Merry Christmas!!

From my heart to yours

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

image source

Until next time...follow your heart, fulfill your hunger!

The Hungry in Cleveland 12 Days of Christmas

Merry (almost) Christmas and Happy Hanukkah!  Yesterday morning, I received a delicious surprise from a Secret Santa (and if you are reading this, even though I have no clue who you are, thank you!)

Yes, there were a dozen LaBella cupcakes there before two hungry scientists enjoyed cupcakes for breakfast.  I later realized that "12 LaBella Cupcakes" sounds like it belongs in a parody of "The Twelve Days of Christmas" which lead me to come up with this fun little variation.  Enjoy!  

The Hungry in Cleveland 12 Days of Christmas

12 LaBella Cupcakes

11 Types of cheese (The Melt Challenge)

10 toppings on a Happy Dog

9 Parma pierogies

8 Malley's Milk Chocolate Bars

7 fabulous food trucks 

6 Lilly Truffles

5 scoops of Honey Hut!!

4 Farmers Markets

3 Michael Symon restaurants

2 Dinner in the Dark tickets

And a keg of Christmas Ale!!

Oh, and my favorite version of "The Twelve Days of Christmas" is John Denver and The Muppets

**Side note!  The Chubby Cook has been adding more fun cooking classes to the January schedule!  Remember, use the code ALF2012 to donate 40% of the cost of the class to my Liver Life Challenge fundraising effort!  Or make a donation right on my fundraising page!  My deadline has been extended to January 31, 2012!!**   

Until next time...follow your heart, fulfill your (holiday) hunger!

Cooking for a Cause

Perhaps you are wondering what to give that cook/food lover in your life for Christmas.  There are the obvious choices of fun kitchen gadgets, restaurant gift cards, and foodie friendly gift baskets.  Have you ever considered a cooking class??

Maybe you are wondering how to incorporate raw foods or vegan dishes into your diet.  Or maybe you want to learn to cook some of your favorite steakhouse meals.  

So what am I getting at here?  Beginning in January, The Chubby Cook will be offering a variety of cooking classes ranging from raw foods to "Basics of Braising" to  "Learn to Bake with the Pie Lady".  There is something for everyone.  I just may take the pie one myself (who's joining me??).  Classes are $65 and can fit into anyone's schedule.  The complete schedule and how to sign up can be found here.  Also, The Chubby Cook has agreed to donate 40% of the cost of the cooking class to my Liver Life Challenge fundraising goal for any January class.  When you check out, enter the code: ALF2012 by "gift certificates and coupon codes".  Not only will you be giving a great gift to a loved one (or yourself) but you will be helping the over 30 million Americans and their families who are battling liver diseases.

From The Chubby Cook's facebook page

Please remember you can also donate here until January 31, 2012.

Until next time...follow your heart, fulfill your hunger!

***Disclaimer:  I responded to a posting by The Chubby Cook in regards to fundraising with cooking classes.  I was invited to a media preview back in the spring to see what The Chubby Cook was all about.  I am participating in Liver Life Challenge by choice.  All opinions are 100% my own***

Liver Life Challenge

If you follow me on Twitter or know me in real life, it is no big secret I have been fundraising for the American Liver Foundation.  You may have also come across my fundraising story on other wonderful CLE blogs.  CLEgal finds me inspirational.  Julie helped spread the word asking for support.  Amanda has a personal connection to my fundraising efforts.  Heather summed up how motivating running with a team can be.  As I often have said, I have two goals for the Disney Marathon and only one I can achieve on my own.  I have been training hard since late October to achieve my goal of beating my Towpath time of 4:24:11.  Saturday morning I will be braving whatever Mother Nature has in store and running 22 miles, my last really long training run before the full 26.2 on January 8th.    

Goal #2 can only be achieve through the help of others.  I am committed to raising $3400.  I would first like to thank everyone who already has generously donated.  I appreciate every penny that has been raised for Liver Life Challenge through your kind sponsorship.  Thank you to those who came out for karaoke night back in November and to those who came by Barnes and Noble last week to my gift wrapping table.  (side note on gift wrapping: If you are looking for a wrapper, let me know!!).  Even with all of these efforts, I am still quite a ways from reaching my goal.  So how can you help??

1. The easiest is visiting my fundraising page and clicking on "Sponsor me".  Just think, a donation of $26.20 breaks down to a dollar per mile I run.

2.  Looking for the perfect Christmas gift for that chef in your life?  Through Wednesday, 15% of all Pampered Chef items purchased here with me (Stephanie Hovan) as the host will go towards Liver Life Challenge.  Contact me for more information.

3.  This may be the most fun way.  I have set up a college bowl pick'em group.  Think March Madness only college football.  The winner will receive a $25 gift card to a LOCAL restaurant of your choice.  Entering is as simple as a $20 donation if you have not previously donated or a $5 donation if you already have.  Once I receive an email confirmation of your donation, I will send you the group info.  The deadline to do so is Friday, December 16.

Photo from wikipedia

As I mentioned before, I cannot fully express my gratitude for everyone who already had helped.  I cannot wait to run through Disney on January 8 knowing this marathon is helping the over 3 million Americans who are battling liver diseases.  Also, a huge thanks to Katrina for getting me involved with Liver Life Challenge and being an awesome fundraising coordinator!

Until next time...follow your heart, fulfill your hunger!

And the winner is...

Happy Monday everyone!  I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving weekend filled with good food, family, friends, and holiday cheer!  I would LOVE to say good football too but yeah, well, no comment.

And the lucky winner of the Dolce Gusto Piccolo is...

 #24 Brad!!  Congrats!  

Thanks to all who entered.  I would also like to thank everyone who has donated so far to my Liver Life Challenge fundraising effort.  I can only achieve one of my two goals on my own, that being running my second marathon.

Until next time...follow your heart, fulfill your hunger!

Dolce Gusto Warms My Heart!

First of all, thank you for all of the positive comments on my last post.   I am really excited to get back into blogging once again and hopefully I can keep up with it better.

Back in September, Allison invited me and some other awesome Cleveland bloggers to Greenhouse Tavern for Nescafé's Cleveland Foodie Feed Up to introduce their Dolce Gusto product line.  We also were treated to a demo by Chef Sawyer and enjoyed some of my GHT favorites, including the chicken wing confit.

Chef Sawyer preparing beef tartare

Yum!

The Dolce Gusto product line offers various single cup coffee machines and a wide variety of capsule flavors.  As a thank you for attending the Foodie Feed Up, I was given the Piccolo machine and two boxes of capsules.  Personally, I love the cappuccino and have made myself my own pumpkin spiced treats this fall.  The single cup option is wonderful for a a little caffeine pick me up when you do not want to make a regular pot of coffee.  Also, with the holiday season, Dolce Gusto machines make great gifts.  Aside from searching the stores and ordering on line, Christmas will come a little early for one lucky Hungry in Cleveland reader!  I was given one Piccolo machine to give away.  The deadline to enter is Sunday at 11:59 p.m.  Winner will be announced Monday, November 28.  There are two ways to enter.

1. Comment on this post telling me your favorite holiday coffee drink.
2. Tweet the following "@HungryInCLE and @DolceGustoUS warm my heart!  I want to win a Piccolo here: http://bit.ly/tT5YCP"

Win me!

Also, please remember I will be running 26.2 miles in Disney World a member of the American Liver Foundation's Liver Life Challenge team!  Please help me achieve one of my two goals!

Until next time...follow your heart, fulfill your hunger!

**Disclaimer: I was invited to attend the Cleveland Foodie Feed Up by Allison in September.  At this event I was given a Piccolo Dolce Gusto machine to take home.  Later, Allison reached out to me to give one away here.**  

My Best Days Are Ahead of Me!

Loved this cake!  Wonder what will be on 27??

Once again, I am back from a blogging hiatus.  Alot has happened since I last posted, some good some bad.  One thing I have learned (yet again) is I must be more open about what is really going on inside.  I never really have been one for making New Year's resolutions but I do have an ever growing bucket list.  Sunday is my birthday which kicks off my favorite week of the year.  Seriously, my birthday, then Thanksgiving (ultimate food holiday), then Black Friday (biggest shopping day of the year).  I could not have been born during a more appropriate week.  I have read quite a few ___ at ____ "birthday resolution" lists lately which made me think, why not.   I realize some of these I already have been working on, some I have complete control over, and others I have to do my best and leave it up to God.  So here it is in no particular order, Steph's 27 at 27.  Enjoy!

1. Run 4 marathons.  Already signed up for Disney in January and Cleveland in May.
2. Take a fun, creative class. (cake decorating, creative writing, ballroom dancing...)
3. Ragnar with the #DirtyRunner team!!!!
4. Make more time for those I truly love and mean the world to me.
5. Find a new job
6. Road trip with the Tribe.  Every season I say I will go to an away game and never end up doing it.
7. Reach my $3400 Liver Life Challenge fundraising goal. (*hint*hint*cough*cough*nudge*)
8. Do the Warrior Dash
9. Do something every day to make me happy.  It can be as simple as going for a run, giving into ice cream, or buying a new pair of shoes.
10. Buy a house/condo
11. Get back into yoga
12. Finally get my passport
13. Get a puppy
14. Make Nana's chicken paprikash.  I have put off attempting this for way too long.
15. Finish the Tour de Bruell.  Yeah, this past year I only made it to one restaurant.
16. Actually finish books I started reading.
17. Be a better blogger
18. Be more responsible and everything that entails.
19. Continue to eat healthy while every now and then treating myself within moderation.
20. Watch the sunset over Lake Erie
21. Go to the Ohio Wineries.  As shameful as it is to admit, I have never been.
22. Volunteer more.
23. Find a softball team to play on this spring/summer.
24. Go to a Notre Dame football game.  It has been too long since I have been in Notre Dame Stadium.
25. Host a clambake.  Again, every fall I want to do it and never get around to it.
26. Go to the Southern Tier brewery.
27. Overall, be the best me I can be!  

Until next time...follow your heart, fulfill your hunger!