Coming Soon...

...after the last wheelbarrow full of tomatoes is canned, the last of our three-roosters-too-many are culled and sent to the stock pot, and I've had a day or two to straight-up veg out on the couch, I'll be posting a long overdue giveaway!

Because I'm still presently freaking out all a-tither over getting a ton of produce picked and put up, I don't yet have my lineup of goodies selected, but don't be surprised to see some jam, salsa, sauce and maybe a knit or two in there. More details and the pics of the goods are forthcoming... soon (I hope.)

This represents a wee sampling of what I'm working on these days. Mercy!

GGG Holiday Giveaway!

Finally! The giveaway I've been promising is here at last!

This humble little box of goodies contains a combination of stuff that I, myself, have made, and foodie delights that I'm crazy in love with.

This box includes-

*1 bar Orange Cream goats milk soap
*1 jar Sweet Orange bath fizz
*3 knit cotton washcloths
*1 adult size pair wool bike helmet earmuffs
*1 jar each of tomatillo salsa, raspberry peach jam and spiced peach jam
*1 Theo chai chocolate bar
*2 whole organic vanilla beans
*1 package smoked sea salt

Approximately $70 worth of stuff. And you never know, I might pop a little something else in there too.  :)

Enter by simply leaving a comment on this post. Make sure that you provide me with a way to contact you in the event that you win.

Please feel free to share this giveaway with others. The more views/followers that these giveaways generate for this lil' ole blog, the more likely I am to do them! I'll accept entries until 12/9/12 at midnight, my time. A random winner will be chosen and announced here on GGG on 12/10/12.

Thanks again for stopping by and Good Luck!

Giveaway: Grain Mains Cookbook Bundle

I was offered a copy of this book to review honestly, which is exactly what you'll get here, I hope that you can trust in that. The publisher was also kind enough to give me two extra copies to share with you, my readers and friends, hence, the giveaway!

Grain Mains is the latest offering from Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough, the same fellas who brought us Goat: Meat, Milk, Cheese, one of my favorite go-to guides for creative and delicious ways to use up our frequent surpluses of goat milk and meat.

Both Goat and Grain Mains go well beyond the standard cookbook, in terms of informative and, more importantly, pleasurable content and truly unique recipes. Weinstein & Scarbrough write with humor and wit, which makes reading this book cover to cover (when was the last time you felt inclined to do that with a cookbook?) both interesting and entertaining.

The recipes within feature many fairly uncommon grains in some familiar preparations, as well as some more creative, altogether exotic dishes, the majority of which can be prepared to accommodate a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle.

I am particularly intrigued by the Burgers recipes, as most commercially available veggie/non-meat burgers leave a great deal to be desired in terms of taste and texture. Now, if only I could find a good source of organic bulgur and millet!

Although the recipes sound fantastic, I've yet to attempt to prepare one for our family because a) Most of the exotic grains called for have been quite hard to come by, and b) Because my children are rather persnickity eaters. If I can locate a good, affordable source of organic whole grains, I will definitely be game to make a salad or main dish for my husband and myself, but scouring the earth for organic black quinoa is not high on my list of priorities at the moment. If you know where I can score some, let me know!

Overall, I'd recommend this book, especially for self-styled foodies, looking to explore new culinary horizons. The relatively new-to-American-palates grains featured in the majority of the recipes within Grain Mains have the allure of being rather exotic, as well as the benefit of being uniquely rich sources of fiber and other beneficial plant compounds that are key elements in a healthy, whole foods diet.

Different, delicious and good for you? Yes, please. :)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And now, on to the freebies!

One reader will receive a copy of Grain Mains - 101 Surprising and Satisfying Whole Grain Recipes for Every Meal of the Day by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough.

While another reader will win the contents of the gift basket pictured below:

One copy of "Grain Mains" by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough, one package of organic Mekong Flower rice, one package of organic Hard Red Wheat Berries, and two jars of my homemade jam.

To enter, leave a comment on this post. Please be sure and provide me with a link back to your blog through which you can be contacted, or an email address to reach you at if you win.

For additional entries:

-Like Girl Gone Granola on Facebook. Leave an additional comment letting me know that you liked it.

-Follow this blog (whether you're an existing follower or a new one, leave an additional comment letting me know!)

Entries will be accepted until 11:59pm, PDT on 9/14/12. A random winner will be selected with the help of random.org, and the results posted here on 9/15/12.

Good luck! :)

And the winner is...

...the lovely and talented Megan (also known as commenter #1), at A Kitschy Kitchen! Congrats, lady!



Thanks again to the kind folks at Shabby Apple for sponsoring this giveaway. Enjoy your dress, Megan!

A Very Girly Giveaway

I love hosting giveaways, and this is a great one for all of my girly girls out there. :)

The folks at ShabbyApple.com have very generously sponsored this giveaway for a super cute little dress, "Ahoy!".



I selected this dress for the giveaway because the soft jade color has a breezy Caribbean vibe that I love. It wasn't an easy choice though! Shabby Apple offers a lot of really cute and sophisticated vintage style dresses for women and little girls. So much pretty!

The happy little frock featured in this giveaway is offered in sizes Small to X-Large, and can be yours with just a few clicks and a little bit of luck.

Enter to win by doing the following-

*"Like" Shabby Apple on Facebook, and leave a comment on this post letting me know that you liked them.

*For an additional entry, visit Shabby Apple and take a look through their collections of sweet and sexy dresses and accessories, and leave me a comment telling me which outfit/piece you fancy best.

This giveaway ends Sunday, March 18th at 11:59 pm, PDT.

Winners must have a US shipping address. There are no exchanges for the winning dress, so if Ahoy! isn't your cup of tea, go check out Shabby Apple for something else fabulous and use the coupon "girlgonegranola10off" to save 10% on your purchase.

Thanks for reading and entering!
Michelle

And the winner of GGG Giveaway 3 is...

Commenter #5, Simcha! This loot is going all the way to Turkey!



Facebook me your mailing address, chicky, so that I can ship you your goodies. Thanks again to all who read and entered!

Granola Giveaway #3

In celebration of my 200th post, I'm giving away a bag full of granola & farm goodies! Check it out -



This Farm Aid shopping tote is filled with some of my favorite earth-friendly products, an inspirational read and some gardening goodies to get you outside and planting. This package includes-

*Farm Aid "Farmers Kick Ass" shopping tote
*Farm Aid "Farmers Kick Ass" pin
*Alba Botanica Coconut Milk Face wash (Love this!)
*Three dishcloths, hand-knit by yours truly
*Biobag non-GMO, 100% compostable bags for your compost bin
*Ladies size medium Bamboo Gardening Gloves
*"Farm City" by Novella Carpenter (used copy, cuz that's how I roll)
*Miscellaneous heirloom seeds from Victory Seed Company

I'll probably throw a few more goodies in there before I mail this off, but you'll have to wait and see. ;)

All that you need to do to enter is to leave a comment on this post. I'll draw the winner on Friday the 17th, so check back and spread the word! Thanks again to all of my followers and friends for reading.

Good luck!!!

Last Call for Stick to it! Menu Planner Winner

Yo! Jennifurla! You won, mamacita! Email me your info at - pisceschick99 at gmail dot com so that I can send you your prize, lady, or I'm going to have to draw another winner.

Thanks again to everyone who entered. Have a wonderful 2011!

Stick to it! Menu Planner WINNER!

And the winner is....



Commenter #4, Jennifurla! Congrats, lady! Email your address to me at pisceschick99 at gmail dot com, and I will forward your info on the the good gals at Stick to it!

Thanks again to one and all for entering, and please stop by again soon!

Review & Giveaway - Stick to it! Menu Planner

About Stick to it! Menu Planner -
Stick to it! is handy-dandy magnetic menu planner. It was created by two busy moms who wanted an easier way to plan their family's meals and the grocery shopping required to make them. It comes with 40 blank magnetic "tiles" which you personalize with your family's favorite breakfasts, lunches or dinners, to plan a whole week's worth of meals in advance.

My experience with Stick to it! -
I got mine the week before I had my surgery, and used it to plot out a meal plan for my husband to follow while I was down and out. Having several days worth of meals planned in advance (all the way down to the side dishes) also made grocery shopping a lot easier. Here is what my planner looked like that week -



I only set mine up through Saturday, because I was expecting to be back up and about by Sunday. Alas that wasn't to be, but that's on me. I could have easily planned and shopped for an entire week's worth of meals using Stick to it! as an organizational aid.

You might notice that I used labels on the magnets, rather than hand-writing my menu items on them. I initially wrote on a few of the magnets with a fine-point Sharpie, but found that they were still a bit wet and smudgy even a week later. I spoke with Amy, one of the creators of this planner, and she told me that a regular ball point pen works best if you choose the write-in option.

Your chance to win!
So now we're down to the good stuff - a giveaway! If you think that a Stick to it! meal planner would help to simplify your life and would like a chance to win one, simply leave a comment expressing your interest in the planner and you'll be entered to win! I'll draw a winner and post the result this Friday, the 17th, at which point you can email me your mailing address which I will pass on to Stick to it!, so that they may mail you your planner directly. BUT - if you can't wait that long and want to lay your hands on one now for yourself or as a gift, you can place an order via Stick to it!'s Facebook page.

Thanks for taking the time to read this review and to those of you entering to win - Good luck and Happy Holidays! :)

**Full disclosure - Amy (one of Stick to it!'s creators) is a friend of mine. That being said, my opinion and subsequent review of this product is an honest reflection of my personal experience with it. I don't tend to do reviews because my opinions aren't for sale. If I sing the praises of (or rail against) a product/service/business, you can bet that I'm doing so because of my first hand experience with it. I hope that you will trust that this will always be the case with this and any future reviews on this blog.**

For my fellow Cheese Fiends

My homegirl, Suzanne over at Chickens in the Road is giving away a boatload of home cheesemaking supplies to one lucky winner.

Check it out here- Do you know Jack?

I'm not only hoping to win these, but to use them soon too, as we *think* our little goat princess is going into heat, and have found a sweet boy to breed her to which should equal goat cheese for us as early as late spring. Viva el queso de cabra!

And the Winner is....

...Kris @ Quilted Simple! Congrats, my friend!

As I only had four entries for this giveaway, I went old school and had Olivia draw a name from a hat. Here is your small but lovingly assembled prize package-



Kindly shoot me your address to pisceschick99 at gmail dot com and I'll get it in the mail today. :)

Last Call for Granola Giveaway #2!

If you haven't yet entered my drawing for a package of homemade goodies delivered straight to your door, do so now! :)

I've finally gotten around to doing a little much-delayed canning this weekend, including the very interesting corn cob jelly that I've been ogling over at Chickens in the Road. And so, now that I feel confident that I can send out a varied assortment of jams, jellies and all things knitted, I'm about ready to draw names.

So enter here or enter there and tomorrow evening I will draw a winner.

Thanks again for stopping by and for your comments - they make my day!

:) Michelle

Pay it Forward ~ Granola Giveaway #2!

Last month I was the very grateful recipient of a package of lovely assorted British Columbian goodies, courtesy of Megan at Tomato Tots's Pay it Forward giveaway. Here are the tasty treats that I recieved-



Not surprisingly, the Whistler Organic chocolate was the first to go, followed very shortly by the lemon marshmallows. We, uh... have a bit of a sweet tooth over here. ;) We're down to the granola and the peach syrup now. Everything has been so good!

And so, it's my turn to pay it forward! My prize package's exact contents are still yet to be determined, but one thing is for sure, with a new house and back-to-school having just laid waste to our bank account, most of the goodies in this basket will be homemade. I have a lightweight scarf that I'm finishing, and a whole cupboard full of this summer's jams and jellies with more to come. So, if jelly and scarves appeal to you, simply leave a comment on this post to let me know that you'd like to be entered to win and, BAM, you're in the running. Good luck to all and thanks again for reading!

Michelle

Washcloth Winner!

And the winner is... lucky #7 - Samara!

Congrats, Samara! Please send your mailing address to me at pisceschick 99 AT gmail.com, and I'll send these babies your way just as soon as I get my little rear over to the post office.

Tomorrow I'll post the patterns that I used (read: winged) for these dishcloths for the potential enjoyment of my fellow knitting knerds.

Stay tuned for more contests & giveaways in the near future! Canning season is upon us and I will soon be awash in jams, jellies, salsa and sauerkraut, all of which I will be more than happy to share with you all. Thanks again to everyone who took the time to enter, and please pop by again soon! :)

Lucky & Thankful

Holy mackerel! I step away from the computer for a few days and all sorts of awesome stuff starts happening!

Firstly - I won a contest! :) Megan, at Tomato Tots chose me as one of the winners of her Pay-it-Forward foodie giveaway. You might remember that I had one of these little giveaways myself a while back, but part of the deal in winning a pay-it-forward contest is that you have to offer a foodie giveaway of your own, featuring food and other kitchen goodies from your local area. So keep your eyes peeled, peeps. I'm in the process of plotting my prize package now!

And, as if that weren't cool enough, I also won not one, but TWO blog awards from the lovely Miss Michelle over at All Home Cooking, All Year Long!




Thanks, Michelle for the shout-out! And now for a few of my blogging homegirls who I'd like to acknowledge by passing on an award. Not all of them are into the award thing, but they are awesome gals all the same and being singled out for their awesomeness right here and now, whether they like it or not! ;)

Suzanne at Chickens in the Road. She's living the dream out on a secluded little farm in West Virginia. Suzanne is a romance novelist and occasionally treats her readers to a Harlequin-style romantic description of goat courtship. Awesome.

Jen at Knitters-Knitters. Jen is the tireless mom of 6 incredible kids and the most skilled knitter that I've ever known. And she's teaching me Hebrew, one word at a time. ;)

Kris at Quilted Simple. The woman NEVER STOPS. Knitting, washing cows, bailing hay, quilting like a madwoman, you name it, Kris does it all!

This is but a small sampling of the many amazing ladies (and a few gents) who's blogs I read on a regular basis and from whom I'm learning a ton about farming, parenting, cooking, knitting and just enjoying life. Thank you all for putting yourselves out there and letting folks like me share in your lives!

And thanks again to Michelle & Megan for making me feel so loved and lucky. :)

Where I've been and a lil' sumthin'-sumthin' for my peeps

The girls have been out of school for two weeks, as of tomorrow, but let me assure you, that it feels like much longer already. Just another 8 weeks to go! Oy...

So, as is my habit during the summertime, or any extended break from school, I try to keep the girls moving and entertained, lest they should drive me bat-poo crazy with their clinging and whining. So far we've gone to the drive-in movies, swam at the Y, played at the park, gone to the beach, the library, etc. We just got back from spending 6 days up north at Cama Beach State Park, on Camano Island, and since coming home, I haven't had two free seconds to myself to do much of anything, let alone catch up on reading and writing. I've missed you all and in case you've missed me too, here are some pics of what I've been up to with the fam.

Here we are at Cama-


In front of our little cabin


Hanging at the beach


Catching little shore crabs by the dozen


And dungeness crabs by the half-dozen


Just grill and add butter - YUM!

While the hubby and kids pursued crustaceans and played cut-throat games of Sorry! and go-fish, I preferred to partake of the simple pleasures of knitting in the sun and drinking shocking amounts of sangria. Ah, the good life...

Anyhoo - I so enjoyed my semi-drunken knitting that I decided to make a lovely assortment of cotton dishcloths for one lucky reader to enjoy. Oh I know - just what every woman wants, new dishcloths! But you must admit that these are pretty darn cute -



In addition to the dishcloths, I'll also include a few coordinating kitchen towels that I had no part in making, but scored for a steal at Le Costco. You don't need to do anything fancy to enter to win, just leave me a comment expressing your interest in showering yourself in dish washing accoutrements, and bingo, you're in.

If I can overcome my innate laziness, I may eventually post the patterns that I improvised for these dishcloths, if anyone is interested.

Thanks again for reading and good luck! :)

Southern Food Giveaway Winner

Congrats to Andrea the Kitchen Witch, the winner of my Southern Delights goody bag. Shoot me your mailing address at pisces chick 99 at gmail dot com, and I'll send your num-nums on their way. I can't wait to see what you do with them!

Thanks to all for entering. I'm knocking around a few ideas for my next giveaway already. Stay tuned... ;)

Y'all want some freebies?

While storming Farmers Markets and small town shops in Tennessee & Kentucky, and picking up random assorted southern/appalaichan treats and oddities, I thought of you, my foodie and blog friends. I wanted to bring you back a few odd little num-nums as a treat for those of you who have my same crazy love of down-home foods. That was the plan. Fate and a doofus or two at United airlines unfortunately intervened.

I swear that I had bought more than this for y'all, but in the ensuing "your-suitcase-isn't-lost-lost, we-just-don't-know-EXACTLY-where-it-is-right-now" incident, something somewhere got lost FOR REAL.

At any rate, without sounding too much like I am apologizing for giving you something for free, I ask you to accept this humble, wee assortment of Appalaichian goodies, courtesy of moi.



Here we have some "candied" jalapenos, country ham from the self-proclaimed Hamtown, USA of Cadiz, Kentucky, and lastly, some whole pecans in their shells.

I may get whacky and throw something else in here. Something knitted, perhaps? Anyway, if you're interested in throwing your name in the hat, simply say so in a comment and I'll randomly select a winner in 2 weeks time. (I need time to knit something cute!)

Thanks again for reading my blog. I appreciate you all more than you know. :) Chelle

Granola Giveaway Winners!

Congratulations to Michelle from All Home Cooking. All Year Long. and Sarah at All Our Fingers in the Pie, our winners for the first ever Great Granola Giveaway. Ladies, please email your addresses to pisces chick 99 at gmail dot com and I'll send your goodies on their way.

I hope to have another of these contests soon, and next time I plan on trying to find more "ingredient-y" type goodies, since most of my peeps prefer to grow/cook/brew/bake their own tasty treats. In trying to put together an appealing lot of Pacific Northwest num-nums, I learned a few things about myself and the food of my region -

a) If you can't ship a Big Tom's burger, a Puyallup Fair Scone, an ETG mocha, an alder-plank grilled fillet of king salmon, homemade rhubarb wine or a caught-that-day homemade crab cake (YUM!), how can one effectively communicate the bad-but-oh-so-good food of the Puget Sound region?

b) Many of my favorite Olympia/Puget Sound foods are only available when the Farmer's Market is open, which around here, is not until April. D'oh!

c) In shopping for the Northwest's greatest hits, I kept bumping into the same 3 things - coffee, candy and alcohol. Lest you've never visited my humble stomping grounds, let me just say that the weather leaves the people of my good city seeking a little "boost" of one sort or another. Therefore, even though coffee and chocolate can no-way-no-how be grown in this climate, our love, nay, NEED of the caffeine & sugar have elevated coffee roasting and candy making to new heights 'round here. The notable exception: Aplets & Cotlets, which I have, despite my better judgement, included in these prize packages for the winners to judge for themselves.

So stay tuned for more goody-bag giveaways, most likely in late spring and early summer, when the garden is beginning to produce and the farmers markets are bustling. Again, congrats to our winners - enjoy! :)