May 30, 2008
Blog reader Deb was the quickest with her keyboard this time around, so she wins the three books I discussed in this morning's blog entry.
Since Deb is such a faithful reader of the blog, I could have sworn that she'd won something before. But when I checked back, she had not. So congratulations to Deb! You'll have to let us know how those pretzel recipes turn out.
For the rest of you, I have a wonderful recipe sent in earlier this week by blog reader Amanda. This recipe has a twist on an old favorite, pasta salad. Called Supreme Pizza Pasta Salad, it is loaded with tomatoes, onion, mushrooms, bell pepper, pepperoni, mozzerella cheese and more.
Check it out, and have a great weekend! The blog will be alive with guest bloggers all next week, so be sure to keep checking in.
Continue reading "Freaky Friday winner...and a recipe for the weekend" »
May 8, 2008
Congratulations to Julie F., who submitted her mother's recipe for warm, soothing rice and raisins and won our Mother's Day recipe contest.
Julie's name was drawn today by my co-worker, Pete Dybdahl.
Julie wins a prize package consisting of a Pampered Chef apron, spatula, paring knife, measuring bowl and seasoning blend. She has also won Betty Crocker's Cookbook for Women.
Thanks to everyone who entered this contest. I like Julie's entry because it shows that even the simplest things our mothers made for us when we were growing up were made with love.
Julie, to claim your prize, please e-mail your full name and address to me at lindsey.nair@roanoke.com.
Happy Mother's Day to all the great moms who read this blog!
May 6, 2008
It's difficult for me to pinpoint the one recipe I learned from my grandmother or my mother that stands out as a favorite. Both of those women taught me so much about cooking and life.
If I had to, though, I'd say that my Grandma Nair's carrot-raisin salad is near the top of the list. It's such a simple recipe, but it taught me that you don't always need exact measurements to turn out a delicious taste. And as someone who generally is not that fond of carrots, it showed me that with an open mind, an adventurous spirit and the right combination of ingredients, a person can learn to love a dreaded food.
I'll attach a loose version of Grandma's recipe below. But I'd love to know what one recipe you have that always reminds you of your mother, grandmother, mother-in-law, godmother or another very special woman in your life.
Entries must include the actual recipe. They will go into a random drawing to win a prize that's a little more elaborate than my usual Cookbook Giveaway. This one (pictured above) includes the Betty Crocker Cookbook for Women and a Pampered Chef apron, measuring bowl, spatula, paring knife and herb seasoning blend.
The deadline for entering is 5 p.m. Thursday. I'll announce the winner Friday morning.
Good luck!
Continue reading "Winning recipes for Mother's Day" »
April 18, 2008
Ahhhhhh! Stop! We have three winners!
Terri Naff wins "BBQ Bash: The Be-All, End-All Party Guide, from Barefoot to Black Tie" by Karen Adler and Judith Fertig.
Kenn gets "Burgers: 52 Easy Recipes for Year-Round Cooking" by Sally Sampson.
And Melanie will receive "BBQ Joints: Stories and Secret Recipes from the Barbecue Belt" by David Gelin with a foreward by John T. Edge.
Thanks to everyone else who commented! Even if you didn't win, I feel as if I did -- I was able to hear from a bunch of folks who read my blog every day but rarely make comments. It's so nice to hear from you guys.
Thanks for reading my blog. I hope our winners enjoy their books (e-mail your address to lindsey.nair@roanoke.com to receive them) and I certainly hope the rest of you will keep coming back.
I'll have another Cookbook Giveaway very soon.
Enjoy this beautiful grilling weather!
Happy warm, sunny Friday!
Am I the only one who wishes that instead of sitting at her desk today, she was out in the yard with her hands in the dirt? Followed by a lazy afternoon on the deck, sipping something frosty and grilling something savory?
Well, if Mother Nature cooperates, maybe you folks can spend tomorrow on such important endeavors. Unfortunately, I will be attending a wedding (no offense to my friends on their special day).
In honor of the great grilling weather, I'm going to give away THREE books today! That's right! And it's going to be easy to win, too. These books will go to the first, second and third people to comment on this entry and tell me they want them. Anyone who has won a book before is disqualified, though.
First commentor wins "BBQ Bash: The Be-All, End-All Party Guide, from Barefoot to Black Tie" by Karen Adler and Judith Fertig.
Winner No. 2 gets "Burgers: 52 Easy Recipes for Year-Round Cooking" by Sally Sampson.
Winner No. 3 will receive "BBQ Joints: Stories and Secret Recipes from the Barbecue Belt" by David Gelin with a foreward by John T. Edge, the unofficial Mayor of Southern Cooking.
Also, stay tuned for next week's Front Burner column. I've wrested a very important rub recipe from one of the best chefs in the South.
I'll be back later to announce winners.
April 10, 2008
I had such a hard time deciding who should win "Roadfood" by Jane and Michael Stern that I tried something new this time.
I wrote down the names of all the best entries on little slips of paper and had my co-worker, Stephanie Ogilvie, draw one from a basket.
And the winner is........ Amy!!
Amy, if you'll e-mail me your home address at lindsey.nair@roanoke.com, I'll put this book in the mail for you.
Thanks to everybody who entered to win this time. The diner stories were awesome, from Marion's 50s diner in Augusta to Lori's honeymoon food at the Ohana diner in Hawaii. I also really enjoyed Greg's story about being a newlywed and a stranger to Maine, where he found a friendly place that served killer seafood chowder. What I wouldn't give for a bowl of that stuff today.
Thanks, everyone! My desk is stacked high with cookbooks right now, so stay tuned for the next giveaway!
Moving on, I wanted to address yesterday's blog entry about the missing recipe for peanut butter fingers. According to Whitney, the reader who was looking for the recipe, we have found a winner!
Continue reading "Cookbook winner...and a recipe found!" »
April 3, 2008
I spent much of the day on a farm in Pittsylvania County, so I'm just now checking back on the blog.
Apparently, the grilled cheese topic is still going strong. I even got a note from a friend and Kroger employee who jokingly requested that I give them a heads up next time I plan to write about grilled cheese so they can stock bread and cheese. I'm pretty sure he was joking, anyway.
In addition, my mother found herself at the West Virginia Welcome Center yesterday afternoon, where one employee said, "Aren't you Lindsey Nair's mother?" and proceeded to chat with her about grilled cheese sandwiches.
Since I'm short on time today, I think I'll just introduce our next Cookbook Giveaway.
This week, the book isn't exactly a cookbook but it sure is packed with good food talk. It's called "Roadfood" by Jane & Michael Stern, and it has recently been updated with 200 new listings.
The Sterns call their book "The coast-to-coast guide to 700 of the best barbecue joints, lobster shacks, ice cream parlors, highway diners and much, much more."
The Sterns did make their way through Virginia, but I won't tell you if they highlighted any local food joints. That would just spoil the fun of reading the book!
To win this book, however, I'd love for you to tell me the best roadside joint you ever stumbled upon, and why. The deadline is 5 p.m. next Wednesday.
March 20, 2008
I would like to award this week's free cookbook, "The Only Bake Sale Cookbook You'll Ever Need" by Laurie Goldrich Wolf and Pam Abrams, to blog reader Rebecca!
As usual, you all made it incredibly difficult to choose a winner. In case you missed it, here's Rebecca's poignant comment about her dad:
My best 'peanut-related food experience' would be Every Day With My Dad! My dad was a peanut addict! His favorite food was anything with peanuts or peanut butter. (I even got him to love Thai food because of the peanuts) He always had a can of Virginia Diner peanuts by his 'chair' and ended every day of his life with saltines and peanut butter. I always told my husband and kids that I would never worry about dad's health as long as he was still eating peanut butter and saltines before bedtime. Dad died in July of 2005 after a four month battle with stomach cancer. He ate those saltines and peanut butter until just a week before his death! Dad was a Baptist preacher who said even though it wasn't biblical, he knew that the streets of heaven were paved with peanuts, not gold.
Thanks, Rebecca! E-mail me your address at lindsey.nair@roanoke.com and I'll put this book in the mail.
Here's one last peanutty recipe from the cookbook before we move on to less nutty topics:
Continue reading "And the winner is..." »
March 19, 2008
5 p.m. today is the deadline to enter to win the latest free cookbook on the Fridge Magnet blog.
I'll announce a winner tomorrow morning.
For more details about this week's book and what you have to do to win it, click here.
March 14, 2008
It's that time again, folks -- time to give away a free cookbook to one lucky blog reader!
Since March is National Peanut Month and we live in one of the peanuttiest states in the country, if not THE MOST peanutty state in the country, I figured we might as well go with a peanut theme.
Peanuts can contribute in a fine way to just about every course in a meal. Pad thai is terrific with crushed peanuts, roasted peanuts are fab on a tossed salad and peanut butter...well, peanut butter is the king of all manners of cakes, pies and cookies. It can also be incorporated into sauces, marinades and soups.
Of course, some folks would say their favorite way of eating peanuts is roasted, salted and straight out of a can. Especially if that's a Virginia's Finest can.
The cookbook I'm going to give away today is called The Only Bake Sale Cookbook You'll Ever Need by Laurie Goldrich Wolf and Pam Abrams.
Conveniently, it contains a recipe for a treat called Everything Peanut Squares. It's got your peanut butter, your chopped peanuts and your peanut butter chips. It's chock full o' nuts!
You can find the recipe below. And if you're interested in winning this cookbook, write a comment about the best peanut-related food experience you've ever had. The deadline is Wednesday.
Have a nutty weekend! But not too nutty...
Continue reading "Peanut month recipe...and a free cookbook!" »
February 29, 2008
You are all correct, Jamie Oliver's restaurant in London is called "Fifteen."
Unfortunately for the rest of you, Mary Moore was quickest with her keyboard. She wins Oliver's latest cookbook, "Jamie's Italy." Congratulations Mary, and I'm so sorry the rest of you did not win. I hope you aren't too disappointed. I'll do another cookbook giveaway next week! Keep reading!
Mary, to claim your book, please send your name and address to my e-mail at lindsey.nair@roanoke.com.
Have a great weekend!
I must admit that I haven't paid much attention to this Jamie Oliver character, who is the star of "Jamie's Kitchen" on TLC. I do know that he recently killed a chicken on live television in order to make a point about the welfare of chickens in Britain's poultry industry.
I also know that some of the recipes in Oliver's new cookbook, "Jamie's Italy," look pretty darn good. As soon as I cracked the book, I saw one for squashed cannellini beans with garlic, which sounded like a quick, easy and delicious topping for crostini or pita wedges. I'll share that after the jump.
The first person who can tell me the name of Oliver's London restaurant can have this book and enjoy all the beautiful full-color photographs and illustrations, not to mention the recipes.
Before we part ways for the weekend, I'd like to subject you all to a video that was shot and edited by my co-worker, Evelio Contreras. The star is another co-worker, Pete Dybdahl, who promised to score me one of the free breakfast burritos at McDonald's this morning. As you'll see, when the cashier told Pete that he could only get one free burrito because the rules were one per person, Pete thought only of himself.
Oh well, I'm not sure I wanted to eat one anyway.
Continue reading "Free cookbook! Silly video!" »
January 25, 2008
I've decided to award this week's free cookbook to frequent blog reader Henry.
Henry offered up several fine ideas for jazzing up dishes with products that most cooks keep on hand on a regular basis.
For that, he gets a copy of "Mealtime Magic" by Joey Green.
Henry's comment was:
Boullion.
Anywhere you are going to add salt to water, you can use bouillon instead. Pasta, boiled or steamed veggies, gravies, etc. If you are making a pot of green beans, just toss in a bouillon cube instead of salt.
Dried onion soup mix
You can cheat your way to success with onion soup mix in gravies, roasts, marinade, sauces.
Cream of Chicken/Mushroom
You can jazz up gravy with a shot of Cream of Chicken soup. Of course, these are casserole standbys.
I especially like the suggestion that boullion cubes can be substituted for salt in various recipes. I can see myself adding boullion to all kinds of steamed veggies to add flavor without fat.
Henry, shoot me an e-mail at lindsey.nair@roanoke.com to claim your book. Don't forget to include your address!
January 22, 2008
What better way to start a slow week than with a long-awaited, much-anticipated cookbook giveaway!?
As much as I love to spend hours in the kitchen, lovingly concocting a hot dish with quality slow food ingredients, the chaos of my weekend fully underscored the importance of having quick, easy dishes in one's repertoire.
On that note, I'm offering up a book called "Mealtime Magic" by Joey Green, which claims to have "more than 250 offbeat recipes using beloved brand-name products."
The table of contents alone was enough to pique my curiosity. While other cookbooks are categorized by appetizers, soups, meats, breads and the like, this one is arranged by products such as Aunt Jemima syrup, Fritos Corn Chips, Quaker Oats, SueBee honey and Heinz ketchup.
With a few popular ingredients and this cookbook, you can whip up such dishes as the 7-UP brisket, Popcorn Fluff Puffs with marshmallow fluff or Grilled Salmon with Peanut Hoisin Sauce (made with Jif Creamy peanut butter).
To win this book, share your favorite use for pantry standbys such as canned soup, peanut butter, ketchup, SPAM and the like. The deadline is Friday. My favorite response wins the book.
January 2, 2008
I have a $25 gift card to Provisions with Flo's name on it. Flo left the 1,001st comment on Fridge Magnet since the blog began in March.
Sherry, who was the 1,000th person to comment, never replied to my announcement that she had won. Boo!
Flo, email me at lindsey.nair@roanoke.com to claim your prize!
December 10, 2007
As usual, I found it almost impossible to choose one entrant over the others for the Fridge Magnet's latest cookbook giveaway. The book is "Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook" by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero.
How do you turn down a woman who has congestive heart failure? A guy who wants to strengthen his bond with his little sis by cooking her something healthy and delicious? A lady who wants to help her mother improve her eating habits in preparation for a double lung transplant?
You guys are killing me!
Each and every one of you deserve this book so much (except maybe Rich and Henry. You guys are ornery but we love you anyway). I wish I could obtain several more copies of the book so that I could play Santa and hand them out to everyone.
I have finally decided, however, to award this book to the reader who seems most dedicated and enthused by the cause: Corey Wrenn.
Corey is a graduate student at Virginia Tech who has been a vegan for 7 years. She is president of the animal rights group at Tech and is even a big fan of one of the authors, Moskowitz.
When I emailed Corey to find out if she is a she or a he (sorry, Corey, I know you get that a lot) her response email even had a picture of two cute, tiny little piglets!
Jeez, girl, you're killing me! Don't get me started on all the pork loins I've consumed in my lifetime.
I believe that Corey will really use this book. In fact, if we checked back with her a year from now, it would probably be dog-eared and stained with saffron and mole sauce.
Because Corey is also a member of a Roanoke vegan group that hosts monthly potlucks, I'm sure she won't be the only one to benefit from these recipes.
I'm going to share one more recipe from this book with all of you before I give it away to Corey.
And if you really are serious about changing your eating habits, I would encourage you to go online or to a book store and pick up a copy of the book for yourself.
Continue reading "Cookbook winner" »
December 6, 2007
Corey, Katie, Sean, Wendy and others have all offered some pretty convincing arguments for winning this week's free cookbook, "Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook." It's going to be quite hard for me to decide.
From personal and family health to animal welfare, the arguments for switching to a vegetarian or vegan diet are compelling. If I may wander slightly from the topic of food, I'd suggest that anyone interested in animal welfare watch the new HBO documentary, "I Am An Animal: The Story of Ingrid Newkirk and PETA." Newkirk is the founder of PETA, and whether you come away from the doc thinking she's a saint or a loon, it is a fascinating and thought-provoking experience.
Watching the part about undercover slaughterhouse investigations made me even more glad that I bought my Thanksgiving turkey from a local farm this year. Besides that, the darn thing just tasted scrumptious.
Moving right along, since it seems that a few of you are dreaming and drooling over this cookbook, I'll share an awesome recipe from the chapter on salads to tide you over until you either win it or purchase it yourself.
Continue reading "To tide you over..." »
December 5, 2007
It's time to give away another free cookbook, boys and girls!
We've given away collections of recipes for bar food, delicious chocolate creations and more. Now, it's time to give those vegetarian and vegan readers a little love.
A few weeks ago, I received THREE copies of "Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook" by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero. THREE copies! They really wanted me to see this book.
Moskowitz and Romero are described as "America's best-selling vegan chefs." They are the authors of two other vegan cookbooks called "Vegan with a Vengeance" and "Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World."
I love the title of that last one, don't you? I am just thinking of some cheesy B-Movie where giant, pink-iced cupcakes come crashing through the skyscrapers of New York City. Okay, so I digress.
"Veganomicon" is packed with almost 300 pages of recipes for appetizers, brunch items, salads, salad dressings, side dishes, bean dishes, tofu dishes, soups and stews and more. Although I'm not a vegan myself (I spent a few teenage years as a vegetarian), I believe I could totally survive off the recipes in this book.
Continue reading "(Vegan) cookbook giveaway!" »
November 9, 2007
One week ago, I asked readers to submit their favorite memory of chocolate.
I never imagined that I would get so many detailed responses. Some were funny, some nostalgic and some just hunger-inducing.
It was very difficult for me to decide who would win "I'm Dreaming of a Chocolate Christmas" by Marcel Desaulniers. But after reading and re-reading (and re-reading) all of the wonderful comments, I decided to award this book to Autumn.
Here's what she wrote:
My fondest memory of chocolate is from when I was a little girl and would spend the night at my grandparents' house.
My grandmother would let me stay up to watch Saturday Night Live with her. While we were watching, she would always have a "midnight snack" (literally!) of a piece of her homemade chocolate pie, which we would share.
The image of a little girl curled up on the couch with her grandmother and a piece of pie just melted my heart. Imagine how exciting it must have been for Autumn to stay up past her bedtime and indulge in a homemade treat late at night.
I don't know if Autumn's grandmother is still living, but my own sweet grandma is gone. So I know how important it is to have memories like these.
Autumn, if you will e-mail me your full name and address at lindsey.nair@roanoke.com, I will put this book in the mail for you. If Autumn does not respond within the next week, I'll give the book to a runner-up.
Stay tuned for another cookbook giveaway soon and have a delicious weekend!
November 1, 2007
I never heard from Donna Alley, the reader who sent in the Broccoli Casserole recipe last week. Therefore, the free cookbook "A Passion for Baking" by Marcy Goldman goes to our first runner-up, Carrie!
Carrie, if you will e-mail your mailing address to lindsey.nair@roanoke.com, I'll stick the book in the mail.
Everyone else, I'm going to announce the next cookbook giveaway tomorrow, so check in.
October 25, 2007
Many thanks to all of you for sending along your favorite Thanksgiving recipes.
The first person to respond was Donna Alley with Broccoli Casserole. Donna, if you'll e-mail me your mailing address at lindsey.nair@roanoke.com, I will send that book along straightaway.
Never fear, the rest of you! I'm going to give away another book next week. So stay tuned!
I can't believe how many delicious recipes came through last night. The only other request I have is for a little bit more information about why these recipes are so special to your families. Has it been passed down through the generations? Does everyone lend a hand to make it every year? Do you have to hide it to keep somebody from dipping into it before dinner?
If you guys have any more context for why these recipes are family traditions, I would love to hear it. And if you have not yet sent a recipe and a story, please do!
The deadline is Friday, November 2!
October 12, 2007
It's time to give away this month's free cookbook, folks! So many of you wrote in for a chance to win "Great Bar Food at Home" by Kate Heyhoe. I appreciate all of the wonderful responses to my question, "What is the best bar food you ever ate, and why?"
It was difficult to choose a winner because there were so many mouthwatering responses: bacon-wrapped dates, popcorn, raw bar fare such as cherrystone clams and stone crab legs, spinach-artichoke dip and seafood potato skins. YUM!
But the book goes to blog reader RICH, who wrote in with this response:
"My favorite barfood is any that deviates from the chicken (tender or wing)/ cheesestick/ riblet variety. On business in Denver once, I had an amazing rumaki marinated in a great soy/bourbon mixture. I liked that so much that I returned the following night and tried the Ovos de Cordona (quail eggs) and some roasted chicken hearts. Just as good as the rumaki.
I enjoyed these and chose them because I KNEW I'd rarely get the chance to dine on them at a bar ever again."
Rich wins not because he was the first to respond, although I do appreciate that. I liked his answer because it showed he has a sense of adventure about food and a desire to try bar snacks that don't fall into the typical categories. That willingness to experiment, I think, makes him a good match for Heyhoe's book of eclectic bar foods.
Rich, e-mail me your address at lindsey.nair@roanoke.com and I'll put this book in the mail for you.
Everyone else, do not despair! I have plenty more free cookbooks where that one came from (in fact, I just got one in the mail called "I'm Dreaming of a Chocolate Christmas" by Marcel Desaulniers) and the same person is not allowed to win twice in one year, so I'm keeping track.
Y'all keep reading!
Before I mail out Rich's book, I will share one recipe from the book. Maybe we can all whip this up this weekend while we're relaxing the work stress away.
Continue reading "And the winner is...." »
October 8, 2007
As I said last week, I'm going to be giving away a cookbook once a month to the winner of a simple contest. This month's book is "Great Bar Food at Home" by Kate Heyhoe.
Kate even commented on the blog contest herself! Here's what she had to say:
"Brilliant idea, Lindsey! I am the author of Great Bar Food at Home, and I adore how you've thrown the gauntlet out to your readers. By the way, they can read outtakes and recipes from the book at GreatBarFood.com. For me, picking one favorite is tough, but I have many fond memories of Harry's Bar in Venice, and the little toasted cheese sandwiches there, wrapped in pristine white napkins. I'll look forward to seeing what your readers pick. And with wings, rumaki, garlic fries, prosciutto rolls, and all sorts of other treats in it, this book was written for everyone who loves bar food, especially those who prefer to munch on their bar food at home. Cheers! Kate Heyhoe (GlobalGourmet.com and GreatBarFood.com)"
So come on, y'all! You know you want to check out this book. All you have to do is write in and tell me your favorite bar food and why. The deadline to enter is noon on Wednesday.
October 3, 2007
My darling readers, I have emerged from beneath the crush of deadlines and I am still alive to tell the tale. Except the tale isn't really all that interesting, so I will spare you. Suffice it to say that four deadlines at once have forced my blog entries this week to be a little wimpy. For that, I apologize.
How might I make it up to you? Well, I have an idea: free cookbooks!
I mentioned on the blog a few days ago that I receive many free cookbooks in the mail from publishing companies. When someone commented that I am one lucky gal to get all these free cookbooks, it got me thinking. I mean, I'm never going to have the time to whip up all these delectable dishes myself.
Henceforth, I will be giving away a cookbook once a month to some lucky reader who plays along with my silly game, "Answer my question, please."
This month's selection is "Great Bar Food at Home" by Kate Heyhoe. It includes such tasty little recipes as Eggplant Pizzettes, Beer-Bathed Shrimp and Authentic Garlic Fries.
To win this book, shoot me a comment with a few sentences about your favorite bar food. Where did you find it and what was so great about it?
The best comment wins the book. The deadline is noon on Wednesday, October 10. I will announce the winner on Friday. But you'll have to provide your address so I can mail it to you.
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