Holiday Gift Guide and a Giveaway!

I thought I would do something a little different this year and make a little holiday gift guide of things that I am loving and/or coveting this season. It's not too late to pick up some last minute things for people on your list! To sweeten the post, I am hosting a giveaway to win one of these fabulous gifts! Scroll down for details.

1. Several cookbooks are on my "to-buy" list including The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook, Keys to the Kitchen, and at the very top of the list is Jerusalem, A Cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi, $19.85 on Amazon

2. I love rustic kitchens with a modern edge and this sign fits in to that aesthetic. It would be so cute over my little stove. "Eat" sign made with recycled farm steel by The Steel Fork on Etsy, $40

3. For leftover wine, these stoppers make an excellent stocking stuffer. vinostop "Peace" bottle stoppers on Spin Bucket, $9.95

4. I am feeling much love for my new home town. These necklaces are the perfect expression of pride for whatever city you live in.  City pride necklace on Brevity, $75-$95

5. If you're traveling during the holidays or just listen to a lot of a music, these headphones are a must. The sound quality is amazing, they have a microphone so you can use them on calls, and they are so sturdy, that I feel completely comfortable throwing them in a carry on and not worrying about them.  SOL Republic Tracks HD On-Ear Headphones, $129.99

6. Most of the time I take pictures with a 50mm lens, but it can be difficult in trying to get wide-angled shots of my city's skyline that I love so much. This 35mm lens allows for wider shots, while still being able to get great depth on tighter images. Canon EF 35mm f/2 Wide-Angle Lens, $309 on Amazon

7. To know me is to know I love, love my nail polish. I've changed nail colors three times in the past week alone. I am a huge fan of the brand Essie and totally crazy about their Winter 2012 collection. I have already added Leading Lady, Beyond Cozy, and Where's My Chauffer to my ever-expanding collection of colors. These colors are perfect for holiday parties and will make great stocking stuffers for the polish fanatics in your life. Essie nail polish in Leading Lady, $8

8. Winter is almost here! I'm super excited for the snow, but having already experienced the wind chill, I know I need to be prepared. This scarf/shawl combo is great for those super blustery days.  The Chunky Cowl Scarf Shawl Hood by CT Handmade on Etsy, $34.95

9. Who doesn't love a thoughtful, homemade gift? Give the baker in your life something like homemade vanilla extract and they will think of you every time they make a delicious treat. Homemade Vanilla Extract Recipe on Saveur

Now for the giveaway! One (1) lucky reader will have a chance to win the SOL Republic Tracks HD Headphones in the color gray, as seen above. Since these are great for listening to music, the rules of the giveaway will be simple: Tell me your favorite holiday song (name of the song and artist). For additional entries, follow me on Twitter @dishingdelights and tweet me  your favorite holiday song or follow my Facebook page and leave a post with your favorite holiday song. Once you have done that, leave another comment to let me know you have done so. This contest is open to US residents only and you have until midnight CST on 12/29/12 to enter. This will be a nice post-holiday gift if you didn't get everything on your list. Good luck!

*Disclosure: I received a pair of SOL Republic headphones to review and another to give away. The opinions expressed are my own.

An Announcement and a GIVEAWAY!

If you don't follow me on Twitter, aren't my Facebook friend, or a just living under a rock, you may have missed the announcement that I am moving soon. Actually, there are many other ways you could have missed this information because I've been sort of low key about it, but now here is my formal announcement. At the end of next week, I am packing up my bags and moving to Chicago! I'm super excited to explore the Windy City and all there is to do. I'm still going to blog, but there may be some down time while I am transitioning to my new surroundings. This week has been a frenzy of organizing my belongings and trying to get rid of as much as possible since I am flying instead of driving.

I was recently sent an extra copy of the excellent book Girl Hunter by Georgia Pellegrini. You may remember that I reviewed the book back in December and my previous copy was the preview. Since I'm lightening my load, I thought I would send the hardcover copy to one of my fabulous readers. To enter, just leave a comment on this post. For an extra entry, you can tweet about this giveaway (mentioning me @dishingdelights) and then leave a comment below to let me know that you tweeted. Your comment can be about anything, but if you have any suggestions of things to see, do, and especially eat in Chicago, I will love you even more. Since I'm paying for the shipping myself, I have to limit this giveaway to US residents only. You have until Sunday the 18th at 5PM Pacific time when I will pick a winner using random.org. Thanks and good luck!!

Nutrilite Giveaway Winners

From a whopping seven entries, the winners are:

3. Kelly
5. Mrs. Bear
6. Sarah

Email me at dishingupdelights [at] gmail [dot] com to claim your loot. Congratulations!!

Amway Nutrilite and a Giveaway

I recently had the pleasure of attending the Health and Fitness expo in downtown Los Angeles. The event was tied to the Rock n' Roll Half Marathon and I was a guest of Amway and their Nutrilite brand of vitamins. Amway has a huge mobile vehicle that the send to various events to teach people about the benefits of vitamins and how their vitamins are made. It's good to know that they use organic farming practices to make their products. 







After the expo, we had a super healthy lunch with foods from all over the color spectrum (like we should be eating on a daily basis). During lunch we got to sit with professional runner, Kara Goucher and we chatted with her about her partnership with Amway as well as her routine and how she stays healthy while maintaining an active life. She's a big fan of their gummy vitamins. I can't blame her, they are too delicious to be healthy.







I always aspire to be a much healthier person than I am and to get all of my vitamins from the various superfoods I eat every day, but the reality is, this is far from the truth. To make up for the not always great eating habits, I'm eternally grateful for vitamins. Now Nutrilite is giving three of my readers the chance to win some of their products to balance out their diets as well.

Three (3) people will have the opportunity to win a three month supply of Nutrilite's daily vitamins made from organic ingredients as well as a one month supply of the Fruits & Vegetables 2Go Twist Tubes. These Twist Tubes contain two servings of fruits and vegetables and a great way to get part of your recommended servings per day.

There are two ways to enter: Leave a comment on this post telling me your favorite way to naturally get your vitamin fix (ie, eating acai berries off the vine or something). For an extra entry, visit the Amway Nutrilite site and tweet me (@dishingdelights) with an interesting fact you learned from the site. The tweet should contain the hashtag #AmwayNutrilite. (For example: I just learned #AmwayNutrilite Twist Tubes contain as much beta carotene as a serving of carrots @dishingdelights). Leave another comment with a link to your tweet so I can count your entry. You have until Wednesday, November 16th at 8PM Pacific time to enter. The winners will be chosen from eligible entries by random.org. This giveaway is open to US residents only. Good luck!!

Disclaimer: Amway paid for the day at the expo and travel expenses. They also gave me samples of their various Nutrilite products and are providing the giveaway products. 

Giveway Winner!!

I know it feels like forever since I posted about my blogiversary and giveaway. It's been exactly two weeks and I'm sure you're dying to know who won. There were 106 eligible entries. I numbered those entries in the order they were received and thanks to Random.org the lucky winner is #79 also known as....AMY I!! Congrats Amy. Hopefully the gift card will come in handy when you move ;) Email me your contact info to dishingupdelights [at] gmail [dot] com. Thanks to all who entered and for all the wonderful comments. Looking forward to the next year of delicious blogging!!

Nutella Sandwich Cookies, A Blogiversary, and a GIVEAWAY!!

My little baby blog is growing up before my very eyes. Today I am celebrating two fab years of food blogging. Last year I made a cake. This year cookies will have to suffice. It's been another great year of blogging. I made a goal to meet at least three food bloggers in person. Well I exceeded that and met many, fabulous people. In fact, I met so many bloggers, I would love to name them all here, but unfortunately I don't have that kind of time. You all know who you are and we've had so much fun together!!

Of course this wouldn't be a celebration without highlighting some of my favorite and most popular posts from the past year.

Last summer I moved out of the apartment I lived at for quite a while. For nearly two months, I hardly cooked a thing so after some time, I was eager to get back into the kitchen. One of the first things I did was use my favorite end of summer fruit in a simple tart.



Lately I've really been getting in to Korean food and recipes. After a field trip to Koreatown here in Los Angeles, I came back and made chicken bulgogi. I have so many ingredients left over, it's been really fun to play around with different recipes.



I love to bake as a way to relieve stress and delight my coworkers with treats. Two of the most popular baking recipes have been Sticky Meyer Lemon Rolls and Crack Pie. It's not difficult to figure out why.





I had a couple of parties and made a cake.



I got to go to fun events with food and wine.



I ate at fancy restaurants, not so fancy restaurants, and food trucks and enjoyed it all.



I participated in two bake sales and a fundraiser for Haiti.



Some really nice people have said some really nice things about me.

It's been another delicious year and I want to give back to my readers who make it possible. I'm giving away a $100 gift card to Williams Sonoma! All you have to do to enter is leave a comment on this post by 11:59PM PST, June 3rd. That's it! I'm keeping it simple and also keeping this open for a couple of weeks so everyone gets a chance to enter. One entry per person please and while I would like to be able to ship anywhere in the world, that's just not possible so this is open to US residents only. When the contest is done, Random Integer Generator will come up with the winner for me since I don't like picking favorites amongst friends.

Thanks to everyone all over the world who have made it worthwhile for me to continue finding and creating new recipes for you to enjoy here on this little site. It's been so much fun and I hope to continue doing it for years to come!

Oh yes, and the cookies have a recipe. They're super simple to make and even better to eat. Nutella fans will love them and lest you think they would be too sweet with all that sugar, there is a nice dose of salt to bring out the flavors and balance them out. Try them soon. Nutella is still on sale at the store!!


Nutella Sandwich Cookies
(Adapted from Indecisive Baker who adapted from Living Eventfully)



Makes 24 cookies (12 sandwiches)

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 heaping teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup Nutella
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar, plus extra for rolling
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. and set aside.

In a stand mixer bow place the Nutella, butter, and both sugars. On medium speed cream together mixer for about about 3 minutes.

Add the egg and vanilla and blend until combined. Stir in the dry ingredients, just until incorporated.

Carefully shape the cookie dough into 1 inch, about 1 teaspoon sized round balls. . Roll the cookie balls in sugar and place the cookies on a cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.

Bake for 6-8 minutes. The cookies will look underdone, but they will continue to cook once the pan is removed from the oven.

Remove from oven and allow to cool on cookies sheet for about 5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Once cool spread a layer of Nutella between two cookies.

Printable Recipe

And the Winner Is....

Thanks to all for entering my agave giveaway!! There were 36 comments and Random.org picked #9! Congratulations to Elle of Elle's New England Kitchen! Elle, please email me your address to: dishingupdelights AT gmail DOT com so we can get you your bottle of agave and cookbook. Happy cooking and thanks to all who entered. You all left me with plenty of fall ideas and I can't wait to spend some more quality time in the kitchen!

Result: 9

Fall Favorites...and a Giveaway!!

Well, hello pseudo So-Cal fall! As I've been (complaining) talking about lately, my hopes of a nice fall have been completely teased and then dashed lately. However, I haven't let that stop me from making some fall inspired dishes, but I have also wanted to share with new viewers of this site some of my favorites from last year. PLUS, I am having a giveaway and regular readers know how rare that is here, so stay tuned.

So as you all know, one of my favorite fall/early winter favorites is pomegranate. I have been lucky enough to be gifted with some more Pom Wonderful juice this year so look for some exciting recipes. In the meantime, let me take you back to some "old school" pom recipes.

Pom ice cream was the first ice cream I ever made and the first one without a machine. It was so worth the effort



Pom Pizza was kind of strange sounding, but totally addictive and a classic.



Of course, who can forget the pumpkin recipes at this time of year. I have had quite a few...Pumpkin cinnamon rolls are so incredibly decadent and swoon worthy, I almost got a proposal!



Pumpkin shortcakes with Apple Compote and Honey Vanilla Ice Cream are a perfect way to use up the canned pumpkin you may have laying around plus all of the apples of the season.



Butternut squash is one of my favorite things about the fall and winter, but I tried not to overload you with it last year (like I did with poms). One of my favorite and most simple ways to enjoy it was in a simple soup.



Another fun way to enjoy butternut was in this super easy galette.



I have an apple dessert coming soon, but in the meantime, how adorable is this mini apple crumb cake? Check out those huge crumbs too!!



Persimmon crisps were just so cute and a unique way to enjoy this fall fruit.



Ok, now on to the giveaway. Remember those amazing agave sweetened brownies I made recently? Well, Xagave is giving one of my readers the chance to win a bottle of agave nectar and the same amazing cookbook I have had the chance to peruse. All you need to do to win is leave a comment on this post telling me your favorite fall recipe. If you would like an extra chance to be entered, you can tweet about it and leave another comment with a link to your tweet. By the way, you can follow me on Twitter, by clicking here. One week from today, I will pick a random number to win this awesome prize. Good luck!! If you're interested in ordering any items from Xagave for yourself, you can use the code "DISHINGUP" for free shipping!

And the Winner Is...

According to the Random Integer Generator, Laurie from That's Not What the Recipe Says is the winner of the Christmas plate giveaway. Congratulations Laurie!! Please email me your address [dishingupdelights AT gmail DOT com] so we can get you your plates. Thanks to all who entered I hope you have a wonderful and happy Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year, and whatever else you celebrate!! I hope to do another giveaway soon :)

Here are your random numbers:

8

Timestamp: 2008-12-20 08:06:12 UTC

Last Chance!!!

Ok ya'll...today's the last chance to enter my holiday giveaway and/or get a 15% discount on Delight.com. What are you waiting for? Entries must be received by midnight tonight and it's open to US residents only so you better get on it!!! Happy Holidays!!!

Images from Delight.com

All I Want for Christmas...Is a GIVEAWAY!

This year in my family, we aren't giving gifts. For some reason, my mom thought giving us a trip to Hawaii is gift enough (haha). However, later this month I will be doing a gift exchange with my friends. I recently came across the site Delight.com that I am totally obsessed with. First of all, the name, isn't it...delightful? They have some really unique and interesting gifts that are perfect for the home cook or entertainer and even better because many of them are eco-friendly. I am so needing this cookbook stand and these onion goggles, since the mere mention of onions makes me tear up. The mac daddy of all gifts is this Eco-Delightful Get Green Gift Set which has tons of goodies for when you want to look cool at the farmers market or are strolling around town. Including one of those aluminum water bottles that I have been coveting. Someone feel free to get me this bag, I will love you forever :)

Well, the nice people at Delight.com are offering my readers a 15% discount. Just enter the code: DishingDelight (case sensitive) at checkout. They are also letting me host my first giveaway! One lucky reader will win a set of the White Christmas Vintage Plates so you can have your Christmas dinner in style. All you have to do to be eligible is leave a comment about one or two things you would like to give and/or get this year. Giveaway is open to US residents only, and comments must be received by midnight PST, December 20th to be eligible. Good luck!





Images from Delight.com