Jane's Sweets & Baking Journal's First Giveaway! (HSN Gift Certificate, and The Sweet Melissa Baking Book)

This, fellow bakers, is the very first time I've ever done a giveaway, and I've been blogging now for almost two years. I long resisted climbing onto the giveaway bandwagon, despite having been approached to do this kind of thing a few times in the past. Maybe I'm mellowing, though, because when I received an offer a few days ago from HSN, the online and TV mega-retailer, to give away a small gift certificate ($10), I thought it might be fun to finally join the crowd. And let's face it--a smart girl doesn't turn down a gift certificate of any denomination.

Why, you may wonder, did HSN see fit to contact a baking blogger? Here's the scoop: On March 26th and 27th, they're featuring a special "Cooks Spring Weekend Event" that's being presented by none other than Bon Appetit. Involved are the likes of Wolfgang Puck, Jacques Torres, and Emeril Lagasse, along with several other stellar names from the culinary galaxy. Looks like it'll be an enjoyable diversion, assuming you actually turn off your mixer and turn on your TV or computer (ha!). The gift certificate is good until the end of April and, who knows, maybe it will help you purchase that Wolfgang Puck creme brulee torch you've been yearning for, or that fabulous baking pan that looks like a sports stadium. (I'm waiting for Nordicware to make a pan shaped like Chartres Cathedral. I think it's only a matter of time. They're probably still perfecting the flying buttresses.) Hey, every dollar helps.

On top of that, I want to give away a copy of The Sweet Melissa Baking Book. Somehow, I came to own two copies of this (who knows how these things happen?) and one of them I have never used. It's like newer than new--no stains, no crumbs, no scribbles, no nothin'--and it wants to go live with someone else. So, you can page through the book while you're considering how to spend your gift certificate! No down side to this deal.

To toss your name into the hat, just leave a comment on this post before Saturday, March 26th, and within a day or two after that I will announce the winner, who can then email me with their contact info so I can send them their loot. Tres facile! (That's French for, "very easy!")

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