Congratulations to Ricky Mudd!

His comment was chosen using random.org to win this prize. Thank you to everyone who entered! You help ensure we have more great giveaways coming up on SouthernPlate.com! 

Congratulations are also in order to Christine Sanford! White Lily was so excited with the participation in this giveaway that they decided to choose a second winner as well!  

If you’re on Facebook, please click the “Like” button above,thanks!

I’m tickled to be able to bring you this great giveaway today, courtesy of White Lily! 

The prize package includes: 

• 2 Reusable White Lily Shopping Totes
• 2 Bags of White Lily Flour
• a Cuisinart Power Advantage Plus 7 Speed Hand Mixer (with storage compartment, $90 value) 
• Silicone Spatula with White Lily Logo
• Oxo Good Grips Pastry Cutter
• Measuring Cup with White Lily Logo
• White Lily Magnetic Shopping List
• White Lily Recipe Card holder cube 
• Old Fashioned Flour Sack Towel embroidered with the White Lily Logo (LOVE THIS)
• Recipe cards featuring treasured White Lily Recipes and more! 

To Enter, Leave A Comment Below! 

Contest closes Sunday night, January 22, at midnight Central time. Winner will be chosen at random and contacted by email as well as announced Monday morning on this post and on the Southern Plate Family Facebook Page.  Winner will have three days to respond or alternate winner will be chosen.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Disclaimer: I have not been financially compensated for this post but I did receive a prize package, just like one of y’all will get! I’m madly in love with that flour sack dish towel because I like how they clean and they just feel like a connection to my heritage. Truth be told though, I won’t be using that one, it’s going to hang on my kitchen wall! Hmm, I feel like this disclaimer needs to be a little longer so let me see if I can think of something else to add…. Oh here we go! Ovens are hot and knives are sharp – consider yourself disclaimered  

It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.

-Henry David Thoreau

Add to our collection of wise and inspirational quotes by clicking here to visit our Give A Penny page!

If you’re on Facebook, please click the little “like” button above. Thank you!

I went shopping for you! I went out and bought some of my favorite things to share with my wonderful Southern Plate family. Below, you’ll find my list of things I treat myself with and hopefully get a few ideas if you are looking to mark a some folks off of your gift list. You’ll find that I’m a practical gal with (mostly) practical tastes. But here is the fun part – I’m giving everything I bought away and you could be one of the winners!

Here is how this is gonna work. Beginning tomorrow, I’ll give away 2-3 prizes per day to commenters chosen at random, through Saturday, until all of the prizes have been given away. All you have to do is leave one comment to be entered in all fourteen giveaways. This is gonna go pretty quick so be sure and check back often to see if you’ve won! Winners will be announced here (in red letters, under the prize they won) and on Facebook, and will also be contacted by email. Winners will have 2 days to respond to the email with their address. If I haven’t heard back in two days, another winner will be announced for that prize.

Ready to have some fun? Here are a few of my favorite things!

To enter all of these giveaways, simply leave a comment below!

Check back often to see if you’ve won! I’ll announce 2-3 winners each day beginning Tuesday (Dec13) and running through Saturday (Dec 17)!

Hamilton Beach Set N Forget 6 Quart Programmable Slow Cooker

Call me practical, call me easy, call me inexpensive, but don’t call me late to dinner when you use this slow cooker. I’m giving away this model, which is the same one I use several times a week (especially when book deadlines are looming). I LOVE my slow cooker and I only use Hamilton Beach. They are my favorite brand because they are the only company making innovative small countertop appliances that the average consumer can actually afford. I’ve already purchased three slow cookers for Christmas gifts this year alone. So if you are a busy person or know a busy person who happens to like to eat every now and then, a slow cooker is a lifesaver. Models begin with basics and head on up to this model, which I consider the Cadillac, but with a value car price.

This is my favorite model for the 6 quart size, the rubber seal around the lid, and the clamps on the sides that allow you to transport even soups and stews without a single drop getting out. The program feature allows you to program a recipe to cook for a specified amount of time before automatically switching to warm. There are a hundred other reasons why this model is my favorite but you’re better off getting your own and seeing for yourself! If your slow cooker is over ten years old, I highly recommend getting a newer model for their improved features and better cooking ability. This one runs about $50-$60 and you can get great models as low as $20.

Special thanks to Hamilton Beach for providing the slow cooker I’ll be giving away to one lucky Southern Plate family member.

Me in my J. Crew Pearls on set in New York

J Crew Pearls

I went shopping with fellow Southern Living Editor at Large James Farmer in Charleston, SC for the perfect outfit to wear to my tv appearances and he insisted on a strand of glass pearls from J. Crew. That evening I received compliments on them from a heads of Time, Inc and Southern Living, among others.

They are just beautiful and have become my most worn wardrobe staple. I have worn them on more tv appearances than I can count. The quality is beautiful the price even better. BE sure you go into a J Crew store to pick out your pair if at all possible, their best prices and selection is definitely not found in their online store. When in New york this past week, Mama and I passed a J Crew store and went in to buy her a pair. At the time they were 25% off and we got her a beautiful strand for about $25. They range anywhere from $25-$90 depending on which ones you choose.

Did you know that most of Jaqueline Kennedy’s pearls were glass?

My mother and I picked up this set of pearls at the J Crew in New York, located in Rockefeller Center and I hope whoever gets them will love them as much as we do!

Congratulations to Robin Wood! Her comment was chosen at random to win these pearls

Southern Plate Cookbook

Of course, there is always my cookbook Featuring over 150 family recipes along with beautiful photography and the story behind each recipe – with some additional stories from my heart thrown in for good measure. If you enjoy SouthernPlate.com, you’ll definitely want the additional content, stories, and recipes found only in my book. The Christmas chapter is my best friend right now!

My next cookbook won’t be out until 2013 so pick this one up while ya can! Available at most major bookstores nationwide with a cover price of $27.99, but you can pick it up for only $15.19 (45% off) at the time of this post on Amazon.com by clicking here.

The copy I’m giving away will be signed.

Congratulations to Rebecca Holcombe, whose comment was chosen at random to win this prize!

$10 Starbucks Gift Card

I love treating myself to a latte from time to time but always feel a pang of guilt when I spend the money, which is why a Starbucks gift card is such a thoughtful gift because it allows someone to treat themselves without the guilt.

My favorites are Venti Skinny Caramel Latte and Skinny Cinnamon Dolce Latte I usually pay extra to have them add in an extra shot of expresso.

**I’ll be giving away two of these**

Congratulations to Jane P (email is Jane118) who was chosen at random to win one of these gift cards!

Silicone Utensils and Cheerful Dish Towels

I love pretty dish towels and these silicone utensils from Target are some of my absolute faves. Apparently, others agree because they were pretty picked over when I went shopping! I’m featuring silicone basting brush which is just divine. Finally, one that you can actually get truly clean! I love not having the traditional bristles, which seem to pick the worst times to let loose of the brush and are a bear to clean. I use this for brushing melted butter on hot biscuits, basting a ham, or brushing bbq sauce over my favorite pork chops.

This silicone spatula is big enough to be able to accomplish any job. I could always use an additional spatula! I also love the Silicone Spoontula they feature in this same line (It is called Michael Graves) and I have two pairs of silicone tongs from the same line as well. These utensils are available at Target, which is also where I got the dish towels from. The towels run around $5.00 for a set and the utensils range (approximately) from $7.00 – $12.99 each.

Congratulations to Susan Wade, whose comment was chosen at random to win this!

Hand Knotted Cultured Pearl Bracelet with Sterling Silver Clasp

Donny from Donny’s Diamond Gallery has been graciously serving as a drop off point for Santa’s For Seniors and he called this weekend to tell me how much bodywash they’d collected and how much they’d enjoyed getting to meet some of the Southern Plate Family who had dropped by.

I was working on this post at the time and when I mentioned it to Donny he quickly chimed in to offer this beautiful 6.5 mm cultured pearl bracelet with Sterling Silver clasp. What a treat these will be! Around these parts, that Donny’s Diamond Gallery bag is the equivalent of a Tiffany’s bag. Here is a photo of my Katy Rose happily posing with her bag and golden box when Donny sent her a birthday surprise in October!

Be sure you check out Donny’s on Facebook and tell them Christy sent ya!

Congratulations to Georgette Sorini, whose comment was chosen at random to win this prize!

Christmas in Connecticut

I love both the Barbara Stanwyck version of this movie and the modern version but I gotta tell ya, this telling with Diane Cannon and Kris Kristofferson is romance-novel Swoon worthy romantic!

There are other “MUST SEE” Christmas movies for me but this one is just lighthearted and fun. If you get a chance though, be sure you watch Meet Me In St Louis. It just isn’t Christmas for me without that movie!

Congratulations to Joyce Hale, who won this prize!

One Year Subscription to All You!

CONGRATULATIONS TO CHRISTINA SINGLETON!

HER NAME WAS CHOSEN AT RANDOM TO WIN THIS PRIZE.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I don’t know a single person who loves saving money and doesn’t love All You Magazine! They regularly feature some of the best coupons around (and plenty of them!) within each issue along with great and affordable ideas for food, decorating, budgeting, and more. I love getting magazine subscriptions as gifts because it means I get a little present each month in my mailbox! Right now Amazon has a year of All You for just $19.95 but one of you will be getting a year from me and All You as a little Merry Christmas! Click here to visit All You’s practical and affordable gift guide on Amazon.com!

Matthew West – The Heart Of Christmas

WOW, what an album this is! His voice is sublime and his treatment of these Christmas classics along with some new ones thrown in is both refreshing and traditional. You have got to hear his take on Oh Come all ye Faithful but make sure you have tissues handy for “One Last Christmas” – which is a true story. Ricky and I have really enjoyed listening to this cd in the car.

Congratulations to Kathi Spence, who won this great cd!

Southern Living Heirloom Recipe Cookbook – Featuring Marian Cooper Cairnes!

This is a beautiful cookbook and imagine my surprise to find a quote from me inside! Marian Cooper Cairns did all of the food styling for the photography on my book so it is a special thrill or me to see her smiling face and many of her recipes featured on these pages.

Congratulations to Frances S. Hughes, whose comment was chosen at random to win this prize!

*Special thanks to Southern Living for providing the book for this giveaway.

Rubbermaid Reveal Spray Mop

A mop on a Christmas Gift List? YOU BETTER BELIEVE IT! You see, all of that food I serve up? It has to be cooked somewhere. It also has to be eaten somewhere ,and that means that eventually there will definitely be a mess. Seeing as how cleaning is not my favorite task, I’ll take any shortcut I can to make it quicker and easier. Rubbermaid’s new Reveal Mop uses microfiber pads that are washable and reusable and comes with bottles that you fill up with your favorite household cleaner. You can use it on tile, hardwood, etc. It’s great in the kitchen and bathroom!

*Special thanks to Rubbermaid for providing this prize!

Congratulations to Clara OHannes, whose comment was chosen at random to win this great prize!

Veggie Tales Little Drummer Boy

I love anything and everything Veggie Tales so I always pick up a few copies of their latest DVD to give as last minute gifts to kids that show up around present time. Yes, I always have extra kids show up, doesn’t everyone? This year’s Little Drummer Boy DVD is the perfect gift for kids of all ages. My husband and I enjoy watching Veggie Tales every bit as much as the kids do!

Congratulations to Suzanne (whose partial email is stuck520) who was chosen at random to this this great prize!

Rubbermaid Glass Food Storage Set with Easy Find Lids

I LOVE This new glass Rubbermaid. I’ve already bought two sets of it for myself! You can bake in it, serve in it, and then store leftovers in the fridge. I also love how it stacks together and all of the lids click into place . Because who doesn’t need more storage space in their kitchen?

Congratulations to Melissa Plunkett, whose comment was chosen at random to win this prize!

*Special thanks to Rubbermaid for providing this prize.

To enter all of these giveaways, simply leave a comment below!

It isn’t the size of the gift that matters, but the size of the heart that gives it.

~Quoted in The Angels’ Little Instruction Book by Eileen Elias Freeman

Contest Rules: Winners will be chosen daily beginning Tuesday, December 13th through Saturday December 17th. Winners will be announced within this post (beneath the prize they won), on Facebook, and by personal email sent to them. Winners will have two days to respond in order to claim prize or another winner will be chosen.
Disclaimer: All gifts are provided by myself unless otherwise specified. I was not financially compensated in any way for this post, it cost me money instead, and I was thrilled to be able to do it. I hope any FTC folks who happen to read this understand the full meaning of being blessed and have half as many wonderful people in their lives as I do. Put some holly in your jolly and have a Merry Christmas!

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO PARTICIPATED! This Giveaway is now closed.

Thanks to your active participation, I’ll be able to offer more great giveaways like this on SouthernPlate.com! 

Congrationations to Ann M whose partial email is annjm45.

Her comment was chosen at random to win this set using Random.org. She has been notified via email. 

Thank you all so much for entering!!!! I sure do wish I had 6000 sets to give away!

A few weeks back when I was doing some presentations for Taste of Charleston, I met the great Michael Saboe, the Dean of the Culinary Institute of Charleston. I had a ball getting to tour his school and work with several of the students (those folks are amazing!). Taste of Charleston hosts the Iron Chef competition each year at the event and the winner received a special laser engraved Calphalon skillet. Well, Michael made the mistake of pulling out the prototype and showing me at a tv station he and I were both at and, to put it mildly, I had a cow fit over it. It was gorgeous. Micheal, being the incredibly sweet and generous man that he is, gave me that skillet. One of only two! Okay, so he probably did it just to keep me from going into spasms with the way I was oohing and ahhing over it but still…HE GAVE ME THAT SKILLET!

I was so excited as I headed to the airport that I began talking about it on my Facebook page. “So, I’m walking through the Charleston Airport holding a skillet…” That bought on a bevy of comments asking how I’d gotten through security with it. Charleston TSA were quite reasonable. I simply told them all about the skillet, how I got it, how I got my start, what I was doing in Charleston, how I’d come to work with Southern Living, etc. by the time I was done they knew all about my Mama, kids, even the cat’s names and boy after all that talking they just waved me right on through just to get rid of me! ~giggle~.

I was so proud of my skillet that I couldn’t bear to put it in my suitcase or bag so I just kept walking around the airport holding it. I got a few strange looks and I got to tell the story a few more times. One of the cashier’s even asked if he could hold it and gazed at it with the same admiration that I had as he said in an awestruck voice “Wow, Calphalon…”. Eventually it came out on Facebook that this skillet was the first piece of Calphalon I’d ever owned, which led a Southern Plate family member to go to Calphalon’s Facebook page and alert them to the odd lady walking around an airport holding a skillet.

Long story short (Yes folks, this is the short version!) I now own an entire glorious set of Calphalon pots and pans and one lucky person who leaves a comment will be the proud new owner of another set identical to mine!

Christmas is coming and if you’re anything like me, unless you just got married, you could probably use a good set of pots and pans. Well folks, this isn’t just any set, this is one of those sets with the quality that means you’ll be using them to cook now and for your grandchildren later on. If you already have grandchildren, they just might be cooking in these for their grandchildren, too!

To enter, just leave a comment below. If you don’t win this set, I strongly suggest putting it at the very top of your Christmas wish list ….in red….underlined…and circled

Calphalon 13 Piece Tri-Ply Pots and Pans Set

To enter, simply leave a comment below.

Contest closes at 5:00 PM Central Friday, November 18th.

Winner will be chosen at random and contacted by email as well as announced on Facebook and this post.

For more information about this set, please click here. 

Disclaimer: I was not financially compensated for this post but I was given a set of these pots and pans because Calphalon is so stinking wonderful! My dear husband asked if I really *needed* more pots and pans, and in the interest of full disclosure I think I should tell you all that I just might be reaching sainthood because I didn’t kill him or hit him with a calphalon pot for asking such a ridiculous question. Do I need a set of Calphalon pots and pans? Does Santa *need* a sleigh? All done disclaiming now. Be sure and tell your friends about this giveaway and thank you for being part of the Southern Plate family! If you aren’t part of the family on Facebook you’re missing half the fun! 

Thank you to everyone who entered! You’re such an important part of Southern Plate (it wouldn’t exist without you!) and I really appreciate your support. Random.org drew a number and JoeyfromSC is the winner of this great prize package. Stay tuned for more great giveaways and be sure you visit as often as you can because I love seeing you here on our little front porch!

Gratefully,

Christy

A few weeks back I posted about my back to school resolution and how it has become a challenge in the middle of my ever growing schedule to find time to make supper each night. I’ve employed some creative solutions such as cooking up meals ahead of time, freezing, and using my slow cooker more. I’ve even tried ~takes a breath~ planning. I hate that part of it. I’m really a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants gal when it comes to supper. I like to just wait and see what I’m in the mood for when it comes time to cook. I also don’t enjoy cooking ahead as that takes the fun out of getting to cook each night for me, but I’m working on developing new habits in order to be able to adjust to a more demanding work schedule and still keep family the top priority – and it’s working.

Today, I’d like for you to tell me how your back to school resolutions are going and we have a special treat for those who leave a comment!

The wonderful folks at Nestle are teaming up with me

to offer a FABULOUS prize package to one lucky person who comments.

One comment will be drawn at random from those left on this post

to receive a prize package with all of the following:

• A Nook E-Reader

• Mix of coupons for FREE Nestle Products from Stouffer’s, Toll House Cookie Dough and Morsels, Juicy Juice, Nesquk, Tombstone, Ovaltine, Wonka, and coupons for Boost Kid Essentials and Carnation Breakfast Essentials (my son loves that stuff)!
• Winners will also receive an Ovaltine Straw Dispenser  (ooh! I want that! lol) and a coupon book.

To enter, simply leave a comment below.

Tell me how your back to school resolutions are going or just say “Hi”! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Don’t be yourself – be someone a little nicer.” 

~Mignon McLaughlin

Don’t forget! Anyone who purchases tickets to my Holiday Cooking Show before Saturday will be automatically entered in a giveaway of fifteen passes to the VIP Southern Plate Luncheon on November 10th! Click here for details.  All proceeds benefit the Universty of North Alabama. 

This giveaway is now closed but please scroll down and enjoy the post! Thank you to everyone who entered and shared it! Here are the winner’s names:
(When only a first name is given, I have included a partial email to help identify)
Lucy (acookandherbooks)
Amy Boney
Lynda (mamato5)
Nancy Mosley
Amber Gray
Mary Sorg
Brandon Marley
Hillary Tharpe

From the bonus entries who entered here and also shared on Facebook:
Mollie  Adcock
Amy  Dorse

 

Okay folks, I’m not prone to being starstruck. I view people as people. I’ve spent the day cooking with Paula Deen in her kitchen, I’ve made fried Pies with Al Roker and Ann Curry on the Today Show, I’ve gotten to hang out with David Venable on QVC and eat cake with the crew of  The 700 Club. I’ve filmed with the editor of Southern Living who then took me to a cafe to try his very favorite chicken salad (it sure was good), and they’ve all been wonderfully kind people and I had a lot of fun (it was an honor to meet each one!) - but not once was I intimidated or starstruck. Not once did I have any fear of embarrassing myself for fear of fawning or gushing too much - until I had the opportunity to visit Big Idea Inc and meet one of the founders of Veggie Tales, who just so happens to be the voice of one of my all time favorite characters ever created, Larry The Cucumber.

You have no idea what a VeggieTales fan I am.

I know just about every silly song and I sing them c-o-n-s-t-a-n-t-l-y, seriously, just ask my family

~Ricky chimes in~  “Oh believe me, she does”

Sometimes when I talk about Veggie Tales people will say “Oh we don’t have little kids so we’ve never watched them” and I look at them in wonder, always finding it funny that they think I buy veggie tales for my kids! HA! I buy them for myself, but I am nice enough to let my kids watch them too.

So after telling you all of this, you can only imagine what a thrill it was for me to get to go visit Big Idea and meet the staff behind Veggie Tales. Most especially one of the founder and the voice of the character I more closely identify with than any human being on this planet, Mike Nawrocki.

Ricky and I were so looking forward to this day. We were invited to visit Big Idea, take a tour, meet the folks, and then go out to lunch with Mike and Shannon. Mike is one of the founders (AKA Larry the Cucumber) and Shannon is head of their marketing (and sweet as the day is long).

Folks have asked how our kids enjoyed it and you know what? We didn’t take them! We were so excited and hey, we take them to Disney World and everything else we can, but this day was for me and Ricky. Plus, we wanted to be able to talk to them, ask questions, and actually listen to them when they answered.

Our kids talk even more than we do so we called up the world’s most amazing babysitter in the world and said “Kids, we’re going to go visit Veggie Tales and you get to stay here all day long with Kate the Great!” There were cheers all around

So come with me, on a wee bit of a grown up tour that kids of all ages will enjoy and lets go visit Big Idea!

Okay, here we go! This is the front door to Big Idea!

Look inside and see that basket in the chair? Well that is a basket of cookies I brought. I made two pans of cookies the night before and covered them to cool and cut into bars in the morning. Well lo and behold, in the morning I tasted them and decided they weren’t good enough. They were good, but they weren’t ooey, gooey, buttery, and oh-my-word good and hey, this is VEGGIE TALES so I had to do my best. So I cut those up for the kids and at 5:30 A.M. set about making more cookie bars. Only by the time we had to leave they were still too warm to cut so I covered them in foil and put them in the back of the car.

We arrived an hour and a half later and I wish I had of taken a picture of me and Ricky standing over the trunk and me cutting cookies while he wrapped them to put in that basket. It took about ten minutes or so to get them all done and I was just DYING because I was standing outside of Big Idea and I really just wanted to be inside! But, the cookies were ooey and gooey and buttery like I had wanted so all was well.

One only gets so many chances in their life to feed talking vegetables so one must make the most of every opportunity.

Now when it comes to Veggie Tales, I had the bar set kind of high. Having been a huge fan for over a decade, I was hoping so badly I wouldn’t get there and find they weren’t as sweet or kind or filled with integrity as I had thought. You know what I mean, you have this superstar in your head say…Elvis..and you want to meet him and you look up to him and then if the day came when you met him (you know, at the Burger King in Hawaii on that island he reportedly lives on) and he snubbed you, you would be heartbroken. Well, imagine Elvis times ten and that is about what is going on here for me.

~heaves a huge sigh of relief~

No one at Big Idea disappointed me. Walking into that office there is an instant feel of family, kindness, optimism, and excitement. Everyone is so friendly and they truly have a heart for what they are doing along with a fun spirit. I could have stayed there for months – happily humming Yodeling Veterinarian of the Alps all day long.

Oh who are we kidding? Why hum when you can full on sing?

Anyway, check out this office. All of the offices are decorated with fun Veggie memorabilia.

(Oh, the office is the pic before you got to the video. I’m a little excited today so I’m getting ahead of myself)

And then you turn a corner an walk into the room where they keep the copy machine and find…umm..is that a Dove award? Or, a few Dove awards? And some other…umm…huge deal awards?  On top of that shelf thingiemawhosit that holds office supplies…..in the copy room.

They put awards in their proper place. I’m sure they’re most grateful when they receive them but you can’t help but feel that awards are not what they are aspiring to here.

That’s not what they’re here for and that is part of what makes them so awesome.

and in the middle of all of this fun, I get a text message photo from the babysitter that brings me back down to earth and reminds me of what I’m here for…

~awww~

Okay, I missed her, too, but hey….this was Larry the Cucumber.

I texted her back a smiling picture of me waving and then tucked my phone away again.

This is me with my husband and Mike Nawrocki.

Please note that Ricky and I are like…normal people height, and Mike is like…ten or eleven feet tall. Or something like that.

~grins~

As you can clearly see, I wasn’t excited or anything ~smirk~

I kept telling my husband “Don’t let me gush. Especially if he does the Larry voice, just don’t let me gush.”

We both failed miserably.

How cool is this hand carved, solid oak Barbara Manatee?

Mike received it as a gift from Jeremy Vickery, an animator who used to work at Big Idea. His father carved it and Jeremy had his dad make it for Mike when he left to go work at Pixar (I won’t even get into what big Pixar fans we are but Veggie Tales still wins out!). Mike says this is one of his most prized possessions.

I’ll be derned if I don’t want one too now! To any of you not familiar with Barbara Manatee, here is one more video intermission…

This is us having lunch at Puckett’s in downtown Franklin. Where has this place been all of my life? I’d never heard of it and the food was phenomenal. We had a great time talking over our families, childhoods, and the excitement of not knowing where we’re headed to next. It’s so nice not to be in charge of your life

All in all, it was a wonderful day for both of us. We got to meet folks we’ve always admired and found that they were even more impressive in person. We got to see some top secret footage of upcoming Veggie Tales, too, and we left with happy hearts and even more excitement over the great things to come for Big Idea.

We also had a few new silly songs under our belt. Oh you know we need one more intermission, right?

I’ll keep this one small This is me and Ricky signing a Veggie Tales about a year or so ago on a loooong drive home.

It is sideways…I have no idea why but let’s just say it is because you might need to stretch the muscles on the right side of your neck. OH, there is a GIVEAWAY at the bottom of this post with TEN winners so be sure and scroll down when your neck is stretched enough. Click play on the video to find out what I’m talking about

G I V E A W A Y     T I M E 

So a while back, Veggie Tales asked on their wall “If you could come up with an idea for a silly song, what would it be?” and I got to thinking that a fun silly song would be one about a person who can never remember names or always gets them wrong when they think they remember them. That is kinda based on me ~winks~.

Then, after I’d already come up with my veggie tales silly song, I was on a roll and went on to wondering what kind of Veggie Tales character I’d be if I could.  I immediately decided that the perfect veggie tales character for me would be a green tomato! How cute would that be? A green tomato with a Southern accent!

Mama said she’d be Okra or a Sweet Potato but then went back to Okra because she’d be skinnier . 

So today, in honor of my thought that we really need a Southern Green Tomato Veggie Tales character, the folks at Veggie Tales and I are teaming up to give ten lucky members of the Southern Plate Family a copy of one of the very early Veggie Tales videos, God Wants Me To Forgive Them!?!, that contains the fun little band of Clampett family like characters known as the Grapes of Wrath. They’re cranky grapes who treat Junior very badly (but eventually it all ends well!).

I believe this the only Veggie Tales Video that has Southern characters in it so that is why I chose this one. We gotta promote more Southern vegetables ya know! Okay, in this case they’re grapes but still…

**ENTERING IS EASY**

**Just leave a comment below**

Tell me what kind of vegetable (or fruit) you’d be if you were a Veggie Tales character –

Or just say “Hi”.

 Whatever cranks yer tractor. I’ll chose EIGHT winners at random Monday morning and notify them by email. I’ll also post their names on this post and on Facebook. Contest closes at midnight Sunday September 18th, 2011.

For another chance to win

share this giveaway on your Facebook wall

and then let me know on my Facebook that you did! 

I’ll pick two ADDITIONAL winners from the Facebook comments.

That’s TEN winners in all! 

 “Choose to be optimistic, it feels better.”

– Dalai Lama XIV

Submitted by Jenny. Submit your quote by clicking here. 

Disclaimer: I’ve not been financially compensated for this post. I was also not bribed with vegetable trays, steamed veggies, pureed veggies, vegetable soup, vegetable juice, or vegetable themed sports cars. I just love Veggie tales – I mean, why on earth wouldn’t I? However, I did get to hear Mike Nawrocki do the Larry voice a few times and that was ultra cool. Although, in the interest of full disclosure I have to say that spelling Mike’s last name is intensely difficult for me, and I absolutely cannot pronounce it, even though it is extremely simple to pronounce. I think I ever got over the spelling-it hump the pronouncing-it hump would soon follow. My daughter saw a video of him and she said “Hey, that guy can do a voice that sounds like Larry!”. ~snickers~ Oh and last week when my daughter asked if the chicken we were eating was the kind that was ever alive, I might have said no…but I don’t exactly recall to be 100% sure. I am pretty sure it had lived a full life though.  All done disclaiming now, have a great day! 

CONGRATULATIONS to Frances Owen! Her name was drawn at random from the comments below to win this great prize pack. Stay tuned because the great folks at Nestle aren’t done yet! There are more great prizes coming up, including a color Nook! Thank you to everyone who entered this and to all of you for being such a great part of the Southern Plate Family.
Gratefully,
Christy

School is back in session and with it the ebb and flow of life settles into a new pattern yet again. As my kids advance in grades it seems each year gets more challenging than the next. Homework gets harder, that’s for sure! WOW, they sure do teach a lot more these days than they did when I was a kid! I can still help with our youngest’s homework and I’m the go-to gal when it comes to English and Literature for both kids but when it comes to my son’s math work, I send him straight to daddy. You see, I have a firm belief that math should involve numbers. When folks start throwing letters of the alphabet in there, I’m out. 

We have a different challenge this year, though. As I juggle school schedules and car pooling, I’m also juggling running a website and all that entails, a Facebook page, and a large volume of emails. But to top it off, I’m writing my next book and adding in a wonderful new job with Southern Living. Ironically, in the midst of everything I do (which is centered around food) my biggest challenge lately is getting supper on the table each and every night. It is so very important for all of us to come together at the end of the day around the dinner table, though. Our family time and dinner conversation are what keeps us connected and close in a world that presents far too many opportunities for families to drift apart.

So I’m getting creative. I used to do once a month cooking but as someone who enjoys getting to spend a little time in the kitchen each week and knowing that I like to tailor each day’s meal based on what we’re in the mood for, that just doesn’t appeal to me right now. So I’m developing my own meal prep strategies and they’re really working out well. I’m using my slow cooker at least a few times a week (We eat a LOT of slow cooked meals when I’m busy). I also sometimes double suppers I make and freeze one for another day. I’ve started using several other dinner prep tactics to make sure we have a freshly made meal that everyone loves to sit down to every night. The bonus of this is that I’ve come up with some great ideas to share in my next book that are really working for us, but most importantly, I’m falling into a rhythm that allows us to sit down to supper each night regardless of how crazy our schedules get.

So my Back To School Resolution has been to conquer the challenge of finding time to make supper in the middle of a very busy schedule and so far, I’ve really been happy with my progress. I’d love to hear your back to school resolution as well!

Nestle is offering a great prize pack to one lucky member of the Southern Plate Family!

Simply leave a comment on this post to be entered.

You can just say “hi” if you like or you can tell me what your School Year Resolution is.

Prize Pack Includes:

• $25 Mastercard rewards card
• $20 in School Supplies

AND

Coupons to receive FREE Products from:

• Stouffer’s
• Toll House Morsels
• Carnation Breakfast Essentials
• Nesquik
• Tombstone Pizza
• Ovaltine

The winner will also receive a Family Dinner Box of Questions to help facilitate fun dinnertime conversation and a Nestle Family Coupon book. 

But guess what? I win, too! Nestle is giving me a collection of Reading Is Fundamental books valued at over $350 to donate to my kid’s school library. YAY!!! 

Be sure and leave a comment below to be entered into my giveaway!

Contest Closes Friday, September 9th at midnight central time. Winner will be notified and announced on this post and on my Facebook page on Saturday. 

You can also join me on my Facebook Page and on Thursday I’ll be answering some of your questions on the Nestle Family FaceBook page!

For more great chances to win, visit my friend Jyl’s blog by clicking here. She’s hosting a giveaway as well! 

Also be sure and check out A Daily Dose of Toni, who will be posting for Nestle later this week!

Disclaimer: I have not been financially compensated for this post, I just really like the folks at Nestle and I love being able to give stuff away to you. Nestle is providing the prize pack and my son drinks so much of the Carnation Breakfast Essentials that I think I should buy stock in the company. It’s all good, though. Poor kid eats everything that isn’t nailed down and is growing like a weed, but still has ribs poking out so I figure he can use all the vitamins and calcium he can get at this point. I killed a giant spider on my porch this morning, just thought you should know that. I hope you all have a wonderful week. I know I will now that the king of all spiders is no longer residing just outside my front door. I hope he doesn’t have loyal followers who might want to avenge his death…. 

Congratulations to Marla Gillum and Kim Alexander – Their comments were chosen using Random.org to win the sets of Rubbermaid. Thank you all so much for entering and being part of the Southern Plate Family! I’ve sent an email to each winner already. Please keep in mind that with a family of this size, there are many duplicate names so check your email and have a great day!

Gratefully,

Christy

Today I’m excited to be able to offer a giveaway of one of my new favorite products – Glass Rubbermaid!

Rubbermaid was kind enough to send me a set of these to try out and I’m in love. You can bake with them, serve out of them, microwave in them, and then put on the special lid and store leftovers in the fridge when you’re done. Why is the lid special? Because they all click and stack together – THEN the Glass container stacks on top of them. No more searching for the right lid, because it is right there where you need it.

Y’all know how much I love my vintage Pyrex and this modern day Rubbermaid just picks up where they left off. The clear glass makes it pretty for taking to potlucks as well and the lids seal so you won’t have any mishaps during transport.

Two lucky members of the Southern Plate Family will win their own set of Rubbermaid Glassware

.

To enter, just leave a comment below!

Contest closes at midnight Thursday, August 4th. I’ll choose two winners at random and announce the winners Friday on this post and on Facebook.

Disclaimer: I have not been financially compensated for this post but Rubbermaid was nice enough to provide me with a set of Glass Rubbermaid for review purposes, which I dearly loved. You can purchase this set for yourself at Wal Mart, Target, and several online outlets (click here to purchase from Amazon using my affiliate link). There are two things in this world I don’t understand: Boxing and single roll packages of toilet paper. 1. It’s not nice to hit people. 2. Make the commitment for a four pack at least. I promise it will come in handy. I’m all done disclaiming now. Have a great day and good luck!

We may not be able to direct the wind…

but we can always adjust our sails!

Submitted by Jyl Nipper

This contest is now closed. Thank you to everyone who participated!

Congratulations to:

1. Lucia Hames
2. Amy Oliver
3. Kathleen Thomas
4. Lisa Milby
5. Traci Collins (Traci, having problems getting an email to you. Please post on my fb page if you can so I can reach you)
6. Summer (partial email is summer2975)
7. Amy Van Eps
8. Christy Schoolfield
9. Linda Rickets
10. Stephanie Munson

I’ve emailed each of the winners with instructions on how to claim their prize. Please note that due to the size of the Southern Plate Family we do have some duplicate names so check your inbox if you see your name to see if it’s you. Have a WONDERFUL day!

Gratefully,

Christy

Today I’m thrilled to be running a giveaway for TEN Hamilton Beach

4 Quart Ice Cream Makers!

This is a great classic ice cream maker that you can just toss in your ingredients, add your ice and salt, and go!

Here are some of the Specs:

• Makes 4 quarts of ice cream, frozen yogurt, or sorbet
• Just add ingredients, ice, and rock salt — it does all the work and stops when ready — no stirring needed
• Over 20 recipes included: try the ones inside or create your own unique taste by mixing in candy, cookies, or fresh fruit
• Easy-lock lid

and here is my Dad getting the ice cream maker ready to go on the 4th of July.

This is the ice cream maker working away while the kids play in the sprinkler…

These are the happy kids eating Yoohoo Ice cream, which I’ll try to bring you the recipe for tomorrow or Thursday, soon as time permits!

In the meantime, check out my Easy and Eggless Peach Ice Cream recipe by clicking here!

You’ll have some happy kids with one of these!

To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment below

and tell me your favorite ice cream flavor.

TEN WINNERS WILL BE CHOSEN

Contest closes Friday, July 22 at midnight. Winners will be notified by email and announced on this post Saturday July 23rd and on My Facebook Page.

Winners will have 7 days to claim their prize.

“My advice to you is not to inquire why or whither, but just enjoy the ice cream while it’s on your plate.”

~Thornton Wilder

Disclaimer: I have not been financially compensated for this post but Hamilton Beach is kind enough to provide the prizes to the winners. I don’t like to make milkshakes because my Daddy makes the best milkshakes in the world and I’d just as soon wait and have one of his. My entire family likes mint chocolate chip ice cream and guess what flavor of ice cream I absolutely cannot tolerate? Yup, mint chocolate chip. Isn’t life funny that way? My favorite flavors are cherry vanilla (with real cherries) and butter pecan. Spiders are creepy but not half as creepy as butterflies are to me and I wish I was in Disney World right now – but I want to be in the mythical Disney World that is 70 degrees with no crowds . All done disclaiming now!

Thank you to everyone who entered this great giveaway! I only wish I had 3000 smokers so I could give all of you one! I used Random.org to choose a winning number and that comment belonged to Keith Owen so congratulations Keith! I just emailed Keith with instructions on how to claim his smoker.

Thank you for all for being such a great part of the Southern Plate family and stay tuned because my next giveaway will have TEN winners!

Gratefully,

Christy

I’m so proud to be able to bring you this wonderful giveaway from one of the best companies I’ve ever gotten to work with. The Masterbuilt Electric Smoker is just about as easy to use as an oven. You simply wheel it outside, plug it up, set the temperature, put your meat in, add wood chips, and wait for your delicious meal to be done. It’s that simple!

And one of you will be getting a smoker just like this sent right to your home, complete with remote control so you can check the temperature of your meat from 100 feet away!

Here are the specs:

Easy to Use…it’s Electric so all you do is plug it in, set the cooking temperature and cooking time, load wood chips and you’re ready to slow smoke.

Thermostat Temperature Control – You can set it and the cooking temperature will remain as consistent as your kitchen oven

Safe – Automatic shut-off prevents over heating

Convenient – uses your favorite, regular wood chips with a side chip loader so you can add chips without opening the door and letting heat and smoke escape

REMOTE CONTROL allows you to ADJUST cooking temperature and time, CHECK cooking temperature, time and meat temperature from up to 100 feet away…while you’re watching the football game or cooking the rest of the meal

Integrated Meat Probe Thermometer – means you can cook your food to the perfect temperature every time. Want to know how much longer until your meat is done? Just look at the remote! (This is so cool and easy!)

Built-in Viewing Window – you can watch your food slow smoke without opening the door and letting heat out

Easy Cleaning – with a built in bottom drip pan and a rear mounted drip tray

Adjustable door latch and air damper – for an airtight seal and controlled smoking

You can purchase this Smoker (retail value of $350) at Bass Pro Shops, Cabela’s, Academy Sports, Lowe’s, Sam’s Club, Amazon.com, and more, but one Lucky person who leaves a comment below will have one shipped directly to their house courtesy of Masterbuilt!

Let me show you how easy this was. All I did was sprinkle a store bought rub on some bone in chicken breasts.

I put them in my smoker, put the meat probe down into one of the pieces, set my time and temperature, placed some wood chips in the bottom, and left it.

A few hours later, my heavenly smelling chicken was done.

This was the juiciest smoked chicken I’ve ever had.

I served it with my Beefed up Baked Beans and Summer Corn Salad.

And since I haven’t had time to get the Summer Corn Salad recipe up (and some of you might want it for the fourth), I’ve posted it on the Front Porch as a little bonus. Click here to visit that recipe.

A Little About the People Behind This Smoker

Masterbuilt is a family owned company that was started by John McLemore’s father back in 1973. John (pictured below with his wife Tonya and their children) is President and CEO of the company behind the  amazing Electric Smoker that one of you will soon be receiving!

I cannot say enough about this wonderful family and everyone I met at Masterbuilt.

I wanted to tell you a little story about my first real meeting with them. Masterbuilt sponsored me to go to a blogger conference a couple of months ago. I arrived to attend the conference but ended up just hanging out with them all weekend long because I enjoyed their company so much! Alicia is their head of social media and she is the main person I talk to when I have a question or in getting this post set up. I got to meet her back at another Blogging conference I was speaking at back towards the beginning of the year and was really looking forward to getting to talk with her more.

On that first morning, the hotel had assigned a person from their catering staff to help with each booth. If we needed help setting up, needed some equipment cleaned overnight to have ready for the next day, had to move anything heavy, etc. One by one the staff members appeared at each booth to introduce themselves and see where they were needed and one by one each business in the exhibitor area got to work. Alicia, Tonya,  and John, though, stood there for several minutes talking to the guy assigned to James, the staff member assigned to them. They asked where he was from, how long he’d been in the area, what kind of food he liked, about his family, etc. Once they had made James a part of the family they all set about getting to work and made it a point to leave James a little to do as possible.

James came by from time to time throughout the day and each time the Masterbuilt folks took delight in filling him up on samples of whatever they’d just got done preparing. They’d light up as if seeing an old friend stop by. They weren’t just that way with him, though, they are like that with everyone, always gracious and kind. They made it a point to let each of the staff members know that they were welcome to come by and try the samples anytime they wanted and we ended up filling them up on an awful lot of turkey during that time (it was so good!).

All weekend Tonya, John, and Alicia cooked turkey in their indoor deep turkey fryers and on the last day, as James was helping Alicia take the booth down, she got the box together and sat it by the turkey fryer and told James “I want you to take this one. You’ve been such a great help an we just really appreciate you.” James was beside himself. She gave another one to the head of the catering staff and thanked her for all of her help as well. It was no surprise that when we got ready to load up our cars we had some very happy folks insisting that we let them help us with all of our luggage!

In that weekend, I got to see the kind of people behind the Masterbuilt products and I whispered to Alicia as we were headed out, James pushing a cart filled with boxes of supplies ahead of us, “He’ll never forget that.” Alicia smiled back and said “You know, the measure of a person is how they treat those who serve them.” I thought back to all of the times I’ve cringed in restaurants as folks at nearby tables berated their waiters and I was just overwhelmed with the wisdom of Alicia’s words. That is the measure of a man alright, and it sure is a good way to measure the integrity of Masterbuilt.

And that is why I’m so proud to be associated with them in this giveaway.

GIVEAWAY DETAILS

Contest closes Wednesday, July 6th at midnight.

A winner will be chosen at random and notified by email. Winner will be announced on this post and on our Facebook page on Thursday, July 7th.

To enter, simply leave a comment below!

Disclaimer: I was not financially compensated for this post and all opinions are my own. Masterbuilt provided me with a smoker for testing purposes and they are furnishing the one I’ll be giving away as well. That chicken I made truly was the best I’ve ever had and I think Little House On The Prairie should be shown on a major network again – I can’t imagine it’s not lightyears better than everything else they’re showing right now. ~grins~ All done disclaiming now!

]]> http://www.southernplate.com/2011/07/masterbuilt-electric-smoker-giveaway-350-retail.html/feed 2830 http://www.southernplate.com/2011/06/veggietales-giveaway-ten-winners.html http://www.southernplate.com/2011/06/veggietales-giveaway-ten-winners.html#comments Wed, 08 Jun 2011 15:13:11 +0000 Christy Jordan http://www.southernplate.com/?p=15095 Pin it

UPDATE: Winners

Congratulations to these great folks who won the Veggie Tales Giveaway! Winners were chosen using Random.org and I really appreciate everyone who entered and helped get the word out!
I have included full names when available, screen names when full names weren’t available, and partial email addresses to help identify when only first names were given. Please note that emails will be sent in the next few minutes to winners so check your inbox if your name appears to see if it is you. Due to the size of the Southern Plate family, we do more than one person with the same first and last name in many cases. Winners must reply to email by Friday June 17th.

Please join me in congratulating:

Bonnie Harris, Giancarlo Tomanguilla, Sara Clark, RuthAnn (vortep), Lori (goofy), Amanda Ryman, Dena Stanwood, Mimiof2, Noel Rome, Sarah Burch

Thank you!

Family Adventure Days began when my husband and I realized that while we were all together at home on the weekends, we weren’t actually tuning into each other as a family. With the temptations of video games, tv, and the internet at home, we decided to set aside one day each weekend that we are able to leave the house and get out and have some inexpensive fun together as a family. This began in September of 2009 and has been the best thing that ever happened to the Jordans!

I’ve gotten to work with some pretty amazing people in the past year. Paula Deen, Al Roker, Ann Curray, and David Venable, just to name a few. But today is the height of my “career” at Southern Plate because today, I get to work with one of my favorite characters of all time, Larry the Cucumber!

We had a great Family Adventure Day last fall when we drove to nearby Birmingham to watch Veggie Tales LIVE!

Ricky and I have always been such huge fans of VeggieTales. We’ve been watching them since Brady (who is almost 12 now) was just a baby. Before he could talk he’d crawl over to the tv and point at it, humming the theme song so we’d play them for him. That was back in the day of VHS tapes. When Katy Rose came along, we started building up our Veggie Tales stash of DVD’s and we have a goal of someday owning all of them!

Today, I’m going to make that a little easier for some of you because the amazing folks at Big Idea are going to be giving ten of you their latest release :Veggie Tales LIVE! Sing Yourself Silly!

But first I wanna share some photos of our Veggie Tales Family Adventure Day …

This is Katy Rose holding up her Veggie Tales light.

I think that is the equivalent of a lighter at a rock concert – only this was much more fun than a rock concert and we got to leave with our hearing intact

The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything, starring Mr Lunt, Pa Grape, and Larry!

The gang’s all here!

We had a FABULOUS time at Veggie Tales Live, but the video is every bit as fun as being there. This is very interactive for young kids. They’ll be dancing, singing, and laughing right along with you.

Katy Rose kept saying “Mama, sing! Sing with me Mama!” as she danced around our living room. Brady said “Wow, it really is just like we’re there!”.

Thanks to the DVD Release of VeggieTales LIVE! you can have your own Family Adventure Day at home. I know you’ll love getting to spend an evening with your family and VeggieTales. This is GREAT inexpensive family fun! Set aside a night for singing, dancing, popcorn eating, and as they say at Big Idea…

“Don’t forget to eat your veggies – just not the ones that talk!”

The DVD is in stores now but ten of you will be chosen at random to receive a free copy, courtesy of VeggieTales.

To enter just leave a comment below, it’s that simple!

Contest closes at midnight Sunday, June 12th. I’ll choose TEN comments at random on Monday June 13th to win their own copies of Veggie Tales LIVE!

For extra entries:

Put a link to this giveaway on your Facebook page and come back and tell me you did in the comments section.

OR tweet the following:

@Southernplate is giving away TEN Veggie Tales LIVE DVDs! http://www.southernplate.com/?p=15095

Here is a video of Katy and I singing the theme song, Brady recorded it

Now leave a comment so you might be able to get this great DVD!

I don’t care how poor a man is – if he has family, he’s rich.

~Dan Wilcox

Disclaimer: I was not financially compensated for this post but Big Idea is providing the DVD’s to the winners because they are such wonderful people. All opinions expressed in this post are my own because it’s not nice to sell your opinions and I’m pretty sure no one would want mine anyway. I really do know just about all of the silly songs and I truly feel that I am the living embodiment of Larry the Cucumber. Oh, and I am sooo married to Bob the Tomato! I don’t care for bridges, heights, and butterflies but I do have a weakness for kids, kittens, and puppies. I think I’m all done disclaiming now so have a great day and don’t forget to enter!