IMUSA USA announced the winner of our first-ever Twitter contest, @mike_neylan.

We hope you enjoy your new IMUSA Pressure Cooker, we are sure you will discover succulent new ways to cook your favorite foods in less time!

Congratulations!

What: Win an IMUSA 4Qt Pressure Cooker (UPS ground shipping included).

When: Winner will be chosen on Monday, November 1^st 2010 at 11:59pm Eastern Time. Any entries after that will not be considered for this giveaway. Winner will be chosen using random.org

How: In order to enter, you must follow @imusausa and tweet the message: “RT @imusausa, I want to #win an IMUSA Pressure Cooker! Follow @imusausa & RT to enter #imusacookware http://bit.ly/ax9ohr”. One entry per user per day.

Winner will be announced via Twitter within one business day. Winner will also be contacted via Twitter Direct Message for shipping information. Winner must respond within 5 business days, after 5 days, a next random winner will be chosen.

No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. IMUSA USA, LLC reserves the right to change or cancel this giveaway at any moment. Open to legal residents of the 50 United States & the District of Columbia who are 18 and older.

Chef Ana Quincoces filming her recipe webisodes, coming soon to www.imusausa.com!

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Source: http://www.pitchengine.com/free-release.php?id=54929

Iconic buildings and landmarks around the world shine a blue light on Autism, Thursday, April 1, 2010.

03.30.2010 – MIAMI, FL — In recognition of Autism Awareness Month, Downtown Miami’s “Miami Tower” (formerly the Bank of America Tower at Int. Place) will join the list of iconic buildings and landmarks around the world participating in the Autism Speaks organization’s ‘light it up blue’ campaign, a unique global initiative to help raise awareness on autism as a growing public health crisis.

Other famous buildings taking part in the ‘light it up blue’ campaign include the Empire State Building in New York City, Willis Tower in Chicago, the CN Tower in Toronto and the Kingdom Tower in Saudi Arabia.

WHAT: Miami Tower, the iconic Downtown Miami office tower known for its color-changing lighting schemes, will be displaying blue lights to promote autism awareness.

WHEN: Thursday, April 1, 2010 through Sunday, April 4, 2010

WHERE: Miami Tower, 100 SE 2nd Street, Downtown Miami

PHOTO OP: Our very own Downtown Miami landmark, Miami Tower, will be sporting blue lights along with other prominent buildings all over the world.

About Autism
Autism is a complex neurobiological disorder that inhibits a person’s ability to communicate and develop social relationships, and is often accompanied by behavioral challenges. Autism spectrum disorders are diagnosed in one in 110 children in the United States, affecting four times as many boys as girls. The prevalence of autism increased 57 percent from 2002 to 2006. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have called autism a national public health crisis whose cause and cure remain unknown.

Miami Tower is a 600,000 square-foot, I.M. Pei-designed office tower in Downtown Miami. The tower has earned ‘icon’ status for its changing palette of exterior lighting schemes timed to coincide with holidays, sporting events and other significant occasions. For more information, please visit www.miamitower.net.

Valentine’s Day, also known as the “Lover’s” holiday is one of those days that either people love it or hate it. Even though, I’m luckily in love, Valentine’s Day is not only a day for lovers; it is a day to celebrate the love of your family, children, parents and other siblings.

As a single mother, I remember placing a mini-heart full of chocolates in my children’s backpacks, this way they’d know I’m thinking of them and how special they are. I fondly remember as a child, my father would honor my mother on Valentine’s Day with a small, loving gesture. My siblings and I would honor my mother by either buying her a store-bought card or making one in school. Where did those times go, when the simplest things in life meant the world to people? Nowadays, people’s expectations are so high; we go around scrambling, like we did over the holidays to buy the right gift for that special someone.

From my personal experience, I say to you, start your own tradition. Why not try to cook a fabulous meal for that special someone or your entire family? For breakfast, try boiling some sweet plantains using your IMUSA Enamel Pot or Caldero until nice and tender. After draining the water and letting cool, place the plantains in your IMUSA Molcajete. For a sweet Mangú taste serve with eggs (sunny side up) and a mimosa. For lunch, try making some delicious Roasted Peppers and Garlic muffins using your IMUSA muffin pan. For the children, I recommend regular Cranberry muffins, this way the red surrounds your table. For a more intimate dinner, use IMUSA’s mini-calderos, which are awesome to make individual Paellas or Mofongo. The best thing about these “mini-calderitos” is that they can either go straight to the dinner table after cooking, giving your table a restaurant feel, or you can keep your dish warm in the oven simply by removing the cover and lining it with aluminum foil until ready to serve.      With all these dishes, you have definitely sent “Cupid” right to their heart and stomach!

Just when you thought you were done eating pasteles (Puerto Rican tamales) or drinking coquito (Puerto Rican eggnog) on Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve, comes Pa’ la Parranda on January 5^th.  It is also known as Three Kings Day or Los Tres Reyes.

Growing up in Vega Alta, Puerto Rico, my mother fondly spoke of how Three Kings Day was their Christmas.  Every child would go out into the fields and collect some grass and sticks to place in a shoe box for the camels.  The Kings would ride in on the camels and in return, were rewarded with a gift.  While most families celebrate Christmas the way we do in the States, some still continue the traditions practiced in Puerto Rico and other Latin American countries.

Los Tres Reyes was the day of the Big Feast.  Back then, my grandmother didn’t make turkey or pernil (pork), it was gallina (hen), taken straight from their farm and cooked for the celebration supper.  My mother laughs when she talks about my grandmother’s caldero because she said that it looked more like a witch’s cauldron. I guess that’s what they used back then.  Of course, now IMUSA’s calderos are front and center in my home and in my family’s homes. My mother and I, however, share the same superstition that our rice won’t come out as good if we use someone else’s.  So, we travel with our own IMUSA calderos wherever we go. Silly I know, but then every good carpenter works with their own tools, right?

We’ve come a long way since the calderos.  Now, we have the IMUSA arrocera, the electric rice cooker. Similar to a crock pot, it is a one pot machine that works wonders if you don’t have the time to stand around and watch.  Simply add all of your ingredients and set it to cook! This holiday, I made arroz con coco or arroz con dulce for dessert. I simply added all my ingredients and switched it on.   While setting the table, the dessert cooked quickly and with less fuss. I will still cook my old fashion way, using my IMUSA caldero, but if you don’t want to keep the Kings waiting, try the arrocera for less cleaning and more time pa’ la parranda…

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