NYC: Sake and the City at Astor Center Event Recap {Photos} #SakeAndTheCity

Introduction to SAKE and Guided Tasting with Sake Samurai Timothy Sullivan of Urban Sake

Last week I had the opportunity to attend a very fun event at Astor Center in New York City, a SAKE tasting! I had the chance to attend not just the walk around tasting that was open only to media during the day and then opened to the public in the evening, but I also attended two seminars where I learned so much about SAKE and about creative food pairings that go beyond Sushi!

My mom introduced me to SAKE and I introduced her to Sushi, so we attended the SAKE And The City Event together and had so much fun!

Timothy Sullivan of Urban Sake gets ready to present an Introduction to SAKE and Guided Tasting

We started with the first seminar which was an Introduction to SAKE and Guided Tasting with Sake Samurai Timothy Sullivan of Urban Sake! If only I had known YEARS ago that my love of SAKE could have been turned into a job with such a fun and funky and job title!

Timothy Sullivan of Urban Sake kicks off an Introduction to SAKE and Guided Tasting

The crowd was definitely excited!

Timothy Sullivan of Urban Sake outlines Sake Ingredients during Introduction to SAKE with Guided Tasing at Astor Center in New York City

We started out by learning the ingredients that goes into SAKE, which are:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Water
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Yeast
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Koji
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Rice

Timothy Sullivan of Urban Sake explains Sake Classifications during Introduction to SAKE with Guided Tasing at Astor Center in New York City

We then moved on to the Classifications of SAKE, they fall into either the 'Fortified Style' or the 'Pure Rice Style' this chart can be read in detail HERE.

Timothy Sullivan of Urban Sake explains the Sake Fermentation Process during Introduction to SAKE with Guided Tasing at Astor Center in New York City

He then discussed the fermentation process of Sake, which brought me back to my tour of the Bacardi Rum Factory in Puerto Rico when the tour took us through the fermentation tanks!

Introduction to SAKE with Guided Tasing with Sake Samurai Timothy Sullivan at Astor Center in New York City

Everyone was excited for the tasting part of course!

Introduction to SAKE with Guided Tasing with Sake Samurai Timothy Sullivan at Astor Center in New York City

I had to snap a shot of the bar that also showed the pictures of the bottles of the SAKE we tasted!

I loved the color of the bottle, and found the Kirin-Zan SAKE to be a mild and mellow SAKE I would definitely serve!

There was time before the next seminar and we hit the walk around tasing room! I wasn't able to get pictures of every single SAKE so I tried to nab shots of the ones I really liked best from each table. The Kirin-Zan pictured above was my favorite from the first table I visited.

Aronia Nigori on the far left was this table's standout SAKE

I learned in the seminar that some SAKE is meant to be served warm and others should be served chilled. The Aronia Nigori, the pink bottle on the far left that is in the ice bucket was my next standout SAKE. This SAKE is meant to be served chilled, and there was a refreshing crispness to this one that I greatly enjoyed!

After trying the Aronia Nigori, I followed the signs to the next table!

Tahei-Zan SAKE

This SAKE is an Award Winner! And I definitely appreciated the enthusiasm in which it was presented! This was a very flexible SAKE and I can see keeping it in stock at home because it's quite balanced on the palate!

Ginkoubai Hannya Tou Plum Sake - THIS WAS OUR HANDS DOWN FAVORITE OF ALL THE SAKE WE TASTED!

We were hearing some major compliments at this point (which was about the mid-point of the tasting) regarding a Plum Sake that was a must try, in fact someone standing next to us asked us if we had tried it yet and we hadn't. He literally walked us over to this station and boy am I ever glad he did! Plum SAKE is actually already a personal favorite of mine, but this is one I had not yet tried. Hannya is this un-expected burst of Plum SAKE with a literal burst of peppery flavor, it's a bit of spice and heat that you don't expect it to have, and while you can certainly pair it with a meal, it's also one I can see you wanting to enjoy on it's own. This one was our hands down favorite, and apparently everyone else's too because when we visited Astor's Cellar later on to purchase it, it was already sold out, and I can tell you I fully understand why! This one is my super standout pick of the entire day, hands-down!

What was also fantastic is that they took so much time with us to show us a photo gallery of their brewery, and they were super personable! And if it's true that someone's passion and enthusiasm can actually be tasted in the final product be it a meal or a rice wine, then you can definitely see this is true with Hannya, they love what they do, you can truly taste it and it really shows!

After finishing up with Hannya, we realized that we lost track of time and it was time for the second seminar of the day!

The second seminar was the SAKE with Specialty Food Pairings by Brushstroke Executive Chef Isao Yamada

The second seminar was the SAKE with Specialty Food Pairings by Brushstroke Executive Chef Isao Yamada and it was fantastic! It took us beyond the obvious which is SAKE and Sushi and challenged us to be more creative with how we pair SAKE with food.

That salad was delish and so was the SAKE it was paired with!

SAKE with Specialty Food Pairings by Brushstroke Executive Chef Isao Yamada

We got to watch as the Chef prepared each dish before and then we were presented with the dish to taste!

This was definitely the most un-expected pairing, I wouldn't have thought a jerky type of meat would have paired so well with a SAKE but I was wrong!

SAKE with Specialty Food Pairings by Brushstroke Executive Chef Isao Yamada

I loved that the pairings went beyond the Sushi and SAKE mindset and challenged us to be a bit more creative and adventurous.

We got to pair the perfect Sake for the food that was prepared!

Below: I asked Timothy and Chef Yamada to pose for a close up and they kindly obliged!

Left: Brushstroke Executive Chef Isao Yamada and Right: 'Sake Samurai' Timothy Sullivan of UrbanSake.com

After the last seminar we went back to the tasting to try hit some of the stations that we missed.

My Take:

I greatly enjoyed SAKE And the City, I enjoyed trying SAKE brands that were new to me and discovering new favorites to add my list. I learned a great deal about SAKE and appreciated the panels by Timothy Sullivan and Chef Yamada greatly. Whether you are a SAKE expert or a novice this tasting definitely had a little something for everyone! I certainly hope that the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) and the Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association (JSS) decide to host another one soon. Creative events are another one of the many reasons that I love my city, the 'city that never sleeps', New York City!

Butterfly, Are you a SAKE afficionado? What is your favorite SAKE?

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FTC Disclosure: This is NOT a sponsored post. No monetary compensation has been received to share our event recap, there were no gift bags, and all opinions are 100% my own.

My favorite 'Empty your Fridge' Avocado Summer Salad Recipe

 

I have had a life long obsession with Avocados, we called them 'aguacates' growing up and my grandmother (abuela) and great-grandmother paired them with many of the traditional Puerto Rican dishes that I grew up on and love. For us the traditional 'arroz con pollo' (chicken and rice) became anything but ordinary when paired with Black Beans and Avocados.

I am not as good as my Abuela and my mom are with picking ripe Avocados ready for that day, but thankfully my local grocer is and he always tells me which ones are ready!

Like me, my mom has a strong love of travel and adventure, and we'd spend our summer days anywhere but home, which meant when we got back home, tired from a day in the sun, no one wanted to cook, but eating out every single day of summer would have been budget breaking. One of my mom's favorite go to staples was a 'huge' summer salad, instead of as a side dish, it was so chock full of stuff that it became a main meal. Making it not only cost effective, (because she used what was in season), but also a much healthier meal than fast/processed foods. And we didn't have to have the hot oven or stove on during those scorching summer days.

To this day I still live on salads during the summer, and much like my mom's favorite salad idea, I've adapted it to make it an 'Empty Your Fridge' Avocado Summer Salad. There are certain staples I always buy from shopping trip to shopping trip so those have become staples in the salad that never change, but the protein changes, from chicken, to pork to shrimp depending on what's left over and already in my fridge.

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Empty Your Fridge Salad:

Ingredients:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - 1 Ripe Avocado diced

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - 1 Garden Tomato diced

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - 1 head of Romaine Lettuce, clean, dry and shredded

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - 1 box of organic mixed greens, clean, dry and shredded

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - 1/4 of a canister of walnuts (for a more asian flair add cashews and sesame seeds, especially if the protein is shrimp or chicken)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - 2 cups of whatever proteins you have left over in your fridge, feel free to mix if you don't have a lot of any one particular thing, it could be chicken, pork, shrimp, tofu, etc.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Per your own taste (feel free to omit anything you do not like or are allergic to): diced onions, diced green peppers, diced/sliced or shaved carrots, finely chopped scallions, some garlic, diced celery, capers, diced olives

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - I always add a bit of cheese depending on what I have in the fridge also!

Directions:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and toss evenly to mix all the ingredients thoroughly. Serve in individual bowls with dressing on the side. And if you don't have dressing on hand you can always mix your own with oil and vinegar or some balsamic!

*This could easily feed 2-4, just double up on the tomato if you are feeding more than two with this!

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On my very first visit to Cancun Mexico, I visited a restaurant close to my hotel and they told me that Mexico alone has hundreds of varieties of Avocados, and I have vowed that I will try them ALL! I had Avocados with breakfast, lunch and dinner that trip and every subsequent visit since!

Fuerte and Hass varieties are probably the most common of the Mexican Avocados, there is also the Gwen (most often confused for Hass), Pinkerton, Reed and Zutano.

Healthy Recipe Substitution Tips:

Last summer I focused on some healthy recipe substitutions with Yogurt, here are some recipe substitution tips with Avocados:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Replace fatty dips with guacamole and served with BAKED Tortilla Chips for a healthy and equally tasty snack.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Make your smoothies creamier by adding Avocado

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ -  Top your soups and stews with Diced Avocado in place of sour cream

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Spread 2 Tbsp of mashed Avocado on your wheat toast instead of butter

Find other fun recipes on the Avocados from Mexico site in both Spanish and English! Get social with @guacgrl on twitter! And for my pinterest peeps, you can follow them on pinterest at: http://pinterest.com/Mexicanavocados/

And because you know I love great deals, here is a discount coupon you can use on your next shopping trip:

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FTC Disclosure: This sponsored post is brought to you by Avocados from Mexico via Latina Bloggers Connect. Additional information regarding Ascending Butterfly's disclosure policy can be found here.

I was a Walmart Choice Steak Challenge Judge!

Welcome to my Not so Wordless Wednesday!

On May 22nd Walmart, Kingsford and Coca-Cola put me to the challenge, the Walmart Choice Steak Challenge as a Judge - Eight top chefs had a chance to compete and put their skills and meat grills to the test!

The challenge began at various Walmart's where shoppers tasted the steaks prepared by the chefs and and selected favorites, ultimately 8 chef finalists from cities including Tampa, Miami, Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, St. Louis, Nashville and Atlanta were selected to compete in New York City for best seared steak honors, (as well as a check for $5,000 for themselves and another check for their preferred charity), in a contest judged by champion pit master Chris Lilly and other food luminaries (including yours truly!).

The Chefs who competed for the title included:

Richard Chamberlain of Richard Chamberlain's Steak and Chop House of Dallas who prepared a Grilled Filet Mignon with Smoky Spice Rub and Grilled Salad with Tomato-Basil Vinaigrette. His Charity of Choice is Bridge Builders. His Grilling Tip:

"Flare ups are a big part of grilling. As a kid I used to help my dad avoid them by standing over the grill with a squirt gun." ~ Chef Richard Chamberlain

Ronald (Ronnie) Killen of Killen's Steakhouse of Houston who prepared Grilled Rib Eyes with Garlic Pepper Dry Rub and Grilled Corn with Herbed Butter. His Charity of Choice is Recipe for Success. His Grilling Tip:

"Be sure that when you take your steaks off the grill that you allow them to rest before cutting. This will ensure that all of the juices stay in." ~ Chef Ronald Killen

Eric Lackey of Flamestone American Grill in Tampa who prepared Grilled Rib Eye with Everglades Rub, Coca-Cola Balsamic Marinated Bermuda Onion and Grilled Beefsteak Tomato with Himalayan Pink Rock Salt Crust. (We talked about our mutual love of Himalayan Pink Rock Salt as I use it too!). His Charity of Choice is The Abilities Foundation. His Grilling Tip:

"The key is using Kingsford Charcoal, which you should light in chimneys prior to grilling. Also, it's important to set two stage fire zones for searing and cooking." ~ Chef Eric Lackey

David Larkworthy of 5 Seasons Brewing in Atlanta who prepared Cherry Cola Chili Smoked Rib Eye and Avocado Mashed Potatoes. His Charity of Choice: Alzheimer's Association. (By the way, in my opinion he is the chef with the most awesome smile, which I think my photo really does capture! I always say happy chefs impart extra love and flavor in the food!). His Grilling Tip:

"Don't be afraid of the grill. Grill anything and everything. Work with your fire and most imporantly, have fun!" ~ Chef David Larkworthy

Daniel Nemec of Kirby's Steakhouse in San Antonio who prepared Grilled Rib Eye with Coca-Cola Reduction and Grilled Potato Salad. His Charity of Choice is: The Huntington Disease Foundation. His Grilling Tip:

"Your coals need to be bright red with a thin white ash coating. You also need a clean grill grate that has been thoroughly oiled with canola oil (do not use olive oil - it will smoke too much and give a bitter flavor to whatever you're grilling). Once you have followed these steps you are ready to grill and enjoy!"

Note: I wasn't able to capture an individual shot of Chef Nemec, but I do have him in several group shots, refer to group shots after the individual chef profiles.

David Rook of Copia Restaurant & Wine Garden in St. Louis who prepared Grilled Rib Eyes with Horseradish Garlic Butter Sauce and Grilled Mixed Vegetable Salad. (This one definitely had a kick to it!) His Charity of Choice: The American Diabetes Association. His Grilling Tip:

"Always wait for the grill to reach a medium heat as opposed to a high heat to avoid charring your meat." ~ Chef David Rook

Erik Sierra of the Red Fish Grill in Miami who prepared Grilled Rib Eye with Red Wine Glaze and Char-grilled Vegetables with Arugala-Orange Pesto. (This one also had a very robust flavor! and I'm also fond of using Wine in my cooking!). His Charity of Choice: ASPCA. His Grilling Tip:

"I like my steak to be medium-rare so I recommend using a meat thermometer to obtain your preferred doneness." ~ Chef Erik Sierra

Willy Thomas of Park Cafe in Nashville who prepared Coffee Rubbed Steak with Grilled Onion and Bleu Cheese Dressing as well as Grilled Corn on the Cob with Lime Chipotle Mayonnaise. (The meat had a strong flavor with the Bleu Cheese, and the Lime Chipotle Mayo on the Grilled Corn on the Cob was fantastic!). His Charity of Choice: Vanderbilt University Department of Child Neurology Epilepsy Research.  His Grilling Tip:

"Like a good golfer, pull out a blade of grass and throw it up in the air to determine which way the wind is blowing so you don't get smoke in your face - works perfectly" (I have to admit this one made me smile, as I used to organize charity golf tournaments many moons ago!)

Note: I wasn't able to capture an individual shot of Chef Thomas, but I do have him in several group shots, refer to group shots after the individual chef profiles.

Left: Chef Daniel Nemec (see above in his profile for his quote) Very Right: Chef Willy Thomas (see above for his quote)

And the winner:

@2012 Photo Courtesy of Kingsford Charcoal

Congratulations to Chef Richard Chamberlain who won the challenge!

Winning Chef Richard Chamberlain Center and the Ascending Butterfly Team

As you can he was super personable, here is a photo of team Ascending Butterfly with the winning Chef! Congrats to the Chef and his charity of choice, Bridge Builders! You know Ascending Butterfly loves covering stories with HEART! ♥

Team Butterfly had a great time at the Walmart Steak Challenge, feel free to grab recipes and learn more about the great selection of Steaks Walmart has to offer, you can also get social with them on Facebook! Butterflies did you know that only 1 out of 5 steaks is good enough to be called Walmart Choice Premium Beef? Look for the seal my friends and don't accept anything less for your family! The quality of any cut of meat greatly determines the result of the flavor of the dish, so choose carefully butterfly!

Above: I just had to brag a bit about the group shot above, apparently a hot shot photographer on the scene who apparently felt he had priority over everyone taking a photo, told me quite loudly to MOVE out HIS way. And I said no, my shot is already set up, and when I did the chefs looked my way and smiled (I think a few were quite pleased with my *gumption*)

Did you grill some great Steaks over Memorial Day Weekend? Do you have a Father's Day BBQ planned?

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FTC Disclosure: This is NOT a sponsored post. This post is non-compensated. This is an event recap of a Walmart, Kingsford and Coca-Cola sponsored event, all opinions are 100% my own.

Table Thursday: Ham, Garden Veggie and BowTie Pasta Salad

Today is Table Thursday! What's for dinner? How about a Ham, Garden Veggie and Bow Tie Pasta Salad? I had some left over baked ham, a bag of veggies and a box of Bow Tie Pasta and a mission to jazz it up using the NEW Knorr® Homestyle Stock.

ABOUT:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - The most carefully selected ingredients slowly simmered to perfection.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Versatility for a multitude of dishes, from soups to skillets to sides.


Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - A better value than cartons or cans – each tub makes 3-1/2 cups of broth.


Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Two great varieties for adding rich flavor to dishes with either the chicken or beef flavors.

PREP:

Since I had left over Baked Ham (and pre-cooked bow tie pasta), this is of course faster to prep than it would normally be if I had to prepare the meat first and then cook the pasta. I cubed enough ham to feed 4 (I wanted to have leftovers and some for lunch the next day), and added a tub of the concentrated chicken stock and about 2.5 cups of water to the ham in my favorite greenpan frying pan!

I then added frozen garden veggies and once those were almost done I added the pasta and simmered everything all together for a few minutes.

So feel free to substitute with whatever meat you have at hand and you don't have to use bowtie pasta either!

I added some parmesan cheese to it when I served it, feel free to omit if you don't like it or are allergic. And this is equally delish served warm as it is cold! YUM

So Butterfly, What's on Your Table Today?

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FTC Disclosure: I was provided with a sample of Knorr® Homestyle Stock by Smiley360 for my evaluation. This is a non-sponsored post and no monetary compensation has been received. Questions about our disclosure policy? Please visit: http://www.ascendingbutterfly.com/p/disclosure-policy.html

{CLOSED} Help make Dad a cut above the rest with the Shenzhen Chefs Knife Giveaway! Ends 06/22!

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This giveaway is now CLOSED. Thanks so much to our wonderful sponsor Shenzhen! We look forward to working with you again! The winner has been notified and upon confirmation, follower name will be posted both here and on our homepage. Remember: There are great giveaways active on the upper right hand side of the page!

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Ascending Butterfly's Annual Dads N Grads Buying Guide Giveaway, brought to you by:

Is your dad a foodie? Whether Dad is a gourmet, foodie or  weekend griller the one thing that holds true is that he needs a Knife that can handle the job! I love to cook and so did my Dad, I have to admit I've been through my fair share of Knive Sets since I started cooking.

One of my favorites to prepare is seafood and fish, which I love to eat, but hate to skin. Removing the skin from fish is one of the best tests of a Knife as far as I'm concerned! And most of the knives I have just don't cut it, no pun intended.

I have been wanting to 'pimp my knives' and had been researching Ceramic Chef's Knives for awhile now, and discovered they are pretty pricey! Wouldn't it be great to get Chef's quality at a discount price?

Shenzhen Knives - The Affordable Ceramic Knife

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Price Advantage: Most ceramic knives after production, have passed through multiple layers of distributors (who add their own price mark-ups) prior to arriving at the retail distribution point. Shenzhen's Internet distribution model enables them to bring their ceramic knives DIRECTLY from the factory to YOU, at a significant price savings.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Ceramic Blade Advantage  - These ceramic knives are made of an advanced ceramic called zirconia, the second hardest material known to man next to diamond. The material's properties make it particularly resistant to wear and tear, which means that a ceramic blade can hold its edge much longer than a steel blade without the need for re-sharpening as often as steel knives.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Benefits -  Rust proof. Non-stick surface makes the ceramic blade easy to clean.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - No Interaction - No metallic taste or smell. Given the ceramic blade's characteristics, the ceramic knife will not interact with your food's taste.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Care - They do require a bit of care and know how, read HERE for more info.

My Take

I tried the 3 piece Chef's Set from Shenzhen and I really like them! It took some getting used to about being careful NOT to bend or force them which is what I normally do sometimes with my regular steel blades. While you can use Ceramic Knives on a daily basis, Shenzhen's website suggests that you should use them in addition or in conjunction to your favorite daily Steel Blades not as a complete replacement to Steel Blade Knives. I love that Shenzhen Knives do not interact with food, need sharpening less often, are durable and can handle my love of Fish and helps me to skin them with ease! And to be able to get Chef's Ceramic Knife Quality at direct to me discount pricing is an incredible added bonus!

DISCOUNTS:

FREE SHIPPING on Shenzhen 3 piece ceramic knife sets, and orders of $60 or more or:

You didn't think I'd forget about you right? Who loves you butterfly?

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - WIN IT! - Ascending Butterfly and our friends at Shenzhen have a very special surprise for 1 lucky winner! 1 winner will win a Ceramic Chef's Knife for their Dad, or to keep for themself!

Don't you just ♥ Shenzhen? I know I do!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - How to Win: (1) You must be a PUBLIC follower of Ascending Butterfly to be eligible for this and all giveaways. Indicate in your entry that you follow (if your 'comment name/user id' differs from your profile id, please let me know what name you follow under) and (2)MANDATORY entry- Tell us who this will be for, Will you give it to Dad, your Hubby, Brother, Uncle, or a Culinary School Grad (or will you keep this great Chef's Knife for yourself)? (And while we never make social media follows mandatory, I'd love it if you followed Shenzhen via Facebook or Twitter, see Extra Credit Section for more info and direct links). (3) You must also leave your email address somewhere in your comment. (You can format it this way for security, example: ascendingbutterfly AT mail host DOT com). (If your email is clearly visible in your profile, you can just say so, that's OK!) Please follow the easy 1, 2, 3 steps to winning (or in this case, the A,B,C’s of winning!) This giveaway is open to USA residents who are 18 years of age or older. No PO Boxes. One entry per Household, see Ascending Butterfly Giveaway Rules and Disclosure Policy HERE.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Please follow directions or you will be disqualified! All comments are moderated, they may not appear on the site right away (comments like "I want this" or "I want to win" will not be entered). You have from Wednesday, June 15, 2011 until Wednesday, June 22, 2011 at 03:00 PM (EST) to comment and be entered for a chance to win. You will have 48 hours to confirm if we do not hear from you we will be forced to move on to an alternate. (We only notify winners DIRECTLY via email, so if your profile or your comment does not have an email your entry will not be processed)

EXTRA CREDIT:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Rock the VOTE - it's super easy and a ONE time only, Please vote for me, Tracy Iglesias (in red jacket)  - http://www.yourbestpose.com/competition/?id=1#6

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - You know how much I love finding us both win/wins right? Here's another one: Visit the Degree Women MotionSENSE App on Facebook and enter GetMoving031 in 'Enter Codes' HERE (you'll get an extra 5 MotionSENSE Miles which you can trade in for great prizes including trips!) Enter, share on your wall, and let me know you entered by linking me to where you shared it on your wall, by the way sharing also buys you extra MotionSENSE miles, win/win right? :)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Blog about this giveaway, linking to this giveaway post. Leave the URL in a comment. (If your blog post contains more than just a pic and link you'll get 5 extra credit entries! Leave five entries.)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - In the spirit of Father's Day Fun share with us your favorite advice that your dad has given you! (and yes, if you were not raised by your dad, you can share with us the best wisdom received by the person who did raise you! Uncles and Grandpas count too!)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Grab our NEW Button and put it on your Blog. Leave the URL where we can see it in a comment (if you have our old one, please swap it out, our URL address has changed!)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow @Tracy_Iglesias on Twitter (this is ascendingbutterfly’s editor) and give me your twitter ID in a comment

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow @ShenzhenKnives on Twitter

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow @Ascending1 on Twitter (this is Ascending Butterfly's new account, we will soon be hosting twitter parties which necessitates having a second account so we can make updates throughout the entire party!)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ -Tweet this:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - @Ascending1 + @ShenzhenKnives Ceramic Chef Knife #Giveaway! Ends 06/22 Pls RT- http://tinyurl.com/3oojojd

(Leave a comment with the tweet’s url so you can get a valid entry (click on the time your tweet was sent to get the direct URL and then copy and paste it here). You can Tweet TWICE per DAY. If you Tweet more than that, that entry will be disqualified.)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Digg about this giveaway and leave your digg username in your comment

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Fave this blog on Technorati and leave your Technorati user name in your comment

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow Ascending Butterfly on Facebook HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow Shenzhen Knives and tell them Ascending Butterfly Sent You (I'm sure they'd love for you to tell them who you'd give this to and why also!) on Facebook HERE (Please post the link to your facebook comment, you can get that link the same way you get your link to your tweets!)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Follow Ascending Butterfly on Networked Blogs HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Join Ascending Butterfly's NEW Community/Real Time Chat, Group HERE

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - One time only, NOT a daily: Vote for Ascending Butterfly on: Fuel My Blog

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Have you entered another active giveaway on Ascending Butterfly? Let me know which one and you’ll get more extra credit!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Have you commented on a non-giveaway entry? Let me know which one here and you’ll get more extra credit!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Press the button below and join, you get an extra entry for this giveaway and a shot at more great prizes, lets win together! (one time extra credit, will be verified before entry can be accepted)

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

FTC Disclosure Info for this Giveaway: This is not a paid insertion. This is a non-compensated post and all opinions regarding the product and the sponsor are my own experiences. I was provided product to facilitate the review and giveaway. The sponsors are fulfilling directly to prize winner(s), this in no way influenced my opinion of the products. Once a winner is selected and their information has been forwarded to the sponsor, the responsibility of prize fulfillment rests with the sponsor.