Holly’s Cooking Challenge

Holly's Cooking Challenge

Welcome to Holly’s Cooking Challenge! Here I will be sharing one of my favorite recipes that we can create together every month. Throughout the month, as you cook the featured recipe, snap a picture, and email it in for a chance to win a $100 Amazon gift card! 

Let’s get cooking!

dish of creamy Scalloped Potatoes

Cooking Challenge

April 2025 Cooking Challenge

Scalloped Potatoes

This recipe is a comforting classic, made with layers of tender, thinly sliced potatoes smothered in a rich, creamy sauce. Whether served alongside a holiday ham or as a hearty side to a weeknight dinner, these scalloped potatoes are always a hit in my house!

What makes this recipe so special? The sauce! No need for canned soup—just a simple, from-scratch sauce is made with a handful of ingredients and bakes up golden and bubbly. Whether you’re making it for Easter or a weeknight treat, these scalloped potatoes are sure to disappear fast!

View the Scalloped Potatoes Recipe

This Month’s Alternative Recipe:

Crockpot Scalloped Potatoes: This recipe is easy, cheesy, and delicious while only requiring a few simple ingredients. It’s super forgiving, so go ahead and experiment!

Everyday Comfort Alternative Recipe:

Try a recipe from my cookbook, Everyday Comfort, for this month’s cooking challenge! If you don’t have one yet, grab a copy here and cook along with us.

  • Three Cheese Scalloped Potato & Beef Gratin (p. 160): Tender slices of potato and seasoned ground beef are layered in a creamy three-cheese sauce and baked under a blanket of cheese until golden brown.
image of Everyday Comfort cookbook by Holly Nilsson of Spend With Pennies plus text
3 images including an ipad with a recipe in it, polaroid photos of lasagna, and an email symbol on an envelope
  1. Make this month’s Cooking Challenge recipe (or one of the alternate recipes). Feel free to get creative and add your own spin to the recipe!
  2. Snap a photo of your creation.
  3. Email photos to cookingchallenge@spendwithpennies.com by the last day of the month at 11:59 PM PST for a chance to win a $100 Amazon gift card.

Have Fun!

If you’re looking for new ways to create in the kitchen, my Cooking Challenge is just what you need. The challenge is designed to inspire you in the kitchen and encourage you to try new things. Don’t be afraid to get creative and add your own twist to the recipes.

And don’t worry about making it look perfect – just take a quick picture with your phone so we can see your delicious creations. So let’s get cooking!

Join the Challenge

Challenge FAQ

What is Holly’s Cooking Challenge?

Holly’s Cooking Challenge is a fun way to try new recipes and a way for us to all share our love for cooking! On the first of every month, a new post will be published announcing the challenge recipe for the month. Make the recipe, snap a picture, and email it in for your chance to win a $100 Amazon gift card. I can’t wait to see your creations!

How do I see the new challenge of the month?

Sign up for Spend with Pennies’ emails and watch for the email on the first of every month.

How do I enter?

By emailing cookingchallenge@spendwithpennies.com, you are automatically entered into the draw. Make sure to do this before 11:59 PM PST on the last day of the month!

Do I have to make the recipe exactly to be able to enter?

Nope! Any variation of the recipe will count as an entry. You can also make a variation of the alternate recipes to enter.

What is the prize?

The randomly selected winner of the month will receive a $100 Amazon gift card!

How do I know if I’ve won?

You will be emailed if you are the monthly winner.

Previous Challenges

Official Contest Rules