Please come to the National Food Bloggers Bake Sale on Saturday April 17th as part of the Great American Bake Sale. Proceeds will benefit Share our Strength- a campaign to end childhood hunger in the United States. Food bloggers from across the country are supporting the cause by holding local bake sales where readers can purchase yummy treats baked by their favourite bloggers.

Utah Food Bloggers will be hosting two sales:

Saturday, April 17th, from 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.

Salt Lake City location-at Dan’s Market (1360 S Foothill Blvd)

Orem location- at Shirley J’s (15 East 400 South)

Thanks to Dan’s and Shirley J’s for hosting our bake sales. We really appreciate your support!

Maria from  Two Peas and Their Pod is organizing the Salt Lake City location and Becky, from Utah Loves Cupcakes, is organizing the Orem location. Maria will be appearing on Studio 5 of Friday April 16th to discuss the bake sale- be sure to catch her there!

Utahns baking for the sales include:

Maria from Two Peas and Their Pod

Becky from Utah Loves Cupcakes

 Tiffany from Food Finery 

Barbara from Barbara Bakes-

Dara from Cookin Canuck’-

Becky from Vintage Mixer-

Krista from The Double Dipped Life

Frieda from Lovin’ From The Oven

 Cristie from The Table Runner

Vanessa from She Craves

(Me) Gabi from The Feast Within

Alicia from The Kitchenista

Laura from Rather Be Baking

Traci from Burnt Apple

Ginny-she doesn’t have a blog, but is baking amazing cakes for the sale:)

Koo De Ker

Sweet Tooth Fairy Bakery

 So what should I bake for the sale?

Oh boy! I looked out my window just now to find the mail carrier had left a package for me on the doorstep. It is from the lovely Ana of Cocina a Tiempo Parcial sent to me for BBM all the way from Madrid!  Whoo hoo!

First of all thanks to Stephanie (you know my fav hostess don’t you?!) of Dispensing Happiness for putting another round of Blogging by Mail together- I’m sure it is a ton of work on her part and I want her to know that we all really appreciate it! The purpose of this round of BBM was to send 5  relaxing items to another blogger to help with a little “me” time during all the  holiday hustle and bustle craziness.

I sent off a package to Sam of The Life and Times of Me in the United Kingdom and in turn received this great package from Ana in Madrid.

I almost couldn’t wait to open it and when I did it was receiving a like a sunny Spain day wrapped beautifully in a box. Thank you so much Ana!

See how beautiful it is?! The colours are cheering particularly on a cold grey day here in the frigid alpine west.

Ana included things I know I will love and that are sure to make a relaxing break during this hectic season. She included a wonderful bottle of olive oil that she recommends  not only for cooking but for breakfast topped on a piece of warm toast and sprinkled with a little salt. Orange juice is the drink of choice with this delicacy and I am definitely going to enjoy it all tomorrow morning.

She also included an assortment of wonderful chocolate bars from Spain with great flavours such as Lemon, Jamaican Pepper, Tiramisu and Orange presented as a chocolate postcard. I can’t wait to try each and every one.

Look at this beautiful mug  along with a sweet pouch of violet tea! She says violets are a specialty much valued in Madrid. I must go there soon! She must know that I also love violets- I often have tea with a little of my own violet syrup from the spring. This will be even better.

I am excited to to try the “Torta Imperial” which Ana tells me is her favourite sweet Christmas treat ever. It is a crunchy combination of almonds and sweet white paste- and you know given my love for all things almond it’s just perfect. :)

Last but not least Ana sent me a beautiful book about Tuscany as a treat for the eyes! I will enjoy each and every page and pretend I am travelling in Italy- a lovely break. 

 A mi nueva amiga Ana- Gracias por todo! My Spanish is quite rusty but I’ll be reading your blog- it’s beautiful!

xoxo

P.S. my email server is down but I willrespond to emails and notifications as soon as it is back up

xo

I’d like to let you know about some exciting new specialty salsa flavours from Pace Picante Sauce:

“ ·Pineapple Mango Chipotle Salsa — “Many people think of fruit salsas as extremely sweet and this variety is the perfect blend of sweet and savory – a “true” salsa. The fruit adds the freshness and twist to meals that people are looking for, while the chipotle adobo adds the savory taste.”
Elevate your grilling and dipping: Use Pineapple Mango Chipotle Salsa as a marinade for any seafood or pork, or as a dip for shrimp.

Black Bean and Roasted Corn Salsa — “The hearty ingredients of black beans, corn, and red peppers with a hint of lime and chipotle spice will make this an instant family favorite. The fire-roasting of the corn and peppers give it an extra kick of smokiness, heat and a deep roasted flavor. All the ingredients are roasted to perfection, maintaining their integrity.”
Make it hearty: Add Black Bean and Roasted Corn Salsa to fish, to enhance a favorite wrap sandwich or make your own gourmet-style burger.

Salsa Verde — “This salsa has a complexity to it, is full of flavor and has a smoky note from Spanish paprika. Hand-selected jalapeños and chunks of tomatillos splashed with lime will tantalize your taste buds! The smoky flavor of this salsa would pair nicely with steak, pork or ham.”
Pace Grilled Steak Salad: Marinate your favorite steak in Salsa Verde, and broil or grill. Slice steak and serve over mixed greens, with additional salsa and crumbled tortilla chips.

·Pico De Gallo — “Pico De Gallo is always a favorite. Inspired by this classic, our Pico has fresh jalapeños, and onions and diced tomatoes with a touch of fresh cilantro, for a refreshing taste with zing!”
Pace Shrimp & Avocado Salad: Toss Pico De Gallo with cooked shrimp, sliced avocado and serve on a bed of mixed greens.

·Mexican Four Cheese Salsa Con Queso — “You can’t beat the combination of cheeses in this unique blend, including distinctive asadero and queso blanco cheeses. Jalapeño peppers, sweet red peppers and onion add to the extraordinary flavor.”
Pace Mucho Queso Pizza: Spread Mexican Four Cheese Salsa Con Queso over a pre-baked pizza crust. Sprinkle with your favorite pizza toppings and bake!

For creative recipes and serving suggestions, visit www.pacefoods.com “

Oh -and a little contest with a prize package for one lucky reader of this blog!

That lovely Nicole from M80 contacted me and offered a prize package for one of you:

“…the lucky winner will recieve: 1 flavor of the specialty salsa plus a regular picante sauce, a coupon (free 16 oz, on the next purchase) and a recipe guide.

All they have to do is submit their favorite salsa recipes including a story about why it means so much to them.”

Updated: ” Sorry,  due to the nature of the prize this contest is only open to those residing in the U.S.A.” 

Of course you are always welcome to submit for the roundup but non US residents will not be eligible to win the prize.

So go for it!! Post your own salsa recipe, send me a link and a photo (no bigger than 480 x320 please) by June 30th. Or if you don’t have your own blog you can still enter by sending  the recipe and a photo to gabi(at)thefeastwithin(dot)com. I’ll post a roundup of the recipes and announce the winner by July 3rd, 2009. Then Nicole will send the lucky winner his or her prize.

Best of luck to you all!!!

Remember this dish? Well I’m excited to send a great big “Thank you” to Buitoni and Foodbuzz  for picking my recipe for Manchego Mornay Sauce over Wild Mushroom Agnolotti as a runner up winner in the Buitoni Riserva Pasta sauce contest over at Foodbuzz.  I’ve won a lovely colander and an even greater assortment of coupons for Buitoni Riserva Pasta. I’m looking forward to them because memories of the Manchego Mornay sauce over the lovely Wild Mushroom Agnolotti do still haunt us.

Many congratulations also to Lori Lynn at Taste With The Eyes for being chosen as the grand prize winner- her recipe for Wild Mushroom Agnolotti with Veal, Portobello, Fried Sage and a Pinot Noir Cream Sauce sounds glorious.  Congrats also to the other eight runners up- you can read their recipes and link to their sites from here:

PrincessBacon
Luscious Smoked Tomato Sauce with Portabellas & Fennel

FoodMuse
Fried Wild Mushroom Agnolotti with Tomato, Fennel, and Olive Gremolata

dvmamg2001
Wild Mushroom Agnolotti with Garden Vegetables in a Creamy Sweet and Savory Sherry Sauce

 Here is a  link to my original recipe post  and here is a link to the congratulatory post at Foodbuzz!

Whoo hooo!!!!!