3 Winner!

Well, I have to say that today presents a great opportunity for teaching my daughter that you can't win all the time, not even mommies and daddies!  Bentobloggy came in a very close second to the first place blog in the About.com Readers' Choice Awards, and even though we didn't achieve first place, I'm still ecstatic to have been recognized as having a worthy message and a great blog. You can check out the standings here.  Thanks to everyone who supported Bentobloggy!

From About.com:

Blogger is Google's free blogging service. This year we asked you to find the best blogs on blogger, and you delivered. We had five great choices which were voted on by some very passionate fans. The voting was very close for the top two blogs, so they both deserve a big round of applause for having such dedicated fans.


Bentobloggy
Bento is a Japanese tradition of ornate lunches prepared for school children, and the tradition has become trendy in the US as a way to get picky children to try new foods. Bentobloggy's author, Emily, describes her blog as "An on-the-go mom seeks to keep her kid interested in healthy and adventurous eating through creative lunches and cooking."


This blog was a very close second place in this year's Readers' Choice Award. Well done, Bentobloggy!

Now, on to the real winner of the subject of this blog post - the Le Creuset Tarte Tatin dish!

The winner is commenter #7!

Congratulations!  Please contact me at emily AT bentobloggy DOT com within 48 hours to claim your prize.

I'm having a spice giveaway next, stay tuned!

75 A BIG Thank You, and a BIG Giveaway

I want to thank each and every one of you who voted for Bentobloggy in the About.com's Readers' Choice Awards!  It's an enormous honor to even be nominated, so from the bottom of my heart, thank you SO much.  No matter who wins, it was fun and exciting.

We won't know until next Tuesday the 15th who the official winner is but until then...I have a little surprise which I've been saving for a special occasion, and I think now's the perfect time.

You saw that luscious-looking Tarte Tatin the other day, right?  Well, it was created in a wonderful Le Creuset Tarte Tatin 2 quart enameled cast iron dish from their new (old?) Heritage Collection.  I'm giving away one of these babies in the classic Flame color you see below (my personal favorite, which I collect like a fiend.)  And it's not just for tarts.  You can use it to cook absolutely anything - quiche, pizza, vegetables, you name it. If it fits, it'll cook beautifully on the stove and in the oven.  And how about those cool handles, huh?

HOW TO ENTER

Mandatory Entry:  All you need to do to enter is be a follower of this blog (either by clicking 'Follow' in the top left corner or through Google Friend Connect) AND Bentobloggy's Facebook page.  To enter you must leave a comment below telling me you follow in BOTH places.  Tell me what would you make in your new Tarte Tatin dish if you win.

Want to increase your chances of winning? 

Here are some additional ways to get entries:

- Blog about this giveaway. Leave a comment indicating that you've done so and post the link in a comment for me to see.

- Follow me on Twitter. Click to go to my Twitter page.  Leave a comment in this post telling me that you follow Bentobloggy.  

- Tweet about this giveaway. Leave another comment telling me you tweeted a link to this giveaway with a link back to your Twitter post.

- Add a link to Bentobloggy to your blog roll.  Leave one last comment with the verifiable link, and if you already have Bentobloggy on your blog, just leave a comment saying so!

That's five ways to enter, and five ways to win. Remember to leave a seperate comment for every entry you have. Otherwise, your entries may not be valid.  This contest is open to everyone with a valid ship-to address who lives outside my house.  Void where prohibited and all that jazz.  

You have until Monday, March 14th, by 11:59 PM EST time to enter.

The winner will be chosen using random.org and announced the following day, and the winner has about 48 hours to claim their prize - I reserve the right to choose a new winner after that. 

This contest is sponsored by Bentobloggy (me.)  This giveaway has no affiliation with any of the brands or links listed.

I also would like to take a moment to congratulate my competitors on their nominations.  I'm certain they appreciate their fans as much as I appreciate mine.  Here are their links in order of voting appearance:

Cake Wrecks 

Single Dad Laughing 
Mouses Houses 
Born Gay Born This Way 

Bentobloggy garnered approximately 8,625 unofficial votes.

Thank You!

3 French Cooking Day

Another busy and fun cooking weekend!  I had my girlfriends over Friday for a French cooking day.  We became Julia Child acolytes and made her boeuf bourguignon, (which I just can't get enough practice at) gratin Jurassien (baked scalloped potatoes with Swiss cheese.  To.Die.For.  I may or may not have had 1/4 of it all by myself...) and tarte Tatin with organic apples and pears (which my brother-in-law made for us since he is the fabulous baker of the family.)  What an amazing dinner with the best of friends and family.

The Boeuf.

The Gratin.

The Tarte.

The Delicious.

I encourage you to give one or more of these a try - there is something here for everyone. The boeuf and the gratin are gluten-free (omit the flour in the boeuf or use a substitute), the gratin and tarte are vegetarian, and all of them are unbelievably delicious, and I guarantee you'll have a happy family around the dinner table.  Even better because almost all my ingredients are locally sourced, from the grass-fed beef and bacon I picked up from my local butcher shop, to the organic fruits, vegetables and herbs from my CSA.  Support local and whole foods!

Bon Appetit!