WGN America Lunchbreak Giveaway!

Sign up for my e-newsletter and you are entered to win one of two amazing products featured on my WGN America Lunchbreak segment.  Two separate people will be chosen to win one product:

UPDATE:  The fields below do not seem to be working, so go to the field section on the right hand side of my website to sign up for my newsletter as that should solve the problem.  I apologize for the inconvenience.

Breville Personal Pie Maker
Breville Bread Maker

Be sure to check your spam folder as you need to double-verify your sign-up for the e-newsletter, only confirmed subscribers will be eligible.  I will be making the announcement via Facebook Friday, September 9th (the winner will be emailed personally as well).  Good luck!



Email Marketing You Can Trust

Cuisinart Electronic Pressure Cooker Giveaway

Sign up to recieve my newsletter and you register to recieve a Cuisinart Electronic Pressure Cooker, absolutely free!

You can see the form to the right of this post!  You have to double confirm, so check your spam for the verification email.  Good luck!

Show your support at participating restaurants next Thursday

Dining Out For Life® is an annual fundraising event involving the generous participation of volunteers, corporate sponsors and restaurants. In exchange for their financial support, restaurants are listed in a city wide marketing campaign in an effort to increase customer traffic.


In 1991, Dining Out For Life® was created by an ActionAIDS volunteer in Philadelphia. Dining Out is now produced in over 55 cities throughout the United States and Canada.

More than 3,500 restaurants donate a portion of their proceeds from this one special night of dining to the licensed agency in their city. Nearly $4 million dollars a year is raised to support the missions of agencies throughout North America. With the exception of the annual licensing fee of $1,000, all money raised in these cities stays there.  http://www.diningoutforlife.com/

Epiphany

I think any person worth their salt is constantly honing who they are, the message they want to convey. Lately I have been tormented with what kon-tent is really about, what do we stand for. As a creative person, I try to stay unblocked and allow the world to transfer as much energy my way so I can inspire and challenge not only myself - but others. It is at some of the times I feel the most blocked or held back that the universe opens up and I dig deeper.

I see that over the years, many cooking/lifestyle shows have alienated so many people and made them feel like they don't fit or that they are incapable. My goal through kon-tent is to celebrate real life and real people, because that to me is what real living is all about. Every person and family's individual and unique qualities is what makes our world so colorful, I want to be able to inspire and show them how to enhance what they already have. We all are guilty of getting caught in the machine of bigger, better, newer, faster - but the reality is is that it is up to us to define our lives into what we want it to be. A relearning that no matter what anyone thinks or says, it is all in our hands.

Happy Holidays

I wanted to show you a photo of the Thanksgiving table setting I used this year. The Faux Bois dinnerware I had created for kon-tent, olive wood flatware and vintage Thanksgiving towels used as napkins.

Sorry I have been silent for the last couple of weeks. I have been busy working on finishing my first book. I am also working on a new website which will be much more user friendly and feature some partnerships with fantastic companies. Lastly, I look forward to seeing you all very soon. I will probably be quiet for another week with these other things taking up so much of my time.

FOX television appearance

I was on FOX again this last Saturday making an updated version of sweet-potato pie. I decided to separate the eggs, so I could whip the whites and add them in at the end to lighten the pie or souffle it. The addition of Maker's Mark bourbon helps to add depth of flavor to this classic dessert. In an effort to make life easier, I also thought using phyllo dough with spices added into the layers eliminates the pressure of making pie dough and gives it an interesting aesthetic as well as crunchyness. Segment

FOX as always is a great place to do a segment, I love working with them. Tom Halden is just as friendly in real life as he appears on screen. It is hard to not want to just shoot the breeze with all of them, but I was there to make pie and offer up some Thanksgiving entertaining ideas - so I had to stay on task.

The items I used in this segment were:

Cuisinart Pressure Cooker - I could not live without this. It seriously cut the roasting time for the sweet potatoes from 1.5 hours to 6 minutes - no lie. link

KitchenAid Professional Mixer - This is another standard for anyone's kitchen. I enjoy the larger size because it handles bigger batches that I regularly do. link

Maker's Mark Bourbon - Made in the USA, there is no comparison to how this bourbon can add depth of character and flavor to your meal. http://www.makersmark.com/

Hamel Maple Syrup - made locally here in MN, you can find them at most supermarkets or call them at 763-478-2353.

Funkins - these faux pumpkins are amazing, carve them once and enjoy the beauty for a lifetime. So many uses - I have glittered, painted, gilded and carved them. http://www.funkins.com/

Faux Boix Dinnerware - this dinnerware is an instant classic for your entertaining needs. kon-tent has commissioned this dinnerware from a boutique pottery in England. Contact us for ordering questions. ross@kon-tent.com

If you have any other questions aboutitems not listed above, please contact us for answers.

kon-tent media sighting - Susan Reimer - Baltimore Sun

Thank you to Susan Reimer with the Baltimore Sun for posting such a nice article regarding my article about Haws watering cans. I admit, I thought they wer for snooty gardeners - but I have been won over. It is a must have for anyone that owns a plant!

Please check out her blog, it is a fantastic read and resource.

August 15, 2009
Tool time: Haws watering can
Photo courtesy of Ross Svebak
Ross Svebak, a lifestyle blogger from Minnesota, pays tribute to the Haws watering can in a recent post.
You know these watering cans, even if you don't know the maker. They have the long arm and the upside-down watering head.
He says he resisted buying one for years because he thought they were the stuff of snooty gardeners, but then received one as a gift.
He writes a bit of history about the Haws company, too, which began with John Haws application for a patent in 1885. Check it out.

A look back at the bake sale

For my first bake sale, I would write it down as a success. I have never seen so many, great people. I was asked many times what was selling the most and it was even across the board. Everything was kid friendly and adult tempting. Thank you to everyone who stopped by, it was great meeting you! Click here for a slideshow of the day.

Sign Language

Over a month ago when kon-tent moved to downtown Afton, we realized we were allowed to put up some signage. Enter in the creative gears and those wheels start spinning. I asked around to get some recommendations for sign makers and decided upon Kopp & Daughters sign. Mary Kopp and her father have been hand making wonderful signs for decades - her father much longer of course. I collaberated with Mary about kon-tent, who we were and what we stood for. She also got us to think about aspects of a sign which we would have never considerd, i.e. when people drive by, what do you want them to think?

I knew faux bois was a basic element of this creation and so between our two creative brains and their amazing artistic hands, they came up with this wonderful sign. Thank you so much for all your hard work. You can contact them at (651) 436-7586, they can do signs for anyone - anywhere!

[kon-tent] at All Inc. Summer Event - June 11, 5-7 pm

Have you ever wondered what it is like to come to one of my classes or what the food I prepare tastes like? Come to All, Inc. on June 11th and find out. They are hosting an event centered around Summer entertaining and I am going to be there cooking up some of the food from my Sun-drenched menu class. You will be able to also meet Denise Gee, home design/trend expert who will be talking about 5 innovative kitchen design trends as well as providing samples from her new book 'Southern Cocktails.' Lastly, Eli Wollenzien, the executive chef from Crave in Edina will be there cooking up some fabulous food.
The event is free and you do not need to reserve a spot.

Bake Sale - July 4th in Afton, MN

I have decided to hold a bake sale on the 4th of July in Afton, I am very excited. My mind is spinning with all the possibilities. There will be cookies and tarts, I will even have some heavenly, homemade marshmallows and maybe homemade smores too!

EXCITING NEWS!!

For those of you who are close to me, and those that are not – I am taking the leap and making a go of what I have been passionate about since I was a child. I am calling it kon-tent.

kon-tent is about life, in part and whole. My goal is to show you how to experience the kon-tent in your world. It can be the process of finding a new way to make breakfast, rearranging your living room, growing geraniums or having your friends over for a party. Small or large, kon-tent is everything inside your sphere. I will guide you through what you experience on a day-to-day basis by showing you how to do it easier, make the difficult applicable and elevate the mundane. It will be my pleasure to show you how you can revitalize the old as well as how to bring in new ideas with or without a budget. I have had many years of entertaining, cooking, decorating, gardening and collecting. By pulling those experiences together (my kon-tent), I hope I can help you redefine your life into what you want it to be.

I look forward to your input and ideas, thoughts and suggestions (the attachment is my new card, let me know what you think). Thank you very much for being part of the kon-tent of my world.