Thursday, December 19, 2013

it's thursday, so let's have a giveaway! // WINNER ANNOUNCED

12.19.2013

photo by callie

can you believe it?? our first food related giveaway! yay for thursdays! ok. i'm done with the exclamation points.

so you guys. this cookbook is pretty stellar. here's the thing. i have a love-hate relationship with america's test kitchen. they are GOOD at what they do (and i am not frivolous with my capital letters people.) they are GOOD. sometimes i felt like i had to pump myself up before preparing one of their recipes because they can get pretty involved. and then i found this gem. it is written for WEEKNIGHT cooking and no one has TIME for involved recipes during the week. i was overjoyed to find it and cook from it. i even gifted it for a long while because i love it so much.

and now you have a chance to receive it as a gift as well!

but before we get to the nitty gritty, here are some of my favorite recipes from the book:

spanish tapas salad...if you love olives, this recipe is for you
chicken cutlets with ginger-shiitake sauce
orange-ginger pork tenderloin and carrot salad...so bomb you guys
balsamic steak tips and tomato salad
pine nut and parmesan-crusted chicken
blue cheese wedge with maple-glazed bacon
quick black bean soup
gazpacho with avocado and crab
spicy shrimp with corn cakes
pasta with lemony chicken and asparagus

i'll stop now. but this is good my friends. i let my neighbor borrow it just after we moved in and only recently asked for it back because she had been using it so much! so if you're looking to switch things up with your regular rotation, this just what you're looking for. 

to enter, just leave a comment telling me about your favorite dinner recipe in your current rotation. that's all! for extra entries check out my instagram and facebook feeds. 

and what the heck, it's almost christmas. let's give away two of these puppies! the winners will be announced saturday morning here on the bloggy blog. 

talk to you soon!

p.s. to receive a couple extra "if i were..." menu ideas and secret recipes every month that i only share via email click here

31 comments:

  1. Spaghetti. It's one of the meals that I can quickly put together when I don't feel like cooking.

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  2. I make a three cheese spinach stuffed manicotti...or lasagna. I used to think my sister was crazy for making it from scratch (I used to buy Stauffers) but it is so easy!!!

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  3. It's winter here in Wisconsin. So I love to make anything that will help warm my family up! Our favorite is turkey chili with extra beans and a giant side of corn bread!

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    1. the thought of that makes me almost want to head for snow...almost ;)

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  4. We have a few that make consistent rotations on our menu. This time of year it's Cincinnati Chili, Red Pepper Chicken and an Orzo, kielbasa and Zuchinni dish that are all easy and awesome.

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  5. I love my roasted veggies with bacon wrapped chicken. Super delish!

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  7. I have fallen off the meal planning wagon. We have had too many nights of grilled cheese or noodles:
    . But I do love when I make stuffed shells.

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    1. i've fallen so hard off the meal planning wagon getting this whole thing started i can't even remember what's been in rotation ;) i'll figure out a good system soon...i hope :)

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  8. I tried out a chicken pizza recipe on my kids last night and they loved it! That might be in my new rotation.

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    1. kids love = moms love. pleasing all those taste buds is my biggest challenge.

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  9. Homemade pizza is one of my all time go-to meals. So simple and my whole family loves it!!

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    1. we have friday night pizza night every week. kiddos looooooove it.

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  11. We love green chili cream cheese chicken enchiladas. They are super easy to make, you can freeze them ahead of time, so you can prepare lots and save them for a later day when you are in a rush. My whole family LOVES them. :)

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  12. America's Test Kitchen is pretty hard core. I really like the idea of weeknight stuff from them. Toning down the perfectionism. My go-to dinner when I'm at home is rice and beans with an over easy egg on top, homemade salsa, lettuce, and sometimes avocado or sour cream. It's like huevos-rancheros meet a chipotle burrito bowl.

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  13. Our current favorite recipe is so delightful! It's sauteed chicken sausage and onion. Pasta shells and blanched broccolini. All mixed together with a little chicken broth, and served over arugula! We've had it three weeks in a row . . and my husband doesn't mind!

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  14. Sweet and sour chicken or teriyaki chicken. Both are easy and delicious- and always a hit with everyone in the family.

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    1. i need your sweet and sour chicken recipe. and my salsa "recipe" is hardly that. blend up a can of rotel (drained if you don't want it knock your socks off spicy) with a few fresh tomatoes, cilantro, lime zest & juice and salt. can't get any easier than that :)

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  15. Sweet and sour chicken or teriyaki chicken. Both are easy and delicious- and always a hit with everyone in the family.

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