Eva signs a poster for Williams-Sonoma to keep for their store.

Anna Mintz is an Associate Publicist for Clarkson Potter, a division of Random House, and is an editor for The Recipe Club. Originally from Atlanta, she now lives in New York City and loves exploring NYC’s restaurant scene and trying out new recipes in her own kitchen.

While Eva Longoria may be most recognized for her role as saucy Gabrielle Solis on Desperate Housewives, on her own time there are few places she’d rather be than in her kitchen cooking for family and friends or collaborating with her executive chefs on menus for Beso, their restaurant with locations in Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Her first cookbook, Eva’s Kitchen: Cooking with Love for Family and Friends (Clarkson Potter, April 2011), captures Eva’s love of food and her fascinating life story, from her Texas roots and Mexican heritage to her incredibly successful acting career.

“Drawing from her childhood experiences in the kitchen, Eva’s recipes in this book focus on easy-to-find, fresh, quality foods and include a wide variety of delicious ingredients.”

Eva’s Kitchen offers home cooks a chance to work alongside Eva, a true home cook herself. Living on a ranch outside Corpus Christi, Texas, Eva’s family always cooked together with farm-fresh ingredients. Drawing from her childhood experiences in the kitchen, Eva’s recipes in this book focus on easy-to-find, fresh, quality foods and incorporate a wide variety of delicious ingredients; they include Aunt Didi’s Carne Guisada, Hungarian Paprika Chicken, Aunt Elsa’s Buttermilk Biscuits, and Eva’s personal favorite: Tortilla Soup.

Eva speaks to NBC Washington about her cookbook

Eva has an incredibly busy schedule, but earlier this month, she was able to squeeze in a stop at Williams-Sonoma in Mazza Gallerie in Washington, D.C., for a book signing! First, Eva did a quick interview about the cookbook with a local TV station and then she was ready to begin the signing. Eva loved getting to chat with her fans and hear what they thought about the cookbook and her recipes.

An Eva fan poses with her copy of the book and a sample of the chicken salad.

The store set up a fantastic event, and they even prepared the Hot Chicken Salad from Eva’s Kitchen to serve to the hungry and eager people waiting in line to meet Eva. There was a great sense of excitement as the fans waited in line, flipped through their recently-purchased copies of the book, and sampled Eva’s delicious food. Eva was as thrilled to see her fans as they were to meet her, and it was definitely an event to remember!

To enter to win an autographed copy of Eva’s Kitchen, just comment on the post below and tell us about your favorite dish to serve to family and friends. All entries must be submitted by July 7, 2011. Five winners will be chosen.

Be sure to check out these sample recipes for Chalupas, Flank Steak with Lime Marinade, and Mom’s Carrot Cake from Eva’s Kitchen:Recipes from Eva’s Kitchen by Eva Longoria