GitaDini Stacko Serving Stand Giveaway Winner

Thank you everyone who participated in the GitaDini Stacko Serving Stand Giveaway.  Once again, many thanks to GitaDini for providing the prize for this giveaway.  We have a winner…..

 


Susan MomBlogger who said, “ "Like" uTry.it's Facebook Page”

Congratulations, Susan.  I’ll be sending an email to you soon.   Thank you all for entering and please stay tuned for more fun giveaway in the near future.

Nutella Melt—Easy Entertaining Recipe and a Winter Cocktails Giveaway

Imagine a chilling evening, you’re curling up on the couch with your favorite blanket next to the fire place;  cuddling with your loved ones while catching up your favorite TV soap, or chatting about what happened during the day; holding and sipping a cup of warm, chocolate-y, packed with wonderful hazelnut flavor and a little boozy Nutella Melt this winter.  Isn’t that picture perfect? 



If the heat from the Nutella Melt didn’t warm you up, the little booze in the drink definitely will.  I bet you all know how much I love Nutella, and more so after trying this Nutella Melt!  It’s not overly sweet, but the flavor is simply amazing.  With a little toasted and chopped nuts sitting on top of the foamy and creamy espresso whipped cream, the combination of flavor and the contrast of texture simply blew me away.



This easy, entertaining and scrumptious cocktail recipe came from the book, Winter Cocktails.  As you all know, I do enjoy a cocktail here and there, especially when I have companies over.  This is the book you want in your kitchen if you want to learn more about Mulled Ciders, Hot Toddies, Punches, Pitchers, and Cocktail Party Snacks.  Author and professional food stylist Maria del Mar Sacasa offers more than 50 recipes for cold-weather cocktails and mixed beverages. 



I absolutely love the tutorial, techniques in step-by-step pictures illustration.



Check out the picture below, recipes of Infused Liquors and different Simple Syrups are also included in this book.  I can’t wait to give them a try. 



You’ll also get to learn how to make some Small Bites and appetizers pairing with some of your cocktails.  Drooling!



I simply can’t take my eyes off this Golden Hog.  And guess what?  It’s paired with a piece of Candied Bacon!!!  How can I resist?  Oink Oink...




You can purchase your copy by clicking here.  Or, try your luck in winning a copy of “Winter Cocktails”, courtesy of Quirk Books. 

This Giveaway is now Closed!

Here are the details on how to enter this giveaway.
One lucky uTry.it reader (with an U.S., Canada or U.K. mailing address) will win a copy of “Winter Cocktails”.


To enter, simply leave a comment on this post and tell me what’s your all time favorite cocktail (mine is apple martini). Deadline to enter is November 30th, 2013 by mid-night PST.  Winner will be selected through Random.org and announce shortly after the giveaway is closed.

For extra entries, do any or all of the following (leave a separate comment for each extra entry):

1)  Add me to your Google+ circle here
2) "Like" uTry.it's Facebook Page, click here.
3) Pin a picture from this post onto your Pinterest board.
4) Share this giveaway on Facebook (with a link back to this post please)
5) Share this giveaway on Twitter (with a link back to this post please)

That’s all and Good Luck everyone!  Please stay warm and cheers!






Disclaimer:  I received a copy of “Winter Cocktails” for the purpose of this review and I was not compensated in any way to write this post.  Quirk Books is providing a copy of the book for the giveaway.  As always, all comments and opinions are 100% my own. 

Please drink responsibly.  Health and General Disclaimers.

Online Bake Sale for the Victims in The Philippines

Today’s post is a little different than my usual recipe and review posts.  This post is near and dear to my heart.  I hope you’ll take a moment to read through it.  I promise, I’ll keep it nice and short. 

I’m sure many of you heard the devastating news about the super typhoon, Haiyan, that hit Philippines on November 7, 2013.   Thousands were left homeless, injured, and many lost their lives and families.  You can read more about the updated news here on CNN.

My Blogger friend, Tina, from Pinay Cooking Corner is hosting an online bake sale to raise funding to aid the victims from the Haiyan typhoon.  Please click here to read the details about the bake sale and how you can help. 





To show my support for Tina's effort, I’ll also be donating 2 dozens of Mocha Hazelnut Biscotti for the bake sale  (see picture below).



I hope you can lend a helping hand too!  You don’t have to be a blogger to contribute.  You can simply donate your favorite baked goods, bid on an item (or two), or, simply help spread the news about the bake sale.  That would be tremendous help!   Please note that the pledges for baked goods will be accepted on Tina's blog until Nov. 22nd and the bake sale will be held on Nov. 25th, 2013.  So, please sign up as soon as possible!

This Thanksgiving, I have many many things that I’m thankful for.  But most importantly, I’m thankful that I’m fortunate enough that I have the ability to help out for those who are less fortunate and those who are in need.  I hope you’ll join force for this great cause.  Thank you in advance for your generosity.

Roasted Shrimp Cocktail–Easy Entertaining Recipe and a Giveaway

I hope you’ve enjoyed the easy entertaining recipes I’ve been posting so far.  With Thanksgiving and many holiday celebrations just around the corner, I have another scrumptious recipe to share with you today; plus a giveaway that you don’t want to miss.  A while ago, I entered GitaDini’s Giveaway on their Facebook Fan Page and won this Stacko Serving Stand as shown in my pictures.  Isn’t it gorgeous?  I have been using it for a while in parties and family gatherings.  Everyone loved it and asked me where I got this stand.  Today, you’re in luck because I’ll be giving one away to a lucky uTry.it reader, courtesy of GitaDini.



This Stacko Serving Stand is so festive because of the multiple colors cones and cups.  The size of the stand is 16” in height and 16” in diameter.  It comes with 18 cups and 18 cones, all in single portioned size.  I always love single portions for entertaining, which make it convenient to serve with different types of food and hygienic.  The best part is that the plastic cups and cones are dishwasher-safe, which makes cleaning up a breeze as well.  Honestly, with a serving stand this gorgeous, I wish to have parties and gatherings in my place everyday so I can simply displace and show off this stand on my serving table/counter everyday! 




This Stacko Serving Stand is very versatile and your serving options are endless.  From appetizer, small bites to desserts, this Stacko Serving Stand can do it all.   Okay, I should say, this Stacko Serving Stand can hold them all, because I’m the one who’s cooking.  hahaha….Want to see what I’ve been serving on this gorgeous stand?  Let me show you one by one.  From the picture above, I serve some fresh veggies sticks.  You can use whatever veggies you want or in season.  These veggies sticks are healthy and refreshing party snacks.  



Up next, my Fall favorite recipe, Candied Pecans.   I always have these candied pecans on hand as they are simply addictive and perfect for parties and snacks.  Please click here for the recipe.




Up next, my new party favorites, Portobello Mushroom and Avocado Oven Fries.  These are a cinch to make and very healthy and flavorful!  Please click here for the recipe.



In my opinion, it’s not a party until we bring out the shrimp cocktails!  (check out my post here on How to Easily Peel and Devein Shrimps) These shrimp cocktails are better than the usual ones because they are Roasted Shrimp Cocktails!  The roasting really concentrate the wonderful shrimp flavors, plus, I added some fresh thyme for some earthy and lemony freshness.  You can go to the bottom of this post for the recipe.  See how convenience these cones and cups are (see picture below)?  I added the cocktail sauce on the bottom of the cones before “hanging” the shrimps onto them.  So, each person gets his/her own dipping sauce.   Double-dipping is highly recommended and encouraged here!  I did the same for the veggie sticks above but with a ranch dressing instead.



You can also serve desserts and drinks with this Stacko Serving Stand.  I made these Meyer Lemon Sorbet with Fresh Thyme here (see picture below).  It is the perfect compliment with the thyme I used in the roasted shrimps and super refreshing as well.  Please click here for the sorbet recipe.  Besides what I’ve shown here, you can also serve ice cream, sushi hand rolls, wraps, mixed fruit, etc.  




This giveaway is now closed!

This Stacko Serving Stand is perfect for your Thanksgiving party, celebrations and gatherings.  You can check out GitaDini’s website here and order your own.  Or, if you want to try your luck and win it in my giveaway, here’s how to enter.

Giveaway Details:

1 (One) uTry.it readers will win a Stacko Serving Stand ($30 Value).

This Giveaway is open to my Readers with a Mainland U.S. shipping address.  Deadline to enter is November 22nd, 2013 by midnight PST. Winner will be selected through Random.org and announce shortly after the giveaway is closed. Prize will be shipped out directly by GitaDini.

To enter this giveaway, simply leave a comment below telling me what your favorite party food is.  Be sure to include your email address in the comment so we can contact you if you're the lucky winner.

For extra entries, do any or all of the following (simply leave a separate comment for each extra entry):

1) “Like” GitaDini on their Facebook Page, click here.
2) "Like" uTry.it's Facebook Page, click here.
3) Pin a picture from this post onto your Pinterest board and leave a comment with the link to your Pin.
4) Follow GitaDini on Pinterest, click here.
5) Add me to your Google+ circle here.
6) Share this giveaway on your Facebook page (with a link back to this post please)
7) Share this giveaway on Twitter (with a link back to this post please)


Disclaimer: As mentioned, I won this Stancko Serving Stand a while ago from GitaDini’s Facebook Fan Page giveaway.  I also received compensation for my time to write this post and review.  And GitaDini is sponsoring the prize for this giveaway.  All opinions are 100% my own and always will be. 

 



P.S.: Please click here to read about How to Easily Peel and Devein Shrimps.

How to Easily Peel and Devein Shrimps

My family loves shrimps, especially the Kiddos.  So, I prepare them quite often.  Today, I want to share with you on How to Easily Peel and Devein Shrimp.  I know peeled shrimps are widely available in market these days.  But I often found that the whole/unpeel ones are usually more fresh and cheaper. 

Here’s what you need to do (see picture below).  First, separate the head from the body by snapping off the head.  Do NOT throw away the heads.  You paid for them already (unless you get those without heads) and they are the key ingredient in making flavorful seafood stocks.



With a pair of small kitchen scissors, cut along the shell on the back of the shrimp, starting from the head side toward the tail.



You’ll be able to easily open the shells.  Again, you can save the shells along with the shrimp heads for your seafood stock.  This shrimp (see picture below) is particularly clean.



The shells can be easily peeled off at this point.  You can peel the whole shell off, or leave the tails on, depending on what your recipe calls for.



If you spotted the vein (see picture below), gently pull it out with your fingers.  Trust me, you do NOT want to eat the veins in your shrimps.  The veins are actually the digestive tracks of the shrimps.  I bet you've got the picture by now, if you haven’t already known that.



Last but not least, give the shrimps a quick rinse and they are ready to go.  I hope you enjoy today’s tutorial and tips.  Stay tuned for some yummy shrimp recipes in the near future.