You Heard Me, It's a Belgian Chocolate Giveaway!

Though I haven't actually filled it out myself, the creepy snoop in me loves perusing through the "info" section of people's Facebook profiles.  The other day, I came across a friend who I hadn't spoken to in probably 20 years.  If you haven't spoken to someone in that long, are they still considered a friend?  In any case, she listed a "things I love" section which really made me smile and wonder what I'd put on my own list.

...white wine in the summer, hot chocolate in the winter...wagging doggie tails and running to the dog park...laughing until my stomach hurts...girls weekends and slow weekends with hubby.  giggling babies... ice cream and cake.  Cake and chocolate. ...Chocolate.



My very unscientific hypothesis states that a majority of you ladies and gentlemen may put chocolate right up there on your list as well.  And if chocolate makes you happy, it's chocolate that I'll give you! Details on the Guylian Belgian Chocolates giveaway at the end of this post.

Meanwhile, I have a great non-chocolate dessert recipe to share.  I'm aiming for sugar overload here, folks.


Confession time: I have never made any type of fruit pie...not cherry pie, not apple pie, not even the God of all pies: key lime pie.   Something about making homemade pie crust and pastries just thoroughly intimidates me.  Add it to the cooking bucket list, I suppose.  Well, if you're like me and love apple pie but are also dreadfully lazy, this quick bread recipe just might fit the bill.  It's filled with the good things in life - cinnamon, gooey apples and a nice nutty crunch without all the hassle.  If you have a great apple pie recipe that is delicious and not too time consuming to make, please send my way!


Apple Pie Bread
3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons apple pie spice
4 eggs, beaten
1 21 oz can apple pie filling
1 cup apple sauce
3/4 cup packed brown sugar (divided)
2/3 cup canola oil
1/2 cup sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour two loaf pans.

1. In a large bowl combine flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and apple pie spice.  In a separate bowl, combine eggs, apple pie filling, apple sauce, 1/2 c. brown sugar and canola oil.  Add egg mixture slowly to eggs, stirring until just combined.

2. Divide batter evenly among pans.  Top each loaf with remaining brown sugar and almonds.

3.  Bake for 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool in pans on a wire rack.

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And now on to the good stuff.  The fine folks at Guylian Chocolates have graciously offered to send one of my awesome readers a Valentine's gift basket of chocolates. They sent me some chocolates to sample, and I must tell you that this stuff is divine.  Just think about this...chocolate seashells with milk, dark and white Belgian Chocolate filled with rich, decadent creamy chocolate praline truffle. um,YEA. Seriously.  If you don't have a Valentine's day gift yet, here's your chance.  Or...if you're selfish like me, you can just keep the chocolates to yourself :)



Giveaway: Guylian Belgian Chocolates!

Starts today and ends Friday, February 11 at midnight (EST). Winner will be chosen at random through random.org

To enter into the giveaway:
Leave a comment letting me know what truly makes you happy or list your favorite chocolate dessert

Additional Entries can be earned by:
1. Tweeting about this post: Guylian Belgian Chocolate Giveaway http://bit.ly/gdVimS @newlywedcook Please RT!

2. Follow @newlywedcook on Twitter, then come back to this page and leave a separate comment telling me you did so. (if you already follow, let me know, that counts!)

3.  Share a link to this post via Facebook or email and leave a separate comment telling me you did so.

Calphalon Giveaway and BBQ Chicken & Ranch Mac 'n Cheese!

Have you ever heard of the Paleo diet? It's sort of a movement back to the diet of our ancestral caveman where you eat well, what a caveman would. Yep, what you're thinking is correct: no pop tarts, no froyo, not even cereal. Just plain ol' meat and veggies and some nuts for good measure. I suppose its kind of like a manly version of the South Beach diet.

{caption: this dish is not part of the Paleo diet}

Well, as much as I agree with the reasoning behind this diet, I just love me some sugar and some carbs. Hubby mentioned experimenting with this movement, and I felt myself shudder with caffeine-withdrawal-like shakes. The only thing that could calm my nerves? BBQ Chicken Mac 'n Cheese.  Of course, I made this for myself while he was away which actually left me wanting to adapt a caveman diet.  Leaving me home alone with a vat of mac 'n cheese is never smart.

Don't fret.  This dish isn't all bad for you.  I try to use quinoa pasta for almost all my pasta dishes now.  It's super high in protein, gluten free and all around tasty nonetheless.  Though this has to be one of my top 5 recipes, it ended up being a clear the pantry, spur of the moment meal I cobbled together with some leftovers (shredded bbq chicken, corn and beans).   The corn and beans were an interesting addition, though the mac 'n cheese purist in me will probably leave them out next time.

Now, on to the exciting stuff....a free Calphalon wok! 


Thanks to the good folks at CSN Stores who have everything from Corner TV Stands to Le Creuset, to mattresses, I got to pick out a fun prize for my readers!  Because I'm such a lover of Asian food, I chose this sweet Calphalon 13" Flat Bottom Wok.  I actually selected this prize because I have this wok and love it.

Comments are now closed for this contest.  Thanks to all who entered. I will be announcing the winner shortly!!


Open to U.S. residents only.  If you don't have a blog, please leave your email address so I can contact you if you're the winner.

The winner will be chosen randomly by Random.org on Tuesday, April 13th - 9pm Pacific.  Good luck!!

BBQ Chicken Mac 'n Cheese
Recipe by Sharon
I made this for myself so the measurements are kind of weird.  For a bigger group, double the recipe. 

1 8 oz. box quinoa pasta (available at health food stores like Henry's, Whole Foods), cooked according to package directions (plus a few minutes boiling time)
1 tbsp butter
1/6 cup flour
3/4 cup milk
1/8 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup low fat sour cream
2 tbsp ranch dressing
1/4 lb Velveeta, cut into cubes
1/4 tsp ground mustard
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp coarse garlic salt
1 cups reduced fat shredded cheddar
1/4 cup black bean and corn (optional - I added this b/c I had some leftover, but not sure i would use again)
1/2 cup- 3/4 cup shredded bbq chicken (bought at TJ's)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1. Melt butter over medium heat until almost bubbling. Add flour and stir until smooth. Gradually add milk and broth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for about 2 minutes or until smooth & thickened. Reduce heat.

2. Add sour cream, ranch, Velveeta chunks, ground mustard, pepper & garlic salt. Continue stirring until smooth and cheese melts (this may take awhile). Once cheese is melted, add shredded cheddar and stir until melted.
Add drained pasta and chicken to pot and stir until combined with cheese sauce.

3. Spray a 9x9 glass baking dish with cooking spray. Transfer pasta to the dish and bake for 15 minutes or until heated through.

Wine Spectator Giveaway Reminder!

After spending an entire beautiful, sunny weekend outside, sitting inside feels kinda lame. Monday Blues. Well, just reminding you to enter in the Wine Spectator Giveaway if you haven't already! You only have until this evening so get to it!

I've enjoyed reading the favorite wines of those who've already responded.  Based on all your great recommendations, it looks like someone {me} will need to make a trip to the local wine store to stock up the reserves!

Weekend Wine Spectator Giveaway!

Happy Friday!  It's sunny and warm outside and I cannot begin to describe how excited I am for the weekend.  Tomorrow, I have a doggie beach date with some former coworkers.  The rest of the weekend I just plan on relaxing and enjoying the sun and laughing at my March Madness picks.


Can you tell I'm in a good mood?  In the hopes of putting you in a good mood as well, I've decided to do a weekend giveaway!  One lucky reader will receive a year subscription to Wine Spectator....a $49.95 value for those counting :)  I've always loved this magazine since I enjoy wine, but can't really say I'm any type of vino expert.  Having good wine recommendations when heading into the store always helps save me from wasting money on "eh" wine.

How to Enter:

• US Residents only (sorry my international friends)

• Leave a comment telling me your favorite bottle of wine


Extra entries (leave a separate comment for each):

• For an extra entry, become a Twitter follower or let me know you already are following my mindless babble

• For another extra entry, become a Google Friend (click "join this site" in the right sidebar)

• For another extra entry, tweet about this giveaway using this link: http://bit.ly/bnRrMr

Entries due Monday, March 22nd at 9PM Pacific.  Good luck!
*This contest is not sponsored by any parties. Winner chosen by random.org

Macy's Shopping Giveaway...for a good cause!

As a die-hard food lover, its hard to imagine a day going by without eating delicious food, perusing food photos on the internet, while sometimes reading through cooking magazines on the side. Did I mention I'm a multi-tasker?

The sad reality is that at least one in six young children live on the brink of hunger in the United States. According to Feeding America, an estimated 12.4 million children lived in food insecure (low food security and very low food security) households in 2007. Given the current state of the economy, I can only imagine that this number may have increased.


Along with Feeding America, Macy's is launching "COME TOGETHER, an innovative awareness and fundraising campaign that aims to feed 10 million people suffering from hunger. Come Together invites the public to rally around the cause by hosting special dinners in their homes and asking their guests to pledge a donation to Feeding America. In return, Macy’s will match these donations dollar-for-dollar until the total goal of 10 million meals is reached."

How can you help raise 10 Million meals for families in need? All you have to do is host a dinner for your friends - something I know we all do on a regular basis.

· HOST - Friends and families across the country can host dinner parties from casual to formal, send invitations and manage party details including themes and recipes on the . In lieu of bringing traditional host gifts, guests are suggested to make a donation to Feeding America.
· GIVE - Donate $1 directly at any Macy's register, one dollar provides dinner for seven.
· SHOP- Macy's customers can shop for the cause and get special savings in-store on October 17, when Macy's hosts a national Shop For A Cause day. A portion of the $5 in-store ticket sales will benefit Feeding America.

In honor of this great cause and to spread awareness of the reality many families in America face, I'm hosting a Macy's giveaway for a $25 gift card. To enter, please take the time to:

• Visit the Feeding America and Come Together websites,
• consider donating to the cause, and
  
• leave a comment on what you'd serve at your "Come Together" dinner party.

I will randomly select two lucky winners from the entries received by Sunday, September 20th, 11:59 pacific. Good luck!

Ziti with Creamy Lamb Ragu...and a Winner!!

Carb loading is traditionally a favorite activity of many a marathoner. However, hubby and I are really just normal folks who happen to love carbs in any shape or form. This evening, we decided to celebrate a great weekend with heaps of good pasta and a loaf of our favorite bread from the Hillcrest farmer's market. If you're ever in the area, check out the very appropriately named "Best Bread" booth. Ooh, I could live there it's so good.


Another one of Giada's winning recipes, this dish comes together fairly quickly thus minimizing the insane heat creation in our home. Ziti pairs quite nicely with a lamb ragu flavored with sauteed shallots, fresh mint, & a touch of ricotta for creaminess. We paired these beloved carbs with a nice bottle of chardonnay to round out a perfect summer meal. Lamb was also a nice change from the usual chicken and/or shrimp I've been cooking.


Before I leave you with the recipe I also wanted to give a huge shout out to Melissa from Baking for the Boys for being the WINNER of my reader recipe contest. This is a very late congratulations but thank you so much for your Angels on Horseback recipe! Unfortunately, I don't have any photos of the winning recipe (I dont know how you all entertain and manage to take photos), but I can provide you with some testimonials if you want proof of how delicious these were! As I was looking for easy entertaining recipes, shrimp wrapped in bacon and drizzled with homemade bbq sauce definitely fit the bill.

To thank Melissa for her great recipe, I'm sending her a copy of Alice Medrich's Chocolate Holidays: unforgettable desserts for every season. In my opinion, this book is a chocoholic's dream. Good thing Melissa likes chocolate :) Enjoy!

Both delicious recipes follow:

Ziti with Lamb Ragu
Adapted from Giada
1 pound rigatoni pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 shallots, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 pound ground lamb
1/2 pound ground turkey (*you can use all ground lamb)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup red wine
4 1/2 cups marinara sauce, store-bought or home made
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, torn
3/4 cup ricotta cheese

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain.

In a large skillet warm olive oil over high heat. Add shallots and garlic and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Add the ground lamb, ground turkey, salt, and pepper. Cook until the lamb has browned and most of the juices have evaporated. Add the wine and simmer until the wine has reduced by half. Add the marinara sauce and simmer over low heat about 10 minutes. Add the mint and ricotta and stir until mixed. Add the pasta and stir to coat. Serve immediately with a loaf of warm bread.

Angels on Horseback
Courtesy of Melissa

36 large shrimp
salt and pepper
1/4 pound bacon

1. Season shrimp with salt and pepper
2. Wrap in bacon
3. Broil until done, about 10 minutes
4. Brush w/ BBQ sauce (recipe follows)
*I pre-cooked the bacon a bit so that the shrimp didn't overcook and also sprinkled the bacon/shrimp with a touch of brown sugar.


La Posada BBQ Sauce
yield: 1 1/2 pints
5 oz. Worcestershire sauce
5 oz. soy sauce
1/2 lemon, juiced
5 oz. tomato puree
1 1/2 T. dark brown sugar
1 c. heavy whipping cream

1. In a small saucepan combine Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, lemon juice, tomato puree and dark brown sugar. Stir on medium heat until sugar has dissolved.

2. Bring to boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

3. In a large sauce pan, add cream and bring to a boil. Simmer until the cream sticks to the back of spoon. Stir in BBQ sauce base to taste. Bring mixture back to boil and simmer again until it coats the back of a spoon

Salsa Giveaway Winner!

Congratulations to lucky #31, Eru who won the salsa giveaway! Eru, please send me an email so I can send your salsa goodies!

Thanks to all who entered. You all have some tasty salsa concoctions! Emily drizzles salsa on salads (brilliant!) and Valerie slow cooks pork with salsa verde. I need to try both of these ideas very soon.

coming up... photos & recipes from hubby's graduation party AND the winner of the
graduation party recipe contest! First, I need to teach my parents how to send me the photos from their camera! :)

Spicy 'n Sassy Salsa Giveaway!!

In honor of their new specialty salsa line, Pace Salsa is giving away a sweet prize pack to one of my lucky and awesome readers! A few of their delicious new flavors include Pineapple Mango Chipotle, Black Bean and Roasted Corn, and Tequila Lime. Yum!



I personally love using salsa as an ingredient in a whole host of delicious foods. My current favorite is to add a few dollops of pineapple salsa to vegetable chili. I know this sounds strange, but it adds a good dimension of flavor and a little bit of sweetness to cut the spicy kick. We err on the side of spicy wusses in our household, though I'm slowly but surely coming around.

If you want to try these great new flavors, just leave me a comment letting me know your favorite thing to make using salsa. It can be anything really, and if it sounds good I'll probably harass you for the recipe! :) Any background, funny stories about the recipe, or general humor will make you even more entertaining.

I'll pick a winner using every blogger's favorite, the random number generator. The giveaway starts today and ends on Thursday, 06/11/09 at 11:59pm pacific.

If you don't have a blog, please leave me your contact information!

Free to a Good Home!

Are you a loving and caring cook? Will you mash me and feed me and care for me like your own? If so, let me know if you'd like to be the lucky recipient of a bag of Amish starter and a copy of this fabulously butter and flour stained, vintage-y looking recipe.

Like the chain letter of breads, Amish Friendship Bread is a great bread for the holidays or to coerce your friends into baking. It's also wonderful if you're a lover of cinnamon, sugar, or streusel toppings (pointing a finger at myself). After caring for & feeding your starter for about 10 days, you quadruple it, divide it up and bake yourself a ridiculously good cinnamon coffeecake type bread. You can bake several small loaves but we decided to make one ginormous cinnamon monstrosity. Pass along the starter to friends and the chain continues. It's all good fun until you use up all your precious baking supplies. This project requires a lot of flour and sugar!


** The giveaway is closed, but click here for a recipe to make your own***

If you'd like to be a recipient, just leave a comment by tomorrow morning (Wednesday). I have a few of these to give out. Just for kicks, let me know your favorite dessert to pass along to friends!

I believe there are other uses for Amish starter. I'll experiment and keep you posted!

Ladies and Gents, we have a winner...and some biscuits!

Last night, I sat at my computer waiting patiently for the clock to strike midnight so I could pick the Gathering of Friends Cookbook winner. Without further adieu, the lucky winner and also host of one of my favorite blogs is #10, Lisa! Congrats! Lisa from Jersey Girl Cooks likes to share a big pot of spaghetti & meatballs or bbq in the summer with friends. After reading the many delicious things you all like to share with friends, I realized I need to get to know some of you better ;)

Enjoy the beautiful cookbook and thanks to Michelle from Gathering of Friends for helping out with the giveaway!!

Lest I leave you without any food today, here's a shot of a recent "quick" breakfast. Not for those squeamish about calories, biscuits 'n sausage gravy are a favorite of hubby's and a delightful way to start the day. Comfort food makes everything better, don't you think? I wish I could say that I made these biscuits from scratch, but then it'd disqualify this from being a quick meal. And that'd be a shame.

We basically follow this recipe from Bobby Flay, though I add the milk in gradually to reach the desired consistency as I like things thick! I also only use 1 package of sausage and halve the rest of the ingredients. We're not gluttons here. :)

Happy Halloween everyone! Enjoy the day!

Toasted Sesame Chicken Pasta & a Giveaway!!

“We should look for someone to eat and drink with before looking for something to eat and drink, for dining alone is leading the life of a lion or wolf”
-Epicurus (Greek philospher, BC 341-270)

True, true, Epicurus. There's something to be said about sharing a tasty meal with friends and family over good conversation, laughter, and a bottle of nice wine. I suppose there are many occasions where I end up dining alone, but eating with others is a true joy. ...unless your dining mate has bad manners, of course.

In their new cookbook, The Gathering of Friends, Michelle Huxtable and Alyse Christensen provide menus, recipes and table setting ideas meant to help you Gather Your Friends to the table and enjoy a homecooked meal. Each section focuses on an event or party such as a shower, a "Ladies Luncheon," breakfast brunch, or holiday meal. The photos are stunning, the cookbook well laid-out and there's even a section for you to write your own comments / notes!

After drooling over page after page, I decided to make the Toasted Sesame Chicken Pasta from the "Springtime Breakfast" section. Clearly, I have my seasons wrong, but give me a break. I live in California. Though probably intended to be more of a pasta salad, I decided to serve this warm and as our main entree for dinner. Delicious and hearty, we greatly enjoyed the toasted sesame flavor and ease in preparing the dish. I did make a few modifications as the original calls for candied pecans (delicious sounding!) but we had an allergy in the group. Hope you enjoy as much as we did!



Since I enjoyed this cookbook so much, I wanted to share with a copy with you! Please leave a comment with your favorite dish to share with friends. Whether it be ice cream or a big bowl of chili, I'd love to hear your favorites. I've always wanted to use the Random Number Generator so leave your comment by Thursday, October 30th!