Not so long ago, the word potluck brought visions of mayo-based salads and casseroles left to decompose in plastic-wrapped Pyrex on a crowded table of unidentified offerings. These dishes clearly stated "my creator put no thought or care into my preparation and this is the very least they could do."

Ali Rosen is redefining what a potluck means and with it all the negative food connations that accompany it. Her debut cookbook Bring It!: Tried and True Recipes for Potlucks and Casual Entertaining reflects the gathering of a community of friends, family and neighbors around fresh, appetizing food.

Before a life in food, Ali worked in news for NBC Nightly News and NY1 (a local NYC station) and now is the host of an online and local television show called Potluck with Ali Rosen. I met Ali at a gathering of writers and food people at a Filipino restaurant in Manhattan in February and she is a delight. Funny with a voracious appetite for life and food which is reflected in her book - she is the real deal.

Bring It! is a cookbook that will guide you, not only through the logistics of preparing and transporting food, but also delivers recipes that will please the gourmet that lies within all of us. When did you ever see Red wine pasta, Scallion pesto chicken or Roasted watermelon pork ribs at a potluck? And while these dishes all are perfectly wonderful for a communal gathering they are ideal for weeknight dinners or weekend entertaining. This book impressed me as did the thought and care that went into writing it.

Each recipe delivers tips on "how to bring it" - transporting, reheating, and more with some recipes providing substitutions and variations (how to make the dish vegetarian or replacing an ingredient for another to give a whole new twist to the dish). The Vinegar chicken with tomatoes and the Ginger beef were excellent while being quick and easy. Whether you utilize the recipes for potlucks, entertaining or family dinner, I am sure you will be just as pleased with the dishes here which are all packed with flavor.

Our delivers a look inside Ali's book and our  takes you to these three recipes which are featured:


Special thanks to Running Press for providing the materials for our preview feature and for providing three copies of this book to our members in the US. To help you prepare some of the dishes in this book, Anolon is giving three of you one of their beautiful Nouvelle Copper Hard-Anodized Nonstick 5-Quart Covered Dutch Oven in Dark Gray. 

I absolutely love this pot and use it all the time - it stylishly goes from the stove top to table. Other features include:

  • The Dutch oven's durable, hard-anodized construction is crafted with copper to deliver optimum heat control
  • PFOA-free restaurant-quality Autograph 2 nonstick from DuPont is long lasting, makes cleaning up effortless and is metal utensil safe (I have never been a fan of nonstick because of the peeling issue - I've used this Dutch oven at least a dozen times and have had no issues).
  • Cast stainless steel handles are attached to the Dutch oven using innovative flat-rivet technology; the stainless steel lid locks in heat and moisture
  • Oven safe to 500 degrees Fahrenheit (love this feature for finishing off mac and cheese) and compatible with all cooktops, the Dutch oven complements the entire gourmet-quality Anolon collection
  • Lifetime Warranty (bonus!)

 

 

 

The publisher is offering three copies of Bring It! and Anolon is offering three Nouvelle Copper Hard-Anodized Nonstick 5-Quart Covered Dutch Ovens in Dark Gray in our contest below open to EYB Members in the US . One of the entry options is to answer the following questions in the comments section of this blog post.

Which recipe in the index would you try first and which Anolon product would you like to try?

Please note that you must be logged into the Rafflecopter contest before posting or your entry won't be counted. For more information on this process, please see our step-by-step help post. Be sure to check your spam filters to receive our email notifications. Prizes can take up to 6 weeks to arrive from the publishers. If you are not already a Member, you can join at no cost. The contest ends at midnight on June 12th, 2018.