Food Blog Forum - Orlando & A Giveaway

Something told me I should go to the Food Blog Forum event in Orlando. It was the closest food blogging event that had occurred to me, and the speakers looked spectacular: Jaden of Steamy Kitchen, Julie of the little kitchen, Helene of Tartlette, Dawn of Wicked Good Dinner, and Lindsey of Love and Olive Oil. So many food blogging idols in one room - I had to sign up!

And I had to get sick! Not a little sick, a *lot* sick. So sick as in the girl-who-coughs-in-your-face-when-you-ask-her-a-question-and-eventually-loses-her-voice type of sick. I knew the day before I left in my little rental car that it was all going downhill, but you can't put life on hold sometimes, so off I went hoping to make the best of it. Thankfully, my mental focus on not coughing as much as possible, and a high fever, helped keep me deliriously even tempered in the face of so much greatness.

Brie "Cake"

On Friday evening, everyone was thrust into a mixer at Whole Foods, with much wine, to hopefully jump right over any stage fright on meeting complete strangers. Although a few of us have forged deep relationships online with fellow bloggers, many times it can be a different story in person. Some only recognize people by their icons or names, so matching faces to blogs was a bit of a game at first. I actually wore my brown fedora for this reason, and it paid off since many did recognize me.

Blog Anniversary Giveaway - Palm Leaf Plates

Congrats to Tami on winning the jar of organic raw honey! I hope you're enjoying it as much as I love mine!

In honor of the blog anniversary, I'm holding another giveaway for my readers thanks to Marx Foods! After the amazing shipment of mushrooms I received, they kindly offered to let me try their Palm Leaf Plates. The plates are made from naturally discarded Adaka palm tree leaves, collected after they have fallen from the trees. They are rinsed several times and then air dried. Finally, they are stretched and flattened into different shapes and sun-dried before shipping. These plates are literally leaves, so they are biodegradable and compostable. 

Amazingly, they are the most durable temporary plate I've used. They stand up to foods that are soupy and meats that need cutting, all without having to worry about sturdiness. It's even possible to wash them and use again before resigning them to the compost pile after some meals. The plates are surprisingly thick, but as light as a feather. They have "grip" to them from the natural texture of the leaves, which allows you to keep a firm grasp on the plate, and the food does not slide around.

The ladies at book club got to enjoy them as well the other night while we enjoyed our snacks over discussing the last Stieg Larsson novel (::sniff::), and the consensus was pleasantly positive. We loved having a different type of plate around the table to add character to our meal.

I love the natural grain look and the uneven texture of the plates. It's a great conversation piece and it does give you a good feeling not to be adding junk to the trash. Plus it's picnic season! This would be a great contribution to any outdoor party.

The giveaway is now closed. Thank you for entering!

To officially enter the giveaway for 25 Palm Leaf Plates, visit Marx Foods and leave a comment about what other product you'd like to try. Anyone is welcome to enter, but I must be able to contact you via email. The plates can only be shipped to the United States or Canada (but for International readers, if you have a US or Canadian shipping address, you can still enter!).

Bonus:

You can be entered more than once by completing the following steps below - but you still must leave a comment (one per action per person) to receive multiple entries.

1. Follow Marx Foods on Twitter.

2. Become a fan of Marx Foods on Facebook.

3. Become a follower of Le Grand Fromage.

4. Follow Le Grand Fromage on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway: Win @MarxFoods' Palm Leaf Plates via @BLeGrandFromage: http://tinyurl.com/28rd8e4

5. Become a fan of Le Grand Fromage on Facebook.

If you already have completed any of these actions, still leave a comment letting me know to receive your extra entries!

The giveaway is now closed. Thank you for entering!

The giveaway will end on July 9, 2010 at 11:59pm EST. Any comments received after this time will not be included in the giveaway. The winner will be selected using Random.org. The winner will be contacted via email and will have 24 hours to respond, otherwise another winner will be selected.

Good Luck!

Disclaimer: Marx Foods provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose.  Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.

Giveaway: Tropical Traditions Organic Raw Honey

Fabulous news, everyone! The coconut oil giveaway went so well, Tropical Traditions generously offered to share their famous Organic Raw Honey with another lucky reader! These giveaways keep getting better and better!

And congrats to Emma for winning the coconut oil! Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Honey and I go way back. I've been fascinated by this wonder of nature since I was a little girl obsessed with ancient Egypt. It seems any time they discovered a new mummy, they also extract jars of honey thousands of years old - still edible! You see, honey has a large amounts of antioxidants, and its acidity, among other scientific properties, causes it to be a sterile food, never spoiling. The ancients used honey not only in food, but in medicine and even religious ceremonies.

Eating raw honey is like tasting the food of the gods. Nothing else tastes as sweet (literally and figuratively) as honey, and nothing compares to raw honey. The classification for raw honey is by not subjecting it to high heat or filtering. Raw honey is still used today to aid digestion and help keep free radicals to a minimum in the body.

Tropical Traditions explains their organic raw honey "comes from the frontier areas of Canada, and is only harvested during a 6-week period in the summer. [It] has not been subjected to the heat of processing, only warmed enough to flow (same temperatures the honey would see inside the hive). We select only premium honey that is pure, smooth, and creamy, with the consistency of soft margarine at harvest. It contains live yeast and enzymes, because it has not been processed."

Finding areas which can be certified organic are quite difficult, and you can visit their website to read more about how rare their honey really is.

Tropical Traditions has the best tasting raw honey I've ever had. I was so careful with my use of the raw honey, I couldn't even bring myself to drizzle it on a plate for a nice photograph, as I didn't want to waste any! The fine texture of the honey is very pleasing to the palate, and the honey flavor continues to build in your mouth as it slowly swirls around. It was so clean and pure.

I used it as a base on another sunflower seeded flatbread topped with prosciutto, ricotta cheese, and dates - it was delicious! I'm so excited to be able to share a huge jar with one of my readers!

The giveaway is now closed. Thank you for entering!

How to Enter:

To receive one (1) 17.6oz jar of Tropical Traditions Organic Raw Honey, head over to the Tropical Traditions website and sign up for their free newsletter which features sales discounts, free recipes, and much more! After signing up for the newsletter, leave a comment here letting me know to be officially entered in the giveaway. Anyone is welcome to enter, but I must be able to contact you via email. The organic raw honey can only be shipped to the United States or Canada (but for International readers, if you have a US or Canadian shipping address, you can still enter!). Tropical Traditions is not responsible for customs or duties that Canada may charge if you decide to participate in this Tropical Traditions sponsored blog giveaway.

Bonus:

You can be entered more than once by completing the following steps below - but you still must leave a comment (one per action per person) to receive multiple entries.

1. Leave a comment about a Tropical Traditions' product or recipe you'd like to try.

2. Follow Tropical Traditions on Twitter.

3. Become a fan of Tropical Traditions on Facebook.

4. Become a follower of Le Grand Fromage.

5. Follow Le Grand Fromage on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway: Win a FREE jar of @Troptraditions' Organic Raw Honey via @BLeGrandFromage: http://tinyurl.com/2e2nscv

6. Become a fan of Le Grand Fromage on Facebook.

If you already have completed any of these actions, still leave a comment letting me know to receive your extra entries!

The giveaway is now closed. Thank you for entering!

The giveaway will end on May 21, 2010 at 11:59pm EST. Any comments received after this time will not be included in the giveaway. The winner will be selected using Random.org. The winner will be contacted via email and will have 24 hours to respond, otherwise another winner will be selected.

Good Luck!

Disclaimer: Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose.  Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.

Giveaway: Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil

Wonderful news! I'm pleased to host my first giveaway: Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil! This year I've really been laying my love of coconut on pretty thick, and the lovely people at Tropical Traditions have generously offered to give one lucky reader a jar of their famous coconut oil to help spread the love.

For years I've used coconut oil in my cooking, for both health and taste reasons. My favorite way to use coconut oil is to cook fish. The coconut oil has always helped perfectly cook any fish and never soaks in to make it greasy or unpalatable.  It is also delicious to spread on bread in place of butter, or to add a nice taste and texture to a homemade smoothie. But the uses of coconut oil are practically unlimited, even outside the realm of cooking. My organic lotions and chapsticks also contain coconut oil, which really help keep my skin hydrated.

I've used several organic coconut oils over the years, and the Gold Label offered by Tropical Traditions has been the best quality I've tasted. The method of producing the coconut oil on the Tropical Traditions' website explains why this is such a high quality oil, "[they] extract the oil by grating the fresh coconut, extracting the coconut milk, and then letting the coconut milk stand in a covered container for about 24 hours. After about 24 hours, the oil naturally separates from the water producing a crystal clear oil that retains the full scent and taste of coconuts."

This means the coconut oil is extracted by hand to make unrefined coconut oil 24-48 hours after the organic coconuts are harvested in the Philippines. This hand making process prevents nutrients from being broken down, compared to high-heat refining processes, allowing their oil to retain higher levels of antioxidants naturally from the coconuts. Tropical Traditions' coconut oil is made by local families certified with the Good Manufacturing Practice. Their website has photos and more information about this traditional method of making coconut oil.

The giveaway is now closed. Thank you for entering!

How to Enter:

To receive one (1) 32 oz jar of Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil, head over to the Tropical Traditions website and sign up for their free newsletter which features sales discounts, free recipes, and much more! After signing up for the newsletter, leave a comment here letting me know to be officially entered in the giveaway. Anyone is welcome to enter, but I must be able to contact you via email. The coconut oil can only be shipped to the United States or Canada (but for International readers, if you have a US or Canadian shipping address, you can still enter!). Tropical Traditions is not responsible for customs or duties that Canada may charge if you decide to participate in this Tropical Traditions sponsored blog giveaway.

Bonus:

You can be entered more than once by completing the following steps below - but you still must leave a comment (one per action) to receive multiple entries.

1. Leave a comment about a Tropical Traditions' product or recipe you'd like to try.

2. Follow Tropical Traditions on Twitter.

3. Become a fan of Tropical Traditions on Facebook.

4. Become a follower of Le Grand Fromage.

5. Follow Le Grand Fromage on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway: Win a FREE jar of @Troptraditions' Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil via @BLeGrandFromage: http://tiny.cc/7hnmf.

6. Become a fan of Le Grand Fromage on Facebook.

If you already have completed any of these actions, still leave a comment letting me know to receive your extra entries!

The giveaway is now closed. Thank you for entering!

The giveaway will end on April 9, 2010 at 11:59pm EST. Any comments received after this time will not be included in the giveaway. The winner will be selected using Random.org. The winner will be contacted via email and will have 24 hours to respond, otherwise another winner will be selected.

If you like products offered by Tropical Traditions, as a bonus for first time customers, by entering my referal number during checkout, you can receive a FREE copy of the book "Virgin Coconut Oil: How It Has Changed People's Lives and How It Can Change Yours!" This book is packed with information explaining coconut oil in depth, as well as 85 recipes showing how to use coconut products throughout your diet. At checkout under the "How did you hear about us?" option, choose "Refered by" and enter my referal number 5580608.

Good Luck!

Disclaimer: Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose.  Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.