Category Archives: Giveaways

Chocolate Giveaway!

Posted by Alaina in Giveaways and tagged with , , , , , ,

We couldn’t have a week devoted to chocolate without a giveaway! So today, we offer a chocolate cookbook. The title is Celebrate with Chocolate, by: Marcel Desaulniers (also the author of Death by Chocolate Cake). 

It has delightful and impressive desserts and quite a lot of information about chocolate – working with it, different types etc. There are photos of some of the recipes in the center. Just the very name of some of the chocolate creations will make you want to step into your kitchen and whip up a little something – Hot Chocolate Snow Day Cakes, Pretty in Pink Cake, Chocolate Peanut Butter & Jelly Cookies, or maybe Chocolate Grasshopper Ice Cream Sandwich. The collection of recipes includes cakes, cookies, frozen delights, and truffles.

I decided to try Cocoa Berry Yogurt Mousse – it was a delicious, not-too-sweet, creamy, very easy, gluten-free dessert.  We enjoyed it and concluded that it was fancy enough to be the ending to a nice dinner but simple enough to be a last minute treat for unexpected guests.

COCOA BERRY YOGURT MOUSSE
Print This Recipe

12 large fresh or frozen strawberries
1/4 c. granulated sugar (opt.)

Cut the berries and add sugar if using fresh to increase juiciness. If using frozen berries just thaw and use including the juices (this was what I used!).  Divide between four glasses, cups, or dessert dishes.

1/2 c. powdered sugar
1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 c. heavy cream
1 c. plain lowfat yogurt

In a sifter combine the sugar and cocoa powder. Sift onto a large piece of parchment paper or wax paper and set aside.

Place the heavy cream in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a balloon whip. Operate the mixer on low speed while gradually adding the dry ingredients; mix until incorporated, about 1 minute. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Now whisk on medium for 5 seconds. Remove the bowl from the mixer. Add the yogurt; fold the ingredients together with a spatula until thoroughly combined. Immediately spoon the yogurt mousse onto the strawberries in each glass. Serve immediately of cover the top of each with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 24 hours before serving.

I garnished each dish with shaved dark chocolate and a strawberry. Delicious!

To enter this giveaway:
1) Leave a comment telling us your favorite chocolate dessert or kind of chocolate or your best chocolate memory.
2) Make sure we have a way to contact you!
3) You may gain an extra entry for each of the following (please tell us what you have done in your comment!) – subscribe to our feed, facebook about this giveaway, join our facebook group, or follow us on twitter. If you already do any of those, just let us know in your comment and you will get the extra entries!
4) This drawing will stay open through Tuesday, February 9.

Calendar Winner!

Posted by The Cooks Next Door in Blog Business, Giveaways

The random winner of our calendar giveaway is….MARY W.! Mary, we will send you an e-mail to get your  address and get it in the mail!

Thank you all for entering – we enjoyed hearing your goals and plans for this year! Look for another giveaway of the chocolate variety in February! Have a wonderful weekend!

Apron Winner

Posted by Alaina in Blog, Blog Business, Giveaways and tagged with

I’ve been thoroughly enjoying the holidays and haven’t gotten around to posting the winner of the apron! The random winner is…Nancy L.! Congratulations! We will get that mailed out to you soon!

Hope you have all had a wonderful Christmas enjoying good food and making memories with your families!

Gourmet Gifts & Giveaway

Posted by Alaina in Giveaways, Gourmet Gifts and tagged with ,

In many ways there is nothing more comforting than a big pot of soup. This soup  mix will make 20 gifts – a good value and very pretty. Add a loaf of bread from the store (0r a cornbread or bread mix) and you have a beautiful and tasty gift!

This soup looks great in a jar! The colors are gorgeous and festive.

WORLD’S BEST BEAN SOUP MIX
(adapted slightly from The Perfect Mix)

1 pound navy beans
1 pound great Northern beans
1 pound pinto beans
1 pound red beans
1 pound dried garbanzo beans
1 pound yellow split peas
1 pound green split peas
1 pound black-eyed peas
1 pound dried lentils
1 pound black-eyed peas
1 pound dried lentils
1 pound dried lima beans
1 pound dried baby lima beans
1 pound pearl barley

Combine navy beans, Northern beans, red beans, garbanzo beans, split peas, black-eyed peas , lentils,  lima beans, and barley, in a large pan or bowl.

Measure out 2-cup gift packages and store in airtight containers. Include recipe instructions for usage below.

Makes 20 packages (about 2 cups each)

INSTRUCTIONS:
1 package (2 cups) bean soup mix (above)
2 quarts water
1 ham hock
1-1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 large onion, chopped
1/4 tsp chili powder
1 pint tomatoes
1 clove garlic, minced
3 Tbsp lemon juice

Wash the soup mix and place in a Dutch oven. Cover with water and soak overnight.

Drain the beans and add the water, ham hock, salt, and pepper. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 1-1/2 hours until the beans are tender.

Add onions, chili powder, tomatoes, garlic, and lemon juice. Simmer 30 minutes more, stirring occasionally.

Remove ham hock from the soup. Take the meat from the bone, chop the meat and return it to the soup.

Today we are giving away this beautiful apron! It’s a black and white linen apron made by Heather. Isn’t it adorable?!

To Enter:
- Leave a comment telling us your favorite comfort food.
- One entry per person and the giveaway will stay open through Tuesday and a winner will be randomly selected.
- That’s it! Unfortunately, this will not arrive in time for Christmas.

The Winner!

Posted by Alaina in Blog, Blog Business, Giveaways

The random winner of the Paula Deen’s Kids’ Cookbooks is Gretchen! I’ve been slow to get things in the mail but all of the prizes from the past few drawings will be in the mail tomorrow! Enjoy and thanks for entering! We will have another giveaway this Friday!!!

Gourmet Gifts & Giveaway

Posted by Alaina in Entertaining 101, Giveaways, Gourmet Gifts, Holidays, Kids in the Kitchen and tagged with , ,

My  kids absolutely love to be in the kitchen with me. They are thrilled to measure, stir, sprinkle, etc. And I enjoy the conversations, the teaching, the laughter and the wonderful memories being made.

So for Christmas this year, my older boys (age 4) will each be receiving their own gourmet gift “basket” of cooking things. I went to an inexpensive superstore and found measuring cups, spoons, cutting boards, scrapers, whisks, and more. I ordered safe cutter knives from Pampered Chef – there is no way they can hurt themselves using them and they are $3 apiece. Finally, I ordered aprons and hats from Etsy – they are yet to arrive but for an embroidered apron, personalized hat, rolling pin, and hot pad it cost me $15/child. I also included a kid’s cookbook which I found at a Half-Price books for $3 or less on clearance.

You can mix and match whatever you like for your child to personalize it and to find the price point that works for you. I tried to choose colors that are the boys favorite and make it personal for them. All told, they probably cost around $30-35 with the apron being half of that but you could do it for much less. I think this type of gift would be perfect for children age 3 yrs. – 9 or 10 yrs.

I’m putting a mix into each boys basket so that have the start of something for us to make together. Either mix would be perfect for a gourmet gift basket for an adult. Make a Breakfast Basket with Maple Syrup, Coffee, and Pancake Mix or a Snack Basket with Popcorn, a movie, and Cookie Mix! Don’t forget to attach a tag with instructions on how to use the mix.

GINGERBREAD PANCAKES
4 c. flour
2 c. whole wheat flour
2/3 c. sugar
2 Tb. baking powder
1 Tb. baking soda
1 Tb. cinnamon
1 Tb. ginger
1 1/2  tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cloves

Combine all dry ingredients and store in an airtight container.

TO MAKE:
1 c. mix
1 egg
3/4 c. milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract (opt.)

Combine but do not overbeat. Cook on a greased griddle until golden brown on each side. Serve with syrup, vanilla yogurt, or applesauce!

OATMEAL CHOCOLATE CHIP  COOKIES

1 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. sugar
1 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
3 c. oats
1 c. chocolate chips

Combine all ingredients and store in an airtight container or bag.

TO MAKE:
1 1/4 c. butter, softened
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 package of the mix

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter, egg, and vanilla. Add the oatmeal cookie mix and stir until the mixture is well blended. Drop the cookies by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 9-12 minutes. Cool 1 minute then remove to wire racks. Makes about 4 dozen.

VARIATION: Instead of chocolate chips, mix in 1 c. of raisins or dried cranberries and 1 tsp. of cinnamon.

So the giveaway today is a kid’s cookbook! It would make the perfect gift for a child in your life (son, daughter, niece, nephew, sibling, friend…)! My children love looking at the pictures and helping decide what we will make. They take such pride in the things they have made themselves and getting your child involved is a great way to get picky eaters to try different foods. The cookbook today is Paula Deen’s My First Cookbook. It has easy instructions, a variety of recipes, and is spiral bound.

To Enter:
- Leave a comment telling us one thing you remember making with your parents,  something you like to make with a child in your life OR your favorite food as a kid.
- One entry per person and the giveaway will stay open through Tuesday.
- That’s it! I should have it in the mail in time for you to receive it by Christmas.

Winner!

Posted by Alaina in Blog Business, Giveaways

And the winner of the Cookie Cookbook and Cookie Cutters is…KIM! Although you like to make anise flavored cookies, we decided that didn’t warrant a disqualification. :) My husband would like to stop by for your anise cookies – he loves them! Hope you enjoy the cookbook! I’ll also be contacting you via e-mail.

Gourmet Gifts & Giveaway

Posted by Alaina in Giveaways, Gourmet Gifts, Holidays and tagged with , , ,

**UPDATED: Black Friday Winners! The winner of the notecards is Ruth & the winner of the cookbook is Elizabeth! I will be contacting you via e-mail. Congrats! We hope you enjoy!**

We decided that for the month of December we would use Fridays to focus on gourmet gift mixes and then to add to the holiday cheer, we would also include a giveaway!

This week, I wanted to give you a couple of mix recipes for baked goods. Be creative with your packaging and to give the gifts an extra touch, consider adding a wooden spoon, a new cookie sheet, cookies cutters, a baking pan, or even a box of tea or some coffee. Tie them with a nice ribbon and include a tag that gives the instructions for using the mix.

DOUBLE-FUDGE BROWNIE MIX
(The Perfect Mix, by: Diane Phillips)

2 c. sugar
1 c. cocoa
1 c. flour
1 c. chopped pecans
1 c. chocolate chips

Mix all the ingredients together and store in an airtight container.

To Make:
1 c. butter
4 eggs
1 package of the Double-Fudge Brownie Mix

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 9×13 pan. In the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the Double-Fudge Brownie Mix, and continue to beat the mixture until it is smooth. Spread the mixture into the greased pan, and bake for 40-50 minutes.

SCOTTISH SHORTBREAD MIX
(The Perfect Mix, by: Diane Phillips)

1 1/2 c. flour
3/4 c. powdered sugar
1/4 tsp. salt

Combine all ingredients and store in an airtight container

To Make:
1 c. butter, softened
1 package Scottish Shortbread Mix

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Knead the butter into the shortbread mix and press the mixture firmly into an 8-inch pie plate, or shortbread mold. Bake for 1 hour. The shortbread should be pale in color, not browned. Cut into wedges while still warm.

Now for today’s giveaway! I’m a bit sorry to be passing this one on! I’ve made a couple of recipes that have been delicious. The first was the Pumpkin Bars last month and the second was the Brown Sugar Almond Cookies yesterday. Cookies Year-Round is divided by season. It is a flip book which is very handy. It includes 50 recipes with pictures and great information. The winner of this giveaway will receive the book and a set of 6 Wilton Christmas cookie cutters.

To enter: Please leave 1 comment telling us your favorite thing to make at the holidays or a recipe that you would like to see featured! That’s it! 1 entry per person. We will leave it open through Monday and hopefully I will be on it enough to post a winner on Tuesday or Wednesday.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Giveaways: Black Friday!

Posted by Alaina in Giveaways and tagged with

We hope you had a fantastic Thanksgiving celebration with your family and friends! Of course, we wanted to have a couple of GIVEAWAYS in honor of Black Friday!

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First up is this beautiful set of note cards. You will receive 8 photo note cards with envelopes. These cards will not only inspire your own creativity in the kitchen but will be lovely  for correspondence. They could even be framed for your kitchen. The photography and cards are made by Heather.

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The second giveaway is this wonderful cookbook! It boasts over 600 recipes. My favorite feature of this book (which truly has a recipe for just about everything!) is the notes at the end of many of the recipes telling you what can be prepared in advance and what to do with leftovers (how long to keep them, how to store them, etc.).  I tried the Potato Pancakes (Latkes) and everyone loved them!

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POTATO LATKES
4 lg potatoes, peeled and cut in lg. chunks
2 lg. white onions, peeled and halved
2 lg. eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 c. matzo meal or bread crumbs
2 tsp. Kosher salt
1/2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
3/4 c. peanut or vegetable oil for frying

Using the medium shredding disk of a food processor or the large holes of a box grater, grate a few chunks of potato. Next grate half an onion onto the potato – the onion juice helps keep the potato from turning brown. Continue alternating until all of the potatoes and onions are grated. Transfer half of this mixture to a clean dish towel, roll it up, and holding the towel over the sink, wring out as much liquid as you can. Place in a bowl and repeat with the remaining potato-onion mixture. Add the eggs, matzo meal (or bread crumbs), salt, and pepper. Mix well.

In a large cast-iron or nonstick saute pan, heat about 1/8 in. of oil over medium-high heat. You can test a small one to check seasoning if desired.

To form the latkes, scoop up about 1/2 c. of the potato mixture with your hands and pat it loosely into a thick patty, letting any liquid fall back into the bowl. Slip the latke into the hot oil and flatten the center slightly with your fingertips. Fill the pan but do not crowd it. Fry the latkes until the undersides are golden brown, about 10 minutes (mine took less). Turn them over and cook for another 8-10 minutes. If the latkes begin to darken too quickly, before the centers are cooked, lower the heat. To prevent excess oil absorption, flip each latke only once, Add more oil to the pan only between batches and be sure to allow the oil to heat up before adding more latkes. As the mixture sits, liquid will collect in the bottom of the bowl. Squeeze the pancakes between your hands to remove excess liquid before placing in the hot frying pan. When done, transfer the latkes to clean paper towels or a brown paper bag to drain. Serve immediately.

Okay, so the nitty gritty. Here’s HOW TO ENTER:
- Leave a comment (one per person, please!) telling us something you are thankful for this year.
- Make sure we have a way to contact you.
- We will draw for the note cards first and then the cookbook – you are automatically entered into both drawings.

EXTRA ENTRIES:
You may gain up to 4 extra entries for each of the additional things you complete (just leave us a comment letting us know):
- Subscribe to the blog.
- Blog or facebook about the giveaway.
- Follow us on twitter.

That’s it! We will leave the giveaway open through Tuesday, December 1 and the winners will be announced by Thursday, December 3. If for some reason, we do not hear back from either of the winners within 48 hours, we will draw another name. Have fun!

Giveaway: Cookbook

Posted by Alaina in Giveaways and tagged with

**THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED! THANKS FOR ENTERING!**
Winner will be announced 10/13 in the evening. 

What would a blog launch be without a giveaway!  After looking at several options, we decided to give away Back to the Family by Art Smith. The pictures are inspiring, the recipes are down- home, comfortable, and perfect for the home cook. The title and the idea of this book definitely echo our own ideals – bringing people together around the table and sharing excellent food.  We hope you will enjoy this cookbook as much as we have.

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Just leave a comment letting us know something you would like to see featured here at The Cooks Next Door (a recipe, ingredient, etc.). One comment per person and please make sure we have a way to contact you!  We will randomly draw the winner next Tuesday, October 13 and post the results.

As a thank you to those of you who have added us to your links, mentioned us on facebook, or written about us on your blog, we will give you an extra entry for each of those! So you could have up to 4 entries. Just let us know in your comment which ones apply to you! (And you can still do any or all to receive the extra entries until the giveaway closes on Tuesday.)

Here is a recipe I tested out from the book - they were a hit! They cracked a little on top but were not dry. They were delicious and cheesy and all of my boys loved them!

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YOGURT CHEDDAR BISCUITS

2 cups self-rising flour*
1/4 cups (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cold and cut into pieces
1/4 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cups plain yogurt**

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a food processor***, add the self-rising flour, butter, and cheddar cheese.
3. Pulse until the butter and cheese are well incorporated into the flour.
4. Add the yogurt and pulse until it forms a ball.
5. Remmove the dough from the food processor and add additional flour if needed to hold the dough together.
6. Roll the dough into 12 small balls using your well floured hands. Place the balls close together and bake until lightly browned and puffed.  Serve immediately.

*If, like me, you don’t keep self-rising flour around, here is a substitute:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoons salt

**I found that I needed to add an extra 1-2 Tb. of yogurt when making my own self-rising flour.

***Okay, I also don’t have a food processor…so I use a pastry blender to cut in the butter and then a fork (and clean hands) to bring it all together. I have done it for years and it works out although a food processor might be easier for this recipe.

These are perfect served with soup for a cool fall or winter evening.