Giveaway Winner

Congratulations to Amy! She is the winner of my KitchenAid Slicer/Shredder Attachment giveaway. There were only ten entrants, so there were pretty good odds for each of them. I intentionally did not publicize this giveaway as I have my previous ones since I wanted to give folks who actually read my blog more of a shot at winning. In the past, I found that most entrants came to the giveaway page on my blog through a link, signed up, and then immediately left. Besides, I wanted some suggestions on recipes folks want me to tackle in the future.

I received some great suggestions! Kimmy mentioned that she would appreciate some posts on making fresh pasta. That is one request I will definitely be fulfilling in the not too distant future. I also received requests for more cheeses, more homemade condiments, more chocolates, and more gift jar recipes. You betcha!

Alyssa asked if I would make Baklava. Well, I have never made it, so that in itself is challenge enough for me! Sharon asked about a Doberge cake... well, I had to look that up since I'd never heard of it. A super tall cake with lots of layers of cake and filling? Heck yeah. I'll give that a go!

Amy, the winner, asked for more slow cooker recipes. I have to admit, I received a slow cooker for a wedding gift seven years ago and have only used it a handful of times. For some reason, crock pot cooking seems to fall in the same category as casseroles, which are types of cooking I don't seem to do much of, but I'll see what I can do.

There was only one request that I can flat out say I just can't fulfill. Mmalavac asked about making homemade filo dough. While there are a bunch of sites on the Internet that purport to show how to make homemade filo dough, I just don't buy it. Part of the magic of filo dough is the amazing thinness of the sheets. I just don't think you can duplicate that process at home. However, I can show you a video of how filo dough is made by hand... you'll quickly see why I don't think it can really be made at home. I originally saw this video on How It's Made on the Discovery channel, I think, but I found a clip of it on YouTube. You've got to see it to believe it! I didn't think dough could be worked like that!



Congratulations again, Amy! I will be sending your KitchenAid attachment to you as soon as I get a mailing address from you. Thanks everyone for your great suggestions!

KitchenAid Attachment Giveaway!

I know... it's been a long time since I've had a giveaway. Better late than never, right?

I am giving away one Slicer & Shredder attachment for a KitchenAid stand mixer. Ever since I got my food processor, this attachment has become a little superfluous in my kitchen. It's in almost new condition, and - if you have a KitchenAid stand mixer - it can be a really handy attachment to have on hand. I've decided that it deserves to be in somebody else's kitchen now... someone who will use it and appreciated it as it deserves.

It comes with four cones: fine and coarse shredders and thick and thin slicers. The main body of the attachment has an attached food pusher on hinges.

If you are interested in this item, whether for yourself or someone else, simply respond to the following question in the comment section of this post:

What is one recipe or skill you would like to see addressed on this blog?

One entry per person, please. Contest runs until Wednesday, December 15th, at 11:59 pm. An entrant will be randomly selected from all comments and I will ship the attachment off by priority mail as soon as I get a mailing address from the winner. If you post as an anonymous user, please be sure to include an email address so I am able to contact you if you win.

Good luck, everyone!

Winner of the June 2009 Giveaway

Congratulations to C.G. the Foodie! C.G. the Foodie is a fellow food blogger who has the blog Uncovering Food. I particularly like her Mystery Ingredient Challenge. I had been thinking of doing something like this, as the Food Network's Chopped is a favorite show of mine... but I think maybe I'll just do hers! For June, the challenge was to create a dish using strawberries, filet mignon, and egg noodles. I'm excited to see what is coming up for July! Feel free to check out her blog and congratulate her on her winnings.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by and left a comment for me. I really enjoy reading what you have to say! Oh, and can you believe that this is my 100th post already! My how the time does fly when you're having fun!

June 2009 Giveaway

I decided it was time for another giveaway! This time, I am offering a basket (well, the basket is actually not included - it's easier to ship that way) full of homemade/homegrown goodies. While the winner's basket will not look exactly like this one, it will be very similar. I just wanted to give folks an idea of what the giveaway is offering. In addition to the food items, I am also including a handmade ceramic pour set. I keep mine by the stove with olive and vegetable oil for sauteing. You could also use them for oil and vinegar... or whatever else strikes your fancy.

So what can you expect in the winning "basket"?

Well, there will be snickerdoodle cookies, curry cashews, a jar of Merlot jelly, fresh dried herbs, my best ever pancakes mix, granola, lollipops, and dried cherry tomatoes (a very yummy snack!). Again, there will also be a ceramic pour set in the mix (oil not included!):

So, here's the deal. This giveaway is open to anyone willing to have the prize shipped within the United States. To enter, simply post a comment somewhere on my blog before 11:59 pm CDT, June 30. I will randomly select a winner from all comments. Please remember that if you are an anonymous poster you need to include contact information so that I can reach you if you win! Please, only one entry per person per day. Winners will be announced on July 1st. Thanks for visiting and good luck!

And the winners are...

After deleting a couple of double comments and those comments related to the second prize where people were telling where they had posted my contest, I came up with a random number from random.org. The number was 112. And the winner is... (drum roll, please!)

THROUTHEHAZE

Congratulations, throuthehaze! I will be contacting you for a mailing address so you can receive your goodies.

As for part two of the contest, the person who posted my contest onto www.totallyfreestuff.com/www.topsavings.com was hands down the winner. That person was... (drum roll again, please!)

BABYBARNPLUS

Thanks, babybarnplus, for all the great help in getting the word out about my new blog! I'll be emailing you for a mailing address also.

And thanks, everyone, for coming to check out my blog and my April 2009 Giveaway. I had a lot of fun making the chocolates and I hope that you might consider trying to make some yourself.

April 2009 Giveaway Update

I have just finished the chocolates for the giveaway. I posted a picture on the giveaway post. Check it out if you want to see what you could win!

April 2009 Giveaway Update

Just wanted to say "Welcome!" to all of you that have entered my April 2009 giveaway. It's great to read the comments and see where everyone is coming from. I'm going to start making some of the prize items this weekend, and I'll post how I'm making everything so that even if you don't win, you can make your own!

April 2009 Giveaway

For the next two weeks (starting at 12:00 am April 8 and ending at 11:59 pm on April 22), I'll be running a giveaway. Two prizes will be awarded; each winner will receive a 2 lb. assortment of handmade chocolates. Here is a picture of one of the prizes. Assortment includes: hand dipped truffles (including plain, Bailey's, Grand Marnier, and Kahlua flavors), haystacks, turtles, chocolate covered cashews, and peanut butter cups.

Here's how you can win:

Prize 1: Just leave me a comment in this post! While I encourage you to post other comments on my blog, I will only be selecting the winner from those within this post. I will randomly draw one comment to be the winner!

Prize 2: Using Statcounter's "Came From" statistics, I will award the owner of the blog or website that generates the most visits to my blog during the contest period with the prize!

Sorry, based on postage and freshness issues, this giveaway is only open to those willing to have their prize shipped in the US. Obviously, I can't get the prize to you unless I have some method of contacting you (keep this in mind if you are an anonymous poster). I will announce the winners on April 23.

Thanks for visiting my blog! I hope you find something good to make.