Entries by Alison Sheridan

Broccoli, Lemon, and Parmesan Soup from Cooking from Scratch

Broccoli cheddar is a cozy, familiar soup, so familiar that it’s worth playing around with the tradition. Our updates are simple but definitely worthwhile. Using Parmesan adds complexity, while lemon lightens the whole eating experience and brightens up winter evenings. If you’d like to make this ahead of time and freeze it, it’s best to stop before you add the Parmesan, as cheese (and other forms of dairy) tends to change texture when frozen. Reheat the soup and finish it off with the Parmesan, lemon, and seasonings.

 MAKES 4 to 6 SERVINGS 

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1⁄2 medium yellow …

Grow Your Food Scraps: A Guide to Grocery Store Propagation

Extending the life of any vegetable is the ultimate nod toward living sustainably and with environmental consciousness, so why not continue benefiting from food you purchased or grew? Get the most out of all vegetables before sending them to the compost bin by cultivating a food scrap garden on your windowsill or countertop.

Plants grow. They are living things and will continue to grow roots and sprouts even after harvest. We’ve all seen this when a potato left too long in our pantry sprouts, or the garlic cloves send up green shoots. Most plants will continue to grow even without …

Sasquatch Picks: Gardening Books

Spring has (almost) sprung and green thumbs of all ages are ready to get gardening! Whether you’re starting your very own vegetable garden or only have the space for one on your kitchen counter, this list has everything you need to read to get ready for the start of season.

 

The Encyclopedia of Country Living
By Carla Emery

The #1 best country, rural living, and homesteading book for beginners. For more than 50 years this has been the essential book of basic skills for living off the land. From homesteaders to urban farmers, and everyone in between, it includes …

Spring 23 New Releases

Start the year with new books!

Here’s everything new that’s coming to a bookstore near you this season from all our imprints: Sasquatch Books, Spruce Books, and Little Bigfoot.

My Baby’s Book
By Anne Phyfe Palmer

From the author of This Life of Mine and This Family of Ours comes a new keepsake legacy journal, My Baby’s Book. This gorgeously crafted book provides a place for a proud parent or grandparent to record and reserve the memories, moments, and milestones of a new baby’s arrival—beyond the first year! Something truly special that will be cherished throughout their life.

 …

Pan-Seared Gnocchi from Cast Iron Skillet One-Pan Meals

It’s a challenge to keep it light and comforting when it comes to winter meal prep. Fortunately, Jackie Freeman is here to save the day with her recipe for Pan-Seared Gnocchi from her cookbook Cast Iron Skillet One-Pan Meals. We’re working it into our weekly menu for #MeatlessMonday!

Plump gnocchi are gently cooked with spinach, white beans, and aromatics for an easy (yet somehow quite impressive) weeknight dinner. The trick to this dish is to cook it in stages. Start with the hardest ingredients (shallots and gnocchi), then work your way to the softest (spinach and beans) so that …

Winter DIY: Mending Life’s Plain Weave Darning

On Darning

A friend tells me about her favorite sweater and how she’s afraid if the holes get any bigger, it will be a lost cause. She says, “It has been with me through so much—at first I didn’t quite like it, but something kept me from giving it away. Each time I rediscovered it hidden at the bottom of my dresser drawer, it would call to me softly, but I would always reach for another, more familiar sweater. Later I found it tucked deep in my moving boxes. In my new place, it hung neglected in the back of …

100 Ways to Say No Journal Giveaway

Say “No” more in 2023 with the just released 100 Ways to Say No, a collection of funny and relatable illustrated “scenari-nos” for overcoming your inner people pleaser, setting appropriate boundaries, and getting to no, by Nicole Monente (of the popular @scribblesbynicole Instagram account). Three lucky winners will win a copy of the new book and a Little Words Project custom “No” bracelet! 

To enter, head to Instagram to FOLLOW @scribblesbynicole and @sasquatchbooks, COMMENT on the post, and TAG a friend!

 

Official rules detailed below:

100 WAYS TO SAY NO GIVEAWAY OFFICIAL RULES

IMPORTANT: Please read these Official …

Holiday Gift Guide: Narrative Nonfiction

This year’s Narrative Nonfiction holiday gift guide is filled with tales of adventure, discovery, history, struggle, and triumph. There’s a story for every reader on your list!

Uncharted
by Kim Brown Seely

Faced with an empty nest, a couple embarks on an epic voyage across land and sea, seeking the mythical blonde Kermode bear—and their truest selves. They impulsively buy a big broken sailboat, learn to sail it, and head out onto the Salish Sea to an expanse of untamed wilderness. Wise and lyrical, this heartfelt memoir recounts their voyage of discovery into who they were as individuals and as …

Holiday Gift Guide: Nature Books

This year’s Nature holiday gift guide is filled with visually-stunning and awe-inspiring books. From the quest to find every penguin in the world to the ecosystems of the Salish Sea, from a gorgeously illustrated book for birders to an inspiring orca rescue story, there’s something for every nature lover on your list!

BirdNote
by BirdNote; Illustrated by Emily Poole; Edited by Ellen Blackstone

This beautiful gift book features entertaining and informative essays from the popular public radio program, BirdNote, accompanied by gorgeous full-color illustrations throughout–an illuminating volume for bird and nature lovers across North America. An excellent gift for the …

Holiday Gift Guide: Travel & Outdoor Recreation

This year’s Travel & Outdoor Recreation holiday gift guide is filled with fun and accessible books for exploring the Pacific Northwest and West Coast! From the Cascade Mountains to the shores of Puget Sound, from spectacular cities to drives along the Pacific coast, there is something for every adventurer on your list.

The Mountains are Calling
by Nancy Blakey

Looking for easily accessible yet off-the-beaten-path outdoor adventures you can do year-round in the mountains near Seattle, Portland, and Bend? Look no further! This beginner-friendly guide will show you where to go, what to do, and what to look for while …

Holiday Gift Guide: Top-Rated Cookbooks

This year’s Cookbooks holiday gift guide is filled with delicious recipes from some of the best chefs and cooks in the Pacific Northwest and West. From the wildly popular I Heart Recipes creator Rosie Mayes’ new soul food cookbook to a classic from one of Seattle’s James Beard Award-winning chefs, from scrumptious holiday baking to one-pan meals for every night of the week, there’s something for every culinarian on your list!

Super Soul Food with Cousin Rosie
by Rosie Mayes

Rosie Mayes, popular author of I Heart Soul Food, and creator of I Heart Recipes, serves up 100+ amped-up, …

Holiday Gift Guide: Beloved Children’s Books

This year’s Children’s book holiday gift guide includes books celebrating the great outdoors in the snowy season, the power of reading, adjusting to new places and experiences, a fleet of working boats, the beauty of birds, learning shapes and colors, and more!

 

Library Girl
by Karen Henry Clark; Illustrated by Sheryl Murray

A loving tribute to the power books and librarians have to transform children’s lives. Library Girl is the inspiring childhood story of how beloved librarian and author, Nancy Pearl, discovered her strengths and realized her passion.

 

 

 

A Home Under the Stars
by Andy Chou …

Holiday Gift Guide: Small Gifts and Stocking Stuffers

This year’s Stocking Stuffers holiday guide is bursting with small but mighty book recommendations! From the astrology minded to the DIY homemaker, the city explorer to flower lover, there’s something for every reader on your list.

 

201 Everyday Uses for Salt, Lemons, Vinegar, and Baking Soda
by Benjamin Mott

This handy book focuses on living simpler with 201 natural cleaning solutions that use four simple, versatile, and inexpensive ingredients: salt, lemon, vinegar, baking soda, and olive oil. This is an essential reference for anyone interested in thrifty, natural, and sustainable living!

 

 

 

Northwest Know-How Series
by Multiple …

Holiday Gift Guide: Popular Hardcover Journals

This year’s Journals holiday gift guide is filled with beautiful and luxe hardcover journals. For the person who love to care for their plants to those looking to start a gratitude practice, for the reader who ponders what they’ve read to the genealogist in the family, there’s something for everyone on your list!

Grow a Damn Plant Journal
by Tyler Thrasher

Finally, a gardening journal grounded in science! Perfect for indoor or outdoor plants of every type, it’s made for green thumbs who want to take caring for their plants to the next level. This luxe plant journal challenges the …

Holiday Gift Guide: Arts & Crafts

This year’s Arts & Crafts holiday gift guide is filled with books to get the creative juices flowing. From learning to sketch (with a bonus mindfulness practice!) to mending well-loved clothes and home items, from sewing garments that fit your unique body to prompts to inspire aspiring authors, there’s something for every artist or crafter on your list!

Mindful Sketching
by Peggy Dean 

For the artist (or those aspiring to be), with Mindful Sketching you can express your own creativity and develop a life-changing mindfulness practice in this guide for all levels by bestselling author and artist Peggy Dean. Grab …

Live Mindfully with Journals from Spruce Books

Autumn is a time of change. There’s back to school, crisper air, and the start of  busy holiday season prep. With everything on your plate, it can be a challenge to make time for yourself. Fortunately, Spruce Books has a selection of simple yet effective journals that ease anxiety, reduce stress, and increase happiness. Everything you need to practice everyday mindfulness, reflect, and enjoy your life as you move into a new season!

 

The 52 Lists Project – New Cover Design!
by Moorea Seal

The original journal in the bestselling 52 Lists series is back with a new look. …

Mental Health Awareness Month Journal Giveaway

May is #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth, but we want to inspire you to prioritize mental health all year.  So we’re giving away a set of our journals to help you find your ultimate self-care routine, flex your gratitude muscles, create headspace, harness your confidence, get creative, and live your best life.

One lucky winner will win a copy of each:

…

Get to Know Authors Amy Pennington and Tara Austen Weaver

Spring has sprung! What better way to ready a garden than with gardening tips from the experts. We asked authors Amy Pennington of Tiny Space Gardening and Tara Austen Weaver of Dahlias and Peonies their thoughts on everything from why and how to start a garden (even if you don’t have a yard!) to garden must-haves and the pitfalls gardeners should avoid.

 

Why garden?
Amy: Ha! Gardening connects us with the natural world. It slows people down and lulls them into a sense of calm. While I didn’t plan to be in touch with nature, over the years …

Mother’s Day Gift Guide

Mother’s day is just a few weeks away! Show mom the love this year with a new book, cookbook, or guided journal. This year’s gift guide includes books celebrating beautiful plants found in the garden, guided journals that celebrate a reader’s love of books, family, and the power of mindfulness, and a cookbook to inspire the home baker!

 

My Reading Life
by Spruce Books

Give mom the gift of keeping track of all the good books she reads! If she loves books, this charming guided journal is the perfect way to be more mindful about her reading. It’s a …

Sasquatch Picks for Gardening Season

Spring is here, which means it’s time to pull on your gardening gloves and get your hands in some soil. Here are our Sasquatch Picks to get ready for gardening season. They also make great Mother’s Day gifts!

 

Little Book of Flower Series
by Tara Austen Weaver; Illustrated by Emily Poole

Perfect for flower fans, this series is a little love letter to the peony and to the dahlia, each bursting with tips, tricks and facts. Did you know peonies are queens of the spring garden? Or that Dahlias are the showboats of the flower world—colorful, flamboyant, and spectacular? …

Shellfish + Hama Hama Giveaway

To celebrate the release of #Shellfish by Cynthia Nims, we teamed up with a #PNW favorite Hama Hama Oyster Company for a fantastic giveaway perfect for seasoned oyster fans or first-time shuckers!

ONE grand prize winner will receive:

  • A Copy of Shellfish by Cynthia Nims
  • A Hama Hama Oyster Starter Pack, which includes shucking gloves, a shucking knife, 2 dozen extra small oysters, an oyster tasting guide, a bar towel, a lemon, and a seasonal mignonette

Please note: this prize ships between March-April 2022. Shipping arrangements will be made directly with Hama Hama Oyster Company.

THREE runner-up winners with …

We’re Thankful for You Giveaway

The holidays are in full swing and this Thanksgiving, we’re thankful for you, our readers! To celebrate, we’re giving away a full set of our #SasquatchPicks for holiday gifts. One lucky winner will win a copy of each:

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Bravery Magazine Giveaway

Looking for a way to get your child into journaling? This giveaway is for you! We’ve teamed up with Bravery Magazine to help celebrate the launch of our new book My 52 Lists Project: Journaling Inspiration for Kids—the latest in the bestselling 52 Lists series. A creative and fun way to help kids express themselves, explore interests and hobbies and reap the mental health benefits of journaling. Five winners will win a copy of the hardback journal as well as a Bravery mag of their choice! Enter to win by following @bravery_mag and @sasquatchbooks and tagging a friend below. …

Sasquatch Picks to Enjoy the PNW Summer

There’s still time to make the most of your summer! Explore the great outdoors, hit the road, enjoy the sun at the beach, or serve up delicious seasonal recipes with our list of essential PNW #SasquatchBooks 📚

Northwest Know-How: Trees
by Karen Gaudette Brewer; Illustrated by Emily Poole

If you’re hiking this summer, be sure to pack this entertaining and educational guide of the Pacific Northwest’s most engaging and impressive varieties. It provides identification tips, statistics, and fun facts for each of the 54 trees featured and beautiful illustrations showing the full silhouette along with finer details such as a …