You Say Tomato, I say Review and Giveaway

We love tomatoes in my house. Whether they are topping a home-made pizza, the star of a mozzarella (caprese) salad, stuffed with cous cous, tossed in to a simple pasta dish, a hearty soup, or as a base for a full-blown spaghetti sauce. Tomatoes are a healthy, versatile, dietary staple for my family.

During the summer months I happily grow tomatoes and various herbs in pots that cover my deck, or buy locally if my yield is low. Michigan winter hampers my home-grown and local tomatoes, so I turn to canned for sauces, and greenhouse grown from who-knows-where for my fresh tomato fix.

I was thrilled, of course, when I was contacted to do a review of Red Gold's Culinary Classics canned tomatoes, in two varieties! Yes, I'm a bit of a kitchen geek, but proud of it! Domestic Goddesses, aspiring or otherwise, should be! And it just so happens that this line are sold exclusively at my favorite local grocery store, Meijer, in the Grand Rapids and Detroit areas.

I received two 28oz cans: Chef's Cut Tomatoes with Basil in Puree and one Sliced Tomatoes & Zucchini with Onions, Celery & Bell Peppers. Today's review is based on the first and I'll include my recipe for an incredibly healthy pizza for you and yours in my very next post. I'll post another recipe and review for the second can, but this post includes my very first giveaway!

The can of Chef's Cut Tomatoes with Basil in Puree was perfect for a quick soup with nothing needed but a side of garlic bread (fresh garlic, please) and a glass of Chianti. The basil could have been more prominent, but I'm crazy for basil and use a ton of it in season! The tomatoes had a natural sweetness, and there is no added sugar. Instead of soup this time, I used the product for the base of the pizza sauce for the pizza mentioned above. Please see my next post for the recipe.

I'm also pleased to report that the tomatoes are grown right here in the northern Midwest. Red Gold, based in Indiana, grows its tomatoes within 100 miles of its facility at farms in Michigan, Ohio and Indiana, where we have the perfect weather and soil for growing excellent tomatoes.

The Giveaway! A gift pack of the aforementioned cans of tomato, cutting board, measuring spoon, magnet and coupon! This is my very first giveaway, so be nice and enter!

There will be 2 cans of tomatoes for you!

How to Enter:

Too often, I find giveaways to be so complicated to enter, that I rarely enter them! So, for my giveaway you can enter very simply:

1) Follow my blog and leave me a comment telling me your favorite way to eat tomatoes!

Please be sure to include a way for me to contact you, either through your own blog or an email (you may send your email to me privately if you prefer - adgmommy (at) gmail (dot) com, but still leave a comment on the blog.

Bonus Entries:

*** follow me on Twitter! I finally joined Twitter yesterday! However, I'm still trying to figure out the whole Twitter thing, so I don't have any snazzy buttons yet. Just follow me at: http://twitter.com/dgmommyblogger and let me know that you did so!
*** Visit www.redgold.com and tell me your favorite product of theirs!
*** Re-tweet this giveaway and let me know when you do (you'll gain me as a follower too!)

This giveaway is open to anyone in the US! No need to be a Midwesterner to enter! The package will be mailed directly to the winner. Giveaway ends on 12/21/12 at 11:59pm EST. The winner will be contacted within 48-hours and will have 48 hours to respond with shipping details.

Thank you!