Cholula Cap Decorating Contest WINNERS!

You may remember me announcing a contest back in December being put on by Cholula Hot Sauce.  Basically, I was helping them put out the call for creativity and holiday spirit using your Cholula bottles.  You know the ones.   The kind with the awesome wooden caps?  The winners were to receive: (grand prize) Sur La Table Tri-Ply Stainless Steel 9-piece cookware set valued at $279.96 and the (runners-up) $25 Sur La Table Gift Cards.  A few days ago, Cholula asked me if I could pick the winners.  

Well...of course!  For some reason there weren't a whole lot of entries (timing...holidays!?), but all of the ones that were created were absolutely fun and fantastic!  And the great thing about having a small number of entries...for those who played along, at least...is that EVERYBODY who created a cap will get a prize!  There is one grand prize winner and four runners-up (originally there were 12 runner-up prizes up for grabs).  So.  Without further ado, let me announce these talented winners and their creations!


Like I said, all of the entries were awesome, but overall, my absolute favorite was this cap submitted by Faith.  It looks to be intricately painted with a night-sky Christmas Eve theme.  Look at the detail...the colors...so fabulous!  Congrats Faith, you've won the Sur La Table Tri-Ply Stainless Steel 9-piece cookware set!

Grand Prize Winner of Cholula Cap Decorating Contest

And the four runners-up with a fun pom-pom Santa (Sandy), a message for the season (Nichole), some smoochable mistletoe (Diane), and some holiday ornaments I'd love to hang on my tree (Jessica) will all receive a $25 Sur La Table Gift Card.  

Runners-Up in the Cholula Cap Decorating Contest

Congrats to everybody...and thanks for your thoughtful entries.  You will be receiving an email from the lovely people at Cholula Hot Sauce to confirm your win and arrange for the delivery of your prizes.


Thanks to Cholula for making me a partner in this event.  You can check them out on Facebook, their website, twitter...or at a store near you!

Cholula Cap Decorating Contest ...Win Cookware & Gift Certificates from Sur la Table

Do you have it?  Can you feel it?  Holiday spirit is in the air!  Whether you're buried in a cozy white blanket of snow or sitting on a blanket of white sand, it's a hard feeling to ignore.  The music, the lights, the snow men, the menorahs, the dreidels, the trees filling the air with the scent of pine, the wish lists, the sales, the food, the decorations!  Oh yes, the decorations abound.  Whether you celebrate Christmas or Kwanzaa or Hanukkah...or just embrace the spirit of giving...it's hard to miss the bright colors, shiny wrappers, and sparkling lights peeking around every corner.

So, in the spirit of the season, I am super excited to announce that I am pairing with Cholula Hot Sauce as their blog partner for the Cholula Cap Decorating Contest!

Details:

A Cholula Cap Decorating Contest where families and individuals may decorate their Cholula Cap for a chance to win prizes.

Prizes (provided by Cholula):

1 winner - Sur La Table Tri-Ply Stainless Steel 9-piece cookware set valued at $279.96

12 winners - $25 Sur La Table Gift Cards

How to enter (2 ways):

1. Submit a picture of decorated Cholula cap to girlichef at girlichef dot com.  (Please include your name and email address for notification purposes.)

or

2.  Follow @CholulaHotSauce and tweet your photo including @CholulaHotSauce #cholulacap in the tweet.

Deadline:

All submissions must be received by Friday, December 23, 2011 at 11:59 pm and is open to those with shipping addresses in the United States (including Alaska & Hawaii) only.  Winners will be chosen by Cholula as simply "favorites". Skill and creativity are noted but are not the sole basis of judgment as we encourage all ages to participate.

How exciting is that!  So whether you want to make it a girl's night in activity, or a craft with the kids, or just do it in your spare time for fun...anybody is eligible to participate.  I know I can't wait to have some festive little bottles of Cholula sitting around on my holiday table!  Please check out the Cholula Facebook Page, where Cholula will promoting the contest and sharing the submissions.

I'm looking forward to seeing your holiday decorating skills...and lots of fun bottles of Cholula!

update 2/28/12: See the winners here!

*disclaimer:  This giveaway is sponsored by Cholula Hot Sauce.  I received no compensation for partnering with them to host this fun contest.

product review: Cholula Hot Sauce (+ a Michelada)

Is it wrong for me to admit that my hands-down favorite thing about Cholula Hot Sauce is the bottles? Or maybe, more specifically, the caps on the bottles.  What is it about those simple wooden caps that makes me want to carry this bottle to the table with me?  Lest you think I'm all about looks, I also enjoy "the flavorful fire" that Cholula offers.  I do think that Cholula is all about the flavor, but I don't personally think that it is very hot.  It has a subtle heat that lies sort of  masked underneath the flavor-burst of the chiles.  While my favorite hot sauce has a more pronounced vinegar-punch, I enjoy having a variety on hand for cases when the vinegar doesn't quite fit.

My premonition was that out of the four flavors- Original, Chili Garlic, Chipotle, and Chili Lime -I would fall in love with Chili Garlic the hardest.  That was almost true.  I wanted it to be true. But somehow Chipotle won my affections.  I wound up shaking a few dashes of Chipotle on anything I could get my hands on...it adds wonderful smoky notes to everything from Tortilla Soup to cheese to Steak & Potato tacos.  And speaking of cheese, I've developed this little habit of grabbing a hunk of cheddar or a quick snack of string cheese and bringing the bottle of Chili Garlic with me wherever I am going to eat them.  A little drop of Cholula per bite and it just lights up.  The kiddos took to loving "mock chicken wings" (breaded breast tenders that were breaded and baked...a play on the boneless wings that are so popular right now) cooked and then coated in a sauce made with Original or Chili Garlic mixed with melted butter and a hit of vinegar.  It's become a well-requested favorite around here, actually.

 I've also experimented using Cholula with a few drinks.  I like both the Chipotle and the Chili Garlic in a Bloody Maria.  Perhaps the best addition to a Michelada would be Cholula Chili Lime.

 Michelada

slightly adapted from Houston Classic Mexican Recipes

serves 12ish...I prefer a smaller dose of mixer in mine

10 oz. fresh lime juice

3½ Tbs. Worcestershire sauce

½ tsp. soy sauce

10 oz. Cholula Chili Lime Hot Sauce (or your favorite)

¼ tsp. black pepper

⅔ tsp. Maggi seasoning sauce

12 cervezas of your choice

Mix together all ingredients except beer.  

Pour 1-2 oz. of mixture (I prefer 1 oz. mixture per beer, but that's just me) into each glass and top off with one beer.  If you like it spicier, add another dash of hot sauce.  Garnish w/ lime slice.

So, for a blast of flavor without the "hurt", try adding Cholula to any dish...you never know what fantastic flavor combinations you will discover.  For recipes and a chance to win Cholula, visit Cholula on Facebook and join in the flavorful fun.

*disclaimer: I received a 4-pack of Cholula Hot Sauce free to test and review.  All opinions stated in this post are 100% mine.