october book giveaway!

September 29, 2015

This month’s giveaway book is a favorite of mine. When I need a quick dessert for guests and don’t want to spend a lot of time in the grocery store in preparation, this is the recipe book I grab! Every dessert in it uses just four ingredients!

Desserts 4 Today by Abigail Johnson Dodge is a wonderful collection of recipes for flavorful desserts with just four ingredients. It is from this book that I adapted a meringue recipe to create my rosewater meringues. I know you will enjoy this recipe book as much as I do. It makes a special dessert as easy as four ingredients!

To be entered to win a copy, simply add a comment to this post. The winner will be chosen at random from the comments received during the month – my way of saying thank you for sharing pleasure in simple things with me! Good luck!

The winner of last month’s selection is Heather. Congratulations to you! A lovely book Sea Glass Treasures from the Tide by Cindy Bilbao is on its way to you to remind you of summer all year long!

For Instagram followers, this month’s challenge is to post photos of white pumpkins! You know white pumpkins are one of my fall obsessions…let’s share! Post a photo of one you have decorated – like I did here – or, one you admire. Use hashtag #pleasuregram to share your favorite white pumpkin photos. Happy fall!

Thanks for stopping by! Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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september book giveaway!

September 1, 2015

September always seems so far away when summer begins. Of course, before you know it, September creeps up and with it comes the threat of the end to the best season of the year!

I don’t know about you, but I am still cramming every last bit of summer into my days – and, that includes the monthly book giveaway!

Since it is technically still summer, I have chosen a book that makes me think of summer and all I love about it. The book is called Sea Glass Treasures from the Tide. As a sea glass collector for my entire life, I can appreciate the wonderfully photographed pieces Cindy has captured in her first book. Even those of you who may not live near the water or, have the opportunity to hunt for sea glass will enjoy this beautiful selection!

Photographer Cindy Bilbao shares with us the vibrancy, magic, and beauty in sea glass that comes from the tides of her favorite beaches. Her book shares treasured trips and helps keep summer alive all year long!

Leave a comment on this post to let me know you’d like to win this book. A winner will be chosen at random from the comments I receive.

Congratulations to Deborah, winner of last month’s giveaway selection Irresistible Ice Pops by Sunil Vijayakar. I know you will enjoy this wonderful collection of recipes for many summers to come!

In attempt to celebrate the last days of my favorite season, this month’s Instagram Challenge is to share photos from the last days of summer. Use hashtag #pleasuregram to share your best shots!

Thank you so much for stopping by! Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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august book giveaway!

July 31, 2015

I remember, as a kid, the first time I had the bright idea to make my own ice pop. I poured some juice into a paper cup and put it in the freezer overnight. The next day, I rushed to the freezer, peeled off some of the paper cup, and attempted to eat my creation.

To my total disappointment, my ‘ice pop’ was rock solid, like an ice cube. Yes, I could lick it, but it didn’t have that great texture of a store bought ice pop. Little did I know then; what was missing to accomplish the texture I craved, was the right balance of sugar.

This and other important ice pop facts are explained in the book Irresistible Ice Pops by Sunil Vijayakar – the reason the book is a must have for all ice pop lovers! And, the reason it is the giveaway book for August! Irresistible Ice Pops. includes all the basics to ice pop creation as well as a collection of some wonderful ice pop recipes. Leave me a comment and I will pick one lucky winner at random at the end of the month, from those that comment, to receive this great book. Good luck!

Congratulations to Emily for winning last month’s selection The Heirloom Tomato Cookbook. Thank you also, Emily, for the heartfelt email. A big thank you to everyone that entered to win!

Instagram lovers, please read on! What’s your pleasure on a scorching hot summer day to help cool off? Is it a frozen drink? An ice pop? A slushie? Use hashtag #pleasuregram during the month of August to share photos of your favorite icy summer ice treat!

Thanks so much for stopping by! Have a fabulous weekend, Jackie

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july book giveaway!

June 30, 2015

Talk about pleasure in simple things – what could be better than a juicy, vine-ripened heirloom tomato? Colorful, tangy, juicy, and sweet, heirloom tomatoes are the essence of summer! This month’s giveaway book selection pays tribute to this wonderful summer staple! The title of the selection is The Heirloom Tomato Cookbook by Mimi Luebbermann with luscious photographs by Dan Mills and Robert Holmes.

From soups and salads to main courses and desserts, heirloom tomatoes are as versatile as they are colorful, with dozens of different flavors, sizes, and colors to explore. This wonderful book includes recipes, gardening tips, wine pairings, and tomato lore.

Cooking and gardening expert Mimi Luebbermann has created a wonderful resource for cooks and gardeners alike! Leave a comment on this month’s giveaway post to be entered to win this marvelous book! Good luck!

Thanks to everyone for your interest in the June giveaway Vibrant Food by Kimberley Hasselbrink. Click here to see more about this book. The winner of this June giveaway is Kara from Arizona! Congrats!

Instagram lovers, read on! In keeping with this month’s giveaway title, our Instagram challenge for July is to tag tomato photos this month! Use #pleasuregram to share the best captures of this wonderful summer food! Thanks so much for stopping by! Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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june book giveaway!

May 29, 2015

For June, the giveaway book selection is Vibrant Food by Kimberley Hasselbrink. This book celebrates the ingredients, recipes, and colors of each season. I really love when recipe books are organized by season, because it encourages healthful eating and is so compatible with healthy shopping! What better way is there to shop at this time of year than to visit farmer’s markets for in season ingredients that are fresh and grown local?

The author invites you to look at ingredients differently – to let the colors inspire! This book can help you think about produce in terms of color and can reinvigorate your relationship with food. In this collection of recipes, Hasselbrink employs aesthetics, flavor, and texture to build gorgeous yet unfussy dishes for every season.

Leave a comment for a chance to win this wonderful selection! I know the winner of this book will enjoy jumping right into ‘the bold colors of summer’ section to create some wonderful summer dishes!

Now, to announce the winner of last month’s giveaway selection. Daria was chosen at random from the comments left during May and will receive a copy of the book Secret Garden by Johanna Basford. And, I have added a box of brightly colored pencils to the giveaway! Congratulations Daria and happy doodling! Thanks to everyone that left a comment. :)

In honor of the June book selection, the Instagram challenge for June is to share photos of your own vibrant food! Use hashtag #pleasuregram to post photos of brightly colored in season ingredients throughout the month of June.

Thanks so much for stopping by! Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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may book giveaway!

May 1, 2015

Doodles have been getting plenty of attention. In recent years, Google has definitely helped elevate doodles to an art form – don’t you agree? Who hasn’t checked out the cool doodles on the Google search bar? Now, there are a flurry of books published on the topic of doodling.

One of the more popular published works of doodles recently is Secret Garden by Johanna Basford. Designed to be interactive, this book is touted as a coloring book for adults – chock full of black and white doodles just crying out to be colored in!

Like me, many of you life-long doodlers out there may be thinking “Why the heck didn’t I think of that?” Somehow, the fact that a published book of doodles exists seems to validate the compulsion we all have to create scribbles on paper. I wonder if the author’s grade school teacher complained when the margins of her assignments were full of squiggles! Ms. Basford has made those squiggles pay off – literally!

For the May book giveaway, I will be sending a copy of Secret Garden to one of my readers. In addition, I am including a box of colored pencils from Target. (Have you seen Target’s newest section of craft supplies?!) To win, be sure to leave a comment on this post. I will pick a winner at random from all comments I receive about the giveaway on my social media during the month and announce the winner at the end of May. Good luck!

The winner of the April giveaway (that includes two books – click here for more) was chosen at random from the comments I received. These books will be going out to Michelle from New York. Congrats to Michelle!In celebration of all things doodle, the May Instagram Challenge will be to share your doodles! For Instagram followers, please share your doodles throughout the month of May using the hashtag #pleasuregram. Doodle on!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Have a fabulous weekend and remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

12 comments

april book giveaway!

March 31, 2015

‘Spring has sprung*’ and with it starts the season for entertaining! Beginning with Easter, the events in spring just seem to parade on, one after another – bridal and baby showers, graduations, Mother’s Day…the list seems to go on and on.

The thoughts of celebrating in mild weather is so appealing after the crazy winter we had here in Connecticut – where guests needed to negotiate snow drifts to get into the house and subzero temperatures made warm weather gear a necessity like never before! Don’t get me wrong, cozy fires and warm drinks do have a certain appeal – but, enough already!

With these thoughts in mind, I have come up with a really unique book giveaway idea for April and I am excited to tell you about it!

I found a great vintage book – published in 1966 – about entertaining, titled All About Entertaining: Everything You Need to Know to Have a Fabulous Social Life by Kay Corninth and Mary Sargent. With talk of “gloves are not only correct but called for” and “no matter how generous your husband may be with your clothing allowance…” this book is sure to be an interesting read!

I thought it would be fun to contrast the old with the new – SO. the winner of this month’s giveaway will receive TWO books. One is this vintage find and the other is a more recent book on entertaining called The Butler Speaks: A Guide to Stylish Entertaining, Etiquette and the Art of Good Housekeeping by Charles MacPherson. This is an author signed copy and is a great reference book for contemporary entertaining. The author has over twenty-four years of experience in household management. In 2009, he opened North America’s only registered school for butlers and household managers in Toronto. MacPherson is an expert in the areas of staffing, training and planning, and is recognized as a world authority in the household management and butler fields.

How fun to see the differences – and similarities – in entertaining guidelines between the 60’s and today! Leave a comment to be entered to win. The winner will be chosen at random from the comments. Good luck!

Congratulations to Becca, a blogger over at Becca’s Backyard, winner of the March selection Lazy Days and Beach Blankets. Shoot me an email with your address, Becca, and I will send it right out to you! This book about alfresco dining is a winner!

In the spirit of the giveaway, our Instagram challenge this month will be to post pics of entertaining. Please share the favorite moments of your celebrations by using the hashtag #pleasuregram during the month of April.

*P.S. I am ignoring the fact that it is snowing as I write this!

Thank you so much for stopping by! Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie xo

7 comments

march book giveaway!

February 27, 2015

February has certainly gone by quickly – though I am not complaining. After the winter we have been having here in Connecticut, most people seem to have the same sentiment – spring cannot come soon enough! Now we only need to wait until the 20th day of March to officially welcome the new season!

For the giveaway book this month, I am really being a tease and selecting Lazy Days and Beach Blankets: Simple Alfresco Dining with Friends and Family by Ryland Peters & Small. Right now alfresco is really a stretch – I know – especially when you consider the temperatures are below freezing and the ground is covered with mounds of ice and snow. A girl can dream though, can’t she?

I thought this selection would prove a great way to dream of warmer days ahead! “Lazy Days and Beach Blankets” celebrates the joy of eating alfresco with loved ones and provides plenty of inspiration with beautiful images of lazy days and outdoor dining. The book contains more than 120 simple recipes and ideas for dining alfresco – sections devoted to snacks & sides, salads, barbecues, entrees, desserts, and drinks.

Leave a comment during the month of March to let me know you would like to be entered to win this book. “Lazy Days and Beach Blankets” is sure to have you dreaming of setting up cool drinks on the terrace or dinner under the stars in no time flat!

Congratulates to Barbara, the winner of the February selection, The House Gardener by Isabelle Palmer. Barb, send me an email through the blog with your mailing information, and I will send it right out to you! I know you will enjoy it!

For Instagram users, this month’s challenge will be to photograph the first signs of spring! We are all eager for it to arrive – what signals the start of the season to you? Please share using hashtag #pleasuregram. We could all use some images promising warmer days ahead!

Have a wonderful weekend! Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

13 comments

january book giveaway!

December 30, 2014

Hard to believe – not only is it the end of the month, but also the end of the year! Where has the time gone?!

I am pleased to announce that Manda from Oklahoma is the winner of the December giveaway book Winter Cocktails by Maria Del Mar Sacasa! Congrats Manda! I know you will enjoy the book! The two calendars are going to Ashley from Texas and Mary from Chicago.

For the first giveaway book selection for 2015, I have chosen The Kinfolk Table: Recipes for Small Gatherings by Nathan Williams. This book is definitely a winner! The recipes in this book are a collection of recipes from home cooks from around the world where the author has taken us into the home of each of the contributors. “Here you will find recipes not just for one-pot stews and refreshing salads, but for evenings spent with friends when the hours pass effortlessly, conversation flows naturally, cooking us participatory, and the meal ends with a satisfying sense of accomplishment.”

The book is a great way to set the tone for the start of a new year that includes many wonderful friends and many wonderful meals – demonstrating the joy in casual entertaining. As much a coffee table book as a recipe book, this selection is sure to please! (So much so, I am willing to send all 344 pages of this large, heavy book to the winner via mail!)

Leave a comment here or on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter to be entered to win this great book selection that will help you discover the simple pleasures of a shared meal. Good luck!

For those on Instagram, this month’s challenge is Winter Whites! Whether it be your skinny white cords paired with a white angora sweater or the piles of snow outside your back door, white in winter is special…a visual treat! For the month of January, let’s share photos of winter whites, using hashtag #pleasuregram. I can’t wait to see your photos!!

Thanks so much for stopping by! I am excited to start a new year sharing pleasure in simple things with you! Happy 2015! xo Jackie

8 comments

december book giveaway!

December 2, 2014

December is upon us! Today I am announcing Tracy in Connecticut as the winner of the November giveaway book, Mast Brothers Chocolate. Congrats Tracy! The recipes in this book are super for creating holiday gifts of chocolate! Next Friday I will be sharing the chocolate granola recipe, so be sure to stop back to see how cute it can be wrapped for giving!

The December giveaway selection is a great seasonal choice – Winter Cocktails by Maria Del Mar Sacasa. Leave a comment to be entered to win this great selection and make some wonderful drinks (both with and without alcohol) – from mulled cider and hot toddies to lavender hot cocoa!

Recently, when I was in Anthropologie, I saw these cute 2015 calendar pages that seemed to fit in with this month’s giveaway perfectly! So, I decided to pick up two and I will be giving away the calendars also! Three chances to win this month! Good luck!

Thanks so much for stopping by! As December continues, I am excited to share inspiring ideas for the holiday season! Please join me all month for creative ways to celebrate the season!

For those of you on Instagram, this month’s challenge is to share tree ornaments! Let’s use hashtag #pleasuregram to share some of the wonderful variety of ornaments you may find. I can’t wait to see your favorites!

Remember – especially during this holiday season – to find pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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