Pssst…..
He wants to share something with you….
And he’s really happy about it.
I know, I know! It’s been almost a year since I held a giveaway and I felt like this time, it should be something fantastic. I’m actually going to give away two books I am DYING to have myself, but have yet to purchase. You can have all the glory, just let me know how you like them! I love to give and it’s high time I started doing it on my blog, giving back to my loyal audience.
I am not going to make you do ridiculous things for this prize. I will not make you tweet, e-mail, blog, digg it, journal, etch into a tree, carve into stone or spray paint on buildings. I will not make you tell 1,459 of your friends about this giveaway so that you have one more chance at winning, and I won’t even make you beg, plead and cry.
I simply ask that you leave a wonderful comment at the bottom of this page telling me why you deserve to win these prizes and don’t forget to leave me your e-mail address so I can inform you of your prize! I may pick a winner randomly (using random.org) if there are an overwhelming number of deserving responses or I will pick the winner myself based on the amount of humour/sympathy/tears/etc. that come through in your comments.
So what am I going to giveaway you ask?
These fine specimens:
Now I am only holding this giveaway to tide you over until I can squeak out a decent recipe in the 3.5 minutes I have to make dinner every night…so hold on tight!
Contest Rules:
1. Leave a comment telling me why you deserve to win this prize. Spelling and grammar count…;)
2. Contest open to residents of Canada and the United States. Sorry other countries, I’m not made of money!
3. Contest closes July 29th at 12 a.m. Pacific Time.
4. Winner will be chosen at random by me.
5. Once winner is chosen, prizes will be shipped directly from Amazon.ca or.com, depending on winning country.
6. Good luck!
PS. I just realized I have been blogging for one year…..so I guess this is kind of a one year anniversary party as well. Whoo hoo!!!
I would like to win because I love good food. I also (as my favorite person and sous-chef would verify) need as much help as I can get.
Okay. why do I HAVE to have these books. Well, because I am still learning how to cook/bake and the more information I have the better. My Hubs has developed a sweet tooth (thanks to TWD) and I need more to bake. More ways to spice things up. Sweeten things up. Liven things up. And if they taste GREAT he will be satisfied with less. So if I win these the Hubs might eat less sweets with more fulfillment and therefore lose weight.
That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!!!
Margaret´s last blog ..CEinMB Chicken with Warm Tomato-Corn Salad
I am in school to be a dietitian and I’m a foodie. I’m trying to learn to cook with FLAVOR and finesse and keep it healthy as well. I’ve managed to help my daughter and I with both health and weight loss due to just changes in food and my husband is off of his cholesterol meds and his diabetes is seemingly gone. So I live and breathe COOKBOOKS and you have to know I “torture” my family with at least 3-4 new recipes a week. These are two I’ve never seen and am excited to possibly own them! Thanks for your consideration!
Well, who DOESN’T need a flavor bible? Seeing as how I don’t read my regular Bible enough, maybe a food one would make up for it. Hmm, what’s that you say? It won’t save me? Weeellll, it might not save my soul but it sure might save my taste buds. I can come up with some horrifying flavor combos…NOT cool for my taste buds or my marriage. And my poor toddler. You should have seen her at lunch today. As if choking on a potato casserole wasn’t enough, apparently the acidity of the tomatoes made her tongue hurt, almost as much as last night when she ate soap, but that’s another story for another time. (No, we did not make her eat it…it was completely voluntary on her part.)
So see, my poor family really could use such a thing as a Flavor Bible. They would push their gagging tongues back into their throats and utter a blessed, “Thank you!”
(Oh, and that baking book would be awesome, too! Does it by any chance include any whole grain baking tips? I could really use those. I just made the driest, most bland, whole wheat molasses coffee cookies ever.)
Because I’m your biggest fan.
Melody Fury´s last blog ..Corn Pudding with Seared Scallops Battle Corn Winners
I deserve these cookbooks because I’m a busy mom of 4 boys that actually likes to cook for my family. I’m pretty much raising the boys by myself because my hubby is always gone and I also have a small business sewing aprons, blankets, quilts, baby bibs, burp clothes and other things. Oh and another reason why I deserve to win is that I have never won anything before on blogs.
Ooooh… Oooh… Pick me!
Why? Because I never ever win anything. EVER. Not even a free lottery ticket. Well, except for that one time that I won a free coffee on Roll Up The Rim To Win, but that barely counts because I only won the one time even though I was buying two coffees a day.
(Also, my spelling and grammar are great, so there’s that.)
Isabelle´s last blog ..Lifes a Bowl of – Double Cherry Almond Crumble
Quite simply because I am culinarily challenged and my poor hubby who has been my cooking guniea pig for the past year would GREATLY appreciate any help I could get
Why pick me???? Because I am a foodaholic! I LOVE Food! I love to cook it, to eat it , to watch cooking shows on TV. I had to put a moratorium on buying cookbooks, but that doesn’t stop me, because there are soooooooo many great websites and blogs on food that I can just download recipes from them. I have a huge file box of recipes and they are all categorized on a spreadsheet with comments if I have made them and what adjustments I make. When I find something I LOVE at a restaurant, I have to go home and duplicate it.
Now, all that being said……..why do I really want to win? 4 years ago I switched to being a pescatarian for health, animal abuse and environmental reasons. I have never felt better. But what I find is that while there are many different ways to cook an eggplant or zucchini, I feel that I am at a standstill lately. When I saw that book “The Flavor Bible” I literally started drooling. Oh what that could do for my veggies and fish. How much fun it would be to experiment with flavors! So, please please PLEASE pick me! I don’t even care about the other book, you can give it to someone else. That would be totally cool.
Why do I deserve to win?
Well lets see, I in my own right, am a good cook (at least in mine and my husbands eyes
). However, I have this amazing sister who has exceeded all my expectations for her, and has become an amazing chef, mother and entrepreneur. She continues to inspire me to try new recipes and to experiment with my own flavours, and for this I will be eternally grateful. Winning these books would just help me continue what she started.
Thank you!
I would so love to have both of those books! I’ve had Flavor Bible on my wish list since it was published. And I can always use another dessert cookbook!
Vicki´s last blog ..Crispy Fried Pigs Tails
I’ve never won a THING in my life (31 yrs)! I am obsessed with cooking and learning but can only ever afford to buy cook books from second hand shops, where the pickin’ is pretty slim!
Why do I deserve this??? I am also a fellow canadian! YAY. AND also am learning to balance the 2 kids thing. Plus I have only started to embrace cooking since my son was born (almost 3 years ago) and could use some extra inspiration!!!!!!!
I think meals are a celebration of flavor and good company! Therefore, new cookbooks are always awesome and I would be ecstatic if I won!
I deserve to win this prize because I’ve never won a thing in my life! Also, I am obsessed with anything to do with food, especially your blog!
I can cook when I have good recipes and yours are the best. The swiss chard ravioli were amazing. So happy I discovered your website..thanks Google.
I’d love to win the cook books so that I can share them with my fellow foodies… much like I’ve shared the link to your site. Thank you!
I am a seasoned cook (60 years-old and no pun intended). I love to cook but like to create dishes from what in my refrigerator and pantry. I joined a Community Supported Agriculture group this summer and have fresh produce delivered once a week. What I need to a tool to help me created dishes from what I receive. That would be absolutely awesome. In addition, I teach a cooking class for young girls on Saturdays so I could pass along more wisdom with your help. Thanks for having this giveaway.
Oops,two mistakes in my comment. Sorry. Please forgive me.
Perhaps a Haiku will be the winning entry…
I love to eat food
Grown from the ground to the plate
Blessed by the sun’s ray
Paul Kamon´s last blog ..The Nuttiest Thing You’ll Read All Week
i deserve this win beacause—-> 1. Your Son is adorable. 2. Guilty Kitchen RULES!!!!!!!!!!!!!
astheroshe´s last blog ..Whip it Wednesday
PS 3. More important things in the world than to worry about my grammer
astheroshe´s last blog ..Whip it Wednesday
I am still a novice in ‘American style’ cooking. I know for sure that both these books would be a guiding element for me in that field. Thanks for this giveaway..
ramvinayak_81@rediffmail.com
I deserve this book because it’s high time to get me a man & start a brood of my own. I’ve done the career & independent woman thing, but all I want to do now is take care of a little family and make my kitchen table the best part of their day. After cooking for myself all these years I could use a little inspiration, and I’ll take the rest from there.
I dig your style & the recipes I’ve tried from you always turn out great. Keep doing what you do.
Why pick me? Well why not! You tell me why I don’t deserve to win these books. I am as good as anyone else, I work hard, pay my taxes, say thank you and please. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE pick me! Thank You very much! LOL
I deserve to win because I never win anything! I really want to know what it feels like to win something, especially something as great as a cookbook! I guess you could say I collect them so some new ones would be great, and useful to boot!
I need to expand my library!
I deserve to win at least one of these books because after 3 years of blogging I am still learning.I need all the books I can get my habnds on to add to my collection so that I can wow my friends and family with my culinary expertise. You know I am only kidding since maybe I just want to have an excuse to head to my favourite furniture store to purchase another bookshelf to hold my ever growing collection:D Or maybe…..
bellini valli´s last blog ..Lavender Cheesecake with Blueberries and Lavender Honey
What?! A cookbook giveaway?! I LOVE cookbooks! I also am in desperate need of them, as I can’t freestyle a recipe to save my life. I recently moved to Canada, and thought that I should change my health habits along with my surroundings. I am trying to surround myself with local ingredients, healthy eating ideas, and inspiration. Your blog is wonderful inspiration, our farmers market provides the delicious ingredients…and this cookbook would give me so many recipes and ideas to keep me on track and eating well. Pick me!
Rowie´s last blog ..Everyone Elses Recipes
Ooooh. Very nice giveaway. I’d love to have these books. Cookbooks are so expensive that I rarely purchase them and do most of my recipe searching online. This would be so nice to get me started with a nice collection.
Michelle´s last blog ..Championship chocolate chip bars
Because I LOVE to EAT and I LOVE to COOK! And I JUST heard about “The Flavor Bible” this past weekend and thought it was a genius idea! I am always thinking about different flavours to combine and it would be an amazing addition to my cookbook library/bed time reading material. As for “In the Sweet KItchen”…if there is one thing I enjoy more than cooking (besides eating), it would be baking. So those are my reasons for picking me as the recipient of these two cookbooks.
I love your blog, and am a Victorian.
I need “The Flavor Bible” because I’ve lost my touch. Lately, I’ve overdone all spices and herbs to my cooking and baking. I need to start over.
Because I am curious about compatible flavors and creating new tasty dishes.
Nate @ House of Annie´s last blog ..Need your help with the finishing touches…
I would love to win because I have been reduced to eating the same thing every day and am in need of some fresh ideas!
I deserve a prize because I’m a grammar/spelling Nazi.
I’ve made my whole career out of it!
Jennie´s last blog ..Latest Loves
Hm… Why do I deserve to win a fabulous cookbook from a foodie whose blog leaves me reaching for a hanky to wipe away the drool after every delicious, mouth-watering recipe is posted? I had to think this one over very, very hard. It comes down to experimenting. My powers of experimentation are beyond compare. There are not enough words in the Oxford dictionary to even begin describing how very awful, how very unappetizing, and how very horrifying my results are. Family members cringe at the thought of even letting me near the stove without some sort of guide to ensure their continued safety. So, you can see that any help would go a long way to my family’s peace of mind. Nay, to their very survival! This is why I deserve to win.
I like free things. That’s part of why I follow the website; your sister in law pointed me at you and I started working with some of your receipes.
See, I rely on sites like this. My mother wanted me crippled in the house — and didn’t teach me anything about how to cook or clean. When I got out on my own I was nearly helpless in a lot of way. I figured out how to eat more then spaghetti-os, and then more then hamburger helper… But the real kicker was when my fiancee and I split up six in 2005. I decided I had to be more then what I was– I had to be a well rounded individiual. I couldn’t count on a man, and I couldn’t count on my Mom, so I had to count on myself.
Now, kitchen is one of my favorite rooms in the house; right now I’m eating apricot glazed chicken, a baked potato and a sweet peas that I cooked and prepared with my own two hands. It was a hard thing — I tried too much too fast, but I eventually learned what my limits are, and then to push them. But it was sites like this that kept me going. Recipes that weren’t just hamburgers or the average casserole, folks that were accessible unlike most of the Food Networks folk.
So here I am. Self-taught, self-mastering. My now-husband often tells me that it’s because I started to cook — and didn’t let my initial failures stop me from trying again — that he started to love me. Food’s brought me a few extra pounds, but it’s brought me some self-respect and the love of a good man (proving again, the way to their heart is through their stomach).
But I’m still pushing those limits, and I love me some cook books! ;D So I’m here among your readership, looking to continue to expand my ability.
(PS: Your roast brussell sprouts helped get my husband EATING them! He’d sworn them off long before we were together.)
Mmmmmmm …….. let me think why I deserve it more than anyone else
Probably no reason – although I am love cookery books and love making recipes from
all over the world. Oh yes and this is the only blog I have ever used
just because it is really excellent.
Lastly – I do live in S Africa ( and I would pay the postage if you picked me !!!!)
Well if you dont ask – you dont get.
i don’t know that i necessarily DESERVE to win the books, but i will tell you that i’ve asked for the flavor bible for the last three gift-giving occasions and my family and friends have not been responsive. twerps, the lot of ‘em.
also, i love that you’re taking grammar and spelling into consideration. you’re a gal after my own heart.
grace´s last blog ..like white on bread
While I am not sure I “deserve” to win these books, I am looking to cook through some cookbooks during my vacation and the flavor bible and in the sweet kitchen would make excellent references!
The flavor bible, particularly, has been in my “to buy later” list on amazon ever since a chef friend of mind told me she dog eared her copy within days of buying it. It sits proudly with her equally dog eared copy of culinary artistry.
I also share cookbooks with friends and neighbours. Many know the library of cooking-related books I have is open to “borrowing”
Don (@foodieprints)´s last blog ..Candwiches Seriously!
I would adore getting these books because I need some guidance in the kitchen! I’m very experimental, but a little structure and know-how can’t hurt!
I’m hoping to create some really great baked goods and other delicious items to sell at our local farmers markets in the [hopefully] not-too-distant future. The instruction I get from these books could help greatly!
Hello there.
Well, I’m freshly married (2 months next Thursday) and eagerly seeking out any advice or assistance in figuring out how to feed my wonderful new husband. You see, I can’t live without flavor and his favorite meal of all time is alfredo sauce from a jar with pasta and peas. He’s the very best man any girl could ask for, I promise you. He just… possesses lamentably unadventurous taste buds.
Lucky for me I have a full spice cupboard and plenty of free time to read up on how to enhance his treasured comfort food! Please help me? I have to go back to school in a month and he’s scheduled for deployment so I’d really like to leave him with some delicious memories of married life. You know, incentive to come back to me as soon as possible.
Mmm and “In the Sweet Kitchen” makes me drool. Plus, I promise you I take the best possible care of all my books and never allow them to simply gather dust on a shelf. I’m a part-time librarian/full-time Math major. Trust me, that’s a winning combination for obsessive compulsive orderliness, grammatical accuracy, and a penchant for reading any cookbook cover to cover. In other words, no one would appreciate this giveaway so thoroughly as I.
Oh, and I’m a redhead! (shameless, I know)
Pick me?
Danielle´s last blog ..On Silences- Radio Or Otherwise
Because I work night shift as a nurse and make every meal from scratch with local, seasonal ingredients almost exclusively. This means that I exhausted every use and flavor combination I know for turnips and rhubarb by the time May came to an end, and I’m running out of ideas how to serve up the apron load of fresh tomatoes from the garden I’m hauling in every day. In addition, I just got engaged last Friday, and I believe these lovely books would be excellent tools for maintaining a flavorful and satisfying marriage over the years. Hurray!
Gelfling´s last blog ..Hip hip- hurray!
Because, I would love to have those books!!!
)
I feel kind of dirty posting in this comment section just because I wan to win….I read your blog all the time and adore it, and frequently consider leaving a comment but I don’t because that’s just not “how I roll…”. I live in Victoria and spend a fair bit of time in the Cowichan Valley, so every time you reference a business or place in your world I get a kick out of it because I also know and frequent many of them personally. You may remember a brief exchange we had about Red Fish Blue Fish, which by the has become my all time favorite place to eat out and I am holding you personally responsible for my BBQ Wild Salmon Tacone addiction!!! Anyways, I hope you pick me because I’m in the process of making some major diet/lifestyle changes and cooking at home is one major element of this process. Even if you do not pick me, I will still love your blog and look forward to each of your posts! Thanks for inspiring and entertaining me, and for sharing little pieces of your world!
-Kim
I would love to win either of these cookbooks! Why pick me??? Well… I am expecting my first baby any day now, and I’m longing for a new cookbook to read and love during the next few months as life takes on a slower pace. Unfortunately, all my money seems to be going to things for the baby, and alas, there is no money for a new cookbook!
Oh yeah, I also live in Victoria, and love to your ‘local’ blog!
I need these books because my husband and I are food junkies. And I don’t mean junk food junkies (though I do enjoy a good double-stuffed oreo now and again
), but lovers of real, homemade, delicious food. I am in desperate need of some inspiration, and these two books look like just the thing… and I will be adding them to my wishlist if I don’t win!
Both of those books look wonderful, but I’m particularly drawn to the first one, The Flavor Bible. I cook bunches, but I’m not skilled at creating new dishes or knowing seasonings go with what foods. One of my friends is super-gifted at that, so I’m always calling her up and grilling her. This book might ease my last-minute panicky phone calls. I think she’d like it if I’d win.
(If you can write a recipe in 3.5 minutes, then you need to write a blog post telling us how you do it. Please? Writing recipes takes me FOREVER.)
Mama JJ´s last blog ..A free-wheeling education
I am a college student (an amateur foodie) and am just starting to branch out upon my forte of culinary delights and a cookbook would more than help do this.
Well, first things first. (A little “butter” if you will…) This is the perfect occasion for the truth to come out! I have been faithfully following your blog for several months now – but here’s the amazing part – yours is the ONLY foodie blog I follow! (Not counting the requisite poking-around-the-interwebs when collecting ideas for a dish, of course.) I stumbled upon your space early on and fell in love with your photography, your writing, your recipes (most memorably: your 11/29/09 post guided me through my first foray into homemade sushi), and most importantly: your STYLE. Creative, fresh, local farmer- and earth-friendly, and always up for a challenge! I have a very similar approach to food and cooking. Plus, you and I are roughly the same age, and I so admire your dedication to providing your family (and readers!) with quality food without sacrificing quality TIME with the ones you love. It puts me at ease when I think about the possibility of kids in the near future.
Ok…now that that’s out on the table, here’s why I want those books!
I have been teaching myself to cook for several years now, and continue to slowly wean myself off recipes as I experiment with technique and (my favorite part) seasonings that work in various dishes. My husband rarely cooks, but when he does, I am always called in to add the flava. I love the exotic, the pungent, the ethnic, the unexpected – but I get a little nervous when cooking for others who like their dishes more “subtle and refined.” How can I do subtle without bland? How do I choose two or three spices that will add a real kick instead of tossing in ten that just end up competing for attention? Just two of the many questions I’d hope “The Flavor Bible” would help me finally figure out.
“In the Sweet Kitchen” would be another great tool for transforming my kitchen into a haven for creative release. Baking is territory I have yet to conquer in terms of being comfortable with significant modifications without a recipe. I waste so much time poking around for a recipe to perfectly suit my tastes, knowing that if I just understood the science behind what’s going on in the oven, I could do my own adaptations without breaking a sweat.
I do occasionally share with family and friends what I’ve been up to lately in the kitchen, and they’ve tried my recipes with positive results. It’s a good feeling! I focus on dishes that are simple enough that it’s worth spending a little time in the kitchen even if you’re only feeding one or two people. So thanks again for all the inspiration you’ve provided as I continue honing the craft! Whether or not I win the prizes, all the best to you and your family!
[...] Finally, a Giveaway!! » [...]
[...] winning comment was: Alena July 22nd, 2010 at 12:13 pm · [...]