Winner Winner!!

I had every intention of posting a wonderful new recipe when I posted the winner, but its been a long day and I am too tired!! So you will get a delicious cake recipe tomorrow, but for now, as promised, here is the winner of the
Stephen's Chocolate Care Package giveaway:

Comment # 33, by JAYLENE

Thanks to everyone who entered... it was so much fun reading all of your comments!

{also, I don't know why the random.org thing is saying there were 100 comments... I swear I put in 52 for the max, but for some reason when I am previewing this post it is saying 100. Just gunna have to trust me on this one!}

True Random Number GeneratorMin: Max: 

Result:

33Powered by RANDOM.ORG

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

Cookbook Giveaway

I have a cute friend who has recently published a book all about food. I think that is so awesome! I'm going to link you up to her website so you can get in on the fabulous giveaway she is offering. You could possibly win one of her new cookbooks if you leave a comment on her blogs "Happy Valentine's Day Giveaway" post. She has put so much work into this book and I've heard nothing but wonderful reviews about it. I hope to soon get my hands on one myself. So, just for fun, leave a comment here if you are going to go enter and then head on over and leave that comment (either today Sunday 2/13/11 or tomorrow Monday 2/14/11)  Good luck! Let us know if you win. :-)

Click here ---> Seven Years of Plenty

Winner Winner

The Winner of the Hello Cupcake book is:

entry # 9, Kim

Thanks to all who entered!

Suiza Sammie Sandwich & MORE!

I recently found this sandwich recipe online while looking at some of Rachel Ray's recipes. I thought it sounded interesting and decided to give it a try. It calls for Creme Fraiche, which isn't always easy to find. I have made it in the past, but this time I just used a Trader Joe's variety to save time. Next time, I will use sour cream as a substitute. Creme Fraiche is very rich and tangy, and a bit too sweet for my liking. It has a higher fat content that regular sour cream, so it binds better and doesn't make for a "clumpy" sauce. I personally think that it would be better used in a sweet food, rather than a savory, but you be the judge. Next time, I will probably whip it up with some vanilla & powdered sugar and use it for crepes.

Anyway, here is the sandwich recipe. I served them on Brioche Buns, which were amazing! The original recipe says it will feed 4 people, but I easily had enough meat for 6 or 7 sandwiches. I served it with homemade cajun fries, but Miss Rachel Ray says to serve it with tortilla chips for dipping.

Suiza Sammie Sandwich

1 TBSP Olive Oil

1 Small Purple Onion, chopped

2 Cloves Garlic, minced

1 Lime, juiced

1 TBSP Honey

1 1/2 Cups Tomatillo Salsa or Salsa Verde

1/2 Cup Creme Fraiche (or sour cream)

1 Rotisserie-Style Chicken, skin discarded and meat shredded

4-6 Crusty Rolls (I used soft), lightly toasted under broiler

6 Slices Swiss Cheese

Chips for Serving

Pre-heat the broiler. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic & cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in the lime juice and honey, then stir in the salsa and heat through. Mix in the creme fraiche (or sour cream) until fully incorporated. Stir in the chicken and coat well. Pile chicken mixture on roll bottoms, and place a slice of cheese on top. Place under broiler so cheese will melt, remove from broiler and top with other half of bun. Serve warm.

***************************************************************************

Now, for the MORE!

My husband gave me this cute book for Easter, and I enjoyed it so much, I decided that I would like to give a copy of it away. Also, today is my wonderful Mother's birthday... AND my adorable Husbands! He has no excuse to forget his mother-in-laws birthday. So, since he doesn't want a cake (or any treat for that matter) for his birthday this year {???}, I can at least get some joy out of sharing some cake with you!

There are so many adorable ideas in here, and I just don't know where to start. Luckily, my 2 year old will be turning 3 soon enough, so I am contemplating trying to make one of these fun cupcake ideas for her. So, one lucky winner will receive a copy of this fabulous book full of fun ideas.

How to enter:

Leave a comment in this post & tell me the date of your birth.

Easy as pie... or cupcake in this case.

** {also, you need to leave a way to be contacted. If I know you, don't worry about leaving an email, but if I don't have a clue who you are... please leave a way to reach you. Either a blog address, or an email, or whatever works best for you. If there is no way for me to contact you, I WILL PICK ANOTHER WINNER {which always makes me feel bad!!} Thanks!}

If you want a second entry, just become a follower,

or tell me that you already follow.

Winner will be randomly chosen on April 11th.

A Winner!

Here it is folks...

The incredibly lucky winner of the Microplane Zester, is #26, Jamie.

I used the random. org site, but I don't know how to post that here... so I guess you will just have to trust me... especially since I have no idea who Jamie is.

Congrats Jamie. Please leave us a comment with a way to reach you!

Rain Drops on Roses, & Whiskers on Kittens...

Now, I'm no Fraulein Maria, but I have a few of my own favorite things.

One of which happens to be my handy dandy Microplane Zester.

I love my Microplane Zester. I use it for all sorts of recipes. I don't think I could survive without it in my kitchen. We are on a first name basis. That's what kind of relationship we have. My husband actually makes fun of me because I insist on using its full name. Microplane Zester. Not just zester. No, no, no my dear friends. Call me crazy (or don't), but I love this little guy.

I actually had a friend tell me a few weeks back that she went and bought herself one of these bad boys because "all real cooks have them", and she wanted to feel like a real cook. I applaud her.

But seriously, here's the real question... Would you like one of these lovely little pretties to be used in your kitchen? Well since I'm feeling generous (and couldn't wait until our 1 year anniversary of this here blog!), I'm giving one away!

Wanna win? Here's how:

1. Leave a comment (with a valid email). Not just an email address, but a comment as well!

if you want a second entry:

2. Become a Follower. Go ahead, stalk away! we really don't mind.

(make sure you let us know you subscribed)

and, since I'm feelin' all generous, if you have done #'s 1 & 2:

3. You can leave a 3rd comment telling us a recipe you have made from THIS blog. We would love to hear some feedback on our recipes!

Contest will end Friday, October 23rd.