fwords

Sweet Home Alabama

You all know how much I love Grand Central Terminal. And I will abuse any opportunity to promote its beauty. In fact, did you know that recently not one BUT TWO popular cupcakeries opened outposts there? Crumbs and Magnolia. So in celebration, I am offering a gift certificate to one or the other—winner's preference. (Crumbs has locations on both the East and West coasts, so I personally don't feel this giveaway is limited to the NYC Metro Area.)

To win, e-mail me at fwordsblog@gmail.com with the correct answer to the following question. At the end of the night, I will draw a winner at random from those who answer correctly.

Question: A few posts back, I wrote about another cupcakery in Chicago that sent me some sample wares. What was the name of that business? And can you tell me two of their ingenious flavors?

1,2,3,4 (Sumpin' New): Winner!

Man, first a typo. Then, I scheduled the winner post to be published a month from now. Man! I was not on my game the other night.

Moving on, the winner of the Coolio cookbook is....(drumroll, please) Neil! Way to go, bro!

Thank you all for playing!

1,2,3,4 (Sumpin' New)

Midday giveaway time!

So, I recently interviewed Coolio about his new book, Cookin' With Coolio (5 Star Meals at a 1 Star Price). Yes! He has a cookbook chock full of priceless recipes with names like "My Chicken is Having a Baby, Baby," "Alakazam'n Salmon" or "Coolius Caesar." I haven't tried  any of the recipes, myself. But I can say that the introductions to each one are laugh-out-loud funny, making references to everything from "sexy-ass women" to Mr. Miyagi. Oh yes, he does. I think it's a must for any true domestic doyenne.

To win, e-mail me at fwordsblog@gmail.com with the correct answer to the following question. At the end of the night, I will draw a winner at random from those who answer correctly.

Question: What role did Coolio play in the blockbuster film Batman & Robin?

Shark in the Water: Winner!

Though my switch to the new giveaway instructions didn't immediately take for all readers (I'm talking to you, Beansy), a few of you did manage to e-mail your responses yesterday. And after tallying up the names, writing them on bits of paper, crumpling said bits, and tossing them around for effect...the winner...is...

Catherine! Way to go, girl! Chocolate is coming your way!

You can take this prize home to Philly, and we'll just let the Yankees take everything else, ok? Ok.

Shark in the Water

"Better late, than never," they say. And I couldn't agree more when it comes to my Tuesday Giveaways, because I have been thinking about it since this morning but was just too swamped at work to post. Lucky for you, there was a lot to choose from this week. But today seems like the sort of day when everyone could use a sweet pick-me-up. So I chose a stack of Vosges Haut Chocolat bars ranging in flavors from "sweet Indian curry powder with coconut flakes" to "Japanese matcha green tea" to "hickory smoked almonds with sea salt."

To win, e-mail me at fwordsblog@gmail.com with the correct answer to the following question. (This way, you can't cheat off of each other's posts...a frequent complaint I get! But please feel free to trash talk one another in the comments section, per usual.) At the end of the night, I will draw a winner at random from those who answer correctly.

Question: What is the name of the crazy pancake mix Vosges sells on their site?

Handbags and Gladrags: Winner!

I was up making mini pumpkin muffins for my coworkers last night till about 1 a.m, so I only now tallied the names of correct commentors. I asked my office neighbor, Brad (who didn't even know I had a blog until that moment—because he works in our web department and I guess I was afraid of his opinion), if he would pick the winner.

And the winning name he picked was...

Jamie. Again. Unbelievable! The girl is on a roll.

To CD and HL, my condolences. But thank you so much for playing and reading. Better luck next time!

Handbags and Gladrags

I wasn't really sure what I was going to give away this morning when I got to work. But lucky for me—and, really, for you—I received a delivery from C&H Clubs. It was a sample of what a shipment from their Gourmet Cheese of the Month Club is like and the silver refrigerator bag includes a wedge of Parmesan, Gouda and Gruyere—the perfect sizes for a little wine party with friends.

To win, answer me the following question in the comments section below and I will pick a winner at random tonight from the correct comments.

Question: In what episode of Barefoot Contessa did Ina Garten stuff a burger with Blue Cheese? And what kind of blue cheese does she recommend using?

One Is the Loneliest Number

So here's the thing.

I was busy as all get out today with my "real job." For the next seven days I will be in a state of stressimus maximus because I am coordinating our annual November food issue, and I have two stories that I wrote that are slated to be featured in it as well as a bunch of other recipes and treats that need to be edited and I just was so preoccupied with that today that I couldn't post a giveaway. I literally just logged on to fwords now and saw the two comments from disappointed/confused readers and thought...no offense..."oh phew only two disappointed readers." Then I checked my stats and see a spike of 61 hits. So does that mean that 61 readers out there were disappointed? Or does it mean that the two readers who commented are exhibiting some intense stalker tendencies regarding free prizes?...I am not sure.

Either way, I am sorry.

I promise to give away something tomorrow. That is, in a few hours.

Love Is a Four Letter Verb: Winner!

The undisputed winner...by a landslide..reigning champion of most posts commented on and most blog wins is....Jamie! Congratulations, I'm going to take you down to Dunky town!

Love Is A Four-Letter Verb

Today feels like one of those days where I could have stayed cuddled under the covers and watched movies all day and drank hot cocoa. The sky is grey. It's not particularly warm. I need to do my laundry.

But alas, there is work to be done. So I am here at the office, as you probably are, wondering when I can slip out for some coffee and a snack. And that seems as good a segue as any for today's giveaway: A $5 gift card for Dunkin' Donuts! They just launched a fun fall menu full of seasonal products such as Pumpkin Coffee, Pumpkin Donut (I would have called it Punkin' Donut, myself), and a Low-Fat Caramel Apple Muffin, among others.

To win, answer the following questions in the comments section below. Those that answer correctly will have their names added to a pool at the end of the night and a winner drawn at random. And I will slap you a high five.

Questions:

How many calories does an egg and cheese on an English muffin at Dunkin' Donuts have?

Who is Dunkin' Donuts biggest competitor in Canada?

What is the address of the first Dunkin' Donuts store in Quincy, Mass.?