Giveaways!

Cheddar and Chorizo Stuffed Twice Baked Potatoes and a Giveaway!

December 8, 2011 by Rebecca 56 Comments

The giveaway info is below the recipe, so make like a scuba diver and keep on going down!

Some of the best food is just not pretty. It’s gooey, gloppy, brown, and not even a little bit elegant. It looks like it’s not worth the paper plate it rode in on. But when the scent wafts to your nose, when you take that first bite and the inelegance of the whole thing gives way to an explosion of flavour, it suddenly transcends the need to be another pretty dish. You plate it how you want. Heck. Sometimes you just skip a plate if the spirit moves you. It doesn’t matter as long as you get the food to your mouth. How can this happen? Isn’t there the axiom about eating with your eyes before you eat with your mouth? I’m working on a hunch about the phenomenon, though.

I call it my Frog in a Box theory.

Everyone remembers the Looney Tunes cartoon where the down-on-his-luck, unemployed construction worker finds a frog with the extraordinary ability to sing like an angel, right? The man hoards his new found, potentially lucrative critter in an attempt to make money off of it. He goes to a talent agent’s office, talks a big game, plops the frog on the desk where he promptly delivers a resounding, “Brrrrrrrrrrrr-ibbit!” The man and his frog are bounced out on their respective ears* and once the door is slammed shut, the frog sings an aria in the hallway. Oh the frustration! Darned frog!

*Do frogs have ears? I should know this. I feel a homeschooling unit coming on…

After a few more rejections the man takes matters into his own hands and rents a theater where he resorts to trickery to bring in a crowd. (Free beer and chicken, anyone?) He gets a full house, raises the curtain, shoves the frog on stage and once more, “Brrrrrrrrr-ibbit!” The crowd exits, stage left and the frog consoles the man by singing a few popular ditties.

So here’s the deal. This dish is my Frog in a Box. No matter which light, which plating, which lens and which toppings I used, these things just plain looked ugly. And every time I took a bite, I heard a glorious choir in my head. What was a gal to do? I don’t give up as easily as our poor Looney Tunes construction worker. I’m posting it anyway, ugly photos and all. That blasted frog was able to escape detection but these potatoes? They’re here for everyone else to try and enjoy. Make them. Try them yourself! Stick it to the frog!

The crispy potato shell holds a creamy Cheddar, chorizo and green onion studded mashed potato filling. Eat them for breakfast, second breakfast, lunch, snack or dinner. Plate them or hold them in your hot little hands while you eat them. Have them with a proper dinner or slap a platter of them on the coffee table for the ultimate hockey or football viewing snacks. You can even make these up to the point where you’d bake them and stash them in the freezer (minus their cap of shreddy-cheddy) until you want to serve them. Top with cheese as directed and bake. How neat is that?

Cheddar and Chorizo Stuffed Twice Baked Potatoes and a Giveaway!

Crispy shelled, creamy Cheddar and chorizo and green onion stuffed twice baked potatoes are a great comfort food addition to your winter meal and snack repertoire. I've eaten these at breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack time and can promise they're one of the best game day snacks you could ever serve. All that and they're easy, too!

Ingredients

6 leftover baked potatoes
4 tablespoons softened butter
1/2 cup room temperature milk or half and half
4 cups shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
2 1/2 cups cooked and crumbled Mexican style chorizo , divided
6 green onions, cleaned and thinly sliced

Optional for serving:

sour cream
candied jalapenos
additional sliced green onions
salsa

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Halve each potato lengthwise. (Before halving each potato, pay attention to how it naturally lays on the cutting board so that after halving, they don't tip when placed skin side down on the pan.) Scoop most of the potato innards into a mixing bowl, just leaving enough in place to maintain the shape of the potato skin. (This means leaving about 1/4" of potato guts in place.)

Smash the potato guts together with the softened butter, milk or half and half, and 2 1/2 cups of the cheese in the mixing bowl until the potatoes are relatively smooth. Stir in the chorizo and green onions until evenly distributed.

Divide the potato filling evenly among the potato shells, spreading the filling to the edges of the potato skins. Sprinkle the remaining cheese evenly over the tops of the stuffed potatoes.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbling and the filling is hot all the way through. Serve as is or topped with sour cream, candied jalapenos , salsa, and sliced green onions.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2011/12/08/cheddar-and-chorizo-stuffed-twice-baked-potatoes-and-a-giveaway/

Recipe printed from Foodie With Family | Rebecca Lindamood http://www.foodiewithfamily.com

The Giveaway!

I have a seriously fun giveaway that has me pretty excited. Okay, I lie. I’m stupidly excited about this. In the years I’ve been blogging here, you’ve gotten to know a lot about me; my book/movie/Doctor Who/music/bacon obsessions. It’s all true, but one of the biggest obsessions in my life is…

Wait for it…

Clothing. I love clothing. I love clothes far more than any woman who has carried and birthed five children has any right to be. I love all sorts of dresses- retro dresses, vintage dresses, modern, sleek, voluminous, old-fashioned, cute, sultry… Anything I can afford to buy and I can carry off I adore. I’ve long admired the selection over at Shabby Apple (you HAVE seen their website, right?) and I know from personal experience how their dresses are the kind of women’s dresses that make every woman feel like an old-fashioned movie star- glamourous, sexy, and oh-so-put-together. Unlike my pauvre potato recipe, their designs look good in any light, any situation, and any lens that catches them.

When Shabby Apple contacted me and offered to give away a dress from a list of dresses to one of my readers I jumped on it. I might’ve even squealed a little bit. I’m telling you honestly their dresses are squeal worthy. In other words, I said yes. Do you want to see the dress I picked to give away? Hmm? Yes? Are you excited yet? I know I’m not the only dress nut out there. Feast your eyes on this!

Image used courtesy of Shabby Apple

Isn’t it gorgeous? Shabby Apple describes the dress as being “Plum-colored folds of soft jersey fabric dip from the shoulders into a ruched waist that runs from bust to hip on this flouncy, ballet-inspired dress. Perfect for traveling, this dress sports a V-neck and fully lined skirt for extra coverage, so whether at the office or on the road, you’ll feel comfortable and beautiful.” So, so true.

Anyway, let’s get down to brass tacks. To enter for a change to win this incredible dress (think holiday parties and beyond! Dress it up with a jacket and some tall boots for the office or church or a dinner date!) just head over to Shabby Apple’s Facebook Page and like them. (That’s easy enough with to-die-for dresses like that!) Then scoot back over here and leave me a comment saying you did it.

And the nice folks over at Shabby Apple don’t want anyone to feel left out. They’ve issued a coupon code just for Foodie with Family readers: foodiewithfamily10off . This code is good through January 7th, 2012, so get a-shopping. Then you can stand around in your splendid Shabby Apple dress eating one of my Frog in a Box Chorizo and Cheddar Stuffed Potatoes looking magnificent. Maybe the potatoes will even look prettier next to that dress!

The contest fine print: Shabby Apple is providing a dress for the giveaway, but all opinions about their company and their wares are my own. With apologies to my global friends, this contest is open to US residents only. Winner will be selected using random.org on December 15th, 2011.

Filed Under: Appetizers & Snacks, Breakfast Foods, Comfort Food, Freezer Pleaser, Getting Creative With Leftovers, Giveaways!, kid food, Main Dish, Party Food, Rebecca, Recipes, Snacks, Stretching your dollars Tagged With: budget friendly, family-friendly, Frugal Food, kid friendly, kids, party food, quick and easy, Snacks

Korean Style Teriyaki Beef Lettuce Wraps and a Giveaway!

August 11, 2011 by Rebecca 54 Comments

A couple months ago I was contacted by Back To The Roots, a company that sells grow-your-own-gourmet-mushroom kits using composted coffee grounds. Before I even got two sentences into the email from them I had hit reply with a message that went something like this:

“Yes! Whatever you’re asking me, yes! I love mushrooms. LOVE ‘em. What do you want me to do? I’ll do it!”

And then I sensibly went back and read the rest of the email.

As it turned out, my original response was entirely suitable to what they had asked me. They offered me my own oyster mushroom kit, a kit to give away to my readers (that’s YOU FOLKS!) and a ten-percent discount code for the rest of you to use so you can order your own kits from Back To The Roots. (Discount code: mushrooms4me10 ). And let me tell you, I was pretty impressed with the company.

I waited until I got back from the ranch to start growing my mushrooms and it’s a good thing I did because eight days in, BAM. I had about a pound of giant, gorgeous oyster mushrooms shooting out of my kit. I got so excited that I sliced them all off and cooked them before it even occurred to me to take a picture. Ahem. I was excited. Did I mention I like mushrooms a lot?

Thankfully, the instructions told me how to get a second crop from the kit and I wrote myself many little sternly worded notes about taking a picture before cooking the mushrooms. This was my second crop:

I had never noticed before just how pretty mushrooms are. They’re so delicate and lovely that it was almost a shame to slice them up and cook them.

…Almost a shame. Not quite. No. Not really at all. I carried on and sallied forth and made one of the best summer meals we’ve had this year. Korean-Style Teriyaki Beef Lettuce Wraps*.

*If this beef looks familiar, it’s because it is. This is a very gently adapted version of my Jangsanjeok recipe but served over garlicky oyster mushroom soba noodles and wrapped in lettuce.

Don’t let the length of the ingredient list freak you out. The recipe is incredibly simple to pull together. Both the beef and noodles can be prepared as much as a day in advance of serving, making it a great solution for summer entertaining on steamy evenings. Substantial but not heavy, flavourful and exotic, these lettuce wraps are a crowd-pleaser. Alternatively, you could skip the crowd and eat it all yourself. Not that I’ve done that. I’m just saying.

So, this contest. You want the rules? Leave a comment. Tell me what you would do with your oyster mushroom bounty. Tell me how cool you think it is that they grow in composted coffee. Tell me you’d give this kit to your Aunt Marge because she loves mushrooms. Just tell me something! The winner will be chosen by random.org and announced here on Monday, August 15th. Good luck everyone!

Update: Our winner is lucky comment #50: Janis who will be naming her burl Roger Please email me your mailing address, Janis and happy mycelium tending.

A free mushroom kit was sent to me and one is being provided for this giveaway by the generous folks at Back To The Roots but all opinions and experiences discussed here are my own. What can I say? I’m enthusiastic about this product.

Korean Style Teriyaki Beef Lettuce Wraps

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 60 minutes

Yield: 8 servings

Spicy, sweet, garlicky, gingery Korean-style teriyaki simmered beef patties on a bed of garlic oyster mushroom noodles get the fresh leaf lettuce wrap treatment for the ultimate summer meal. This is the stuff of cravings. Best yet, everything can be done ahead of time and chilled, making this a great fit for entertaining on warm evenings.

Ingredients

For the Beef:

2 pounds lean ground beef
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon finely minced green onion
1 tablespoon finely minced (or pressed in a garlic press) garlic
4 tablespoons raw sugar (can substitute white granulated sugar if necessary)
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Ingredients for Simmering Sauce:

3 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons water
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon unsweetened apple or pear juice
6 tablespoons raw sugar (can substitute white granulated sugar if necessary)
2 tablespoons honey
10 cloves of garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
1-1/2? piece of ginger, thinly sliced*
3 whole small dried red chilis (can substitute 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, can also reduce to suit heat preferences.)
2 whole green onions, ends trimmed

For the Garlic Oyster Mushroom Noodles:

4 tablespoons olive oil
1-2 cups oyster mushrooms
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
6 tablespoons raw sugar
8 tablespoons rice vinegar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon gochujang (Korean chili paste) or Asian chili-garlic sauce
1 pound soba noodles, cooked 1-2 minutes less than package instructions, drained and rinsed with very cold water
6 green onions, sliced
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Additional ingredients for serving:

12-20 large leaves of lettuce (Bibb, leaf or romaine, preferably) rinsed and air dried
sliced green onions
toasted sesame seeds.

Instructions

To Prepare the Beef:

Preheat oven to broil (High Broil if your oven allows you to differentiate) with the oven rack between 6 to 8 inches from the heating element. (Alternately, you can heat your gas grill to High or lay a bed of hot coals in your charcoal grill.)

Combine beef with all the other patty ingredients in a medium size bowl. Mix well with your hands until the ingredients are evenly distributed. Divide the meat into two portions. Pat each portion into a square or rectangle that is about 1/2? thick on a rimmed baking sheet. The patties do not have to be shaped perfectly, but try your best to get them evenly thick in order to promote even cooking.

Broil or grill the beef for about 3 minutes on the first side. Carefully flip to prevent breakage. One spatula underneath and one spatula pressed lightly against the top works well for the manoeuver. Return the patty to the broiler or grill and cook until cooked through. This took 4 more minutes under my broiler. Remove the pan from the oven and cool completely.

While patties cool, combine all of the sauce ingredients in a large skillet or braising pot.

When the patties are completely cool, cut into squares that are about 1-inch to 1 1/2-inches in size. Bring the sauce ingredients to a boil over medium high. Stir well, then add the patties to the sauce. Lower heat to medium low and simmer, basting the patties and turning occasionally, until the sauce has been reduced, is thick and syrupy and has been mostly absorbed.

Serve hot or chilled.

To prepare the Garlic Oyster Mushroom Noodles:

Place a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium high heat with 2 tablespoons of olive oil in it.

When the oil is shimmering, add the mushrooms with a couple pinches of salt and stir to coat.

Cook, stirring frequently, until mushrooms are tender and golden brown.

Add garlic, raw sugar, the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, and gochujang. Bring the sauce to a simmer, stirring constantly until mixture is smooth and somewhat thickened around the mushrooms.

Add the noodles to the pan and toss to coat.

Remove the pan from the heat and toss in the green onions and sesame seeds. Let cool to room temperature or colder before serving.

To Assemble Lettuce Wraps:

Lay out several large lettuce leaves.

Arrange about 1/8 cup of noodles on each leaf and top with two or so of the simmered beef patties.

Garnish with additional sesame seeds and green onions, if desired.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2011/08/11/korean-style-teriyaki-beef-lettuce-wraps-and-a-giveaway/

Recipe printed from Foodie With Family | Rebecca Lindamood http://www.foodiewithfamily.com

Filed Under: Accessible Ethnic, Giveaways!, Healthy Foods, Korean Food, Main Dish, Meat, Recipes Tagged With: budget friendly, Frugal Food, kid friendly, party food, quick and easy

Candied Jalapeno Winners!

March 12, 2011 by Rebecca 1 Comment

Well hey! Took me long enough, but I have some winners to announce in the Cowboy Candy/Candied Jalapeno giveaway. Thank you all for your patience and support. In the last two weeks, I’ve been recognized by Babble as one of their Top 100 Mom Food Bloggers and also by Circle of Moms as one of their Top 25 Foodie Moms. I chalk this up to you all being seriously awesome. So thank you all!

The winners, as chosen by Random.org were the following comments:

Kay Gardiner

Just made a pot of this and it is delicious! I love that it is basically a “pantry” recipe.

I didn’t have leftover chicken (I never do!) so I poached 4 boneless breasts in chicken stock while I was prepping, shredded them up and put them, poaching stock and all, into the soup.

I think if I had any candied jalapenos I would eat them standing up in the kitchen.

Thanks for the great recipe.
Kay

and

Patrick

I would LOVE a jar of these =). I’ve been dying to try them ever since you posted them in the first place, but I’ve been putting off any foray into canning till next year when I hopefully have my own place. I would like to try them on their own, on a grilled chicken pizza with tomatoes rather than sauce, and on some sandwiches.

What kind of puppy did you get?

Well, Patrick… I got THIS kind of puppy…

Isn’t she adorable? *SQUEEEEEEEE She’s a taco terrier. That’s right. I bought a dog named after a food. And furthermore? We named her Fajita. Because we can!

But wait, there’s more! I promised a winner on the Facebook Fan Site. And by George? It’s Katyln Marchini. Hi Katlyn! I hope you like the spicy.

So. Here’s how this works. You three send me an email with your physical mailing addresses and I’ll wrap these bad boys up and send them to you. Not the puppy, the jalapenos. The puppy is mine.

Just look at her little ladylike paws. She’s so polite.

Filed Under: Giveaways!

A video game giveaway. What?!?

December 2, 2010 by Rebecca 13 Comments

Please be sure to read to the end for details on the giveaway! And come back first thing tomorrow. Will I post a savory or a sweet recipe? I’m still undecided, but I have one of each in the works, so if you have a preference this is the time to tell me. Speak now, or forever hold your peace. Or something.

If you’ve been hanging out here for a while, that title probably threw you for a loop. It’s no secret that I’m not the world’s biggest lover of video games. In fact, I have a self-imposed set of rules that effectively eliminates nine out of every ten of the games on the market from our home.

No games that turn you into couch potatoes. Exercising your thumbs is not equivalent to exercising your body.
No games that turn your brain off. Exercising your hand-eye coordination from a sitting position does not improve your cognitive abilities overall.
No games without redeeming qualities. (And now you understand why we own a grand total of 3 video games.)

So when the Clever Girls Collective and Ubisoft got together and sent me a copy of the Wii game “Just Dance Kids” to review, I was pretty sure I was going to be donating it to the Salvation Army in short order.

The boys agreed to help me review the game. Here is the result of our collaboration.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHND_dZPRiQ&feature=youtube_gdata[/youtube]

Now some nitty-gritty details:

It is definitely a game skewed to the younger crowd. If you kids are in the Winnie the Pooh/Blue’s Clues demographic, then they’ll probably enjoy this game. Any older and you might face a mutiny.
The older boys had to be ordered convinced to keep still about some of the faces pulled by dancers in the video game. If you’re familiar with some of the “WOW! GEE! My legs are doing something that completely shocks me!” expressions used in ballroom dance then you have a good idea what I mean. And you probably have a good handle on why the older kids reacted that way.
This game provides some honest-to-goodness exercise. The choreographed moves look deceptively simple. I challenge you to give “A-B-C” a try and tell me otherwise.
My three youngest kids have clocked some serious time on this game and it hasn’t lost its charm. It’s a good value.
You can have more than one player dancing at a time. (My kids prefer to play solo, but the game doesn’t restrict them to that.)

Now the giveaway.

Ubisoft provided me with a copy of the game to give to one reader. Interested in scratching one item off your gift list? Here are the rules:

Leave a comment about your plans for the upcoming holidays. What are you looking forward to the most?
That’s it. You know I’m not crazy about convoluted contest rules.
Happy Hannukah
Merry Christmas
Get out your dancing shoes and prepare to busta move.*

*Does saying ‘busta move’ date me?

I’ll pick and announce the winner this Sunday afternoon, November 5th. Good luck!

Filed Under: Giveaways!, Rebecca

And the winner is…

January 23, 2010 by Rebecca Leave a Comment

The winner of the Korintje Cinnamon giveaway is… (drumroll please!)…

“Kristin Kunoff

January 20th, 2010 at 11:06 am

I think my best money saving tip is buying frozen vegetables. I used to spend a fortune in the produce section and while my husband and I are both students, we need to save as much on groceries as possible. I do miss fresh veggies..some day we’ll have them again=)”

There you go, Kristin! I can’t get fresh produce to your doorstep, but at least I can help you out on cinnamon. Please email me with your address and information. I can’t wait to hear how you use this!

Filed Under: Giveaways! Tagged With: giveaway, prize

Peanut Butter Balls

July 28, 2009 by Rebecca 27 Comments

Hi friends! The last few weeks have been maddeningly busy. We’ve done a lot of work on our house and property, camped, traveled, been visited, and had animal crises. I hope I have a chance in the next couple of weeks to settle back into a regular blogging routine. With all the fresh produce hitting the markets, I have so many delicious recipes to share with you. Until then, please enjoy this short but sweet (har har. I crack me up.) recipe. And the sweet quick giveaway at the end. Read on!

Peanut butter + Chocolate= Bliss

I cannot think of a combination that makes me happier. There’s just something about the salt and the sweet and the creamy and the crunchy all together that makes my heart go pitter pat. And making Peanut Butter Balls is one of my favorite ways to get that peanut butter and chocolate fix. Chocolate chips, peanut butter, condensed milk and confectioner’s sugar all in one happy little portable package? It’s like an inside-out Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup. Oh baby. Since it’s made with peanut butter it’s healthy, right? (Don’t you DARE tell me it’s not healthy. Please don’t mess with my happy thoughts…) Even better, these little babies don’t melt in your hands!

This is one of the foods that we take camping with us every single time without fail. It just wouldn’t be a family camping trip for us without the ubiquitous Peanut Butter Balls. They are the perfect camping snack fare since they are high-protein and easily transportable. It’s not just camp food, though. It makes the perfect summer snack, too, since it requires zero cooking, and can be safely transported without a cooler.

Make these. Today. And then make another batch to fill the bowl since you hid in the broom closet so you could eat the entire first batch by yourself. No. Wait. That was me. Sorry.

For a photo-free, printer friendly version of this recipe, click here!

Peanut Butter Balls

For a healthier version of the recipe, use the honey and non-fat instant dry milk.

Ingredients:

1 cup creamy or crunchy style peanut butter (I prefer all-natural peanut butter)
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk or honey
1/2 cup powdered sugar or non-fat instant dry milk
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Add all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.

Stir well until evenly combined. At first you might think it’ll never come together…

Just when you’ve decided that you measured wrong, (“I mean, really, how am I supposed to roll THIS stuff?”) it’ll come together and look like this!

Do you have a disher laying around? (In other words, a scoop.)

Is this crucial to the recipe? Certainly not, but it definitely makes the process go a little quicker. If you don’t have one you can just scoop up portions of the peanut butter mix with a serving spoon. No harm, no foul!

Scoop a teaspoon of the mixture into the palm of your hand. Use both hands to roll lightly until it forms a ball. Set onto a plate or into a container.

Repeat with the remaining peanut butter mixture until you have used it all.

Store uneaten peanut butter balls in a tightly lidded container in the refrigerator. Can be left out at room temperature for several hours without problems! Like they’ll last that long…

But wait! I mentioned a giveaway, right? I love my disher. I use it all the time. It scoops cookie dough, meatballs, peanut butter balls (washed between each use, of course) and anything else I can think of that I want in adorable little scoops. I love it dearly. And I want you to have one if you don’t already. So just because I’m feeling full of beans today and also because my birthday is this week I’m giving away a small scoop disher like the one I used above. Specifically, this one:

Do you want it? Here’s what you do. Just leave a comment below. Tell me what you’d make using one of these. If you wouldn’t use it but would give it as a gift, let me know that, too. Or if you have no idea what you’d use it for just say something silly. Preferably in the form of a haiku. Because after Peanut Butter Balls and dishers, haikus are my favorite.

Da Rules and Da Info:

Please have a continental U.S. shipping address handy. I can’t ship this to Alaska, Hawaii, Canada or Mexico. Sorry to my far away and/or cross-border friends.
Please don’t be my relative if you enter. (Well, shoot, if you want to join the family we’ll welcome you. We just won’t give you a disher. Or maybe we will… Just not ’til Christmas.)
You can comment as often as you like, but there will only be one entry per person. I mean it.
Contest is open until Wednesday, 12 EST.
This is a contest sponsored by yours truly. No corporations were exploited, harmed or otherwise injured in the course of this contest.

Filed Under: Camping Food, Desserts, Giveaways!, Happy Healthy and Wise, Rebecca, Recipes, Snacks, Vegetarian Tagged With: camp food, giveaway, kid food, Snacks

We have ultra-scientifically determined the winner.

June 9, 2009 by Rebecca 1 Comment

I asked the boys to help me determine the winner for our Calphalon pan, Tightwad Gazette, and Pastry Scraper giveaway. In true parent fashion, I decided to make it into a math lesson. Here’s how the process went.

Mom: Okay, everyone give me a number between 1 and 43 (the total number of comments plus those who linked back to us.)
Liam: 17! (Decisively. Like it’s the only number possible.)
Ty: 10? (With a decided “Why am I doing this?” look on his face.)
Rowan: I’m three! (Fluttering eyelashes and looking adorable.)
Leif: 60! (triumphantly)
Mom: Leif, that’s well over 43. Can you try a number between 1 and 43?
Leif: 17! (“When in doubt, parrot Liam,” sayeth Leif.)
Aidan: 14 (Because I am not Liam.)

We added all of the numbers up and averaged them to come up with 12.2. After rounding down (since it’s all about the math, n’est-ce pas?) we came up with comment #12. Excluding my comment, since I can’t very well win my own giveaway that brings us to Jennifer. We had two Jennifers commenting, so I’ll specify. The winner of the Calphalon pan, Tightwad Gazette, and Pastry Scraper is THIS Jennifer:

Jennifer
June 4th, 2009 at 3:54 pm

Well sir. Where to begin.
I have never made bread before, and have remained timid at the thought, frankly, since my mom used to bake the most yummy, chewy, pull-you-in-from-the-fields-it-smells-so-good bread. To fail is unfathomable. The stakes are high. But THIS recipe! It looks simple enough for me to handle (I’m no beginner, other than bread), and the payoff… Oh geez I’m drooling. How embarrassing. Is it wrong that I want to throw in tiny chunks of dry cured hot salami? What about sun-dried tomatoes and kalamata olives? Bacon chooped up tiny and rosemary? Hell, JUST rosemary and olive oil? LAVENDER FLOWERS. Cheddar and Chipotles. Onion needs to go in there too. Ok, I’m getting carried away, I know. The bread is just going to end up as a vessel for other ingredients, let’s be honest. Ok, and the first loaves? On their way right now, smelling EXACTLY like they should. Drool. You know what I’m going to do with them? So wrong, but I’m going to slice into em from above along the ‘X’, jam some butter in there, and let it melt. MMMMMMMMMMM… Maye the next ones could have a touch of cinnamon with maple butter…
I think I’m really onto something here!
Thanks SO MUCH, from myself, and anyone within smell distance!

Wow! Thank you, Jennifer. But tell me, did you like it? Contact me via email with your snail mail address so that I can send you your goodies. Congratulations!

…And thank you to everyone else who participated. Stay tuned for another giveaway and more delicious recipes in the next couple weeks.

Filed Under: Giveaways!, Rebecca