For me 2012 is going to be a year of growth, and a big part of the growth I hope to cultivate is better communication with others who love the same things I do. Namely, good food. That’s where you come in.

Lately I’ve been wondering how to communicate with my readers beyond this blog. While I’m really enjoying interacting with you all on Pinterest and Twitter, I want to share more than just pretty pictures and 140-character snippets. I want to share information, details, useful resources. You know, the meat and potatoes of life in the kitchen. And, the occasional narrative essay.

So, I’m excited to announce something I’ve been working on the past few weeks – The Culinary Life Newsletter. Once a month, everyone who’s subscribed to the list will receive a newsletter from me with juicy details that aren’t posted on this blog. You’ll get a story about what’s going on in the food world, what I’ve been up to, cookbook news, a handful of the more interesting foodie links I’ve found throughout the month, and special giveaways that I’m reserving for list members.

To join, the newsletter, click here.

One thing I’d like to say: I’m committed to ensuring that your personal details are secure. I will never share your information, sell your email address, or contact you with superfluous garbage. Your contact information will remain secure, under lock and key. I promise!

The Giveaway!

To celebrate, I’m giving away one of my favorite knives: the Wusthof Classic 7-Inch Santoku. It’s such a gorgeous knife, and it’s become one the hardest working in my kitchen. I mean, just look at those lines:

It’s easy to enter the giveaway. All you have to do is join the mailing list. How do you join? Well, it’s easy. Just enter your email address and name in the following fields, click the “Sign Up” button, and then leave a comment here saying that you’ve subscribed.

On Wednesday, February 1, I will pick one random new subscriber to the list to receive this Wüsthof Santoku. Enjoy!

Contest rules are here.

PS: Like the image above? I think I created this while hiding out at Casey Barber’s house last winter, trying to acclimate to the US after being in Europe for months. That feels like a lifetime ago now.