dolce italiano contest

If you also read Shelley's At Home in Rome (and if you don't, why don't you?!), you probably already know this, but just in case, I'm letting you in on the big news:

We're having a contest! And it involves desserts! And books!

Brainstormed and organized by Shelley, the Dolce Italiano Contest centers on the book by the same name by Gina DePalma, Executive Pastry Chef at Mario Batali's famous New York City restaurant Babbo.


And this is no ordinary cookbook. It's getting rave reviews all over the place and has been named the 3rd best Cooking, Food, & Wine book of 2007 on Amazon.com and one of Publishers Weekly's best books of the year (Lifestyle).

So now, Shelley, three other bloggers that you know and love, and I are getting together to help one of you win your very own signed copy!

Starting today and for the next two weeks (Monday-Friday), one of us will feature a recipe from Dolce Italiano. If you leave a comment on a post, you're entered to win the book. Only one comment per post counts toward the drawing, but if you comment on each of the 10 posts, that gives you 10 chances to win. Comments on all 10 posts will be accepted for the drawing up until 11:59 PST on Friday, December 7.

And you and your family can have a very lovely holiday season with all these delicious Italian desserts.

So where do you need to go? Here's the schedule:

Mondays: Sara's Ms Adventures in Italy

Tuesdays: Ilva's Lucullian Delights

Wednesdays: Right here baby!

Thursdays: Shelley's At Home in Rome

Fridays: Jenn's The Leftover Queen

Since it's Monday, you need to head on over to Ms Adventures in Italy and see what Sara has made just for you today. And comment! Don't forget to comment!

Please note that comments on this post (that you're reading right now), although sincerely appreciated, do not count as entries in the contest; only comments on recipe posts will be entered into the drawing.

Also check out Shelley's three-part interview with Ms DePalma here, here, and here.

Today I'm thankful for:

The opportunity to be a part of the Dolce Italiano Contest. I cannot say enough good things about this book. Yes, there are recipes for cookies, cakes, spoon desserts, tarts, ice creams, sorbets, semifreddos, fried treats, dishes with fruit, celebratory desserts, and savory goodies--but there's also a whole lot of information on Italian baking in general, techniques, equipment, ingredients, and more.

Goodness my grandmother would've loved this. She *loved* Molto Mario.

If you're a foodie, this is a book you'll want to get all floury and sugary during the day and then curl up with at night. It's an awesome gift for anyone who loves baking, so whether you win one or not, I highly recommend picking up a copy.