TheSnackHound

Growing up in Detroit, we used to joke about being “Northern Canadians” as we lived north of Windsor, Canada.  We also used to watch a lot of Canadian children’s television, so had to be reminded in kindergarten that it was A to Z and not A to Zed.  Now, the friends we joked about have something to poke us back about.  There is a whole big contest where they can win one of 3 $10,000 prizes, camcorders, and all sorts of other goodies through the contest Stouffers-panini is having.  Canadian readers (in other words, those who live in Canada) are eligible, but not those in the CBC viewing area that live over the river.  You can try to sneak into the contest.  I tried.  However, when i started pointing to a part of my hand when they asked where I lived, they knew I was just a pesky Detroiter trying to pass as a Canadian.

It is a contest to roll out its new line of paninis with an international flair.  They include:

Bistro Meatballs & Peppers
Bistro Chicken Souvlaki
Lean Cuisine Grilled Vegetables & Goat Cheese
Lean Cuisine Mango Chicken Tikka

Since panini is native to Italy, and these all aren’t Italian dishes, there have been creative liberties taken.  The Chicken Tikka is a panini with an Indian flair, and includes a spiced sauce, grated cheese, and mango.   I think the one I would most like to try is the Grilled Veggie and Goat Cheese panini.

Oh, you want me to stop talking and start telling you about the goods? Okay, then.  There are three first prize winners who will receive a trip to Greece, India, France, or Italy in the form of a $10,000 gift card to do so.   Twelve second prize winners will win a Sony digital camcorder.  Everyone else who does not win any of that will still have chances every day o win instant prizes of Stouffers products.

You can register here  on the Stouffers website.  Make sure you have a valid Canadian address.  If you are living in Canada for work for some reason, have a friend hold your hand or strap it into your pocket so you are not tempted to point to a knuckle.

Have you entered the BluFrog contest, yet? If not, you need to get off your duster and get cracking. Entries will only be accepted through July 17th, which is this Friday. Not next Friday. The gavel will drop at 11:59 P.M. Eastern Standard Time. For everyone in the fair town of Mukwonago, Wisconsin, it means 10:50 P.M. If you are sitting in traffic in Encino, it means that you will have to get going on this before 8:59 P.M.  You may just want to make sure you get off of work early that day, or just bite the bullet and enter now while you are thinking about it.

The prizes that BluFrog, the latest “healthy” energy drink, has in store include a trip to the X Games in Vail, Colorado. There are other prizes, such as a Richard Petty racing experience, if snow and you do not mix. If you just don’t “do” the outdoors as all and want to sit on your keister, there is an Ultimate Gaming Experience.

Go to the BluFrog page and follow the instructions. You may tweet, blog, or comment to win. Anyone can enter, but only those who are 18 or over, and are also legal residents of the United States may win.  More details on the prizes and rules can be found on the page.   You can view it here with a superduper magnifying glass, changing the resolution on your screen to see The Snack Hound blog as ants and fleas would see it, or just simply go to the page.

Why am I making such a big deal out of it?  I don’t want you to blame me when you read my blog and wish I would have reminded you.  It is “all you” now.  I did my part, so it is up to you to write it on the calendar or type it in to that little calendar alarm thingie on your phone.

The kind folks at BluFrog are running a variety of contests to promote their new and natural azure amphibian themed beverage. You could win a Richard Petty racing experience, a New Year’s Eve trip to New York city, tickets to the Winter X Games and more. Purchasing products do not increase your chances of winning.  There is no “golden ticket,” where you have to guzzle down about thirty drinks a day to have a chance at.

Entering is quite simple.   You get an entry from going to their blog and leaving a comment with which prize you would like to win.  Additional entries can be had by blogging about the contest on your blog, or tweeting about it on Twitter.  If tweeting, you need to include #bluworld and http://bit.ly/UiiJy in your tweet. This way, you share the link with friends, and BluFrog folks will know that you have completed your mission. For those who are hesitant to enter contests, as they do not want their personal information shared,  this method of entry collects no phone numbers or email addresses.

Of course, there are additional rules aside from completing the entry method.  This contest ends at 11:59 p.m. EST on July 17, 2009.  Entries submitted after that time, will not be considered.  There will be no leniency for people who walked away form their computer to brush their teeth.  You had all month to do that.

To win a prize, you must be a legal resident of the United States, and you must be 18 years old or older.   If there is any sort of scuffle about identity, in the case of blogged entries, favor will err on the side of the person the blog is registered to.  In other words, if you are 12 years old and start typing away on your mom or dad’s blog, the joke will be on you.  Your parents will be sending you a postcard from the X Games and you will be sitting at home.  At least that’s the one I would like to win as I hear Aspen is beautiful.  There will be plenty of years after you are 18 to win plenty of other contests, so don’t rush to grow up!

Hal, the surly PC, has randomly generated a winner in the online poster printing contest for a free 16×20 print. All of the data was entered into Hal’s little brain, and the winner is:

Michele Perry

According to Michele’s comment, this is how she is going to use her photo:

I would use my new poster to proudly display my boys, and my new girl Annabelle! (pic coming soon- she’ll be home in a month or so!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

By the way, the boys are dachshunds, in case you were wondering!

Michele’s name and email address has been submitted to Uprinting.com. She will be contacted within a few days to invite her to select her favorite photo to bring REALLY, REALLY big. Thank you for playing, everyone!  Be on the look out for more great contests, recipes, and general mayhem at TheSnackHound.com

Hey kids!  The SnackHound is hosting a great blog giveaway.  In my spare time, I am not just a writer, but a photographer.  I like capturing the slice of life…literally…but I also have taken many of the photos that appear on this blog.  Unfortunately, my local copy shop just doesn’t offer large format prints or poster printing.   Maybe I will just make a big poster of my salt and pepper shakers.  Maybe not.

You probably have a far better idea.   So, I am pleased to be offering my readers a chance at winning a 16×20 poster print of whatever you like.  If you live in the US or Canada, you will receive the print free of charge. If you live internationally, you will just merely pay shipping. A fair deal, I say!

Of course, the stipulation would be that you have to supply the photo. Since it involves online poster printing, you will not have to mail a thing. It is merely an upload. No, you will not win a photo of The SnackHound (either the snack receptacle of to find out what I really look like. If that were to occur, I suggest you use it as a Halloween decoration.)

There are two ways to enter:
1) Leave me a comment on this post telling me how you would use your 16×10. What would you print? Why?

2) Write about my giveway, linking back to this post and to http://www.Uprinting.com. This means that you have a chance to win, even if you don’t have a blog or website, and you also have a chance at more than one entry.  

The winner will be selected totally and completely randomly by Hal 9000, the evil computer.  That is a photo of Hal’s eyeball, at right.  He has been extra surly since I switched to a Mac.  I decided to host this contest, in part, to give him something to do around here.  Please make him proud, and enter.  It certainly is a far more attractive alternative than giving him nothing to do, and then blaming me for when he is bored and takes over the world.

Let the games begin!

Last entry must be time stamped by 8:00 P.M., May 22nd, 2009.  Good luck!

The winners of the Washington Post Peep show have recently been announced, with the winner being “NightPeeps,” a delicious take on Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks.   It is all there:  The guy in the fedora, the soda jerk, the mysterious red head…or should I say pink eared?

Here is Nightpeeps and Nighthawks together at last:

The Peep-sterpiece was made by Melissa Harvey of Arlington, Virginia.   She worked on two consecutive weekends, according to The Post.  Let’s take a closer look inside at the painstaking detail. The plate or ashtray on the table that is a little obscured on the original is now a plate of carrots.   Clay plates and mugs hold the caffeine and carrot feast, while a cap found in the medicine cabinet by Melissa Harvey’s husband serves as a drinking glass.

The original Nighthawks has been reproduced many times with everything from Disney characters to famous actors clocking in at the diner, and of course, there was a Lego version as well.  Nightpeeps trumps them all by not only being interesting to look at, but delicious as well.

*****
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