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Unwrapped with Michael Angelo’s Lasagna For Dinner Giveaway

March 24, 2011 By 394 Comments

Last night Michael Angelo’s Family Size Lasagna saved dinner in our house. I was on the go all day running errands and I didn’t have time to cook. So I popped in Michael Angelo’s in the oven for 45 minutes and continued on with my errands (my husband was home to make sure the house didn’t burn down). I was quite impressed with flavor and texture of the lasagna. Most importantly, it’s so easy to make for days like yesterday when I barley had a moment to myself. All you have to do is take it out of the freezer, lift one corner of the box to ventilate, place on a cookie sheet and place it in the oven at 400 degrees for 30 minutes and then take off the cover completely and cook for an additional 10 minutes or until it’s bubbly and the cheese is brown. (also see box for the exact temperature it needs to reach). I had to cook mine for an extra 10 minutes beyond what it requested. Ovens do vary!

Michael Angelos Lasagna

I liked it so much that I had some leftovers for lunch and we’re having it gain for dinner tonight. I’m not going to be wasting any of it. Michael Angelo’s started off with a mom cooking in her kitchen. Michael Angelo’s does not add preservatives, artificial additives or flavors to any of their meals.

Do you like watching Unwrapped? When my husband and I had cable we were hooked on almost all of the night time Food Network shows and Unwrapped was one of our favorites. We both have fond memories of Marc Summers and we love to find out the history behind brands. I’m going to show you all a segment from Unwrapped’s episode about about “Comfy Cozy” favorites where among the many tasty options was the traditional Meat Lasagna from Michael Angelo’s Gourmet Foods

In the segment, founder and CEO Michael Angelo Renna and his mom Sara show viewers how they make their delicious Meat Lasagna, featuring high-quality, premium ingredients like the fresh 100% premium beef, real Italian-style cheeses, ripe hand-selected tomatoes, aromatic heirloom garlic, earthy herbs and spices and fresh semolina pasta. All of these ingredients come together to create a comforting and wholesome lasagna in the same fashion as homemade. And I can vouch for the quality, having eaten two servings already!!

Enter to Win:

A Month’s Supply of Michael Angelo’s Lasagna (or, four family-sized meal vouchers)

To Enter:

Leave a comment here telling me what you think of the Unwrapped Segment on Michael Angelo’s

Extra Entries:

Please vote for Our Family Picnic (extra entry for every giveaway every vote, every day)

Like the Michael Angelo’s Facebook Page

Follow Michael Angelo’s Twitter Account

Tweet or RT this post and include the link to the post

Enter to Win a 1 Month Supply of Michael Angelo’s Lasagna @MomStart http://bit.ly/ewqr8u #giveaway

Subscribe to MomStart
Comment on any non-giveaway post
List this giveaway on any giveaway site, dig, stumble, like or share on Facebook (or use any of the share options listed below)
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This giveaway ends April 11th. All rules can be found under giveaway rules.

Disclosure – The product featured in this giveaway was provided to me by the manufacturer or representing PR agency. Opinions expressed are my own and are NOT influenced by monetary compensation.

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Tasty Treat Thursday Irish Chocolate Mint Custard Recipe

March 17, 2011 By 9 Comments

Tasty Treat Thursday: Irish Chocolate Mint Custard By Summer

This is a recipe I picked up from Paula Deen’s show when I was watching her and her son Bobby on The Food Network while working out on my elliptical … granted it wasn’t “Irish whipped cream” or a custard with mint, but that base recipe gave me the idea for this one. (I know masochistic right? Watching The Food Network while working out; well, I work out to be able to eat for pleasure.)

 

Irish Chocolate Mint Custard

So this is my promised adult St. Patrick’s Day recipe from last week’s post. The recipe is super easy, you just need to be willing to take the time to properly make it.

clip_image004INGREDIENTS for Chocolate Mint Custard
1 cup milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup Nestle Toll House Dark Chocolate & Mint Morsels
4 egg yolks
3 tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 300oF. Also set a kettle of water to boil.

2. In a saucepan scold milk and cream, but don’t boil.

3. In a double boiler (or in the microwave) melt morsels. Stir until chocolate is smooth. Remove from heat if on a double boiler. Slowly stir in milk mixture.

4. In a large mixing bowl combine yolks, sugar, and salt. Blend well. Temper eggs by very slowly mixing in the milk chocolate mixture. Stir constantly and until combined.

5. Pour even amount of mixture into 4-6 ramekins depending upon size.

6. Place ramekins into a cake pan. Carefully create a water bath by pour water into the cake pan but not into any of the custard cups.

clip_image0067. Place cake pan in preheated oven for 35 minutes or until custard is not outwardly runny and is gelatin-like to the touch.

8. Cool custards at room temperature for 40 minutes. Then continue to cool custards in the refrigerator for a minimum of 3 hours. Keep refrigerated until serving.

INGREDIENTS for Irish Whipped Cream
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons sugar
5 tablespoons Bailey’s Irish Cream

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine ingredients and beat until stiff. Peaks will begin to form. Keep refrigerated!

TIPS

clip_image008- The Nestle Toll House Dark Chocolate & Mint Morsels are a limited time product for the winter season. If you can no longer find them in a store near you, take the same amount of morsels in dark chocolate with 1 teaspoon mint extract (or flavoring as desired). You can also try making this recipe with your favorite flavor of chocolate chips.

- I needed more ramekins in order to have enough custard dishes. So I ran to Cost Plus World Market and got a pack of 4 green ramekins for only $2.99! GREAT DEAL! They also offer the sets in yellow, blue, orange, and red; green was just too perfect with St. Patrick’s Day!

 

About Summer:

Summer is the President of our Local MOMS Club chapter, she is the mother of two adorable active boys, and is always thinking of ways to help others. She is a friend, a wife, and always busy as all mommies are. She is very active on Facebook, addicted to Geocaching and very interested in organic and green living.

Filed Under: recipe, Summer Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Warm Winter Magaritas and Cranberry Mint Margarita Recipes

November 9, 2010 By 5 Comments

Entertaining your family and friends has never been easier and your guests are sure to leave abuzz about drinks such as Marcela’s Warm Winter Margarita, a traditional Mexican recipe passed on to Marcela from her grandmother… an old family recipe that she’d love to share with us. Marcela’s Show on the Food Network is ‘Mexican Made Easy.’ Marcela has partnered with Sauza® Tequila to create easy-to-make, fresh tasting margaritas at home—no fancy tools and no exotic ingredients! She is a chef after my heart!!

WarmWinter_glassesWARM WINTER MARGARITA : Perfect for a cold day. This drink is full of flavor and makes the tequila blend smoothly.

Ingredients – Serves 4:

3 ½ cups apple juice

1 cinnamon stick

2 cups dried fruit of your choice

2 tbs granulated sugar

4 shot glasses Sauza® Silver Tequila

Directions:

Combine apple juice and cinnamon in a heavy pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove cinnamon stick carefully. Add sugar, dried fruit, and tequila. Mix well. Serve warm.

cranraspmargCRANBERRY MINT MARGARITA: As families gather for Thanksgiving festivities, cranberries seem to be on everyone’s plate.  So why not have them in your glass as well?

Ingredients:

16 oz. cranberry/raspberry juice

8 oz.  lemon/lime soda

6 oz. Sauza® Silver Tequila

8 mint leaves for garnish

Combine all ingredients except mint leaves in a pitcher. Serve over ice and garnish with two mint leaves.

Filed Under: 2010 Gift Guide, recipe Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Was Charm City Cakes Really At BlogHer? #blogher10

August 10, 2010 By 6 Comments

Everyone was looking at the awesome cake at Sparklecorn and at the bottom of the cake was a sign that said, Cake By Charm City Cakes, Ace of Cakes. I want to know if anyone knows if this was really the case or if it was a joke.

 

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I have to say it tasted really good. It had peanut butter in the middle of it. I love peanut butter. If it was Charm City Cakes I’d love to watch that episode.

Filed Under: Announcement Tagged With: , , , , ,

Guy Fieri Ergo Chef Knives Review and #giveaway

December 27, 2009 By 1,134 Comments

The Food Network’s Guy Fieri has quite the TV personality. He was one of the very first winners of The Next Food Network Star and he managed to actually become one. With his well known name now he’s got his own line of products and I mentioned his knives in my Food Network Holiday Gift Guide. Ergo Chef sent me a set of their knives to use and my husband really enjoys using them.

I used to sell knives, can you believe that? I lasted one week as a door to door sales woman. My shortest career ever so I know what’s good about a knife and what’s not. For one thing, you do not want a wooden knife, they hold germs and the wood can deteriorate. These knives are made of high carbon German Stainless Steel, they are not dishwasher safe but most knifes aren’t. The blade goes the entire length of the knife making it very strong and durable.

Product Description:

• The blades are precision heat treated to 56RC to keep a great edge
• Patented ergonomic design is created to be an extension of your hand for natural comfort
• Made of high carbon German stainless steel (X50CrMoV15) for stain resistance
• Full tang and abbreviated bolster adds strength and balance
• Hollow ground ovals in blade promote less stick and smoother cut

guy I’m a Hot Rod guy who knows that in order to do car-building right, you need high quality performance parts. The same idea applies to cooking, so the right knives are key. My product features a combination of the best materials with a design that will blow your mind!
As a chef, restaurant owner, and TV personality, I have high expectations for my equipment and these knives meet and exceed all of them. I’d like to thank everyone who brought these knives to reality.

 

 

 

 

The Chef Knife:

chefknife

 

The chef knife’s 8 inch blade is great for cutting veggies, I used it on potatoes the other day for corn chowder. It’s also meant for fruits and meats. It features a crisscross knurl on the end of the blade to pulverize garlic and nuts.

The Utility Dragon Dagger:

Utilitydraggondagger

The Dragon Dagger’s 5 and 1/2 inch blade is great for cutting bread and sandwiches. It cuts a mean peanut butter and Jelly if you ask my daughter’s opinion. We used it on home made bread, pizza dough and on sandwiches. It features a serrated edge and fork prongs on the tip to pick up food with. It’s super sharp making it great for cheese, veggies, and small fruits.

 

I have found that both of these knives are very manly. They are red and black and decorated with flames. I’d prefer pink and flowers but if you want to get your man in the kitchen flowers aren’t going to do it are they? Both of the knives come with a blade guard for storage.

Ergo Chef has offered to give one set of these knives to a lucky Mom Start Reader.

To Enter:

Visit Ergo Chef and tell me what other products they make.

Extra Entries:

Advertise this giveaway on any giveaway site and tell me where you advertised it. 10 Extra Entries
Subscribe to my blog
Follow me on twitter tell me your twitter ID
Blog or facebook about the giveaway include a link to me and to the sponsor for 10 extra entries
Tweet the giveaway (every time you tweet you get an entry) Link to the giveaway please!!!
Comment on any other non giveaway post and come back and tell me you did
Use any of the Share options at the bottom of this post: (two entries for each one)
Add my button/blog to your blogroll/friend list 3 extra entries

Leave a comment for every entry

The contest will run until January 11th  11:59 pm Pacific. The winner will be selected by www.random.org. All rules can be found under giveaway rules.

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Food Network Holiday Gift Guide

December 7, 2009 By 2 Comments

My husband recently purchased me a subscription to the Food Network Magazine. I’ve browsed through it a few times and looked at their decorating gift ideas and found some of them to be very creative. They didn’t exactly look like they could be accomplished in five minutes or less so I didn’t even try them out. Magazines are a perfect way to collect extra coupons. In fact, most magazines you can either get for free and then make money from the coupons or use the coupons to pay for the subscriptions.

I did take a look at their gift guide though. I thought a few of the items were worth mentioning on my blog.

First Bobby Flay is the like the guy of Food Network. He seems to be a part of all of the reality shows and just has what it takes to do it all.

Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill Cookbook: Explosive Flavors from the Southwestern Kitchen bobbyflayfeatures recipes for the signature cuisine he developed at his first restaurant, along with drool-inducing photos. Flay preps the reader for culinary adventure with a tequila guide followed by four different margarita recipes, and then sets off on a whirlwind tour of flavorful dishes inspired by the American Southwest. A chapter on brunches turns up the heat with dishes like Egg and Aged Sirloin Tortillas with Three-Pepper Relish. Coming full circle by drawing upon recipes from Mesa Grill, his first eatery, Flay also slyly opens the door for a series of cookbooks based on his other properties.

 

 

Rachael Ray is so big now she has her own TV show. She still on the Food Network occasionally but not that often. She’s really never been one of my favorite chefs. My husband always thought she cheated on 40.00 dollars a day.

 

Rachael Ray Lasagna Lover Set $39.99

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This three-piece set comes in green, blue and orange and is exclusive to Food Network Store! Rachael’s Lasagna Lover pan measures 9 x 13” and holds enough lasagna, casserole or mac n’ cheese to feed a hungry crowd. What’s more, it’s safe for the freezer, oven, microwave, and dishwasher, yet it’s also attractive enough for the table. And the two included spatulas mean you’ll have everything you need to get dinner on the table.

Rachael Ray Moppine Set $22.95

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Rachael Ray is rarely seen without a moppine over her shoulder on her show 30 Minute Meals, and soon as you try one you’ll understand why. Rachael’s invention gives you a dish towel and oven mitt all in one, which means no more running around the kitchen looking for potholders to take something out of the oven, or a towel to wipe up a spill– the moppine takes care of it all. Moppines come in a set of 3 and are available in blue stripe, orange stripe, green, gold, red, and blue.

 

My husband’s favorite is Alton Brown, I think men just like the science of cooking.

 

New Food Network books: More Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives ($12.50), Ace of Cakes ($23.99), and Good Eats ($24.50)

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Gift giving for Alton, Guy and Duff fans just got even easier: all three Food Network stars have new books on the shelves. Guy’s More Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives picks up where his first book left off and chronicles even more joints he’s visited on the hit show, including recipes, anecdotes and fun tidbits from Guy. Alton’s book Good Eats: The Early Years is the essential companion to the first 80 episodes and includes recipes, photos and production notes. And Ace of Cakes is a layer cake of a book documenting the history of Charm City Cakes, photos and stories of their notable creations, and bios of all the staffers.

 

Food Network Cook or Be Cooked Wii game $39.99

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The very first video game from Food Network is sure to delight FN fans of all ages as they cook along with the game. Kids and adults alike can play Cook or Be Cooked, which features over 30 recipes from Food Network kitchens. Multiple play modes allows for solo play, team play or a “cook off”. Plus, real life Food Network-ers Susie Fogelson and Mory Thomas are there to critique and praise your cooking skills as you go.

Pewter Measuring Cups by Tin Woodsman $177.95

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Fans of Paula Deen will recognize these beautiful handcrafted pewter measuring cups from Paula’s countertop. Both beautiful and functional, they’re a unique way to make one of the most mundane kitchen tasks a bit more enjoyable. Measuring cups are handmade in the USA and include ¼, 1/3, ½ and 1 cup measures, plus a stand for display and storage.

 

 

 

 

Salt Server with Spoon by RSVP $17.95

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Anyone who watches Good Eats knows that Alton Brown is no fan of “unitaskers”—products that only serve one purpose. However, after an unfortunate salt and sugar mixup, he made exception for to this salt cellar, which fans of the show will instantly recognize from the Good Eats set. Salt is held securely in a glass bowl, while a stainless steel lid with silicone gasket keeps moisture out.

 

Guy Fieri Cutlery Set $99.99
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Would you expect a knife design from Guy Fieri to be bland and boring? Of course not! Guy designed his cutlery set with Ergo Chef to create knives that perform well and look cool. Super-sharp blades feature Guy’s signature “Knuckle Sandwich” logo, and ergonomic handles are embellished with splashes of red and blue with a star. The set includes an 8-inch chef’s knife and a 5.5-inch serrated utility knife.

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Food Network Cook or Be Cooked Video Game Review and #giveaway for the Wii

November 17, 2009 By 604 Comments

 

Food Network has entered the gaming industry. They have just released Food Network: Cook or be Cooked. Of course as I read on I find that I am a year late in finding out what Food Network has been cooking up for the Wii. Iron Chef America came out last year and now a year later they have Cook or Be Cooked. Food Network: Cook or be Cooked

I find this new game title to be very interesting. It’s get your but in gear or you lose. In a way it’s brining reality tv home to you. Just put in this game and face the challenges of creating food with your Wii Remote and Nunchuk. The level of difficulty rose as I went from dish to dish, not greatly, but enough to make it challenging and fun and giving my arms a workout. Just shows how very out of shape I am.

Foodnetwork Playing it goes quickly because there are only 12 levels/ recipes to make. Creating the recipes can be fun and time consuming but you get extra points for multitasking. Even with a multitasking element, dishes can be stalled by having to wait for something on the stove. Cook or Be Cooked acknowledges this problem during the preparation of lasagna: at the point in the recipe where it’s time to bake the lasagna, a large timer appears on the screen and speeds through 45 minutes of baking time. Now you have your stove back.

Food Network sent me a copy to review and I’m going to donate it, and a copy to giveaway to one lucky reader.

 

To Enter:

Please Tell me what kinds of video games you like to play.

Extra Entries:

Advertise this giveaway on any giveaway site and tell me where you advertised it. 10 Extra Entries
Subscribe to my blog
Follow me on twitter tell me your twitter ID
Blog about the giveaway include a link to me and to the sponsor for 10 extra entries
Tweet the giveaway (every time you tweet you get an entry) Link to the giveaway please!!!
Comment on any other non giveaway post and come back and tell me you did

The contest will run until December 14th 11:59 pm Pacific. The winner will be selected by www.random.org. All rules can be found under giveaway rules.

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Sissy Biggers Food Network Star and Jimmy Dean are providing video recipe of quick easy ways to increase protein for breakfast.

October 27, 2009 By 4 Comments

 

A new survey conducted by Jimmy Dean shows that more than one quarter of Americans fail to eat a satisfying breakfast that keeps them satiated throughout the morning – leaving them feeling groggy, tired and distracted.  On busy mornings, too many of us eat on the run, filling up with sugary cereals, carb-loaded breads and other foods that actually leave us tired and hungry before lunch.

We have also found out that October is National Sausage month, and what better way to celebrate but with sharing recipes and food ideas.

 

 

 

 

 

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SISSY BIGGERS:

Sissy Biggers is a lifestyle expert who has appeared on TV, radio, print and on the Internet. She has been showcased on Lifetime TV, the Food Network’s Ready, Set Cook! and ABC’s Complete Makeover”. Sissy was a regular on NBC’s Today Show as a food and lifestyle contributor, and is now a regular on the CBS Early Show.  She has also appeared as a commentator for Iron Chef, USA, and has been seen in commercials, satellite media tours, and has contributed to AOL as their online entertaining advisor. Her media work extends to live event venues as the host of Food & Wine Magazine’s annual Classic at Aspen in Colorado each June.

 

 

Pretty cool that we had this opportunity to talk to Sissy.

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New Food Network Show – What would Brian Boitano Make?

July 17, 2009 By 4 Comments

Brian Boitano can cook? First off, how many men do you know that cook? I know my husband does but I always thought I was one of the lucky few. So this very cute ice skater cooks and now he’s going to show America what he can cook?

I have to see this. I think he has a great personality and maybe I’m biased because I absolutely love figure skating. I’ve been watching him forever, now I still get to watch him just in a different venue. I think my head is spinning a triple axel or double lutz.

 

 

Everyone knows Olympic figure skater Brian Boitano is a champion on the ice; but he also gives a gold medal performance in the kitchen! In the new daytime series, What Would Brian Boitano Make?, Brian demonstrates his culinary skills and passion for one-of-a-kind entertaining. In every unpredictable episode, Brian hosts get-togethers at his San Francisco home: feeding an all-girl roller derby squad, playing matchmaker for a friend, winning over his handyman’s supper club, and planning a surprise party celebrating new motherhood. With a humorous and knowledgeable approach to cooking, Brian puts his unique spin on irresistible dishes like Chicken Paella Burgers, Pear and Almond Crostata, Crab and Avocado Crostini, and Bourbon Bacon Apple Tarts.

Premieres: Sunday, August 23rd at 1pm – SERIES PREMIERE!

He’s going to start off with and episode called “Derby Girls” and you can guess it’s full of an all girl team of roller derby. The team has a dinner party and he creates recipes from their favorite ingredient.

Filed Under: announcements Tagged With: ,

Robin Miller Rescues Dinner Tyson #giveaway

July 3, 2009 By 382 Comments

I recently had the opportunity to interview Robin Miller. It wasn’t the best interview for me. I had a hard time with my children and I think that bothered Robin. When she came on the line I was expecting her to introduce herself and that a conversation would start flowing, but I think as the interviewer I needed to be more organized and efficient with my questions.

It would have been a lot easier if I had gotten my children settled before I started the interview but oh well. My next one will go better because I talked to the rep afterwards and Robin actually felt concern for me and the fact that she could tell I was having a rough day. Thank you Robin. I appreciate that. I had a few questions that I didn’t ask, so if you visit my blog. I was wondering

“What can I fix for my family as a main dish other than a salad that is healthy and doesn’t use the oven?”

Everyone in my MOMS Club wants to know that answer to that question. I had it in front of me but for some reason just felt awkward asking it.

What I was able to find out:

Robin likes to rescue dinner for average people. She has a degree in Nutrition and then worked as a writer for a magazine. She knows what’s in with people when it comes to needs for dinner.

In her new book, Robin Rescues Dinner, she came up with 52 weeks of meals with some side dishes and dessert ideas. I’m really enjoying her book because she has a plan where things lead into other meals.

I asked her about her prep work because most of the meals are very quick and easy to throw together but they take some prep work. She told me that as a mom like me, it became an absolute necessity to do as much at one time as she could and throw the rest in the freezer or fridge for later use. Let’s say your steaming some celery for soup well steam more than you would need and save the rest for another meal or veggie side. She never spends very long doing prep work, just a little bit with dinner every night. Sounds like a piece of cake.

I asked her how do you deal with picky eaters? She told me that when you have small children that let them get involved and then they usually want to try what they made. Let them pick out the food at the grocery store. If they are in a high chair, have them in the kitchen with you and let put a little bit of what you are cooking on their tray while you are making dinner. This creates two things, you have the peace you need to cook and they are getting to experience different foods. Her and I have another thing in common here we have both used our Bjorn for cooking. Strap that baby in and get that meal made. She didn’t have an answer though for picky husbands other than saying that she’s a picky eater herself and she tries new things but has some allergies and strong dislikes.

Tyson FoodsShe has lots of ideas to share, like 17 different ways to use pasta. So she hopes that she can help rescue your dinner. I have one copy of her book to giveaway and a few coupons from Tyson  for free chicken or steak. The fully cooked chicken strips or steak strips that you can find at your local super market.

Thank you to Tyson, Food Network and Robin for working with Mom Start.

To Enter:

Leave a comment saying something about a Tyson product and then you can leave a comment telling me something else about Robin Miller. That’s two entries to start with!

Extra Entries:

None Bloggers get and extra entry for every e-mail they send out linking to this giveaway cc louise@looksblue.com (be sure to leave a comment for every person you e-mail, for example if you e-mail 10 different people leave 10 different comments)

Subscribe to my blog
Follow me on twitter tell me your twitter ID
Blog about the giveaway include a link to me for five extra entries
Tweet the giveaway (every time you tweet you get an entry) Link to the giveaway please!!!
Add my button to your blog/blog roll
Dig, Stumble, or fav me on Technorati (two entries for each one)
Leave a comment for every entry and the giveaway ends July 27th.

The contest will run until Monday July 27th 11:59 pm Pacific. The winner will be selected by www.random.org

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