I’m thrilled for this week’s giveaway. Two of my favorite friends have agreed to share their books with you and those on your holiday gift list. These books and other prizes will help you get going on feeding yourself from your own kitchen (and meals you actually want to eat, to boot).

I first heard Sally Schneider on Lynne Rosetto Kasper’s show The Splendid Table. She was talking about food and how to cook it in such brilliant, practical ways. She was discussing her book, The Improvisational Cook, and I reached out immediately, seeing as improvisation in all areas of life, especially the kitchen, is an essential survival and happiness tool.

I had the pleasure of meeting her in person and taking a walk together on the Highline in NYC. Sally’s blog - the improvised life - if you’re not already a follower, is a delightful way to spend time on the interwebs.

I couldn’t agree more with her improvisational approach to getting people confident in the kitchen. Learn some basic skills and then let yourself loose on solving that 3 meals/day requirement that can be ever so pesky. This cookbook shows you how to use the ingredients you actually have on hand to create delicious, interesting meals.

Here’s a run-down of the TOC (table of contents):

Here are Sally’s Key 3 kitchen techniques featured on The Splendid Table:

Hilah and I do stuff together regularly, like make pie. Her yes-even-you-can-do-it vibe makes people laugh and stop being stressed out about stepping into the kitchen.

You might recall my post about how great Hilah Johnson’s book, Learn to Cook is and how you might consider gifting it to any new-to-cooking people in your life. Well the book is now available in print and Hilah has offered up a signed/inscribed copy for this giveaway.

Now you get to hold it in your hands and take it to the grocery store to stock up appropriately (and learn how to grocery shop properly, too), splay it out on the countertop and splatter yummy sauces and soups all over it, and, most importantly, “learn to cook for yourself like a civilized human being!”

I’m including one of my new floursack kitchen towels because everyone needs a kitchen towel, especially one that will help you or your friends remember to cook at home.

Do you remember how I’m giving away 5 cases of jars leading up to the holidays? Well here’s the fourth case in that Ball Canning jar challenge. Perhaps you need a bunch of quart jars to stash grains and dry goods in your pantry? Maybe you need a case of pint jars to use as vessels for your homemade meals-on-the go? You’re in luck because this giveaway includes a free case of any size jars you desire.

The giveaway is now closed, thank you for reading and entering!