Gooseberry Patch Cookbook Giveaway and Recipe

Gooseberry Patch Cookbooks rock! I'm a huge fan and this is the start of my Early Bird Cookbook Review relationship with this wonderful company. 

Today is the day! What day would that be you ask? The day that I get to tell you about a fun secret that I've been holding on to for a few months!!!  This secret is from Gooseberry Patch.  If you are not familiar with their awesome cookbooks then you will be after reading this post!  I'm a Gooseberry Patch groupie!  I'm someone who reads and follows their Twitter, Facebook and Blog posting almost daily and pops in at their website, looking and waiting for new cookbooks to be released.  Is this you, too?

If you click my I LOVE GOOSEBERRY PATCH button above or on my left sidebar you will see that I've posted many times on my blog about their cookbooks and the tasty recipes inside of them.  The secret that I've been holding on to is that I was asked to be a Early Bird Reviewer for their Cookbooks.  Over the next several months I will be posting reviews on cookbooks that have yet to be released for sale.  This will give you a sneak peek into the book ahead of time.  Along with this I will have a copy of the cookbook to giveaway to one of my readers!!!

This month my review is on Homestyle in a HURRY (click the link to check out the release date and preorder a copy)  I have looked and drooled on this book for a few weeks now.  I will be cooking from this book this week and will come back and post recipes and photos.  When I post, it will link back to this giveaway post so you can get in on the new recipes and earn entry points into the Giveaway.

This book is 220 pages of pure fun!  I was impressed with all the simple, quick and easy recipes all in one book.  I was familiar with quite a few of the recipes in this book.   I loved the fact that some used ingredients that I had not thought of using. I've been cooking for 17 years and really found a lot of new recipes to try out from this cookbook.  I kept thinking that this cookbook would make an excellent gift for a new mom,  a wedding gift and even for a young person who is getting their first apartment/home.

The table of contents and a few of my favorite recipes include:
*Busy-Day Breakfast with Morning Glory Muffins and Speedy Sausage Muffins
*Quick bites with Lake Charles Dip, Pretzels with an Attitude, Chocolate Chip Dip and Julie's Fresh Guacamole 
*No-Fuss Soups & Sandwiches with Spicy Sloppy Joes and Avocado Egg Salad
*Speedy Sides & Salad with Better than Creamed Corn and Veggie "Fried" Rice
*Dinner in a Dash with Garlicky Shrimp & Pasta, Beef & Snow Pea Stir-Fry
*Easy-as-Pie Desserts with Chocolate Sandwich Cookies and Pineapple Pig Cake! 

Here is a quick and easy recipe for Chocolate Chip Dip 


8 oz pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/2 c. butter, softened
3/4 c. powdered sugar
2 T. brown sugar, packed
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
graham cracker sticks


Directions:
In a small bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy.  Add sugars and vanilla; beat until smooth.  Stir in chocolate chips.  Serve with graham cracker sticks.  Makes 2 cups.
*Note: Ritz Crackers cinnamon honey crackers are good in this, too.  I top mine with extra mini chips!

Giveaway 1 copy of Homestyle in a HURRY
USA and Canada
Ends 1/17/2011(OVER)

Mandatory Entry:  Follow my blog on Facebook and you can do that by clicking the Facebook link on the one on my right side bar.  If you are not on Facebook, then follow my blog with Google Friend Connect (right side bar)  Do both and get 2 entries!  Leave your email address with this mandatory entry. *IF you do not want to leave your email addy, please email it to me at cafescrapper at gmail dot com.

Bonus entries: (Leave separate comments for each one)
1) Follow my blog: Networked Blogs, Twitter, RSS Feed (right sidebar). Leave a comment for each one you do for an entry for each one
2) Go check out SPEEDY SAUSAGE MUFFIN recipe, Bacon Muffins  and/or Chinese Take-in Recipes from this cookbook, leave a comment and come claim 5 bonus entries for each one!
3) Tweet the giveaway. "Enter to win Homestyle in a HURRY Gooseberry Patch Cookbook http://bit.ly/GooseberryPatchGiveaway  "   Unlimited tweeting with 1 entry per tweet and leave link. Follow me on twitter @susieqtpies for an extra entry. 
4) Stop in at my  Facebook page and leave a picture of a recipe you cook or want to cook for 10 bonus entries.  IF you leave the actual recipe or a link to the recipe that will give you 10 extra bonus entries.  Make sure you come back to my blog here and get your extra entries. 

5) 5 entries each:
Check out Gooseberry Patch Blog:  www.gooseberrypatch.typepad.com (Leave a comment here on something you read)
Follow Gooseberry on Facebook:  www.facebook.com/gooseberrypatch (Tell them Scraps of Life sent you and leave a comment on my blog)
Follow Gooseberry on Twitter:  www.twitter.com/gooseberrypatch (Leave a comment here with your user name)
Watch Gooseberry Video Channel:  www.youtube.com/user/gooseberrypatchcom (Leave a comment here on something you watched)


DON"T FORGET TO STOP in over the next week to read some of the recipes in the book.  You will get bonus entry points when you do! 

Disclosure:  I have been selected to be a Early Cookbook Reviewer by Gooseberry Patch.  I received a cookbook for this purpose.  All tasty opinions are my own.