And the Winner of the OXO Salad Dressing Shaker Is...

Congratulations to The Southern Fried Bride for winning the OXO Salad Dressing Shaker!  Thanks, everyone, for participating this time around!  :-)


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The Basics of a Vinaigrette and an OXO Salad Dressing Shaker Giveaway!

When I first moved to France, I realized that I was in trouble when it came to salads.  Yes, the grocery stores and markets had great salad ingredients.  Yes, salads were everywhere.  But at the same time, bottled salad dressings in France were terrible.  I had grown up with the bottle and couldn't figure out what to do...until I realized that I could actually make my own!  And it would be a thousand times better than the bottle!  Ever since that realization, I have (mostly) made my own salad dressings.  The great thing about the homemade version is that it has endless possibilities: herbs or none, mustard or no, tangier with more vinegar or smoother with more oil--you get to decide. 

Take the vinaigrette I made for my poached egg salad I posted about last week.  The egg yolk added a delectable creaminess to the salad, so I decided to go with a more tart version of a basic vinaigrette by adding a little more acid.  And that's something you can't do with the bottle in your fridge.

So how do you make a vinaigrette?  It's easy!  It really comes down to the ratio of oil to acid (vinegar, lemon juice, etc.) and personal flavor preferences.  The common ratio is 3 parts oil to 1 part acid.  When you're first starting out on the path to homemade vinaigrettes, I would stick to a good extra virgin olive oil and basic vinegars.  My favorite vinegars are balsamic and red wine because they're milder, but once you get going, start playing with your acids and oils to create different flavors.

If you want your vinaigrette to remain emulsified (or all mixed up), then you'll want to add an emulsifier.  (There's a chemical explanation about how this happens, but we won't go into the details right now.)  The most common for vinaigrettes is mustard (dijon or whole-grain works great) or honey.  Salt and pepper are essential, and then the rest is up to you.  So let's get started!

1. For a regular, family-sized salad, start by pouring about one ounce (about 1/8 cup) of your vinegar into a bowl or a handy-dandy salad dressing shaker.  Add a little salt--start with about 1/8 teaspoon--and some freshly-ground pepper.  I typically use mustard with most vinegars except for balsamic.  If you're using balsamic, mix and skip to the next step.  Other vinegars benefit from a little bit of mustard.  Add about 1/2-1 teaspoon of dijon mustard.  (For me, this is a flavor thing.  I prefer less mustard, so stick to about 1/2 teaspoon, but you might like more, so play with it!) Whisk or shake these ingredients together.
2. Pour in about three ounces of oil (1/4 + 1/8 cup).  Extra virgin olive oil is my go-to oil, but feel free to experiment!  Whisk or shake it to combine.
3. Now, this is the most important part...taste it!  Stick that finger in there and give it a lick.  What does it need?  More salt?  Add a little!  Some herbs?  Add some!  Too tart?  Add a little more oil!  You get the idea.  Here's where you can play with the flavors.
4. Now pour on your salad, toss, and enjoy! (You can store your vinaigrette in the refrigerator in an airtight container for about a week.  Sometimes the oils can solidify, so if that happens, just take your vinaigrette out of the refrigerator about an hour before using it.)

Now, if you've noticed, in the pictures I have a beautiful little OXO Salad Dressing Shaker.  OXO was kind enough to send one to me to try out and another to give away to a lucky reader!  Now, typically, I use a bowl and a whisk because I'm at the point where I don't need to measure anymore, but I do use this shaker quite often as well.  I had an old Tupperware one, but the opening was too small, so whenever I used shallots or other chunkier ingredients, they always got stuck while pouring.  This shaker, though, has a great wide opening, and so far, nothing has ever gotten stuck in it.  It's also pretty leakproof--I even let my two year old "help" me cook by shaking the salad dressing, and nothing ever leaked out.  And finally, my favorite part about this is that, as opposed to my bowl and whisk method, I can make this and then easily store it in my fridge for later use.  When I use this shaker, I'll double or triple the recipe to use throughout the week.  I think the only drawback is that I taste often while making vinaigrettes, and when you twist off the lid, the dressing can run down the sides a bit.  Nothing a paper towel can't fix, though!

So, on to how to enter!  Just follow the directions below.  The first one is mandatory, but the others are optional extra entries...just don't forget to comment for each entry!

1. Leave a comment on this post.  Feel free to share your favorite homemade salad dressing, tell me about problems you've had in the past making your own, or just tell me hi!  :-) (mandatory)
2.  "Like" The World in My Kitchen on Facebook and come back here to let me know. (If you are already a fan, just say so in the comments below.)  (optional)
3. Subscribe to The World in My Kitchen in an RSS feeder. (Make sure to come back here to let me know that you did this!)  (optional)
4. Follow me on Twitter and retweet this post. (Make sure to come back here to let me know that you did this!) (optional)
5. "Like" OXO on Facebook and come back here to let me know.  (optional)

That's a total of 5 possible entries! (Make sure to create a separate comment for each one below.) I will choose a winner with a random number generator. The giveaway will close on Wednesday, June 27th at 10:00pm EST.

**This contest is open to those with a U.S. address. 

Disclosure: This product was sent to me for review purposes. I was not required to post about it and received no compensation for doing so.

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7 two 7 Glass Garden Markers Giveaway Winner...and a Discount Code!

It's time to announce the winner of my 7 two 7 Glass Garden Markers giveaway!  Thanks everyone who entered!  I truly love Vicki's work and I hope I was able to introduce you to a new independent artist that you love as well!  And now for the winner:

Congratulations to beverly h!  You'll be receiving an email from me soon regarding the details!  And for those of you who didn't win, don't forget that you can receive a 10% discount from 7 two 7's Etsy shop for one week (through May 5th) by entering the discount code "theworldinmykitchen" (without the quotation marks).  Go over and order your own garden markers today!

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7 two 7 Glass Glass Garden Markers Giveaway!

***This giveaway is now closed.***

That's me in the back in the middle with the goofy smile and red hair.  Vicki is just to the left of me.  And just for fun, that's my beautiful mom on the far left in the back. :-)

There are just people in your life that you've known forever, right?  And then there are people you lose touch with and think you'll never hear from again.  But thanks to the wonder that is Facebook, I've been able to reconnect with people who can remember my crazy hairstyles when I was 12 years old.  Vicki is one of those people.  We both moved away from Southern California as adults and settled in very different states.  I ended up in Kentucky and Vicki in Minnesota.  After we reconnected on FB, I found out that Vicki owns a glass business: 7 two 7 Glass.  I just love her products!  She makes a variety of ornaments, hair barrettes, jewelry...and her newest creation are these lovely garden markers.  (I already have one of her beautiful owl ornaments, and these garden markers are going to make a debut in my garden this summer.)  :-)

Vicki has been kind enough to offer six garden markers to one lucky reader here...just in time for the spring planting season!  This is how she describes these beautiful pieces: "These plant markers are extremely durable, made with two layers of glass with a fired-on permanent design and galvanized steel stakes. The stakes are 'sewed' on with thinner-gauge galvanized steel wire. Not your momma's plant stake.....these are full of color and personality!"

And before we get to how to enter this fabulous giveaway, I wanted to let you know that Vicki is also giving readers of my blog a discount of 10% off an order from her Etsy site.  (Hey, mom, stop reading here...)  Okay, now that I know my mom isn't reading this, these would make a great Mother's Day present!  Go order a set for your mom...and maybe one for yourself while you're at it!  :-)  Just enter "theworldinmykitchen" (without the quotation marks) when you check out to receive your discount.  The discount will be good after the giveaway closes, so I'll make sure to remind you! 

How to Enter

Go to 7 two 7's Etsy shop and tell me what your favorite item is in her shop and come back to post about here on The World in My Kitchen! You MUST leave a way for me to get in touch with you if you win.

For extra entries, you can do the following (Create a separate comment for each.):


1) "Like" 7 two 7 Glass on Facebook and come back here to let me know.  (If you are already a fan, just say so in the comments below.)

2) "Like" The World in My Kitchen on Facebook and come back here to let me know. (If you are already a fan, just say so in the comments below.)

3)  Subscribe to The World in My Kitchen in an RSS feeder. (Make sure to come back here to let me know that you did this!)

4)  Link to this post in a Facebook update. If Facebook is playing nice today, make sure to tag The World in My Kitchen and 7 two 7 Glass! (Make sure to come back here to let me know that you did this!)

5) Follow me on Twitter and retweet this post. (Make sure to come back here to let me know that you did this!)

That's a total of 6 possible entries! (Make sure to create a separate comment for each one below.) I will choose a winner with a random number generator. The giveaway will close on Friday, April 27th at 10:00pm EST.

**This contest is open to those with a U.S. address. 

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Austrian Goodies Giveaway Winner

Congratulations to the winner of my Austrian Goodies Giveaway--commenter #8, Julie McAllister, who said the following:

My favorite recipe comes from Germany but we've had it throughout Austria: Kartoffelsalat! I know this dish has many variations...I am still in search of the version that is light and vinegar-y and served warm as part of a house side salad plate. After the salat, I'd love a recipe for Gluhwein! Tschuss!

I do have a recipe for German kartoffelsalat (potato salad) on this blog, but it's not the one that Julie mentions above.  I'll have to try some different versions out and get back to you!  And I'll definitely work on a Gluhwein (mulled wine) recipe this winter.  :-)

Thanks for all of those who participated in the giveaway.  I'd love to try out all of your suggestions, so I may try to get to them in the near future.  :-)

As Julie says, tschüs!


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Austrian Goodies: A Giveaway!

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED!!!

I love Vienna.  My husband introduced me to the city several years ago, and I've been lucky enough to spend about six weeks total in the lovely city.  It's beautiful, has a ton of cultural events/exhibits to offer, and has great food!  This time around in the city, I thought I'd gather a few Viennese foods (what little I could fit in my suitcase and what I could get back to the U.S. legally) to give away to a lucky reader!** 

I brought home some tarragon mustard (my favorite!), some Dragee Keksi (chocolate cookies), a handful of Mozart Kugeln (Mozart Balls), a Manner chocolate and hazelnut wafer bar, a small bottle of Manner liquor, a package of Gluhwein (mulled wine) teabags, and some packets of vanilla sugar.  The total worth of this little package is about $20.  If you'd like a chance to win, follow the directions below!

How to Enter

Just tell me about your favorite Austrian food and/or which Austrian food you might like for me to cook and post about here on The World in My Kitchen! You MUST leave a way for me to get in touch with you if you win.

For extra entries, you can do the following (Create a separate comment for each.):

1) "Like" The World in My Kitchen on Facebook and come back here to let me know. (If you are already a fan, just say so in the comments below.)

2)  Subscribe to The World in My Kitchen in an RSS feeder. (Make sure to come back here to let me know that you did this!)

3)  Link to this post in a Facebook update. (Make sure to come back here to let me know that you did this!)

4) Follow me on Twitter and retweet this post. (Make sure to come back here to let me know that you did this!)

That's a total of 5 possible entries! (Make sure to create a separate comment for each one below.) I will choose a winner with a random number generator. The giveaway will close on Wednesday, July 13th at 10:00pm EST.

**This contest is open to those with a U.S. address. 

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And the Winner is...

Congratulations to Liz...the last person to enter the CSN Stores giveaway! Liz, I'll be emailing you soon with your gift code!

Thanks to everyone else who participated!

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A Giveaway to CSN Stores!

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. THANKS FOR PARTICIPATING!

As promised, even if it is a little late, I am hosting my very first giveaway on this blog! CSN Stores offered me $30, either to use for myself to review an item or to give away to my readers--I chose the latter! Just enter below in the comments for a chance to win a $30 gift certificate at any one of their 200 stores.** My personal favorites are the Modern Furniture store, All Modern, and, of course, Cookware.com. If I had to choose, I would order the Emile Henry Flame Top Pizza Stone (above)--I'm in the market for a new pizza stone, and this one is just so beautiful (and almost half price on this site)!

How to Enter

Just "Like" Mindy's Mouthful on Facebook and come back here to let me know. (If you are already a fan, just say so in the comments below.) You MUST leave a way for me to get in touch with you if you win.

For extra entries, you can do the following (Create a separate comment for each.):

1) Subscribe to Mindy's Mouthful in an RSS feeder. (Make sure to come back here to let me know that you did this!)

2) Link to this post in a Facebook update. (Make sure to come back here to let me know that you did this!)

3) Follow me on Twitter and retweet this post. (Make sure to come back here to let me know that you did this!)

4) Tell me what you'd order from CSN Stores.

That's a total of 5 possible entries! (Make sure to create a separate comment for each one below.) I will choose a winner with a random number generator. The giveaway will close on Tuesday, March 8th at 10:00pm EST.

**This gift certificate will not cover international fees.

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