A Fabulous Giveaway!!!

Oh friends, do I have a special treat for you! I was contacted by the good people at Slimkicker, a healthy living/fitness app, and asked if I wanted to host a giveaway where one lucky reader will get this awesome digital food scale! 

How cool is that scale?? Of course I said yes because not only do I love helping my readers win cool, free stuff but I know how important it is to make fitness and health goals.


Slimkicker can help inspire to reach your goals by providing you with motivational games, rewards, challenges, and online tools for counting calories and keeping track of your fitness. Check out their site here!


To enter the giveaway all you have to do is leave a comment describing your idea of a fun, creative fitness or diet challenge. It only has to be one or two sentences. I'll start by sharing my diet challenge: after baby is born I am going to severely limit my sugar intake! I went a little crazy with the desserts and sweets during this pregnancy but to help lose the baby weight and make sure my little bundle of joy receives the correct nutrition, my goal is to only splurge on desserts a few times a week (instead of every day or more than once a day, woops)! :)


So what is your fitness or diet idea? Please share! The people at Slimkicker will pick a winner in a week and then the scale will be all yours! This giveaway is limited to US residents only please!


Thank you to my new friends at Slimkicker for allowing me to host this fabulous giveaway and remind me how important it is to set goals for yourself! Let the commenting begin...! 

CSN Winner and Easy Cheesy Bread

Thanks to everyone who entered my latest CSN giveaway! I used Random Number.org to pick a winner and here are the results:

True Random Number GeneratorMin: Max: Result:17Powered by RANDOM.ORG

The seventeenth comment was Debbie!

Debbie said...

That fondue looks incredible!
Thanks for the chance to win the giveaway.
fourkidsrgreat(at)gmail.com

Debbie, thanks for your comment! Check your email for your $35 CSN Stores gift card! :)

Now for the easiest cheese bread in the world. I made these the same night I made Baked Spaghetti Pizza. This garlic cheesy bread was a great way to dig up the pasta and toppings left over on the plate. I don't know what I don't make garlic cheese bread more often. It's fantastic.

Easy Cheesy Bread

An Ashley's Cooking Adventures Original

Printable Version

Ingredients

1/2 French Baguette 

3 tablespoons softened butter (I used yogurt butter, my favorite)

1 clove of garlic, minced

4 tablespoons olive oil

3 ounces Parmesan Cheese, freshly grated

Directions

Cut baguette into 1 1/2 to 2 inch slices. In a small bowl combine olive oil and garlic. You can also used garlic infused olive oil, which I used, but I realize most people don't have on hand. Brush olive oil on one side of the bread and place oil side down on baking or broiling pan. Use a knife to spread butter on the other side of bread. Top with grated cheese. Broil in a 350 degree oven for 8 minutes, or until golden and bubbly. Serve immediately. 

Black and White Chocolate Fondue and a CSN Giveaway!

CSN Stores has offered to sponsor another $35 giveaway for you, my lovely readers! If you've never checked out CSN Stores, you are missing out! Their site has everything you need for your home, from modern dining room furniture to dog bowls! If you would like to be entered in this giveaway, leave me a comment on this post. If you are a follower on my blog, you get a second chance to enter, so leave a second comment. For a third chance to win, post about this giveaway and my blog on facebook or your blog by midnight (Eastern time) on Saturday, the 29th. I will announce the winner on Sunday, the 30th. Good luck and thanks to CSN Stores!


This weekend we went over to our fabulous friends Jon & Cheryl's house for a fondue night. I was in charge of the chocolate fondue, and Cheryl did the cheese and  coq au vin meat fondue. Cheryl's fondues were both excellent, and if you are interested in the recipes, you can pop over to her blog to get them.


I found this chocolate fondue recipe from Rocco DiSpirito on Good Morning America's site. I wanted a dessert fondue that incorporated white and milk chocolate  because that is the kind my hubby and I always get when we go out to dinner at The Melting Pot. Side note: The Melting Pot is my absolute favorite restaurant and my hubby hates chain restaurants, so the only time I get my fondue fix is on my birthday when I get to pick the restaurant with no input from the hubs. I like this recipe because it was super easy and tasted great. We dipped an array of yummy desserts and fruits in the chocolate: pound cake, brownies, rice krispie treats, marshmallows, apples, and bananas. Unfortunately I could not find any strawberries at the store, but they are phenomenal in chocolate fondue too!

Black and White Chocolate
From Rocco DiSpirito
Printable Version


Ingredients
1/2 cup whole milk
2 teaspoons cognac
6 ounces premium semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
6 ounces premium white chocolate, chopped
Pinch of salt
Your favorite things to dip in the fondue

Directions
Combine all ingredients in fondue pot and stir until combined. If mixture becomes too thick, add more milk to thin it out.


If you do not have a fondue pot, you can still make this on the stovetop over medium high heat and transfer to a serving bowl.

Anywhere Scrambles

I was contacted by the Adventure Egg company after posting the Pudgie Pie recipes my hubby and I made while camping this summer. They sent me two packets of their Anywhere Scrambles to try. Anywhere Scrambles are 100% nature whole egg that are pasteurized and dried. All you have to do is add water and mix and it's ready to go. You can use just like scrambled eggs or in any recipe that calls for eggs. 

I seasoned and cooked them up just like scrambled eggs.  My hubby and I both enjoyed them. They tasted just like real eggs. They would be perfect to use in Pudgie Pies or wrapped in a tortilla as a breakfast burrito while camping or on outdoor adventures.

 We have one more packet that I promised my hubby we will save and use the next time we plan a camping trip. This made him very happy. 

Adventure Egg has graciously offered to give away two packets of their Anywhere Scrambles to a lucky reader! If you would like the chance to win please leave a comment on this post telling me how and where you would use the Anywhere Scrambles. Check out Adventure Egg's website for recipe ideas. I will pick a winner on Saturday, November 20th. 

Scentsy Giveaway Winner and Orzo Alfredo with Bacon and Peas

Thanks to everyone who entered the Scentsy Giveaway! I used Random Number.org to choose the winner and here are the results:

True Random Number GeneratorMin: Max: Result:9Powered by RANDOM.ORG

The ninth person to comment was one of my favorite food bloggers, ButterYum!

ButterYum said...

Neat giveaway. I've never heard of Scentsy before. They have a lot of neat looking stuff on the website. I like the sound of the Cinnamon Vanilla. The warmers are neat too - I don't like the idea of burning candles, so they sound much safer.

:)
ButterYum

November 7, 2010 9:02 PM 

Butter Yum - you are in for a treat! You are going to love your new Scentsy products, just in time for the Holidays too! :) Thanks again to my awesome cousin Lindsey for helping me host this giveaway! Be sure to visit her site to check out the great things that Scentsy has to offer to make your house smell amazing!

Speaking of amazing, you  are going to want to go ahead and make this Orzo Alfredo with Bacon and Peas right away. I came across the recipe on A Whisk and A Prayer, who found it on Food and Wine Magazine. It's so creamy and buttery and the combination of peas and bacon is so delicious, even though I'm not a huge bacon lover. I really like using Orzo pasta for a change too. Do yourself a favor and double this recipe when you make it because you are definitely going to want more and more and more.

Orzo Alfredo with Bacon and Peas
From A Whisk and A Prayer
Serves 3
Printable Version

Ingredients
1/2 pound orzo
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 1/4 cup oeas
2 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnishing
5 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Cook orzo according to directions on box. In a heavy bottomed sauce pan mix cream, peas, butter, Parmesan, and bacon. 

Heat over medium low heat, whisking constantly until Parmesan and butter have melted. Combine with orzo.

Season with salt and pepper and serve with additional Parmesan cheese. 

Grilled Shrimp with White Truffle Oil & Scentsy Giveaway!

My beautiful cousin Lindsey is helping me host another giveaway to celebrate my one year blogging anniversary. Linds is a Scentsy representative and has offered to give one lucky reader a $25 gift certificate to purchase anything they would like from her Scentsy site. If you have never heard of Scensty you are missing out! I have been using Scentsy warmers and scents for over a year now and they are SO much better than candles! You don't have to worry about the hazards that go along with burning a candle and the scents are so yummy. Right now I am using Cinnamon Vanilla in my kitchen and Mediterranean Spa in our bedroom. My favorite scent is French Lavender, which I use in my car, and my hubby has Coconut Lemongrass in his car. There are so many great Scentsy products, I know you will have a hard time choosing just one, but in order to be entered in the giveaway you need to visit Lindsey's site and then leave a comment telling me what you get if you won the $25 gift certificate. If you are a follower or become a follower of my blog, leave a second comment and you will receive a second entry. For a third chance to win post about this giveaway on your blog or facebook and leave another comment. Please enter by midnight (Eastern Time) on Friday, November 12th. The winner will be announced on Saturday the 13th. Good luck everybody!!

All right now that we've covered the giveaway details, let's talk about Grilled Shrimp with White Truffle Oil. When my hubby and I were in NC recently, we found the coolest little shop called Green Gate Olive Oils. The store features over 40 olive oils and vinegars that you get to sample. It was so much fun trying the different oils and vinegars and we had a really hard time deciding on which ones to bring home with us. We finally settled on garlic olive oil, white truffle oil, and a balsamic vinegar aged for 18 years. This is the first thing I've made with the truffle oil and it was really delicious. The truffle oil makes the shrimp taste like mushroom, earthy and rich. 

The recipe called for fresh parsley for the dipping sauce, but I didn't have any and substituted fresh rosemary instead. I also added in about quadruple the amount of onion that the recipe called for, which I am not so sure was a great idea because it wasn't so much of a dipping sauce and became more of an onion sauce. Overall, it was a great use of our new white truffle oil. If you cook with truffle oil, what is your favorite way to use it?? I'd love any ideas!

Grilled Shrimp with White Truffle Oil
From What's Cooking America.net
Serves 4
Printable Version


Ingredients
16 large shrimp
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup white truffle oil
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped sweet onion
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper


Directions
Peel and devein the shrimp (I didn't have to do this because I use precooked shrimp). Using a sharp knife, butterfly shrimp by cutting along the inner curve or underbelly about halfway, leaving the tails firmly attached. Press the shrimp down flat like a butterfly and place in a a shallow dish. Sprinkle with olive oil and refrigerate, covered until ready to cook. 


In a medium bowl combine white truffle oil, lemon juice, onion, and parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside. 

Preheat grill. Oil grill to help prevent shrimp from sticking. Season the shrimp lightly with salt and pepper. Place shrimp onto hot grill and cook for approximately 2 minutes on one side. Turn and cook another 1 minute or until shrimp are opaque in center. Remove from grill.

To serve arrange shrimp on a plate and drizzle with a little of the white truffle vinaigrette. 

Place remaining vinaigrette in a small bowl for dipping. 

Blogiversary Giveaway Winner & Shepherd's Pie

Thanks to everyone for helping me celebrate my Blogiversary and commenting on the Williams-Sonoma gift card giveaway!


I used Random.org to generate the winning number (I promise I used 22 as the Max Number! For some reason it changes to 100 when I copy it.)

True Random Number GeneratorMin: Max: Result:3Powered by RANDOM.ORG
The third person to comment was Jen B! 

Jen B said...

you're on my facebook!

November 1, 2010 8:14 AM 

Congrats Jen! I know you are going to enjoy using your $25 gift card to Williams Sonoma! Thanks for being a follower and for posting about my blog on your Facebook page! 

I've got a couple more giveaways in the works to celebrate the one year anniversary of my cooking blog, so be sure to keep checking back!

Now that my hubby is back (he had to work in a different state for 6 long, lonely weeks this fall) I have been cooking up a storm! It feels great to be back in the kitchen - and to have someone to eat with!! :) For one of our first dinners after he was back I made Shepherd's Pie. I found this recipe by googling "ground turkey" because I had a pound of ground turkey I wanted to use. 

Holy Moly, this may be the best use of ground turkey I've ever tasted! This shepherd's pie is incredible! With seasoned, juicy veggies and turkey topped with a layer of creamy, buttery mashed potatoes, this dinner is comforting and belly warming. I loved how this recipe called for chopped chives and rosemary. Fresh herbs make this dish just pop with flavor. This meal is perfect for a chilly fall night!

Shepherd's Pie
From Brood
Printable Version

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds of potatoes (I used two large russet potatoes and it was more than enough)
3 tablespoons butter
Splash of milk
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, diced
1/2 cup chopped celery - add in some celery leaves too
1 pound ground turkey
1 cup vegetable stock
1 10 ounce bag frozen peas and carrots
1 tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon rosemary
1 teaspoon paprika
a pinch of nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
Fresh chives

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Dice and boil the potatoes until tender (about 10-15 minutes). Mash potatoes, mixing in 2 tablespoons of the butter, milk, salt an pepper. 

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet add the onion and celery and cook until translucent (about 5 minutes). Add in the turkey and cook through, stirring frequently and breaking up the meat (another 10 minutes). Add the peas and carrots, vegetable stock and sprinkle with flour to thicken. cook for a few minutes. Add spices and let simmer for an additional five minutes.  

Transfer to a medium sized casserole dish. Cover with the potatoes, making irregular peaks with a fork. Dab with 1 tablespoon of butter and garnish with rosemary and chives. 

Bake for about 30 minutes, uncovered. The potatoes should be golden brown around the edges.

CSN Stories Giveaway Winner & Matzo Ball Soup!

Thanks to everyone who entered my CSN Stores giveaway! I used random.org to pick the winner and here are the results:

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

8

Timestamp: 2010-10-25 20:59:09 UTC

The eighth person to comment was Natural N. Congrats to Natural N -- please comment or email me with your email address. Thank you to all who entered the giveaway! I am hoping to host another giveaway for my blogiversary coming up in November, so be sure to keep checking back. 

Now let's get to the good stuff: Matzo Ball Soup!

This weekend I was so lucky to be a guest in the kitchen of my California Mom, Momma Heidi. Momma Heidi is the mother in law of my sister in law - if you are confused, don't worry. Basically, she's a wonderful lady who I consider another Mom. She is so sweet and loving and generous (not to mention fabulous with great fashion sense) and she blesses all those who are in her life. I asked Momma Heidi if she would show me how to cook Matzo Ball soup since it's one of her family favorites. She not only showed me how to cook it, but we also made kugel (recipe to come later) AND she took me to an awesome Jewish deli and bakery  in San Diego called D.Z. Akins  where I got to try my first Hamantaschen cookie. YUM!! I am officially hooked on Jewish food. Momma Heidi and I talked about how a lot of Jewish food is based around carbs -- a great match for me since I'm a huge carb lover. 

If you've never had Matzo Ball soup or never made it you are really missing out. It's like chicken soup but so much better! The Matzo Balls are my favorite part. They are light and fluffy and so good with the chicken and vegetable flavored soup. Momma Heidi and I made the soup pretty thin, but you can modify it to make it as thick or thin as you desire.

Matzo Ball Soup

Love and thanks to Momma Heidi - XOXOX

Printable Version

Ingredients

For the soup:

2 to 3 quarts of chicken broth or soup (*Momma Heidi made her own stock by boiling a whole chicken in 3 quarts of water and then shredded the chicken and added it to the soup)

10 carrots, peeled and chopped into thirds

1 head of celery, rinsed and chopped into thirds

3 yellow onions, peeled and chopped into large pieces

Directions

Bring the chicken broth to a boil and add in the vegetables. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer until the vegetables are tender when pierced by a fork. Ladle veggies into a food processor and puree in small batches until smooth and thick. 

Continue pureeing until all veggies are incorporated. Ladle the veggies back into the broth. 

For the Matzo Balls: 

We used one of these boxes and simply followed the directions on the box. 

When the Matzo Balls are done, ladle them into the soup. 

Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed. Serve immediately.