Giveaway: An Amish Kitchen

I don't know about you, but I love it when fiction incorporates food. A heartwarming story that is punctuated by recipes? Sign me up, yo.

And now, I'm ready to give away a copy of An Amish Kitchen, just such a book. Here's the synopsis:

- - - - -

The Amish Kitchen is the Heart of the Home – and the Ideal Setting for Stories of Love and Hope.

Fall in Paradise, Pennsylvania always brings a brisk change in the weather. This time also provides unexpected visitors, new love, and renewed hope for three women.

Fern has a green thumb for healing herbs and flowers, but longs for love to bloom in her life. The next-door neighbor’s oldest son Abram comes running into Fern’s kitchen seeking help for his little sister. The crisis soon leads to a promise of romance—until an incident threatens to end their growing attraction.

Nearby, Hannah runs her parents’ bed and breakfast, Paradise Inn—but her life feels nothing like Paradise. She longs for a man of integrity to enter her life, but never expected him to knock on the front door looking for a room. Will she be able trust Stephen with her future once she discovers his mysterious past?

When a storm blows a tree onto Eve’s farmhouse, she has little choice but to temporarily move her family into her parents’ home. Outside of cooking together in the kitchen, Eve and her mother can’t agree on anything. But this may be just the recipe for hope in healing old wounds.

Three Amish stories—each celebrating love, family, and faith—all taking place in a tight-knit community where the kitchen truly is the heart of the home.

- - - - -

Oh, and it has recipes, too. Here's one of them, with one of the authors pictured holding the pie!

Rosemary’s Apple Crumb Pie

• 6 cups peeled and sliced (or chopped) apples
• 1 1/3 cups sugar
• 3 tablespoons flour
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup ½ & ½ cream
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon

Crumbs:

• ½ cup butter, cold
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 cup flour

Directions:

• Combine all ingredients and place in an unbaked pie shell.
• Combine crumb mixture and sprinkle on top.
•  Bake at 325°F for 55 minutes or until apples are done.

Now. Back to the giveaway. Want to win a copy of An Amish Kitchen? Cool, dudes. All you have to do is leave a comment on this post, or on the CakeSpy Facebook page, telling me your favorite type of fall pie. Traditional Thanksgiving Pumpkin Pie? Rich pecan pie with cranberry? You tell me. But do it before next Monday, the 19th, at 5pm EST - cos the giveaway will close then! Because the book will be shipped from the publisher, US residents only, please.

Update on Monday, November 19, 2012 by Cakespy

UPDATE: THE WINNER!

I've chosen a winner at random! It's Cathy, who had this to say about her fall pie preference:

I LOVE so many pies it is hard to decide! I guess, well let me see...... oh my this is hard :-(
Fruit pies are great, so are cream filling pies, grandma always made her special recipe cheesecake, but, that is not a pie. :-[ I do love ice cream pies, do they count? A nice cool chocolate mint ice cream pie! It that doesn't count, then I pick fresh razzelberry pie with ice cream! 

Congratulations Cathy, and enjoy!

Giveaway: The Newlywed Cookbook by Sarah Copeland

I have a book to tell you about. It's called The Newlywed Cookbook: Fresh Ideas and Modern Recipes for Cooking With and for Each Other. I know what you're thinking. Why should you care about this book? 

Well, because the couple that cooks together stays together. And because there's a killer dessert chapter. It includes cocoa, carrot cake bars, upside-down rhubarb cake, etc, and there are also some brunch recipes that are on the sweet side as well. So while the cookbook isn't completely dessert-focused, there's a large, decadent dessert section.

The book was donated for this giveaway by BHLDN, Anthropologie’s one year old sister store. Who are they? Well, I'll let them explain: "a wedding and special occasion retailer that provides attire and accessories for unique, fun-loving brides and their guests. They also sell uncommon, vintage-inspired décor to create the perfect atmosphere for any special occasion. From cake stands to pinwheels, BHLDN’s décor works for any soiree, from a sweet wedding to a special birthday brunch."

But back to that book and its desserts. Want to win a copy? I feel you. All you have to do to enter is this: leave a comment, either here or on the CakeSpy Facebook page, saying your favorite sweet to eat with others. It could be the chocolate torte you love to share with your sweetie, the double popsicle you like to split with your BFF, or maybe even the 2-pack of pop-tarts that you split with your toddler. What's your favorite sweet to share?

This giveaway will close next Monday, November 12, at 5pm EST. Per the request of BHLDN, this giveaway is only open to US residents. Good luck!

Update on Tuesday, November 13, 2012 by Cakespy

Update: The winner!

We have a winner! It is Margaret, who says:

I love to eat my favorite cake which is a family recipe- Bourbon pound cake! Maybe because we all drink bourbon with it :)

Congratulations, Margaret, and enjoy!

Bad Hot Chocolate, Awesome Book Giveaway

Yesterday, I had a really terrible hot chocolate. I mean awful.

It was surprising because it was at a cafe where the food is quite good. It was on the menu, for $3.50, advertised as "hot chocolate with whipped cream". Yum.

But when it was delivered, there were some things wrong.

First, there was no whipped cream.

Second, it was made with a mix. Already bad enough, but to add insult to injury, it was improperly mixed, and still lumpy.

Third, it was made with water, not milk. Gross!

So, I sent it back. They were apologetic and offered to re-make it...but I declined. And I got to thinking: what makes a really good hot chocolate? Is it the chocolate itself? The milk? The temperature? The texture? Well, kind of all of the above. For me, it's a rich drinking chocolate like I had at Cafe Angelina in Paris.

What about you? What is your ideal hot chocolate? 

Feel free to chime in, and you'll be entered to win a copy of this AWESOME book by Lara Ferroni entitled Real Snacks: Make Your Favorite Childhood Treats Without All the Junk. I'm a huge fan of Lara's work, and also love her previous recipe book, Doughnuts: Simple and Delicious Recipes to Make at Home.

This time, she's back with homemade versions of popular snack treats. Sweet and savory. Some examples:

I do believe I spied a unicorn on those pages! 

OK. So, to review: 

Leave a comment telling me about what makes the ideal hot chocolate, in your opinion (is it from a place? Made with heavy cream, at home? Or perhaps it's just Swiss Miss? I'm curious!). And on October 15 at 5pm EST, I will choose one lucky winner (at random) to get a copy of this great new book by Lara Ferroni. Due to the price of shipping overseas, I can only open this one to US residents.

Update on Monday, October 22, 2012 by Cakespy

UPDATE: THE WINNER!

The winner, chosen at random, was Melissa C, who said "The best hot chocolate can be found on the streets of Spain. It is served warm and has almost a pudding like consistency. It is served to accompany a very special treat: The fresh, hot and dazzling cinnamon ladden churro....."

Yum! Thanks for playing! 

Giveaway: Verizon Jetpack!

This custom painting I did seemed appropriate for this post!

There's a saying (made up by me) that goes "how do I know it really happened if I didn't Twitter or Facebook it?".

What I mean to say by that is: technology is important. For everything. Including eating and baking cakes (it enables us to find recipes and post pictures!). My site wouldn't exist without technology. And I'm part of the Verizon Wireless Savvy Gourmets group to celebrate this fact.

And as part of that group, they've offered me a Verizon Jetpack to give away!!

If you win, Verizon will be sending you the Jetpack, a SIM card (needed for activation), a $150 Verizon Wireless gift card (to purchase other equipment or use toward bills), and instructions for how to activate the device. 

Now that's totally sweet!

So. the giveaway is open through October 1, at which point it will close and I will announce a winner (I'll choose at random!). For shipping purposes, I am only able to offer this giveaway to US residents. So how do you enter?

It's easy. Simply leave a comment on this post (I have comment moderation enabled, so DO NOT FREAK OUT if it doesn't post right away) stating the following: if zombies were going to attack tomorrow, what dessert would you choose for your last meal?

Fine print about my involvement with the program: I am participating in the Verizon Wireless Midwest Savvy Gourmets program and have been provided with a wireless device and six months of service in exchange for my honest opinions about the product.

Good luck!

Update on Wednesday, October 3, 2012 by Cakespy

UPDATE: The WINNER!

Randomly chosen as the winner was Gwynne! She says her final dessert would be "

might be the frozen Nanaimo bar yogurt, but I think it's a peaches and cream crumble bar. YUM.

"

Win It: CakeSpy Tee by WhoopTee!

We can't all be t-shirt designers.

Wait...YES WE CAN!

It's proven by WhoopTee, where you can easily design-your-own tee online. Their easy to use custom design tool makes it a snap to look snazzy (yes I just said that) in the t-shirt of your own design.

It's fun, easy, and they are a great idea for gifts. I say use it!

You can ALSO win a CakeSpy tee that was designed using the WhoopTee design tool - they've offered up four of these sweet tees pictured above for me to give away! It's artwork taken from this bigger piece that you may remember:

But I digress. Down to tacks. HOW DO YOU WIN ONE?

It's so easy. All you have to do is this:

1. Respond to this post by commenting (don't panic if it does not show up right away. I have comment moderation enabled and I will get to it!) on this post. In that comment, riddle me this important question: what is your MOST EMBARRASSING DESSERT MOMENT? Ooh, I can't wait to judge you--I mean, carefully view your responses.

This giveaway will close one week from today, on Monday, September 24th; I'll announce the winners shortly after!

Update on Tuesday, September 25, 2012 by Cakespy

THE WINNERS!

They've been chosen at random! Here are their stories again:

Tracy: When I was 18, I was asked to bring a dessert to a university group pot luck. Instead of buying something because I had no money, I decided to raid my mom's cupboards and make chocolate mousse. I measured and stirred and slaved over it. I came to a part of the recipe with options. One of them was to add coffee. I was not a coffee drinker and had never considered what happened to make coffee edible but I loved the smell and all things coffee-flavored. I took out my mom's can of Folgers (1982), measured the grounds and poured them into my already amazing mousse. As you can guess, the recipe meant to add brewed coffee. I ruined the chocolate mousse. There was no way to save it! I showed up empty handed to the pot luck with my sad story. I'm pretty sure no one believed me.

Meg: My most embarrassing dessert moment was when I was making strawberry shortcakes (for the first time) for my date. He came over and I was cooking dinner and making dessert. I was so distracted by him that I put the ramekins in the oven quickly. Then, I noticed they were not rising at all. Panicking ensues and I begin going over the ingredients in the recipe. I realized that I did not add the flour!! So, I have to get the individual ramekins out of the oven, and I have a decision to make. Do I admit what I did and start over or try to salvage it? He was busy watching a basketball game, but in my apt. the t.v. faces the kitchen. So, I very discreetly begin scraping the hot liquid mix into a bowl and then add the flour. I was sure it would be a disaster. However, in a kitchen miracle the shortcakes rose perfectly and tasted great. He never knew. And now the recipe lasted longer than the date! Here's to recipes that stand the test of time.

Erin: When I was twelve, I was making a smoothie in the blender my parents had received many years before as a wedding present. For some reason, I thought it would be helpful to (while the blender was running) stick a fork inside to poke the stubborn fruits back to the bottom where they would be properly blended. Unfortunately, as you can imagine, this didn't go well. The heavy glass blender shattered COMPLETELY and sliced open my hand in the process. My mother still liked to remind me to this day that she got to clean up broken glass, peaches, and blood that had splattered ALL OVER our kitchen while I was getting doctored back up that night. 

I mean really... I was twelve. I should have known better. But apparently I was a total nincompoop. Haha.

Congratulations, gals, and til next time, stay sweet!

Giveaway: Win Paul Bradford Sugarcraft dvds

OMG! Remember that magical unicorn cupcake topper tutorial I shared with you earlier this week? Well, the good times aren't over. The Paul Bradford Sugarcraft School has offered some of their DVDs featuring other awesome tutorials, for a giveaway on this site! YES!

There are 4 dvds in total which are going to be given away to four separate winners. The DVDs you could win are:

Pirate Ship Cake Tutorial

Teddy Bear Cake Tutorial

Chocolate Wrap Cake Tutorial

Rose Wedding Cake Tutorial

So how do you enter? It's so easy. Just leave a comment on this post with a suggestion for what you think would be a great name for this magical unicorn (pictured above!). We'll choose our 5 favorites and offer up a DVD to you. Bonus points if you add why!

The giveaway is open to US residents only (so I can afford shipping!), and the giveaway will close one week from today, on July 27 at 3pm EST. Oh, and don't panic if your comment isn't instantly view-able--I have comment moderation enabled. Good luck!

Giveaway: Joy the Baker Cookbook!

This Saturday, one of my favorite sweet and awesome people in the world, Joy Wilson (but you can call her Joy the Baker) is coming to CakeSpy Shop in Seattle to promote her new book, Joy the Baker Cookbook: 100 Simple and Comforting Recipes !

You can buy her book, buy my book too, and hang out with both of us as well as the winner of the and the winner of the "So You Wanna Be a CakeSpy?" contest, Molly Allen!

But. In the odd event that you are not able to make it -- be it that you've recently lost a limb, found yourself stranded in a blizzard, or perhaps just live 2000 miles away from Seattle--there's a silver lining to that cloud: I'm giving away a copy of Joy's amazing book right here!

How do you enter? It's totally easy. You just tell me why YOU deserve it. Now, I'll be honest: the winner will be chosen at random, so cleverness is not vital in your response, but it sure will amuse me.

That's right: the heat is on. Tell me why YOU deserve the Joy the Baker cookbook ! The winner will be chosen on March 17 at noon PST. 

Update on Tuesday, March 20, 2012 by Cakespy

UPDATE: THE WINNER! It's Courtney, whose name was chosen at random. Why is she deserving, though? "I deserve the Joy the Baker cookbook because Joy's blog is the first food blog I ever read. It inspired me to start my own food blog, and three years later, her blog is still the first one I read every day" :)

Of course, you also read THIS website, right Courtney? Congratulations!

Sweet Giveaway: Win a Copy of Rosie's All-Butter Fresh Cream Sugar-Packed Baking Book

 Hey! You! Want to win something sweet for your sweetie this Valentine's Day?

Well, are you ever in luck: I've got a copy of Rosie's All-Butter Fresh Cream Sugar-Packed Baking Book to give away. As you remember, I recently featured the recipe for Chocolate Delirium from this book. 

Now, Valentine's Day is very special to bakery proprietress Judy Rosenberg--Valentine’s Day 1974 is the anniversary of the first cookies that Judy made that put her into the business. Le nom!

So what do you have to do to enter to win? 

It's easy. All you have to do is leave a comment on this post (comments are moderated, so don't panic if it doesn't show up right away!) with your response to the below question. But before I get to that, some important contest notes. CakeSpy Note: The giveaway will close on February 14, Valentine's Day, at 12pm PST. The randomly chosen winner will be contacted privately afterward. Because this prize is being donated and shipped by the publisher, they have requested that this giveaway be open to US entrants only. But I'd still love to hear your memories, foreign friends!

OK! That having been said, the question to answer to enter:

What is your favorite Valentine's Day dessert memory?

Update on Monday, February 20, 2012 by Cakespy

We have a winner!! "Sweet Eater", whose entry was chosen at random, says:

My favorite Valentine's dessert memory is when I woke up the morning of not expecting anything special to happen as I trudged to eat a normal breakfast of cereal. However, hidden behind the many boxes of cereal sitting at the table was my all-time favorite thing in the world; a Krispy Kreme glazed donut with chocolate icing and rainbow sprinkles. I couldn't help but cry out as I dug my tastebuds into the soft, gooiness and went on to eat the rest of the donuts in the fridge. Too bad those were expected to last all week for the rest of the family. ;D I love you, Mom.

Hope you enjoy the book, sweet stuff!

So You Wanna Be a CakeSpy? Official Contest Rules

Legally, I have to give you the nitty gritty for this awesome contest. Here it is:

Official Rules for the Are You a CakeSpy? Contest

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. A PURCHASE WILL NOT ENHANCE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING.

Open to residents of the fifty United States and the District of Columbia, age 18 or older.

How to Enter:

1) To enter the SO YOU WANNA BE A CAKESPY Contest ("contest"), review these Official Rules and complete the entry requirements, including your first and last name, and email address. Contest begins December 1, 2011. Entries may be sent via this website only and must be received no later than January 15, 2012, 11:59:59 PM Pacific Time. Limit one entry per person. The sole determinant of time for the purposes of receipt of a valid entry will be the computer servers of CakeSpy and Sasquatch Books ("Sponsor"). Proof of transmission (screenshots or captures, etc.) does not constitute proof of receipt.

2) Entries are void if they are in whole or in part incomplete. Sponsor assumes no responsibility for incomplete entries.

3) Sponsor is not responsible for technical, hardware or software malfunctions of any kind, lost or unavailable network connections, failed, incorrect, incomplete, inaccurate, garbled or delayed electronic communications caused by the sender, or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in this contest which may limit the ability to participate, or by any human error which may occur in the processing of the entries in this contest. If for any reason the contest is not capable of being conducted as described in these rules, Sponsor shall have the right to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the contest. In the event of a dispute over the identity of an online entrant, entry will be deemed submitted by the authorized holder of the email account associated with the entry.

Winners:

1) From all eligible entries received, one grand-prize winner, one second place winner, and one third place winner will be chosen based on creativity, documentation, and presentation on or about January 30, 2012 by Jessie Oleson.  Decisions concerning all matters related to this contest are final and binding.

2) Winners will be contacted via e-mail. The odds of winning depend on the total number of eligible entries received.

Prizes: 

1) A round-trip trip for two to Seattle, Washington, with accommodations for two nights; a visit to the CakeSpy headquarters; and a dessert tasting with Jessie Oleson.

2) A custom framed watercolor painting by Jessie Oleson, featuring the (pastry) theme or scenario of your choice, as well as a signed copy of CakeSpy Presents Sweet Treats for a Sugar-Filled Life.

3) A $50 gift card, good for use at CakeSpy Shop in Seattle or online at cakespyshop.com; a signed copy of CakeSpy Presents Sweet Treats for a Sugar-Filled Life.

4) Runners-up (4): Signed copies of CakeSpy Presents Sweet Treats for a Sugar-Filled Life.

5) In the event that there is an insufficient number of eligible entries, Sponsor reserves the right not to award the prizes. 

Eligibility: 

This Sweepstakes is open to residents of the fifty United States and the District of Columbia, age 18 or older. Employees of Sponsor, subsidiaries, affiliates or other parties in anyway involved in the development, production, or distribution of this contest, as well as the immediate family (spouse, parents, siblings, children) and household members of each such employee are not eligible to participate in the contest. Void where prohibited by law. All state and local restrictions apply.

General:

1) No substitutions, transfers or assignments of prizes allowed.

2) All expenses, including taxes (if any), related to receipt and use of prizes are the sole responsibility of the winners.

3) Winners may be required to execute an Affidavit of Eligibility and Release ("Affidavit") and if so, the Affidavit must be completed and returned within fourteen (14) days of notification or winner will forfeit their prize and another winner will be selected. Should the ARV of the prize equal or exceed $600.00, winners shall be required to provide a Social Security Number or a Taxpayer Identification Number to Sponsor for issuance of a 1099 Form.

4) By accepting a prize, winners grant to Sponsor the right to use their names, likenesses, contest entries, hometowns, and biographical information in advertising and promotional materials, including posting on the Sponsor's and author's website, without further compensation or permission, except where prohibited by law.

5) By competing in this contest and/or accepting a prize, entrants release Sponsor and the authors and/or editors of any books promoted hereby from any and all liability for any loss, harm, injuries, damages, cost or expense arising out of or relating to participation in this contest or the acceptance, use or misuse of the prize.

6) Any dispute arising from this contest will be determined according to the laws of the State of Washington, without reference to its conflict of law principles, and the entrants consent to the personal jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located in King County and agree that such courts have exclusive jurisdiction over all such disputes.

Winners List:

To receive a full list of winners, please email custserv@sasquatchbooks.com

Sponsor:

Sasquatch Books
119 S Main St Suite 400
Seattle WA 98104
(206) 467-4300

Tour de Sweet: CakeSpy in Washington DC on November 15! And a Giveaway!

Guess what, Washington DC? You thought you were sweet, but you're about to get SWEETER.

That's right: CakeSpy's Tour de Sweet is coming to town! As I said on the Facebook event page,

OMG. This is your chance--your BIG CHANCE-- to come eat cake, hang out with me, and buy a copy of my lovely and amazing new book, "CakeSpy Presents Sweet Treats for a Sugar-Filled Life"! And I will even sign it and draw a unicorn in it, if you'd like.

This is one of the best spots for cake in DC, so even if you have no interest in seeing me, come for the cake. I'll understand.

But wait, there's more! GIVEAWAYS And some sweet items to give away, like notecards and maybe even a pair or two of my cupcake-unicorn-robot socks.

Missing this would be a big mistake.

Here's the 411: Tuesday, November 15 · 7:00pm - 9pm; Location Baked and Wired, 1052 Thomas Jefferson NW Washington, District of Columbia. Online here.

BONUS GIVEAWAY!

But wait, there's more! Book signings always make me feel like giving away a copy of my book, so here's the giveaway of the week. Even if you're not in the DC area, you can enter to win! Simply visit the Baked & Wired website and tell me what sweet treat you'd most love to try from their menu. Enter this in the comments section below or on the Event page, and next Sunday at noon PST, I'll choose one winner at random!