Spatulas, Corkscrews & Suitcases

SERIOUS EATS is Having a Cookbook Give-Away!

                                                    
A16 Food + Wine by Nate Appleman & Shelley Lindgren
Serious Eats is giving away five (5) copies of A16 Food + Wine by Chef Nate Appleman and Wine Director Shelley Lindgren. It looks like a killer book, and the only requirement is to leave a comment to the question: "What is the most memorable glass of wine you have ever had?"

The list price is $35.00 and Serious Eats calls it a "coffee table-worthy tome". Each recipe is accompanied by a wine pairing. Perfect for those of us who can't decide what to drink with our meals!

I'm especially excited to win this book, so take a number! While most people wrote just a sentence, I wrote a novel. Any less and it wouldn't be me! May the best wine-o win!

                                                   

My comment?

Shenandoah Vineyards Zinfandel 2004 Paul's Reserve. We were in Amador County, CA a few years back and stopped at one of the prettiest vineyards. We paid our customary fee to get the etched glasses and snuggled up to the wine bar.

We spent a little extra to taste the reserves. This one knocked-our-socks off! It was deep and bold, the jammy fruits went down like honey! "That's it", I said, "Let's buy a bottle!" That was just before the airlines changed their rules on flying with liquids.

We dragged a mix-and-match hodgepodge of 34 bottles home with us...carry-on! We saved that bottle for our anniversary. The aroma was intoxicating when we popped the cork. We let it breathe a bit, poured a sample, swirling and sniffing. We closed our eyes, took that first mouthful and held it in, swishing it around our mouths. All at once, the two of us opened our eyes and oohed and aahed together. The sounds we made as we drank the rest of that bottle most likely sounded vulgar to anyone within earshot, but we didn't care. When the last drip was squeezed from the bottle, we both had a bittersweet moment of sadness. This perfect bottle was gone. We had only brought back only one. To be honest, we really did have moist eyes!

While we were visiting family out-of-state a year and a half later, we found a store that carried wine from the same vineyard. We didn't care what it cost and ordered a case of 12. Each time we open a bottle, we close our eyes and see the vineyard, smell the dusky foliage and dream of Amador County. As I write this, there are still 3 bottles with dust on them, waiting for more memories. That's MY favorite wine moment! Now, where did I put that corkscrew?

The deadline for comments is Monday, Sept, 8. You can read more about the book and find the contest details here. BTW, Serious Eats is the parent site for Photograzing, one of the better food-porn blogs on the web today! AND, they have Cook-The-Book give-aways each week! Put them in your favorites list today!

CONGRATULATIONS! PIZZA ON THE GRILL COOKBOOK WINNER

                                               

"PIZZA ON THE GRILL" COOKBOOK WINNER!
Thanks to Janel and The Taunton Press, it's been a busy week with lots of great comments. 86 to be exact. There was one straggler at the end, but she was too late. Sorry #87! There were so many good ideas and suggestions. Some pizzas that I've never thought about. Some that I never ever want to think about, like anchovies! Some may even make it to my grill and on my blog!

So, You're All Wondering Who Won?
Kara from What's Kookin' in Kara's Kitchen is the BIG cookbook winner! Kara was post number 36 and that's what the handy-dandy Random.Org machine spit out!

For those of you that didn't win this time, click on over to The Taunton Press and order a copy for your very own! Trust me, you'll be glad you did!
 
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Here's Kara's comment:
Wow - this is a task, picking a favorite pizza. I'm torn between tomato-fresh moz-basil, BBQ chicken with smoked gouda, or tons of veggies (shrooms, green peppers, onions, and olives)... I think in the end, it's the cheese that "makes it" and smoked gouda has been 'on the brain' lately so I'll go with that. Been meaning to try grilling pizza... looks like I have no excuse now!

Posted by: Kara | August 14, 2008 at 10:36 AM
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That's right Kara! Looks like you have no excuse! The book PIZZA ON THE GRILL by Elizabeth Karmel and Bob Blumer will be in your hands shortly and we all expect to see lots of posts and photos of your new PIZZA ON THE GRILL creations!

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Here's the proof:   Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:
36
Timestamp: 2008-08-21 02:40:49 UTC
© 1998-2008 Mads Haahr
Valid XHTML 1.0 Transitional | Valid CSS
Web Design by TSDA
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Watch for the next Cookbook Give-Away...Junior's Cheesecake Cookbook! Congratulations again Kara! I'll be emailing you for your address shortly.

LAST DAY FOR COOKBOOK GIVE-AWAY - PIZZA ON THE GRILL!

                                                           
Don't miss out on your chance to win a copy of PIZZA ON THE GRILL by Elizabeth Karmel & Bob Blumer! Drawing deadline is tonight, Tuesday, 8/19, midnight EST!!!

The clock's a-tickin'! Rush on over to enter before it's too late!

And Good luck to the winner!

                                                                 

COOKBOOK GIVE-AWAY ~ PIZZA ON THE GRILL ~ AND My 100th Post!

                                      
My 100th Post!
YAY! This is my 105th post and what better way to celebrate than to give away a brand new cookbook?

Pizza On The Grill
You've all heard me go on and on about Grilled Pizza. Well, here's your chance to have your own copy of the book that started this insane obsession I've had with grilled pizza lately. PIZZA ON THE GRILL by Elizabeth Karmel and Bob Blumer is a must have cookbook! Seriously folks, this book is THE bible of all pizza books. I'm sure most of you have heard of Grilled Pizza by now. Upscale restaurants everywhere are putting them on the menus. If you haven't, you must be living under a rock somewhere or at the very least, in the middle of no where in a van down by the river! (Did any of you get that Chris Farley quote? It was from a Saturday Night Live skit. Tell me someone got it!)

The Taunton Press
Janel, my partner in crime over at The Taunton Press, has graciously given me a second copy to give away to one of my lucky readers. You really didn't think I was going to give away MY own copy did you? Heck no! I have to tell you though, I absolutely LOVE this cookbook! I wouldn't give it away if you paid me and Janel knew that! Thanks for being so generous Janel! (Heads Up! Janel already sent me another book to give away!)

                                                        

100 Feisty Fire Roasted Recipes For Pizza & More!
This cookbook is filled with full page color photos of what the pizza is SUPPOSED to look like after you're done grilling it. It has everything from how to make Pizza Dough to recipes for unbelievable full flavored Classic Pizzas to the sweetest Dessert Pizzas evah! You heard me right! Dessert Pizzas, like the ooey, gooey, chocolate kind!

Here's A Few Of My Favorite Things...
...I mean Grilled Pizzas! Look them up. There's lots of useful info and photos in these posts. There's lots more rattling around in this brain of mine too!

• Sun-dried Tomato & Basil Pesto Pizza with Asparagus & Artichokes
  
• Barbecued Chicken, Carmelized Onions, & Fresh Basil Pizza
• Plain Old Pepperoni and Cheese Pizza
• Fresh Mozzarella, Tomato, Basil, Mushrooms & Imported Olive Pizza
• Pepperoni, Olive and Tomato Pizza
• Roasted Red Pepper and Basil Pesto Pizza with Grilled Asparagus & Garlic Scapes

                                                               

                                                          

So, What Do You Have To Do To Win the PIZZA ON THE GRILL Cookbook Give-away?
In order to be in the drawing to win this book, you have to leave a comment here on this post. Tell me what your favorite pizza is. No duplicate entries please. USA and Canada only. I'll start it...wait for it, wait for it...NOW!

The drawing will end next Tuesday, August 19th at midnight EST, at which time, I will use the Random Generator to pick a number/name. That's it!  That's all you have to do!

Spread The Cookbook Love
Tell your friends and your friends friends. Email this link to them. If you can't wait that long, you can always get the book here from Taunton Press. Better yet, buy an extra one now to give as a gift. It'll be an awesome investment for you, because no matter who you give it to, you KNOW you'll be invited to dinner. And you know what that means? PIZZA ON THE GRILL dude!

Coming Soon ~ My Newest Grilled Pizzas Never Before Seen Online!
I've already done these pizzas, Sunday as a matter of fact. I've taken photos and we've already eaten everything. And I gotta tell you, they were THE BEST I've ever made, if I do say so myself! Here's the list:

• Marinated Flank Steak with Maple Chipotle Sauce & Roasted Vegetables
• Vegetarian Roasted Vegetable Pizza
• Funky Chunky Monkey Dessert Pizza
• Very Berry Dessert Pizza

                                                                    

This is just a tempting sneak peak of the Very Berry Dessert Pizza!

SWEETY PIES COOKBOOK ~ WE HAVE A WINNER!

                                  

Sweety Pies Cookbook
A few weeks ago I announced a Cookbook Give-Away for the gorgeous Sweety Pies cookbook by Patty Pinner. Thanks to all who entered! And a great BIG thanks to The Taunton Press, whose generosity in offering this book made it all possible! For all who didn't win, there's nothing stopping you from ordering this wonderful book from Taunton Press on your own. You owe it to yourself to make Sweety Pies part of your cookbook collection. Just do it! You won't be sorry! Read my review. Check out the Peanut Butter Cream Pie Recipe.

Mary Anderson
Congratulations to Mary Anderson of It's All About The Journey ~ Ramblings of a Stamper & Paper Crafter! Mary was number 29 picked by the Random Integer Generator at 11:15am my time ~ EST ~ on May 28th. Mary has a great craft blog. Obviously, by the name, you can tell she's into Stamping and Paper Crafts! She's also into baking as are most crafters! Funny how that is. Creative and crafty artists often have more than one outlet for their many ideas. We have to let all that energy loose on something! Might as well be baking and crafts! She's definitely making this world a more beautiful place to live! Go check out her blog and see for yourself. And while you're at it, give her a hearty congratulations too!
(Mary, I'll be sending you an email and awaiting your address so I can send out Sweety Pies ASAP!)

So many names, so little chocolate!
Because there were soooo many awesome names, I couldn't pick just one. I need more time to let the names roll off my tongue. But there are some that really caught my fancy. What is a "fancy" anyway? It's like making "do". What is that, and is there a recipe for it somewhere, because I've never come across it!

Here are the names, in no particular order:

• Desserted Island
• Red Hot Kitchen
• F-R-E-E Cookbook!
• Brownie Points
• Sugar Rush
• Boatin' & Bakin'
• Donna Does Dessert
• Last Baker Standing
• Donna's Next Top Chef
• Flour Power
• Baking For Bucks

 
Stay tuned for my next Cookbook Give-Away coming soon to a blog near you! (I guess I'll be changing that name, won't I?)

Here's Mary's entry and her timestamp:

"Oy! I am so bad at naming things. Hmmm, let's see.
Donna's Just Desserts
Just Dessert's Blog Give-a-way
Blog dessert's (instead of Blog candy) :)
I know they are all awful but that is all I have. I hope someone comes up with something that you really like.
Mary
Posted by: Mary C. Anderson | May 21, 2008 at 07:33 PM"

Here's the magic number and timestamp:
Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:
29

Timestamp: 2008-05-28 15:15:22 UTC
© 1998-2008 Mads Haahr
Valid XHTML 1.0 Transitional | Valid CSS
Web Design by TSDA

Congratulations again Mary!  

WOW! ANOTHER COOKBOOK GIVE-AWAY? WHAT A GREAT IDEA!

ANOTHER COOKBOOK GIVE-AWAY?
I have a great idea! Why don't I give another awesome cookbook away? This time the wonderful people at The Taunton Press have given me a second copy of "Sweety Pies" to give to one of my faithful groupies. Unlike the last time, I have only ONE book to give away.
                                                                           
"Sweety Pies" by Patty Pinner is such a great cookbook that I just couldn't give away my own copy. I'd rather give one away out of my own collection than give this one up! Not to be redundant, click here to see what I had to say about the book, and here for the Flaky Pie Crust Recipe and here for Peanut Butter Cream Pie Recipe. Maybe that will get you all fired up for it too. You just have-to-have it!

I need a name for this Cookbook Give-Away, because frankly, I'm getting tired of typing the same old words - "Cookbook Give-Away!" If you say it fast and enough times, it's just a jumble of words which no longer have any meaning, at least to me that is.

So, here's the gimmick. I need a Reality Show name. It has to have something to do with Baking and/or Cooking, preferably Desserts, because that's who I am and that's what I do! That's it! That's all I'm asking this time. Give me some real good ones. Keep it clean. No cursing, no vulgarity and please, no dirty talk. If you can't think of a show, tell me what kind of pie you like!

Tell your friends and tell them to tell their mothers, aunts, girls and guyfriends. Tell your kids teachers, coaches and the babysitter! Post it on your own blog if you have one. You get the picture.

I had over 130 entries last time. I'm getting really excited and optimistic and say we're gonna go for the pot of gold! Hey, if the Pioneer Woman can do it, why can't I get 500? The more popular this Give-Away becomes, the more books I give away. The more books I give away, the more you love me! WHAT, WHAT, WHAT? Seriously, You're not obligated to love me until I start giving away mixers and food processors and immersion blenders! Then, and only then will I hold you to that!
                                                                            
Get ready because the competition is gonna be insane, cut-throat and fierce. Kind of like the Reality Show with me as the star...I mean host! And if you find yourself getting impatient, you should order your own copy from The Taunton Press. I'm sure they'd be thrilled if you dropped my name too. That's Donna Diegel. Tell 'em I sent you!

Oh, a few other rules... Because of an unpleasant situation last time, I will ship to US and Canada only please and thank you.

I'll use the Random Number Generator to pick the winner next Tuesday, May 27th at midnight EST., and announce the winner here sometime on Wednesday 5/28.

If you don't have a reality show name, tell  me what your favorite pie is...any kind of pie. Pumpkin, banana cream, apple...whatever pie you like to eat or make will do.

So, my "Sweety Pies", go and spread the love far and wide and bring me some good names or good pies! Let the show begin!

Sweety Pies cover and Peanut Butter Cream Pie photos by Alexandra Grablewski and used with permission in writing from the publisher, The Taunton Press.

Congratulations to the winners of "101 Easy Peasy Cookie Recipes"!

Contest Winners!
The cookbook give-away is over and we have TWO winners for autographed copies of Lucinda and Heather Wallace's "101 Easy Peasy Cookie Recipes".  If you're not one of the lucky winners - and since we had 132 entries by midnight, Tuesday May 13th - that means 130 of you didn't win :-(  And I'm very, very sorry for you.  I know you were all so excited over the idea of winning these books. My suggestion to all you losers - and I say that affectionately - is to click on the link that will bring you to Amazon and buy this book for your very own. You want it. You deserve it! Your family wants you to have it, because they KNOW you'll be making all sorts of yummy treats from it! So, do yourself a favor and just buy the book!

And The Winners Are....
I used the very scientific RANDOM.ORG Random Integer Generator to pick my winners. I had a very competent witness this time too. John watched me plug the numbers into the little boxes and click the generate button. Men! They're so amused by the little things! Oops, I shouldn't say that because we had our first ever guy winner! YAY! Give it up for the man! Anyway...It spit out two very nice numbers. Here they are, cut and pasted so you can all see the results and the time stamp.
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Here are your random numbers:
95
3
Timestamp: 2008-05-15 03:18:53 UTC
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Comment #3:
I enjoy reading your blog because we are campers and your recipes can be made in our camper. I am always looking for easy recipes as time is always at a premium. My favorite cookie is a macademia nut white chocolate chip cookie. Love them!!! I love your blog ever since Erika introduced me to it. thanks for all your work. Cheryl Sims

Posted by: Cheryl Sims | May 06, 2008 at 04:40 AM
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Comment # 95
Chocolate Chip!!!!! i just love all cookies but Chocolate Chip has to be the best

Posted by: James Armour | May 09, 2008 at 03:56 PM
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So, guys and gals, that's the end of the road for this Cookbook Give-Away. Stay tuned because I just got another awesome cookbook in the mail today called "Sweety Pies". (Actually, I received three cookbooks that you'll hear about after I do the reviews) I did a series of three articles on Sweety Pies for Suite101, with a pretty neat book review, if I do say so myself, along with two pie recipes. More on that
tomorrow!

Cheryl and James, I'll be emailing you privately for your mailing addresses.

Thanks again to everyone who participated! I'm sorry I didn't get to reply to all your wonderful and personal comments. There were soooo many! I did read every one of them though and you really are the best! It was fun wasn't it? We'll do it again real soon. But you have to subscribe to my blog or you'll miss out on the next give-away and the next give-away and the next.....

Give the winners a big congratulations! Next time it could be you!

Cookbook Give-Away! The clock is ticking!

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Cookbook Give-Away! The clock is ticking! You have until midnight (EST) Tuesday 5/13, to get your comments in for an Autographed copy of "101 Easy Peasy Cookie Recipes". I'll be picking TWO winners using the random number generator on Wednesday morning and posting the results soon after. Be sure to leave your comments on the original post by clicking here.

Thanks to all of you who that have already left comments. I've tried to read each and every one of them, but because of the HUGE response (118 comments!), I haven't been able to keep up with personal replies. But rest assured, you are    appreciated more than you know. You guys ROCK!
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ANOTHER COOKBOOK GIVE-AWAY! "101 Easy Peasy Cookie Recipes"

                           
ANOTHER COOKBOOK GIVE-AWAY SO SOON?
My last Cookbook Give-Away was such a HUGE success I thought I'd have another one right away! I received 95 amazing comments for the contest and Karen R. was the lucky winner! I also asked you why I should give away more cookbooks. No one was shy with their opinions! Wouldn't you love to be the winner of the next Great Cookbook Give-Away?

Interview, Reviews & Recipes
A few months ago, I did an interview and review for Suite101 on the fabulous new cookie cookbook  "101 Easy Peasy Cookie Recipes". I also posted two recipes from the book here on my blog, one for Collosal Double Chocolate White Chip Cookies, and the other for  Oranges And Cream Cookies. Check these links out to see the complete articles, recipes and reviews!

How Cool Is This?
Authors Lucinda & Heather Wallace have graciously offered to let me Give-Away NOT ONE, BUT TWO of their brand new cookie books! You read that right! You're seeing double this time! That's  2 (TWO) copies of "101 Easy Peasy Cookie Recipes"!!! Plus, they have autographed these books just for you! Check it out here on Amazon.com to read all the Amazon reviews and see what this awesome book is all about.
                                                                                 

What do you need to do to enter this time around?
Just leave a comment right here on this blog post and tell me what your favorite cookie is. Is it the ever popular Chocolate Chip Cookies or Homemade Molasses Cookies? Are you a bar lover...I mean are Brownies and Magic Cookie Bars your thing? Or are you a hopeless romantic in love with decorated red Valentines Hearts?

I'm insanely competitive, even against myself! Is that ridiculous or what?  And because I'm giving away TWO books, I'm looking for twice the comments! So, if you do happen to have your own blog, you can help spread the love and mention my  "101 Easy Peasy Cookie Recipes" Cookbook Give-Away!
                                                             

*** This Give-Away is NOT limited to where you live.....so even if you are outside of the US or Canada, you can still participate.***

A week from now at midnight on Tuesday May 13th, I'll let the random number generator pick a First place winner and then I'll do it all over again and pick a Second place winner!

So, that's it. That's all you have to do to win a brand new autographed copy of "101 Easy Peasy Cookie Recipes". Now, go and spread the love far and wide!

MARTHA STEWART'S COOKBOOK GIVE-AWAY ~ WE HAVE A REAL WINNER HERE FOLKS!

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Woo Hoo! My first ever Cookbook Give-Away was a huge success! Over 90 people entered with a few duplicates which I caught before the Random Number Generator took over!

Congratulations to Number 62! That's the number that came up using the Super Duper generator.

And the winner is......Drum Roll please.... Karen! Don't you just feel like Charlie holding the Golden Ticket in "Willy Wonka"?

Karen says, "I have so many favorites! But I will never turn down a thick moist chocolate cake with thick fudgy chocolate frosting."
(Posted by: Karen | April 26, 2008 at 12:27 PM)

Good for you Karen! I hope you enjoy your new Martha Stewart's Cookies Cookbook! (I sent you an email asking for your address, etc)

To everyone that entered my Cookbook Give-Away ~ Thanks so much for making my blog part of your life! Well, not really your whole life, just a piece, like a piece of Thick Moist Chocolate Cake with Thick Fudgy Chocolate Frosting!

If you haven't already done so, make sure to subscribe to receive an update each time I post. That way you don't miss a thing, and more importantly, the next BIG Give-Away!  I was thinking a Kitchen Aid would be nice. No, really, it would be nice if I had one here on the boat! Gotcha! But, you never know! Someday, when I'm rich and famous (Yeah, right) I'll give away one of those pretty red babies! For now, I'll try to do a Give-Away as a regular feature. It was so much fun wasn't it?

Again, Congratulations to Karen! May you forever bake in Martha's footsteps!

COOKBOOK GIVE-AWAY ~ "Martha Stewart's Cookies"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I promised you a Cookbook Give-Away and here it is!

Because I appreciate you all so much, I'm giving away a Brand New 2008 copy of "Martha Stewart's Cookies". (The fact that I love all the hype has nothing to do with it!) Check out the link to read the Amazon review and all the cookies you have to look forward to!

                                                                               

It's so Brand New, that I told myself I wouldn't open it. But I just couldn't help myself. I needed to know what was in it so I could get you all excited! Well, let me tell you...I want this book for myself and I may just go out and buy another one, just for me! Why do I want one so bad? Cause it's got lots and lots of ooey, gooey, gorgeous, mouth-watering close-up pictures!In fact, I think there's a photo for all 175 cookie recipes!

A free cookbook? Come On! What's the deal?
As Erika from Stampin' Mama would say..."So......what do you need to do to enter this Groovy Give-Away?"

I'm giving you a whole week for this Cookbook Give-Away.
Why so long? Because I want all of you to Spread the Love and send all your friends over to enter too!
                                                                        

All you have to do is leave a comment on this post and tell me what your favorite dessert is. Or tell me what recipes you're looking for, what you'd like to see more of. Tell me why I should give away more cookbooks. You get the picture! The more comments I get, the more likely I am to make this a regular feature.

If you do happen to have your own blog, you can help spread the love and mention my "Martha Stewart's Cookies Cookbook Give-Away".

And while you're at it, make sure to enter your email address into my Feedblitz box at the very top of my blog so that you don't miss out on any of the fun stuff. (if you've already done this or you subscribe to my blog through a reader service like Google or Bloglines, you can skip this part)

*** This Give-Away is NOT limited to where you live.....so even if you are outside of the US or Canada, you can still participate.***

I'll pick the winner with the random number generator on Tuesday (4/29) at 9 pm Eastern Time and announce the winner here!
                                                                            

So, there you have it! Go and Spread The Love! X O