The holiday season is the perfect time for entertaining friends and family, both in elaborate, planned dinners and in instances where friends are in the neighborhood and just stop by. For us, it’s always important to have delicious, food-friendly wines around to open for such occasions, and with so many events happening, it’s also very helpful if these wines are a great value.

Tapeña Wines fill this need perfectly. Tapeña—the wine with the little fork on the label—is a big blend of tradition, camaraderie and good taste. A fusion of the terms tapas, the American equivalent of bar hopping with an epicurean twist, and peña, a gathering of close friends, Tapeña is the definitive food-friendly, value-priced wine at $9.99. Tapeña drinkers are like good friends, and as such, they offer an easy and fun rewards program.  Register now, and start earning rewards!

Since Tapeña is all about sharing, they are giving me the opportunity to help one of you celebrate the holiday season in style with a Tapeña  party pack. One lucky reader (aged 21 or over!) will win a bottle each of Tempranillo, Garnacha, Verdejo and Rosé, along with some festive Tapeña party swag.

Source: Freixenet USA Trade

To enter:

Be at least 21 years old.

Leave a comment here letting me know how you would celebrate with Tapeña if you win.  Would you have a tapas dinner party for friends? Celebrate New Year’s Eve with a Spanish theme?

OR check out the Tapeña Wines Blog, and stop back here to leave a comment about one of the recipes or other posts you read there.

For an extra entry, tweet, “I want to win a party pack from @tapenawine and @traveleatlovemm” and follow @tapenawine. And/or give them a like and tag them on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/tapenawines

I will choose a winner on Monday, December 5 at 8:00 ET,  using random.org.  ¡Buena suerte!

Technorati Tags: giveaway, Spain, Tapeña, wine

This year, I will be in California during the cook-off, which is November 6, but the awesome people at Hood are allowing me to give away a pair of tickets to the event (travel and accommodations not included). If you are going to be in Portland, ME or need a reason to be, just leave a comment below letting me know your favorite dairy product (if you eat dairy) and how you like to eat it. I’ll choose a winner this weekend so that person can get started planning!

More information about the Hood New England Dairy Cook-Off

Annual Hood® New England Dairy Cook-Off®

Celebrity Chef Tom Pizzica Among 2011 Judges

LYNNFIELD, MA (October 17, 2011) – HP Hood today announced the 30
semifinalists who will compete for the $10,000 grand prize in the 3rd Annual Hood®
New England Dairy Cook-Off® presented by Hood Sour Cream. Judges for the 2011
event include Tom Pizzica, star of Food Network’s “Outrageous Food” and finalist
on “The Next Food Network Star.” Pizzica will join a panel of four other food experts
to judge the final round of the competition.

The Hood New England Dairy Cook-Off gives amateur cooks from across New
England the chance to compete in a head-to-head cook-off at the Ocean Gateway
Terminal in Portland, Maine, on November 6th, 2011. All recipes are original and
include at least one Hood dairy product in the following five categories: breakfast/
brunch; soups/chowders; appetizers/side dishes; lunch/dinner (entrée); and
dessert.

The additional final round judges include Patti Woods, an award-winning journalist
and food blogger; J. Desmond Keefe III CEC, CCE, Culinary Instructor, Southern New
Hampshire University; Peggy Poole, Vice President of Quality Systems & Regulatory
Affairs, HP Hood; and Amy Traverso, Senior Lifestyle Editor from Yankee Magazine.

Judges will select the winning dish based on taste appeal, presentation/appearance,
and creativity/originality.

CONNECTICUT
Veronica Callaghan, Glastonbury – Banana-Chai French Toast with Creamy Maple-
Walnut Syrup(Breakfast/Brunch)
Erika Fuery, Colchester – Roasted Butternut Squash and Salami Soup(Soups/
Chowders)
Lisa Keys, Middlebury – Pan Roasted Tomato Pie with Garlic Cream
Drizzle(Appetizers/Side Dishes)
Alli Masse, East Windsor – In Da “Hood” Chicken and Cheese Casserole(Lunch/
Dinner)
Marie Connor, Mystic – Mystic Magic Chocolate Tart(Dessert)

MAINE
Lisa Caruso, South Portland – Noggy Berry-Buckle(Breakfast/Brunch)

Mary Lou Dahle, Durham – Creamy Fresh Tomato-Arugula Soup with Cheese and
Basil Crostini(Soups/Chowders)
Mary K. Blenk, Cumberland – Pan-Roasted Bacon Salmon Cakes with Creamy
Velvet Cheese Sauce(Appetizers/Side Dishes)
Jessie Grearson, Falmouth – Tandoori Express Chicken Naanwiches with Sour
Cream Raita and Buttermilk Mango Lassi(Lunch/Dinner)
Kimberly Parsons, Hampden – Rhubarb Spiced Baby Cakes(Dessert)

MASSACHUSETTS
Elinor Ives, Fiskdale – Edgartown Crab Hash Benedicts with Lemon Dill
Sauce(Breakfast/Brunch)
Paulette Di Angi, Osterville – Madagascar Corn Soup with Cilantro-Chili Oil and
Polenta Flatbread(Soups/Chowders)
Sophia Pattas, Northborough – New England Style Clam Chowder Rangoons with
Creamy Chowder Dipping Sauce(Appetizers/Side Dishes)
Maureen Donovan, Lynn – Seafood Pasta(Lunch/Dinner)
Scott Cohen, Charlestown – Cognac Cocoa Custard(Dessert)

NEW HAMPSHIRE
Holly Campbell, New Boston – Fruity Brickle Breakfast Biscuit Blintzes(Breakfast/
Brunch)
Julie Sgroi, Exeter – Caribbean Chicken Chowder(Soups/Chowders)
Kevin Towle, Gonic – Mini Feta Basil Cheesecake with Sun Dried
Tomatoes(Appetizers/Side Dishes)
Joan Churchill, Exeter – Pan Roasted Pears and Pork with Leek Coulis in a Cream-
Pear Reduction with an Herb-Crusted Pear and Pork Dice(Lunch/Dinner)
Denise LaRoche, Hudson – Caramelized Raspberry White Chocolate Bread
Pudding(Dessert)

RHODE ISLAND
Mary Jo Fletcher LaRocco, North Kingston – Oatmeal Shortcakes with Fresh
Cranberry-Blueberry Sauce and Cinnamon Maple Cream(Breakfast/Brunch)
Corinne Dillingham, Westerly – Decadent Seafood & Corn Soup(Soups/Chowders)
Dan Rinaldi, Cranston – Surf and Turf Sliders with Maine Lobster
Sauce(Appetizers/Side Dishes)
Zan Nordlund, Cranston – Tempura Waffles(Lunch/Dinner)
Patricia Dilorio, Cranston – Maple Mini Rice Pies(Dessert)

VERMONT
Joanna Scott, Milton – Taste of Fall Savory Crepes(Breakfast/Brunch)
Ellen Stark, Williston – YaYa’s Spring Time Soup(Soups/Chowders)
Thomas Young, Swanton – “Eggplantainini Sensation” – Heaven for the
Vegetarian(Appetizers/Side Dishes)

Carolyn Wheel, Fairfax – Poached Scallops in Saffron Cream Sauce(Lunch/Dinner)
Beth Gary, Milton – Velvet “Noodles” in Lemon Cream(Dessert)

“Hood is committed to providing home and professional cooks with the very
best dairy ingredients for all of their recipes,” said Chris Ross, Vice President of
Marketing, HP Hood. “In the three years we’ve held the Hood New England Dairy
Cook-Off, we’ve been impressed by the creativity of our entrants, their passion for
cooking and their loyalty to Hood products. We look forward to another exciting
competition.”

Each of the 30 semifinalists selected to attend the Cook-Off will receive a prize of
$100. One winner from each category will advance to the finals for the $10,000
grand prize. Finalists who do not win the grand prize will each receive $500.

For more information on the Hood New England Dairy Cook-Off, please log onto
HoodCookOff.com. For more information on Hood, please visit Hood.com or become
a fan of Hood at Facebook.com/HoodCookOff.

About Hood

Technorati Tags: events, giveaway, Portland

Have a relaxing Labor Day weekend, everyone!

I love Eversave Boston! It’s Friday, we have a long, beautiful weekend ahead, and they are allowing me to choose one lucky Travel, Wine, and Dine reader to win a voucher toward a massage at Keepers Therapeutic Massage in Lexington, MA. How wonderful is that?!

I wish I could win it!

You’ll have your choice of an hour of Swedish, deep tissue, myofascial release massage, or trigger point massage.

To enter?

1) Make sure you like Eversave Boston on Facebook and follow them on Twitter:

Facebook http://eversave.com/go/8Zy0

Twitter http://eversave.com/go/GZy0

2) Leave a comment here letting me know why you absolutely need a massage.

3) Tweet “I want to win a massage from @EversaveBos and @traveleatlovemm”

This will be a quick one. I will choose a winner tomorrow morning. I’ve got the voucher handy, and I will send it on its relaxing way.

Massage is my absolute favorite thing ever, and I can’t wait to read your responses and award one of you. Thanks, Eversave!

Technorati Tags: Eversave, giveaway, Massage

Let’s rewind a week, shall week? Last week I received a beautiful, heavy box in the mail from the folks at Girard’s Salad Dressings. I was excited to find a bunch of fun items inside, including four of Girard’s salad dressings: Greek Feta, White Balsamic, Light Champagne, and Old Venice Italian.

I am on a feta kick, so we went straight in for the Greek Feta to make a simple grill pan dinner on a hot night. I should also mention we have barely been grocery shopping so we were pretty excited to have new food items in the house .

We generally don’t eat dressing on salads, I usually just got for a splash of balsamic, so we started by using the dressings as a marinade for zucchini spears and shrimp.

Then I remembered why I love having ready-made dressing on hand. It makes for such a quick and simple dinner! The feta dressing was salty, tangy, and really added a pop to the shrimp and veggies. Dinner was done in 10 minutes, and cleanup was a cinch.

We’ve started using the Greek Feta on salads which we really haven’t eaten much this summer. I have been eating huge bowls of arugula, spinach, roasted red peppers, beets, and tuna in oil, topped with a little bit of the dressing, and it actually makes me excited to eat raw veggies again. Sure, it’s a little more fat than my typical balsamic, but eating salad with a little dressing is better than no salad at all, in my book. I have lunches I look forward to, and I am feeling better. Maybe Girard’s provided that little push I needed.

They also provided some recipes for the dressings, and once I am home long enough, can’t wait to try them!

Girard’s is generously giving one of my readers the same four pack of dressing I received. I would love to know your favorite recipe idea using one of the dressings, so to enter please leave it in the comments below.

I’ll choose a winner on Monday. Good luck, and thank you Girard’s!

Technorati Tags: Food, giveaway, grilling, salad