Giveaway #6: Cookbooks!

It’s the 12 Days of Christmas Giveaways! On the 6th day of Christmas, there was a set…

Wait. We have to talk about yesterday. When I asked what you thought the worst Christmas song ever was? And then I went on that long rant about how Last Christmas was the absoluteterribleworst thing ever?

I might have been wrong.

Last night, I went in search of several of the songs y’all listed that I’d never heard before (because I’m a total glutton for punishment):
– Dominic the Donkey – LOL. How have I gone 33 years without hearing this one?!
– Sammy the Christmas Snake – Wouldn’t a workshop full of tool-wielding elves be the last place-nevermind, that’s how they get you.
– Alan Jackson’s Please Daddy Don’t Get Drunk This Christmas – [shakes head] [shakes head again]
– Michael Buble’s Santa Baby – “Think of all the hotties that I haven’t kissed.” Nope.
– Christmas Shoes by – NO NO NO NO NO NO NO.
– Dan Fogelberg’s Same Old Lang Syne – if Last Christmas had a depressed, equally annoying and unChristmas-like younger brother, this song would be him. And he would be at the top of my list, too. Oh, look. He is.

And now that that’s out of the way… Day 6! It’s cookbooks! Covering some of the best food on earth: the food of Texas.

(Disclaimer: I might be biased.)

The Day 6 winner will receive (in e-format if wanted and available; gift card substitute for any copies you might already own):
The Pastry Queen – There’s something for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert in Rebecca Rather’s first cookbook. And if you didn’t believe me all the other times that I’ve said this was one of my all-time favorite cookbooks, maybe all the stains, crinkled pages, and missing cover would convince you. Make the kolache. And the pot pie. And the tortilla soup. And the rocky road cookies. And the guanabana margaritas.
The Homesick Texan – Lisa Fain has done a beautiful job capturing the variety of the good food we Texans love – and love to share. Make the Houston Green Salsa. Or the green chicken enchiladas. And the cheesy tacos. And… you get it.
Texas Eats: The New Lone Star Heritage Cookbook – Robb Walsh knows Texas. And he knows Texas food. (And the restaurant he co-owns here in Houston knows their puffy tacos!)

I hope to make amends for yesterday’s question. My apologies if you randomly found yourself singing “I still want a huuula hooop” over and over. So today, simply (having… a wonderful Christmas time – gah!) answer this shinier, happier question in the comments below: What is your most favorite Christmas song/carol?

Update: The random generator thingy has spoken: Mellybrown with comment #417 is the winner! Please check your email for instructions on claiming your prize. The elves are waiting!

I actually do love most Christmas music but it’s really hard to beat a good O Holy Night. Martina McBride or John Berry or Josh Groban’s versions. (But not Christina Aguilera’s.) Something that, when belted loud and strong (and on-key without a lot of fluff), will give you goosebumps.

But I also love Nat King Cole’s Christmas Song – that’s the stuff that the holidays are made of. And anything from Bing Crosby, Burl Ives, and Amy Grant. Oh, and Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree! And Aaron Neville’s Come Home For Christmas.

And confession: I totally love Marilyn Monroe’s Santa Baby. And Faith Hill’s Where Are You Christmas (which I was totally surprised didn’t make a single appearance yesterday). And Leanne Rimes’ Put A Holiday in Your Heart – cheesy yet cheerful.

You can earn up to 4 extra entries by:
– Tweet about the giveaway (it’s easy, just click here!) and leave the link to your Tweet in the comments.
– Leaving a separate comment below that you like us on Facebook.
– Leaving a separate comment below that you follow the blog’s Instagram feed.
– Leaving a separate comment below that you follow my mad recipe pinning and house projects that I wish I could pay someone to do for me on Pinterest.

(Extra entries can only be counted if left as a separate comment – your comment # is your entry.)

Good luck!

The fine print:
– Maximum of five (5) entries per person.
– Giveaway ends at 12:01am (Texas time!) on December 13th.
– Winner will be selected by one of those cold, soulless, unfeeling random number generator thingies and announced on this post after selected.
– Winners will receive a copy of The Pastry Queen, Homesick Texan, and Texas Eats (e-format if requested and available, maximum retail value of prize = $52).
– Prize must be claimed within 7 days or it will be forfeited.
– Winning “extra entry” comments can be subject to verification.
– Prize can only be shipped to a US address.
– All prizes are provided by Confections of a Foodie Bride, unless stated otherwise.
– Official giveaway rules can be found here.