Back in October I had the opportunity to see one of my ALL time favorite musical groups Point of Grace! Four friends and I took our oldest daughters to Girls of Grace. Girls of Grace is a one day event, for girls 12-17, that uses music, speakers, and multi media to focus on common age related issues…boys, body image, sex, self esteem, relationships. Every one of our girls put up some level of stink about going. It was not their idea of a “fun” day…..being “forced to sit at a Christian conference and talk about life issues”. By the end of the day our girls were thanking us for bringing them…needless to say it was life changing for all of us!
One thing I found out about POG is these ladies like to cook! Which they did for one of the segments of Girls of Grace. While cooking Shelley’s Mom’s Salsa they talked about hospitality, and spending time in the kitchen together. This Salsa is out of this world, by the way! Thankfully they had their cookbook for sale out on their merchandise table. Of course I bought two!
Leigh, Shelley, and Denise came out after to talk to the girls and sign autographs, I was in a bit of a hurry, because….well I was hungry, and we had dinner plans with our girlies. So I quickly asked Denise to sign my books. I told her that I might give one away on my blog, she politely asked the name of my blog, we chatted for a few seconds and I was on my way…to dinner!
Well not even a week after the conference I recieved an email from Denise! I could hardly breath. I don’t think she realizes what a huge fan I am. She said she had checked out my blog, and asked for a menu advice for a party she was hosting for their small group. Well after I picked myself up off the carpeting. I emailed her back.
Sometimes I don’t think things through very well, after I got home I realized it would be really nice to give a book away that had all of Point of Graces autographs in it, so I got up the guts to email Denise again, and ask her if I were to send the cookbook back to her would she get the other ladies John Hancocks. She said no problem!
So today….
I am GIVING AWAY a signed copy of Cooking with GRACE!
It is signed by Denise, Leigh and Shelley, unlike my copy...see how much I love you guys.
Let me just tell you I LOVE THIS COOKBOOK. It is like the best church cookbook you ever had, on steroids!!!!! And if you cherish your church cookbooks like I do, you know what I mean. It has a hard cover, no wire binding. It has beautiful color pictures throughout. Fun and interesting back stories are included with every recipe. The recipes are delicious everyday, comfort food. Basically its all of their family favorites! And…..and the best part, it has a whole chapter devoted to Mexican food. I knew I loved these ladies for a reason!
Another awesome thing about this cookbook is that a portion of the profits from the sales of Cooking with Grace go to benefit The Raining Season. The Raining Season is a Christian based non-profit organizations that helps meet the basic needs of impoverished families in Sierra Leone, west Africa.
The first recipe I made out of Cooking with GRACE was Leighs Best Chocolate Pie EVER! Of course…it is chocolate and its’ PIE for goodness sakes! It also intrigued me that the filling was made in one bowl in the microwave. I never cook in my microwave. My microwave is strictly used to warm, melt, and pop popcorn. This recipe seemed too simple, too good to be true!
The fact that the recipe makes two pies should tell you something. It is THE BEST chocolate pie EVER! Silky, creamy, rich chocolatey goodness. I wanted to eat the pudding right out of the bowl, forget pouring it in pie shells!
Here’s the recipe for Leigh’s BEST Chocolate Pie EVER! Now don’t get all gaga over the pie and forget to
ENTER TO WIN A COPY OF COOKING WITH GRACE BELOW!!!!
Measure out 2 cups Sugar, 1/2 cup Flour, 2/3 cup Cocoa, and a pinch of Salt in a large microwave safe bowl. Using a whisk blend ingredients together.
Separate 4 Eggs, keeping yolks for pudding. Measure out 4 cups Milk, add 2 teaspoons Vanilla to milk. I prefer to use Whole Milk when making pudding, I think it gives it a thicker, creamier texture.
Whisk milk, egg yolks, and vanilla extract together until smooth.
Pour egg/milk mixture in to dry ingredients. Does this picture make you dizzy? Maybe it’s the cold medicine I’m taking, but this picture makes me feel like I’m about to fall off the edge of the countertop. You not so much?….hmmm ok, just me huh? Well moving right along with the recipe.
Whoa….I hope my puddin’ doesn’t land on the floor…..Now whisk wet and dry ingredient together with a whisk. Whisking all the lumps out until smooth.
Place bowl in microwave and heat on HIGH, in 2-3 minute increments.
Remove bowl from microwave every 2-3 minutes and whisk. Return bowl to microwave and repeat until pudding is thick. It took my pudding 14 minutes to be perfect.
Pour chocolate pudding into 2 Graham Cracker Crusts and top with whipping cream, or………
you could do as I did fill one pie shell and then pour the remaining pudding in ramekins……OR you could just sit yourself down with that bowl and go to town sistAH!
So there you have it The BEST Chocolate Pie EVER!!! from Cooking with Grace. Now it’t time to enter to WIN IT!!
Rules and Regulations:
1. Leave a comment below letting me know: What is your favorite cookbook ever? You know the one with the post it notes sticking out and the pages sticking together.
2. For extra points TWITTER this giveaway! Come back and leave the link to your tweet in the comments.
3. For even more of an advantage SHARE the link to this Giveaway on your FACEBOOK page!! Return to let me know…..below.
4. EXTRA brownie points head on over to POINT OF GRACE’S blog...come back and tell me what they are up to over there!
Giveaway ENDS THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9 AT NOON.
Now be a good Doo-Bee and make this pie for your family!
Sheila
Linked up to: Mingle Mondays at Add a Pinch
1.) Fix It And Forget It – Feasting with your crockpot
2) Quick Cooking – annual recipes years 2002 – 2005
3) Aunt Bea’s Mayberry Cookbook – cracks me up every time I use it!
Picked the top three because I can’t decide my fav!
I love a local ladies cookbook. Her name was Mildred Swift.
How fun! I love too many cookbooks. Right now it would have to be Pioneer Womans cookbook. I would also say, I love all the church / school cookbooks – because everyone puts in their favorite recipes. I’ll also share the link on my fb page.
My favorite cookbook ever is in fact a church cookbook from my Great Grandmother’s church up in Lancaster County, PA. It’s name is in German or Pennsylvania Dutch so I just always call it the brown cookbook and everyone in my family knows which one I’m talking about. My grandmother gave me my copy when I was like 9. My mom has a copy, and when my brother got married, I gave his wife my Grandmother’s copy. It’s full of amazing recipes that call for “lard” and “a pinch” of things. I LOVE it!!
Love my Fix It and Forget It and my Taste of Home mags!
Twittered: https://twitter.com/#!/jneuman88/status/166528496275951616
Facebooked the giveway!
Just checked out PoG’s blog … love the daughter’s tub crayon doodles. That’s the kind of thing my kids would do to try to convince me about something … currently it’s “We want a dog!”
Cooking Downeast. It’s full of old timey Maine recipes that I make whenever I feel homesick.
I’ll go tweet. 🙂
I would say that I run to the books by Ina Garten –The Barefoot Contessa books and I also gravitate to the books by Susan Branch –Heart of the Home books.
What a fun giveaway. Looks like a great cookbook. I like the commenter before me use all the Ina Garten books the most. I love them!!
My go-to cookbook is still the BHG Cookbook. I love it.
And the Point of Grace blog now has a video about the trip to Tennessee River Run.
Pioneer Women
I have a cookbook by Camilla Saulsbury – all recipes using brownie mix – love it!
Thank you for a great giveaway!
My favorite is all of them! Right now I am using More With Less a lot and really love it – that was the book I used to teach myself to make bread when my oldest was diagnosed with allergies! I also love the original Barefoot Contessa cookbook!
But it is the church cookbook from the church my oldest was baptized in that I slipped into her hope chest. They made it to raise money for a new cross when the sanctuary was remodeled.
And I bet Shelly is happy her little one used tub crayons and not markers! 🙂
Thank you for linking to their blog -I love them!
I find myself reaching for Pioneer Woman’s cookbook- down home comfort! I’d love to try PoG’s though. Thanks for the chance!
The PoG girls posted a road trip video and some scenes from Tennessee River Run. Too fun!
Love church cookbooks.
Church cook books, and midwest living magazine has great recipes
I love my Betty Crocker cookbook! It has beginner to advance recipes, so it’s perfect on days you don’t have a lot of time and on days I feel like being a chef!
I reach for my Barefoot contessa cookbooks the most. Definitely have to make that chocolate pie!
My favorite cookbook is one from the 1980’s, which was put together by the ladies at the church in which I grew up – love it, stains, tears and all!
Looks like the POG girls had a basketball game pep rally, some super bowl fun and cupcakes!
Just shared your link on Facebook. Thanks for the great giveaway!
Went to PoG’s site. Would love to be able to try those white cupcakes.
Twittered: https://twitter.com/#!/Sharpesgirl15
My favorite recipe book is Pioneer Woman’s cookbook!
mmmm, i always love the recipes you share. i’m not a huge dessert person but my husband would love this pie so maybe we’ll try it soon!
i really mix it up when it comes to recipes and i find my best dishes don’t come from my actual cookbooks, so maybe that means i need a new cookbook! my fave is allrecipes.com and my simple & delicious magazine.
and the ladies of point of grace had a weekend full of kiddo basketball games, watching the super bowl and eating yummy cupcakes!
Taste of Home (website and cookbook) are my go to’s when I’m needing something to make…other than that I keep most of my favorite recipes on my computer.
The POG cookbook looks fabulous!
Pioneer woman is my favorite cookbook @ this point. I haven’t made many items that I didn’t like.
Facebooked
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Sports and cupcakes…love these gals!!
I know this probably sounds SO boring, but I have a couple Weight Watchers cook-books that I really like. I have to tell ya though, I get just as many, if not more, ideas from your website or just from talking to other Mom’s.
Point of Grace is watching her son play basketball, and hosting a boys Super Bowl Party for her boys…wow, that hits close to home doesn’t it… funny! 🙂
PW, Kitchen Kaleidoscope (an old school cookbook), and my massive, overflowing recipe box (I know it’s not a cookbook but it will be when I put the recipes in a binder like I plan to!).
Just found your blog today…loving it! Looking forward to getting to know you better!
~Lisa
Hi Sheila,
What a wonderful post…and such a delicious looking pie!! And I love Point of Grace. Quite a few years ago, my F-I-L gave me a CD with their music on it. Oh their voices! So sweet!
OK…for my favorite cookbook. That is a tough one because I love so many. I am addicted to cookbooks! But probably one of my all time favorites is actually a new one I recently discoved titled “An Everlating Meal … Cooking with Economy & Grace”. I love this book because it brings cooking back to a place that I love…uncomplicated, intuitive. The recipes are VERY simple and more suggestions than lists of ingredients and directions to follow. I just love it.
OK…now I am off to do the other things on your list…twitter, etc. 🙂
Have a great day!
Love,
Mary
Hi Sheila,
Just visit the “POG Blog”… How cute is that…and looks like one of the ladies enjoyed a basketball game at both her son’s middle school. And both boys are on the student council! Wow!
Love,
Mary
my fav cookbook was my mom’s. I remember as a kid looking through the red and white checkered book and circling the items i wanted to eat! yum
MmmMmm pie! What a nummy & fun giveaway love 😀 Can’t wait to give this one a try.
My favorite cookbook? Oh my, that’s not an easy choice for me as my collection is extensive. I guess you could say that my “go to” cookbook sometimes is the trusty Better Homes & Gardens red & white plaid cookbook…and I have several versions.
Favorite cookbook? That’s like picking a favorite child! lol Right now, it’s Darina Allen’s Forgotten Skills of Cooking. But that’s subject to change….
Tweeted about your giveaway: https://twitter.com/#!/teslaca/status/167563150206582785
Good To See Point of Grace folks are Giants fans!
I have so many favorite cookbooks that I just can’t pick one. Usually the last one I’ve received has the most sticky notes in it since I’m getting ready to or am already cooking from it.
This is the best chocolate cream pie I’ve ever tried. Thank you for sharing.
Yeh! I’m glad you think so too! Thanks for stopping by. XO Sheila
My Favorite Cookbook is my Pleasant Hill Presbyterian Church Cookbook, it has So Many Yummy Recipes and yes, I have Sticky Notes on lots of pages.
Wesley United Methodist Church cookbook. Yummy!! So many notes, on so many pages!!
Church cookbooks are the best!!