No Sauce Chicken & Veggie Pizza {plus some personal info about my life}

I know some of you just read that title and several things are going through your mind.

Isn't this a cupcake blog?

If not cupcakes then at least cake or another dessert....

but pizza with NO sauce?

Where am I?!

Maybe none of that went through your head and you're really excited to read this post. Whatever. The point is you're here and that's what counts! So, why this "recipe"? (I use that term loosely here because I'm not really giving you a recipe...just an idea and a few ingredients for you to build on and make your own creation.)

First, let's talk about why mine is what it is....

No sauce Chicken & Veggie Pizza

A few years ago, I experienced my first ever migraine headache and let me tell you...I have never felt such pain in my life. I've had broken bones, chronic ear infections/aches, and low back pain and NOTHING has compared to the unbelievable pain of a true migraine. It affects everything. Light hurts. Noise hurts. Movement hurts. Sometimes just breathing too deeply hurts. Until that moment, I had no idea what real pain was. The worst part - nothing helped. I went to doctor after doctor to figure out the cause...I was in my mid-20s and all of a sudden I started having them at least twice a week with no explanation. Every test came back normal...blood work, MRIs, CT scans...and all the medicine they tried on me failed. It was probably the worst several months of my life. The headaches got so bad and frequent that in the summer of '08, just a few months after my first migraine, I ended up in the hospital. I had had one for about 2 days that just wouldn't go away and my body had had enough. 

That night, I was in class at culinary school and I looked at my friend, Maggie, and told her that something wasn't right. I couldn't really explain it, but I knew something was wrong with my body. My right arm started tingling and going numb. We went outside and I sat down on the curb in the parking lot. After several minutes, the numbness traveled into my right leg and I couldn't move that side of my body at all. Several phone calls to my parents and one 911 call later, I was on my way to the emergency room in an ambulance, thinking that I was having a stroke. Turns out that sometimes migraines can get so bad that they mimic strokes to tell us that something is wrong. You'd think that after all that, with modern medicine being what it is, the doctors and specialists would be able to tell me something. Nope. Nothing. No idea what was causing the problem and no way to help.

Finally, I just learned to live with the headaches. For the next several years, I forgot what it was like to go a moment without a dull ache in my head. It just became part of my every day life. Sometimes it would flair up into a full-blown migraine but mostly it just hung around like a shadow - always there, lingering, ready to make itself known. 

(You're probably wondering what in the world this has to do with pizza but hang on, I'm getting there)....

In the Kitchen with Trudeau: a Review and Giveaway for YOU

I'm so excited about today's post! First, this is my first review and the company contacted ME! Yep, me!! I still can't believe it. Second, I LOVE these products (most of them, anyway). Third, and the best part, I get to give one set away to one of YOU lucky readers!!

Teaser: I made this pizza with some of the gadgets I'm reviewing today! :)

Let me introduce you to Trudeau. From their website:

Trudeau is a leading edge North American marketer and designer of innovative quality products. We are dedicated to creating a unique experience in preparing and serving foods and beverages, at home and on-the-go.

Trudeau Corporation was established in Montreal, Canada, in 1889, as an importer and distributor of high-end specialty goods from around the world, under the name Genin Trudeau. Trudeau Corporation soon developed an extensive distribution network along with a reputation for high-quality products and expert servicing.

In recent years, the company has invested in innovation, design and manufacturers products under the Trudeau brand, as well as several private-label brands for well-known U.S. retailers.

Family Heritage


Trudeau Corporation embodies four generations of family tradition and values. Chairman Robert Trudeau, his wife Deborah, and three of his children (Philippe, Anne-Marie and Paul) are actively providing corporate leadership. The company celebrated its 120 year anniversary in 2009.

Innovation

Through a commitment to making consumers’ lives easier, Trudeau’s experienced team of designers creates fully functional and award winning kitchen products. Fresh thinking and modern design are just some of the hallmarks of a Trudeau product.

Distribution

Trudeau products can be found in better housewares, specialty, independent and department stores in over 60 countries. With more than 150 new products introduced each year, the Trudeau brand continues to gain international recognition.

U.S. Headquarters


Trudeau’s U.S. headquarters are located in Woodridge, near Chicago, Illinois, occupying an 116,000 square foot facility, which includes offices, a warehouse and customer service division.  Trudeau Corporation is based in Montreal, Quebec in Canada.


A few weeks ago, a marketing assistant from this company contacted me about trying out some of their products and then sharing them with you. Well, I checked out the company, made sure it was legit, and jumped right on it. They sent me a package of 6 items and I waited with great anticipation for its arrival. Now, I have carpal tunnel in both wrists so it's hard for me to use regular, every day items in the kitchen. I've tried different can openers, cheese graters, etc...and, while some work fine, others do NOT. The products they sent (and that you will have a chance to win) are all from their stress-free line which is so cool! This is what I got in the mail:

The products pictured above are (in a circle starting at the top left) the Stress Less Cheese Grater, Stress Less Easy Grind Salt Mill, Stress Less Easy Grind Pepper Mill, Stress Less Can Opener, Stress Less Pizza Cutter, and the Stress Less Garlic Press. My favorite item is the can opener and the cheese grater is super easy to clean. Love garlic presses...period. And the mills are really easy on my wrist. Using the cheese grater was a little more difficult than cleaning it, but I think it's because it's really different than any others I've used before and I just need more practice. As for the pizza cutter, I didn't really see much of a difference from others except that you're able to hold it in a different position, but I do like the fact that everything matched! :) They're really beautiful gadgets and the salt and pepper mills look great on a counter or table!

As for the pizza I made with these products, I'll be sharing that later on this week! I know, I know..you just hate it when we bloggers do that, don't you? But, hey...we have to keep you coming back somehow! :)

Now on to the giveaway! Trudeau has graciously offered one of these sets to one of my readers so go through the entry process below and good luck! Rafflecopter will walk you through it...


a Rafflecopter giveaway



As always, happy reading and, more importantly, happy pizza making, uh....cupcake-ing!

The opinions written in this post are 100% that of the author and no compensation other than the products up for review were provided.