Thursday Give Away
For today’s Thursday give away, we have a signed copy of the second book in Andrea Penrose’s Regency-set mystery series, The Cocoa Conspiracy
Here’s the official blurb:
Chocolate mixed with conspiracy is a recipe for death…
Lady Arianna Hadley, now the Countess of Saybrook, is slowly settling into married life with her new husband, the Earl of Saybrook. To celebrate his birthday, she finds the perfect gift——a rare volume of botanical engravings on Theobroma cacao, or chocolate . . . but she is forced to fight off a mysterious stranger who tries to steal it away from her.
The incident is forgotten until Arianna and Saybrook are asked to attend a gathering of international dignitaries at a country estate, where she is shocked to discover that her erstwhile assailant is among the guests. But other events quickly prove even more ominous. And when the chocolate book yields a bitter surprise, someone they hold dear is incriminated in a plot to betray Great Britain at the upcoming Peace Congress in Vienna.
Murder, treason, money, power. Once again, Arianna and Saybrook find themselves drawn into a deadly web of international intrigue. To unmask the real traitor, they journey to Vienna where amidst the seductive pomp and pageantry of Europe’s reigning royalty they must root out a cunning conspiracy—armed only with their wits and their expertise in chocolate…
Check out Andrea Penrose’s website for both more info about the books and an excellent chocolate brownie recipe.
So, for a copy of The Cocoa Conspiracy
What is your favorite Thanksgiving dessert recipe?
Winner to be announced on Saturday….
I’m a huge fan of the traditional pumpkin pie, but my grandma made an orange cake with an OJ glaze that makes me nostalgic for holidays at her house.
I discovered the pumkin pie the first year I came to live in Canada and had my very first Thanksgiving holiday and I’ve been quite a fan ever since… 🙂 Mostly because of the spices that come into the recipe! I haven’t made one myself, though. Not yet! Next year maybe! 🙂
(In Canada, Thanksgiving has already come and gone!)
My dad makes a yummy chocolate pudding pie, for those of us who don’t like pumpkin.
As an Australian, I don’t have a great Thanksgiving recipe myself – but I did spend a semester studying in the US and had a fabulous carrot souffle at my room-mates Thanksgiving party. We do have a Christmas tradition – old-fashioned boiled fruit pudding, with sixpences hidden inside.
My favorite is pumpkin pie. This year my mother in law is making it. 🙂
Every year for Thanksgiving, my mom makes a sweet potato pound cake. It’s delicious!
I love apple and pumpkin pie like everyone else, but my favorite Thanksgiving dessert is these cookies that my Grandma always gets from a little bakery in Evanston, IL. They are sugar cookies in the shape of a turkey and they are decorated with colored chocolate icing. I remember as a child my cousins and I would hoard them and sneak upstairs to eat them before dinner. Now as an adult it doesn’t feel like Thanksgiving without them!
Mama’s apple pie- it has this thick crunchy crust that aborbs the apple juices and turns it doughy on the inside.
My mother makes cranberry sorbet which is always so refreshing after stuffing yourself on all the heavy traditional dishes.
I have always loved pecan pie. My grandmother made the best, even when her crusts weren’t up to expectations. Getting an actual recipe for it? Almost impossible as she just put it all together and it was magic!
I’m another Pumpkin Pie person, I’m afraid! There’s just omething comforting about the tradition, as well as the rich combination of flavors, I think…
My favorite is a pumpkin roll which my daughter is making for Thanksgiving. My husband can’t live without his apple pie so we’ll have both.
I love my mother in law’s Pumpkin Cheesecake, and also Malrborough Pie, which is made from applesauce.
My mom’s apple pie. She uses a variety of apples, no sugar, and a variety of spices. The top crust is topped with cinnamon and sugar. Yum!
Definitely something traditional and pumpkin-based–I’d pick pumpkin cheesecake. It’s been a huge hit every time I’ve made it.
Chess pie! Easy to make but sooooooo yummy! Thanks for the giveaway Lauren!
My favorite has always been sweet potatoes. In the past I made them into a casserole with brown sugar, butter, and marshmellows on top. Now I add just a touch of the brown sugar and pineapple orange juice to make it less gooey sweet.
My mom makes the best homemade pumpkin pie with a perfect crust! I also love a big slice of pumpkin roll with hot black coffee or a steaming espresso in a demitasse espresso cup!!
I am pretty traditional and love anything pumpkin, but my husband hates regular pumpkin pie. To still get my pumpkin fix, but make something that my husband can enjoy too, I make brown butter pumpkin cupcakes with whipped cream frosting or a white chocolate pumpkin swirl cheesecake 🙂
Anything with whipped cream! But apple pie is usually my choice.
My mom’s apple pie, made with granny smiths and covered in crumbly brown sugar… I’m so excited.
Either that, or my grandma makes a tiramisu that’s delicious, but that’s less a Thanksgiving tradition and more a rare treat.
We tend to have more pies than anything else at our thanksgiving festivities. That being said… I like to fill my plate with a sliver of each – from rhubarb to pumpkin – but I always avoid the mince meat!
Traditional pumpkin pie of course!
Classic chewy molasses cookies! Cloves, ginger, and molasses all taste like fall.
My favorite is a pumpkin roll which my daughter will bring. My husband loves apple pie and my son pumpkin pie. As you can see we will have plenty of desserts. We have many favorite recipes for Thanksgiving.
my mom’s home made cheese torte.
My Mom made an Apple Crumble that was incredible.
I would have to say my sister’s cheesecake or apple or pumpkin pie!
My sister-in-law’s incredibly fabulous sweet potatoe casserole topped with pecans and brown sugar – never any left-overs.
Normally I just love pecan pie. Or pumpkin pie. But my new favorite:
Pumpkin Crunch Cake
1 can (15 oz) pumpkin
1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. pumpkin pie spice (I don’t really know how much I added)
1/2 t. salt
1 box yellow cake mix
1 c. pecans, chopped (I used whole pecans, and they were delightful)
1/2 butter, melted (this is half of what the original recipe used, but I couldn’t justify a whole cup; also, I mixed the melted butter in with the pecans, and it didn’t hurt the recipe, but I think it is supposed to help with the cake, too)
Cool Whip
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine pumpkin, evaporated milk, eggs, sugar, spices, and salt in a large bowl. (I used my mixer for this step.)
Pour into a greased 13×9 baking dish.
Run cake mix through a sifter to get lumps out and sprinkle dry cake mix evenly over pumpkin mixture. Top with pecans. Drizzle melted butter over pecans. Bake for 50-55 minutes or until golden brown. Cool. Serve chilled (or warm, though chilled is better). Top with a dollop of whipped topping.
Enjoy!
my sister-in-law’s incredibly fabulous sweet potato casserole topped with pecans and brown sugar.
Hoew could you do this when I am in the middle of a diet!?!
I love pumpkin pie, but I adore old-fashioned mince meat pie, nice and warm……..
DEEP FRIED TURKEY. Once you have tried it, you can never go back to oven baked turkey.
And yes, I consider a deep fried turkey dessert, because I can never get to dessert after eating it.
Definitely pecan pie. One of my favorite Thanksgiving memories of it is when my mom and I forgot to put the eggs in and had to take the pie out of the oven in the middle of baking it to add the eggs. I can’t wait to have some this Thanksgiving!
I love apple pie! May kids enjoy pie, but their favorite is the jello fluff. It’s just jello, cool whip, and mandarin oranges mixed together. It’s very cool and refreshing!
Pecan Pie *Homer Simpson drool sound*
Have to go with pecan pie…since Thanksgiving and Christmas are generally the only times I have it it’s a very nostalgic dessert!
My grandmother always makes a layered pecan pie (has a cream cheese filling on top) which is to die for! The past few years I’ve also become a fan of pumpkin rolls.
Dutch apple pie. Being a ‘foodie,’ cooking is one of my hobbies and I make this from scratch. The only difference between this apple pie and the traditional is the graham cracker crust and the streusel on the top. The recipe would be too complicated to put in here but if anyone is interested, I can Email it.
Homemade apple crumble pie and cinnamon vanilla ice cream. No pumpkin pie for this girl 🙂
I am always in charge of the green bean casserole, so I think I’m going with that. Although I’m also the resident potato-peeler – once I almost got through a 5 lb bag before someone noticed and stopped me. My brothers and I were disappointed, because 5 lbs of mashed potatoes would have been fantastic.
Pumpkin Pie!
Is it too late to enter? I love chocolate, but my Thanksgiving dinner must end with pumpkin pie!! ideally, with homemade whipped cream, but plain pumpkin pie is fine too. And leftover pie for breakfast!
My great-aunt’s lemon squares – they’re buttery and lemony (obviously) and absolutely delicious!
Apple Galette!!! Even better with Creme Anglaise. Mmmmmmm, now I’m hungry!!!
Bourbon chocolate pecan pie. Even if I mess up baking it, with those flavors, it’s still delicious.
I’m traditional and I LOVE pumpkin pie, but my friend has an amazing recipe for pumpkin cheesecake and I think I may have a new favorite!
I’ve never been a huge fan of pumpkin pie so I’m introducing a new Thanksgiving dessert to my family – Cookie Dough Cream Pie…mmmm!
I need just a little chocolate after such a big meal so I choose brownies! My favorite recipe is what I call Reunion Brownies, concocted out of desperation when my husband handed me one box of brownie mix and asked me to fix it for his family reunion the next morning (ONE box! What was he thinking!!) I combined the box mix with a half recipe of Diane Mott Davidson’s Scout’s brownies, using ALL the chocolate in my house, and was rewarded the following day with rave reviews. It’s been my go-to recipe ever since!