Back from Vacation and a Chavrie Summer Entertaining Giveaway

I am finally back from my long vacation in Europe! As I am getting back to active blogging again, I will be preparing a series of posts covering all the delicious foods we tasted and the fun places we visited. I will start with our vacation in Greece, continue with Ireland where we were based from, and finish with the few exciting days we spend in Paris, France.

Meanwhile, I would like to thank everyone for reading along while I was away. I was thrilled to receive such great feedback for my posts I have shared with you including the Thunder Cake, Apple Fennel Cake, and Our New Cheese Finds. If you have missed the post about the Horned Melon Yogurt Mousse, please do check it out on Marx Foods as a guest post feature.

Also, I would like to thank you all for welcoming my 5 Star Makeover Guest Bloggers and of course the bloggers themselves. We have had some very exciting makeovers so far:

• Turkish Lamb Kabobs with Pistachios and Soft Herb Salad, Sippity Sup
  
• Cuban Fish & Chips, Lazaro Cooks!
  
• Contemporary Bistro Duck And Wild Mushrooms, Taste With the Eyes
  
• Saffron White Beans With Mushroom Medley and Seared Halibut, Flanboyant Eats
  
• Steak Diane & Fennel Pollen Saffron Ice Cream, Salty Seattle
  
• Fennel Pollen and Ginger Salmon with Coconut Lentils; Cake, Batter and Bowl
  
• Chicken with Sweet Corn Sauce, Tangled Noodle
  

The 5 Star Makeovers will continue every Monday throughout August and I can't wait to see the rest of the creations!

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August is a National Goat Cheese Month and what better way to celebrate it than with a special Summer Entertaining Giveaway sponsored by Chavrie®, a producer of fresh goat cheese products.

Chavrie sent me a wonderful Summer Entertaining package with some coupons for their products, a cookbook featuring some terrific recipes using goat cheese, and a Vintage Wood Chip & Dip from Pottery Barn. The chip and dip set is hand made of sustainably harvested mango wood and is just a gorgeous addition to any party buffet table. I immediately used it at the party I hosted for my dad's birthday this weekend to serve pita triangles with this delicious homemade hummus with goat cheese.



The hummus was very easy to make, combining a can of chickpeas, a few tablespoons of tahini, a garlic clove, and a little lemon juice. Then, I combined the hummus with Chavrie® Goat Cheese as in this recipe I found on chavrie.com.



Chavrie would also like to send the Summer Entertaining package to one lucky reader. To be eligible for random drawing, please visit Chavrie.com, then leave me a comment saying which Chavrie recipe you would most like to make. For additional entries, you can also "like" my new 5 Star Foodie facebook fan page that I finally set up.



The winner will receive:

• Vintage Wood Chip & Dip from Pottery Barn
  
• Chavrie Fresh Goat Cheese coupons
  
• Chavrie’s "For the Love of Goat Cheese" Cookbook

The package can only be shipped within US but everyone can participate to win a gift sample for a relative or a foodie friend with a US residence. The deadline to enter the giveaway is Tuesday, August 17, and I will announce the winner the following day. Good luck to everyone!