It’s a Bonne Femme blog birthday party (and a giveaway!)

Cheers – it was my birthday on the weekend and today it’s my blog’s THIRD birthday! What better way to celebrate both than with a fabulous apéro and some fancy French snacks, right? Fortunately, I received a copy of The Bonne Femme Cookbook recently from the kind folks at Harvard Common Press and I had been dying to test some of the recipes so I invited some friends over to help me  – for my birthday, but really, “for the blog”. My friends are used to “taking one for the blog” these days so an invite to a “blog food meal” is not unusual.

Image: Harvard Common Press

The book, the brainchild of Wini Moranville of Chez Bonne Femme, is “authentic French cooking without fuss or fear, the way real French families eat today. Now that the typical French woman, the bonne femme of the title, works outside of the home just like her American counterpart (and now that French men, like their American frères, are often in charge of getting dinner on the table), the emphasis is on easy techniques and speedy preparation.

It’s a user-friendly (though I missed illustrations or pictures of the dishes, to be honest) manual of up-to-date French classic recipes, demystified for today’s busy cook which includes a ton of time-saving tips.  The over 250 recipes are short and sweet – not intimidating at all – and just about every page contains a recipe I want to try. Ahem.  Moranville’s writing is lighthearted and conversational – it’s kind of like having her in your kitchen chatting as you cook – a lovely trait for a food writer to have!  You can read more about the book here.

For my little “apéro“, I made delicious “Croques Jeune Homme Amuses Bouches” – ham and cheese in buttery puff pastry. Mmmmm… So much easier than a croque monsieur and so much easier to handle at a cocktail party!

Also, continuing in the buttery puff pastry theme – Flaky Green Olive and Cheese Spirals… (though I used black olive tapenade but you get the idea!!)

And last but not least, Frenchified wings – Lemon Saffron Rosemary Wings to be exact!  These were delightful – unlike most “Buffalo” wings that you get here in North America. Fresh and elegant tasting – well as elegant as finger food can be!

I whipped up these three dishes in around an hour – not bad for three different cocktail snacks! I can’t wait to try more of the recipes from the other chapters in the Bonne Femme Cookbook!

And hey, what’s a party without presents?  Well thanks to Harvard Common Press, I have one copy of the Bonne Femme Cookbook to giveaway to one lucky reader anywhere in the world.  HCP will cover the shipping within Canada and North America but if you happen to win and you live elsewhere, I will pick up the tab for the remainder of the shipping. Just my way of saying “thanks” for reading over the past three years – I hope you will stick around!

To enter? Simply leave me a comment telling me what your favourite cocktail snack is.

Bonus entry? Tweet the following message:

Celebrate @eatlivtravwrite ‘s blog birthday and win a copy of @winimoranville ‘s cookbook http://bit.ly/Kb6VL4 Open to anyone/anywhere!

Then come back to leave me a separate comment telling me you did.

Contest closes on Tuesday May 22nd at 9pm EST and winner will be announced Wednesday May 23rd. Good luck!

Disclosure: I was provided with a complimentary review copy of the Bonne Femme Cookbook by Harvard Common Press. I was not otherwise compensated and was not obligated to write a post about it. HCP will provide one (1) copy of the Bonne Femme Cookbook as a giveaway prize and will cover shipping costs in North America and Canada. Should the winner be from elsewhere, I will cover the remainder of the shipping costs myself.

76 thoughts on “It’s a Bonne Femme blog birthday party (and a giveaway!)”

  1. Happy three year! (I can’t believe you have only been doing this three years).
    Your site is always such an inviting place to visit. Glad to have had the chance to get to know you!

    Reply
  2. Mardi! Happy happy blog birthday :). I’m in awe it’s only been three years, and can’t wait to see where the next three take you. So grateful to have met you through this space. xox

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  3. Happy, happy blog birthday. Time flies when you’re having fun. I’m a southerner, so by far my favorite snack is cheese straws. I have to really watch myself, or I’ll eat all of them before my guests arrive.

    The book sounds fantastic. I cook a lot of French and the idea “without fuss and fear” sounds like a genius.

    Again, big congratulations on three years. I’ve follow along and enjoyed every moment and want more, more more.
    Sam

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  4. For me it’s gonna be tangri kabob,which is spiced chicken drumsticks cooked in tandoor oven,,:) wish ya many more milestones like this,,.congrats,

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  5. It’s a shame these days when a recipe book doesn’t have images of the finished dishes. I love pastry especially puff so these looks very yummy! The ham and cheese ones look suspiciously like a Gallic take on the sausage roll. 🙂

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  6. Happy Birthday and Happy Blog Birthday. I enjoy reading your blog. Thank-you.

    A great giveaway and it looks likes a great book (sometimes images can be intimidating).

    My favourite cocktail snack would be my Mother’s Mushroom Half-Moons (tiny little cream cheese pastry packages of mushrooms). Yum.

    Cheers!

    Reply
  7. Happy Blog Birthday! And Happy Birthday! As for cocktail snacks, I made an asiago pate once that you spread on walnut halves … pretty lush. Also, asparagus wrapped in proscuitto is a fave! Love your blog!

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  8. Okay blog readers…Mr. Neil is back, after a communications-free week in North Korea, and then a frantic week in Bangkok.

    Having just landed about 90 minutes before guests arrived, I was in a less than stellar state: somehow I missed two of the three appetizers! The wings were nice, slightly more elegant than the usual North American variety.

    As this was a celebration of blog and birthday, the only wine match possible for me was a sparkler. Had a nice bottle of Jansz from Tasmania – a great value bubbly, made in the traditional method. (The first from Tas to do so.) Dry, crisp, with a nice hint of yeast and apple with citrus undertones.

    Reply
  9. This book just went on my Amazon wishlist. Thanks for telling us about it. As far as cocktail party food goes, I think Croques Jeune Homme Amuses Bouches looks and sounds amazing. I can hardly wait to try them!

    Reply
  10. Fantastic giveaway for a fantastic blog! Thank you for giving back to your readers 🙂 My favorite cocktail snack is either veggie chips (boring) OR mixed variety bruschetta!

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  11. I didn’t know it was your birthday this weekend! Happy belated birthday Mardi, hope you have a wonderful year.

    Happy 3rd birthday to your fabulous blog. Looking forward to many more years of coming here.

    Your dishes above all look scrumptious. Glad you were able to share them with friends at your birthday gathering.

    P.S. Not entering the giveaway.

    Reply
  12. This book sounds great and congratulations on your blogs third birthday, my favourite cocktail snack is baked goat cheese served on garlic rubbed toasted baguette slices.

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  13. Happy birthday to you and the blog!

    I am a huge fan of cocktail sausages and sausage rolls. I especially like it when people spice them up with some chorizo. =)

    Thank you for the wonderful giveaway, and for entertaining me over the past year. So glad I stumbled onto your blog!

    Reply
  14. Hi Mardi,

    Happy Blogiversary! Those cocktail snacks look so good and the fact that all three were done in under an hour make them that much more incredible ^_^

    My favourite finger food is a tie between chicken wings, pretty much any flavour, and gougère…soft and airy, but packing a super cheesy punch.

    Anyways, I just wanted to say thanks for writing this blog…your readers really do appreciated you sharing your delicious recipes and your helpful tips / techniques!

    Reply
  15. I’m really torn between two – one is a hot red chili dip made with roasted red peppers, coriander and lime to go with Margueritas or anything citrus, and the other is a blue cheese and shallot spread on rye crackers. Both divine.

    Reply
  16. Happy Birthday! Long live Eat.Travel.Write… it’s fun reading all about your cooking projects. Cheers! Oh yeah… cocktail snack… I like cheese, especially melted brie, and spreadable things, like ricotta, hummus, and simple as ever tacos and salsa.

    Reply
  17. YAAAAAY………….happy 3rd blog birthday and I can proudly say I’ve read every single post in that time.

    Thought of your birthday when I read the rolled omelette post…..hope you had a sensational day……by the look of the raspberries in the “Ozzie” bubbles……no doubt you did 🙂

    My fave cocktail food is pretty boring…………..chicken drumettes as they are quick and easy after spending 60 hours a week at work.

    Reply
  18. What a great day to stumble upon your beautiful blog 🙂 Happy blog birthday!
    I LOVE a good roasted chicken drumette.. as do many of your other readers it seems! I think I’ve come to the right place 😉
    I

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  19. Happy blog/your birthday ! How exciting!
    And what a great giveaway!!!

    I’d have to say that a simple meat and cheese plate is my favorite cocktail appetizer (with more brie the better!)

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  20. I’m partial to sliders, but mostly because they provide enough nourishment to soak up some of the alcohol and allow me to continue with the cocktails! Happy 3rd anniversary!

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  21. Happy Birthday to you & to your blog! I’ve been away from blogging for a few weeks now, and am so glad to come back to such a special post… the book looks great… I love the cover 🙂 Thanks for a lovely giveaway too 🙂 My favorite cocktail snack is blue cheese wings! Now I am off to check out your other posts that I have missed!

    Reply
  22. Congrats on the blog anniversary… What a fun way to celebrate! Right now my favorite cocktail snack is popcorn. It sounds strange, but we were at Founding Farmers in Washington DC and they served a “popcorn of the day” and I just fell in love with the concept. Loved munching on popcorn and enjoying my (alcohol free… *sigh*) homemade ginger ale cocktail.

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  23. Happy Birthday! Fresh figs with a topping of honeyed goat cheese are the seasonal favorite, otherwise for the rest of the year, deviled eggs can’t be beat.

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  24. Oops, forgot to leave a message. Actually my favourite cocktail snack is the one you posted, which is the lemon saffron rosemary chicken wings. Great cook thinks alike! 😉 I also tweeted days ago when you first posted it on twitter. This cook book would be a delicious addition to my book collection. 🙂

    Reply
  25. A very happy blog birthday to you!
    Wishing you many more! 🙂

    My favorite cocktail snack are wings! But more so the carrots & celery! 🙂

    Reply
  26. Your appetizers look delicious!I love making crab stuffed mushrooms. But if I don’t have time to make an apero, a bowl of mixed marinated olives usually makes happy. I’ve also made a similar treat to the ham and cheese rolls, but instead of cheese I use Savora mustard with a prosciutto type ham rolled in puff pastry. It’s a nice combination.

    Reply
  27. Happy Birthday. Those drumsticks look fabulous. We don’t do apps much here or cocktail snacks. If I did I’d probably do mini meatballs with a nice dipping sauce.

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  28. My wishes to your personal life and your blog…Happy Birthday…appreciate all the time & effort you put into the blog

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  29. Happy birthday to you and your blog! My favorite cocktail snack would have to be spinach-artichoke dip. Yum!

    Reply
  30. Who doesn’t love finger sandwiches during cocktail hour? So versatile- mini blt with sun dried tomatoes and parsley… oh the possibilities!

    Reply
  31. Happy belated birthday, Mardi.

    I’d have to say my favourite coctail snack would be oven-baked pita crisps with garlic oil, and the roasted carrot and caraway and feta spread from Sam and Sam Clarke of the Moro restaurant and cookbooks series. Totally addictive and beautiful.

    Reply
  32. Pingback: The Bonne Femme Cookbook in the News » Harvard Common Press

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