I have so many food-related memories...

My first was probably helping my mother make liverwurst sandwiches (yes, liverwurst) for my lunches when I was in very early elementary school.

Then came hours in the kitchen with my mother while she kneaded bread dough or mixed together ingredients to create her famous nanaimo bars or almond crescents.

After that there were memories of standing beside my father while he tamed the flames of a BBQ - at their house, at the cottage, at my grandparent's house - grilling hamburgers, hot dogs and corn-on-the-cob.

Then there was every Christmas, where there was a huge turkey feast and loads of desserts..enough to make you burst and then eat and then burst again because it was just all so delicious.

And who can forget the summer picnics by the lake with my family - a big cooler full of chicken and bread and potato salad and cookies and bars. We'd pile into the car and pick the best spot to picnic and we would eat everything. There was even a loaf of white bread in the bottom of the cooler to feed the ducks after dinner.

Then came the days when I moved out and went to university and had to cook for myself...and I learned to make chicken stock and mushroom soup and Irish soda bread from scratch.

Then the days of cooking for S. came along and the memories we both have now of the food we made for our wedding last year. I remember at midnight the night before the wedding I was fighting with our cake...and almost gave up but all I needed were a few kind words from S. (who was at his bachelor party) and I managed to struggle through it.

It seems all of my best, most vivid memories are either about or surrounded by food....not such a terrible thing, really.

When I asked for people's fond food memories recently I was a bit overwhelmed by the stories posted. I guess in some weird self-centered way I thought that I was one of few people who had these types of memories... Little did I know that there were so many others out there whose lives are intertwined so closely with something as heartening as potted chicken or rye bread.

I received five really wonderful entries and had a really difficult time picking three of the best out of them, so I wrote to Scott at Vintage & Anchor and asked if there was any way for him to send out copies of the book to all five people. I know, it's sort of a cop out, but I really did think that all five people deserved to win the contest...for taking the time and the energy to write about their food memories.

So, send me an email with your mailing addresses and I'll pass the information along to Scott and get books sent out as soon as possible. Congratulations!