And the winner is!

Sorry for the delay in announcing the winner of this awesome giveaway. Unfortunately due to not feeling so hot and a family emergency on Friday morning followed by an Ikea trip and packing all weekend, I’ve been a bit preoccupied!

Courtesy of Random.org, I generated a random number for the winner, and that was #6 – Jordan! (I had to clear out my own blog track-back, and counted everyone only once). So, if you can send an e-mail to foodosaurusrex [at] gmail [dot] com, I’ll have to prize pack mailed to you ASAP!

Don’t forget you have until October 11th to enter the RecipeNut contest on their Facebook page, where you can win up to $2,000 in prizes!

I actually have some contents of the pack in the oven right now – I’m making a version of You Are What You Eat or Reheat’s White Trash Puff Balls, and homemade potatchos (potato chip nachos). Stay tuned later this week to see how they turned out!

Blogiversary!

I totally missed the one year anniversary of my blog! I’m so embarrassed! Here I was thinking the anniversary was some time in October, but oh I was wrong – my first official post was on August 27th, 2009!

I’ve always been in love with writing; when I was younger I used to play with different programs that would let you make mock news papers. I kept journal after journal, and you could always find me writing notes to friends. I’m still the ring leader when it comes to group e-mails, and you can ask my fiancé – I’m a big proponent of hand written notes. I’m a word nerd and proud of it. I may not always follow the proper MLA or APA writing styles, but I do try my best to write fluidly and in a way that anyone reading would enjoy.

I don’t think I have a huge following, but that’s okay. I’m writing because I love it. Sure, it’d be a great job either full time or on the side to rake in some extra moolah, but that’s not the point. I’m here to share with you my love for cooking and eating through writing! So what’s gone on this past year? I don’t even know where to begin.

Since starting the blog I created a Twitter account that was used pretty sparingly at first, as I already had a personal account as well. Since then, though, after finding so many great reads when it came to cooking, eating, blogging, and running (and some virtual friends, too!), I’ve almost completely abandoned my personal Twitter and stuck to good ‘ole FoodosaurusRex. I’ve also had the opportunity for three giveaways (one is going on right now – so go enter!). I’ve become a runner and completed my first half marathon and am training for two more. I took a trip to Chicago and fell in love with the city. I started school again this past Spring. And most importantly, on an amazing trip to Disney World, I got engaged!

There has been a lot of deliciousness consumed in the past year, and a lot of miles run. I have no intention of slowing down any time soon, so keep reading! And thanks for everyone that does read – it’s nice to see my blog stats and know that there are people out there reading what I’ve got to say, even if it is just about food (nomz).

Giveaway Update!

If you haven’t entered my giveaway yet, you probably should. If you have, you can double your chances of winning here if you head over to RecipeNut’s Facebook page and submit to their contest as well, which could have you winning up to $2,000 in prizes!

So get crackin’ enter my giveaway here, and head to Facebook and enter there as well! If you do enter Facebook’s contest, head over to my original post and let me know!

Entries for my giveaway must be received by 11pm EDT on Friday, but RecipeNut’s is going until October 11th!

Another Foodie Giveaway!

Seriously, blogging rules. I’ve been fortunate enough to have the opportunity for another giveaway! The wonderful Hormel, who also sponsored this giveaway in conjunction with the newly launched RecipeNut are behind this yummy deal [see below]. In addition to the prize pack you can win here, you can also head over to RecipeNut’s Facebook Page to “like” them, and also submit your favorite family recipe with a story behind it and photo, to win $2,000 in prizes! You have until October 11th for the big contest.

The prize pack I’m giving away includes the following:
· Hormel® Always Tender® pork product coupon: Hormel® Always Tender® products are all pre-marinated for superb tenderness, juiciness and flavor, so there’s no prep time and no cleanup required. Available in more than 40 varieties.
· Hormel® Natural Choice® deli meat full value product coupon: Great-tasting, all-natural products you can feel good about eating and serving. Zero preservatives, artificial ingredients or MSG. No nitrites or nitrates added. And they’re gluten free.
· Hormel® real crumbled bacon bits: Hormel® bacon toppings are made from 100 percent real bacon. Add to salads, soups and other recipes!
· Hormel® pepperoni minis: Add zest to a wide variety of dishes with great tasting pepperoni. In addition to perking up pizza, pepperoni is an ideal partner for sandwiches, salads, pasta or nachos and more.
· Hormel® premium chunk chicken breast: Hormel® chunk meats are fully-cooked, one hundred percent real meat perfect for sandwiches, salads, wraps, soups, nachos and quesadillas.
· Hormel® chili with beans: Hormel® chili is made with choice ingredients, blended and simmered slowly in an open kettle to bring out their full flavor and aroma. The result is a rich and hearty flavor chili lovers ask for!
· RecipeNut Oven Mitt

For my giveaway, though, you just need to answer the following two questions:
1. How do you store your recipes?
2. What would you do with this prize pack? (Make a game-watching snack? Bake something and use the oven mitt to keep your hands safe?)

*You have until Friday, October 8th at 11pm EDT to enter!!

I’m wondering about your recipe storage, because I myself have been playing around with a few different things, and am interested to hear what you guys use/do. I also need some ideas for what I can do with my prizes! I’m thinking I’ll try to recreate You Are What You Eat or Reheat’s “White Trash Puff Balls,” and maybe some chili nachos to eat while watching a game – yum!

Pyrex Goodies!

Since I’m a featured publisher on Foodbuzz, I get lots of fun e-mails about contests, giveaways, and things of that nature. Naturally, I enter any and all that I can because let’s be honest, who doesn’t like free stuff?!

A few weeks ago I entered a Pyrex giveaway, which I won thanks to being recently engaged/married. I’m kind of in the middle of both of those actually, as we just passed our -1 year anniversary Friday! That’s right, 9.10.11 is less than a year away now – I can’t believe it!

I was able to pick three products from a list of about 8 that I thought would be best used in our kitchen. So, I went with measuring cups, a pie dish, and a new spatula/scraper. While we do already have each of those three things, they are definitely on their way out. When I moved in with my fiancé, he already had most things needed in a kitchen, since he had already been living in the apartment for a few years. However, as with most things, time hasn’t been the kindest. We actually have a set of measuring spoons that has the tablespoon literally hanging on by a thread (of plastic). I have no idea how it hasn’t snapped with all the baking and measuring I do, but it’s still hanging on. So as you can imagine, slowly replacing most kitchenware is on our to-do list – good thing we can add it all to our registry!

I’m really looking forward to putting these new kitchen tools to use, as I’ve always been a big Pyrex fan. I’ll probably be using the measuring cups and spatula/scraper first. I’ll let you know how it goes!

And the winner is…

Last week I was fortunate enough to have another giveaway on my blog, this time for a TERRA Chips “fire up the flavor” prize pack! I had always thought that anyone would like something for free, but apparently not! While I only had four entries for the contest (insert sad face here), they were all delicious, and I’m probably going to try my hand at each of them. It was a really hard decision, so much so that it took me nearly a day to deliberate. But after a lot of consideration, asking for my fiancé’s opinion and then turning it down, I picked a winner!

Though I didn’t win her giveaway when she offered up a sweet pair of CEP Compression socks, Shelby over at Eat, Drink, Run is the winner of the prize pack! I’ve seen the way she puts together nachos, and my mouth waters every time! A little side note is that my absolute favorite cheese is gouda which I discovered my freshman year at The University of Scranton, and have had a love affair ever since. So, the suggestion of “Fancy Nachos” with the blue potato chips smothered in melted gouda and caramelized onions won me over, big time! Send me a direct message on Twitter or e-mail me at foodosaurusrex [at] gmail [dot] com with your mailing address, and I’ll have the prize pack on it’s way!

Thanks again for everyone that entered, and I’m definitely going to give Jordan’s jalapeno poppers, Lauren’s sweet potato shepherd’s pie, and Sharon’s (Serial Baker) breakfast casserole a try – they all sound delicious!