I love these things!

I love giving away free stuff. Probably because I love to win free stuff, especially cookbooks. And if you haven't read the comments for both this and the other cookbook giveaway, then you definitely need to. Because they are loaded with all sorts of great ideas for recipes.

Appetizers and tapas are very near and dear to my heart and I loved reading all of your comments. A lot of you seem to favor goat cheese and brie, which are absolute favorites of mine. Hummus also seemed to be a favorite and judging by the number of variations on my sidebar, I think you can tell it's a favorite of mine too.

Now onto the winner. The winner is MK99! Congratulations MK! Here is her entry:

We love tapas. We often make our own meals on the tapa style and of course love to have tapas parties.

There are so many to choose from but I have to fall back on one we love and love to serve.

Prosciutto and Parmesan Pinwheels

1 (17.5 ounce) package frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed
5 ounces prosciutto, thinly sliced
5 ounces Parmesan cheese, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons prepared mustard

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray a baking sheet with nonstick oil spray.
Roll the thawed pastry out onto a flat surface. Spread Dijon mustard to taste on the pastry sheets. Cover pastry with a layer of prosciutto, then cheese. Roll the sheets, beginning at the long side. Cut into 1 inch thick sections. Arrange the sections on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake 10 to 12 minutes.

Sounds absolutely delicious!
To everyone else, thanks for playing and for your delicious recipes and ideals. I'm sure a few of them will be showing up on this blog over the next few weeks!

Psst! Wanna win a cookbook??

I love cookbooks. I think anyone who loves to cook does, even if you don't use them all the time. I rarely cook a recipe as written, but I love reading cookbooks, which are great for inspiration. I used to have well over 500 cookbooks, but a few years ago, I weeded through them, keeping only the ones I adored or used. Since then, I've amassed a few more, but it's nowhere near the amount I used to have.

DK Publishing partnered with the Culinary Institute of America to produce this book, Spain and the World Table, and let me just say 1 word - Wow! If you only get it for the pictures, it's well worth it.



Every year, the CIA selects a nation's cuisine to highlight during their "Worlds of Flavor" conference and festival. Spain was an obvious choice, and this book is full of all sorts of mouth-watering recipes. There's an entire chapter dedicated to tapas, which I absolutely adore. There are also notes throughout the book, providing information on pairing wine and sherry, selecting Spanish cheeses, and choosing Spanish olive oils. There's a few recipes I have my eye on, such as the Spanish Fig Cake, Hazelnut-crusted Halibut with Spicy Romesco, and Valencian Seafood Rice.

Wouldn't you love to add this book to your library?? Well now you can! Simply leave me a comment with your favorite appetizer recipe or idea, in honor of all the great tapas recipes in the book. It can be something you love to make or tell me your favorite appetizer you love to order at a restaurant. Leave your comment by midnight on Tuesday, May 6th. I'll be drawing the winner on Wednesday morning.

Good luck!

Lemon Roasted Beets with Feta

Beets. I know. You don't like them. Neither did I for many many years. But I'm going to have to ask you to trust me on this. These are different. I promise.

I hated beets for years. I just couldn't get into them. It wasn't until I was in Guatemala and had beets that were freshly picked from a garden and prepared perfectly until I started to see the light. Since then, I've been in love.

This recipe is the perfect one to try if you think you don't like beets. I made a batch of these and took them into work. A few "beet haters" tried them and couldn't believe they actually liked them. I think it's because they are so fresh tasting and have a great flavor and texture to them.

So go ahead. Give them a try. I promise this time will be different.



Lemon Roasted Beets with Feta
Serves 4

3 large beets
4 cloves garlic
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp fresh thyme
1/4 c feta cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel beets, cut in half, and slice into 1/4" thick slices. Place in large baking dish with garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Tightly cover dish with foil, place into oven, and bake for 35-40 minutes, until beets are fork tender. Remove from oven, place on serving platter, and top with fresh thyme and feta. Serve and enjoy!

Figs in Red Wine

Mele Cotte is hosting a food event that I just had to take part in. Cooking to Combat Cancer is a great event for foodies to get involved in promoting cancer awareness and to create recipes that include some of the cancer fighting foods and spices.

Although my family has not been immediately touched by cancer, I have quite a few friends who have been. One of my very best friends lost her mother to cancer, then her aunt a few short months later. It wasn't long before she was diagnosed with cancer as well. Thankfully, it was caught early enough and after a few rounds of chemo and radiation, she's been cancer free for the past few years. But how many haven't been that lucky??

That's why prevention and awareness is so important. According to the National Cancer Institute, nearly one-third of all cancer deaths may be diet related. That's crazy, isn't it?? The food we eat has a direct correlation to our health. Why wouldn't we want to eat as healthy as possible?? (As an aside, if you haven't yet read the book The China Study, I strongly suggest you do. It is an amazing research study about the relationship between diet and disease, and it's done in a very readable format. I highly recommend it!)

When I read the list of Cancer Fighting Foods and Spices on The Cancer Cure Foundation website, figs and red wine immediately jumped out. I have had a recipe for Figs in Red Wine scribbled down in my food notebook that I believe came from The Zuni Cafe Cookbook. Although I don't have the book and can't vouch for its content, I did like the idea of this recipe.

According to the list of foods, figs contain vitamins A and C, and calcium, magnesium and potassium, may curtail appetite and improve weight-loss efforts. They also contain a derivative of benzaldehyde, which investigators at the Institute of Physical and Chemical Research in Tokyo say is highly effective at shrinking tumors. Red wine has polyphenols that may protect against various types of cancer. Polyphenols are potent antioxidants, compounds that help neutralize disease-causing free radicals.

These figs are perfect by their own, but would be a fantastic addition to a cheese plate. A jar of these would also make a lovely gift to a fellow foodie.



Figs in Red Wine

1 1/2 c dry fruity red wine
2 bay leaves
10 peppercorns
1 strip orange zest
1 tsp honey
8 oz dried mission figs

In a small saucepan, bring red wine, bay leaves, and peppercorns to a boil. Lower heat and simmer uncovered, until wine is reduced to 1/2 cup. While wine is simmering, cut figs in half. Place in small jar with wine and add remaining ingredients. Cover, shake, and store in refrigerator.

Lemon Thyme Tilapia Packets

If you're a long-time reader of 28 Cooks, you know that I favor recipes that are simple and quick to make, yet look like you invested a few hours in the kitchen. I also try and eat as healthy as possible, so I like to find recipes that not only fulfill the above qualities, but are also nutritious and filling.

Tilapia is a recurring ingredient on 28 Cooks because not only is it delicious and nutritious, but it's so easy to prepare. I wanted something quick to throw together for dinner tonight, so I knew tilapia was the perfect choice.

These packets literally take 5 minutes to throw together. The most time consuming task is slicing the lemons. Seriously. And the best thing about this recipe is that you can literally take it in a hundred directions. Use salmon or halibut in place of the tilapia. Try another herb instead of the thyme. Use lime instead of lemon. Throw some snowpeas down instead of the spinach. Use a flavored olive oil. No matter how you make it, this is a delicious dish that's sure to be a favorite!



Lemon Thyme Tilapia Packets
Serves 2

2 tilapia filets
Salt and pepper
A touch of olive oil
1 organic lemon
2 large handfuls of spinach leaves, washed
A few sprigs of fresh thyme

Preheat oven to 425. Lightly spray 2 large sheets of foil or parchment paper with cooking spray. Slice lemon into 8 slices and discard the 2 end pieces. Place 3 slices of lemon horizontally in the center of the foil. Place handful of spinach on top of lemon. Place seasoned tilapia filets on top of spinach, drizzle with a little olive oil, and place thyme sprigs on top of fish. Fold up packets and place in preheated oven on baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes and remove from oven. Allow to rest for a few minutes before opening packet. Discard lemon slices and thyme sprigs, serve, and enjoy!

And the winner is.....

This was by far the best comment contest ever. If you haven't read through the comments of reader's favorite summer recipes, please do so immediately. There are so many good recipes!

And the big winner of the great Grilled Pizza cookbook is Rogue Cook!
Here's their favorite summer recipe:

I eat pesto like there's no tomorrow during the summer. My favorite is cilantro lemon pesto, a refreshing take on the traditional basil pesto:

1 bunch cilantro
2 cloves garlic
zest and juice of one lemon
1/2 c. toasted pine nuts
olive oil
1/2 c. grated or shredded parmesan cheese

Add all ingredients (except cheese) into a food processor. Add enough olive oil to achieve desired pesto consistency (i.e., like a very soft butter). Toss with your favorite pasta and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Congrats, Rogue Cook! Please contact me with your mailing address!
And to the rest of ya'll, enjoy your day!

Another Giveaway!

Let me just say one thing - spring has finally arrived here on the East Coast and it's positively amazing. I spent the day yesterday with 2 of my best friends in Baltimore, just walking around the harbour and enjoying the day. It was positively gorgeous and made me anxious for long summer days with cookouts and BBQ's.

Imagine my surprise when I returned home to find a cookbook waiting for me.



This cookbook looks like it would be just perfect for summer entertaining. Grilled Pizzas and Piadinas is full of recipes for all sorts of pizzas and piadinas. Instructions are included for almost all grilling surfaces, ranging from your typical outdoor grill to indoor grill pans, griddles, and panini makers. As I was flipping through the book, I found plenty of recipes I want to try in the very near future. There's a Gamberian pizza topped with sauteed shrimp with pesto and tomato, The Artisan is topped with roasted vegetables with a creamy garlic cheese, and the Habaneran sounds amazing with hot peppers, avocado, cilantro, and lime. There's also plenty of recipes for carnivores.

This cookbook also includes great recipes for salads and desserts so you can have a full meal. There's a recipe for a S'more pizza that looks absolutely incredible.

So why am I telling you about this fantastic cookbook? Because the publishing company has generously offered an extra copy for one of my readers.

So what do you have to do to win it?
Simply leave me a comment with your favorite summer recipe by Midnite, April 22. I'll announce the winner on April 23 and we'll get a copy of this fantastic cookbook in your hot little hands before the weather starts heating up.

So go ahead, tell me about the summer recipe you adore.
Good luck!