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I have a bit of an addiction to cookbooks. It’s really quite a problem. My collection has officially outgrown the storage cabinet in the kitchen, so they’ve recently worked their way to my office and into their own shelving unit. Like many food lovers, I devour the pages of cookbooks and food related magazines more so than novels.
If I am really geeked about a cookbook, I’ll preorder it on Amazon, so it arrives on my doorstep pretty much on the day of its release. That was exactly what I did for Alice Currah’s debut cookbook, Savory Sweet Life, which hit store shelves on June 5th. I get really excited when fellow food bloggers secure book deals and it’s pretty fantastic to see their recipes, stories and photos transform from the web into tangible pages.
I met Alice a couple of years ago at BlogHer Food in San Francisco and she quickly became one of my absolute favorite sites to read. Her genuine approach to food and life allows her to connect with her readers in a truly special way. After you read just a few pages, you’ll feel right at home in Alice’s kitchen as she expertly guides you through each of her recipes.
Alice’s book, Savory Sweet Life is full of 100 delicious and beautifully photographed recipes that are perfectly divided into family occasions. Whether you’re looking for a menu for a birthday celebration, a lunch with friends, or scrumptious snacks for family game night – Alice has you covered with her simple and creative recipes that are sure to create meaningful memories.
From the moment I first flipped through the book, her recipe for chocolate chip cookies immediately caught my attention. Alice dubbed this recipe “The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Ever”, and I must say, they are quite incredible – in fact, I made them twice within two days. Her use of dark brown sugar creates a deep, rich flavor that pairs perfectly with the crispy bottoms and soft, chewy centers. There is really no question why this recipe became one of the most viewed recipes on Alice’s blog.
You can find Alice through her blog, Savory Sweet Life and also through Facebook and Twitter.
Because I think Alice’s cookbook, Savory Sweet Life is incredibly lovely, I want to give 3 MBA readers a chance to win a copy of their very own.
[pinit]
HOW DO YOU WIN?
Simply leave a comment within this post telling me about your favorite food memory.
IMPORTANT DETAILS:
-This giveaway is open to USA residents only and will run until Monday, June 25th, 2012 at 11:59 pm EST.
-Winner(s) will be generated via a random number generator software program. Winner will be notified via the contact email provided on the comment contact form.
-Winner(s) will have until 6/29/12 to claim their Savory Sweet Life cookbook or we will choose another winner.
-Books will be shipped by My Baking Addiction through Amazon.
-Links within this post are generated though My Baking Addiction’s Amazon affiliate program.
-No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law. Must be 18 years of age to enter. See Official Giveaway Rules
DISCLOSURE:
This giveaway is provided to you by My Baking Addiction.
All images provided by Alice Currah
Savory Sweet Life's Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 1/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 360°F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. Using a hand or stand mixer, cream the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar together on medium-high speed for 3 minutes, until nice and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one ay a time, then add the vanilla, and mix for 2 minutes. Reduce the mixer speed to mediium-low and add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. When the cookie dough has absorbed the dry ingredients, stir in the chocolate chips and mix until they are well distributed.
3. Drop 2 tablespoons of dough (or use a medium cookie scoop) onto the cookie sheet for each cookie, spacing them 2 inches apart. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the edges are nice and golden brown. Remove the cookie sheet from the oven and allow the cookies to cool for 2 minutes. Then slide the parchment paper, with the cookies still on top, onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes:
- Kosher salt can be substituted for the sea salt.
Source: Savory Sweet Life Cookbook
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My favorite food memory is when my little brother and I made our own buttered toast. It was just butter and toast and we thought it was the best thing in the world…and we made it all by ourselves! Hahaha! We had tons of toast and had no room for dinner. Sorry mom!
My favorite food memory would have to be waking up early in the morning to the smell of bacon fried rice that my mother would cook for us whenever she had left over rice.
It’s a tough choice to decide on just one but I would have to say my favorite memory would be of my 2 sisters and I making chocolate chip cookies when our parents would go out on a Saturday night. We thre. Girls used to fight all of the time, so this was one of the very few times I remember us enjoying each other’s company (and eating raw cookie dough).
My favorite food memory is helping my mom make Thanksgiving dinner. She always let me stuff the turkey!!! But equal to that is making lefse with my grandma and aunt. I still make it every year – brings tears to think of those wonderful times.
When my Dad and I used to go visit my grandmother, she would fill a plastic container FULL of her tea cakes. We used to eat them by the handful, they were always a huge hit with us.
Every summer when I was a little girl, I got to go and spend a month in West Virginia with my grandmother. She was elderly even then – not the grandma that people have now that do active crazy things with their grandchildren…she was over 60 when I was born…
We cooked things every day – things my non-cooking mother didn’t have a clue about. I made my first roast beef – my first homemade mac and cheese – all the comfort food I still cook today. But what REALLY stands out is that once or twice a week she had her “circles” – groups of other little old ladies who came to our house, and we made finger sandwiches, and jello salads, and all kinds of crazy “luncheon” stuff…
I learned about how to present food and how to consider a guest’s opinions and taste when planning a menu…it literally shaped my food life.
My favorite food memory hands down is the Thanksgiving that my mother and grandmother got up early and got the turkey all ready and into the oven. They then left to visit my great-uncle but they left me instructions on basting the turkey. When the appropriate basting time came I opened the oven only to be faced with a cold turkey and no juices for basting. It seems that, in their hurry to go a visiting, they forgot to turn on the oven. I called Mom and relayed the news. She told me to blast the oven and she and Grandma came tearing back from my uncle’s house. We had recently acquired a microwave oven, so when they got home Mom got out the electric knife, hacked the bird in half, threw half in the microwave and half in the oven. When the microwave dinged she switched the halves out. When it came time to carve the bird we were faced with a turkey with it’s legs spread toward opposite walls which was being held together with skewers. As bad as the bird looked, it was the most moist and delicious turkey we’ve ever had.
I remember helping my grandmother cook every Sunday for our weekly gathering (for about 30 people). She taught me how to make sauces and pasta etc. Til this day whenever, I smell sauces simmering on the stove-top I think about her
I was about 5 years old . . . sitting at the kitchen table with my Grandpa eating the crust end of warm freshly baked bread smothered in butter and liking my fingers so I wouldn’t waste a drop . . . I’ll never forget the feeling of home and comfort!
One of my favorite memories is Baking cookies with my mom and brother when we were very young. Mom would always set us on the counter to help, and she’d always let us take a small lump of brown sugar to enjoy. Melting on our tongues, we knew mom’s choice of sugar would make delicious cookies!