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Monday, February 21, 2011

Give Oh Give Away

Our family loves Chocolate.

I mean we really love the stuff. If you look on our recipe list, you will notice that there are 46 recipes that include Chocolate!

FORTY-SIX!

Other than "Entree's" and "Veggies" {Phew!!}, Chocolate takes the cake {couldn't help myself} on most entries.

Our brother Stephen was no exception to the "McConkie Chocolate Rule". He LOVED it. When we were growing up, he would make a pan of brownies, and then hide it from the rest of us! The thing was, he had the BEST hiding spots!! And with 6 siblings, trust me, we looked high and low.

Our mom on the other hand... well, she would see us eating a brownie and ask us where we got it, claiming she had hidden them from us... and that usually meant she had stuck the tray in the microwave {or my personal favorite, sitting on the kitchen table with a tea towel over them}. Her hiding spots were always really easy to find.

As you might have noticed, I said that our brother loved chocolate. Sadly, we lost him to cancer almost 5 years ago. He would have been 32 years old this Saturday.

So, in honor of our dear brother and his birthday, I will be posting some recipes this week that remind me of him, and I am giving away a "Stephen Care Package". The things I have added to this little giveaway are things that either Stephen loved, or things that remind us of him.

Don't expect any Salad in this list... He was  a meat and potatoes kind of guy, with lots of pepper on the side. Of course, he'd throw a lot little Chocolate in to satisfy that sweet tooth as well. :)

So, here's what your little Care Package entails:



Penzys Spice Sample pack. I LOVE Penzys. I found it when I moved to the Midwest, and I know I will miss it greatly when we leave. This particular pack is for meat... and since I wasn't about to throw some steak into this giveaway, I thought this awesome spice pack was a good alternative.


My very favorite brand of Chocolate chips and BBQ sauce. The pepper, because well, Stephen put pepper on everything!! And tucked in the back there is the movie "Batman Begins". Stephen loved movies, and in fact people always told him he looked like Val Kilmer {not today's Val. He's let himself go!}. While Val did play the Caped Crusader, Christian Bale's version of Batman would just have to do! :)


Some of my all time favorite Hot Chocolate from a very fitting brand, as well as some of the best Brownie Mix and Peanut Butter Cups. Put those together for a delicious treat! An AUTHENTIC Cadbury Bar (NOT AMERICAN!!) straight from Down Unda'. Stephen served a mission for our church,  in Adelaide Australia, and our baby brother is currently there doing the same... good to have an Aussie connection! Some McDonalds Dollars, because from the time he was a very small child, Stephen loved going to McDonalds... especially with his Grandfather. I can still hear in my mind the way my mom describes how he would always say "GWANDPA! Lets go to McDonnnalllddsss!!!"

Oh, and you can't see the lotion, but I threw that in there because Stephen would give the best foot massages. Not to me mind you, but I think our Mom read the entire book Les Miserables {out-loud} while Stephen rubbed her feet. That's a long book... so he probably went through a lot of lotion!


So there you have it!

If you would like to enter, just leave a comment telling me what your favorite kind of sweet treat is... or what out of this slew of items would be your favorite.

A winner will be picked on Stephen's birthday, Saturday, February 26th. Please leave a way for me to contact you (email is great!) so I can mail you your delicious treats!

{Giveaway is only open to followers of McConkie Menu. 
So if you haven't already, go ahead and join!}

Any questions? Shoot us an email at:
 mcconkiemenu@gmail.com

52 comments:

  1. Stephen used to do this awesome recipe where he would cut a roll in half, put Carl Budding ham on top, then layer it with cheddar and melt it in the microwave.

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  2. Annalisa, what a fun idea. I actually didn't know these things about Stephen. As for my favorite sweet treat, I am a sucker for dark chocolate (and I noticed you happen to have dark chocolate cocoa in your giveaway!)

    And this is unrelated, but I made your baked oatmeal this morning, and it was superb. I tried another recipe recently that was a flop -- but this one was a keeper! Thanks. Love this blog.

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  3. oh, I forgot. You can reach me at pinegars@gmail.com. (And I am a follower -- just one of the anonymous ones.)

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  4. I'm a follower {aka stalker} already. I don't LOVE Chocolate, but Jason sure does. My favorite treat is anything lemon. {and you have some GREAT lemon recipes}. I love this idea. Such a great way to remember your brother. I love McDonald's too....especially their Diet Coke. It's the best. I'm pretty sure you know how to contact me already!!

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  5. My favorite treat is also chocolate, but I dont know many people who say otherwise. I love the mix of sweet and salty so I would love the chocolate chips so that I could melt them on pretzels. Yum! Though you dod have my FAVORITE bbq sauce in this fantastic giveaway. Sticky Fingers! The best. A roommate in college introduced me to it and I have been a fan ever since.

    I think this is a fantastic idea and I am so glad you are doing it because even though I have a picture of Stephen from his mission on a scrapbook page I dont look at it very often, so this is a great way to remember what a great person, brother, son, father, husband and cousin he was. I am so glad to have known him, even though I am sure he thought of me as a pesky little cousin for most of that time. :)

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  6. I had no idea that you had a food blog until you posted this on FB. I love food blogs. And I learned a little bit about you and your family today. Thanks for sharing. You can contact me on FB, this is your Kentucky Sarah

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  7. What a lovely way to remember your brother. I already follow your blog. My favorite recipe so far has been the White Texas Brownies. YUMMO! All of the treats in your package look wonderful but I am all about the chocolate peanut butter cups:)

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  8. I find myself wondering if the Penzeys Spices company is related to The Spice House, which is run by a family of Penzeys. I love The Spice House, and now I'm going to have to check out Penzeys as well.

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  9. Hmmm, I am most definitely a chocolate lover. And all sweets. If I had a recipe blog, the majority of the posts would be desserts, too.

    I love the idea of this sweet gesture for Stephen. He always impressed me and I know you must all miss him terribly.

    melissamcconkie@gmail.com :)

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  10. MMMMM I love chocolate! what a fab goodie giveaway you have!! I am a long time online scrappy friend of Ali's and I remember when Stephen lost his fight to cancer. what a wonderful tribute to his memory.

    I love Penzey's Spices! We have one not too far from us and i love going and smelling all the spices before bringing home half the store!! Great chocolate selection in that bundle too! I love to cook and then, yes eat.....

    And you can get Penzey's online if you ever move to far away from a store! Checked out some of your recipes, YUM!! glad I am following you now!! I am all about finding lots of breakfast recipes, my DH and I own an 18 room B&B......

    you can reach me at tobeyscraps@gmail.com

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  11. You have gone a little over the top on this one Annie! Happy Birthday dear Stephen! There are still pans of brownies hidden, yet to be found.

    On his very last visit to our home, which was my birthday, Stephen did not eat anything during dinner but as he was slowly leaving, he spotted my three layer chocolate cake and said, "Andrea, we need to take some of this home!" I think he may have taken a bite at breakfast the following day! Thanks for the 'sweet' memories. Love, Mom

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  12. Wow, What a tribute. I have been following your blog for awhile, since I know you make amazing things. I think one of my favorite sweets is chocolate cake - but not really a dark chocolate cake- more like a milk chocolate cake. Or homemade caramels - mmmmm, maybe I should make some. This is Amy Anderson, I think you have my email.

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  13. What a cute idea!! Great tribute to Stephen! Love you guys!

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  14. This is such a neat idea! Ben is eating chocolate as I type...
    I hear Stephen had the best hiding places for brownies and that the sibs could never find them! I think I need to start something like that- hide the brownies from Ben, he eats them all...

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  15. Um...I think you know me well enough to know that I love ANYTHING chocolate! So I can't even pick a favorite treat in this awesome give-away package! But I definitely wanna get my hands on some of that Stephens hot cocoa...and that authentic cadbury chocolate from Australia needs to be in my kitchen like now!
    I'm already a follower and you have my e mail! :) Love this give-away idea in honor of your brothers birthday ;)

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  17. I am also a lover of chocolate, and a lover of the McConkie clan, and I only know one of you... (Ben)! Looking forward to meeting all of you in July.
    Ben and Whitney introduced me to your yummy coconut syrup. I must say this is now one of my new favorite things!
    I love your blog!
    ctwede@gmail.com

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  18. okay, I just found your blog (I went to HS with Greg and he posted it on FB) and I also happen to be your second cousin (My mom is Gail McConkie, Oscar and Judy's daughter). I think I met you one time, and I am pretty sure I met your brother a few times. I spent like 45 minutes ooooing and awwwing over your recipes and now I am an official follower. I can't wait to make almost everything on here, except maybe the halibut, we are not fish people around here. Thanks for the inspiration. BTW, my favorite sweet treat is definitely a milky way dark candy bar. Oh, and my birthday is just one day before your brother's.

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  19. I just became a follower and i cant wait to try out some of these delicious sounding recipes! YUM! I know this is going to sound extremely weird, but i LOVE eating milk chocolate chips by the hand full. When i saw you included them in your give away i instantly started craving them!

    My favorite sweet treat is definitely anything with raspberries. My mom makes the most yummy mini raspberry cheesecakes that i absolutely love. I am so excited to try your Balsamic Berries snack!

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  20. I love the fact that I can picture myself standing next to that table with all the goodies (because I've been in your house).

    My favorite (one of my favorites) treat is chocolate mousse.

    But I would love all of the chocolate on that table.

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  21. I am your future sister in law (Whitneys) old roommate Ben had a post about your blog. I really like the way your remembering your brother through his favorite treats:) my favorite treat is dipping graham crackers in milk or chocolate milk. Whit and I did this a lot our freshman year everyday after school... yummy!

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  22. Chocolate is definitely a fitting tribute.

    And now I'm off to read all your recipes and figure out what to make for dinner tonight.

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  23. Hi Annalisa! This is such a great tribute to Stephen--he'd have loved it! I had totally forgotten about his hidden brownies. And yeah, I loved how your mom's treats would always just sit on the counter (super secret-like....under a tea cloth). Spencer and I would always snag a few goodies as we ran through the house.
    I LOVE CHOCOLATE! Probably a little too much! Brownies are one of my favs, but, like Merika, I also love the mix of sweet and salty. Chocolate covered pretzels are awesome.
    Thanks for doing this fun give-away! I've been sitting here all evening remembering fun things about Stephen. He was a good cousin.

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  24. Annalisa! I love the way you did this for your brother. What a great idea! It's funny to hear about your entire family's addiction to chocolate...it explains a lot about you :)

    As you well know, I too am addicted to the dark forces of chocolate, so anything chocolate in the basket would make my day, but I also LOVE smelly-good lotions with a passion! Foot massages? YES PLEASE! Your brother must have been one stellar dude!

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  25. I think I could live off of dark chocolate:) lindsaycoudron@gmail.com

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  26. ok I'm in! :) I have a question though... where do you live? I have looked EVERYWHERE for my favorite chocolate chips form Guittard and they don't sell them here if you are in Utah what store did you get them at?... I am willing to drive ;)

    cutecardsbyjamie@yahoo.com

    ps I keep trying to follow and thought I was a follower already but it wont let me past the sign in page... I'll keep trying though casue I swore I was a follower!

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  27. What a great way to remember your brother. My favorite treats are basically all baked goods...I'm a sucker for a brownie!

    cait[dot]mcdonald[at]hotmail[dot]com

    Thanks!

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  28. I love following your blog and all the great recipes you post. This is a great tribute to your brother. Our family likes any sweet treat, but I think the favorite is brownies. fitfamily@q.com

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  29. Happy Birthday to Stephen! What a sweet way celebrate his it this year. I LOVE Trader Joe's peanut butter cups... Yumm...

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  30. I ran across your blog by accident months ago...I instantly got hooked, and now I choose at least one recipe a week to fix for my husband...he couldnt be happier, everything has been delish!

    I love how you are honoring your brother! I lost a brother going on 10 years and although Strawberry Quik, PB M&M's and pizza were his favorite food...what a wonderful way to make his bday special!

    I would have to agree with my brother that the PB M&M's are my favorite treat...that and chocolate covered marshmallows!

    Thanks again for all of the wonderful recipes...I'm a follower for life!

    Candice candicec@xmission.com

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  31. I remember an outing with Stephen and two of his friends a few months after he got home from his mission. We broke into teams of two and had to find the best possible thing for $2 or less. Well, the almond bark on clearance after Christmas--chocolate flavor--won against a toy car, and we went home and dipped pretzel sticks and ate chocolate chip mint ice cream while watching Audrey Hepburn in "Charade." So the closest item in the care package would be chocolate chips, which go great in a sweet-salty experience.

    Thanks for all the great recipes! I find inspiration here when I'm in the mood for something new and exciting.

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  32. I love this idea! It's also a good way for those of us who are newer to the Ence family to get to know the ones who live far, far away... It's good to know we share the same passion for Guittard chocolate chips! Parker has learned that those are the "right" kind to buy.

    lacimarie_03@hotmail.com

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  33. @Jamiecrafts

    They do sell them in Utah! I know Harmons and Costo and I think Smith's have Guittard choc chips.

    Annalisa...all your trader Joe's stuff looks DELICIOIUS! Well, everything does, but those especially, I'm jealous of those and the spices.

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  34. I just became a follower also. I have tried several of your recipes and have loved them all! I am a huge chocolate lover, as is everyone in my family. This is such a cute idea for a giveaway. I HOPE I WIN!! :) pjkkrobinson@live.com

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  35. What a sweet idea. I clicked on the following button - I'm kind of dumb with blogs. I think it worked!!

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  36. My favorite thing would have to be the hot cocoa--I LOVE hot cocoa. Or the spices. I love trying new spices, especially on grilled meat. Then again the barbecue sauce looks pretty dang tasty....

    If I win, I can be reached at khjrose@gmail.com

    Thanks!

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  37. Look at all these yummy ideas! I love straight up candy, like Hot Tamales and Sour Patch kids. I got to meet your brother Stephen a few times in college, he was such a great guy. What a wonderful way to honor his memory.

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  38. cran. this is so awesome. you are awesome. i too am a lover of chocolate and meat.

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  39. guess what... it finally let me follow this blog :)

    aka jamiecrafts

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  40. So many awesome items in your care package! The favorites for me are brownies, pb cups, and the spices. I would love to try those! I'm a private follower but you guys have great stuff on here always! We loved your brother and Josh thought the world of him. Happy Birthday! melibean2@aol.com Fingers crossed :)

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  41. I love hot chocolate SO MUCH. I would like to try an authentic cadbury bar. (I did become a follower so I could enter). My email address is emilyo.warne@gmail.com

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  42. What a fun idea. I LOVE chocolate. In fact I just finished a couple pieces of a coconut filled chocolate bar! My sis has gotten me into fun dark chocolates with fun things like sea salt, pepper, orange and ginger. We send each other chocolates to enjoy together. Warm thoughts for your brother and your family as you remember him this week.

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  43. What a wonderful way to remember your loving and playful brother. I learned some cute things about your family today...we love those kind of chocolate chips at our house and "sticky fingers"...I love your blog and tell everyone about it!

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  44. I love every bit of this! Just one reason why we got along so well... ;)

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  45. I love a good food blog! So cute. I'm glad Greg sent this info our way. Hope you are well. I saw a cute family picture of you guys at Liz's home. Your daughter is adorable!

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  46. This is a great tribute to your brother. I started reading your blog a long while ago (Missy was in my ward here in MI) and am still a fan! My favorite sweet treat is a soft chocolate and raspberry tart...and I would probably like the Guittard chocolate chips the best out of this great box of stuff. Thanks for the entry! staceylea at gmail.com

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  47. How do I become eligible for the chocolate prizes...????? I've used your blog, promise!!!Where do I sign up? Mama C.

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  48. I think I would choose the peanut butter cups. my favorite sweet treat would be chocolate mousse pie

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  49. What a wonderful thing to do Annie! When Stephen turned 11 years old or so, I brought him a nice big steak for his birthday. Wrapped it up and everything. He seemed to like it, but didn't say much, just handed it to his mom and said, "doesn't this go in the refrigerator, Mom?" Then your dad piped up and said, "I get half of that Stephen". I love Stephen and enjoyed reading all these posts. ~~Aunt Martha

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  50. Oops...forgot....my favorite chocolate dessert would have to be a home-made chocolate cake with real home-made frosting. No ice-cream, just a glass of milk with it. David makes an awesome chocolate cake and is on his way to being a pretty good baker.

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  51. I'm not sure if you've picked a winner yet so I'm still leaving a comment! :)

    My favorite sweet treat is french silk pie. I haven't had it in two years so I really need to learn to make it gluten free.

    "Sweet" way to honor your brother.

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  52. Chocolate. Definitely chocolate. And those chocolate chips are the best! What a sweet idea this is.

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