Quick & Easy Christmas Early Bird Review!

                                                    Another Early Bird Review!

The cookbook is Gooseberry Patch Quick & Easy Christmas. So, we're having some Christmas in May! I find that it is very hard to choose just 2 or 3 recipes. They all sound good! And easy!

My first recipe I decide was Cinnamon Biscuits. They are so easy to put together and make a wonderful treat!

Cinnamon Biscuits

2 Tbsp. plus 2 tsp. cinnamon

2 C. sugar

1/2 cup butter, melted

2 (8oz. ea.) tubes refrigerated biscuits

Mix together cinnamon and sugar in a medium bowl. Place melted butter in a seperate bowl. Seperate biscuits. Dip biscuits into butter, then into cinnamon mixture. Place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 375 for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden. Makes 20.

I'm always a fan of soup. I like how easy soup is to put together, and it is filling. This soup is so creamy and is wonderful on a cool rainy day, which is the weather we've been dealing with here in Ohio!

Easy Cheesy Chicken & Dumpling Soup

4 (10-3/4 oz.) cans cream of chicken soup

4 (14-1/2 oz.) cans chicken broth

1 cup milk

salt and pepper to taste

4 cups chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

2 (14-1/2 oz.) cans sliced carrots, drained

10-oz. tube refrigerated biscuits, quartered

In a large stockpot, over med.-low heat, combine soup, broth and milk; mix well. Add seasonings, chicken and cheese; stir until cheese melts, about 10 minutes. Mix in carrots; top with biscuit pieces. Cover and simmer on low until biscuits are cooked through, about 20 minutes. Serves 8.

The last recipe that I picked sounded wonderful, but I didn't realize how wonderful it would be until I took my first bite. This pizza is addicting!! I actually crave this pizza, and may have to make it again this weekend! It's easy to put together, and is perfect for company. That is, if you really feel you must share...personally, I could eat the entire pizza!

Chicken & Rosemary Pizza

2 cups shredded mozzerella cheese, divided

2 cups cooked chicken, chopped

1 red onion, sliced

1/4 c. fresh parsley, chopped

2 Tbsp. olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, chopped

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

13.8 oz. tube refrigerated pizza dough

In a bowl, toss together 1-1/2 cups cheese and remaining ingredients, except pizza dough. Roll out dough onto a lightly greased baking sheet. Spread cheese mixture onto dough to within 1/2 inch of edge. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake at 425 degrees for 18-22 minutes, until golden. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing and serving. Serves 4-6.

Quick & Easy Christmas cookbook giveaway!

Of course, as you know, with each review, there comes the fun part! A Giveaway! This giveaway works the same as the others have. Leave a comment here at this blog post, and you will be entered in the giveaway. Please make sure I have some way to contact you to let you know.  Giveaway starts right now and a winner will be randomly picked on Tuesday, May 31 at 9:00 p.m.

Good Luck!!!!

Congratulations!

Congratulations to Violet Leonard of VA. She was chosen as the winner of the GBP cookbook 101 Easy Everyday Recipes! 

On Monday, there will be another Early Bird Review, including another cookbook giveaway! Think Christmas!!  I've picked three delicious recipes, and I can't wait to share!

Have a great weekend!

Recipe Reviews & Cookbook Giveaway!

Here is the first cookbook review and giveaway for the month of May.
The cookbook is Gooseberry Patch 101 Easy Everyday Recipes, and it's a wonderful book
full of some easy to put together recipes!

I had a difficult time choosing the recipes, because they all sound yummy, and I can tell you right now, I'll be cooking from this book often!

The first recipe is a soup recipe. I love putting soups together. And since we have had some warmer, more like summer than spring weather, I was in the mood for stuffed peppers, so went for the Unstuffed Green Pepper Soup. Even my daughter dug right in!

Unstuffed Green Pepper Soup

2 lbs. ground beef

2 (10-3/4 oz. ea.)cans tomato soup

28 oz. can petite diced tomatoes

4 oz. can mushroom pieces, drained

2 cups green peppers, diced

1 cup onion, diced

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

3 to 4 cups beef broth

2 cups cooked rice

In a stockpot over medium heat, brown ground beef; drain.

Stir in soup, vegetables and brown sugar. Add desired amount of beef broth. Simmer covered until peppers and onions are tender, about 30 minutes. Stir in rice about 5 minutes before serving. Makes 8 servings.

The second recipe really caught my attention because I've never though of pancakes being savory. This is perfect for the pizza lover in the morning!

Savory Breakfast Pancakes

2 cups biscuit baking mix

1 cup milk

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup shredded mozzerella cheese

1/2 cup pepperoni, chopped

1/2 c. tomato, chopped

1/4 c. green pepper, chopped

2 tsp. Italian seasoning

Garnish: pizza sauce, grated Parmesean cheese

Stir together baking mix, milk and eggs until well blended; add remaining ingredients except garnish. Heat a lightly greased griddle over medium-high heat. Ladle batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto the griddle; cook until golden on both sides. Garnish with warmed pizza sauce and Parmesean cheese. Makes 15 pancakes.

Of course the last recipe I chose had to be dessert!! My favorite part of any meal!

Oh, Harry! Bars

3/4 c. butter, softened

1 cup dark brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup honey

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

4 c. quick-cooking oats, uncooked

6 oz. pkg. milk chocolate chips

2/3 c. creamy peanut butter

In a bowl, beat butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in honey and ginger. Stir in oats. With moistened hands, pat mixture into the bottom of a greased 13x9 inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees until bubbly and lightly golden, about 25 minutes. In a microwave-safe bowl, heat chocolate chips and peanut butter on high for one minute. Stir; heat for another minute. Stir until all chips are melted. Spread chocolate mixture over bars and refrigerate until set. Cut into bars. Makes 2 dozen.

Now that you've had a "taste" of the goodies that are in this cookbook, you have a chance to win a free copy! All you have to do is leave a comment on this post, along with a way to contact you if you are the winner. Giveaway starts right now, May 11, 2011 and will end one week from now, May 18, 2011 at 9:00 p.m.  Good Luck!!!

UPDATE: Due to issues with Blogspot, this giveaway will end on Friday, May 20 at 9:00 p.m.! Two more days for a chance to win! Also, if you left a comment on Wednesday or Thursday last week, and do not see it posted on here, I have all comments forwarded to my email and I have them saved. Blogspot lost about 50 comments that was posted here, so they will not show up on this post, but I do have them, and will be doing the giveaway with them included.

Strawberries!

It's a little early for local strawberries, but we ran into a great deal on strawberries, so what did we do? Bought as many as we could, and put them in the freezer! I can never pass up a good deal, so I thought 5 flats (8 lb. per flat) would be plenty. When I came home from work on Tuesday night, Al had decided to pick up another 12 flats! We did find a home for 4 flats. Thank goodness! But, we were up until 2:30 a.m. doing up berries. They are so yummy!

Since berry season is getting close, and since I ended up with so many berries, I am posting a couple of recipes that I enjoy making with strawberries!

Strawberry Dessert

(from GBP's newest cookbook 101 Easy Everyday Recipes)

16.5 oz. tube refrigerated sugar cookie dough

8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened

8 oz. container frozen whipped topping, thawed and divided

1 qt. strawberries, hulled and sliced

13.5 oz. container strawberry glaze

Slice cookie dough and press into the bottom of an ungreased 13x9 inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 13-16 minutes, or until lightly golden. Cool completely on a wire rack. Mix cream cheese and one cup of whipped topping. Spread over cookie crust. Stir strawberries and glaze together and spread over top. Cover and chill. Cut into squares and serve with remaining whipped topping. Serves 10-12.

Strawberry Bread

(For any Aunt Bee fans, this recipe is from Aunt Bee's Delightful Desserts cookbook, from

the tv show "The Andy Griffith Show".)

3 cups flour

1 tsp. soda

1 tsp. salt

1 Tbsp. cinnamon

2 cups sugar

4 eggs beaten

2 (10 oz. ea. pkg.) frozen, sliced strawberries, thawed

3/4 c. chopped pecans (optional)

1 1/4 cup. vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients in a bowl; mix well. Pour into 2 greased 9x5 inch loaf pans. Bake for 1 hour. Remove to wire rack. Cut into thin slices.

*Really, really good with cream cheese frosting. Yum! 

Also, keep checking in, I will be doing two cookbook reviews this month for Gooseberry Patch! And that also means there will be two cookbooks that I will be giving away!

101 Easy Everyday Recipes

&

Quick & Easy Christmas

Now, I am off to bake up some of that yummy strawberry bread..mmmmm...