Did you know that Thomas Jefferson was the first American to write a recipe for ice cream? Did you know that Mrs. Hill’s New Cook Book was the major southern cookbook published in the aftermath of the Civil War?  If not, you definitely need to read American Food Writing: An Anthology With Classic Recipes.  This is an excellent collection of essays, anecdotes, and recipes that span over three centuries (and yes, some of the old recipes aren’t too bad either!).  There is really interesting chapter on the thirteen course meal (I am still trying to figure out how to eat that much and can you imagine the dishes?!?).  There are more than 50 recipes that range from vintage (like the Thomas Jefferson’s ice cream recipe) to modern (like Lady Bird’s Pedernales Chili). Some surprising authors that are included in here are Nathaniel Hawthorne, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Walt Whitman, Thomas Wolfe, Willa Cather, and Langston Hughes.  Who knew they all were interested in food?  Chefs and critics discuss culinary philosophies and offer advice on the finer points of techniques too. This is a must have for all foodies.

You have to get the Mama says, “No More Frozen Pizza!” cookbook. This is the coolest cookbook I have ever owned. This cookbook has 24 nutritious recipes that are designed for new cooks! Now, the first thing that makes this cookbook unique is that it is in the shape of an order out pizza box. It looks like a pizza. When you open the box, you will be for a surprise. I know I was! Each recipe is on paper that is shaped like a pizza (circle). You can easily go in there and grab the recipe you want. The first thing you see is a picture of a pizza. When you flip it over, there is a nice little forward about the book. Plus, there is also some advice: “All we ask is that you wipe off the recipe cards before you store them, do the dishes within one week’s time, and send a “thank you” not to whomever sent you this recipe box. Oh, and call your mother once in awhile”.
Now, each recipe card is pretty unique. There is a picture one side of the card, and all of the recipes look absolutely delicious. When you flip the card over, it tells you what the recipe is, how long it takes to make, and how many it will feed. They also have an ingredient list, how to make list (preparation), and equipment. I have to giggle that under equipment they include things like a can opener, large knife, and large frying pan with lid.

There are several awesome recipes we will trying this next week are Dad’s Special Meat Loaf, Italian Roasted Potatoes, and Southwest Chicken Soup. These easy to make recipes are perfect for new cooks (and not so new cooks) with limited time and limited budgets.

For those of you who don’t know, I love chocolate.  I often like to post about chocolate.  I recently found out that chocolate is actually good for me.  Did you know . . . .

6 squares of dark organic chocolate taken at one time with a glass of red wine monthly helps with anti wrinkle assistance or

4 squares of organic milk chocolate 4-5 times a week helps with osteoporosis or

4 squares of dark organic chocolate helps with memory loss?

To quote the site:

The Chocolate Therapist also includes a brief history of chocolate, instructions on “how to eat chocolate properly,” chocolate recipes, an appendix with information on the glycemic index and weight loss, websites on where to find healthy chocolate, sugar-free chocolate, Gelt chocolate, international chocolates and much more. By the time you’ve finished reading, you’ll be happier, healthier and eating chocolate guilt free every day.

Now, this makes the perfect Christmas gift for any chocolate lover you know (including yourself), because not only do you get The Chocolate Therapist Book, but you get the chocolate too (and the chocolate is excellent)!  Who can resist that?  I love the next time someone asks why I am eating chocolate, I can show them the studies showing how good it is for me and hopefully whip out some of the chocolate trivia I have learned (like did you know that the higher quality of chocolate, the louder it snaps when you break it?).

I have been debating on which blog I should give a copy of this book away on.  However, since this blog mainly focuses on food, I decided this one. 

Food Fights is a great book that talks about the food issues most of use have at our dinner tables each and every day.  It is about which battles are worth fighting over and which are not.  It also has some great advice on what to do with certain behaviors like thowing food.  There is even a section about the 5 second rule!  As a parent, this is must read.

Sounds like something you’d be interested in?  Well, I have a copy that I will be giving away to one of my lucky readers!  What do you have to do?

1. Leave a comment on this post. I want to know why you would want this book.
2. Twitter about this contest. Please leave me your username so I can verify.
3. Stumble this post. If you don’t know what Stumble Upon is, please read Lori’s post at Blogging Cents. She explains it extremely well.
4. Add this post to other social media sites like Digg, Kirtsy, Blogging Zoom, Reddit, Propeller, Etc.

For 5 additional entries,

1. Blog about this on your blog. Please give me the URL, so I can verify.
2. Add this to any forums you belong too. Please give me the URL, so I can verify.
3. Subscribe to this blog using either my email or RSS feed
4. Add my badge to your sidebar:

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Good luck! This contest will end November 16, 2008 at 11:59 PM CST and is for US residents only.

Jason’s Deli is available nationwide. However, this review is being done on the Jason’s Deli in Oak Lawn, IL. (This review is also being posted over at My Road Less Traveled By.)

I went with my two kids on a Thursday night about 6 pm by myself. (Needless to say, my hands were full). I found that staff there the most helpful. When you walk into the door, there is someone there to greet you and let you know how this all works (since this was my first visit, I was pretty clueless). She got me a highchair for Will (my one year old), so I didn’t have to hold him while we were standing there trying to figure out what we wanted. The high chair had wheels, so I was able to roll him around quite easily and get him where we needed to go. I was able to take a menu, sit down with the kids, decide what we wanted, and get back into line, so we could order (which is what I did). Ordering was painless. After you order, they give you a number and your drinks, so you can go sit down. They then bring your food to you when it is done. The restaurant is a very open concept. You can see where they make the food. Another thing that impressed me was that the apples and apple juice that I ordered with the kids meals were organic. Also, everything that they serve is free of artificial trans fats and MSG! I personally found the prices quite reasonable. Granted, it would have been cheaper to take the kids to McDonalds, but we would have been hungry an hour later (and this was not all that more expensive either! Maybe a couple of dollars is it!) They have an excellent kids menu too! If you can’t find something for your little one off their kids menu, they are too picky. They even have a dessert menu! Madison (my 4 year old) wanted an ice cream cone, but since she didn’t finish her food, she didn’t get one, so I can’t comment on how good their ice cream is. Our food came quickly and it was good. The sandwiches were much bigger than I expected! There was always somebody walking around cleaning off tables or checking on how you were doing, so you could definitely get help when needed (for example, 2 napkins just doesn’t cut it when you have 3 people and 2 of the 3 are under 5!). I easily was able to get more napkins for us.

The food was great (and healthy!). The service was great! Jason’s Deli also has a blog which makes them stand out even more for me! If you are looking for a great alternative for fast food, you definitely need to check out Jason’s Deli. It is a five star place in my book!