Wednesday Links and a GIVEAWAY!!!!

GIVEAWAY!

So, as you know I've started canning with the hopes of canning a lot of the harvest from my garden this summer. So. In hopes of spreading the gospel of home preserving, I am giving away some starter canning supplies from Ball. 

I will be giving away the Ball Canning Discovery Kit. This 6 piece kit gives you all the tools to start canning using your existing kitchenware. It includes everything you need to start canning for the first time and step by step instructions.

I will also be giving away a copy of The Ball Complete Guide to Home Preserving. I picked this up this weekend and it is a completely idiot-proof guide to all types of home preserving. There are step by step guides WITH PHOTOS for making each type of recipe. If you feel hesitant or nervous about canning, this book will help you do it right.

So how can these wonderful items be yours? 

1. Leave a comment telling me if you've tried canning and what you make or would like to make with these items
2. Like Gen Y Foodie on Facebook, or, if you already do, let me know in the comments
3. Share on Facebook: I just entered a giveaway to win Ball home canning supplies from Gen Y Foodie. http://www.generationyfoodie.com/2012/06/thursday-links-and-giveaway.html
4. Follow me on Twitter, of, if you already do, let me know in the comments
5. Tweet the following: I just entered the @Ballcanning #Giveaway from @genyfoodie!

OFFICIAL RULES:

Open to residents of United States and Canada only. Giveaway closes on Wednesday 6/29 at 5pm EST.

And now onto the links!

First I want to spend ten seconds bragging about my amazing little bro Jeff. He returned from Russia on Monday, where he spent the last three weeks building sports and playground facilities at a school in rural Russia with his charity Students Helping Children Across Borders.

Not only did he start his own charity, but his built this project from the ground up, spending the last nine months organizing and fund-raising. He connected with some people from Suzdal, Russia and put this whole thing together ... in Russian! In recognition of these efforts, he won the Katherine W. Davis Peace Prize (learn more here). The most impressive part of all of this? He did it all HIMSELF while playing Division I college ice hockey and keeping a full college course load.

As you can tell, I am so proud of this guy. He kept an amazing blog about his time in Suzdal and his project. My personal favorite post, however, is about his attempt to make some pizza for his host family. You can read this hilarious story here.

Dessert Round Up: 

Since I'm not a baker and don't make many desserts, I like to live vicariously through all my amazing food blogger friends. Here are some of my favorite desserts of the week. Go check out these talented bloggers and their yummy recipes.

• Black Forest Cheesecake from Kim at Cravings of a Lunatic
• Tiramisu Bread at Baker Street
• Watermelon Ice pops from Kelly at Eat Yourself Skinny
• Chocolate Bacon cookies at Simply Scratch

Healthy Links:

• Can ginseng fight fatigue? - NYT
• The 12 dirtiest types of produce - make sure to scrub these! - CNN
• Natural remedies for mosquito bites! - HuffPo

Baked Cattle Beans and a Giveaway!!!

I can't believe it's almost Memorial Day. The official start of summer!!! This is exciting for a number of reasons, mainly lots and lots of great cookouts to host and attend. I am also thrilled that my grandparents are coming to visit this weekend from Texas. I am always excited to see them and I have lots of great recipes planned for the weekend's festivities.

I will absolutely be bringing these baked beans along to every cookout this summer. Craig is constantly requesting baked beans, so I had to finally oblige. I used some gorgeous cattle beans, which are also called trout beans. Cattle beans are plump, red and white speckled beans. They are full flavored with a nutty aftertaste and hold their shape and texture for long cooking. If you can't find cattle (or trout) beans at your local grocery store, red kidney or great northern beans can be substituted.

I am a firm believer that dry beans make for the tastiest baked beans. Because you are cooking them at high temperature for a long time, dry beans hold their texture better and have a more intense flavor. Planning ahead is necessary, but it is totally worth the extra effort.

I sought to create a flavorful recipe that wouldn't be too heavy, soupy or sweet. The beans themselves are the centerpiece of this dish, combined with a bit of salty bacon, molasses and fresh sage for flavor. The result is an addictive, but light dish that will compliment any type of barbecue.

GIVEAWAY! 

In honor of the start of summer, I wanted to reward all my loyal and beautiful readers with a giveaway! I love reading your comments and emails and have gotten to know so many of you. As you all know, I am obsessed with my cast iron skillet and use it for everything. So it seemed like the perfect giveaway for my loyal Gen Y Foodie readers.

Cast iron skillets are versatile, easy to store, and lend themselves to many different types of recipes. My preferred brand, Lodge, manufactures their product in the USA and has a lifetime warranty!

Cast iron skillets are also a healthy cooking tool because they are a chemical free alternative to Teflon or non-stick pans, allow you to use less oil when you cook, and fortify your food with iron.

So I am giving away one Lodge 10-1/4" Cast Iron Skillet to one lucky reader.

THERE ARE FOUR WAYS TO ENTER: (all separate comments)

1. Leave a comment on this post telling me what you'd like to cook with this skillet.
2. "Like" Gen Y Foodie on Facebook and leave me a comment saying you did so or letting me know if you already do.
3. Follow Gen Y Foodie on Twitter and leave me a comment saying you did so or letting me know if you already do.
4. Tweet about this giveaway by saying "I just entered @GenYFoodie's Giveaway http://bit.ly/JLKzqi" and leave a comment saying you did.

The giveaway ends at 5pm EST on Friday May 25th. Winner will be announced on Tuesday May 29th. 

Valid in the USA and Canada only. 

Read more for the full recipe: Baked Cattle Beans
Read more »

My First Cookbook & A Giveaway!!!

So I am very happy to announce I just finished my first cookbook! Writing a cookbook has been a dream of mine since I was a little girl and I had a blast putting this one together.

I decided to feature party recipes since my blog is usually focused more on everyday type foods. EVERY recipe in this book is brand new - none of them have or will appear on this blog.

The book is available at Amazon - you can find all the details there.

In the meantime, to celebrate I am giving away a copy of Gen Y Foodie Parties.

There are two ways for you to enter:
1. "Like" Gen Y Foodie on Facebook
2. Leave a comment on ANY recipe post on the blog

Contest ends: Monday, October 24 at 9am. One winner will be randomly drawn and sent a free copy!

NOTE: Make sure to register or leave your name in the comments - don't leave anonymous comments because I don't know who you are.