Review: Katie Brown Celebrates & Giveaway

Summary: In KATIE BROWN CELEBRATES, Katie gives readers a reason to host a party every month of the year. From a festive New Year's Eve dinner to a lavish Christmas brunch, from the perfect child's birthday party to a down-home family reunion, readers will delight in Katie's signature approach to making any celebration simply wonderful. With delicious recipes, straightforward craft projects, and tips for casual entertaining, Katie shows how any host can make a delicious meal and create gorgeous ambiance without the hassle. KATIE BROWN CELEBRATES is a must-have for anyone who ever gives--or has ever thought of giving--a party. -- Little, Brown and Company

Hello, my name is Julie and I'm a cookbook addict. I absolutely adore cookbooks; and you might even say that I collect them. It's not that I'm a big-time cook or anything, but I love looking at recipes and pictures of food. I think it's genetic because my 86 year old grandmother still enjoys looking through cookbooks too! We will even sit together and go through separate cookbooks talking about what looks good (and easy!)

Needless to say, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to look through KATIE BROWN CELEBRATES: SIMPLE AND SPECTACULAR PARTIES ALL YEAR ROUND. I will admit that I haven't tried any of the recipes (yet), but this cookbook is beautiful. I just keep looking through it, and I notice something new every single time. Trust me when I say that this book will make a wonderful gift for your favorite entertainer this holiday season.

I'm not sure where to start in describing this cookbook! The photography and colors are just beautiful. It really looks like a book you could display on your coffee table. The cookbook is divided into sections for each month with instructions and recipes for a specific party theme. For example, January is "A New Year's Evening," April is a "Kids' Day," and December is a "Holiday Brunch." There a a type of party for every occasion you can think of!

Not only are there yummy recipes for you to make for each festivity, but there are also loads of decoration ideas. What I love most about this book is that everything seems pretty simple, yet it will look like you spent a ton of time (and a ton of money) on your event. We've all thrown parties where we are so tired and busy that we can't even enjoy the party -- I think KATIE BROWN CELEBRATES will help eliminate that problem. The decorations are so unique and do-able and the recipes are super easy and made with normal (translatation: easy-to-find) ingredients.

Now for the fun part: I am going to be giving away up to five copies of KATIE BROWN CELEBRATES courtesy of Hachette Book Group USA! For every ten entries I receive, I will give away one cookbook. For example, 10 entries = 1 cookbook, 20 entries = 2 cookbooks, etc. up to 5 cookbooks. All you have to do is leave a comment (with your e-mail) telling me why you want this cookbook -- it shouldn't be very hard! To double your chances, blog about this contest with a link back to this post. The contest will be open until Friday, December 5th at 11:59 p.m. EST. I will announce the winners on the following day. This contest is open to those of you with U.S. or Canada mailing addresses only (and no P.O. boxes.) Good Luck!