I’ve been terribly busy with cooking and baking and neglecting cookbook giveaways. Shame on me. I pulled these two lovely titles for one of you. One Big Table and Gourmet Today have enough recipes in them to keep you busy for a great deal of time.
What have I been up to? Writing. Reading cookbooks. Cooking. Baking. No candlestick making. Watching old episodes of the Great British Bake Off — so bloody good. Why didn’t anyone tell me how great that show is…okay people did but why didn’t I listen?
Enough rubbish – giveaway time. TO enter for a chance to win these massive books – leave a comment here telling me what you have been up to. (Again, you may enter daily leaving a comment until the winner is chosen). The giveaway is open to US addresses only (shipping to Canada is outrageous – I’m sorry). Canadians – will have a giveaway soon that includes you. A random winner will be chosen on August 8th – the most glorious day of the year. Why? Andrew goes back to school. I hear the angels singing.
Random Number Generator picked #36 Lisa Barron! Congratulations Lisa!
The links in this post are Amazon affiliate links. By shopping at my Amazon link (link is also on the right sidebar as well) – anything you purchase helps support this site and giveaways. Good luck!
I’ve been in the gardens…community garden and backyard garden. Lot’s of produce to pick and lots of weeds to pull. I would love, love, love to win those books…thanks Jenny!!
In between guest staying and trying to get over a cold that one of the guest”s child gave me. Wiped out.
I would love these books
I have been hanging out with my niece….she is 2 🙂
Got up early yesterday to bake blueberry cornmeal muffins and a quick 9×13 pan of cookies for those who drop in this weekend–NE Ohio is looking at 90-95 temps. And had a nice lunch w my sister and my 2 daughters.
Just enjoying the hot, beautiful summertime weather.
Did a 10 meal frozen food prep last evening with some co-workers and my daughter.
I have also been watching the latest season of GBBO. My absolute all-time favorite show. (I want to be Mary Berry when I grow up…hang with Paul and bake to perfection). Only bummer, I know who the winner is because this ran in the UK months ago.
My 6 year old grandson has been visiting this past week. I am presently planning meals for the coming week.
I have been going on long bike rides and working in my garden with my family.
My 5 year old grand daughter came to visit from Iowa. It was the first time all 4 kidlets were in the same room at once. Chaos! 5, 4, 2 and 2. Thank goodness for the park!!!
I’ve been surviving uncomfortable heat and humidity, and it seems like that’s about it these days, though life is still calm and safe, a reality I will always appreciate. Thanks for another wonderful giveaway.
I just got back from Nashville, visiting a friend.
I need to start reading my enormous collection if baking cookboojs!
I just taped the Great British Baking Show. I can’t wait to watch it.
I’ve been on vacation recently-traveling through a lot of the U.S. It’s been great but I haven’t had much time in the kitchen. These cookbooks inspire me to get back to cooking!
I’ve been up to reorganizing my kitchen.
Hiding away from the heat. In this weather poached fish is an excellent idea.it can be eaten hot or cold.
Trying to enjoy my last remaining days until I go back to school. It’s gone by all too quickly!
I’ve been canning summers bounty. Peaches in juice, blueberry jam and succotash.
We have been staying inside in the air conditioner because it is so hot and humid where I live!!
Recovering from blood clots in my lungs, enjoying reading cookbooks and making all sorts of zucchini recipes.
Today I’ve spent with my daughter, playing and making menu for next week. We are trying to change our food style a bit, by adding more veggies, which is quite difficult with a stubborn 6 years old “I love my pasta” girl. So we spent a half of the day trying to find veggies which might be accepted by her 🙂
Tonight I used a pressure cooker for the first time! It worked beautifully, and I’m hoping to become close friends with my shiny new cooker.
For a few weeks we have been trying to use up older food in our freezer and pantry so I’ve not been cooking from cookbooks, only making things up on the fly as I pull food items out together. I am pretty happy that we’re getting to food before it goes bad, and saving grocery money on top of it!
I’ve been packing up for a big move – onto new beginnings and graduate school for me!
Busy re-arranging my kitchen.
I’ve been cleaning my house getting ready for my mother-in-law to visit.
Getting ready for a visit to help my step daughter clean and cook/freeze meals for her as she just had a baby!
I’ve been cooking as usual
I’ve been dealing with an oven that has a mind of it’s own, the temp rises and falls all on it’s own one day and the next day will be have perfectly…OY! On one of it’s good days, I recently did my standby crumb cake.
Picking blueberries and making jam and pie with them!
Molly O’Neill’s NY cookbook is awesome. And I also am “discovering” stuff in the freezer and trying to use it up- today a bag with 10 shrimp in it–made a stir fry with peppers, onions, and broccoli slaw.
Not much going on here today. We watched the Formula One race from Hungary first thing this morning. I usually make popovers for a special treat during early morning races, but today I was lazy and we had Frosted Mini Wheats instead. Good race, normal breakfast.
Reading, cooking, spending time with friends and family.
We just got back from a major Costco trip and have been moving everything on our shelves around to make room for the extra food we bought. We’re set for a long time now!
I have been on vacation and eating crab cakes in Annapolis, MD.
I am just returning from a trip to upstate New York for a family wedding.
Today it’s back to the grind–and checking on our first ripening tomato–you’d think it was a newborn grandchild or something…
Quiet day today. Leftovers for dinner. It was too hot to bake, so I made a Panettone-style bread in the bread machine so we’ll have something nice for breakfast.
I’ve been getting ready to go on vacation.
I had 4 pounds of ground beef that were about to go bad, so I cooked it all up crumbled tonight so I can use it for meals this week.
I have been enjoying my books and have about a dozen new (to me) volumes I haven’t even looked at yet.
I’d love to win these books. I have been baking for my daughters wedding. The rehearsal party, the brunch the next day and the cookies for the place settings. Whew! And Jenny, I do have a US address. Where? you ask…. Why Florida of course! We have joined the great Canadian Snow Bird Migration!
Since my grandson left on Sunday, I have been cleaning and reorganizing my pantry. Bought a whole bunch of glass jars with seals and locks to take everything out of bags and boxes and store in these containers. Everything is labeled. What fun!!!
Rehabbing my older dog. Training a new puppy. Revamping my cooking to include more Paleo recipes to see if it will help my son’s overall health.
I’m working on eliminating 80% or so of the sugar from my diet and trying to stay cool while going about my business.
When starting dinner today at about 4:30, I realized that my refrigerator/freezer wasn’t working. The freezer was at 20 degrees F, and stuff at the front of the freezer was starting to soften. Panic! The manufacturer couldn’t help. The store where I bought it couldn’t help. Desperately tried (and failed) to find a place to buy a cheap refrigerator to be delivered sooner than next week. Finally called a local repair place and dealer, and caught the guy in his car on his way home from a job. He talked me through getting it running again–can you believe that? Tomorrow I’ll call him and make an appointment for him to come out and replace the wonky part. What a hero!
You know, I just realized that I used to own the Gourmet book but my husband accidentally added it to a pile of books I was purging and selling to Half Price Books. I need to get that back!
Still dealing with a messed up oven, I’m going to try baking in my countertop/convection oven. So far it’s only been used as a heating up casseroles, space taker upper.
Been trying to get my mom’s house sold (almost there!) and figuring out what to make with all the produce from my CSA deliveries!
I’very been trying to stay cool, another 11*s scorcher in Phoenix today.
I’ve been trying to stay cool, another 110’s scorcher in Phoenix today.
Trying to stay cool
Trying to survive in this heat and the smoke from the fire in Monterey.
Taking it easy indoors
Would love these books
I
Love a good tome
Today I cleaned up the refrigerator and the kitchen in anticipation of the refrigerator repair guy needing some space to work. How’s that for a fun day? (And why is my kitchen such a mess in the first place?)
Harvested our 1st 2 tomatoes yesterday and made great BLTs for dinner. Tonight was bbqd chicken and green beans (some from our tall bean plants) with sauteed mushrooms.
Thanks for the giveaway.
Have I ever mentioned that I raise and release Monarch butterflies? Tonight I had between 20 and 30 eggs hatch! It’s an awesome process to watch.
I’ve been playing with my new insta-pot. Yay, amazon prime day 🙂
Made a zucchini gratin tonight.
Not much shaking today. Grocery shopping was the highlight.
Thank the Lord that today is Friday! Two days off is very needed this week.
Today I took a trip to the summer farmer’s market. Beautiful and inspiring produce everywhere.
Plan to quilt/ piece today, hopefully. Ordered my daughter’s wedding shower invitations today and made a blueberry almond tart.
Today was as quiet as a day could be. Just me and the dogs and cat on a hot day, hanging out.
Just saw Anne’s comment about raising Monarch butterflies. Now THAT is cool!
I have the day off tomorrow with my husband, a rare treat. So I’m planning a fun picnic and we’re headed up to the high country with the furbaby. Bet these cookbooks have some fun picnic adaptable recipes in them!
So fun to watch Jimmy Walker win the PGA Championship today! I’ve been watching the tournament since Thursday, and he was in the lead almost the whole time. Good for him!
Today we had lunch out, which we almost never do. It was a great treat!
Happy Monday!
Hi there
My spouse had today off, and we did a few errands and he took me out to lunch. We went to one of those places that only locals know about, and it was really good. Sometimes it’s a good thing to be a local in a touristy area.
Went for a nice hike today, the lake was beautiful.
Chasing deer away from our front yard -flower bed-tomato/ green bean/ pepper plant garden.
I love any of the gourmet books…have an original 2 book set from waaaaayyyy back.!!
oops forgot to mention. more pie crust practice! i am bound and determined to learn how to flute/roll the edge as beautifully as my mom use to do! it is an art!!!
Love this website and your giveaways 🙂
The comments on this post are fun, seeing what everybody is doing in sort of a random stream-of-consciousness sort of way. Around here, I’m in full-on Monarch caterpillar production, with about 60 of them in jars in the laundry room. I’m constantly checking them, changing their milkweed leaves, dumping out the frass (caterpillar poop), and making sure they’re all okay. Won’t be long until some of them form their chrysalises.
Seriously Anne, you have the coolest hobby! That would be so fun to see. How did you get started with this?
Hola
Checking in for today. I just enjoyed a lovely couple of days off with the DH. Here’s to another great week ahead.
“Frass” My new favorite word. Only butterflies by me are outside but sounds wonderful. I’m off to sew/ quilt.
I’m so pleased that other commenters are interested in my Monarch butterfly nursery project! Thanks, guys. Angie, I’ve always loved Monarchs, because they’re incredibly beautiful at all three stages, from their yellow, black, and white striped caterpillars, to their gorgeous green chrysalises with gold designs on them, to the lovely orange, black, and white butterflies. A few years ago, a few stray milkweed plants showed up near my kitchen door (milkweed is the only plant the caterpillars eat). When I read that only about 10% of eggs surviive to the butterfly stage in the wild, I started bringing in eggs and caterpillars, where their survival rate is closer to 95%. Since then, I’ve released over a hundred butterflies each year, and it looks like I’m on target for that again this year. Susan, I agree that “frass” is a fun word. I’ve learned lots of other butterfly-related words, too, like “eclose,” which is the verb for the butterfly emerging from the chrysalis.
The world needs more butterflies. Very cool project. Thanks for cookbook giveaway.
When I was out in the car today, I was struck by how much goldenrod is blooming now. Goldenrod and black-eyed Susans, and Queen Anne’s lace. Summer marches on, changing its wildflowers as the days go by.
That’s great Anne! I hardly ever see any butterflies where I live, but I suppose I could remedy that with planting butterfly friendly plants. You inspired me to research what I can plant in my zone (Seattle area) and I see that there are a lot of options. I’ll be incorporating some of these into my garden this fall and next spring. Thanks for the idea!
Hello
Happy Friday to all.
Oh Angie, how wonderful that you’ll be planting some butterfly-friendly plants! You’ll enjoy the flowers as well as the butterflies they’ll attract.
Meanwhile, back in the kitchen, I should have made tonight’s chili in my new pressure cooker but I didn’t. Maybe next time.
Currently watching the opening ceremony of the Olympics. I get so excited for it every time but forget how much they can drag on.
Checking in for today 🙂
Today is my little town’s summer festival, and in about five minutes, they’ll be shooting off fireworks from the town wharf, which I look at out my windows. It’s so cool to stand on the deck and have fireworks going off right over my head! On my way out now to enjoy the show.
The monkey chased the weasel
Jenny, I bet you’re busy with back to school stuff now!
Have a great weekend!
This morning I just happened to catch golfer Jim Furyk shooting the lowest score ever in PGA tournament play! He shot a 58, and darn near shot a 57. Only a handful of PGA professionals have ever scored a 59, and Furyk is one of them–in fact, he’s the last one to have managed it. And now he’s broken that record. It was quite something to see.
Hope you had a great weekend!
Over the weekend I made potato salad in my instantpot.
Just sat out for a while watching hummingbirds flit around. Incredible creatures, like fairies, with almost no fear of humans.
Hope the first day of school went well!
Entering again….I like big books!
…And I cannot lie