BuyBarbeques.comis holding this awesome contest where you can win $400 for your favorite grill or bbq recipe.  They don’t care what kind of grill you are making your recipe on be it a gas grill or a charcoal grill. All you have to do is post that recipe to your blog/website AND include a link to iBuyBarbeques.com within your entry.  You also need to use the anchor text of barbeque or grill. The blog post needs to be over 100 words but no more than 200 words.  You also need to live in the United States and at least 18 years old to be eligible to enter.  To qualify for the $400 grand prize drawing, you must submit your entry URL to dan@ibuystores.com. This contest will end at 12:01 on November 1, 2008, so there is a little time left to get those recipes in! If you enter, let me know, so I can cheer you on (plus I’d love some good grilling recipes myself)!

I love Pizza Hut.  When I heard they were coming out with the Premium Bacon Mac ‘n cheese Tuscani Pasta, I knew we had to try it. This did not disappoint.  The rotini pasta is covered with an awesome chedder cheese sauce.  That is then topped with more cheese and bacon.  An order of the Premium Bacon Mac ‘n cheese is about 3 pounds and should feed a family of four.  It also comes with 5 breadsticks.  This dinner is quite affordable too — it is only $12.99!  Everyone at my house truly like it.  I like how cheesy it was, my husband loved the bacon topping, Will (my one year old) could actually feed this to himself, and Madison (my four year old) just thought the whole thing was “super yummy in my tummy”.

Interested in trying this at your house?  I have been the opportunity to give not one, not two, but 3 certificates to my readers to try the Premium Bacon Mac ‘n cheese Tuscani Pasta.  What do you have to do to win this?

Each one of these things will give you one entry:

1. Leave a comment on this post. I want to know why you would like to try this or why you like Pizza Hut.
2. Twitter about this contest. Please leave me your username so I can verify.
3. Stumble this post. If you don’t know what Stumble Upon is, please read Lori’s post at Blogging Cents. She explains it extremely well.
4. Add this post to other social media sites like Digg, Kirtsy, Blogging Zoom, Reddit, Propeller, Etc.

For 5 additional entries,

1.  Blog about this on your blog.  Please give me the URL, so I can verify.
2.  Add this to any forums you belong too. Please give me the URL, so I can verify.
3.  Subscribe to this blog using either my email or RSS feed
4. Add my badge to your sidebar:

</p> <div><a href="http://lisascooking.com"><img src="http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk258/blm03_photos/125ad.png" alt="Lisa Cooking" border="0"></a></div> <p>

Good luck!  This contest will end Sept. 17, 2008 at 8:00 PM CST and is for US residents only.

Would you like a healthy snack for your children?  Would you like a healthy snack for yourself?  If so, the EnviroKidz organic crispy bars is what you are looking for. EnviroKidz Crispy Rice Bars comes in two new flavors – Lemur Peanut Choco Drizzle (chunky peanut butter and peanuts with chocolate drizzle) and Penguin Fruity Burst (’marshmallowy’ taste with colourful bits of fun fruity bursts). These low fat bars are made from whole brown rice.  They are low in sugar and sodium.  They have no trans fats and are a great gluten free option.  Now, the Fruity Burst bars were a tad sweet for me.  However, Madison (my 4 year old) inhaled them.  Now, the Peanut Choco Drizzle were saved for mommy.  I had quite the chocolate craving when we got these, so I ate those myself.  They were super good, took care of my chocolate craving, and were healthy.  I’d much rather give these to my kids than most of the snack foods that are out there.  I’d rather eat one of these instead of a candy bar.

Now, I would love for you to try these and have arranged for 2 lucky winners to get a box of each flavor of these bars.  Here what you can do to enter:

Each one of these things will give you one entry:

1. Leave a comment on this post. I want to know why you would like to try this or tell me something about any of the other products Nature’s Path makes and looks interesting to you. One comment only please and let me know everything you did for your entries in that comment.
2. Twitter about this contest. Please leave me your username so I can verify.
3. Stumble this post. If you don’t know what Stumble Upon is, please read Lori’s post at Blogging Cents. She explains it extremely well.
4. Add this post to other social media sites like Digg, Kirtsy, Blogging Zoom, Reddit, Propeller, Etc.

For 5 additional entries,

1.  Blog about this on your blog.  Please give me the URL, so I can verify.
2.  Add this to any forums you belong too. Please give me the URL, so I can verify.
3.  Subscribe to this blog using either my email or RSS feed
4. Add my badge to your sidebar:

</p> <div><a href="http://lisascooking.com"><img src="http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk258/blm03_photos/125ad.png" alt="Lisa Cooking" border="0"></a></div> <p>

Good luck!  This contest will end Sept. 17, 2008 at 8:00 PM CST and is only available for US and Canada residents.

I love when I find a product that we can use on several items and in recipes.  Country Bob’s All Purpose Sauce is one of those products.  Not only can you use it in recipes such at meatloaf (more on that later), but you can use it on steak, hamburgers, pork, and chicken.  Personally, I am a ketchup person, but I may have found my ketchup replacement.

My husband made their meatloaf recipe the first night we had this.  I don’t normally care for meatloaf at all, so I wasn’t thrilled to be trying this sauce on something like that.  However, I was impressed.  The meatloaf was not dry, and it was awesome.  Not once did I feel the need to dip it in ketchup.  My kids even asked for seconds!  My husband wanted to know if there were more recipes we could try!  It is just as good on steaks and hamburgers too.

Country Bob has several other products you can try also:  BBQ Sauce, Seasoning Salt, and Spice All Purpose Sauce.  If they are as good as the All Purpose Sauce, then these are winners too!  Now, their product is good, but how about their site?  I love that too.  It is super easy to navigate.  You can easily find recipes to try and retail locations close to your house besides a ton of other stuff.  I found several local grocery stores by me that carry this besides the one I normally go to.  If you check out their online store, all of their products have free shipping!  If you are looking for a present, they have a cookbook and gift pack that would work out great!

Now, because I liked this product so much, I asked if I would be able to give a couple of my readers a chance to try this.  Of course, they said yes!  So Country Bob’s will be sending 2 lucky readers 2 bottles of their All Purpose Sauce.  What do you have to do to win this?

1.  Leave a comment on this post.  Check out Country Bob’s site and tell me what recipe you would like to try.  One comment please and let me know everything you did on that comment.  If you don’t list a feature, you are not eligible to win.
2. Stumble this post. If you don’t know what Stumble Upon is, please read Lori’s post at Blogging Cents. She explains it extremely well.
3. Vote for this post on other social media sites. One extra entry for each social media site you vote for this on.  (I’ll be adding some links to make this especially easy for you to vote — Digg, Propeller, Reddit, Mixx, Kirtsy, Blogging Zoom, Entreview)
4.  Twitter about this contest.  Please leave me your Twitter name in your comment.

For 5 additional entries,

1.  Blog about this on your blog.  Please give me the URL, so I can verify.
2.  Add this to any forums you belong too. Please give me the URL, so I can verify.
3.  Subscribe to this blog using either my email or RSS feed

This contest will run from now till August 27th at 8 PM CST.  It is for US residents only.  Good luck!

Now, all these events are going to be in Chicago since that’s where I live.  However, if you have anything you’d like me to add in your local area, just let me know!

Veggie Fest 2008 - Its a 2 day festival featuring cooking demonstrations, 40 vegetarian food venders and exhibitors, and discusssions on heathful living.  11 am - 6 pm Saturday at the Science of Spirituality Center, 4S175 Naperville Rd., Napterville.  For more information, call 800-222-2207

Windy City Chili Cookoff - Cooks compete for the best chili in salsa, chili verde, and traditional categories as part of the Retro on Roscoe Street Festival.  The $5 entry fee includes samples of the chili with they last.  The fee also benefits St. Teresa of Avila food pantry.  1 pm Saturday and Sunday at Roscoe St and Hoyne Ave.  For more information, call 773-871-5623

Morel Tales - The Illinois Department of Natural Resources is presenting  “Exploring the Wild Mushroom . . . Myths, Flavors, and Facts” at Kendall College in a Chicago Foodways Roundtable discussion.  $3 unless you are a Kendall College student (then free).  10 am Saturday at Kendal College, 900 N North Branch St.  Reservations can be made by calling 847-432-8255 or emailing chicago.foodways.roundtable@gmail.com

Party With Style -  Justin Hall from FIG Catering shows how to host an elegant and delicious dinner party.  Free. 2 pm Saturday at Bloomingdale’s Home & Furniture Store, 600 N Wabash Ave.  For more information, call 312-324-7678

fish Tips - Sam Dean grills halibut basted with maple chipotle marinade in a demonstration class for free.  Noon Saturday at Burhops Seafood, Plaza Del Lago, 1515 N Sheridan Road, Wilmette.  For more information, please call 847-256-6400

Brunch Demystified - Keven Hickey and Jonathan Lane of the Four Seasons present classes that explore the hotel’s famous Sunday brunch.  $100 includes brunch.  11 am August 10 and August 24.  120 W Delaware Pl.  For reservations, please call 312-649-2325

Sweet and Savory Grilling - Chefs Pamela Fitzpatrick and Mark Gyure show how to make three seasonal pizzas and desserts on the grill.  August 12 at Fox & Obel, 401 E Illinois St.  For reservations, call 312-379-0133

Swedish specialty - Chef Donna Scheppe teaches how to create a Swedish tea ring in a hands on class for $25.  1 pm August 4 at Two Kitchens, 2035 W Washington St, Suite 155, Naperville.  Register by calling 630-717-9630.