Giveaway Winner, and a Preview of Things to Come

Happy Friday! :)  Just wanted to put up a quick post today to make a couple of announcements, and tell you about some exciting things happening in this next week.  

-First, my CSN giveaway closed last night and I was thrilled to have 64 entries!  And, I am even more thrilled to announce that the winner of the $35 gift certificate from CSN is Victoria K. of Mission Food!!!  Congratulations Victoria!  She gets to spend the money on anything she wants from any of CSN's great online shopping sites, and I have no doubt she will choose something fabulous.  Check back to my site often if you want the chance to win more free stuff, because I have several other giveaways scheduled for these upcoming months. 

-Second, I am very pleased to tell you that I advanced to the third round of Project Food Blog!!!  I have been loving every minute of being involved with this contest, and I am so excited about moving forward with the next challenge entry.  I hope you enjoyed my last entry, Tom Yum Goong with Homemade Nam Prik Pao, and that I might have inspired you to try some Thai cuisine in your own kitchen.  I also cannot tell you how much I appreciate all the wonderful comments, encouragement and support, and of course your votes!  The next round of Project Food Blog challenges us to plan and execute a Luxury Dinner party.  I love love love hosting dinner parties, and I am looking forward to a Luxury Ladies Dinner, full of indulgence and new tastes.  My entry will be posted on Sunday, so be sure to check back for a full report on the party!  (Hint: It might involve leeks, lemons, and lamb.)

-Third, next week I will be announcing the details for my recipe contest sponsored by Fresh Express!  This contest will be part of my Artisan Ambassador Series of posts, and it will be very simple to enter.  All you need to do is create a fresh, delicious salad!  There will be two prizes for two winners, with one prize sponsored by Fresh Express and one prize provided by yours truly.  If you want to start planning ahead, grab a coupon from the Fresh Express site to buy your lettuce blend and start getting creative!  If you think you will participate in this contest (no commitment!), go ahead and leave a comment here so I can better plan the details.  

-I finally harvested the last fruits from my tomato plants this season, and now I have sown new seeds for Arugula, Mizuna, and Red Mustard.  So in parallel to my recipe contest, I will be sharing details about planting cool-weather lettuce varieties so you can enjoy fresh, in-season greens grown right from your own garden.  Look!  My seedlings have already started growing! 

-Lastly, I have recently been making lots of recipes from Ad Hoc at Home by Thomas Keller.  In case you missed the original posts, check out my Buttermilk Fried Chicken and Sweet Creamed Corn.  They were both divine.  I have found this cookbook to be really fabulous, and so I will share another recipe with you (it might involve cookies) and give you my overall review of Ad Hoc at Home.  Look for my review and recipe post next week! 

Enjoy the weekend!