Cookbook review and a GIVEAWAY!

Hello to all! Did you have a good Christmas? It was great here...my sister and her family visited from Pennsylvania. The cousins had so much fun together. I will talk about all that on another post, but for now I want to post my Early Bird Review of Gooseberry Patch's upcoming cookbook, Homestyle in a Hurry!

Leave a comment on the end of this post to enter my giveaway! I will pick one random comment to win a new copy of this yet-to-be-released cookbook. I will choose a winner in one week...January 4, 2001. Gooseberry Patch does not compensate me for my reviews, besides the complementary cookbook I receive and the one that I give away on my blog. They want my honest opinions, so here goes!

I made three recipes from this book...the first was Sourdough Chicken Casserole. Here's what you'll need:

You will need: 4 C. sourdough bread, cubed; 1/4 C. plus 2 T. butter, melted and divided; 1/3 C. grated parmesan cheese; 2 T. fresh parsley, chopped; 2 sweet onions, sliced; 8-oz. pkg. sliced mushrooms; 1 C. white wine or buttermilk; 10-3/4 oz. can cream of mushroom soup; 1/2 C. roasted red peppers, chopped; 2-1/2 C. cooked chicken, shredded; 1/2 t. salt; and 1/4 t. pepper.

In a large bowl, toss together bread cubes, 1/4 C. butter, cheese and parsley; set aside.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, saute onions in remaining butter for 15 minutes, or until dark golden.

Add mushrooms and saute for 5 minutes. 

 Add remaining ingredients.

 Stirring constantly, cook an additional 5 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.

 Pour into a lightly greased 9x9 baking pan (I used 11x7);

Top with bread cube mixture.

 Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, or until golden. Makes 4 servings.

RECIPE REVIEW: The casserole was good, but not necessarily one I will make again. The baking time was short but I thought the prep time wasn't really "homestyle in a hurry." The topping was the best part; really, really good with the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.

The second recipe I tried was Sunny Lemon Blossoms. 

For the cakes, You will need: 1 box yellow cake mix; 3.4-oz. pkg. instant lemon pudding mix; 4 eggs, beaten; and 3/4 C. oil.
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.

Spray mini muffin cups with non-stick vegetable spray; fill cups 1/2 full with batter.

Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes. Cool in muffin tin on wire rack 10 minutes; remove cupcakes from tin and cool completely.

For the glaze, You will need: 4 C. powdered sugar; 1/3 C. lemon juice; 3 T. lemon zest; 3 T. oil; and 3 T. water. I used two lemons for the zest and juice.

 Combine all ingredients.

 Stir until smooth.

Dip each cupcake into Lemon Glaze to coat; shake off excess. Place on a wire rack set over a baking sheet (I used waxed paper); refrigerate until set. (Not necessary for me...it was a chilly day!) Makes 4 dozen.

 

RECIPE REVIEW: FABULOUS!! My kids have declared Sunny Lemon Blossoms to be their "new favorite food." They are sweet, moist, and the lemon glaze gives them a perfectly sweet-tart finish. They're darn cute  too. My husband and guests loved them as well...definitely, DEFINITELY one of the top treats I made for Christmas this year. These will go into my permanent rotation. I love taking mixes and "doctoring" them up to be something special. This was a winner.

Plus you can put them on a snowman plate to make cute eyes!

The third recipe was Reuben Dip.

You will need: 1/2 lb. deli corned beef, diced; 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened; 1 C. shredded Swiss cheese; 1 C. sauerkraut, drained; 1/2 C. sour cream; 1 T. ketchup; and 2 t. spicy brown mustard.
Stir all ingredients in a bowl; spoon into greased one-quart casserole dish.

My sister Kathleen helping out!

Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.

Serve warm with rye crackers or sliced party rye bread. Make 4 cups.

RECIPE REVIEW: Oh. My. Goodness. This dip is soooooo good. I made this on Christmas and when we all first tried it, right out of the oven, the flavors hadn't melded yet so we weren't quite sure. But then, as it cooled a bit, everything came together and we all just loved it. It's a very addicting dip, be warned! My brother-in-law Steve suggests adding some Parmigiano-Reggiano to the top before baking, and I think that would be great too. But as is, it's delicious.

So overall I am very pleased with this cookbook. There are several other recipes that I plan to make as well. Let me know if you make any of these recipes, I'd love to hear how you like them! And don't forget to leave a COMMENT so that you'll be eligible to win your very own advance copy! Good luck!

♥ Jen