Betty Crocker Baker’s Challenge Gluten Free Recipe Contest AND a Giveaway!

Exciting news for all of you gluten free baking enthusiasts! Now through June 30th, visit www.glutenfreely.com/bakerschallenge for the chance to win a Grand Prize of $5,000 in the Betty Crocker Baker’s Challenge Gluten Free Recipe Contest. Believe it or not, the grand prize winner will also have the chance to be featured on a Betty Crocker® Gluten Free dessert mix or Bisquick®Gluten Free baking mix package and/or be featured in a Betty Crocker publication!

HOW?

Simply submit an original recipe for your favorite gluten free holiday-themed appetizer, bread or dessert using any Betty Crocker Gluten Free dessert mix or Bisquick Gluten Free baking mix.

All recipe submissions will be judged on taste, creativity, ease of preparation, consumer appeal and appearance. It gets even better... if you’re selected as one of the 10 finalists, you will receive a fabulous Betty Crocker Gluten Free Baking gift basket filled with baking items and Betty Crocker Gluten Free mixes. It doesn't stop there... the finalists’ recipes will be featured on www.glutenfreely.com/bakerschallenge and voted on by the Gluten Freely community to determine who the Grand Prize Winner will be!

For wonderful recipe tips, ideas, and helpful suggestions, visit www.glutenfreely.com to help get you started and also learn more about the exciting Baker’s Challenge Gluten Free Recipe Contest!

SAVE $ on Betty Crocker Gluten Free Mixes...

Through the end of June, you can save 20% on the purchase of any of the five Betty Crocker Gluten Free mixes. Visit http://www.glutenfreely.com/ourstore to buy your favorites today!

WIN IT:

Betty Crocker is giving (1) Gluten Free Taste of Home FOLLOWER a Betty Crocker Gluten Free Baking Mix Prize Pack including all (4) of the gluten free dessert mixes, and a box of Gluten Free Bisquick (see photo above)!

TO ENTER GIVEAWAY (this is a mandatory entry):

Become a Gluten Free Taste of Home follower (must follow PUBLICLY via Google Friend Connect in the side bar of this website) AND visit www.glutenfreely.com/bakerschallenge; LEAVE ME A COMMENT telling me that you are now following Gluten Free Taste of Home PUBLICLY via Google Friend Connect, AND also tell me what aspect of the Betty Crocker Baker’s Challenge Gluten Free Recipe Contest you find the most exciting. (1 entry)

BONUS ENTRIES: (each entry comment must be entered separately to be a valid entry):

1) "Like" Gluten Free Taste of Home on Facebook and "share" your like with your Facebook friends. (1 entry)

2) Check out GlutenFreely.com and tell me what you liked most about the website. (1 entry)

 3) Follow Betty Crocker on Twitter and tweet the giveaway; LEAVE ME A COMMENT with the link. (1 entry)

4) Blog about this giveaway linking it back to this post AND to www.glutenfreely.com/bakerschallenge Please LEAVE ME A COMMENT with THE LINK TO YOUR POST or it will not count. (5 entries)

 5) Follow me on Twitter and tweet the giveaway; please include the Twitter hash tag #myblogspark in your tweet. LEAVE ME A COMMENT with the link. MAXIMUM 1 tweet/RT per hour please! (1 entry PER tweet/RT)

6) Grab my Gluten Free Taste of Home button and display it on your website/blog (copy the html code in the side bar of my Gluten Free Taste of Home website and paste the code into your website), and LEAVE ME A COMMENT telling me you did it. (1 entry)
*GIVEAWAY OPEN TO US ONLY*

Giveaway ends on Wednesday, June 15, 2011 at 7:00 p.m. PST (late entries will not be posted). Winner will be selected by random.org. Winner will be notified by e-mail and will have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is selected; PLEASE NOTE: I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR E-MAIL REPLIES THAT ARE SENT TO ME AND NOT RECEIVED IN MY INBOX FOR ANY REASON. IF YOU DO NOT RECEIVE A PROMPT REPLY BACK FROM ME ASSUME I DID NOT RECEIVE YOUR E-MAIL. RE-SEND YOUR REPLY UNTIL YOU RECEIVE A RESPONSE FROM ME WITHIN 48 HOURS (FROM THE TIME I SENT YOUR WINNER'S NOTIFICATION E-MAIL) OR A NEW WINNER WILL BE CHOSEN. LEAVING AN ENTRY COMMENT ON THIS POST WILL SERVE AS ACCEPTANCE OF THESE TERMS.

*REMEMBER... please leave your e-mail address with EACH entry so I can contact you if you win.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I was not compensated for this review. Betty Crocker provided me with the product, and information through MyBlogSpark. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

I Attended the Gluten Free Summit at the General Mills Headquarters in Minneapolis!

The General Mills Visitor's Reception Area

When I started my Gluten Free Taste of Home blog a year and a half ago, I never dreamed it would take me to the General Mills headquarters in Minneapolis Minnesota, to serve as a voice for my daughter with Celiac Disease, and the greater gluten free community.  Unbelievably, that it precisely what happened!  Myself and 9 other gluten free bloggers were invited to attend a gluten free summit on behalf of General Mills.  Danna Korn, author of the book Kids with Celiac Disease and Founder of the R.O.C.K. support group has been working with General Mills developing their gluten free division, and was given the responsibility of choosing a group of gluten free bloggers to travel to the General Mills headquarters for an intensive one day gluten free summit.  By some amazing twist of fate, she invited me.

The gluten free bloggers and General Mills staff members at the gluten free summit.   I'm in the back row, 5th from the left. This photo was taken in the Betty Crocker kitchens by Jill of the Hey, That Tastes Good! blog.  Thanks Jill!  

It was a whirlwind of a trip, flying from my home in Washington to Minneapolis early in the morning and finally arriving to the hotel in the late afternoon.  I had the privilege of visiting with relatives from Minnesota that I haven't seen in over twenty years in the two spare hours between arriving at the hotel and meeting up with the other bloggers and General Mills staff.  What a gift that was!

The gluten free bloggers all attended  a "get to know you" dinner at Biaggi's Ristorante Italiano in Minneapolis later that evening.  Gluten Free bread, pasta, pizza, and even chocolate cake was served to the gluten free bloggers.  I tried the gluten free pizza, bread, and chocolate cake; all were quite good, with the pizza being my favorite of the three.  Dear Biaggi's, please open a location in the greater Seattle area soon!

Here are the gluten free bloggers who attended the gluten free summit at General Mills:

Amanda from A Few Short Cuts

Lynn from Lynn's Kitchen Adventures

Jill from Hey, That Tastes Good!

Shirley from Gluten Free Easily

Linda from The Gluten Free Homemaker

Amy from The Savvy Celiac

Rachel from The Crispy Cook

Cinde from Gluten Free Taste of Home (that's me!)

Maureen from Hold the Gluten 

Vanessa from The Celiac Princess

and

Shelly from the Minneapolis Chapter R.O.C.K support group

It was my sincere pleasure to be in the company of this amazing group of gluten free bloggers!  I was truly sad when I had to say good by to them!  They are all dedicated, strong women, with a true passion for making a difference in the gluten free world.

I am not at liberty to say much regarding General Mills' plans for their gluten free division yet.  What I can tell you is that General Mills has shown genuine interest in servicing the gluten free consumer in more ways than one.  They were eager to hear the opinions of the gluten free bloggers at the summit, be it positive or negative. Being that General Mills is the 6th largest food company in the world, it is exciting to imagine the magnitude of the impact that their involvement in the gluten free community could bring.  As soon as I am at liberty to share more details, you will be the first to know. :)  For now, you can visit General Mills Live Gluten Freely website for gluten free recipes and resources.

Oil Painting of "Betty" herself,  from the Betty Crocker Kitchens in Minneapolis.  This was one of a series of framed oil paintings of Betty Crocker from the 1940's all the way through the present.  I chose to post this particular photo because this is the image I remember from my Mom's Betty Crocker cookbook when I was a girl; it takes me right back to my childhood (bell bottoms and all).

What I can share with you now is that I had the unique experience of baking with my fellow gluten free bloggers in the Betty Crocker Kitchens!  You may remember from past posts that I have been a Betty Crocker fan since I was a little girl.  In fact, back in the 1970's when I was in elementary school, I was crowned the "Betty Crocker Coupon Queen."  Seriously.  I still have the trophy to this day! If your scratching your head wondering how that came about, let me explain. My Sunday school class had a contest to see who could collect the most Betty Crocker Coupons for the church.  My Mom was an avid Betty Crocker consumer, and as a result I brought in the most Betty Crocker coupons.  In addition to receiving a big trophy, a handmade paper crown adorned with plastic spoons and forks was placed upon my head.  I was queen for a day.  A proud, 7 year old, plastic-fork n' spoon-crown-wearing queen. :)  From that moment forward, I have always felt bonded to Betty Crocker.  

Left to right: Linda from The Gluten Free Homemaker, Shirley from Gluten Free Easily, and I baking gluten free desserts in the Betty Crocker kitchens.  The Betty Crocker Gluten Free Dessert Mixes and the new Gluten Free Bisquick were the core ingredients used in the recipes.  

A big hello to my new gluten free blogger friends, I miss you and hope to see you again! Also a huge thank you to all of the wonderful General Mills staff and gluten free summit organizers who gave me this unforgettable opportunity to be a part of something very special.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I was not compensated for this post, nor was I compensated to attend the gluten free summit.  The opinions I have expressed are solely my own.  Others who attended may have different opinions.  General Mills paid for my airfare, ground transportation, lodging and meals for the purpose of having me attend the gluten free summit.  Airport parking, baggage fees and meals at the airport/airplane were paid by me.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”