Cooking In Stilettos...
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Open Your Heart To Menu For Hope V
Remember that track, "Don't They Know It's Christmas." Well, as you well know, many people don't have the luxury to enjoy all the abundance we all have. We have health and family and friends. We have a roof over our heads, heat, electricity and food in the pantry. We have love - most of all.
So, I wanted to take a brief break from all things holiday shopping, decorating, etc. to bring attention to a cause that just is amazing: Chef Pim's Menu of Hope V. Last year wonderful people like you raised over $90,000 for the UN World Food Program. This year Menu of Hope is raising funds again for the World Food Program which supports the school lunch and farming program in Lesotho, Africa. As of today, they've already raised over $7,200.
Let's talk about how this plays out. The prizes this year are beyond fabulous. $10 gets you a virtual raffle ticket as you choose which prize you want to go for, whether it's a cookbook hot off the press, fabulous food and wines, tours of various culinary meccas and even seats to an Iron Chef taping. How cool is THAT?!?!
Cooking In Stilettos is also joining in the mix. We have donated something that might make you click twice... we're offering not only a $50 gift card to the culinary mecca, Sur La Table but also an autographed copy of Latin Evolution by Jose Garces. It's listed as Prize UE33 Take a look at the Regional Prizes HERE.
Ready to donate? OK - here's how it goes:
- Choose a prize or prizes of your choice from our Menu for Hope at http://chezpim.com
- Go to the donation site at http://www.firstgiving.com/menuforhope5 and make a donation.
- Each $10 you donate will give you one raffle ticket toward a prize of your choice. Please specify which prize you'd like in the 'Personal Message' section in the donation form when confirming your donation. You must write-in how many tickets per prize, and please use the prize code.For example, a donation of $50 can be 2 tickets for EU01 and 3 tickets for EU02. Please write 2xEU01, 3xEU02
- If your company matches your charity donation, please check the box and fill in the information so we could claim the corporate match.
- Please allow us to see your email address so that we could contact you in case you win. Your email address will not be shared with anyone.
Thank you for making this holiday season one to remember...
Labels: Charitable Giving, Contest, Cool Products, Great Blogs
Posted by Lys ::
9:07 PM ::
2 comments
Post / Read Comments
---------------oOo---------------
Monday, December 8, 2008
And The Antonios Contest Winners Are...
*drum roll please*
Per Random.org's random generator, it chose numbers 10 and 8 for the winning commenters. That means that Lesli of Pretty Random Thoughts and Shopaholic D of The Chic Life are going to have some lovely candy confection goodies from Antonios in Philadelphia's Italian Market to enjoy this holiday season!
Congrats ladies!!
Stay tuned... there's another fab giveaway coming at the end of the week ;)Labels: Contest, Philly
Posted by Lys ::
8:23 AM ::
3 comments
Post / Read Comments
---------------oOo---------------
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Contest Reminder: Goodies From Antonios...
Just a Reminder - today is the last day to leave a comment to win some goodies from Antonios in Philadelphia's Italian Market. Head over to this post and enter!
Good Luck!Labels: Candy Confections, Contest, Philly
Posted by Lys ::
12:51 PM ::
0 comments
Post / Read Comments
---------------oOo---------------
Monday, November 24, 2008
A Few Of My Favorite Things: Philadelphia's Italian Market...
I recently flew up to Philadelphia for a birthday soiree thrown by two of my fave people, Meowmix and Reese at one of my favorite restaurants and in between hanging out with good friends, shopping and such, I also took some time to head over to my favorite culinary hangout in Philadelphia - the Italian Market.
One thing I MISS about not being at least in driving distance of Philly is the airline restrictions with luggage. No longer am I able to load up my suitcase with spices and goodies to take back to Orlando. Basically, my thought is that while my friends are crashing from partying the night before, I love to take the car and zip down to 9th Street and wander the Italian Market aimlessly with my coffee in hand as I take in the sights, smells and sounds. I always have such great conversations with the retailers and customers alike and, apparently, I must look like a Philly gal because this last trip, a tourist stopped moi and asked for help with finding some good spots to check out in town. (And Meowmix will tell you that I normally have this mean mug face when shopping to avoid the overzealous sales people so if I'm that calm in the Italian Market and approachable, you know I'm in heaven).
So this rainy, Saturday morning, I decided to zip on down to the Market and get some blog fodder for Cooking In Stilettos. Plus I need to fondle pots at Fantes, see if I can find some new cookbooks, pick up some spices and stock up on Pumpkin Spice Coffee. As I'm turning onto 9th Street, who walks in front of my car with HIS coffee but my old floor producer from TheShow back in the day - Rennie. How utterly random. After a quick convo (and so I wouldn't hold up traffic), promises to call later, assurances that I would be home again, etc. I shot down 9th Street and started looking for a parking space. Now y'all know parking in Philly is at a premium, so I have a few tricks I use - side streets, careful attention to the signs (don't need to be on an episode of Parking Wars) and after careful prayers and putting it out there, a spot was procured. I found one a few streets over, channeled my inner parallel parking diva and while my parking wasn't sooooo great (I'm rusty - shoot me), I grabbed my purse and headed for the crowds. As I didn't take my normal camera and only had the Blackberry, please forgive me if the shots seem a bit "off".
Walking down one of the gorgeous side streets on the way to the Italian Market
A mainstay in the Italian Market - DiBruno Bros. Who know, you might run into one Ms. Patti LaBelle here as she's known to frequent the Market and DiBruno Bros.
One of the many produce stands that lines the sidewalk. The streets are narrow as are the sidewalks so the key is to shop quick, walk quick and everyone is happy.
Esposito's - one of the BEST places for meats and fish
The Spice Corner is one of my favorite spots to hang out in. I pretty much cleaned them out of their pumpkin spice coffee (one for SL and the rest for yours truly). I picked up a number of spices, some great loose teas and some stuff for a upcoming holiday contest... Everything there is fresh, the people are so sweet and helpful and
I headed to Fante's to see what was new in all things Le Creuset, Global and more. Plus, I was craving some good coffee so I dropped by their coffee shop to get a fabulous Cafe au Lait and pumpkin biscotti.
Claudio's beckoned and in I went to purchase some pantry staples i.e. quick polenta, gnocci and some other goodies. Trust me, check out the photos of the cheeses below. I could have done WAY more damage but they wouldn't have lasted on the way back to Orlando. :::sigh:::
Isn't that cheese selection divine? Oh how I wanted to throw a Philly soiree. Claudio's - can you please open a shop in Orlando, pretty please?
Finally, as I'm trotting down another side of the street, I saw one of my weaknesses - pizzelles. If you have never had them, you must try. They are an Italian cookie and are sooo good. But much like Lay's potato chips, you can't have just one.
Chocolates and Gelato? Wait - a minute -homemade gelato? Now I'm really overwhelmed and thinking "Can I just wear jeans tonight and leave the form-fitting dress for another day?" I decide to bring some treats back for the gals as thanks for everything they did for my birthday and pick up a little somethin' somethin' for me too.
The homemade truffles were divine. My favorite was the Sea Salt Caramel and the gals loved the Hazelnut and Kahlua ones. If you can, order a box for someone you love during the holidays. They will adore it.
And check this out - they have CANNOLI KITS! No, seriously, they ship the fixings for cannolis to you ASAP and you can treat your family to a bit of Italian Market heaven.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CONTEST ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So, to give a little holiday gift to two lucky blog readers, leave a comment on this post NO LATER than Dec. 7, 2008 telling me about either your experiences in my favorite city, Philadelphia, or if you haven't been to Philly, what is your favorite holiday recipe/goodie to share with others. We'll pick two winners using a Random Number Generator and I'll have a little something from Antonio's shipped your way for the holiday season. Make sure to include your email!!! Labels: Contest, Desserts, Favorite Things, Italian, Philly, Regional Fare, Shopping, Spices
Posted by Lys ::
1:39 AM ::
10 comments
Post / Read Comments
---------------oOo---------------
Friday, August 1, 2008
Flanboyant Eats Shares The Wealth...
I've been so bad, I know. I've been wrapped up in planning this soiree in Philly but I will be back with the quickness, pinky swear!
In the meantime, stop by Flanboyant Eats and check out how paying it forward resulted in a little package on Chef Bren's lap which she's now sharing with y'all.
And if you don't have Flanboyant Eats bookmarked, c'mon now. Would I steer you wrong :)
Labels: Contest, Great Blogs
Posted by Lys ::
3:09 PM ::
0 comments
Post / Read Comments
---------------oOo---------------
Sunday, June 1, 2008
And the Winner of Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill Cookbook Is....
Per Random.org: Commenter No. 5 which is....
:::drumroll::::
SHOEADDICT
Enjoy your cookbook, Ms. ShoeAddict!Labels: Contest, Food Network
Posted by Lys ::
4:50 PM ::
1 comments
Post / Read Comments
---------------oOo---------------
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Giveaway: Flayin' It Up - Mesa Grill style...
OK Cooking in Stilettos readers - are you prepared for the onslaught of summer? Want to try some new and fresh recipes from Food Network's Bobby Flay?
Well, I have one copy of Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill Cookbook: Explosive Flavors from the Southwestern Kitchen to give away to ONE lucky reader. I have and adore this cookbook and know that you will love it too.
So, wanting to pass the wealth along to you - here's what you have to do. Leave a comment with one of your favorite summertime recipes in THIS post only with your email. I will pick out a random winner on June 1st via Randomizer and announce it here and then zip off the cookbook to you.
Bobby Flay and summer: two things that go together VERY well.Labels: Bobby Flay, Contest, Cookbook, Food Network
Posted by Lys ::
5:35 PM ::
6 comments
Post / Read Comments
---------------oOo---------------
Subscribe in a reader
OK Cooking in Stilettos readers - are you prepared for the onslaught of summer? Want to try some new and fresh recipes from Food Network's Bobby Flay?