Ticket Giveaway! Texas Hill Country Wine and Food Festival

Alright, can we all just sit here and fantasize about our dream jobs for a second? Because I have two. One is a little embarrassing, the other is perhaps attainable: when I grow up, I would like to either be the host of "The Biggest Loser," or work at Whole Foods. What are yours?

Have you all ever watched "The Biggest Loser?" It's funny, because I'm not really a die-hard fan - I just cry tears of joy a little bit when I happen to catch a segment. It's so inspiring. One time, the contestants - who at that point in the season had all lost a significant amount of weight - got to have outfits selected by Tim Gunn, and then did a catwalk fashion show in front of a bunch of people, including their cheering family members. As a still-pleasantly-plump Ali Vincent sashayed down the runway in her kicky little DKNY number, I sat there on the couch, alternating between sobs and tear-filled "you GO girl!" affirmations, double fist-pumping and everything.

That, Reader, is when I decided I wanted Alison Sweeney's job, as host of "The Biggest Loser." (Which, as a reformed "Days of Our Lives" viewer, are words I truly thought I would never utter).

Then of course, there's always Whole Foods. And really, who wouldn't want to work there? I used to call it "church," because I had this little routine on Sunday mornings where I worked out, then immediately drove to Whole Foods and ate back every single calorie. Guys, I go to town on that damn salad bar (/Indian-Mexican-and-breakfast-food bar). After I've created a proper mound of quinoa and marinated mushrooms and pineapple slices and curried chicken and roasted soynuts and whole wheat penne and whatever ELSE, I carry it to that little front patio and people-watch forever. It is heaven.

I bet you're wondering how this all relates to the Texas Hill Country Wine and Food Festival.

Well, for one, it's sponsored by Whole Foods. And like Whole Foods, it's also kind of sacred. It's been going on for 24 years now, and the events, musicians, and cooking demos they line up there are just insane. Especially this year. It's at the Salt Lick Vineyards, and there will be 50+ wineries providing tasting events for four days straight (some are already sold out), all leading up to the Sunday Fair....a smorgasbord of food, wine, and music. It's kind of like socially-sanctioned, really classy overindulgence.

Whole Foods' Culinary Center Chef Allison Heaton will be providing cooking demos under one of four monster tents at the Sunday Fair (maybe she will prepare that blackened mac-and-cheese they sometimes have - ironically enough - at the salad bar?), along with local cookerati Damian Mandola (Mandola’s Italian Market, Mandola Estate Winery and Trattoria Lisina), Scott Roberts (The Salt Lick), as well as other Texas chefs. And, should you eat too much food and drink too much wine during the Sunday Fair, never fret - live music beckons between noon and 5pm, and you can dance it off. (Or just sway a little bit, which science has recently shown to be as effective as sprint intervals.)

She-of-the-enviable-arm-tattoos Patrice Pike will be playing at the Sunday Fair, as will Dan Dyer, Drew Smith and Adam Ahrens. Patrice will even join in one of the cooking demos, that multi-talented gal!

For tickets - which are going fast - just head here, or, OR....!!

I have 4 tickets to give away to the Sunday Fair!

Just leave a comment below, telling us what your favorite wine is. (It can even be Franzia. Whatever. We won't judge. ) I'll pick four winners on Thursday, and announce them Thursday morning. (TIP: The way I select winners for this type of thing is literally by pulling up the comments section, closing my eyes, and touching my finger to the computer screen, so longer comments tend to have a better shot of winning. Just don't go crazy and write us a thesis on vino).

GOOD LUCK!