As I mentioned in the recent post, Great Gift Ideas for the Cooks in Your Life, the ScanPan is my favorite non-stick pan for making eggs, omelets and other dishes. The other night I used it to make one of our favorite dinners - seared jumbo sea scallops to top risotto.

With the ScanPan CTX, my omelets slide right out and my scallops get a golden crust and don’t stick. I love this pan. It’s the best non-stick I’ve ever used.  Thanks to the nice folks at Chef’s Catalog, we are giving away a Scanpan cookware package valued at $350! It includes a ScanPan 10.25″ CTX Fry Pan and a ScanPan 4-quart CTX Saucepan. 

A little background – Scanpan produces the world’s first induction-safe, certified PFOA-free “green” nonstick cookware of heavy-gauge 7-ply construction. The ultra-smooth ceramic-titanium nonstick interior is superior in the quick-release of foods without the use of oil, and so extremely durable, metal utensils will not damage the surface (although I still use only wooden or non-stick utensils).

The patented titanium nonstick surface developed by Scanpan offers foolproof release. This fry pan sears, browns and deglazes to perfection, cooking methods not achievable with traditional non-stick cookware. Did I tell you I love this pan? When I travel to see family, I even take it with me because everyone always wants me to make eggs for breakfast. Seriously!

These pans are beautiful and heavy made with 7-layer pressure-cast aluminum and stainless-steel for excellent heat distribution. Smooth curved handles stay cool to the touch. The pans are dishwasher-safe, but I rinse with a little hot soapy water, dry and put mine away. They are so easy to clean.

Details of the ScanPan Cookware Giveaway

Three Chances to Enter and Win

• First chance to win: enter a comment below and let me know what you plan to cook with these wonderful pans if you win.
• Second chance to win: subscribe to A Food Centric Life and receive a free recipe each week.
• For an additional entry to win, you must be a subscriber (current or new). Twitter or Facebook about the ScanPan Cookware Giveaway at A Food Centric Life. Leave a link to your Twitter or Facebook post in comments below.

For more information on ScanPan, click here for a link to Chef’s Catalog for more information.

The Official Rules (You know, these days the legal stuff has to be listed, below)

No purchase necessary to enter or win. Sweepstakes is open only to legal residents of the 50 states of the U.S. and the District of Columbia, with a U.S. shipping address, who are physically located and residing therein, and who are 18 years of age at time of entry.

For my international friends, you may enter and if you win, I am happy to ship the prize to a person of your choice with a U.S. shipping address.

The sweepstakes starts at the time of this post and ends Saturday, December 31 (extended due to the busy holiday season) at 6PM PST. Winners will be chosen by the luck of the draw, via a random number generator, at that time. The winner will be notified via email. Winner must respond within 5 days or the prize will be forfeited. Another  random number will be generated and a new winner announced.

A Food Centric Life is not responsible for any late or lost entries, electronic, hardware, Internet or other computer/communications related malfunctions, giveaway disruptions, injuries, losses or damages caused by events beyond the control of A Food Centric Life, any printing or typographical errors in any materials associated with the giveaway or prizes lost in shipment. All federal, state, local or international taxes associated with the prize are the sole responsibility of the winner.

By entering the giveaway through this website, you release A Food Centric Life from any liability whatsoever, and waive any and all causes of action, related to any claims, costs, injuries, losses or damages of any kind arising out of or in connection with the giveaway or delivery, mis-delivery or acceptance of any prize (including, without limitation, claims, costs, injuries, losses and damages related to personal injuries, death, damage to or destruction of property, rights of publicity or privacy, defamation or portrayal in a false light, whether intentional or unintentional), whether under a theory of contract, tort (including negligence), warranty or other theory.

The use of any system, robot, agent, or software to automatically submit entries in connection with this Giveaway is prohibited.

Occasionally I want to write to you about an ingredient, a tool, or something else food and cooking related. These will be bonus posts and in addition to the cooking and recipe posts published on the weekends.

As the holiday season is in full swing, here’s a list of gift  possibilities for the cooks and home chefs in your life. All of these items would make great gifts. Some are an investment, some are small and good for stocking-stuffers or what my mom used to call a”JB”, a just because gift. This list is a good one to keep handy for birthdays and other special occasions as well.

These are the tools that are in constant use in my kitchen, the tools I could not live without. I’ve included links so you can check everything out. Any questions, please use comments or email me.

Vitamix Blender

Why I use Vitamix as my blender is simple: power, capacity and a shatterproof container. It will outperform and outlast any other blender and do more than a standard blender. Vitamix is the gold standard in blenders. I use it daily to make smoothies, soups, sauces, ice cream bases and for many other recipes. Here is the link to my full product review. The new model 5200 has nice upgrades like the ergonomic handle, lid flaps or “wings” and a BPA-free container. Order through this link and get free shipping.

Digital Thermometer

Every cook needs a digital thermometer. Whether roasting chicken or baking Crème Brulee, it’s the best way to test the internal temperature of what you are cooking for degree of doneness and food safety. My choice is the Thermapen by Thermoworks. It’s fast, has a large numbers for easy reading and is splash proof. They come in lots of fun colors too. I have three of them!

Extra Big Timer

Thermoworks also makes a great big, waterproof timer. The numbers are easy to read (without reading glasses) and across the kitchen. It’s called the Extra Big & Loud Timer.

Good Knives

Good knives are an essential tool for every cook. Invest in good quality knives, take care of them (don’t put them in the dishwasher!), have them professionally sharpened a few times a year and they will last forever. Most of my knives are Wusthof. I like the Grand Prix II model because of the comfortable curved handle. They are forged from a single piece of specially tempered high-carbon stainless steel for superior strength. For storage, use a knife block, a wooden knife drawer insert or just get inexpensive blade covers to protect them (below).

The knives I use daily and consider the most important.

- Wusthof Grand Prix II 2 3/4″ Peeling Knife (Birds Beak) (Great for peeling onions, my favorite little knife)

 - Wusthof Grand Prix II 3 1/2″ Paring Knife (A good general paring knife)

- Wusthof Grand Prix II Hollow-Edge 7″ Santoku (Great all around knife and most used)

- Wusthof Grand Prix II Hollow Ground 8″ Carving Knife (Nice but not mandatory. Good for slicing meat)

 - Wusthof Grand Prix II 9″ Cook’s Knife (Chefs Knife) (A must have and great size. 8″ models are too small for me and the 10″ size, although I have them, are pretty big for most people. The 9″ is perfect)

Knife Edge Guards 

If you store your knives loose in a kitchen drawer, these inexpensive blade or edge guards will save your knives. By protecting the sharp edges, the blades stay sharp. It’s also more safe. They come in different sizes to fit your knives. Although I store my knives in a drawer block, I have these for when I travel with my knives. They come in basic black and colors too.

Messermeister Edge-Guard/Chefs, 10-1/4-Inch by 2-Inch

Messermeister Edge-Guard/Parer, 5-Inch by 1-Inch

Messermeister Edge-Guard/Chef?s, 7-Inch

Messermeister Edge-Guard, 3-inch

Messermeister 4-piece set  

Food Processor

Although I don’t use a food processor every day, I do use one a lot. The Breville Sous Chef is a terrific tool. It’s got a powerful 1200-watt motor that grates through a block of cheese in a flash, a large 16-cup capacity workbowl with measurements marked on the outside, an extra wide feed tube for handling large items like whole potatoes, and a timer that will count up or down. There is also a smaller inner 2 1/2 cup workbowl and a mini blade for smaller jobs, like chopping nuts and breadcrumbs. The design on the slicing blade is ingenious with 24 settings on a single disc. All this and more, plus it comes with a housing unit to organize all of the attachments. Here’s the link to Sur La Table, the only place you can buy one. My 20 year old Cuisinart is now stored away.

Panini Press

So many kitchen appliances on the market are gimmicks, used once or twice then shelved to collect dust. Not this one. I was given one as a gift and really love it. You can turn a plain sandwich into a terrific Italian panini in just a few minutes. I use mine many times a week, for lunch in particular. A panini, bowl of soup and a salad make for a great dinner too. This is an appliance worth the purchase and kitchen space. Clean up is a breeze, just wipe off with a damp sponge or paper towel as the surface is non-stick. Breville makes a Duo model and a Quattro for large families. Here is the link to the Duo model which will make two paninis at once.

Non-Stick Skillet (My Favorite Omelet Pan)

For omelets and cooking delicate dishes, I always pull out my Scanpan CTX Non-stick skillet. The 8″ size is perfect for an omelet for 1-2 people. Scanpan is the first producer of nonstick cookware certified PFOA free, so it’s safe for your family and the environment. Made in Denmark, it has a patented ceramic titanium nonstick cooking surface that is the best I’ve seen. It works better than a traditional non-stick pan. Scanpan has 5-layer clad-aluminum construction so it’s heavy and heats evenly for even cooking. Although they say it is dishwasher safe, I wash mine by hand and keep it in the nice storage bag that comes with it. Allow it to cool and rinse with a little soap and water and wipe dry. It cleans up instantly. My favorite non-stick pan and a fantastic performer. Scanpan comes in larger sizes too.

 Digital Scale

A digital scale is another must have for the serious cook. Weighing ingredients is more accurate and it’s perfect for portion control. This model weighs up to 11 pounds, has an easy to clean stainless steel platform and large digital numbers for easy reading. Its also has both American and metric capabilities plus a “tare” feature that allows you to weigh one ingredient, zero it out, and add your next ingredient. The slim design makes it easy to store. The Cafe Digital Scale, from Sur La Table.

Garlic Press

Most prep work I accomplish with knives, but this little tool is one I use daily. Why use a garlic press versus chopping with a knife? Because the garlic comes out very fine and melts into whatever you are adding it to. I scrape the pressed garlic with the back of a paring knife. The OXO Good Grips model has a comfortable handle that does not require a lot of hand strength and a self cleaning side when you flip the handle around.

Microplane Zester

Another little handy tool I have several of is the Microplane Zester. It makes fine citrus zest, fine shreds of hard cheese, fine chocolate and nutmeg shavings. The handle is comfortable to hold and the surface has razor sharp little teeth. Comes in multiple colors.

Pressure Cooker

This is not your mother’s pressure cooker. It won’t hiss, spit, jiggle, threaten to blow up or scare you to death. Modern pressure cookers are a great time saver in the kitchen. I make soups, stews, cheesecake, rice and quick broths in mine. And the larger size can do pressure canning. When you are not using them in pressure cooker mode, they are a solid standard stock pot. I have two of the Fagor models (8 and 10 quart). They’ve been great performers in my kitchen. They are well built with 18/10 stainless steel and a triple-valve system and lock. Fagor pressure cookers work on electric, gas and even induction cooktops. The Fagor 8 quart pressure cooker. If you only cook for two, the 6 quart is an option. 

BPA-Free Storage Containers

This is a gift that is all about practical functionality.  A few months ago I got tired of old containers that leaked and hassling to find lids that matched up with bases. I test drove a few of these new OXO Good Grips storage containers with the green lids, then threw out all of my old ones and bought a 20-piece set of these. The lids are air and water tight, they are BPA-free, crystal clear and dishwasher, microwave and freezer friendly. It’s so nice having new storage containers!

A fresh New Year has begun! Happy New Year readers! I pray that this will be a fantastic year for you, your families and everyone that you love cooking for.

Although I am not big on a long list of New Year’s resolutions, I do like to set a few goals for myself. One important goal for this year is to grow my blog, to be more faithful and consistent with my posts, and to really make it a worthwhile investment of your time to stop by and visit. I discovered last year that running my business, traveling, taking care of the home-front and writing my blog was a complicated recipe. I am committed to making that recipe work better this year.

To that point, we are starting out 2011 with a food blogging and food photography workshop called Food Blogger Camp. It’s being held January 5-9 in sunny Playa del Carmen, Mexico. Teaching will be the “big guns” in food blogging, photography and styling: Matt Armendariz of Mattbites, Adam Pearson, food stylist extraordinaire, David Lebovitz, Jaden Hair of Steamy Kitchen, Elise Bauer of Simply Recipes, plus Diane Cu and Todd Porter of Whiteonricecouple. We can’t wait to go.

What will help me achieve my goal in 2011 is hearing more from you. The “comments” button is now easier to use. Please, let me know if what I am writing about is helping you. Do you make the recipes? If not, please let me know why. How did they come out if you made them? What else would you like to see? What kind of recipes?

My sincere desire is to share with you what will make a difference in your lives and in your kitchen. As my “about” page states, my goal is to educate, entertain and inspire. So please, let me hear from you this year and we’ll have some fun together in the kitchen, on the road and through the lens.

Happy New Year! Sally

In spite of the early hour and two hour drive, I was headed to the famous Santa Monica Farmers Market for an insiders shopping lesson. Friend Kristine Kidd, former food editor of Bon Appétit Magazine for twenty years, offered to show me the market from her experienced eyes.

A veteran farmers market shopper, Kristine has been shopping Santa Monica for many years.Who better to learn about the best stands from than Kristine. Between writing her sixth cookbook, working with Williams-Sonoma, launching her own food blog plus a busy speaking schedule, I was delighted at the opportunity.

Everywhere you turn the market is a feast for the senses. It’s easy to be mesmerized by the heady smell of fresh flowers, vibrantly colored vegetables, fruit and berries, bakery items and more. The array of what is available is amazing.  I was the proverbial kid in the candy store. If you love to cook, it’s grocery shopping heaven. You want to take everything home! And I almost did.

With an ice chest in the car for safely hauling my treasure home, we worked our way up and down the crowded aisles pausing here and there to smell, chat, ask questions of the farmers and pay for our purchases.

With a fresh free-range chicken and a bouquet of fragrant roses from Lily’s, stone fruit from Fair Hills Farms, a bottle of unfiltered California Manzanilla olive oil from Adam’s Ranch, freshly dug multi-colored pee wee potatoes and sweet onions from Weiser Farms, and garlic and shallots from Shaner Farms, my huge straw basket grew heavy quickly. I off loaded to the car and happily shopped on, listening to Kristine’s expert advice.

To my growing stash I added a heavy loaf of hazelnut bread from Röckenwagner Bakery, a bag of tiny, icy cold sunburst manila clams from Carlsbad Aquafarm, intensely sweet organic Gaviota strawberries from Harry’s Berries, boxes of red and golden raspberries and blackberries, a huge, smooth skinned Reed avocado, fresh purple curly leaf basil and Berggarten sage plants from Hay Ground, and an artichoke the size of softball on steroids.

Experienced shoppers, including Kristine, maneuver Hook and Go folding carts to hang their bags on making shopping a lot easier. I’ve got to get one of these. We ended our shopping trip with a late breakfast at Huckleberry Bakery & Cafe and a plate of their green eggs and ham on thick but tender homemade English muffins. What a fantastic morning!

Whether searching for farm fresh, seasonal basics or exotics that you can’t find in a standard grocer, the Santa Monica Farmers Market is truly a treasure trove of agricultural diversity. No matter where you live, shop your farmers market. As for those beautiful clams? Next post – what I did with them for dinner.

Farmers markets tips:

- Take plenty of cash

- Take a cooler with ice packs for warm weather shopping

- Consider a Hook and Go cart for easier shopping

- Think outside the store; try new things and be inquisitive

- Talk with the farmers, get to know them and learn about what they offer

- Go early before the best products are gone

- If parking is difficult, plan ahead. For Santa Monica we found a parking garage at 3rd and Arizona with a reasonable rate.

If you’ve been following my posts on the Sears Chef Challenge, it’s now time to vote! Click this link and then click on the big orange button. Voting started June 26 and ends on July 10, which is next Saturday. The voting has been fiercely competitive and I need your votes each day to win and bless the two charitable organizations I am competing for – The Saddleback Church Food Pantry and The Sheepfold.

This is an amazing opportunity to bring essential funds and resources to The Saddleback Church Food Pantry and The Sheepfold Women’s Shelter. The food pantry supports more than 450 families per month and the number is rising in these difficult economic times. The Sheepfold has been helping abused women and their children to turn their lives around for more than thirty years.  Both are incredible organizations worthy of everyones support.

Casting your vote for me is easy. Just log on to searschefchallenge.com. Please vote once a day now through July 10^th. There is big competition for this challenge, so remember to come back daily to cast your votes and help me raise big donations for charity. Every vote counts, so tell your friends, family and post it on your FaceBook and Twitter accounts!

Competing in the Sears Chef Challenge has been a great experience. Doing all four in-store cooking demonstrations was a blast! I was recently featured in an article in the Orange County Register newspaper talking about the challenge, my background and business. Click here to read the article. I was also interviewed on Restaurant Radio by Dane Neal and Tom Reboletti. What great guys! They were so much fun to talk with. The show is syndicated across America. Here is the link to listen. It takes just a few minutes.  Click here to listen to the interview: Restaurant Radio Interview. If you have not seen my cooking video segment with my recipe for  Grilled Jalapeno-Mint Shrimp with Hominy Succotash click here. If the link takes you to the general Sears Chef Challenge site and not right to my video, you can click at the right where it says June 5th demo. The recipe is in a previous post.

Please vote each day, once a day, from how ever many emails you have, such as business and personal. Any single emails that look as if they have been entered more than once a day will be removed via validation at the end of the voting period. The four city winners will be announced Monday July 12. Then the winners move on to Chicago for a head-to-head cooking competition. At stake is up to $20,000 in cash donations as well as a full suite of brand new Kenmore kitchen appliances and a $20,000 kitchen makeover.

Thanks for your support everyone! I’m working on posts for pistachio crusted salmon and several people have written and asked for my meatloaf recipe.  Will do!

Hard to believe that today was the last and final event in the Sears Chef Challenge.  It’s been great fun and valuable experience.  Best of all, I’m competing for two wonderful charitable causes – the Saddleback Church Food Pantry and The Sheepfold. Individual videos of each chef are being created from event 3 for voting, which begins on June 26 through July 10. Please, vote for me daily and help me win for these two giving and caring organizations!

Today we were at the Sears in Buena Park, CA. It’s so close to Knott’s Berry Farm that you can see the roller coasters.  My roots go back to Buena Park as my family lived there until I was five. My dad’s first church was the little white Church of the Reflection in Knott’s, long before it was an amusement park. Walter Knott himself agreed to allow my dad to hold services there if he would also hold a service for employees on Sunday before the park opened.  My history with Knott’s is still to this day why I am completely crazy about boysenberries! But today we are talking about salmon.  In season right now, what could be better (not to mention good for you) than fresh, wild salmon.

Our recipe today came courtesy of Chef Rachelle Boucher of Drawn to the Kitchen With Chef Rachelle. Have fun reading her terrific blog. She’s always up to something special! Chef Rachelle created a simple and colorful Asian-inspired salmon entrée and side dish of gingered Chinese long beans.

When I tested the recipe earlier this week the salmon was beautiful but the Chinese long beans were either non-existent or looked terrible at the market. When this happens to you – an ingredient is not available or not up to standards – find a logical substitute. Rather than driving out of the way to an Asian grocer I opted to use baby green beans. You’ll also find them labeled by their French name, haricot vert. Haricot vert, or baby green beans, are one of my favorite vegetables. They cook quickly, are tender to the bite and very versatile. Baby green beans work beautifully as a warm side dish and chilled as a green bean salad, nice as we anticipate hot summer weather.

To get the green beans ready ahead of time for today’s demonstration, I blanched them in boiling salted water  for 4 minutes, then “shocked” them in a bowl of ice water. Shocking in ice water stops the cooking process and sets the bright green color of the beans.  After chilling down, the beans can be drained and held refrigerated until needed. All you need to do is heat them up and finish with a sauce, in this case tossing with soy sauce and a little brown sugar.

To finish the green beans, heat up a sauté pan, fry pan or skillet. Cook the garlic, ginger and the white portion of the green onions in a little oil for a minute or two. Be careful not to burn the garlic. Add the green beans, stir together and heat through. Remove the green beans from the heat and add soy sauce and brown sugar. Stir to coat the beans and season with salt and pepper, to taste. You can use kosher or sea salt and fresh ground pepper, but I have another suggestion – roasted Szechuan pepper salt from Penzeys. Lightly spicy, aromatic Szechuan peppercorns are roasted then ground with flake salt to a fine powder. It’s a fantastic, almost floral-smelling pepper and salt blend that is a natural for Asian recipes. I’m hooked on it and use it for all kinds of recipes.

For the salmon I mixed both black and white sesame seeds for a striking presentation. If you have time, marinate the salmon about 30 minutes at room temperature in oil and orange zest. To coat the salmon in the sesame seeds place the seeds in a pie plate or other shallow rimmed dish. Place salmon presentation side (opposite side of the skin) down into the seeds and press gently so the seeds adhere. Gently turn the salmon filets over keeping as much of the sesame coating intact as possible.  If a few seeds fall off, sprinkle extra seeds on to cover the spot. Cook in a hot non-stick fry or sauté pan, sesame seed side down, until the sesame crust is crisp and the white seeds are becoming golden. Turn salmon over and lower heat; cook salmon to completion.

This dish can be enjoyed two ways – either warm or cool. For the cool presentation, cook the salmon and set aside or even chill in the refrigerator. Fill a dinner-sized plate with crisp salad greens of your choice. I used organic baby arugula which has a lightly peppery flavor. Top the greens with the green beans. Top with the salmon. Spoon orange segments around the salad plate and drizzle the greens with the sauce as a dressing. Sprinkle with sliced green onions if desired for garnish.

For the warm presentation I change the sauce a bit. Heat a non-stick sauté or fry pan over medium heat. Pour the orange sauce in the pan and cook briefly until it gets bubbly. Add 1-2 tablespoons orange liqueur such as Grand Mariner or Cointreau and cook for 1-2 minutes. If you’d like the sauce thickened add 2-3 teaspoons of cornstarch slurry (equal amounts of cornstarch and cold water stirred together). Whisk into the orange sauce and cook for 1-2 minutes until the sauce thickens. Place hot green beans on a warmed dinner plate and top with the warm salmon.  Pour the orange sauce around the green beans and serve. Steamed brown rice or black Chinese Forbidden Rice would be a beautiful accompaniment. Forbidden rice is one of my favorite rices. It has an incredible deep purple-black color, nutty flavor and cooks perfectly in 30 minutes. Garnish with sliced green onions.

A few more notes on preparing these recipes. Use a microplane zester to get fine zest from the oranges and the fresh ginger root. Start by preparing the sauce, then move on to the salmon and green beans. I’ve arranged the recipe so you read it that way and made a few edits. Considered a vegetable oil, I use grapeseed oil. Grapeseed oil has a clean, light neutral flavor and a high smoke point. This means the oil can reach a high temperature before burning, making it great for sautéing and stir-frying. If you are not familiar with grapeseed oil, give it a try.

Orange Sesame Crusted Salmon with Gingered Green Beans

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Recipe Courtesy Chef Rachelle Boucher

Serves 4

Sauce Ingredients

2 oranges, peeled and segmented (zest oranges before segmenting and reserve for salmon)
2 teaspoons natural rice vinegar
2 teaspoons light brown sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon good quality mustard (like Dijon)
Salt and pepper to taste

Salmon Ingredients

4 salmon fillets (6-8 oz each), skinned, pin bones removed
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup good quality white or black sesame seeds (combination of two is best visually)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil for pan searing

Gingered Chinese Green Beans Ingredients

12 ounces baby green beans
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 large cloves garlic, finely minced
2 teaspoons grated ginger
6 green onions, thinly sliced white and pale green parts only (green tops thinly sliced, reserved for garnish)
1 cup chicken or vegetable stock or water (not needed if using baby green beans)
1 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons light brown sugar
Salt and pepper to taste

1 For the sauce – stir together orange segments, rice wine vinegar, brown sugar, soy sauce and mustard. Season to taste. Set aside.

2) For the salmon – in a medium bowl stir together 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and 2 teaspoons orange zest. Place salmon in the bowl and gently turn to coat. Remove salmon to a plate and season both sides with salt and pepper. Allow to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.

3) On a clean plate sprinkle approximately 1/4 cup sesame seeds and place a salmon fillet on top of seeds presentation side down. Press gently so the seeds adhere. Gently remove salmon to a clean plate or piece of waxed paper. Coat remaining fillets and set aside, adding seeds as necessary. Discard any unused seeds that have touched raw salmon.

4) Heat a large non-stick frying pan on medium heat and add vegetable oil. When oil is hot, add fillets and cook on medium for approximately four minutes on each side. You may need to cook for a minute more depending on the thickness of fillets. Remove fish to a plate just before desired doneness and let rest for 5 minutes to come up to finished temperature.

5) For the beans: Wipe out non-stick pan with a paper towel and place on medium-high heat. Add 1 Tbsp vegetable oil and 1 tsp sesame oil. When oil is hot, add long beans and stir-fry for two minutes. Add stock or water and reduce heat to medium, cook until beans are al dente and liquid is evaporated, add more liquid if needed. Add chopped garlic, ginger and the white portion of the green onions and stir-fry for one to two minutes. Remove from heat and add soy sauce and brown sugar. Stir to coat the beans and season with salt and pepper. Alternatively – follow my directions above for using baby green beans.

Congratulations to Quyen V! Quyen is the lucky winner of the Picture Perfect School of Photography Introduction to Food Photography course taught by Ron Goldman and Kathleen Clemons! We had 170 entries for the giveaway, from #28-#198. The random number generator came up with #44 as the winner, and that was Quyen!

Quyen, I’ll be emailing you the information about how to enroll for your free class. You’ll have to let us know how the class is going by coming back and posting comments.

Thanks everyone for participating in the giveaway! We hope to offer this opportunity again in the future. In the mean time, please subscribe to my blog and have posts delivered via email. Thanks again and have fun learning!

We are very excited to announce the giveaway of an introductory online food photography course from the wonderful folks at The Perfect Picture School of Photography!

• Have you been wanting to learn more about food photography?
• Do you need to improve your photography skills for your blog or portfolio?
• Would you like to create  beautiful, awe inspiring photographs or just learn some great techniques for food photography?
• Have you ever wanted to take a photography class but can’t find the time to get out of the house to attend one? Then this online class is perfect for you and easy to take!

The Perfect Picture School of Photography is giving away a spot to one lucky student for the online food photography class  “Introduction to Food Photography” taught by professional photographers Ron Goldman and Kathleen Clemons. 

Course Description:

Are you as passionate about food as you are photography? Do you find yourself looking through culinary magazines and cookbooks, mesmerized by the photographs and wondering how the photographer was able to create such a stunning image? Have you tried to create similar images and not achieved the results you had hoped for? Perhaps you have started your own “food blog” and want your images to stand out among the thousands of others? Well, you are not alone.

Food contains all of the elements of design that make a striking image. Color, texture, pattern, line, shape, and form are all there, yet it seems almost impossible to correctly capture these elements in a way that makes the viewer NEED to eat what they are seeing.

How many time have you heard “You eat with your eyes first”? It’s true! A beautifully executed food image will make the viewer’s mouth water and their stomach rumble even if they are not fond of the dish that they are looking at!

It’s our job as food photographers to present images that make people stop, look, and feel like they just can’t go without what they are looking at.

How do we do that? In this class, you will discover that with a minimum amount of equipment, some basic composition and exposure rules, and a large dash of creativity, you too can shoot food images just like those you have admired.

Course Requirements:

Students should have a thorough understanding of their camera, aperture and shutter speed. A tripod is an absolute necessity! A digital or film SLR with a wide angle, normal, and short telephoto, macro lens or extension tubes will help you get the most from this class. All of the lessons will be shot using natural light so studio lighting is NOT necessary.

The Giveaway Details:

One lucky winner will get a spot in the class. This giveaway is open to everyone worldwide. It’s open to anyone who has a computer, internet service, a digital or film SLR camera, some food and desire to improve your photography skills!  The giveaway will END at 5pm Pacific Standard Time on February 14^th, 2010. The winner will be selected from the Random Number Generator and announced on February 15^th, 2010.

The class starts on Friday, March 5^th, 2010! This class is also offered on a monthly basis. Future dates TBA.

How do you get your chance to win this fantastic giveaway? Just enter a comment to this post on sallycameron.com.

Get a bonus second entry to this giveaway by Twittering it, blogging about it, or putting it on your Facebook page. Just Twitter this giveaway or write about it on your blog or Facebook page and comment again on sallycameron.com with a link to your Twitter or post (as proof) and you’ll have a second chance at this drawing! Maxiumum of two entries per person. Good luck! Comment below, Twitter, Facebook or blog about it now!

Welcome to my blog! I’m Sally, the author of and native Southern California girl. My husband Kent (the photographer) and I live in Orange County, CA.

I’ve loved to cook and all things food since I was young. I received the requisite Easy-Bake-Oven at age 6 or so for Christmas which I still remember. My brother Chris and I used to save empty boxes and cans for playing grocery store. A long time friend and I used to play restaurant as Sally cooker and Denise server. Looking back at my life, there was definitely a trend.

I grew up cooking and entertaining with my mom. Some of my fondest memories of my mother are of our times in the kitchen together.  She put me in summer cooking classes when I was 11. My passion for cooking continued to grow until I reached the point where my dream was to go to culinary school. I finally did – at age 45.  As Olympic swimming champion Dara Torres says, you don’t have to put an age limit on your dreams.

After leaving my technology job in 2006 I started a business, Everyday Gourmet, offering personal chef and catering services. I also love to teach and write. Blogging is the newest piece of my ongoing life’s recipe. My passion is not just for cooking and food, but for wine, travel and also photography. I’m fortunate to be married to a man who is as passionate about photography as I am about food and cooking. The beautiful pictures you see on this site are his. The not so perfect ones will be mine, but I’m learning.

My passion is also about sharing what I have learned and what I continue to learn with others. I live, eat, sleep and breathe food and I hope that will benefit you. I love to find interesting new ingredients and resources, and I love to experiment. My family and friends have encouraged me to share my experience with a wider audience. I hope that you enjoy reading my blog and that it brings you a smile as well as new recipes and ideas for cooking and sharing with your family and friends.

After a dinner party one evening many years ago, a friend and I were at the table finishing a glass of wine. He got me started talking about food and cooking. After bubbling on for awhile he stopped me and said “do you know that when you talk about food you light up?” And that’s when it hit me. It’s what I truly love to do. Talk about food and share what I have learned and continue to learn. I hope you’ll be blessed to read this blog as I am blessed to write it and share it with you.