Posts from — August 2014

We have a winner!

Kathy only submitted one comment, on the last day comments were accepted. Although she mentioned three recipes she liked, she only added a comment to the grilled fresh figs post and therefore had only one entry. Here is her comment:

Submitted on 2014/08/28 at 12:16 PM

I just made this on Saturday and it could not have been easier or more delicious. This is my first blog reply even though I’ve followed you for 3 years. I’m torn between the Watermelon shaped rice Krispy treats that got me some major wow points (not before my friend’s Labrador got to them counter surfing during the 4 th of July party). Or the Best Broccoli ever – as I struggle for easy good vegetable dishes. I love your blog!

Her comment and her win confirm my long-time belief that you only need to buy one lottery ticket to win the lottery. That being said, I appreciate each and every one of you who commented and participated in this contest whether with one comment or with all five!

A total of 23 of you played along.
There were 76 eligible comments.
Nine of you submitted 5 comments.
Seven of you submitted just 1 comment.
The remaining seven of you were somewhere between one and five comments.

winner draw  (CLICK ON THIS LINK)

Above is a little video of the Trader Joe’s Crew member, Akeem, drawing the winner from the stockpot.

The great news is that although Kathy is the grand prize winner, all of you are winners! I will be sending each of you a prize. I would greatly appreciate it if you would email me at [email protected] with your mailing address so I can send you your prize. If I don’t hear from you in the next week, I’ll email you asking for your address.

[Read more →]

You have only 8 hours left at a chance to win this great prize!

Eighteen of you are already in the running.

Amy G.
Amy K.
Amy S.
Betsy
Bonnie
Deirdre
Gwen
Jamie
Jeff
Maggie
Marissa
Maureen
Ruth
Sharon
Sheila
Sydney
Tram
Vicki

Ladies and gentlemen, your names are already printed out and put in the stockpot, ready for the chance to be drawn out, later this evening, by an unsuspecting cashier at Trader Joe’s.

In other news, I hosted our Neighborhood Bunco last night. This was the first time in the fifteen years that we’ve lived here that I hosted.

[Read more →]

Before we get to recipe #3 from the pork tenderloin in yesterday’s post, a quick update on The Give-Away. As of 9:00 p.m. Tuesday, we have 56 eligible entries and sixteen possible winners. Remember, you may comment up to five times and you have until tomorrow, Thursday, August 28, 2014, at 5:00 p.m. (PST) to enter. Click HERE to learn more.

Someone is going to win, don’t miss the chance … it may be you!

The third recipe from two pork tenderloins is a classic Cuban sandwich, minus the Cuban bread (French instead) and plus a panini press.

If you don’t own a press – no problem – a waffle iron (perfectly good) a grill pan (fine and dandy) or a skillet (better than nothing) all will work too.

The recipe makes four sandwiches, even though you only see three being made in the photos. That is because my panini press could only hold three sandwiches at a time. The fourth sandwich was made later.

Connor and I loved these sandwiches so much that we had them for dinner one night, then lunch the next day, and dinner again that second night. In fact, I’m craving one as I type!

[Read more →]

Pork tenderloin is the best. It is so versatile, plus it cooks quickly and goes a long way.

Pork tenderloin comes two to a package. I used the two tenderloins to make three separate meals. Each meal serves four, plus an extra seconds.

Meal #1 is simple grilled pork, seasoned simply with salt and pepper. About 3/4 of one of the tenderloins was used for this. Meal #2 used half of the other tenderloin to make a pizza.

The salt and pepper grilled pork and the pizza recipes are below. The rest of the tenderloin was used for meal #3, which I will share with you tomorrow. If you are a lover of pork, you could also try some other pork dishes as well. There is a delicious recipe for pork loin roast that you might be interested in trying. Some of these are available on the internet.

[Read more →]

Before we get to the tacos, a quick update on The Give-Away. As of 9:00 p.m. Sunday, we have 35 eligible entries and eleven possible winners. Remember, you may comment up to five times and you have until Thursday, August 28, 2014, at 5:00 p.m. (PST) to enter. Click HERE to learn more.

What is that you say? Do you need another incentive to play besides the fabulous prize? OK, you want it, you got it. Every Single Person who plays along will win a prize! That’s right, you play, you win.

The grand prize remains the same, the chef’s knife and the apron, but even if you don’t win big, you will still be a winner!

That’s how much I appreciate each and every one of you for your loyalty these past 5 years. xoxo

[Read more →]

To celebrate 5 Years of the Les Petites Gourmettes Blog, we’re gonna have a little “comment contest.” (BTW, the official birthday was August 16th, in case you want to mark your calendar and send me a card next year)

All you have to do to be eligible to win is tell me your favorite recipe that I’ve posted over these past five years (see exact details on precisely how to do that below.) It shouldn’t be too hard, there are over a thousand recipes to choose from.

It can be a recipe you’ve made … I hope you’ve made at least one that you’ve liked!

If you’ve never cooked a darn thing from here or you are new to the site, it can be recipe that looks especially tasty and that you’d like to make or have someone else make for you in the future.

Here is what you’re playing for:

One 7″ Heston Blumenthal stainless steel Santoku chef’s knife
   and
One Ballymaloe red apron

Here is why I have these two beautiful items to give away …

When I signed up for the all-day cooking class at Ballymaloe Cookery School in Ireland, I received an email with instructions to bring a chef’s knife, apron, and towel for the class.

I forgot.

So, the night before the class, I purchased the required items in The Ballymaloe Shop.

Believe me, the last thing I need is another apron or another chef’s knife. The towel, I’ll keep as a memento from the class. One can never have enough towels!

The knife and apron were gently used only one day, by me, at Ballymaloe. (See it there on the counter in the photo above?) The apron has been washed and maybe I’ll get around to ironing it before I give it to the winner… maybe not.

The price tag is still on the knife, 59.95 is the value … and that was in euros!  I don’t recall the price of the apron, but all in all, it’s a brilliant prize!

British and Irish people say “brilliant” all the time, I’m trying to incorporate it into my repertoire.

Here’s what you have to do to be eligible to win:

Find the post for that favorite recipe of yours and leave a comment on that post. Any comment will do, hopefully, something nice, like, “I made this and it was the best thing I ever ate.” Or maybe, “Linda, this recipe is a winner and I want to be a winner too. Pick ME!”

However, you’re feeling at the time is perfect.

You may enter up to five (5) times, leaving a comment on up to five posts. NOT five comments on one post, five different comments on five different recipes.

[Read more →]

Remember, tomorrow I’ll be having a 5th Blogiversary Contest. Be sure to come back and participate to be eligible for a great prize!

Tough woody rosemary stems make wonderful and flavorful skewers for the BBQ. The first trick is to take care to get thick woody stems and not fresh soft stems.

See the difference in the photo above? That top rosemary branch is what you’re looking for.

Trick number two is to soak the rosemary stems in water for at least 20 minutes before grilling. This will prevent the stems from burning to a crisp before the food you have skewered on them is cooked.

Finally, trick number three is to put foil down on the grates of the grill, under the rosemary leaves at the top of the skewers to keep them soft, fresh, and char-free.

[Read more →]

While Peggy and I were staying in Carlsbad, we spent an afternoon shopping in the Cedros Design District in nearby Solana Beach. It’s one of my “must-do treks” whenever I’m in the San Diego area.

Most often, I go shopping there by myself and don’t stop for lunch, but lunch was a must so we could keep with our theme of “Shopping, Drinking, and Eating.”

We actually ended up eating and drinking twice during the long afternoon, both times at the Wild Note Cafe, on Cedros Avenue. During our second stop, we had the best edamame of our young lives.

Of course, upon my return home, I promptly figured out the (very easy) recipe.

Enjoy!

First, a word about the Japanese seven-spice. It can be difficult to find. I looked in the grocery store, no luck. Then I went to Cost Plus World Market, and after much searching and armed with the fact that I knew exactly what I was looking for, I found it. It was not marked “Japanese seven-spice” but rather by one of its other names, Nanami Togarashi. You can, of course, also find it on Amazon.

Japanese seven spice, also known as shichimi togarashi or nana-iro (nanami) togarashi or simply shichimi, is a common Japanese spice mixture containing seven ingredients.

A typical blend contains:

coarsely ground red chili pepper (the main ingredient)
ground sansho
roasted orange peel
black sesame seed
white sesame seed
hemp seed
ground ginger
nori

Trust me, it’s worth taking the extra effort and making a special trip to find it.

[Read more →]

In yesterday’s comments, Vicki asked for more recipes using the new Sweet Chili Chèvre from Trader Joe’s that I was touting.

Your request is my command.

Rocket, Roasted Zucchini, Fennel, Chèvre, and Marcona Almond Salad

Simple Balsamic Vinaigrette
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/3 cup olive oil

[Read more →]

I don’t know if anyone noticed, but I took a little “blog vacation” and didn’t post for six straight days, my longest stretch of “time off” in 5 years! Coincidentally, my 5-year Blogiversary was on Saturday, August 16th … and I missed it!

Seems like a rather big day to miss, but missed it I did. The bad part about that is  … I was planning on holding a contest on the auspicious occasion, giving you a chance to win something very cool.

What to do?

How about we have the contest later in the week? In the meantime, start thinking about your favorite recipe that I’ve posted in these past five years. That will somehow be worked into the contest. Until then, another recipe for your consideration.

[Read more →]