A different season’s red and green!

Happy Friday, Noshers!  For those of you who celebrate Christmas, it is the last weekend before the holiday.  Are you ready? I really don’t know if I am at all!  I will be taking a little hiatus for the holidays since I’m guessing you will be too busy noshing with family and friends to check out this lil’ ole’ blog   But I couldn’t kick off the weekend without a little fun fact:

Fun Fact: I appreciate each and every one of you! Thank you for noshing along with me, leaving comments and generally brightening my day!

Happy holidays!

Image via Cabot Cheese

So, every so often I come across a food or dining-related giveaway and after submitting my own entry think, “I bet my fellow Noshers would totally love this prize!”  For some reason, that hasn’t translated into blog posts – but there’s always a first for everything, right?  I just entered a giveaway that Cabot Cheese is hosting with a grand prize (3 of them, actually!) of a dinner party for 10 friends at your home, fully catered and staffed.  Cabot Creamery’s Chef, Jimmy Kennedy, will create a menu inspired by one of three menu themes – BBQ, Comfort Food or Foodie Fare (I think I’d choose Foodie Fare – you?).  Never mind the teeny tiny fact that my teeny tiny NYC apartment can hardly fit 5 people, let alone 10 – if I win I’m sure a friend would volunteer their place in exchange for a catered dinner party, right?   The contest is open to those living in the NYC area – soooo *I’m* thinking if you’re not local, you should totally ask a NYC area friend to enter and then invite yourself to that dinner party. Right? Right??

You can enter the giveaway via Cabot Cheese’s Facebook page, where there are a ton of recipes featuring Cabot Cheese (Bacon Jalapeno Mac ‘n Cheese, anyone?), until New Year’s Eve.

On a related note, did you know that Cabot Creamery is a dairy cooperative made up of 1,200 farm families?  I had no idea, and I think that’s pretty cool.

If you win the Cabot Cheese catered dinner party for 10, will one seat be available for, say…a NoshGirl? (I kid, I kid)

Happy holidays, Noshers!  We’re finally in the homestretch!  Things have been quite crazy at work (it’s quite past midnight as I write this and schedule it for Wednesday morning!), but nothing a little fleur de sel toffee can’t fix, right?  For this holiday season, I thought it would be fun to make some sweet treats to send to friends, and of course per usual my preferences tend towards the salty and sweet combination.  I was debating between homemade marshmallows and this toffee, and the toffee won out – but hey, there’s always next year, right?  This was the first time I used a candy thermometer, and I loved it!  And with only 5 ingredients, this recipe is super simple.

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Is it really only one week until Christmas?? I don’t know about you, but I feel like I still have so many things to get done before then and the minutes are tick-tocking away rapidly!  How does the holiday creep up on me so stealthily?

Today I’m sharing a super simple but oh-so-delicious recipe (if you can even call it that!) – my favorite way to eat edamame! Like my “Be Still My Heart” chocolate-pb-bacon-banana-sea salt popsicles, this edamame recipe is featured on the featured on Cardstore.com’s Hipster Christmas blog today.  So go check it out there and here!

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There are no words that can make sense of or explain the terrible tragedy that took place in Connecticut last Friday, December 14th. My thoughts are with the families, friends and loved ones of the victims of that horrific, horrific event.

I was first introduced to Panera Bread years ago.  My mom,  who was actually the one who turned me on to it, used to work near the local Panera and it was a favorite lunch option for her and her coworkers.  If there’s anyone who has an eye for good food at a good value it’s a group of working moms, so I knew I had to try it out.   I was impressed by their hot and cold sandwiches, breakfast items and baked goods – oh, the baked goods!  So I was  excited when the first Panera Breads started opening up around NYC.  And, I was super excited when DailyBuzz Food gave me the opportunity to sample Panera’s new soups!

Armed with a ravenous appetite, I checked out the soup options at Panera with two eating buddies.

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TGIF and Happy Friday, Noshers!  Today is the last day of my Holiday Gift Guide + 7 Days of Giveaways, and I’ve had such a great time sharing all of my favorite products of 2012 with you.  I’m super excited to introduce today’s Gift Guide item – the Le Creuset 6 3/4qt Oval French Oven!  Now don’t get me wrong, I definitely understand that this is no frivolous purchase – I can’t necessarily buy these as stocking stuffers for everyone (as much as I’d like to!).  But I’d definitely say that the 6 3/4qt oval French oven, like many other Le Creuset products, is an investment piece – one that should last a lifetime and even be passed down through generations.  Yes, I do know of multi-general Le Creuset French ovens!  Not only are they beautiful enough to go right from stove to tabletop for serving, they are extremely high quality – yielding even heat distribution and retention, multi-use (both stove top and oven up to 500F, as well as outdoor grill) and a lifetime warranty.  The versatile oval shape can accommodate roasted meats (chicken, ham, etc.), stew, soups (my favorite) and so much more – be creative!

Enough of me raving over this lovely piece of kitchen ware, would you like your very own Le Creuset 6 3/4qt Oval French Oven?  Yes, Le Creuset has provided me a Le Creuset 6 3/4qt Oval French Oven to give away – AND you even get to choose the color!  They are all so gorgeous, it’s a tough decision! (more…)

Image via SodaStream

I can’t believe we are up to Day 6 of my 2012 Holiday Gift Guide + 7 Days of Giveaways! I’ve had so much fun so far sharing my holiday recommendations with all of you! And today, I’m happy to whole-heartedly recommend a product that I use every single day – the SodaStream!  Those of you who have been following the Big Apple Nosh blog for a while know that I gave away a SodaStream machine last holiday season as well – I love it that much .  I’m just not a fan of flat water, but with the SodaStream I drink much more water now – or as my 4-year old nephew calls it, “bubbly soda”.  In addition to being great for my health, I love the fact that I’m putting much fewer bottles and cans out into the universe.  And, it is much more cost effective.  You can just make unflavored seltzer, add any number of flavors that SodaStream also makes, or add juice, fresh-squeezed lime or lemon; the possibilities are endless!

Now YOU can try the SodaStream for yourself! Yes, SodaStream has provided me a Fountain Jet Soda Starter Set to give away! The lucky winner will receive: (more…)

Happy hump day, Noshers! I can’t believe we’re already up to Day 5 of my Holiday Gift Guide!  Today’s Gift Guide item is one of my favorite products from one of my favorite kitchen supplies brands – OXO!

I first became enamored with OXO when I purchased my first OXO product – their angled measuring cup.  The measuring cup solved the age-old problem of pouring, crouching down to see if I had measured correctly, pouring, crouching down to see I had poured too much, pouring out, crouching down…well, you get the picture.  And if you’ve ever measured liquid ingredients in a conventional measuring up, you know exactly what I’m talking about! Thanks to OXO‘s ingenious designs (seriously, their products have been featured in one of my favorite NYC museums – the Cooper-Hewitt!), a multitude of kitchen tasks have been made much easier for countless chefs and bakers!  I have since purchased waaaay too many (or some would say “just enough”) OXO products because they are simply awesome   You may recall my giveaway earlier this year for the OXO Hand-held Mandoline Slicer!  In addition to the mandoline, scale and measuring cup, I also have their ice cream scoop, cherry-pitter, can opener, and…okay this is getting a little crazy. But let’s just say that list could have gone on for a while…. (more…)

Happy Tuesday, Noshers!  Welcome to Day 4 of my Holiday Gift Guide + 7 Days of Giveaways! Today’s gift item would make an awesome stocking stuffer or present for any chocolate fanatic! I’m happy to feature Green & Black’s chocolate in my 2012 gift guide!  If you’ve been following along on my blog, you’ll know that I’ve partnered with Green & Black’s a few times before, as well as attended some of their fabulous events (here and here!).  Not only do they produce some AMAZING chocolate (their Toffee and their Peanut & Sea Salt flavors are my absolute faves!), but their chocolate is certified organic and fair trade.  Yay for guilt-free chocolate consumption!   I have a few bars of Green & Black’s in my pantry, and, ahem, a bar on the coffee table that I may or may not be snacking on right this very second.

Green & Black’s Chocolate was kind enough to offer TWO prize packs – featuring 6 bars of chocolate (Almond, Dark 70%, Hazelnut & Currant, Milk, Mint and Toffee) and  a Green & Black’s tote bag.   See the above picture for your prize booty  -  Green & Black’s has agreed to swap in the Mint for the Cherry because it’s the holidays . Fun!

You want to win? You need to enter!

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Happy Monday, Noshers!  Hmm, I know “Monday” and “Happy” don’t always go together, but they do when it’s Day 3 of my 2012 Holiday Gift Guide + Giveaway extravaganza!  Today’s gift guide involved a challenge on my part – I was tasked by Whole Foods Market to create a unique “fish dish” in honor of the Southern Italian tradition of “The Feast of the Seven Fishes”!  Traditionally served on Christmas Eve, this luxurious meal usually features (you guessed it) seven different seafood dishes.

I have never had the opportunity to attend a traditional Feast of Seven Fishes meal (anyone having one and want to invite me? ).  However, armed with a $50 gift card provided by Whole Foods Market, I was eager to purchase some quality seafood for my own take on a fish dish:

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