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!

A very bad idea..... Dulce de Leche Cheesecake Bars

As you all know, whenever Ginny comes to visit, we always have a long laundry list of recipes to try. One of the first ones that went on the list for last weekend’s visit was Dulce de Leche Cheesecake Bars.

Why? (no, we didn’t really need a reason...I mean, come on....dulce de leche? Cheesecake? No brainer.) A while back, a friend of Ginny’s brought her a can of dulce de leche. Except. This was no ordinary can of dulce de leche. This can was probably 42 ounces. In case you aren’t familiar with the size of canned goods, that’s a LOT of dulce de leche. We needed to do something with it.

The recipe itself couldn’t have been easier. A basic graham cracker crust. Mix together the filling ingredients (including some dulce de leche) and pour on the crust. Bake, and then cool. Top with another dose of dulce de leche and refrigerate.Then? DROOL. We took a plate of these to my favorite local restaurateur to enjoy with his staff. I haven’t heard from them since....there may be a sugar coma involved....either that or they haven’t come up for air yet.

If you need a dessert to take to an event. Take this. If you want to feed a new mom and her family when they come home from the hospital. Make this. If you want to cheer someone up....GIVE THEM THIS. If its MONDAY.....seriously, there is no reason necessary....just make it.

But, don’t say I didn’t warn you that this may be a bad idea....because if you do make this, you may end up eating it all yourself....

REMINDER!!! There is only a little more than a week left to get intered for my giveaway!

UPDATE 7/6/2010
Oh My Gosh!! Bev - thank you for pointing out my mistake. I can't believe I forgot to include the recipe (originally from Epicurious)! Here you go!

Dulce de Leche Cheesecake Bars
Crust:
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
2 1/4 cups finely ground graham crackers
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, melted

Filling:
3 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 cup purchased dulce de leche
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Glaze:
2/3 cup purchased dulce de leche
3 tablespoons (or more) heavy whipping cream
Sea salt

For crust:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat 13 x 9 x 2-inch metal baking pan with nonstick spray. Mix graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and cinnamon in medium bowl. Add melted butter; stir until coated. Transfer crumb mixture to pan. Press evenly onto bottom of pan. Bake until crust is light golden, about 10 minutes. Cool completely on rack.

For filling:
Blend cream cheese and sugar in processor until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute, stopping occasionally to scrape down sides of bowl. Add eggs 1 at a time, processing 3 to 5 seconds to blend between additions. Add dulce de leche and vanilla; process until blended, about 10 seconds. Spread batter evenly over cooled crust. Bake until just set in center and edges are puffed and slightly cracked, about 38 minutes. Transfer to rack; cool completely.
For glaze:
Heat dulce de leche and 3 tablespoons cream in microwave-safe bowl in 10-second intervals until melted. Stir to blend, adding more cream by teaspoonfuls if too thick to pour (amount of cream needed will depend on brand of dulce de leche). Pour glaze over cooled cheesecake; spread evenly. Refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour (glaze will not be firm). DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover; chill.
Cut cheesecake lengthwise into 4 strips, then crosswise into 6 strips, forming 24 bars. Sprinkle bars with fleur de sel.

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........

ANNOUNCEMENT - Giveaway Winner!

Good Morning, everyone! I am so glad to see all the comments and I know you are all excited about my giveaway. As promised, I am announcing the winner today. Before I do, I just want to say that this last year of blogging has introduced me to so many wonderful people and reunited me with others. I have spent countless hours cooking recipes to post here, expanded my own culinary horizons (and maybe a few of yours) and even had the honor of appearing on Tyler Florence’s blog, along with many other exciting things along the way. I want to thank everyone for their support and enthusiasm, and I am looking forward to doing much more in the next year (and all the years after that!).

So! On to the announcement. If you haven’t already read about the giveaway, I’ll give you a quick overview. I am co-hosting a baby shower next month for a friend and I have been looking for new and creative ways to put together the traditional “veggie tray”. I put a call out for help and asked my wonderful readers to submit ideas for vegetables that could be crafted into little flowers or other garden related items that I could make for my friend’s baby shower.

Kim from Stirring the Pot carved up these lovely little carrot—tops and won the heart of my Little Man (it couldn’t have anything to do with the fact that his favorite color is orange!) who pointed to the picture I showed him and promptly said, “I like THAT pretty flower!”

And I agreed with him! We picked Kim’s carrot flowers for a few reasons:
1. carrots are inexpensive and everyone likes them
2. I tried my hand at carving them up and it was pretty easy to do
3. I love basil, and I have a garden full of it right now. If it survives until the shower I’ll be using a bunch of it on the veggie tray. Never would have thought of that one!
4. The idea is very versatile. I can skewer them by themselves, or with an edamame or small grape inside for color, and they really brighten up a garden!

Great job, Kim! Shoot me an email at bethanneleach@gmail.com with your mailing address and I’ll get your prize headed your direction!

Thanks to everyone for their input, you’re the best! Stay tuned….I’ve already got an idea brewing for another giveaway….just have to wait for the right mood to strike!

LAST CHANCE TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY!!!

Ok everyone, its that time. Today is the last day to enter the giveaway for the Pampered Chef Deep Covered Baker. I will be reviewing the entries this weekend and letting my Little Man pick his favorite, with the winner to be announced on Monday!

Come on, you know you wanna.....you know I want you to......and you know you want the prize....no pressure or anything.

Giveaway Reminder!

Alright, everyone! Don't forget about the giveaway I am holding in August. Entries are due a week from today (by 4:00pm CST, please!).

If you're thinking about entering, this weekend would be a good time to put something pretty together for me and have a photo shoot....

I know you want that Deep Covered Baker....I know you do!!!



Happy Vegging!

Giveaway Update!

Ok, everyone, I've had a few questions, so I'm going to try and lay this out a little more clearly (sorry, its my first time doing a giveaway and I was so excited, I didn't think it through well enough!)

1. Come up with a flower or other item that belongs in a garden that can be made out of vegetables. So, think, something edible, preferably on a stick, so that it can be easily "picked" by the shower attendees, and not too terribly complicated to make.
2. By all means, go find ideas on the Internet! I'm just greedy and I want to see your very own pretty picture to judge.
3. You can either email me your entry at bethanneleach(at)gmail(dot)com, or you can post it on your own blog (how fun!) and leave me a comment with the link to your post. If I get enough entries, I'll do a roundup of all the submissions when I announce the winner.

Now, come on, keep in mind how cool this prize is, its worth incorporating some veggies into your week, isn't it? And now, I'm not asking you to make a whole veggie garden, but hey, whatever floats your boat. I just want some good ideas for items to include in MY garden. So, If you want to REALLY pump up your chances, make more than one. No need to post separately, just send me pics of each individual item so I can lay them out for Little Man to drool over. He loves flowers, and he'll have a blast telling me which one is prettiest.

There you go! If you have any more questions, feel free to comment here or email me and I'll be sure to reply and/or post a comment with updated info. The clock is ticking!

Tyler Florence - and a Giveaway!

Happy Monday, everyone!!! I have very exciting news for you. If you have not been keeping up with the Tyler Florence Fridays roundups, where I and a number of other people contribute dishes we have created each week, then you have missed out! Aside from the fact that each Friday you get to see dishes made by some wonderful home cooks based on Tyler Florence's recipes, they have joined forces with Tyler Florence to choose their pick for "best dish" each week, and the winning post will appear on Tyler's own blog that week.

Well, guess what? This week, I won! That's right, as soon as Tyler's people have the site updated, you will see my lovely Roasted Tomatillo Salsa right there on Tyler's blog! I could not be more excited. Be sure to keep checking back to see him link to this blog soon!

SO! Since I am still riding the high from Friday, and I have been looking for an excuse to do this for a while now, I've decided to have my very first blog giveaway! I'm not going to make it easy on you though, you're going to have to do more than comment to get entered. I thought since I just won a little prize based on my own creation, I'm going to do the same for this giveaway.

Here's the scoop. My very dear friend Tracy is having a baby in November and I will be helping throw her a baby shower. At another shower I helped out with awhile back, I made this cute little veggie "garden" that everyone just raved about.I, on the other hand, was somewhat disappointed because I really had hoped that my "flowers" would have been prettier or more creative. Well, for Tracy's shower I want to do better! And I need your help! You have two weeks, people. Here's what I am asking for.

• Come up with one creative flower (or another item that could be considered part of a garden) made of vegetables and send me a picture of it. You have until next Friday, August 7th, and I will let my Little Man (he doesn't know you, so he can't be biased) pick his favorite from the entries submitted, with the winner to be announced on Monday, August 10th.

SO, now you want to know what the prize is, right? How about this:

Yes, this is new in the box, a Pampered Chef Deep Covered Baker in their signature Cranberry color.

You know you want it, don't you? This item retails at $69 (I know Donna loves that!) and it is a heck of a time saver. You can use this to cook things in the microwave that you would normally have to heat the whole house up for by using the oven. What a perfect kitchen gadget for summer!

So come on now, get your thinking caps on and come up with something good! (and no, I don't want to see links or pictures from the Internet...I want to see your own personal creations!

Ready, set, GO!