Oh Nuts Holiday Giveaway

I'm back with another gift giveaway from Oh Nuts. Sam contacted me about this opportunity, generously offering one lucky winner the chance to win a $25 gift certificate on behalf of Oh Nuts.

Oh Nuts has always focused on holidays and with the upcoming Christmas and Hanukkah holidays, you'll be able to find a gift for everyone. Their offerings are wide and they have some pretty delicious candies, chocolates, nuts, and fruits. Their products are also certified Kosher.

Their products I've tried in the past have always been top quality and arrived fresh. The dried fruit was moist and the nuts weren't rancid. Great stuff here.

There are three ways you can enter to win:

1. Visit the Oh Nuts Christmas Gift Baskets page and comment, letting me know what your favorite item is.
   
   Or, do the same from the Hanukkah Gifts page.


2. Visit Oh Nuts on Facebook. Comment on their wall with a link to your favorite item, including "I'm here from She Runs, She Eats" (if you're a fan of my blog on Facebook, you can tag me by typing @ - a list will pop down and you can find She Runs, She Eats).


3. Follow Oh Nuts on Twitter and retweet about the giveaway like so, "Win a free Hanukkah (or Christmas) Gift from http://bit.ly/6nIsCi Follow @ohnuts & Retweet to enter."

Comment with each entry so I know.

Non-US residents can enter, but Oh Nuts only ships within the United States, so keep this in mind.

Contest ends Wednesday, December 1. Good luck!

*Disclaimer* I'm receiving a gift certificate from Oh Nuts for hosting this giveaway. In no way does this alter my opinion on their products.

Weekly Mileage

Total: 20

I stuck to my plan from last week to run 4 times. I ended up going 5, 4, 4, and 7. I meant to do 6 and 6, but when I ran the five it was getting dark and I didn't feel like staying out in it for very long.

Pretty much I didn't want to go on any of these runs because I was expecting it to feel worse than it did, so I'm glad I sucked it up. Only a few were cold and windy, with an unusual warm run on 7. And when I say warm I mean that it was 40-ish with 7 mph winds. Not bad for winter. I'm thinking next week I'll run 20 again, but nothing longer than 6. Maybe two five milers, a four miler, and a six miler. I'm still working my way up, but want to make sure I get comfortable running 4-6 milers before I add in anything close to 10 or any form of speed work. And also because, really, who wants to stay out in the cold? I'm also not feeling as tired after a run, though I'm a bit surprised at that for a different reason other than regaining my fitness. Overall, though, things are looking good.

Ramekin Product Reviews and Moltenless Chocolate Cakes

A while back I told you all I'd be doing a product review courtesy of Wayfair. All the products have arrived and I've finally gotten my act together to use them. The three products I'm reviewing are Revol Grand Classique 10.5 ounce ramekins, which can be purchased individually, and Silicone Solutions pinch bowls, four to a set.

I had debated over the size of ramekin to get, knowing most souffles and desserts are baked in smaller, 6 ounce ramekins, but this way I can make individual dinners and the presentation will be cute. Both sets of ramekins are porcelain. The first picture of the Gordon Ramsay ramekins are fully glazed and lightweight. They can be used in the in the freezer and fridge, but can't be subjected to extreme temperature change. That means if I made frozen mini pot pies they'd have to sit outside of the freezer a little bit to adjust to the temperature. These are made by Royal Doulton for Gordon Ramsay, originating in England.

The second picture, of the French Revol ramekins are just slightly bigger than the Gordon Ramsay's. They're porcelain too, but the bottoms aren't glazed. Even though the sides seem thicker, these were actually a little lighter than the others. As far as I know, the same rules apply to these as the others. There was only one set of ramekins on the site that said their ramekins could go straight from freezer to oven, but they were small.

Click through to read the recipe.

The pinch bowls really came in handy to place ingredients in. Each bowl has a 1/2 cup capacity. I found that powdery ingredients didn't do so well in the silicone bowls since it tend to cling to the sides of the bowl, whereas wet or other dry, non powdery ingredients were fine.

For the first test I made "moltenless" chocolate cakes. This is a molten chocolate cake intended to have a soft, runny center when broken into, but was unintentionally fully baked.

The batter for these cakes consisted of melted butter and chocolate, cabernet sauvignon, a trio of spices consisting of cinnamon, ginger, and cloves, along with eggs, egg yolks, and sugar. Really simple for a last minute dessert.

I noticed the recipe didn't call for salt, so I added a bit of coarse salt to the cakes and sprinkled more on top. It needed more, so I would use at least 1/4 teaspoon in the batter next time.

Since I doubled the recipe and each ramekin was filled a little more than the recipe said, I increased the cooking time to 17 minutes. If I had taken them out then, the cakes would probably have been molteny. But I got scared and cooked them a few minutes longer. Fail.

The cakes still had slightly fudgy and moist centers, though, and the texture was a lighter than a brownie. It definitely needed more salt to enhance the sweetness. Also, I didn't use any of the gourmet spices the recipe said to use. I'm also not sure how much the wine helps the recipe, especially for being part of the title, though possibly it enhances the overall flavor. You could probably substitute it for something else if you didn't have any wine.

They popped out nicely from the greased ramekins. Clean up was a breeze. I simply filled with a bit hot water and wiped out with a non-abrasive scrubber (use the ones intended for nonstick pans). So far I'm happy with my purchases, and probably will continue to be happy. The Ramsay ramekins have a very sleek design and are pretty. The Revols are nice, too, with a more traditional style, though more pricey. Pinch bowls are quickly becoming more and more useful the more I bake and cook with them.

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McCormick Gourmet Collection Molten Spiced Chocolate Cabernet Cakes
From McCormick Gourmet

Ingredients -

4 oz. semi-sweet baking chocolate
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 tablespoon Cabernet Sauvignon, or other red wine
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
6 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves (optional)

directions -

1. Microwave chocolate and butter in large microwavable bowl on high for 1 minute or until butter is melted. Stir with wire whisk until chocolate is completely melted. Stir in wine, vanilla, and sugar until well blended. Stir in eggs and yolk. Stir in flour and spices. Pour batter evenly into 4 (6-ounce) buttered custard cups or souffle dishes. Place on baking sheet.


2. Bake in preheated 425°F oven 13 to 15 minutes or until sides are firm but centers are soft. Let stand 1 minute. Carefully loosen edges with knife. Invert onto serving plates. Sprinkle with additional confectioners' sugar. Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.