Back to School Giveaway! 2 Cookbooks- Hello, Cupcake! and LunchBoxes and Snacks

It's Back to School time and that means it is time for a giveaway! I will be giving away 1 copy of each of these cookbooks- Hello, Cupcake! by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson and Lunch Boxes and Snacks by Annabel Karmel.

To enter, just leave a comment on this post- if you don't have a blog leave your email address, so if you win, I can contact you!
This giveaway will close on Sunday 9/13 at 12:00 midnight. The winners will be announced on Monday.
The first cookbook is Hello, Cupcake! It came out in 2008 and has tons of super cute and easy ideas for decorating cupcakes. You don't need any special decorating tools or supplies, it can all be done with plastic baggies and other things you already have at home.

This is a great book to have and so many of these designs would be great for school parties or snacks. There is also a webpage for this book and a blog!
I decided to let my 7 year old son pick out a cupcake design for us to try at home. Of course, he had to pick one of the scariest ones that was in the book- Shark Attack!

I scaled it back, because there are only 5 of us here and made 3 sharks, 3 life preservers and 1 cupcake with gummy fish. I had a few problems with my sharks, but that is just because of the way I put them together. As you can see in the last picture, my shark was starting to fall apart, but that was my fault, not because of the directions.
I have to say that these were fairly easy. It is nice that you can do most of the decorating with a knife and a plastic baggie. Success! My kids thought these were awesome.
We also made the Garden Party Cupcakes from this book last year for Father's Day. The great thing about this book is that the designs are easy to adapt and make your own. We really like this book.

The second book, Lunch Boxes and Snacks, is a great resource for packing lunches for school and also for providing good wholesome snacks. This book is geared towards children, but I have made many recipes from it with success for my entire family and other adults as well.

I decided to make the Caesar Salad Lettuce Cups for a summer dinner and we really loved them. I added shredded carrots, cherry tomatoes, chopped cucumbers, and made my own croutons with a whole wheat baguette. Yum!

I have also made the Finger-Picking Chicken Balls,
Pita Pockets stuffed with Tuna, Egg and Corn,
Chicken Chunks on a Stick, Couscous Confetti Salad,
and many other things that I haven't blogged about, like her no bake chocolate squares. She also has a webpage- which has recipes and all sorts of other helpful information.

Best of luck to all who enter!
Caesar Salad Lettuce Cups from LunchBoxes and Snacks by Annabel Karmel
makes 2 portions

1 small skinless, boneless chicken breast
Marinade:
1 Tbls olive oil
1 tsp lemon juice
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Caesar Dressing:
3 Tbls mayonnaise (I used fat-free)
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tsps water
1 tsps freshly grated Parmesan cheese - plus extra to serve
2 or 3 drops Worcestershire sauce -to taste
salt and freshly ground pepper
Extras you can add:
grated carrot, diced cucumber, diced apple, chopped cherry tomatoes, sliced scallions

2 Boston lettuce leaves
croutons

Place the chicken breast between 2 layers of plastic wrap and flatten with a rolling pin to 1/4-inch thick. Mix together the marinade ingredients, add the chicken, and marinate for 30 minutes. Heat a griddle and brush with oil. Remove the chicken from the marinade and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side or until cooked through.

Whisk the dressing ingredients in a bowl. Dice the chicken and toss it in the dressing.
Add extras if you wish. Spoon onto the lettuce leaves, add a few croutons, and sprinkle with Parmesan.


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