Day 20: Summer Entertaining GIVEAWAY from National Pork Board
Thanks for joining me in my “30 Days of Summer Entertaining” series. (Scroll down to the bottom for previous posts in this series) :)
Grilling is a big part of summer entertaining, so today’s post is a very exciting one!
Back in May, I was invited by my cute and inspirational friend, Marla Meridith, from Family Fresh Cooking, to attend a wonderful evening with … the National Pork Board. It was called a Pork Crawl, hosted by Jaden Hair from Steamy Kitchen. Basically, a group of bloggers went to some of the finest restaurants in Atlanta, where chefs created pork recipes in ways I’ve never experienced before.
Lori @ Recipe Girl, Angie @ Bakerella, Jenny @ Picky Palate, Jaden @ Steamy Kitchen, Sandy @ Reluctant Entertainer, Georgia @ Georgia Pellegrini, Marla @ Family Fresh Cooking, not pictured Carrie Minns @ La Pomme De Portland, and photo credit by Amanda @ Kevin & Amanda
And the night didn’t end there … when we got back to our hotel room, we were given a gift of great cooking tools and spices for making our own pork chops when we arrived home. (Items in very top photo – my favorite? The grilling pan and juicer! Both awesome!)
Yesterday I shared this fantastic recipe that our family enjoyed for an early Father’s Day celebration using fresh pork chops and glazed apricots.
Today I am sharing with YOU the exact same items I received from the National Pork Board, to give away here at RE to ONE LUCKY WINNER!
As the generosity continues … here are the items I’m giving away here on RE today:
Pork Be Inspired brand Apron
Pork Be Inspired Brochure
Digital Meat Thermometer
Cuisinart CCJ-100 Citrus Pro Juicer
Vacu Vin Pineapple Slicer
Norpro Grip-Ez Jalapeno Pepper Corer
Cuisinart Grill Pan (I’m most excited about this!)
Dry Ingredients (Salt, Light Brown Sugar, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Chili Powder)
If you are interested in receiving this generous gift from the National Pork Board, leave a comment and tell me:
What is it about summer entertaining that stressed you out?
Extra ways to win, 1 point each, and please come back and share the link.
-Tweet this giveaway (@SandyCoughlinRE)
-Share this post on your Facebook page
-Post this giveaway on your blog
-Become a brand NEW follower of RE Facebook page
-Become a brand NEW follower of ReluctantEntertainer.com (Brand NEW folks, easy to sign up with your email)Contest ends Wednesday at midnight, 6/22/11. Winner announced Thursday, 6/23/11 on RE.
(Very top photo credit of giveaway items from Carrie, La Pomme De Portland.)
If you’ve missed the last 19 days of this series, you can catch up now:
Day 1: Summer Entertaining is About the People
Day 2: When Perfect Robs You of Something Good
Day 3: Who To Invite to Dinner
Day 4: Planning the Menu for Outdoor Entertaining
Day 5: Setting the Table Using What You Have
Day 6: Using One Classic Water Glass
Day 7: Napkin Options for Summer Entertaining
Day 8: When You Feel Like Canceling the Party
Day 9: Leave Your Technology at the Front Door
Day 10: Candles That Enhance Good Conversation
Day 11: Serving Flavored Herb and Fruit Water
Day 12: Leafy Greens and a Tiny Bit of Agave
Day 13: Keeping Nut and Fruits and Cheeses on Hand for Easy Appetizers
Day 14: Move Your Table to a Different Space
Day 15: Greek Salad on a Stick and Getting the Kids Involved
Day 16: Three Lies of Perfectionism that Ruin Entertaining Moments
Day 17: Be Creative When You Run Out of Linens for Your Dinner Party
Day 18: Gather Around a Fire for Intimate Summer Entertaining
Day 19: Last Minute Father’s Day Invite and Pork Chops with Glazed Apricots
Feel free to grab my button and share it with your readers :).
Hello and welcome to my home and table!
I’m Sandy—lover of food, family, cooking, THE BIG BOARD, travel, and bringing people together. Through great recipes and connection around the table, we become better, stronger, and more courageous people. Feasting on Life is real, and every time we do it, we grow a little more. Read more...
I am already a fan on fb!
I worry about the burgers being cooked all the way!
One of the stressful moments is when we moved into our new house recently…and had a little BBQ for our family and friends. I was stressed to hear what people would think about our new house ALONG with my cooking!!
My small house stresses me out. We usually prefer to entertain in nice weather (which, in our area is about 2 weeks in the spring & 2 weeks in the fall because we go straight from hot to cold) so we can eat outside.
Nothing stresses me out about summer entertaining. It’s the most relaxed venue in that your outside and just taking it all in. Great giveaway. Hope I win.
Great Giveaway! (I hope I win!) I would say the thing that stresses me out most about summer entertaining – any entertaining really is cleaning my house. Ugh! I clean the hall (kids) bathroom and before a guest can arrive it seems the counter is smeared with toothpaste and the clean towels I put out are covered in germy kid-hand-dirt! Luckily most of my friends have kids too!
My husband’s TWO riding lawn mowers and tool box on our large back porch! I see lovely living areas and think… That could be mine… But WAIT! Half the porch is full of man stuff. He keeps saying he’s going to build a workshop big enough to hold it al… One can only hope!
We tend to be so laid back that we don’t invite. Then I feel bad that I haven’t had people over and THAT doesn’t motivate me. It gets to be a vicious cycle. Thanks for the opportunity to win!
Kim D from SC
What stresses me about Summer entertaining is that I live in a condo and do not have a back yard. I do have a little slab of concrete that people can gather. It is summer and people want to be outside. While my home is not dark I just feel that people want to go outdoors as well.
I am always nervous about having anyone over…trying to have everything “just right” stresses me. Yet I haven’t learned not to stress but I am working on it!
Hmmm…I’m actually having a hard time deciding what to write! My husband and I have only really hosted two major events before, but we have (up to) 30 guests coming this weekend – with kids! I think this time, it makes me nervous to have kids at our party because they will be a BIG age range, and I’m not sure how to entertain them. So, summer or winter, what do I do with other people’s kids? I guess we’ll find out soon! :)
Summer entertaining stresses me the same as the rest of the year. :D What will I serve, will the house be clean enough, will my kids get along with their kids/behave in front of other people?
I am a New Follower of your blog! I hope I win – this contest ends on my birthday! – what a great present! :)
I newly “Like” you on Facebook!
I shared this post on Facebook!
I always stress about making certain everyone’s happy – that there’s something to eat for every palate.
The Florida heat is what stressing me out! I don’t know how to keep everyone cool while we’re entertaining outside.
What an awesome giveaway. I would say the heat stresses me out. Living here in the South, it is just not letting up these days. Temps near 100’s almost everyday. With the layout of my house it is nice to have the outside to use as well as inside. Thanks for the opportunity to win such a great prize.
I would have to say that weather unpredictability is stressful. Here in Florida the thunderstorms usually start rolling in around dinner time when I plan for guests to come. I love doing outdoor games and such and I’m always worried that my efforts will be ruined by weather. I guess a back up plan would be good. LOL!
Thanks for the chance to win Sandy. Have a great day.
What stresses me out is the uncertainty of the weather. I actually want to plan an outdoor party for July 9th but am all worried that it will rain and ruin my plans. Thanks so much for all of the inspiration you share with us.
Mosquitos! Thanks for the great giveaway. We had grilled garlic and pepper pork tenderloin last night, and it tasted like summer!
What stresses me out about entertaining? Everything! My small space isn’t big enough. My cooking isn’t fancy enough. My guests won’t have enough fun. Ugh. But I enjoy your blog and I’m trying to learn from you!
What a fun giveaway! What stresses me out about summer entertaining is the heat (I’m in the south) and the bugs. I sometimes wonder if we’ll all be hot and itchy.
Feeling inept at really being able to pull the whole thing off! I’m so awkward in social situations that the pressure just mounts as each guest arrives. Such a fantastic giveaway, thanks for the chance to win!!
Great giveaway! I would say what stresses me out is my guests feeling too crowded. My house is under 2000 square feet and I always feel that when everyone is together (kids and adults) inside we are all on top of each other feeling a little bit “tight” instead of having a spacious area to stretch out. I know the feeling instantly makes me nervous, uptight and feeling not so relaxed.