A six month Blogiversary, A 'Make-Your-Wish' Emile Henry Giveaway & A Long Awaited Road Trip

Thank You for all your entries for the 'Make Your Wish' Emile Henry giveaway. The contest is now closed. 

This giveaway is a pretty big deal for me. It's my first! And secondly, the giveaway is a product I love and have been cooking with for a very long time - long before this blog.

What's even more special is YOU get to choose the dish YOU want!

(Thanks to all of you who have already sent in your comments :)

 

Why do I love my Emile Henry Cookware?

For one, they're a family owned business that has been around since 1850 and started in a small town in the province of Burgundy, France.

The company to date manufactures all of their new cooking products from Burgundy clay.

Here's the long and short of it -

• Burgundy clay evenly and slowly diffuses cooking heat to the very center of the cooking dish.
  

• Emile Henry products do not chip or crack easily. One can cut directly on the surface without scratching or damaging the product.

• There is no lead or cadmium and all of the products are 100% food safe.
  

• All Emile Henry products are direct freezer-to-oven. They go under the broiler and in the microwave.

• All Emile Henry products can go in the dishwasher.

• All Emile Henry products carry a limited household three (3) year warranty against breakage due to defective workmanship.

The reason I personally love their products  is because they last and last. I am not one to go pot and dish shopping every week so I look for quality and it's got to be a sound investment.

I am not a occasional sort of cook. As you know I cook a lot! The dish has not only got to be excellent quality (so I don't have to go buy another one)  it has to also withstand abuse!

And because I hate clutter, I want dishes that can be used for more than one kind of dish - I am going to bake a lasagna and expect the same pan to work for a crumble and the pie dish to work for a crostata.

So I hope you are convinced!

TO WIN THE DISH - you've always wished, follow these instructions -

1) Subscribe to the blog via email. 

Please help this girl out &  "share" this post by tweeting, blogging, "Facebook"-ing, StumbleUpon-ing etc etc

2) Go to the Emile Henry USA website by going here. Click on the Ovenware/Cookware/Bakeware  sections. Browse &  share your wish dish with me. Don't forget to specify your color of choice.

3) Share a personal cooking story or your favorite recipe that you'll cook  in your NEW Emile Henry dish ( I will feature this on the blog when I announce the winner)

Simply add your answers as a comment.

Sincere apologies to my International friends but at this time the giveaway is  open to the people of the US only. Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery.

The competition ends at 9.00 PM (EST) 15th of June, 2010.

Winner will be announced shortly after!

Good luck, everyone!

I am looking forward to reading your entries =)

Love,

Devaki

PS - If you've already previously sent me your comment you're done! No need to re-send :)

 

~

 

In some ways it is fitting that as the blog has reached its 6 month mark, I have been noticeably absent.

Since I began the blog, this has been my first week off from all things blog related. As much as I love writing & cooking about food & paying a visit to my fellow foodie bloggers,  I enjoy spontaneous trips in equal measure.

So as the long holiday weekend approached here in the US and coincided with the kids starting their summer holidays and the 6 month blog birthday, we decided to get away from it all. And when I mean get away, I mean get away - no cell phones, no wi-fi & a just a brush with civilization.

And so off we went to a place we have wanted to visit for a very long time.

Now because of its remote location, the travel also involved one my favorite aspects, a road trip.

I love road trips -  there is nothing more exhilarating than watching the road disappear below ones wheels, the anticipation that fills the air as you calculate the remaining distances on a map, endless cups of java picked up at truck stops, the squeals of delights from the back seat because we passed grazing cows, the crunch of crispy potato chips, the endless potty breaks (of course)  if you're  traveling with little ones like we were but more than all of this - the opportunity to be surprised, not knowing what awaits you as you turn the corner.

As we drove down the winding road that cuts through the belly of the vast expanses and stunning views, Mr. Hubby looked me and asked, "Do you hear that" and I asked "What?" And he said, "Silence".

So though this post is not about food - it about what inspires us, what humbles us & what awes us. 'The food for the  soul' which is just as important if not more than 'the food for the belly'.

As for recipes, we will return to it soon enough! So fix yourself a cuppa & enjoy....

Only a Visitor

From here,  for as long as the eye can see, is "designated wilderness" - park lands governed by the strictest preservation standards. What makes this place so special?

Vastness, solitude, wildness & challenge

It is more than legislated lines drawn on a map. Here, is an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor & does not remain.

US Wilderness Act, 1964

The Ocotillo Patch - These wonderful deciduous shrubs with beautiful red flowers on their tips, drop their leaves as many as 5 times a year

Vast expanses, stunning views

The park is full of rocks that look like weather beaten ruins

Nothing quite like the Cholla - these beauties come with a warning. Even the slightest touch will result in  thorns embedded in the flesh that are painful & nearly impossible to remove. 

 

Surreal Cholla

What's a road trip if you can't stop & look for critters?

Who said the desert has no color?

Nothing quite like 'Jumbo Rocks'! Wow!

  
Unforgettable rock formations & wonderful to walk through and climb on.

Here are the Joshua trees - where the park gets its name. 

Very spooky, looking down at the San Andreas fault. I never knew you can actually see the bloody thing!

No wonder these trees have been considered akin to Aliens!

I hope that you've enjoyed a glimpse of these wondrous sights.

Moving on, I am excited to announce that on the eve of the blog's birthday (May 31), the blog was featured on Foodista as the featured blog of the day.

THANK YOU!

Thank You for all your entries for the 'Make Your Wish' Emile Henry giveaway. The contest is now closed.