Gooseberry Patch's Quick & Easy Autumn Review & A WINNER!!

Do you all remember me? I used to blog regularly -- seems like that was a LONG time ago!! The good news is Tax Season is now OVER!! I was off yesterday and spent the day putting my house back together and getting ready for some very special company coming to visit this weekend -- lots of great food on the menu and recipes are coming!



Thank you for everyone who left such nice comments on the review posts and for entering in for the giveaway. I wish I had a book for everyone. You can purchase this book from Gooseberry Patch. It is everything wonderful that I've come to expect from Gooseberry Patch and I am sure you'd not be disappointed. Since I could only have 1 winner, I had my daughter help me again with all the entries -- and the WINNER IS OhPioneer1806 -- very exciting since I know this is my old friend Nancy who is a FABULOUS cook!! Congratulations and keep an eye out -- there will be more review and more giveaways to come!

GBP Quick & Easy Autumn Review 6 of 6

Day 6 ~ Slow Cookers

My slow cooker is way under used in my kitchen -- I really have to be better at using it -- it is a great time saver and just because winter is over doesn't mean it shouldn't be used -- especially on nights with lots of activities or we're all going in different directions. This recipe for Saucy BBQ Pork Tenderloin is perfect for those kinds of days. We all loved this recipe -- except I did have a wee problem. My problem was the cut of meat that the recipe called for -- pork tenderloin. This is a wonderful cut of meat but is spendy and in my opinion, better suited for more quick cook applications. Skip the tenderloin and use pork loin -- it is just as lean and wonderful and will cost you much less.


Saucy BBQ Pork Tenderloin

2 to 3 lb pork tenderloin, trimmed
Salt and pepper to taste
3 c water
18-oz bottle barbeque sauce, divided
Optional: 12-oz pkg Kaiser Rolls, Split

Place pork in a slow cooker; season with salt and pepper. Pour water over pork. Cover and cook on high setting for about 5 hours. Pour off half of remaining liquid in slow cooker; add ¾ of barbeque sauce. Cover and cook for one additional hour, or until pork is very tender and falls apart. Serve on Kaiser rolls, if desired, accompanied by remaining barbeque sauce. Serves 4 to 6.

Leave a comment on this post as well as all my review posts to be entered into the giveaway to win this great cookbook before it is released to the public. That is a total of chances to enter -- the winner to be announce Friday April 15th.

GBP Quick & Easy Autumn Review 5 of 6

Day 5 ~ Desserts

Everyone's favorite chapter -- there were so many wonderful recipes to choose from -- many pumpkin desserts that I'll be trying but the recipe we ended up making was submitted by Melisa Daniel from Alma, MI for Scotcharoo Bars. We needed a quick and easy (great theme for a cookbook) treat for my daughter to take to a teen movie night. She was the chef and with just a tiny bit of coaching from me, she was quite proud of how they turned out -- her friends ooohed and aaahed over them too -- maybe she'll become more interested in cooking!



Scotcharoo Bars

1 c sugar
1 c light corn syrup
1 c creamy peanut butter
6 c crispy rice cereal
1 c semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 c butterscotch chips

Combine sugar and corn syrup in a large heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until mixture bubbles. Remove from heat; stir in peanut butter and mix well. Add cereal; stir until well coated. Press mixture into a buttered 12x8 baking pan; set aside. Place chocolate chips and butterscotch chips in a medium saucepan. Cook over low heat until melted; stir until well blended and smooth. Spread chocolate chip mixture over cereal mixture. Cool; cut into squares. Makes 2 dozen bars.

Leave a comment to enter in for your very own copy of Gooseberry Patch's Quick & Easy Autumn before you can even buy it AND a Faithfulness Farm Apron -- be sure to visit each of the 6 review posts for 6 chances to win! Drawing Friday April 15th.

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Day 4 ~ Mains

It was difficult picking from all the wonderful recipes for mains in this book BUT I knew I wanted to use my Grandma's cast iron skillet and include the recipe in my Cast Iron Cooking segment -- Skillet Chicken & Mushrooms submitted by Tina Wright of Atlanta, GA fit that bill perfectly. This recipe was perfect to make for a quick and easy weeknight supper -- I have to admit to a modification in the original recipe -- instead of using Tarragon, I used Thyme. I just don't usually care for the flavor of Tarragon. This was very yummy and I will be making it again!


Skillet Chicken & Mushrooms

1-1/2lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper to taste
3 T. butter, divided
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 lbs sliced mushrooms
½ c Madeira wine or chicken broth
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
1 T. fresh tarragon, chopped

Sprinkle chicken generously with salt and pepper. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt 2 Tbsp butter. Cook chicken until golden on both sides, about 8 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate. Melt remaining butter in skillet over medium heat. Add onion; sauté just until softened, about 3 minutes. Add mushrooms; sauté until juices are released, about 5 minutes. Stir in wine or broth and Worcestershire sauce. Return chicken and any juices from the plate to the pan. Spoon mushroom mixture over chicken. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and cook until chicken juices run clear, about 20 minutes. Stir in tarragon and additional salt and pepper, as desired. Serves 4.

Follow and enter in for a chance at a copy of Gooseberry Patch's soon-to-be released book Quick & Easy Autumn and a Faithfulness Farm Apron by leaving a comment on this post -- there will be a total of 6 chances to win -- one each day this week. Leave a comment on each review post to enter. The winner will be announced on April 15!

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Day 3 ~ Soups, Sides & Salads

As we work our way through Gooseberry Patch's soon to be released Quick & Easy Autumn, our next chapter is Soups, Sides and Salads. This was a hard chapter for me to chose from. I love soups and they are always on the menu in the colder months but since it is actually spring, I decided on a salad recipe to try. The recipe that got my attention was Pear Harvest Salad submitted by Lori Ritchey from Narvon, PA. I love fruits and nuts in more savory dishes and since I know what a wonderful combo pears and blue cheese are, I knew this recipe was going to be a HIT -- no disappointments!! Pears are very over shadowed by the abundance of apples in fall but they are also perfect for autumnal desserts and salads.

Pear Harvest Salad

8-oz pkg mixed salad greens (I used romaine lettuce)
15-oz can pear halves, drained and 1/3 c juice reserved
1/2 c chopped walnuts or pecans, toasted (I went with the walnuts)
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced and separated into rings
2/3 c blue cheese salad dressing (if you are not a blue cheese fan, I think Ranch would make a great substitute)

Place salad greens in a large salad bowl. Top with pear halves, nuts and onion. Stir in reserved pear juice into salad dressing; drizzle over salad. Serve immediately. Serves 6 to 8

Don't forget to leave a comment (and follow if you don't already) for your chance to win this book before it is even released AND a Faithfulness Farm apron. The winner to be announced on April 15th!!

Tomorrow's review will be from the chapter--Mains!

GBP Quick & Easy Autumn Review 2 of 6

Day 2 ~ Snacks & Appetizers

We're celebrating AUTUMN here although it is spring! Thanks to Gooseberry Patch for another wonderful cookbook. I live in Nebraska and autumn means one thing -- HUSKER FOOTBALL!! GO BIG RED!! I simply must have plenty of recipes for snacky foods. When I went looking for a recipe from Quick & Easy Autumn's chapter on Snacks and Appetizers, I did it with football snacks in mind -- there were several wonderful choices but I settled on Claudia's Famous Wing Dip submitted by Jason Keller of Carrollton, GA.




Claudia's Famous Wing Dip

8-oz pkg cream cheese, softened
16-oz container sour cream
1 c blue cheese salad dressing
1/2 c hot wing sauce
2-1/2 c cooked chicken, shredded
1 c provolone cheese, shredded
tortilla chips, celery sticks

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, sour cream, salad dressing and wing sauce until well blended. Stir in chicken and cheese. Transfer to a greased 2-quart caserole dish. Cover and bake at 350°F for 25 to 30 minutes, until hot and bubbly. Serve warm with tortilla chips and celery sticks. Makes 6-1/2 cups.

This recipe met with mixed reviews at my house -- I for one really enjoyed it with celery sticks -- a great low carb treat but my son and his girlfriend did not care for it. I'd be willing to make it again for football games with other snacks for the non-hot wing fans.

Remember to leave comment to enter in for the giveaway. There will be a total of 6 recipes reviewed this week and a comment on each review makes 6 entires for the cookbook and Faithfulness Farm apron giveaway -- the winner to be announced on April 15 (since taxes are due the 18th this year, I figure the 15th should be the deadline for something, lol).

GBP Quick & Easy Autumn Review 1 of 6

Well, I guess I was a little distracted when I was working on this post to publish only the pictures, lol.

I knew last week when I got my review copy of Quick & Easy Autumn, that I wanted to go about doing my review just a little bit different than I have in the past -- yes, there is still a copy of the book for me to giveaway AND there will be a bonus Faithfulness Farm apron for the winner also but I wanted to approach the review and giveaway in a slightly different manner. It took me all of last week to figure those details out.

Firstly, this is a book in true Gooseberry Patch form -- a beautifully illustrated, community-style cookbook which has been contributed to by you and me -- their faithful readers and some of the best cooks in the country. Since the theme of this book is AUTUMN, it was sure to be a favorite for me and I simply love the selection of recipes featured. I was touched by the dedication in the book -- For those who love all the flavors of fall...and having the time to savor them too! This book will not disappoint, especially if you love fall like I do.

Over the next 6 days, I will be posting a dish from each of the 6 chapters --Breakfast & Brunch, Snacks & Appetizers, Soups, Sides & Salads, Mains, Desserts and last but surely not least, Slow Cooker. To enter for the giveaway, you need to be a follower (you can start following now) and then just leave a comment on each post for each of the 6 days. That gives you 6 chances to win! Yippee -- I LOVE giveaways!

Day 1 ~ Breakfasts & Brunches

The recipe I prepared was Crustless Ham & Spinach Quiche. I actually made this dish for supper and not breakfast or brunch. I was looking for something new to take to our annual Easter Breakfast at church and I am looking no further. This recipe was easy to prepare and positively delicious. I am sure I will make it again and again.





Tomorrow's recipe will be from Snacks & Appetizers. Be sure to leave a comment to be entered in for the giveaway!