I've Struck Red Gold! (And So Can You!) - Product Review and Giveaway

Have you tried Red Gold Tomatoes yet?  I hadn't, so I was excited when the people at Red Gold asked if I would give them a try and post my opinion on my blog.

Since Kat was off to her mom's house for the weekend, I didn't want to cook a full meal last night.  Instead I tried a couple of appetizers using the Red Gold Tomatoes:

Strawberry Salsa

and Pesto Pinwheels.

When I opened the cans of tomatoes, the first word that came to mind was Fresh!  They are bright red and have the freshest taste I can remember from a canned tomato product.  The Italian-style Petite Diced tomatoes are so good that I could just pour them into a bowl and eat them as straight up as a side dish!

The recipes I tried turned out great and I can't wait to try more of their products in more recipes.

In return for trying Red Gold Tomatoes and writing about them, the folks at Red Gold asked if they could send me "a few cans...some cookbooks, magnets, and other neat things".  Here's the amazing kit they sent:

For starters, it's a decorative tin that looks like a giant can of Red Gold Tomatoes.  I'm already getting ideas about how I can rust-proof it and turn it into a self-watering container for the garden.  Wouldn't it be cute to plant basil, garlic and oregano in it, just like on the label?

Inside I found a reusable tote bag, 2 cookbooks, 7 recipe cards, a coaster, 2 fridge magnets, an informational CD and an awesome 1:64 scale diecast Limited Production Red Gold Tomatoes Freightliner Semi with certificate of authenticity.  And of course, some Red Gold Tomatoes!  One 14.5 ounce can each of Petite Diced Tomatoes, Petite Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilies, and Diced Tomatoes with Basil, Garlic and Oregano.

And for all of us uber-frugalistas out there, there's a ton of bright red packing crinkles.  Go ahead and laugh, but I know I'm not the only one who would save these for lining Christmas gift baskets.

I bet you'd like to win a kit just like this -- who wouldn't?  Not a problem since Red Gold has offered to give another kit to one of my readers! 

I want to see LOTS of entries for this giveaway!  Each reader can have up to four:

1) Visit the Red Gold website and look at the recipes there, then come back and comment on this post, telling me which recipe you'd like to try with Red Gold Tomatoes.

2) Become a follower of Real Life Living or subscribe in a reader.  Leave a separate comment telling me you did (or already do).

3) Leave a separate comment telling me which of the goodies in the gift kit you think you'd like best.

4) Post about this giveaway on your blog, being sure to link back to it.  Then come back and leave yet another comment telling me you posted, and if possible, including to your blog post.

The contest will close at 10 p.m. on Sunday, March 21, 2010.  I'll use a random number generator and post the winner's name on Monday, March 22.

Good luck to everyone!!

(Disclaimer:  Red Gold provided me with this gift kit in exchange for posting my opinion of their products; however, the opinions expressed in this post are strictly my own.)