Special Occasions Books - Page 25

Christmas Cookies Are for Giving: Recipes, Stories and Tips for Making Heartwarming Gifts

Kristin Johnson, Mimi Cummins

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

More than a cookbook, Christmas Cookies Are for Giving is a celebration of family, friends and the joy of giving. Stories, recipes, tips and more...

Smells of cinnamon...cookie cutters...rolling and baking...eating dough...warm times with friends and family...Christmas cookies are a universal symbol of sweetness and family tradition at Christmas. But the joy of Christmas cookies goes beyond eating. In Christmas Cookies Are for Giving, Kristin Johnson and Mimi Cummins reawaken the fun of giving Christmas cookies, as they remember doing when they lived next door to each other when young children.

From the original short story "The Giving Christmas Cookie," which shows a family brought together by a special cookie recipe at Christmas, to nearly 50 scrumptious recipes with mouth watering photos, to the timely, easy directions for making homemade "Gifts in a Jar," Christmas Cookies Are for Giving shows that old-fashioned Christmas gifts are an antidote to cynicism about Christmas. The secret to celebrating your family and friends may not be in the mall, but in your pantry where you’ll find the ingredients to make Butterball Santas, Cranberry Decadent Cookies, and Vanillekipferl—The Giving Christmas Cookie.

Give this book as a present, and you may be rewarded when someone you love bakes the goodies in this book for you.

An Invitation To The White House : At Home With History

Hillary Rodham Clinton

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 44 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton has worked to make the White House a distinctly American showcase -- from historically accurate renovations and acquisitions of important American art, to celebrations of jazz and gospel music and an expanded emphasis on American cuisine. The first family's home has also been distinguished by the diversity of Americans honored and welcomed there. In this lavishly illustrated book, the First Lady invites you into the best-known house in the country and celebrates the very best of American history, arts, and culture.

An Invitation to the White House shows how the White House figures prominently in the cultural and political life of the country, as well as in the life of the first family. You'll have a front-row seat at the full range of White House occasions, from an elegant and historic State Dinner for the Emperor and Empress of Japan to the annual Easter Egg Roll, from a performance by Lou Reed to a private recital for President Clinton by a saxophone quartet. You'll follow a State Visit -- from the planning of the seating arrangements to the arrival ceremonies to the dancing after dinner -- and meet the dedicated staff who work behind the scenes to make it all possible. This is a White House you won't see on any public tour: As historian Carl Anthony writes in his introduction, "This book makes the rooms come alive -- one can almost taste the food and hear the music."

With more than 350 color and black-and-white photographs, menus and invitations from State Dinners and other events, and more than fifty recipes used in the White House kitchens, here is a glimpse of the day-to-day life behind the historic events that take place in the people's house.

Trader Vic's Tiki Party!: Cocktails & Food to Share with Friends

Stephen Siegelman, Trader Vic

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A Campy, Kitschy Delight 5 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

By Bill Marsano. Trader Vic's Tiki Party!: Cocktails & Food to Share with Friends," by Stephen Siegelman, is perfect for retro theme parties. Trader Vic, with his famous rival Don the Beachcomber, ushered in the Tiki Bar Era of American partying, which centered mainly on the 1950s and 1960s (which of these two men actually invented the Mai Tai, signature drink of the epoch, remains in dispute--both claim it.) Those were days of restaurants blanketed with faux-Polynesian decor, when pupu platters were the rage and drinks came in bowls serving four or more and were decorated with paper umbrellas, which folks later learned to call parasols. Relive that glorious and joyously ridiculous time with this collection of tropical cocktails and food recipes for everything from finger food to entrees. The recipes are interesting, mostly pretty easy to make, and generally fun to eat or drink. The photos are very nice but the main appeal is that the recipes are clearly presented and easy to follow.--Bill Marsano is an award-winning writer on wines and spirits.

Editorial Review:

The tiki volcano is erupting all over again, and now Trader Vic, the legendary purveyor of Polynesian food, drinks and fantasy, wants to help us bring it all home. Step behind the bar and into the kitchen at Trader Vic's and learn how to create the kind of tiki magic that made the Trader famous. It's all here: recipes for 95 of the restaurant's best-loved tropical cocktails and after-dinner drinks along with more than 35 party-friendly food recipes.

The Wine Lover Cooks Italian: Pairing Great Recipes with the Perfect Glass of WIne

Brian St. Pierre

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Glass in one hand, fork in the other, Brian St. Pierre explores the regional wines and cuisines of Italy in this dream of a cookbook. As you'd expect from the author of A Perfect Glass of Wine, St. Pierre brings to the table fabulous recipes and inspired wine pairings. Whether it's a hearty barolo from Piedmont in the northwest that complements a pan-roasted veal tenderloin, a refreshing pinot grigio from the shores of the Adriatic paired with succulent risotto di frutti di mare, or a glass of easy-going Apulia primitivo from the southern reaches to enjoy with the rosemary and oregano notes of slow-baked lamb, each wine suggestion is designed to enhance the flavor of the recipe. The sweeter side of the wine spectrum is also represented with such treats as zuppa inglese with strawberries served alongside a glass of sparkling prosecco a finish with flourish to a remarkable meal. With a glossary of wine terms and gorgeous photographs of both the wine and the food, this stylish cookbook is as beautiful as it is informative.

Patricia Wells' Trattoria: Simple and Robust Fare Inspired by the Small Family Restaurants of Italy

Patricia Wells, Steven Rothfeld

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 22 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

All you need is this book and a lace curtain in the window 5 out of 5 stars.
11 of 11 people found this review helpful.

I have been cooking with 'Bistro', Patricia Wells' book of simple French recipes, for several decades now. I have recently been converted to her 'Paris Cookbook'. So what stopped me from buying her book of Italian trattoria cooking?

Two words: Marcella Hazan.

I am addicted to Hazan's 'Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking'. It's clear. It produces restaurant-quality meals that take only modest effort. And "fancy" is the last thing it is.

I thought I just didn't need another Italian cookbook.

But now, fourteen years after it was first published, "Trattoria" --- a bargain at $13 --- is finally in the house. And, more to the point, in the kitchen. And I am chastened.

You want simple? This is it. Easy? Forget about it. Organized? Buying the book could be the last time you'll ever need to think about an Italian menu.

Why? Because the fact is, you really don't want rich and fancy. You want a trattoria --- an uncomplicated, modestly decorated, family-run establishment featuring traditional regional fare. You drink the house wine. You tend to order whatever special is being pushed. And you are likely to leave satisfied though not sated.

Patricia Wells recreates that experience here.

Editorial Review:

Whether it's a bustling eatery in the heart of Florence or a tiny alcove tucked away on a side street in Venice, the trattoria is where Italians go for robust flavors, great friendship, and good times. Patricia Wells' Trattoria now feeds America's passion for Italian food with 150 authentic recipes. Savor a Fresh Artichoke Omelet, succulent Lamb Braised in White Wine, Garlic, and Hot Peppers, a hearty portion of Lasagne with Basil, Garlic, and Tomato Sauce, or a luscious Fragrant Orange and Lemon Cake, and much more. This essential cookbook of Italian trattorias presents a full range of homemade recipes for antipasti, soups, dried and fresh pastas, polenta, seafood, poultry, and meat, with special chapters on breads, pizzas, and desserts. Come explore the heart and soul of Italian cooking in Patricia Wells' Trattoria.

The Summer Book

Susan Branch

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 19 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Captures the feeling of summer perfectly 4 out of 5 stars.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.

Susan Branch is a talented woman. Her cookbooks are beautifully illustrated with her drawings throughout. Her stories convey a warm sense of family and fun and will make you daydream about summer even in August.

Her recipes are simple and fairly easy to make and she leans heavily towards family friendly comfort foods with a little bit of pizazz. In fact, it is her ideas for presentation that make some of the recipes so special (the Bowl of Vegetables comes to mind...a simple twist on crudite that is elegant and delicious).

Those with picky children may find this book to be a surprising source of ideas (Lemon Linguini, Corn Salad, Lemon Chicken, Sweet Potato Fries, Kiwi Cups and Tortilla Roll-ups to name a few).

Her recipe for Crab Cakes is very good as is the one for Fish Tacos. Her recipes for vegetables are among her best; very simple and often quick ways to make vegetables special without drowning them in anything.

The Profiteroles recipe is my husbands favorite; the shells are simple to make and freeze very well. I love to make the Crostini for parties, the recipe is very flexible and all of the variations are a treat.

I love that she is not afraid to mix ideas and food and drawings and inspirational sayings all together in one book. You might not think that a quote from Gandi and a recipe for Jell-o shots could co-exist, but they do, and it works.

Editorial Review:

A hand-lettered, hand-painted book of everything related to summer has a hundred summer recipes--including Blueberry Bread Pudding and Barbecued Bourbon Chicken--and features picnics, parties, gardening advice, herbal cooking, home remedies, and anecdotes. 100,000 first printing. Tour.

Restaurant Favorites at Home: A Best Recipe Classic (The Best Recipe)

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 12 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Bring out your inner chef 5 out of 5 stars.
23 of 23 people found this review helpful.

Somehow, I feel this book has not received its due credit or attention. As someone who is very familiar with Cook's Illustrated, I am very surprised that this book did not become one of their top sellers. Perhaps because it is somewhat of a departure from what Cook's Illustrated normally does that people have not been able to truly embrace its concept? I must say that even I was surprised that they set out on such an undertaking with this book, especially since their founder, Christopher Kimball, is a self-proclaimed loather of all foods fancy. But after the tremendous success I have had with the amazing recipes from this book, I am so thankful they ventured into restaurant quality territory.

Before I go on, let me first say that this is probably not a book for the uninitiated. If you are a beginner cook, I strongly urge you to start out with Cook's Illustrated "The New Best Recipe" cookbook. There is a wealth of information and techniques to be learned from this all-encompassing cookbook (the "Bible" to us Cook's Illustrated fans) and you will be better served to learn the fundamentals of cooking and baking before you try most of the recipes from "Restaurant Favorites". However, if you are a seasoned cook looking for delicious, foolproof recipes with the wow factor of a four star restaurant, then you have hit the jackpot with this book!

How CI approached this venture is they contacted scores of food editors from all over the country and asked them what dishes from their favorite restaurants they would most like to recreate at home. They then asked the chefs of those restaurants to share their recipes. In typical CI fashion, they took those recipes into the test kitchen and exhaustively tested them until they came up with a version that would translate into the home kitchen. Most high end restaurants use hard to obtain ingredients, difficult techniques, and have expensive equipment not normally found in home kitchens. They also have sous chefs on hand to help with lengthy preparation and dishwashers to clean their mountains of dishes. We home cooks are not afforded these luxuries. With this in mind, CI set out to transform these recipes into something the home cook could feasibly do at home, while still maintaining the integrity of the original dishes. They substituted expensive, hard to find ingredients with ones available to most home cooks, they simplified techniques, and they streamlined recipes to shorten preparation and cooking times. But all the while, they maintained the genius and drama of four star restaurant cooking. For those of us looking for ways to add new flavors and flair to our dishes without having to take expensive cooking classes, this book is like a gift from heaven!

There is a diverse array of recipes contained within, from the striking beauty and flavor of their "Crab Towers with Avocado and Gazpacho Salsas" to the homey flavors of their "Braised Short Ribs with Creamy Polenta". You will most likely find something to prepare for whichever occasion you choose. The recipes included run the gamut from first courses (appetizers, soups and salads), main courses (vegetarian, poultry, meat and seafood), side dishes and desserts. While this book may be a departure from what Cook's Illustrated normally does, you can still find elements that you have come to expect from them. Like product and equipment ratings, illustrations of techniques, and helpful tidbits that are scattered throughout the book. And like all other CI cookbooks, every recipe comes with a detailed write-up of their experiences in the test kitchen...how they arrived at the final version of the recipes, what lessons were learned in their undertaking, etc. As always, the good people at CI are not only recipe writers, but educators as well.

I cannot recommend this book enough to people who are looking for new and exciting recipes to wow their family and friends. You will be surprised at how doable all these recipes are, and you will be taking your cooking and entertaining to a whole new level. I do admit that I tend to use this cookbook more for entertaining than I do for every day cooking. While there are certainly recipes that you can make for weeknight meals (Tortilla Soup, Greek Salad, Jambalaya, German Pot Roast), more of them have that restaurant flair that seems more appropriate for dinner parties, holidays and special occasions than a Tuesday night in front of the television. But one thing's for certain, every recipe that I tried not only looked beautiful but tasted as good as or better than anything I've ever had in a high end restaurant. I can't thank Cook's Illustrated enough for this book. I've never thought I would be able to cook like this with such minimal effort!

If you are looking to elevate your cooking to an all new high, then you will definitely want this book on your shelf. You owe it to your inner chef to give it a try. :-)

Editorial Review:

Would you like to cook restaurant recipes at home? Have you ever been tempted to make a restaurant recipe only to be disappointed by the results? The editors of Cook's Illustrated set out to find out how to make restaurant cooking at home a reality. After collecting together hundreds of recipes they selected 150 recipes that excited them most and spent thousands of hours in their test kitchen making those recipes work. They trimmed each recipe to its essentials without compromising on flavour or visual appeal. Restaurants usually prepare huge batches of food, so the recipes were reworked to serve 4 rather than 40. As a result, Restaurant Favourites at Home offers tried and tested recipes for starters, soups, salads, main courses, side dishes and desserts as well as the usual wealth of tips, tastings and equipment tests that are so much a part of all the Cook's Illustrated recipe books.

The Thanksgiving Ceremony: New Traditions for America's Family Feast

Edward Bleier

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 14 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

When we think about Thanksgiving we contemplate history, the autumn harvest, and, of course, eating turkey and watching football. But most of all, we think about family, friends, and the bounty of our country. Edward Bleier’s The Thanksgiving Ceremony introduces a brand-new tradition for the Thanksgiving table, offering a wonderful way for all Americans to give thanks and rejoice in the sense of togetherness and community this special holiday brings.

The heart of the book is a participatory ceremony designed to be read aloud around the table. It recounts the story of the early settlers and the challenges they, and all subsequent immigrant generations, faced. The ceremony provides roles for guests of all ages and takes about twenty minutes.

There is also a brief history of Thanksgiving, as well as a wide array of poems, hymns, songs, prayers, and readings that enable families to create and customize their own ceremony, including pieces by Maya Angelou, Irving Berlin, Woodie Guthrie, and Emily Dickinson.

As William Safire writes in his foreword, “Getting together for a grand dinner party may be glorious fun, but a holiday should have a focus”—one that reminds us why we celebrate it. This long-overdue book offers that focus in a short, elegant format that any gathering of family and friends can participate in, and enjoy, for many years to come.

Praise for The Thanksgiving Ceremony:

"The Thanksgiving Ceremony is a small gem—a book that brings to life the history, songs, and traditions, old and new, of the most widely celebrated holiday of the year. This is a buoyant book, full of hope and praise of all that makes us Americans."—Julie Nixon Eisenhower

"There are times, like these, when it's important to count our blessings. Ed Bleier's delightful book lets us do the math."—Alan Alda and Arlene Alda

"This great country has provided the 'music' and this book provides the eloquent 'lyrics' for the Thanksgiving tables of all Americans, regardless of race or religion. It's a joyous tribute to who we are, and can be, as Americans."—Quincy Jones

"Over the years, I've had so many Thanksgiving dinners with Ed and Magda that when Ed Bleier talks turkey, all of us listen."—Steven Spielberg

"The Thanksgiving Ceremony is a wonderful and moving idea. It is central to what we celebrate and a happy reminder of why America's principles endure as they do."—Peter Jennings and Kayce Freed

Christmas Decorations from Williamsburg

Susan Hight Rountree

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Has a lot of good ideas. 4 out of 5 stars.
20 of 25 people found this review helpful.

This book has lovely ideas for decoarting using natural materials. I found many of the ideas could be done very inexpensively.

I love boxwood 5 out of 5 stars.
8 of 8 people found this review helpful.

Since I love boxwood growing in the yard and using the beautiful greens at Christmas, I found this book to be one of the most informative books I own about Christmas greens. The instructions on how to create many decorations for the inside and outside the home are very clear. The pictures are gorgeous. I have learned to make garlands, wreaths, centerpieces, swags, boxwood trees, and other lovely items. The book features many different types of greens to use for creating holiday decorations. I have taught many others how to make holiday decorations that are featured in this book.

Editorial Review:

Superb photography, descriptive text, and twenty-seven charming color drawings present ideas and how-to's for creating wreaths, cones, swags, roping, and other holiday decorations for mantels, stairways, windows, and tables. Fresh and dried plant materials are used separately or are combined in both traditional and more contemporary ways to help you create a Williamsburg Christmas in your home

The Diabetic Chef's Year-Round Cookbook

Chris Smith

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Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

A solid compendium of easy-to-prepare quality dishes 5 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

Just because diabetics must be careful of their diet doesn't mean they have to forego gourmet level qualities of taste, presentation, and elegance when dining at home. Chef Chris Smith has compiled a volume of outstanding recipes to grace any diabetic's meal plan in "The Diabetic Chef's Year-Round Cookbook", published by the American Diabetes Association. For the novice kitchen cook seeking to prepare 'diabetic friendly' dishes there are pragmatic tips and techniques that can accentuate the inherent tastes of healthy ingredients, advice on stocking one's kitchen to prepare such meals, tips on selecting the right kinds of ingredients or cooking foods at correct temperatures, and even how to use template cooking to make changes to one's favorite recipes. Broken down monthly throughout the spectrum of one year, each recipe showcased in "The Diabetic Chef's Year-Round Cookbook" is adjusted to the ingredients of that particular season. Enhanced with the inclusion of a sidebar identifying Exchanges/Choices and Basic Nutritional Values, the recipes include Turkey Gravy; Zucchini and Mushroom Frittatas; Baked Salmon with Mango Vinaigrette; Extra-Thick Lemon Yogurt; Roasted Corn and Red Pepper Salsa; Sweet Vadalia Onion Tart, Grilled Skirt Steak; and Tossed Mixed Greens with Grilled Chicken and Goat Cheese. A solid compendium of easy-to-prepare quality dishes that will please any palate and satisfy any appetite.

Editorial Review:

Who knows more about cooking for people. with diabetes than a chef who actually has. diabetes himself?

.

The Diabetic Chef�, Chris Smith, is at it again with a. second cookbook that uses a seasonal approach to. great tasting, easy-to-prepare meals. Drawing on his. own experience as both a chef and a person with diabetes,. Chris has concocted 125 mouth-watering. recipes that emphasize fresh-ingredients for flavor�. and overall diabetes health.