GIVEAWAY and a great read!

I have quite a few cookbooks and I'll be honest.... very few ever get cracked open. Ever.

What can I say, I'm not a really adventurous eater, tricky recipes intimidate me, and as if that weren't enough now I have a child who is deathly allergic to eggs and peanuts so when I look thru a cookbook every great recipe has an egg... or six in it.

But when I got my copy of "The Military Wives Cookbook" I couldn't put it down. Here's the thing, its a cookbook AND a book. Great idea isn't it?

It's an amazing collection of of very personal stories, letters, and photos of the lives of military wives... over 200 years worth. Moving would be an understatement.

Moving because, despite being decades, even centuries apart, there is still something in common.

Just like those before us, we stand with, and behind, our husbands, where ever they may go. Sure we are partners in love and life, but more often then not we are the ones who stay behind. So much of their life is in constant flux, but we try our hardest, despite some unusual circumstances to keep the home life normal.

If normal is your children thinking that every family does laundry in loads of whites, darks, and Marine green and that every one's daddy wears a flight suit to work and goes away for months at a time.

But then again normal is a subjective thing right?

I found myself looking at some of the pictures, reading some of the words in the letters and being able to remember those very same emotions. Granted it was a very different war then those before, but none the less, I've kissed my husband and sent him off to war. I know the feeling of sitting by and waiting for a letter. I don't know what those military wives would think of all the 24 hr news coverage but I do know some of what they were feeling.

Despite the advancements of the day, internet, tv, central air, flushing toilets, the conveniences of life have come a long way but the emotions are still very much the same.

And this book is authored by someone who knows the trenches and those emotions well. Carolyn Quick Tillery has been both a military brat and a military wife and obviously brings her respect for the role of military wives to her writing.

Personally speaking, I think this book would be fascinating for anyone, after all it is still a cookbook and there are wonderful recipes in here, and some very interesting history. But I really do think its a must read for military folk. And would make a great "welcome to the military family" gift. I'm thinking of getting it for my mother in law for mother's day.... obviously a belated mothers day but still, its the thought that counts.

Not only did I love to read about the history of certain military customs and just the history period but I found some great egg free recipes thanks to the shortage of eggs during wars.

Something else prior military wives and I have in common, I'm dealing with my own egg free issues over here and can appreciate their problems. I found a great egg free biscuit recipe that was super simple and there is a recipe for a spice cake made without the rationed eggs and white sugar.

Now there is also a sour cream coffee cake recipe that sounds amazing but well... has eggs in it so I'll have to try that one on the down low, lest I have to try out the epi pens all because big momma is craving coffee cake. But admit it it does sound yummy doesn't it? You should go get a copy of the book. Or....

You could enter to win a copy!

Just leave a comment and you'll be entered to win a beautiful hardback copy of "The Military Wives Cookbook". If you link back to the giveaway on your blog you'll be entered twice. Like I said earlier, if you aren't military or you already have a copy, this book makes a perfect gift. And who doesn't like a free gift!

The giveaway will be open until the evening of May 9th.