Pam's Midwest Kitchen Korner: Giveaways

Showing posts with label Giveaways. Show all posts

6 Year Blogiversary and ~ a Giveaway for You!

Woo hoo!

Today is this blogs 6^th anniversary!

Way back on October 29, 2009 was my first post. It doesn't seem that long ago, but looking at the whole picture, it has been 730 posts and a fantastic wild ride!

I've learned a lot over the years ~ how to make everything from Apricot Glazed Pork Chops to Zucchini Fettuccine, there's Homemade Gravlax, Mom's Quick Streusel Coffee Cake, and Chiles Rellenos thrown into the mix; with Bill at my side as my awesome grill chef and taster tester!

A couple of my most popular recipes being Bubba's Summer Sausage Recipe and my Italian-Style Baked Chicken Breasts. Thankfully, Bill, Jr. has overlooked me calling him "Bubba" here over the years ~ must be all the good food he gets here! ☺

But, that's just part of the picture: What I have really learned over these 6 years is that, it's really about all you great bloggers out there in the community who have kept me motivated and persevering. I've been awed by your great recipes and photographs!

I truly appreciate the time you take out of your busy day to read my posts, and leave me a comment. You're the best!!!

In honor of the occasion, I have a great giveaway of a cookbook (imagine that!) for you...

Since this is the Midwest, with us living in a NW Chicago 'burb, I have a cookbook for you, written by Chef Susan Goss and Drew Goss, the owners of West Town Tavern, a former restaurant in Chicago. It was a great restaurant serving comfort food here for 11 years, when they up and closed shop, relocating to New Orleans. At least they escaped the cold, snowy winters here!

West Town Tavern cookbook is divided into seasonal chapters, plus an extensive pantry. Recipes range from Iron Skillet-Seared Rib Eye Steak to Warm Bread and Butter Pudding with Raisins, Roasted Pecans and Crème Fraîche (please invite me over for that one, if you make it!)

Here's a sampling of the awesome cookbook:

To enter the cookbook giveaway:

1. MANDATORY: If you could invite any 4 people, living or dead, over for dinner around your table, who would they be. You don't have to invite relatives or loved ones because they'd probably be there any way. (For the record, I'd invite Bill Clinton, Peter Robinson, Rod Stewart and Martha Stewart.)

2. The giveaway will remain open until midnight CST Friday, November 6, 2015.

3. The winner will be chosen by a random number generator and announced on Saturday, November 7, 2015.

4. This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.

Good luck to you all and thanks again for being here!

Woo hoo! A Gift from Hickory Farms to You!

Good things come from Ohio ~ Hickory Farms and me! ☺

Hickory Farms from Toledo, l claim Pickerington. Hickory Farms was established in 1951, me around then too; when Richard Ransom began selling hand-cut cheese at local fairs. Lucky for us!

HICKORY FARMS TRADITION ~

Hickory Farms and I have another thing in common ~ we’re both big on tradition!

Hickory Farms is a classic holiday tradition that has been bringing family and friends together for over 60 years. It hasn’t been quite that long for us, but Bill and I, like many Americans, have distinct memories of Hickory Farms at holiday gatherings.

Bill and I both grew up with the Hickory Farms holiday tradition, and we’re still carrying on that tradition today for our family and friends. It’s a wonderful thing when the parcel arrives from Hickory Farms ~ deciding which delicacy to dive into first.

So ~ to say the least, I was ecstatic when the good folks at Hickory Farms sent me their “Toast the Traditions” beautifully packed, extra large gift crate, chock-full of their delicious savory summer sausage, cheeses, mixed nuts, pistachios, chocolate-covered cashews with, pears, apples, and La Crema Chardonnay.

Over the weekend, we sampled it all, and then we toasted to Hickory Farms for all the delicious farm fresh savory sweet goodies, it was a wonderful thing!

Hickory Farms is very proud of those nostalgic moments and continues to focus on and celebrate its long heritage of tradition and authentic holiday memories.

Hickory Farms not only embraces passing down traditions through generations of families, but also creating new traditions and sharing them with loved ones.

BUY HICKORY FARMS ~

Do you have fond memories of Hickory Farms traditions? If not, it’s time to start your own now!

All the great gift trays and baskets are just a click away, at Hickoryfarms.com. Or, you can find them in their 700+ Holiday Market stores and kiosks across America, as well as in select retailers. Also, catch all the latest deals from Hickory Farms via Twitter and Facebook!

WIN A HICKORY FARMS “Toast the Traditions” gift crate!

Hickory Farms is offering a gorgeous gift crate with delicious snacks, just like the one I received, as a giveaway for one of you lucky readers. You will win:

Hickory Farms Signature Beef Summer Sausage 5 oz.

Farmhouse Cheddar Cheese 4 oz.

Smoked Cheddar Blend 4 oz.

Deluxe Mixed Nuts 4 oz.

Roasted Pistachios 4 oz.

Chocolate Caramelized Cashews with Sea Salt 4 oz.

3 extra-large D’Anjou Pears

2 bright and juicy Fuji Apples

La Crema Chardonnay

To enter:

1. Mandatory ~ Browse through the Hickory Farms website, and tell me in a comment below, which collection you’d like for you and your family, or which one you would like to give.

2. This giveaway will remain open until midnight, CST, Thursday, November 28, 2013.

3. The winner will be chosen by a random number generator and announced on Friday, November 29, 2013.

4. This giveaway is open only to U.S. residents.

GOOD LUCK TO YOU!

Disclaimer: Compensation and products for review were provided by Hickory Farms via MomTrends. I received a free sample of the product for the purpose of this review and to facilitate a giveaway. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions of Hickory Farms.

Mother’s Day Brunch Basket Giveaway from Tate’s Bake Shop

It’s that time of year again to remember Mom and reward her for all she has done for us. And Tate’s Bake Shop has the perfect solution!

Kathleen King is the owner/operator of Tate’s Bake Shop. Her career began when she was just 11 years old ~ by baking and selling her crisp, buttery chocolate chip cookies out of her father’s farm stand on their Long Island farmstead. She was hoping for enough money to buy her school clothes, and then it turned into a success story with her owning her own business years later, when she was just 21 years of age!

Here on my blog, I’ve raved about Tate’s Bake Shop before. It’s best known for its mouthwatering chocolate chip cookies. Plus, the bakers there have many other delicious goodies, such as: brownies, pies and breakfast treats ~ all baked from scratch. Kathleen love of baking is evident in every sweet bite!

Tate’s Bake Shop can serve up brunch for Mom!

Now, let's get on with the giveaway!

Tate’s Bake Shop has been nice enough to provide their Mother’s Day Brunch Basket to one lucky winner here at Pam’s Midwest Kitchen Korner!

The spring-green basket is chock full of delectable treats:

Sour cream coffee cake rich with cinnamon sugar and pecans.
Two buttery crumb cakes
Two of their delectable raspberry bars with almond crumb topping
A dense, moist lemon pound cake

Here are the giveaway rules:

Leave me a comment telling me how you intend to honor you Mom, or anyone who is like a Mom to you. (Required to win).

For extra entries:

* Follow me through Google Friend Connect and leave a comment that you did this.

* Become a fan of Pam’s Midwest Kitchen Korner on Facebook and leave a comment saying you did this.

* Follow this blog on Facebook Networked blogs and leave a comment telling me you did this.

The giveaway ends on Thursday, May 2, 2013 at midnight, Central Standard Time. The winner will be announced on Friday, May 3, 2013. The gift basket will be shipped directly from Tate’s Bake Shop.

This giveaway is open to U. S. residents only.

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Tate’s Bake Shop is happy to celebrate Mother’s Day this year by honoring Mom’s, Grandmothers and everyone who is like a Mom, with their Tate’s Bake Shop Mother’s Day Honor Wall on Facebook!

To win a Mom’s Baking for Friends Basket, click HERE and follow the instructions. Then, just post an image of your honoree and say a few words about why that person is special to you. That’s it!

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And, there’s yet another way to get some mouthwatering goodies: Tate’s Bake Shop is offering shoppers on the Tate’s Bake Shop website 20% off any purchase until May 12, 2013. Just use the discount code mom13 at checkout.

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Good luck to all of you!

Pam

Tate’s Bake Shop Linzer Heart Cookies and a Valentine Giveaway For You

I’m sweet on Tate’s Bake Shop!

They’re best known for their mouthwatering chocolate chip cookies. But they also have many other delicious goodies, such as: brownies, pies and breakfast treats. And, unless you’re new here, you know of their great giveaways I’ve hosted in the past.

Kathleen King is the owner/operator of Tate’s Bake Shop ~ who began when she was just 11 years old ~ by baking and selling her crisp, buttery chocolate chip cookies at her father’s farm stand. She was hoping for enough money to buy her school clothes, and then it turned into a success story with her owning her own business.

Kathleen King

When Kathleen’s not baking, she’s writing a cookbook, and she has a plethora of fantastic recipes in her latest one, Baking for Friends.

And, since Valentine’s Day is closing in, I am sharing with you her recipe for Linzer Heart Cookies. Just make a batch of these for your loved ones and see how happy you will all be! And, by the way, they make tasty gifts too!

Tate’s Bake Shop Linzer Heart Cookies

An important tip: be sure to chop the nuts and chocolate very fine in a food processor (pulse to chop so the friction doesn’t warm them), or the dough will be too rough-textured to roll out smoothly. You need a graduated set of heart-shaped cookie cutters to make these Cookies.

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup cornstarch
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ pound (3 sticks) salted butter, at room temperature
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups toasted, skinned and very finely chopped hazelnuts
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, very finely chopped
-plus-
½ cup seedless raspberry jam
½ cup confectioners’ sugar for sifting

1. Sift the flour, cornstarch, and salt into a medium bowl. In a large bowl, beat the butter and confectioners’ sugar with an electric mixer set on high speed until combined, about 1 minute. Beat in the egg and vanilla, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. With the mixer on low speed, mix in the flour mixture, just until combined. Mix in the hazelnuts and chocolate.

2. Gather up the dough and shape it into a flat disk.
Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours. (The dough can be refrigerated for up to 1 day. Let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes to soften slightly before rolling.)

3. Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough to a round about ¼-inch thick. Use a 3 ½-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut out the cookies as close as possible to avoid excess scraps. Arrange the hearts about 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. Gather up the dough scraps and gently knead together, and cut out more cookies. If the dough becomes too soft to roll out, refrigerate until chilled. You should have 40 cookies. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

4. Position the oven racks in the top third and center of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F.

5. Use a 1-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut out the centers of 20 cookies. These will be the cookie tops. (You can bake the mini hearts to nibble on later! Don’t throw away or re-roll.) Bake, switching the position of the baking sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through baking, until the cookies begin to brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Sift some of the ½ cup of confectioners’ sugar over the hot cut-out cookies Let cool completely on the baking sheets.

6. Spread the jam on the cookie bottoms, leaving an 1/8-inch border around the edges. Add the tops, sugared sides up, and press together gently. Just before serving, sift the remaining confectioners’ sugar over the cookies.
Yield: 20 sandwich cookies

Tate’s Bake Shop is celebrating the holiday by offering 50% off a Valentine's Cookie Cube & Cookbook combo -- now just $21.50 -- along with 20% off any web store purchase! To redeem the 20% offer, just use the code BLOG213 at checkout. When you click here, you will see the details on the combo. Believe me, there’s something there for every one of your Valentine’s!

And now, my dear readers, I have a Tate’s treat just for you!

Thanks to the generous folks at Tate’s Bake Shop, I am giving away one Valentine’s Cookie Cube and Cookbook Combo! Check it out here, to view all you will enjoy after winning.

All you have to do is:

*** Leave a comment below on this post and tell me what your favorite Tate’s Valentine’s treat is.

And:

*** Tell me how you are following Pam’s Midwest Kitchen Korner, using one or more methods from this blogs right sidebar: Google Friend Connect, or Become a Fan on Facebook, or Facebook Networked Blogs.

How easy is that…

The contest is open until midnight, Central Standard Time, on Monday, February 4, 2013. The winner will be chosen by a random number generator on February 5, 2013.

This giveaway is open only to U.S. resident.

Good luck and I hope you win!

Now ~ tell me! What’s your favorite Tate’s treat for your Valentine?

Tate’s Bake Shop ~ Baking For Friends ~ a Chocolate Raspberry Tart and a Giveaway

“A destination … worth putting miles on the odometer” is what The New York Times said about Tate’s Bake Shop. It is the recipient of multiple best bakery awards and is regarded as a “must-visit” Hampton’s destination. There are more than 100 offerings for its customers to enjoy, from breads, muffins, cakes, pies, seasonal specialties, and of course, cookies!

Photo credit: Forbes Traveler

Kathleen King is the baker and owner of Tate’s Bake Shop in Southampton, New York, and the author of Tate's Bake Shop Cookbook. She started baking her chocolate chip cookies when she was 11, and sold them at her father’s North Sea Farms roadside stand, never looking back.


Kathleen King - Photo credit: New Haven Register

And, now, Kathleen King has done it again! She has written another great cookbook, Baking for Friends, which is chock-full of incredible recipes, featuring exclusive baking tips and tricks, in her straightforward manner. It is the ideal go-to cookbook for beginning bakers and professionals alike.

I was so happy to receive Kathleen’s Baking for Friends, and drooled my way through all the recipes, when it arrived in the mail the other day. It consists of 7 chapters with over 120 easy-to-bake recipes; some of them even with “catchy” names, plus recipes for health and lifestyle baked goods also: gluten-free, low-fat, vegan, and nut free recipes.


Blackout Cupcakes


Cherry Chip Party Cake


Blackberry Galette

There are so many enticing recipes to try ~ Maple, Bacon, and Date Scones; Robin’s Blueberry Buckle - Julia’s Way, Coconut Custard Pie, Cutie Pie (using clementine juice), Chubby Tates (cookies!), Hurricane Irene Cookies, Caramel Cake (Ummm, mmm!), Cardamom Cake, Blackout Cupcakes, and Chocolate-Blood Orange Marble Cake (wow!). And the recipe I chose to make first: Chocolate Raspberry Tart!

The tart is decadent, and is a beautiful, almost black, sleek-looking dessert. The filling is smooth and not too sweet, and is the perfect finish to a special occasion. Leave it plain, top it with fresh raspberries, or add a dollop of whipped cream to the slices before serving.

Chocolate Raspberry Tart

For the filling:

1¼ cups heavy cream

8 ounces bittersweet (62% cacao) chocolate, finely chopped

½ cup seedless raspberry jam

Chocolate Pastry Tart Crust, baked and cooled (recipe below)

1. In a medium saucepan, bring the cream to a boil over medium heat. Remove from the heat. Add the chocolate and let stand for 3 minutes to soften. Whisk until melted and smooth. Whisk in the jam. Pour into the prepared tart crust.

2. Refrigerate, uncovered, until the filling is chilled and set, at least 2 hours, and up to 1 day.

3. Remove the sides of the pan, cut into wedges, and serve chilled.

Chocolate Pastry Tart Crust

Makes one 9-inch tart shell

10 tablespoons (1¼ sticks) salted butter, at room temperature

½ cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

6 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa powder, plus more for rolling the dough

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1. In a large bowl, beat the butter, brown sugar, and vanilla with an electric mixer set on high speed until light and fluffy. About 2 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, beat in the cocoa powder. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour and mix until combined. Shape into a thick dish and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours, or up to 1 day. (The dough is easiest to roll out if chilled but not rock hard. If it is very cold and firm, let stand at room temperature for about 15 minutes before rolling.)

2. Dust a work surface with cocoa powder. (Flour leaves marks on the dark cocoa dough that I don’t like.) Roll the dough out into a 12-inch round about 1/8 inch thick. Transfer to a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Roll a rolling pin over the top of the pan to cut off the excess dough. Freeze for at least 30 minutes. (Or cover with plastic wrap and freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw in the refrigerator before using.)

3. Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

4. Put the tart pan on a rimmed baking sheet. Prick the bottom of the crust with a fork to vent it. Lay a piece of aluminum foil over the entire surface of the dough and press so it conforms to the tart pan. Fill the foil-lined shell with small dried beans. Bake until the exposed dough looks set, about 20 minutes. Lift off the foil with the beans. Continue baking, pricking the crust again if it puffs, until the pastry looks crisp, about 10 minutes more. Let cool completely on a wire cooling rack.

Surely, after all of the above, the baking bug has bitten you! To scratch that itch, head on over to Tate’s Bake Shop on Facebook ~ click here for details ~ and enter the Baking for Friends Bake-off contest, which is being sponsored by Tate’s Bake Shop and KitchenAid, in celebration of Kathleen King’s new cookbook.

Your creative spin on a recipe just might win you the Grand Prize of $1000, plus a copy of Baking for Friends. Other prizes awarded will be KitchenAid stand mixers, more cookbooks, and if you vote, 6 voters will be chosen to win Tate’s Tower of baked goods.

By the way, if you can’t wait to get your autographed copy of Baking for Friends in your possession; head on over to Tate’s Bake Shop.com, and enter the discount code “BAKEOFF” to receive $5 off the regular price of $24.95 ~ you can get the cookbook for only $19.95! Talk about a sweet savings for you!

And, now for the giveaway here at Pam’s Midwest Kitchen Korner: Tate’s Bake Shop has generously offered a Tate’s Bake Shop Cookie and Bar Tower for one of you wonderful reader’s.

Tate’s Bake Shop Cookie and Bar Tower is chock-full of goodies: three boxes of cookies: one each of chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin and white chocolate chip macadamia nut, PLUS, two rich, buttery raspberry bars, two chocolate chip and walnut loaded blondies, and two rich, dense, and fudgy plain brownies ~ a $48 value.

To enter, just leave a comment here on this page. That’s it, that’s all you have to do!

But, if you’d like an extra chance, just follow Pam’s Midwest Kitchen Korner via Google Friends, as a fan on the Facebook page, or Facebook Networked Blogs, all on the right side bar of this blog, and leave a comment telling me you did so.

The contest is open through midnight CST, Wednesday, November 7, 2012. The winner will be drawn Thursday, November 8, 2012 by a random number generator.

This contest is open only to U. S. residents.

Thanks so much, Kathleen King, and Tate’s Bake Shop.

And good luck to all of you who enter my giveaway! I hope you win!

Disclaimer: I was given a copy of Baking for Friends from Tate’s Bake Shop. The Tate’s Bake Shop and Bar Tower for my giveaway, here on this post, is provided directly by Tate’s Bake Shop. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

FYI: Some of you are saying you're having a difficult time in trying to post a comment here for the giveaway. This is being looked into, but in the meantime, I understand that it works fine using Google Chrome. I hope this helps!