Vegan Cookbooks, Roast Pigs, And A Whole Lot of Sugar

Rachel here.

Ok, so first off, is it noon yet? Because if it isn't, and if you haven't already entered yourself in our giveaway, then click here and go get that done before reading any further. If it's after noon, then just keep reading while relishing the fact that you entered with time to spare, or while kicking yourself for missing the deadline.

I don't have a recipe to offer today. I've had a sick kid and we've been eating pizza and crackers and other conveniences instead of cooking. M's dinner tonight is, no joke, a sweet potato. Maybe we'll throw some beans on that plate for our own self-esteems.

This doesn't mean that I'm not thinking about cooking, though, because I am. There are two things on my mind specifically right now: Christmas dinner and Christmas baking. And yes, in that order. Which is definitely problematic. The baking should be first--it will be wrapped up and delivered to neighbors and friends in the brisk evenings between now and Christmas. The dinner dominates, though, because this year we just might make a whole pig for the very first time (and yes, I bring this up on the day that our vegan cookbook giveaway wraps up...).


I sat down the other day and started writing out a few names of people to give baked goods to. There are our generous neighbors to the left and the right, neighbors who have shared food with us throughout the year (including freshly snipped kale, still-warm cupcakes, and hot-from-the-oven spring rolls...be still my beating heart), appearing suddenly in the yard with a smile on their faces. There are our upstairs neighbors, our new landlords who are lovely and deeply considerate of us and who happen to also be funny and share our politics and who have never--NOT ONCE--said a word about the middle-of-the-night, teething-induced sob fests that have been known to crop up in our house like impromptu 3 am dance parties in a sorority (minus all the fun and booze). There are our friends near and far, our therapist who sees us at the drop of a hat for virtually no pay (obviously a plate of cookies will make up for years of pay-what-we-can therapy...right? right...I mean, they'll be REALLY good), our mechanic who time and again shows us that he is honest and reliable and refuses to suck. The list started going and then got completely out of hand. Which I responded to by not baking a thing yet because, I mean REALLY--where do you even start? But when I do start baking (tomorrow, I swear!), I will be making only food from my family, recipes passed down to me from my mom, from my maternal grandfather, from my paternal grandmother and her great-aunt's grandmother (I tried to follow that crooked family tree line and just umm...couldn't). And I really like this idea. And I love that this year M will be involved.

But back to the pig (my pig, as I've come to think of it). We are currently sorting out Christmas dinner plans and just might be sharing it with our dear friends Em and Phoebe. They like to cook, we like to cook, and we all enjoy a good adventure, so Phoebe's started sourcing sucking pigs, holding in her mind the criteria that it has to be roughly M's size in order to fit in the oven (I'm going to have to put some extra cookies on our therapist's plate...clearly M will be visiting her someday since her mother tells her friends to look for pigs that are the same size as her baby). I've done some looking online and my brain seems to refuse to hold onto the before images of a pig roast, instead filling the expanse behind my closed eyes with the perfectly crisp, reddish-brown end product. Some folks count sheep, but I prefer baby pigs with apples in their mouths.

How are your holidays shaping up?

"Blissful Bites" Giveaway!

Rachel here.

So, it's that time of the year when two of our favorite things come together: gift giving and meal sharing. These aren't wholly separate entities either. Preparing a meal for people you love is nothing if not a gift and so, too, is receiving their satisfaction as they scrape their plates clean. The generosity of spirit that seeps through food--whether taking the time to nourish yourself, spending the weekend in the kitchen baking cookies for neighbors, or sitting down at a meal lovingly prepared by another for you--comes to the fore in the holiday season as we remember to pause and take stock of our good fortune which can be so easily obscured during the daily grind of the rest of the year.

With that said, there are certainly many strong and compelling arguments for the virtues of following a vegan lifestyle. It is responsible on so many levels, including environmental and social. It is a way of eating and living bolstered by a strong ethical spine and, though neither my mom nor I partakes, it is certainly a commitment we both admire in others. And so, today we offer a giveaway. Enter for yourself, enter for a friend. Adding "Blissful Bites" by Christy Morgan to your own cookbook inventory will help you create meals that are friendly to all of the people you feed, and giving it as a gift to somebody who is already following or interested in following a vegan lifestyle would be a lovely way to show them that you support their endeavor. With everything from breakfast staples to dessert delicacies (and organized seasonally to boot!), no matter who ends up with this cookbook in their hands, it's sure to be a hit. And did I mention that every recipe takes 45 minutes or less? Because it does, and as a mom that MATTERS to me.

So here's the deal, folks. Using the random number generator at random.org we will select a winner to receive "Blissful Bites" exactly one week from today (that would be Wednesday December 6th). You have until noon that day to leave a comment below. Tell us how you feel about veganism, how you love it or how you tried it for 45 minutes one time in college; tell us that nothing makes you happier than rare beef; tell us we're pretty (it won't help you win but, you know, it never hurts either); tell us ANYTHING and make sure to include an email address that we can contact you at should you win. From first to last comment, you'll be assigned a number in chronological order and then the random number generator will work its random magic and we'll have our winner. Easy as pie, right? WRONG--it's even easier.

Book Giveaway Times Two

We're so happy to have a second copy of Melissa Clark's fabulous new cookbook, In the Kitchen with a Good Appetite, to give away to one lucky reader. We did a full review of the book here, but if you want a brief recap here's what you need to know: You want this book.

Clark is a wonderful writer (New York Times columnist of A Good Appetite, award-winning book author, for starters) who introduces her terrific recipes with short vignettes from her past. Sometimes they're about family memories; sometimes they're about how she created this particular recipe — whatever they're about, they're funny and down to earth. This is a cookbook for real people in real kitchens.

Our favorite part? She doesn't obsess about every little detail. If she's missing a certain ingredient, she wings it — with obvious great success.

Winning couldn't be easier. Just leave a comment below and we'll pick one lucky winner to receive a free copy of the book. Winner will be chosen at random on Thursday and announced on Friday.

Good luck!

---Janet and Rachel

It's Giveaway Time Again!

We're thrilled to announce that CSN Stores is partnering with us again to offer one LTIR lucky reader a $45 gift certificate to use at any one of its 200 — yes, 200 — online stores. If you're not familiar with CSN Stores, it's one-stop online shopping where you can find everything from stylish briefcases to cute cookware to chic lighting pieces!

All you have to do is leave a comment below with your email and you're entered to win. And of course, if you also want to become a follower, we would love that too, but it's not a requirement to enter the contest. :)

By the way, CSN Stores only ship to the US and Canada so the winner has to be from one of those spots. We will choose a winner at random Sunday, Dec. 12, and announce the winner Monday, Dec. 13. Good luck to all!

An Overstock Giveaway for our Readers!

Haven't had enough cyber-shopping? Well, get excited. Overstock.com
is offering LTIR readers some special discounts to make your hard earned holiday dollars go even further.

If you're not familiar with Overstock — is this even possible in today's world? — it's a mega online site that offers just about everything at discounted prices. They've got everything from sunglasses and handmade jewelry
to digital cameras and chairs. We, of course, personally troll their kitchen stuff, but you can use the discount code below for whatever your heart — or the heart of the person you're shopping for — desires.

The discount code is ?121728?, which is good for 10 percent off all Overstock.com products. Typing in 202234 ** gets you free shipping for electronics.

And now for the FTC disclosure: All the ideas and opinions expressed are our own. No monetary compensation was received for doing this post, however, we were provided with a discount code for our readers.

Happy shopping!

Books That Make Us Hungry: Happy Haulidays from Chronicle Books Giveaway!

Yes, readers, the holidays are upon us soon, and Chronicle Books, a real favorite of ours here at Life Told in Recipes, is having a lovely little contest where we can all win. Here's how it works. We create a list of books we would love to win (see below). Then you just comment on the books and why you'd like to be a winner. Then on Dec. 13 Chronicle picks a winning blog AND one reader from that blog who has commented. We both then get a happy shipment of the books on this list.

How great is that!!!! Could it be any simpler??? This is the proverbial win-win for us all so spread the word to your friends etc.

Without further ado our list of top faves:

Cake Pops by Bakerella (yes we already did one giveaway of this book but we had so many interested readers, that we would love to spread the love here some more)

Farmers' Market Desserts by Jennie Schacht (the more dessert cookbooks the better, we say)

Whoopie Pies by Sarah Billingsley and Amy Treadwell (ditto to dessert cookbook comment)

Savory Baking Pastries by Mary Cech and Noel Barnhurst (clearly a baking theme is emerging here)

Cupcake Kit by Elinor Kilvan (because the more cupcakes in the world, the better for us all)

The Big Book of Appetizers by Meridith Deeds and Carla Snyder (who doesn't love throwing a dinner party with lots of great appetizers?)

Delicious Dips AND Skinny Dips by Diane Morgan (we could go low or high-fat if we had both of these wonderful books)

Soup's On by Leslie Jonah and Frank Frankeny (nothing is better for warming the heart on a wintry day than homemade soup)

At Home with Friends by Michele Adams, Gia Russo and Victorial Peisor (tips for fab entertaining)

Blackbird Bakery's Gluten Free Baking by Karen Morgan (we're curious about this and what better way to try out the idea)

Time for Dinner by Pilar Guzman, Alanna Stang and Jenny Rosentrach (everything every busy parent needs to know to put quick, healthy meals on the table seven days a week)

Commonsense Kitchen: 500 Recipes Plus Lessons for a Hand-crafted Life by Tom Hudgens (appeals to our obsessive recipe collection natures)

Latin Grill: Sultry and Simple Food for Red Hot Dinners and Parties by Rafael Palomino, Arlen Gargagliano and Dan Goldberg (who doesn't love spicy food?)

Love in Spoonfuls: Fast and EAsy Ways to Make Nutritious Food for Your Baby (The Divine Miss M deserves this!)

Book of "Unnecessary" Quotation Marks by Bethany Keeley (one of us is a grammar freak)

Mom's One-Line a Day: 5-Year Memory Book (one of us is a new mom who STILL talks about how her mother, the other one of us, didn't do a baby book about her; this is the revenge gift)

Baby Face Nesting Blocks (another gift for the Divine Miss M)

and a few Moleskins planners and notebooks because they are the coolest books ever for keeping track of life's stuff.

So that's it. We want to win because we want YOU to win! So comment below and spread the word.....

Happy Haulidays to all!

Janet and Rachel

The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook Giveaway!

Yes, lucky readers, hot on the heels of our Bakerella cake pop cookbook giveaway — Congrats to you, GiGi — Rachel and I are now giving away a copy of the Barefoot Contessa's brand new cookbook, How Easy Is That?

I posted about this wonderful book and gave a sneak recipe yesterday here, in case you need urging ... which I would personally find surprising since Ina Garten is incredible and if I didn't author this blog, I would be entering multiple times to try to win this book.

Anyway, we have one copy of this amazing cookbook to give away so get ready, get set, start clicking. Just leave your comment below with your email and we will pick a random winner on Monday. Good luck!

Bakerella Does Cheesecake, Too

If you haven't joined the Bakerella cake pop cookbook giveaway frenzy, you still have a few days. Just click here and leave your name and reason for wanting the book and we'll announce the winner on Monday.

In the meantime, I am going to lure you with Bakerella's baking wonderfulness with this photo of her fabulous chocolate cheesecake bars. I may not be able to make a perfect cake pop, but I can make cheesecake and these things were sinfully good.



You can get the recipe here. Make them. Now. You know you want them.

The Bakerella Cake Pop Cookbook Giveaway!

Regular readers know Rachel and I are fans of Bakerella, the Cake Pop Queen. We first wrote about her as a Blogs That Make Us Hungry feature here and last week, I publicly embarrassed myself chronicling my own cake pop flop here.

But my failure as a cake pop star should not be taken as the norm. If you love Bakerella and desperately want to learn how to make cake pops in your very own home, this could be your lucky week. Just leave a comment with your email about why you want to make cake pops and we'll choose one lucky winner to receive Cake Pops, Tips, Tricks and Recipes for More than 40 Irresistible Mini Treats from Chronicle Books. My own inadequacies aside, the book is filled with helpful directions and pictures to ensure that you are a cake pop star and the envy of all you see. Let the giveaway begin!

Books That Make Us Hungry: Alice Waters and Chez Panisse by Thomas McNamee

Before we get into today's Book That Makes Us Hungry, we wanted to let you know that we've got another giveaway coming your way soon. We can't tell you the details, but we can tell you it will be something that helps you cook every day.

Now if that's something that interests you, you might be want to know about this website, Give Away Scout. The site scans the internet looking for giveaways. If you sign up for their email notifications, you can hear about more giveways. Sounds like a good deal to us so we figured we'd pass it on to you in case you're interested. Just click here to learn more about it.

Rachel here: When my parents came to visit right after M was born, my dad left me with two gifts. One was a book on cooking for children that I blogged about here and the other was Alice Waters and Chez Panisse by Thomas McNamee. It is this latter book that has provided me with little glimpses of Rachel-time this summer amidst the flurry of M's arrival as I've read a few pages at a time.

The adventures that focused around Alice Waters and generated Chez Panisse as it is today are decadent and delicate at once. I've enjoyed escaping into the French countryside with Alice and reading her recipes. Even absent a new baby, this book promises to transport both your mind and your mouth to fantastic places. The only problem, is that every time I close the cover I find myself feeling a little hungry.

We Have a Winner!

We weren't sure what would happen with our first giveaway, but we are happy to report we were swamped with enthusiastic readers hoping to win the $60 gift certificate from CSN Stores, home to fab dinnerware and thousands of other goodies on their 200-plus websites.

Sadly, only one person can win. Our randomly-chosen winner is.....more drumrolls please....Kristen, who should be receiving the gift certificate notification from CSN Stores shortly. Happy shopping, Kristen, and thanks for reading! Thanks as well to CSN Stores for this fab giveaway. Hopefully we'll be able to do another one with them down the road. In the meantime, we've got another one in the works, so stay tuned for more on that and, of course, keep reading and cooking!

Our First Giveaway!

We are very excited to give our loyal readers this chance to win a $60 gift certificate from ... drumroll, please ... CSN Stores. The gift certificate is good for any of their 200-plus — that's right, 200-plus — websites. The stores offer everything from dinnerware to drinkware to anything you could dream of for baking and just cooking in general. Not interested in cooking items? Not to worry, CSN Stores offer items for the home as well as items for baby and kids, everything from suitcase to sofas.

Here are just a few of the many items we lusted after (We, of course, are not eligible to win.)

Polish Pottery Pitcher


Noritake Colorwave Lilac Dinner Collection


Here's how you can win. Just post a comment here. Yup, it's that easy. We will pick a winner next Tuesday, Aug. 17, and then, you'll get your certificate via email from CSN Stores. Only comments that are registered will be counted since we need that secret email to send you the happy news. So if you've been one of those anonymous commenters, this is the time to get with the plan and sign on! The winner will be chosen randomly and must live in the U.S. or Canada because that's where CSN Stores ship.

Thank you readers! And thank you CSN Stores for choosing Life Told in Recipes as a recipient of this gift certificate.