$25 Target Card and Wanchai Ferry Giveaway!

 Have you ever had a craving for Chinese food but didn´t feel like dealing with the hassle of going out? Next time, why not stay at home and satisfy your craving with Wanchai Ferry Orange Chicken? This Wanchai Ferry "Perfect Night In" prize pack that includes one VIP coupon valid for a free package of any of the Wanchai Ferry frozen entrees, in addition to a set of great Asian-inspired rice bowls, chopsticks, bamboo place mats, flavored fortune cookies, and a $25 Target gift card.

I received this fun package last week from Wanchai Ferry through My Blog Spark. I whipped up the Wanchai Ferry meal for my husband. It was very quick and easy to put together. We were also thrilled to get some more chop sticks and serving dishes! 

  You know I used my gift card to buy some fancy dancy gear for my kitchen. I bought some great stack-able wire racks (I have been using some I got at the dollar store!) and a bunt pan. I am ashamed to say, I have never owned one before. Yes. It's true. I'm excited to try out several great recipes.

MyBlogSpark would like to send one of these gifts packages to one of my readers. Hooray!

TO ENTER:

Leave me a comment telling me

your favorite Asian dish or why you like to shop at Target.

TO EARN EXTRA ENTRIES: 

1. Follow my blog through the Google Friend Follower. (must be a new follower)

2. Join my Facebook Group. (must be a new member)

3. Follow me on Twitter.

You have until Thursday night at midnight to enter. I will choose a winner randomly, and post the name of the lucky guy or gal on Friday morning. Good luck everyone and thanks to Wanchai Ferry and MyBlogSpark for this opportunity.

Progresso Soup Giveaway and a winter WATERMELON BOUQUET!

Progresso Soup sent me a fun package the other day. There were 15 cans of soup, this great jump rope and handy soup mug. I've been skipping around the house with this jump rope for a couple of days now. I haven't taken out any lamp shades yet, thanks for asking. The nice folks at Progresso Soup  would like to send this gift package  to one of you as well! 

To enter...

leave me a comment at the bottom of this post telling me why you like canned soup! I will take comments until Sunday January 24th. I'll announce the winner on Monday January 25th. Thank you Progresso Soup and My Blog Spark! On to a sunny recipe! 

                              

A fellow blogger left me a comment the other day asking me to please post about the watermelon bouquet pictured  at the top of my blog. I know that it is WINTER....and where I live here in chilly Utah you would be hard pressed to find a watermelon that tasted good and cost less that $7. However, some people are not drenched in chilly weather, and to you fine folks I say congratulations! I hope you are eating watermelon until your heart is content. I know I sure wish I was! Good luck to Shelly in sunny Floriday. I hope you get to make it this week!

Watermelon Bouquet

1 watermelon

1 cantaloupe

1 pineapple

1-2 pounds grapes

2 pounds of strawberries

shish kabob skewers (usually found in the produce section) 

green or red leaf lettuce

You can really use many combinations of fruit. Apples, bananas and pears will all turn brown after about 1/2 an hour, so I would leave them out!

1. Cut the watermelon in half, width wise. (across the longest side)

2. On a pretty platter, lay out the leaf lettuce so that the ruffly edges of the lettuce run along the edges of your platter. Place one of the watermelon halves red side down onto the platter and lettuce.

2. Take the other  watermelon half, carefully cut the rind off and chop the melon into 2 inch pieces. They don't have to be exact, just approximately 2 inches.

3. Cut the rind off of the cantaloupe and pineapple. Cut into 2 inch pieces.

4. Wash the strawberries and cut the tops off. Slice each strawberry in half.

5. Slide the fruit pieces on to the skewers. Leave about 3 inches at the sharp end with out any fruit.

6. Stick the loaded skewers into the watermelon you have placed on the platter.

7. Serve with in an hour or two. If you leave it too long the fruit will get drippy.

                  

Progresso Soup is having a great contest right now! Read on for more details!

Celebrate the New Year and a new you with Progresso Light and 100 Calorie Soups because from January 4 through March 15th, you can visit www.Progresso.com/SouperYou to enter the Progresso "Souper You Debut" contest for the chance to win a full makeover in New York City.

Three grand prize winners will be awarded a trip for two to New York City from May 21st-23rd. The prize includes round trip airfare, a two-night stay in a NYC hotel, a full makeover, a $1,000 wardrobe shopping spree and personal consultation at a New York department store.
To enter, you´ll need to do the following:
Go to www.Progresso.com/SouperYou to learn more and enter the contest

Submit your essay (200 characters or less) telling Progresso why you love Progresso Light or 100 Calorie Soups and why you would like a makeover


In addition, please submit a photo of yourself that visually reinforces the theme of your essay


Once you enter, you´ll have the chance for your photo and/or an excerpt from your essay to appear on www.Progresso.com/SouperYou, so be sure to check back frequently! Once the 10 finalists are announced, you can visit www.Progresso.com/SouperYou from March 29 through April 12 to vote for your favorite.


In addition, throughout the duration of the contest you can visit www.Progresso.com/SouperYou to download a coupon for $1 off any three varieties of Progresso Soup!

***GIVEAWAY**and a cookbook review!

Today I am reviewing this great cookbook. You can purchase the book at Amazon.com at this link. Jane Dorian, the author is also giving away a copy to one of you! I have really enjoyed reading it and trying some of the recipes! Jane gives wonderful tips for freezing, storing and making portions of recipes in advance, so when you are home and ready to cook, your meal will come together in a snap. She has some great advice about freezing marinated meat, right along with the marinade. I did NOT know you could do that. What a great idea! Her recipes are very family friendly and use ingredients that most of us keep on hand regularly. I am eager to try more of her great recipes.

*****GIVEAWAY*****

Jane would like to give one of her helpful books to one of you lucky guys or gals!  Thanks to you Jane. Dinner time can often be quite a challenge. I don't know about you, but around here I am always grateful when I've had the forethought to plan ahead and have something prepared (or at least MOSTLY prepared) before my crew comes home from school. Then my time is available for all those crazy things that go on between 4:00 and 7:00. Jane's book is all about planning ahead. I have already put to use some of the great tips she gives.

******TO ENTER******

This giveaway is only open to residents of the USA. To enter leave me a comment telling me why you would love this book. Also, be sure to leave your email address in your comment, so I know how to reach you. The giveaway will close on Saturday, January 16th at midnight.  I will post the winner on Sunday January 17th.  

Earn three extra entries by doing the following...

1)Sign up for Jane's Newsletter. Let me know you have done so in your comment. Please use the same email you sign up with as the one you use for your comment here.

2)Follow Jane's  Make-Ahead Meals Blog. In your original comment tell me how you are following....subscriber or Google Friend. 

3) Grab Jane's button from her site and place it own your site. Please leave a link to where her button can be found in your comment.

Good Luck everyone!

A giveaway! Hooray!

This givaway is now closed. The winner is LYNN. If you would like a second chance at this prize head over to LOVIN FROM THE OVEN. Her giveaway will end on friday.

I have been contacted by Pillsbury and MyBlogSpark! They would like me to make one of the following three appetizers using Pillsbury Crescent Rolls....however, they have asked me to put my own unique spin on the recipe. These great companies have sent me a fun gift pack with 3 pretty serving platters and two coupons for free Pillsbury Crescent Rolls. They would like to send this same gift pack to ONE OF YOU! All you have to do to enter is leave me a comment at the end of this post, saying which of these three recipes you would like to see me experiment with. Sounds like a lot of FUN to me! Can't wait to get started. If they like my recipe it could be featured on the Pillsbury's Web Site. We are just having a whole chunk of fun around here, now aren't we? Leave me a comment by Sunday night at 12:00 PM....I'll announce the winner on Monday morning. Be sure to leave your email address in your comment, so we  have a way of contacting you and getting your gift sent out pronto. Good Luck everyone!  

                         Crescent Bacon-Cheese Tart-lets

Crescent Holiday Tree

Crescent-Wrapped Brie