million Dollar Manicotti. The name of it got us thinking… “What would I do if I had a million dollars?” It’s something practically everyone dreams about. So, we decided to ask the team what they would do if they had a seven figure paycheck. Find out what they came up with.

We knew that not every Crock-Pot Thursday recipe we tried would be a hit... Well, today's main entree recipe was a bit lackluster. However, the little cups of delicious that we had for dessert more than made up for it. What was this wonderful dessert?

It's no secret that we are big fans of Crock-Pot Thursday dishes that have a Mexican flare to them. Today's lunch went above and beyond! Our main dish was baked chicken taquitos served with Tex-Mex coleslaw and Mexican-style guacamole. For dessert, chocolate chip cookies covered with chocolate and shredded coconut.

Buffalo has their wings. Philadelphia has their cheese steaks. Boston has their cream pies. Regional food dishes are commonplace and normally quite tasty. Believe it or not, Upstate New York is the origin to several different culinary wonders. Arguably the most beloved and delicious of these dishes are 'spiedies'.

Hawaiian Slider Sandwiches made with ham or turkey and swiss cheese on a slider roll goes with homemade coleslaw, sliced pineapples, and crispy Garlic Parmesan French fries. And for a little something sweet - chocolate chunk cookies. 

This delicious spin on BBQ Chicken Sliders went perfectly with homemade coleslaw, sliced pineapples, and crispy French fries. Not to mention, cookies for dessert. 

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:

To most people, Oneonta, NY is just a small blip on their GPS that they pass by on the way to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. That is, if they have ever heard of Oneonta at all. That’s why for this week’s Crock-Pot Thursday video, we are looking to give our little hamlet the recognition it deserves. Oneonta’s claim to fame is the invention of COLD CHEESE PIZZA. (Oh, and our employees talk about their favorite pizza toppings!) Check out our video:

This week, we took Crock-Pot Thursday to the Great Outdoors. A delicious barbeque and picnic with the team that included hamburgers, cheeseburgers, hot dogs, salads, and ice cold beverages! Oh, did we mention the amazing red, white and blue cupcakes? Watch as our company enjoys a wonderful 4th of July celebration and talks about their plans for the long holiday weekend. 

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.

For this week's Crock-Pot Thursday lunch, we fired up our grill for the first time this year! We had BBQed Lime Chicken in a soft taco shell with Grilled Pineapple Salsa, Mexican Street Corn Salad and Jalapeño Popper Cheese Muffins! 

After taking a week off, we're back with a new Crock-Pot Thursday video. For today's Crock-Pot Thursday lunch, we're trying a few recipes for the first time. We're going to try Smoky Tex-Mex Sloppy Josés with Tomato Corn and Avocado Salad, Creamy Coleslaw, Red Pepper Relish and Grilled Pineapple.

For today's Crock-Pot Thursday lunch, we took the team out for Chinese food at the Iron Chef Buffet. We've been having company lunch and staff meetings there for years! It's crazy how the company has grown. We've gone from just needing a few tables pushed together to filling an entire half of the restaurant. 

This week's Crock-Pot Thursday lunch is a celebration of Cinco de Mayo featuring Burrito Bowls, Salsa Fresca, and Mexican Brownies! 

Two of the team's all-time favorites made up this week's Crock-Pot Thursday lunch: Chris' Chili and Charlotte's BLTs.

The team really enjoyed this sub sandwich version of the Italian favorite dinner Chicken Parmesan. Don't take our word for it, check out the video!

This week's Crock-Pot Thursday was submarine sandwiches from Jake's Deli in Otego, NY. They make the some of best sandwiches around. Don't take our word for it, check out the video!

Pizza or Garlic Knots? With this recipe, you'll never have to decide between the two again. It's a quick but delicious choice for Today's Crock Pot Thursday!