Happy first day of Spring!!!! In the spirit of Spring & spring cleaning, maybe you need to clear out your spice cabinet. How long has that bottle of ground cumin been in your pantry?? Did that nutmeg expire 2 years ago?!
How would you like to win spices valued at $100 from Cooking Planit?
What’s included in the spice set?
Top 26 Spices Every Kitchen Should:
Ground Cumin
Basil
Saigon Cinnamon
Bay Leaves
Smoked Paprika
Thyme
Garlic Powder
Mediterranean Oregano
Onion Powder
Rosemary
Nutmeg Powder
Red Pepper Flakes
Coriander Powder
Cayenne Pepper
Ground Cloves
Chinese Five Spice
Turmeric
Curry Powder
Yellow Mustard
Pennsylvania Pepper
Cardamon Powder
Cajun Seasoning
Allspice Powder
Hill Country Chili Powder
Ginger Root Powder
Manzanillo Mexico Seasoning
To enter: leave a comment letting me know which spice is your favorite to cook/bake with.
For additional entries:
Follow Sugarfoot Eats and Cooking Planit on Twitter. Leave a separate comment letting me know you’ve done so.
Follow Sugarfoot Eats and Cooking Planit on Pinterest. Leave a separate comment letting me know you’ve done so.
So, you’ve got 3 possible entries to help you win! Contest ends Tuesday, March 26, 2013 at 11:59 pm. Winner to be drawn on Wednesday, March 27, 2013.
And check out the other great bloggers participating too! Mucho chances to win!
Giveaway open to US entries only. This giveaway is sponsored by Cooking Planit, but all opinions are my own. Images courtesy of Emily Wilson and Cooking Planit.
How would you like a chance to win an awesome Cooking Planit spice set that includes 26 of the most commonly used spices that has a retail value of over $100? Now, what if I told you that you will have 50 chances to win?!?
The spice giveaway is an great promotion sponsored by Cooking Planit. They’re giving 50 spice sets to bloggers
to give away to their readers. Two sets will be given away each day for 25 days with the first contests having already started.
Cooking Planit is an easy to use application for your iPhone, iPad, or you can utilize their website. I’m partial to the iPhone app as it NEVER fails that I leave my grocery list at home. The app can be a time saver, so that you’re not making multiple trips to the groceries store.
My favorite part of Cooking Planit is the picture layout. For a novice cook, it’s so helpful to see the planning/prep portion. Not only does it separate the ingredients by category, but it always tells you what cooking equipment you need. So easy to clearly see that I’ll need 1 bowl, 1 pot, and 1 saute pan vs. reading in the recipe too late and scrambling to find my illusive whisk or whatnot.
What’s included in the spice set?
Top 26 Spices Every Kitchen Should:
Ground Cumin
Basil
Saigon Cinnamon
Bay Leaves
Smoked Paprika
Thyme
Garlic Powder
Mediterranean Oregano
Onion Powder
Rosemary
Nutmeg Powder
Red Pepper Flakes
Coriander Powder
Cayenne Pepper
Ground Cloves
Chinese Five Spice
Turmeric
Curry Powder
Yellow Mustard
Pennsylvania Pepper
Cardamon Powder
Cajun Seasoning
Allspice Powder
Hill Country Chili Powder
Ginger Root Powder
Manzanillo Mexico Seasoning
My contest will begin on March 20, so check back then for details! In the meantime, be sure to check out these other blogs for details during their contest period and 49 other chances to win.
And check out Cooking Planit!
Blog: http://blog.cookingplanit.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cookingplanit
Twitter: https://twitter.com/cookingplanit
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/cookingplanit
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/cookingplanit
Instagram: http://instagram.com/cookingplanit
This giveaway is sponsored by Cooking Planit. Images courtesy of Emily Wilson and Cooking Planit.
I was minding my own business recently. I’d just enjoyed a Chai Latte at Austin Java and was walking around downtown Austin. I suddenly stopped. “Buy one, get one 50% off accessories.” I was an immediate goner as soon as I walked into Francesca’s. I loved all of the pretty spring colors.
My loot that I got:
Seagreen/blue clutch with gold zipper detail
Light Seafoam oval bracelet
Turquoise ring
Earrings
Pastel scarf — I like it when the store has already tied the scarf since I’m so bad at that. I need to watch some YouTube tutorials on scarf tying.
After my jewelry binge, I headed over to Ulta & Sephora.
I was looking for a new pastel nail polish to go with my other purchases. When I saw that this light purple shade was called “Julie“, it was a no-brainer.
I also got some Tarte Maracuja-C Brightener eye cream. I used to get enough eye creams in my Birchboxes that I was set, but I cancelled my subscription in December.
Also featured, Tarte blush in Frisky and my go-to mascara. Although, I may have a new go-to mascara after getting a sample of Benefit’s They’re Real! mascara. Loving it!!
Have you made any fun purchases recently??
I really enjoyed the Golden Globes this year. Tina Fey & Amy Pohler KILLED it!! Their opening was so great, loved it! I knew that they rocked it especially when my Dad called me last night to tell me that they were funny. He’s a tough cookie.
The Globes are my favorite awards show of the year. I love TV and movies, so it’s an action packed two hours for me.
I’m in no way a fashion expert at all! I wear a variation of the same thing (shirt, cardigan, jeans, flats) every day. But I still like to look at gorgeous dresses! Two of my top picks were also in my top five last year too.
And the award goes to…….
Julie’s Top 5 Best Dressed Actresses at the Golden Globes
5. Jessica Alba
4. Lea Michele
3. Claire Danes (Yay for the 2nd time Homeland & Claire winning!!)
2. Helen Mirren
1. Jennifer Westfeldt
I just love the color of this dress so much!
Which star do you think was the best dressed??
1. I saw Mike Birbiglia on Friday night at the Paramount. So funny!!!! He may be my new favorite comedian.
2. I’m attempting to find my New Year’s Resolution mojo. Much like a million other people, I desperately need to start eating better and working out more. So far, I’m eating better…still working on the latter.
Instead of working out yesterday, I got an hour massage. Ha! That’s still treating my body good though, right?! 
3.
I did buy some new sneakers though! I promise that I’ll break them in this week.
4.
I also went to Whole Foods this week and dropped a pretty penny on groceries. My theory is that if I load up on fruits & veggies, etc AND spent more on them than usual….I will actually eat them.
5.
And instead of having popcorn & a bottle of red wine (a la Olivia from Scandal), I had sugar free hot chocolate instead. Popcorn & hot chocolate is a yummy snack!
6.
I’ve been searching for eons for new bedding. I finally found this quilt on Overstock.com and love it!! It’s an oversized queen, so it’s long enough to fully cover the sides of my beds. No more of the mess under my bed peaking through! Of course, my new quilt doesn’t match my curtains or artwork on the wall…so that just means a bedroom makeover in 2013!
I’m off to watch the Golden Globes now!!
New books to read!
Chili supper with family last night
Loving this seasonal ale!
Weekend poker game…I came in 2nd! (Yes, those are Smirnoff Ice playing cards…random!)
I recently started watching Sherlock via Netflix. I’m on season 2 and am in loooooooove with Dr. Watson.
Last night, I was reading Entertainment Weekly and there was a blurb about The Hobbit. I stared at the picture for a solid 30 seconds. Wait what?! Dr. Watson is The Hobbit!? The Hobbit is Dr. Watson?! Worlds colliding…p.s. I’m weird.
So, then I had to, of course, IMDB Martin Freeman. The porn star stand-in guy from Love Actually?!
I’m not sure if my observation skills were severely lacking or if it’s a sign that Freeman is a good actor. I’m going with the latter.
Happy 2013! 2012 brought a lot of changes for me. New city, new job, new friends…bring on the adventures of 2013!!
I recently signed up to participate in the Austin to Boston Food Swap. Austin to Boston….great name, eh?? Austin food bloggers were matched with Boston food bloggers to send each other local goodies and get to know each other. Food bloggers are friendly folks!! We’re quirky, but friendly!
The food swap (#atxbos) was put together on the Austin side by Josh and the Austin Food Blogger Alliance. I was paired with a Boston blogger, given a $30 budget, and sent on my merry way.
My match–the lovely Jo, from The Hungry Crafter. Jo’s site is so cool!! It’s like Pinterest! So many cool ideas! I felt inadequate inspired.
In one of Jo’s emails to me, she said “I do have a bad tendency to have cheese, bread, chocolate and wine and call it dinner…” Um, hello, yes, can we be BFF’s??
One of the things that I loved so much about Jo’s package was her sweet note with information about what she sent me. She was so thoughtful to even include pamplets from the stores. So thorough!!
So what did I get?
Wild Blueberry & Hot Cranberry spreadable fruit from Deborah’s Kitchen from Jo’s local farmers market. The wild blueberry can be added to waffle batter and the hot cranberry can add some heat to chicken or pork. I’m thinking hot cranberry relish and pork loin!
Lemon Verbena Honey….made at a farm where Jo was married at last year!
Earthquake cookies from Sofra Bakery. Jo said these cookies are addictive & she only indulges in them twice a year. Addictive? Yes! I may be recovering from my cookie coma after gobbling down 3 cookies today. Oops!
How cute is this little mouse chocolate from Burdick’s?? Jo said that these mice are also found at many wedding receptions as a favor.
And finally caramel from Fat Toad Farm made from goat’s milk! Jo said the shopkeeper said it’s great in Bourbon Milkshakes! Whaaaaat???? I’m going to make those milkshakes very soon & will be cheers-ing my new Boston friend!
I got my 1st CSA Box today from Greenling.
Do you subscribe to a CSA (community supported agriculture) service?
Today was my 1st experience and so far so good! I received an email last week from my friend, Christy, with the opportunity to try a box for free. Free? Sign me up! I went online Sunday and got my box today! It was delivered around 2 pm with cold packs inside to keep my booty cool until I got home from work.
It was like Christmas! For once, I was excited to make dinner on a weeknight!
In my box:
Sweet potato greens
Lettuce
Avocados
Okra
Eggplant
Limes
Zucchini
Fuyu persimmons
Kefir pears
Acorn squash
I like that Greenling lists the produce in order of shortest to longest shelf life. They also tell you which farms the items came from. They include some recipes in the box with more recipes on their website. They also have a picture identifying each item on the website. (I totally had to check to see what persimmons looked like!)
Tonight, I immediately went for the pears. I decided on a simple lettuce salad with sliced pears and pumpkin seeds.
I also see some zucchini bread & persimmons margaritas in my future!
One week ago, I had the best night! Joy the Baker was in Austin at BookPeople to talk about her cookbook and sign books. I was so pumped! Joy is one of my favorite food bloggers. Her podcast that she & Tracy do is hilarious as well!
Jessica & I…picture from FoodFash
So, as typical food bloggers do, I turned to Twitter to make plans. Jessica, Kristin and I decided to meet up for the book signing and go out for drinks afterward. As we were waiting for Joy to arrive, we ventured into fantasy land….
“What if Joy came out to drinks with us afterward?”
“What are you going to say when you meet her?”
“I have to think of something witty.”
“Wait, so what if she actually DID come out with us?”
“Should we ask? Hmmm, how do we ask? Where would be a good place to go so she’ll want to come?”
Joy & I
After Joy’s talk and Q&A, it was go time to line up to have our books signed. Kristin and I both invited her for drinks at Contigo after she was done. We threw in that we were food bloggers, so ya know….she’d know we were good people. :)
We settled in at Contigo and started chatting. I had no real reason to think Joy would come to Contigo. She’s tired! She just had to sign a bunch of books and make small talk with strangers.
But you guys….she came! I was OVER.THE.MOON! i seriously got to chat with Joy for over an hour over gin drinks. She was so gracious and lovely and answered my non-stop questions with patience. Such class that Joy the Baker!
And so, in sharing my glee with you…
I’m giving away a copy of the Joy the Baker Cookbook! You WILL want this cookbook. Hello….Coffee Bacon, Baked Chili Cheese Fries, Carrot Cake Pancakes, Chocolate Malt Bread Pudding, & Sweet Potato Chocolate Chip Cookies….just to name a few.
To enter: Leave a comment!! It came be about anything. Have you met food bloggers in person before? Did you act like a star-struck fool like me or did you keep it together??
Contest ends Friday night at 11 pm.
Winner will be drawn on Saturday morning.
***edited: Contest has ended. Congrats to the winner: Maureen!
