05.19.09
Contest round up: Vlasic, Mrs. Butterworth’s, Hershey’s, Cheerio’s and cookbooks
I’m cleaning out the inbox, here are some news releases (I’ve modified for space) on food competitions:
CAN YOU CAPTURE “THE CUTEST CRUNCH”?
Enter the Vlasic Pickles “Capture the Cutest Crunch” Contest and Win BIG
Deadline: Oct. 31, 2009
MOUNTAIN LAKES, NJ (May 2009) – Vlasic® Pickles is in search of a photo displaying the cutest crunch. The person who submits the winning photo will receive an all expenses paid trip to New York City, $1,000 and a one-year supply of Vlasic Pickles.
Entering is easy! Go to www.vlasic.com and click on the “Contests” section to *submit a photo of your “cutest crunch” into a Vlasic Pickle, or send your entry to: “Capture the Cutest Crunch”Contest, c/o BHG PR, 546 Valley Rd., Upper Montclair, New Jersey 07043. All entries must be received by October 31, 2009. No purchase is required to win. See web site for details.
For more information, rules and regulations, log onto www.vlasic.com and click on the “Contests” page.
CAN YOU GUESS THE FIRST NAME OF AMERICA’S SWEETEST SYRUP BOTTLE?
GUESS MRS. BUTTERWORTH’S FIRST NAME BY July 17, AND WIN $500 in Cash and A Year’s Supply of Syrup!
MOUNTAIN LAKES, NJ (May 1, 2009) – For over 40 years, Mrs. Butterworth’s® has made kids smile by sharing her secrets of thick, rich syrup at breakfast tables everywhere. There’s one secret she’s never shared before: her first name! Contest participants have until July 17th to guess the first name of this pop cultural icon who has appeared in everything from movies and TV to Kanye West’s rap lyrics, Geico commercials, New York Times crossword puzzles, and more.
Entering is easy. Go to http://www.mrsbutterworthsyrup.com/namecontest and submit your guess along with an explanation of 100 words or less as to why you think your first name guess is correct or send your entry to: “Guess Mrs. Butterworth’s First Name”Contest, c/o BHG PR, 546 Valley Rd., Upper Montclair, New Jersey 07043. All mailed entries must be received by July 17, 2009. No purchase is required to win. See attached rules for details.
The person who correctly guesses the first name of one of America’s leading ladies of syrup will receive a $500.00 cash prize, a year’s supply of Mrs. Butterworth’s syrup, and will be featured on the web site (ARV of $550.00).
For more information, rules and regulations, log onto http://www.mrsbutterworthsyrup.com/namecontest. All media inquiries should be directed to Frani Lieberman at 973.744.0707 or frani.lieberman@bhgpr.com.
WORLD HARBORS LOOK LOCAL CONTEST
MAY 7 – JULY 15, 2009
World Harbors Look Local Group
(Auburn, ME – May 14, 2009) World Harbors – Maine makers of gourmet sauces and marinades – has initiated a ‘Look Local’ campaign, beginning with a contest on Facebook. The company is inviting entrants to submit either a video or a picture of themselves making a recipe that combines one or more ingredient items particular to their locale or State with any World Harbors product. For instance, if one is from Florida they might include oranges, or from Wisconsin a locally made cheese, or if there is a free-range farm nearby, entrants should use their fresh meat. Contestants can use either a recipe of their own or choose one from the online cookbook at www.worldharbors.com.
Winners of the contest will receive fantastic Maine-made prizes, such as Maine Lobster, Maine Ice cream and a Sea Bag™, the eco-friendly totes made from recycled sails. To enter, join the “World Harbors Look Local Contest” group on Facebook where all the rules and regulations are explained. (Go to http://www.facebook.com and search: “World Harbors Look Local Contest (May 7 – July 15)”).
Hershey’s Smores photo contest
HERSHEY, Pa., – May 11, 2009 – Hershey’s and Kraft are offering the chance to win a backyard makeover with the “S’mores Truly” photo contest. Families are invited to capture and share photos of their S’mores-making experience on www.SmoresTruly.com. The grand prize winner will receive a backyard makeover that will make backyard fun and S’mores making easy.
Cheerios New Author Contest
MINNEAPOLIS (March 2009) – Call for Entries: Cheerios has re-launched the New Author Contest to support new children’s book authors. The next contest is open for entries until July 15, 2009. Judging criteria and complete contest details can be found online at www.spoonfulsofstoriescontest.com. The regular Spoonfuls of Stories website is www.spoonfulsofstories.com.
09.05.08
What I’ve Been Cooking Lately: Crostini with Peaches and Blue Cheese
Crostini with Peaches and Blue Cheese
I’ve been wanting to try this recipe ever since I talked with Iowa City author Jeremy Jackson about his collection of al fresco recipes, “Good Day for a Picnic.”
That was more than 3 years ago.
(Please tell me I’m not the only one who lets recipes linger that long in the corners of her bookshelf!)
Anyway, it was the combination of ingredients that caught my eye: fresh, sweet summer peaches and tangy Maytag blue cheese. Sounded delicious. And Jeremy’s note at the top of the recipe — “When peaches are in season, I could eat these crostini every day and not get tired of them” — was a pretty good sales pitch, too.
For me, these crostini were love at first bite. I’m not sure they were as popular with my friends, but I was kind of secretly hoping for that, because it meant more crostini for me!
I’m including the recipe as written, but it made way more than 12 crostini for me. At least double that amount, and I had some peaches left over.
Crostini with Peaches and Blue Cheese
Makes 12 crostini
12 thin slices baguette or similar bread (stale bread is fine)
Olive oil, for brushing
3 to 4 ripe peaches
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3/4 to 1 cup blue cheese (preferably Maytag), crumbled
Freshly ground black pepper, optional (I didn’t use any pepper)
Brush the bread slices with just a bit of olive oil, then toast, bake, grill or broil the bread until it’s almost dry.
To peel the peaches, boil them for 30 seconds, then immediately transfer them to a bowl of ice water. The skin will come off easily. Slice the peaches into very small and thin pieces and combine them with the balsamic vinegar
Preheat the broiler to low. Arrnage the bread on a baking sheet. Top the bread slices with the peaches an their juices. Put the crumbled cheese on top of the peaches, and add just a touch of black pepper, if desired.
Broil the crostini until the cheese is hot, soft and just touched with brown. Serve at any temperature, preferably within a couple of hours of being made.
07.28.08
Reading about food
image from Steve Rhodes on flickr
Every month, we (as in The Gazette) print a calendar of local culinary classes and events. You can find it in the Accent section on the last Tuesday of each month (i.e: tomorrow), or go to www.GazetteOnline.com/food for daily listings.
As I was putting together the August listings, one event stood out from the usual crop of wine tastings, culinary classes and food contests: a foodie book club. The club is being organized by Mary Pat Esch, who coordinates the cooking classes at the Edgewood Road Hy-Vee in Cedar Rapids. She tells me the group will focus exclusively on books about food — historical food books, cookbooks, memoirs, books about chefs and anything else that highlights a passion for food. And, of course, each meeting will feature food — likely recipes pulled from or inspired by the books being discussed.
If you’re interested in the book club, stop by the organizational meeting at 6 p.m. Aug. 25. (But first call the store’s customer service desk to let them know you’re coming: (319) 378-0762.)
And in the meantime, leave a comment here about food writing you enjoy. A couple of my favorites include “Garlic and Sapphires,” Ruth Reichl’s funny and insightful memoir about her years as a food critic at the New York Times, and “Candy and Me,” a memoir organized around the author’s obsession with all things sweet. What about you?
03.11.08
How to roast garlic
The recipe I included in today’s column calls for 4 heads of roasted garlic. (Yum!)
Here is one method for roasting garlic, as recommended by Better Homes and Gardens’ “Anyone Can Cook” — one of my favorite resources for basic cooking technique how-tos.
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Use a chef’s knife to cut off the top 1/2 inch of the garlic bulbs to expose the ends of the cloves. Remove the loose papery outer layers.
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Place bulbs, cut ends up, in muffin cups. Drizzle each bulb with about 1 tablespoon olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and ground black pepper
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Cover bulbs with foil. Roast in a 400-degree oven about 25 minutes, or until tender. Cool. Squeeze from the bottom to pop out the cloves.
02.04.08
Stained recipes are the best recipes
The cover story in this week’s food section discusses the advantages and disadvantages of storing your recipes online. One of the advantages, it says, is protection against food stains.
But flipping through cookbooks in search of the most stained recipes is one of the most reliable ways I can think of to find the recipes my parents used most often while I was growing up. The more stains on the page, the more beloved the recipe was.
One example, my dad’s go-to recipe for stir-fried beef, from a 1975 edition of ”The Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook” by Gloria Bley Miller. Check it out:
My dad used this recipe as a basis for most of the beef stir-fries he made while I was growing up, referring to the book for the oyster sauce and adding whatever other ingredients sounded good — onions, broccoli, etc.
Here is the recipe that’s just above those spatters:
Stir-Fried Beef and Oyster Sauce II
Makes about 4 servings
1/2 pound beef
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pinch of sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons water
1/2 cup scallion stalks
2 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1/4 cup stock
Slice beef thin against the grain. Combine cornstarch, soy sauce, salt and sugar. Add beef and toss to coat.
Blend remaining cornstarch and cold water to a paste. Cut scallions in 1-inch sections.
Heat oil. Add scallions and stir-fry until translucent. Add beef and stir-fry until it loses its redness. Add oyster sauce and stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes more.
Stir in stock and heat quickly. Cook, covered, 1 to 2 minutes over medium heat. Stir in cornstarch paste to thicken. Serve at once.
Which recipe or cookbook in your kitchen has the most food stains and splatters?
