Kenmore Mommy Blogger vs. Foodie Blogger Cookoff

Two weeks ago I had a ton of fun participating in a Mommy Blogger vs. Foodie Blogger Cook-off arranged by Kenmore and Hope Bertram of Windy City Social at the Kenmore Live Studio in downtown Chicago. I let Richard talk me into it over Twitter, and I am glad that I did. 🙂

I was one of a team of 3 Mommy Bloggers (no, I don’t mind the term. I could care less really. :)) going up against 3 Foodie Bloggers. We were each assigned a veggie for wish we had a create a main dish. Recipes submitted had to be healthy and worthy enough to feed our kids. The veggies were cauliflower, spinach, and carrots. I got carrots. I think it was a good race. Us Mommy Bloggers are used to throwing together a dish in a hurry to please the pickiest of kids. This often calls for being inventive. This cook-off was all about presenting or hiding veggies so that kids will eat them. And of course the Foodie bloggers are all about food!

Mommy Bloggers

1. Amy Clark
2. Stephanie Precourt
3. Kris Cain

Foodie Bloggers

1. Jen Luby
2. Heather Lalley
3. David Grotto

Round 1 was Cauliflower.  It started out good with Mommy Blogger Amy winning her round with her Trees in Your Ears Pasta. She won over Foodie Blogger, Jen Luby who made “Stoplight” Cauliflower Tacos. Both dishes were tasty!

Round 2 was taken by the Foodie Bloggers. But Steph fought a good fight. Her delicious Spinach, Lemon, & Pine Nut Pasta did impress the judges and the crowd. But, Heather Lalley’s very fun and original Spinach Braid with Bacon, Sun-Dried Tomatoes & Provolone took the prize.

Round 3 was my round. Going last I was nervous as heck! It had been a long day, and I was tired, confused, dazed, and hungry. LOL! I dipped upstairs for a quick glass of wine  to calm my nerves before going on the air.  But the anticipation is always the worst. Once I was on air, I was fine! My dish, Saucy Carrot & Asparagus casserole did get a lot of good compliments. One judge thought it had too many veggies, but was good. Another said that it brought back memories of his mom. There were a couple of other good comments, and honestly… based on how they were talking, I thought I had the win! But, David pulled a fast one and won the round! That meant that the Foodies took the prize! The deserved it. Those folks basically live and breathe food and recipes! And they proved it! Each got to take home their choice of a Kenmore Induction Cooktop, Stand Mixer, or Vacuum. Our 2nd places prizes were not bad at all. We got some great utensils, a can opener, and some other goodies in a beautiful gift basket.

Kris & David (Photo courtesy of David)

Yep, in the end, the Foodie Bloggers came out on top and stole the grand prize, but it was still awesome! I always have a great time when I am at the Kenmore Live Studios. If you have not had the chance to visit the Studio, you MUST!!

Here is my recipe for Creamy Carrot & Asparagus Casserole:

Saucy Carrot and Asparagus Casserole

(courtesy of Kris Cain)

• 2 cups peeled/sliced carrots
• 1 bunch fresh asparagus
• 2 cloves thinly sliced garlic
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 can Campbell’s Golden Mushroom soup
• Salt to taste
• Pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley
• Paprika

Layer vegetable ingredients in an oven safe casserole dish. Season with salt & pepper. Pour can of over mushroom soup evenly over veggies. Sprinkle a bit of Paprika over the top for color.

Bake until veggies are tender.

Serve with cooked white or brown rice and garnish with fresh parsley.

For all of the recipes for the evening, and Richard’s recap of the event, read the Kenmore blog.

(I was hoping that the video recap of the event would have been up when I did my post. It’s not yet, but as soon as it is, I will add it to this post!)