Given the pitiful number of replies to the cookbook giveaway yesterday, I can only conclude that:

a) nobody was interested in that book, or
b) everyone was actually having a pretty good Monday and couldn’t think of anything whiny to say to earn the book.

Hopefully it was the latter, because this really is a beautiful cookbook. We do have a cookbook winner, however, and her name is Angela G. She wrote, “The dirt under my fingernails, my aching shoulders, and pinched back are all reasons why I deserve the organic cookbook you are giving away today. In addition to the 40+ hour work week I spend behind a desk I also work on an organic farm that provides weekly harvests of organic veggies and free range eggs to CSA shareholders in my small town.”

To check out Angela’s entire response, look below the jump. Congrats, Angela! E-mail me your mailing address and I’ll send “Organic Marin” your way.

In other news, tomorrow is National Bring Your Salad to Work Day. That’s according to Kraft Salad Dressings. I can’t imagine how they would benefit from such a day. Marketing aside, it seems like a good excuse to bring a crisp, cool salad to work for lunch. I’ve got some romaine, cherry tomatoes, green pepper and garbanzo beans lurking in my fridge this moment.

Next up, does anyone watch “The Next Food Network Star?” If so, it may amuse you to learn that someone on the Food Network’s Web team accidentally revealed the winner online before the finale ran. Oops!!

And finally, has anyone out there ever had a custard pie with fruit? As a lover of pies, I was surprised to realize that I never have had such a pie. A reader wrote in last night with his recipe for wineberry custard pie, which looks 10 times easier than actually collecting the wineberries for the pie. I’ll post the recipe, along with his beautiful picture, later today.

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What does your work refrigerator say about you….and your co-workers?

Well, from the looks of the fridge in the Features department at The Roanoke Times (I took this picture this morning), it says at least one thing: We bring Lean Cuisines to work, but we never eat them.

Notice the TWO Lean Cuisines that have been permanently encased in ice in the upper right hand corner of the picture. I can’t even tell if they were sesame chicken or macaroni and cheese or salmon or what.

Now, Wendy admitted that one of the Lean Cuisines was probably hers. Who brought in the other one?

Okay, I admit. It was me.

This is cold, hard evidence that while I often have good intentions about eating a healthy lunch at work, the Lean Cuisine goes untouched in the freezer while I make my way to Alejandro’s, the market building or some other spot for tasty grub.

Of course, one of these days I’m going to be too busy to run out and I’ll remember that I have an emergency frozen dinner. Anyone got an ice pick?

This is Nona again. Lindsey missed out on the goodies today. Another nice promotional package arrived from McCormick. This big box was stuffed with various grill rubs, marinades and a Montreal steak seasoning grinder.

Bounty for the guest bloggers!

I have used the McCormick’s Montreal steak seasoning before and I highly recommend it. Lindsey gave me the smokehouse pepper they sent her last week, and I used it this weekend and loved it. It added a nice smoky flavor without being overpowering.

My hubby and I joined Weight Watchers last night, so I am looking for ways to add more flavor to food as I try to whittle away fat and calories and keep to our daily points goals. Of course, I have to be careful with sauces and marinades that can actually add too many calories to what otherwise would have been a lean, low-cal dish.

I want to try the seafood rub, which contains chili pepper, lemon peel, garlic, tomato and brown sugar. Sounds pretty tasty for some salmon filets that want to get out of my fridge and onto my grill.

I promise we will save some of this spice swag for Lindsey.

So what’s grilling at your house this hot and steamy weekend?

Well, Thanksgiving is over and my 16-pound turkey has already been reduced to a big pot of stock that’s waiting at home in the fridge rignt now.
But when I walk in the door today and smell that rich odor of turkey still hanging in the air, I’m not sure turkey soup will sound very appetizing.
Not that this year’s Thanksgiving bird didn’t earn a rave response from my guests. I bought it from Weathertop Farm in Floyd County and I don’t believe I’ll ever buy another store-bought bird. My Dad said it might’ve been the best turkey he’s ever eaten. Now there’s a compliment!
I brined mine overnight in a brown sugar and kosher salt brine, then stuffed it with celery, onions, carrots, apples and bay leaves and sprinkled the top with rosemary and pepper. In a roasting bag, it took less than three hours to reach 165 degrees.
But no matter how delicious it was, after a couple plates of leftovers and a turkey sandwich or two, my appetite for turkey is waning. At least I haven’t resorted to making turkey waffles like Sally Forth in yesterday’s comics.
In an effort to put an exciting twist on the last bit of turkey in my fridge, I believe I’ll try out the Thai Chicken Noodle Soup recipe that ran with last week’s column. A little hot sauce, some cilantro, some rice noodles and voila! Maybe we can power through the last scraps of the little bird.
In case you missed that recipe, here it is again. And if you’re looking for another tasty way to transform the last of your turkey, keep an eye on the video player below for a casserole demonstration that should appear within the day.

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Check it out! You all are just boiling over with fantastic kitchen tips.
Here’s what we’ve got so far:

* When baking brownies, line the pan with heavy aluminum foil and spray foil with Pam or other spray. When brownies are cooled, you can dump them on a plate to cut. Use a plastic serrated knife to cut them.

* For easier peeling hardboiled eggs, put them in the water, then bring to a boil.

* Put an onion in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before cutting it — this will help so you don’t cry as much when slicing.

* Like melted cheese on your sandwich but don’t want to ruin the sandwich by sticking the whole thing in the microwave to melt it? Put a slice of cheese of pile of shredded cheese on top of a baggie and cook it on medium for 10 seconds. Check it then, but it could take a few more seconds. Flop the whole thing on your sandwich and peel the baggie off.

To keep the juices flowing, here are a couple more from me:
* To prevent brown sugar from getting hard (or restore it to softness after it is already hard), add a slice of fresh bread to the container for a couple of days.
* To make mess-free deviled eggs, spoon filling into a clean plastic storage bag, cut off one corner and pipe it into the eggs.

Keep them coming!