Posts tagged recipe contest

Wedding Gift Guide: Ideas For Throwing a Recipe or Kitchen Themed Bridal Shower

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Calling all family and friends of the bride-to-be! We know how stressful it can be to put together the logistics of a bridal shower, not to mention the immense pressure you feel to create a beautiful, special and memorable day that you know the bride will love. But never fear – PMall is here! We’ve put together some great tips so you have everything you need to help you host the perfect bridal shower!

kitchencookies1 Wedding Gift Guide: Ideas For Throwing a Recipe or Kitchen Themed Bridal ShowerThese unbelievable, almost-too-pretty-to-eat Kitchen Cookies from The Adventures of Sugarbelle blog had us instantly inspired to come up with ideas for a kitchen themed bridal shower (we first saw the picture on Pinterest, but you can find the recipe and decorating tips for creating these beauties here). We think these pretty treats would not only add some fun to each table, they’ll also make great favors that each of your guests can take home with them!

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves – the first thing you need to do after setting a date and securing a location is work on the bridal shower invitations. But before we talk about creating beautiful bridal shower invitations like this, this or this, we need to go over the focal point of the kitchen themed shower. 

The purpose of any bridal shower is to help the bride start off her married life with a kitchen and home full of everything she needs but with our personalized tips and ideas, you’ll also be helping her build a kitchen and home that’s hers.

recipe cards 300x300 Wedding Gift Guide: Ideas For Throwing a Recipe or Kitchen Themed Bridal ShowerThe From The Kitchen Of… Personalized Recipe Cards, which come in both 3×5 and 4×6 sizes, or any of our other Personalized Recipe Card Designs will help you achieve both of those goals because while they do make a great gift (a gift that she’ll actually use!) all on their own … they will be extra special when you announce that you’ve had the bride’s family and friends fill them out with their favorite recipes!

In order to surprise her with this gift you’ll have to personalize enough cards (they’re sold in sets of 24) so you can include 1 or 2 of them with each of the bridal shower invitations (we also suggest personalizing an extra set of recipe cards that you can leave blank so when you present them to the bride she can add her own favorite recipes to her collection). When you’re creating the invitations, make sure to include a line somewhere on the invite that says “Please fill out the recipe cards and bring them to the shower. Write down 1-2 of your most favorite recipes to help us start the bride’s recipe collection!” Send the invites off and you’re well on your way to creating a one-of-a-kind gift that will be a bridal shower show stopper!

recipe box1 300x300 Wedding Gift Guide: Ideas For Throwing a Recipe or Kitchen Themed Bridal ShowerThe final part of the gift is to personalize the From The Kitchen Of… Bamboo or Clear Acrylic Recipe Box for the bride. We suggest trying to match the theme of the recipe box to the theme of the recipe cards, however we also offer different designs for you to choose from in our Personalized Recipe Box Department, including a Personalized Recipe Binder that would also work well for this gift. These recipe boxes are excellent additions to anyone’s kitchen – the lids on the bamboo recipe boxes feature a slit that can hold a recipe card upright while you’re cooking and the acrylic recipe box lids not only hold the recipe cards upright, they also protect them from food splatter!

We suggest quietly collecting all of the recipe cards from the guests as they arrive so when the bride opens the recipe box you’ve personalized for her, you can surprise her with all of the recipe cards that her loved ones have filled out. Just think of how special it will be for her to receive secret family recipes, the directions for making her future husband’s favorite meal from his mom, or the recipe to her favorite dessert that her aunt makes and brings to every holiday party. You’re not only setting her up with a good start to a recipe collection, you’re giving her the opportunity to surprise her husband with his favorite dinner from growing up, or to recreate her favorite holiday meals that she’s enjoyed since she was a little girl – there won’t be a dry eye in the place!

Of course we also have a way for you to lighten the mood again – bridal shower games! Now stop groaning (yeah, we heard you!), these aren’t the same ol’ games that you’ve seen done a million times … they’re kitchen-themed and interactive! We loved all of the ideas they offered on this Kitchen Bridal Shower Games post, but especially the Spice Quiz. To set up the game you remove the labels from 10 jars of spices and assign each of them a number. Pass the spices around to each of the tables and ask the guests to guess which spice it is that they’re seeing, smelling, and (if they’re brave) tasting. The person with the most correct guesses wins and the bride can keep all the spices to stock her kitchen!

If you’re looking for bridal shower gifts in addition to the recipe cards and boxes, check out our Personalized Entertaining and Home Gifts Store - especially the Kitchen and Grill Department or head over to the Kitchen, Bar and Home Department in our Personalized Wedding and Anniversary Gifts Store where you’ll find more great bridal shower gift ideas that every bride will love.

If you have any other tips for throwing a kitchen bridal shower please share with us and all of our fans by posting in the comments below!

Side Dishes That Steal The Show Contest Winner Announced!

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apron1 300x300 Side Dishes That Steal The Show Contest Winner Announced!Congratulations to Rhonda J Elfstrand - the winner of PMall.com’s Side Dishes That Steal The Show Recipe Contest!

Rhonda submitted her recipe for the tasty and popular Strawberry Pretzel Salad which turned out to be our favorite!

Here is the winning recipe:

“Mix 2 cups of crushed pretzels, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and 1/2 cup of melted butter and then press into the bottom of 9×13 pan. Bake for 10 minutes at 400 degrees and allow the crust to cool completely before making the middle and top layers. Then beat 8 ounces of cream cheese and 1 cup of sugar until smooth. Fold in 8 ounces of Cool Whip until it is all incorporated. Spread the mixture evenly (beware the loose crumbs of the crust) on the cooled crust. For the top layer sprinkle 6 ounces of stawberry Jello on 2 cups of near boiling water into a large bowl and stir well. Carefully add 10-16 ounces of frozen strawberries and stir until Jello is slightly thickened (the frozen strawberries do a “quick set” of the Jello). Pour the mixture evenly over the middle layer, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until needed – at least two hours.”

This side dish has always been one of our favorites and we were so thankful that Rhonda shared it with all of us!

For submitting the winning recipe, Rhonda has won the Give Thanks To The Cook Personalized Apron and Potholder!

Thank you to all of our fans who submitted their favorite side dish recipes! Keep checking back here for the latest news and contests from PersonalizationMall.com!

Recipe Contest: Side Dishes That Steal The Show!

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SideDishes Blog v1 300x300 Recipe Contest: Side Dishes That Steal The Show!Thanksgiving dinner always revolves around one thing – the turkey.

We always feel bad for the stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, etc. … it’s almost as if we can picture the side dishes looking at the beautiful turkey and saying, “Marsha, Marsha, Marsha!”

But not this year!

This year is going to be different because PMall.com is moving the spotlight over with the “Side Dishes That Steal The Show” Recipe Contest!

We’re asking you to share your favorite side dish recipe with us for a chance to win a prize!

 

All you have to do to enter is send an email to social@pmall.com with the subject line “Thanksgiving Recipe Contest” with the following information:

- Your full name and an email address that we can use to reach you if you win the contest

- The name and recipe for your favorite Thanksgiving Side Dish and a few words about why you love it so much.

apron 150x150 Recipe Contest: Side Dishes That Steal The Show!And that’s it! Please make sure you send in your emails before the end of Thanksgiving Day on November 22nd, 2012. We will announce the winner here on our blog on Friday, November 23rd.

What are you playing for you ask?

Well the winner, who will be chosen by the A Personal Touch staff, will win their very own Give Thanks To The Cook Personalized Apron and matching Potholder!

That way you can cook in style the next time you’re preparing your favorite side dish!

We can’t wait to see all the recipes start rolling in!

Good luck!

 

We Have A Summer ParTEA Recipe Contest Winner!

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SummerPartea Blog v1 300x300 We Have A Summer ParTEA Recipe Contest Winner!The Summer ParTEA Recipe Contest may be the PMall.com Staff’s favorite contest yet!

We received several recipes and we couldn’t believe how unique each of them were and how delicious they sounded – we have enough recipes to keep our taste buds happy for the rest of the summer!

Thank you to all who participated in our contest, we can’t thank you enough for sharing all your recipe secrets. While all of your entries had our mouths watering, there was one particular recipe that stood out from all the rest.

Congratulations to Liga Gorrick for winning our Summer ParTEA Recipe Contest with her recipe for Rhubarb Ice Tea!

Thanks to Liga’s special recipe, she has won her very own Personalized Beverage Server with Stand that she can use to serve her Rhubarb Ice Tea for many summers to come!

Here is Liga’s winning entry for all of you to enjoy:

Hello,

My name is Liga Gorrick and my favorite drink in a hot summer day isn’t the regular ice tea everybody serves. It’s the amazing Rhubarb ice tea with its freshness and the beautiful pink color. As I grew up there always was plenty of rhubarb in my mom’s garden during summertime. Mom was really good making something yummy out of it. One of my all-time favorites is this rosy ice tea (especially accompanied with rhubarb tart or pie). It tastes like summer and childhood to me. My mother made it just with rhubarb alone, but I’ve been “playing” with the ingredients over the years and have discovered that I like it best with a little bit of ginger or with hibiscus tea.

tea contest winners photo 300x200 We Have A Summer ParTEA Recipe Contest Winner!All you need is:

  • 8-10 large rhubarb stalks
  • 8-10 cups of water (1 cup for each rhubarb stalk)
  • 1 small ginger root (about 2 inches long)
  • Honey (sugar, Splenda or any other sweetener)

Wash and clean the rhubarb (do not peel- the peel is what gives that lovely pink color), cut into about 1 inch chunks. Wash, peel and cut the ginger in thin slices. Add the rhubarb and ginger to the water in a large saucepan and bring it to boil, then simmer covered for 15-20 min. Take the saucepan off the heat and let it cool for a while. Strain the tea; add honey (sugar/Splenda) to the desired sweetness. Chill the tea completely and serve with plenty of ice. I like large pieces of ice that doesn’t dilute the drink so quickly. 

For variety you can serve it with a little bit of fresh peppermint, substitute the ginger for a few strips of lemon peel or use rhubarb alone. You can also brew a few bags of hibiscus or green tea in the rhubarb tea while it’s still hot. Hibiscus tea makes it brighter pink or even red. It also gives a stronger, more sour taste. Enjoy!

Best regards,

Liga

Right away we knew we loved the recipe, but when we saw how tasty and refreshing the Rhubarb Tea looked in the picture Liga included, we knew we had a winner! Congrats again to Liga and thank you to all who participated in the PMall contest.

Make sure you keep checking back here for more contests and tips and tricks to make your parties and personalized gifts extra special!

Below are some of our other favorite fan entries for you to enjoy. They may not have won the contest but they’ve won a place in our hearts and cookbooks!

Katie Kitterman’s Pineapple iced tea

  • 1 quart water
  • 7 tea bags
  • 1 cup unsweetened pineapple juice
  • 1/3 cup lemon juice
  • 2 tbl sugar

Brew tea, stir in the rest then let it sit (overnight if possible).

“It’s delish!”

 

Jennifer Jonas’s Ice Tea Recipe

  • 3 Family Sized Lipton Tea Bags
  • Pot of water
  • 1 1/2 cups of Sugar
  • 1 Can Frozen Lemonade Concentrate
  • Cold water

Place tea bags in pot of boiling water & steep about 10 minutes.  Put sugar in gallon tea pitcher.  Pour warm tea over sugar & stir to dissolve completely.  Pour lemonade concentrate in & top off with cold water.  Stir well & refrigerate for delicious sweet tea (makes 1 gallon).

“What I love most about it: This recipe has been shared with me by my mom.  We love this Lemonade Sweet Tea on hot summer days here in Texas.  It’s very thirst quenching & refreshing (especially when it’s 107 degrees here).”

 

Juliet V’s Blended Masala Iced Tea 

  • 6 to 8 tea bags
  • 4 cups water
  • 4 cups cold water
  • 3 pods cardamom
  • 1/4” ginger diced
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 6 cloves
  • 1/2 cup sugar or 1/4 cup honey (optional)
  • Lemon/lime to garnish (optional)

Combine all ingredients except honey or sugar and cold water. Boil for 10 minutes. Strain. Put the cold water into a pitcher. Pour the hot tea over the cold water. You put the cold water in first, because the hot tea could melt the pitcher because it is hot. Add sugar or honey to sweeten it, stirring till dissolves. Put the pitcher into the fridge to cool. You can add slices of lime or lemon to the pitcher to give it a refreshing taste.

“I love this tea because it gives me the essence of different spices and soothing/calming effect, which embodies the full flavor of a tea.”

Share Your Recipe For The Perfect Summer ParTEA & Win!

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There’s nothing better than a nice, refreshing sip of chilled ice tea on a hot summer’s day!

SummerPartea Blog v1 Share Your Recipe For The Perfect Summer ParTEA & Win!But after that heat wave we just had, we’re in need of a fun new tea recipe to help us get through the rest of the summer!

Whether it’s a concoction of tea and lots of other ingredients or regular tea with a new twist you’ve added to help spice it up, share your favorite tea recipe and you could win PMall.com’s Summer ParTEA Recipe Contest and take home your very own Personalized Beverage Server with Stand so you can serve and enjoy your delicious tea in personalized style at your next party!

To enter the contest, send an email with the subject line “Summer ParTEA Contest” to social@pmall.com before the contest ends on August 1st, 2012 with the following information:

1. Your full name and email address where we can contact you if you’ve been selected as the winner.

2. Your favorite Ice Tea Recipe and what you love most about it.

And it’s as easy as that!

The PMall Staff will read the entries and select their favorite recipe and the winner will be announced here on the A Personal Touch Blog on August 2nd.

So start trying out new tasty combinations or pull out your recipe book and find that trusty recipe you’ve loved for years – just make sure you do it before the contest ends!

We can’t wait to read all your entries – our mouths are watering just thinking about it!

Good Luck!

 

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