"101 Easy Everyday Recipes" review and GIVEAWAY!

Hello friends! I recently had the privilege to review an advanced copy of this new cookbook from Gooseberry Patch.

This is the first time I have tried one of their photo cookbooks, and I was very pleased with it. I love to see a photo of the dish I'm cooking, don't you? This book is divided into five sections: Easy-Breezy Breakfasts, Toss-Together Suppers, Dinner's in the Oven, Sides in a Snap, and No-Fuss Desserts. I tried out three recipes so far...two desserts and one main dish. Shall we get started?

The first one is Joyce's Chocolate Chip Pie.

 You will need: 2 eggs, beaten

1/4 Cup all-purpose flour

1/3 Cup sugar

1-1/2 Cups brown sugar, packed

1 Cup chopped pecans

1/2 Cup butter, melted and cooled slightly

3/4 Cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

9-inch pie crust

Optional: whipped cream, additional mini chocolate chips

In a bowl, mix eggs, flour, sugars, pecans, and melted butter until well blended. (I didn't have pecans...so I used walnuts, and only maybe 1/2 cup. You know the no-nuts policy here that the kids have. But I figured it needed some, at least.)

By the way, do yourself a favor and wear an apron. If you're anything like me, your shirt may end up looking like this...

Sprinkle chocolate chips in unbaked pie crust. (I made mine from a box mix.)

Pour egg mixture over top.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until golden.

Pie will become firm as it cools. Garnish as desired. Serves 8.

RECIPE REVIEW: The children have declared this their Favorite Pie Ever. It is sweet, chocolatey, gooey...everything a kid could want. It's not firm like a typical chocolate chip cookie pie...it's more like a pecan pie with extras. It's really good, super easy and I will definitely make this again!

Ok, onto the next one! This dish is called Sunday Meatball Skillet.

You will need: 3/4 lb. ground beef (forgot to put this in the picture)

1 Cup onion, grated

1/2 Cup Italian-flavored dry bread crumbs

1 egg, beaten

1/4 Cup ketchup

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 Cups beef broth

1/4 Cup all-purpose flour

1/2 Cup sour cream

8-oz. pkg. medium egg noodles, cooked (although I used extra-wide)

Garnish: chopped fresh parsley

In a bowl, combine beef, onion, bread crumbs, egg, ketchup and pepper. May I say something here? Ok, have you ever tried to grate an onion? What a mess! I ended up with a little bit of onion pulp, and a lot of onion juice. I even squirted some in my hair and my eye. Ick! So I gave up and went with a Tablespoon of this...

My son doesn't like the texture of onions in meatballs so I figured this was a win-win. Anyway, let's continue!

Shape into one-inch meatballs.

Spray a skillet with non-stick vegetable spray. Cook meatballs over medium heat, turning occasionally, until browned, about 10 minutes. Remove meatballs and let drain on paper towels. In a bowl, whisk together broth and flour; add to skillet.

Cook and stir until mixture thickens, about five minutes.

Stir in sour cream. Add meatballs and noodles; toss to coat. Cook and stir until heated through, about five minutes. Garnish with parsley. Serves 4.

Recipe Review: Really really yummy. I didn't stir the noodles into the meatballs; I just spooned the meatballs on top. The flavors are really good togther and it was a quick meal on a busy evening. Definitely not just for Sunday!

All righty, the last one is another dessert...Coconut Cupcakes.

 You will need: 2/3 Cup sweetened flaked coconut

1-1/4 Cups powdered sugar

1-1/2 Cups all-purpose flour

1/8 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 Cup butter, melted and cooled slightly

5 egg whites, beaten

12 raspberries (I used strawberries, we like them better)

Vanilla Frosting (see below)

 
In a bowl, combine coconut, powdered sugar, flour, salt, and baking powder.

Mix in melted butter.

Ugh, this stirring by hand is too hard for my lazy self.

Ah, much better! Stir in egg whites until well combined.

Line a muffin tin with 12 paper liners; fill liners with batter 2/3 full. (My tip: use a nonstick cooking spray-coated ice cream scoop. You might not get 12 but still, it makes life easier.)

Bake at 375 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes, until firm.

Let cool. Make the frosting.

Vanilla Frosting: 1-1/2 Cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
4 to 5 tsps. hot water

In a bowl, combine all ingredients. Beat to desired consistency, adding more water or sugar as needed. Spread Vanilla Frosting onto cupcakes; top each with a raspberry and let set. Makes one dozen.

RECIPE REVIEW: Delicious! A nice little treat that we all enjoyed. The combination of vanilla, coconut and strawberries is great. They don't keep long so don't make them too much ahead of time, FYI.

I hope you enjoy these sample recipes! 101 Easy Everyday Recipes is a fantastic cookbook, I know you will enjoy it! If you'd like to pre-order it (it won't be available until mid-June), you can do so here. But I hope you enter my giveaway for a free copy! All you have to do is leave a comment on this post (with a way to contact you, please), and I will draw a random winner next Wednesday, May 18th. Good luck and thanks for visiting!

♥ Jen