Win Dinner for 4 at Alinea

Earl Grey, lemon, pine nut, caramelized white chocolate
or,  as they say at Alinea, dessert, via Penelope's Loom's stream.

There's the foodie community, and then there's those who blog about it. And those who blog about it hold one blogger in fairly high esteem—for most of us, her blog attempts to accomplish the impossible. That blogger is Carol Blymire, and her blog is Alinea at Home. You heard of it? Thought so. Her mission is pretty simple, "I'm cooking my way through the Alinea cookbook. Because I can. I think."

And when one thinks they can pull this off, and blogs about it? Yeah, they start turning a head or two. And she has a loyal following, it's pretty safe to say.

Which is why she's teamed up with Share Our Strength to help raise money to fight childhood hunger through the holiday season. And in her own signature way, she's built milestone incentives to keep the gifting momentum on the up:

$2,500 -- I will cook something from the Noma cookbook. [Sourcing the ingredients for this has been FUN.

$5,000 -- I will go Christmas caroling at The White House. [I hope I don't set off the Dork Alarm.

$7,500 -- I will do a row of somersaults in front of the Capitol Building. [Wonder if I can get one of my favorite Senators to join me?

$10,000 (our goal, by January 16) -- I will dance along with the Wii videogame The Michael Jackson Experience.

And then there's the last milestone, if the drive raises over $10k... Alinea.

Just watch that video, no matter how much you know or don't know about Alinea, and you'll understand how out of this world the place is—unless you're on of the few who have actually experienced it. There's nothing like it. Period.

And Grant Achatz and Nick Kokanas of Alinea have stepped up and are allowing Carol to give away dinner for four at Alinea, for any of us, as long as we've donated at through the drive, at any amount. Are you letting that sink in? Donate any amount through this drive, and you'll have the chance to eat the dinner of a lifetime—for free.

Now Carol is writing from D.C., and her readers are following her from all over the world, and that's great news for the fundraising potential of this drive for Share Our Strength—but it's us living here in Chicago who should truly appreciate the magnitude of this potential prize. We live here and hear about the place non-stop. We live here, and short of a Christmas miracle, just can't afford the place. And those of us who live here and can afford the place? Well, then there's the reservation problem. They're next to impossible to come by. So, Chicago, here's your chance.

Let's throw some weight behind this and win one for the home team, huh? There isn't a person I know who can't afford even $1 to fight childhood hunger, especially at the prospect of eating dinner at Alinea with three of his or her friends.

Here's Carol's original post, announcing the fundraiser. And here's the official donation page—remember, only donations made here will be eligible for the Alinea dinner, and the dozens of other prizes Carol is giving away.

Best of luck to everyone, and let us know how if you've given so we can give your due props via twitter!