Thank you to everyone that entered my first giveaway. I think it went pretty well. And the winner of the Frito-Lay Variety Pack is Emily. I already sent you an email to get the details worked out. I hope you enjoy the chips, and I hope to host another giveaway soon.
I also set up a Facebook page for the blog. I’d really love it if everyone who likes my blog would Like it there. Even with the site stats that I can look at with WordPress, I don’t know if it’s the same three people visiting, or new ones (obviously, at least 7 different people read it when I had the giveaway). I think having the Facebook page could be a real encouragement for me. I added a box to my sidebar to make it easy, even.
When I was in middle school and high school, my chore around the house was cooking dinner. Most nights, that meant something out of a box, but every once in a while, I got creative. Particularly when we got closer to grocery day. The less food there was in the house, the more creative I had to get in order to put a meal on the table. On one occasion, I tossed some chili, corn, and noodles together to create what I have ever since called MaCornoChili. Terrible name, I know, but I was only 14 or so. These days, I don’t buy canned chili unless it’s for chili dogs. So I present to you an updated version that includes my recipe for chili.
Ingredients:
- 1 Can Diced Tomatoes & Chilis (the can in my cupboard right now just says “Chili ready tomatoes”)
- 1 Can Beans (I’ve used black, red, and “Chili Starter” beans, so get what you like)
- 3 Slices Jalapeno
- 1 Lb Ground Beef
- 1 Tblsp Chili Powder
- 1 16 oz Bag Macaroni Noodles
- 1 Can Corn, Drained
- 1/2 Cup Water
Instructions:
Brown ground beef with jalapeno slices; Drain. Combine all ingredients in crockpot and cook on low heat for at least 4 hours.
It’s a simple recipe, but whenever I make it, I feel like a real cook, because I come out at the end with this meal that tastes delicious and didn’t come from a box. It makes me think about how resilient I am and how I learned growing up that there’s nothing life can throw at you that you can’t handle. Or, as my mom always puts it, “God doesn’t give you anything you can’t handle.”
And now for the part of my post that I’m most excited about. My first giveaway ever! I want to say, as my first giveaway, I may not do it like other people do. But it’s my first, and I don’t have a super huge following, so I’m expecting to have a relatively small pool to pick from. If my d20 can’t handle the job of selecting a random person, well, I’ll figure out how other people do it. There’s always my d% to fall back on and I can’t imagine my first giveaway attracting more than 100 people.
On to the giveaway. Frito-Lay is hosting a contest for bloggers called Tastes From Home. This blog post and recipe is my entry into it. For participating, I will receive a surprise package and could potentially win some nice prizes. In order to get more attention for the contest, Frito-Lay is providing me with a Variety Pack of Lay’s Regional Flavors chips to give away. What are Lay’s Regional Flavors you ask?
These chips were inspired by popular American regional cuisine and include:
- Northeastern U.S. – Lay’s Honey Mustard
- Midwestern U.S. – Lay’s Creamy Garden Ranch
- Northwestern U.S. – Lay’s Balsamic Sweet Onion
- Southwestern U.S. – Lay’s Chipotle Ranch
- Southeastern U.S. – Lay’s Cajun Herb & Spice
All of the Lay’s Regional Flavored potato chips are made with all natural ingredients and cooked in healthier oils, like corn and sunflower oils, which contain 80% or more of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fat – the “good fats.” They also contain 0 grams of trans fats per serving!
There’s also less sodium in them than you might think – a 1-oz serving of Lay’s Regional Flavored potato chips contains less salt than a plain bagel!
They all look pretty delicious to me. I can’t wait to try the Creamy Garden Ranch, since I love pretty much all things Ranch. The Chipotle Ranch sounds pretty good too. And just because my brother-in-law has lived in the Northwest for the last few years, I’m probably going to try the Balsamic Sweet Onion.
For an entry in the giveaway, leave a comment stating which flavor you’d most like to try. Leave your entry by 11:59 pm CST on August 23, 2011. I’ll pick a winner on the 24th.
