bamboo and partoku. what did you just call me? don't make me cut you. let's review. aka giveaway 15.

THIS GIVEAWAY IS OVER.
THIS GIVEAWAY IS OVER.
THIS GIVEAWAY IS OVER.

sometimes just having a fancy cutting board and a sleek shiny knife is all it takes to make you feel secure in the kitchen because (1) you have the tools needed to prepare a gourmet meal and (2) you have the tools needed to seriously injure an intruder. it's a win-win situation. (much like overfilled bar stools at your 20th high school reunion.)

i was thrilled when cookware.com (a csn store) provided me with a chance to do a review on an item of my choice. so obviously. i chose a knife. and it just seemed fitting to request a cutting board, too.

selecting the cutting board was easy. i wanted something slim. compact. and of course, pretty. the chicago cutlery bamboo cutting board looked like it would do the job.

selecting the knife was a bit more complicated. my current knife of choice is a seven inch santoku. but i figured a big ol' knife with a petite cutting board would look a bit aggressive. so i went with the chicago cutlery (almost) five inch partoku. (don't bless me. that wasn't a sneeze.)

once the items were ordered, cookware.com sent me an immediate confirmation. then. when my items were shipped, they sent me an email notification with tracking number - which i clicked several times a day. i know this doesn't make the shipment go faster. it's just that i have ocd.

when my package arrived (that's what she said), i was anxious to give my knife and cutting board a whirl. the board was sturdy and held place. the knife was sharp, as it should be, and sliced my bell peppers quite smoothly. so basically, the knife and cutting board did what they were supposed to do. and nicely.

i would recommend the cutting board for fruits and/or veggies only. or cheese if you're daring. but not for meats. and only because of its small size. it'd make a great serving platter at parties, too. i would recommend the knife for all types of foods. i love that it's a cross between a paring knife and a santoku knife.

both items are "hand wash recommended". but i dropped them in the dishwasher, anyway. because i'm a rebel. the cutting board handled it just fine. the knife, however, ended up with a smidgen "rusty" stain. i wiped it off and promised it that i'd only hand wash it from then on. i think it scoffed at me. i'll use it the next time i cut onions. that'll teach it.

all in all. i'm pleased with both items. you'd probably be pleased, too. in fact. you wanna try them out? because you can. if you win my giveaway. woot woot. that's right. one lucky reader will receive the same knife and cutting board from the ever so generous cookware.com.

this giveaway is only open to the usa and canada. sorry. no overseas entries. your exotic location is just too much for me to handle thereby making you ineligible. i still like you so much.

if you do live in the usa or canada, all you have to do to be entered is:

1. check out this awesome list of csn's 200+ stores and let me know which store interests you the most. (and while you're on csn's site, have a look around!) this is the only mandatory step. and it gives you one entry.
2. if you blog about this giveaway, leave a separate comment with the blog link. your blog post must link back to this giveaway post. once the post is verified, you'll have one more entry. this step is optional and can only be completed once.
3. if you twitter about this giveaway, leave a separate comment with the twittered link. your tweet must link back to this giveaway post. and it should also include my twitter username "@wendiwinn". once the tweet is verified, you'll have one more entry. this step is optional and can only be completed once. (if you don't have twitter - and if you're my friend on facebook - i'll accept this entry as a link on your wall. )
   
4. leave a safe way for me to contact you. if i can't contact you, you can't win.
   

so go ahead and play. win this quality set from cookware.com and on wednesday, march 24, 2010 at 11:03pm est, i will use the random number generator to select the winner. giveaway winner must reply to my contact within two days. otherwise, i will visit the random number generator again.

and now for the fine print. it's more small print than fine. contest starts as soon as this is posted. it ends at 11:02pm on wednesday, march 24, 2010 est. one entry per person - unless you participate in the optional additional steps. in that case, you'll get a maximum of three entries. if you do not follow the rules, i may still publish your comment (but not until the giveaway is over). it just won't count as an entry. psh, i'm tough. chances of winning depend on the number of entries. raise your chances of winning by not telling anyone. lower your chances by telling everyone you know. this contest is open to you - whether i know you or not. this is my 15th giveaway. if i have a positive response, i'll have more giveaways to bring you back. if i don't have a positive response, i'll still have more giveaways to bring you back. by entering this giveaway, you agree to abide by the rules i've stated or not stated. and i can change the rules whenever i please. it's a woman's prerogative. this is a review in conjunction with a giveaway. i received the mentioned items complimentary and specifically for review. i did not receive anything else - monetary or otherwise. i was not required to write a positive review. this lovely post you just read is comprised of my own personal opinions. i say what i want, yo. and please note. when i was little, i wanted to run away and join the circus. i wanted to be the knife throwing person. there's nothing unhealthy about that no matter what your therapist says. allegedly.