My Favorite Cookbooks…and my first giveaway!

Tomorrow is my one year blogging anniversary. Like everything else in my life, I hemmed and hawed and overanalyzed until I just threw my hands in the air and finally tried it. It has been such a fun year, and I'm still in awe that people visit my little corner of blogging world and read my writing. I love that I have made new friends and kept in touch with old ones. I'm so excited to see where Hearth and Homefront will go in year 2!

The round ups of 2013 favorites are all over the internet already and what would be more appropriate for me than rounding up my favorite cookbooks? Some were published in the last year, and some are old favorites.

Barefoot Contessa Foolproof by Ina Garten

I have never met a Barefoot Contessa cookbook that I didn't like. I love her attitude towards entertaining and I have dreams of making my fortune and building a house like hers. Wouldn't you just love to go to one of her parties? This cookbook is filled with recipes that are standbys for everything from Sunday family dinners to big parties. Some recipes require a bit more effort than the ones from her last two cookbooks, but nothing I've made has been hard to do. I find myself turning to it first out of all her cookbooks now.

Nigella Christmas by Nigella Lawson

Not only does this book house my favorite gingerbread recipe ever, it also is just full of advice for days like Christmas and Thanksgiving. The handy chart of turkey cooking times, the ideas for how to schedule your holiday cooking so that you can get it all done and still enjoy the festivities and the menu ideas for different kinds of get togethers are all dog-eared in my copy.

The Naptime Chef by Kelsey Banfield

I've followed Kelsey's blog of the same name for ages, and many of my standard weeknight recipes are hers. The cookbook is just as fabulous as her blog and I use it at least once a week. Her Sausage and Tortellini soup is a family favorite. She's recipe testing for a new cookbook now and I can't wait for it to come out.

Pioneer Woman A Year of Holidays by Ree Drummond

I've only had this book for a few weeks but everything looks so yummy. I met her at a book signing in Oklahoma City last weekend and she is so incredibly sweet. I can't imagine being that charming after 3 hours of smiling and small talk with strangers. Her other cookbooks have been go-to's in our kitchen for a while and I know this one is going to be used heavily as well!

The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook by Deb Perelman

Deb is another blogger I've followed for years and this was one of my favorite Christmas presents last year. Her recipes all have a bit of a twist that sets them apart and her writing feels like you're chatting over coffee. The photography is stunning as well! Trust me on this one and go get it!

Martha Stewart Cupcakes by Martha Stewart

I bought this on a whim in the checkout line of TJ Maxx a few years ago. While Martha and I don't always see eye to eye, this is the best cupcake book I've seen in ages. You can easily interchange recipes, there is something for every occasion and almost everything is easy to make (marzipan figures aside).


Now for the fun part! To celebrate one year of blogging, I'm giving away two of these cookbooks! This isn't sponsored by anyone. It's just me saying thank you for being here. There will be two winners, and one person will get a copy of Barefoot Contessa Foolproof and one person will get The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook.

GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.

To Enter:
Leave a comment below telling me what your favorite cookbook is!

For extra entries:
Follow Hearth and Homefront on Facebook then leave an additional comment that you did.

Follow Hearth and Homefront on Twitter then leave an additional comment that you did.

Follow Hearth and Homefront by email (see the sidebar to sign up), RSS, or blog reader (like Feedly or Bloglovin) and leave an additional comment with how you follow.

Good luck everyone! The contest will be open until Monday, December 23rd.