Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!

Good morning, everyone! Today is a good day, thanks to all of you. Two years ago, I started this little blog, not quite knowing where I was headed with it. I just knew I had to do it.

And I’m so glad I did. Writing posts and reading so many by other bloggers has really opened up a new world of possibilities for me, and I am hoping that will continue in the NEXT two years!

Last month, I issued you all a challenge. Granted, I bribed you, but you really came through for me, posting a record number of comments on each and every post over the last four weeks.

And, yes, you shall be rewarded. Or, more specifically, ONE of you shall be rewarded.

I have been saving each and every one of your comments and put them all in a basket last night. Since you’ve all become like friends to me over the last two years, I wanted to do something a little more personal than just plugging you into a random number generator. So, I gave the basket to my Little Man, and told him to close his eyes and pull out one piece of paper. And he did.(here he is in his new favorite outfit, his Toy Story 3 green army guy pajamas, pulling the winning name)

DRUMROLL, PLEASE.....

The winner is.....

KRISTA!Krista won her prize with this comment:

A big congratulations to Krista! She really put in the extra effort on this one, leaving more than 13 comments during the contest, which really ramped up her chances of winning. While she didn’t have the most comments (David came in with more than 20!), in the end, upping her odds really did the trick, as she held a large number of the entries.

You deserve this one, Krista! I hope we get to see some of the tasty treats the come out of it over on your blog! For those of you who missed the Big Reveal earlier this week, this is what Krista will be receiving:

Congrats, again, and thanks to everyone for giving me such a great blogaversary! I’m already looking forward to next year!

Hey Krista – email me your shipping info at bethanneleach@gmail.com so I can get your prize to you in time to use it for all your summer produce!

Happy Blogaversary to Me!

The day has finally come, everyone! Two years ago today, I started writing, posting pictures and sharing recipes, making this little corner of the blogosphere my very own. It has been wonderful and I have all of you to thank for making it that way.

What does this mean?

Today is the last day to enter my giveaway! Yep, yet your last comment or two in on today’s posts and you may be the lucky winner of my very special prize. I will be drawing the winner’s name tonight, so be sure to get your comments in by mid-day today. Good luck to everyone!

I will post the winner’s name tomorrow morning – stay tuned!

The Big Reveal!

Wow. I just have to say, wow! You guys have been so great with this contest I’ve been running. I have seen a huge amount of participation and I just wanted to let you all know how much I appreciate it! There are definitely a couple of “front-runners”, if you will. Not that the person with the most comments wins, but there are definitely couple of stand-outs who CLEARLY want to win the mystery prize.

And, ironically, they both have a very good idea of what the prize is going to be! So, today, I’m going to tell you.

Yes, it’s all about Canning and Preserving.I started off with a fantastic book for the winner. Sherri Brooks Vinton’s "Put 'em Up!: A Comprehensive Home Preserving Guide for the Creative Cook, from Drying and Freezing to Canning and Pickling" which was just published a few weeks ago.

Added to that are some essential canning supplies, including a Ball Canning accessory set, a package of Ball freezer jars, and some canning labels. The winner may even find another surprise or two in the box if I get to feeling frisky before the end of this week.

WHICH REMINDS ME! (Okay, so I didn’t forget. After all, it IS the point of this post...)

Thursday, July 8th is the last day to enter my giveaway! All comments must be posted by noon CST to qualify. And don’t worry, there are still a few more opportunities to get those last comments in before the deadline. I will have at least one new post every day this week.

Friday I will be announcing the winner – stay tuned!

Bacon Cookies with Maple Icing - Guest Post and a Giveaway Reminder!

Happy July 17th! We are officially ten days into my blogaversary giveaway, and in honor of the occasion, my good friend Ginny has sent me a guest post as a blogaversary gift! Isn’t she sweet?

Speaking of sweet, check out what she made for me to share with you..... Bacon Cookies with Maple Icing.

Yep, the cooking school where she and I occasionally take classes also has a “cookie club” of sorts and this recipe popped up on my Twitter page last week. Cookies...good. Bacon.....GOOD. Maple.......GOOOOOOD. After recently making chocolate covered bacon

for a friend’s birthday, this was definitely on my “must try” list. I’ve been dying to make these cookies, but since Ginny beat me to it, I’m going to let her tell you about them. But, not before I remind you about my giveaway!

My two year blogaversary giveaway will run through July 8th. Each comment you make on new posts between now and then earns you one entry into the drawing. And just FYI, I think David wants to win. He has never once posted on my blog even though he’s been following it for quite some time, and suddenly he is commenting on about every post. Competition, folks! May the best blogger win! Oh, and here’s a new hint for you...CAN you smell what I am cooking??? (ok, it’s a bad play on “The Rock” but hey, what can I say?)

Now, on to the cookies...here is the post I received from Ginny. Enjoy!

Okay, so I'm intrigued by Bacon. The current movement of using bacon in everything borders on insane. (Bacon salt, Bacon Mayo, Bacon Vodka...) There are just some things that ruin Bacon. That being said, I decided to try these, because as I said, I'm intrigued.
First, there isn't a lot of sugar in these. When I made the dough, it made me think of shortbread. Very dry, mostly fat and flour. Second, it seemed fairly straight-forward. I used a pastry cutter to mix the ingredients together and it worked very well. There wasn't much need to knead, Ha! I just had to form it into the log shape. The most complicated part of the recipe was getting the fine chop on the bacon, in retrospect I should have just given it a whirl in the food processor. I had bacon bits flying everywhere. I'm sure that the cat will find them...
The final results, I liked them. I used a double smoked variety of bacon and it almost seemed that the maple syrup overwhelmed the cookie. You almost wouldn't know the bacon was there. I found that I liked the cookie better with less frosting, and that is not typical for me. As much as I like bacon, I like frosting too, so it was a little surprising to me. Without the frosting they were like a lightly sweet bacon shortbread biscuit.
At this point Beth is saying DUH! because she recalls me telling her that I am not that fond of maple flavored pork products and that I prefer that the maple syrup from my pancakes not touch my sausage or bacon. (Yep, its true, that is one thing Ginny and I disagree on. I love to dip my breakfast meat in my maple syrup, but the very idea of it grosses Ginny out, which is why I was a tad surprised when she decided to make these cookies) If you enjoy that sort of thing, these may be right up your alley.

Bacon Cookies with Maple Icing
4 slices thick cut, lean bacon, finely chopped
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, cut into pieces and softened
1 large egg
3 tablespoons heavy cream

Fry the bacon over medium heat until crisp and then drain on paper towels. In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, butter, egg, and cream and mix until well-blended. Add the bacon and knead until the dough is soft and the bacon is evenly distributed, about 1 minute. Roll the dough into one or two logs about 1 1/2 inches thick. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill until firm, at least 2 hours. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Cut the dough into 1/4-inch thick slices and arrange the slices about 1 inch apart on a lightly greased cookie sheet (use a bit of the bacon grease or use a silicone mat).Bake until the cookies are firm and very lightly browned (they won’t get golden brown), about 12-15 minutes.Transfer the cookies to a rack to cool.Then, spread with maple icing and top with a small piece of candied bacon (recipes below).Maple Icing
Mix a 1/2 cup of powdered sugar with about 3 tablespoons of Grade B real maple syrup (add a bit more sugar, then a bit more syrup until the consistency is spreadable). Ice the cookies when they are cool.

Candied Bacon, aka Pig Candy (optional)
Lay several slices of maple bacon on a silicone-lined sheet pan. Coat each bacon slice with light brown sugar. Bake at 350 degrees until the bacon is crisp, about 25 minutes. The bacon will turn a deep mahogany color; don’t be alarmed. When it’s crisp, let it cool on the rack. Then, cut it into small pieces to put on top of the iced cookies.

~ginny

Here's a quick update from Ginny after she took the cookies in to her guinea pigs, I mean - CO-WORKERS!

Took these to work and yes, people gave me the funny look when I said bacon cookies. That being said, I didn't have one person say they didn't like them. Most thought they were really good, the mildest reaction I got was "Interesting". Not one yuck in the bunch. :-) Most said they wouldn't have known there was bacon in them if I hadn't told them. I even tested it and gave some to people without telling them and they couldn't pick out the secret ingredient. Next time... more bacon, less frosting!

Ok, folks, on that note, I’m off to go fry some bacon! Be on the lookout for another VERY bacon-related post sometime early next week. I have a very pork-fat-friendly surprise in store for the hubs for Fathers Day!

Ready, Set.....GO!

It's June 8!

That means today is the start of my Fabulous Blogaversary Giveaway!

I'll be giving hints all month long as to what will be included in the prize, so stay tuned.

HINT #1: This food related prize will be directly related to foodie activities in the mid-summer, since that is when my blogaversary is.

More importantly, COMMENT! Every comment you add to my new blog posts between today (yes, that includes this very post) through the end of the day July 8 will get you one entry in the drawing. (detailed "rules" can be found here)

Now, no cheating, I will not count blank or intentionally lame comments! Make me believe you actually read the post you are commenting on!

Good luck to all - GAME ON!

Shhhhh....its a Secret!

Ok, so its not really a secret, since I'm about to let it out of the bag. My two year blogaversary is coming up in July and I have a very special giveaway planned for the occasion.

I'm not going to blow the surprise completely by telling you what it is (ok, you know I don't have it yet, but I have a great plan ready to put into action!), but it is definitely going to be cooking related (unless, of course, one of my non-foodie followers wins, then I may make a special exception).

So here's the deal.... I will announce the winner on July 9, the day after my actual blogaversary (which is July 8)! So, here are the rules.

Ok, there is only one rule.

Y'all are going to have to start commenting in order to be eligible to win.

Yep, that's right all you lurking readers, this is your chance to step up and win a great prize. I've been feeling neglected lately (yes, Tom, I know. I'm a needy, whiny, comment whore) so between June 8 and July 8, everyone who comments on anything I post during that time frame gets entered into the drawing.
One comment, one entry. Ten comments, ten entries. (I probably should amend that, and say REAL comments. I don't want to see a bunch of one-word comments from the same person just to bump up their chances...yeah, you know you were thinking about it!)

So get ready, everyone! I want to give this prize to the person who wants it the most!

Ready....Set........

365 Days

Its funny how things can come full circle. Today is my one year blogaversary, and the irony has not escaped me.
See, the whole reason I started my blog is because of my sister. She had been suggesting to me (ever so subtly) for some time that I should start a blog. I even did a little posting on LiveJournal (at her urging) a few years ago, but my posts were few and far between. Gradually, I began to see the light and realized that blogging would be a great way to share stories and pictures, and just in general every day happenings about my son with all of our friends and family.
And so it began.
Now here we are, a year and over 200 posts later, and still going strong. Are you wondering where the irony is that I was referring to? Well, today I am on my way back home from Baltimore. Ty and I have been here visiting my sister, and her new baby girl!
So, now, I can (hopefully) spend more time reading my SISTER’S blog, filled with stories and pictures, and just in general every day happenings about my beautiful new niece. And I’m looking forward to every one of them.
Happy Blogaversary to me!!!