Best Get Crackin’ lines of the weekend:

“I would crack a pistachio going, wooohooo!” — Vicky Gunvalson

“I got a crackin’ life, so I don’t know what to say. Coco gets me crackin’!” –Ice T.

“I need pistachios to crack my pistachios, so my tagline would be Geoff cracks his with a lot of help.” –Geoff Stults

“Honey Badger don’t take no crack!” –Warren Moon

Who do you think the biggest nut is in the slideshow below? Leave your answers in the comments!

• Warren Moon

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• Darryl Mcdaniels

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• Aubrey O'Day

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• Vicki Gunvalson

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• Chris Canty

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• Amobi Okoye

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• Kate Flannery

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• Norah Roberts

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• Ice and Coco

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• Guy Fieri and Marcel Reece

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• Dorris Roberts and Fred Willard

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• Bob Guiney

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• Joey Fatone

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For the big day, the Earth Day Food & Wine Festival was committed to minimizing their footprint in every way possible, and 1,000 attendees produced only 2 lbs. of trash. Photos of our pistachio suit sharing the good news about our product and mingling with wine and foodie enthusiasts below.

• Earth Day Food & Wine Festival 2012

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• Earth Day Food & Wine Festival 2012

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• Earth Day Food & Wine Festival 2012

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• Earth Day Food & Wine Festival 2012

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• Earth Day Food & Wine Festival 2012

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• Earth Day Food & Wine Festival 2012

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• Earth Day Food & Wine Festival 2012

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• Earth Day Food & Wine Festival 2012

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• Earth Day Food & Wine Festival 2012

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• Earth Day Food & Wine Festival 2012

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• Earth Day Food & Wine Festival 2012

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• Earth Day Food & Wine Festival 2012

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Don’t forget to see how Wonderful Pistachios celebrates the environment everyday with their green farming techniques.

•  Wonderful Pistachios is the first in the industry to utilize dustless harvesters
• Our solar farm plant – operating since 2007 – generates 15% of the energy needed to power the plant, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and fuel consumption
• Our irrigation practices utilize drip and fanjet irrigation to help save water
• 1% For the Planet – Wonderful Pistachios also  donates 1% of their annual sales to organizations in support of environmental causes
• Natural packaging of the pistachio (the shell) is biodegradable
• Partnered with the Environmental Defense Fund to protect the endangered San Joaquin fox and created a 20,000-acre wetland habitat for the indigenous water fowl

Now you can eat Wonderful Pistachios knowing that our wonderful Earth was not harmed during the process. How will you reduce your carbon footprint today? Let us know in the comments!

1. The Laundry Room: does anyone ever enjoy doing laundry? We didn’t think so. Last time we checked, soap and pistachios also don’t mix, making this room the perfect pistachio hideaway. Trust us, it’s the last place anyone will go digging for your treasure.

2. Coat in the Closet: we recently heard an elderly man forgot about the $15,000 (his life savings) he left in his coat pocket before donating it. If someone can stash their life savings in a coat pocket and forget about it, we don’t think anyone will be finding your pistachios anytime soon…not even you!

3. Strapped to Your Leg: sometimes the safest place for your pistachios is strapped to inside of your leg. It might sound creepy, but at least you’ll know where your pistachios are at all times.

 4. Filing Cabinet at Work: as far as we’re concerned everything on your desk is off limits! That includes all tchotchkes, your favorite pens, and that bag of Wonderful Pistachios hiding in the dark corners of your filing cabinet. Not to mention, your cabinet is far out of family’s reach.

5. Multiple Random Places: why hide an entire bag in one spot? Instead of sacrificing the whole enchilada, split the bag up into multiple parts and proceed to hide in random places. Genius!

Did we miss any good ones? Leave your hiding spots in the comments! We promise not to tell.

Our team laid out a total of 10,000 eggs – 30 of which contained tickets for a free Easter basket. Other festivities included a tattoo table, photos with the Easter Bunny, goodies and snack packs, and a mini health fair for all attendees.

Were you at sunny Paramount Park for the Easter egg hunt? Tell us about your experience in the comments.

• Easter Bunny and Pistachio Greet Fans

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• Easter Bunny

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• Easter Egg Hunt Special Guest!

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• Lost Hills Paramount Park

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• Easter Egg Hunt

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• Looks like the Pistachio Intern has competition

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• Pistachio Meet and Greet

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• Pistachio at Paramount Park

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• Temporary Tattoos

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• Kids at Temporary Tattoo Station

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• Easter Egg Hunt Attendee and Temporary Tattoo Enthusiast

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• Temporary Tattoo Unveiling

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• Temporary Tattoo Application

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• Kids Loving Temporary Tattoos

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• Deciding on the Perfect Temporary Tattoo

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• Decisions, decisions...

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• Temporary Tattoo Station

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• Snack Packs and Goodies

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• Snack Pack Station

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• Easter Egg Hunt

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• Easter Egg Hunt Attendees

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• Easter Egg Hunt Attendees

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• Pistachio or Easter Bunny?

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• Easter Egg Hunt Attendee

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• The Easter Bunny!

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• Pistachio Appearance

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• Pistachio Meet and Greet

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• Pistachio Soaking Up Sun

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• Easter Egg Hunt

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• Pistachio at Easter Egg Hunt Event

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• Searching For the Winning Egg!

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• Kids Hunting for Easter Eggs

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• Easter Egg Hunt

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• Pistachio and Easter Bunny

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• Gearing Up for the Easter Egg Hunt

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• 10,000 Eggs Were Laid Out

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1. A Bag of Wonderful Pistachios: not only is it a healthier snack alternative than chocolate bunnies and candied Easter eggs, but I think we all know it’s difficult to eat just one pistachio. In our opinion, you’re never too old for an Easter basket, so why not surprise your significant other with a bag of Wonderful Pistachios amid the other trinkets and treats.

2. Pistachios in Plastic Easter Eggs: you’d be surprised at how many kids love pistachios. Why not pack their plastic eggs full of pistachios instead of candy?

3. Pistachio Shell Easter Baskets: did you accidentally eat the bag of Wonderful Pistachios intended to be a gift for someone else? Might as well put the evidence to use by creating an Easter basket out of pistachio shells. Instructables guides you with step-by-step visuals on how to create the base of the basket.

Share your own suggestions for incorporating pistachios into your Easter. Tell us in the comments! We’re always looking for new ways to put our product to use. 

“Paramount Crunch” and White Chocolate Pistachio Bark: Are you toeing the line between sweet and salty desserts? Say no more – we’ve got your palate covered with our Paramount Crunch reminiscent of kettle corn and a chocolate pistachio bark recipe (should you decide to swing the other way). These desserts are also the perfect centerpiece for guests to enjoy during your annual Easter shindig. #FancyStachies

Classic Brownies with Pomegranate Ganache: brownies – who could resist? Even better: brownies with a crushed pistachio topping for a dash of color. Unstoppable: brownies, crushed pistachio topping, and fancy pomegranate ganache (what does that even mean?!) to impress your guests. Might we also suggest a sprinkle of sea salt to top it off? Ladies and gentlemen, fire up those ovens.

Pistachio Bark Recipe: trust us when we say this delectable recipe is tasty. You can stick with the usual suspects, milk chocolate and pistachios, or kick it up a few notches to include white chocolate for a fancy swirled effect. Dark chocolate is also an option, and we like options.

Pistachio Cake with Lemon Glaze: We know, we know…we’ve already featured this one, and we’ll continue to feature it until you actually try it. Just kidding. But really, it’s quite delicious and definitely worth the second mention. As Marie Antoinette would say, “Let them eat cake!”

Hoping your Easter is filled with fun and plenty of Easter egg hunts. Check out our other blog about great Easter basket gift ideas.

• Think Tiger Woods is any match for our Pistachio Intern?

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• "What? You act like you've never seen a pistachio before."

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• You are what you eat?

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• Next Stop: Pistachio'clock

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• That's one way to get crackin'!

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• Pistachio Sighting: Los Angeles

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• Working, duh.

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• "I'll get right on that, Rose!"

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• Pistachios on my mind, and my mind on pistachios

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• Wonderful Pistachios art courtesy of our counterparts in China

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• Our pistachios are that good.

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• You know what to do! #Pistachio'clock!

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• Well?

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• What does a pistachio think about, you ask?

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• Does this thing take pistachios?

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• Nothing like sunshine and pistachios!

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• In honor of March Madness...

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Name: Theresa P.

Merchandising For PFI Since: 2011

You’ll find my displays in: Giant, Pathmark, Acme, Super Fresh, Genuardi’s, Weis, Redner’s, Wegman’s.  Philadelphia, PA

What does your day typically consist of?  
Cruising around in my POM Mobile, setting up Wonderful Pistachios displays, and baling a lot of cardboard!

What’s your favorite part about being a merchandiser?  
The freedom to be creative!

What is your favorite season or annual event to create displays for?  
Baseball season.  Go Phillies!

Can you tell us about your most memorable display?  
My Phillies World Series display in the South Philly Acme.  It wasn’t big but it was impactful!

How long does it typically take to finish a display? 
It depends on the size – but I would say around 2 hours.

The toughest part about being a merchandiser is…  
The temptation to eat Wonderful Pistachios all day long!

What is the secret to creating a successful display? What’s the secret to being a successful merchandiser?  
The secret to creating a successful display is to include all of our brands and varieties.  Being a successful merchandiser is having the ability to roll with the punches and always be ready for a change of plans.

List 3 items you’ll always find in a merchandisers pocket:
1.  Box Cutter
2.  Pen
3.  Hair Tie

What is one thing we don’t know about merchandisers?  
We burn a lot of calories!

A merchandiser knows he/she has done their job when…  
They do exactly what their boss tells them to do

All photos courtesy of Roman Cho.

• California Coast

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• Day 2 Lunch Day

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• Wonderful Pistachios Pro Cycling Team trail a car

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• Paso Robles

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• Wonderful Pistachios Pro Cycling Team Ride

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• Action shot

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• Taking the scenic route

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• Picturesque views during the ride

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• What's over there?

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• Infinity trail!

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• WP Pro Cycling Team and Employees

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• WP Pro Cycling Uniform

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• Wonderful Pistachios Pro Cycling Training

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• WP Pro Cycling Team

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• JUSTIN Vineyards & Winery lunch

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• View from the car

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• WP Pro Cycling Team

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• Picturesque views

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• WP Pro Cycling Team Member

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• WP Pro Cycling Team Member

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• Setting up shop

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Ingredients:

1/2 – cup unsalted Wonderful Pistachios (shelled)
1/2 – cup confectioners sugar
2 1/2 – tablespoons water
5 1/2 – tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 – cup sugar
2 – cups whole milk
pinch of salt
2 – egg yolks
1 – cup half and half
1/4 – teaspoon almond extract
1/2 – teaspoon vanilla extract
1 – tablespoon unsalted butter
a touch of green food coloring (to your color preference)

Directions:

In a food processor fitted with a blade, add pistachios and pulse until pistachios are almost powder form. Then add in the confectioners sugar and pulse until well combined. Lastly, add in water and pulse. You will look for a mixture that resembles a thick paste. Remove from food processor and set to the side.

In a large bowl add cornstarch, sugar, milk, pinch of salt, and egg yolks.  Whisk together until well combined. Set to the side.

In a large sauce pan over a medium flame pour in half and half and pistachio paste and immediately start to whisk. Whisk until the paste is completely incorporated into the half and half. Then take 1/2 cup of the mixture and pour it into the milk cornstarch mixture to temper the eggs yolks. Give it a good swirl, then pour the entire milk cornstarch mixture back into the saucepan. From this point forward you will be whisking constantly. Whisk until mixture boils/thickens and coats the back of a spoon. This will take about 7 to 9 minutes.

Once the pudding is nice and thick, remove from flame and add almond extract, vanilla extract, butter, and a touch of green food coloring. Mix well. Then pour the entire content through a strainer/sieve into a big bowl or individual serving bowls. Cover with plastic wrap by placing plastic wrap directly on top of pudding. This will prevent pudding from forming an unwanted skin.

Refrigerate overnight or for a minimum of 6 hours. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream and pieces of pistachios sprinkled on top.

More about the creator of this recipe…

I am a culinary enthusiast who lives to cook, eat, breathe and talk food. I write an original recipe food blog called Presley’s Pantry, and co- write a breakfast blog with my partner Ericka Sanchez called The 2 Good Eggs from my home in East Los Angeles. Apart from working on my blogs everyday, I dedicate my time to raising my 2 and a half-year-old son along with my fiance, and doting  on my Mother. Any small left-overs from my blog recipes are fed to my two grumpy chihuahuas, Oso and Penny.

Love this recipe and want to see more recipes from Nicole Presley? Watch her make them in real life on her webisodes! 

Without further ado, some St. Patrick’s Day recipes that span across the color spectrum of slightly green to really green.

Chocolate-Pistachio Apricots: simple, sweet, and subtle. These chocolate dipped apricots feature just a dash of green thanks to its pistachio crust, making it the perfect St. Patrick’s Day treat that’s portable and easy-to-eat. No utensils required.

Cool Pistachio Dessert: from our favorite recipe aficionado, Betty Crocker, this Cool Pistachio Dessert recipe is an eye-alluring pistachio pudding pie. You’ll love this do-ahead dessert that’s great for crowds and requires only four easy steps to complete.

Mersu: have someone in the family who isn’t a big fan of sweets or sugar? Try these pitted dates encrusted with pistachios.

 Pistachio Creme Brulee:  looking for something on the fancier side? Everyone will find these naturally-green colored desserts palatable while appreciating their organic appearance.

Lucky Vanilla Cupcakes: these vanilla cupcakes replace traditional sprinkles with crushed pistachios. Trade the lucky horseshoe ornament for a four-leaf clover and celebrate the luck of the Irish.

Pistachio Cake: Wonderful Pistachios very own Pistachio Cake with lemon glaze!

Paleo Pistachio Ice Cream: another Wonderful Pistachios exclusive. For anyone with special dietary restrictions, our paleo pistachio ice cream is sugar-free and dairy-free so all your vegan friends can also jump in on the fun. This recipe is courtesy of our friends at  Pure Eats – Go Gourmet Paleo.

>>Have any of your own St. Patrick’s Day treats you want the world to know about? Leave your recipes in the comments!<<

For those of you who are in the know, paleo diets have become the lifestyle du jour among the CrossFit community and fitness fanatics.  The paleo diet is a modern nutritional plan based on the philosophy, “What would a caveman eat?”  Grains, legumes, dairy, salt, refined sugar and processed oils are big no no’s, although there are levels of modification.

One of the fun things about St. Patrick’s Day is being able to throw a fabulous party and making all of your desserts a ridiculous shade of green.  What dessert is better suited to be consumed on March 17th than pistachio ice cream?

“But how can you make ice cream without sugar or milk?” you may ask.  Well, thanks to our friends at Pure Eats – Go Gourmet Paleo, we’ve got a pistachio and coconut-based ice cream recipe so delicious you’ll be tempted to make it every weekend.  This is chock full of pistachios and all natural!  For true ice cream fanatics, this won’t have the same level of sweetness or consistency that you’re used to.  But for those who are adventurous foodies or looking for paleo recipes, this is a treat worth slaving over the ice cream maker for.

Thank you to Pure Eats – Go Gourmet Paleo for allowing me to taste a pint of the scrumptious pistachio ice cream for free and for being able to share the recipe with you all.  If you’d rather spend your time consuming ice cream rather than making it, and you live in West Los Angeles, you can also special order it by sending an email to Pure Eats – Go Gourmet Paleo directly.

Now let’s make some coconut and pistachio ice cream!

• pistachio ice cream

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• pistachio ice cream and bag

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You will need
Rubber spatula
Whisk
Blender
Food processor
Bowls
Saucepot
Strainer
Ice cream machine

There are two parts to the ice cream. The pistachio paste and the custard sauce (creme anglaise).

Ingredients
1 can light coconut milk
1 can coconut milk
2 egg yolks
¾ cup date paste*
1 vanilla bean (2 inches long)
1¼ cup Wonderful Pistachios – Roasted & Unsalted
4 tsp fresh lemon juice

* Date Paste
1 cup pitted dates
Water as needed
- Blend until thick and paste-like consistency

Pistachio Paste
1. Chop ¼ cup of the shelled pistachios in a food processor. You want a fine powder with some chunks of pistachios.
2. Heat half the can of the full coconut milk with the ground pistachios. Simmer for about 5 minutes until the mixture thickens. Place in a bowl and mix in 2 tablespoons of the date paste and chill.

Custard
1. Scrape the vanilla bean and the pod into the remaining coconut milk, including the light coconut milk, in a medium size saucepan. Heat just to boiling.
2. Remove from heat and whisk a few tablespoons of the cream into the yolk mixture. (Make sure to whisk the yolks first before pouring the cream). Then, gradually add back to the remaining cream, whisking constantly.
3. Heat the cream over medium heat just below boiling point. Do not boil or the eggs will curdle. Check to see if it is the right consistency by holding the spatula sideways that is covered with the custard and run your finger along the back of the spatula.  If the streak remains without the cream running down through the streak, it is ready.
4. Immediately remove from the heat and pour through the strainer into a bowl.
5. Mix in the lemon juice. Whisk in the date paste. Mix in the pistachio paste. Chill.
6. While this is chilling, Get Crackin’. You will need to chop 1 cup of pistachios. Then, mix into the ice cream mixture.

I like to refrigerate the mixture overnight for the flavors to fully develop.  Once it is chilled, it’s ready to go into the ice cream machine.

Yields 2 quarts

Thank you for playing and we look forward to future fun promotions!  You can continue to play The Hunt for the Golden Pistachio using the Google Chrome browser.

CANADA WINNERS

USA WINNERS

Q: Why are some pistachio shells more open than others?

Great question – that’s just the way they grow! Each pistachio nut was the result of a separate pollination event. There are many male trees in an orchard – and in surrounding orchards – so one female tree could have pistachio nuts pollinated by several male trees resulting in genetic variability.

Another reason you might find certain pistachios more open than others: the empty shells are a result of an organic process. The pistachios naturally ripen and split on the tree, so in some cases, the pistachio shell splits too wide.

How’s that for Mother Nature?

Q: How long does a bag of Wonderful Pistachios last for?

It’s best to consume an unopened bag of pistachios one year from the date roasted which can be seen on the bag. Pistachio expert tip: put an open bag in a sealed container and eat within two weeks to preserve freshness and crunch.

You can also store your unopened bag of pistachios in the freezer, but please remember to thaw before eating! For more expert tips on how to stash your ‘stachios, read our blog 3 Ways to Store Your Pistachios. 

 >>Have any other questions for our expert? Leave them in the comments!<<

Name: Alvie U.
Merchandising for us since: 2009
You’ll find my displays in: Giant and Weis in the Mid-Atlantic North

Q: What does your day typically consist of?

This time of year (early February) it’s building as many large displays as you can for the playoff push!

Q: What’s your favorite part about being a merchandiser?

Having the relationships with the store personnel and helping wherever possible.

Q: What is your favorite season or annual event to create displays for?

Super Bowl!

Q: Can you tell us about your most memorable display?

The display I built 2 weeks ago had 28 pop ups!

Q: How long does it typically take to finish a display?

Depends on the size but average I would say is two hours to make it pretty.

Q: The toughest part about being a merchandiser is…

Wanting to be in 10 different places at one time.

Q: What is the secret to creating a successful display? What’s the secret to being a successful merchandiser?

You need to tie in as many different items as you can into the one large display so you give the consumer options. Taking care of all of the customers is very important to being successful.

List 3 items you’ll always find in a merchandisers pocket:

1. Cutter
2. Camera
3. Pen

Q: What is one thing we don’t know about merchandisers?

We are nuts and love nuts!

Q: A merchandiser knows he/she has done their job when…

The store is happy with everything you have done while you were there.

See how many of these 10 signs you’re (quite possibly) addicted  to pistachios ring true for you, and let us know how great, ahem, unfortunate it is in the comments.

1. Shelling pistachios no longer becomes an arduous task but something you simply cannot stop doing.

2. You find pistachio shells in your pockets instead of loose change.

3.  To prevent sharing, you hide your bag of Wonderful Pistachios in places you can’t even remember. Bravo!

4. You begin replacing vital meals of the day with a bag of pistachios.

5. Your work desk, keyboard, and shirt are covered in pistachio crumbs.

6. To be the pistachio’clock intern would be success!

7. You have the Hunt for the Golden Pistachio bookmarked on your browser. Winning free pistachios never felt so good.

8. You’d rather be eating a bag of Wonderful Pistachios and watching your favorite television show than grabbing lunch with friends.

9. When Wonderful Pistachios are BOGO, you freak out and nearly buy the entire display.

10. Receiving bags of Wonderful Pistachios as gifts from the family is like hitting the jackpot. Kaching!

Well, is reality starting to set in? Embrace what’s meant to be!  Luckily roughly 30 pistachios only amounts to 100 calories. Got any other fun signs of a pistachio addiction? Leave them in the comments!

MIDDLE EAST

Lovers used to meet under moonlit pistachio trees and listen to the cracking of shells which was considered a sign of a happy relationship!

 ISRAEL

Pistachio lovers in Israel have quite the appetite for these emerald nuts. Israel’s population consumes more pistachios than any other country, eating 9 million pounds each year.

>>Next Countries: Asia

FRANCE

In France, pistachios are often served with an “aperitif,” a light alcoholic beverage served before a meal to stimulate the appetite. Bon appetit!

GERMANY

Did you know Germans eat around 12,700 tons of pistachios each year?

>>Next Country: Middle East

RUSSIA

They say anyone who hears the crackle of an opening pistachio will find success. People also believed in the 17th century that pistachios could also freshen breath!

>>Next Country: W. Europe

CHINA

Did you know pistachio means “happy nut” in China? Turn a pistachio on its side, and it looks like it’s smiling! The Chinese also gifted pistachios as a sign of happiness, health, and prosperity during the Chinese New year — what an honor! Fun fact: while the panda’s diet is mainly composed of bamboo, he also loves pistachios as a tasty treat since they are sweet and crispy.

JAPAN

INDIA

In India, people believe pistachios can warm the body during cold winter months and consider pistachios a “hot food.” During the Hindu New Year, they also give pistachios as a symbol of love and good wishes. Pistachios = positivity!

USA

Pistachios made their debut in the U.S. during the 1930s where it took nearly 10 years to perfect what is now known as the Kerman variety. California is the leading producer of pistachios worldwide and our orchards can be found throughout the San Joaquin Valley.

MEXICO

A popular saying in Mexico is, “Quiere el pistache pelado y en la boca,” which means “He wants his pistachios shelled and in the mouth.” Translation: wanting everything the easy way (hey, some people prefer them shelled).

>>Next Country: E. Europe

Where are your pistachios grown?

We have fields spread throughout the sunny San Joaquin Valley in Lost Hills, Wasco, and McKittrick just to name a few cities.

Are pistachios happy on the farm?

You betcha! The warm days and cool nights work in harmony to create the perfect growing conditions for our pistachios. We also practice sustainable farming methods to help promote a happy environment.

What happened to the pistachios with red dye?

Pistachios were dyed red in the past to hide their imperfections. Thanks to our advanced farming methods, we no longer need to dye the pistachios since they never touch the ground!

Will you ever make chipotle flavored pistachios? 

Wonderful Pistachios currently does not feature a chipotle flavor. You can, however, find flavored pistachios from our friends at Everybody’s Nuts Pistachios. Their portfolio of flavors include Garlic & Onion, Salt & Pepper, and Sweet Chili – check them out!

Have any questions for the Pistachio Expert? Leave them in the comments and stay tuned to see if your questions are answered in the upcoming weeks!

Name: Perla G.
Merchandising for us since: 10-22-2008
You’ll find my displays in: South Texas Region H-E-B Grocery Stores

Q: What does your day typically consist of?

My day starts fairly early in the morning, and I basically make sure that all product is fully stocked and readily available for our consumers. My daily objective is to make sure to leave an impression after every store call. I stock product, build displays, and make sure to get some consumer engagement.

Q: What’s your favorite part about being a merchandiser?

I enjoy meeting new people on a daily basis. Consumer feedback is golden.  I enjoy listening to the likes, dislikes, and suggestions from our consumers as well as the appreciation I receive every time I walk into one of my stores.

Q: What is your favorite season or annual event to create displays for?

My favorite season is Christmas. Although stores are crowded, this is one of the best selling seasons for us and I love keeping busy.

Q: How long does it typically take to finish a display? 

Some displays can take up to three hours but on average I would have to say about an hour and a half.

 Q: The toughest part about being a merchandiser is…

Not being able to be at every store as often as I would like.  Sometimes I wish I could clone myself to be able to be at two locations at the same time.

Q: What is the secret to creating a successful display? What’s the secret to being a successful merchandiser?  

The secret to creating a successful display is LOCATION!  LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION!  No matter how large and tactful a display is, it is only successful if it is placed in the right location. The secret to being a successful merchandiser is ATTENDANCE!  As a merchandiser our presence in the store is key.

Q: List 3 items you’ll always find in a merchandisers pocket:

1. Box cutter

2. Coupons

3. Cellphone 

Q: What is one thing we don’t know about merchandisers?  

Our feet are in pain at the end of the day!

Q: A merchandiser knows he/she has done their job when…

It shows on paper!  Sometimes we don’t realize what an impact we have in our store sales until we see it in black and white.

1. Roasted Beet Salad with Arugula Pistachios and Goat Cheese Recipe: we think pistachios give this veggie recipe a nice added crunch and makes for a nice lunch that won’t leave you in a food coma for the rest of your workday.

2. White Chocolate Chip Cookies with Pistachios and Sea Salt: your editor loves anything that involves sea salt and cookies (or caramel). Toss some pistachios in there and you have an instant winner.

3. Pistachio Gelato: a refreshing dessert for those hot summer days when you just need to cool down.

4. Chocolate-Pistachio Apricots: talk about presentation! This quick-and-easy recipe will make anyone look like a professional dessert chef.

5. Baked Honey Oatmeal with Raspberries and Pistachios: could you eat cake breakfast? So could we, no thanks to our sweet tooth. These mini oatmeal cakes are the next best thing.

5. Farro with Braised Greens, Pistachios, and Ricotta: a sophisticated dish that only takes 30 mins to complete that will definitely impress your guests.

Have any great pistachio recipes of your own? Share them with us in the comments!

 Photo courtesy of Danielle Scott

Thanks to everyone who sent in entries. As stated, the two grand prize winners will receive a gift basket including pistachios from both Everybody’s Nuts and Wonderful Pistachios in addition to other stellar swag.  Six runner-ups will score free pistachios if they are on the winning square each quarter.

Click to enlarge the football pools below. Everybody’s Nuts team on the left, and Wonderful Pistachios on the right.

Everybody’s Nuts represents NYG

Wonderful Pistachios represents NEP

May the best nuts win. Good luck and let’s get ready for a good game!

The Game: Everybody’s Nuts vs. Wonderful Pistachios

We will choose which brand represents the actual football teams playing on the big day. Contest runs from 1/30/12 – 2/2/12.

How to Enter:

• Choose a team (Everybody’s Nuts or Wonderful Pistachios).
• Include “Everybody’s Nuts Pistachio Pool” OR “Wonderful Pistachios Pistachio Pool” in the email subject line
• Email us your full name, city/state,  and email to contest@getcrackin.com.

We will randomly assign you a square for the team you chose. Contest is limited to the first 100 people per brand (200 total) who sign up and entries must be received by 2/2/12. Your submissions should include all the requested information to be a valid entry.

The Prizes:

• Six Runner-Ups: each quarter, we’ll be awarding two free bags of pistachios from each brand to whomever is on the winning square.
• Two Grand Prize Winners: the winner will receive a gift basket including pistachios from both Everybody’s Nuts and Wonderful Pistachios, a highly coveted Wonderful Pistachios bowl (pictured below), and an Everybody’s Nuts T-shirt.

• You may only enter on behalf of yourself and you may only enter once.
• Full names attached to the email address must match up with your legal name.
• Lastly, you cannot enter your husband, sister, second cousin, dog or fish (you get the idea). Let’s keep it fair. Kapish?!
• Fans from Canada are able to enter, excluding those from Quebec (sorry, guys)…

We’ll publish the completed pools on our Facebook page and the blog on February 3rd, 2012 so you can see your information before game day. See our official rules for more details.

Our hats go off to Jessica Bushee whose two daughters are pictured below doing their best Clay Matthews “Predator” move (too cute).

Our 25 Runner-Ups are:

1. Andy Hague
2. Ashley Dougherty
3. Audrey Sherrill
4. Brook McCann
5. Chris Maria
6. Dawn Rios
7. Donna Gray
8. Doreen Sharpe
9. Edward Goebel
10. Jeri Hassell
11. Judith Jensen
12. Kathy Jager
13. Kristi Biggar
14. Lauren N. Blackwelder
15. Lydia Vierson
16. Maria Pilat
17. Mark Kilburn
18. Nancy Schneider
19. Stephanie Kelsey
20. Teresa Fowler
21. Teresa Harvey
22. Theodore Esteghamat
23. Tracy Moore
24. Tracy Stevens
25. Victor Bustamante

We will be contacting all winners via email, so please keep your eyes peeled!

THE BIG GAME: PISTACHIO BOWL CONTEST
OFFICIAL RULES

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN IN THE BIG GAME: PISTACHIO BOWL CONTEST (“CONTEST”).  Entry into this Contest constitutes your acceptance of these Official Rules.

CONTEST ENTRY DATES: Contest begins January 30, 2012 at 9:00 a.m. Pacific Standard Time (“PST”) and ends February 2, 2012 at 11:59 p.m. PST (“Contest Entry Period”).

WHO MAY ENTER: Open only to legal residents of the fifty (50) United States and District of Columbia and Canada (excluding residents of Quebec, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands and Guam) who are at least eighteen (18) years old at time of entry. Void in Quebec and where prohibited by law.  Contest subject to all applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations.  Employees of Paramount Farms International LLC (“Sponsor”) and its parents, affiliates, subsidiaries and advertising and promotion agencies, and such employees’ immediate family members (parent, spouse, sibling, child, and their respective spouses, regardless of where they reside) and those living in their same households, whether or not related, are not eligible to enter or win.  Participation constitutes entrant’s full and unconditional agreement to these Official Rules and Sponsor’s decisions, which are final and binding in all matters related to the Contest.  Winning a prize is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements set forth herein.  Sponsor reserves the right to verify eligibility qualifications of the winners.  Contest is subject to all applicable federal, state, provincial and local laws.

CONTEST ENTRY/OBJECTIVE: Submit your team choice – Everybody’s Nuts or Wonderful Pistachios – to participate in the 2012 Pistachio Bowl Game Pool.

HOW TO ENTER: To enter, send an email with the subject line “Everybody’s Nuts Pistachio Pool” or “Wonderful Pistachios Pistachio Pool” along with your full name, city/state and email address (collectively, “Entry”) to Sponsor via email at contest@getcrackin.com during the Contest Entry Period.  All Entries must be received by 11:59 p.m. PST on February 2, 2012 to be eligible.  No purchase necessary.  Any Entry that does not include all required information and adhere to the foregoing and following requirements will be considered void and will not be considered in the judging of this Contest.

CONDITIONS OF ENTRY:

Contest is limited to the first 100 people per team choice who submit eligible Entries during the Contest Entry Period.  Each Entry will be randomly assigned a square on the Pistachio Bowl Game Pool.  The completed Pistachio Bowl Game Pool will be published on Sponsor’s Facebook pages (www.facebook.com/wonderfulpistachios and www.facebook.com/everybodysnutspistachios) and Sponsor’s blog (www.getcrackin.com/topic/news/) on February 3, 2012 so contestants can see their information before the Big Game.

Sponsor will assign each pistachio brand to represent one of the football teams playing in the Big Game on game day.

All Entries must be received by 11:59 p.m. on February 2, 2012.  Limit one (1) Entry per person for the entire Contest Entry Period.  Entries received from any person or e-mail address in excess of the stated limitation will be void.  Entries generated by script, macro or other automated means or with the intent to subvert the entry process are void.  All Entries become the property of Sponsor and will not be acknowledged or returned.

Sponsor reserves the right to disqualify any Entry for any reason, in its sole and absolute discretion.

Due to a potential high volume of Entry submissions, Sponsor cannot verify receipt of an Entry or placement in the Pistachio Bowl Game Pool.  Entries submitted via Facebook, Twitter or any other method of entry other than the entry requirement set forth herein will not be considered.

WINNER DETERMINATION:

Contestants can watch the Big Game on February 5, 2012 and see if they are winners in the Pistachio Bowl Game Pool.

The Grand Prize winners will be determined at the conclusion of the Big Game.  First Runner-Up Prize winners will be determined at the conclusion of each of the 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd quarters (two (2) winners per quarter) of the Big Game.

All winners will be determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion.  Sponsor’s decisions are final and binding.

WINNER NOTIFICATION: Winners will be announced and notified by Sponsor within three (3) after the broadcast of the Big Game.  Winners will each be notified by e-mail, phone and/or mail and may be required to execute and return an Affidavit of Eligibility and Liability/Publicity Release (or if a resident of Canada, a Declaration), where lawful, and an IRS W-9 form as well as any other documents which may be required by Sponsor, all of which must be received fully-executed within seven (7) days of date printed on notification or he/she may be disqualified. If after three (3) attempts to contact a potential winner, Sponsor has been unable to do so, he/she will be disqualified. Any Canadian resident who is a potential winner of a prize must correctly answer a time-limited mathematical skill-testing question administered by telephone without assistance or mechanical or electronic aid in order to receive a prize.  If a selected Canadian potential winner cannot be reached by telephone within a reasonable time period or answers the skill testing question incorrectly, as determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion, he/she may be disqualified.  In the event it is determined that a potential winner has not complied with these Official Rules, has failed to execute and return any required documents within the specified time period, has made false statements or prize notification is returned as undeliverable, then potential winner will be disqualified. Should a winner make any false statement(s) in any document required by Sponsor or prize supplier, such winner will be disqualified and required to promptly return to Sponsor the value of his/her prize. If a potential winner is disqualified for any reason, or if a potential winner refuses their prize, at Sponsor’s discretion, the prize may be awarded to an alternate winner. Further, Sponsor reserves the right to forfeit or award any unclaimed or leftover prizes at its sole discretion.
PRIZES: There are exactly eight (8) prizes available to be won in this Contest as follows:

(a)   Grand Prize (2): Each Grand Prize winner will receive one (1) case (25 bags) of Wonderful® Pistachios, one (1) case (12 bags) of Everybody’s Nuts® Pistachios, one (1) Pistachio Bowl and one (1) Everybody’s Nuts T-Shirt.  Approximate Retail Value (“ARV”): US $224.75 each prize.

(b)   First Runner-Up Prizes (6): Each First Runner-Up Prize winner will receive one (1) bag of Everybody’s Nuts® Pistachios and one (1) bag of Wonderful Pistachios.  ARV: US $10.99 each prize.

Total ARV of all prizes = US $515.44.

All prizes are awarded by Sponsor.  All prize details are at Sponsor’s sole discretion. Prizes are awarded “as is” with no warranty or guarantee, either express or implied by Sponsor. Winners are solely responsible for all federal, state and local taxes (including income and withholding taxes) and any other expenses, costs or fees associated with acceptance and/or use of the prizes not specified herein as being awarded. Delivery of prizes to winners are subject to the express requirement that they submit to Sponsor all documentation requested by Sponsor to permit them to comply with all applicable U.S., state, local and foreign tax reporting and withholding requirements, including, without limitation, an IRS Form W-9.  All prizes will be net of any taxes Sponsor is required by law to withhold.  All taxes imposed on prizes are the sole responsibility of the winners.  In order to receive a prize, winners must submit any tax documentation requested by Sponsor or otherwise required by applicable law, to Sponsor or the relevant tax authority, all as determined by applicable law, including, where relevant, the law of the winner’s state of residence.  If a winner cannot accept a prize as stated, such prize will be forfeited in its entirety and, to the extent feasible, may be awarded to an alternate winner. Winners may not substitute, assign or transfer prizes or redeem prizes for cash, but Sponsor reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to substitute a prize (or any portion thereof) with one of comparable or greater value.  LIMIT ONE (1) PRIZE PER PERSON FOR THE ENTIRE CONTEST.  Neither Sponsor nor its agencies are responsible for lost, late, stolen, misdirected, delayed or damaged prizes.  Additional restrictions may apply.
GENERAL CONDITIONS: Winning constitutes permission (except where prohibited by law) for Sponsor and its designees to use a winner’s name, Entry, hometown, likeness, prize won, and photo and video (all at Sponsor’s discretion) for future advertising, publicity in any and all media now or hereafter devised throughout the world in perpetuity, without additional compensation, notification or permission. Sponsor, Contest parties and their respective officers, directors, agents, representatives and employees (collectively, “Released Parties”) are not responsible for lost, late, misdirected, damaged, stolen, altered, garbled, incorrect, incomplete or delayed Entries or votes; all of which will be void. Released Parties are also not responsible for problems uploading or downloading any Contest-related information or materials from the Contest Web Site or any other web site or for any other technical malfunctions of electronic equipment, computer on-line systems, servers, or providers, computer hardware or software failures, programs, applications, phone lines, failure of any Entry or vote to be received by Sponsor on account of technical problems, traffic, congestion on the internet or the Contest Web Site or any other web site, or for any other technical problems including telecommunication, miscommunication or failure, and failed, lost, delayed, incomplete, garbled or misdirected communications which may limit a contestant’s ability to participate in this Contest. Released Parties are not responsible for any other errors or malfunctions of any kind, whether network, printing, typographical, human or otherwise relating to or in connection with the Contest, including, without limitation, errors or malfunctions which may occur in connection with the administration of the Contest, the processing or judging of Entries, the submitting or tabulating of votes, the announcement of the prizes or in any Contest-related materials. Mass Entries or votes or Entries or votes generated by a script, macro or use of automated devices may, at Sponsor’s sole discretion, be disqualified. Sponsor reserves the right to modify, suspend or terminate the Contest in the event it becomes infected by a computer virus or is otherwise technically impaired, and to cancel or suspend the Contest in its entirety should tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures or other causes corrupt the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper play of the Contest and, if terminated, at Sponsor’s discretion, determine the winner using all non-suspect, eligible Entries received up to time of cancellation using the judging procedure outlined above. In the event of a dispute regarding Entries received from multiple users having the same e-mail account, the authorized subscriber of the e-mail account at the time of Entry will be deemed to be the contestant and must comply with these Official Rules. Authorized subscriber is the natural person who is assigned the e-mail address by the Internet Service Provider (ISP), on-line service provider, or other organization responsible for assigning e-mail addresses. Sponsor reserves the right at its sole discretion to disqualify any individual (and void his/her Entry and vote) it finds to be tampering with the Entry or voting process or the operation of this Contest or website, intending to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other contestant, Sponsor or any of its representatives or to otherwise be acting in violation of these Official Rules. CAUTION: Any attempt by a contestant to deliberately damage any web site or undermine the legitimate operations of the Contest is a violation of criminal and civil laws. Should such an attempt be made, the Sponsor reserves the right to seek damages and other such remedies from any such contestant to the fullest extent permitted by law and to disqualify such contestant from the Contest.
MISCELLANEOUS CONDITIONS: By participating in the Contest, contestants (i) agree to be bound by these Official Rules, including all eligibility requirements, and (ii) agree to be bound by the decisions of Sponsor and judges, which are final and binding in all matters relating to the Contest. Failure to comply with these Official Rules may result in disqualification from the Contest. Sponsor reserves the right to permanently disqualify any person it believes has intentionally violated these Official Rules and void all associated Entries and/or votes.
RELEASES: By entering the Contest, contestants agree to release and hold harmless Released Parties from all claims, liability or damage caused or claimed to be caused, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, in connection with participation in this Contest, or acceptance or use of the prize, the substitution of a prize in accordance with these Official Rules, the administration of the Contest, the operation of the website or Released Parties’ use of any of the rights granted herein. Released Parties assume no responsibility for the conduct of any contestant or voter or the responses of anyone appearing in any Entry.
ARBITRATION AND CHOICE OF LAW: Except where prohibited by law, as a condition of participating in this Contest, contestant agrees that (1) any and all disputes and causes of action arising out of or connected with this Contest, or any prize awarded, shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, and exclusively by final and binding arbitration under the rules of the American Arbitration Association and held at the AAA regional office nearest the contestant; (2) the Federal Arbitration Act shall govern the interpretation, enforcement and all proceedings at such arbitration; and (3) judgment upon such arbitration award may be entered in any court having jurisdiction. Under no circumstances will contestant be permitted to obtain awards for, and contestant hereby waives all rights to claim, punitive, incidental or consequential damages, or any other damages, including attorneys’ fees, other than contestant’s actual out-of-pocket expenses (i.e., costs associated with entering this Contest), and contestant further waives all rights to have damages multiplied or increased. All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules, or the rights and obligations of contestants and Sponsor in connection with this Contest, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the substantive laws of the State of California, USA without regard to California choice of law rules.
WINNERS LIST: If you would like the names of the winners (available after February 22, 2012), please send a self-addressed stamped envelope no later than March 22, 2012 to: Pistachio Bowl Game Pool Contest Winners, c/o Paramount Farms International LLC, 11444 West Olympic Blvd., Suite 310, Los Angeles, CA 90064.  Residents of Canada may omit return postage.
SPONSOR: Paramount Farms International LLC, 11444 West Olympic Blvd., Suite 310, Los Angeles, CA 90064.

We need you to help keep our nutty ramblings on topic and fun to read, so please submit your questions! Each week, we’ll provide a response to one of your questions, bringing you one step closer to pistachio enlightenment.

“But how does one reach pistachio nirvana,” you ask?

By posting your pistachio inquiries and curiosities in the comments section so we can all become pistachio gurus. Looking forward to your questions, and as always, GET CRACKIN’ and start askin’!

xoxo,
Wonderful Pistachios

To help you get started, take a look at our helpful writing guidelines below…

Be an expert: make sure you’ve tried the product so your review is accurate.
Be precise: use descriptive language to help invigorate our senses.
Be honest: give those who haven’t tried our product true insight into what it’s really like.

Ready to get crackin’ on your critique? You can write a review here. 

Enter by doing one of the following

1. Email us a video of your signature touchdown dance -OR-

2. Email us a photo of your best touchdown pose -OR-

3. Email your answer to this question:  Why do you deserve to get crackin’ during the big game?

We’d also love to see you incorporate a bag of Wonderful Pistachios into your photo or video but no purchase is necessary. ALL ENTRIES MUST BE SUBMITTED VIA EMAIL to contest@getcrackin.com no later than 1/27/12. Leaving a comment on this blog will NOT COUNT as an entry.

Key Points to Remember:

• No trademarked logos of any kind. Make sure they aren’t in the background either. Turning your team jersey inside out may get around this rule.
• No copyrighted background music.
• No obscene language (duh!)
• Photos may be of your children or other family members.
• Have fun and be creative!

Judging Criteria: Entries will be judged on creativity and originality that are inclusive of the key points mentioned above. See our official rules for more details.

Tell a Friend: Encourage your friends to enter. Tweet this blog post with the hashtag #WPtouchdown or go to our Facebook page and share the post about this contest.

The Prizes:

• Grand Prize (1): One case of Wonderful Pistachios and one case of assorted flavors of Everybody’s Nuts Pistachios for all your snacking needs. We’ll also ensure your package arrives before game day — February 5th — so you and your friends can get crackin’.

• Runner Up Prizes (25): One free bag of Wonderful Pistachios

Just because your favorite player can’t celebrate in the end zone doesn’t mean you can’t either! Don’t forget to keep an eye out for our Wonderful Pistachios’ game-day inspired bins at a grocery store near you.

WIN TWO CASES OF PISTACHIOS FOR THE BIG GAME CONTEST
OFFICIAL RULES

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN IN THE WIN TWO CASES OF PISTACHIOS FOR THE BIG GAME CONTEST (“CONTEST”).  Entry into this Contest constitutes your acceptance of these Official Rules.

CONTEST ENTRY DATES: Contest begins January 13, 2012 at 12:00 a.m. Pacific Standard Time (“PST”) and ends January 27, 2012 at 11:59 p.m. PST (“Contest Entry Period”).

WHO MAY ENTER: Open only to legal residents of the fifty (50) United States and District of Columbia (excluding residents of Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands and Guam) who are at least eighteen (18) years old at time of entry. Void where prohibited by law.  Contest subject to all applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations.  Employees of Paramount Farms International LLC (“Sponsor”) and its parents, affiliates, subsidiaries and advertising and promotion agencies, and such employees’ immediate family members (parent, spouse, sibling, child, and their respective spouses, regardless of where they reside) and those living in their same households, whether or not related, are not eligible to enter or win.  Participation constitutes entrant’s full and unconditional agreement to these Official Rules and Sponsor’s decisions, which are final and binding in all matters related to the Contest.  Winning a prize is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements set forth herein.  Sponsor reserves the right to verify eligibility qualifications of the winners.  Contest is subject to all applicable federal, state, provincial and local laws.

CONTEST ENTRY/OBJECTIVE: Submit: (i) a video of your or your spouse or child’s signature touchdown dance; (ii) send a photo of your or your spouse or child’s best touchdown pose; or (iii) your answer to the question: “Why do you deserve to get crackin’ during this year’s big game?”.  See below for additional entry requirements.

HOW TO ENTER: To enter, send your video, photo or answer along with your full name, city/state and email address (collectively, “Entry”) to Sponsor via email at contest@getcrackin.com during the Contest Entry Period.  All Entries must be received by 11:59 p.m. on January 27, 2012 to be eligible.  No purchase necessary.  Any Entry that does not include all required information and adhere to the foregoing and following requirements will be considered void and will not be considered in the judging of this Contest.

CONDITIONS OF ENTRY:

Each Entry must comply with the following requirements:

(1)   Contestant must submit:

1. A video of his/her signature touchdown dance or a photo of his/her best touchdown pose;
2. A video of his/her spouse or child’s signature touchdown dance or a photo of his/her spouse or child’s best touchdown pose; or
3. An answer to the question: “Why do you deserve to get crackin’ during this year’s big game?

(2)   Contestant and his/her spouse and child must not wear any clothing with any team logo, symbol, emblem or other trademark in the video or photo;

(3)   Each video or photo must not contain any image of any team logo, symbol, emblem or other trademark in the background;

(4)   Videos should not include any copyrighted music (whether in the background or sung by the contestant or his/her spouse or child) unless it is an original composition written by the contestant; and

(5)   Videos should not include any obscene language.

(6)   Contestant must be the parent or legal guardian of the child(ren) in the video or photo submitted.

The inclusion of a bag of Wonderful® Pistachios in a video or photo is highly recommended, but is not required to enter into the Contest and will not increase your chances of winning.

Winners will be selected based on the Judging Criteria (as defined below).

All Entries must be received by 11:59 p.m. on January 27, 2012.  Limit one (1) Entry per person for the entire Contest Entry Period.  Entries received from any person or e-mail address in excess of the stated limitation will be void.  Entries generated by script, macro or other automated means or with the intent to subvert the entry process are void.  All Entries become the property of Sponsor and will not be acknowledged or returned.

Contestant warrants and represents: (a) he/she is the sole and exclusive creator and owner of the Entry, including all rights therein, and that the Entry has not won any previous awards or competitions; (b) Contestant has the full and exclusive right, power and authority to submit the Entry and to grant Sponsor the rights to the Entry, including but not limited to the worldwide copyright; (c) no part of the Entry has been published, or; (d) no rights in the Entry have been previously granted to any person, firm, corporation or other entity. Sponsor reserves the right in their sole discretion to disqualify any Entry at any time in the event it is determined that the Entry is offensive, inappropriate, not in keeping with Sponsor’s images or if it is determined that the Contestant has not otherwise complied with these Official Rules.  If the Entry contains any material or elements that are not owned by the Contestant and/or which are subject to the rights of third parties, the Contestant is responsible for obtaining, prior to Entry of the Entry, any and all releases and consents necessary to permit the use and exhibition of the Entry by Sponsor in the manner set forth in these Official Rules.  Sponsor reserves the right to request proof of these permissions in a form acceptable to Sponsor from any participant at any time.

Sponsor reserves the right to disqualify any Entry for any reason, in its sole and absolute discretion.

WINNER DETERMINATION:

Judging will begin after the Contest Entry Period.  All eligible Entries received during the Contest Entry Period will be judged by a select panel of Sponsor’s employees who will serve as judges to determine the Grand Prize winner and the twenty-five (25) First Runner-Up Prize winners (collectively, “Winners”).  The judging will be based on the originality and creativity of the Entry which shall be determined at the judges’ discretion and criteria (“Judging Criteria”).  In the event of a tie, an additional “tie-breaking” judge will determine the Winner(s) from among such tied Entries based on the Judging Criteria. Sponsor reserves the right to select fewer than twenty-six (26) Winners if, in its sole discretion, it does not receive a sufficient number of eligible and qualified Entries.

Judges’ and Sponsor’s decisions are final and binding.

WINNER NOTIFICATION: Winners will be announced and notified by Sponsor within three (3) after the Contest Entry Period.  Winners will each be notified by e-mail, phone and/or mail and may be required to execute and return an Affidavit of Eligibility and Liability/Publicity Release (“Affidavit/Release”) and an IRS W-9 form as well as any other documents which may be required by Sponsor, all of which must be received fully-executed within seven (7) days of date printed on notification or he/she may be disqualified. If after three (3) attempts to contact a potential Winner, Sponsor has been unable to do so, he/she will be disqualified. In the event it is determined that a potential Winner has not complied with these Official Rules, has failed to execute and return any required documents within the specified time period, has made false statements or prize notification is returned as undeliverable, then potential Winner will be disqualified. Should a Winner make any false statement(s) in any document required by Sponsor or prize supplier, such winner will be disqualified and required to promptly return to Sponsor the value of his/her prize. If a potential Winner is disqualified for any reason, or if a potential Winner refuses their prize, at Sponsor’s discretion, the prize may be awarded to an alternate Winner. Further, Sponsor reserves the right to forfeit or award any unclaimed or leftover prizes at its sole discretion.
PRIZES: There are exactly twenty-six (26) prizes available to be won in this Contest as follows:

(a)   Grand Prize (1): The Grand Prize winner will receive one (1) case (25 bags) of Wonderful® Pistachios and one (1) case (12 bags, assorted flavors) of Everybody’s Nuts.  Approximate Retail Value (“ARV”): US $209.75.

(b)   First Runner-Up Prizes (25): Each First Runner-Up Prize winner will receive one (1) 8oz. bag of Wonderful® Pistachios.  ARV: US $5.99 each prize.

Total ARV of all prizes = US $359.50.

All prizes are awarded by Sponsor.  All prize details are at Sponsor’s sole discretion. Prizes are awarded “as is” with no warranty or guarantee, either express or implied by Sponsor. Winners are solely responsible for all federal, state and local taxes (including income and withholding taxes) and any other expenses, costs or fees associated with acceptance and/or use of the prizes not specified herein as being awarded. Delivery of prizes to Winners are subject to the express requirement that they submit to Sponsor all documentation requested by Sponsor to permit them to comply with all applicable U.S., state, local and foreign tax reporting and withholding requirements, including, without limitation, an IRS Form W-9.  All prizes will be net of any taxes Sponsor is required by law to withhold.  All taxes imposed on prizes are the sole responsibility of the Winners.  In order to receive a prize, Winners must submit any tax documentation requested by Sponsor or otherwise required by applicable law, to Sponsor or the relevant tax authority, all as determined by applicable law, including, where relevant, the law of the Winner’s state of residence.  If a Winner cannot accept a prize as stated, such prize will be forfeited in its entirety and, to the extent feasible, may be awarded to an alternate Winner. Winners may not substitute, assign or transfer prizes or redeem prizes for cash, but Sponsor reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to substitute a prize (or any portion thereof) with one of comparable or greater value.  LIMIT ONE (1) PRIZE PER PERSON FOR THE ENTIRE CONTEST.  Neither Sponsor nor its agencies are responsible for lost, late, stolen, misdirected, delayed or damaged prizes.  Additional restrictions may apply.
GENERAL CONDITIONS: By accepting a prize, a Winner (on behalf of him/herself and his/her spouse and/or child) grants to Sponsor and its designees the right to use a Winner’s name, Entry, hometown, likeness, prize won, and photo and video (all at Sponsor’s discretion) for future advertising, publicity in any and all media now or hereafter devised throughout the world in perpetuity, without additional compensation, notification or permission. Sponsor, Contest parties and their respective officers, directors, agents, representatives and employees (collectively, “Released Parties”) are not responsible for lost, late, misdirected, damaged, stolen, altered, garbled, incorrect, incomplete or delayed Entries or votes; all of which will be void. Released Parties are also not responsible for problems uploading or downloading any Contest-related information or materials from the Contest Web Site or any other web site or for any other technical malfunctions of electronic equipment, computer on-line systems, servers, or providers, computer hardware or software failures, programs, applications, phone lines, failure of any Entry or vote to be received by Sponsor on account of technical problems, traffic, congestion on the internet or the Contest Web Site or any other web site, or for any other technical problems including telecommunication, miscommunication or failure, and failed, lost, delayed, incomplete, garbled or misdirected communications which may limit a contestant’s ability to participate in this Contest. Released Parties are not responsible for any other errors or malfunctions of any kind, whether network, printing, typographical, human or otherwise relating to or in connection with the Contest, including, without limitation, errors or malfunctions which may occur in connection with the administration of the Contest, the processing or judging of Entries, the submitting or tabulating of votes, the announcement of the prizes or in any Contest-related materials. Mass Entries or votes or Entries or votes generated by a script, macro or use of automated devices may, at Sponsor’s sole discretion, be disqualified. Sponsor reserves the right to modify, suspend or terminate the Contest in the event it becomes infected by a computer virus or is otherwise technically impaired, and to cancel or suspend the Contest in its entirety should tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures or other causes corrupt the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper play of the Contest and, if terminated, at Sponsor’s discretion, determine the winner using all non-suspect, eligible Entries received up to time of cancellation using the judging procedure outlined above. In the event of a dispute regarding Entries received from multiple users having the same e-mail account, the authorized subscriber of the e-mail account at the time of Entry will be deemed to be the contestant and must comply with these Official Rules. Authorized subscriber is the natural person who is assigned the e-mail address by the Internet Service Provider (ISP), on-line service provider, or other organization responsible for assigning e-mail addresses. Sponsor reserves the right at its sole discretion to disqualify any individual (and void his/her Entry and vote) it finds to be tampering with the Entry or voting process or the operation of this Contest or website, intending to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other contestant, Sponsor or any of its representatives or to otherwise be acting in violation of these Official Rules. CAUTION: Any attempt by a contestant to deliberately damage any web site or undermine the legitimate operations of the Contest is a violation of criminal and civil laws. Should such an attempt be made, the Sponsor reserves the right to seek damages and other such remedies from any such contestant to the fullest extent permitted by law and to disqualify such contestant from the Contest.
ASSIGNMENT OF RIGHTS: Contestant hereby acknowledges that Entry and all other materials of every kind whatsoever created by contestant relating to the Contest (collectively, the “Work”) are a “work made for hire” (as that term is used in the United States Copyright Act) for Sponsor, and Sponsor is the sole and exclusive owner, in perpetuity and throughout the universe, of all right, title and interest in and to the Work, including without limitation all copyrights in and to the Work (and all renewals and extensions thereof now or hereafter provided by law) and all the rights therein and thereto, and may exploit the Work (and all rights therein) in any manner throughout the world without restriction. Without limiting the binding effect of any of the foregoing provisions, in the event that any part of the Work is not deemed to be a “work made for hire” for Sponsor, then contestant hereby irrevocably and exclusively grants and assigns to Sponsor (or, if any applicable law prohibits or restricts such assignment, contestant hereby grants to Sponsor an irrevocable, perpetual, royalty-free, transferable license of) unlimited right, title and interest in and to such Work, including, without limitation, all rights of every kind and nature (whether now known or hereafter devised, including all copyrights therein and thereto and all renewals and extensions thereof), throughout the universe, in perpetuity, for all purposes, in any and all media, whether now known or hereafter devised.
By submitting an Entry, contestant acknowledges and agrees that Sponsor may obtain many submissions under this Contest and that such Entries may be similar or identical in theme, idea, format or other respects to others submitted under this Contest and/or other contests staged and/or sponsored by the Sponsor, and waive any and all claims contestant may have had, may have, and/or may have in the future, that any composition, film and/or other works accepted, reviewed and/or used by the Sponsor (or its designees) may be similar to his/her Entry. Contestant acknowledges and agrees that the Sponsor does not have now, nor shall any of them have in the future, any duty or liability, direct or indirect, vicarious, contributory, or otherwise, with respect to the infringement or protection of any copyright in and to contestant’s Entry.
MISCELLANEOUS CONDITIONS: By participating in the Contest, contestants (i) agree to be bound by these Official Rules, including all eligibility requirements, and (ii) agree to be bound by the decisions of Sponsor and judges, which are final and binding in all matters relating to the Contest. Failure to comply with these Official Rules may result in disqualification from the Contest. Sponsor reserves the right to permanently disqualify any person it believes has intentionally violated these Official Rules and void all associated Entries and/or votes.
RELEASES: By entering the Contest, contestants agree to release and hold harmless Released Parties from all claims, liability or damage caused or claimed to be caused, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, in connection with participation in this Contest, or acceptance or use of the prize, the substitution of a prize in accordance with these Official Rules, the administration of the Contest, the operation of the website or Released Parties’ use of any of the rights granted herein. Released Parties assume no responsibility for the conduct of any contestant or voter or the responses of anyone appearing in any Entry.
ARBITRATION AND CHOICE OF LAW: Except where prohibited by law, as a condition of participating in this Contest, contestant agrees that (1) any and all disputes and causes of action arising out of or connected with this Contest, or any prize awarded, shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, and exclusively by final and binding arbitration under the rules of the American Arbitration Association and held at the AAA regional office nearest the contestant; (2) the Federal Arbitration Act shall govern the interpretation, enforcement and all proceedings at such arbitration; and (3) judgment upon such arbitration award may be entered in any court having jurisdiction. Under no circumstances will contestant be permitted to obtain awards for, and contestant hereby waives all rights to claim, punitive, incidental or consequential damages, or any other damages, including attorneys’ fees, other than contestant’s actual out-of-pocket expenses (i.e., costs associated with entering this Contest), and contestant further waives all rights to have damages multiplied or increased. All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules, or the rights and obligations of contestants and Sponsor in connection with this Contest, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the substantive laws of the State of California, USA without regard to California choice of law rules.
WINNERS LIST: If you would like the names of the winners (available after February 22, 2012), please send a self-addressed stamped envelope no later than March 22, 2012 to: Win 2 Cases of Pistachios Contest Winners, c/o Paramount Farms International LLC, 11444 West Olympic Blvd., Suite 310, Los Angeles, CA 90064.
SPONSOR: Paramount Farms International LLC, 11444 West Olympic Blvd., Suite 310, Los Angeles, CA 90064.

Want to get in on the action? Send us any videos that you think capture the wonderful world we live in, and we’ll share it with the rest of our fans. We’ll also dedicate that Wonderful Wednesday to you. All links can be sent to facebook@paramountfarms.com.

P.S. We also love videos with pistachios in them (especially Wonderful Pistachios)!

Did you catch today’s video on our Facebook?

Don’t forget to tell your friends to Like our Facebook page. More fans equals more prizes! Next stop: Rochester, New York at 200,000 fans.

E. Allen
Thrisa Allworth
Windy Bedsaul
Maria Belcher
Annette Bondy
Caren Buckley
Annette Canfield
Anna Cartwri
Sandra Hoops
Brittany Rowe
Destiny Deadwylier
Tristie Downs
Abhishek Duggal
Robert Espinoza
Ailema Fernandez
Stacie Fischer
Meg Flisek
Michelle Gray
John Gulich
Patty Hack
Carla Hardy
Betty Harrison
Frances Hinton
Brooke Hoke Parr
David Hungate
James Krzeminski
Suzanne Laird
Kim LaTour
Elizabeth Lee
Mary Lohr
Hellen Manning
Desiree Miller
Jeff Miozzi
Alyscia Needham
Molly Odum
Rhonda Phillips
Heather Prusinski
Sharon Ramsamooj
Meg Soper
Marilyn Stanley
Dana Stoop
Michelle Strange
Betty Keller
Pamela Summers
Cindy Tony
Anna Violette
Diane Wallace
Brenda Willingham
Kerry Zach
Yvette Zamora

A study at the Eastern Illinois University concluded that people who had to get crackin’ on the in-shell variety consumed less calories than those who consumed shelled pistachios. We know nothing will stop you from getting those tasty morsels out of their shell (not even a closed nut), but do you prefer shelled over in-shell? Even if it means eating a few more pistachios?

Luckily, Wonderful Pistachios has your back regardless of which variety you prefer. Check out our Roasted & Salted In-Shell Pistachios and our Roasted & Salted – Shelled Pistachios.

Have a good argument for why shelled nuts reign supreme? Write a review and tell us why you’ve decided to bypass the get crackin’ so you can immediately start snackin.

End this debate: which pistachios do you love better – shelled or in-shell? Leave your answers in the comments section of this blog!

In honor of the new year we hope you party like it’s 1999, celebrate like it’s 2012, and eat pistachios like they’re going out of style. Our 2012 resolutions consist of:

1. Showing more crack, so you can get crackin’
2. Drinking more water
3. Eating less sodium via our Roasted No Salt and Roasted Lightly Salted pistachios
4. Being Green: we’re green on the outside, so why not be green to the environment!

What are your 2012 New Year’s resolutions?

Photo courtesy of tungphoto

1. Wonderful Pistachios Spring Campaign: for the first time ever, pistachios are advertised in the spring! An early start for us.

2. Keyboard Cat Get Crackin’ ‘Cross America Tour: this summer, Keyboard Cat has been fearlessly traveling across the nation where he’ll ultimately end up in the Big Apple for his final show. With each passing milestone, Wonderful Pistachios has been giving out prizes to our dedicated Facebook fans.

3. Wonderful Pistachios 400: the Wonderful Pistachios gang headed out to Richmond, Virginia where we were the entitlement sponsor for the WP 400 , gave out awesome swag, and hosted a pistachio tasting.

4. Get Crackin’ Commercials: this year’s cast featured the Mr. Bill, Kermit the Frog, Crystal the Monkey, Angry Birds, Khloe & Lamar, your favorite internet meme the Honey Badger, and more!

5. The Hunt for the Golden Pistachio: Wonderful Pistachios joined forces with Rovio to bring you the first ever branded Angry Birds game.

>>What was your favorite moment of 2011? Share it with us in the comments!<<

1. Airtight Containers
Probably the best and most effective, air tight containers will keep your pistachios from absorbing moisture and going stale. You can also store them in the freezer or refrigerator for maximum freshness (just be sure to thaw the frozen ones). If you’re looking to store your pistachios for an extended amount of time, we suggest this route.

2. Re-sealable Bags
Need to store your pistachios for a day or until your next snacking session? Yours truly has found re-sealable bags to be a good way to store pistachios for a couple of days or less.

3. Rubber Band or Tape
For the truly addicted, storing pistachios means only for a few hours. Try wrapping a rubber band around the bag or re-sealing it with a bit of tape! We fancy, huh?

Have any other great ways to store your pistachios? List all the ones we forgot to mention in the comments!

Photo courtesy of Danielle Scott

1. Pistachios lend themselves to two serious tasks during the holidays: eating and DIY crafts. Turn your empty pistachio shells into a beautiful wreath or Christmas tree ornament.

2. Pistachios are perfect for any occasion, not just the holidays : ball games, on-the-go, camping trips, and more!

3. Our pistachios are already roasted (take that, chestnuts!) — simply shell and eat.

4. Wonderful Pistachios come in sodium-free and lightly salted versions for the health conscious.

5. Our holiday bag is a perfect stocking stuffer.

6. Roughly 30 pistachios equals 100 calories.

7. You’ll never starve on another holiday plane ride again — pack them in your carry on!

8. Cracking open pistachios will prepare your nimble fingers for opening gifts.

9. Dodge food comas induced by massive holiday meals and turkey.

10. You can’t eat a Kindle Fire.

Have any other great reasons we forgot to mention? Leave your answers in the comments section of this blog.

To help you get started, take a look at our guidelines below…

Be an expert: make sure you’ve tried the product so your review is accurate.
Be precise: use descriptive language to help invigorate our senses.
Be honest: give those who haven’t tried our product true insight into what it’s really like.

Go to our product page here to start writing your review.

Limited to the first 75 received photos.

• Must include a bag of Wonderful Pistachios in the photo
• One set of codes per person (please don’t use fake accounts to obtain more codes) 
• No Photoshopped images
• Email to goldenpistachio@getcrackin.com
• MUST include the subject line: Wonderful Pistachios free code offer

As a side note, we love our Wonderful Pistachios fans and want to reward as many people as possible.  Please only submit one photo per person so that many people can share in the fun!

xoxo
 

We’ll continue to update this list as our sales force lets us know where the stickers are.

A&P
New Jersey

ALBERTSON’S
Pacific Northwest

BASHAS
Arizona *coming this week*

BI-LO
North Carolina | South Carolina | Virginia

BIG Y
Connecticut | Massachusetts

BROOKSHIRE
Tyler, TX
Shreveport, TX

CUB FOODS
Minnesota

DIERBERGS
St. Louis

DOMINICK’S
Illinois

GIANT CARLISLE
Hershey, PA

GIANT EAGLE
Frederick, MD
Cleveland, OH
Erie, PA
Pittsburgh, PA

GIANT LANDOVER
Washington, DC
Bethesda, MD
Columbia, MD
Frederick, MD
Gambrills, MD
Hyattsville, MD
Lanham, MD
Marlow Heights, MD
Towson, MD
White Marsh, MD
Burke, VA
Gainsville, VA
Purcerville, VA
Rockville, VA
Springfield, VA
Warrenton, VA

HAGGEN/TOP
Pacific Northwest

HANNAFORD
Maine | Massachusetts | New Hampshire | New York | Vermont

HARRIS TEETER
Alabama | Georgia | North Carolina | South Carolina | Tennessee | Virginia
Washington, DC

H.E.B.
N Austin, TX
Conroe, TX
Harlingen, TX
Mcallen, TX
Mission, TX
New Branfels, TX
W Houston, TX
Katy, TX
Round Rock, TX
S San Antonio, TX
Weslaco, TX
Woodlands, TX

INDY
Central Illinois

JEWEL
Chicago (partial)

KING SOOPERS
Denver, CO

KROGER
Indianapolis, IN
Fort Wayne, IN
Bloomington, IN
Terre Haute, IN
Shreveport, LA
Cincinnati, OH
Columbus, OH
Arlington, TX
Carrollton, TX
E. Dallas, TX
N. Dallas, TX
Denton, TX
Frisco, TX
W Houston, TX
Katy, TX
Lewisville, TX
Mesquite, TX
Mckinney, TX
Plano, TX
Rockwall, TX
Tyler, TX
Michigan | North Carolina | South Carolina | Virginia | Georgia | Tennessee | Alabama

MARS
Baltimore, MD

MARTINS
Culpepper, VA
Winchester, VA
Martinsburg, WV

MEIJER
Chicago (partial)

PATHMARK
New Jersey | New York

PRICE CHOPPER
Connecticut | New York | Massachusetts | Pennsylvania | Vermont

PUBLIX
Alabama | Florida | Georgia | Tennessee

QFC
Pacific Northwest

RALPHS
Southern California

RANDALLS
E. Dallas, TX
Denton, TX
Lewisville, TX
Mesquite, TX
Rockwall, TX

ROCHE BROS.
Massachusetts

SAFEWAY
Denver, CO
Washington, DC
Bowie, MD
Frederick, MD
Gaithersburg, MD
Gambrills, MD
Georgetown, MD
Germantown, MD
White Marsh, MD
Hanover, MD
Hyattsville, MD
Marlow Heights, MD
Towson, MD
White Marsh, MD
Burke, VA
Gainsville, VA
Rockville, VA
Springfield, VA
Warrenton, VA
Rockville, VA
Seattle, WA
Arlington, TX
Carrollton, TX
Frisco, TX
Georgetown, TX
N. Dallas, TX
W. Houston, TX
Katy, TX
Mckinney, TX
Plano, TX
Culpepper, VA
McClean, VA
Pacific Northwest
Arizona *coming this week*

SCHNUCKS
St. Louis, MO
Illinois (west) | Kentucky (west)

SENDIKS
Wisconsin

SHAWS
Massachusetts | New Hampshire | Rhode Island | Vermont

SHOPPERS
Gambrills, MD
Hyattsville, MD

SHOP & SAVE
St. Louis

SHOPRITE
New Jersey | New York

SMITHS
New Mexico | Utah

SPARTAN
Michigan

STATER BROS.
Southern California

STOP & SHOP
New England | New Jersey | New York

STRACK AND VAN TIL
Illinois

SUPER FRESH
New Jersey

SWEETBAY
Florida

TOM THUMB
E. Dallas, TX
Denton, TX
Lewisville, TX
Mesquite, TX
Rockwall, TX

TOPS
New York | Pennsylvania

ULTRA FOODS
Illinois

VONS
Southern California

WALDBAUMS
New York

WEGMANS
Maryland | New Jersey | New York | Pennsylvania | Vermont

WEIS
Hershey, PA
Martinsburg, WV

WINN DIXIE
Bradenton, FL
Clearwater, FL
St. Pete, FL

WOODMANS
Illinois | Wisconsin

Los Angeles (December 1, 2011) – Developed exclusively for Wonderful® Pistachios, the Angry Birds game phenomenon soars to new heights with the launch of “The Hunt for the Golden Pistachio,” the first-ever fully branded, custom Angry Birds game released in the U.S. Office productivity will likely take a nosedive, as the captive 8 million+ users who already play the game online (optimized on Google Chrome browsers) can, for the first time, win one of 20,000 prizes totaling at a retail value of more than $300,000 for doing what they love most – playing Angry Birds.

The “hunt” begins December 1 when consumers log on to www.getcrackin.com to play the game and win big prizes. The first two levels are open to players globally. Throughout the month of December, U.S. residents older than the age of 18 can earn prizes in levels three and higher by sharing aspects of the game on Facebook and Twitter or entering a “Get Crackin’” code found on specially marked bags of Wonderful® Pistachios. Once they enter the code, players will be able to find and crack open hidden in-game Golden Pistachios that may lead to real-life rewards. Prizes range from free pistachios and Angry Birds plush toys to $25,000 cash. Players will have to act fast for their chance to win because on December 31, 2011, the opportunity to win big ends. After that, all levels of the game will be open to all players.

The custom game is part of a larger partnership between Wonderful® Pistachios and Angry Birds creator Rovio Entertainment, and represents the latest phase in the tremendously successful “Get Crackin’” campaign, where Angry Birds took center stage along with a nutty cast of other characters who show off how they crack open pistachios in the iconic ad spots.

“The ubiquitous consumer adoption of Angry Birds and pistachios makes this partnership a natural fit,” said Marc Seguin, senior director of marketing, North America for Wonderful® Pistachios. “We’re excited to give consumers the snacks they crave with pistachios and feed the frenzy for new Angry Birds content with the launch of this game.”

How “The Hunt for the Golden Pistachio” works:

• Levels 1–2: After logging on to www.getcrackin.com, gamers can play the first two of five levels.
• Levels 3–5: To play for prizes, players over the age of 18 in the U.S. can obtain a “Get Crackin’” code, found on specially marked bags of Wonderful® Pistachios, and can also earn plays by sharing the game through social networks Twitter and Facebook.
• Players will randomly see Golden Pistachios within levels 3–5; if gamers successfully hit and crack open the pistachio, they may instantly win one of 20,000 prizes.

“We’re delighted to be working with Wonderful® Pistachios,” said Peter Vesterbacka, CMO of Rovio Entertainment. “We think our fans will get a kick out of cracking pistachios and playing their favorite game for the opportunity to win great prizes!”

The game, which will continue online after the promotion ends on December 31, 2011 also features custom backgrounds designed to capture iconic imagery for Wonderful® Pistachios. This includes the California orchards where the nuts are grown and harvested, the factories where they are processed and a “Pigskin Classic” football game where the pistachios are enjoyed. The game was developed in conjunction with Fire Station, an in-house advertising agency for Wonderful® Pistachios and took more than three months to develop.

About Wonderful® Pistachios
The Wonderful® Pistachios brand features upscale, premium packaging and a bold contemporary look, appealing to a sophisticated, health-conscious consumer.  Wonderful® Pistachios are grown in Lost Hills, California, part of the San Joaquin Valley, the agricultural heartland of California.  Grown, processed and packaged by Paramount Farms, Wonderful® Pistachios are available at retail outlets and grocery stores nationwide including Albertsons, Giant Eagle, Kroger, Safeway, Vons and Wegmans, and are available in a variety of sizes. For more information about Wonderful® Pistachios or the “Get Crackin’” campaign, visit www.getcrackin.com, www.facebook.com/wonderfulpistachios and www.twitter.com/getcrackin.

About Paramount Farms
Part of Roll Global LLC, headquartered in Los Angeles, California, Paramount Farms is one of a group of privately owned, affiliated companies that comprise the largest farming operation of tree crops in the world. In addition to pistachios and almonds, Paramount Farms is also the largest producer and exclusive grower of the California Wonderful variety of pomegranates. Sister company, Paramount Citrus, is the largest orange and lemon packing facility in North America, the majority of which come from its own orchards, and the largest grower of Clementine mandarin oranges in the United States.

About Angry Birds

Angry Birds from Rovio Entertainment has taken the gaming world by storm. Rovio launched Angry Birds in December 2009, Angry Birds Seasons in October 2010 and Angry Birds Rio in February 2011. Since their release, the games have achieved more than 500 million combined downloads across all platforms, and Rovio has expanded the franchise into merchandise, entertainment and book publishing. Most recently, Rovio launched the Moon Festival update for the game Angry Birds Seasons. The first Angry Birds print publication will also be available soon.

Some additional wonderful stats about the Honey Badger commercial:

- 12th most shared advertisement out of 20 in October, according to Mashable

- 57th most shared advertisement for 2011, beating out ads from Skittles and Pepsi

- 147,039 shares in the past 365 days and counting!

Honey Badger is so bad ass. Encore! Encore!

Aside from being an ideal stocking stuffer, our 18 oz. holiday bags ($9.99-$12.99) make a great gift for any occasion. Stock up and hand ‘em out to family and friends — and if you’re lucky enough– maybe they’ll reciprocate the gesture by sharing a few. Use our store locator to see where these are available near you.

Did you say chestnuts roasting on an open fire? Of course you didn’t!  You meant pistachios (but without the fire). Just make sure to give the wonderful gift of pistachios this holiday season.

Paramount Crunch

8 oz bag puffed corn
8 oz butter
8 oz brown sugar
4 oz light corn syrup
1 tsp baking soda
8 oz crushed Wonderful Pistachios
12 oz whole Wonderful Pistachios

Bring butter, brown sugar and corn syrup to a boil.
Stir and boil for 2 minutes, remove from heat and add baking soda, stir until incorporated. Pour over the puffed corn and pistachios, mix well.
Place mix on greased sheet trays and bake at 250* for approx. 45 minutes.

White Chocolate Pistachio Bark

1 cup salted, chopped Wonderful Pistachios; ¼ cup reserved
1 pound white chocolate; finely chopped
1- 11″ x 17″ baking sheet lined with parchment paper

To melt chocolate – DO NOT BURN – temp. sensitive
- Using a microwave, place 3/4 of chocolate in a microwave-safe glass or ceramic bowl (set aside remaining chocolate)
- Program microwave at 50 percent power
- With bowl uncovered, heat chocolate for 30 seconds then stir
- Repeat, heating for 30 seconds until almost all the chocolate in the bowl is melted, about 3-6 minutes total
- Add reserved chocolate and stir constantly until completely melted and smooth
- Stir in 3/4 cup pistachios
- Spread 3/4 of the chocolate about 1/4 inch thick, on the parchment
- Sprinkle with remaining pistachios
- Allow bark to cool until hard, at least 20 minutes
- Break into pieces

Recipes created by:

We contact all of the winners via Direct Message or tweet. If your name is listed here and you have not been contacted, please leave a comment on this blog so we can reach out to you. Make sure to fill out the email section before submitting your comment so we know where to write you.

Want to know how to enter our daily contest that ends on 11/11/11? Click here.

Winners for 11/7/11:

@kayshaugh
@crypticmama
@annie_riley2008
@BML2006
@jkozloff
@doctortiffany
@Jeneric10
@PolskaMagdelina
@contestweiner
@okiegirl48
@meandmonkeyHI

Winners for 11/8/11:

@question10
@LoveMyVDub
@BrokenPisces
@wimplesnapper
@jgriffin1648
@mcgraw14me
@DevinOsborn
@happylittlefish
@news_junkie
@Fowler6

Winners for 11/9/11:

@Coll6233
@Samfor3
@xstitchschool
@jennyk9923
@WendyLimauge
@mellanhead
@sweepster000
@ibereesecup
@zingx
@srarrlite

Winners for 11/10/11:

@laroyal06
@maybefrugal
@JodysDobie
@born2boop
@cameosilver
@eyewonit
@ladylisa1
@CoreysCorner
@txcotton
@MissingLynxx

Winners for 11/11/11:

@joAnna_saldana
@szuklich
@candypo
@pircy23
@lcprize
@StevenFoust1
@mercantilempori
@SanaaColeman
@superschaley

*If you are one of the winners for 11/11/11 please follow us and send @getcrackin a direct message on Twitter with your address.

The Prize

Plain and simple: We’ll be giving away 10 bags of our highly coveted pistachios to 10 random winners each day. Read our official rules for more details.

Sweepstakes Directions

Send us a tweet with the link to your favorite Get Crackin’ ad to @getcrackin and include #ilovethisad to be entered. Contest ends 11/11/11.

Video Links

Mr. Bill: http://youtu.be/zTttQ98Jnco

Honey Badger: http://youtu.be/y-e4vu_wL-M

Twins: http://youtu.be/bUkR0MYLYZg

Angry Birds: http://youtu.be/ArJBk7NOYzo

Khloe & Lamar: http://youtu.be/ciCdz8irrtk

Kermit the Frog: http://youtu.be/RswMhmRp_zo

Example Entry

Sweepstakes Rules & Prizes

No purchase necessary to enter or win in this contest.  Sweepstakes is open only to legal residents of the fifty (50) United States and the District of Columbia, who are at least 18 years of age at the time of entry.  Void where prohibited by law.  Employees of Paramount Farms International LLC (“Sponsor”) and its parent, affiliates, subsidiaries and advertising and promotion agencies, and such employees’ immediate family members (parent, spouse, sibling, child and their respective spouses, regardless of where they reside) and those living in their same households, whether or not related, are not eligible to enter or win.

Sweepstakes begins 11/7/11 and ends 11/11/11 (“Entry Period”).

To enter, send a tweet to Sponsor (@getcrackin) with: (1) a video link to your favorite Get Crackin’ ad, (2) the Twitter handle “@getcrackin” and (3) the hashtag “#ilovethisad”(collectively, an “Entry”).  Limit one (1) Entry per person per day during the Entry Period. You must include all three components (video link, @getcrackin, #ilovethisad) for your tweet to be a valid Entry.  Any Entry that does not include all required information and adhere to the foregoing and following requirements will be considered void and will not be considered in this Sweepstakes.

Sponsor reserves the right to disqualify any Entry for any reason, in its sole and absolute discretion.

A winner will be selected in a random drawing each day during the Entry Period from all eligible Entries received.  Odds of winning depend on the number of eligible Entries received.  Winners will be notified within three (3) days of each drawing by phone, mail, email and/or Twitter Direct Message.  If Sponsor is unable to contact a winner within a reasonable time period or a winner is not in compliance with these Official Rules, prize will be forfeited and, at Sponsor’s discretion and time permitting, an alternative winner selected.  If a winner is disqualified for any reason, or if any winner refuses his/her prize, at Sponsor’s discretion, the prize may be awarded to an alternate winner.

50 Prizes: Each winner will receive one (1) 8 oz. bag of Wonderful® Pistachios.  Approximate retail value (“ARV”): US $ 9.99 per prize.  Total ARV of all prizes: US $ 499.50.  All prizes are awarded by Sponsor.  All prize details are at Sponsor’s sole discretion.  Prizes are awarded “as is” with no warranty or guarantee, either express or implied, by Sponsor.  Winners are solely responsible for all federal, state and local taxes (including income and withholding taxes) and any other expenses, costs or fees associated with acceptance and/or use of the prizes not specified herein as being awarded. Winners may not substitute, assign or transfer prizes or redeem prizes for cash, but Sponsor reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to substitute a prize (or any portion thereof) with one of comparable or greater value.  Additional restrictions may apply.

General Release: Entrants, by participating, agree that Sponsor and its parent, affiliates, subsidiaries and advertising and promotion agencies and all of their respective officers, directors, employees, representatives and agents (collectively, “Released Parties”) will have no liability whatsoever for, and shall be held harmless by entrants against, any liability, for any injuries, losses or damages of any kind, including death, to persons, or property resulting in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from acceptance, possession, misuse or use of a prize or participation in this Sweepstakes.  Each winner, by acceptance of prize, except where legally prohibited, grants permission for Sponsor and its designees to use his/her name, address (city and state), photograph, voice and/or other likeness and prize information for advertising, trade and promotional purposes without further compensation, in all media now known or hereafter discovered, worldwide in perpetuity, without notice or review or approval.  Released Parties are not responsible for lost, late, incomplete, inaccurate, stolen, misdirected, undelivered or garbled Entries, or e-mail; or for lost, interrupted or unavailable network, server, Internet Service Provider (ISP), website, or other connections, availability or accessibility or miscommunications or failed computer, satellite, telephone or cable transmissions, lines, or technical failure or jumbled, scrambled, delayed, or misdirected transmissions or computer hardware or software malfunctions, failures or difficulties, or other errors or difficulties of any kind whether human, mechanical, electronic, computer, network, typographical, printing or otherwise relating to or in connection with the Sweepstakes, including, without limitation, errors or difficulties which may occur in connection with the administration of the Sweepstakes, the processing of Entries, the announcement of the prizes, or in any Sweepstakes-related materials.  Released Parties are also not responsible for any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by site users, tampering, hacking, or by any equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Sweepstakes. Caution: Any attempt by an individual to deliberately damage any website or undermine the legitimate operation of this sweepstakes may be a violation of criminal and civil laws, and should such an attempt be made, sponsor reserves the right to disqualify and seek damages and other remedies (including attorneys’ fees) from any such individual to the fullest extent permitted by law.  Should any portion of the Sweepstakes be, in Sponsor’s sole opinion, compromised by virus, worms, bugs, non-authorized human intervention or other causes which, in the sole opinion of the Sponsor, corrupt or impair the administration, security, fairness or proper play, or submission of Entries, Sponsor reserves the right at its sole discretion to suspend, modify or terminate the Sweepstakes and, if terminated, at its discretion, select the potential winners from all eligible, non-suspect Entries received prior to action taken or as otherwise deemed fair and appropriate by Sponsor.

Governing Law: Sweepstakes is governed by the laws of the State of California, with venue in Los Angeles, California, and all claims must be resolved in the appropriate state and federal courts of Los Angeles, California.  Sponsor’s failure to enforce any term of these Official Rules shall not constitute a waiver of that provision.

Winners’ List: For the names of the winners, send a self-addressed stamped envelope to: Get Crackin’s “I Love This Ad” Sweepstakes Winners, c/o Paramount Farms International LLC, 11444 West Olympic Boulevard, 3^rd Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90064.

Sponsor: Paramount Farms International LLC, 11444 West Olympic Boulevard, 3^rd Floor, Los Angeles, California 90064.

What you’ll have to do:

Head over to the Lakers Nation site and watch our Khloe & Lamar Odom commercial for video clues. After that, take the quiz and tweet your score to @LakersNation. You can view the contest here. 

Good luck!

What you’ll need: a stainless steel measuring cup (or something similar), an X-Acto (utility) Knife, and a regular knife.

Directions

1. Scoop out the insides of the pumpkin with your stainless steel measuring cup.

2. Shave down the inside of the pumpkin where your logo is. We recommend a stainless steel measuring cup because of it’s sharp edges and ability to easily shave the insides of the pumpkin down. You’ll want to shave down the pumpkin enough to cut it with your utility and regular knife.

3. Begin cutting out the logo with your utility knife to provide a guide for when you’re ready to cut with the regular knife.

4. You’ll probably have several rounds of taking your utility knife to clean up the letters once you’ve carved the bulk of them out.

Voilà! Our finished product with a pistachio centerpiece included:

Things you’ll need: a printer, Wonderful Pistachios logo, X-Acto (utility) knife, black marker, and a notepad (or something similar).

1. Print your Wonderful Pistachios logo out. We simply copy and pasted it into an MS Word document and increased the size of the image.

2. Place your printed logo on the back of your notepad. Note the black tabs on certain letters — draw these on your letters to keep the entire letter intact. Using your X-Acto knife, cut the letters out (but do not cut out the black tabs). Cutting slits into the top and bottom will help you curve the letters on the pumpkin.

3. Tape on your stencil and shade in the letters using a marker.

4. Repeat with other stencils.

You’ll find an image of our Wonderful Pistachios logo in the gallery below, and stay tuned for Part 2 where we’ll show you the most efficient way to cut out the intricate letters.

Have any other tips and tricks for pumpkin carving? Leave them in the comments! We also invite you to post photos of pistachio-related carved pumpkins on our Facebook wall.

1. Pistachio Shells as Art

Crafty blogger — SwapnaSridhar — envisioned pistachio shells as art by using a hodge-podge of leftover items around the house. See how a cake base and painted pistachio shells created an image of this lovely peacock.

2. Christmas Ornaments

The age-old craft of creating Christmas ornaments never gets old. Better Homes and Gardens uses their pistachio shells to emulate a pine cone.

3. Fashionable Brooch

New York Fashion Week has nothing on these colorful brooches. If you’re feeling like your outfit needs a pop of color, try recreating these by Reloved.

4. Fruit Bowl

Pistachio shells are pretty good at holding their tasty treats inside, so why not create a bowl to hold equally delicious items like fruit…or more pistachio shells? Instructables shows you how an appetite for pistachios and Elmer’s glue can create a fruit basket.

5. Mosaics

Create eco-friendly mosaics with dyed pistachio shells and pasta. We deem this a fun project for the little ones — especially if they go out and collect other organic elements (twigs, leaves, etc) for their creations. We think Quirky Momma does it best with her twig-framed artwork and napkin holder designs.

Have you turned your pistachio shells from trash to treasure? Post your ideas in the comments or any photos on our Facebook page.

Helpful Writing Guidelines

Be an expert: make sure you’ve tried the product so your review is accurate.
Be precise: use descriptive language to help invigorate our senses.
Be honest: give those who haven’t tried our product true insight into what it’s really like.

Click on which Wonderful Pistachios product you’d like to review:

Roasted and Salted In-Shell Pistachios
Roasted No Salt
Roasted and Salted – Shelled
Roasted Lightly Salted

And if, for some reason, you’re unable to locate our product at a store near you, Amazon ships these tasty morsels worldwide.

North America:

Mexico
Canada

South America:

Brazil

Europe:

Belgium – Dutch, French
Germany
Italy
Poland
Romania
Russia
Switzerland – French, German, Italian
United Kingdom

Middle East

Arabic
English

Asia

China
Korea
India

Have you seen our product somewhere overseas? Take a picture and upload the photo to the Facebook wall — we’d love to see our jet-setting and international friends!

Photo by UW Digital Collections

This week, we chose seven creative ways to open a pistachio provided by YOU — our wonderful fans.

1. The Resourceful

“I crack it open with my teeth. But when I had braces, I would get a spoon and crack it open,” writes Diana V. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. (Kudos to Diana for using everyday household items to spare her braces the burden of having to get crackin’.)

2. The Carpenter

“When I get one that doesn’t have a little opening, I use a tack hammer,” says Patricia G. “It’s small enough so I don’t mash my fingers. Can’t let it go to waste!” (That’s our motto, too: waste not, want not.)

3. The Athlete

“I bounce a basketball on it,” says Danielle A. (Mr. Lamar Odom would be proud.)

4. The Baker

“Roll over on it,” exclaims Michelle. “I use my rolling pin. It’s good for dough but perfect for crackin’ Wonderful Pistashios shells.” (Glad we aren’t the pistachios at the mercy of Michelle’s rolling pin.)

5. The Sharp Shooter

“Shoot the pistachios using a sling shot with a basket underneath to catch the nuts,” explains Russell H. “The shells fly away and the pistachios fall into the basket.” (Only a cowboy could hit a bullseye like that.)

6. The Intellectual

“I spread them all out on a table, and slam a hardcover book on top of them” says Jery L. (How refined!)

7. The MacGyver

“I sometimes use the nail clippers to squeeze it open,” reveals Nicole W. “Not the clipper part. The handle makes a good nut cracker.” (Who knew???)

So what’s your especially creative way to open a pistachio? Leave your answer in the comments! Clever answers may be featured in future blogs.

What color is the handle of the hammer that causes Mr. Bill’s inevitably painful fate?

As an added bonus, we’ll include a coupon for a free bag of pistachios along with the signed ball, so make sure you watch the video to get the correct answer.

To enter: leave your answers in the comments, be sure to list your email, and see our official rules for details. We’ll publish all your answers once we’re ready to award the prize. Contest ends 10/12/11.

Good luck, and may the best Wonderful Pistachios fan win!

1. Where can I get coupons for Wonderful Pistachios?
We regularly announce coupons on our Facebook page, so keep checking back!

2. Where can I find Wonderful Pistachios?
Use our store locator to see which markets sell our product near you. If you’re unable to find a store, you can also purchase Wonderful Pistachios on Amazon.com. Notice our product is no longer available in your store but once was? Make a special request to your produce manager — we’ve heard success stories of markets bringing our product back!

3. Do pistachios fall off the tree naturally?
When it’s time to harvest our pistachios, we use a mechanical shaker that grabs a tree by the trunk to shake all the pistachios off. Watch a video of the process here.

4. What’s the best way to crack an unopened pistachio?
If there’s a tiny opening, wedge your pistachio into a sharp corner and you should be able to get your pistachio out!

5. Will Wonderful Pistachios ever come out with flavors?
We have no plans to release any flavors, but check out our friends Everybody’s Nuts. They currently feature three different flavors: Salt & Pepper, Garlic & Onion, and Chili Lime.

6. Are pistachio shells really poisonous?
The pistachio shell itself is not poisonous, but it’s very important for the harvested fruit to be hulled and dried within a 24 hour period. They go from our trees to the storage facility within a day to avoid contaminants.

7. What’s your customer service contact number?
You can contact our customer service at 877-450-9493 or you can write to us online with any feedback or complaints.

8. What does a pistachio tree and fruit look like?
A picture is worth a thousand words! Check out our Harvest 2011 album on Facebook.

9. Why are pistachios so addictive?
Because they’re lean, mean, and green!

10. Can pistachio shells be used for anything besides being tossed in the trash?
Try grinding them up and tossing them in the garden — they’ll provide a protective force field that will deter snails and slugs from trespassing.

Have additional questions we didn’t answer here? Leave them in the comments, and we’ll get you answers!

What makes Wonderful Pistachios so…Wonderful?

As always, this contest is open to any US resident ages 18 and up, answers must be left in the comments section of the blog, and you can find out more details in our official rules. Contest ends 10/1/11. Good luck!

UPDATE: Congratulations to Scott G. for winning this contest! We’ve contacted you via email about your prize.

If you haven’t already done so, you can also enter to win an autographed basketball by Lamar Odom until 10/4/11 here!

OFFICIAL RULES

GET CRACKIN’S “WIN AN AUTOGRAPHED JERSEY BY CHAD OCHO CINCO” CONTEST

No Purchase Necessary TO ENTER OR WIN in GET CRACKIN’S “WIN AN AUTOGRAPHED JERSEY BY CHAD OCHO CINCO” contest (“contest”). A Purchase WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR Chances Of Winning.  Open to Legal Residents OF THE FIFTy (50) UNITED STATES AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA (EXCluding residents of Puerto rico, GUAM and u.s. Virgin islands), who ARE AT LEAST 18 YEARS OLD AT THE TIME OF ENTRY.  Void Where Prohibited.  Employees of Paramount Farms International LLC (“Sponsor”) and its respective parent, affiliates, subsidiaries and advertising and promotion agencies, and such employees’ immediate family members (parent, spouse, sibling, child, and their respective spouses, regardless of where they reside) and those living in their same households, whether or not related, are not eligible to enter or win. By participating, entrants agree to be bound by these Official Rules and the decisions of the Sponsor, which are binding and final on matters relating to this Contest. Winning a prize is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements set forth herein.  Sponsor reserves the right to verify eligibility requirements of the winners.  Contest is subject to all applicable federal, state, provincial and local laws.

to enter: Between 12:01 a.m. Pacific Standard Time (“PST”) on September 28, 2011 and 11:59 p.m. PST on October 1, 2011 (“Entry Period”), (i) visit Sponsor’s blog on www.getcrackin.com, (ii) answer the following question: “What makes Wonderful Pistachios so…Wonderful?”, (iii) follow the directions provided therein to enter any required information, and (iv) submit (your, “Entry”).  All Entries must be received by 11:59 p.m. PST on October 1, 2011 to be eligible. Limit one (1) entry per person and per e-mail address for the entire Entry Period.  No purchase necessary.  Any entry that does not include all required information and adhere to the foregoing and following requirements will be considered void and will not be eligible.  Entries received from any person or e-mail address in excess of the stated limitation will be void.  Entries generated by script, macro or other automated means or with the intent to subvert the entry process are void.  All Entries become the property of Sponsor and will not be acknowledged or returned.

CONDITIONS OF ENTRY:  Contestant warrants and represents: (a) he/she is the sole and exclusive creator and owner of the Entry, including all rights therein, and that the Entry has not won any previous awards or competitions; (b) Contestant has the full and exclusive right, power and authority to submit the Entry and to grant Sponsor the rights to the Entry, including but not limited to the worldwide copyright; (c) no part of the Entry has been published, or; (d) no rights in the Entry have been previously granted to any person, firm, corporation or other entity. Sponsor reserves the right in their sole discretion to disqualify any Entry at any time in the event it is determined that the Entry is offensive, inappropriate, not in keeping with Sponsor’s images or if it is determined that the Contestant has not otherwise complied with these Official Rules.  If the Entry contains any material or elements that are not owned by the Contestant and/or which are subject to the rights of third parties, the Contestant is responsible for obtaining, prior to Entry of the Entry, any and all releases and consents necessary to permit the use and exhibition of the Entry by Sponsor in the manner set forth in these Official Rules.  Sponsor reserves the right to request proof of these permissions in a form acceptable to Sponsor from any participant at any time.

Sponsor reserves the right to disqualify any entry for any reason, in its sole and absolute discretion.

PRIZE JUDGING: After the Entry Period, all eligible Entries received will be judged by a select panel of Sponsor’s employees who will serve as judges to determine the winner of the Contest (“Winner”).  The judging will be based on the originality and creativity of the Entry, which shall be determined at the judges’ discretion and criteria (“Judging Criteria”).  In the event of a tie, an additional “tie-breaking” judge will determine the Winner from among such tied Entries based on the Judging Criteria.

Judges’ and Sponsor’s decisions are final and binding.

WINNER NOTIFICATION: The Winner will be announced within three (3) days after the judging.  The potential Winner will be notified by e-mail, phone and/or mail and may be required to execute and return an Affidavit of Eligibility and Liability/Publicity Release (“Affidavit/Release”) as well as any other documents which may be required by Sponsor, all of which must be received fully-executed within seven (7) days of date printed on notification or he/she may be disqualified. If after three (3) attempts to contact a potential Winner, Sponsor has been unable to do so, he/she will be disqualified. In the event it is determined that a potential Winner has not complied with these Official Rules, has failed to execute and return any required documents within the specified time period, has made false statements or prize notification is returned as undeliverable, then such Winner will be disqualified. Should a Winner make any false statement(s) in any document required by Sponsor or prize supplier, such Winner will be disqualified and required to promptly return to Sponsor the value of his/her prize. If a Winner is disqualified for any reason, or if a Winner refuses their prize, at Sponsor’s discretion, the prize may be awarded to an alternate Winner. Further, Sponsor reserves the right to forfeit or award any unclaimed or leftover prizes at its sole discretion.

PrizeS (1): The Winner will receive a jersey autographed by Chad Ocho Cinco.  Approximate Retail Value: US $50.00.  All prizes are awarded by Sponsor.  All prize details are at Sponsor’s sole discretion. Prizes are awarded “as is” with no warranty or guarantee, either express or implied by Sponsor. Winners are solely responsible for all federal, state and local taxes (including income and withholding taxes) and any other expenses, costs or fees associated with acceptance and/or use of the prizes not specified herein as being awarded. Winners may not substitute, assign or transfer prizes or redeem prizes for cash, but Sponsor reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to substitute a prize (or any portion thereof) with one of comparable or greater value.  Additional restrictions may apply.

General Conditions: Winning constitutes permission (except where prohibited by law) for Sponsor and its designees to use winner’s name, Entry, hometown, likeness, prize won, and photo and video (all at Sponsor’s discretion) for future advertising, publicity in any and all media now or hereafter devised throughout the world in perpetuity, without additional compensation, notification or permission. Sponsor, Contest parties and each of their respective officers, directors, agents, representatives and employees (collectively, “”Released Parties”) are not responsible for lost, late, misdirected, damaged, stolen, altered, garbled, incorrect, incomplete or delayed Entries or votes; all of which will be void. Released Parties are also not responsible for problems uploading or downloading any Contest-related information or materials from the web site or for any other technical malfunctions of electronic equipment, computer on-line systems, servers, or providers, computer hardware or software failures, phone lines, failure of any Entry or vote to be received by Sponsor on account of technical problems, traffic, congestion on the internet or the web site, or for any other technical problems including telecommunication, miscommunication or failure, and failed, lost, delayed, incomplete, garbled or misdirected communications which may limit a contestant’s ability to participate in this Contest. Released Parties are not responsible for any other errors or malfunctions of any kind, whether network, printing, typographical, human or otherwise relating to or in connection with the Contest, including, without limitation, errors or malfunctions which may occur in connection with the administration of the Contest, the processing or judging of Entries, the submitting or tabulating of votes, the announcement of the prizes or in any Contest-related materials. Mass Entries or votes or Entries or votes generated by a script, macro or use of automated devices may, at Sponsor’s sole discretion, be disqualified. Sponsor reserves the right to modify, suspend or terminate the Contest in the event it becomes infected by a computer virus or is otherwise technically impaired, and to cancel or suspend the Contest in its entirety should tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures or other causes corrupt the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper play of the Contest and, if terminated, at Sponsor’s discretion, determine the winner using all non-suspect, eligible Entries received up to time of cancellation using the judging procedure outlined above. In the event of a dispute regarding Entries received from multiple users having the same e-mail account, the authorized subscriber of the e-mail account at the time of Entry will be deemed to be the contestant and must comply with these Official Rules. Authorized subscriber is the natural person who is assigned the e-mail address by the Internet Service Provider (ISP), on-line service provider, or other organization responsible for assigning e-mail addresses. Sponsor reserves the right at its sole discretion to disqualify any individual (and void his/her Entry and vote) it finds to be tampering with the Entry or voting process or the operation of this Contest or website, intending to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other contestant, Sponsor or any of its representatives or to otherwise be acting in violation of these Official Rules. CAUTION: Any attempt by a contestant to deliberately damage any web site or undermine the legitimate operations of the Contest is a violation of criminal and civil laws. Should such an attempt be made, the Sponsor reserves the right to seek damages and other such remedies from any such contestant to the fullest extent permitted by law and to disqualify such contestant from the Contest.

ASSIGNMENT OF RIGHTS: Contestant hereby acknowledges that Entry and all other materials of every kind whatsoever created by contestant relating to the Contest (collectively, the “Work”) are a “work made for hire” (as that term is used in the United States Copyright Act) for Sponsor, and Sponsor is the sole and exclusive owner, in perpetuity and throughout the universe, of all right, title and interest in and to the Work, including without limitation all copyrights in and to the Work (and all renewals and extensions thereof now or hereafter provided by law) and all the rights therein and thereto, and may exploit the Work (and all rights therein) in any manner throughout the world without restriction. Without limiting the binding effect of any of the foregoing provisions, in the event that any part of the Work is not deemed to be a “work made for hire” for Sponsor, then contestant hereby irrevocably and exclusively grants and assigns to Sponsor (or, if any applicable law prohibits or restricts such assignment, contestant hereby grants to Sponsor an irrevocable, perpetual, royalty-free, transferable license of) unlimited right, title and interest in and to such Work, including, without limitation, all rights of every kind and nature (whether now known or hereafter devised, including all copyrights therein and thereto and all renewals and extensions thereof), throughout the universe, in perpetuity, for all purposes, in any and all media, whether now known or hereafter devised.

MISCELLANEOUS CONDITIONS: By participating in the Contest, contestants (i) agree to be bound by these Official Rules, including all eligibility requirements, and (ii) agree to be bound by the decisions of Sponsor and judges, which are final and binding in all matters relating to the Contest. Failure to comply with these Official Rules may result in disqualification from the Contest. Sponsor reserves the right to permanently disqualify any person it believes has intentionally violated these Official Rules and void all associated Entries and/or votes.

RELEASES: By entering the Contest, contestants agree to release and hold harmless Released Parties from all claims, liability or damage caused or claimed to be caused, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, in connection with participation in this Contest, or acceptance or use of the prize, the substitution of a prize in accordance with these Official Rules, the administration of the Contest, the operation of the website or Released Parties’ use of any of the rights granted herein. Released Parties assume no responsibility for the conduct of any contestant or voter or the responses of anyone appearing in any Entry.

ARBITRATION AND CHOICE OF LAW: Except where prohibited by law, as a condition of participating in this Contest, contestant agrees that (1) any and all disputes and causes of action arising out of or connected with this Contest, or any prize awarded, shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, and exclusively by final and binding arbitration under the rules of the American Arbitration Association and held at the AAA regional office nearest the contestant; (2) the Federal Arbitration Act shall govern the interpretation, enforcement and all proceedings at such arbitration; and (3) judgment upon such arbitration award may be entered in any court having jurisdiction. Under no circumstances will contestant be permitted to obtain awards for, and contestant hereby waives all rights to claim, punitive, incidental or consequential damages, or any other damages, including attorneys’ fees, other than contestant’s actual out-of-pocket expenses (i.e., costs associated with entering this Contest), and contestant further waives all rights to have damages multiplied or increased. All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules, or the rights and obligations of contestants and Sponsor in connection with this Contest, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the substantive laws of the State of California, USA without regard to California choice of law rules.

WinnerS’ LIST: For the name of the Winner (available after October 15, 2011), send a self-addressed stamped envelope to: Chad Ocho Cinco Jersey Giveaway Contest Winner, c/o Paramount Farms International LLC, 11444 West Olympic Blvd., 3^rd Floor, for receipt no later than November 15, 2011.

Sponsor: Paramount Farms International LLC, 11444 Olympic Blvd., 3^rd Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90064.

This Contest is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Chad Ocho Cinco.  You understand that you are providing information to Sponsor.  The information you provide will only be used for the administration of this Contest and in accordance with these Official Rules.

To Enter: leave your answer in the comments section of this blog. The contest is open to anyone ages 18 and up, answers are limited to one per person, and check out our official rules for more details. Answers will be judged on originality and creativity, so use your imagination!

If you don’t win this round, we have four more to give away (we’ll be giving away one each week) so check back for next week’s question. Winners will be contacted via email — please remember to list it when leaving a comment and this information is only viewable to us.

For more pistachio crackin’ ideas, visit our YouTube channel where you can watch our new cast of characters. See how Khloe & Lamar get crackin’ below.

 UPDATE 10/4/11: Congratulations to our winner Diana V. We’ve contacted you via email about your prize!

OFFICIAL RULES

GET CRACKIN’S “WIN A BASKETBALL AUTOGRAPHED BY LAMAR ODOM” CONTEST

No Purchase Necessary TO ENTER OR WIN in get crackin’s “win a basKetball autographed by lamar odom” contest (“contest”). A Purchase WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR Chances Of Winning.  Open to Legal Residents OF THE FIFTy (50) UNITED STATES AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA (EXCluding residents of Puerto rico, GUAM and u.s. Virgin islands), who ARE AT LEAST 18 YEARS OLD AT THE TIME OF ENTRY.  Void Where Prohibited.  Employees of Paramount Farms International LLC (“Sponsor”) and its respective parent, affiliates, subsidiaries and advertising and promotion agencies, and such employees’ immediate family members (parent, spouse, sibling, child, and their respective spouses, regardless of where they reside) and those living in their same households, whether or not related, are not eligible to enter or win. By participating, entrants agree to be bound by these Official Rules and the decisions of the Sponsor, which are binding and final on matters relating to this Contest. Winning a prize is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements set forth herein.  Sponsor reserves the right to verify eligibility requirements of the winners.  Contest is subject to all applicable federal, state, provincial and local laws.

to enter: Between 12:01 a.m. Pacific Standard Time (“PST”) on September 27, 2011 and 11:59 p.m. PST on November 2, 2011 (“Entry Period”), (i) visit Sponsor’s blog on www.getcrackin.com, (ii) answer the following question: “What is your most creative way to crack open a pistachio?  Tell us how you get crackin’!”, (iii) follow the directions provided therein to enter any required information, and (iv) submit (your, “Entry”).  All Entries must be received by 11:59 p.m. PST on November 2, 2011 to be eligible. Limit one (1) entry per person and per e-mail address for the entire Entry Period.  No purchase necessary.  Any entry that does not include all required information and adhere to the foregoing and following requirements will be considered void and will not be eligible.  Entries received from any person or e-mail address in excess of the stated limitation will be void.  Entries generated by script, macro or other automated means or with the intent to subvert the entry process are void.  All Entries become the property of Sponsor and will not be acknowledged or returned.

CONDITIONS OF ENTRY:  Contestant warrants and represents: (a) he/she is the sole and exclusive creator and owner of the Entry, including all rights therein, and that the Entry has not won any previous awards or competitions; (b) Contestant has the full and exclusive right, power and authority to submit the Entry and to grant Sponsor the rights to the Entry, including but not limited to the worldwide copyright; (c) no part of the Entry has been published, or; (d) no rights in the Entry have been previously granted to any person, firm, corporation or other entity. Sponsor reserves the right in their sole discretion to disqualify any Entry at any time in the event it is determined that the Entry is offensive, inappropriate, not in keeping with Sponsor’s images or if it is determined that the Contestant has not otherwise complied with these Official Rules.  If the Entry contains any material or elements that are not owned by the Contestant and/or which are subject to the rights of third parties, the Contestant is responsible for obtaining, prior to Entry of the Entry, any and all releases and consents necessary to permit the use and exhibition of the Entry by Sponsor in the manner set forth in these Official Rules.  Sponsor reserves the right to request proof of these permissions in a form acceptable to Sponsor from any participant at any time.

Sponsor reserves the right to disqualify any entry for any reason, in its sole and absolute discretion.

PRIZE JUDGING: Every Wednesday during the Entry Period, all eligible Entries received during the applicable week will be judged (each, a “Weekly Judging”) by a select panel of Sponsor’s employees who will serve as judges to determine one (1) winner for such applicable week (collectively, “Winners”).  The judging will be based on the originality and creativity of the Entry, which shall be determined at the judges’ discretion and criteria (“Judging Criteria”).  In the event of a tie, an additional “tie-breaking” judge will determine the Winner(s) from among such tied Entries based on the Judging Criteria. Sponsor reserves the right to select fewer than five (5) Winners if, in its sole discretion, it does not receive a sufficient number of eligible and qualified Entries.

Judges’ and Sponsor’s decisions are final and binding.

WINNER NOTIFICATION: Winners will be announced within three (3) days after each Weekly Judging.  Potential Winners will each be notified by e-mail, phone and/or mail and may be required to execute and return an Affidavit of Eligibility and Liability/Publicity Release (“Affidavit/Release”) as well as any other documents which may be required by Sponsor, all of which must be received fully-executed within seven (7) days of date printed on notification or he/she may be disqualified. If after three (3) attempts to contact a potential Winner, Sponsor has been unable to do so, he/she will be disqualified. In the event it is determined that a potential Winner has not complied with these Official Rules, has failed to execute and return any required documents within the specified time period, has made false statements or prize notification is returned as undeliverable, then such Winner will be disqualified. Should a Winner make any false statement(s) in any document required by Sponsor or prize supplier, such Winner will be disqualified and required to promptly return to Sponsor the value of his/her prize. If a Winner is disqualified for any reason, or if a Winner refuses their prize, at Sponsor’s discretion, the prize may be awarded to an alternate Winner. Further, Sponsor reserves the right to forfeit or award any unclaimed or leftover prizes at its sole discretion.

PrizeS (5): Each Winner will receive a basketball autographed by Lamar Odom.  Approximate Retail Value (“ARV”): US $560.00 each prize. Total ARV of all prizes: US $2,800.00.  All prizes are awarded by Sponsor.  All prize details are at Sponsor’s sole discretion. Prizes are awarded “as is” with no warranty or guarantee, either express or implied by Sponsor. Winners are solely responsible for all federal, state and local taxes (including income and withholding taxes) and any other expenses, costs or fees associated with acceptance and/or use of the prizes not specified herein as being awarded. Winners may not substitute, assign or transfer prizes or redeem prizes for cash, but Sponsor reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to substitute a prize (or any portion thereof) with one of comparable or greater value.  Additional restrictions may apply.

General Conditions: Winning constitutes permission (except where prohibited by law) for Sponsor and its designees to use winner’s name, Entry, hometown, likeness, prize won, and photo and video (all at Sponsor’s discretion) for future advertising, publicity in any and all media now or hereafter devised throughout the world in perpetuity, without additional compensation, notification or permission. Sponsor, Contest parties and each of their respective officers, directors, agents, representatives and employees (collectively, “”Released Parties”) are not responsible for lost, late, misdirected, damaged, stolen, altered, garbled, incorrect, incomplete or delayed Entries or votes; all of which will be void. Released Parties are also not responsible for problems uploading or downloading any Contest-related information or materials from the web site or for any other technical malfunctions of electronic equipment, computer on-line systems, servers, or providers, computer hardware or software failures, phone lines, failure of any Entry or vote to be received by Sponsor on account of technical problems, traffic, congestion on the internet or the web site, or for any other technical problems including telecommunication, miscommunication or failure, and failed, lost, delayed, incomplete, garbled or misdirected communications which may limit a contestant’s ability to participate in this Contest. Released Parties are not responsible for any other errors or malfunctions of any kind, whether network, printing, typographical, human or otherwise relating to or in connection with the Contest, including, without limitation, errors or malfunctions which may occur in connection with the administration of the Contest, the processing or judging of Entries, the submitting or tabulating of votes, the announcement of the prizes or in any Contest-related materials. Mass Entries or votes or Entries or votes generated by a script, macro or use of automated devices may, at Sponsor’s sole discretion, be disqualified. Sponsor reserves the right to modify, suspend or terminate the Contest in the event it becomes infected by a computer virus or is otherwise technically impaired, and to cancel or suspend the Contest in its entirety should tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures or other causes corrupt the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper play of the Contest and, if terminated, at Sponsor’s discretion, determine the winner using all non-suspect, eligible Entries received up to time of cancellation using the judging procedure outlined above. In the event of a dispute regarding Entries received from multiple users having the same e-mail account, the authorized subscriber of the e-mail account at the time of Entry will be deemed to be the contestant and must comply with these Official Rules. Authorized subscriber is the natural person who is assigned the e-mail address by the Internet Service Provider (ISP), on-line service provider, or other organization responsible for assigning e-mail addresses. Sponsor reserves the right at its sole discretion to disqualify any individual (and void his/her Entry and vote) it finds to be tampering with the Entry or voting process or the operation of this Contest or website, intending to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other contestant, Sponsor or any of its representatives or to otherwise be acting in violation of these Official Rules. CAUTION: Any attempt by a contestant to deliberately damage any web site or undermine the legitimate operations of the Contest is a violation of criminal and civil laws. Should such an attempt be made, the Sponsor reserves the right to seek damages and other such remedies from any such contestant to the fullest extent permitted by law and to disqualify such contestant from the Contest.

ASSIGNMENT OF RIGHTS: Contestant hereby acknowledges that Entry and all other materials of every kind whatsoever created by contestant relating to the Contest (collectively, the “Work”) are a “work made for hire” (as that term is used in the United States Copyright Act) for Sponsor, and Sponsor is the sole and exclusive owner, in perpetuity and throughout the universe, of all right, title and interest in and to the Work, including without limitation all copyrights in and to the Work (and all renewals and extensions thereof now or hereafter provided by law) and all the rights therein and thereto, and may exploit the Work (and all rights therein) in any manner throughout the world without restriction. Without limiting the binding effect of any of the foregoing provisions, in the event that any part of the Work is not deemed to be a “work made for hire” for Sponsor, then contestant hereby irrevocably and exclusively grants and assigns to Sponsor (or, if any applicable law prohibits or restricts such assignment, contestant hereby grants to Sponsor an irrevocable, perpetual, royalty-free, transferable license of) unlimited right, title and interest in and to such Work, including, without limitation, all rights of every kind and nature (whether now known or hereafter devised, including all copyrights therein and thereto and all renewals and extensions thereof), throughout the universe, in perpetuity, for all purposes, in any and all media, whether now known or hereafter devised.

MISCELLANEOUS CONDITIONS: By participating in the Contest, contestants (i) agree to be bound by these Official Rules, including all eligibility requirements, and (ii) agree to be bound by the decisions of Sponsor and judges, which are final and binding in all matters relating to the Contest. Failure to comply with these Official Rules may result in disqualification from the Contest. Sponsor reserves the right to permanently disqualify any person it believes has intentionally violated these Official Rules and void all associated Entries and/or votes.

RELEASES: By entering the Contest, contestants agree to release and hold harmless Released Parties from all claims, liability or damage caused or claimed to be caused, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, in connection with participation in this Contest, or acceptance or use of the prize, the substitution of a prize in accordance with these Official Rules, the administration of the Contest, the operation of the website or Released Parties’ use of any of the rights granted herein. Released Parties assume no responsibility for the conduct of any contestant or voter or the responses of anyone appearing in any Entry.

ARBITRATION AND CHOICE OF LAW: Except where prohibited by law, as a condition of participating in this Contest, contestant agrees that (1) any and all disputes and causes of action arising out of or connected with this Contest, or any prize awarded, shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, and exclusively by final and binding arbitration under the rules of the American Arbitration Association and held at the AAA regional office nearest the contestant; (2) the Federal Arbitration Act shall govern the interpretation, enforcement and all proceedings at such arbitration; and (3) judgment upon such arbitration award may be entered in any court having jurisdiction. Under no circumstances will contestant be permitted to obtain awards for, and contestant hereby waives all rights to claim, punitive, incidental or consequential damages, or any other damages, including attorneys’ fees, other than contestant’s actual out-of-pocket expenses (i.e., costs associated with entering this Contest), and contestant further waives all rights to have damages multiplied or increased. All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules, or the rights and obligations of contestants and Sponsor in connection with this Contest, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the substantive laws of the State of California, USA without regard to California choice of law rules.

WinnerS’ LIST: For the names of the winners (available after November 30, 2011), send a self-addressed stamped envelope to: Lamar Odom Basketball Giveaway Contest Winners, c/o Paramount Farms International LLC, 11444 West Olympic Blvd., 3^rd Floor, for receipt no later than December 30, 2011.

Sponsor: Paramount Farms International LLC, 11444 Olympic Blvd., 3^rd Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90064.

This Contest is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Lamar Odom.  You understand that you are providing information to Sponsor.  The information you provide will only be used for the administration of this Contest and in accordance with these Official Rules.

Jakob Rosenberg

and

Kathleen Marler

We hope you’ll enjoy fulfilling your need for speed safely with these remote controlled cars, and we’ll contact you via email.

Wondering how you can win prizes? Keep an eye on our blog posts or Like our Facebook page and help Keyboard Cat get to his next destination (and don’t forget to tell your friends).

Once we hit 125,000 fans 250 lucky winners will get a Snack Simply T-Shirt and a bag of Wonderful Pistachios. See if you’re one of the lucky winners who’ll be crackin’ this round (listed alphabetically by last name):