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!

Mini Chamomile Cakes with Honey Frosting

Okay.  Let me give you a little glimpse into the way my brain works.  I see something with the title "mini chamomile cakes with honey frosting" and promptly pull out my mini-cupcake pans.  Mind you, I did this with my advanced-advanced copy of this glorious cookbook.  And, fancying myself a considerate host, I decided to let 21 other people know that they should dust off their mini-cupcake pans, as well.  Yup.  Feelin' good.

So I stir up this simple batter.  Simple, yet packed with the glorious, green, and grassy notes of dried chamomile.  Life is good.  Yet I think ...hmmmmm?  This looks like an awful lot of batter for something that is supposed to only just fill 12 cups.  Halfway.  Sure enough, I fill 12 of my mini-cupcake cups. And then I fill 12 more.  And I still have a lot of batter left.  So I do what any space-case would do and put some more batter into each cup.  This means the "holes" are a good two-thirds of the way full.  And yet...there's still more batter.  Lucky for me I have yet another mini-cupcake pan.  So I fill that one too.  And then I lick the good amount of batter still left in the bowl.  I must be good. I've really stretched that batter!

Let's just say - I'm not good.  Think Mount Vesuvius erupting and the lava that has flowed over the edge then left to form a crust over the top of, say, a parking lot full of cars.  Now imagine trying to pluck the cars from that parking lot.  Yeah.  Not a pretty site.  Much like my highly anticipated pans of mini-cupcakes.

Keys to Good Cooking ...just a little tease (and the giveaway WINNER!)

Are you familiar with the book On Food and Cooking (The Science and Lore of the Kitchen) by Harold McGee? This book was invaluable to me throughout culinary school...for research, for definitions, for the science of food.  Seriously, it's not just the art aspect of food that fascinates me; I'm enthralled by the science of it all, as well!  If I wanted to know how a certain ingredient reacted to another one...or look up a spice or vegetable that was new to me...or even about the history of, oh, say...distilled spirits- it was all in there.  I had several books "on call" for this type of purpose...but On Food and Cooking never failed to yield me results when I had a question.

SOOOOOO, when I was asked to be a part of the TLC book tour to promote McGee's upcoming release Keys to Good Cooking (A Guide to Making the Best Foods and Recipes), I said yes, Yes, OH YES in a heartbeat!  I've said it before and I'll say it again...I love to learn.  I thirst for knowledge.  I don't believe one can ever know everything about a subject.  And although I know a good deal about food and cooking...there's probably even more that I don't know.  This books sounds like it's going to be a great guide to have on hand...for both the novice and the experienced cook.  It runs the gamut on possible food questions, concerns, and tips.  It deals with everyday ingredients, but also caters to the more exotic.  It aims to help you become more confident, knowledgeable, and capable in the kitchen...a skill-builder, if you will.  I'm clearing a space on my kitchen bookshelf to make room for this almost-600 page book that I can see becoming a fixture in my kitchen.

I've listed just a few of the things you can expect to see...as a point of reference, ya know...

Some vegetables are best partly cooked at temperatures
below the boil that firm their texture.
To boil potatoes and other starchy vegetables, start them in cold
water slightly acidified with lemon juice or cream of tartar, and
heat them gradually up to 180-190°F/80-85°C. This method
helps the vegetable surfaces stay intact while the pieces cook
through.

Add salt to the cooking water, as much as 30 grams (2 Tb
granulated, 4 Tb flake) per quart/liter, to reduce the leaching out of vegetable components and speed the softening of plant
cell walls. Salt does not raise the boiling temperature or toughen
vegetables.

Shred dry, overcooked meat instead of cutting it, and moisten
the fibers with a thin, juicelike sauce.


I can't wait!  The book is due to be released on October 28 of this year, but I'm so excited to be receiving a copy for review next month.  I'll be posting my actual review in November, so be sure to check back then ...for now, I'm just being a tease.  Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for its release...and check out the tour for other opinions and views on McGee's upcoming release!

Interested in knowing a bit more about Harold McGee? Well, this excerpt is taken from the TLC website: "Harold McGee writes about the science of food and cooking. He’s the author of the award-winning classic On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen, and writes a monthly column, “The Curious Cook,” for The New York Times. He has been named food writer of the year by Bon Appétit magazine and to the Time 100, an annual list of the world’s most influential people. He lives in San Francisco."

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You thought I forgot, didn't ya!? Well, I didn't...I just wanted to make you squirm a little. Unless of course you just skipped down and well, you're no just fun at all, then. I want to thank everyone who took the time to enter...I wish I could give all of you prizes, but alas, I only have one...I had a total of 116 entries into the giveaway for the $75 NOVICA gift certificate (126 total comments, but 10 of those weren't entries, so I skipped over to do the counting). So, I won't keep you in suspense any longer....the winner is....

Congratulations, Veronica!  Please shoot me an email girlichef at yahoo dot com and I will get you your gift certificate immediately!  It's electronic, so you can shop as soon as you get it...woo hoo!!!

Thanks once again to Novica, as well for providing me with this wonderful opportunity to introduce others to your fabulous site...for allowing me to have a gift certificated to purchase anything my heart desired...and for providing me with the certificate to give one of my readers!

Belated Buñuelos (and the t-shirt winners)

I am running later than late lately. Wow, 3 versions of a single word in a single sentence. I meant to post 2 different things over the past weekend...both my contribution for the IHCC Cookie Exchange and the winners of the Love the Pie! t-shirts. I don't have much time, but I wanted to share some delicious little pieces of fried dough that I made for the cookie exchange this (or should I say last) week. Traditionally we would make these with some yeast and a bit of anise, but this is a version by Nigella that mixes up quick and tastes pretty good in its own rite. Buñuelos from Nigella Express by Nigella Lawson yield: 30 1/4 c. milk 1 egg 1 c. flour 1 tsp. baking powder 1/8 tsp. cream of tartar 1 Tbs. vegetable shortening cooking oil for frying powdered sugar for decorating Whisk the milk and egg in a large measuring cup or bowl. Pout the flour, baking powder and cream of tartar into a different bowl, then rub the shortening into the mixture either by hand or with a mixer. Pour in the milk and egg and mix to make a silky dough; be prepared to add 1-3 Tbs. of extra flour if it's too sticky. Pour the oil in a pan up to about 1" deep and place over high heat to reach a temperature of 350 degrees F. Tear off cherry tomato-sized balls** from the dough, rubbing them with your hands to shape them. Drop into the hot oil and cook for about 1 or 2 minutes on each side or until golden. Drain on paper towels... ...and then arrange on a plate and dust with powdered sugar. **My notes: I would divide the dough into portions in advance the first time, because if you end up making them too big, they will still be doughy in the middle when they're golden on the outside...and that would be a shame (take it from me, I lost 4 this way)! And mine cooked very quickly, perhaps a minute or two total...no need for "flipping"...they flipped and turned and twisted all on their own. These are a great quick treat with some coffee, milk or hot chocolate...but definitely try a version with anise flavoring sometime, too...superb! ...and now to go cook/bake up something...anything...else Nigella (it's a POTLUCK this week at IHCC)!! Announcing the Winners of the Love the Pie! tshirt: Joanne of Eats Well with Others Jenn of Bread + Butter Martha of Martha's Menagerie Congratulations ladies...please shoot me an email with your shipping address and I'll get them on their way ASAP! (girlichef at yahoo dot com)

Of cardamon pods...and other fortunate events

Over the past couple of months, I have been fortunate enough to be on the receiving ends of some very cool foodie giveaways...and one particularly awesome surprise gift! I'm sure most of you know what an amazing community of food bloggers are floating around...most of the people I've met are kind and giving of their time, advice, recipes and friendship. That being said I just wanted to send some quick shout-outs and thanks to several people. First of all...my surprise gift of Cardamom Pods! Thanks to the awesome Christo aka DoggyBloggy of Chez What? for sending me these beauties...A week of so ago, I had a recipe that called for cardamom seeds, but when I went out looking for them, I discovered that a tiny little bottle (something containing ~1 oz) cost in the area of $17.00! Ummmmmm...what!? Too rich for my blood. So I substituted and moved on. Well, substituted, voiced my opinion and then moved on. How awesome is it that he actually sent me a big bag full of cardamom pods to do with what I wish! I cannot wait to start making some cardamom laced sweets & savories! Thanks so much, Christo :) I recently had a delivery of this insanely HUGE basket full of goodies. I was the lucky winner of not 1, but 2 giveaways from Amanda aka HannahBanana of Nourish. This basket (from Skylar Haley) contained 6 different types of dried fruits (Montmorency cherries, Granny Smith Apples, Peaches, Blueberries, Raspberries and Mixed Berries). Have I ever mentioned that I love dried fruit? I soooo totally do. I'd never had dried peaches before...they were awesome. The kiddos loved each and every kind, too! The basket also contained some sparkling juices (like Meyer Lemon and Fuji Apple), some protein boost coffee drinks (oh yeah), an Energy drink (mmmm hmmm) and an amazing smelling Mango & Spearmint (natural based formula) candle. This was a basket filled with amazingly delicious goodies!The other giveaway I won from Amanda was a whole CASE of Zevia natural diet soda. That is a whole 24 cans! There was Cola, Ginger ale, Orange, Black Cherry, Root beer and Twist. These sodas contain zero calories and are sweetened with Stevia Root (a natural sweetener). Although we don't drink much soda in our house, we do buy some from time to time. Surprisingly my favorite was the Black Cherry flavor. It's flavor was understated & perfectly sweet (not cloying). We also made some root beer floats and creamsicle floats....yummy! Thank you so much Amanda for these awesome prizes that I won. I loved them all! Another cool giveaway I recently won was a pack of goodies from the lovely Peachkins of The Peach Kitchen. These are not your my everyday goodies. They are Filipino snacks! So cool! The first thing I dug into surprise, surprise was the bag of dried mangoes!! While I love dried fruit...I really love dried mangoes! They were soft and smooth and full of sweet, mango goodness. Awesome!A few other things that we all loved were these Spicy Garlic snacks...which reminded me of CornNuts. These awesome Clover Chips which were cheesy, puffed chip-like things. And these Choco Soaked Sponge Crunches! I didn't know what to expect when opening any of these...which made it all the more fun to dive in! Also in the package were some ramen-type noodle bowls and some seasoning packets which I haven't tried yet...but will soon...I cannot wait! Thank you so much Peachy...I adore my snacks straight from the Philippines!And I finally have the cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking thanks to an amazing giveaway from Mary of Deep South Dish...of which I was the lucky winner! I have wanted this cookbook for years...and the release of Julie and Julia has only refueled the need to have it in my hot little hands! How awesome...I am taking my time and hungrily paging through it trying to decide what I want to make first. Thank you again...so much...Mary! I will cook & post something from it soon. Last, but not least, I won this amazing Frommer's book called 500 Places for Food & Wine Lovers from Esme of Chocolate and Croissants. Perfect! I am drooling and daydreaming and scheming a way to get to at least a few of these places...soon! I am such a dreamer and this is definitely fuel for my fire...I am loving every minute of it. So, to all you other foodies, food lovers, gourmands, epicureans, gastronomes, hungry people out there...I know there are good people in this world. Kindness that touches you in some little way (like a bag of cardamom pods). I also know that it is possible for you to win that giveaway! Or maybe the next one...all you have to do is enter!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Ice Cream

In honor of my recent Simply... Cookie Dough Giveaway, I'm sharing this recipe requested by the munchkins!


Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Ice Cream
adapted from the Chocolate-Peanut Butter Ice Cream in The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz
yield: ~1 quart

2 c. half and half
1/4 c. unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder
1/2 c. sugar
pinch of salt
1/2 c. smooth peanut butter
5 circles of Pillsbury Simply...Peanut Butter cookie dough, frozen & chopped
1/3 c. peanut butter chips

Whisk together the half & half, cocoa powder, sugar and salt in a large sauce pan.

Heat the mixture, whisking frequently, until it comes to a full, rolling boil (it will start to foam up...so keep an eye...it'll overflow quickly)! Remove from the heat and whisk in the peanut butter, stirring until thoroughly blended.

Chill the mixture thoroughly, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions.

At the point the mixture has begun to thicken in your ice cream maker (~10-15 mins.), add these beauties in!
Eat it right away for a soft-serve-like consistency.
Or transfer to a container and put in freezer until ready to scoop out and enjoy!
So yes, definitely use some of the cookie dough in ice cream if you're a fan of the raw stuff...it was deeeeee-licious!

On a separate note, can I tell you how much I love the new Ice Cream Maker (like that, only black) I recently bought on clearance ($15.00!) at Walmart. This one only requires me to put the bowl in the freezer. My old one needed ice and salt and it was just plain annoying to use...which is probably why I only used it twice...yeah, 2x! That's it. I mean, maybe I'm just lazy, but sheesh...anybody want it (after that glowing review)??

Have Cupcakes, will Travel...okay, the cupcakes will travel. WINNER!

Since I started the celebration with cupcakes, I figured that I may as well end it with cupcakes. These particular cupcakes are deceptive. A simple exterior disguises a surprise interior! Even though these cupcakes aren't actually from the book I'm giving to someone today, I saw them over at she's becoming DoughMessTic and KNEW that I MUST make them IMMEDIATELY! (This was Susan's version of a recipe originally posted on AllRecipes.) It's a super easy recipe that uses cake mix and pre-made cookie dough...so you get them in your mouth that much faster...and I am all for that! So, pick your favorite cake and your favorite cookie dough and get to bakin'! Susan chose Devil's Food and Chocolate Chip, which just happen to be my 2 favorites, so I tried that combo first.

Cookie Dough Cupcakes

yield: 24

1 package cake mix (you choose)

1/3 c. melted butter

1 1/3 c. water

3 eggs

1 Pkg. Take & Break Cookie dough (your choice)

Place the cookie dough in the freezer for a few hours before you begin (seriously, don't skip this step! It needs to be done so the dough stays doughy & doesn't dry out!).

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix the dry cake mix, melted butter, water and eggs.

Line your cupcake pan w/ liners and distribute batter evenly throughout (~2/3 full). Place one frozen cookie square on top of each batter-filled liner. No need to press down, they will sink during baking.

Bake for ~15 minutes. Do not over bake as you still want ooey, gooey cookie dough left in the center!!

Cool then frost with your choice of frosting.

Absolutely Fabulous! Seriously, amazing! These went super quick (and we didn't even share w/ the neighbors this time). I had to make more!

The second time I chose Devil's Food again, but I added one disk of grated Mexican Chocolate and a half tsp. of cinnamon to the batter. I used Snickerdoodle Cookie Dough...to enhance that cinnamon goodness!

Yup, awesome too...but the Devil's Food/Chocolate Chip combo is still tops with me. I have so many ideas for which flavors to combine next! And now....for the winner....to receive the fun Cupcake Package.... first a little note on "how" I did the drawing. In the past I've always used my 3 little helpers. I'd hand write down all of the names on little pieces of paper and one or all of them would draw from a hat. I decided to use random.org this time. I started out with 79 comments. From there I subtracted each person who did NOT want to be entered into the drawing. Next, I added each person's additional entries (if they had them) by number corresponding to the "place in line" in which they commented. So, if somebody said "I tweeted", I would add one additional entry directly under that comment (to make the 2nd entry)...or if they said "I want Lady P to knit me knee pads", I would add 2 additional entries directly under that...except for the people who actually entered separate comments for each. Then they were already there, so I didn't need to. So, I ended up with 117 actual entries. From there, I plugged it into Random.org's little random number generator and came up with the winner. I counted down the list (adding or subtracting as necessary) and came up with the winner. Did that make any sense or are you just skipping right to the winner by now? Burp and Slurp!! Congrats Sophia...email me with your shipping address...girlichef at yahoo dot com.

Oink! Oinking! and Pay It Forward Winner

I recently saw some photos over at Lick the Bowl Good that made my mouth absolutely water...strange right? But honestly, Monica made a couple of pork tenderloin with a delectable sauce that had me clicking bookmark! I actually hadn't cooked pork tenderloin for some time when I found her recipe, so maybe that made it even more tempting? I think what really sold me were the fabulous studs of garlic spread out over the whole tenderloin. If you know me at all, you probably remember that I am a garlic fiend. Either way, I made it a few days later and thought I'd share the delicious recipe with you now.

  Oink! Oink! Good...Pork Tenderloins 
from Monica at Lick the Bowl Good...her Favorite Pork Tenderloins (click to see her post)


2 pork tenderloins
4 garlic cloves- peel & quarter length-wise
1/4 c. soy sauce
2 Tbs. country Dijon mustard
1/4 c. honey
2 Tbs. fresh orange juice
1 Tbs finely chopped rosemary or Herbes de Provence
Freshly ground pepper- to taste
3 Tbs. olive oil


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Rinse tenderloins and pat dry. 


Place in a 9x13 Pyrex sprayed w/ pan spray. With a paring knife, poke (~16) 1" slits in top-side of tenderloins. Insert a sliver of garlic into each slit.
Mix together remaining (marinade) ingredients in a separate bowl (I did it in my 2 c. measure). Pour marinade over the pork.
Place in preheated oven for 35-45 minutes (overdone pork is icky, so start checking early, especially if you have a hot oven), uncovered, basting halfway through.
Remove from oven and let sit ~10 minutes before slicing. Serve with the lovely pan juices spooned over the pork.
This was a lovely dinner...actually served with mashed potatoes and green beans...(not pictured...oh really?). My favorite part was definitely the studs of garlic...I will probably leave the mustard out next time and sub in something (undecided) else because it was a little too mustard-y for me...but still moist and delicious. Go check out Monica's other tasty recipes...she makes the best desserts, too!
***PAY IT FORWARD WINNER: drum roll please......GIN!!!! Aw, Gin..Yay!! When you get a minute, email me your mailing address and then wait in sweet suspense to one day (in oh, the next 365) find something from me in your mailbox...or on your doorstep...somewhere!! (I still use the draw-from-a-hat method...with "little" helpers to do the drawing.) Congrats to one of the nicest gals I know :-)

Whew...it's HOT in here! Chile Pepper Roundup & Giveaway Winners!

It all began on the first day of May with this simple plate of Chile Rellenos. I'd only recently had the pleasure of winning a copy of a fabulous new Tex-Mex cookbook by Gloria Chadwick called Foods and Flavors of San Antonio...when Gloria asked me if I'd like to do a giveaway so that someone else could have their very own copy of her book. Well, yeah!! Since May is National Chile Pepper month, and since Tex-Mex cooking uses plenty of chile peppers, I decided to make turn this giveaway into a month-long event. I send out a call for all of your fabulous recipes made (mostly) during the month of May that included chile peppers in some shape or form...resulting in a tasty, spicy, amazing Chile Pepper Roundup! So, we have a giveaway...patience...to get to, also. We'll get to that after the Chile Pepper roundup. I want to apologize to a few of you who sent me your links and photos as I could not get a few of the photos to show up clearly, and believe I tried everything!! They were clear if they were the size of a thumbnail, but it was so hard to see them this way, so I made them a bit bigger so hopefully everybody could taste that food right through the screen. Please click on the links and visit these fabulous foodies to see clear, drool-worthy photos- you will not be disappointed. Let's take a look at where it all began, with these tasty Chile Rellenos, straight from the grand-prize cookbook. During the month of May, I made these: And then I used some of those top-blowing habaneros to send you over the edge with Robert Rodriguez's Puerco Pibil... My very own mexichef whirled up some reconstituted dried chiles to make a spicy sauce to brush onto these bolillos and turned them into addicting Pombasos... With all of the heat we've been feeling this month, we headed to the grill and roasted some poblano chiles, peeled them and seeded them, then cut them into strips and ate them in tacos and tossed them in a yummy, grilled Southwest Salad. Next up we have Dee from the blog that spans two countries, Texas to Mexico. Dee used Chiles de Arbol and ground Chipotle chiles (with Thai rice noodles, shrimp and veggies) to bring Cinco de Mayo Drunken Noodles to the table this month. Are you a fan of TV dinners? If not, why not try this amazing dish that includes chopped green chiles and chile powder made by Reeni at Cinnamon, Spice & Everything Nice?! Although Reeni doesn't normally turn to TV dinners, her Santa Fe Style Rice & Beans was inspired by "the best TV dinner known to man." I'm in. From another blog that spans the borders...Mexican American Border Cooking, Teresa brings us bundles of sensory joy with her Asadero Chicken Bundles. Strips of green chiles, chicken and Asadero Cheese..oh my! The ever innovative Karen from Domestic Muse came up with an original way of transforming a guy's love of chili cheese fries into a hearty bowl of Chipotle Cheese-fries Chili. Oh yes, Karen combines Serranos, chipotles in adobo and chipotle chile powder to make a dish you can't (well, I can't) resist...and can I add two more words- tater tots and Velveeta (okay, that's actually 3 words, but you get my drift)!!! Not only does she give amazing restaurant reviews, Natasha also uses and creates food in new and innovative ways! Our favorite 5 Star Foodie brought us her Grilled Lamb Chops with Chipotle Mustard in which she utilized her favorite chile pepper. Don't even get me started on her side of Gorgonzola mashed potatoes... Kristen from Whatcha Eatin? has outdone herself with a big pan of Mexican Casserole...can you say comfort food! Your favorite Mexican flavors are tucked into this tasty dish...can you say green chiles, kidney beans, corn and tomatoes? The Ungourmet (or so she says) used serrano chiles to make an amazing Jerk Chicken with Jamaican rice and Peas! Kim couldn't find a scotch bonnet chile for her dish, but I bet the serrano still brought the heat...I can feel it! Chef E not only cooks us some amazing Tandoor/Tiki BBQ, as is her style...she takes us to school and gives us some good old fashioned learnin'! It seems I never click away from Cook Appeal without some new knowledge under my belt...this round included plenty of ground, dried chiles. Coleen sent a simple, delicious side dish over for the round-up...Chipotle Coleslaw! Refreshing with a kick in the seat...that's my kind of slaw. Head over to Coleen's Recipes to see her work her magic with chipotle chile powder. And next we have, I believe an award winning Roasted Yellow Tomato, Garlic & Fingerling soup from Jennifer at Savor the Thyme. Look for this delicious, heart-warming soup with mouth-warming green chiles at Jennifer's site...in all of it's soup-er glory! Christo aka DoggyBloggy also got busy with the Rellenos...I hear he does that quite often. At Chez What? you have two glorious Chiles Rellenos to choose from...one even includes crab cakes with a delicious "gloppy red-chile mayo"...just throw it all on one plate, I'm not picky! I don't think anything having to do with chile peppers would be complete without a showing of tacos!! Lauren smothered her Cinco de Mayo Chicken Fiesta Tacos with a gorgeous salsa that included pineapple and mango...I bet it complimented the 3 types of chiles (jalapenos, chipotles and chile powder) perfectly! Go visit her at Bytes from Texas and you can be the judge. And let me tell you, it would be a pleasure to have an angel in MY kitchen, especially if it was Alyssa whipping me up a batch of her Chipotle Cheddar Mashed Potatoes! I think I may be able to live on these...I mean, come on...mashed potatoes alone have been a favorite since childhood, but add garlic, cheddar and chipotles and not only does there HAVE to be an Angel in the Kitchen, I imagine it'd be heaven's kitchen. Beans, beans the magical fruit...okay, I totally haven't grown out of that rhyme...but I truly do think beans are magical. Good, good for you, versatile...they are a wonder. Just ask Teresa at A Blog About Food. She found a great recipe for Black Bean Soup that contained Serrano chiles and look how simple & delicious it looks! Do you know somebody who eats hot sauce on everything? I live with somebody like that. Well, I hear that if you make Kathy's No1Here's Hot Sauce, you'll never be able to leave the house without that recipe in hand again! Go check it out at Three on Food and see if you can resist the flavor punch the Serranos give it. I think that the perfect way to wrap up this Chile Pepper Roundup is with a few dishes from the inspiration for this giveaway...Gloria Chadwick from Food and Flavors of San Antonio. The winner not only gets to salivate over her home style Tex-Mex food online, now they can just wipe it up with their very own cookbook containing a zillion (okay not a zillion, but I swear it's close) of her recipes. Here's a preview...you'll find jalapenos in this Chili Carnitas... And you'll encounter some chipotle chile in her Chicken Chimichangas... Why not end full circle with the very same Chile Rellenos, but made in a casserole form... I started the round-up with? Seems fitting to me. I hope you take some time to go visit all of these amazing foodie-bloggers who participated in my very first round-up!! Thanks everybody for sharing your talents with us...and sharing the chile pepper love. And now, the moment we've waited for all month long...the winners of the Giveaway!! Remember, you had several chances to win. You received 1 entry just for being a follower of my blog and leaving me a comment on the original Giveaway post on May 1. You also received 1 entry for being a follower of Gloria's blog and leaving me a comment to let me know. And all of those people who sent over an entry into the round-up...they all received 5 entries just for sending those my way. I used my very own random-draw system...I've used it before and it works flawlessly. The first thing I had to do was write down all of the entries on little slips of paper...130 little slips of paper. I actually do not know where to find a free computer random-draw, so I'll make that sacrifice. A few pins & needles never hurt anybody. So, 4 winners were drawn...1 at a time. And the winners are: 1. Spryte- You won the Foods & Flavors of San Antonio Cookbook! 2. Katy- You won a chile pepper infused sea salt...I know you're not big on spicy, but the salts just add a hint of flavor, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised! 3. Teresa J. (A Blog about Food)- You also won a chile pepper infused sea salt 4. Teresa Cordero Cordell (Mexican-American Border Cooking)- you won some of my favorite mixed, dried chiles...isn't it funny how things work out! Each one of the winners is also getting a cool San Antonio Chile Pepper refrigerator magnet that Gloria sent along for the winners. CONGRATULATIONS LADIES!! Shoot me an email: girlichef at yahoo dot com with your shipping information! Thanks again to all who entered the round-up and everybody else who entered the giveaway...this was so much fun and I hope to do something like it again in the future. :)