• California Wild Rice Rocks My World Recipe Rumble – What a name for a recipe contest!  Unfortunately, this contest is only open to culinary professionals of California and Nevada.  What’s with that?  I guess if it’s the California Wild Rice Advisory Board, you can do that. If you qualify for that rule, check out all the other rules of the contest before submitting your recipe. In addition to cash awards for the best recipes, photography enthusiasts will have an opportunity to submit photos of their recipe entries for a chance to win cash and prizes. Contestants must enter their images through the social photography site Flickr in the "California Wild Rice Rocks My World Recipe Rumble" group. Recipe and photo winners will also receive an array of wild rice products.

• The Bocuse d’Or USA Foundation is calling all talented chefs to apply to represent the United States in the prestigious Bocuse d’Or International Culinary Competition, which will take place in Lyon, France in 2011. Established in 1983 by legendary Chef Paul Bocuse, Bocuse d’Or is the preeminent international culinary competition in which teams from twenty-four countries compete for top honors and international acclaim.
  • The Chef Applicant must be an American citizen and 23 years of age or older at the time of the final competition in Lyon on January 25, 2011
  • The Chef Applicant must have at least (3) three years of experience in a fine dining establishment
  • The Commis Applicant must be an American citizen and 22 years of age or younger at the time of the final competition in Lyon on January 25, 2011
  • From the pool of applicants, The Foundation’s Board of Directors – Daniel Boulud, Thomas Keller and Jerome Bocuse – will review all of the submissions and select the sixteen semi-finalist teams, which will be announced at a press conference on Monday, December 7, 2009.  From February 4-6, 2010 at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Hyde Park, these sixteen teams will compete for a chance to represent the United States at Bocuse d’Or.  The teams will compete in a U.S. Semi-Final round on Thursday, February 4. The top eight teams will advance to the U.S. Final competition, held on Friday, February 5 and Saturday, February 6. The top team will be selected as the U.S. representative. The competition prizes include an award trophy for each competing team and a cash prize for the top three Final Competition Teams: 
    1st Prize: $5,000  2nd Prize: $4,000  3rd Prize: $3,000 .

• California Walnut Board announces the start of its Holiday Baking Challenge Starring California Walnuts! California Walnuts encourages home chefs to enter their most popular holiday recipes with walnuts for a chance to win a Kitchen Aid Mixer. This contest ends December 4, 2009.

  The six food categories to choose from are:

  • Cookies, Brownies and Blondies: perfectly portioned treats from the oven can double as delicious gifts for friends and neighbors
  • Cakes and Pies: classic baked desserts that delight a crowd, these recipes are well suited for holiday entertaining
  • Breads: walnuts sparkle in quick breads and yeast breads…also in muffins, rolls, loaves…
  • Breakfast / Brunch Baked Items: start the day with cinnamon rolls or coffee cake, but walnuts also add crunch to savory strata or quiche

           and these two new categories

• Video (to be posted on YouTube):  contestants  present their recipe in a number of ways, such as sharing holiday anecdotes or demonstrating their baking techniques!
• SMART category: recipes that are made over to be less indulgent but still delicious versions of classic, favorite treats.

• PAMA Pomegranate Liqueur announced that they are giving you the chance to win a trip for 2 to the FOOD & WINE Classic in Aspen, just by whipping up a recipe of
         your own using PAMA Pomegranate Liqueur. My husband loves coming up with different types of cocktails with PAMA.  I wonder what he could come up with if he baked.
• COOK – Whip, whisk or bake an appetizer, entrée or dessert recipe of your own using                   
         at least 3 TBSP of PAMA Pomegranate Liqueur
• ENTER – Become a Fan of PAMA Pomegranate Liqueur on Facebook, but simply
         copying www.facebook.com/pamaliqueur into your browser, and submit your original      
         recipe along with a photo through the Facebook page.
• VOTE – PAMA Facebook fans can vote for their favorite dish on Facebook page
         from November 16th to December 15th, so log-in and VOTE, VOTE, VOTE
• WIN - Finalists will be judged by Bravo’s Top Chef cheftestants, Spike Mendelsohn, Jeff                             
         McInnis and Lee Ann Wong, to determine the Grand Prize winner and three First Prize      
         Winners
  OFFICIAL RULES – Copy www.facebook.com/pamaliqueur into your browser to read
         the official contest rules

• Don’t Forget Star Fine Foods – Flavors of the Mediterranean Recipe Contest – they’re sponsoring our Star Extra Virgin Olive Oil Giveaway – Week 3 , and soon our Week 4.