FROM MY KITCHEN TO YOURS :: A COOKERY BOOK GIVEAWAY

happy thanksgiving week, americans! and happy month before christmas, everyone! we celebrated the first of three thanksgiving dinners this previous weekend and my thanksgiving cheer is in overdrive. and not just because I went home feeling morbidly obese. the three buns I ate before even beginning dinner were definitely a mistake. a minor one. they were delicious. but they seriously cramped my style where dessert was concerned. just saying. I spent the rest of my weekend updating my mac, changing my instagram handle, and trying to strategize how to fit all of the seasonal recipes I've been meaning to cook for weeks into the next four days because I know that as soon as thursday night's dishes are washed and stored, everything is going to be coming up christmas. not that that's a bad thing! just that we are staunch thanksgiving celebrators and I want to make sure we do it up right.

regardless of where you are or what you celebrate, the whole season is a wonderful one and in the spirit of reaching outwards and giving, I wanted to do a little something for you all. just a little giveaway to let you know how grateful I am for all of you. grateful that you follow along and read all of my ramblings. grateful that you put up with all of my dorky questions and leave comments that always make my day. grateful that you endure my sporadic posting (ahem, last week). it means a lot, you guys. it really does. 

when brainstorming for any good gift, I can't help but think of what I'm most wanting and loving in that moment and, what with all of this thanksgiving in my bones, that means cookery books! one cookery book that I'm currently loving in my own kitchen and three cookery books that are currently hanging out on my amazon wishlist. and one of these cookery books, I want to send to one of you! go ahead and have a gander below...

one :: plenty more by yotam ottolenghi. I don't know about your holidays, but ours are filled to the brim with starch (sweet potato casserole, anyone? yummm). so I thought this little veggie inspired cookbook would be a welcome addition to my own collection, as well as yours. plenty more is actually an addition to his original work, plenty. clearly, plenty wasn't enough because after so many rave reviews, he compiled this much anticipated sequel.

two :: sunday suppers by karen mordechai. if you don't already have this little work of art in your kitchen libraries, you need it! as do I. this collection of recipes focuses on gathering together for the sole purpose of being present with the ones you love whilst enjoying a simple meal. and mordechai's food styling is to die for. seriously. click on over to amazon and take a peek! I could scroll on for days (how's that for hyperbole?).

three :: at home in the whole food kitchen by amy chaplin. I've heard less about this one cookbook than any of the others, but mitch and I are currently trying to eat a 'whole' diet (minus the eggos, duh) and so I thought I might like to add this one as a contender, as well. it did get excellent reviews and I really like the pictures, so it must be good ;)

four :: my little french kitchen by rachel khoo. I've been long awaiting this cookery book since, like, october! and if I didn't suspect it was already bought for me and sitting under a tree somewhere, I, most likely, would have purchased it all my own. rachel khoo also wrote my little paris kitchen and really has a knack for taking complicated french cuisine and making it super simple. this book is kind of the 'every girl' where french cooking is concerned.

so those are your choices! now, here's how to enter ::

one :: leave a comment below just letting me know you're following along somehow--instagram, twitter, bloglovin', pinterest,  facebook, gfc. it all counts, but be sure to leave your handle in there somewhere so I can get ahold of you somehow. after all, communication is the key to any good relationship, amiright? ;)

two :: check your email on or around saturday, november, 29th to see if you won. the giveaway ends friday the 28th at 11:59 pm atlantic.

(sorry, but this giveaway is open to usa, canadian, european, and uk addresses only.)

and before you go, how were your weekends? have you been doing anything festive? I'd love to know below. good luck, you guys! thank you, again, for just being here. it really does mean the world!

love, arielle

FULLY BOOKED FOR AUGUST

books. let's talk about books. there was definitely a time in my life when my brace-faced self was ostracized at school and books were among my best friends. there were definitely other times after the braces were removed that the peer pressure of my friends almost made me shun books completely. and then there are those more recent times when I just get so busy that I forget about the importance of reading for pleasure. but books have always been there for me, one way or another. and now that the braces are gone and I have begun caring less and less about what others think, I have realized I am a full-on bookworm. and do you want to know the best part? I've been given an opportunity to live on an island with very little to do. so technically, I could read all day. though, I don't because getting dressed and moving around is usually a good idea. however, I have read more books since arriving here than I did the entire time I was at university. and, as mitch's finals loom over us once again, I find myself turning back to books. so here's a short list ( a very short list ) of what I've read, what I want to read, and what I want to read again ::

001 :: longbourn :: want to read. I can't resist anything related to jane austen. this book is pride & prejudice told from elizabeth bennett's handmaiden's point of view. apparently she makes quite a fuss over elizabeth's penchant for trudging through the mud.

002 :: #girlboss :: want to read. a rag to riches story of the ceo of nasty gal, an online clothing store. she seems sort of like a modern day chanel and after having read that biography, I'm totally interested.

003 :: the witch of blackbird pond :: want to reread. an elementary favorite! though admittedly, I wasn't introduced to it until I stumbled into a children's literature class my last year of uni. don't ask me what a nutrition major was doing in there. but this girl resonated with me because she is not afraid to be different and she is, after all, very fashionable. definitely rereading this pulitzer prize winner again this month. 

004 :: austenland :: want to read. a story about a girl who is so hung up on mr. darcy, no other man can compete. until her grandmother passes and leaves her a ticket to this jane austen camp in england where she gets to literally live out her jane austen fantasies. that probably would have been me if I hadn't found my own other half so early on.

005 :: the book thief :: want to read. I know what you're thinking.. 'you mean she hasn't read that already?' the answer :: nope. I didn't show much interest in historical fiction until recently. this is the story of a little girl growing up in nazi germany and she has to steal books to make it through the day.

006 :: edenbrooke :: want to reread. definitely my most favorite jane austen knock-off I've read thus far. with a little more action. read :: highway robbery.

007 :: the age of innocence :: want to read. I sort of missed that stage in my life where I focused on the classics, so I am attempting to make up for years of ignorance whilst being forcefully unemployed. this old time classic is a tragic love story amidst new york's elite in the 1870s. it seems a bit like an old time gossip girl. minus the crazy gossip-spinning blogger.

008 :: the goldfinch :: want to read. this pulitzer prize winner has been the toast of so many real-life and online book clubs, so I thought I'd give it a go before summer's end. after this little boy loses his mother in a terrorist attack at the metropolitan museum of art, he steals the iconic portrait of the goldfinch, which somehow changes his entire life. 

009 :: harry potter series :: want to reread. after mitch's and my most recent harry potter marathon, I've got the urge to read the series from beginning to end. especially since I've never read the sixth and seventh books. I know, I know. what kind of fan am I? for those of you who've been living under a rock, this story is about a boy who grows up to save the world with magic. but j.k. rowling is seriously a genius! every little detail is fore thought out. truly amazing and the whole series is available on kindle unlimited!

speaking of kindle unlimited...if you haven't already heard, amazon has come out with a sort of netflix for books for $9.99 per month with a 30-day free trial. not every book is included just as netflix does not have every movie, but they do have 600,000 titles to choose from. I'd say that should keep you busy for 30 days. I have already stocked my queue with so many favorites and they are all available right there in my kindle app. definitely give it a go. but remember, if you don't like it, make sure to go in and cancel before your 30 days is up! otherwise, they will start charging you..

hope your mornings are all off to a wonderful start and that you are finding time to read despite the hustle and bustle of everyday life! thanks for reading this little space. until tomorrow :)

love, arielle