mom's very best recipes: review and giveaway!

Guess what...

Gooseberry Patch is coming out with a new cookbook, and YOU get a sneak peak!

Most of us grew up loving our mother's cooking and are now cooking our mom's best recipes for our own families.  Many of my mom's best have appeared on this site - bierocks, apple smiles, country style green beans, and apple crisp (just to name a few).  There's just something about mom's recipes that make us smile and keep us coming back for more.

That's why I love this new cookbook.  All of the recipes in this new book appeared in some mother's recipe box at some point in time.  I imagine that many of them were made so often that the recipe cards are covered in food stains...all the best are!  Flipping through the pages filled me with nostalgia about my own childhood, especially when I saw my own mom's pizza recipe on page 153!  All of the recipes are easy, comforting, simple, and just the kind of wonderful dishes that you'd find on the tables of the best cooks in the world - our moms!

Just like last time, I wanted to try a recipe from each chapter of the cookbook to showcase, just to give you a taste of what this cookbook has to offer.  With the help of my taste-testing husband, we've given each an "award" to describe what we liked about it.

Most Kid Friendly

Mile-High Biscuits and Southern Chocolate Gravy in the chapter "Breakfast and Brunch"

I don't know what planet I've been living on that I had never heard of chocolate gravy...this stuff is incredible!  It's just the kind of breakfast that make Saturday mornings worth getting up for.  The biscuits are easy to whip up, the gravy is delicious, and I love the excuse to have chocolate for breakfast.  Mom...if you are reading this...why didn't we have this when I was a kid?  Huh?

Most Adaptable

Sensational Hot Sausage Dip in the chapter "Appetizers and Snacks"

My husband really liked this dish.  He ate it with chips, with crackers, and even on leftover biscuits!  I thought it was good, too, but I imagine it's one that I would fix differently each time I made it.  I might add some jalapenos and melted cheddar cheese...I might take out some of the onion and toss in some sour cream...the sky is the limit with this one!

Most Versatile 

Dirty Greek Rice in the chapter "Sides and Salads"

This rice is so easy to whip up and it tastes so great that I instantly loved it.  I have to admit, though, that my favorite thing about this recipe is that it could go with just about anything!  I'm always looking for good side dishes, and this one is a winner.  You could pair it with fish, chicken, pork, beef, turkey, or even buffalo...it would work well with all of them.  My hubby liked it but didn't see what I was so excited about...obviously, he's never tried to plan a weekly menu. :-)

Most Elegant

Lori's Rosemary Focaccia in the chapter "Soups, Breads and Sandwiches"

I love the fact that I can now say that I've made focaccia.  I will never, ever, ever tell people how easy it was.  Ever.  (If you are reading this, please forget that I just accidentally told you how easy it was.)  This is one of the most elegant breads I've ever made.  We dipped it in oil when it was hot out of the oven and then made sandwiches out of it the next day.  I love the subtle rosemary flavor and the texture of the crust.  I'll be making this for company, I guarantee it!

Easiest to Whip Up

Sour Cream Chili Bake in the chapter "Main Dishes"

I love dishes that require very little time in the kitchen, and this is one.  After browning the meat, you just mix in a few ingredients and pop in it in the oven!  That gives you plenty of time to clean the kitchen and set the table, if you are into that sort of thing.  I chose to check my e-mail and set up a TV tray...this is why my house is so spotless. :-)  Oh, did I mention this dish is easy to lighten up?  It tasted great, even with ground turkey, baked tortilla chips, and low-fat sour cream.  It's an excellent dinner choice if you plan on eating the next dish.

Most Requested 

Chocolate Chess Pie in the chapter "Desserts

Um, yes...do I even need to review this one?  The picture says it all!  This pie tastes like all of the ooey-gooeyness of brownies, and it's positively addicting.  We started eating dinner early just so that we could have a piece of pie sooner.  This pie is the reason my flare jeans now fit like skinny jeans.  And you know what else?  I didn't even have to buy ingredients for it...they are common items I keep in my pantry.  All of those facts make this pie incredibly hard to resist.

I asked my husband to pick his overall favorite recipe to share with you...of course, he picked the pie!

This pie is just so easy.  Combine the baking cocoa, milk, and butter in a saucepan over medium heat, and stir until smooth.  Remove from the heat, let cool, and then add sugar, eggs, vanilla, and salt.  See what I mean about having all of the ingredients already in the pantry?

Pour the pie filling into a prepared pie crust.  You could go buy one, but it's just as easy to make one.  For this pie, I used my friend Kristen's recipe as featured on her blog, From My Tiny Kitchen.  I didn't take the time to make mine nearly as pretty as hers, but you wouldn't either if you could smell that bit vat of chocolatey goodness that I was pouring into it.  Trust me.
 

Bake your pie at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until set.  Then comes the hard part...letting it cool.  This pie MUST be eaten when cooled (I like it when chilled), so you have to find something to amuse yourself in the meantime. 

I dare you to only eat one slice!  It can't be done!

Chocolate Chess Pie
from Mom's Very Best Recipes
1/4 cup baking cocoa
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup milk
1 1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs, beaten
1 t. vanilla
1/8 t. salt
9-inch deep-dish pie crust

In a saucepan over low heat, combine cocoa, butter and milk.  Stir until smooth.  Remove from heat; cool slightly.  Add sugar, eggs, vanilla and salt; beat well.  Pour cocoa mixture into crust.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, or until set.  Cool before slicing.  Serves 8.

So...how can YOU win a free copy of Mom's Very Best Recipes?  Just leave me a comment answering the following question - which of the other recipes featured above would you like me to share?  I'll tally up the answers and share that recipe when I announce the winner!  (Please also make sure I have access to a valid e-mail so that I can contact you if you win.)  Giveaway ends next Tuesday at midnight (Pacific time).  Winner announced Wednesday, February 23.

PS - Gooseberry Patch gave me a free book to review as well as another to give away, but the views and opinions (and pictures!) presented in this post are entirely my own!   Disclosure...check!