Mandy's Recipe Box

Where a balance diet is a dessert in each hand

Gooseberry Patch Cookbook Giveaway

by

I was recently contacted by the good folks at Gooseberry Patch. They wanted to see if I’d be interested in doing a review and a giveaway of their Quick & Easy Christmas cookbook. 
Um…Yeah I think I might!

I really love Gooseberry Patch. They are always bringing us new and fun cookbooks and ideas. Have you checked out their blog? I am a frequent visitor over there. I’m always linking up some recipes to their link-up parties. They also have great stuff on YouTube.

Now onto the Review…
There are over 220 Christmastime recipes! Most you can make in under 30 minutes. Who couldn’t use quick and easy Christmas recipes in their lives? Plus there’s great tips and memories included. I love that feature. To make matters better, there are plenty of recipes that you could make any time of the year like the two I chose to make as a preview of the goodness in this book. Chicken Cacciatore and Peanut Butter Popcorn. Don’t they just sound divine? They are.
1 onion, thinly sliced and separated into rings
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced
1 Tbsp. garlic chopped
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
6 oz. can tomato paste
3/4 c. water
16 oz. pkg. angel hair pasta, cooked

In a slow cooker, layer the onion, chicken, garlic, seasonings, tomatoes, tomato paste, and water. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Serve over pasta.

I really liked this dish. I put in together in the morning and it was ready to eat at dinner time. I didn’t have crushed tomatoes so I used whole stewed tomatoes and put them in my processor and crushed them that way. Worked perfectly. I also used 1/2 tsp. minced garlic instead of fresh garlic. I had to sprinkle the top with shredded Parmesan cheese. Of course.

2 (3 1/2 oz.) bags microwave popcorn, popped
1/2 c. margarine
3/4 c. brown sugar
20 marshmallows
1/4 c. creamy peanut butter

Place popcorn into a large bowl; set aside. In a separate microwave-safe bowl, combine margarine, brown sugar, and marshmallows. Microwave on high at one-minute intervals, stirring in between each interval, until mixture is melted and smooth. Stir in peanut butter until well blended. Pour over popcorn; stir quickly to coat before it cools. Option: Bake the popcorn on an ungreased baking sheet at 200 degrees for 20 minutes.

This was a tasty treat! I want to try it with air popped popcorn next time to compare the tastes, but it’s a winner at our house. This is the perfect treat for a lazy winter (on any) day playing board games or watching old movies.

So that’s that.

Oh wait.

I received two cookbooks. Oops.
Want one? 
Okay.
All you gotta do is choose one or more or all of the following (Be sure they are separate comments for each thing you do as those are your entries):
1. Leave a comment telling me your favorite Christmas meal/treats. It’s only around 12 weeks away (Your welcome).
2. Post this giveaway on your facebook and leave a comment telling me you did.
3. Like Mandy’s Recipe Box on Facebook and leave a comment telling me you did or already do.
4. Become a Follower through Google (on left side of my blog) and tell me you did or already are.
5. Like Gooseberry Patch on facebook and tell me you did or already do.
Giveaway ends Monday Oct. 10th at midnight Mountain Time. Giveaway is only open to US residents (sorry, I’m shipping the cookbook so I gotta be frugal). 
Good luck!

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Comments

  4. My favorite Christmas treat is my Grammy&#39;s peanut butter fudge. I can make it year round, but for some reason, the package the shows up each Dec from her always tastes better!<br /><br />Everyday Mom&#39;s Meals

  12. I&#39;m a follower!! And my favorite Christmas food tradition is when we decorate our tree (right after Thanksgiving) and we make &quot;Make-Your-Own&quot; Boboli Pizzas for dinner and &quot;Santa&#39;s Hats (Scoop of Peppermint ice cream with a cone on top….plus decorations) for dessert!!

  13. My favorite treats are caramel nuts popcorn, any peanut butter/chocolate combo, and granola mixes.<br />cindyskitchen@yahoo.com

  18. My favorite Christmas time treat is homemade caramels. We typically only make them 1-2 times a year, Christmas being one of them :)<br />Meggs<br />urbakinmecrazyy@aol.com

  19. Mandy – what an awesome giveaway. I&#39;ve been following you at Google for a long time. ~The Better Baker

  25. I really like my mom&#39;s candy bars she makes pretty much every year. I just barely got her recipe this last year so now I can make my own. 🙂 Watch out scale!

  27. I LOVE sharing a box of SEES candy with my family at Christmas. My husband&#39;s mom always gives us a box &amp; since we only allow ourselves to eat it during Christmas (we love associating it with Christmas!)we literally eat it in 2 days!! GREAT giveaway!!

  41. Hi Mandy! I follow your blog, I follow you on FB, I follow Gooseberry Patch on FB and I posted this giveaway to my FB page. Thanks!<br /><br />Tricia @ Recipe Roundup

  42. My favorite Christmas treat is my grandmas homemade icing for cutouts.. Last yr she showed me how she makes it and Ive slowly been trying to perfect it since she doesnt measure it out ever since shes shown me how she does it =]

  55. I love for egg nog! It&#39;s my favorite Christmas treat! But a close second is the prime rib my mom makes for Christmas dinner! 🙂

  70. Our family has done Turkey and Hams for christmas my favorite is the Turkey dinners just like Thanksgiving. But I would have to say my all time favorite is the desserts you only seem to have on Holidays.!!!

  71. Favorite treat would have to be Christmas cookies :)<br /><br />Melanie<br />Mhinkeldey@yahoo.com

  72. I also just &quot;liked&quot; you on FB…<br /><br />Melanie<br />Mhinkeldey@yahoo.com

  73. I already &quot;like&quot; Gooseberry Patch on FB…<br /><br />Melanie<br />Mhinkeldey@yahoo.com

  74. My favorite part of the xmas meal is the HAM, when I was a kid my mom would make it with a brown sugar glaze pineapple and cloves. After marrying my hubby who makes a wicked red eye gravy I can no longer have the glaze and pineapple my kids would revolt if no gravy lol

  75. I just shared this post /contest on my facebook. I would so love to win. I&#39;ve never won anything before it would make the Holidays so wonderful to win a new cookbook and try the recipes on family and friends. Thank you so much. Trina<br /><br />panskit@gmail.com

  76. my favorite treat is fannie mae fudge which i make every winter with my granddaughter courtney.

  83. Too many favorite treats to name for me! But, my husband insists on a Lane Cake (very southern) and my teen kids love red Velvet Cake. <br />MLJPATRIOT@AOL.com

  86. Of course I am a fan of Gooseberry Patch on facebook! I have a collection of their books, and some recipe entries in a few myself!<br />MLJPATRIOT@AOL.com

  104. Love Gooseberry Patch(liked on facebook)…liked Mandy&#39;s recipes….ham w/all the trimmings, and we love to make home-made candies and cookies at Christmas time…..thanks! <br />miller@harlanonline.net

  105. I love Cathdral Windows (sorta a fudgey chocolate with colored marshmallows in it, rolled into a log, cut into slices.)

  113. i follow gooseberry patch on facebook and have for quite a while now. luv it!

  116. I enjoy Spiced Cider, Cookies with Icing, and a nice meal with Turkey and Dressing and Ham. With all the various side dishes.<br />Brenda Easter Wilson

  117. My favorite treats is all the different pies. I posted the giveaway. I liked Mandys recipe box. I already liked gooseberry patch. I became a follower through google. Thanks

  120. Also, I liked your page (and I like your page). And another fav holiday treat: Thick and Chewie Cookies. They are amazing!! A 1/2 cup of dough each of oatmeal, raisins, craisins, chocolate chips, mnm&#39;s, peanut butter, brown sugar and oats!! Worth adding some winter warmth to the thighs . . .

  122. My favorite Christmas treat are Snowball cookies. I make them every year and they are THE best cookie ever. That&#39;s why I only make them at Christmas! LOL!<br />Have a great day!<br />Kim

  130. A long time family favorite is for us to make homemade whipped cream, add drained fruit cocktail, and sliced banana&#39;s. It wouldn&#39;t be a holiday without it. Also, I have liked both your page and Goosberry Patch on FB. My sister posted your giveaway on my homepage on FB, too. We are trying!<br /><br />Thanks, you have a great page 🙂

  133. My favorite part of Christmas dinner is the Whipped Cream salad. :)<br /><br />colleengb@hotmail.com

  134. My favorite Christmas meal would be my mother&#39;s Duck Soup or czarnina—she didn&#39;t use the duck blood as is the Polish tradition, She used chicken broth and lots of fruit, like raisons and prunes. I also loved the 20 pound box of chocolates my dad would pass around on Christmas Eve. arlene Marie Pitts email: carpediem5790@yahoo.com Happy Holidays! lol

  141. I do so much baking between Thanksgiving and New Year&#39;s that I generally give away to whoever looks like they could use an uplift. Cookies, breads, sweets, cakes, nothing is sacred!! Any type of bread is my favorite tho; I love to knead!! and I need to love!

  151. I already like Mandy&#39;s Recipe Box on Facebook and I&#39;m glad you fixed the problem to enter the contest.<br />Karen Hamill Gervais

  155. Was totally confused yet here I am! Already &#39;liked&#39; your page….;liked&#39; gooseberry patch… and favorite Christmas food is all the delicious Christmas cookies…especially suger cookies decorated with all that pretty stuff and love! 🙂

  165. I love your blog and would love to win this cookbook!! My favorite holiday treat is fudge.<br /><br />roxannewv@yahoo.com

  166. Thanks for the reminder that Christmas isn&#39;t as far away as it seems….gotta get the planning started! I love Christmas Eve when we have a meal made up of all appetizers. It&#39;s my favorite tradition.

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