Congratulations to Rachel, whose entry at Parenting Without Borders was chosen as the winner of the great prize pack in this fun giveaway I joined in with other bloggers. Thanks to all who entered and helped make this giveaway a big success!

Congratulations to Rachel, whose entry at Parenting Without Borders was chosen as the winner of the great prize pack in this fun giveaway I joined in with other bloggers. Thanks to all who entered and helped make this giveaway a big success!

I have teamed up with some other bloggers to create this amazing, outrageous, and stupendous Great Mother’s Day Giveaway. ONE lucky winner is going to win ALL of the prizes listed below (and shown at the left). The prizes are outstanding – books, DVDs, a gift certificate, and a beading kit. This is quite a haul. I’m pretty envious of whoever wins, actually!

Entering is easy. Leave a comment on this post and you have one chance to win. Want to up your odds? You can also enter once at each of the blogs listed below which will increase your chances of winning. All the blogs are posting this giveaway today, April 22 and you can enter on those posts at any time. Enter now because you don’t want to miss out on this. The winner will be chosen the day after Mother’s Day. You don’t have to be a mother to enter, but this sure would be something lovely to be able to give your mom — or keep for yourself!

I highly recommend you click through to check out all of these blogs. They are all well-written and offer unique perspectives about food, marriage, friendship, travel, health, jewelry, movies, and parenting. I read them all regularly and learn so much from all of them.

*From Project: Happily Ever After

One copy of Project: Happily Ever After, by Alisa Bowman, a memoir of how the author saved her marriage. Partly tragic and partly humorous, the book will help you feel normal, give you helpful tools to try at home, and leave you with a pervading sense that you are not alone.

 

*From Belle Jewelry Designs:

One Bead Kit and Pattern to make Dainty Daisies Bracelet by Claudine Jalajas. Every year my children give me flowers for the garden for Mother’s Day. It’s one of my favorite gifts. This bracelet reminds me of Mother’s Day for that reason. This pattern and bead kit will provide you with everything you need to create this lovely bracelet. The design is created using a cross-weave technique which is great for anyone from never-touched-a-needle-thread-before to advanced weaver. Most people can create the bracelet in an hour. It is woven using 4mm and 6mm genuine Swarovski crystallized pearls for the flowers, TOHO seed beads for vines, and potato pearls to simulate leaves. The clasp is a lobster clasp. This design also makes a gorgeous anklet–just increase the size. Claudine’s bracelet design book, Wearable Art,  featuring more than 25 bracelet designs, will be released Fall 2014 by Running Press.

 

*From Attainable Sustainable:

One copy of  Off the Shelf: Homemade alternatives to the condiments, toppings, and snacks you love from Kris Bordessa who shares a collection of recipes that take your favorite condiments and pantry staples off the grocery store shelves and puts them right in your (very capable) hands. Make hummus, pesto, fresh salsa, and a Caesar ranch dressing that will knock your socks off. Whip up a batch of hot fudge sauce or chocolate pudding to indulge your sweet tooth. If you can chop, dice, and stir you (or your kids, mom!) can make any of these recipes and more right at home.

 

*From MyKidsEatSquid:

One $25 Gift Certificate for King Arthur Flour, from My KidsEatSquid.com, which offers cooking tips, tricks, and recipes to tempt your family’s taste buds.

 

*From: The Friendship Blog:

One copy of Best Friends Forever: Surviving a Breakup With Your Best Friend by psychologist Irene S. Levine. On a recent appearance on CBS Sunday Morning, Rita Braver called Irene the “Dear Abby of Friendship.” Close friendships, which are essential to our well-being, can be challenged by motherhood. Having children often drains time and emotion from other relationships, and can create distance between mothers and child-free friends. Give yourself the gift of focusing on your female friendships this Mother’s Day.

 

*From PuttingItAllontheTable:

One signed copy of The Muffin Tin Cookbook: 200 Fast, Delicious Mini-Pies, Pasta Cups, Gourmet Pockets, Veggie Cakes, and More! By Brette Sember. Moms love muffin tin cooking because one cup equals one portion (no fooling yourself that you’ll have “just another bite”) and because kids automatically think anything made in a muffin cup is delicious and are willing to try new foods made this way.

And one copy of Cookie: A Love Story: Fun Facts, Delicious Stories, Fascinating History, Tasty Recipes, and More by Brette Sember, a glorious celebration of America’s favorite treat, a gleeful look at its history, impact, meaning, and deliciousness, filled with mouth-watering anecdotes and stories that will satisfy in a way no other book can. Special recipes, anecdotes, and everything you ever wanted to know about cookies are in its pages.

 

*From Christine Gross-Loh

One signed copy of Parenting without Borders:  Surprising Lessons Parents Around the World Can Teach Us to be released just in time for Mother’s Day. Parenting expert Christine Gross-Loh, a mother of four, takes readers on a multicultural tour of the world’s best parenting practices— from Finland, Sweden, and Germany to France, Japan, China, Italy, and beyond to examine how international parents successfully foster creativity, discipline, independence, resilience and academic excellence in their children. Revealing the surprising ways in which culture shapes accepted practices, Gross-Loh offers objective, science-based insight into what strategies are best for children — and why — in a book that is sure to spark new conversations among parents.  Ultimately, Parenting without Borders is both a call to action and an international handbook on how to build our own global village — one that will raise all of our children well.

 

*From MyItchyTravelFeet:

One copy of 65 Things to Do When You Retire. A total of 10,000 people turn 65 each day — and many of them who retire want to make the most of travel opportunities.  65 Things to Do When You Retire: Travel offers practical, inspiring advice about how to have the time of your life, whether traveling with a group, with a spouse or partner, or on your own.  More than 65 intrepid writers and travel experts reveal their own personal adventures and describe glorious getaways for retirees, including such exciting travel opportunities as international house-sitting, going to Italy for a writing workshop, volunteering to help communities in developing countries, doing archaeological digs, taking a retirement “gap year,” and chucking it all to see the world.

 

*From: StickingMyNeckOut

An autographed hard cover copy of The Business of Baby, by Jennifer Margulis, an explosive new book uncovering how corporations and for-profit medicine harm new moms and their babies. Award-winning midwife Ina May Gaskin calls the book, “a must-read for expectant mothers,” and Library Journal has said it’s “not just for parents to ponder.” Watch the book trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGK6HFHHdZY Join the FB community: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Business-of-Baby/317063605077912?ref=hl

 

 

*From ReelLifewithJane:

6 DVDs. Every mom needs a distraction from life, whether it’s Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts on a scooter, Edie Falco as a wayward nurse, Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman as old friends, the classic boy from Neverland, Anna Wintour’s glitzy life, or America’s bully crisis. That’s why Reel Life With Jane’s prize pack in the great Mother’s Day Giveaway is a DVD/blu-ray six-pack extravaganza: “Larry Crowne,” “Nurse Jackie Season 4,” “The Switch,” “Peter Pan Diamond Edition,” “The September Issue,” and “Bully.” For more great giveaways, entertainment news, celebrity interviews and reviews, visit Reel Life With Jane.

RULES

One winner will win the ENTIRE package of prizes! You may enter by leaving a comment on this post. You may also enter once at each blog listed in the giveaway for more chances to win. You must enter by midnight ET on Sunday, May 12, 2013 (Mother’s Day). Each blog participating in the giveaway will randomly select one semifinalist from those who have entered on that blog.  One winner will then be randomly selected from those names and will win ALL the prizes. Sorry, offer limited to U.S. addresses only and entrants age 18 and up only. One entry per person per blog. Winner is notified by the email given when entering; not responsible for email transmission problems or postal delivery problems or failures. You are responsible for notifying us of your correct mailing address if you are selected as a winner. Contest closes at midnight Eastern time on 05/12/13. Prize is nontransferable and may not be redeemed for cash. We reserve the right to announce the name of the winner on the blogs. Each participating blog will be responsible for sending its own prize.

I have teamed up with some other bloggers to create this amazing, outrageous, and stupendous Great Mother’s Day Giveaway. ONE lucky winner is going to win ALL of the prizes listed below (and shown at the left). The prizes are outstanding – books, DVDs, a gift certificate, and a beading kit. This is quite a … Read more →

Here’s a little holiday gift for my readers. The Lost Arts of Hearth and Home: The Happy Luddite’s Guide to Domestic Self-Sufficiency by Ken Albala and Rosanna Nafziger Henderson.  I’m giving away one copy to a lucky reader.

The book is not for people who raise their own chickens, weave their own clothes or forage on a daily basis. Instead, it’s meant for folks who live in the city or burbs and are looking for ways to do a little more themselves. About 3/4 of the book is about food – making, preserving, etc. Want to make your own soy sauce or mustard, or make dumplings from leftover bread? You’ll find out how here. There are recipes for things I’ve never heard of, like Beef Rindsrouladen and Durian. This definitely will expand your cooking routine and show you some techniques you might have been afraid to try (like pickling). The rest of the book has small projects like making a broom, making a quill pen, quilting, and sewing.

If you want to learn to do some projects around the house in an old-fashioned, low tech kind of way, you’ll enjoy this book.

The book was sent to me for review by the publisher without any expectations or requirements.

To enter, leave a comment on this post. You must enter by midnight ET on Friday, December 14, 2012. I’ll randomly and blindly select the winner by random number drawing (numbers assigned in order of comments here). Sorry, offer limited to U.S. addresses only and entrants age 18 and up only. One entry per person. Winners notified by email given when entering; not responsible for email transmission problems or postal delivery problems or failures. You are responsible for notifying me of your correct mailing address if you are selected as a winner. Contest closes at midnight Eastern time on 12/14/12. Prize is nontransferable and may not be redeemed for cash. I reserve the right to announce the name of the winner on the blog.

Here’s a little holiday gift for my readers. The Lost Arts of Hearth and Home: The Happy Luddite’s Guide to Domestic Self-Sufficiency by Ken Albala and Rosanna Nafziger Henderson.  I’m giving away one copy to a lucky reader. The book is not for people who raise their own chickens, weave their own clothes or forage … Read more →

I’m giving away a copy of Handwritten Recipes: A Bookseller’s Collection of Curious and Wonderful Recipes Forgotten Between the Pages by Michael Popek, published by Perigee. This is a really fun book. A used bookseller collected recipes he found stuck in the pages of used books in his shop.  For each recipe, he includes a photo of the actual handwritten recipe that he found, the book it was found in, as well as a typeset version of the recipe for easy use. Some of the recipes include photos of the results. It’s a fun and quirky collection and one I enjoyed, kind of like poking through someone’s personal recipe collection.

The book was sent to me for review by the publisher without any expectations or requirements.

To enter, leave a comment on this post. You must enter by midnight ET on Thursday October 4, 2012. I’ll randomly and blindly select the winner by random number drawing (numbers assigned in order of comments here). Sorry, offer limited to U.S. addresses only and entrants age 18 and up only. One entry per person. Winners notified by email given when entering; not responsible for email transmission problems or postal delivery problems or failures. You are responsible for notifying me of your correct mailing address if you are selected as a winner. Contest closes at midnight Eastern time on 10/4/12. Prize is nontransferable and may not be redeemed for cash. I reserve the right to announce the name of the winner on the blog.

I’m giving away a copy of Handwritten Recipes: A Bookseller’s Collection of Curious and Wonderful Recipes Forgotten Between the Pages by Michael Popek, published by Perigee. This is a really fun book. A used bookseller collected recipes he found stuck in the pages of used books in his shop.  For each recipe, he includes a … Read more →

I’m celebrating the publication of my new book, The Muffin Tin Cookbook, which has 200 recipes for all types of dishes made in muffin tins: appetizers, entrees, sides, breakfast, desserts, mini-pies, breads, and much more, as well some muffin and cupcake recipes. Muffin tin cooking is great for portion control: one “muffin” cup is one portion, so there’s no fooling yourself into having just a little bit more.

This kind of cooking is also guaranteed to get your kids interested in new foods. Kids have been conditioned to believe that anything cooked in a muffin/cupcake tin is fun and delicious, so they are excited to try the recipes.

This makes a great Mother’s Day gift, and it’s also a great shower gift.

If you would like to enter to win, follow this link and read the table of contents (click on “search inside this book” underneath the book cover) and come back, leave a comment, and tell me which recipe you would like to try. You’ll be entered to win a copy.

You must enter by midnight ET on Sunday April 15. I’ll randomly and blindly select the winner by random number drawing (numbers assigned in order of comments here). Sorry, offer limited to U.S. addresses only and entrants age 18 and up only. One entry per person. You will not be entered to win unless you enter the name of a recipe from the book in your entry. Winners notified by email given when entering, not responsible for email transmission problems. You are responsible for notifying me of your correct mailing address if you are selected as a winner. Contest closes at midnight Eastern time on 4/15/12. Prize is nontransferable and may not be redeemed for cash. MarthaAndMe reserves the right to announce the name of the winner on the blog.

I’m celebrating the publication of my new book, The Muffin Tin Cookbook, which has 200 recipes for all types of dishes made in muffin tins: appetizers, entrees, sides, breakfast, desserts, mini-pies, breads, and much more, as well some muffin and cupcake recipes. Muffin tin cooking is great for portion control: one “muffin” cup is one … Read more →

My friend Debbie Koenig has a fantastic new cookbook coming out later this month called Parents Need to Eat Too. The concept is that even though you’ve got a baby or toddler, you can still make great food to feed yourself, even if you’re cooking in just quick spurts, or even with one hand. Debbie also has a great web site with lots of recipes there, so be sure to check her out at DebbieKoenig.com.

I’m giving away a copy of this wonderful cookbook to a random commenter on this post, so be sure to leave a comment so you can win!

Debbie’s publisher has sent me a review copy and will send out the winner’s copy. In full disclosure, by running a recipe from her book and posting about it, I’m entered to win a prize from her publisher. Whatever. I don’t really care about the prize, but I do care about the book, which I think is something so many parents are going to need and use often.

I recently made Broccoli and Cheddar Pinwheels, with some substitutions and everyone in my family enjoyed it. Here’s Debbie’s recipe:

1 pound pizza dough

2 1/2 cups finely chopped broccoli or one 10 ounce package of frozen, defrosted and chopped: you can do this in the food processor

1-2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 425 and grease a baking sheet.

Remove pizza dough from fridge 30-60 minutes before you plan to use it.

Steam the broccoli until just tender (5-6 minutes). Cool slightly then combine with cheese, mustard, salt, and pepper.

Roll or stretch the dough to a 10×14 rectangle on a floured surface. It doesn’t have to be exact.

Spread the broccoli mix on 3/4 of the dough, leaving an uncoated portion at one short side. Begin to roll the dough from the short side covered with the broccoli spread and keep rolling until you’ve got a nice, neat log.

Use a serrated knife or pastry scraper to cut it into 8 equal pinwheels. Carefully lay the pinwheels flat on the prepared baking sheet and bake until crust is golden brown and the cheese is melted, 15-20 minutes.

Debbie’s recipe is fantastic as is. I thought I had a bag of shredded Cheddar but when I opened it, it was moldy, so I ended up using a mix of mozzarella, feta and extra sharp provolone.

It made more sense to me to cook the broccoli first then chop it in the Cuisinart with everything else, so I cooked it then dumped it in with the mustard, cheese, and salt and pepper. I also tossed in 2 leftover pieces of deli ham I had floating around. Those were my only changes. Next time I make this I think I will cut the wheel into more and smaller pieces. They were big, like a big cinnamon roll which was fine for a dinner portion, but I might make them smaller so they would work for snacks and lunches.

I loved this recipe. It really was amazingly easy and I can absolutely see being able to toss this together with a toddler underfoot or a between feedings with a newborn.

You must enter by midnight ET on Monday February 13. I’ll randomly and blindly select the winner by random number drawing (numbers assigned in order of comments here). Sorry, offer limited to U.S. addresses only and entrants age 18 and up only. One entry per person. Winners notified by email given when entering, not responsible for email transmission problems. You are responsible for notifying me of your correct mailing address if you are selected as a winner. Contest closes at midnight Eastern time on 2/13/12. Prize is nontransferable and may not be redeemed for cash. MarthaAndMe reserves the right to announce the name of the winner on the blog. MarthaAndMe not responsible for delivery or nondelivery of prize which will be sent by publisher.

My friend Debbie Koenig has a fantastic new cookbook coming out later this month called Parents Need to Eat Too. The concept is that even though you’ve got a baby or toddler, you can still make great food to feed yourself, even if you’re cooking in just quick spurts, or even with one hand. Debbie … Read more →

To celebrate the publication of my new book, The Parchment Paper Cookbook, I’m giving away a copy. To enter, leave a comment on this post.

You must enter by midnight ET on Wednesday October 26. I’ll randomly and blindly select the winner by random number drawing (numbers assigned in order of comments here). Sorry, offer limited to U.S. addresses only and entrants age 18 and up only. One entry per person. Winners notified by email given when entering, not responsible for email transmission problems. You are responsible for notifying me of your correct mailing address if you are selected as a winner. Contest closes at midnight Eastern time on 10/26/11. Prize is nontransferable and may not be redeemed for cash. NoPotCooking reserves the right to announce the name of the winner on the blog.

And if you’re feeling lucky, you should also enter to win a subscription to Everyday Food Magazine on my MarthaAndMe blog.

To celebrate the publication of my new book, The Parchment Paper Cookbook, I’m giving away a copy. To enter, leave a comment on this post. You must enter by midnight ET on Wednesday October 26. I’ll randomly and blindly select the winner by random number drawing (numbers assigned in order of comments here). Sorry, offer … Read more →

October 22 marks the third anniversary of MarthaAndMe. It’s been a fun and amazing three years. I started out the first year blogging every single day, and unofficially apprenticing myself to Martha. I learned so much in that year and it ended up being a great bootcamp for me. In year two, I slowed things down and added in my own recipes. The third year was an even bigger change, with more and more of my own recipes. I also wrote and sold three cookbooks in year three! I have Martha and this blog to thank for that!

Along the way I’ve made some great friends, tried new and different projects, and continued to expand my love of cooking and my skills with decorating, organizing and (sometimes!) crafting. What will this fourth year bring? I don’t know for sure, but I do know Martha Mondays continues (click the tab at the top of the blog to learn and to join!), I’ll continue to share my own recipes and my forays into Martha’s world. Cookbook #1 (The Parchment Paper Cookbook – You can enter to win a copy of that on my other blog) is out. The Organized Kitchen and The Muffin Tin Cookbook will be coming soon. I’m contemplating a major site redesign this year as well, so that will be an exciting change.

Mostly I want to thank all of you who have followed me, commented, read along, popped in occasionally, and become my friends. My thank you gift to you is a one year subscription to Everyday Food Magazine. I’m giving away one to a lucky reader. To enter, just leave a comment on this post.

You must enter by midnight ET on Wednesday October 26. I’ll randomly and blindly select the winner by random number drawing (numbers assigned in order of comments here). Sorry, offer limited to U.S. addresses only and entrants age 18 and up only. One entry per person. Winners notified by email given when entering, not responsible for email transmission problems. You are responsible for notifying me of your correct mailing address if you are selected as a winner. Contest closes at midnight Eastern time on 10/26/11. Prize is nontransferable and may not be redeemed for cash. MarthaAndMe reserves the right to announce the name of the winner on the blog.

October 22 marks the third anniversary of MarthaAndMe. It’s been a fun and amazing three years. I started out the first year blogging every single day, and unofficially apprenticing myself to Martha. I learned so much in that year and it ended up being a great bootcamp for me. In year two, I slowed things … Read more →

This is my final Martha giveaway of the year. 10 lucky winners will get a Martha Stewart Holidays double-edged snowflake trim punch (this creates a strip of die-cut paper to use as a decorative strip) AND a set of Martha Stewart Holidays treat bags (each package includes 8 bags, 8 paper boxes/trays that go at the bottom, 8 tags, 8 pieces of ribbon, and 16 adhesive strips). The paper cutter is super fun to use and makes such pretty strips of snowflakes. It’s perfect for scrapbooking, crafts or making cards. The treat bags are a great way to package candy or small cookies. It’s hard to see in the photo, but the bags have tiny white dots on them which are really cute.  The prizes are courtesy of MSLO and they will mail them out. Previous winners of my other contests have written to tell me how much they liked the punches and treat boxes they received, so I know you’ll love them!

Here’s how to win. Follow me on Twitter. Then leave a comment here with your Twitter handle, so I can match you up. If you are already following me on Twitter, just leave a comment here with your Twitter handle. You must enter by midnight ET on Friday December 10, 2010. I’ll randomly and blindly select ten winners by random number drawing (numbers assigned in order of comments here). Sorry, offer limited to U.S. addresses only and entrants age 18 and up only. One entry per person. Winners notified by email given when entering, not responsible for email transmission problems. You are responsible for notifying me of your correct  address if you are selected as a winner. Contest closes at midnight Eastern time on 12/10/10. Prize is nontransferable and may not be redeemed for cash. MarthaAndMe reserves the right to announce the name of the winners on the blog. Prizes will be sent by MSLO to winners and MarthaAndMe is not liable for any failure of MSLO to deliver.

This is my final Martha giveaway of the year. 10 lucky winners will get a Martha Stewart Holidays double-edged snowflake trim punch (this creates a strip of die-cut paper to use as a decorative strip) AND a set of Martha Stewart Holidays treat bags (each package includes 8 bags, 8 paper boxes/trays that go at … Read more →

Are you excited? Another giveaway of Martha swag for my blog readers. Sad that you didn’t win last week’s treat boxes? Well cheer up. This week MSLO is giving away 10 sets of Martha Stewart Holiday Compartment Treat Boxes. These are smaller than last week’s, but just as cute. It’s the same snowflake pattern. Each set comes with 6 boxes, 24 compartments, 24 sheets of tissue paper, 6 pieces of ribbon, and 6 labels. I used these last year as well. They’re really great for small cookies and for candy. Brownies and bar cookies fit well in each compartment also. They are super cute. Last year I used these to give an uncle a “tower of treats” like you see in those food gift catalogs. I stacked all 6 boxes (each filled with different things I’d made) and tied it all with a big ribbon. He was thrilled. Good luck!

Here’s how to win. Leave a comment on this post, then visit No Pot Cooking and leave a comment on any post. You MUST comment in both places to be eligible. Please use the same name so I can match you up! You must enter by midnight on Friday December 3, 2010. I’ll randomly and blindly select ten winners by random number drawing (numbers assigned in order of comments here). Sorry, offer limited to U.S. addresses only and entrants age 18 and up only. One entry per person. Winners notified by email given when entering, not responsible for email transmission problems. You are responsible for notifying me of your correct  address if you are selected as a winner. Contest closes at midnight Eastern time on 12/3/10. Prize is nontransferable and may not be redeemed for cash. MarthaAndMe reserves the right to announce the name of the winners on the blog. Prizes will be sent by MSLO to winners and MarthaAndMe is not liable for any failure of MSLO to deliver.

Are you excited? Another giveaway of Martha swag for my blog readers. Sad that you didn’t win last week’s treat boxes? Well cheer up. This week MSLO is giving away 10 sets of Martha Stewart Holiday Compartment Treat Boxes. These are smaller than last week’s, but just as cute. It’s the same snowflake pattern. Each … Read more →