Celebrate International Sushi Day & a Edo Japan Giveaway!

Who loves sushi? If you love sushi as much as I do then you will certainly appreciate today's giveaway! Today (Thursday June 19) is International Sushi Day and Edo Japan wants to celebrate it with you!

Edo Japan has its roots in Calgary, Alberta but now has expanded to many locations across Canada. If you haven't had your chance to try their food, here is your chance! Enter in the rafflecopter below!

Please note, there is a mandatory entry to complete. You must comment (located below the rafflecopter) to be entered into the giveaway. Share what is your favourite sushi memory.  The more details you give the better! You must log your info into the rafflecopter otherwise your entry will not be counted.  Also, this giveaway ($50 giftcard to Edo) is limited to areas where Edo Japan is located. Good luck! Contest closes midnight Wednesday June 24, 2015.

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Cooking with Chef Lynn Crawford & Catelli Healthy Harvest Ancient Grains Giveaway

Last Wednesday I had the incredible opportunity to meet Chef Lynn Crawford! You probably recognize her from Food Network's Chopped Canada or Pitchin In. Last week, Chef Lynn Crawford was out in Western Canada cooking and demoing Catelli's newest line of pastas - Healthy Harvest Ancient Grains.

It was a great night enjoyed by all in Get Cooking's space filled with tasty pasta ideas from Chef Lynn Crawford, canapés from the Get Cooking team, and demos of Catelli's Ancient Grain Pasta from Chef Lynn Crawford. We also had the opportunity to put together a dish using Catelli's pasta ourselves! 

Phyllo pastry with crunchy pear and pear soup (left from Evert), buckwheat noodle with yellow asian pear and a cumin coconut pancake (right from Alexei of S'wich Food Truck). 

The pasta is made with 100% whole grain Canadian wheat and five ancient grains: quinoa, amaranth, millet, sorghum and teff. 

We also learned how cooking times could affect the firmness of the pasta. However, the firmness depends on preferences as well so there can be a lot of variety in cooking times.


One of the exciting parts of the evening was watching Chef Lynn Crawford demonstrate a simple but delicious dish of pesto-dressed spaghettini and marinara rotini with fresh shavings of cheese on top. 

Then all of us food bloggers and the media (after taking photos) cleaned our plates!

After all the demos, we divided into groups to make our own Chilled Noodle Salad with Ginger Wasabi Dressing to take home and of course photograph.

Of course, I had a slight celebrity chef fan-girl moment when I wanted to get a picture with Chef Lynn Crawford. The bonus was when I shared with her that she could use a timer for selfies, she even instagramed our photo!

Giveaway

Alright! So I am excited to share that one lucky Canadian reader or follower can win a year's supply of Catelli®'s Healthy Harvest Ancient Grains pasta through this blog! Catelli® will ship the year supply of pasta to you. This giveaway is open only to residents of Canada. Enter the giveaway in the Rafflecopter below with your details. Make sure you leave a comment as that is the mandatory requirement for entering the giveaway. Good luck!

Prize: One (1) lucky reader or follower will win a year supply of Catelli® Healthy Harvest Ancient Grains Pasta (60 boxes, valued at approximately $200).

Duration: Giveaway closes on Wednesday April 8, 2015.

Who Can Enter: Open to residents of Canada.

Mandatory Entry: Leave a comment on this post about what dish you will make with this pasta and with which type of pasta (Spaghetti, Saghettini or Rotini). Need some inspiration? Visit Catelli's recipes.

How to Enter: Please follow the instructions in the Rafflecopter below. Remember that leaving a comment is mandatory. Additional entries included in the Rafflecopter.

How will the winner be chosen: The winner will be chosen at random and will be notified via email. The winner will have 24 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.

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Duchess Bake Shop Memories and a Giveaway

Mini Paris Brest Pastries from Duchess Bake Shop.

Duchess Bake Shop is our favourite place for fine French baked goods and pastries in Edmonton. Dan and I have visited since Duchess opened, and have brought many friends, family, and out of town guests for a taste of France in Edmonton.

Back in 2009, Dan and I had been attempting unsuccessfully to make macarons in my small galley kitchen. When Duchess opened in October 2009 to great fanfare, we were very keen on visiting specifically because of their macarons. We learned that one of the owners, Giselle, had become fascinated with macarons while in Japan and had spent time perfecting the homemade macaron. This inspired me in my pursuit of the elusive homemade macaron. If you've followed along in my journey, you would definitely see all the different macarons I've baked.

Behind the counter at Duchess Bake Shop in 2010 

Even though we visited Duchess many times over the following months, it played a special part during a memorable day in May of 2010. We were invited to an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at what happens in the kitchen before the doors opened. Little did I know that the invitation was just part of a series of special surprises Dan had planned before he proposed to me!

Behind the scenes in Duchess' kitchen in May 2010.

Dan & I in Duchess in 2010 (we look so young!)

As many of you may have heard, Duchess released their self-titled cookbook last Wednesday (November 12, 2014). This cookbook resonates with me not only because there are beautiful pictures accompanying the step-by-step instructions, but also, this is the first cookbook where I've tried every item!

A tower of croquembouche at the cookbook launch!

A tower of Macarons.

Giselle Courteau at the Duchess Bake Shop cookbook launch.

Giselle has generously given two signed copies of Duchess' cookbook as a giveaway for two lucky readers! This giveaway is only open to readers who live in and around Edmonton or in Calgary. If the winner(s) resides in Calgary or area you must be able to meet with me in Calgary on either Saturday November 29, 2014 or on Sunday November 30, 2014. Arrangements will be made if the winner(s) live in Edmonton or greater area.

You can also purchase their cookbook in Edmonton at Provisions or online. Good luck to everyone and I look forward to reading your bake shop memories.

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Rocky Mountain Wine & Food Festival is Back for 2014!

It's that time of the year again! The Rocky Mountain Food and Wine Festival is back and I have a pair of tickets to give away to one winner for Saturday October 25 afternoon tasting (12-4pm) in Edmonton.

To be entered into the contest you need to do ALL of the following:
1) Live in Edmonton or vicinity.
2) Be able to attend the Saturday October 25, 2014 12-4pm session
3) Like my Beyond Umami Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/beyondumami )
4) Check my Beyond Umami Facebook page for more info. (https://www.facebook.com/beyondumami/posts/478640338944379).

Contest closes Thursday Oct. 16, 2014 midnight MST, please check my Beyond Umami Facebook page on Friday Oct. 17 to see the results!

One randomly selected commenter will be chosen to win the tickets.

Please note, that the tickets are just for entry into the Festival and have no monetary value. Food & drink tickets need to be purchased separately. Must be over 18 to attend. 

Winefest 2014 Returns!

Winefest 2014 in Edmonton is back on February 14-15 at the Shaw Conference Centre! If you have never gone, it is definitely worth going. One of the plus factors of Winefest is that you only need to pay once as your ticket is all-inclusive for the wine tastings, hors d'oeuvres, a complimentary Riedel wine glass and a Festival Guide!

There will be over 247 wines from 17 of the most renowned wine regions on attendance. So for example, if you would like to taste the entire line of 19 Crimes like I did than that is a possibility! 

This year there is also a free mobile app that Winefest has available so you can make tasting notes and remember all your favourite wines. The event runs Friday to Saturday and with it being Valentine's weekend I'm sure it will be a great event to attend. Take a look at their website for more details.

Giveaway! CLOSED

Now the exciting news is that I've been given the opportunity to giveaway a pair of tickets for Winefest's Saturday Afternoon Session ($150 value) from 2-5pm.  

Here's How You can Enter:

• Mandatory Entry: Considering that Valentine's Day is coming up, leave me a comment below sharing what is your favourite wine to share with your loved ones.
• Bonus Entry: (+1/day): Tweet - Enter to win a pair of tickets to @Winefest Sat Feb. 15 from @Beyondumami http://www.beyondumami.com/2014/02/winefest-2014-returns.html #yegfood
• Please note that you must be 18+ to enter this contest and to attend Winefest (no minors, including infants are permitted to attend). Valid Photo ID is required to attend.
• Leave me your contact information (most importantly your email) in the form below after you comment so I can contact you if you win.
• Remember to comment below for the mandatory entry. 
• Contest ends Wednesday February 12, 2014 at 11:59pm MST. 

Want to increase your chances of winning tickets? Diane at What Would Argenplath Pay, Linda Hong, and Marianne at Loosen Your Belt are also running giveaways. Check out their blogs while you're at it! 

Thanks everyone for entering! The Winner of the Winefest tickets has been contacted! Thanks for participating! 

12th Annual Edmonton Rocky Mountain Wine & Food Festival & A Giveaway!

It's that time of the year again! For the 12th time in Edmonton, the Rocky Mountain Wine & Food Festival is back! As in previous years, the Shaw conference centre will be hosting Edmonton's Festival with an extensive variety of wines, scotch, premium spirits, imports and micro-brewed beers. Certainly, there will be food as well from hotels, local restaurants and local food purveyors! 

Liquor Depot will once again feature an on-site liquor store, where attendees can purchase their favourite finds from the weekend. Liquor Connect will also be available to demonstrate how LiquorConnect.com can help find sensational sips after the Festival. Additionally, Sunshine Village  will be sponsoring the Grand Prize All-Inclusive Weekend Getaway for two, including two nights accommodation at Sunshine Mountain Lodge, VIP parking, a $100 gift certificate for food and beverages, a couple’s spa treatment and next day lift tickets.

Last year when I had the opportunity to attend, I tried some delicious wines, beers, and food items. I hope you can attend! 

This year there are three times that you can attend.                          

• Friday, October 25, 5-10 p.m. New hours!
• Saturday, October 26, 12-4 p.m. New session!
• Saturday, October 26, 6-10 p.m. New hours!

Now, the exciting part! You too can attend as I have been given 2 pairs of tickets to give away for the Saturday October 26 afternoon session (12-4pm)! This is a new time and will be way less crowded! The tickets will give you entrance to the festival, but you will need to purchase sampling coupons for food and wine/beverages at $0.50. 

To enter the give away, please leave me a comment below about: "Which wine, beer or spirt you are looking forward to trying." Only those with comments will be entered into the draw. The comment box is below the Rafflecopter widgit.

Optional Additional Entries:

- Follow me on Twitter @beyondumami

- Follow me Beyondumami on Facebook

- Tweet "Enter @beyondumami's giveaway to win a pair of tickets to @RockyWineFood Fest Sat Oct 26 afternoon #yegfood". 

Winner will be chosen at random and announced on October 23. Good luck!

Things to Note: 

• Samples range from 1-20 or more coupons depending on the item. Prices per sample are set by exhibitors. Coupons must be purchased with cash only inside the hall. 
• Tickets are not transferable to another session. 
• This is an adult only event. All attendees must be 18 years or older.
• Minors (including infants) are not permitted to attend. 

More information about the event can be found here:

@RockyWineFood

www.rockymountainwine.com

www.facebook.com/Rockymountainwineandfood

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Macaron Giveaway

I'm so excited to share with you all an exciting giveaway. As many of you know, I LOVE eating and making macarons. So, this coming Mother's Day is a perfect time for me to share my love of macarons with you.

Half a dozen macarons similar to the one pictured above will go to two lucky winners; just in time for Mother's Day! Unfortunately, due to logistics this giveaway will only be limited to people who are able to pick up the macarons in Edmonton on Saturday. You must be able to pick them up on Saturday afternoon May 11, 2013 at Southgate Mall. 

Mandatory  To enter this giveaway follow the instructions on the Rafflecopter below! 

1. Leave a comment below answering the question: Which unique macaron flavour would you want to try? note: comment section is under the Rafflecopter widget
2. Follow me via Twitter (@beyondumami) (+1 Entry)
3. Tweet "Enter @beyondumami's giveaway to win some #macarons! http://bit.ly/11RzN5P #yegfood" (+1 Entry/Day/Tweet)

RULES:

Giveaway ends on Friday May 10, 2013; 10pm MST. This giveaway is only open to residents of the Greater Edmonton Area. You must be able to pick up the macarons at Southgate Mall, Edmonton on Saturday May 11, 2013 in the afternoon. 

Allergy Alert: Please note that macarons contain almonds, eggs, sugar, food colouring and earl grey tea.

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Edmonton Rocky Mountain Wine & Food Festival Ticket Giveway!

WINNERS ANNOUNCED

Thank you to everyone that entered my giveaway! It was a success! I also had the chance to learn about the different wines and beers that everyone enjoys :). Steve and Jason you have each won yourself a pair of tickets to Friday's event! DM me your email addresses so I can email you the information! 

Thanks to everyone who entered! oh and my favourite wine as of late is Mission Hill's 2010 Syrah.

Have fun!


If you've been following my blog or twitter account you'll know that I had the fantastic opportunity to visit the Okanagan area this past summer. It was my first opportunity to bask in the beautiful weather, enjoy the scenery, and of course to sample a variety of wines from Kelowna down towards Naramata. The wineries are amazing over there and the opportunity to sample so many wines is such a great experience. 

As the Okanagan area is a relatively lengthy drive from Edmonton (approx. 10 hours), the Edmonton Rocky Mountain Wine & Food Festival is a great opportunity to sample a variety of wines, beers, scotch all of which are paired with food! There will be local Edmonton restaurants providing tastings of their food, wine and beer providers.  

The event takes place on Friday November 2 (4-10pm) and Saturday November 3 (3-10pm) at the Shaw Conference Centre (Hall A-C). Please check their website for further details and ticket information.

I'm excited to announce that I have two pairs of tickets for the Friday November 2 session to giveaway! This is only for entry into the event If you would like to sample wine, food or other beverages, you will need to purchase sampling coupons (50 cents each). 

To enter this giveaway follow the instructions on the Rafflecopter below! 

MANDATORY ENTRY

For one entry, leave a comment below answering the question: What is your favourite go-to wine or beer?

note: comment section is under the Rafflecopter widgit

ADDITIONAL ENTRIES

1. Follow me via Twitter (@beyondumami) (+1 Entry)
2. Tweet about "Enter @beyondumami's giveaway to win a pair of tickets to @RockyWineFood Fest Friday Nov 2 #yegfood" (+1 Entry/Day/Tweet)
3. Follow @RockyWineFood on Twitter (+1 Entry)

RULES
Giveaway ends on Oct 31, 2012 at 10:01 pm MST. This giveaway is only open to residents of Alberta, 18+. Minors (including infants) are not permitted to attend. Please note that these tickets are not transferable to Saturday’s session. The tickets are only for entry into the event.

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