Macy’s and SheSpeaks Recipe Share Program

Got a favorite holiday recipe?  Wanna win $1,000?  (I do!)

If so, great!  Because SheSpeaks has teamed up with Macy’s to offer the Recipe Share Contest which will award one lucky winner $1,000 and the chance to get their recipe featured in Food Republic!  Not too shabby, right?

(Oh, and if you are a regular reader and remember the SheSpeaks Aetna Healthy Food Fight contest…um…yeah…those rules don’t apply here.  This is holiday cooking.  It’s about comfort and chocolate and butter, which is okay because no one gains weight off holiday cooking.  Trust me.  I’m a food writer. )

What do you need to do?

Well from November 1st to November 30th, all you need to do is:

1. Head to www.facebook.com/macys
2. Click the Recipe Share tab (it's on the side bar)
3. Submit your recipe
4. Share the contest via Facebook and Twitter

Really, it’s that’s easy.

So…what recipe you’re going to submit?  I’m thinking holiday punch, maybe my mom’s Christmas noodle soup, maybe a new family creation.

Who knows…but let the best recipe win!

FCC Disclosure: SheSpeaks and Macy’s provided incentive for this post.  With that said, I still am working up a recipe for the content.  I could use $1,000 this Christmas.

About Macy’s:

Established in 1858, Macy’s is the Great American Department Store – an iconic retail brand with over 800 stores across the country and online at macys.com. Macy’s offers an incredible selection and the best brands, tailored to each and every customer, while providing an experience that transcends ordinary shopping.

A big part of Macy’s unique heritage includes our special events?the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Fourth of July Fireworks, flower shows, fashion extravaganzas, celebrity appearances and holiday traditions that range from the arrival of Santa Claus to tree lightings and festive window displays. But beyond our signature events, Macy’s delivers magical moments every day through our shopping environment, service and merchandise – a great deal of which is sold exclusively through our stores. It’s all part of the excitement we’ve been creating for 151 years, and it’s all part of the magic of Macy’s!

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Who will win?  Let’s look at

The Tale of The Tape

Chef Michael Foust	Chef Tate Roberts	Chef Jasper Mirable
6 ft., weight unknown, 26 inch reach*	5 ft. 8in, 24 inch reach*	5′ 6 in. weight unknown 23 inch reach*
Style:Cooks: American with French Influence Fights: 7th Degree Black Belt Ninjitsu**	Style:Cooks: Classic Fine Dining Fights: Black Belt, Brazilian Jujitsu**	Style:Cooks: Sicilian Italian Fights: 7th Dan, Shodokan Karake**
Record: 0-1	Record: 0-0	Record: He was the moderator last time
Best Dish: Grits (no, seriously, they’re made with cream and cheese)	Best Dish: Chicken with Burnt Honey	Best Dish: Pasta alla Nanni

* These numbers are pretty much a fabrication
** This information is a total fabrication

So the tale of the tape tells us exactly nothing.  Let’s go for a deeper analysis.

Looking Into the Match Up

This is one of these typical age vs. age vs. experience battles.  Not that Chefs Foust and Roberts don’t have experience, but Chef Jasper was working at a restaurant when the other two chefs’ parents were in college.  (If my math is right.)  So, right off the bat you have to say:

Experience: Chef Mirabile

But not so fast, youth has to count for something.  There’s the whole strength and vitality factor.  That is going to figure into these battles.  The obvious choice is either Chef Foust or Chef Roberts, but I can’t speak to either of their energy levels.  I have, however, traded emails with Chef Jasper at 3 AM when he’s got a TV program the next morning at 7 and know he’s not getting any sleep.  So in the upset:

Vitality: Chef Mirabile

It should also be mentioned that while I’ve never seen Chef Roberts run, I’ve seen him carrying a very heavy briefcase.

Strength: Chef Roberts

Next, we have to look at cooking style.  This is one of those hard things to judge, because all three are excellent chefs.  However, let’s examine the types of food the three men serve.  Chef Jasper likes to serve a lot of slow cooked meats (have you tried the ossobuco or slow roasted pork at Jasper‘s?) and pastas which have a tendency to get mooshy when waiting for judges.  I’ve eaten at the Farmhouse and know that Chef Foust can push a lot of food fast.  This contrasts with the one experience I had at EBT’s (when I was 12, which was well before Chef Roberts got there) and the food was slow then.  So in a bout of being totally unfair to Chef Roberts,

Cooking Style: Chef Foust

Now, we come to fighting style.  Chef Foust is a ninja.  Ninjas always win.

Fighting Style: Chef Foust

Lastly, we come to the two X-factors in the game.  The Dante Halls of culinary gladiatorial combat.  The first is general awesomeness.  From the pictures above, this has to go to Chef Roberts who is a mysterious culinary figure that has never before appeared in public, which is why we replaced him with a picture of food.  (Or maybe I couldn’t find a good pic, not sure.)  Plus, he makes burnt honey on purpose whereas I do it on accident.

Awesomeness: Chef Roberts

So with a 2-2-2 tie, it all comes down to one final category.  As it should.  Picking an Iron Chef winner is not something you can leave to chance or the type of crap jokes I normally tell on this blog.  Oh no, it’s a matter of seriousness and utmost um… seriousness.   Which is why I will apply the finest criteria I can think of.  Where would BWD, Jr. most want to eat.

Chef Jasper, I bet you thought you were going to get the nod, but I have it on good authority

Restaurant BWD, Jr. Would Most Want to Eat: The Farmouse, which means: Chef Foust!!!

(Key the bells and balloons!)

And there you have it.  When the knives come out Satruday night, expect a heck of a fight for a great cause (St. Joseph’s Hospital)  But in the end, expect Chef Michael Foust to come home with a win.

And go eat at the Farmhouse, visit Jaspers, and enjoy EBT’s!

(Thanks to Ink KC, Hen House, and EBT’s for the images.)

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Okay, maybe that’s just me.

Cooking Is the LAST Thing I Want to Do

Anyway, what all of this means is that if you are like me, standing over a stove and eeking out dinner is probably no where on the ol’ list of priorities.  Calling for takeout sounds so much better.

Solution?

What you need is a personal chef and since I cannot possibly keep up with the volume (ha ha), fortunately PersonalChefToGo.com is here to help.  PersonalChefToGo.com offers several meal plans geared towards singles, couples, and families on the go.  Meals arrive every weekend via FedEx in specially lined containers and the food can be stored in the fridge for a while or frozen up to 30 days and lose no taste.  (Did I mention they are healthy, too?)

And for those of you sweating Christmas meals, PersonalChefToGo.com also has holiday dinners which will arrive at your door.

So, If you need a personal chef, I have two $25 gift certificates to PersonalChefToGo.com that need a home, which I am willing to barter for some suggestions. 

Just leave me a comment with your favorite oh-so-not-good-for-you comfort food.  The more fried, greasy, sugary or cheesy the better!  Also, if you blog about this contest or Twitter about it, leave a second comment with “EXTRA” in it.  Anyone with “EXTRA” in their second comment will also be eligible for a special mystery prize and a high five.

In the hopes you can get your certificate in time for a holiday meal, I will be picking winners at random on Tuesday morning… so get to commenting!!!

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