Book Giveaway! The Cleaner Plate Club

Give The Cleaner Plate Club a Listen with this podcast from KCUR, our local NPR affiliate!

Central Standard - The Cleaner Plate Club

It's been a crazy couple weeks back from vacation. Life is normally a blur, but it hit warp speed. I would guess the big news around this kitchen is that our book is now out and we're doing some of the PR work for it — along with the busy day job, of course. The link above was a new experience for me, I spent 45 minutes on live radio, taking calls from parents. They had some great tips, recipes and insights so give it a listen. Sorry about my voice.

Congrats to _vtg_ as you were the only comment for the last book giveaway, you will get all three. Cool, huh? Leave me your snail mail address at farmerfare [at] gmail [dot] com.

Which brings me to this month's book giveaway, a copy of my book, The Cleaner Plate Club! Since it would be kind of vain to review my own book here, I'm just going to post some of the nice comments from folks who have read it.

You know the drill, leave me a comment below and you will be entered into a random drawing.

“This book is jammed with info: guidelines, pantry lists, meal-planning techniques and time-savers—yet the energetic authors make it feel as fresh as our next family dinner can be, with their plate-cleaning help. “ — BookPage

"Presented in a colorful, kid-friendly style, with mom-next-door chatty text, this guide offers advice on what to choose and how to cook it in a fast-food age." — Library Journal

"This crayon-colored real-food manifesto from mommy bloggers Bader and Benjamin, gives parents plenty of ammo in the never-ending battle to get their kids to eat better." — Publishers Weekly

"Authors and bloggers Beth Bader and Ali Benjamin both believe that having children should not automatically necessitate cooking one meal for the adults and a separate meal for the little ones. And their book, The Cleaner Plate Club, proves that they know what they’re talking about." — Sacramento Book Review

“Keeping your resolution just got easier thanks to The Cleaner Plate Club, the incredibly engaging book by esteemed food bloggers Beth Bader and Ali Benjamin.” — Mother Earth News

“A down-to-earth guide for busy parents trying to raise healthy kids.”

— Elizabeth Kolbert, author of Field Notes from a Catastrophe

"In our hectic, fast-paced, busy lives, parents often put healthy eating on the back burner. The Cleaner Plate Club is full of tips to help families go ‘from nuggets to nutritious.’ A must have for every family’s kitchen!"

— Jennifer Shu, MD, Pediatrician and co-author of Food Fights

“It's like Michael Pollan for real people.”

— KCUR, Kansas City Public Media (link includes recipes!)

“A friendly, balanced mix of real food manifesto, vegetable encyclopedia, and regular weeknight cookbook.”

— Kitchen Daily

So, Where's the Holiday Recipes?

I am working on this. I hope to get a couple new brunch recipes made this weekend. Otherwise, I've taken a different direction with this holiday season. I'm doing a lot less holiday and a little more for others. I decorated just the basics and most of the cooking and entertaining was done in November.

The last couple of cold weekends, I have basically been shuffling around in my jammies and wooly socks, drinking coffee and doing my shopping online in between clearing out the house for charity donations. You see this year, I looked around our toy-filled house and said, "Enough." Before more is coming in here, it's time to give away all the toys that our child has outgrown. Time to clear my own closets for warm clothes and shoes that others need.

So, instead of doing more around the holidays, my biggest effort has been to get us down to LESS. I also spent more on charitable donations than any one person on my list including my kiddo. After easily finding six 55-gallon bags of stuff to give away, I realized just how much we still have. Some of her "gifts" are clothes and activity fees and things she needs, not just toys.

For family, I created most of their gifts online, making photo albums to celebrate all the moments we shared in the past year. For nephews, I did gift certificates. Teens pick out their own presents better than I do. Why risk that gift becoming another donation quickly?

Tomorrow, the bags and bags go out for pickup. On Thursday, my spouse and I will show up to volunteer, loading two moving trucks of food and donations and new toys for families in need.

After an earlier health scare for a family member this year, we are pretty grateful and blessed that everyone is healthy and we'll be together at the holidays. This, we feel, is more than enough. It's all that matters.

I will cook this weekend. I'll try to post some good recipes soon. Right now, I'm enjoying this Christmas season in a way I haven't before. Less is good.

If you want to learn about volunteering at a food bank, check out my guest post on Grist.

12 Books of Christmas

Not a big secret that I often get cookbooks to review. Many of these, I give away on this site, like these THREE books just last month. Others, I give to family and friends. And, I do keep a few. It's hard to let them go, but since I have over 300 on my shelves already ... here's some of the other books that will be under folks' trees this year. Don't ruin the surprise!

Steak with Friends at Home by Rick Tramonto

For My Brother-in-Law. If you asked my brother-in-law what his favorite meal is, the answer is easy; steak. Steak and lobster if possible. Given that Tramonto's restaurants are both upscale steak houses, this book should be perfect for him as he's started grilling more and entertaining at home. The recipes are definitely meant for entertaining, too. This is big food and premium ingredients for such recipes as; Crispy Sweetbreads with Pecans and Honey, Lobster Potpie, Pumpkin Soup with Foie Gras and King Crab Legs with Piquillo Pepper Butter. The book is meant to be for home entertaining, but home cooks need to be ready for a slightly longer list of ingredients than family meals. Some of the simpler recipes and book features appeal most to me; Braised Pork Shanks with Lentils or Turnips with Cinnamon and Prunes. I also like the oyster-buying and preparation instructions and the guides to different meat cuts as well as how to cook each different cut of steak. Tramonto's bold flavors are paired with personal photos and favorite scripture quotes to underscore the book's theme of family, faith and food.

Gifts Cooks Love, Recipes for Giving by Diane Morgan

I probably should keep this one and use it to create gifts for everyone next year. But, it will make a fantastic giveaway for January (hint). Think of it as the gift that keeps giving Orange Cardamom Marmalade, Smokey Tomato Ketchup made with citrus and smoked onions, Biscotti Christmas Trees, Brownie Pops, and a variety of fun "kits" as gifts such as the S'mores one with home made marshmallows and graham crackers. Yes, this should have been October's giveaway, but I get a bit busy at times. Always next year.

Simple Comforts by Sur la Table

I gave this one as a wedding gift earlier this fall. The bride, my much-younger cousin, does not cook. The fifty recipes in the book were a perfect starter for her. I think someone must have been watching over my shoulder when I learned to cook because these are the very first recipes I learned; Chocolate Chip Cookies, Peanut Butter Cookies, Spaghetti with Meat Sauce, the first foolproof recipe for Roast Beef, Cinnamon Rolls, Mac and Cheese, Chicken Noodle Soup among others. I can't think of a better set of recipes to get a new bride started in the kitchen all in one small, non-intimidating book.

Cooking the Cowboy Way by Grady Spears and June Naylor

For My Father-in-Law

I have to confess when I read this one to review it, I got lost in the photos of wide open spaces and rugged outdoor men. Rugged outdoor men cooking. I had to re-read the book to look at the actual recipes. For my father-in-law who spends his life between Montana and the Southwest and has religiously observed "Steak Night" every Saturday for more years than I have been alive? This one is perfect. The chapters are organized not by courses, but each dedicated to a different ranch in a different part of the country. Much of the food is rugged and robust meats and marinades, but there are a few upscale gems like Ranchero Grilled Quail and Blackened Grouper with Orange Remoulade. While I might miss the photos, my mother-in-law will be pretty happy about her man in the kitchen with this book.

I Love Bacon! by Jane Rockmill

For My Friend Jerry, who loves bacon.

Who wouldn't love this book, right? Buried between the smoky meat-graced pages is the path to Bacon morning, noon, night, dessert, drink and midnight snack. All the recipes are from top chefs including Rick Tramonto, Ming Tsai, Pichet Ong, Bradford Thompson, John Besh and even some local ones for us like Celine Tio. This some very sexy, smoky meat recipes not to be missed for bacon lovers. Uh, don't tell my spouse I am giving this one away.

Book Review: Wow, Thanks!

If you want a peek at a few of the recipes from our book, The Cleaner Plate Club, check out this post from Sacramento Book Review. I love that the reviewer liked the recipes and really "got" the heart of the book. Thank you so much!

"If you think that cookbooks geared towards children are all about “kid friendly” (and mostly nutritionally devoid) foods like chicken nuggets and mashed potatoes, you’re clearly not reading the same cookbooks as I am. Authors and bloggers Beth Bader and Ali Benjamin both believe that having children should not automatically necessitate cooking one meal for the adults and a separate meal for the little ones. And their book, The Cleaner Plate Club, proves that they know what they’re talking about.

This gem of a cookbook covers all the bases. Getting to know your vegetables. Quick breakfast and lunch ideas. Healthy dinners featuring all kinds of meats, and a superb selection of meatless meals. And packed in between are pictures, fun little anecdotes about the author’s own kids, pertinent quotations and facts, and even educational blurbs covering topics from eating organically to the author’s own version of the “anti-diet ...”