Holiday Foodie Gifts: The Swiss Colony Review & Giveaway

Today I have something very special for you... a giveaway and a great gift idea for the foodie in your life! I know, I know... It's pretty exciting!

I don't know about you, but, some of my favorite gifts during the holidays are the edible ones. Especially the ones that include sausage and cheese! Mmm... My hubby, of course, completely agrees. I mean, really, what man wouldn't want a giant box filled with meat and cheese? 

This Swiss Colony "81 All-time favorites" food gift is packed full of mouth-watering sausages and cheeses along with a ton of different dipping sauces, jellies, nuts, candies and desserts! Isn't she lovely? It's a super impressive presentation that would surely light up anyone's face once opened!

Not only did everything look great and adorable, but it all tasted absolutely amazing and was great quality. Also, loved the adorable little Christmas gift tin right in the center! Super cute!

The cheese spreads were probably my favorite part of the whole box! I can never have enough cheesey deliciousness around the holidays! I used some of the cheese spreads, cheeses and sausages to serve as an appetizer at a little gathering we had at my Mother-in-law's house. The smoked bacon was definitely my favorite! 

It took us a couple of weeks to get through all of the delicious items in this huge box! Plus, we still have some of the adorable little jams left! The great thing about these little baby preserves is you can use them in some of your recipes that require just a tiny bit of jam!

There was even some coffee in there which went perfectly with the little mini cakes and breads! So really, this package pretty much has everything that a foodie could want -- and more! It would be great to send to your loved ones, friends or even as a work gift because there's something for everyone! 

Now, would you like to win one of these amazing gift boxes full of holiday yumminess for you or to give as a gift? I know you do! Trust me, you do! Enter below on the rafflecopter form for a chance to win an "81 All-tIme Favorites" Gift Box from The Swiss Colony! It's up to you whether you want to share the love or keep it all to yourself! ;)

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Coffee Bean Direct Review & GIVEAWAY

Nothing is better than a nice cup of hot coffee on a cool morning, am I right? Wait, a hot cup of coffee paired with a delicious piece of chocolate cake for dessert is pretty good, too... Oh, and sipping on a cup of coffee and chatting with friends in the afternoon is pretty nice, also... Let's just agree that coffee is good at pretty much any time during the day. And, let's face it, almost everyone loves coffee! I can count on one hand the people I know who don't like or drink coffee. 

It seems like nowadays most people are really starting to appreciate good food and beverages. More and more people are becoming self-proclaimed "foodies" and the world is becoming a far more delicious place. Most stores are starting to carry more options for what they deem "gourmet" coffee, but the selections are still pretty limited and the product isn't really "gourmet." If you're looking for gourmet coffee, then gosh darnit you should have gourmet coffee (yes, I just said that and, no, I can't believe I did.)

 So, if you're a coffee-lover, coffee-strongly-liker, coffee-appreciator or just someone who enjoys the occasional cup of delicious gourmet coffee and likes to shop in the comfort of your own home, then I have the perfect solution for you... Let me introduce you, my dear friends, to Coffee Bean Direct coffee!

Coffee Bean Direct offers over 100 different varieties of delicious gourmet coffee (and 70 varieties of tea) that are roasted in-house and packaged by hand! Yes, you heard right... by hand. The people over at Coffee Bean Direct seem to be very down-to-earth and awesome. They even have a special section on their site telling about how much they love dogs (I thought that was pretty cool.) This is definitely the kind of company I want to get my coffee from! Here is some of the information they display on their site, which I thought was just great:

I had the pleasure of testing out two of Coffee Bean Direct's amazing coffees and I was thoroughly impressed! So was my coffee-loving husband! We have tested and enjoyed these coffees over the past few weeks now and we are still in love!

 The Organic Fair Trade Dark Brazil Nossa Senhora De Fatima (wow, that's a mouthful) is one of their most popular coffees and was extremely smooth and not overly bitter. We found that it was delicious with a splash of cream, but enjoyed it more without. The coffee is known for having bold flavors, but it still manages to remain smooth and balanced. 

The Dark Sulawesi Kalossi is another dark coffee with a low-acidity. It seems that the Mr. and I are fond of lower-acidity, dark coffees with bold flavors. This one is currently being enjoyed by my dear, sweet husband every morning before work. It definitely does the job of waking him up and starting his day off in a great mood. Which is a big plus!

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If you'd like the opportunity to WIN 1lb of Your Choice Coffee Bean Direct coffee, then enter below on the rafflecopter form! Make sure to thank them on Facebook for this giveaway and if you're a dog lover, too, let 'em know :)!

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**I received free products from Coffee Bean Direct for review. All opinions and views are 100% my own. The giveaway is also sponsored by Coffee Bean Direct**

12 Piece T-Fal Cookware Giveaway from Cooking Planit!

What do you say we get this giveaway started? I think it's time! I am so excited to launch this amazing giveaway with an absolutely amazing prize!

I have been using my 12 Piece T-Fal cookware set over the last few weeks and let me just tell you... You want to win it. You really, really want to own these amazing pans! Not only are they pretty, durable and super easy to clean, but the non-stick coating on the pans is scratch resistant! Oh, and did I mention that the pots have measurements printed on the inside? Well, they do. I will be telling you more about these awesome pans soon in my upcoming review, so be on the lookout! 



I will also be telling you more about Cooking Planit, an amazing meal-planning site and app that offers hundreds of delicious recipes, makes your grocery list for you, helps you prepare your entire meal and makes sure you get all of your food on the table at the same time so everything is hot and tasty! Make sure you sign up for your FREE Cooking Planit account here. That's the main requirement for the giveaway, so you might as well get over there and sign up now!

And now, here's what you've been waiting for...

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**I was provided with a set of T-Fal cookware for review as well as the full version of the Cooking Planit app. All opinions expressed are 100% my own.**

Rollie Eggmaster Cooking System - Review + Giveaway!

Recently I was given the opportunity to try out a brand new product from Kalorik. The product is called the "Rollie" Vertical Grill, or Eggmaster Cooking System. One of it's sole purposes is to cook perfect eggs quickly, easily and without the use of a frying pan. It can also be used for a number of other recipes, though, and it is in no way limited to perfecting eggs! In the box you will find a cleaning brush, packing tool, skewers, manual (with recipes) and of course, the Rollie. The interesting thing about this product's design is that it uses a vertical, tube-shaped cooking chamber. That, to me, means it's the perfect shape for food on-the-go!

My 6-year-old and I decided to try out the Rollie and make something that she had never tasted before... a Pancake Sausage on a stick. Well, all I can say is that I have never seen her little eyes light up more! It was pretty funny to see her so excited about a snack. Plus, she got to dip it in maple syrup... so, she was pretty much in heaven. I was pleasantly surprised at the ease of making it and excited when it came out beautifully. You just have to coat the inside of the Rollie with cooking spray, pour in 1/4 cup of pancake batter, place your precooked sausage on a stick and push it down into the batter. Then you just let it cook for 8 minutes and use the stick to remove it! The end. Pretty easy, right?? Plus, we used turkey sausage, so, really, it was pretty healthy! Minus the maple syrup, of course... That might have taken away from the nutritional aspect just a bit.

We also used it for it's traditional purpose - to make some eggs! Which is really convenient when you only need to cook 2 eggs and you really, really don't want to dirty up a frying pan! It came in handy the other night when we made cobb salad and only needed a couple of sliced eggs for the top! To make eggs you simply spray the cooking chamber with cooking spray and crack 2 eggs directly into the chamber. Allow them to cook for about 6-7 minutes, or until the egg begins to rise out of the cooking chamber!

Overall, I am  really enjoying using this product because it is a super quick and easy way to throw together a snack for my daughter, some eggs for a salad, some eggs for breakfast and it's really easy to clean! The only thing I wish is that you could make more than 1 item at a time, but most of the time, that's all I need!

**Thank you so much to Kalorik for providing the Rollie and sponsoring the giveaway for this innovative new product! 


Check out this video find out more about the Rollie and ENTER TO WIN a white Rollie for yourself below! If you can't wait, you can order your very own rollie at www.getrollie.com.

Make sure to head to the Rollie Facebook Page and THANK them for sponsoring this Diddles & Dumplings giveaway! Thank you and Good luck!!

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5 Ingredient Irish Stout Corned Beef & Lodge 6 Quart Dutch Oven Review + Giveaway

As you all know, St. Patrick's Day is coming right up! I wanted to share my absolute favorite Corned Beef recipe with you because I just know you're going to love it! There's only 5 ingredients (well, 6, if you count the seasoning packet... but it comes with the corned beef, so I don't count it!) It's easy to make, takes very little preparation and it tastes marvelous! Guess what I also want to do? I want to tell you about the amazing enameled cast iron Dutch Oven from Lodge I used to cook the recipe AND give one of you, my lucky readers, the chance to win one for yourself (at the bottom of this post!) Yay!!

So first of all... isn't that a gorgeous dutch oven? Is there anything prettier than this beautiful emerald green? It's really such a lovely addition to my kitchen! I leave it sitting on my stove at all times because it makes my kitchen look ahhh-mazing! There are so many recipes that require a dutch oven nowadays, so it's absolutely necessary to have one in your kitchen! On top of cooking soups and stews and countless other foods, it's also great for frying! I love using mine to fry up a batch of doughnuts, or french fries. But, my favorite thing to use it for is braising! This 6 quart beauty is perfect for cooking your pot roasts and makes a deliciously moist piece of meat every time. The fact that it's a Lodge product let's you know it's sturdy and dependable. I know my Lodge cast iron skillet has been one of my most used kitchen tools for years and it's still going strong! 

Here's the Line-up of characters. I mean, Ingredients. Guinness. Corned beef (with seasoning packet). Brown Sugar. Cabbage and Red Potatoes (not pictured)

Rub your corned beef with the brown sugar and 1/2 of the provided seasoning packet. 

Next, pour your Guinness beer right along the side and a little over the top.

Watch it bubble and fizz. Ain't she a beaut? 

Then you'll put your lid on your dutch oven and place it in your preheated oven for 2 hours. That's one of the things I love most about dutch ovens... they can go in the oven, or you can use them on top of your stove!

After it's cooked for a while, you can add veggies. Cabbage and red potatoes go really well in this dish! Carrots would probably be yummy too!

Then, you'll place it back in the oven for another 30 minutes.

Once time is up, you can remove it from the dutch oven and slice it and serve. Make sure to reserve some of the yummy drippings to pour over. You can even thicken it up with a little cornstarch before drizzling over the top of your corned beef.

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5 Ingredient Irish Stout Corned Beef Recipe:

Ingredients:

3 pound corned beef (with seasoning packet)

1 (12 ounce) bottle Irish Stout Beer

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1 head cabbage - quartered

1 pound red potatoes - diced

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Pat corned beef dry and place in dutch oven. Rub corned beef with brown sugar and 1/2 of the provided seasoning packet. Pour in beer.

Put lid on dutch oven and place in preheated oven.

Cook for 2 hours. Remove from oven and place chopped vegetables under corned beef. Place back in oven and cook for additional 30 minutes, or until veggies are tender.

Remove from oven, place corned beef on serving platter and slice. Surround it with the cooked veggies and serve.

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HERE'S HOW TO ENTER  THE GIVEAWAY: 

(READ CAREFULLY!)

Mandatory Entry:

-Follow Lodge (Lodge Cast Iron) on Facebook and comment on this post letting me know you did! *Make sure to leave a comment on THIS post or your entry doesn't count!!*

Earn Extra Entries:

-You may earn 1 extra entry each for doing the following  (leave a separate comment for each one you do!):

-Check out Lodge's site and leave a comment on THIS POST letting me know what item you'd most like to have!

-Like Diddles & Dumplings on Facebook (if you already do, just leave a comment telling me so!)

-Pin this post on Pinterest (use the "Pin it" button on the top of this post!)

-Share this giveaway on Facebook

Make sure to use all entry methods to receive 5 entries. This will give you the best chance of winning! Also, make sure I have a way of contacting you (you can leave an e-mail address in the comments!)

Contest ends at Midnight on Saturday, March 16th, 2013 and is open to U.S. Residents only.

1 Winner will receive an Emerald Green 6 Quart Dutch Oven by Lodge. Winner has 48 hours to claim their prize or a new winner will be chosen. 

**Thank you so much to Lodge for providing the Emerald Dutch Oven for review and also for sponsoring this giveaway! Make sure to follow the rules of the giveaway and also please "Thank" Lodge on Facebook for sponsoring this awesome giveaway!**

Linked To:

Foodie Friends Friday Tatertots and Jello

GarLic it! GIVEAWAY!

Remember the post I did the other day in which I went on and on about an especially tasty product known as GarLic it? Here's the recipe to refresh your memory! Well, the generous folks over at GarLic it! have agreed to give away not one, not two, but THREE jars of their delicious product to 3 of my lucky followers!!

Believe me, you are going to want to win this one! This stuff is delicious, and when I say delicious, I mean D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S! It's great to use in recipes, as a condiment, or just straight out of the jar! It's a very high-quality product and your taste buds will notice!

How To Enter The Giveaway:

There will be 3 winners, each receiving 1 jar of GarLic it! Caramelized Garlic Finish!

There are 3 ways to enter the giveaway and you can earn up to 3 entries if you do all 3! 

Leave a separate comment on this post for each of the following you complete:

(To earn 1 Entry) Comment below and answer this question:
"What would you do with your GarLic it!?"

(To earn 1 Entry) Follow me on Facebook (or if you already do, just comment below and tell me!)- Diddles & Dumplings and leave a comment below saying you did!

(To earn 1 Entry) Follow GarLic it! On Facebook - GarLic it! and leave a comment below saying you did!

The contest is open to U.S. residents and there will be 3 winners, each winner will receive one jar of GarLic it! Caramelized Garlic Finish!

The contest is open until April 27th at noon and Winners will be announced that evening!

Martha Stewart's Cupcake Book Giveaway!

I would like to start off by saying, who doesn't love a good cupcake? I mean, really. There are so many different flavor variations and combinations that you could  probably never try them all in your lifetime.

I wanted to thank you all so much for all your support, so I decided to pick up something special for you to win! After one glance at Martha Stewart's Cupcakes Book, I immediately felt like i'd been wasting many cupcake-making-years by not having this book! I couldn't stop turning pages. I looked at every single cupcake in this book and I wanted to try every single cupcake in this book. This is seriously one of the greatest books i've ever laid eyes on!  It contains a bunch of awesome recipes for cupcakes, frostings and fillings, beautiful pictures on every page and more!

I know what I want for Mother's Day...


Here's how you can win this book:

Giveaway Prize: Martha Stewart's Cupcakes

Required Entry:
Use Google Connect to follow my blog

Extra Entries: 
"Like" me on Facebook

Share this Contest on Facebook

Share this Contest on your blog

*Leave a separate comment for each of your entries!

**Don't forget to tell your friends! :)

Giveaway will end on Friday, May 6th, 2011 at 12pm PST.
Winner will be selected using random.org and will be announced Friday evening!