Saturday, May 31, 2008

TasteBook and Insignia Fitness Triple Giveaway

Cook Books at TasteBookI have here today a package for the cook AND a package for the fitness fiend in your life. Or maybe they're the same person--who knows?

At any rate, first things first. I've got a really fun item from TasteBook.com, a website that allows you to create your own cook book. You don't have to be a tech genius to figure it out, you simply go to TasteBook.com and register for a free account then you decide which recipes you'd like to include in your personal hardbound cook book.

There are several options, you can search through their files supplied by Epicurous--the company that brings you Bon Apetit and Gourmet magazines--and use their recipes, already formatted. Or you can type in your own, complete with your own pictures. Or you can select one of their pre-made sets of recipes on a theme.

Cook Books at TasteBookI heard about TasteBook months ago and was dying to see how it worked, I chose to use my own recipes that I've published here at Scribbit and copied, pasted and uploaded 100 of my favorites straight from my web pages.

It worked well, although a couple of times when I went to the website to work on the project I had problems with the entered information being saved in the fields. If I previewed a recipe then came back to edit or save it sometimes the information in the fields I'd just entered would be empty which made for some irritation. With 100 recipes to enter a little glitch like that made things frustrating but it could have been just a tremor in the Force, a glitch in the Matrix, something that was a one-time problem--who knows?

Anyway, I got my book this week and was completely satisfied with the results, it looks so professional! TasteBook formats the whole thing for you and uses some of their stock photos for things like the cover and the dividers but my own photos printed nicely--even those of a lower resolution which I had worried about. The hardbound binder has lovely pictures and the pages are thick and sturdy. There are sections such as "meat and poultry," "drinks and appetizers," and "fish and seafood" just as in a regular cook book.

If you're interested in this cool way to have a cook book where every recipe is one you actually will use--and each recipe has a picture, an absolute must for me--then this is a nice way to go.

You can select up to 100 recipes to be included in your binder for a total cost of $34.95 plus shipping which isn't cheap but it's not too bad if you consider what a cook book at the book store might cost you--and especially considering you're more likely to use all the recipes in your custom made cook book.

What struck me too is that this is a nice way to combine family heirloom recipes (you could include family pictures with the recipes rather than food shots--there aren't rules on this you know).

SO . . . I have here a double treat. I've put together 100 of my own recipes from Scribbit into a prototype book that I'm going to give away as one prize, then Tastebook.com has also offered a random winner a shot at making their own TasteBook free of charage.

If any of you who don't win would be interested in purchasing your own copy of Recipes from Scribbit I'll be making it available for purchase at no markup, just $34.95 plus shipping straight from TasteBook.com. It has almost all of the recipes you've seen here over the past two years and has some of my very favorite recipes in the world. If you'd like to purchase one please leave a comment in the message field of the entry form and I'll get with you on the details.

***

Insignia Fitness Package at Best BuyAnd now the gift for the fitness expert in your life comes from Best Buy who has put together the Insignia Fitness package which includes:
  • An Insignia 2GB MP3 player can store up to 500 songs
  • A $10 Best Buy Digital Music Store download card for your workout playlist
  • An Init armband to keep the Insignia MP3 player securely fastened
  • A Water bottle
So you have a chance at one of three prizes this week. If you have a strong preference as to which you'd like, leave me a message to that effect in the entry form and I'll do my best to make everyone happy.

***

Megret at Muses of Megret is the winner of yesterday's book Growing up Green by Deidre Imus. I've got more books to tackle on Sunday so don't despair if you'd like to get your hands on one of them.

Here's how to win:

Before 12 am Monday go to the giveaway entry form on this page and enter your name and email. I will pick one of the names at random, contact the winner via their email and publish the winner's first name and home town in next Tuesday's post. See the bottom of the entry form for more details.

This giveaway is open to all readers so good luck!

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38 comments:

Anonymous said...

That cookbook is a great idea!
How cool would it be to sit down with Grandmas and get all their recipes together in one book for a family?

Anonymous said...

Thank you Michelle for a giveaway! Here's wishin on a star....

all over the map said...

This is a great giveaway. Sure looks like a H2O bottle that Nalgene makes. That would be a coincidence.
I love this idea of making a personalised cookbook.

Anonymous said...

Dear Michelle,

Please head over to my blog. There is a surprise waiting for you there!

Fondly,

Enzie

abfantom said...

I would love to win this. Please enter me.

theamira said...

I would love to win this. I like the idea of making my own cookbook. It would be a great family Christmas present.

Anonymous said...

I love to cook & cookbooks!! I would love to win this.....

Unknown said...

what a delightful contest cooking is a passion with me and I love collecting cookbooks..thanks for the chance to win.

Montserrat said...

I'm so glad you told us about TasteBook! I would love to make a family cookbook. There are recipes that we all use all the time but sometimes we loose them and have to call each other up to get them again. I'm going to do this for Christmas for sure. The best part is my Christmas will be done early!!!!!!!!

Melissa said...

love the giveaways... I think you should give a car next!!

taterbug said...

Publishing your own cookbook is a wonderful idea. Thanks for the giveaway - all the prizes are wonderful!

cathyandharold[at]verizon[dot]net

karen said...

This is one I really hope to win! I've considering Tastebook as a way to update our existing family cookbook (currently a xerox/3-ring sort of thing that was long ago typed by someone industrious...) but have been chicken to try it. I'm also glad to hear you're publishing your recipes! I've tried several things you've posted and they've all come out very well. I have yet to make your cookie challenge, though, but those are the front two recipes in my cookie section for next time I'm ready to bake!

Anonymous said...

I love the idea of publishing your own cookbook! Count me in.

peg42 said...

Thank you for offering this giveaway.

Sucharita Sarkar said...

What a great idea! I keep cutting out/ writing down recipes here and there and getting them all jumbled up or lost!

RJ said...

I collect cookbooks and one that I write would be so awesome!

Unknown said...

I would like any of them

Kristin said...

Hello! My sister is Kelly Pieren. LOVE your blog. Thanks for all of the great ideas and insights :)

threesidesofcrazy said...

Michelle you got me hooked - my book is almost half done. Thanks for the tip. I did link back to you and Taste book. Thanks again. http://www.3sidesofcrazy.com/2008/05/write-you-own-cookbook.html

Melissa-Mc said...

Michelle!

How fun to find old friends! I love the blogging world. Your sister commented on my blog who is a friend of a friend of a...

Anyways, this is Melissa Merrell. We lived on the same floor in the dorms at BYU. Then we were next door neighbors our 2nd year.

Your family is so cute! And look at you, your practically famous. It's wonderful to see you putting your amazing talents to great work.

My blog is: www.lifeistobeenjoyed.blogspot.com

It was great to get updated on you, and I will subscribe to your blog and join the gazillion others :)

Take Care,
Melissa

Daisy said...

I might have to look into this cookbook! I have one of the old-fashioned low-tech books, and we've written a lot of family classics in it. This would be fun!

Anonymous said...

What a wonderful giveaway!!! I don't have a strong preference, although I must say the Insignia MP3 player and Best Buy card would help me out TONS. Thanks so much again!

lovelyluckymegs@yahoo.com

Shannon said...

Love the cookbook giveaway! I'm going to have to check out the website now. . .

Ice Cream said...

I spent 3 years trying to put together a custom cookbook, but, like the cheap idiot I am, I tried to do it in Word. NOT fun! Your cookbook looks fabulous!

mommysweeps said...

would love either the scribbit cookbook or mp3/best buy player...

thanks

tarable said...

Michelle, I would love to archive my favorite 100 recipes in one place! Thanks for alwasy finding and reporting on the coolest stuff.

Bunny B said...

Wow! Your own cookbook :) That's so cool!

Sonja said...

Aaack! This is one of my favorite give aways Michelle!
I think the cook book idea is fabulous. It's almost June and I'm thinking of Christmas...

Stephen Saunders said...

Sweet prizes, that mp3 player would be awesome. I've never owned one... such a dork dammit. :P

Anonymous said...

Think of all the great recipes you could compile. A book with all of your family recipes would be a wonderful gift idea for a young bride in the family. I am looking forward to checking out this site. Thanks so much for sharing.

Belinda said...

Thanks for a fab giveaway!

Linda said...

What a cool idea! I have done that type of book on my own for my kids.They loved sharing their favorite family recipes with friends. I would love an MP3 or cookbook. Thank you for the contest!

js22 said...

I'd love to win the Insignia 2GB MP3 player and $10 Best Buy gift card.

Carly said...

I love tastebook as well. It is well worth the money and time to put together tried and true recipes.

Please enter me in the giveaway. I just had a baby and need all the inspiration I can get to get back in shape! Thanks.

carlyharrell@yahoo.com

purplepassion126 said...

I'm interested in the Insignia Fitness package--thanks!

AudreyO said...

I would be so excited to win either of the cookbooks/recipes. Thanks!!!

Anonymous said...

The cookbook idea is great! I'd love to win this! The fitness giveaway is fantastic as well -- I'd really enjoy the MP3 player. Thank you!

Anonymous said...

I have been wanting to do a local cookbook for a while, but they looked really unprofessional (the ones I was finding). Thanks for the info about this, now I'm fired up!