Today marks a week of cookbook giveaways on Bluebonnets & Brownies. Just in time for holiday gift giving, the three books I’ll share with you are all books I’m giving to friends this holiday season. Check back on Wednesday and Friday for two more fabulous cookbooks!
I’m starting the week off with Pam Anderson’s newest book. It’s no surprise that I’m probably Pam Anderson’s biggest fan. Long before I knew her or her daughters personally, I had been given Pam’s book, “Perfect Recipes for Having People Over” by my boss in a Christmas Secret Santa exchange.
Later, my boss would introduce me to Maggy, Pam’s daughter. It’s kind of a thing that happens when Americans end up in England. The Brits throw the Americans together, assuming that we’ll automatically like each other. Luckily for both Maggy and me, we did!
All this was long before we were food bloggers, but I do credit Pam for leading me into a passion about food. Pam’s books changed how I cooked. They helped me understand the techniques behind cooking. And if you’ve ever met the woman yourself? It’s impossible not to love her.
When Maggy announced on Twitter that Pam’s newest book was up for pre-sale, I think I was the first person to order it. Listen, friend or not, Pam is an excellent cook book writer. I will always have her newest books on my shelf, because they are always inspiring.
Pam’s book, “How to Cook Without A Book” was the first thing I chose to ever give away here on Bluebonnets & Brownies, because I use it all the time.
To this day, I think it has the most perfect and complete pantry staples list I’ve ever seen. And it gives those that are afraid to cook a real foothold on flavors and combinations so that they CAN experiment after getting down the basics.
“How to Cook Without A Book: Meatless Meals” is no exception. Pam moves you beyond the pasta and scrambled eggs to create some really spectacular formulas that you can use on both your meatless and meat-filled days.
Image Courtesy of Amazon.com
I think that’s probably my favorite thing about this book. While the focus is on really fantastic recipes that you can use every day in a meatless fashion, this is an every day cookbook. Any of these formulas are also fantastic on days when you ARE eating meat. Not that you’ll even miss it. The recipes are that good.
My favorite recipe out of the book so far is for the breakfast pizzas. Sweet or savory, you can’t go wrong.
I made Pam’s formula for apple, cinnamon, and hazelnut fruit breakfast pizzas. Because I am addicted to maple sugar, I also added a little of that in. Magnificent, I tell you!
Breakfast Fruit Pizza
Adapted from Pam Anderson’s How to Cook Without A Book: Meatless Meals
Makes 4 Personal-sized Pizzas
Ingredients
For the Dough
1/4 cup warm water and 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons tepid water
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
To top the pizza
2 large Honey Crisp (or your favorite) apples, cored and diced into chunks
1/2 cup Neufchatel Cheese
1 tablespoon of Honey
1 tablespoon of Maple Sugar
1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts, chopped
Directions
For the Dough
Place the 1/4 cup warm water in a 1 cup measuring jug. Add the yeast to the water and whisk to combine. Let it stand until the yeast dissolves and expands, about 5 minutes.
Add the remaining water (1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons) and 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Whisk again to combine.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour and salt. Pour the liquid mixture over the flour and use either a wooden spoon or dough whisk to combine.
When you have a shaggy mass, turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Knead the dough by first folding towards you, then pushing out away from you with the heal of your hands. Turn the dough one quarter turn clockwise, then fold and push again. Continue doing this until the dough feels satiny and is easily formed into a smooth ball.
Spray a medium sized clean bowl with cooking spray, then place the dough ball in it. Cover the dough ball with plastic wrap, pushing it down around the dough ball itself. Place the bowl in a warm area and allow to rise until it is doubled in size. I had been baking earlier in the day, so this only took an hour. If your room is cooler, it can take 2-3.
Once the dough is doubled in size, remove it from the bowl to a floured surface. Using a metal scraper or knife, cut the dough into equal halves, and then half again to make 4 pizza rounds. Stretch the dough into oblong shapes.
At this point, you can make all four pizzas, or freeze the remaining dough, separated by parchment paper, in a gallon sized freezer bag.
Preheat the oven to 500F.
For the pizza topping
Microwave the Neufchatel cream cheese for 15 seconds.
Mix the cheese, honey, maple sugar, and cinnamon together in a bowl. If needed, roast the hazelnuts in the preheating oven.
When the oven is preheated and the pizza dough is in place on a parchment-lined baking tray or pizza stone, spread the cheese mixture onto the top of the dough. This is your “sauce”.
Core the apples, and then dice into 1″ pieces. Layer on top of the cream cheese as you would any pizza. Then sprinkle on the chopped hazelnuts. I sprinkled on additional cinnamon sugar and maple sugar, but this is optional.
Bake for 10-15 minutes, until the crust is golden brown.
Allow to cool slightly and then enjoy with a light roast coffee and the newspaper. Those last two ingredients are optional, but highly recommended.
Want to win Pam’s fabulous new book, just in time for the holidays?
How you win:
{Required Entry}
Leave a comment below. Tell me why you’re excited to receive Pam Anderson’s How to Cook Without a Book: Meatless Meals. If you’re planning to give it on as a gift, tell me why.
Who wants bonus entries?!
For each item below that you do, you will get one extra chance to win. If you already do any of these items, they DO count. You MUST leave a separate comment for each item. If you leave one cumulative comment, it will only count as one extra entry.
1. Like Three Many Cooks on Facebook.
2. Like Bluebonnets & Brownies on Facebook.
3. Follow @threemanycooks, @PamAnderson3MC and @BluebonnetBaker on Twitter and tweet the following. Then come back and leave a comment that you did so.
I want to win How to Cook Without a Book: Meatless Meals from @threemanycooks @PamAnderson3MC and @BluebonnetBaker! http://su.pr/1ovqyy
4. Subscribe to Bluebonnets & Brownies email updates. When you click the link, you will see “Get Bluebonnets & Brownies Delivered By Email.” Once you subscribe to the email updates, you will get an emailing confirming your subscription. Leave a comment after you’ve confirmed your subscription.
Important Details:
-This giveaway is open to USA and Canadian residents only and will run until Monday, December 5th at 11:59 pm EST.
-Winner(s) will be generated via a random number generator software program. Winner will be notified via the contact email provided on the comment contact form.
-Winner(s) will have until 12/7/11 to claim their cookbook or we will choose another winner.
-Winner will receive one copy of How to Cook Without a Book: Meatless Meals (Hardcopy){$32.50 MSRP}. Product will be shipped by Bluebonnets & Brownies.
Disclosure:
This giveaway is provided to you by Bluebonnets & Brownies. The views and opinions expressed by Amber Bracegirdle on Bluebonnets & Brownies are my own, and based upon my cooking experiences with Pam Anderson’s How to Cook Without a Book: Meatless Meals. I was given the product free of charge to test and review it; however, I was not monetarily compensated for the review or giveaway. I purchased the giveaway copy myself.
[wpurp-searchable-recipe]Breakfast Fruit Pizza – – – [/wpurp-searchable-recipe]
Bonny
Sunday 4th of December 2011
I get B&B e-mail updates!
Bonny
Sunday 4th of December 2011
Sounds like a great book. My roommate is a vegetarian, so it makes apartment dinners extremely difficult because we never know what to cook. It'd be nice to start incorporating more healthy, meatless meals into our diet that we can all share and goes beyond pasta!
Jill J
Friday 2nd of December 2011
I already subscribe to Bluebonnets & Brownies via email.
Jill J
Friday 2nd of December 2011
I follow @threemanycooks, @PamAnderson3MC and @BluebonnetBaker on Twitter and tweeted the giveaway (jilliebean_j)
Jill J
Friday 2nd of December 2011
I like Bluebonnets & Brownies on FB