Holiday Giveaway – BHG The Ultimate Appetizers Book AND The Betty Crocker Christmas Book

The winners are: Kim L., Amber L, Donetta, Amanda N., Emilie, and Kimberly. Send an email to kelsey[at]vanillajoy[dot]com to claim your prize!

THE PRIZE

Wiley Publishing is giving away a handful of cookbooks to help with all your Christmas cooking and baking!

Three readers will each win one copy of the Betty Crocker Christmas Cookbook, and another three readers will each win one copy of the Better Homes and Gardens Ultimate Appetizers Book.

MY REVIEW

I have been using these two cookbooks almost exclusively the past few weeks, trying out new recipes and finding some really great ones that I’ve used several times already. Here’s what I think about them both:

Betty Crocker Christmas Cookbook

I made these two FABULOUS treats among many others.

The top photo is of the very tasty Almond-Poppy Seed Muffins. I’ve made them at least twice and used a Wilton jumbo muffin pan which I love. That size is perfect for breakfast, dessert, or a snack. You only have to increase the cooking time by a few minutes and it’s less work and clean up!

Almost all the recipes in the book have little tips at the bottom. For the muffin recipe, a new twist idea is to make a glaze with powdered sugar and milk and then sprinkle glze with yellow sugar crystals for a more desserty effect. These muffins are a great variation on the old standards, and I love something different!

The second photo is of the Peppermint Cream Brownie Torte which was also excellent. I’ve already shared the recipe with many friends, and it’s a great addition to my standard holiday dessert repertoire. (I used the Wilton UltraGold 9×13 pan.)

This torte is made by layering prepared brownie cut into three rectangles and putting peppermint cream and ganache in between the layers. It’s perfectly minty and chocolately and so delicious!

Another new favorite from this book that we’ve had twice in the last two weeks is the Brunch Potatoes Alfredo with Roasted Peppers. This takes about 15 minutes to prepare and the alfredo sauce makes is such a great idea! It’s colorful with red peppers and green onions, moist, and delicious for brunch or dinner.

There are pages and pages of “Main Event” recipes, candy, holiday breads, desserts, and my favorite two sections are gifts to give and “Santa’s Workshop“.

The gift ideas section is full of great ideas:

• fudge sauce
• white chocolate-almond sauce
• mixed-berry jam
• lemon curd
• fruit dip
• cookie mixes
• soup mixes

And the workshop section is full of great ideas for kids:

• snack mixes
• no bake treats
• chocolate marshmallow dip
• peanut butter fondue
• fun dough
• squiggle paint

This book is full of great holiday staples and recipes to use throughout the year. And it’d make a great Christmas gift!!

Better Homes and Gardens: The Ultimate Appetizers Book

Appetizers are so great for entertaining but I love to make them for my kids also. The portion size is perfect and they’re just fun to eat for everyone! This book has over 450 easy recipes for great appetizers and drinks, you’ll never run out of ideas!

{featuring Wilton mini cookie cutters and a Tilt’n Mix bowl.}

I tried out a handful of recipes from this book as well and everything I tried tasted good and was easy to prepare.

1. Bruschetta with Tomato and Arugula
2. Holiday Croutons (a little side idea with the Chicken-Spinach Soup recipe that we’re having next week!)
3. and Creamy Dried-Tomato Spread (with goat cheese, cream cheese, basil, dried tomatoes…YUM!)

All these recipes are easy to prepare but kind of fancy too! The recipes are in the following categories:

• Party Basics
• Dipping Delights
• Meatballs ‘N’ Sliders
• Wings ‘N’ Things
• Seafood Sampler
• Fanciful Pastries
• Say Cheese
• Embellished Breads
• Stuffed Morsels
• Worldly Bites
• Small Bowls
• Veggie Twists
• Crunchy Munchies
• Fresh Sips
• Dessert Dazzlers

This book is seriously PACKED with all kinds of recipes and is a one-stop appetizer shop for sure.

Still on my list to make:

• Brie and Artichoke Dip
• Chocolate-Peanut Butter Fondue
• Spicy Turkey Quesadillas
• Parmesan Pastry Spirals
• Gouda and Red Onion Pizza
• Roasted Red Pepper Soup
• Apple-Lemon Sparkler
• and Lemon-Berry Bites

Are you hungry yet? I AM.

The Ultimate Appetizers Book has color photos with almost every recipe and is divided by color into sections so it’s very organized and FULL of great recipes. My other favorite thing is the page in the back of emergency substitutions. Very helpful.

Thanks to Wiley Publishing for sponsoring today’s cookbook giveaways!

GIVEAWAY RULES

• Make a comment on this post telling me why you’d like to win before midnight Sunday, November 29.
• A winner will be selected and announced in a new post on Monday.
  
• Only one comment per person unless you earn extra entries.
• Giveaway open only to residents of the continental United States…sorry.
• Winners must email me to claim their prize within 5 days.

EARN EXTRA ENTRIES

You may earn 1 extra entry each for doing the following (make a separate comment for each thing you do):

• Like Wiley Publishing on Facebook
• Follow Wiley Publishing on Twitter
• Subscribe to Vanilla Joy on YouTube
• Become a Facebook Fan of Vanilla Joy
• Facebook about the contest with a link back here
• Subscribe to my feed
• Sign up for my newsletter
• Add my button to your sidebar
• Comment on any non-contest post (must contribute to the conversation)

GOOD LUCK and THANKS!

{These products were provided to Vanilla Joy for review purposes.}