One Year Anniversary and a Giveaway ...

**The giveaway has now closed. Congratulations to Debbie of comment #22, the number picked by Random.org!

I'm throwing a party today and you are all invited - would you like a piece of cake? What's the occasion? The Mama Me Gluten Free blog is having its first anniversary today! That's right - one year ago today, I posted for the first time on this blog, not sure how it was all going to turn out. Thanks to all of you, dear readers, it's been a huge blessing for me and my family.

Have some ice cream, too, while I talk with you some more ...

I have learned so much this past year. I have learned how to take better food photos - a non-stop learning process that I hope I continue to get better at. If you go to my early photos, you'll see what I mean - however, some of my photos lately have been very quick ones so may not look much different!

I have learned much from fellow food bloggers. I have learned much from my readers. I have learned more and more in my kitchen, continuing to push myself, to create great gluten-free food. I have learned much about myself. I have learned (over and over again) that I don't possess skills to do everything, and trying to post recipes several times a week while also finding time to create them, cook them, bake them, photograph them, edit the photos and feed my family, just isn't possible.

This blog has become such a fun thing for me, and I intend to keep it that way. I have been encouraged by so many of you - and I thank you. It has blessed me so much when you have told me that I have helped you, or that you have enjoyed one of my recipes. I have enjoyed getting to know so many in the food blogging community. My life has been so much more enriched this past year, and I plan to keep on going.

Have some pie while I tell you how I'm celebrating today ...

Those of you who have read my blog know my baking got better in some recipes when I began to weigh my flour instead of measure by the cup. I was finally able to make my four-egg cake the way it was supposed to be made. After two years of trying and failing with the texture, I finally got it!

Then I was introduced to Michael Ruhlman's Ratio cookbook and the Gluten-Free Ratio Rally, and I was in awe at the endless possibilities that weight and ratio gave me in creativity of recipes.

I want to share that awe and joy with you, whether you bake and cook gluten-free or not. Weight and ratio is for anyone. It's super-easy. And just because you get to liking it doesn't mean you have to stop using cups. Do both if you want.

So, one lucky reader will win a 5 lb. Oxo food scale(in either black or white, my choice) and a copy of Ruhlman's Ratio cookbook.

With these two tools, I have created this delicious lemon cake ...

And this pasta ...

And these key lime cream puffs ...

And I also created these savory scones using a ratio and the scale ...

Those aren't the only things, of course, but you get the idea. I want you to have these tools, too, so here's what you need to do:

**The giveaway has now closed. Congratulations to Debbie of comment #22, the number picked by Random.org!

Giveaway for one OXO 5 lb. food scale, in black or white (my choice) and one copy of Michael Ruhlman's Ratio cookbook to one reader begins today, Monday, November 28, 2011, and ends Wednesday, December 7, 2011 at 12:00 p.m. (noon) CST. The giveaway is only open to U.S. residents, I'm sorry. The winner will be picked through the Random Sequence Generator on Random.org.

You are eligible for up to six entries in this giveaway. To enter:

Leave a comment on this post telling me what you would like to make with these tools if you win (only one comment per person will be counted this way).

Additional entries may be earned by leaving a comment EACH TIME you do one of the following (you get an entry for each one ONLY if you leave a comment for each):

1. "Like" Mama Me Gluten Free on Facebook (if you already "like" the blog on facebook, that also counts as an entry), then leave a comment here telling me you have done this.

2. Follow @MamaMeGF on Twitter (if you already follow, that counts as an entry), then leave a comment here telling me you've done this.

3. Share this giveaway on Twitter: "I want to win an OXO food scale and Ratio book @MamaMeGF! http://bit.ly/rxYO2i " and leave a comment here telling me you've done this. 

4. Share this giveaway on Facebook with a link to this post, and leave a comment here telling me you've done this.

5. Subscribe to Mama Me Gluten Free RSS feed, then leave a comment here telling me you've done this. (If you already subscribe, then that counts too - just leave a comment letting me know!)

You must leave a comment on this post for each of things if you want an entry for each one. Only one comment per item per person will be counted. In other words, if you comment more than one time saying you "like" Mama Me on facebook, only one of those comments will be counted, etc. On the other hand, if you only leave one comment saying you did all of these things, you will only get one entry rather than six.
********Be sure to leave a contact email if you are posting anonymously or don't have a way to contact you listed in your profile!


Good luck! (And I apologize in advance for not responding to comments immediately - I don't want to mess up the numbers and blogger doesn't have a reply feature that follows under individual comments.)